Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Return of the Matt: Patricia Back in Foxboro, Could Stafford be Next? — 1/25/2021

Episode Date: January 25, 2021

The New England Patriots are welcoming back a familiar face to their coaching staff. Might that reunion improve the Pats’ chances to lure a marquee quarterback to Foxboro? Joining host Mike D’Abate today is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss the return of Matt Patricia, the impact of Evan Rothstein on New England’s coaching staff, the chances of Matthew Stafford ending up in New England and Tom Brady’s pursuit of his seventh Super Bowl championship...this time, with the Bucs.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 “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% 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. EchelonGo to EchelonFit.com/LockedOn and try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. 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 Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Monday, January 25th, 2021. And it's Monday, folks, so you know what that means. A little hashtag Lockdown Murph right 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. Greetings and salutations, Patriots fans. I hope that you all had a great weekend. Thank you so much for joining me here today on the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated.

Share that feedback and send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there doing some Monday mind sharpening on that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, Super Bowl 55 is set. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and old friend Tom Brady will be hosting Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday, February 7th, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida. Brady's set to suit up for his 10th Super Bowl appearance. Just absolutely mind-boggling that in less than two weeks' time, Tom Brady will have participated in 10 Super Bowls. But make no mistake about it, his opponent in this game will not be an easy one. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are the defending champs for a reason. Probably the most complete team in the NFL, and they showed why on Sunday evening. A 38-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Patrick Mahomes, one of the best games he's played all

year. 29 of 38 passing, 325 yards, accurate pinpoint clutch, three touchdowns. Tyreek Hill, a true master of speed, nine receptions for 172 yards receiving. The Chiefs defense having themselves a day against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, who have a high-flying offense in their own right. But on Sunday, the Bills just didn't have enough in the tank to dethrone the defending Super Bowl champions. As a result, Kansas City takes their talents to Tampa Bay. As the Bucks advance to the Super Bowl to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to host the big game in their home stadium. Buccaneers successful at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers by a final of 31-26. Tom Brady and that Buccaneers offense looked unstoppable in the first half.

In the second half, well, that was a different story. Brady throwing three interceptions. Green Bay had several chances in this game, just weren't able to put it all together. The Bucs withstand the second half surge, and as a result, the NFL is now treated to two weeks of Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes hype, and it will be extensive. Right here on Locked On Patriots, we will have at least a half of a sharp eye on what Brady and the Buccaneers are doing down in Tampa Bay, because after all, Tom and Rob Gronkowski are former New England Patriots, and to say that they don't deserve or at least have some of our attention over the course of the next couple of weeks probably wouldn't be a true statement. But fear not, folks.

This is locked on Patriots, and it will remain as such. The Patriots made some headlines over the weekend as well. An old coaching friend has found his way back to Foxborough, and he's bringing along another addition to the coaching staff that might end up being a bit more intriguing. Also, a big-name quarterback is likely to be on the move. What are the chances he ends up in New England? Well, folks, these are good questions. They're big questions.

You might even call them monster questions. And if they're monster questions, then we need monster answers. That's right, folks. Hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday returns. My good friend, the Green King of Sting himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, is back for his weekly appearance here on the pod. And we will discuss Matt Patricia's return to the Patriots coaching staff. But Matt's not coming back from the Motor City alone. He's bringing longtime Lions defensive strategist Evan Rothstein with him.

And Evan certainly has an impressive resume. Murph and I will discuss why he might just be the next rising star to be joining the Patriots coaching ranks. We'll also be talking about that big-name quarterback on the move. Matthew Stafford has indicated that he wants out of Detroit. Could they, would they, or should they, they meaning the Patriots, put together a package to try to bring Stafford from the Motor City here to Foxborough? And of course, last but certainly not least, Murph and I will offer our thoughts on Conference Championship Sunday with a special focus on TB12 and his pursuit of ring number 7.

Folks, an action-packed agenda today, lots to talk about. Murph is here, I'm excited, I know you can't wait to hear the man's green wisdom and counsel. And in just a moment here on the pod, Murph and I will talk Matt Patricia, Matthew Stafford, Evan Rothstein, Tom Brady, and as always, we'll work in at least a couple of Godfather references when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, when it comes to getting or staying in shape, nothing feels as good as that feeling of accomplishment, of hitting your fitness goals and feeling great about yourself. We are almost one month into 2021, so hit your new goals in this upcoming year

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That's E-C-H-E-L-O-N-FIT.com slash LockedOn. EchelonFit.com slash LockedOn. LockedOn listeners, get more of the sports you need in less time with our new LockedOn Today podcast. Peter Bukowski hosts LockedOn Today, a daily podcast breaking down the biggest stories with analysis from our local experts. Start your day with all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes. Subscribe to Locked On Today wherever you get your podcasts.

Pats fans, as I said to open today's pod, Super Bowl 55 is set. The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to do battle with the hometown Buccaneer crew out of Tampa Bay and Captain Tom Brady against Chief Patrick Mahomes. Doesn't get much bigger than that in the NFL, folks. But after all, this is Locked On Patriots. And even though Tom is trying to get ring number seven, and that should be happening with the Patriots, I digress on that, the Pats are making headlines of their own. And joining me today to take a deeper dive into those headlines, folks, it's Monday. You know what that means.

Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, 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, as always, and for joining me today. Don't murph. Always my pleasure, my friend. Always my pleasure. Sorry, a little throat clearing there. What a great weekend.

You know, it was a great weekend of football, wasn't it? It really was. Conference Championship Sunday is always fun, whether your team is in the hunt or whether it's not. And I know it's an unusual experience for Patriots fans. Last year, all right, albeit they weren't there, but, you know, for the previous few seasons, we've gotten used to seeing the Patriots play on this weekend, usually with a good deal of success. But yesterday was a little different, but it also felt a little the same.

You're watching Tom Brady. To a lesser extent, you're watching Rob Gronkowski, and you're seeing Tampa Bay succeed and go to the Super Bowl and you know Murph 10 Super Bowl appearances is remarkable it is remarkable and you know I know that you have some ideas on Tom Brady and the Bucs and what Super Bowl 55 might end up looking like we'll get to those in a minute folks but first buddy let's keep this discussion in New England for the time being and some interesting news breaking on Friday evening uh to kick off our weekend here in uh in the northeast first reported by Jim McBride of the Boston Globe Matt Patricia finding his way back to Foxborough uh former Pats defensive coordinator as we all

know of course Detroit Lions former head coach. He's going to be back, and I'm quoting Jim now, assisting the Patriots coaching staff in a variety of roles, unquote. And Monday morning quarterbacks, Albert Breer, added a little bit to that report later in the evening, saying that Matt's role is going to likely be similar to what Mike Lombardi did a few years ago when he worked here, special projects assisting Bill Belichick.

Murph, considering how things ended for Matt in Detroit, did this move surprise you? And what do you expect from having Matt Patricia back in the fold here in New England? I don't want to say it surprised me. I did maybe a half a double take, A take and a half? How about that? Yeah, a take and a half. Matt and Bill are good friends. Matt left here

on really good terms. They're two guys that enjoy each other. He's a voice in the room that Bill trusts and can um really give him somebody to bounce different ideas off about especially on the defensive side of the ball so no i wasn't shocked by it but um but yeah yeah take and a half i gave it to take and a half well take and a half i like and look you know from what we're hearing now initially when this first happened and i first heard about it i said you know for all of patricia's faults he does have a good amount of prowess when it comes

to play calling he's always been a pretty decent defensive play caller execution strategy things of that nature uh you know you can make the uh the you know the you can make arguments on that all you want to and i know that there are some there will be that the exactly and i know that you'll have some that will say that the patriots defense vastly improved after matt moved on to detroit and you know there's some statistical backing to support that but look from what i'm hearing it doesn't appear matt's going to be calling the plays uh he's not going to be leapfrogging steve belichick or Gerard Mayo in that regard. I don't even think, at least, again, according to what I'm hearing, it doesn't even seem like he's going to be having an on-field

role, working within a specific position or anything like that. This is going to be more behind the scenes strategy, probably. Maybe like consultant to the head coach i guess might be a term or a title that they may throw around for um for matt patricia but it really is a no-lose situation for the patriots you're bringing in somebody with an intricate knowledge of how bill belichick coaches again you mentioned the fact that they're good friends uh that friendship has remained cultivated this wasn't a uh this wasn't an Eric Mangini situation, folks, when he left. These guys remained very close. Matt going to Detroit was very much done with Bill's blessing. And in a lot of ways, we've seen this before from the Patriots. head coach in Denver bounce around a little bit, albeit Patricia didn't do that, but then come back to kind of recultivate his career. And obviously Josh has been around a little bit longer than people probably thought he would be. He's got a good gig here in New England.

And for lack of a better term, he's been up for a few jobs, but teams just have been reticent to pull the trigger on that. But Patricia coming back here i think is a no-lose situation and we'll see we'll see what ends up happening but i'm glad that it's not going to take uh those types yeah exactly it adds you know it really does a lot of people aren't talking about this um but gerard mayo is is not going to be here long. He isn't, folks. This is a man who is going to be a head coach someplace in the NFL, and I think within the next two years.

And it just adds depth to a very depleted coaching staff that has just been, you know, the shelves just aren't as full as they were two or three years ago. This is a voice that's needed here. This is a voice that is trusted here. And this is a man that knows how to, you know, get into the building at 5 o'clock in the morning and leave at 7 o'clock at night. And that's not just because of the all-day buffet. Well, maybe part of it. That might be part of it.

But we can't say that's the whole thing. We didn't mean all of it. Exactly. Yeah, that's right. He's a worker. He's an earner. He goes out there and he earns money. And that clam chowder is pretty legendary up at Gillette.

So we'll see. We'll see what happens. That could be. But Murph, that really segued so nicely into my next question for you. And when you mentioned Gerard Mayo and his probably borrowed time that he's here in New England, and I think a lot of us can see the handwriting on the wall, especially considering that the person he'd be competing with to get a defensive coordinator job just happens to be Steve Belichick and you know his role on the defensive coaching staff is it related to Matt Patricia's return initially you hear that and you're like boy I wonder if maybe they're going to take the play calling ability away from Steve maybe maybe Matt's going to come in and he's going to be able to help Steve with that and cultivate that I think he will but I don't think it's going to be an on-field uh you know mentorship I don't think you're going to see steve start to follow matt around all over the place but matt's not returning to foxborough alone and actually the guy coming

with him from detroit may be even a more intriguing name he might even be a brighter star in the long run kid and that is evan rothstein a longtime lions defensive strategist he's joining the patriot staff as well uh spentent nine seasons with Detroit, most recently as a head coach's assistant. And, you know, he worked in research, worked in analysis. His title in Detroit was, quote, head coach assistant slats research and analysis. And he was described in December as, quote, unquote,

and this really, this is pulled from the Lions folks, not the Patriots, working in the shadows to help prepare the team for games. described in december is quote unquote and this really this is pulled from the lions folks not the patriots working in the shadows to help prepare the team for games yep now if that doesn't sound like ernie adams i don't know what right that is right that may be ernie i think that is ernie adams job description if i'm not yeah basically um but this guy is not just someone that lies behind the scenes he's had practical experience calling on field games. In late December, COVID-19 protocols absolutely decimated that Lions staff. Rothstein was called in to call the Lions defensive plays.

You know, they happen to be playing that game. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, folks. So calling a defense against Tom Brady and that high-powered Tampa Bay offense is definitely not easy but the Lions had a lot of faith in Rothstein and we even heard Jaron Harmon within the last 24 to 48 hours absolutely gush over this guy and the work that he puts in the strategy that he provides and the value he can bring to a football team so being that as it may that Gerard Mayo may end up moving on from the Patriots at some point. I don't think it's going to be this year now.

I think he's pretty much set, but you never know. But within another year or so, I see him either ascending to a coordinator role or maybe even leapfrogging to a head coaching position. But that would mean that the Patriots are placing a lot of faith in Steve Belichick as the possible new defensive coordinator. With guys like Patricia and with a guy like Rothstein especially coming in, is this really the chance for, and I'm going to pull on a quote that Murph and I are going to love, is this a chance for Steve Belichick to make his bones in the coaching staff and really develop into that new defensive strategist that the Patriots are going to be needing?

Yeah, it is. That's a perfect analogy, and you're right, one that I love. But no, Steve does need to make those bones. He hasn't done them yet. He's living under the umbrella of the godfather, and it's his time to step out from under it and not form his own family, but get ready to take the reins of this one, at least on the defensive side of the ball.

And Rothstein is going to help him in a myriad of ways, as you were saying earlier. This is a guy that reminds a lot of people of Ernie Adams. I know Berner Bushmaster wrote an article about him the other day that was really fantastic. And he described him as a situation and tendencies guy. I love situations and tendencies. Most of the people out there would look at this as cheating. It's not.

It's going out there, watching game film, and finding out what you, this is, this is the reason that you lose a game in Denver because your, your center bobs his head on a quick snap and, and things like that. It's the tiny little things that Rothstein is going to bring to the, to the table and help Steve take that next step, bring them into the office and say, these are the things that we're looking for this week. This is how you want to coach the guys up. This is what you want to give yourself an edge

that you might not have had without me being here. And it was a fantastic hire. And yeah, I think this is really going to help Steve in the long run. Absolutely. And Rothstein, it should be noted, worked under some pretty heavy hitters in terms of coaching. Jim Swartz was the guy that brought him to Detroit about a decade ago. He was retained by Jim Caldwell, worked very well with him, was relied upon pretty heavily

by Matt Patricia. From what I'm told, Rothstein had his ear pretty much the entire tenure of Patricia's coaching tenure up there in Detroit. And now, of course, you know, he also has some defensive coordinator experience and calling plays. So from what I'm told, very much involved in the defensive strategy in Detroit. I know a lot of people up there were very high on him. Several people that I've spoken to over the course of the last couple of days or so that

covered the Lions said that the Patriots may have, you know know just got themselves a coaching staff steal when it comes to Evan Rothstein so this makes a lot of sense and I think he's going to help to make that coach's room that much more formidable because the Patriots are going to need that coaching staff to coach up maybe some new faces here and you know Murph the Patriots might have some Detroit coaching ties arriving in Foxborough and we described a couple of them but is it possible that it could lead to a more significant migration from the previous face of the Lions franchise that's a mouthful folks I know but it is a possibility a lot of buzz surrounding this subject over the weekend. And in just a moment, folks, Murph and I will discuss the feasibility of Matthew Stafford becoming a New England Patriot.

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BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. That's fans. Thomas Murphy is here for his hashtag locked on Murph appearance on the pod. And buddy, Matt, Patricia and Evan Rothstein were not the only names with Motor City ties circulating around Foxborough this weekend. Well, you like that, don't you? You like the, you like the, you like the, the analogy ordering around. Yeah, that's it.

Yeah, I try folks. I get one good one a week.. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. I try, folks. I get one good one a week. But no, in any case, per a weekend report, NFL Network's Tom Palacero was the one that broke the report. The Lions plan to begin discussing trade options in the coming weeks for their star quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Of course, we all know there's been some conjecture as to whether or not Matthew and the Lions wanted to mutually part ways. Over the weekend, Matthew's wife took to her Instagram account, thanking the city of Detroit for everything they've given to them. That's probably not a good sign that the family is looking to stick around there. And, you know, Matthew himself has expressed the desire for a fresh start as well.

So Matthew Stafford has been kind of an anomaly in the NFL right now uh been mired in mediocrity for most of his career but that's not his fault folks uh Stafford has been a highly productive quarterback he's completed 3,972 passes 46,017 yards 286 touchdowns compared to 147 picks few quarterbacks in the league have produced at a similar volume as him over the last 12 years. And based on numbers alone, Stafford would look like an ideal fit here in New England. The type of quarterback that Bill Belichick loves, all the talent in the world, smarts, able to read the field, just really needs a team around him. And really, if I'm being honest, Murph, a coaching staff around him that can really utilize his talents to the best of their ability um but

the patriots still have a lot to consider of course there's you know whether or not they can fit him under the cap and whether or not he would be looking at the supporting cast here in wingland and thinking it's a good fit um and of course you know the opportunity to work with bill belichick could be a draw, but you never know with guys. I mean, nobody knows what is in Matthew Stafford's head right now. Murph, what are your thoughts on Matthew Stafford? First of all, should the Patriots be interested? Do you think they will be interested? And here's the kind of, I don't know, underlying factor, maybe the sidecar to all of this. Do you think Matt Patricia's

return to New England will have any impact on whether the Patriots pursue Matthew Stafford? We'll start with the last one first. No, I don't. I believe it might have something to do with whether or not Matthew Stafford wants to come here, though, that would be worked out between Matt and Bill and how much input Matt Patricia is going to have here. I mean, Matt Patricia is basically going to be on the other side of the ball, and these two would not run into each other all that much. If he could make Stafford understand that, then it might clear the way to come here. Yes, the Patriots should be thinking about this. This is a team that desperately needs a quarterback.

We all know that. I'm not telling anybody something that they don't know. One of the things that would deter this, though, and the something that they don't know. One of the things that, that would deter this though. And the reason that I don't think it's going to happen is what the, what the, uh, the lions are going to end up asking for Matt and what somebody is going to end up giving. And I don't think bill is going to be willing to give up the 15th pick in this draft for a quarterback that is only under contract for two years, that is 33 years old. And, you know, as tough as nails, there's nobody tougher than him. Anybody who's watched the Lions over the past decade or so knows that this man is not a delicate flower, shall we say.

But he's somebody that would fit in here. But will Bill be willing to pay the price for it? No, I don't think so. And I think in a lot of ways, you're absolutely correct. Look, first of all, there's no question about it that from a logistical standpoint on the field, I think Stafford would be worth signing. There's no question about it. I mean, I think he can run pretty much any type of offense. He's been in more vertical systems,

and our good friend Mark Schofield pointed this out to me over the weekend. We had some discussions offline about Matthew Stafford. He was my guest here on Friday, and then, of course, the news about Stafford breaks later. We didn't get a chance to really discuss him all that much, but you know, he's been in more, you know, horizontal systems. He's been in the Earhart Perkins system. There would be some learning curve when it comes to the terminology of quarterback play that he's used to, but Stafford can do it. I don't think there's anybody that should be worried about whether or not he can come in here and succeed on the field. You make some great points. First of all, yes, he's under contract for two more years. $20 million cap hit in 2021 at age 33, $23 million

cap hit at age 34 in 2022. Those are high numbers, but considering the Patriots cap space and considering the value that they would have for a team like this, it's not necessarily unfeasible to think that the Patriots could do it. Where it becomes a problem is I do not necessarily think that Detroit's going to cut him loose. I think they're going to find teams that are willing to deal, and I think they're going to find teams that are willing to deal and willing to be able to part with draft capital. The Patriots giving up the number 15 pick. I think you're running into now the same difficulty that you're going to have with trying to bring Deshaun Watson to New England. There are simply teams out there that can offer more.

They have more ammunition to offer at this point. The other thing to consider, too, is Stafford's age. Like you said, he's been banged up a little bit. There has been some injury concern. He's tough. No one's been banged up a little bit. There has been some injury concern. He's tough. No one's saying he can't rebound from them. But for the Patriots to have to give up all they would have to give up to do it, I think would be a difficult fit. That being said, if you have a chance to give up the number 15 pick and not much else to get a guy like Matthew Stafford, that to me is a no-brainer.

But I think that's kind of pie in the sky. I don't think he's going to fall to the Patriots' lap in that type of a fashion. I know there were a lot of rumors over the weekend about Aaron Rodgers. Folks, I really, please, Aaron Rodgers is not going anywhere this year. The Green Bay Packers have gone to two straight NFC Championship games. They still see a window of opportunity to win with Stafford excuse me to win with Rodgers they they're not going to turn the keys over to the keys of the kingdom over to Jordan Love who didn't play a single snap this year there's just there's a lot there and I don't

see that happening Stafford I think is a little more realistic and I think you can maybe entertain the idea but in the final analysis but I don't know if I see this happening either. No, it's not. There are cheaper options out there. There are options out there that aren't going to cost the Patriots anything to bring in here and give a look. I don't see it happening. We are not on the same page.

I would not give up the 15th pick in this draft simply for Matt Stafford and a two-year contract. He would have to tear that up, re-sign maybe a five-year deal. And then again, you're talking about a 33-year-old quarterback. Do you want to give a 33-year-old quarterback a five-year deal? When was the last time the Patriots handed a quarterback a five-year deal yeah exactly yeah you know it's just not happening it's just not sorry yeah if they didn't do it for the guy that wore number 12 so proudly up here for yep years and years uh i don't see them doing

it for stafford and you know what but we're on the subject we might as well cap our discussion today by bringing up the obvious. And what can we say? You know, when we say that Tom Brady is going to get ready to play in his 10th Super Bowl, chasing his seventh ring, it still feels odd to me that we're not mentioning the Patriots as part of that discussion. But you know what, Murph? It is what it is.

I'm not going to be bitter. And we're going to move on and we're going to talk about Tom Brady's pursuit of number seven as he and his Buccaneer crew out of Tampa Bay. Although I'm so tempted to say Tortuga when I say that. And they're hosting the Super Bowl. First team to do so in the Super Bowl era, hosting the big game in their own home stadium. And they're welcoming the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. And each of these teams had an impressive victory on Sunday.

The Bucs obviously holding off a surge by the Green Bay Packers late in that game. The Chiefs holding their home turf over the Buffalo Bills. Murph, what were your impressions of Conference Championship Sunday when it came to both games? What impressed you the most? What concerned you about some of these teams? And what are your thoughts as we look ahead to Super Bowl 55? And I'm going to make a special request here. It's a little special emphasis probably toward the end on what this means for Tom Brady.

What impressed me the most was that the, you know, once again, the Chiefs did not fold when they went down early. It just seems inevitable that this team is going to go down early and come back and turn it into almost a laugher, and that's what it turned out to be. What impressed me least was the Buffalo Bills. And, Alan, I'm sorry. I don't see what everybody else is seeing. He's had a fantastic year. I think a lot of that has to do with the wide receivers that he has there. We'll see if he can keep doing that over and over again.

Again, on the NFC side of the ball, not allowing a quarterback with the reputation and the ilk of Aaron Rodgers the opportunity to go for the touchdown at that point. I understand the thinking. They hadn't been real good in the red zone. It had just been three straight incomplete passes. Rodgers should have tried to run for it. Good point. I don't know why he didn't,

but he trusted his arm more than his legs and it didn't happen. That surprised me a bit during that game. Other, uh, yeah, that surprised me a bit on during that game. Other than that, uh, in the NFC title game, what, what really bothered me was the fact that, that Tom wasn't as patient as he should have been. I don't think that, uh, I think that he, he, I don't want to say believed his own press, but believed in what he had been able to do most of the year. And it cost him. It cost him two interceptions that should not have happened.

You know, you just can't loft a ball up like that. Those are stupid mistakes that quarterbacks that aren't as good as Tom Brady make, and I believe he'll fix that before the Super Bowl. It's a little bit of Bruce Arians drifting into Tom Brady's thinking, and he needs to stop that. It's funny that you mention that, because that is exactly what I thought when I saw a couple of those decisions yesterday. And obviously, I mean, we've seen Brady make such solid decisions with the football time and time again.

Did he make mistakes up here in New England? Absolutely not. I'm not saying that the guy is infallible. But those types of mistakes, those lofting the balls, taking a chance, yeah, it almost felt like maybe believing your own hype a little bit too much. I think you said that very eloquently when it came to Tom. And maybe because the leash is off a little bit, for lack of a better term. Maybe because he's feeling that freedom a little bit more.

He feels a little bit more empowered to make those decisions. But the one thing that we know about Tom Brady is when there is is something wrong he will agonize over it until he fixes it uh and he's not going to just rest on his laurels and chalk it up and go yeah you know it was a bad throw it's that's what he's going to say to the press but he's going to look at that and he's going to take a look at what happened and he's going to try to learn from that cultivate that they absolutely make no mistake you folks can go out there and you can watch his little video with gronk afterwards and they're smiling and they're happy he got home and he stayed up all night over those because he knows

that they could have changed the game and that's not going to happen uh come super bowl sunday absolutely no and it won't happen for super bowl sunday because, and it won't happen for Super Bowl Sunday because quite honestly, it can happen. You did mention the Chiefs yesterday and I was impressed by their resiliency. I was impressed by their resolve to be able to take a hit, come back and then deliver an equally, if not more devastating knockout blow. And they've got the personnel to do it. I thought Pat Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes, excuse me, looked, you know, very good yesterday. I thought one of his better games of the year. And the weapons he has around him are phenomenal. And that defense, I still say it.

Steve Spagnuolo and the job that he's done with that defense, they don't get enough credit for being the unit that they are. It's going to be an interesting and very, very exciting game down in Tampa. The past and the future of the quarterback position, meeting in the present with the Super Bowl on the line. You can't script a better title, a better storyline for the next couple of weeks than that. And of course Tom's going to try to win his seventh overall, Murph. That's amazing. He's been to ten. I don't know anybody that's bought

tickets to ten Super Bowls. I don't. It's remarkable. It really is. It really is. And, you know, hats off. He's done an amazing job. And it's, you know, I hate to say it, go Bucs. Yeah. Well, you know, I think you echo the sentiments of a lot of people up here in New England.

I can't say I disagree with you, buddy. Mahomes trying to do something that is, you know, pretty rarefied to do as well. Trying to become the first team to defend its title since the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowl champions. And Murph, do you remember who they were? Let's see. Was it the New England Patriots? It was the New England Patriots. And who was the quarterback of those two teams no those that

happened to be thomas brady thomas edward patrick brady jr absolutely um just the bookend and the type of you know storylines like i said you know vince mcmahon couldn't have scripted this any better there's going to be a tremendous amount of hype for this game i for one can't wait for it it does have a different feel not having the Patriots in there, but seeing Tom go for number seven against a hell of a Chiefs team, it's going to be a lot of fun for us to talk about for two weeks. But don't worry, folks, it is locked on Patriots. We will keep it Patriots-centric here,

but we're going to have a half a sharp eye on Tom. I'm going to be honest with you, it's just going to happen. Buddy, what can I say? You lend your wisdom your counsel like no other you are truly familia the head of the familia here he'll couple the tutti cop here on locked on patriots um thank you so much for joining me today buddy folks you should already be following this man on twitter but for any of our new listeners please follow my good friend the count of murphy fisto himself at TeamMurph207.

Of course, Murph's Monster Keys, always point, click, learn, enrichment material. A little more few and far between in the offseason, but whenever the man does put pen to paper, it's always informative, always entertaining, and always spot on. I can't recommend it highly enough. And you can always probably find them on DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. And, of course, never miss an episode.

One Patriots Place, my personal favorite Patriots podcast, not only with Murph, our good friend Steve Balistrieri, and the Countess of Clas herself, Claire Cooper, as well, joining you on that program. Buddy, thanks again. Honored and humbled by your presence, as I always am. Always great to be here. Always here for you, Bud. And I appreciate the chair.

Anytime, anytime. The chair is yours. It's embroidered. The spot is yours. The hashtag is yours. And it's all very, very much, you know, the deserved. And we do it from the bottom of our heart here on Locked On Patriots. Stay safe and well, my friend. Have a great week. We look forward to talking ball with you again next week as we head into the meat of Super Bowl week. I'll be here. And so, Patriots fans, one down and four to go on your work week, but we're just getting warmed up here on the Locked On Patriots podcast.

Positional breakdowns, draft strategy, free agent prognostications, and of course, we'll continue to bring you the latest news, notes, and analysis directly from New England. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download and subscribe to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Stitcher, Spotify, Radio.com, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate.

I thank my good friend 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, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.