Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Pats Priorities: New England Patriots Positions of Need, Matthew Slater to Coach?

Starting point is 00:00:00 the offensive line is the biggest position of need for the new England Patriots in 2023. Well, the defensive backfield would like to have a word on that. Stick around. You're about to be locked into the lockdown Patriots podcast. You are locked on Patriots, your daily new England Patriots podcast,

Starting point is 00:00:19 part of the locked on podcast network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, 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 you get your podcasts. And this episode of Locked On is brought to you by Nissan.

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Starting point is 00:01:34 me here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots, but let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL.

Starting point is 00:01:50 While you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, your favorite team in Foxborough is focused on the future. Whether it be scouting for the NFL draft or determining

Starting point is 00:02:06 the best free agent moves to be made, the Pats are ready to make their push for a better outcome in 2023. But what is their biggest position of need? Well, here on the pod, you've heard myself, several of my guests repeatedly say the offensive line. After all, when your quarterback is under duress more often than not, when you're committing detrimental penalties and committing the Cardinal Patriots' sin playing out of position, you know it's time for an upgrade. But O-line isn't the only game in town. The Patriots also have needs at wide receiver

Starting point is 00:02:41 and also on defense in the secondary especially a cornerback and if you listen to yesterday's 2022 Patriots report card episode you'll know that I graded none of those positions any higher than a c-plus so there's a lot of work to do and here today to help lend her wisdom and counsel as she always does each and every Wednesday it's the Countess of Clas herself the illustrious Claire Cllaasie, Claire Cooper, of Pat's Propaganda and a Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast. And we will talk about the Pat's biggest positions of need. But the upgrades in Foxborough are not all about the on-field personnel.

Starting point is 00:03:18 Pat's are making some coaching changes as well. Nick Cayley on his way to Tinseltown. Matt Patricia no longer consigliere. Joe Judge reassigned. So into the fold are Bill O'Brien, Will Lange, Adrian Clem, but could the Patriots special teams be getting a coaching or advisory boost from a team legend? Well, yeah, you guessed it, folks. I'm talking about Matthewew slater and we all know that the captain is considering retirement at this point 15 year nfl veteran can't blame him for that this would be his 16th year coming up in the league tiger played in new england 10 pro bowl nods as a

Starting point is 00:03:58 special teamer that's the most special team pro bowl honors in NFL history. Moreover, that leadership, his ability to lead on and off the field, really earned him the respect and admiration of his coaches, his teammates, and really anyone throughout the league. But we know Slater hasn't announced a decision as of yet, but the fact that he's taking his time to do it really shouldn't be seen as a sign that he's trending in one direction or trending in the other. And he pointed this out during a recent episode of Tim Hatch Live. And I'm quoting Matthew directly here when he was asked directly about his playing status. He says, quote,

Starting point is 00:04:37 it's something that we're still very much praying through. He still went on to say that, I have to be honest, it's one of the most difficult decisions of my life. You know you have a passion and a love for something, but things change. Things change all the time, and it's not just about what I want now. I have to consider what his wife and family wants. I have to consider what's best for our children. So we're praying through it. I'm not closing the door. I'm not saying yay or nay. I'm going to take my time and hopefully hear from the Lord on it. And anyone that knows about Matthew Slater knows that his faith is deeply important to him.

Starting point is 00:05:16 I know that when he says this, he's saying it with complete and utter sincerity. And Matthew Slater has earned this right. He has played in the league 15 years, probably will go down as one of the greatest special teamers of all time, definitely the greatest special teamer in New England history. So he has the right to be able to take his time and enjoy the opportunity to make this decision in conjunction with his faith and with his family. But it gets better from here, folks, because Matthew did drop a hint that if his playing days are indeed done on the field that he may not be willing to leave Foxborough altogether that advisory position could be something that helps to fuel that passion that he has for the game again I'm quoting Matthew Slater directly now folks I will always consider myself a New England patriot amen to that doesn't sound like

Starting point is 00:06:03 he's going anywhere else in free agency. Big sigh of relief there. Not that we thought he was going to, but you never know in this business. Sounds like he'll be a patriot for life regardless. Matthew continues, quote, so if I can serve in the role of a coach, administrator on the staff, that's something I would welcome with open arms. We'll see. There's always change in football, so we'll see how that plays out. But I think the Lord has given me so

Starting point is 00:06:31 much and taught me so much, it'd be a shame just to end it with me. I love to continue to pass those things along to the next generation. Really classily said, very appropriately said and i think very sincerely said by matthew slater and this would clearly be a win for the new england patriots if matthew does indeed decide that his playing days are through they can still benefit from his knowledge his leadership especially for a unit that really struggled in 2022 whether it happens is still way too early to tell folks this is not an indication that he's willing to do it or an indication that he's going to do it, but it at least shows that it's on his mind. In order for him to mention it, it had to have been a thought that crossed his mind

Starting point is 00:07:15 and the Patriots' mind as well. So for the Patriots, keeping Matthew Slater in and around Foxborough a big win for the Pats. Wednesdays are for big wins here on Locked On Patriots as well. And in just a moment, Claire Classey, Claire Cooper will join me. Always a win for the pod when Claire is here. But we're going to discuss what positional priorities that the Patriots should have and what deserves their utmost attention. We're going to discuss all of that and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode brought to you by Ultimate Football GM.

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Starting point is 00:09:58 the illustrious Claire Cooper of Pats Propaganda, and FPC Patriots joins me today. Welcome back to the pod, Countess. Oh, thank you for having me back. I'm always never sure, just in case the previous episode went a little bit dicey. Whenever, wherever that may be, we're always glad you decided to join us here on a Wednesday. Remember that, Claire. This is the midweek. This was created for you, my friend. We are glad to have you here. And, Claire, Patriots fandom is really, really excited about a lot of things right now in the upcoming 2023 season. New look coaching staff, a lot of new faces coming in.

Starting point is 00:10:40 The Patriots fans obviously excited about the draft. There's a lot of college scouting activities going on. East-West Shrine Bowl, the Senior Bowl, the Draft Combine coming up at the end of the month. Big Patriots presence at all of these events. But, Claire, it's easy to forget that free agency is actually the first order of business for the new league year. And you and I previously discussed these must-keep free agents that are on the Patriots roster. But even keeping these internal free agents in the fold doesn't solve all of the problems. If the Patriots brass wants to improve in 2023, they have got to identify positions of need first.

Starting point is 00:11:21 So we're going to play a little game of pick-em here, Claire. I thought this would be a fun midweek activity. You are the gm claire cooper uh not the tight ends coach so don't get too excited claire but i'm talking about the gm right now you're crafting this 2023 patriots roster like what i did there folks a little i did i did that's very good yep that's right see there you go so you're putting this roster together. Let's start on the defensive side of the ball because we always start on offense. And you know what? Defense wins championships.

Starting point is 00:11:52 So we're going to start on defense this week. What's your greater position of need? The defensive front, specifically the defensive line, or the cornerback position? See, this is tricky because if you think about the defense that the patriots had like last season or what you know 2022 season season we have just exited if you like the defense was was the strength of the team and so when you start to think about it you don't want to mess about with something that's you know really good but i mean we talked about the free agents last episode and yes there are some individuals that they need to make a choice with regards to because they're out of contract. They're free agents. And I think that the real key there was an individual that sort of falls more into the cornerback position.

Starting point is 00:12:36 And we talked about John Jones and I know we said how significant it is for him to remain. So you look at the defence as a whole as you're talking. And I think with regards to that, I've got to pick, and I'm quite surprised at myself for this, and I've got to pick cornerback because when you look at what they've sort of, what they've got at the moment, when you discuss John Jones and the regards that he's a free agent, after him on the roster, I went over to Patriots.com

Starting point is 00:13:05 and had a look at what their unofficial roster was. When you look at left cornerback, you've got John Jones, then you've got Jack Jones, then you've got Marcus Jones. Now, we're not actually 100% sure what's going on with Jack Jones. And yes, he's showing up on the system. I think he's on reserve, I believe, IR slash reserve or something like that. So his name's still there, but so is Jake Bailey. So that's a little bit of a, is he coming back?

Starting point is 00:13:37 Is he going to come back in that capacity? Is there going to be a falling out, that sort of thing? I don't know how much the moment as of the 8th of february is really set in regards to jack jones coming back so then if you were to lose john jones in free agency and then you've got this this sort of uncertainty if you like in regards to jack jones bear in mind he's also you know only on his second year as a rookie and he he has got some weakness still he's a very good player don't get wrong, but there was still some weakness in regards to his performance in 2022. So as for a number one cornerback, that's something that's so significant sort of nowadays, if you like, in the NFL, they're looking a little bit shaky.

Starting point is 00:14:17 Now, I looked at the sort of the rest of the cornerbacks and the right cornerback and you've got Jalen Mills. Then you've got Miles Bryant and Sean Wade and I mean with no disrespect to these individuals it kind of made me go oh cornerback oh it's really not looking very good now they drafted two cornerbacks last year in regards to Jack Jones and Marcus Jones so you should think that like cornerback for this year totally solid but when you look at that in regards to the kind of uncertainty of if John Jones is coming back Miles Bryant bless his heart it didn't really do so great he got outbacked too often and I know that he's a very ferocious kind of player and you know

Starting point is 00:14:58 he had that one great punt return and it seems really lame to go that one great return but it was it was a great return at the beginning of last year he might have even been in postseason actually sorry preseason sorry um but yeah when you look at the corner mat list it really had me a little bit nervous so for me when it comes to that now i don't know if the answer in regards to cornerback is ensuring that John Jones stays, getting somebody in free agency or looking ahead into the draft to sort of to fill that spot. That feels a little bit above my pay grade, really. But I think the important thing is to solidify that position because it is a position that needs to have a strength. Don't get me wrong, the D-line needs to, obviously.

Starting point is 00:15:48 There's no position in a team that doesn't need to be of a strength, of course. But sort of for the sake of arguments, to look at what I'm picking as, I like that, as GM Claire. I really think it's dangerous to give me any title whatsoever because you know with great power

Starting point is 00:16:02 comes great responsibility. And Claire's great responsibility always goes to the tight endage department. So it's very dangerous to give me any power in the system because I'll just fill it with tight endage. So, you know, this is on you.

Starting point is 00:16:16 If this goes all to right. There you go, folks. John is the position change to tight end upcoming right now with general manager in the hot seat that's it that's what we're going this is it this is it yeah i'll just move just move johnny's me there um but yeah coming back to the topic i think um i think a lot of patrons nation would probably agree that the cornerback is significant and we sat here looking at the draft last season i know

Starting point is 00:16:40 that my draft um prep if you like went far too much into quarterback for my own good, really, and linebacker as well at the time. But yeah, for me, it's definitely the CB that hits the number one in importance. The wear, as I mentioned, is a little bit, I'm not really certain where, because I don't really know who's coming up in free agency for cornerback I haven't looked at the list as of yet but I think for the Patriots to maintain someone like John Jones I think would be a key he's your number one cornerback the thing is the Patriots aren't going to throw a lot of money at it and we've seen this in you know in those sorts of positions before if they want a lot of money Bill Belichick tends to tell them to walk and that he can you know he can fill the position sort of elsewhere so that's a little bit of a does John Jones want to stay with the Patriots will he

Starting point is 00:17:30 kind of have a deal that's more team friendly that sort of reflects that he wants to be a Patriot versus he just wants the money sort of thing so that's a little bit of time will tell and as you said free agency is the next blip on the radar so that's going to be um interesting to see but definitely for me um i'm going to pick cornerback there please michael i think i agree with you on this one claire uh look the defensive line to get into and then we'll get into quarterbacks in just a little bit because i think you made a lot of excellent points that i want to accentuate but when you look at the d line and you look at the job that they did this year and I talked a little bit about this yesterday on my report cards for the New England Patriots performance in 2022 that defensive line made leaps and bounds improvements when it comes to defending against the run one of the big reasons why is guys like Lawrence Guy you know

Starting point is 00:18:20 someone like a Devon Godchild really stepped up and played the middle of that defensive line, that interior, very well. They were able to get into position, be able to stop teams from getting on track when it came to running, and that facilitates so much of your other games. It allows your pass rush to be able to get into place and play in position. Dietrich Weiss had a big year, especially a big first half of the season, because that defensive line was doing such a great job blocking up front that it allowed him to be able to play as a pass rush specialist

Starting point is 00:18:53 instead of having to help out along the line and put his hand in the dirt and get in the trenches along the, you know, tackles that were in there. And of course, the interior tackle as well. So this is something that I think the Patriots have already addressed. I think they will address it in free agency coming up. Carl Davis is a free agent coming up. So not sure, you know, what's going to happen there. The Patriots really like him. I like Carl personally. I'd love to see him back. It's a great guy to cover, but at the same time, I think they're going to be a little bit more focused on depth pieces there than they will someone that can come in and give you a start at the position.

Starting point is 00:19:31 The cornerback position, I think, is very, very intriguing because you're right. Jonathan Jones is a free agent. Are the Patriots going to give him as much money as he'll get on the open market? I'm not optimistic on that. And it pains me to say that because John is a guy that I think is so valuable to this team because of everything that he does. But there will be a team out there that's going to come in and essentially wow him with a pretty good offer.

Starting point is 00:19:57 It's going to be whether or not the Patriots are able to convince him that maybe taking a little bit less year allows him to accentuate his strengths. If that's the case, I like his chances of coming back we've heard that from john's camp that he is you know enthusiastic about wanting to come back that's always a good sign whenever you hear things like that it's usually a good indicator that they want to try to get something done so take of that what you will doesn't necessarily mean anything but even with john back in the fold you still need i think a guy that can come in play the perimeter and be able to give you significant minutes on doing that jack jones is a good solid prospect and i think he

Starting point is 00:20:35 will be a very good corner here in short order but i'd feel better with one more veteran in that core jalen mills there's been injury history like you said so yeah i think there's there's a lot right now that can really happen with the cornerbacks but i agree with you this is the bigger position of need probably the biggest position of need on the defense maybe even on the team as well i agree on defense i disagree on the team to be honest why did i have a feeling she was going to and if claire is disagreeing with my take on whether or not the cornerback is the biggest need on the patriots we definitely do not want to displease the countess uh which do count us so we're going to

Starting point is 00:21:18 i'll tell you what we're going to do we're going to discuss the opposite side of the ball and we're going to discuss the offense what is the biggest position of need on the New England Patriots offense right now? Claire is going to tap into her clairvoyance without the tea leaves this week, folks. And she's going to let us know what is the biggest position of need when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode brought to you by our friends over at PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy made easy. Let me tell you a little bit about how they work.

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Starting point is 00:24:37 Do it today. Pick up a box of Built Bars at your local Walmart or your local Sam's Club, or as always, at built.com. Patriots fans, the illustrious Claire Klaze, Claire Cooper joins me here today. Columnist extraordinaire for eatforgothatspropaganda.com as well as the host of her very own Patriots podcast, A Claire Perspective, proudly found on FPC Patriots. Folks, one of the great listens you'll find anywhere in Patriots media.

Starting point is 00:25:08 I highly recommend. Listen, download, absorb the wisdom and counsel in every episode. You'll be entertained, you'll be informed, and you'll love it. So definitely make sure to do that after you listen to Locked on Patriots. Of course, Claire, in the previous segment, we've talked a lot about the defensive side of the ball. We talked about needs on offense, excuse me, needs on defense and the free agency period that's coming up in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:25:34 But you said something very intriguing taking us into the break where you said you don't believe that the cornerback position is the most pressing need for the New England Patriots in terms of positions. And you kind of intimated that that meant that the most important need for this team is going to be on the offensive side of the ball. Pulling on your clairvoyance for just a moment, what is the biggest positional need for the New England Patriots heading into 2023? Well, Mike, it's obvious when we hit the 2023 draft, the Patriots need to draft a tight end. Okay, I'm just kidding. Straight face.

Starting point is 00:26:14 Do my best. No. This is a very loaded tight end class, by the way. And Claire and I are going to do that. If there's a year to dip your toe into the pool, Claire, this may be it. So don't scoff at that that may not be okay folks thank you very much good night seriously no no no let's not let's not seriously serious folks no the offensive line for me i think the biggest need on the whole team,

Starting point is 00:26:52 now that they've looked at the coaching issues and they've stacked up some coaches and they've Nick Haley's left and they've got a high end coach and they've got an all nighter. I'm so excited. I've never I'd never thought in my wildest dreams I would be so excited by the prospect of an offensive line coach. Thank you, Matt Patricia. You brought this upon us. But yes, now that coaching has been sort of addressed, shall we say, and it may even be addressed even more, the thing that for me is most important, I know a lot of people want to talk about wide receivers, and I fully appreciate why they'd want to.

Starting point is 00:27:19 Everybody wants that. Well, not everybody, but many want that. Wide receiver one, that kind of really dynamic, elite, numbers on the board kind of player that will sort of help Mac in his third year. And I fully appreciate why that is necessary. The one thing I'd like to say to those individuals out there thinking this is if they don't pick up that expensive WR1 and they don't pick him up in the first round of the draft, for example, don't forget that they now have a different offensive line coach, one who probably knows the heck what he's doing.

Starting point is 00:27:57 And the fact is that something like that could be a massive game changer. And I don't mean that kind of like as a tongue-in-cheek or joking literally as an explanation for how that could affect the wide receiver call that they've got at the moment now I know that Jacobi Myers may leave and things like this I know that and I know that Devante Parker didn't really hit the the high notes last season that that was really so maybe even expected but he he did perform and so maybe there's the sort of the it's in there kind of thing it just needs pulling out situation so i'd say don't be concerned too much because they may have some coaching now that he's really able to coach up some of the talent

Starting point is 00:28:38 that they do have because they do have good great wide receivers they're just yes they aren't those sort of that you know the deandre hopkins or is it um jerry judy who's available um those kind of yeah as people like to say number one but there isn't there isn't one in every single team anyway so maybe it's a case of there's not going to be one in the patriots and i think if we look at the coaching and sort of put a bit of faith in that that maybe that the Patriots already have somebody that that will be coached to the next level to to really bring in you know bring out the numbers that kind of thing but for me I sort of there's a long-winded way around of saying it for me it's got to be tackle and it's tackle tackle tackle I really think that they shouldn't

Starting point is 00:29:21 just necessarily hit this in either the draft or free agency. I think it's maybe even a both situation. And I know that the availability of tackles out there, there isn't a massive sort of huge class of tackles that are going to be available in free agency. There's a couple of names that we talked about on one page. It's placed with Mark Schofield. What does it yeah so yesterday yesterday um and i know that murph was really really um excited about mcglinchey as a right tackle but he's possibly an individual that's going to bring a bit of money so it's if the patriots are going to spend the money there where

Starting point is 00:30:01 you know it may be necessary so if they don't look at free agency if they only look at the draft i really hope that this is something that we don't only see one tackle taken off the board in the draft i think i really hope that it's something that they really stack and i know that you look at it and say well you know there's needs everywhere as we discussed the defense there are needs at cornerback and individuals like Lawrence Guy aren't going to be on the defensive line forever either. But I just think the way that it's fell apart this season, the season we've just had, sorry, with regards to the lack

Starting point is 00:30:36 of depth at tackle. I mean, as I mentioned with the defence, I went onto pages.com, I looked at their unofficial roster at the moment. And I know it's kind of only at the moment at February, but all they had on the unofficial depth chart for tackles was left tackle, Trent Brown, right tackle, Connor McDermott. And the number two for both of those positions, right and left, was Yodney Kajust.

Starting point is 00:31:03 Kajust. Apologies if I pronounce it who is a restricted free agent so there's still a lot of questions oh i missed that oh gosh that's even worse so yeah the cupboard is really bad now i believe that is brownston you'll have to forgive me for this mike but is trent brown in a contract year still or will he be he is he contracted through 2023 he is yes he will be on the contract this season he'll be playing for a contract this season but he is under contract for the Patriots in 2023 good question it wasn't a year I my apologies I wasn't sure if he was on a year-to-year contract so apologies my bad for not checking that out but

Starting point is 00:31:42 yeah so you've got Troyroy you've got trent brown and conor mcdermott and as as you know give him his dues but dermot kind of got plugged in halfway through the season and you know played his his little heart out he wasn't sparkling you know he wasn't fabulous now i understand that he was i believe it was in college. He was coached by the Patriots offensive line coach, Adrian Clem. So there may be a good link there. So he may be able to bring a bit more out of McDermott. However, when you look at that, when it comes to tackles, that's not enough. When you've got a rookie quarterback, I say rookie,

Starting point is 00:32:21 Mackie's still classed as a rookie. You've got a rookie quarterback who's coming off a naff second year because he had no real support when it came with coaching he had a frustrating year you need in a year that we saw how important the offensive line was there is now the coaching there to get strength into this to bring cole strange into his you know next year and things like this you know to really solidify this o-line so they need to give these guys pieces they need to give these offensive coaches quality pieces to work with now that may be free agency that may be the draft obviously but it's kind of got to be done if you want matt to succeed as we've said loads of times and we've discussed

Starting point is 00:33:05 this multiple times so if you're a locked on listener I'm really sorry that you've heard something that I've gone on so much but for me it's a massive key because to me it doesn't matter who Matt Jones is thrown into if he has no time and I don't mean excessive time I mean literal time because the offensive line's falling apart if he hasn't got some strength in front of him he isn't able to go through reads he isn't able to make the plays that he needs to play to target whatever wide receiver whatever tight end whatever running back is out there he's not going to be able to target them if the offensive line is weak and collapsing so for me having those tackles having some depth having that stacked

Starting point is 00:33:46 is really what is the key this season and that's why it's my most important need that's why although a cornerback is is a necessity it is something that they need strength they've got they've got Jack Jones and Marcus Jones as we pre-discussed when it comes to tackle it feels like they don't have anything other than Trent Brown who keeps getting switched anyway or possibly could get switched sides that sort of thing so there was unrest in regards to if he was on like the wrong contract for the position that sort of thing so you've got a guy who may not necessarily have been 100% happy with how he was used or utilised last season and that's all that's all you're really looking at so I think for me definitely long

Starting point is 00:34:25 story short apologies for going on but I'm so excited about this it's definitely number one need for the New England Patriots is tackle now I think you make a great point and I agree with you when it comes to the offensive line by the way I know I gave you a hard time earlier on that but I think you're spot on because it really does everything that this team had wrong in 2022 a lot of it stemmed from inadequate performance on the offensive line and some of that was injury related some of it was not playing up that's natural yeah a lot of it was due to coaching and you know you you have a lot of difficulties that can automatically be I don't want to say completely alleviated, but they can be lessened by getting adequate play at the offensive line.

Starting point is 00:35:12 And part of that is not only utilizing the draft to restock the position, which I do believe the Patriots are going to do, but you also want competent veterans that are going to come in. They're going to play the game the way it needs to be played, teach some of the young guys on this roster the value of being a part of a cohesive, really, I think, working offensive line, for lack of a better term. And I don't want to really come at the guys that played on the team in 2022 too much because there were a lot of guys that played even beyond potential at

Starting point is 00:35:45 times uh to try to make this team the best it possibly could be Michael Wayne who I thought had a phenomenal season David Andrews continues to be an anchor and it continues to be the heart and soul of that um offensive line I thought Carl Strange had a solid rookie season but at times but you have to expect that from a rookie. That interior is very well set. Patriots need to go after the tackle position. I think they'll do that both on offense, excuse me, both on the left side and on the right side. Even if you're going to get a bounce back here from Trent Brown,

Starting point is 00:36:16 which I still think he's capable of folks. I think Trent is locked in and ready to go this year. You still want to bring guys in that are capable of playing that. The white outfit in the room, claire is the wide receiver position because we hear all the time from fans that they need that top flight wide out they need that guy that's going to break the game open we need someone who can take the top off the defense the patriots have never been a team that absolutely needs that to win so i i don't want to say i scoff at that because i think it's a valid point and i really do sympathize and understand with a lot of the the fan base that wants that and really craves it but this is one example where i do believe that wide receiver does

Starting point is 00:36:59 have to be addressed in some way shape or form because the Patriots do need help there. You've heard several previous Patriots, people that have played on this team, that said Ty Law is one that I'll give you right off the bat. Hall of Fame defensive back said there's nobody on this team that I'm looking at right now or I'm looking at the roster and saying that's the guy I need to shut down. Ty always knew that he was going to draw the coverage of being the toughest guy on the opposition, And that was his job to shut him down. There's nobody on the Patriots roster that instills fear right now. Now, one guy that is out there or maybe out there, according

Starting point is 00:37:36 to reports recently from The Athletic, is someone that I had an opportunity to cover back when I covered the Chargers, and that is Keenan Allen. This one intrigues me uh I've been a fan of Keenan since before I started covering the Chargers and now uh getting a chance to see him in training camp the things that he's able to do Keenan is one of the most gifted route runners I've seen watching he and Hunter Henry run routes in training camp and doing these things was really a joy to watch and a privilege to see. I would love to see what he could do in this Patriots offense. I'm very intrigued by this. Great size, 6'2", 211. But this is someone that can not only succeed on the perimeter, he can succeed in the slot, he can get you yards after the catch. Health concerns, I know some people are going to point to the hamstring he had last year,

Starting point is 00:38:27 but this guy is as good as a receiver as you're going to find out there on the market. So if he's available, I don't know, Claire. There's something in me might be willing to kick the tires on this one. I think he'd make a great match with Matt Jones here in New England, but that's just me. Still not changing my assessment. You're still right, Countess. I do believe that the offensive line is still the priority. But if they can't pry DeAndre Hopkins away from the Arizona Cardinals,

Starting point is 00:38:57 which who knows? Things could still happen there. I still like the chances of the New England Patriots to bring in someone like Akeem and Allen. That'd be an amazing addition to this team and to this wide receiving core count us any parting shots uh before we take our leave for the day uh for free agency priorities because you've dropped the wisdom and counsel the way only you can and I think you've been spot on here so any further uh you know regales uh that you'd like to let us know about before we take our leave of the subject?

Starting point is 00:39:27 Well, now I feel like not saying anything. If I've done quite well, I don't really want to spoil it at the very end. End on a high note? Yeah, I want to end on a high note, so I don't know. But you talking about Keenan Allen, it really made me ponder because it was like, ooh, if he's got a good relationship, I mean, obviously we don't know, so I'm just speculating. If he's got a sort of good synergy with Hunter Henry, and we know Mac and Hunter have got quite a good relationship. I mean, obviously we don't know. So I'm just speculating. If he's got a sort of good synergy with Hunter Henry

Starting point is 00:39:45 and we know Mac and Hunter have got quite a good synergy, it'd be lovely if that like rubbed off and then you've got like the quarterback, tight end, wide receiver synergy. And it'd be like, oh, wouldn't that just be lovely to see all that kind of clicking together? As I said, I'm just speculating

Starting point is 00:40:00 that it would making assumptions and all that kind of thing. But that was quite interesting. So that's intrigued me now. So now that's a name that's like on my radar that i've got my sharp eye on as you like to say i'm telling you you know maybe a little past the physical prime i get that i'll entertain that and i'll understand it but he's one of only two pass catchers to average 70 plus receiving yards per game every season since the 2017 season the other guy to do it tyree kill the miami dolphins so you're in very rare company when it comes to people that can give

Starting point is 00:40:31 you those yards uh yeah this one would be one this will catch the sharp eye uh definitely and i don't think it's the last we're going to talk about keenan allen here on lockdown patriots but count us the tip of the cap because you always bring the wisdom and counsel the way only you can. Thank you so much for not only livening up but also smartening up all of us here on Locked On Patriots this week. Folks, catch her at Klazzy Claire on Twitter. You can definitely catch a Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast wherever you get your podcasts. I strongly encourage you, if you haven't already, smash that subscribe button.

Starting point is 00:41:08 Some of the guests that Claire has on are some of the who's who, the elite in Boston sports media when it comes to covering the Patriots. And I can't recommend the show highly enough. And I truly mean that. It's really an amazing listen. You definitely want to check that out. And anytime Claire puts pen to paper,

Starting point is 00:41:23 she always does a phenomenal job, as do the crew over at Pat's Propaganda. So check them out as well. And, of course, you can always check out Claire here every Wednesday on Locked on Patriots. And, yeah, Murph, stop yelling at the screen. I know she's on One Patriot's Plate each and every week with you, lending the wisdom and counsel.

Starting point is 00:41:41 But, folks, check out Locked On Patriots just before you do that. Locked On Patriots, Claire perspective, One Patriots Place. I'm going to really, really get in trouble for that. But bottom line, folks, thank you for making 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

Starting point is 00:41:59 your first listen, make your second listen, our good friends over at Locked On NFL. All the news related to the Shield, including amazing coverage going on from our Boots on the Ground crew in Glendale in Super Bowl 57. You want to check that out wherever you get your podcasts. And, of course, you might want to drop that subscribe button. You might want to smash it.

Starting point is 00:42:20 And you also might want to download, subscribe to, and follow Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts on behalf of the illustrious claire classy claire cooper on my debate stay safe stay well folks be the change you wish to see in the world have a great day everyone

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