Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Stay Safe and Stay Well: Dr. Flynn talks Sony Michel, COVID-19 and the 2020 Patriots - 6/12/2020

Episode Date: June 12, 2020

To say that 2020 has been a challenging year is a massive understatement. The setbacks and complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic are numerous. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Dr. Jessica Flynn of Boston Sports Journal to discuss the NFL’s guidelines for a return to the field amidst the threat of COVID-19. Dr. Flynn also provides her analysis on the recovery of New England Patriots RB Sony Michel. 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. Thank football, it's Friday here on 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. What's happening, Patriots fans? It is Friday, June 12, 2020. 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, your comments, and your feedback, always welcomed. Greatly appreciated. And feel free to 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 saying, how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, it is definitely great to be back on the microphone here with you today for this Friday slash weekend episode of Locked On Patriots, and I'll get into today's subject matter in just a moment. But I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to acknowledge the reason why we paused the regularly scheduled programming across the Locked On platform yesterday, and that was to bring you an exclusive Locked On Podcast Network Black Lives Matter roundtable.

And folks, if you listened to yesterday's podcast, you'll know how powerful, how insightful, and just how passionate this discussion was. Eight of my colleagues, my teammates, men that I'm very proud to call friends. Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints, Aaron Freeman of Locked On Falcons, Tony Wiggins of Locked On Jaguars,

John Hickman and Cody Davis of Locked work for such a great organization like Locked On. That's absolutely the case. Providing the platform to have these types of discussions, which are absolutely necessary in our society, says so much to me about our CEO, David Locke, great members of our front office like Carl Weinstein, Doug Branson, Kylie Young, and Jay Soderbergh. They all truly believe in the initiative of lending our hearts and our voices to those who need it most, so that way we can build a better future.

We can be the change we wish to see in the world. It makes me proud to work with people like that, folks. hearts and our voices to those who need it most so that way we can build a better future. We can be the change we wish to see in the world. It makes me proud to work with people like that, folks. But as I listened to my colleagues tell their very raw, personal and passionate stories yesterday, I came to some sobering realizations. Hearing their stories about the first time they had encountered racism in their lives. So often, those of us who haven't been on the receiving end of any type of racism believe that it's often precipitated by some sort of overt action or maybe even violence.

Something that absolutely shocks you. That is a very realistic and a very unfortunate part of racism. But racism doesn't always come in overt forms. It can be subversive, sometimes so much under the radar that you don't even realize it's going on. As I listened to my friends tell their stories yesterday, I realize that the most important way for me to make a difference in the world is to first listen. Understand the hurt that our friends go through every day.

Understand the fear they live with every day. Understand the anger they have. And for me to do my part, I have to take the time to understand the change they want to see in the world. I assure you folks, it's a change we all want to see in the world. But those of us that are unfortunately and unnecessarily targeted by racism each and every day face a much steeper climb to get to that point. That's where I come in, and I will do a better job of listening to my friends, truly understanding their wants and needs, and determining the best way that I can be of

assistance. Folks, I don't want to give away too much of the content that was shared yesterday other than to say that it was powerful, it was insightful, and it was passionate. I'm so proud to stand beside my teammates. I commend their courage, their candor, and I strongly encourage all of you, if you haven't had a chance to listen to yesterday's podcast, please go back over the weekend, listen to their words, do your best to understand their feelings. That's how we grow and that's how we can start to help one another. Again, I commend everyone involved in putting on a masterful podcast, those that participated, those that were involved in the production, and all of my teammates across all platforms here at the Locked On Podcast Network for sharing this content. Here at Locked On, we pride ourselves on bringing you

your sports team every day, and we take great pride in delivering that to you. But yesterday was a necessary pause. It was a necessary timeout, so to speak. Our voices are stronger together than they are separately. And yesterday, I'm proud to say that the Locked On Podcast Network did a great job in putting that concept into practice. Pats fans, there is an action-packed pod on the docket for you today. Dr. Jessica Flynn joins me here on the podcast today. And Dr. Flynn is one of the leading experts in the field of sports medicine.

You've seen her great work on Twitter and have seen and heard her great content when it comes to the field of sports medicine on platforms such as NBC Sports Boston and the Boston Sports Journal. As we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought it would be a great opportunity to close out the week here on Locked On Patriots with a little discussion on the NFL's guidelines released earlier this week that are designed to help ensure the safety of the NFL, its coaches, and its players.

In Dr. Flynn's words, it's a very thorough plan. But is it a practical plan? Well, that's what we'll be discussing today. In addition, I will also get Dr. Flynn's opinion on news that broke Friday morning, courtesy of ESPN's Mike Reese. And that involves Patriots running back Sonny Michel. And for those of you that haven't heard, Mike reported early on Friday morning that

Sonny underwent foot surgery in May. Now, the procedure was described as minor and maintenance-based, and it was designed to alleviate some of Michel's recent discomfort. And for all of you who are regular listeners here at Locked On Patriots, you know I'm a big proponent of Sonny Michel. I was one of the very few among my colleagues that actually thought Sonny could possibly go to the Patriots in the 2018 draft in the first round. The Patriots took him in the first round.

And there's been a lot of backlash for that. Not so much because of Sonny's ability on the field to produce, but because of the difficulties he's had in staying healthy. Could this change anything with the Patriots' plans to use the running backs more extensively this year? Well, don't forget, folks, their running back depth chart, which we went through here on Locked On Patriots just a few days ago, consists of Sonny Michel, but it also has James White, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden, and Damian Harris.

Now, if Michel is healthy, I believe that he's still going to be a productive feature back in this New England offense, folks. However, it might be smart to keep an eye on Damian Harris. Maybe even a sharp eye, as I like to say. Because if Michelle is expected to miss any significant time, I think Harris could step up and be a big producer in this offense this year. Don't forget, he's an Alabama product, knows how Bill Belichick does business, because Nick Saban does business almost the same way.

This could be Damian Harris' opportunity to make a significant contribution to the Pats offense. Also, this might be an occasion on which you see veterans like James White, Brandon Bolden, and even Rex Burkhead, whose spot on this roster I've questioned as of late. This may make it a little more necessary to keep him on the roster, folks. So again, keep a sharp eye out. If there is any silver lining here for the Patriots, it's that their running back core is extremely deep and they could withstand the loss of a player of Michelle's caliber. Keep in mind, it's not a definite that Sony is going to miss any significant time. In fact, right now, all Mike is reporting is that the Patriots have considered the option

that he may have to begin training camp on the pup list. Also, keep in mind that Mike's sources are describing this procedure as, quote, minor and only designed to alleviate discomfort. But I'm not a medical professional by any stretch of the imagination. Just as luck would have it, folks, we have a medical professional that will join me here on Locked On Patriots in just one moment, and I will get Dr. Jessica Flynn's opinion on Sonny Michel and so much more. Because good health and well-being is going to be a key factor in the Patriots being able

to even think about contending for an AFC East Division title, an AFC playoff spot, or even, dare I say, a Super Bowl, folks. I know, that might be lofty thinking, but you know what? I keep looking at the collection of Tom Brady memorabilia that I've amassed throughout the years, and I just can't help but think of all the success, all the Super Bowls, all the great memories that Tom has given to this region over the years. And I bet you have a pretty impressive collection of Tom Brady memorabilia yourself, right? Well, guess what? Here's an opportunity to add one more. Courtesy of our friends at Nyko Sports, they have an amazing football commemorating the

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And make sure to mention the Locked On Patriots podcast. If you or someone you know and love is a Tom Brady fan, do not miss this opportunity to add this amazing piece of Patriots podcast. If you or someone you know and love is a Tom Brady fan, do not miss this opportunity to add this amazing piece of Patriots and Tom Brady memorabilia to your collection today. Patriots fans, my guest today is among the nation's leading experts in the field of sports medicine. She is a sports medicine physician at the Leahy Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. In addition, she provides sports injury analysis for Boston Sports Journal and sports injury commentary for NBC Sports Boston.

It is my honor to welcome back Dr. Jessica Flynn to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Dr. Flynn, thank you so much for taking time out and joining me today. Thanks so much for having me. Looking forward to it. Pleasure definitely is all mine and the pleasure of my listeners as well, because the wisdom and counsel you'll be able to lend is something I definitely cannot do by any stretch of the imagination. So you are the subject matter expert, and I definitely am honored to have you here today.

First, Jess, on behalf of Locked On Patriots, I wanted to give a much-deserved shout-out to your son, who, folks, is a recent graduate of the eighth grade, off to high school next year. It warmed my heart to see your tweet showing the quote from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick scrolled across of the back of the SUV for your son's honor drive that read, talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling. Well done. Wishing him all the best, and congratulations. It's an

exciting time for you and your family, I'm sure. Thanks so much. Yeah, it was great. And not how we expected it, but equally special. Absolutely. And a lot of what we're going through this year, Jess, is really a result of the difficulties that we've all had to endure. And we will get to that in a moment. You hit on it a little bit. To say that 2020 has all had to endure, and we will get to that in a moment. You hit on it a little bit. To say that 2020 has been a challenging year, it's a massive understatement. The setbacks, the complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, too numerous for me to mention here. And we will discuss that today, folks, here on the pod. But first, I wanted to start with the latest news on Patriots running back Sonny Michel. And as I'm sure that you have seen, Mike Reese of ESPN reported early Friday morning that Sonny underwent off-season foot

surgery, and that was to alleviate some of the discomfort he felt last year. That may have hindered him in his ability to be that feature back that the Patriots drafted him to be, especially in 2019. Jess, Sonny has an extensive injury history. That was always my biggest concern with him. He has the talent, but he also needs to be on the field this year for the Patriots offense, especially with the Pats facing their first season in the post-Tom Brady era. If you could, could you walk us through the type of rehab and recovery that this type of minor foot surgery usually entails, what Sonny is likely undertaking this offseason, and in usually entails, what Sony is likely undertaking this offseason, and in your opinion, could this be a recurring problem that the Patriots should

be concerned about? Yeah, so unfortunately, we don't really know many of the details about what Sony's injury was exactly and what type of procedure he had done. The timing of the procedure is certainly a little bit telling. It's not something that was done right after the season was over. So, you know, it may have been something that he was trying to nurse along, and then finally it just came to a point where they realized this isn't going to get better unless we do something active. So it really, really depends. There's such a wide

array of what could have been done to his foot. It's really very difficult to know. I'm hoping that we get more details, you know, in the coming months. It sounds like he has been rehabbing at the facility. That's a good sign. Not sure if he's in a walking boot or a cast or sort of, you know, where he is right now, if he's able to bear weight. I think as more details arise, we'll know a lot more. But certainly, you know, the preseason is something that's in question for him. Yeah, without question. And again, it comes at a terrible time for the New England Patriots without any question,

because there is that need for the Patriots to have a prolific running attack in order to be successful this year, especially in the post-Tom Brady era. I have a lot of faith in Jared Stidham, and I've been really kind of hitting the Stidham stump, so to speak, for the latter part of the last couple of months here because I really like the more I see on him. But in a lot of ways, his success is going to be tied to a very strong running game. You need to take the pressure off of a quote-unquote rookie quarterback. And for all intents and purposes, Jesse is going to be a rookie. This is his first year as the man in New England.

And for a player that's had his injury history before, now albeit his more serious injuries were not foot-related. They were somewhat foot-related, but, I mean, he had the torn ACL as a high schooler. That really, I think, kind of set the table for a lot of the concerns that Patriots fans have around Sony. Broken shoulder blade cost him four games in 2014 when he was at the University of Georgia. He's had ankle sprains.

He's had knee problems. Even in the NFL, he had to have fluid drained from his knee in August of 2018. He missed the season opener as a result of that. And then he had a left knee injury that caused him to miss two games in October of 2018 as well. So there's been a lot of concern over Sony. And I think this type of news coming from Mike is not really catastrophic when it comes to his ability to be able to be on the field. But I think a lot of fans are feeling squeamish right now

because of the injury history that he has. So even if it does keep him out of training camp, I still think there's a chance that he comes back, and I still think there's a chance that he can be productive this year. But hopefully, you know, that will be the case when it comes to Sony. But thank you for your insight. Medical information that, again, I am in no way qualified to give. You go to the subject matter expert, and you provide it, and I appreciate that.

Earlier this week, the NFL released guidelines to address the manner in which they intend to promote a healthy return to the field in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In your own words and in your evaluation, and folks, I can't recommend highly enough checking out Jess's Twitter feed and reading the thread that she put together on the reaction of Burt Breer's original report of the NFL guidelines. It's phenomenal. It is so informative, so on point, in my opinion, and really kind of gives you the opportunity to think about things that maybe the average human doesn't think about all the time. But in your own words, in your evaluation, you mentioned that the protocol is thorough. They've addressed major risk areas that are controllable in facilities such as ventilation, social distancing, masks, player staff hygiene, surface decontamination, providing PPE, limiting player interaction, high-risk settings. Those are all key components.

It sounds like a laundry list, but folks, each one of these is so vital to maintaining health and success and being able to combat this virus. Jess, with training camp approaching, when you look at the NFL guidelines set forth earlier this week, what types of medical red flags do you see, and how could this impact the overall health of the players and the coaching staff in training camp? Well, I think the main issue is going to be there's this great protocol. It's very thorough. It's very well thought out from the second the players arrive at the facility to the second that they leave, they really have thought of everything. They've thought of every detail. I think much of what they've outlined is feasible. It's going to

be expensive. It's going to be difficult. But I think NFL teams have deep enough pockets and enough incentive to make it happen. It may be difficult to do for a 90 guy roster for training camp so we may see those numbers fall a little bit no I don't think that we're going to know this is one of those things where we can set protocols but as as things change and the virus evolves and and we sort of see regionally what's happening around our country, all of these things can change sort of day-to-day, week-to-week. So the major, you know, elephant in the room, so to speak, is that we really can't control anything that happens outside of the facility.

So the minute these coaches, these staff members, you know, everything from cleaning to food service, the minute all these people leave the facility, you know, the teams can't control their exposures outside of the facility. And so that's going to be the main thing. And right now, we're just not good enough at testing. Our tests are not quite good enough. We're not good enough at sort of timing testing to really be able to definitively say when someone walks into a facility whether or not they've been exposed,

whether or not they're carrying the virus and could spread it to other people within the facility. So that will be the daily threat that something is coming in, you know, as all the workers and the staff and the players arrive at work, no temperature monitoring is going to help. No symptoms questionnaires is going to help enough. It's going to be those asymptomatic carriers who can spread the disease. We do now know who could spread it, you know, among the other staff and then eventually among the players. And that's going to be the major issue. And I'm so glad that you mentioned asymptomatic spreading and asymptomatic contamination and things of that nature.

Again, to quote Tom Cruise from A Few Good Men, I don't know what any of that means, but it sounds pretty bad. And it really does in that respect. I think that when you look at someone being asymptomatic, being a carrier of the disease, and knowing that there's usually a 14-day incubation period before symptoms could even start to show up, this could really end up being problematic for sports teams all over. You may have a relatively healthy team for a good better part of two weeks, and then all of a sudden start to see positive tests popping up, and maybe even in clusters. Is this type of clustering something that NFL fans should worry about, not just in the Patriots locker room, but anywhere really across sports

in general? Is this type of cluster contamination, and I'm probably phrasing that wrong, but I think I think our listeners will understand where I'm coming from. Is that something that sports fans should be worried about in the realm of this disease being contracted by some of their athletes? Well, I think the main the main thing will be how since teams can't control what's walking in the door, they can do their best. Right. They can absolutely do their best and hopefully limit what comes through their door. But if someone does come through their door with the virus and unknowingly spreads it to other people, then it goes back to the protocol of what can we do within the walls of the facility to make sure this doesn't spread any further. And that's going to involve, you know, someone said this, if Patrick Mahomes gets the virus, if he tests positive,

he needs to sit. You know, he dislocates his patella and he comes right back in place, right? But this is one of those things where there is no discussion. He's going to have to leave and he's going to have to be, you know, quarantined until either it's 14 days and he's testing negative or until if he got symptoms, the symptoms go away. So even your superstar players are going to have to sit if they test positive. So that's one thing. So, yes, it can get in, but then hopefully the team can sort of jump on it and limit the spread, mitigate the spread.

I just think, you know, it's not really reassuring that Alabama brought their whole football program back, tested everyone and said, this is super important for us to test everyone, and then let the kids play for 48 hours before the test results came back. And at least five of them were positive. I mean, that is not like a good start to trying to get sports back to normal. You know, what you want to do is test, know the results, and then make decisions on it. But you shouldn't be allowing kids to get together and play or professional athletes to get together to play until you have those results in hand. Absolutely. And I'm so glad that you mentioned that because that's going to lead us very nicely

into what will be my final and probably most extensive question for you today, Jess, because we've discussed the NFL as a whole in trying to find their way back to this quote-unquote new normal. And in just a moment, folks, Dr. Jessica Flynn will provide her insight on how the NFL might handle those positive cases of COVID-19 and what could possibly be done to prevent them during the regular season in the playoffs. But the NFL isn't the only entity entering a new normal, folks. And the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only catalyst.

New England Patriots are entering a new normal, folks. And the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only catalyst. New England Patriots are entering a new normal as well. And that's moving forward after a tough departure. That's right. You guessed it. Tom Brady, the GOAT himself. And folks, I just can't help myself but to keep looking at this beautiful, commemorative Tom Brady football saluting his amazing 20-year run with the Patriots, courtesy of our good friends over at Nyko Sports. This one and only Tom Brady football is fully embossed. Panel 1 has an action shot of Brady with the six Super Bowl championship logos, one for

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It'll be your greatest piece of memorabilia ever. Folks, many will argue the point, myself included, that the NFL takes no offseason. Coaches, teams, organizations work year-round to ensure that they are the best they possibly can be. That means fall, winter, spring, and summer, which is upon us. And if you're like me and you believe in the mantra of our New England Patriots, no days off, summer is the perfect opportunity to ensure that your ride always looks showroom quality. And I

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Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. rockauto.com. Patriots fans, renowned sports medicine physician dr jessica flynn joins me today on locked on patriots and jess i cannot thank you enough for the knowledge that you bring to our airwaves today not just when it comes to sony michelle and the recent information on his foot injury and his rehab and surgery but most importantly when it comes to the covet 19 pandemic and as we said in the previous segment the Patriots find themselves in the same territory as all 31 other NFL teams when it comes to precautions and safety measures in the wake of COVID-19. And you eloquently said earlier this

week that the reality is that the NFL will experience positive cases. We already talked about that in a lot of respects. And regardless of whether or not players or teams as a whole have symptoms, we haven't really seen what teams are going to do with a positive case. You mentioned Alabama and the difficulties that they had with testing and then returning to the field too quickly. We haven't seen any type of tangible evidence as to what the NFL is going to do when it comes to either shutting down a team or what could happen to the rest of the league if and when that happens. In your best estimation, how likely is that scenario and what can the NFL do, if anything, in addition to the guidelines

that they set forth to help ensure the continued safety of its players and coaches into the regular season, maybe even into the playoffs? Well, you know, I think sadly, it's pretty much guaranteed that teams are going to have positive tests. There's no question. You know, a staff member, a player, someone will test positive, probably on most teams at some point. And so it's all going to be about mitigation. And that's where their protocol sort of comes into play, making sure that they have a very good ventilation system. And that truly might mean that some facilities actually get new ventilation systems where they're recycling, you know, they're not recycling, but cycling the air, you know, much more regularly, that they're cleaning all the surfaces, that they're keeping the food.

There's not going to be a buffet line. You know, it's going to be individually wrapped food. They're keeping the players physically distanced. That's going to be tough in small meetings, especially with bad weather. They can't just sit outside, and it's really hard to sort of review film, obviously, outside. So I think they're going to have to get creative with that and if there is a player in test

positive obviously that player if he's a running back that group is going to be have to have to be watched very closely there they're going to have to be even I think you'll see the precautions sort of stepped up if some when someone does test positive particularly around the cluster of players that that player interacts with a lot so I think those are the main things you know masks are going to have to be worn you know in in meetings it'll be safer for athletes to be in masks and the only thing I would say is it will become complicated when teams are traveling because then you have a whole other group of people who have to be watched. The staff that's on the plane, the flight crew, the people who move their baggage, then

you have the whole hotel staff and the food staff at the hotel. And then you're in the new locker room and away locker rooms are going to have to be bigger, and there's going to have to be more space and good ventilation, because the safety of another team is just as important to your own team's safety and health as your own team's safety and health, you know. So I think there are going to be a lot of variables. There will inevitably be positives, but hopefully by keeping everyone as separated and healthy as possible,

they'll be able to mitigate them, you know, and we're going to see players go down. It's going to be, it's going to be hard to see star players not playing. Yeah, it will be. And I think that's a reality that I'm so glad you alerted so many of our listeners here, not just on locked on Patriots, but we have several listeners that either hate listen because they don't like the Patriots or they listen to keep an eye on the enemy.

You know, Jess, you know, I'm a Godfather fan. So keep your friends close, your enemies closer. So we have a cross section of fan bases listening to our show today. And I'm so glad that you mentioned that. That's something I think a reality that all NFL teams, really all sports fans in general need to understand is that there will be a point in time where star players are going to have to be held out because of COVID-19. And that's something I think people need to remember when it comes to the return to play of any sport that you follow. You're going to see that.

So hopefully it'll be mitigated. Hopefully it'll be a very small percentage. We live in hope. But the reality is that this virus is something like we've never seen before. Certainly in my lifetime, certainly in the lifetime of most professional sports fans right now, we've never seen sports shut down that the measures that the NFL have put in place will set a good foundation. But I think we're like minded and thinking that the NFL is not really going to be able to develop a surefire plan to prevent it. It's just a matter of controlling the spread and hoping to contain it rather than actually prevent it until they're able to to put more measures in place. Dr. Flynn, what can I say? I can't thank you enough for coming on today to lend your expertise in the field of sports medicine, especially when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's such a delicate issue for so many across the country, whether you're a sports fan or not, and just hearing some of the insight that you can bring on what we can expect this year from the NFL and what they can expect in terms of either positive cases or having to deal with the health of their players as their primary concern this year, which should always be their concern. No doubt it will be higher than most. I think every one of our listeners should know where to find you because you are one of the most knowledgeable in your field when it comes to sports medicine across Patriots Twitter and across NFL Twitter.

But in the event, we do have listeners that are unsure as to where to find you on social media and where they can find your great work. Please let all of them know where they can follow you and where they can always check out the amazing insight and analysis that you provide. Well, thanks so much for the kind words. You can find me on Twitter. I am at JessDede, J-E-S-S-D-E-E-D-E. And I write for Boston Sports Journal, as you said. So you can always find me there. My articles are always unlocked and sort of open to the public.

So feel free. You can go back and read past articles. I wrote about the NFL returning in the era of COVID. So, yeah, that'd be great. And thanks so much for having me on. This was a great discussion. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for coming on.

And we look forward to having you back on Locked On Patriots, maybe throughout the process of training camp, to see how things are progressing, if there are any medical red flags or concerns that either the Patriots or other teams are facing. And again, the insight that you provide is something that, like I said before, I don't know, but it sounds pretty bad, but you have a way of explaining it so we can all understand. And that's a gift, and I do appreciate it. So we look forward to having you back on.

In the meantime, please, to you and your family, stay safe, stay well, and have a great weekend. Thanks, you too. And so, Patriots fans, we put a lid on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And I sincerely hope that you've enjoyed the content we provided for you here on Locked On Patriots throughout the week and that you're ready to enter your weekend with a little extra energy. But if you find yourself in need of a little more energy

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That's BuiltBar.com, B-U-I-L-T-B-A-R.com, and use promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off your first box. You, too, can eat healthy while indulging in a delicious treat. So don't delay. Make Built Bar your go-to protein bar today. And as for me, I will be back on Monday to bring you the latest news, notes, and analysis from Foxborough.

And as always, we'll be joined by some amazing special guests along the way as well. So if you want to ensure that you do not miss a single episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast, be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Follow us on Spotify. And don't forget, you can always listen to Locked On

Patriots right on your own smart device. How do you do so? Very simple. Just ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart device to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL Draft. Once again, folks, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank Dr. Jessica Flynn for her time, her insight, and her appearance on today's podcast. But most of all, I thank you all so much for listening today and for remaining locked in to Locked On Patriots. Stay safe. Stay well.

Don't be silent. Don't be compliant. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.