Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Sara’s Standouts: Patriots 2020 Top Performers and their 2021 Outlook — 1/28/2021
Episode Date: January 28, 2021The New England Patriots may not have had a standout season in 2020, but they did have several standout performers. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Sara Marshall of Full Press Coverage. The duo discuss... quarterback Cam Newton’s performance in 2020, the ‘best of the best’ of Sara’s 2020 standouts and who among them has the brightest outlook in 2021. Mike also provides his thoughts on why the Pats are unlikely to land quarterback Deshaun Watson via trade.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
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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.
It is Thursday, January 28th, 2021, and today is a day to stand out. You're 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 Thursday salutations, Patriots Nation.
As always, thank you for joining me here on this Thursday episode of the pod.
My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a
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The best is yet to come.
So that being said, Patriots Nation, it's time to talk business.
Let's talk business.
New England Patriots business.
And today here on the pod, we're going to be talking 2020 standouts.
As a matter of fact, we're going to be talking Sarah's standouts.
And by Sarah, I mean my guest on the pod today, Sarah Marshall stops by Lockdown Patriots.
And Sarah is an esteemed colleague of mine, a brilliant columnist for full press coverage
Patriots, and also a special contributor to the Dear Pats Nation podcast hosted by Ray
Ralph and Connor Carney.
Sarah recently published her list of 2020 standouts for your New England Patriots,
and we'll run down that list.
Which of Sarah's standouts are among the best of the best of her list?
And last but certainly not least,
who is heading into 2021 with the brightest future in Foxborough?
Folks, an action-packed agenda on the pod today.
I'm honored to welcome Sarah as my guest,
and she will join me here on the Locked On Patriots hot seat in just a moment.
But before I welcome Sarah to join me on the airwaves,
some big news to share with all of you from the world of the NFL.
Just a little before 10 a.m. Eastern, ESPN's Adam Schefter,
shortly thereafter confirmed by the NFL Network's Ian Rappaport,
that sources had confirmed to both of them that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson had in fact requested a trade from the Houston Texans. Now, Schefter's sources went
on to say that this had actually been done weeks ago and the Texans' new head coaching hire, David
Culley, has not and will not alter Watson's thinking. He hasn't spoken to new Texans general
manager, former Patriots director of player personnel Nick Casario, nor executive Jack Easterby, who also spent time in the Pats organization.
Watson is apparently moving on, and he wants to see where his NFL future takes him.
And folks, it's absolutely clear that Watson will have no shortage of suitors.
But I know that it's no secret that a lot of you are clamoring to have Deshaun Watson
join the New England Patriots. And if I'm being realistic, folks, there's just not that much of a chance
that it's going to happen. Not so much because the Patriots are a bad destination, simply because
there are so many other teams that can offer Houston a lot more than what the Patriots can
offer. First and foremost, the Patriots are not the only team with a potential need a quarterback this offseason.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, possibly even the Miami Dolphins, all picking ahead of the New
England Patriots. Therefore, if the Patriots decided they wanted to offer the number 15 pick
as the crown jewel for any type of package
involving Deshaun Watson, any one of those teams could immediately offer more. Look, there is no
question Deshaun Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. Nearly every
team in the league, with a few exceptions of course, would likely swap their signal callers
right now to have Watson be their franchise quarterback. One team will get lucky enough
to do that in 2021.
I just think the chances of the Patriots doing it are very, very slim.
Don't forget that Nick Casario just got the job as general manager in Houston.
It's already been established that several other teams can offer a better package for
Deshaun Watson than the New England Patriots.
If Nick's first major personnel move, meaning players on the field,
would be to trade the franchise quarterback to his former team? Well, let's just say life in Houston for Nick Casario would be
pretty much unbearable, and I'll leave it at that. But that reason comes in a very distant second to
the obvious reason which I stated earlier. Teams simply have more assets to offer the Texans,
and as a result, you're probably looking at Deshaun Watson wearing another uniform next year
that doesn't have the Flying Elvis logo on the side of their helmet.
So if it won't be Deshaun Watson calling signals in New England next year, who will
it be?
Well, my guest today, Sarah Marshall, has made an interesting case for a familiar face.
And yeah, that one's for you, Claire.
After all, I have to live up to that Admiral of Alliteration title.
But Sarah makes a very good point, and I will ask her about that and so much more
when this Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast
with special guest Sarah Marshall continues in just a moment.
Patriots fans, you've all heard the phrase,
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hosted by the great Peter Bukowski.
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Pats fans, today I have the pleasure of welcoming back one of the true stars on the rise in
Patriots coverage and in sports media.
She covers the Pats for full press coverage Patriots and her weekly column on New England standouts is one of the best reads you will find anywhere.
You can also hear her alongside Ray Routh and Connor Carney on the Dear Pats Nation podcast.
My friend and colleague Sarah Marshall is my guest here today on the pod.
Sarah, thank you so much for joining me. is my guest here today on the pod. Sarah, thank you
so much for joining me. Welcome back to Locked On Patriots. Thank you for having me back. I'm really
excited. I feel like there's so much still to talk about even though the Patriots aren't playing
anymore and the season's been done. I just feel like there's always something going on. So well
said. I often say here on the airwaves, there's never a dull moment in Foxborough.
Sarah, there's never a dull moment in Foxborough.
Even when this team is on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs, there's
plenty of storylines, a lot of offseason drama yet to unfold.
And of course, the NFL draft coming up as well.
Patriots fans are going to have their sharp eye on a lot of candidates.
And we will continue our draft coverage or begin really our draft coverage in Ernst coming up within the next few days.
But Sarah, for the past couple of weeks, I and some of my esteemed guests here on the
pod have tried to take a deep dive into the Patriots' positional groupings, and we've
talked about their 2020 output, what it's going to mean for their futures in New England
in 2021.
And you recently published a season review of your 2020 standouts. And folks, again, one of the most comprehensive
articles out there on the subject. I've read it several times. If you haven't had the chance to
do so, I strongly recommend that you read Sarah's column. And Sarah, 2020, let's face it, it just
wasn't an easy year for the Patriots.
Seven and nine finish, no playoffs, not something that we're used to up here in New England,
at least not for the last 20 years. There was problems at the quarterback position,
lack of depth at the offensive skill positions, and a defense that was really hurt by opt-outs
and free agent departures. You pointed out eloquently in your piece that there was a lot
to like about some of the individual performers in 2020 and that there's a good amount to build
on as we head to 2021. So, you know what, Sarah, let's start with the obvious. For better or for
worse, the quarterback position is going to be the dominant storyline this offseason. I've tried
over the last couple of days here on the pod to make the argument that
the Patriots making moves to shore up the middle of their defense is just as important, but you
know how that goes. The fan base wants the weapons, and who am I to argue? You included Cam Newton
among your standout performers for 2020, which I know could raise a few eyebrows, but I think you
made a great argument, especially pointing out that Cam did much more
than a serviceable job despite having a lot to deal with in 2020, on field and off field, and
even managed to set some records in the process. Sarah, please enlighten us all on why Cam Newton
was a standout performer in 2020, and do you believe that he's made the case for a potential
return in 2021? Yeah, as you said, I know it was kind of something that I toyed with, whether or not I wanted to include him in my article,
because I think people would read his name and would be a little bit surprised that I would include him in like a standout performing type of way.
But I think that people focus a lot on the passing game which is totally
understandable it was a big school this year but I think that there's a lot more that went into
the season's struggles than just the quarterback or just the passing game I just wanted to make
sure that people knew and were aware of all that camp did bring to the team, despite the struggles that were so obvious.
He was a mobile quarterback.
He's not the mobile quarterback that he once was,
but with the Patriots becoming more of a run-heavy team,
he definitely led the way in that.
Let's see right here.
It says 137 carries for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns for the year.
So he scored a lot.
He kept drives alive by running for first downs and whatnot.
So I think that people need to keep in mind that a lot of the offense did come, like the
success of the offense came from Cam newton despite like i said all of
the struggles on in the passing game which as you said as well um lack of depth on the receivers and
all of that definitely contributed to all of the issues so with all of his contributions on the
ground plus all the records he broke i mean i feel like it would be a disservice to not acknowledge
that and I think you make a good argument again um Cam had an awful lot to deal with this year he
not only is coming in playing in the shadow of Tom Brady who is about to start his 10th Super Bowl
which is mind-blowing I keep saying that all week long but I can't say it enough it's mind-blowing
that Tom is playing in his 10th Super Bowl.
18% of the Super Bowls that have been played have included Tom Brady.
It's just unbelievable.
But again, folks, Locked On Patriots, we're going to bring it back to the Patriots-centric storylines.
And Cam did have a lot to deal with.
That in and of itself is a very difficult thing to do for any quarterback.
He had the COVID-19 diagnosis, and that did set him back a little bit.
He did have to miss time for that.
There was a period where he was having to go through testing
and get back on the practice field.
There were no OTAs.
There were no training camps.
There was no preseason games.
And because of that, quarterback play is going to suffer
no matter who is taking snaps under center, with Cam having to learn a completely new offense and get used to
new teammates, a new coaching staff. That's not an easy thing for anybody to go through. So it's
easy to sit back and criticize Cam for everything that's happened. But I love the argument that
you've made here. And I think you've made a believer out of me that he does belong in this list of standout performers.
Maybe not necessarily at the top of it, but to not acknowledge what he did in terms of setting records and in terms of carrying this team at times when they needed to be carried.
I think there is an argument to be made that he was a standout performer.
Sarah, staying on the quarterback position for just a moment, I opened the show today by addressing reports from earlier today, both by Adam Schefter and
Ian Rappaport, that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson officially requesting a trade
from the Houston Texans. And Patriots Nation has been abuzz with hopes that Watson somehow
is going to end up in New England. I kind of rained on everyone's parade earlier when I said that.
I thought it was highly unlikely that Watson would be a Patriot in 2021.
But you have a way of looking at the positives.
So maybe you can cast a little bit of sunshine on the day today for Patriots Nation.
I went through the logistics, and the logistics do make it difficult.
But Deshaun does have a full no trade
clause in his contract and no matter what team trades for him it will be because Watson approved
it Sarah I'm not going to put you on the spot in terms of likelihood that Watson ends up in New
England but do you think there's a chance he may end up here and if so is there anybody on your standouts list that may tip
the scales in the Patriots favor and Deshaun may look at it and say you know what that's a promising
young player or that's a savvy veteran I would like to sign up to play alongside them well
unfortunately I'm not going to be bringing any sunshine to anyone's parade. I'm going to rain on it too.
I just, I don't see it happening.
The Patriots certainly have the cap space to bring in a quarterback with, you know,
his contract.
But this season and this offseason is going to be huge for them, bringing in some sort
of depth on the offense.
We have quite a few players going to free agency,
and I just see what they currently have signed,
that they would be able to trade away that the Texans would find as a
reasonable pay for Deshaun Watson.
So as great as it probably would be, I just don't know that the
Patriots would be the place that he would say, yeah, you know what, that's where I want to go.
I mean, of course they have Bill Belichick, the goat of coaches, which would be something that
maybe some people would consider, but after the season of, of all the seasons of all the struggles
of 2020, I don't see, you know, that there's basically they don't really have any receivers.
The defense is kind of in arms because of the opt-outs and then all guys going to free agency.
I just I don't know that Deshaun would look at the team right now and say, yeah, that's where I want to go.
Absolutely. And I'm so glad that you chose the honest, direct approach. Again, I always admire your positivity, and that's something that I hope is a big factor is despite the cap space it's
still about Deshaun and really Houston finding a trade partner that can offer them a package that's
to their liking the Patriots right now their biggest bargaining chip is the 15th pick in the
NFL draft there are several teams that are linked to Deshaun Watson right now that can offer more
than that maybe manipulation of the cap space could end up
working in their favor. They have the draft capital to be able to do it. I just think it's
highly unlikely. And in that regard, you also mentioned something that is very key in that
the Patriots have a number of different holes that they need to fill on this roster. They're
not simply one quarterback away from being a contending team in this league. They need to
fill gaps at wide receiver, at tight end, maybe even shore up a little on the offensive line.
They've got a couple of major free agents there. I think there's a lot that needs to be done on
the defense for this team as well. So they know that there are a lot of areas that need to be
addressed. The Patriots always take a big picture approach, and I agree. I don't think it opens the door for Deshaun Watson
to head to New England.
So sorry, folks.
If we're wrong, Sarah and I will join you here
on these airwaves, and we'll eat our humble pie a la mode.
But right now, I just don't see it.
And I'm glad to know that I'm a little like-minded
when it comes to that.
Sarah, it's always fun talking football with you.
And folks, we are only scratching the surface when it comes to our discussion today.
When we return, Sarah Marshall and I will continue to delve into her list of standouts.
Who would get her award of team MVP?
Would she crown more than one MVP?
And of course, which of her 2020 standouts are poised to have an even better year in 2021?
Find out when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.
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Patriots fan Sarah Marshall is my guest today
on Locked On Patriots.
And Sarah, we've discussed your most recent column
for full press coverage, Patriots,
which is a great comprehensive list of the 2020 standouts.
We spent a great deal of time on the quarterback position.
We kind of danced around the offense a little bit,
but now I'm going to ask you to take a big-picture approach.
Your column highlighted several players
that had great seasons in New England,
and I love that you had a great blend of offense, defense, special teams.
I think you really hit on so many different levels,
and that's why it's been one of my favorite reads of the past couple of weeks.
But there were always a few standouts. There were always a few best-of-the-best type players,
and I guess you could call it team MVPs if you wanted to label them. As you compiled this piece,
who stood out to you as the top of the foxborough heap and do any of these players
deserve your designation as the 2020 mvp of the new england patriots so what i actually ended up
doing was i picked one player from each part of the team so i have one on offense one on defense
and one on special teams because i think it's important to highlight all higher teams, especially in a season where a lot of people want to forget
the actual success that a lot of players had because it was a losing season. I think my top
one, if I probably had to choose an MVP, I think I might go with Michael Awenu because
this was such a run heavy team this year and his blocking allowing you know Harris Rex Burkhead
and Sonny Michelle to have such great seasons in the run game I think was super important
and even Cam running previously he had over 500 yards and uh rushes himself so not only that one he's a rookie too so the fact
that he was one of the top graded tackle the league as he is huge and that's really exciting
because of course he was a rookie so plenty of years ahead of him and all of the injuries that
the offensive this season and he had to play multiple positions, sometimes within a game.
So that versatility and the adaptability that he has, I think, is really important.
And then, of course, we have Joe Andrews and Jermaine Illuminor.
They're going to free agency so the fact that they have
a star in on Wenu I think is super important because the futures of some of these big guys on
the offensive line are up in the air right now so I think he would probably get my MVP
we don't know what the team is going to do at quarterback and how you know if they're going
to be more of a passing heavy team again or if we're going to keep it on the ground so I think
his contributions in 2020 is huge then I would say on defense people might not love it but JC
Jackson I would say had a good season he had some missteps having to fill in for Gilmore, but with all of these rumors of the Patriots wanting to trade Gilmore and tied with Ty Law in 1988, which of course,
everyone knows Ty Law. So that's a pretty incredible standard to be held to. I think that
his signing is just super important after the, after this season, if they're not going to keep
Gilmore, then that leaves the, the, you know, the secondary pretty empty as far as cornerbacks.
So fingers crossed that he comes back.
And then, of course, special teams.
I have Gunnar Oshetsky on there.
He's not a favorite, I would say, in the past.
People weren't super thrilled about him being a receiver.
But he made a Pro Bowl this year.
He made the AP All-Pro team. He led the league in punt return yards and average punt return yards. He got a touchdown, and we can't forget about the
touchdown that was taken back by the penalty. So I think it's exciting that they finally have
somebody that can return punts and even kicks because, you know, they've been trying to get
Edelman out of the end zone. We lost Danny Amendola, who had did it for a long time. So I think the fact that, you know,
my top three, I would say, this season are all young guys that have plenty of time to develop
and to be on. That should be super exciting to Patriots fans. Absolutely. And you know what?
Very solid choices. I mean, anytime you mentioned Gunnar Ryszewski, you know I'm going to smile from ear to ear. You know I love him, and I've been on this
kid's train since the beginning. But no, all kidding aside, I really think that Gunnar has
emerged as one of the best weapons in the punt return game in the NFL, and his selection as an
All-Pro this year is a validation of that. I love that you gave credit to Michael Wainu,
because I think that what he did this year is so remarkable considering the fact that he's a rookie, considering the fact that he
was a mid-round pick.
He's not someone that had a high draft pedigree put on him.
And he's also someone that was forced to play out of position several times this year, really
as a testament to how quickly he was able to pick up the Patriots scheme.
I want to give Carmen Brasillo and Cole Popovich a lot of credit for coaching this kid well. I thought it was going
to be a much more difficult and a much longer climb to his potential without Dante Skarnecchia
there, but these guys did a great job of coaching him up. And I'm not saying that
Alainu has peaked. He's still got a lot to learn. He's still going to continue to learn.
He's only entering his second year in 2021,
but what a season for this kid.
And of course, JC Jackson,
I talked about him a lot yesterday
here on the pod in my breakdown
of the Patriots secondary,
really emerging as one of the best
ball hawking cover corners in the league.
Still, I think a little cut below
being where he needs to be
to be that reliable solid
number one corner one more year of seasoning and i think he's well on his way and this kid's got
star written all over him so solid choices i can't argue with any of them you make great cases and i
agree so that always makes for good radio and podcasting um lastly sarah they say you can't
move forward without looking back and having a clear picture
when you look back and we've done that 2020 is about to be left in the lurch now as we move
forward to 2021 I know that you provided your MVPs for 2020 but that was then this is now and
a good season by a player is not necessarily a foregone conclusion from one season to the next.
In your analysis, putting together this column, Sarah, of your list of 2020 standouts, who do you believe has the brightest future in 2021?
I feel like that's so hard to choose just one.
I feel like because of the emergence of the run game this season I'm gonna have to say it's
gonna be the running backs Damian Harris and Sonny Michel uh Damian Harris really blew up this season
of course his reason he missed pretty much the entire season due to injury but him becoming
basically running back with Sonny going um IR at the beginning of the year.
He just contributed so much and he gave that fire that the offense really needed.
And, you know, with them, like I said, a million and one times, they were such a run first team this year.
So his role became even that much more important.
And of course, with the quarterback position up in there,
we don't know where they're going
and what the offense is going to look like in 2021.
But I really do like the pairing of Damian Harris and Sonny Michel.
Of course, we don't know about Rex Burkhead.
He's dealing with injury.
Who knows if he'll be back for 2021 in general,
just from injury, but also on the Patriots.
James White is also going to
free agency so um it the main focus will be of course on Harris and Michelle but I think that
their pairing is going to be so exciting to watch we saw kind of a new like Sonny Michelle when he
took over for Damian Harris when injured kind of like the rookie season of Sonny Michel came back.
I don't know if it was the competition of kind of losing that starting,
running back job to Harris while he was injured.
But I think that that fire that he brought back,
very reminiscent of his very successful rookie season.
I think that the other and fingers crossed, this is just my hope, but I
really would love to see Birkhead back next year. I think that that's one of the most exciting parts
to watch for next season, honestly, because it doesn't matter who the quarterback is. If the
run game is solid, then it's going to be really good. Absolutely. And I think the run game is
going to be a very focal point for the Patriots
offense moving forward. I do think they spend some resources trying to upgrade at the offensive
skill position players. And I'm glad you mentioned Rex because he is a player that I would love to
continue to cover here in New England. I really enjoyed watching him on the field. He's a great
guy to cover off the field. And I still think he's got a lot left in the tank. He's had some
tough injury situations, but Rex could be a guy that the Patriots may look
at and say, you know what?
The value he brings to the table may be worth it to invest whatever we need to to try to
bring him back.
And who knows?
Maybe the injury maybe works to the advantage of both sides to get a deal done, bring him
back here, and continue to prove what he can do on the field.
Sarah, what can I say?
I really thank you for taking time out,
joining me here today on Locked On Patriots.
Folks, you should be following her already on social media.
If you're not, I strongly encourage you to do so.
Sarah, please let our listeners know
where they can find you on social media,
where they can follow you,
and where they can always find your great work
and what you have coming up on the horizon all right well so on twitter you can follow me at at smarsh xo i try to
interact with a lot of people so if you follow me it's not just tweets i try to answer your tweets
too and then of course recently i joined my friends ray and con on the Dear Pats Nation podcast. We also live stream Sunday through Thursday at 9 p.m.
Eastern every night.
So I'm there Tuesdays through Thursdays.
So join us on YouTube at Dear Pats Nation.
And then you can listen to us on basically anywhere that you can listen to
podcasts, Spotify, Apple, Anchor, all of that.
So, and, and with the live stream, we like to interact with you guys too.
So if you have questions, anything Boston sports related,
just come in, check us, and we'll hopefully answer your question.
Absolutely, folks.
I can't recommend the follow highly enough.
At SMarshXO on Twitter.
Definitely check out the Dear Pats Nation pod with Ray, Connor, and Sarah.
They do a
phenomenal job. Like I said, it's becoming one of my favorite listens. I know if you try it, it'll
definitely be one of yours as well. And of course, you can always proudly find Sarah's great work at
FullPressCoveragePatriots.com. So Sarah, this was always a blast. I look forward to having you back
here on the pod. And in the meantime, stay safe, stay well,
continue to follow your great coverage with the Pats.
And again, as we move forward to 2021,
I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about in the future.
Have a great week.
Thank you.
I can always talk to Patriots. So anytime I can be back on the show, I'm excited.
Absolutely.
And we'd love to have you.
Have a good weekend.
You too
Just like that, Patriots Nation
We've almost reached the end of your work week
But here on Locked on Patriots
We are intent on closing the week in style
And that's exactly what we're going to do here tomorrow
The Senior Bowl has been happening
Down in Mobile, Alabama this week
And here to provide his news notes analysis
And expert insight is my good
friend, Patriots beat writer for CLNS Media, Evan Lazar. And you know from following Evan on social
media that he is among the best in the business at this type of analysis. Which prospects have
caught his sharp eye? Which would look best in a Patriots uniform? And we'll also get Evan's insight
on the latest news and notes from Foxborough.
So to ensure that you do not miss
a single second of the action,
subscribe to and download
the Locked On Patriots podcast
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wherever you get your podcasts.
Just make sure that you're staying
locked into Locked On Patriots.
Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Sarah Marshall for her time, her insight, and her
appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for making
Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow,
Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to see in the world.
Have a great day, everyone.