Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots Mac Jones, ‘Dirty’ Player?; Jerod Mayo Ready to be a Head Coach; Tua Tagovailoa Out?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Mack Jones is fined and is Gerard Mayo ready for the head coach's bench? Stay tuned. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Also, your first listen every day. Remember that Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots wherever

Starting point is 00:01:01 you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So please reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked on Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, it's almost time to leave New England's 22-18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve in the rearview mirror and move on to Miami in a New Year's Day matchup

Starting point is 00:01:37 coming up in Week 17. But there's still some roadblocks to clear. And one of them is whether or not Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is indeed quote-unquote a dirty player I know I'm not thrilled to have to talk about it either but it is out there and it is a topic right now that New England does have to address and unfortunately it's also going to make Mac a little lighter in the wallet in the coming days of course I'm talking about his role in what has become a controversial slide block attempt on a negated fumble return in the fourth quarter of the Patriots

Starting point is 00:02:11 game last Saturday. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the play, it occurred when Bengals linebacker Jermaine Pratt attempted to return what was originally thought as a fumble by Mack. Pratt headed for the end zone. In comes Bengals cornerback Eli Apple trailing him trying to provide some protection. Well in comes Mack into the frame. Looks like he was attempting to make an off the ball low block on the play. He was trailing him as well. The pass ended up being deemed incomplete. The play was ultimately called back but because Mack went low this was under investigation by the league and it was reported on Monday that all options were on the table including a possible fine possible suspension

Starting point is 00:02:52 as the day wore on suspension was taken off the table but Mack did not escape punitive action altogether he is going to be fined by the NFL $11,139 for his block below the waist of Eli Apple. And the official reasoning is that because it took place on a change of possession, Jones's action was indeed a violation of league rules. So now the predominant public outcry is going to be Mac Jones is a dirty player. Mac went on his weekly special on WEI yesterday, meaning on Monday, maintaining that he was just making an attempt to keep Apple from catching Tyquan Thornton, who really is the only player on the field that had a chance to catch him in terms of speed. And Tyquan was in hot pursuit.

Starting point is 00:03:38 There's no question about it. You take a look at it. Mack's explanation, and I'm quoting verbatim here from his appearance on WEI, quote, I went down in front of him to kind of get in the way to stop him from slowing down Taekwon, who obviously could make the tackle there. So I just kind of went down in front of him, trying to stop a fast guy from getting to another fast guy. It's a split second decision. There's a lot that goes into it. You're out there trying to compete. It's a split-second decision. There's a lot that goes into it. You're out there trying to compete. It's a physical game, just trying to help the team win. Sounds reasonable enough when you hear Mack describe it. He sounds sincere in his explanation, but following the game and in the

Starting point is 00:04:17 moments after and in the days after, Eli Apple's clearly not convinced that Jones's actions were anything but petty, intentional, maybe even nefarious. He used the term dirty play to describe it, and I'm quoting exactly what Eli had to say here. Of course I noticed it. He tripped me. Eli told this to Sean McGuire of Nessun after the game, said, I thought it was a dirty play. He's done that before. I've seen it.

Starting point is 00:04:46 Now, no one is expecting or really, I think, blaming Eli for maybe continuing to harbor some ill sentiment when it comes to this. I think that's pretty obvious, folks. He's going to do it. But Mack was very clear when he spoke to EEI on Monday that his intentions were not nefarious in the least. He is, and I'm quoting Mack here directly once again, and I'm doing this, folks, to make sure that there is no misinterpretation of the quotes. I want to make sure that these athletes are represented accurately. And Mack said, I have all the respect for Eli and the Bengals.

Starting point is 00:05:21 They played a great game. There's no hard feelings, definitely no intention to hurt anyone on that play. It looks like you can take that at face value, and I think most Patriots fans will, but that still doesn't mean that everyone is buying Mac's explanation. We've seen current NFL players like Eagles cornerback Darius Slay. He's come out and tweeted that Mack was dirty as F. In the interest of remaining a family show, folks, we'll leave it at that. That's a little interesting considering that one of Slay's longtime teammates, Ndamukong Su, he's been fined and suspended almost as much as any player,

Starting point is 00:05:59 if not more than most players in the NFL, even fined and suspended for stomping on players on a couple of occasions. But, you know, I digress. I'm not a pro football player. I just analyze what I see on the field. But ex-Ravens wideout Torrey Smith, he jumped in a little bit as well. He compared Mack to Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen, we all know from his time at

Starting point is 00:06:21 Duke. Reputation of being a bit underhanded there, Grayson Allen. So they're lumping Mack in with this type of player. And then you have analysts like Shannon Sharp, Ryan Clark. They've gone as far as suggesting that Mack may be in line for some repercussions here, especially from some defenders throughout the NFL. And this is a little bit dangerous. This is where you get into the concern level for Mack Jones.

Starting point is 00:06:45 If that happens, obviously it's going to hurt the Patriots' playoff chances not having their starting quarterback on the field. But you're also talking about potential long-term injury if the hit or the retaliation becomes a little bit too much. Whether Sharp or Clark are kind of calling for it or whether they're, you know, by mentioning it, it triggers some action throughout the league. You know, that remains to be seen. But if we're being honest, this type of criticism is definitely not without context. You got to talk about both sides. And this is not the first time that Mack has found himself circled by this type of

Starting point is 00:07:21 controversy. As a rookie, we all know that he was accused of intentionally holding the ankle of Ryan Burns then a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers he was attempting to make a tackle Burns looked like he was trying to spin out of the play Mack had his ankle and it definitely mushroomed into a pretty big deal at the time in October just recently against the Chicago Bears Jaquan Brisker is coming in Mac dangerously kicks his leg pretty high he was trying to avoid a slide he was trying to avoid a tackle by a slide but essentially it just was not it was not a good look for Mac at all and that is something that he came under fire for as well and earlier this month Mac received a over $10,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct he flips the ball to the midsection of Buffalo Bills defensive lineman AJ

Starting point is 00:08:13 Epinesa that came during a week 13 loss I think you can use your own discretion there folks there was definitely no ill intent or any intent to injure it just and again another a bad look for Mac so you add up all these things and it starts to get people talking throughout the league but as someone who covers the team as someone who's gotten a chance to get to know Mac throughout these last couple of years not know him well but just know him in a professional setting he seems to be someone that is very forthcoming very very upfront, and very sincere in his emotions. Do I believe Mac Jones is a dirty player? No, I do not believe he's a dirty player.

Starting point is 00:08:51 Do I believe that he's used questionable decision-making and maybe let his emotions get the better of him at the time? Yeah, I would probably say that. And that's something he has to control because if it does get out of control, players could get injured. And you cannot have that. Whether you're talking about a New England Patriot, whether you're talking about a Baltimore Raven, whether you're talking about a Cincinnati Bengal, a Miami Dolphin, whatever team you're talking about, no one can condone any type of intent to harm or intent to hurt anyone throughout the NFL. So hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

Starting point is 00:09:25 There won't be any unnecessary, in my opinion, retaliation for this. But the New England Patriots do have to keep that in mind because as they look to suit up against the Miami Dolphins this weekend, they're going to need all hands on deck. And they're also going to need their coaching staffs at full strength. And that brings up an interesting point, considering that the assistant coaches spoke with us today by a Zoom conference, and that the New England Patriots may actually find themselves maybe a little bit concerned about the status

Starting point is 00:09:58 of one of their top defensive coaches. Gerard Mayo is in the news right now, and apparently he still has designs on being a head coach. It may have to be elsewhere in the NFL, folks. We're going to talk about Mayo, and we're going to talk about his desire to head toward a head coaching position in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

Starting point is 00:10:20 But first, folks, I don't know about you, but I am really geeked out by our new partner and our sponsor of today's episode, the mobile game Ultimate Football GM. Folks, if you've ever dreamed of becoming an NFL GM and managing your football franchise, your dream can come true, and this game is definitely for you. You can manage every strategic aspect of your team, play through the season, and lead your team to glory. In this game, you're responsible for it all, hiring the right coaches and coordinators. I know Patriots fans are definitely perking up when I say that, but you're also responsible for trading players, making the right draft picks, navigating your franchise through free

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Starting point is 00:11:27 code LOCKEDON that's all caps you use that in the game store that's LOCKEDON in all caps so make sure to check it out today to download the game visit ultimate-gm.com or look it up on the app store that's ultimate-gm.com. Ultimate Football GM. Start your dynasty today. Patriots fans, when you talk about dynasties, you talk about the New England Patriots. It's just a fact. And one of the key components of a dynasty, and what has been the key component of the Patriots dynasty is solid coaching for all his faults for everyone that's going to be able to maybe poke a little holes in his reputation this

Starting point is 00:12:12 year Bill Belichick is as solid as it comes when it comes to coaching and the assistant coaches for the most part that he surrounded himself with have been very sound and right up at the top of the list is Patriots inside linebackers coach Gerard Mayo. Not only was Gerard a phenomenal player when he's been here, but also been one of the best coaches on the coaching staff. And because of that, he's in high demand, maybe higher demand than we'd like here in New England for head coaching positions throughout the league. And seeing that Denver fired their head coach Nathaniel Hackett following a dismal 4-11 start to the 2022 season you lose 51-14 to the now

Starting point is 00:12:55 missed the playoffs Los Angeles Rams yeah that's not exactly the best way to describe them but you understand what I'm talking about folks um the Denver Broncos really had nowhere to go but down, and they essentially chose to cut ties with Hackett. And now you look at things and you say that Gerard Mayo might be on that short list of head coaching candidates in Denver. Whether or not Gerard decides to take the job in Denver is something that's still up for debate, but it does beg the

Starting point is 00:13:25 question as to whether or not Mayo still has a desire to be a head coach in the NFL sooner rather than later well we spoke to Gerard via zoom conference on Tuesday and he was very clear in his intentions he said that he's very much focused on the New England Patriots this season nothing will deviate from that, but his desire to become a head coach sooner rather than later has never changed. He believes that he is ready to be a head coach in this league. And apparently Denver thought so last season. He was on their short list of candidates to at least reach out to. The Broncos requested to interview Mayo for their head coaching vacancy last season after they had fired Vic fangio who went 19 and 30 in three seasons at the helm in

Starting point is 00:14:10 denver but when you look at mayo you can understand why teams are interested in this guy one of the better guys in the league and really one of the better teachers in the league he's been a real key component to new england's success on defense this year it really doesn't surprise me why he's been a real key component to New England's success on defense this year it really doesn't surprise me why he's a potential top candidate and will be throughout the offseason in fact earlier this month the NFL network listed him as on the watch list of rising head coaching candidates under the age of 45 Gerard is only 36 so he is definitely someone that could invigorate a lot of youth a lot of excitement and really I think a lot of a wealth of knowledge being under a defensive staff headed by Bill Belichick there's no question about it Gerrard Mayo is someone that I think a lot of

Starting point is 00:14:57 teams are going to be interested in this offseason that have had coaching vacancies unfortunately folks looks like the Patriots are not going to be one of them. I say unfortunately, that's not a bad thing. Having Bill Belichick at the helm of your team is not a bad thing, folks. Please try to remember that. But it may mean that someone like Gerrard is forced to take a job elsewhere, and that really would be a difficult thing for the Patriots to absorb because Mayo has been intricately involved in the defensive play calling strategy. He really has been along with Steve Belichick carrying out the duties of a de facto defensive coordinator. He held the play calling responsibilities when

Starting point is 00:15:37 he was a player here, 111 combined regular season and playoff games. This is someone that really knows how to call defensive plays. And more often than not, he's been right on the money. The Patriots defense has been solid all throughout the year. Their most consistent unit by far. Fifth in the NFL in total defense, allowing a total of 4,814 yards. That's ninth in the league. Tied with the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for fifth in the league, allowing five even yards per offensive play.

Starting point is 00:16:08 So even though Mayo has not held a head coaching position as of yet, he's going to continue to be, he's going to continue to be, you know, considered for these jobs. With Denver, it may be a situation where they do. He's not, ironically, on the list of betonline.ag's list of potential head coaching candidates there. I think they might have missed an opportunity there. But bottom line, he's still going to be considered. Teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders have considered Girard for their head coaching position. And I expect that list to grow exponentially in the offseason.

Starting point is 00:16:45 So bottom line, folks, he does have the fundamentals required for success in the NFL. If, in fact, Gerrard is ready to take that next step, we all wish him well. We'll miss him here, and the Patriots' defense will miss him big time without question. So where does that leave the New England Patriots in terms of defending teams throughout the league? Well, Gerrard is going to be a big part of developing a defensive strategy to try to slow down a Miami Dolphins offense that can beat you in so many ways. Unfortunately, folks, that defense looks like it's going to be that offense. Excuse me. In Miami, looks like it's going to be compromised a bit this coming Sunday.

Starting point is 00:17:26 And that is in the form of the health of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Back in the news for all the unfortunate reasons. We'll discuss that in just a moment when we wrap things up here on Locked On Patriots and we talk about the Patriots and the Dolphins coming up on New Year's Day. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at PrizePix. Daily fantasy made easy. And let me give you a little example as to how PrizePix works. You pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection,

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Starting point is 00:18:47 If you deposit $50, PrizePix will give you $50. So don't forget to enter the promo code LOCKEDON at signup for an instant deposit match up to $100. PrizePix.com. Patriots fans, your New England patriots are moving on from cincinnati to paraphrase our wonderful head coach and they're starting to prepare for their week 17 matchup with the miami dolphins and let's not sugarcoat this folks this is a must win for both teams no matter what the mathematics say these two teams are fighting for their playoff lives. But unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is right now

Starting point is 00:19:32 in the crosshairs for all of the wrong reasons. His status for the game and even the season could be in jeopardy because of a frighteningly familiar issue. Tua has apparently been placed in concussion protocol. And yeah, unfortunately, folks, it's once again the case that Tua finds himself evaluating, being evaluated for a head injury. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel did say that it wasn't clear whether Tagovailoa was injured in the loss to the Packers, but it looks like this is what caused the issue. If you go back and you take a look, there are TV replays that show Tagovailoa's head hitting the turf at Hard Rock Stadium late in the second quarter. The clip is available on social media. You can clearly see it. Go ahead and take a look at it. It looks like that may have been the culprit. Can't say for sure.

Starting point is 00:20:23 I'm very cautious to advise everyone on that, but you clearly see his head hitting the turf and you wonder if this is what caused the issue. So McDaniel is right now saying all the right things in terms of keeping to his health at the first and foremost concern of everybody involved. Said that he met with team doctors early on Monday. He was feeling some concussion symptoms, but it does leave his status for Sunday's game in New England in question. And especially when you take a look at his recent history, you can understand why cooler heads must prevail in this situation. The Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa and the doctors around him

Starting point is 00:21:02 have to be extremely careful. We went through this back in September. He was checked for a concussion in late September, eventually cleared, but entered the protocol the following week, had to sit out two games as a result. There was a lot of controversy surrounding how this matter was handled, and you can bet that the league, Tua most importantly, the Miami Dolphins organization, the coaching staff, the doctors, everyone involved are going to make sure that every piece of protocol is followed to the T. And that's exactly what needs to happen. And McDaniel did, for his credit, did make that very clear when he spoke to reporters on Monday saying, quote, I just want guys to be done right by the information

Starting point is 00:21:45 we have, the science of it, all the medical expertise that we rely on. I care very deeply about each and every player. I take that seriously. So I just want him to get healthy, have peace of mind in that regard. That's first and foremost. And then whatever those circumstances are, we'll deal with after. But it's about the human being and making sure he's squared away. Very well said by Coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins. You hope that that will be the focus of everyone involved. I truly believe it will. And unfortunately, it feels kind of odd or really kind of, you know, awkward to talk

Starting point is 00:22:24 about the impact that this is going to have for Miami on the field but we are football analysts and there is a football game to be played this weekend and even though Tua didn't necessarily have his best game against the Packers on Christmas weekend he is still in the middle of what is by far his best season as a pro since entering the NFL as a first round draft pick in 2020. His first year under Mike McDaniel, Tua is really finding his groove. 259 completions on 400 pass attempts. That's good enough for 64.8% of his passes completed.

Starting point is 00:22:56 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns compared to only eight interceptions. The Dolphins, eight and five with Tua in the lineup. They're 0-2 when he's out. So it goes to show you exactly how much of an impact Tua Tagovailoa has on this team offensively. And really, I think the season that he's having makes people consider him a big-time Pro Bowl snub. I happen to be in agreement.

Starting point is 00:23:22 I think he deserves a Pro Bowl nod for the season that he's had and if he's going to be out that means that the dolphins have to go back to the drawing board here now mcdaniel did say that it's too early to determine who's going to start a quarterback for the dolphins when they face the patriots this weekend but all signs point to the veteran teddy bridgewater who up until last weekend he'd been inactive for four weeks because of a knee issue. So there are injury concerns all up and down the quarterback depth chart for Miami. And even though I would pencil in Bridgewater as the starter for this game, it really does beg the question as to whether or not a game so pivotal for Miami's success might be lessened by Tagovailoa's potential absence. And let's be clear, nothing is set in stone right now. We don't know what

Starting point is 00:24:12 the status of any of these players is going to be, but if he's going to be out, Bridgewater is going to have an uphill battle. Now that's not to say that Teddy can't get the job done. He's a capable quarterback. Seen action in four games, one start this year. 61.7% completion percentage, 522 yards, three touchdowns, and three picks. But coming up cold against New England, potentially in a colder environment than it will be in Miami. But keep in mind that the forecast right now is supposed to be in the mid-50s. So how much of a factor is the weather going to be the jury's still out on that one but ultimately what this means for the future for the Patriots and the Dolphins is you have a team that has lost four straight in

Starting point is 00:24:56 the Miami Dolphins coming in at eight and seven the Patriots they've sputtered on occasion as well we've seen the last couple of games against the Raiders and the Bengals not end the way they wanted to, but we've seen a great deal of progress with the Patriots, especially on the defensive side of the ball and when it comes to special teams. They're going to need a big-time offensive production, and that's where Mac Jones and the offense comes in, and that's something we will talk about continuously this week here on Locked On Patriots, but let's not lose sight of what truly matters here. Yes, both teams are playing for their playoff lives.

Starting point is 00:25:32 Yes, there are both teams trailing the 12-3 division title clinching Buffalo Bills right now. And both teams are trying to make their climb in the division. Let's not forget about the Jets, folks. They're still very much in this. and they're playing decent football right now. So with all of that said, the most important thing here is, again, what Mike McDaniel said, Tua Tagovailoa's health has to be the only concern when it comes to whether or not he takes the field on Sunday, whether he takes the field for the rest of the season,

Starting point is 00:26:04 whether or not he continues to take the field as a pro football player. I know that's not a pleasant subject for a lot of people to hear right now, but we're talking about to his long-term health. And again, that has to be the most important consideration. We all want him to be on the field. I don't care. Rivalries, playoff standings, they mean next to nothing when you're talking about a person's health, his well-being, and that has to be the focus. When we're looking at this,

Starting point is 00:26:32 we have to be sure that he's going to be healthy and he's not putting himself into more long-term danger by being out on the field. We here at Locked On Patriots wish Tua the very best. We hope that he is able to go. We hope that he is able to safely continue a prosperous season, but most importantly, a long, healthy career, a long and healthy life. That's really what this kid deserves more than anything. So best wishes to Tua, and we will continue to break that down because, again, folks, there is a game to be played. And we'll continue to examine the Patriots' path to the playoffs, as well as how they

Starting point is 00:27:09 match up with the Dolphins, all week long here on Locked On Patriots. But in the meantime, I thank you all so much for taking the time today to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Now that you've made us your first listen, please make your second listen, our good friends over at Locked On Sports Today. All the news you need, all the sports that you can think of, they even include the take of the day.

Starting point is 00:27:35 You can't ask for more. My colleague and friend Peter Bukowski delivers each and every day. Locked On Sports Today is available on the Odyssey app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts and most importantly I thank all of you for continuing to take time out of your day out of your holiday week to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage on behalf of all of us

Starting point is 00:27:58 here on Locked On Patriots please continue to stay safe stay well be the change you wish to see in the world have a great day everyone everyone, and we'll see you again tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots Mac Jones, ‘Dirty’ Player?; Jerod Mayo Ready to be a Head Coach; Tua Tagovailoa Out?

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