Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Regarding Henry: Hunter Henry Injured, Gilmore’s Contract and N’Keal Appeal for Patriots — 8/9/21

Episode Date: August 10, 2021

The New England Patriots are just days away from their first preseason game of 2021. As the Pats prepare to take on the Washington Football Team on Thursday, there are still plenty of compelling camp storylines that will impact them in the coming days and weeks. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss Hunter Henry’s shoulder injury, the rebirth of N’Keal Harry and how the Xavien Howard deal could impact the team’s negotiations with Stephon Gilmore.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.ButcherBoxButcherBox is offering our listeners 2 five-ounce lobster tails and 2 ten-ounce ribeyes for free in your first box! You can only get this special deal when you sign up for a new membership at ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDON.StatHeroStatHero, the FIRST Ever Daily Fantasy Sportsbook that gives the PLAYER the ADVANTAGE. Go to StatHero.com/LockedOn for 300% back on your first play. 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 in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Monday, August 9th, 2021, and it's time for a little hashtag Locked On Murph Monday 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. And even though Locked On Patriots has you covered for all the news notes and analysis you need from Foxborough,

check out my colleagues, NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson, as they host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday. Brian and Matt give you the national perspective all around the NFL, covering the latest news and insight on every game, every team, and every move around the NFL. Get your picks, previews, and much more every weekday with the Peacock and Williamson podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this

Monday episode of the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I'm also 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, comments, and feedback are always welcomed, very much encouraged. So share that feedback. Send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me at MDABATENFL.

And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, the Patriots have completed 11 practices on the practice fields at Gillette Stadium. Of course, one of those being in the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium. Patriots are preparing for their first preseason tilt against the Washington football team this coming Thursday. And there's a lot of compelling storylines. Mack Jones and Cam Newton continue to put on a show in Foxborough. The defense continues to step up.

Some of the running backs rounding into form. And don't look now, folks, but McKeel Harry is starting to look like a pretty good wide receiver. A lot of monster storylines. Luckily for all of us, we have some monster green wisdom and counsel to break it all down. That's right, folks. It's Monday. That means it's hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. My good friend Thomas Murphy drops by the pod today, and Murph will be on the hot seat to discuss Nikhil Harry.

We'll also be discussing the weekend news about Xavier Howard's contract extension with the Miami Dolphins. Does it make Stephon Gilmore's return to the Patriots any more imminent? Last but certainly not least, we'll talk about some of Murph's favorite storylines heading into camp. Folks, an action-packed Monday on Tap today. Anytime Murph drops by the pod, it's

always a lot of fun, so sit back, settle in, as we continue hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday when this Monday episode of the LockedOnPatriots podcast continues. Listen up, LockedOn listeners. Do you know 85% of people who play daily fantasy sports lose? Is it really that surprising? The game is rigged against you. You're playing against thousands of other lineups, not to mention experts who have more tools and more time.

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and right now you can get three times back on your first play. They're giving you a 300% match. That's unheard of. Go to StatHero.com slash LockedOn. StatHero.com slash Locked On. StatHero.com. Slash Locked On. Patriots fans, preseason football is almost back. This coming Thursday, you're in a win when Patriots will host the Washington football team in the first preseason tilt of 2021. First time the Patriots have played preseason football since 2019. And here on Locked On Patriots, we have the only man that can provide the same monster wisdom and counsel that we need than the green monster wisdom and counsel.

Well, scratch that. Monster green wisdom and counsel. Green monster, conversation for another day, folks. We're not going to go there right now. It's kind of a touchy subject here in New England. But he is here. He is ready to roll. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business,

the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag, the monster master of disaster, the green king of sting, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship. Thank you for joining me today, Don Murph. Oh, man, always my pleasure. Always my pleasure.

It's not Monday without Locked On Murph Monday. And sitting down here in my chair just lets me ease into the week, you know, in a perfect kind of way that I don't find anywhere else. And, you know, except maybe at a buffet that has three different kinds of bacon. Well, we all want that. I think that's definitely something that's on everybody's bucket list. But in any case, we do. We make Mondays fun, bud. And it's always great having you back here for hashtag locked on Murph Monday.

And Murph, the Patriots are now 10 practices in to training camp they held one on Friday night in the confines of Gillette Stadium really a glorified non-contact walkthrough really non-competitive in that nature some highlights Mac Jones you know throwing the ball obviously Cam Newton getting in some work as well. Quinn Norton looked very impressive. All of a sudden, we might have a kicker competition on our hands. But we're being honest. All eyes are currently on the Patriots on the field as they march toward their first preseason game.

And yesterday during practice, a little bit of a tense moment in Gillette. Few beloved Patriots leaving the field not coming back to action of course tight end Hunter Henry probably the most high profile of the three no disrespect to the captain David Andrews he went down as well and all and of course long snapper Joe Cardona leaving the field the initial information that we're getting on David Andrews credit Jeff Howe of the Athletic, he was the first on this this morning, is that Andrews appears to be okay. It just looks like a little bit of a dust-up yesterday. Karen Garigian went on to report that David Andrews appears to be fine.

Nothing crazy. He shouldn't miss any time. So, absolutely, nothing crazy. So, I think we're in good shape when it comes to David. Joe Cardona, the information is still a little bit sketchy at this point. Jeff also reported this this morning as well, stating that there is a possibility that Joe may end up missing some practice time. Not sure how long, but it doesn't appear to be anything over the top. And then, of course, Hunter Henry. Henry looked like he was going in to make a block yesterday

on linebacker Anthony Jennings came up got some treatment on his shoulder I shouldn't say treatment but he got his shoulder looked at by several of the training staff walked off and then eventually left the field and didn't return now we're hearing uh this morning Mike Reese was the first to report from ESPN that uh Hunter is undergoing an MRI uh doesn't appear to be anything serious but right now Hunter Hunter is possibly in line to miss some time during the preseason. Murph, you know I'm high on this kid. You know I've loved Hunter Henry since he was a rookie. I've been salivating to get this kid in a Patriots uniform.

And I got some dirt on my uniform yesterday when Henry went down. And some of the Twitterati out there kind of let me hear it a little bit about, oh, I love this kid, but he's injured and he never sees the field. And, oh, what a waste of money. And, I mean, guys, please, I encourage you folks to please temper your enthusiasm or lack thereof when it comes to this. Because Hunter will be everything is advertised on the field. But, Murph, the point is there. He's had his injury history in the field. But Murph, the point is there. He's had his injury history in the past. With this type of setback for Hunter Henry, are you worried that this could derail his progression toward

becoming an immediate impact player for the Patriots? Or is this kind of much ado about nothing and Henry's just going to take his time, heal up, and then come back and come back strong? No, not at all. I don't think it's going to temper his impact on this team. I expect him to be out there before the season starts, getting reps in during the preseason. True, people. This man is, I don't want to say injury prone, but he's gotten hurt on more than one occasion.

He's only played one full season since coming into the league. I don't want to call him fragile. I don't think he's from that island. But he has been banged up in the past. This is a better safe than sorry situation from the way I'm hearing it. It's not anything to truly worry about, but we'll wait until we see what Mr. MRI has to say this afternoon before making any statements that I want anybody to hold me to. But no, I expect him to be back and making an impact and allowing Bill to do all these things that he's wanted to do for the past few years and been unable to. Yeah, without any question.

Look, I mean, you mentioned his injury history and him being prone to injury at times. A lot of the injuries that he's suffered are not repeat offenders. They've been injuries that he's had to deal with, come back from, and then move forward. So I don't think it's a fragile issue. This kid is as tough as they come. And I do assure you that, unfortunately, sometimes the way you play the game can make you injury prone, not necessarily your genetic or bodily or physical makeup. Sometimes it's the way you play.

And Henry does have a tendency to drop his shoulder a little bit. I'm not saying that's what happened yesterday because I didn't get a clear enough look at it but at this point you know it's it seems to be that you know we're moving in the right direction and hopefully the MRI will come out clear and there won't be any further damage revealed by that but appearing in 56 out of only a possible 82 games so far in his career does cause people to question whether or not your durability is something that will sustain him here in New England. And I, for one, hope that this is something that he can put behind him and put behind him in a hurry. Because looking at the two tight end sets that the Patriots have been aligning in practice, Jonu Smith has been incredible.

Everything is advertised and more. He has really, really been one of the true standouts of camp. And pairing him alongside someone like Henry, who is that traditional wide tight end that can go in, make the block, get his hand in the dirt, but also be a crisp route runner and get open, is the perfect complement. And these two I really am looking forward to. So hopefully Josh McDaniels can still continue to dial up those play action

schemes that i know are making him a happy man in foxborough this year and hopefully they'll be able to run it murph we go from one surprise pleasant surprise that i just mentioned in janu smith and we will continue to talk a little bit more about janu and some of the great uh you know performances that have happened in camp but you can't start off things on a monday morning my friend without talking about one nikhil harry and if you why not and if anybody had nikhil harry as the breakout star during camp prior to camp opening uh take a bow uh if anybody wants to take credit for that and say that you're probably not being 100 truthful but i want to give as much credit to you as anybody

because you have been probably the biggest Harry supporter. That includes myself and Steve Balistrieri, who have been labeled Nikhil Harry apologists, but you've been on this kid's train really since they drafted him, and I've tried to be, and I have for the most part, but I've wavered. There have been some times where I had to drag my foot along the most part but i've i've wavered there have been some times where i had to drag my foot along the tracks you've been firmly on this train harry has looked

phenomenal uh he really he's coming in he's looked like he has a greater understanding of the playbook he looks like he has a greater amount of confidence that he's playing with he's going up making contested catches diving out there made a tremendous grab yesterday on a cam newton bullet uh that really uh i think completely laid out for that yeah great absolutely and one of the i think the highlights of training camp so far maybe the highlight of training camp but the most important thing to me murph is that nikhil doesn't just look like he's playing with a chip on his shoulder he doesn't just look like he's playing angrily or self-serviently. He looks like he's playing engaged. He looks engaged with his teammates. He's out there. He's interacting with his teammates, his coaches. It's not just a

situation where Nikhil is just out there and saying, I'm going to prove you wrong. I'm going to thumb my nose at you and give you all the difficulties that I can and force my way out of here. He looks very much engaged, which leads me to believe that him being jettisoned may not be the foregone conclusion that everybody thinks it is. On a scale of one to ten, Bud, how surprised are you by Harry's engagement, by his performance? And is this a sign of something we could see into the regular season? How surprised am I? Probably a three.

I have, as you said, been labeled a kill Harry Stan at some points. I said it before and I said it again. His first two years in this program were marred by injury during the most important time for a wide receiver. And that is at training camp. That is in mini camps, that is in the preseason. He's also been hampered by the fact that Tom Brady just froze him out his rookie year. He just decided he was going elsewhere. And last year Cam Newton had a very difficult time in finding him in the proper way. This is a guy that has talent, that showed it out there.

Yeah, I have wavered a couple times. I was kind of ripped when the whole trade request thing came out. But no, just getting back to your question, I'm not surprised that Harry took this on the shoulder the way he has and has excelled in the way that he has. He's healthy. He has quarterbacks that he is right now confident in. And that speaks volumes to the psyche of a wide receiver.

Yeah, it truly does. And, you know, for all the negativity that's surrounded Nikhil, I call him oft maligned a lot of times in the way I describe him in some of the pieces that I've written about Nikhil over the last couple of weeks. One thing that you always knew that you were going to get with Nikhil Harry was the ability to make contested catches, the lack of fear to put his body on the line and really get in there and mix it up with some very physical defensive backs. And the ability to go up and to not necessarily be the greatest route runner in the world, but get into position where he's able to make a play on the ball. And I think two of those are things that he's consistently tried to give the Patriots in his time in a Patriots uniform so far. The last is something I think he really hasn't had the opportunity to do all that much of. Like you said, in 2019, not a lot of opportunities. Tom Brady was not very comfortable with going to Nikhil at that point.

I think there was some apprehension on his part that Nikhil might be ready to be that type of receiver he needed him to be in that timing-based offense. Last year, it was very difficult for Cam to get into rhythm, and a lot of that caused some difficulty between those two. But you're seeing that budding relationship this year on the field, not just with Cam, but with Mac Jones as well. Nikhil has had some impressive catches on the receiving end of some of Mac's passes too. So it leads you to believe that this could end up being a good fit for Nikhil Harry.

But ultimately, the engagement is what needs to be there. And if all it is is a way for Nikhil Harry to increase his trade value and the Patriots decide that they are going to move on from the receiver, he's definitely increasing that. I can't see the Patriots cutting him loose after training camp, after this type of performance, they're either going to get a return for him or Bill Belichick is going to look at it and say,

you know what? We're better off with him. Keel Harry on this roster than the minimal return that we're going to get in returns. Don't forget. I know a lot of people don't want to acknowledge it, but this kid was a first round pick for a reason. Herm Edwards,

who was his coach in college really came out and really supported this kid after his drafting. And he says, look, there is a lot there. You may need to be a little patient with Nikhil, but eventually you'll see it. Maybe he's on to something. Maybe we are seeing it in Foxborough right now when it comes to one Nikhil Harry. Murph, again, we're off to a great start on Monday. Already talking Hunter Henry, talking Nikhil Harry. It's always, always a lot of fun when you join me here on the microphone. But folks, don't worry. We're not done yet because Murph has some green wisdom and counsel to lend on a couple of other subjects here in New England.

Xavier Howard signed himself a pretty good contract extension yesterday with the Miami Dolphins, and Stephon Gilmore is still not back on the field yet, albeit for medical reasons. But you have to think, these two sides are trying to come to an agreement behind the scenes. Does Howard's deal make Stephon Gilmore's deal a little more imminent? And last but certainly not least, we'll wrap it up by having my good friend tell me what his favorite camp storylines have been so far. All this, when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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the importance and the prowess of having him on the field, how it just makes the Patriots a better team, knowing that Stephon Gilmore is your number one corner. JC Jackson has had a great camp so far, but you can only hope to understand or hope to appreciate what this secondary could look like with Stephon Gilmore in that lineup, especially because the depth beyond those two really hasn't been what I've hoped for. There have been some issues with some of the other corners on roster,

Juwan Williams, Mike Jackson. These guys are getting routinely beat, and the Patriots definitely need to shore that up a little bit or at least get these guys to play at a higher level. You and I and everyone in the NFL, NFL fandom, saw the Zabian Howard extension yesterday. And apparently now that may reset the market a little bit for what the going rate will be for corners. Zabian can make as much as the highest paid corners in the league, but a lot of it is incentive-based. In your opinion, when you look at what Stephon and the Patriots might be doing behind the scenes to try to hammer out a deal, does Xavier Howard signing this deal make it any more or less likely that Stephon and the Patriots will come to an agreement,

or is there really not much correlation here? I don't believe that there's a ton of correlation here. The man is just that much younger. He had four years left on his deal, and what Miami did was essentially sweeten the first two years of that deal, and Howard got a little happy, and I think his agent said, yeah, this is stuff that we can reach. Let's get into camp and see how things work out,

and then maybe when this deal is on shorter terms, we can come back and say, look, man, let's extend this out a bit. But right now, I would not read a ton into this. What Gilmore wants is an extension. I don't think he wants another pot sweetener. I think he knows that he is at a point in his life where he's going to be the most successful is here in New England. I think he wants a long-term deal.

By long-term, people, I mean three years added on to this upcoming year with a bump in salary this year and then the next three years going out. I don't think this is going to come down to we're going to give him a raise of their career. I do believe, or the Patriots believe we're at the end of their career. But I do believe that Gilmore is steadfast, and he wants years, not just money. Agreed. 100% agreed. Look, no question about it.

You look at Stephon Gilmore's salary on the books, as it is right now today. $7.9 million. That's the 25th highest number among all of the league's cornerbacks. You know he wants that to increase. Right, that's two spots ahead of me, you know? Exactly. Absolutely, you know, and you work hard for it, man, but Stephon does too. Thank you.

It's all about proportion here on Locked On Patriots, but no, all kidding aside, you look at what he's capable of still doing on the field, and he knows that a pot sweetener is basically just a one-year placeholder until he's got to go out and do this all again on the open market i think stefan is happy here in new england and i think he'd like to stay here i think he wants the years he wants the commitment from the team he was everything is advertised and more uh since signing his deal coming out of Buffalo five years ago. That was a hefty contract at the time.

65 million people really, really were surprised that the Patriots shelled out that kind of money, especially with Malcolm Butler on the roster. But Stephon has been everything they've hoped for and more. So hopefully the two sides can come to an agreement. But I agree with you. I don't think there's much of a correlation or much of a cause and effect with the Howard deal as there will be with Gilmore, because I think they're two different players at two different stages in their career looking for two different things. And in that regard, maybe it resets the market a little bit, but I don't think it has one major impact on the other. I think an agreement that the Patriots and Stephon Gilmore could have come to a few days ago is still the same now,

even though the Howard deal has gotten done. So we'll see if we're right. I'm sure it's imminent, my friend. I don't think the Patriots want to go into the regular season continuing this narrative, but we've seen stranger things before, and you know that Bill Belichick dances to the beat of his own drum. And he always has, and he always will. He always will. Last but not least buddy a fun you can put your grab an adult beverage of choice um there's been a lot of storylines swimming around at training camp i mentioned quinn norton at the beginning uh you know all of a sudden every everybody is now gravitating toward him as the potential new kicker of the future.

Nikhil Harry has been a really good feel-good story. Nelson Aguilar has looked great. The quarterback battle, everybody is hanging on every completed pass, with the exception of Mike Giardi of NFL Network, who hates camp stats. But most people are hanging on that. How many did mac complete how many snaps did he get uh there's been a lot to think about there's been a lot to digest it could be a popular story but it could be a story that's under the radar but what have been

or what has been your favorite storyline coming out of patriots camp so far that really has you psyched for the upcoming season christian barry just basically rag-dolling whoever gets put in front of him. I love it. As a center, as an offensive lineman, I have a great appreciation for my brothers to the right and left of me on the line. That respect translates to the other side. When I know how good he looks and you look over across the line and you see Christian Barrymore just manhandling these kids,

these grown men, excuse me, that are on the first team and on the second team, it gives you pause as to, you know, maybe these guys just aren't as bad as everybody's making them out to be. Maybe Barrymore and this group is just that good. As a complete unit, the defensive line has really impressed me to this point, and we've only had a few padded practices. I can't wait until we get into the joint practice stuff and see what this group is going to do, and most importantly, Barrymore. Another

happy surprise has been Christian Wilkerson. He has really stepped his game up right now. He's showing everybody at the wide receiver position that he's somebody to be watched, somebody to be aware of, and could crack this freaking lineup at the end of the training camp and find himself a nice little place in that wide in that wide receiver room for the 2021 season. Agreed. You know, I talked about Wilkerson yesterday in a mailbag that I did for Patriot Maven and someone asked me about his prowess. And I said, you know,

right now I still look at him as a little bit of a long shot, but he's inching closer to that roster bubble and saying that, you know what, the Patriots are going to make this, they're going to make this very difficult on the Patriots to make a final decision. He's been working a lot with Matthew Slater one-on-one when it comes to special teams work. You have to think that the Patriots see something there in order for him to get time with Slater one-on-one. That's a pretty big compliment coming from Cam Ackert and the special teams staff. I really hate to say this, but

it may come down to him taking this spot or a much-beloved running back that also plays a big role on special teams as to how Bill wants to go about business this year. And it'll really hurt. I will be upset and throw heavy things. But at the end of the day, I'm going to understand the decision that he made.

And this kid catches everything that gets thrown his way. Everything. Yeah, he really does. By anyone. I saw Ivan Fierce throw a ball at the back of his head just for giggles the other day. And he reached back and grabbed it, and it was beautiful. It really has, and he continued to do it again yesterday. And once again, that type of performance consistently day by day and getting better

only leads me to believe that he is that much closer to a roster bubble and really making a strong case. He had a beautiful what looked like a 45, 50 yard reception yesterday from a Cam Newton dart. That really was just another beautiful throw save for the Nikhil Harry play. That would have been the play of the day. And I really did a great job of battling Jalen Mills in coverage. So he's had a very good camp so far on the defensive side of the ball.

I love what you said about Barmore, obviously him winnings those one-on-one pass rush drills as a rookie he won the first five he ever took in a patriots uniform that's impressive and you're going against guys that are capable of really you know mixing it up and an offensive lineman that can really i haven't i haven't seen somebody attack camp like this at that position you know since vince oh absolutely and bar more is going to be everything is advertised, folks. I want to give a little love to Carl Davis.

Not a lot of accolades are thrown his way often, but the last couple of days you take a look at a lot of the reports out there on the beat, and everybody is talking about Carl Davis, and there's a good reason why. He only played three games here as a Patriot last year. Concussion issues forced him out of the lineup, and unfortunately he didn't get back on the field. But he's making the most of every snap that he's getting this year.

He's doing really, really well in one-on-one drills. Took both yesterday, won both of them. He had two pretty good run stuffs during 11-on-11 yesterday as well. If he continues to impress, he might make a case to bolster the overall depth really give the team a big-bodied option at the back right of this defensive line so keep your sharp eye on Carl Davis folks he's got something in the pipeline and who knows maybe he might be able to get a backup role here with the Pats because he's looked good and in the time that he played last year he looked good as well I think he was being asked to do more than what he was capable of giving.

Doesn't have that problem this year. You've got Devon Godchow. You've got Henry Anderson alongside Lawrence Guy. Dietrich Weiss has been great. These guys can really form a very formidable defensive front this year. And Carl Davis could end up being in the mix. So wouldn't surprise me to see him cut, but don't be a bit surprised to see him stick around, especially the way he's played this year.

That's it. Murph, what can I say? But you once again knocked it out of the park on Monday, and yes, pun intended there, folks, because this man provides great baseball coverage for E2G Sports. But we appreciate the wisdom, the counsel that you lend every single week here on Locked On Patriots. You are Familia. You every single week here on Locked On Patriots. You are Familia.

You are the Don here on Locked On Patriots. And we're going to continue to have you back for as long as you'll keep coming back. Folks, please follow my good friend, that counter Murphy Fisto himself on Twitter at Team Earth 207. I just said it and I'll say it again. The content that this man puts out on E2GSports.com, point, click, learn enrichment material. You become smarter. You become a better human being by reading this man's material, I swear to you. And I wouldn't lie to you.

Of course, I always implore to you to never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with our good friend Murph, our great friend Steve Balistrieri, who will join us later here this week as well. And, of course, how can we forget the appearances of the Countess of Clads herself, Ms. Claire Cooper. Bud, what can I say? Thanks again. Honored and humbled, as always, by your presence. Always a pleasure to be here.

Also, folks, don't forget to check me out on Baseball and Bloody Marys every Saturday morning with Bud Knocker. That's also on the E2G network. We really enjoy bringing you news from around the Major League Baseball scene. And, you know, Knocker and I tend to jump back into the Wayback Machine a bit and talk on some topics that you might not hear on your local stations. It's a lot of fun. Mike, thanks for having me here.

It is always great to be here. It's not Monday if I'm not sitting in this chair. And, yeah, Patriots place tomorrow. Old buddy of yours, Mark Schofield, is going to stop by, so make sure you tune into that, folks. Absolutely. And, folks, anytime Mark Schofield is hitting the microphone at one Patriots place, you know it's going to be happening.

Check that out. Guess what we're going to talk about. Gee, I wonder. Boy, I wonder if the quarterback position is going to come up. I don't know. I don't know. You know, go easy with Mark and, you know, give him some softball questions when it comes to that.

He doesn't know a lot about it. He's getting there. He really, really is. You know, ask him a lot of total questions. I love it. But, no, I'm kidding. I am kidding, folks. Believe me, I'm kidding. In the meantime, bud, stay safe, stay well. We look forward to talking ball with you again right here on Hashtag Locked On Murph Monday next week.

All the best, my friend, and thanks for stopping by today. Same to you and yours, bud. Take care. And so, Patriots fans, one down but so much more to go here on your week on Locked On Patriots. So to be sure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy 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 continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.