Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Remember the Titan? — Jonnu Smith Adds Much to the New England Patriots — 3/17/2021

Episode Date: March 17, 2021

The New England Patriots were in serious need of help at the tight end position. On Monday, they took a major step in the right direction when they reportedly agreed to terms with TE Jonnu Smith, formerly of the Tennessee Titans. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Tyler Rowland of Locked On Titans. Tyler provides valuable insight on the prowess that Smith will bring to the Pats, both on and off the field. Mike also provides his thoughts on the departures of David Andrews and Adam Butler, the re-signing of Ted Karras, and the second-round tender of J.C. Jackson.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.Join our Bracket Challengehttps://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2021/en/group?groupID=3624947 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. All of you Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Wednesday, March 17th, 2021. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you out there today. And it is time to meet one of the new guys here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the

New England Patriots. Happy Hump Day, Patriots Nation, and thank you once again for joining me here today on the pod. It's the official start of free agency today at 4 p.m. Eastern, and the Patriots are still making moves out there, folks. I'm Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcastots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback, always welcomed, very much encouraged. So share that feedback and send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFBC. And while you're out there doing some Wednesday wandering through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, 2021 free agency has been good to the New England Patriots so far. Monday was an absolute flurry of activity. Seven new free agents, when all is said and done, would be finding their way to Foxborough.

But the Patriots would be adding one more, because yesterday, they made a deal to bring Hunter Henry to town, and apparently forming one of the best tight end tandems in the NFL. On Wednesday, day three, the official start of free agency starting at 4pm Eastern, the Patriots actually got off to a little bit of a slow start. But right around the morning, into the middle part of the afternoon, business certainly picked up. Jeff Howe of The Athletic was the first to report that the Patriots were indeed bringing back now former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman and also a former Patriot back in the day,

Ted Karras. He would sign a one-year deal worth $4 million, and apparently he is coming back to man the middle of the Patriots offensive line. Because shortly after Jeff's report, Doug Kyatt of Nessun reported that center David Andrews was indeed moving on from New England. So, the long and the short of it on the offensive line, folks, Ted Karras in, David Andrews out. And I will get to Karras in just a moment, as I think the Patriots did a smart thing

by bringing him in, but there is no sugarcoating this one. The loss of David Andrews is going to hurt. I was very vocal here on Locked On Patriots that I was hoping, beyond all hope, that the two sides would come together and David Andrews would continue his career in New England. I was even cautiously optimistic that the two sides would indeed work things out. It was reported earlier this week, even as recently as last night, that Andrews and the Patriots were growing further apart in contract negotiations, and it was reported that he would indeed test the waters of free agency. Apparently, that is the case today. With Karras' return, Andrews will now

move on from New England, and he's had an amazing career here in Foxborough. He came to the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and since then, he's had a great run. Two Super Bowl championships, started 69 game for the Pats, been a team captain for four years here in New England, including the 2019 season in which he missed all of his action due to blood clots in his lungs. David Andrews is just simply a warrior on the team, folks. Always solid, always great contributions on the field. He's great protecting the run,

excellent protecting the pass, always did a phenomenal job protecting Tom Brady, and even last year with Cam Newton, the Patriots are really going to miss him on the field. But the place they're going to miss David Andrews the most, folks, is in the locker room. David is a tremendous leader. He sets a tremendous example. He's a beloved teammate by all who've ever played with him, and he's also beloved by his coaching staff. I, for one, am going to miss covering David up here in New England. He was a true gem. We all remember the Super Bowl.

We all remember the parade. We all remember the spikes in the end zone, and we all remember how big he came up in Super Bowl 51. David is a true treasure, and whichever team will sign him this offseason is getting a great one. Again, I wish the best of luck to David Andrews, his family, and we'll see you back here in Foxborough, perhaps wearing a different uniform.

It'll never be the same, but you will always have a place in everyone's heart here amongst the Foxborough faithful and the New England Patriots fan base. But folks, life does go on, and again, the Patriots did act quickly in trying to shore up that offensive line and get a suitable replacement for David. It won't be a like-for-like swap with Ted Karras, but I do think some people forget how good he was in 2019 filling in for David Andrews at center when David missed the entire season. Ted is versatile, he can play a number of positions along the offensive line, and has started at center before. Last year in Miami under Brian Flores, he was a team captain in his first year in Miami.

That's not an easy thing to achieve. Ted Karras has the respect of his teammates. He has the ability to lead, and he also has the ability to give a solid performance each and every time on the field. And again, as for the logistics of this deal, it's a one-year, $4 million contract, so not a lot is being committed to Ted Karras. That leads me to believe that the Patriots are going to be very active when it comes to the 2021 NFL Draft, and there are a lot of different linemen out there that the Patriots could target. The interior offensive line class in 2021 is very

deep this year, folks. That means that the Patriots should be in great position to get quality talent to help complement Ted Karras this year and maybe even groom him into their center of the future. Would the Patriots use the number 15 pick to do so? I think there's a much better chance today that they do it than I did yesterday. One name to keep an eye on could be University of Georgia center Trey Hill. If the Patriots are looking for center help through the draft and they choose to address this later rather than sooner, Hill could be a great value. He played center at Georgia and also lined up at the guard position. He's got great size and stability. He uses his leverage to his advantage and is very, very difficult to move. There are some mobility questions, some question marks about his shape, but keep a sharp eye on Trey Hill. If the Patriots

decide to address the offensive line in the middle part of the draft, he could end up being a steal some question marks about his shape but keep a sharp eye on Trey Hill if the Patriots decide to address the offensive line in the middle part of the draft he could end up being a steal and could be a good fit for New England after all they haven't been afraid to look to Georgia for some offensive line help that's what they got Isaiah Wynn albeit Wynn's had injury problems but when he's on the field he's pretty good at the left tackle position bottom line folks our sharp eye will be on the offensive line, and as we continue our draft coverage here on Locked On Patriots, we will continue to profile potential fits for the Pats in that department.

But the loss of David Andrews isn't the only departure that the Patriots will be enduring this season. Because on Wednesday, the Pats lost a key member of the interior of their defensive line. First reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Adam Butler signing a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins worth up to $9 million. Butler goes back to play with Brian Flores,

with whom he has a previous connection, of course up here in New England, and Butler will be missed along that defensive line. Both he and Lawrence Guy formed quite the formidable tackle tandem on the defensive line for the Pats, and much like Andrews, a lot of us here in Patriots Nation were hoping that the Patriots would bring back Adam Butler, also hoping they'd bring back Lawrence Guy. Guy is still an unrestricted free agent.

However, at this point, Adam Butler will end up being a Miami Dolphin, and it really makes the acquisitions of Devon Godchow and Henry Anderson that much more important. Patriots needed some reinforcements along the defensive line, and those two guys should help to mitigate Butler's loss. So, it's been a pretty busy day for the Patriots thus far. Not quite as busy as Monday, but still a pretty good amount of activity. But the Pats weren't done yet. With the league year set to begin at 4 p.m. Eastern time,

the Pats were facing that as a deadline to place a free agent tender on cornerback J.C. Jackson. Well, they did so. The Pats placed a second round tender on J.C. Jackson, which means that his non-guaranteed salary for 2021 is set at $3.384 million. With the placement of the second round tender, Jackson now can negotiate with other clubs through April 23rd, and the Patriots reserve the right to match any prospective offer sheets or otherwise would receive second-round draft compensation if they choose to let J.C. walk. And if I'm being honest, this surprised me a bit. I really thought the Patriots would have placed a first-round tender on J.C. Jackson.

That would have included a $4.766 million tender for the first round. J.C. is coming off an amazingly productive season. He had nine interceptions, set a franchise record by recording an interception in five consecutive games. He also collected 40 tackles to go with three fumble recoveries. Jackson was also very durable this season. He played a career-high 84% of the defensive snaps in the process, started every game from November into January, and really established himself as one of the young stars at the position

playing alongside Stephon Gilmore. So much so to the point that many people have considered J.C. Jackson to be the next number one corner on this team. The second round tender means that if a team chooses to sign J.C. to a long-term deal, the Patriots would receive a second round draft pick for it. Teams out there might be willing to part with a second round draft pick for J.C. Jackson's services. Corners with his type of ball hawking talent don't come around often. Now, the Patriots also might be gambling that because cap is not as robust as in former seasons

and some teams' cap spaces are starting to dry up, that maybe the lucrative contract that J.C. Jackson is seeking might not be out there on the open market. If they want to sign him to a long-term deal, the second round tender does make some sense. But if a team is willing to take a flyer and throw some cash at J.C. Jackson, the Patriots might not be able to match it. At that point, they risk losing him. And with both the immediate and long-term future of Stephon Gilmore up in the air, that could be a dangerous prospect for the Pats.

Of all the moves the Patriots made today, this will be the one that I will continue to have my sharp eye on throughout the week and into the weekend. And as always, we'll bring you the very latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough on all the comings and goings for your New England Patriots right here on the Locked On Patriots Podcast. But now that I've taken you through the events of the day, it's time to get to know one of the new guys. After all, the Patriots have signed several free agents, you through the events of the day, it's time to get to know one of the new guys. After all, the Patriots have signed several free agents.

And over the course of the next few days here on Locked On Patriots, we'll be taking the time to get to know some of your new players. And we start off with the big splash signing that started it all. Joining me today here on the pod is Tyler Rowland, host of the Locked On Titans podcast. And he'll be telling us all about new Patriots tight end, Jonu Smith. Tyler has covered Jonu's career for the last few years now in Tennessee, and he'll provide some amazing insight, not just on what Jonu can do on the field for the Pats,

but also the type of teammate he'll be in the locker room, how great he'll be in the community, and he'll also let us know which qualities Jonu Smith has that might endear him most to the New England Patriots fan base. Patriots fans, we get to know John O'Smith a little bit better with Tyler Rowland, host of the Locked On Titans podcast, when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, football games on the field might be over, but college basketball, the NHL, the NBA, and as we know very well, the NFL equivalent of the hot stove are in full swing.

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but what about the rest of sports? Well, now the Locked On Podcast Network has you covered there as well with Locked On Today. Hosted by the great Peter Bukowski, it has all the sports news you need every morning in under 20 minutes. Follow the Locked On Today podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, you all want to get to know the new additions to the team in 2021. And one of the most high-profile and exciting signings that the Pats have made thus far is tight end John U. Smith, formerly of the Tennessee Titans.

And I know that stings a bit for my guest here today to hear. He is my friend and colleague, the host of Locked On Titans here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Tyler Rowland joins me here today. Tyler, welcome to Locked On Patriots. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for having me. I love, even though, you know, obviously it's players leaving and moving on,

I still like to discuss anything and everything football. So excited to talk the new addition for you and your Patriots fans. Oh, without any question. And you're the perfect person to get us to know Jonu Smith. And, you know, Tyler, Patriots fans were pretty excited on Monday morning. The team made their first big splash into free agency. Turns out the first of many. Been a busy guy here in Foxborough. A lot of us have been up here, but this really filled

a huge void on the team without any question. John, who comes to New England, four-year, $50 million contract, $39.25 million of it guaranteed, and he should provide exactly what the Patriots lacked in 2021. Smith is a prototypical move tight end. He's played in the traditional in line. He did so in Tennessee. But his strengths, at least according to what we've seen here in New England, shows that he'll be a prototypical move tight end for the Pats. Big time red zone target. 41 receptions last year.

448 yards. Eight touchdowns. All eight of those touchdowns came in the red zone. So the Patriots were pretty anemic in the red zone last year, 448 yards, eight touchdowns. All eight of those touchdowns came in the red zone. So the Patriots were pretty anemic in the red zone last year. We're thrilled to have someone like this. Smith is also a more than capable blocker, which is something that Patriots tight ends have been known to do, from Rob Gronkowski to other guys that have been in this,

even going back as far as Ben Coates. On paper, this looks like a great fit here in New England, Tyler. And I've been doing my research on Jonu, but, or at least as much as I can, in between Bill's game of Foxborough Price is Right. You never know what he's going to say. Come on down. We got a new number. And then you have to start all over again.

But you know Jonu better than I do. Tell us here at Locked On Patriots about the type of player the New England Patriots are getting well before I get into the type of player that he is actually on the field I do want to say that John who Smith was a consummate professional uh if you see the way that Mike Vrabel spoke about John who Smith or anyone around John who spoke about him just nothing nothing except how hard of a worker he was, how he's always somebody who teammates could count on, always setting the right example.

So that's the type of guy that you want in New England, first and foremost. I think people make jokes about Tennessee being New England South because of all the connections, but that is the type of player that both organizations are always looking for, and I don't see anything wrong with that common thread. So that's a good thing there. As for on the field, so Jonu Smith does look like the prototypical move tight end, but what I was going to chime in and say is I think that he's a better blocker

than what you would expect from your typical move tight end. The move tight end is typically more of the more athletic guy, the guy who's going to be better out in the passing game uh i think john who has some qualities there because of his yards after catch ability but he is going to be more of a reliable blocker and gives you more ability to be that inline tight end if you need it he did do a lot of that for tennessee he's not a guy who the titans split out a lot in the slot or put out isolated on one side of the formation and shotgun, things like that, like you would see from Gronkowski at certain times. So he's kind of a

mismatch of a move tight end and an inline tight end. And that versatility is obviously something that probably drew the Patriots to Johnnie Smith. You talked about that red zone ability. The reason for that is just his athletic gifts. He's just an incredibly gifted guy in terms of height, size, speed, strength, those natural abilities. So it makes him a match-up advantage against people in the red zone. So I think you're right on with everything there, but I would say his blocking ability is a little bit better than your average move tight end.

But I have to think that the Patriots have a very good plan for how to use Jonu Smith. I don't want to come on here and hate too hard on the signing, but I think Jonu, while having all those gifts I just mentioned, especially being a great yards after the catch guy and a matchup advantage in the red zone, he does have his own limitations. He's not a stellar route runner.

Doesn't have a great break out of his releases in his routes. Often the Titans would bring on a role player and Anthony Berkshire, who's more of your prototypical pass catching tight end. The Titans would bring him on the field for third downs and take John who off the field because of what he lacked as a route runner against press man coverage and creating separation. The Titans ran that play action heavy scheme, and that would get Johnnie Smith wide open against defenses because of the influence play action had. So if you could create that sort of run game, which I feel like the

Patriots are going to try to do this year with Cam Newton, kind of go full into that quarterback run game, heavy run game. If the Patriots can do that and create open space for Jonu Smith to get him the ball in that open space, he can take advantage. But Jonu Smith isn't the kind of guy who's going to create that open space himself. It's going to have to be done schematically rather than done individually. So that's kind of one of the knocks I have on Johnnie Smith there but got a smart coaching staff there in New England to say the least and I think with the signing of Hunter Henry as well that gives me optimism at least from a

Patriots perspective that the Patriots are going to try to use Johnnie Smith the right way and not put him in a situation where he would not excel. Absolutely. And I think you've hit the nail right on the head. Look, Johnnie's record on the field speaks for itself, but I'm glad that you mentioned the ability to run routes. That is something that Hunter Henry is absolutely adept at. I had the opportunity to cover him in Los Angeles prior to joining the Patriots side and covering this team. Watching Hunter Henry evolve as a runner is something that has really been a joy of mine throughout his career. Watching him now do that in New England, pairing him alongside John O. Smith, it's going to be a lot of fun to watch. And we'll get into that in just a moment,

folks. But I'm glad that you also touched upon Jonu Smith's ability to be a great teammate and also to really kind of lead by example, both in the locker room and on the field. There were a number of young tight ends on this roster, Tyler. Dalton Keene, Devin Asiasi, two second-year tight ends coming off of their rookie season,

both underwhelmed in terms of the expectations that were put on them. Ryan Izzo also another young tight end with some promise here as well. Despite this being his first year in New England, Jonu might be called upon to be a mentor to some of the tight end depth chart in New England. Pull upon what you just said for a moment with regard to Jonu being a great teammate, being a true professional. How much of a mentor do you think he can be to the young tight ends on this roster? I absolutely think that he can be one. He's been through a lot, and I'm sure that you guys up in New England

will start to get the features on him, the human resource pieces, as I like to call them. People will start to talk about what he's been through. So he came into Tennessee. He was behind Delaney Walker. In his second year with the team, he tore up his knee. His past, he's had issues with some burns, some boiling water that he got. So he's had some major medical issues in the past,

not that are things that are going to carry with him throughout his career, but just in his personal life life issues that he's had. He's gone through a lot of adversity to get to this point. And if you look at his two first years with the Titans, about 38 catches total, around 300, around 400 yards total, only five touchdowns. So it's not like he came out of the gate and was obvious that he was going to be a guy who got a $50 million contract in his career. So this is all relatively a burst on the scene type of deal for John who, in the last two seasons and considering everything that he's gone through to this point, not only in his NFL career with injuries and, and playing behind other players, but through his personal life and everything he's come from, you know, guys who have experience in life are typically going to be good mentors.

So not only is John U. Smith the consummate professional from a football perspective, but he's an experienced man from a life perspective. And anytime you've got young guys, or even if it's just not young guys who need mentorship off the field, John U.'s ability to be that professional in the facility, in the locker room, in the meetings, at practice, doing everything the coaches could expect of him, that tends to rub off on people.

I don't know if you've, you know, anybody listening. I'm sure you might. We've all played sports. And if you ever played with somebody who was just working really, really hard, it was obvious. It was obvious. It was obvious. Even in middle school basketball suicides, if there's one guy working significantly harder than everybody else, it's obvious. And often that can kind of galvanize everybody without the coach having to say anything. It's just a pride thing. People say, oh, I'm not letting that dude just absolutely embarrass me out here. And it makes people work harder just because of how hard they work.

Jonu has that quality to him. And we can talk about yards and routes and hands and blocking assignments and using formations correctly. But at the end of the day, it comes down to the type of people that you have in your locker room. And Jonu is the type of guy that you want, whether that be mentoring young players or just inspiring veteran teammates around him to to give the type of effort and attention that he does to every single rep so that that's what I would be most excited about

from a Patriots perspective is the type of person that you're getting but combine that with the stuff that he brings on the field and it's just a a nice signing for the patriots even if i think it was a little expensive well ultimately we'll see if the price tag ends up warranting if the patriots do rip off some of these wins that they're hoping to do and improve on a seven and nine record make the playoffs once again and maybe even make a deep run uh it'll definitely be worth every penny patriots obviously felt that he was worth it uh We'll see on the field, but great insight on not only John who Smith, the football player, but John who Smith, the man, because ultimately New England is getting the total package when it comes to this. And Tyler, I really want to thank you for giving us a great background so far on John who Smith, and it's been great getting to know him a little bit, but Tyler is among the best of us all in the

media when it comes to film breakdown and analysis. And in just a moment, folks But Tyler is among the best of us all in the media when it comes to film breakdown and analysis. And in just a moment, folks, Tyler and I will break down John who's strengths in the red zone and how he might make that 12 Pats man personnel the best in the NFL. This and more when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Lockdown listeners, my colleagues at the Lockdown Podcast Network and I have been telling you about Built Bar, the best tasting protein bar on the market for a while now. Because Built Bar is the amazing, low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber, amazing tasting protein bar with 100% chocolate on all of their bars. And let's face it, we all have our favorite flavors.

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Subscribe to Locked On NFL wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, Tyler Rowland, host of Locked On Titans. Subscribe to Locked On NFL wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, Tyler Rowland, host of Locked On Titans, joins me today talking some John U. Smith with our local Titans expert. And Tyler, on Tuesday, the Patriots bolstered, I think,

the signing of John U. Smith by bringing in the other top tight end on the market. And we alluded to this in the previous segment, signing Hunter Henry to a three-year contract. And I admit this surprised me pleasantly like i said before i've covered uh hunter before and i was glad to see him end up in new england but i have to admit

when i saw john who signed the contract uh on monday i was a little bit um less than i mean well i was essentially less than optimistic that they would land hunter henry as well but almost immediately patriots fans really got behind this signing i definitely did but they started daydreaming about running a 12 personnel which the patriots almost never ran last year and with due cause they just did not have the person held to do it smith is that versatile move tight end excellent after the catch you went over that earlier henry more of a traditional y tight end he wins with excellent route running technique box out ability to me this really does complement each this signing really allows these two to complement each other very well. And Smith was the feature tight end in Tennessee last year with good reason.

But he's also played alongside prolific tight ends before. You mentioned Delaney Walker in the previous segment as well. How might Jonu Smith fit with the 12 personnel schemes that the Patriots might want to employ this year? Well, I think he fits perfectly because, in my my opinion I like having diversity in my pass catching staff including my tight ends and my wide receivers uh it's something honestly I'm I give all the credit to Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network and Bucky Brooks have said before I like to have my wide receiver core like a basketball team you got a point guard a small forward a center a power forward guys who do different things and And I subscribe to that philosophy, having versatility in your pass-catching unit.

And that's what the Patriots got here with their two tight ends. So like you said, big difference here. To me, Jonu Smith isn't going to win with technicality, footwork, route running, and create separation. But the good thing about Jonu is his skill set allows him to win in the red zone without that separation I think of a a play in the red zone in week two for the Titans in 2020 against Jacksonville and John who Smith absolutely dunked on Andrew Wingard the safety from the Jacksonville Jaguars and he was

not open Wingard was right in his face but John who was able to use his physical gifts his strength his athleticism his verticality and he's able to jump over Wingard and catch in his face, but John was able to use his physical gifts, his strength, his athleticism, his verticality, and he's able to jump over Wingard and catch the ball with strong hands and bring it down. So although John O. Smith's route running isn't going to help him create elite separation, he doesn't necessarily need that in the red zone. And as a person who watches football as often as I do, you know, Mike, that in the red zone there often isn't a lot of space

even with your elite route runners and guys who do create separation it's just too condensed down there so ultimately you need somebody who can win with that separation if the matchup is right like Hunter Henry but if nobody is getting good separation because it's tight in the red zone you have John O'Smith who can just win a one-on-one physical matchup against another man, and that's important. Also, one thing that really helps, especially when you have somebody like Cam Newton who's going to be back at quarterback most likely for the Patriots, Johnnie Smith was a great guy who would run those crossing routes around the goal line, and he may be at the two-yard line,

the three-yard line, but if you get him the ball on the move at the two- or three-yard line, there is not a lot of defenders in the NFL who can prevent him from crossing the goal line because of that yards after catch ability. So I think he would fit perfectly with Hunter Henry in 12 personnel situations. It's something that he's very accustomed to. 12 personnel isn't as popular in the NFL today as it used to be. Obviously, three wide receiver sets are the dominant form now, but we're seeing that swing back a little bit here. The Patriots are planning for going to that 12 personnel lot when you pay two tight ends like that.

And who ran multi-tight end formations more than any team in the NFL last year? The Tennessee Titans and former offense coordinator Arthur Smith. So John O. Smith understands his role. He understands the schematics of running 12 personnel and having two tight ends out there. And one thing that we do need to mention is Jonu Smith often lined up in the backfield in the red zone for the Titans as a running back

because he does give you running back skills, that yards after catch ability, but that also gives you some formation creativity and creates some matchups for John O. Smith one-on-one against linebackers that he can take advantage of as well. So I would expect to see creativity from Josh McDaniels using that player, not just your typical twin tight ends in a 12 set under center or in shotgun, but also using John O. Smith in a variety of ways as a slot receiver

in motion as that secondary tight end, even lined up next to the quarterback and shotgun in the backfield. I would expect to use his versatile skill set in different ways more often than the Titans used it, but just kind of scratched the surface of how he could be used. So in the red zone, that gives you a ton of opportunities. And like I said, because John, whose game is not creating elite separation, it's more using his physical gifts to win one-on-one matchups without separation. That'll always make him a viable threat in the red zone. And the success in the red zone, as you pointed out earlier in the show, speaks for itself. Grin from ear to ear.

When you said about lining up in the backfield, I'll touch upon that in just a moment. Cause I was thinking the same thing when I was looking at tape of John O. Smith. Obviously, yards after the catch is a real benefit and a real bonus when you take a look at what a move tight end can give you. So I completely agree with that. And having the 12 personnel, I think he compliments Hunter Henry so well. But lining up in the backfield, to me, I think is something that John O. Smith really could do.

It reminds me a lot of what the Patriots did when they had Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Having him run the routes against the linebackers from that alignment, Henry's vertical release can clear out the flat for someone like John to run the route. And it becomes easy yardage at that point when those two guys are both clicking on all cylinders, doing their jobs. Patriots have experience running their offense through two tight ends with their rushing attack the way they have it damian harris sony michelle uh maybe a rex burkhead or maybe god willing a james white coming back or someone in that role that can catch the ball out of the backfield patriots have a massive offensive line a lot of size they've added obviously Trent Brown to that lineup as well so the pieces complement each other perfectly Josh McDaniels is going to have a lot of

fun we can all kinds of play action schemes seams cross routes all different levels I can see Smith and Henry lining up all over the formation it really is something that I think Patriots fans are going to really enjoy this year. So it's going to be fun to watch for sure. Absolutely. We're excited up here in New England and John Smith is really, I think the catalyst to bringing this all together because his signing on

Monday, I think catapulted a lot of what the Patriots had done. And we were hearing from sources within the Patriots camp that John, who was someone that the Patriots had zeroed in on. They loved what this guy could do. Saw him in the playoffs a couple of years ago, and definitely I think that rubbed off on them. Tyler, last but not least, before I let you go today, but the expectations on Jonu Smith are going to be high.

That contract is automatically going to require him to live up to it, essentially. But to be honest, he really doesn't have that big of a shoes to fill from only a year ago. The Patriots didn't exactly leave behind prolific tight ends. We're a few years removed now from Rob Gronkowski in a Patriots uniform. So when the dust settles on 2021, what will Patriots fans most fondly remember about year one with Jonu Smith? So Jonu's going to do a couple times a year.

He's going to get a first down. He's going to get a touchdown. He's just going to give you way more. I know right now one of the hottest analytics you can use is whatever stat over expectation. How many more yards did they gain than was expected per, you know, I always wonder how the calculation happens of how many yards are expected on a certain play. Maybe I need to get into my data analytics mining to figure that out.

But Jonu Smith is going to be the embodiment of that. He's going to give you yards where you don't think you're going to get them. So it's going to be a third and 13. John, who's going to catch the ball four yards past the line of scrimmage and find a way to get the next nine yards and get a first down when you least expect it. And to be able to do that, you have to have a combination of athletic talent and also mindset. And I think Patriots fans are going to have at least three to five plays burned in their mind at the end of the year of how in the world did Johnnie Smith make that play? How did that even happen?

And that sort of determination on the field mindset standpoint from the athletic gifts that you see, it's going to be very fun to remember those. Like, I'm spitting off, you know, a couple plays that I remember when he's lined up in the backfield against the Texans, the play against the Jags. I mean, there are a few plays that I remember that are burned into my head from his effort and his skill set. So the combination of effort and skill set is going to result in at least three to five plays. You did not expect John to do what he did. And you'll remember that at the end of the year. It's hard not to. Excellent insight, Tyler.

Thank you so much for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. It's been a blast getting to know John Hughes-Smith, but it's been my honor and my privilege to be able to share the microphone with you today. Before I let you go, my friend, anytime. And before I let you go, my friend, please let our listeners know that do have an eye on the Tennessee Titans. After all, Mike Vrabel, still a beloved figure up here in New England. Please let everyone know where they can find you and your great work,

not just on the Locked On Podcast Network, but all throughout that Twitterverse. Yeah, I mean, obviously I got the Locked On Titans podcast hosting that. Feel free to subscribe if you have any interest in the Titans or want to hear about anything. Obviously, I'm there every single day, but I do a lot of film breakdown on a lot of things, talk draft, talk everything in the NFL on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans. So even if you aren't a Titans fan, I certainly talk to everybody about football. I talk about things outside of the Titans in the NFL as well. So it doesn't hurt to press the follow button there.

And who knows, maybe you can yell at me about something that you disagree with me about and we can have a good time discussing it sometime. Absolutely. And Tyler, thank you once again for joining us, folks. Tyler Rowland, host of Lockdown Titans, getting us to know Johnnie Smith. Tyler, always a pleasure, my friend. We'll talk to you again soon. Thank you, my friend. Have a good one. Just like that, Patriots Nation, we are more than halfway through your work week, but there is still a ton to cover when it comes to the moves of your New England Patriots throughout the past couple of days. Tomorrow here on the pod, we continue our Getting to Know You series with the new Pats as Dave Droegemeier, co-host of the Locked On Chargers podcast, will join me to talk some Hunter Henry.

And of course, we will keep you updated on the very latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough, so to be sure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download and subscribe to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, Radio.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my friend and colleague, Tyler Rowland, host of the Locked On Titans podcast 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, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.