Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Still Here: Patriots and Positive Energy - 1/2/2020

Episode Date: January 2, 2020

While most NFL Franchises would consider a playoff berth a rousing success, the New England Patriots and their fans expect much more. With a great deal of doubt surrounding the Pats’ chances of defeating the Tennessee Titans, host Mike D’Abate is joined by Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage to let Pats Nation know why New England is ‘Still Here.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your back to the grind Thursday episode of Lockdown Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate and I am your host of Lockdown Patriots, which of course is a part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Please feel free to reach out to me and follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're at it, please be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Folks, we are just two days away from game day. And as many of you are returning to your daily routine after what I hope was an enjoyable holiday break, your New England Patriots are hard at work preparing for a very formidable opponent in the Tennessee Titans. Saturday evening, 8.15pm, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, wildcard weekend, playoff football in prime time. And if it sounds like I might just be a little too enthusiastic about it, you're right. I am, because it doesn't get much better than NFL playoff football. But if I'm being honest, folks, I've noticed a crack, a fissure, if you will,

in the foundation of Patriots Nation lately. And to me, there's a lot more concern throughout the fanbase than I've seen in quite a while. It's almost as if the majority of Patriots fans are just waiting for that sort of Damocles to drop from over their heads. So in that regard, I wanted to do something to assist you and to help those of you that are feeling some of that wildcard weekend stress. I welcome my good friend and tenured professor of positivity, Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage, and we will discuss why you do not have to be worried about the Patriots' performance, why you should be concerned with having to face the

Titans, and of course, we'll get his thoughts on the future of Tom Brady in New England. So sit tight, folks. Thank you for joining us today, and I hope that you enjoy this edition of Locked on Patriots. But before I welcome Ian in today, we take a quick check on the health of your New England Patriots, also keeping a sharp eye on the enemy status for the Titans as well. Now, it's a new year for the Patriots on Wednesday, but it was status quo on the practice fields. Perfect attendance for New England on their New Year's Day practice. However, the same seven usual suspects from Tuesday's report

were also limited on Wednesday, and that includes Juwan Bentley, Terrence Brooks, Marcus Cannon, Jamie Collins, Julian Edelman, Jonathan Jones, Jason McCourty, all limited in participation as they were on Tuesday. Now it's still a little bit too early to determine the game status for any of these players on Saturday. Keep in mind that five out of the seven listed on the report, with the exception of Terrence Brooks and Jason McCourty, were all active on Sunday versus the Dolphins. As of late, the majority of the Patriots inactives have been healthy scratches. I'm definitely keeping

a sharp eye on Brooks and McCourty. These are two defensive backs that I think the Patriots inactives have been healthy scratches. I'm definitely keeping a sharp eye on Brooks and McCourty. These are two defensive backs that I think the Patriots are desperately going to need on Saturday. Neither one may be 100%, but their presence in this game will definitely help the Patriots defense and also special teams, primarily when it comes to Terrence Brooks. Thursday evening's report should provide some additional details and maybe even some projected game statuses. As always, I'll continue to bring you the latest here on Locked On Patriots, but keep a sharp eye out for any additional details as they emerge.

The Titans, however, had one new addition to their injury report on Wednesday, and that was offensive tackle Jack Conklin, who was listed with a knee injury. He was limited in participation. This has the potential of being significant, folks. Don't forget, Tennessee's offense is so predicated on the run and opening seams for Derek Henry. That means a healthy offensive line. And while my guess is that Conklin will give it a go on Saturday night, if he's hampered at all, it could help the Patriots' defensive front provide better run defense coverage,

and it could also help the Patriots' pass rush, particularly the linebackers and the defensive ends, in getting after quarterback Ryan Tannehill. So again, folks, something to keep an eye on. Another thing to keep an eye on is the status of wide receiver Adam Humphreys. Without question, Humphreys is in the top handfuls of slot wide receivers in this league. He also hasn't participated in practice at all this week for the Titans. Thursday's participation report should be telltale for Humphreys. If he's unable to go in practice, it's highly likely he won't be

able to go on Saturday night, and that is a big loss for the Titans offense going into this game. Tannehill loves going to Humphreys, especially in short yardage and third down situations. If he's absent from the lineup on Saturday, that puts extra pressure on A.J. Brown and Corey Davis. From a Patriots perspective, this allows them to dedicate an additional member of the secondary to either Brown or Davis. So a couple of potential areas for concern for the Tennessee Titans. However, even if both Conklin and Humphreys are out for this game, the Titans still have more than enough on both sides of the ball to give the Patriots all they can handle. And in just a moment, I will be welcoming in Ian Glendon, and we will take a deep dive into the buzz surrounding this

team and get his take on their Saturday night hot date with Tennessee. But first, I have a question for you. Yes, you, listening out there. Are you the type of football fan that knows football so well that you could choose any game and call it? Well, MyBookie is the place for you, because they let you turn all of your sports knowledge into cash in your wallet. It's time to get off the sideline and in on the action with MyBookie. If you're the kind of guy who likes to bet a little and win a lot, try a parlay. For instance, if you like a couple of the big favorites this weekend,

parlays are perfect because they let you bet multiple games together for a much bigger payout. So if you're going to bet this season, do the smart thing and go to MyBookie.ag because no one gives you more ways to win. If you join right now, MyBookie will match your deposit halfway, all the way up to $1,000. That means if you deposit $2,000, you get an extra $1,000 in free money to play with. Just use promo code LOCKEDON to activate the offer. Once again, that's promo code LOCKEDON to take advantage of MyBookie's generous sign-up offer. Visit MyBookie.ag today.

You play, you win, you get paid. What better way to kick off 2020 than to share the microphone today with a good friend and a knowledgeable guest. And this man is both. With your New England Patriots set to host their first wildcard playoff game in over a decade, the Deranged are coming out of the lair in record numbers, folks. But fear not, because my guest today is defending the wall, because we want him on that wall. We need him on that wall. He tirelessly fights the good fight in numerous shows on Full Press Radio, and he is my great friend. Ian Glendon joins us today. Ian, hello.

La, la, la. How you doing, buddy? I'm doing great. Happy New Year, my friend. 2020. This is 2020. That's right. That's right.

And I'm excited for the new year. It's a clean slate. Everyone's undefeated. And what a perfect way then to start the playoffs this weekend, this Saturday. Absolutely. Saturday starts great AFC slate, great NFC slate, going to be a great weekend of football. And we're back in the playoffs. The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs yet again. And, you know, Ian, the Patriots this year have been kind of like the football equivalent of an emotional roller coaster started the season eight no came out smothering defense efficient on offense and most fans were actually thinking that plans for Miami and a trip to Super

Bowl 54 that was a pretty safe bet then came Sunday November 3rd and a loss to the Baltimore Ravens and just like that the Patriots were quote-unquote exposed. They went 4-3 after the bye, including a real head-scratching loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. We'll get into that in a little bit. But a lot of that has been due to some struggles on offense and even defense as of late. And we'll get into those in a minute as well. But more so this season than any other previous season, my friend,

with the exception of these sky is falling fans that just exude doom and gloom no matter what, I've noticed actually a bit of an erosion in the confidence that's usually pretty prevalent in Pat's nation, almost like they're bracing themselves for the worst more than expecting the best. So my question to you is, have you noticed that? And if so, is it really fair to consider that an indictment in the court of public opinion when it comes to this team? No, and yes, I have noticed it. And I think there's a perfectly good reason for it. And this isn't meant to generalize all the fans of this age group or anything like that. But, you know, you think about the Patriots success and how long it's been going on. I mean, you have kids that are in college now that were born after the start of this run.

So, you know, to me, it's just for a lot of people, it's so new that you really don't know how to react. Even if you were, you know, born, you know, in, say, the late nineties, early two thousands, you really don't remember those early runs. And, and, you know, people talk about this Miami game as being one of the worst losses. Well, it's like, you know, I remember a 12 and one Patriots team getting run over by a one in 12 Dolphins team in 2004. Now, again, I think the 2004 Patriots were maybe a better team than the Patriots that we have this year. However, the circumstances were very similar. I mean, obviously that one was in Miami, but I don't know.

It's weird because, again, if you're 17, 18, 19 years old and all you've seen and the only recollection you have of the Patriots is having a first round by then I understand why people are freaking out uh right now but in reality this is really not anything to freak out about I mean what what are they really freaking out they have to play an extra game you know this is a this is a franchise that is is has some very uh impressive winning streaks in their history I mean the fact that people are are losing it over the fact that they have to win four games versus three is a little mind mind-boggling to me but uh again i i do like to put a positive spin on a lot of things so maybe that's just my positivity coming out but um no i i think i think you're right though i think there is a a bit of an erosion of confidence and uh it's hard it's hard not to uh i don't know it's hard to combat it because again some people just don't know anything other than a first round by

or you know super bowl appearances or not playing in the wild card but it is what it is absolutely and and how patriot like of you to say it is what it is quoting the great bill belichick at the podium there. But no, I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head when it comes to that. The New England Patriots have known really nothing but mostly success for the past 20 years. You talk about the decade and everybody, of course, was retrospectively looking at this past decade, the 2010s and all the success that the Patriots had. Three Super Bowl titles, division titles, conference titles. Well, you take a look at the previous decade and they had similar, if not as better production.

So it's really, I think, a matter of just coming to grips with the fact that this team has to play on wildcard weekend. It's amazing to me that some fans are acting like this is a one in 15 season. It's a complete failure. How could they have to play on wildcard weekend? Well, look, there were about 25 other fan bases right now in the NFL that would be chomping at the bit to be where the Patriots are right now, hosting a playoff game in the first round and coming in and facing a formidable Tennessee Titans team. And don't worry, we will discuss the Titans in a moment, folks. But you mentioned the loss to the Dolphins and how that was a worst loss that, quote-unquote,

a lot of the fans are seen to be quoting. But it was surprising. There's no question about it. Tom Brady had his difficulties. Stephon Gilmore struggled to contain Devontae Parker. And the red zone defense couldn't make the stop late in the game. That's something we're not used to seeing this defense do. All of those were factors in the loss. And I did mention earlier about quote unquote being

exposed. We love to hear that term when it comes to the Patriots, but I've been saying all season long here on locked on that the game planning and the talent on this team are solid. To me, their struggles tend to be more about execution of all the major concerns, meaning execution on the offense and the difficulty getting stops on the defense, which do you believe was more of a mirage on Sunday? Meaning which of these was quote unquote just and does the other worry you heading into Saturday? I think I'm answering this question right. I think my answer would be Stephon Gilmore because I don't think I mean, I think can all recognize that he didn't have you know a great game especially by his standards and you know a lot of that you have to credit Devante Parker because he really made Stefan Gilmore work and he got the

best of that matchup for the most part and um that's something to me I look at that and I'm like that I would be willing to to bet a a large sum of money that that won't happen again. So in that sense, I'm kind of like, OK, well, you know, right off the bat, especially against the Dolphins, for whatever reason it is, if they lose a perplexing game or a head scratcher to the Dolphins, I don't necessarily put a lot of weight into it in a vacuum. Now, again, I can jump into the X's and O's and pick out things that are concerning. But those are general generally trends that, you know, you see outside of the Dolphins game.

And I think that's what you're alluding to. So in that sense, obviously, offensive consistency far too often. They look good for a few drives and then they stall out. So you want to see more consistency by the offense. The fact that they lost to the Dolphins I'm not too concerned about because, you know, to me, I hated the fact that people were already saying that they had nothing to play for. And I think that's ridiculous because the Dolphins had everything to play for

in this game. Obviously, coming in and beating the Patriots and preventing them from getting a second round by is quite the icing on the cake for a season that started off very negatively, but towards the end was very positive. And this is also a team that was playing really well for the better part of six or seven weeks now. So, you know, a team that was averaging close to 30 points a game, an offense that was putting up over 400 yards a game came in and, you know, they beat the Patriots and they had a lot of motivation to do so. So this idea that they just because they weren't in the playoffs, they weren't playing for anything was is ridiculous. And you know what? Maybe the Patriots did take them lightly because across the board,

they just didn't bring their A game. And, you know, it's unfortunate that it happened, but it doesn't, you know, I don't have to look back too far to realize that this team is certainly capable of beating good teams. Just go to the week prior when they beat the Buffalo Bills, a much better team, in my opinion, with the division on the line, which, again, I think is far more important in the end than a first round by. So I think you just got it. You got to pick apart the X's and O's, find out what didn't work for the Patriots specifically and not worry so much about the

fact that they lost to the Dolphins, because there is a misconception about who the Dolphins are right now that has led to this over-the-top worry from Patriots fans and over-the-top excitement from the haters across the board. Without question, seldom wrong and right again, my friend, and you made such great points. And a couple that I want to expand upon or expound upon, I should say. First of all, you mentioned Gilmore and you mentioned the game that he had against Devontae Parker. And I do agree with you in every aspect of that. I think if you take a look, especially having the opportunity to review the All-22 the last couple of days and seeing a lot of the play calling and how that worked.

Stephon was in coverage a lot of the play calling and how that worked. Stefan was in coverage a lot of times. There were just certain circumstances where I think he allowed a little too much separation between he and Parker, and it's impossible to make some of the tackles with the separation he was getting. You got to put a lot of that credit on Parker. Stefan has played a lockdown season so far in 2019. I do not believe that Sunday's game took him out of contention for defensive player of the year. I know some people are saying that. I think that's ludicrous. I think if you look at what he's

done from start to finish, he's a big part as, you know, for the success of the defense for the New England Patriots as anybody. So I do believe that was probably a mirage, and that's exactly what I was referring to. He answered that perfectly. And it's exactly what I was looking for. The other point that you made that I really wanted to expound upon was the issue about the Patriots and getting on, you know, some of the offensive struggles and the defensive struggles that they've had. I think that when you look at what this team has been capable of doing, you know, time in and time again, you know, time and time again. You know, they've had the success that they've had because they've been able to sustain that.

Miami, you mentioned coming in here, playing a heightened game and being motivated to win. That's something I've heard a lot of as well. And I think a lot of fans are not really realizing just how motivated Miami was coming in to this game, wanting to win. They're trying to erase a 43, nothing drubbing in their own home stadium to this team in week two. A lot of people don't think of those things and they say, well, all right, you know, it was in week two. Well, let's face it, Miami, that's all they were playing for is revenge for week two. They weren't coming in to this game, knowing that it could affect their playoff status or their standings or anything other than that. They were going to finish where they were going to finish, win or lose. So their motivation was to show this team, we're not the same pushover

that you pushed around the last time. We can fight back and we're going to earn your respect. Ryan Fitzpatrick, there were reports after the game that he was texting friends and celebrating, and these guys were very motivated. If you don't think Brian Flores was in that locker room using that 43-0 loss as motivation all week long to a rejuvenated and more bought-in Miami Dolphins team, thengnostication of doom to come. Take a look at that and realize that these guys were probably paying at a heightened level and maybe at a level that the Patriots did not expect. So great answers and great stuff, Ian. I appreciate that. Your insight is always stellar, my friend.

It's why I bring you on here. We're good buddies, but you do bring it every single time you're here that I appreciate it. And in just a moment, I will put Ian on the hot seat. And get his thoughts on the Tennessee Titans. And what the Pats can do to cool off a team. That's as hot as anyone heading into the playoffs. Once again.

The Patriots and the Titans are ready for a playoff battle. On Saturday in Foxborough. And Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage and I. Have been discussing the Pats as a concept really. But let's put that into action and Ian obviously this Titans team comes in playing very well they're one of the best second half teams in the NFL in 2019 Ryan Tannehill yes I said Ryan Tannehill has been a breath of fresh air he's injected new life into this offense and I say that with a lot of compliments

and a lot of sincerity behind it. He really has been great. Derrick Henry is perhaps the toughest and most versatile running back in the NFL. And defensively, they're pretty stout at stopping the run, this Titans team. And even though they struggle with pass defense, they might be getting a boost with the return of Adore Jackson in the secondary, who's been out for the majority of December. Ian, if you had to narrow it down, what is the X factor for the Pats offense to put points up against the Titans? And what is their X factor on defense to keep Tennessee out of the end zone? You know, look, you got to feed Nikhil Harry. He's the biggest X factor, I think, on this Patriots offense

because of his athleticism and just the unknown. I mean, really, we're just scratching the surface when it comes to what he can do in this offense. And we've seen a very strong effort from McDaniels and Brady to to get him more involved down the stretch. And by all the indications, he he says he's more comfortable in this offense so um he's gonna have to he's gonna have to be that difference maker because we can all see how hobbled uh Julian Edelman is um he'll never admit it he'll never say it he'll never show it on the field um intentionally uh but I think it's all safe to say that he's been holding himself together uh through tape and and duct tape and whatnot and glue here and there throughout the entire season. So, yes, he's going to be able to come up with some big catches and, you know, he's going to make the plays.

But the Patriots just need someone else from that offensive wide receiver group to start stepping up and making consistent plays. And Nikhil Harry's got to be the guy. You know, he's the first round pick. He's got some games under his belt. Now he has shown some steady progress there. We've seen flashes of what he can do with the ball in his hand and, and watching, excuse me, watching him on those, uh, jet sweep type of plays and little, uh, running type plays that are designed for him are exciting when the blocks get made and he gets open field to make some make some moves because again he's an athletic kid who really can be a huge x factor for this offense and um you know defensively it's it's just containment uh with that front seven whether it's derrick henry or ryan tannehill we talked about this a little bit on our morning show today it's not so much just this the heavy

running from derrick henry and the ability for that team to run with the running back it's it's being able to keep that quarterback ryan tannehill from from making plays especially on third and seven third and eight third and long those type of downs where it looks like you're going to come up with a big stop but nothing is more back backbreaking than a breakdown of an offensive play leading to Brian Tannehill scrambling for eight yards in a first down. And for the Patriots to win this game, they can't let those things happen. If that starts happening early, then you know it's going to be a tough, tough game for the Patriots to win because you just can't sustain that type of play defensively and allow the Titans to move the ball at will. Cause the more they move the ball at will,

the more confidence that they have, the more confidence that they have, the more freely they're going to play. Like they're coming, they're, they're coming in with, with no pressure whatsoever. They're coming in to play the Patriots who are,

you know, according to a lot of people, you know, and I say this very obviously sarcastically or whatever, they're coming in a are, you know, according to a lot of people, you know, and I say this very obviously sarcastically or whatever, they're coming in wounded. You know, the Patriots are limping into the playoffs when, look, the Titans have every opportunity in the world to make a huge impact. They were left for dead after a few weeks of Marcus Mariota. And now they look like and they have been one of the best teams, if not the best team

in the league for the last eight weeks. So, look, the Patriots just got it. They got to do the simple things right. And that will lead to them containing Brian Tannehill. Stay in your lanes. Keep, you know, don't get overpowered. I mean, if they get overpowered on the line, then I mean, you can you can wave goodbye and they won't beat the Titans because, again, Derrick Henry is that good.

And this offense is that good when they're rolling. You just can't let them get that get to that point. Yeah, absolutely. And I agree with you on both counts. I think Harry is the X factor on offense in this game, I believe. And I talked to Tyler Rowland, who hosts Locked On Titans here on the Locked On Podcast Network for Crossover Wednesday yesterday. And we talked about X-Factors and, you know, different types of players that could step up in the absence. Well, not the absence, but in, you know, the reign of having Julian Edelman and James White heavily covered.

And Harry was the guy that I mentioned first. And really, I think most Patriots fans and insiders agree that this is the opportunity for him to have that type of a big game, whether it be scoring on the jet suite, whether it be, you know, going up, making contested catches, which is something that Harry is definitely adept at doing. I don't think he's had the opportunity to have too many of them this year, but when he's gone and done that and contested for a catch, he can come down with it. He's tough, he's physical, and he provides that type of uh of size and speed and strength to be able to make those plays another x factor on offense believe it or not and this may raise eyebrows but to those of you that have been following the patriots it shouldn't to me is going to be a landon roberts yeah blocking and fullback i think he is a guy right now that has

stepped into a role that nobody thought he was going to step into. Probably Landon himself didn't realize he was going to step into this role, obviously with the loss of the fullbacks in this team. And they're down to their third option, essentially. But when you take a look at what he's been able to do when he's blocking and effective as a fullback, it opens up the running game so much. And again, the Titans defense has been pretty stout in defending against the run. That's their more, you know, comfortable way to be able to defend their past defenses struggled

a little bit, but if Roberts can get blocks and can get, get them in key moments, I think that's going to open up things a lot on the defensive side of the ball. I think again, a Landon Roberts is an X factor here because as a linebacker, he's going to have to come in and provide coverage and help with that defensive front. Lawrence guy to me is the X factor on this, uh, this, this defense. I think he's going to have to have his best game of the year. He's been trending in the right direction. Guy has been tremendous, especially in the second half of the year, really helped to transform the Patriots run defense. Danny Shelton, obviously Adam Butler, but I look for Roberts to come up as that linebacker and come up and help to stop the run, try to stack the box because you know that the Tennessee Titans are going to try to run outside the lines. You know, they're going to try to move the ball and not necessarily run it up through the middle. They're going to anticipate that the Tennessee Titans are going to try to run outside the lines. You know they're going to try to move the ball

and not necessarily run it up through the middle. They're going to anticipate that the Patriots are going to stack the box in this one. That, to me, is where a guy like Roberts is going to be so valuable and so helpful. So Patriots front seven definitely has to have their best game. I look for a big game out of the linebackers as well. Lastly, my friend, before I let you go, and I do appreciate everything and all the insight that you've lent so far, the Patriots are definitely hoping for a deep playoff run and

the Pats fans are hoping for it as well. But this collection of teams that lay in front of them and a trip to the Super Bowl, that's going to provide a tough road. And believe it or not, Tennessee is talented enough to end that run before it gets going. We've outlined some of the great opportunities they've had and some of the great talent they bring to the table here, even though we hope that isn't the case. If that happens, you know, the speculation machine is going to kick into gears that we have never seen before. And this is one of the big reasons why I brought you on here today, buddy, is to put this question to you. You know what I'm referring to.

If the Patriots lose, could this be the final time we see one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. in a Patriots uniform? No. And I wish I was on video because I would uh dancing and doing a jig right now uh holding up signs that say no no no no this whole like what our listeners were looking for i mean i i still to me obviously i i don't know everything i'm not going to sit here pretend like i do but um i i feel like i i know enough or at least enough to make a very educated opinion on this matter. And look, I mean, this this all this speculation, if you remember, started by that random comment by Adam Schefter about Brady selling his house.

And that that spurned this this snowball effect that that's really taken off for the last two or three months or whatever. And really, if you go back to that original comment there was there was nothing concrete about it it was just adam schefter you know playing a character um on tv saying something that caused the stir so of course people roll with it well you know he sends what bought a house in connecticut so i i'm not really sure what the reason for buying a house and and making that seem like he's getting prepared to move on from the patriots i don't know how that's connected and then from there that should have ended speculation because you know again outside of the fact that yes you know they say he's going to be a free agent okay that that's great but how my my whole thing has always been

how does it make any sense for from either party whether it's tom brady at you know what would be 43 years old entering next season? Why would you move to another franchise? Why would you go to the Chargers? I mean, that seems to be a team that everyone's kind of, you know, zeroing in on. It's like, OK, why would you go to a team that has terrible ownership, doesn't really have a home and is consistently underachieving and not reaching

their potential. That doesn't make any sense. You're not going to go to the 49ers. They have Jimmy Garoppolo. And again, in a perfect world, that would be the only thing in my mind that would say, OK, Tom can go home, home, quote unquote, to the Bay Area. And I get that. But from a San Francisco standpoint, that doesn't make any sense. For the Patriots, assuming that they don't know something about Jared Stidham that we don't know, like who are you going to have under center next year? You know, just stop right there and think about it. Who are you going to have under center next year?

Jared Stidham? No, you're absolutely right you're absolutely right sounds rhetorical but i mean it's it's it's really i mean those are the questions that you have to answer so when you start thinking about it logically the fact that it just doesn't it doesn't compute you know the the math doesn't add up in in this situation and so to me the only the only scenario where he isn't playing for the Patriots next year is if he retires. And to me, I put that at such a low percentage because, again, this guy's been saying a very specific age for a very long time. I don't think one, quote unquote, down season, as people want to say it, is enough to get this guy to, you know, lower his head and run away.

I mean, he's not going to retire after this. You know, maybe if they go on this run and win a Super Bowl, you know, maybe that percentage goes up a little bit. But even then, I wouldn't put too much stock into that. And if he decides to retire, you know, so be it. But in terms of him moving on and going playing for another team, that to me, that is ludicrous. I know we've used that word a few times this episode, but to me, that is ludicrous. And I would I would fully expect number 12 to be under center next season in Foxborough. And I agree with you. And I addressed this a little bit in our mailbag

episode on Tuesday. And that was one of the questions that was put to me. Is Brady going to move on? And to me, the essence of it is exactly what you captured. Where is the best opportunity for Tom to succeed? And where is the best opportunity for him to win? I don't think any place other than New England provides him with either one of those opportunities. Success, meaning the opportunity to run a prolific offense and be able to dictate exactly the type of game and the type of tempo he wants to play and winning. Obviously, you know, new England's track record speaks for itself in that regard. So to me, that's why it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for him to move

on. The only possible explanation would be as if he's truly unhappy in new England. And I don't get that vibe from Tom. Anytime that you've seen him talk, anytime you've seen him make any type of comments, I think you can probably read body language a little bit better. People will try to point to any type of thing, whether he answers a question a certain way or whether he looks at the scoreboard a certain way. People are going to try to, you know, analyze his body language. To me, I think that does a disservice to Tom. And I think that does a disservice to themselves too, because I think they're wasting time. So ultimately we'll see neither Ian nor I have the answers in this situation. Folks, again, as I said on Tuesday here on Locked On, it is speculation. We're giving you our opinion. And I'm glad to see that once again, my friend, we're like-minded. So that being said, Ian, you're a great man, a great friend. I always appreciate your candor, your insight.

I know you'll be closely covering the game this weekend, as will I. I thank you for the words of wisdom on this matchup with the Titans. Folks, follow him on Twitter, at IGLEN31. Find his great work and the work of all of the great writers at FullPressCoverage.com. Also on the airwaves on shows

like FPC NFL Pre Game, FPC Radio Live, and FPC radio live cheap pop and the bread, the big bad Bruins podcast with Chris Blackie, who is a good friend of ours as well. And they provide a great listen there. I highly recommend it for all fans that spoke to me and thank you for joining me today, my friend.

It's always an honor. Always my pleasure. Absolutely. And I can't wait to do it again, hopefully to preview another game next week absolutely and we look forward to that and hopefully the patriots still got a little more gas left in the tank to extend this run but all in all uh enjoy the game and a very happy new year to you my friend thank you and you too and as for me i will be back to give a final preview for this

pats titans wild card weekend showdown in Foxborough. And of course, I will offer my game prediction on this playoff matchup. Also, I might just have a special guest joining me. So stay locked in to Locked On Patriots, folks. As always, please join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Ian Glendon for his appearance today,

but most of all, I thank you so much for listening. Best wishes, and have a great day, everyone.