Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots West: Newton, Stidham and the New England Patriots QB Position — 3/24/2021

Episode Date: March 24, 2021

The New England Patriots quarterback position is still the focus of much attention and speculation, even as the Pats continue to add to their roster. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Zac Blackerby, host of Locked On Auburn, as the duo discuss the impact of New England’s free agent signings on Cam Newton. They also evaluate Jarrett Stidham’s chances of competing for the starting job, and his organization of the “Patriots West” training sessions in Southern California. Lastly, Mike provides his thoughts on the return of RB James White.Support 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.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.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

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. You are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Wednesday, March 24th, 2021, and it's time for a little Wednesday West talk, as in Patriots West, here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Happy Hump Day, Patriots Nation, and thank you once again for joining me here today on

Locked On Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcomed and greatly appreciated. So share that feedback and send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFBC. And while you're out there doing some Wednesday wandering through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, here today on the pod, we're going to talk a little Patriots West. Pat's

quarterback Jarrett Stidham is leading an impressive group of Patriots in offseason workouts. Cam Newton is in the fold out there as well. So is Hunter Henry, Nakheel Harry, Jacoby Myers, a whole host of Patriots trying to gain some camaraderie. Two Patriots quarterbacks with some Auburn ties. And that means if we're talking Auburn quarterbacks, we're going to be talking to our good friend Zach Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn podcast right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. And Zach will join me on the hot seat here in a moment to talk Cam Newton's return to

New England. We'll talk about how the plethora of weapons that will be surrounding Cam this year might make his job a lot easier in 2021. We'll also talk a little Jarrett Stidham. Is the organization of Patriots West out there in Southern California Jarrett's best chance to get his name back into the mix when it comes to who will be the starter in 2021. Zach always lends an amazing amount of insight when it comes to Auburn quarterbacks. I love getting the chance to talk ball with him.

And it seems like whenever Jarrett stops by Locked On Patriots, he always seems to drop a pearl of wisdom that no one else seems to be talking about. Things you'll only hear here on Locked On Patriots. Well, Zach definitely has one, and it's an interesting tidbit on Jarrett Stidham. So sit tight and settle in, folks, as Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn will join me here on the hot seat in just a moment. But of course, you're tuning in today for the big news of the day, and that is once again in New England, we're going to be in for some sweet feet music.

And that means running back James White returning to our New England Patriots to the tune of a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. News of White's deal with New England was first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Adam Schefter following up shortly thereafter to provide the details of the contract. And of course, thanks to our good friend,

the Pat's Cap, the Wizard of Benzón himself, my man Miguel, we know that because all $2.5 million of James' contract will be guaranteed, that it will count for $2.5 million against the salary cap. But folks, no matter how you slice it, this is a bargain and a great deal for the New England Patriots. And if we're all being honest, this might be a pleasant surprise for a lot of us here in Patriots Nation. I'll admit, I was a little surprised by this. After all, we had been hearing reports that James was exploring a few options in free

agency. A lot of people, including myself and some of my guests right here on these airwaves, had prognosticated that James might be looking to head closer to home, meaning closer to Florida, where his family is from. But at the end of the day, James will be calling Foxborough his football home for at least one more season. And again, folks, this is great news for the Patriots. James has been one of the most beloved, one of the most revered players in team history. On the field, the guy always gives 110%.

I never thought that he quite got the credit he deserved for being able to run the football. But when we think about James White and we think about the prowess he brings to the gridiron, it's catching the ball out of the backfield. One of the best in the game, and in my opinion, he's still one of the best in the game. During his six seasons here in New England, 369 receptions, 3,184 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns. And there's no sugarcoating it. There was a dip in production for the 2020 season. There was a season in which the offense struggled as a whole there, folks. So I wouldn't get too hung up on it.

It was a down year for the Patriots all the way around when it came to the offense. But I think he's still one of the premier pass-catching backs in the NFL. 14 games last season, only 375 yards receiving, just one touchdown reception, but James again struggled to find his way in a Patriots offense that was struggling to find their way, and you can't discount the fact that it was a tragic year for the White family. The personal tragedy that he endured alongside his family, of course I'm talking about the fatal car crash in Florida in September, that claimed the life of his father, Tyrone, and left his mother, Lisa, in critical condition for some time.

That weighs on you, no matter how much of a professional you are. And being the professional that he is, James White would never use anything as an excuse, but I'm sure that factored in. His return to New England is great for the camaraderie of the team. Again, James is beloved in that locker room. He's one of the more respected leaders, a three-time team captain, and I look for a bounce-back year for James this year in 2021. After all, last year, a lot of the reason why he struggled to get open and get the ball is because teams were double-teaming him. They knew that he was going to be the primary option on third down

and the primary option out of play action. This year, with the two tight end sets that they can run, both with Jonu Smith and Hunter Henry, James will see more opportunities to be able to advance the ball, and therefore I look for him to be much more productive this season than he was in 2020. Welcome back to the New England Patriots, James White. We're certainly glad to have you back on board, Captain. And now, when you think about James White joining Damian Harris, Sonny Michel, Brandon Bolden, J.J. Taylor, Patriots once again well restocked at the running back position. Each day, it seems like we just keep compiling more and more evidence that it's going to be a really fun year coming up in Foxborough in 2021, especially for Josh McDaniels in that offense, who is going to be handing the ball off to James White this season?

Who's going to be throwing him those third down conversion passes? Well, as of the time I'm recording this podcast, it looks like it's going to be Cam Newton. But could it be Jarrett Stidham? Well, folks, to help answer that question and more, Zach Blackerby, host of Locked On Auburn, will join me in a moment to talk about Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham and that Auburn flavor that continues to be felt in the quarterback room for your New England Patriots. All of this and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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Patriots fans, the Pats just keep making roster moves. And here on Locked on Patriots, I always try to do my best to keep you apprised of the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough. But even with all the additions New England has made over the past week, right up until this morning, all eyes are still going to be on the quarterback, just the way it is. It's the nature of professional football. And as we live and breathe this minute, the Pats' two primary options at the position are still a pair of Auburn Tigers. So who better to speak with on this issue than a man who knows a thing or two about

Auburn quarterbacks? My guest today is the program director of the Auburn Network and the host of Locked On Auburn right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. It is my pleasure to be joined by my good friend, Zach Blackerby. Zach, welcome back to Locked On Patriots, bud. Mike, always a pleasure, man. Happy to talk some Patriots football and some Auburn guys. I'm excited.

Absolutely. Definitely. We're excited as well. And that Auburn flavor that we've spoken about here on the airwaves several times is still going to be felt this year and maybe even more stronger than we had thought. Since we last spoke, Bud, Cam Newton back as a member of the 2021 New England Patriots, another one year team friendly deal. And the way this deal is structured tells me two things.

It tells me that the Patriots would like future flexibility at the quarterback position maybe not necessarily this year but maybe beyond but what it tells me more than anything is this is Cam Newton betting on Cam Newton and you know even though I've called him the forgotten man in the Patriots quarterback conversation Jarrett Stidham is actually back in the news as well we're going to talk about Jarrett's return to the stage in just a moment, but let's get back to Cam for a moment. His first season in New England, but not a statistical marvel. There were throwing issues, perceived inability to spot some open receivers, holding onto the ball for far too long.

These were some of the issues that were well-documented across Patriots Twitter. But there were a lot of bright spots for Kim as well. He looked very comfortable running the ball. I thought he was very effective in making zone reads, showed a lot of leadership on the field, in the locker room, beloved by his teammates, really well spoken for by Bill Belichick and the coaching staff. So in a lot of ways, this made perfect sense for the Patriots. Zach, you know better than anybody. You've seen Cam's work ethic evolve from his time at Auburn. Questions rose there, too, about his ability to effectively lead his team.

He responded in kind by leading Auburn to a national championship. So, folks, don't get the wrong idea here. I'm not predicting a Super Bowl championship in New England this season. I'm simply saying that we've seen Cam rise from negativity to gain success in the past. Again, Zach, you know Cam as well as anyone. What makes you confident that this year is going to be better than the last for Cam Newton? I think he's fired up. I think Cam hates losing in anything. And to be frank, he was probably a little embarrassed based on how the season went last year because when you look at the tape, he was really, really bad offensively. He started to kind of pick up some pace and kind of hit the ground running

over the first few games, and then he missed time due to COVID, was away from the team, and he never really got back comfortable after that. I think when you look at around the league, around the NFL, you're supposed to get better every single week. And I don't know if the Patriots offense got better every single week. And that's what happens when you take a quarterback out of an offense that's still trying to find his identity a few weeks into the season. And so when you look at Cam,

I think now that he has another year under his belt, an actual offseason, because whatever it was last year was not a legitimate offseason. I don't care how much, you know, the NFL kind of adjusted due to COVID protocol and all that. It was weird. It was a weird offseason. We all knew going into 2020 we would just be happy with any football that we got. Fortunately, we got all the games in.

But I think Cam is happy betting on himself, and I think Patriot fans should be excited about that. Also, you know, and there's kind of two camps of this, Mike, as far as, you know, how Patriot fans feel about this. But I'm in the camp that I don't think the offense was all Cam's fault. I think he had limited weapons all around him. I think the scheme sometimes didn't really make a whole lot of sense. And I think over time, Belichick and McDaniels and then all the guys that they're bringing into this offseason to help them out, I think there's going to be a lot of different factors that go into Cam being more successful next year. I think that's a great point. And I'm so glad that you mentioned weapons. I'm so glad that you mentioned supporting cast because that is something that I think is publicized, but maybe not publicized to the

degree that people should give it. Cam did have some difficulty last year. There's no question about it. You mentioned the poor mechanics. You mentioned the throwing difficulties and no one can deny that. But the supporting cast that Cam had around him did not allow him, like you said, to evolve into the quarterback that he's capable him did not allow him like you said to evolve into the quarterback that he's capable of being that definitely is not going to be the case because if we can stay on that subject for just a moment zach you know we've heard a lot about cam's ability to utilize the strengths of those players around him particularly the tight end position really utilize it to his advantage you know as well as anyone greg olson one of cam's favorite targets in carolina those two had a great connection

last season cam had very little to work with there i'm sorry claire claire is one of our great listeners everybody knows her claire i'm sorry but it's true they just didn't have a lot at the tight end position last year to work with um this season he's got one of the most potent tight end tandems in the league johnny smith hunter henry coming in johnny being that move tight end that the patriots love to utilize hunter being that traditional inline wide tight end i've said many times here on the pod but the play action schemes that josh mcdaniels can dial up they're going to be fun to watch without any question but it's not just at the tight end position that the Patriots have loaded up they've added some wide

receiver depth uh Kendrick Bourne Nelson Aguilar coming in uh even this morning's re-signing of James White out of the backfield I expect him to be a bigger part the Patriots have even beefed up a lot on defense including an Auburn Tiger that I know you're chomping at the bits of mention as well. When you look at the way the Patriots have restocked the cupboard this year, Bud, how much will that help Cam in year two with the Patriots, knowing that he's going to have so many apt players at his disposal that he can really take advantage of? It's going to be night and day. I mean, last year you had Edelman for a little bit,

and he had his best game of his career arguably against Seattle, and then he battled injuries and then ultimately didn't play anymore. And so you lose a guy like that, and that forces guys that have no business being the number one wide receiver in the NFL to play as many snaps as they did and get as many targets as they did. I know Demir Bird had his moments, and Nikhil Harry hasn't really figured it out.

There's trade rumors circling around him. And so I think when you turn the page and look at this new offensive system, I love the addition of Hunter Henry more than any of these other guys. I mean, put Hunter Henry in an IV and hook me up to it. I mean, it's got me fired up. I'm all in. And then Jonah Smith, obviously, he's just able to do so many different things. Belichick loves those guys that can do more than one thing

and line up in different parts of the field. I think you're going to see a lot of that from Smith. And, yeah, I hate it for Claire. She was an Izzo truther, right? Is she doing okay? She's doing fine. She's resting comfortably and really recovering. She's very excited. She's like you and really recovering. She's very excited.

She's like you and I. She's very excited about Hunter Henry. And look, I've been beating the Hunter Henry drum like you can't imagine. Having covered him when I covered the Chargers, watching this kid evolve as a rookie, and coming in and seeing the type of player that he's evolved into. Again, one of the most crisp route runners on a tight end that I've seen in quite a while.

And Jonu just excites me in what he's going to be able to do with yards after the catch what he can do in terms of being a red zone target and also carrying the ball out of the backfield we've seen john who smith do that in tennessee he's very capable of doing it and you know cam's gonna love to be able to hand the ball off and give john who a chance to really shine this could be a fun year for new England when it comes to the offensive production, without any questions. So, yeah, we're both like-minded when it comes to that. But thank you for asking about Claire. Yeah, she's doing quite well.

I'm glad. I'm glad. But, yeah, I mean, and the cool thing is, of course, these guys are getting paid. And, you know, it's been a national storyline how much money Bill Belichick is spending, and he's got the money to spend. I think it makes sense. I think it's great. But these guys want to be patriots. Like you've seen, you know, Hunter Henry with his media availability,

then Joe New coming on and talking about how he was crying because he was so happy and he was about to start tearing up again because he was so excited to be a part of this team. And that's what you want. That's what you want when you think back on all these runs that New England's been on. Those guys were all proud to be Patriots. It didn't matter if they were drafted or if they were like Rodney Harrison coming over from the Chargers and then loving this locker room. I mean, it's such a big deal, another Chargers style.

You like that? Absolutely. I think all that is super important. And you mentioned some of these receivers like Bourne and like Aguilar. And individually, I saw some parts of Patriots Twitter kind of painting on those signings a little bit and specifically the Aguilar one. But I think when you have a bunch of guys that are capable of being a number two or number three receiver, I think it makes sense, especially when it looks like Hunter Henry has a solid chance to be your primary weapon going into 2021. It's going to be interesting, though, if they still want a legitimate number

one option, because I don't think they have that at the receiver position. Obviously, Hunter Henry is going to be a big part of that, but can Edelman do that at his point of his career? Is he going to be able to draw enough coverage? Like, I don't know the answer to that. And if I had to guess, I would say no. I know that's probably an unpopular opinion. But I think when you look at guys like Bourne, I mean, he's got all the potential in the world.

Then Aguilar, he's had his flashes. And, I mean, how many times have we seen guys that have been kind of iffy and inconsistent in their NFL career go to New England and then Belichick automatically figures it out. So I think the sky's the limit for this offense next year. It really is, and I'm so glad that you mentioned Bourne and Aguilar and the versatility that they bring to the table, especially if Julian is either hampered or not quite what he has been in the past.

I know every time Julian takes the field, he's a warrior. He's got the heart of a lion. That guy is going to give you 110% whether he can give it or whether he physically can't. But if there are limitations, Bourne is a versatile wide receiver. He's primarily out of the slot, but he can line up outside. He can take it to the house if he needs to. Aguilar the same way.

He's primarily thought of as a deep threat because of what he did in Las Vegas last year. This is a guy that played a lot of snaps out of the slot in Philadelphia. People forget that. He met with the media earlier today and basically said that he's betting on himself to really prove a lot of the doubters wrong, coming in showing that he's got surer hands than people think he does, that he's going to be able to take direction. And one common theme that you hear with a lot of these guys is they can't wait to play with Cam Newton. So in a lot of ways, it all comes back to that Auburn flavor.

And you know what? We've talked about it several times. It is an allure. We love to talk Auburn quarterbacks, and we have several times. We've talked a little bit about Cam Newton, the offense, and what this team may look like in 2021. But let's not forget about Jarrett Stidham. talked a little bit about Cam Newton, the offense, and what this team may look like in 2021, but let's not forget about Jarrett Stidham, and Zach knows his capabilities as well as anyone as well.

In just a moment, folks, Zach Blackerby and I will discuss Jarrett Stidham and what Patriots West might do to the balance of power in the Pats quarterback room. Might it even be good for Jarrett? All this and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, football games on the field might be over, but the NBA, college basketball, and the NHL are all in full swing. It's the perfect time of year to put your prognostication skills to the test. And when you want to do so, there's only one place that has you covered and one place we trust. BetOnline.ag.

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Patriots Nation's Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn joins me today here on the pod. And Zach, it's widely expected by myself and many, I think yourself included, that Cam Newton is going to be the starter in New England in 2021. Just all the signs seem to point to that. But there is a lot of speculation that the Pats will be active in possibly pursuing another quarterback, whether it be the draft, whether it be a free agent or a trade option. I think it's going to be more likely in the draft but we'll see you never know what the hoodies got up his sleeve um one thing we don't hear a lot as a potential candidate to be the

starter in 2021 is jared stidham uh we've talked about jared several times here on the pod you and i uh but his stock seems to have fallen in that regard a little bit but within the past couple of days jared has taken the initiative and word has it he wants to compete for the starting job in 2021 of course you know what i'm talking about group of patriots joining up in southern california everybody's calling it pats west um and this kicked off over the weekend and initially included seven players. Jarrett, obviously the organizer, joined by Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Jacoby Myers, Christian Wilkerson showed up, Devin Asiasi, Matt Lacoste. Now, Nikhil Harry has shown up. So has Cam Newton, actually, as well. He's in the mix there as well.

Zach, those in attendance have said that Stidham is playing with a command. He's making throws. He's making leads. His body language suggests that he wants to be in the mix for the starting job in 2021. When you look at Jared Stidham and you look at what he brings to the table now, is there a realistic expectation that he could compete for the starting job in 2021? Or do you think that that ship has sailed, at least in New England? I don't think he has a chance to be the starter next year unless something happens to Cam, which we've seen in the past.

So we'll have to see. But I think the competition is great for Jarrett. I think it's great for Cam. I think it's great for the locker room. I think it's great for all the pass catchers out there in California with those guys, Patriots West. I love that. I think it's great for Cam. I think it's great for the locker room. I think it's great for all the pass catchers out there in California with those guys, Patriots West. I love that. I think it's great. But all of this kind of surprises me a little bit because we never really saw that Jarrett at Auburn. He was always kind of the guy, and he really got criticized at times for just kind of using Auburn for two seasons and then going to the NFL.

He still comes back. In fact, I think he was there this past Saturday when Auburn had their open practice. A few people sent me some pictures of him. But I think this is a great, I guess, a sign that he is growing as a leader and growing as a quarterback. And, hey, maybe the coaching staff sat him down and told him, like, hey, you've got a chance to go after it here, like make the most of it. Because this doesn't seem like a move that he would typically do,

but I think it's great. I think it's great for him. And so, you know, hearing Hunter Henry talk highly about working out with Jarrett and, you know, how they're getting things done, and it sounds like it's been pretty intense over there based on what some of the players have said about it. So I think it's positive. But I don't think he has a chance to start in 2021. But, boy, wouldn't it be great for the Patriots if he somehow turned the corner

and was able to be the guy moving forward. It would answer a lot of questions. You know, you don't have to draft a guy, whether it's this year or next year. You don't have to sign anybody. You just extend them out. I think that'd be huge. But, I don't know, man. A story came out on AL.com. It's one of the more popular websites throughout the state of Alabama. They had an interview with one of Jarrett Stidham's passing coaches or it may have been the Patriots quarterback's coach,

now that I think about it, but talked about like how far behind Stidham was when he got to the league and how much of a disservice the Auburn offense and Gus Malzahn did to Jarrett Stidham. And now that Malzahn's gone, you're starting to hear all these receivers, and I've had a few of the receivers that are working after the draft right now on my show talking about how, like, atrocious that system is for, you know, any kind of passing game.

And, like, they use numbers instead of letters, and they call routes different things, and they don't, like, they run stuff in practice but not actually in games. And all this weird stuff is coming out. And now it's starting to be like, oh, okay, that's why Elton got fired. But you're hearing all these reports about how behind these guys are mentally after they leave Auburn and go to the pros. And I hate it, but Jarrett Sinem is kind of a victim of that.

So maybe he finally got it mentally and it clicked because I think he has the physical ability to, you know, step into throws and, you know, hit the deep ball and process information. I think maybe he's just kind of turned the corner mentally and emotionally and maybe he is ready to compete. Yeah, we've talked about that before. And that's an interesting piece of news that I do want to get back to in just a moment when it comes to Jarrett's dedication to the game of football, which you've kind of alluded to a little bit, but I'm going to press you on that a little. But we've talked about his ability to step into throws, make throws. There have been some questions about whether or not he's able to read

quickly enough at the line of scrimmage. Maybe some of that factors in. And that is something that I don't think a lot of our listeners know. To tell you the truth, I didn't know a whole lot behind that as well. I did hear the comments from quarterbacks coaches, and yes, it was the Patriots quarterbacks coach too, who made similar comments about Jarrett having to learn and having to really build up his NFL vocabulary

in order to really be an effective weapon here in the New England offense, or at least attempt to be. And that's something that's interesting about that Auburn-type grooming that really does a disservice to quarterbacks at times as well. So maybe that is the reason why a lot of the difficulty has happened. I know Jared has been an interception machine, which I know a lot of people have called him, whether it's fair or whether it's not a fair assessment.

It seems to be accurate. Almost every time he's out there, you know, you worry about the threat of a pick being thrown or, you know, something happening. Your first pass becoming a pick six is not a good way to endear yourself to an NFL audience. But it does lead me quite nicely into my final question for you today, Bud, and something again that you've've alluded to but i'm going to ask you to flesh that out a little bit jared is taking this initiative it would appear that he's trying to get some camaraderie with his teammates uh provide the chance to get everybody together uh we keep hoping for a full off-season workout slate but there are rumblings out there from the nflpa among others that ota minicamps haven't been yet. So we don't know what those schedules are going to look like.

It's good to get these guys out there working together. It also shows to me that Jarrett Stidham may have turned the corner from some of that question about whether or not he is truly dedicated to the game of football. And you mentioned this in his dedication to Auburn. Some people felt that he may have used Auburn or whatnot, or that he might not have been fully dedicated to his craft. Do you think that by what he's doing, also coupled by the fact that he's working out with Jordan Palmer and he's been showing initiative to try to increase his NFL value,

do you think that spells for success in the future for Jared Stidham, whether it's here in New England or elsewhere? Or is this more or less him trying to run damage control and essentially trying to save his job in New England? Yeah, I mean, it seems like he sees an opening, whether it's this year or next year, being the guy. And Jared Stidham's a talented dude. And as far as motivation and all that, I think everybody plays for different things like I don't think the guy is playing for money I think he's playing for a

chance to win you know he's his I guess now his wife she's like the daughter of the Houston Rockets CEO or GM or whatever so like money is fine like they're not they're not playing for that the guy wants to win the guy wants to win football games. And when you look at what he did on some of the biggest stages, he's performed extremely well. It's been really – I mean, when you look at the list of college quarterbacks that have beaten two number one teams in the span of three weeks, the list is Jarrett Stidham.

That's it. You know, he absolutely threw the ball all over Georgia, and then two weeks later, they beat Alabama by two scores. And no one else has done that. No one else has done that in the Nick Saban era. Nobody's done that in the modern era of college football. And so the guy can play, you just got to surround them with dudes. And man, they're doing that. They're absolutely doing that this offseason, whether it's for cam or for jared stedham so is he going to have the chance i mean sure i think belichick's going to have you know no problem playing whoever's the best and whoever

has the you know the gets the team the most chance to win but i just i don't see it happening this year but as far as his motivation he strikes me as a competitive dude sometimes but man this guy is really really over the last few weeks with the reports coming out it's just this is a new Jarrett Stidham and I think fans should be excited about it absolutely and you know one of the things that I think is interesting about all of this is where the Patriots may land or what they may do in the draft. That may really tip their hand in terms of how they feel about Cam Newton, how they feel about Jarrett Stidham moving forward. If they feel the need to take a quarterback high up, or even if they trade up, which is something that is very unusual for Bill Belichick, but

we've heard the argument that the Patriots may be in the mood to trade up this time around. I think that's going to say a lot about what they say for the quarterback position. Does that mean Cam is essentially a one and done this year and they're trying to groom the new quarterback of the future? If they stay put, it might be a sign that they may have that faith in Jarrett Stidham, that he can be the guy even following, you know, maybe holding the clipboard for Cam Newton for one more year. It's going to be interesting times, but, and the one thing that I know that we can always count on is your insight when it comes to Auburn flavor at the quarterback position, will it continue beyond 2021, regardless of what Zach will always be one of our favorite guests here on

locked on Patriots. You are, and you always will remain that buddy. So thank you so much for taking the time out for joining me here today on locked on Patriots, please, before I let you go today, my friend,

let everyone know all of our new listeners, where they can find you each and every day on locked on Auburn and where they can look forward to reading and hearing your great work. Yeah, man, of course, at Z Blackerby on all social medias. Yeah.

I do a lot of Auburn stuff, but also the Patriots stuff on there that, of course, Locked on Auburn, wherever you get your podcasts. I really appreciate it, man. Anytime, my friend. The pleasure is all mine. The honor is all mine. And I want to thank Zach for all of the work that he does.

A lot of the great work that you see social media-wise, whether it be postings or videos or poll questions, Zach is one of the masterminds behind that, along with Nick Eingstadt, who really put a potent one-two combination out there for all of us in the Locked On Podcast Network. They make us look a lot better than we really are. No, folks, I'm only kidding. We've got a great, great group in Locked On,

and one of the great reasons why is having great support from guys like this. Zach, thank you so much. Stay safe and well, and I look forward to talking ball with you again here on Locked on Patriots real soon. Thanks, Mike. Go Pats. Just like that, Pats Nation,

we are more than halfway through your work week, but there is still plenty of great Pats coverage to come here on Locked on Patriots. So, to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, subscribe to Locked on Patriots on platforms such as the Radio.com app, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend and colleague, Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn, for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Pats Nation, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.