Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots Cap 101, Part II: Pats Cap Sets the Record Straight - 7/3/2020

Episode Date: July 3, 2020

Talking ‘Cap’ with Pats Cap is so nice...we decided to do it twice. Miguel “Pats Cap” Benzan is back for part two of his interview with host Mike D’Abate. Miguel provides additional insight into Cam Newton’s deal with the New England Patriots. Lastly, he sets the record on some of the myths currently circulating around the Patriots salary cap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. Welcome to your Friday before the 4th, a fiscal Friday episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, your six-time Super Bowl champions,

the New England Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, and your feedback, always welcomed and greatly appreciated. And feel free to share that feedback with me anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there saying how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure

to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, it is Friday, July 3rd, 2020, the day before the 4th of July. And even though I know our 4th of July celebrations will be much different than they have been in years past this

year, there is still reason for optimism because for us NFL fans, it means that by the end of this month, football training camps will have optimism, because for us NFL fans, it means that by the end of this month, football training camps will have been opened. Football will be back. But much like our 4th of July celebrations this year, they might look a little bit different, and I'll get into that in just a moment. But first, if you tuned into yesterday's pod, you were able to absorb the fiscal wisdom

and counsel of the Pats salary cap top gun, the Pats cap himself, Miguel Benzon. Miguel discussed in depth the parameters of Cam Newton's contract, what it means for the Patriots this year and possibly even beyond 2020. And we also talked extensively about some of those under-the-radar roster moves that the Patriots might make to help free up some salary cap space to operate for the 2020 season. And as I said yesterday to close out the pod, our conversation was so nice, we asked him to do it twice. That's right, part two of my interview with Miguel Benzon, the top gun, the Patriots salary

cap guru, will be coming at you in just a moment. And Miguel will elaborate a little bit deeper into some of those roster moves that the Patriots could make to free up additional cap space. And of course, to close out the week with some fireworks, I know folks, there won't be a lot of in-person fireworks if any this year for the 4th, but you can rely on Miguel to bring you some fiscal fireworks to close out the show today, because he'll be setting the record straight on a lot of those salary cap myths that are out there circulating around the Twitterverse and across social media.

So as I told you yesterday, sit tight, folks. An action-packed pod on the horizon today, and prepare once again to be enriched by the wisdom and counsel, the fiscal wisdom and counsel, of my good friend Miguel Benzón. But before I bring Miguel in today, I just wanted to share a tidbit with you from the world of the NFL that broke yesterday afternoon. And here on Locked on Patriots, we've done a lot of talking about potential roster depth. I've even given you a 53-man roster prognostication. We all know that your New England Patriots, along with the other 31 NFL teams, are set

to open training camp in late July. Most of them will be doing so on the 28th of the month. And traditionally, NFL teams bring 90 players to training camp. They carry about as many players through the preseason, and then right on the cusp of the start of the regular season, they make their final roster cutdowns and trim the roster to 53. Well, this year, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who shared this yesterday afternoon, said that he is hearing from league sources that teams are expected to bring fewer than the expected 90 players when training camps open at the end of the month.

Now, how many players come to camp is still being determined. One of his sources foresees about 80. Another had speculated about 75. But in any case, the 90-man preseason roster that we're used to seeing doesn't seem like something that's going to happen this summer. Now, obviously, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is the most prominent reason as to why trimming the training camp rosters is likely occurring. But in addition to that, there are football-related implications to consider here.

Cutting down the roster to 75 or 80 players could add more than 300 players to the free agent pool. Now, an easy way to do that is simply to eliminate undrafted free agents from these rosters, or at least most of them. But this could also provide an opportunity for teams to clear up cap space by cutting players on the fringe. You might be asking yourself, what does this mean for the New England Patriots? Well, it could mean one of two things. It could mean that players that are, quote, on the fringe, guys that Miguel and I discussed yesterday, like a Dietrich Wise, or a Rex Burkhead, possibly even a Marcus Cannon, players whose release would theoretically create some cap space for the Patriots might find themselves more likely than not to be on the chopping block floor this year.

However, if I can play devil's advocate for just a minute, folks, it also might mean these players are more likely to stick around, and I'll explain what I mean by that. We all know, for the first time in 20 years, the Patriots are going to be starting a new quarterback. It's likely that quarterback will either be Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham. Either way, it's still a new face under center, which means the Patriots are going to be taking on a different look.

If they install Cam Newton as the quarterback, it's a pretty prominent departure from the way the Patriots are used to running their offense under Tom Brady. Now, theoretical wisdom would tell you that if the Patriots are going to be installing a new offense, this is the perfect time to overhaul the roster. Bring in new players. Let's see what the new guys can do. Well, not so fast, folks. If the Patriots are going to be going through some upheaval, some differences on the roster,

they're going to want to maintain as much continuity as possible. That may lead them to retain more veteran players, players that have experience in the Bill Belichick-Josh McDaniel system. It also means that a team like the Patriots, and this is really true of all 31 other NFL teams too, folks, haven't had the time to evaluate a lot of their new players. The undrafted free agents, the drafted rookies that are on the fringe, and some of the new veterans brought in simply just might not have the time they need to showcase their talent to a new coaching staff. If that's the case, then the Patriots may choose to hold on to a lot of their veterans

and cut a lot of their new faces. I'm not saying it's going to happen. Ultimately, the Patriots have to make that decision. But it could, and based on Schefter's report, I would say it's definitely worth keeping a sharp eye. As we always do right here on the pod, I'll continue to follow the story as it develops, especially if and when roster cuts come down. So one thing is certain, a lot of those 53-man roster predictions that you see out there,

including mine, folks, probably going to get a facelift over the next couple of weeks as we learn more about the roster sizes that will be invited to training camps starting at the end of the month. But even though we can't quite set the record straight on the number of personnel surrounding NFL rosters lately, we can set the record straight when it comes to personnel surrounding NFL rosters lately, we can set the record straight when it comes to a lot of the salary cap myths. And today, I have the greatest subject matter expert in the business. Part two of my interview with Miguel Benzon, the Pats cap himself, coming at you when the

Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, with the Fourth of July weekend on the horizon, we are now well into summer, folks. And as I've said many times, summer is a time where you want to look and feel your best. But it should come as no surprise to you that your vehicle, your ride, deserves to look its best and deserves to be running at its best. That's very important. And for me, there is no better way to ensure that my ride is always looking and running at its best than to talk business and do business with the very best in the game. And that's rockauto.com. Folks, if you're a do-it-yourselfer

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Best of all, you no longer have to spend up to twice as much for the same parts. Go to rockauto.com right now and see all the parts available for your car or truck. Make sure to put Locked On in their How Did You Hear About Us box so they know we sent you. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Rockauto.com patriots fans again miguel benzon the pats cap himself joins me here on the lockdown patriots podcast and it's insight that you can only find here folks cam newton is in the fold and miguel

has broken down exactly what that means for the patriots in the short term and even what it might mean in the long term. But one of my favorite parts of having you join me here on the pod, my friend, is your ability to identify some of those other cap reports out there. And in your infinite wisdom, you either confirm or debunk them. And again, I roll with you no matter what you say. I believe it because you're simply the best at what you do. But before we get into that, my friend, we did talk previously about Cam Newton, about the implications, the salary cap implications that his deal has immediately for the Patriots, what it might mean into training camp, what it might mean into the season, and even going beyond that into the season, possibly,

which by consensus, it seems to be nobody can really totally predict what's going on because no one knows the salary cap situation yet because of the pandemic and the effects that will have. We also talked about some of the moves that the Patriots might make to free up some cap space. And one point that I think you made so eloquently is that the Patriots cap space right now, that less than $300,000 number that we see, is not a cause for concern or to go into hysterics right now. The Patriots will clear the space they need to. They know how to do it. They know what moves need to be made.

And one way or another, they're going to clear the space that they need to be able to operate for the entire year. When it comes to some of the moves that you described, we talked a little bit about Joe Tooney. We talked a little bit about Rex Burkhead, Adonte Hightower, guys like Jermaine Illuminor and guys like possibly even Derek Rivers or Dietrich Wise that might be on the roster bubble and might be in jeopardy of getting cut. Are there any other moves or any other details that we didn't speak about in the previous segment that you wanted to go ahead and address before we set the record straight. Okay. Yeah. The guaranteed money. Let's talk about the guaranteed money, folks.

Perfect. Let's do it. All right. There's a couple of players on this team whose salary is guaranteed. So you're cutting them. You don't save any money. Highly, very little money. So I'm talking like Shaq Mason.

I'm talking Jonathan Jones. Isaiah Wynn. I'm talking Sonny Michel. I'm talking like Shaq Mason talking Jonathan Jones Isaiah Wynn I'm talking Sony Michelle talking Matthew Slater Nikhil Harry right you you don't save any money by cutting them Joanne Williams well actually Joanne Williams because of his arrest he might lose the guaranteed posture he might lose the guaranteed money all right so like folks when you were talking about Sony Michelle you're like, folks, when you were talking about Sonny Michel, you're talking about Nikhil Harry, you're talking about, hey, I don't like Matthew Slater because he's a special teamer.

All right? Let's cut them. Well, you don't realize you're not saving any money by cutting them a lot of money by cutting them because their salary is guaranteed. Or you can hope some other player, some other team will pick them up so you get an offset. But that credit won't happen until 2021. Right?

So that's the other thing. And the other thing, Mike, we said this before on this. I do not get why people say, mention when they're doing a 53-man roster projection, how much money a guaranteed undrafted free agent gets. It doesn't matter, folks. I've never seen a correlation between how much, if they got $100,000, they're making a roster, or they got zero, then they're not making a roster. All right? I've never seen a correlation.

What matters is what they do during training camp and mini camps. I mean, whatever they do between the time they join the team, the time to make the roster, Bill has never shown me that he cares about the amount of guaranteed money. And, folks, the cap is over $200 million. Guaranteed $100,000. $100,000 out of $200 million is pennies. Pennies. Not a big deal, folks. All right?

I hate to say this, Mike. I think it's lazy journalism to mention that. You know what I'm saying? And then the other thing people will say, well, the guy got so much guaranteed money, salary, bonus, maybe like $3,000, $4,000. They won't cut him. Folks, the Patriots gave Keyshawn Martin a $600,000 signing bonus in January. They cut him the following eight months later. $600,000.

That was several years ago. The cap has gone up about $30,000,000,000. So make that $6,000,000,000. Let's say, so make that $1 million. Don't say the guy's got like a lot of guaranteed money, like a million dollars, and that protects him. It doesn't. It really doesn't, especially for a player who's signed for next year

because his dead money, since we're after June 1st, his dead money, his signing board information is going to be, no matter what, it's going to hit 2021 cap, right? Right. Okay, that's what we should, that's the one you get about the roster cuts, the other thing. And let's just talk about the other thing I wanted to say, you mentioned is like, remember, this year they can,

at the right, the last last the day right before the game teams can promote a practice squad player to the 50 to the to the active roster all right right so when they do that player who's making was making eighty four hundred dollars a week is now making about thirty five thousand dollars a week all right but that's35,000 a week. Right. For that, he's going to make $35,000 for that game. That's $20,000 to $7,000 difference on the cap. So let's say they, and they could do that every game. So that's 16 times they could do that for 32, twice.

Right. You know what I'm saying? So you got to count for that. Let's make it easy. Let's just use a million dollars for that. That's another thing they've got to account for. It's not just the things they need to account for, the cap space. And I'll just go more talking about it. I might as well just wrap this up.

This is what they need to do to create the cap space. You've got to make sure at the end of the day, right now, they're only paying on the cap, there's only 51 salaries. All right? After roster cutdowns, there's going to be 53 salaries. You're going to have to pay for your practice squad players. You have to get an account for, as we talked about before in the previous yesterday's segment, the active roster bonuses,

which is $2.7 million. They have to account for the guys who get injured. We don't know, folks, who's going to get injured. Sometimes there's been years where the Patriots have been relatively healthy. There's years where, like in 2015, it seemed like a guy was going on IR every week. All right? Oh, yeah.

So if it's like a repeat of 2015, you need cap space, a lot more cap space. So the Patriots are going to need to create, I'm going to say, from at least 7 to 10. And they're going to know maybe at roster cutdowns, they'll have a feeling if they're going to get a lot of injuries. You know what I'm saying? Maybe they'll have a feeling. All right? Maybe. And the other thing about – you want to have more cap space is if you go into

no cap space in the season, you can't extend someone. So let's say Adam Butler. You know what I'm saying? Jason Jackson. They have low cap numbers now. Any extension will increase their cap number. So you want to have a cap space so it gives you the flexibility to extend one of those guys. All right?

That's, you know, so they need to create the cap space. I don't know. They're not going to tell me what they're going to do. And they're not going to tell us. And I don't blame them. They shouldn't tell us. All right? Right.

Exactly. They shouldn't tell us. All right. Right. Exactly. Don't ask me about my business. Kay. That's beautiful. That's so beautiful. All right. Okay. As we,

as we bring Miguel back here, I don't want to overload them too much. Thank you. I assure you. I really wish I was indeed that funny want to overload him too much. Thank you. I assure you. I really wish I was indeed that funny, but I do appreciate it. Thank you. By all means, continue. Mike, I love you guys for the references.

You're one of the few people in America who probably watch that movie more than I do. Yeah, I'm sure. I probably watched it more than most. I'm okay with that i'm certainly all right with that that's for sure that's for sure like my like my brother harry he i swear he can he can he can say the entire words of the movie it's a one of a life yeah great great oh great film another great yeah yeah um Yeah. So let's go back. So let's go back to my one of my favorite sections of the podcast is setting the record straight. All right. I just love it because I'm somehow, you know, it just cracks me up that some people get this stuff wrong.

All right. And the first thing I want to say is like we heard about the Cam Newton signing on Sunday night. A beat writer says to us in his tweet, and I'm not going to mention him because I'm not going to embarrass the guy, says, reminder, the Patriots can't afford him. They've got to make several transactions to bring him on board. Mike, I saw that tweet. My jaw dropped. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, I'm like saying, like, literally, there's no way his –

I'm like – I don't know how many times I've put that on my timeline. When you ever see the words up to, worth up to, that's just code, folks, for that deal has incentives and actor roster bonuses and for a guy who had played in two games last year there's no way his cap them was gonna be seven and a half million dollars we knew right everywhere I was like I don't know why that be I was like I just woke okay all right I just I just like I didn't know why they were thinking okay the. The other thing we've been seeing, and this happened with Joe Tooney. All right.

Oh, his cap, his, if they tag him again next year, it might actually be lower than it is this year. That's wrong. And we saw this in a piece by another guy about Gilmore. All right. And I'll explain what I want to explain about a player's tag number is the higher of two numbers. The first number is the league tag number.

All right, so they come up with a tag number. Let's say, let's just use with Joe Tooney for this year was $14.781 million for offensive line. All right, and let's say for whatever reason next year, let's just say it's $15 million. All right. That $15 million doesn't apply to Joe Tooney because because what does apply is a portion in the CBA that says. His tag now is to be 120 percent of his prior year cap number. So Joe Tooney's guaranteed if he was to tag next year, he's going to get a 20% raise over the $14.78 million.

You know what I'm saying? So that's the same thing with Gilmore. So in 2021, his cap number is $19 million. Alright? No matter what happens COVID-related, no matter what happens COVID-related, his 2022 tag number is going to be over $23 million.

Yeah. If his deal does not change between now and then. It doesn't matter if the cap goes down. It doesn't matter if the league cap number, the franchise tag number for cornerbacks is $10 million. He's going to get his tag number is going to be 22. Right. 23, excuse me, 23.

All right. It doesn't matter. So that's the other thing I wanted to get out there is like, folks, franchise tag is the higher of a 20% raise or the league tag number. That 20% raise thing is somehow people miss it. That's been in the CBA for as long as I've been covering the Patriots. I've been doing this since 2000. So that's been in the last three or four CBAs.

How people are missing it, B-Raz is missing this, I don't know. It's beyond me. All right. The other thing that I wanted to set this record straight is, let's talk about Cam Newton. People saying he's just a one-year deal. They can't afford him.

He plays the most important position in football. If he plays well, you make the room. You do what you do to keep him. I'll say this. Next year, he'll be younger than tom brady was when the patriots made him the highest paid player in the nfl i'm not saying that

kid i'm not saying that ken newton's at brady's level but if you're willing to pay brady in 2000 make him the highest paid player in the n. Because if you're willing to do that, then you're probably going to be willing to do that with a guy who's a year younger. So you might... So a little bit, and the cap is going up, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, we don't know what the cap is,

but it's the most important position. The most important position. The most important position. If he plays well, and I'll say this, the fact that they can tag him gives them leverage. Right. They can tag him. So somebody said they wouldn't keep him. I'm like, let's just say if he plays well, why would you want to get rid of him? I'm like, so what if he costs $25 to $30 million?

That's the going rate for a quarterback. Yes, it's easier to build a team if your quarterback is great and on a rookie contract. It's far easier. No one's arguing that. But it's harder to get – it's very hard to get a good quarterback. If he's a good quarterback, yeah. It is. You're right.

Yeah, if you get one. Yeah, and especially long-term. I understand why the Patriots and Tom Brady went their ways. They weren't willing to go out that year to give Brady the long-term deal. I understand that. You can make the argument. It's at least understandable. It's understandable.

I thought he was staying. I thought they would work everything out. I was wrong about that. But at least I can understand the reasoning behind it. I'm struggling here. Okay. Guy plays well, and you want to try to flip him for draft picks. And I'm thinking if he plays well well you're flipping him for draft picks

well who are you trading them to that he's not gonna end up hurting you all right you're absolutely right and i'm so glad that you set the record straight on that because there is a narrative out there folks and mcgill will be the first to tell you he's seen it just the same way i have the same way most of you have about well if they went out and got Cam, then why didn't Jay just keep Tom? There's a lot of reasons for that. There are the reasons why Cam was able to fit in with what the Patriots were doing salary-wise. Tom would have never, ever settled or been able to work out a deal like that. There's no way that would have happened.

Miguel has laid out several scenarios where the Patriots, prior to the beginning of free agency, would have been able to clear up enough space to be able to sign Tom Brady for whatever reason the two sides chose to part ways so in a lot of ways what this does for the Patriots especially with the set of the uh the franchise tag and I'm glad you mentioned that as well because it gives the Patriots the flexibility to keep him under contract if Cam plays at a high level and this is a playoff caliber team that's making a run for a Super Bowl title why would you not want to keep him in the fold? The Patriots would be willing to take that hit no matter what it is in order to be able to win and win now if they feel it's in their best interest. So thank you again, my friend, for setting the record straight on that. Continue.

I didn't mean to steal your thunder, but I just wanted to thank you for making those points. And the other thing I wanted to say is remind people about quarterbacks are exempt from the comp pick thing, the 10-year comp pick rule. Basically, if a player has 10 accrued seasons and no matter what he signs for, could become the highest paid player in the league, you can only get a fifth round pick. We found out in this new CBA, the quarterbacks are exempt from that. Let's just say Cam Newton balls out this year. And for whatever reason, the Patriots, and he leaves in free agency, the Patriots are going to most likely get a 2022 third round pick. And the other thing is, oh, you can't, the Patriots can going to most likely get a 2022 third-round pick. And the other thing is people, oh, you can't –

the Patriots can't guarantee it. You can't guarantee it because they're going to have to spend money on this. Folks, when Darrell Revis left, when – oh, my gosh, Trey Flowers left. All those guys left, we all said they were getting a third-round pick. What did the Patriots do? They made sure they kept them. If they're going to get the highest possible comp pick in 2022, Ernie and Bill and Nick Casario will ensure that happens.

You can sign. The problem with that argument is that you're presuming that A, the Patriots can't – there won't be any street free agents that you can sign instead of. You're presuming that the guys on the team, that you're not extending the young guys on this team. You're not saying – so you could do all those things. I'm confident that if Cam Newton leaves and he signs the biggest free agent deal in 2021,

the Patriots are going to get a third round. I'm confident in that because that's the way they're enrolling. Same thing – I heard the same thing about Darrell Rivas. I heard the same thing about Trey Flowers. I'm confident. Nick Solder, all those, I heard the same thing. I'm not. Nick, Nate shoulder, all of those. I heard the same thing. I'm not setting the record to say that's just my opinion.

All right. But literally I, I'm just, I'm just getting you folks. I'm getting you more background. I just think, you know, saying that I don't want this back and forth,

back and forth. I'm like, that's just opinion. All right. This is just opinion. Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I just think it was, you could have said the same thing in 2015 about the road.

Like it didn't happen. You're right. You know what I'm saying? So, but that's the other thing I wanted to get off my chest. And the other thing is, could they sign a long-term deal with Cam Newton? They could. They can't. Right.

Could they afford it? Folks, that's the going rate for quarterbacks. And that's the goal. It is what it is is you have to pay quarterbacks that kind of money i mean i'm not right for whatever reason the owners and the gms have not made a big difference between the star quarterbacks the elite ones like russell and drew brees and tom versus the middle the middle of pack at all you know saying something oh that's not that's the nature of the business and so that was i think i said everything i wanted to say now mike is any other questions you had at At this point, my friend, no, I think, and I'm so glad that you made

the distinction between your opinion when it comes to some of the moves that the Patriots are making and the background. The background is where you set the record straight. It's giving people the information that they may not have. By my own admission, I mean, I don't have a lot of the information that I bring you on

here to bring to our listeners. I'm always educated. I always take notes. If you notice, folks, I'm a lot more silent when Miguel comes on. That's not simply because I just want to hear him talk. I want to hear what the man has to say because it's always spot on. It's always accurate. And it always gives us a lot more information. And it makes us better football fans. It makes us better informed football fans. That includes people like me that cover the team on the periphery. That includes intricate beat writers as well that are right in the thick of things. We've seen you consistently praised for your work, my friend, and it's well deserved. You do deserve it because, again, you're the best at what you do.

I can't thank you enough for choosing Locked On Patriots to be the vehicle that you choose to come on, provide this type of wisdom and counsel to Patriots Nation. And we're always thrilled to have you. We're always thrilled to be your home for this type of information. And again, my friend, it's always a pleasure and always an honor to join you on the microphone. Before I do let you go, buddy, the floor is yours. Where can our listeners follow you? Where can they listen to you?

Where can they always read and keep up with your great work? You can definitely find him on Twitter at Patscap. But, you know, please let us know, you know, what you have coming on the horizon. Yeah, like I'm on Twitter at PatSkaff. I want to go back to being going to have my website patskaff.com but I wanted to do that in conjunction I wanted to work with the

Habitat for Humanity and see if I could have help have a thing like GoFundMe to help someone buy a house. That's my, you know, saying, so that was my goal. But for some, you know, because of the pandemic, I, you know, it's been hard for me to meet, reach out to meet with them about that. So that's my goal. So, but right now you're supposed to be finding me on Twitter. I really – I also have an Instagram page, but I really don't really do that much.

I just throw out some photos out there. I'm really not – like Bill, I'm really not on social media that much. So no – I assume no Snap Face going on at the benzo no no no no no no no tiktok buddy you're not i'm not i i i lose i've been i i've been on tiktok i you can you can watch those videos are just crazy i just love the and i love watching people dance i want to see bill on tiktok that's what I want to see. Oh, my gosh. I don't think he does not look like a guy with a ring. I'm sorry. Probably not.

Take a look at some of those early parades that the Patriots had. I distinctly remember maybe the first one where they were at, you know, in Boston. And I think he was trying to dance on stage with Ty Law and Laura Malloy. Oh, that was awful. Yeah, that was pretty pretty rough but uh you know who knows maybe nike belichick will have his own tiktok he seems so it'll it'll be really good but in all actuality she could dance linda looks like yeah i would say so we'll we'll you know what we'll we'll leave it to bill and we'll uh we'll see what uh what

comes out of the belichick household when it comes to social media. I'm not expecting much. I don't think Bill's a big social media guy, but who knows? Maybe times will change. I don't know if people know this. Bill and I both major in economics. See, another connection. Another reason why Bill is the best of the best at what he does, and another reason why you are the top gun, the best of the best at what he does and another reason why you are the top gun

the best of the best folks the plaque for the alternates doesn't exist because he has no equal and i'm talking about my good buddy on the other end of the microphone right now hey miguel thank you so much for your candor your insight uh most of all your spot-on analysis of the cap thank you again folks follow this man on twitter at pat's must-follow for any and all Patriots fans. Cannot recommend it highly enough. My good friend, be safe, be well. Have a happy Fourth of July to you and your family. We look forward to having you back here on Locked On Patriots very soon.

Thanks again, my friend. Anytime. I love being on this show. All right, take care, guys. And we love having you. And just like that, Patriots fans, we put a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. To think that when I signed off last weekend here on the pod, I never believed that we would spend the majority of this week talking about Cam Newton as the Patriots quarterback.

But the Cam Newton era is about to begin. And I really want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, my great guests this week who offered their wisdom and counsel on anything and everything related to Cam Newton and the implications his signing has on the Patriots roster. Again, I thank Zach Blackerby, Thomas Murphy, and of course Miguel Benzon for closing out the week with

a two-parter here, always honored and humbled by great guests like these, and I look forward to having each of them back on the pod here very soon. And before I sign off and leave you to your 4th of July weekend celebrations here, folks, I remind you that Independence Day is still a day to remember those who sacrificed everything they have to make sure that we continue to live in freedom. We've had a rough year here in the United States, for a lot of different reasons, but I can honestly say as I address you today, I still believe we live in the greatest country in the world. Things need to change.

They're slowly changing for the better. We need to do more, and we will continue to do that. Together, united as one. The freedoms that we enjoy today are a direct result of the sacrifices made by so many brave men and women who came before us. We remember that, and we applaud that. But we also applaud the sacrifices that are being made by so many right now to ensure that all Americans, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, live in an independent, free, and safe United States of America.

That's the American dream. That's the American spirit. And that's what we should all be remembering on this Independence Day holiday. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast once again I thank my guest this week Zach Blackerby, Thomas Murphy and Miguel Benzon for their time

their insight and their appearances but most of all I thank you all so much for listening and for staying locked into Locked On Patriots and the very best way to ensure that you stay locked into Locked On Patriots is to follow us on Spotify subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, and of course, you can always listen to us directly on your very own smart device. How do you do that?

Very simple. Just ask it to play the latest episode of Locked on Patriots. On behalf of myself and of Locked on Patriots, have a safe, healthy, happy 4th of July weekend. Stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world, and have a great weekend, everyone.