Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Rex ‘N Effect? Burkhead Restructured and Patriots Roster Talk- 7/7/2020

Episode Date: July 7, 2020

Each season, the New England Patriots value both versatility and experience on their roster. On Tuesday, the team announced a restructured deal with RB Rex Burkhead, which will create nearly $1 million in salary cap space. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com to talk Rex’s new deal. The duo also discuss the Mahomes Mega Deal and discuss the fate of several ‘bubble’ players on the Pats roster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and welcome to your Ruster Reset Tuesday episode of the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Today's episode is brought to you by RockAuto.com.

Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com today and tell them Locked On sent you. Welcome back to the pod, Patriots fans. I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. 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

always welcomed and very much encouraged. Share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. And while you're out there doing some summer traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Folks, you did hear me correctly. Today is Roster Reset Tuesday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And while the point of today's show is not to radically reset the Patriots roster, it is to show that the addition of Cam Newton just a little more than a week ago has given our beloved team in Foxborough a little bit of a new look. And as a result, that might mean a little

bit of shuffling to some of the Patriots roster personnel. Players that we thought might have been on the chopping block might end up finding their way back onto this roster. And unfortunately, it also means that it might be a tougher road to the pros for some of our rookie undrafted free agents. But one thing we can always agree on is that the Patriots generally, by and large, put what they believe to be the best possible team on the field. The players that are going to help you win are the players that'll make this roster. Doesn't matter if you're a high-priced free agent or an undrafted free agent.

If Bill Belichick and the Pat's Brain Trust believe you can produce, you'll play. But in a shortened and uncertain preseason, sometimes the best course of action is to stay with what works, continue on with some familiarity, and the Patriots have actually taken one big step toward doing that, and I'll get to that in a moment, folks. But when it comes to breaking down the roster and the reset that the Cam Newton signing has likely provided for it, you can't just accept my wisdom and counsel for it. We need an additional voice, a voice of reason, and that's exactly who will be joining me today here on the pod. Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com is my guest today, and we'll be discussing the Patriots roster, who he feels might be surprise

additions and subtractions on the defense. What impact will Cam Newton's arrival have on the Patriots offense? Are there members on the Patriots' offense? Are there members of the Patriots' offensive personnel that are more or less likely to make it now that Cam's in the fold? And in addition to these questions, Steve and I will also provide our take on the big news from yesterday in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes signing a near half-billion-dollar contract extension. And I know, folks, I can't help it.

I feel like Dr. Evil every time I mention the amount of money. Over one half of a billion dollars. Right. Obviously, this means great things for Patrick Mahomes. But what does it mean for the NFL as a whole? And does a deal like this have an impact on the New England Patriots? Steve Balistrieri and I discuss all of this and more on an action-packed pod today. So settle in, folks, as we kick off the week after the holiday in true Patriot fashion. But before I welcome my good friend in today, there was some breaking Foxborough news on Tuesday, and this came courtesy of Field Yates of ESPN, and Steve and I will discuss this as well. That news was that the Patriots and running back Rex

Burkhead have agreed to a reworked final year of his contract. Per Fields' report, Burkhead will get $550,000 up front to sign, and it drops his base salary from $2.5 million to $1.05 million. It also frees up $400,000 available in roster bonuses for Rex. Now this drops down from $500,000. Ultimately, the move creates $981,250 in cap space, and according to my good friend, last week's special guest here on the pod, the Top Gun himself, the Pats cap Miguel Benzon, the Patriots' new salary cap space number is $1,244,739. And yes, folks, Miguel does account for the Patriots' deal with Cam Newton in that final figure. Miguel also went on further to report that if the Patriots still in fact cut Rex Burkett after training camp, and I'll get to my thoughts on that in a moment, his dead money would still be $1.55 million. By cutting him, the Patriots

would create about $765,000 in cap space. Now, when it comes to Patriots roster projections in the offseason, Rex has been pretty much a polarizing figure. Everybody seems to like the guy, including everyone that I've spoken to in the Patriots front office, including the members of the team. He has a lot of allies in Foxborough and a lot of people that absolutely love what he can bring to the table. He's 30 years old. He's heading into his fourth year with the Patriots. Don't forget, he signed with them as a free agent out of Cincinnati in 2017. And really, you have to make the argument that he's coming off one of the best years of his career. Burkhead had 68 rushing attempts for a combined 306 yards and three touchdowns last year.

He also added 30 catches out of the backfield for 311 additional yards. Now, those numbers may not stand out, but keep in mind, they reflect his role within New England's running back rotation. He shares time with Sonny Michel and also James White, and when you consider that he has those guys to share the spotlight with, Rex Burkhead always makes the most out of his opportunities. And when you look at those numbers alongside the stat that Burkhead was actually only on the field for 22.7% of the Patriots snaps last year, that's pretty good production from a man that the Patriots consider to be their running back number three. Shout out to my man Bernd Buckmasser from Pat's Pulpit.

He also provided this stat that Burkhead is very active in the kicking game as well. He played 50.6% of the Patriots special team snaps. That tied him for fifth on the team, and he's a member of all four kick coverage units. He did register six combined tackles in that role. So Rex has both experience and versatility, and that's something that I think is going to be invaluable to Patriots roster selectees this year, folks. Keep in mind, as we said here many times on the pod, even to open the show today, we're dealing with a shortened and very uncertain offseason. We've already seen the NFL cut down the preseason schedule from four games to two, and there's a lot of rumors on the table that

they may eliminate it altogether. There were no OTAs, there were no rookie camps, there were no mini camps. Players and coaches simply didn't have the opportunity this year to feel each other out like they normally do. Taking that type of approach under consideration, it's easy to see why NFL teams, including your New England Patriots folks, would want to keep players around that have experience in their system and have been productive in their system. Rex Burkhead checks both of those boxes. By my own admission, I toyed several times with the idea of cutting him

from one of my rosters for a potential salary cap savings. With this restructured deal, the cap relief doesn't quite equal out to what you'd be missing on the field if Rex Burkhead is jettisoned, so therefore, I look at this as a pretty good indicator that Rex Burkhead will be around and a member of this running back corps in 2020. But does it make him a stone cold roster lock? Well, when you need a level-headed answer, you seek a level-headed opinion. And that's exactly what I will do in just a moment, when my good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com joins me here on the hot seat to discuss Rex's new deal, a little on what

Patrick Mahomes' deal means for the entire NFL, and lastly, we'll bring it all home by asking Steve his opinion on the Patriots' offensive and defensive roster selections. So for all this insight and more, stay locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast, folks. But first, today is Tuesday, July 7th, 2020, and the unofficial peak of summer has come and gone. Yep, I'm talking about the 4th

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Make sure to put Locked On in their How Did You Hear About Us box so they know we sent you. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. RockAuto.com Patriots fans, it has been over a week since we found out that Cam Newton was becoming a New England Patriot, and the Patriots roster is now starting to demonstrate the impact of his arrival.

What does this mean for the remaining members of the Patriots roster on the field? Well, to discuss this very point and more today, I welcome our resident voice of reason, one of the best and most knowledgeable columnists that you can find in Patriots media anywhere. You know his great work from patsfans.com, as well as being the co-host of two amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and of course, One Patriots Place with our great mutual friend

Thomas Murphy. He is my Paizan. Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Welcome back to Locked On, Patriots, my friend. Hey, Mike. As always, it's a pleasure to join you to talk some football. And yeah, everyone's great here. And we're just looking forward to seeing some football in training camp. I don't know about how you feel about that. Oh, definitely. And we're looking forward to

training camp. It's still hard to believe that at the end of the month, football training camps will open and it will be official that football is back on the field we live in hope we don't want to jinx anything folks we know that things can change at a moment's notice but right now all seems to be progressing in that direction and i for one can't wait for it i know all of our listeners can't wait for it the nfl was sorely missed and we're going to be able to get back into it. And really, the NFL was unique where they didn't really have to miss too much of a beat in terms of action on the field. But, Steve, we start with some breaking news out of Foxborough today. And it involves someone that has been considered a possible roster casualty.

But he may have just taken a big step to solidify his spot in New England. And that's running back Rex Burkett. Rex has reportedly agreed to a revised contract that will provide the team almost $1 million in needed salary cap room, and it was first reported by Field Yates of ESPN. Now, obviously, this makes great financial sense for the Patriots. It alleviates some of the team's cap strain, but on the field, I think this could be a great move for the Patriots as well. When healthy, Rex has proven to be a tough and versatile running back. He shows his prowess on the ground and catching the ball out of the backfield. I've long said here on the pod and in my written work that I would love to

see Rex back in New England. I just believe the salary cap savings was going to make him a likely cut. Now, obviously, this makes it more palatable for the Patriots to keep Rex around in 2020. But Steven, your estimation, do you think this makes Rex that stone-cold roster lock for the upcoming season? Well, I don't think it makes him a roster lock. But as you said, just leading into this, I think it makes it a lot more palatable to keep him around now uh i had him i did a uh roster projection yesterday and i wrote you know as always perfect timing there i wrote it with his salary cap it you know it kind of makes him the odd guy out right now especially with how we perceive and right now that's all it is is perception of Damian Harris taking a big step forward this year now with that you know the news of this morning it's possible that Rex might have cemented his

place in in Foxborough for another year yeah I think it's definitely more palatable without any question you would have to think that even if the Patriots were to consider cutting Rex, the new deal would lessen the dead cap hit. So that way, I believe it would probably be a little bit easier for them to do that as well. I don't have those details on the contract, folks, still working my way through it and looking at some of the details. But that's my own assessment and my own belief that that's how the contract would be structured or the restructure, I should say, how that would work out. But again, if the Patriots are serious about keeping Rex around, and we'll get into that in a moment, folks, because much like yourself, my friend, two weeks ago, I did a roster projection right here on Locked On. Rex was on the chopping block floor for me.

So, I mean, those are difficult cuts to make because you just look at what's going on with the Patriots and you say, well, they have to trim somewhere. They're going to have to do it in areas where they can save significant cap room and where they're dealing from a position of wealth. And a lot of people seem to think that on the running back position. But it makes sense, especially when you're bringing in a new quarterback, a quarterback that hasn't played in this system before, like Cam Newton. If he's projected to be the starter, you want guys that know this system and know how to play it well. And again, when he's healthy, Rex is one of the best in the business of being able to do that. And I'm glad you mentioned your great roster projection yesterday on patsfans.com because folks, we are going to get into that in just a few moments and pick Steve's brain when it comes to the Patriots roster. And we might even make a little compare and contrast with mine from a couple of weeks ago as

well. But I'd be remiss, my friend, if I didn't at least mention the prominent topic of conversation in the NFL right now, and that's Patrick Mahomes and the near half-billion-dollar deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Steve, this is a huge investment, albeit for a player with tremendous present skill and seemingly unlimited upside. But we all know that big contracts in the NFL can be a recipe for disaster. We've seen it happen several times. And for the most part, the Patriots have largely shied away from megabucks deals like this. My friend, other than making you feel a bit light in your wallet when you read some of the numbers on this contract, what was your reaction to the deal and what do you think this means for the NFL landscape moving forward? Well, my first impression was good for Patty Mahomes.

I mean, I don't begrudge him the money. I mean, if somebody offered me a half billion bucks, I'd be hard-pressed to say no on So I, my first impression was good for him. I, I, I really, I mean that, I mean, you know, I think he's earned his, his payday, you know, his first two years in the NFL, he's been outstanding, but at the same time, like you said, when you deal this far in advance, you kind of leave yourself open, you know, and we've seen it before. Some of these long-term deals with Drew Bledsoe with the Patriots, that was the last time they really opted for one of those long-term deals. And, you know, they gave Bledsoe that big contract and then he was hurt. Next thing you know, he's out the door and we've seen it with some other players too.

So that's the only thing. I mean, looking at it right now, and the Chiefs are looking at it, they want to lock him up long term. You know, his contract at the end might be a bargain for them, depending on where the salary cap goes yeah without question the first reaction that i had to this deal other than wow was you know how are they going to structure this over the course of 10 years you look at his base salary and his base salary is not i believe he doesn't hit the $10 million mark in an annual salary. I believe until 2027 is the first time that you actually see him earn that type of contract

on a yearly basis where Patrick is getting all of the money in this deal and where he's earning most of it is in roster bonuses. And it's structured for a reason like that, folks. I mean, they're looking to defer cap casualties and try to build a little bit. The first part of this deal is definitely palatable for the Kansas City Chiefs when it comes to base salary. But the roster bonuses are definitely there toward the end. And like you like you've said before, I believe at one point during this, his salary cap number reaches to almost 60 million dollars. You have to believe that there will be some sort of restructuring or some sort of renegotiations on this deal.

The one thing that I want to point out about Patrick Steele is that it makes it nearly impossible for the team to trade him. I shouldn't say trade him. He has a full no trade. So that's nearly an impossibility. But it makes it so difficult for them to cut him because as he remains on the roster, he becomes fully vested in these roster bonuses, maybe even one, two years out. So if the Chiefs decided for any reason that they wanted to cut him after the one-year mark, he's still going to be vested in those roster bonuses in year two, year three. So it's very difficult to think that he's going to be unloaded. This essentially locks

Patrick in to the Kansas City Chiefs. And again, my reaction is very similar to yours. Good for him. I'm glad he's able to sign a contract and show his worth. He's had a tremendous first few years in the league, one of the best starts to an NFL career that you could possibly have imagined. But again, we try to bring things back from a Patriots perspective because it is locked on Patriots, my friend. And I said earlier that the Patriots have shied away from these type of deals. You mentioned the

Bledsoe deal, and I think that's an apt comparison. The Pats have largely been successful for the last two decades based on paying for talent when they need to and learning to walk away from the table when they need to. There's a common misconception out there, oh, the Patriots don't pay. They pay, but the problem is that they don't pay extended or they don't overextend themselves in the contracts that are going to cause severe difficulty for them down the line. That's how they've been able to sustain this dynasty for the last 20 years is being smart with their ability to build a roster,

to maintain some control over the salary cap, and get players in and out that are able to fill their roles, whether it be at a bargain rate or whether it be spreading the wealth around. They've done that better than anybody, and that's one of the big reasons why they've been so successful. Kansas City is investing a whole lot in one player, folks, and albeit he's one of the most talented players out there in in the football universe right now nobody's arguing that but you have to learn how to sustain a roster

around him he's going to need significant protection on the offensive line especially as he starts to age and get older he's going to need more time he's not going to be able to move around in the pocket as gingerly or i should say he's going to move around more gingerly he's not going to be able to move around as freely as he does right now so in a lot of respects i think right now the key to a team being able to sustain long-term success is the way we've seen it done in new england for the last 20 years kansas city's going in a different route could it work. But until it's proven on paper, that's still a big question mark out there. So I caution a lot of people to look at this and saying, OK, well, Kansas City just bought themselves 10 years of dominance. Doesn't quite

work that way, folks. You have to be able to manage the team around your sole investment or your biggest investment. Patriots have done that well for 20 years. Now Kansas City's on the hot seat, and let's see if they can do it. But, you know, Steve, bottom line, whatever other teams do is strictly their business. What the Patriots do and what is their business is building a roster for 2020, and they're doing just that. In a moment, folks, Steve Balistrieri will be placed on the hot seat as we discuss some of his 2020 roster theories and if the addition of Cam Newton has altered his opinions on who might suit up in Foxborough this year. Foxborough Roster Talk right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast when we continue.

Patriots fans, Steve Balistrieri joins me here today on Locked On Patriots. And Steve, with the news that the NFL teams may not be fielding a 90-man roster to open training camp due to COVID restrictions and a number of other considerations. Roster building, I think, takes on an even larger presence right from the start. Cam Newton is the big news here. And we'll get to Cam in just a moment, folks. And even how Rex's deal that we talked about earlier factors into what they're doing with Cam. But I want to start on the defense. Steve, the Patriots secondary and the corner, both the corner and the safety positions, they're once again primed to be the strength of this defense. And most projections, including your own, have the Patriots employing at least 11 players

between the two positions. But the front seven, meaning the linebackers, the edge, and the interior, that might look a little different this year. When you look at this roster, who are the players that you believe have likely played their last down in New England, and who were some of the players that you consider possibly a surprise addition to the team in 2020? Well, you know, when I look at, you know, and you started with the front seven and i think that's a good place to start i i really think you know and i i i really like the guy i like him as a player but i i think that uh dietrich wise may have played his last uh game here in new england i i you, I look at the last couple of years,

his playing time has steadily gone down. And, you know, I just think that the way the defense is kind of changing, you know, he might not really be a fit anymore for what they're trying to do. So I kind of have the feeling that, you know, unless things change during training camp and we've all seen how things can change really quickly, I really think he's going to be one of those cuts.

And then moving on at linebacker, I really think the, you know, the clock's running out on a guy like Derek Rivers. You know, he had a lot of promise promise but he's been derailed by injuries and um you know unless i think he has to have an outstanding training camp to stick this year and um another guy he's considered a linebacker by trade but you know he's more of a safety as brandon king i think with some of the the guys that they've picked up that are special teams guys that might be able to help them more on defense rather than strictly special teams,

I think he's another one that could see his last days in New England. He's another guy who's been outstanding on special teams for them. Yeah, he truly has. I agree with you on all aspects. The last time you joined me here on the pod, we talked a little bit about Dietrich, and again, folks, Dietrich was the first player I ever profiled covering the Patriots a few years ago, and when he was first a rookie, and I've always kind of been in his corner. I've always rooted for him, and I still believe there's something there that hasn't been tapped yet. I believe that there is potential there for him to be a very solid pro in this league. I wonder if the additions that they've made,

you know, bringing in guys like Brandon Copeland, the emergence of someone like a Chase Winovich on the edge, the stellar play of a guy like John Simon, who really has become like a jack of all trades in that defense. And then you bring in a guy like Joshua Uche, you bring in Anthony Jennings and some of the young talent that they have. You wonder if there just isn't room on that defensive end chart anymore for a guy like Dietrich. If he has a strong camp, I can definitely see the Patriots keeping him around.

But I think the competition level and what they've brought in kind of spells the, might spell the end for him. And that is a tough thing for me to say. I'm glad you mentioned Brandon King because King is someone that is often the forgotten man on the roster. Everybody forgets about Brandon King until they have to do 53-man roster predictions. And then you see his name there all the time and And people wonder, oh, well, how does this guy make it on there all the time? Brandon King is truly one of the more dedicated and one of the best all-around special teamers in the league, folks. There's a reason why the Patriots use a roster spot for him year after year. It's simply because of his prowess there and being in the right place at the right time.

But what makes him expendable this year is the addition of two guys, particularly Adrian Phillips, who I had the good fortune of covering when I was covering the Los Angeles Chargers. And this guy, you want to talk about jack-of-all-trades, he really can do it all. I've seen him line up in the defensive front. I've seen him line up as a linebacker, and I've seen him drop back and play safety.

His contributions to the defense, I think, are sorely underrated. And people are going to see that on the field this year with him. I'm very high on Adrian Phillips and I was so glad to see the Patriots bring him aboard. I also think the presence of a guy like Cody Davis is going to negate some of what they lost in Nate Eppner. Not going to be a like for like, folks, but I believe that Cody's game is similarly predicated on Nate. He has that ability to know where he is. He's very adept when it comes to special teams prowess.

And I think that makes him a likely addition as well. If the Patriots are to go in a different direction on defense and if they are looking to bring in maybe a younger player, someone that can infuse that type of youth and athleticism to a position, I'd keep an eye on Auburn's Nick Coe. When we've talked about him before, Steve, a couple of times, I think the upside there is tremendous. I think this kid had first or second round talent, pure talent, folks. I know there are some concerns about his buy-in to the game of football or being dedicated or maybe some behavioral problems. If he can come in and prove that those days are behind him, I don't see how the Patriots can leave him on the chopping block floor. So even with the restrictions that we're under in terms of having rosters be a little

bit more conservative this year. And knowing that you need some experience around, I still can see the Patriots taking a flyer on him. So, Steve, excellent stuff as always. And we always trust you, especially on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball. You're as dialed into roster building as anybody that I know, and I thoroughly enjoyed your projection. So that leads me quite nicely into my last question for you today, my friend. Once again, all eyes are going to be on the Patriots offense, but for a much

different reason this year. And if we're assuming that Cam Newton is going to be the starter, which again, folks, is not 100% set in stone. I know a lot of people are believing that, but according to what the Patriots are saying, there will be a legitimate quarterback competition. I think Cam wins it, all things being equal, but it's still a possibility. And a lot of people still have Jared as the number one option here. But regardless, it's going to mean some shuffling of the deck when it comes to the offensive weapons that the Patriots have, even the offensive line. In my roster projection a couple of weeks ago here on the pod, I was perhaps a bit overly optimistic in adding undrafted free agents and newly acquired free agents. But with the COVID regulations, coupled in with

employing a new starting quarterback and likely some new offensive schemes, I've had some second thoughts on that. And I think it might make the Patriots consider keeping experienced and reliable players around this year. And we've already seen that in Rex Burkett. I think Rex being around for a guy like Cam Newton is a perfect fit, or even Jarrett Stidham because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, for him to hit the holes, be able to get additional yardage. I think Rex is one of the most well-rounded running backs they have on that team. So, Stephen, your assessment of the offense, do you think we're going to see more continuity than originally planned, meaning more established names on the roster rather than some of the undrafted free agents or some of those bubble guys? Or do you

believe that we could still see some newbies, some new veteran free agents or undrafted free agents crack the final product in 2020? Yeah, I mean, you know, one of the things I wrote about over the weekend and, again, on this roster projection, you know, with the very limited amount of playing time these young guys, these undrafted free agents are going to see, it's going to be really difficult for them to, you know, dislodge a veteran out there. Now, we've all seen, you know, dislodge a veteran out there. Now, we've all seen, you know, every, it seems like, what, 16 years in a row?

You know, every year there's a young kid who makes a splash in training camp, ends up making the roster, and many times they, you know, they parlay that into, you know, meaningful snaps, not just making the roster of it actually contributing. So I'm not going to totally write it off, but at the same time, it's going to be difficult for these guys, I think, this year. I really do. You know, there's always that injury bug that could happen. And without the benefit of, you know, OTAs and minicamps and stuff like that, I mean, the chances of that happening, I think, are actually increasing.

So could one of these guys like a, you know, a J.J. Taylor, who I think is kind of electric with the ball in his hands, you know, he's another guy like Rex Burkhead. You know, I had Rex on the chopping block along with Taylor, but, you know, we don't know how Sonny Michel's post-surgery is going. Is he going to be ready? You know, could he start the year on PUP? And then a guy like Rex or, you know, Taylor, you know, could he start the year on pup and then a guy like rex or you know taylor you

know works his way in that that could really happen and you know some of the wide receivers i mean uh you know will hastings um you know um jeff thomas i have thomas making the roster actually but you know i think that's that last wide receiver position is kind of wide open for, you know, it could be a veteran, you know, like a Damian Bird, a Marquise Lee, Olchefsky. But at the same time, I think that, you know, like that young kid Thomas, I think if the light comes on for him and he grows up a little bit, I think he could make a on for him and he grows up a little bit, I think he could make a real push for a roster spot.

Yeah, I believe he can, too. You want to talk about overly aggressive. I actually had both Hastings and Thomas making the wide receiver core a couple of weeks ago, and I'm really rethinking that. And obviously, just the need for an additional spot at quarterback now is one of those things that's going to make you reshuffle the deck a little bit. But look, the bottom line is when it comes to the Patriots roster building is they're going to need experienced players, guys that are going to be able to come in here, know their role and do their job, for lack of a better term. We don't have the ability to go back with hindsight being 2020 and have mini camps, OTAs. Those have all been eliminated. Say what you will about them, about the importance

or about how much you can get from that, but it's still additional time of team bonding, getting together and being able to actually get out on the field before you start the rigors of an official training camp. Taking that away, I think, does put some of the younger players or some of the more less experienced players on this roster at a disadvantage. It might make a guy like a Dan Mayer-Byrd a little bit more palatable for the Patriots because, let's face it, he's also played with Cam Newton. If Cam's going to be your guy, I can definitely see them doing that. Does this make Hastings expendable now? I thought that the synergy between he and

Jarrett Stidham was very impressive from the days at Auburn. I thought it gave him a leg up on the competition in terms of guys that could crack this roster. All of a sudden, does Hastings now become a guy that the Patriots are hoping they're able to stash on the practice squad. Keep a sharp eye on practice squads this year as well, folks. I think they may have more significance this year than they have in quite some time with guys that the Patriots would like to keep around and maybe not use an official roster spot, but still have control and still be able to assign them to the practice squad and keep them around. Ultimately, Steve, I think the addition of Cam is definitely interesting, and it's going to change the complexity of the way this team does business. Before I let you go

today, my last question for you is, with the addition of Cam Newton, assuming he is going to be the starter, do you foresee the Patriots making drastic changes to the way they do business on offense? Or can you see cam being more of a cerebral quarterback than i think he's getting credit for both from the fans and even the media alike i think if he ends up becoming the starter they they have to they have to tailor the offense and you know we've seen them do this all the time they they know, use a player to his strengths rather than ask him, you know, to fit in a square hole with a round peg. So I think, yeah, I think you're going to have to see the offense change, you know, and adapt to do what Cam does best. I mean, you know, the Patriots

system as it is right now with the, you know, getting the ball out quickly in two seconds and, you know, hitting the open man, doing the pre-snap reads. That's not Cam's game. Cam's game is to extend the play and, you know, finding an opening either to throw the ball or to run. And, you know, keeping that defense honest by him, you know, when he rolls out, they have to respect the run. That's something that, you know,

we didn't have the luxury of seeing when Tom Brady was behind the center there. So, you know, I think they have to, if you want, if you want Newton to be successful, I think you have to tailor it to his strengths. And I think they will. Agreed. And perfectly said, and I'm not going to even try to deviate from that. I agree 100% with you.

And I think the Patriots are going to tailor make that. And part of that folks, again, full circle here, roster building. And I think that's exactly what you're going to see over the course of the next couple of weeks. It'll be interesting to see if there are any early cuts if patriots if not only the patriots but if nfl

teams have to cut their rosters down to 80 or even 75 heading into training camp this could be a really exciting next couple of weeks so as i like to say keep a sharp eye folks because we'll definitely be on it and so will this man who does some of the best work in the business at being able to identify roster fits and exactly what it means for the team on the field that's why we had you on today i call you the voice of reason but you're also the voice of logistics and it's always my honor to share the microphone with you my friend before i let you go please again for the benefit of those that might be joining us in progress um where can our listeners find you and where can they always read and hear the great work that you do each and every day for this team and even beyond that,

bud? Yeah. And again, Mike, always, thank you for having me on. I always enjoy shooting the breeze with you. I wish we were sitting right now in the tent over at Foxborough, but hopefully all this COVID stuff will start to die down and those things will come to pass.

But you can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I write for PatsFans.com. I do the podcast over at PatsFans called Patriots I do the podcast over at Pats Fans called Patriots Fourth and Two. And to answer a couple of emails I've gotten recently,

and that wasn't a passive aggressive slam on Bill Belichick with the name. We went for something original. And the fact that all of the hosts really were behind that call back in the day that Bill made. I also do the podcast with our buddy Thomas Murphy, One Patriot Place. And as you are well aware, Murph went on a nice long rant last week about the signing

of CAM. So yeah, I invite all of our listeners out there to check that out as well. And I also do some writing for the military at softrep.com. And I got some stuff coming out with that as well. So it keeps me balanced. Absolutely. And folks, again, I can highly recommend, very highly recommend the work that Steve does for the Patriots, both for Pats fans, for Patriots 4th and 2, which I'm glad to

hear is not a knock on Bill Belichick. I always knew it wasn't, but you never know. Some people have a visceral reaction to these things, Steve. You have to be prepared for that. And also, one Patriots place with Thomas Murphy. Everyone knows that Murphy is borderline family here at Locked On Patriots. He joined me last week to talk a little, Cam, as well. He was very reserved in his comments.

I actually commended him for being reserved reserved especially when we talked about that ridiculous um spygate 2.0 fiasco that you know was just utterly utterly dumb uh he showed a lot of restraint and i appreciate it but folks if you want to hear murph uncensored you can definitely do so on one patriot's place these two guys are some of the best guys that you'll ever meet and they put on a great show. It's my honor to always be on with them as well. And you'll definitely want to check that out because Murph is definitely in rare form. And Steve provides the wisdom and counsel that kind of calm the green man down a little bit. And again, I can't highly recommend enough the work that Steve does for soft rep, anything and everything related to the U.S.

military, his historical references. He's got his finger on the pulse of the current situation, and he blends it together so well. And he makes it look easy, but it's not easy, I assure you folks. And it's some excellent reading. I encourage you to check that out as well. Steve, what can I say, buddy? Enjoy the rest of the week. A belated happy 4th of July, and continue to do the great work that you do and we look forward to having you back here on the pod really soon anytime my friend anytime thank you for having me on thank you my friend take care and so patriots fans that puts a lid on our roster reset insight here on the pod today and with the start of training camp quickly

approaching you can bet that roster moves and corresponding moves will become fast and furious. To ensure that you do not miss a single transaction or the analysis of that transaction, you want to make sure not to miss an episode of Locked On Patriots. And the best way to do so is to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

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Once again, folks, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Steve Balistrieri for his time, his insight, and his appearance today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and his time, his insight, and his appearance today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world, and have a great day, everyone.