Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots Place in the AFC: Where do the New England Patriots Rank Within the Conference? — 5/26/22

Episode Date: May 27, 2022

The New England Patriots overcame a 2-4 start to the 2021 NFL season, to finish with a 10-7 record and earned a playoff berth after a one-year absence. Still, the Pats face a great deal of questions as they head towards the 2022 season. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com. The duo discuss where the Pats should rank among teams in the AFC, as the team continues to prepare for the upcoming season.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, it's way too early for any kind of meaningful power rankings, but that's not going to stop a lot of the higher end sites from being able to do so. Are the New England Patriots really ranked toward the bottom of the ranks in the AFC? Our good friend Steve Balistrieri and I will discuss that matter today. My name is Mike DeBate and 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

not only a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on allots, not only a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Remember, Lockdown Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So download, subscribe to and follow Lockdown Patriots wherever you get your audio podcasts and smash that subscribe button on YouTube. Patriots fans, it is always early at this time of year to start any type of meaningful discussion regarding power rankings, but it doesn't stop those in our business from putting them out there anyway, whether they're way too early, just a bit too early, or just right.

Power rankings are always fun. Well, this past power ranking coming from our very own colleagues here in locked on land may not be so enjoyable for the New England Patriots. Our good friends over at Peacock and Williamson, Ryan Peacock and a former scout, Matt Williamson, gave their rundown of what they believe the Patriots are ranked in terms of AFC rankings. Well, your New England Patriots came in 13th in that regard. And, you know, I'm a little bit of a loss for that, but you know what? Don't just take my word for it. We always

ring in whenever we need some level-headed wisdom and counsel. We always go to our voice of reason here, our resident voice of reason at Locked On Patriots and truly one of the great columnists when it comes to Patriots coverage. One of the great guys you'll meet in this

walk of life or anywhere. My good friend, my Patriots Paisan, columnist extraordinaire from Patsfans.com and not just the co-host of one great podcast, folks, two great podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2 alongside Russ Goldman, Derek Havens

and then, of course, one Patriots place with our good friend Thomas Murphy and, of course, one Patriots plays with our good friend Thomas Murphy and, of course, the lady of lockdown who joined me here yesterday, Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. But my Patriots bison is here today, and it's been too long since we've had him here on the airwaves. Steve Balistrieri once again joins me. Welcome back to the pod, buddy.

Oh, it's great to be back. I missed you, my friend. I know things have been a little dicey around here for a bit, but it's good to be able to sit back and talk football and especially talk football

with you. Absolutely. One of the great things in this business is being able to talk football, not just with good friends, but also with knowledgeable guests. And I always have the pleasure of doing that each and every week here on Locked On Patriots, whether it be with Murph, whether it be with Claire, you, we always seem to find, you know, the time to get our regulars in here.

And yes, some scheduling snafus, a lot more on this side than on Steve's side, but he's been patient. And without further ado, folks, we'll get right into it. Steve, before we get into the power rankings and how we believe this New England Patriots team is going to shake out, OTA began earlier this week for the New England Patriots. A lot of faces that were there. Some that are not that we expected. I don't think anyone expected Nikhil Harry to show up. These are organized. They're voluntary workouts. So, you know, they're not in violation or anything like that for not being there.

No fines or anything of that type. It's not mandatory minicamp. That's in a couple weeks. However, there are some names on that list that I don't think people really thought may be either holdouts or wouldn't be there. Isaiah Wynn kind of took me by surprise. And I wrote about this a little bit the other day for Sports Illustrated

about him being one to watch here in terms of whether or not he'll actually show up for OTA or if the first time we'll see him as mandatory minicamp. Isaiah has always been kind of an anomaly when it comes to Patriots fans. All the talent in the world, when he's locked in and he's healthy,

one of the better left tackles in the league, or at least in the conference. But health has always been a problem with him, and it's caused him sometimes to miss time, maybe miss practice time, caught out of position at times. He's had some issues with being disciplined in terms of penalties. When you look at this and you look at something like an Isaiah Wynn not being present in OTA, first of all, is it much ado about nothing in terms of worrying about his presence? And could this have long-term implications, especially with a lot, or I should say a robust group of offensive linemen

that the Patriots may have to choose from this year. Yeah, normally I'm not one to sweat if some guy doesn't show up for OTAs. But I think this is a big year for both of the Patriots' tackles. So, you know, I would hope that it's just some lingering physical thing, which we know Isaiah Wynnins had plenty of those. You know, I would hope it was rather that than him not wanting to come to, you know, quote unquote, voluntary OTAs. I just I think, you know, certain guys don't really need to be there. I think he needs to be there. Yeah, I'm a little surprised that, uh, that Isaiah wasn't there and look, we don't know

the reason for it. Uh, no one has come forward yet or hasn't come from Isaiah's camp or the Patriots. Obviously it won't with, um, with workouts of this type where they're not volatile, where they're voluntary and not mandatory. It's very, very difficult to put that type of restriction on a player and say, well, this is why he's not there unless a source happens to leak it. And to the best of my knowledge, at the time we're recording this podcast, that hasn't happened yet. But again, you're looking at a team right now that is flush with offensive linemen. And whether you want to give credit where credit is due to the players that are going to be trying to make the roster,

whether it be rookies like Cole Strange, he's got a couple of rookies that the Patriots picked up in the latter rounds, Jason Hines and Andrew Stuber. But you've got other guys on this roster. And from what I was hearing earlier this week, from some of the scuttlebutt that was going on around Gillette, Justin Heron is someone that is really impressing the Patriots brass, especially in early workouts. And he took a good amount of reps. He was really, he was lining up at right tackle. Trent Brown

had moved over to left tackle. Cole Strange taking a lot of snaps at left guard. So this could be the type of line that they're looking to align and if they start to impress the other problem here with Isaiah is that he's ready to hit the books and he already has I guess or Miguel will correct me I'm sure in either a DM or whatnot but regardless of what when his when when the season begins his contract will hit the books at 10.4 million Patriots did exercise that fifth-year option, and that's usually an indication that they want to try to keep him around. But the duration of that contract, what he's going to bring to the table,

could make things interesting in terms of whether or not they're able to find a trade partner this year. The Patriots do stand to open up some cap space there as well. So maybe they might be looking toward the future. Keep that. They're going to be flush with gap space in 2023. This is one to watch. I think it's something that's going under the radar right now. Several people have, you know, at least thrown the idea out there.

Our good friend Evan Lazar of CLNS Media is someone I've been talking to. Evan will be a guest here this week on Locked On Patriots. We'll discuss that again. But I wanted to get your take on that because, again, you always have that level-headed, reasonable approach that we need here on Locked On. So I appreciate your candor. I appreciate your thoughts. And who knows?

Maybe Isaiah will show up next media availability and all will be forgiven and everything will be all set and this will be much ado about nothing. But to me, that's one I'm keeping my eye on right now. Steve, it's always fun talking about players, talking about OTA. It means that we're getting closer to the season, but as the Patriots start to assemble their roster, it's going to be very top of mind with a lot of Patriots fans, with a lot of media as to where this team ranks in the grand scheme of things. Is this a playoff team? Are we looking at a team that might struggle?

Have they regressed when their competition has maybe ascended a little bit? Bottom line, Patriots fans just want to know if they're going to put out a winning team on the field in Foxborough. And it's a lot of differing opinions. My colleagues here at Locked On Podcast Network, especially the Peacock and Williamson show, issued their statements yesterday on who they believe the Patriots should or where they believe the Patriots will end up. And again, as I said to open the show, 13 out of 16.

Yikes. Well, you know, we love to end on a high note, but Steve and I are going to play devil's advocate in just a moment. We're going to discuss why their prediction might actually end up coming true. That and more when this Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, it's a great time of year to be a sports fan. Always a lot of games going on. Basketball playoffs is in full swing right now.

You've got hockey playoffs major league baseball the third leg of the triple crown coming up soon always a lot to handle but if you're a sports fan that likes to make a little extra on some of that knowledge that you acquire maybe from listening to locked on patriots i don't know but if you do thank you you definitely want to check out our good friends at betonline.net because they are your source, your number one source, for all of your sports betting stats and information. Follow all of the latest developments, league reviews, and news by following betonline.net, your continued source for all sporting wagering information from live betting to playoffs, esports, and more. Head to the website today or use your mobile device to learn more about the trends and the action. Bet online where the game starts. Lockdown Patriots fans, in this competitive

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did not exactly have glowing things to say about the New England Patriots' chances of competing in what I do agree to be a very stacked AFC. There are a lot of teams, especially out West right now that are doing a phenomenal job of building contending teams. There's a lot that's going, you know, into that. And there's a lot that really, I think, you know, the Patriots have to contend with this year in terms of teams that have improved and that might be able to make that next step. The Peacock and Williamson show are definitely some of our greatest, you know, analysts and some of our greatest, you know,

knowledge makers in the Lockdown Podcast Network. Matt Williamson served as an NFL scout for a number of years. Brian Peacock, one of the better analysts in sports media. They have our New England Patriots, Steve, finishing 13th out of 16 when it comes to the AFC. Now, you and I talked a little bit offline, and spoiler alert here, folks, Steve and I don't happen to agree with that, but in the interest of being fair, we're going to play devil's advocate a little bit. Again, there's other teams that have improved. Maybe the Patriots

took a step back or a step forward considering how, you know, the offseason went. Maybe they didn't quite have the free agency haul or the draft that a lot of teams thought they were going to have. But when you look at this Patriots roster, Steve, coaching staff, schedule, it's all out now. So we kind of weigh up and down how this team can look um why do you believe that a 13 out of 16th rank could be possible well uh i think you know looking at it as you said we both think they uh they sure changed the the patriots a little bit but uh i think if you're looking at it you know through a you know a kind of a jaundiced lens, you could say, okay, you know, they lost Josh McDaniels.

They lost a lot of, you know, experience at the linebacker position and their secondary has question marks. So that would mean, and again, you talked about Isaiah Wynn, Trent Brown, those guys have had injury concerns. If all of that snowballs onto the team, then you could say maybe they're going to fall that far. It would mean Mac Jones regresses instead of progresses in year two. Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad you brought up Mac because that's going to be my next question for you. I think a lot of people look at the Patriots and what they've lost. JC Jackson was definitely

a big loss for this team in the secondary. For a team like New England that always prides itself on having that one ball hawking corner that's able to make coverage, a beast in man coverage. JC was definitely that. And you've replaced him with Malcolm Butler, who, and I'm not saying Butler is the only one they've replaced him with. I know they've spent some capital bringing in Terrence Mitchell. They've drafted guys like Jack Jones, who could end up playing on the outside. Jack looked very good on Monday in OTA, by the way, getting a lot of reps with some of the first-team starters and some of the primary guys on defense. So maybe that's a diamond in the rough that the New England Patriots

may want to utilize. He's one I'm going to have my eye on this week coming up when the media once again has access to OTA. But Marcus Jones, obviously, is someone that can fill in there as well. Jonathan Jones coming back in the slot, not the outside, but that's still a big hole, and it's still one that I do think that the Patriots may keep an eye on in terms of maybe adding a veteran here or there to try to shore that up. I think it would be a smart move for them, and I think it would be a good move for them, so if you're looking at an Achilles heel on that defense right now, it may be the cornerback position.

I also talked a little bit yesterday here with Claire regarding the interior of the defensive line and the lack of a true nose tackle. Steve, we've discussed this several times when it comes to Devon Godchow not really giving them that type of presence that they needed in the middle, have they done anything to kind of quell that a little bit? Is Barmore going to be that guy? I don't think so. Not the way they have him lined up. I don't think it's going to be his best, you know, how they're going to utilize him best. But how are they going to stack that front seven to be able to stop the run?

Because once you figure out a way to do that that it's going to allow guys like Matt Judon and some of the more speedy linebackers that they've turned the ball over to guys like McGrone guys like Uche you know obviously Matt Judon was very good at that last year pinning their ears back getting after the quarterback so those are the areas on defense right now that I'm looking at but to get back to where you had gone with Mac, you mentioned about Mac regressing. And unfortunately with sophomore quarterbacks, that can happen. Sometimes you can either get a quarterback that doesn't necessarily perform up to snuff or they build. Now we've heard a lot of rumors about Mac in the off season that he's been working with Tom house, uh, trying to increase arm strength. He's adapted a much more efficient diet.

He looks leaner. I believe it was Kendrick Bourne who says his stomach is gone. He looks like he's ready to really compete. He sounds like he's doing all the right things, sounds like he's ready to take on more of a leadership role. Based on all of that information, is it really feasible to even consider that he may regress as opposed to progress? How could he possibly underwhelm in 2022?

Yeah, I think the only way that that would happen, because I do like the additions they made player-wise on offense, I think the offense is going to be much better in 2022 as long as his protection holds up. But I think if you're going to make that argument that he could possibly regress, I think it has to start and end with, God help me for saying this, the coaching staff, because I know we've been beaten over the head with this non-stop like ad nauseum but I

think if the coaching staff were to fall flat on their face I think that's gonna be the cause of it but you know I I really don't see that happening yeah I don't see it happening either and that's one of the big reasons why I think we agree that we really don't see the Patriots coming in as 13 out of 16 in the AFC. Are they going to get home field and are they going to compete and blow the doors off the AFC East again? Probably not. Buffalo's a pretty good team. Miami, I think, is going to give them a good shot. And of course, there's a whole host of other teams in the AFC that are capable of winning and winning in a good clip. But I think the Patriots are a lot better than people are giving them credit for, even before a snap is taken.

When we continue, folks, Steve and I will bring it all home for you here today on Locked On Patriots by telling you why 13 out of 16 is a little unfair to the New England Patriots and why we believe this team will be a lot better. But first, Steve, the summer months have arrived here in New England. 90 degree temperatures last week. And even though it's still technically May and we haven't even gotten into Memorial Day weekend yet, it's still time to go out and enjoy the great weather. And one of the big things about doing that is making sure that your ride is in tip top

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Reliable selection, amazingly low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. rockauto.com. Patriots fans, the great Steve Balistrieri of patsfans.com, my good friend and Patriots Paisan joins me here today on Locked on Patriots. And Steve, in the previous couple of segments, we talked a little bit about some concerns along the offensive line. We talked about why ranking the Patriots at the bottom echelon of the AFC could be possible this year if certain things don't happen, if the Patriots don't figure out a way to

stop the run, if they have difficulty covering players at the cornerback position or if Mac Jones regresses. But you know we always like to end things on a high note here on Locked On Patriots, and that's what we're going to do today. I don't think the Patriots are the 13th best team in the AFC. I think they are better than that. How much better? I think we need to see a little bit more on the field. But I think ranking them that low is just looking at the names on the roster and maybe not really understanding what these guys could bring to

the table in a Bill Belichick system. That being said, you're our resident voice of reason, Steve. You always bring a level-headed approach and you always calm everybody down and let everyone know exactly what's to come and how it's going to arrive. So I leave it to you, my friend. Why do you believe that ranking the Patriots 13 out of 16 teams in the AFC might be a little bit wishful thinking for their haters? Why is it unfair? I think you worded that perfectly. Again, I look at the coaching staff, which has been talked about nonstop,

the offensive coaching staff. And yes, I think when you look at losing a guy like Josh McDaniels, who I think was the best offensive coordinator in the NFL for several years, I think that's a big loss. There's no sugarcoating coating that but the one thing that you have to keep in mind is they're not teaching mac a new system the system of the patriots remains the same one yes his coaching staff will be different but uh his his system will not change whatsoever and i wouldn't be surprised if you see, you know, guys like Matt Patricia

be the running game coordinator and Joe Judge be the passing game coordinator. You know, other teams have done that. It's worked. And don't forget, Bill Belichick is still in the mix in that. So I think Mac Jones is going to be just fine with that. I love the additions that they've made because one of the things you and I have talked about on this show many, many times is they have solid players, but they lack that element of speed. And now they've addressed that. They've got a very athletic offensive fast running back, you know, later in the draft, who I think could possibly be, you know, your long-term replacement for James White. And, you know, he has like 10 or 11 touchdowns of 50 yards or more in his college career. I'm talking about Pierre Strong.

So, you know, I like all of these additions. And, you know, flipping over to the defense, I know that there's questions at cornerback, but if they get the Malcolm Butler of 2020, they have Terrence Mitchell. I thought Jalen Mills was – I thought it was a terrible signing last year. I was pleasantly surprised that he was not. I thought it was a pretty good signing. So they still have him in there, and I like the two Joneses.

And now we have three Joneses in the secondary, which ought to make life really interesting on game day. But, you know, it was funny when they drafted jack jones a lot of fans were really down on that pick and i was like hey if you look at the reason he fell it wasn't because he can't play it was off field concerns right if he's put those behind him i think this kid can play and the fact that you were there on Monday and you saw him, you know, getting a lot of play time on the first day of OTAs, I think that tells you the Patriots think he can play too. Absolutely. And look, Jack was brought in several times for

pre-draft visits. He really, the Patriots spent a lot of time looking at him, vetting him, trying to understand exactly what had gone on off the field, because I think they saw a lot of potential in this kid. And don't forget the New England Patriots have taken undrafted rookies and made them household names at the cornerback position. They employ one right now in Malcolm Butler. They just let one go in someone like a JC.C. Jackson. So you're looking at two prominent outside corners that they've used, one that has a little bit more of a penchant in man, the other one that's a little bit better of a zone defender. But these two guys are capable of playing on the perimeter and being alpha corners in this defense. So that's a great point.

I like the addition of Jack Jones. I love the addition of Marcus Jones as well. I am really looking forward to seeing what this kid can do. Explosive in the return game. Someone that can really, I think, beat his targets down the field. He even has the versatility to flip over. Claire and I talked about this a little bit yesterday, about whether or not he may see the occasional snap at wide receiver. I wouldn't be shocked. I think he's got a chance because he's done that at Houston. And not only that, but the Patriots love their trickery. Just because Josh

McDaniels is not running the show on offense anymore doesn't mean the Patriots aren't going to lose their flair for the dramatic. They're going to continue that, and I think that could be interesting as well. I know you said you brought up some of the questions in the defense and whatnot and some of the questions on offense. But defense, I know, is a specialty of yours. And we love talking linebackers, Steve. We always end up talking linebackers when you're on the show, one way or another. We've said before, the new Top Gun movie is coming out this weekend. So the need for speed is definitely there at the position. The Patriots have not added a lot of major household names at that position,

but I think they've gotten younger and quicker by default with some of the guys they have on this roster, namely Raekwon McMillan, who's a guy that caught my sharp eye last year and many others on the Patriots beat. I'm certainly not alone in that. But he stood out last year as being a player that can really make an impact. And Cam McGrone is someone that I think can step in and really be maybe that rookie linebacker that everyone in the world basically was expecting the Patriots to take. We all talked about guys like Devin Lloyd.

We talked about Murph and I gushed, you know, poetically over to Kobe Dean for weeks. And the Patriots didn't do that. I think they liked what they had in McGrone. Is this something that really could be a bright spot for the Patriots where really maybe it wasn't so much in 2021? Yeah, you know, Derek Havens and I on our Patriots 4th and 2 podcast talked about that yesterday. You know, the fact that they didn't take a linebacker at all,

I think it tells you that they're happy with what they have with these young guys. And, you know, if they struggle a little bit out of the gate, I can live with that because now, you know, I think they're going to be younger, faster, more athletic. I love McGroan's tape. I think if he's fully healthy once the season starts he's going to be a great addition you mentioned Raekwon McMillan

I mean all these guys Josh Uche, Mack Wilson I think it's time to let these guys play and I think because of they're not the typical 255, 260 pound thumpers

that the Patriots have traditionally targeted there. I think they're going to be a little bit more aggressive because you can't expect these smaller guys to take on 300-pound guards at the second level. I think they're going to be shooting more gaps. They're going to be a little more aggressive, maybe a little more aggressive getting after the quarterback, which can help a secondary, which might need some help.

So I'm pretty stoked to see. You know, there's still questions, obviously, because we haven't seen it yet. But at the same time, I'm very excited to see what these guys can bring. Josh Uche is in his third year. I think it's a big year for him. It is. And, you know, they still have Matthew Judon.

And, you know, for early downs, Anthony Jennings is supposed to be back and healthy. And maybe he's your edge setter on early downs. And, you know, they bring in some of these other guys on passing downs and get after the quarterback. I'm really excited to see these young linebackers. Don't get me wrong. Love Donta Hightower, Jamie Collins, Kyle Vannoy.

But, you know, time waits for no one, as we all know, my friend. And I think it's time for them to make that change. Absolutely. Time does wait for no one. But you know what? He's hanging around for a good long time when it comes to Tom Brady, but I think he's the, about the only one right now. He is the outlier definitely. But no, all kidding aside, I think you make some great points, especially on Jennings, who really, I think has never gotten maybe the attention he

deserves even from the day he was drafted. And this is a kid that really played a strong role in Alabama's defense. And I know a lot of people, you and I were both very high on Anthony coming out of college. And when the Patriots snagged him, it looked like they may have gotten someone that maybe the other teams were sleeping on a little bit. And the Patriots had the good fortune of being able to get him. Had some injury issues last year, obviously, some questions about whether or not there's a little Foxborough flu or whatever. But regardless, the Patriots now have an opportunity to put some real young talent out there on the field at linebacker,

whether it be on the outside or the inside. And I think especially when it comes to guys that can get after the passer and provide speed, I like someone like an Uche coming in and doing that. McMillan again. We talked about Mack Wilson coming in. These are really good, strong young players that can add a little new dimension to the way this game is being played. And I've heard the argument, and I don't put a whole lot of stock into it, and that, oh, that's not the way Bill Belichick has always done things.

Bill will adapt his game when he knows that the game has adapted and has moved in a certain direction. I think that's what you're going to see this year. So, Steve, I'm going to put you on the hot seat. I know I always like to do this unexpectedly, but I'm going to do that. If 13 out of 16 is irrational or unreasonable or unfair, I guess is the best way to put it. Because I don't want to, I don't want to make the impression that my good friends, Brian Peacock and Matt Williamson are unreasonable or, you know, unfair, maybe unfair is a good way to put it. Where should the Patriots rank in terms of just based on what you're seeing right now,

where do you think is a fair place to rank them in the AFC right now? I think in the middle of the road, seven or eight is legitimate to start the season. You know, and I know a lot of people are looking at the AFC West and saying all four of those teams are absolutely stacked, which they are. But the issue that I would, you know, talk to somebody about and say, all of those teams are going to have to play each other all season long absolutely and and and you know it could be very possible that only one of those

teams comes out of that division in a playoffs because they're playing each other all the time it's true you know i mean i that division stacked. I think all four of those teams are worthy of going deep into the playoffs. But when you're playing each other every week, you know, what's going to happen? So I think the Patriots have a shot at going right back to the playoffs again. I don't think they're a Super Bowl team yet. But, you know, they're making changes. I like the changes that they've made. You know, my first reaction, you know, on draft night was I wasn't happy with the pick,

and then I thought about it. I wasn't happy with it because they didn't take the guy I wanted. So, you know, when I looked at it, I thought that it made a lot of sense. It really does. And let me tell you, Cole was definitely in the mix when it came to the starters and it came to the big dogs on the offensive line so if that's any indication this early it goes to show you what type of faith they have in him now will that faith be rewarded throughout minicamp and training camp that's another story we're still in the very early stages here folks no one's earned any spots just yet and no one's insinuating that but at the same

time when you're being thrown into that mix, it shows the Patriots definitely have those aspirations for you, and we'll see if Cole can go ahead and take them to that next level, but it's always interesting, bud. It was always interesting making, you know, moves like this, and I agree with you. I have the Patriots right now ranked at number nine in the AFC and I'm so glad that you mentioned the AFC West because we are hearing an awful lot about all four of those teams being playoff caliber and there's no question about it they are I think you make that argument but they do have to play each other twice per year I mean these two teams play each other these teams play each other twice each. So somebody has to win those. Somebody has to lose those.

So by default, these guys are going to beat each other up a little bit. I heard someone make the analogy for an old wrestling fan to the Royal Rumble, to four big-time competitors that are out there beating each other up. And you got that low liar kind of like just waiting underneath, just kind of like hanging out in the corner. And then when these guys have done a good job of sufficiently beating themselves, beating each other up, then he comes over and starts throwing them over the top rope. And before you know it, he's at a top spot and maybe didn't even deserve it.

But I think the Patriots are deserving of a spot. And I think they will make things interesting in the AFC this year. I think 13 is a little bit too low. Maybe nine is a little bit too low as well, but that's where I have them right now. And maybe they'll exceed my expectations as I continue to watch them this year and we continue to cover them. And Steve, what can I say? Your coverage is always spot on, always level-headed and always reasonable, my friend. And that is why we call you the resident voice of reason here on Locked On. Before I let you go today, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you, your great work, and what we can expect in the coming days and weeks from the great pen

and the great voice of Steve Ballestrieri. Yeah, and thank you for all those kind words, my friend. You know, I greatly appreciate it. You can find me on Twitter right down below here, at SteveB7SFG. I write for PatsFans.com. We do the podcast over there. You know, we're going to be looking at what the media was allowed to see at OTAs. And then, you know, we're going to start doing a deeper dive on the position groups

because as we see more of these guys maybe we'll see some some slight tweaks to the to the system that they play in obviously they won't have a fullback this year and that might mean more wide receivers on the field i certainly hope so uh because i think you know the we didn't mention davante parker but you know replacing the keel harry who's been a little bit of a We didn't mention Devontae Parker, but replacing Nikhil Harry, who's been a little bit of a disappointment, to say the least, with Devontae Parker, I think is a big win. I think the Patriots are going to be trending up. It all depends on how things play out, who stays healthy,

but I think they're going to be just fine. I think they're going to be just fine as well, and I think it's interesting to see what types of moves will continue to be made. Not necessarily personnel moves and bringing guys in or out, but how these guys align on the field, what positions they're going to be using. Ty Montgomery was fun to watch this week. And I'm wondering how that's going to continue, if it will continue in the next week. And next time you're here, my friend, we are going to talk about Parker pretty heavily

because I got a funny feeling his usage is only going to continue to increase. And I think that makes things very interesting for the Patriots offense. But that's a discussion for another day, my friend. Thank you so much for lending your wisdom and counsel here today to Lockdown Patriots. But most of all, folks, thank you for tuning in and for once again making Lockdown Patriotsots daily part of your new England Patriots coverage until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful continue to stay safe, stay well,

be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.