Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Slater’s New Deal? Why Patricia? Trade for Brandin Cooks? — Most-Asked New England Patriots Questions

Starting point is 00:00:00 Matthew Slater is still taking team-friendly deals, and there's still some stuff left in the basement. What other burning questions right now surround your New England Patriots? Stay tuned. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. 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.

Starting point is 00:00:51 Thank you once again for making Locked on Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked on Patriots, free and available on all platforms. So smash that subscribe button to YouTube, download, subscribe to, follow Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. smash that subscribe button to YouTube, download, subscribe to, follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate.

Starting point is 00:01:08 I cover your New England Patriots or Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated, so reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL, and while you're out there showing some love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Today's episode brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash Locked On today to get started. Pats fans, one of the great joys of being able to join you each and every day, be a

Starting point is 00:01:44 part of your daily Patriots coverage here on Locked On Patriots, is to take your burning questions and help to provide a little insight. That's what we do here on the Locked On Podcast Network, and I think our panel of experts from top to bottom does it as well, if not better than anyone else in the business. Of course, I'm a little biased. I love my colleagues here at Locked On, and I definitely have respect for each and every one of them. And even though it's been a little while since we've opened up the midweek mailbag or the Locked On mailbag, stay tuned, folks,

Starting point is 00:02:15 because we're going to be doing that again very soon. But I thought it might be fun today on this Thursday to take a look at some of the most burning questions that I've been getting throughout the week from all of you out there. Now, these were submitted by multiple users. So to list every user that submitted this question, probably a little bit too tall of a task for just a half-hour podcast. But these are the popular questions out there for your New England Patriots. And don't worry, folks.

Starting point is 00:02:41 It's not going to be a MacFest. I know we talked a lot about Mac and Zappy lately. These are three other questions that I think Patriots fans will definitely enjoy learning about, if you haven't heard already, and also on some of the burning topics that right now concern your New England Patriots. We're going to dive right into the team captain. And as you heard in our cold open today here folks Matthew Slater is still taking team friendly deals he is still ready to get back out on that gridiron because as Rocky Balboa once told his brother-in-law Paulie and Rocky Balboa Rocky 6 for all of you who were wondering which installment of the franchise that is Rocky wants to get back in the ring because he's still angry over

Starting point is 00:03:25 adrian's death he's got stuff left in the basement that he's got to get rid of well matthew slater doesn't quite have angst that he has to get rid of but there's unfinished business out on the field and he essentially told that to patriots.com this week when he agreed to return for his 16th season matthew said i do believe that my role at this point is not just about covering kicks, blocking for returners. I think it's about fostering culture, building relationships, and pouring into young men. You cannot do that in other capacities, but the way you do that as a player is very different. The way you're able to connect with guys is very different. Matthew Slater takes a great deal of pride in

Starting point is 00:04:05 being a teacher. I don't think there's any question about it. I'm an unabashed fan of Matthews as well as someone who is privileged to be able to cover him on a daily basis for the New England Patriots. He's just one of the great guys that you'll ever meet. He's the same guy in front of the camera as he is away from the camera. He's the same guy on the field, his teammates, as he is in front of his coaches and in front of members of the media. So when he says that he has wisdom to impart to the younger generation on the field, yeah, you can bet that he takes that very, very seriously. And in his continuation of his comments, he essentially said as much. He says, that's something I still have a lot of passion for. and that's something I certainly wasn't ready to walk away from. That factored huge into the decision because I feel like there are certain things that

Starting point is 00:04:50 you can do as a player that you can't do as an administrator or a staff member. Things I felt were unfinished in terms of relationships and culture, so that definitely factored in. Folks, that tells me right then and there that Matthew Slater was not happy walking off the field with such a demoralizing loss to the Buffalo Bills as they had on January the 8th he was ready to come back and impart more wisdom I think he still feels that this team that they put on the field in 2022 had a lot more to do and even though the components are going to be different in 2023 I still believe the core is going to be intact i think it proves that matthew believes that core

Starting point is 00:05:29 is going to be intact and i think he feels that team has a little more to prove and move forward in this league but the big question on everybody's mind is matthew was willing to return for one more season why didn't he maybe hold the Patriots' feet to the fire a little bit? He had the opportunity to do so. He is probably the most famous special teams player in the league, still one of the best at what he does, and in my opinion, a surefire Patriots Hall of Famer, and yes, in my opinion as well, folks, a surefire Pro Football Hall of Famer. But Matthew's still taking pennies on the dollar if you don't mind me saying so compared to his value he agreed to a team-friendly deal 2.52 million in base

Starting point is 00:06:12 salary for 2023 while receiving a 152,500 signing bonus that's 152,000 folks and no additional incentives or roster bonuses have been included with the deal so the value of the contract is going to be a fully guaranteed 2.67 million but our man Miguel was all over this from the beginning I want to give a tip of the cap and a nod to the gods as I always do to my guy Miguel because he predicted almost to the dollar in fact I think it was to the dollar Miguel will correct me when he listens to this. He'll put it on his Twitter page. I know he will.

Starting point is 00:06:48 But I remember seeing a tweet three days before it was reported that his salary cap hit would be $1.3 million. Exactly. $1,317,500. Now, how is that possible, you may ask? Well, I know you all know the answer to how Miguel got it right, because he's always right, folks. We've come to understand that, accept and love it for what it is. The guy's great.

Starting point is 00:07:12 But how did the New England Patriots arrive at that figure? How did Matthew Slater agree to that? Well, given his tenure with the team, Slater's deal designated as to what's called a four-year qualifying contract. And there's the burning question that everybody's been asking. I've been getting that all this week. And of course, scrolling on the bottom of your screen, if you're watching on YouTube, is that question coming across right now. Folks, a four-year qualifying contract essentially works like this. If a player has been with a team for four or more continuous and uninterrupted years upon the expiration of his deal, he'll qualify for a one-year deal that will only partially be counted versus this team's salary cap. Now, this was all outlined in the

Starting point is 00:07:56 most recent collective bargaining agreement. Clubs are allowed to allocate $1.35 million that way and put the sum on top of the minimum salary for a player of the level of his experience. So Matthew Slater's deal at this point becomes a guaranteed $2.67, but it's only going to cost the Patriots $1.3 against the cap. Not bad. The guy is still giving assists every single time. That's a team player. That's a guy you want on your squad. So if any of you were wondering why he continues to take pennies on the dollar he's not really taking pennies on the dollar the patriots are just smart enough to have other people pay for it that's an interesting concept we're going

Starting point is 00:08:35 to revisit that in just a moment because that ties quite nicely into the second most burning question you all have and it involves Matt Patricia. That's right. Patricia the Pariah. We are going to be talking that subject in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel. Folks, the midway point in the NBA season is is here and now is the perfect time to download the fanduel app america's number one sportsbook because new customers get a no sweat first bet up to one thousand dollars that's bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win just download the

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Starting point is 00:09:53 an official sports betting partner of the NBA. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots, taking time out of your busy schedule to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and here today we're not opening up the Locked On Patriots mailbag, but we're discussing three burning questions that are on the minds of a lot of you out there in Patriots Nation. And in the first segment, we discovered why Matthew Slater continues to take pennies on the dollar. Well, I hope I did a fair job of explaining the fact that he's not really

Starting point is 00:10:30 taking pennies on the dollar, simply working out a situation where it's financially beneficial for both the Patriots and he to accept a deal that allows the Pats to double dip into that four-year contract that is awarded to the most tenured players. It's very similar to a Larry Bird-type deal in the NBA. You want to reward guys for sticking around in their franchises, and Matthew Slater has played all 15 seasons that he's played in the NFL, about to make it number 16. But one guy that may not be joining him on the sidelines in that year

Starting point is 00:11:03 will be Matt Patricia. Patricia's contract recently voided by the New England, or recently, I shouldn't say voided, it recently expired as a member of the New England Patriots, and it had been rumored that because of the fact that he was relieved of his duties by higher-ups, I'm not going to say how that happened, or I'm not going to speculate how that happened because I wasn't in the room folks, but essentially Matt was reassigned or told that his services were no longer needed as the offensive line coach. And most importantly, as the offensive play caller, those jobs went to Adrian Clem on the offensive line. And of course, Bill O'Brien as the offensive coordinator, but Matt Patricia and the Patriots may be headed for a permanent

Starting point is 00:11:45 splits bill or at least permanent for the next year. NFL Network reporting on Wednesday that Matt Patricia interviewed with the Denver Broncos for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Denver recently hired Sean Payton, who guided the New Orleans Saints to victory in the Super Bowl a few years ago as their head coach. A lot of pedigree, one of the top free agent coaches available on the market. Well, technically not a free agent, folks. I know technically Denver had to trade for him, but he was out there, he was available, and his services were up for the highest bidder, and Denver ended up winning those. Now, it's interesting to me that he's interviewing with Denver.

Starting point is 00:12:28 Denver right now says they have three top candidates for this job. That's according to the NFL Network report by Ian Rappaport on Wednesday. One of them is Rex Ryan, and we all know the history of Rex Ryan. He didn't come to Foxborough. He didn't come to the AFC East to kiss Bill Belichick's rings. Well, after that, Bill Belichick went on to win three rings rex well let's just leave it at that um when it comes to vance joseph now he's the other top candidate he's a former broncos coach so matt patricia definitely has a lot of competition there but it says a lot about what people believe him to be

Starting point is 00:13:02 especially when it comes to being a pretty adept defensive coach and that leads me to the question that a lot of you Patriots fans have had these past few weeks really if you want to think about it this goes back to last year why was Matt Patricia a defensive minded coach put in charge of the Patriots offense why was Matt Patricia coaching on offense? Well, you can't argue with the results of what happened with the New England Patriots offense. A tumultuous season. It's not going to be remembered with fondness. I don't think there's anybody that's going to look back on this season and say, yeah, the offense looked really good. It didn't. It backfired. It requests from one showing a lot of promise in 2021 to really i think a subpar unit

Starting point is 00:13:47 dwelling among the nfl's bottom teams they were the seventh worst in total yards averaging only 18.1 yards per game that is not going to cut it said we weren't going to talk mac jones we're still not but you can't mention matt patricia without the difficulties that Mac Jones had as signal caller in 2022. He looked uncomfortable throughout the season, big time disconnect between the players and the coaching staff. At times it got so bad. You saw Mac yelling and screaming on the sidelines, a lot of players voicing their displeasure, not sure where to go, not sure what to do. You can't have that in an NFL locker room. You definitely can't have it on an NFL locker room you definitely can't have it on an NFL sideline and it showed far too often this season this past season in Foxborough but in all

Starting point is 00:14:33 fairness the New England Patriots tried an experiment that they thought had a chance to work and again I'm not making excuses for the Pats here but they did have a basis for trying this out it wasn't just a Belichick whim where he just woke up one morning and said, you know what, I'm going to take a coach with no experience whatsoever, put him in the driver's seat. Matt Patricia had some experience on an offensive coaching staff. He started in New England as an offensive assistant in 2004. That's the same year that the Patriots won their third championship against the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2005, Jeff Davidson, who was the offensive line and defense coach, he leaves the

Starting point is 00:15:12 organization. Patricia was reassigned as an assistant offensive line coach under Dante Skarnecchia. If you ever need assistance coaching the offensive line, who is a better consigliere than Dante Skarnecchia? So Matt Patricia had the opportunity to study and learn from the best. And say what you will, I know his tenure with the Lions was not good. It was largely forgettable. 13 and 29 and one tie, a 31% winning percentage. You know, not really something where you're going to really write home about Matt Patricia's head coaching prowess. But as a head coach, you have to have an intricate knowledge of both offense and in defense. You have to be familiar with all aspects of the game, special teams included as

Starting point is 00:15:55 well. So there was an ability for Matt Patricia to maybe make an impact on this offense. He's definitely not an offensive specialist, never was, never will be, but he wasn't quite the novice that everyone is trying to portray and say the Patriots had no basis for this. They did have a little bit of a basis for it. And you have to be fair, at least in that regard, and at least tell the true story about what he was able to do as an offensive coach. That being said, his prowess is definitely on the defensive side of the ball. Six seasons as the Patriots defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. During that span, he wins three Super Bowls with the Pats to his defensive coordinator and presided over a defense in 2016, which led the NFL in fewest points allowed.

Starting point is 00:16:44 That's a pretty good stretch for coordinator. And I know a lot of people are going to point to miscues in Super Bowl 52. That's valid. I don't think that there's anything wrong with pointing out that that was a poor defensive effort, wasting a tremendous offensive output by Tom Brady in that game. But it's one of those things that just didn't work out. But all in all, Patricia is still a very good defensive coach. And I think it's interesting now that you see him interviewing with other teams because earlier we had thought that Patricia would be moving upstairs or back into an advisory role somewhere that would keep him in the booth and not in the sidelines. But here's where it got tricky. And I mentioned getting your other team or another source to help kick in with a contract.

Starting point is 00:17:31 That's essentially what the Patriots were doing with Matt Patricia. After his firing in Detroit, Detroit owed him a certain percentage of his contract each and every year that was left on the deal. And it just so happens that Detroit's financial obligations to Matt Patricia ended at the end of the 2022 season, which meant that if the Patriots were going to keep him around, they didn't have a supplement to his salary any longer. They were going to be on the hook for the whole thing. And I don't know if maybe internal discussions decided it wasn't worth it, or if Matt feels that greener pastures are out there beyond Foxborough, that's something that's pure speculation. I don't have any inside info

Starting point is 00:18:10 as to what that conversation or what that strategy looked like. Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia keep things very close to the vest. So it's very difficult to get on the inside of that brain trust. But ultimately Matt is keeping his options open because he's interviewing with the denver broncos and look this is not an also ran defense that he'd be going to if he does get hired in denver that's a big big coup for matt patricia this is a broncos defense that ranked within or adjacent to the top 10 in most metrics in 2022 they were seventh in total defense and 10th in football outsiders dvoa so you look at what these guys are able to do under matt patricia this could be a defense that even elevates and they don't forget the denver broncos defense did that all in a very

Starting point is 00:18:58 very difficult year for the broncos offense in which russell wilson struggled tremendously i don't think russell's going to struggle like that again. And I think this standard defense can take a step up. So if Matt gets the con there, that's a big, big, you know, feather in the cap for him. It's still a big if because Rex Ryan is a very good coordinator as well. As much fun as I like to have at his expense, you have got to give him his just due of being able to coordinate defense. And Vance Joseph is a lot better at being a defensive coordinator than he gets credit for so big competition there

Starting point is 00:19:29 for matt patricia but it looks obvious or it looks likely that the patriots are moving on and apparently matt patricia is moving on as well and whatever or wherever his role is going to be in the upcoming season folks matt will neither be calling plays nor coaching the offensive line in New England next season and I know that's to the delight of a lot of you out there I can't argue with it Patriots I think are in much better hands with Adrian Clem on the offensive line I think they're in much better hands with Bill O'Brien calling the offensive plays so that would be the reason for the Patriots putting Matt Patricia in that position. And there is a reason why he is no longer in that position as well.

Starting point is 00:20:13 But there's another part of the offense that needs a little bit of work. And I know all of you out there would love to see some new offensive linemen coming in, but the DM questions that we get here at Locked On Patriots really center around one thing, a top flight wide out. We've talked about the need to sign Jacoby Myers, re-sign him, bring him back. We've talked about trading for DeAndre Hopkins at times, but there's an ex-Patriot that might be out there on the market that might make a whole lot of sense for both sides. I'm going to tell you who that is when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, once again, I thank you for joining me on the three burning questions

Starting point is 00:20:56 episode here on Locked On Patriots and getting you all ready for the combine next week. Don't forget, boots on the ground for Locked On Patriots next week. So get your combine questions in. We're going to be doing a special edition of Mock Draft Monday, Combine edition with our man Murph. And don't forget tomorrow, folks, free Agent Friday. You've been clamoring for it. We're going to give it to you. I'm going to have a special guest in here as well to help along with that. So keep your sharp eye focused on Locked On Patriots. But we're going to close today's show with a question about the wide receiver position.

Starting point is 00:21:27 And folks, it is always the hot button issue with Patriots fans. It really has been, even going back to the Tom Brady days. When are you going to get a wide receiver that can take the top off the defense? A real solid perimeter presence. Well, in 2017, a lot of Patriots fans thought we had found that a guy with speed a guy with sure hands a guy with sound field awareness widely considered to be an unbeatable blend of qualities for an NFL wide receiver that wide receiver was New Orleans Saints phenom Brandon Cooks and Brandon was only here for one year unfortunately, it just didn't work out in New England for

Starting point is 00:22:05 his first stint, but might he be up for a second tour of duty? Well, folks, that's the question. That is the question that we get an awful lot here on Locked On Patriots. If it's not dealing with Odell Beckham Jr., or if it's not dealing with DeAndre Hopkins, or if it's not dealing with Jacoby Myers, Brandon Cooks is probably the most popular wide receiver question I get here on Locked On. And some of you may be rolling your eyes and saying, oh, past, we've done that, been there, don't need to revisit it.

Starting point is 00:22:36 But if you take a look at the contractual fit and you take a look at the logistical fit, this one does make a whole lot of sense. And from what we're hearing, the Texans may be willing to move Cooks this offseason. And if they do, they're going to be seeking some substantial draft capital in return. And recently, Pro Football Focus actually did a projection on what a trade may look like. And I think this is a good barometer. I don't think it'll be exact, but this could be in the vicinity of what we could expect to see the Patriots and the Texans work out if Bill Belichick and old friend Nick

Starting point is 00:23:11 Casario sit down in a room and decide that they're going to let this happen. The trade compensation would be this. The Texans would send Cooks and a 2024 seventh rounder to the New England Patriots for a third rounder in 2023. And that may sound like a small haul, but there's a reason for that. Brandon Cook's contract contains an awful lot of guaranteed money, 18 million total guaranteed folks. There's a $36 million extension that he signed in the off season and his contract takes him through the end of 2024 so if you're trading for him you're trading for a good contract call in return that may be a deterrent for some teams because of the guaranteed cost of Cook's contract but you have to keep in mind that this is still a player at 29 years old that can bring it every time he steps on the field 57 receptions 699 yards last year three touchdowns cooks led the

Starting point is 00:24:07 team in receptions and receiving yards keep in mind that houston was an abysmal team last year i mean there's no getting around it i say that with no disrespect they were a team in flux they were a team in search of an identity and just really really struggled the whole year and i agree with some of you who are probably saying right now those numbers that Cooks are putting up not really leaping off the stat sheet but he's maintained his ability to be one of the better receivers in the league throughout his almost his entire his entire career and really if you want to think about it folks throughout his time in Houston don't forget Cooks his first four games in the Texans uniform played for Bill O'Brien as head coach there.

Starting point is 00:24:50 So there is some small familiarity. You have to wonder if that may be an intriguing option for Brandon as well. That could be something to keep an eye on. But throughout his nine-year career, Brandon's been a solid pass-catching option, a speedy one as well, and someone that could absolutely help Matt Jones in the final two years of his rookie deal, but it could help him round into the quarterback that we all believe he could. His season in New England was a special one, and you look back at what he was able to do 65 receptions 1,082 yards seven touchdowns in 16 games started 15 of those he also rushed nine times for 40 yards so you're

Starting point is 00:25:33 looking for someone that can take occasional jet sweep out of the backfield Brandon can definitely do it he finished second on the team only to tight end Rob Gronkowski in receptions and receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. So this is a guy that knows how to find the end zone, knows how to find the yardage, and he's got relatively sure hands to make things happen. He can also get it done in the clutch. We saw him come up big in the Patriots' AFC Championship game appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a game I had the privilege of covering, and I never

Starting point is 00:26:05 heard Gillette Stadium louder than when Danny Amendola caught that ball. Thank you, folks, for indulging me on that. I just love telling that story because it was the loudest I've ever heard Gillette Stadium, but Brandon Cooks had a hell of a game that game. He was very, very good. Six catches, 100 yards, a big reason why the Patriots went to the Super Bowl to face the Eagles. He gets forced from the game early in the second quarter, a pretty nasty hit from Malcolm Jenkins, the Eagles' safety at the time, gets placed in concussion protocol, ultimately ends his tenure in New England. He gets traded in the offseason for a fourth-round draft selection. He and a fourth-round draft selection, excuse me, folks, go to the LA Rams and a draft selection then he and a fourth round draft selection excuse me folks go to the la rims and a first rounder and a sixth rounder come back so the new england patriots were

Starting point is 00:26:50 able to recoup that first rounder yeah it's really tough to be able to say no to a first rounder but it might make your blood boil a little bit more when you remember that they used that first round pick that they acquired in the Rams trade for Brandon Cooks to bring Isaiah Wynn into town. And we all know the fate of Isaiah. Unless things really change and really shock me, we've probably seen him play his last game in New England. Bringing Brandon Cooks back might be a full circle move for the New England Patriots, but I like the move. I think this is a possibility for the Patriots to get a savvy veteran that still has a lot of speed left in his legs and still has the ability to get open. And I think a guy that could

Starting point is 00:27:31 play very well into that yards after the catch, lead the receiver under the defense type offense that you're going to see from Bill O'Brien. And ultimately, I think you're going to see called from Mac Jones on the field so I like this move for the New England Patriots but the contract is going to be where they can do it if they're willing to absorb that type of salary for Brandon services then I think the Texans and the Patriots might be smart to at least pick up the phone and try to work out a deal here and the Patriots still have the seventh most room under the salary cap. Tip of the cap, nod of the gods to our man Miguel, just a little over 34 million, 11 overall draft picks and three in the top 100. So if the Patriots decide that

Starting point is 00:28:16 they do want to dip into the veteran route for a wide receiver, this may be the guy to do it. And they have the draft capital to get this done. So folks, I'm not saying it's going to happen, but keep a sharp eye. And I would give my endorsement to taking a look at Brandon Cooks, maybe a little past his prime, but I think he could be an affordable and very formidable option for the Patriots, and especially someone that's capable of coming in and playing in their offensive system. And bottom line, the Patriots may have a big time meet at wide receiver Nelson Aguilar has probably played his last game in Foxborough Jacoby Myers if they can't work out something before the start of free agency I just have a very funny feeling he's going to get blown away by an offer

Starting point is 00:28:56 he can't refuse and then you're looking at the top of the wide receiver core being in guys like Kendrick Bourne Devante Parker Taequ, Tyquan Thornton, I think has a bright future. I love what I've seen from Bourne in limited sample size. He'll get a much bigger role. It'll be more like the Bourne from 2021 than opposed to 2022. And Devontae Parker, I think takes a step up this year as well. But if the Patriots do want a veteran presence, Brandon Cooks may be the guy that they take a look at. So again, something to consider, but a great question that we received from all of you

Starting point is 00:29:30 here on Locked On. And folks, that is the end of three burning questions here today on Locked On Patriots. I thank you for taking the time to listen to Locked On Patriots and for making us your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is always free and available on all platforms. Smash the YouTube subscribe button and download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots on your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm your host, Mike DeBate.

Starting point is 00:29:58 I thank you for tuning in today. Please continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. And don't forget to join us for free agent Friday here on Locked On Patriots tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great day, everyone.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Slater’s New Deal? Why Patricia? Trade for Brandin Cooks? — Most-Asked New England Patriots Questions

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