Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Problem: Why the New England Patriots' Offense Struggles Inside the 20

Episode Date: December 8, 2025

New England Patriots’ red zone offense stalls as Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels search for answers. Can the Patriots reclaim their scoring edge before the playoffs arrive?Nick Cattles breaks down the... persistent red zone struggles plaguing New England, dissecting issues with blocking, execution lapses by key players like Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, and the need for quicker decision-making from Drake Maye. The analysis spotlights Josh McDaniels’ play calling tendencies, offensive line inconsistencies, and the team’s inability to establish a clear red zone identity. Plus, expectations shift as Mike Vrabel’s public remarks signal newfound belief in this Patriots squad, powered by major offseason investments in talent and coaching support.Is a deeper postseason run still within reach for New England? Don’t miss this episode’s sharp insights on the offensive turnaround required for the Patriots to capitalize on their AFC standing.Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOPatriots?sid=YouTubeLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL#patriots #newenglandpatriotsEverydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!  Aura FramesFor a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting https://AuraFrames.com to get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames - named #1 by Wirecutter - by using promo code LOCKEDON at checkout.FanDuelIf you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit FanDuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.Mint MobileTurn your expensive wireless present into a huge wireless savings future by switching to Mint. Shop Mint Unlimited Plans at http://MINTMOBILE.com/LOCKEDONNFL.Disclaimer: Limited time offer. Upfront payment of:  $45 for 3-mo., $90 for 6-mo., or $180 for 12-mo. plan required ($15/mo. equivalent). Taxes & fees Initial plan term only. Greater than 35GB may slow when network is busy. Capable device required. Availability, speed, & coverage varies. See mintmobile.com.ZocdocStop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need.Go to Zocdoc.com/lockedonnfl to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 The Pat's Red Zone offense is a problem and has become a bigger problem lately. Find out what's gone wrong or what needs to improve. This is Locked-on Patriots. You are Locked-on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcasts network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host, Nick Cattos, born and raised in New England. been covering the Pats for the past 16 years. Also the co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattels and a sports radio veteran.
Starting point is 00:00:38 Welcome to Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. On today's episode, we look back at the off season and how the Pats did everything right by their young quarterback. Also, not only have fans change their expectations about this team, so has a very important person. We'll tell you who. But first, it's time for a red zone offense autopsy. Today's episode is brought to by Fandul. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season,
Starting point is 00:01:08 visit Fandul.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. It has been a terrific season to this point for the Patriots. I don't think anybody would argue that. 11 and 2. Now the two seed in the AFC after Denver beat Vegas on Sunday. But still, who's going to argue with the results? 11 and 2. With that said, we can all agree that this football team, as fun as it's been, as successful as they have been so far this year, they are not a flawless team. And a big concern lately has been the Red Zone offense. Just go back to the Cincinnati game where you had several shots from the one yard line and you could not find pay dirt. You look at this Patriots Red Zone offense heading into week 14. They were 24th in the NFL. 51.51. 0.06% of the time when they get in the red zone, they score a touchdown.
Starting point is 00:02:03 Let's put it simply, it's pretty much a flip of the coin for this Patriots offense when they get into the red area, whether it's going to be a field goal or, of course, a touchdown. And we can also throw a couple of turnovers in there as well, which we'll talk about a little bit later. What's fascinating is that other good teams, other good offenses are actually below the Patriots in red zone offense, but there are caveats. You can look at Tampa walking into week 14 as the 25th best red zone offense, converting 50% of the time in touchdowns. But of course, you look at Tampa and you say a ton of injuries on that side of the ball and they have a new offensive coordinator, a first time play caller at the NFL level.
Starting point is 00:02:47 The Baltimore Ravens walked into Sunday as the 30th Red Zone offense in football, converting 46.5% of the time in touchdowns. but Lamar Jackson has been unhealthy. He's missed a few games, and Derek Henry, for the most part, has gone MIA. Then you look at the Houston Texans, 31st in Red Zone offense in the NFL, converting only 43.59% of the time before Sunday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and you can look at that and say, well, C.J. Stroud has missed a couple of games, and they have a first-time play caller at the NFL level in Nick Cayley, The Patriots with Josh McDaniels, Drake May, the way he's playing football, being pretty much healthy at the skilled position so far.
Starting point is 00:03:33 You lost Ramandre Stevenson for a couple of weeks, but you look around and you say, you have all the pieces to be a successful, if not very successful, red zone offense. So what in the world is going wrong? Let's start here with number one, the blocking. The blocking has not been good enough. It has not been consistent enough. I have seen a number of just blown blocks in the red zone from this offensive line. Michael Wenu, before the last couple of weeks, which I've talked about, he has really improved. He's really come on.
Starting point is 00:04:06 I think Michael Owen, who has been really good the past month or so of this season, but you go back the first eight or nine weeks, and it was almost every single game. He was blowing a block at a crucial moment, including inside the red zone. You just can't have it. You can't have missed assignments when somebody just doesn't know who they're supposed to block. And when they're supposed to block that guy, you can look at the fullback position. We can put that in air quotes because Jack Westover, who is a natural tight end, has been shoehorned in at the full back position and you have not gotten consistent blocking from him
Starting point is 00:04:44 ahead of the running backs. And you also look at the interior offensive line. We talked about Michael Wenu, but Garrett Bradbury, Jared Wilson, they're not the biggest dudes on the football field. And so when they go against bigger guys and you're going against goal line defenses, it gets tougher for those smaller offensive linemen to hold their water. So the blocking has not been consistently good enough to drive into the end zone. That's been a major issue.
Starting point is 00:05:15 A second issue is execution. I'll give you an example. Kishan Booty, you go back a week or two ago. Kisham Booty, there's a play call where he's supposed to come across the offensive line and make a block, and he's just completely lost. He has no idea what his responsibility is. He doesn't block anybody. And because he completely whiffs, maybe not even attempts a block, the play fails.
Starting point is 00:05:39 That's a lack of execution. Trayvion Henderson is open in the flat against the New York Giants on Monday night. Drake May, he doesn't make a good enough throw. He throws it low and he throws it somewhat behind Trayvion Henderson. And because you don't execute that pass with perfection, Trayvon Henderson gets tackled. If you make that throw a better throw, Travion Henderson likely walks into the end zone or at least has a chance to get it to the goal line if he just makes one guy miss. Lack of execution. Ramandre Stevenson, Travion Henderson.
Starting point is 00:06:15 They have both had fumbles inside the red zone. They've both had fumbles inside the five. That is a lack of execution. You've got to take care of the football. Mack Hollins gets called for an offensive pass interference in the end zone, going back a couple weeks ago. That is a lack of execution. If you run that play correctly, you get a touchdown. So the lack of consistent good blocking, the lack of execution, and we also have to look at Drake May.
Starting point is 00:06:44 I feel like this is one of the last, maybe even the last obstacles. that Drake May has to get past to become as good as he can become. And of course, he's going to continue to develop. He's going to continue to get better. But if you look at something and say, well, that is a weakness of Drake Mays. I would say his red zone play has been a weakness.
Starting point is 00:07:06 And this happens to a lot of young quarterbacks. A lot of times, the last thing they truly figure out is how to be decisive and make the right read, make the right play inside that. red area. And we've seen Drake May have some issues. The red zone, of course, when you're talking about playing in that condensed area, you have tighter windows and your timing needs to be more precise. And there's no better example of this than going back a couple weeks ago against the Cincinnati Bengals when Drake May is on the bootleg action and he has Hunter Henry for a touchdown,
Starting point is 00:07:42 but he doesn't throw it. And then he has Hunter Henry again for a touchdown, but he waits a beat too long. Hunter Henry's defender, the linebacker, falls in the back end of the end zone. And that play is there. If Drake May releases it right then and there, it's a touchdown to Hunter Henry. He waits just a beat too long. Linebacker gets back up, gets back into the play, pass breakup, no touchdown. So it's going to come for Drake May. I'm not concerned whatsoever, but we are fair. We look at this objectively. And Drake May at times has not been as the as he needs to be in the red zone. Get it out quickly.
Starting point is 00:08:24 There was another play going back a number of weeks ago where Matt Collins is open on a pop play, so to speak, right after the snap, it's there. But for whatever reason, Drake May doesn't want to make the throw. So some of it is on the quarterback and some of it is on the play calling and Josh McDaniels. I don't know if Josh McDaniels, I think this could be the case. I don't know if he's trying to save Drake May as a weapon in the red zone with his legs until later in the season or when they get into the playoffs because there's no doubt that Drake May could be utilized as a runner more often inside the red area as he has been this year. So maybe it's just waiting and they don't want to go to the back pocket just yet. But at some point, they've got to. They've got to. They've got to use Drake May's legs more in the red zone against defenses. I also think that Josh McDaniels is called too many inside runs at times and it is borderline stubborn how we approaches it.
Starting point is 00:09:23 Again, it's not all the time, but at times we've seen that. And there's just really a lack of identity. It feels like the Patriots want to be a big bruising run downhill red zone offense, but they just don't have the jimmies and Joes to consistently execute that type of offense in that part of the field. So all of these things, I'm sure, have been addressed during the by week, and I'm sure some of these things will get better. But it's been the blocking, it's been the execution, it's been the quarterback, it's been the play calling. And it all hasn't been every single time you get down there. It's not like Drake May is not finding the open man or being hesitant every single time he's down in the red area, but you start combining these different factors.
Starting point is 00:10:06 We're on first down, the block isn't there. on second down may might be a little bit too late to pull the trigger on third down maybe it's not the greatest play call and you start combining all of these different factors and what you have is one of the worst red zone offenses in football which should not be the case with the talent and the offensive coordinator it just shouldn't all right the most important person has changed their expectations for this team find out who next this is locked on patriots part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day The holidays are officially here, which means gift hunting season is on.
Starting point is 00:10:46 And if you want something meaningful, personal, and guaranteed to get a reaction, ORA frames is the gift that delivers every time. It's not just something you wrap. It's a way to share memories. Orra isn't your average picture frame. You can preload the frame with photos before gifting it. So when someone plugs it in, the memories are already there. No apps to figure out.
Starting point is 00:11:04 No set up headaches. Just instant smiles. And who would want a gift like this? well, grandparents, parents, newlyweds, anyone who loves photos from a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off or his best-selling Carver Matt frames by using promo code locked on at checkout. That's A-U-R-A frames.com promo code locked on. This deal is exclusive to listeners in frames sell out fast. So order yours now to get it in on time for the holidays. Support the show also by mentioning us at checkout.
Starting point is 00:11:37 and conditions apply. Don't forget, oraframs.com. You already live your team every day. Now take it up a level and go ad free. That's right. Join the everydayer club today and get locked on Patriots with no interruptions, members only discord access, and more, all for just $5 a month or $50 for the year. Go to HTTPS-Colon slash slash lockdownpatriots. supercast.com backslash or check the link in the show notes to learn more. And don't forget if you're watching us on YouTube to hit that thumbs up, like the podcast, continue to help us with the algorithm. Don't forget to throw a comment in.
Starting point is 00:12:20 Are you frustrated with the red zone offense? I think you are, but maybe you're not. And don't forget to subscribe as we are now at 7,750 subscribers or so. That goal of 8,000 subs is right there waiting for us. Hopefully we get there within the next. couple of weeks. The preseason prediction that you heard from yours truly was that the Patriots would win nine games and that their ceiling was 11 wins. And what I meant by ceiling, I meant, well, if they were healthy, if Drake May made a significant leap in year two. And, you know,
Starting point is 00:12:55 if other things kind of unfolded the way you hope they would fall from, you know, week in and week out. So nine wins, a ceiling of 11 wins, depending on how things unfolded, how healthy the team was, how big of a leap if a leap was made by Drake May. But it wasn't just me. And it wasn't just other pundits talking about the Patriots winning nine games, maybe with a ceiling of 11. Even Mike Vrable pumped the brakes before the year. I go back to August 24th. This is from Mike Reese, and it was after the Giants preseason game. Here's what Vrable had to say. Quote, there's glimpses of football the way we'd like to play it.
Starting point is 00:13:37 Here's the money quote. We are so far from being where we need to be. We are so far from being where we need to be. That was August 24th. Mike Vrable continued, I'm really trying to get that message across, stringing one good day together and putting another day together, unquote. Then you get to last week.
Starting point is 00:13:59 Sorry. Then you get back to, yeah, last week after the Giants win. Slightly confusing, Giants preseason game. This one is after the Monday night game. Alex Barth posted Mike Vrable's message to the Patriots heading into the biweek. Quote, we're not done. We're not satisfied. Champions are never satisfied, unquote. So after the Giants preseason game, August 24th, Mike Vrable is telling everybody, we are so far from being where we need to be. And even before the regular season kickoff, Mike Vrable had multiple quotes that tried to temper expectations.
Starting point is 00:14:38 And several of the beat writers wrote stories at the time about how it felt like the team was trying to slow people's role and say, you know, we might not be as good as some think we're going to be, especially early on. Then you fast forward after beating the giant, Mike Vrable is talking about going into the by week and stressing that we're not done, we're not satisfied, and says champions are never satisfied. It certainly feels like as the season has gone along, not only have I changed my expectations,
Starting point is 00:15:13 and not only have you changed your expectations, but it feels like the head coach has changed his expectations. And I think that's all fair. I think all of us should be changing our expectations. You're 11 and 2. You're the number 2 seed in the AFC. You have a chance to be the one seat. You have a chance to win the AFC East against the Buffalo Bills.
Starting point is 00:15:37 Week 15. Who thought that was going to be a thing? But as we learn more and as we see more, we can certainly change our expectations. And it certainly feels like Mike Vrable is doing that. The number one, the number one indicator to potential is Mike Vrable's comments. Mike Vrable is not the type of head coach who's going to go out there and just blow smoke. He's not going to sit there and crown his team champions.
Starting point is 00:16:08 He's not going to bring up the word champions unless he feels like they have at least an outside shot of being a champion, whether that's a divisional champion, a conference champion, or the champion of this year's NFL. Mike Vrable's not going to go out there and just flap his gums for no good reason. As a matter of fact, Mike Vrable has a master's degree in handling expectations. We've seen that. We've seen early in the year when the Patriots were getting hot, Mike Vrable would try to calm people down. So when he goes out there and he talks about not being satisfied, and champions are never satisfied, that absolutely means something because the number one person we need to listen to when they talk about what this team can ultimately do is the head coach. He has the finger on the pulse. So why have expectations changed? Why are we here? Well, the easy thing to say is Drake May. Drake May's trajectory has been accelerated and I think has gone even higher.
Starting point is 00:17:20 quicker than we thought it would. And so now when you look at Drake May and you're not questioning, oh, well, can he find that top 10 quarterback range by the end of the season? Instead, you're talking about frontrunner of the MVP. And obviously Matthew Stafford had quite a day against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. But if you look at Drake May and you say he is the frontrunner, as I believe he is, well, if you have a legitimate top quarterback, you always have a shot. You always have a legitimate shot to go on a deep run.
Starting point is 00:17:50 And speaking of the quarterback, Mike Vrable had a lot to say about Drake May after the Giants game. Greg Bedard wrote this. How good has May been? Even Vrable spoke highly of him after the game when I asked the coach about his quarterback's performance. Here's what Mike Vrable said. Quote, I think he's realizing what he can be and what the impact that he makes on this offense and being the conductor. I think that he challenges himself as well as his coaches, just being able to not get rattled and escape. then when we do have time and he sees a guy win,
Starting point is 00:18:21 he puts a ball in a great spot for Kyle Williams to make a huge play or Kashan booty down in the red zone. A lot of third down conversions. So again, very appreciative that he's our quarterback, unquote. And Greg Bedard writes, with Vrable, praise for a really good player is hard to come by, especially a quarterback. So for Mike Vrable to speak that way of Drake May,
Starting point is 00:18:43 basically it was him zipping down his red vest and revealing one of those, I love Drake May t-shirts you see in the stands at Gillette. So not only has the head coach seemingly changed his expectations for this football team, he has certainly changed the expectations for his quarterback. And it's almost as if you can, if you listen close enough or you read the words carefully enough that Mike Vrable is starting to feel really good about this team where it's at and where he thinks it could be.
Starting point is 00:19:14 And it goes back to everything I've said over the past number of years talking about the NFL. There is a very slim difference between team number six and like team 12, 15. There's a very slim difference in the NFL between those teams. Usually you go into a season and you have five top tier teams that are the contenders. And you go into the season and you usually have about four or five teams that are at the very bottom. They're in the basement. They don't have much of a chance. And then you've got that big, fat middle of 20 to 22 teams every year that are battling.
Starting point is 00:19:54 And it doesn't take a lot to move up from team, you know, 20 to 15, from 15 to 10. Now, it takes a lot what the Patriots have done, going from one of those very bottom teams to one of the top teams. that takes a lot. But when you look at just the differences between these teams in the league, if you fight and you play hard and you don't have any letdowns, you take care of the football for the most part, you have a quarterback playing great. You have a chance to win every week.
Starting point is 00:20:32 When you have Drake May and you have your defense playing as well on third down as they have played, you have a chance pretty much against anybody. and then you also look at the AFC in a down year. Kansas City is not who we thought they would be. Cincinnati, thanks to another significant Joe Burrow injury, is not where we thought they would be. Baltimore is not nearly as good as we thought that they would be. Even Buffalo, even though they survived Cincinnati in Snowy Buffalo on Sunday, is not as good as they have been. So you start to combine all of that. Great quarterback play, great third down play, playing hard. and fighting and having no letdowns, the AFC, your conference in a down year, you add all those different elements together and what you have as a team that has exceeded expectations and a coach who has clearly changed his tune about this team, going back from right before the season to right before the buy. And that is a very good thing.
Starting point is 00:21:32 Speaking of Drake May, Drake May's raw talent has always been clear. But thankfully, Mike Brable and company knew he could not do it alone. That's next as we continue with today's episode of Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994 and with 48 teams for the first time ever, it's going to be massive. But let's be honest, getting tickets is usually the hardest part. That's why the game time app is clutch, finally giving fans a real advantage when it comes to snagging seats. With game time, you can track price drops in real time,
Starting point is 00:22:09 get alerts when great seats open and buy tickets the moment they hit the app. It puts the power back in your hands and makes going to the World Cup realistic instead of impossible. You pull up the app. The layout makes it so simple to scroll through matchups and compare seat views and alerts for teams and matches make it easy to grab tickets the moment they drop instead of missing out. Take the guesswork out of buying World Cup tickets in every match, concert or event with GameTime. Download the GameTime app. Create an account. Use code lockdown NFL for $20 off your first.
Starting point is 00:22:39 purchase terms apply again download the app make an account and use code locked on nfl for $20 off swipe tap ticket go game time NFL sundays move fast one big play and suddenly everything feels different that's what makes live betting with fandul so exciting you're not just watching the game you're reacting to it in real time with fandul you can place bets as the action unfolds every drive every momentum swing every single highlight moment live betting is best when the game starts to shift like a receiver getting hot, a defense tightening up, or the momentum flipping after a turnover. And Fandall lets you jump into the moment. Live spreads and money lines adjust instantly. Player props update as guys heat up, and you can bet next touchdown scores,
Starting point is 00:23:24 drive results, totals, and more. I mean, it keeps you locked into every single solitary snap, every single solitary drive, and every single solitary possibility. So if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit this website. fan duel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. Again, it's Fandul. The game moves fast. And guess what? So can you. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe if you're watching on YouTube. I appreciate every single one of you. Before the 2024 draft, there were some people talking about this Drake May versus Mac Jones thing. I found it absolutely freaking ludicrous. They're nowhere near
Starting point is 00:24:08 the same quarterback. They have different talent levels. They have different traits. And it just wasn't close to me. Drake May has always been the guy that you watch and you say he's got tremendous raw talent, elite types of traits with the arm strength, the athleticism. He's bigger than Mack Jones. But as I talked about back in 2024 when I was doing my own thing on YouTube, you had to support Drake May. Unlike, you, you, you know, did with Mac Jones. I thought you absolutely gave Mac Jones no chance with the offensive line you put in front of him, the play callers, yada, yada. And what we have, when you go back to this past off season, you just have a number, a number of great decisions
Starting point is 00:24:56 considering the quarterback and supporting the quarterback. You start with the offensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels was the perfect pick. He was the right guy at the right time for the reasons. And when you look back at the other offensive coordinator candidates, man, oh man, is it clear the Patriots made the right move? According to reports, the three finalists, quote unquote, for the Patriots O.C. job were Josh McDaniels, Nick Cayley, and Grant's Udinsky, who's in Minnesota. And the Josh McDaniels Drake May Union has been nearly perfect. Checkmark. the offensive line. We don't have to remind all of you how bad the offensive line was in
Starting point is 00:25:42 2023 and in 2024. You had to rebuild this offensive line. And just look at what this front office did, led by Mike Vrable in the offseason. You draft Will Campbell fourth overall. There were some questions. Oh, the arm length, the T-Rex jokes. Well, you know what? Will Campbell, according to pro football focus, has been the 31st best offensive tackle in football.
Starting point is 00:26:03 And you might sit there and go, well, that's not good. First, don't forget that there's 64, 64 offensive tackles in football. And it's really been Will Campbell's run blocking that has held him back, according to the pro football focus grades, if you want to look at that, because Will Campbell is 19th. He's a top 20 tackle in all of the NFL and pass blocking, past protection. So all in all, at 21 years old, I think we should all be pretty happy about what Will Campbell has done this season. He's not perfect. He hasn't been perfect, but he's still young,
Starting point is 00:26:38 and he has been at least slightly above average at left tackle. That's a very good star. Then you went out and you signed Morgan Moses, who is the 33rd overall tackle, according to pro football focus. Solid pass blocking. He has been very, very good in the run game. You look at his leadership. Morgan Moses has been a fine. Garrett Bradbury, he's been at least an average level center this season. I don't think he's been great. He got off to a hot start. He has kind of, you know, I don't want to say petered out since then, but he has not been as effective over the past, you know, month, month and a half. But still, he has been at least an average center and he's been much better pass blocking than I think all of us anticipated. Jared
Starting point is 00:27:24 Wilson, shaky, but showing improvement at left guard, learning a new position for all intensive purposes at the NFL level. Then you look at the skill positions, wide receiver. Stefan Diggs has been awesome. His mentorship, he has been a big play guy, as we've talked about all season long. He has been the security blanket for Drake May on third and fourth down. Mike Giardy recently at Boston Sports Journal before the Giants Monday night game wrote about this at BSJ.
Starting point is 00:27:52 On Stefan Diggs, he wrote a defensive coach told me, quote, every young quarterback needs a receiver with this type of profile. Diggs has seen every coverage and played in just about every situation. He's not 2021 Diggs, but he's still good, smart, a technician, and we know he's a competitor. By the way, Mike Giorty wrote that Drake May has an 81.3% completion percentage targeting Diggs. And again, that's before the Giants game. It was 61 catches on 75 targets after the Monday night game. It is now 64 receptions on 79 targets, which is still 81%, which is pretty ridiculous.
Starting point is 00:28:29 And Stefan Diggs just brings swag to the position. He brings swag to the wide receiver room. Then you went out and you signed Matt Collins, who has been very productive, already his second best season in the NFL as a wide receiver. He has brought that positive, optimistic, forward-looking vibe to not just the wide receiver room, but the team. He is a willing blocker in the run game. So you added Stefan Diggs, you added Matt Collins.
Starting point is 00:28:56 Both of them have been very good. both of them have exceeded their own expectations, I would imagine, and have certainly exceeded our expectations. Then you drafted Trayvion Henderson and Kyle Williams to add that explosivity element to the offense, and we have certainly seen that come alive over the last month or so. And then you just look at the overall offensive coaching staff. Tight-ends coach, passing game coordinator, Thomas Brown, helping with this offense. There's no doubt you can see week in and week out.
Starting point is 00:29:28 the influence that Thomas Brown has brought to this offense with Josh McDaniels, all those West Coast Sean McVeigh elements that we see. Todd Downing, wide receivers coach. No longer do we have wide receivers running into each other, the bad spacing. Great job by him. Ashton Grant, the young quarterbacks coach, by all accounts, a very young but also a very smart assistant in somebody that reportedly, over the past couple of weeks, teams around the NFL are looking at him and saying
Starting point is 00:30:01 he could end up being a head coach someday down the road. And then the offensive line stuff. We already talked about the O line, but you brought in Doug Marone, you brought in Jason hoteling. So, I mean, you look across the board, the off season, it was full of great decisions to support your quarterback. And so many of them have worked out from Josh McDaniels all the way down to Jason hoteling on the coaching staff, the O line, the guys you
Starting point is 00:30:27 brought in, the guys you drafted, the skill position players you brought in via free agency, the guys that you brought in via the draft with their explosive ability. It's all working, and it has helped Drake May make this leap. He's not doing it alone. Now, a lot of the credit certainly goes to Drake May, but he has certainly had help. He has been supported, and that is due to a very, very good 2025 off season that was no doubt, no doubt. No doubt. a commitment to your young quarterback. All right, that wraps up, he meant to say, this edition of Lockdown Patriots.
Starting point is 00:31:05 Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nixie Radio. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Hit that like button and subscribe. Also, did Lockdown Patriots make your Spotify wrap? Prove it on social media. It's a secure a free month of our brand new Everydayer Club. Just tag our national lockdown podcast network account on any social platform.
Starting point is 00:31:26 and we will drop you a code be one of the first to join the Everydayer Club to get your favorite show ad free and exclusive access to the members only Discord channel. Have a fantastic day and we will talk to you tomorrow.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.