Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Supernatural Sunday: Patriots Get Paranormal by Pasting Panthers 24-6 — 11/9/2021

Episode Date: November 10, 2021

While the New England Patriots played their Week Eight contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on Halloween, it was Week Nine in which they would make their opponent, the Carolina Panthers, see ‘ghosts.’ On a day in which most eyes were fixed upon former Patriot and current Panthers’ cornerback Stephon Gilmore, it would be his Foxboro successor J.C. Jackson who would steal the show on Sunday. The soon-to-be 26 year-old intercepted Carolina quarterback Sam Darnold twice, including an 88-yard pick-six as the Patriots defeated the Panthers 24-6 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to break down the Pats big win in Week Nine.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.GetupsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50¢/gallon cash back on your first tank.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Tuesday, November 9th, 2021. But here on Lockdown Patriots, it's still Victory Monday. I know, folks, I'll explain in a minute. But in the meantime, keep it right here on your daily home for news, notes, and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

And once again, Locked On listeners, thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this Tuesday but Monday episode of Locked On Patriots. Fear not, I'll explain in just a moment. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

your team every day. And, folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much encouraged. So share your feedback. Send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Tuesday traveling

through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Pats fans, once again, it may be Tuesday on the calendar, but it is still hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. Some technical issues prevented yesterday's show from being published on time, but I assure you, both Murph and I were at the microphone on Monday, and we were breaking down the Patriots' 24-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte.

And while the Patriots' opponent on Halloween was actually the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8, Week 9 would be the week where the Pats would make their opponents see ghosts. That's right, doing it to Darnold yet again. On a day in which most eyes were fixed upon former Patriots cornerback and current Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore, it would be his Foxborough successor, J.C. Jackson, who would steal the show on Sunday.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old intercepting Carolina quarterback Sam Darnold not once, but twice, including an 88-yard pick-six as the Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-6 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Mack Jones, not his best game, but not a terrible game either. 139 yards, one touchdown, one pass, which was ironically intercepted by Gilmore, but it was the Patriots' running game that would be their strength on offense. 151 rushing yards collectively for the Patriots on Sunday, including a touchdown by Damian Harris, Brandon Bolden, Ramondre Stevenson all playing well. Defensively, the Patriots solid in all three levels, holding Darnold to only 172 yards passing with three interceptions,

zero touchdowns. So all in all, the Patriots making a strong showing, moving to five and four on the season, and dare I say, moving back into the playoff hunt. But that's just the surface. Fear not, Pats Nation, because Thomas Murphy, the legend himself, will be joining me here in just a moment on the hot seat, and we will break down the Patriots' victory, what it means for their playoff chances. And if Murph's in the house, you know we're going to talk a little Brandon Bolden, especially the potential impact of a couple of key injuries at the running back position that might, in fact, be something to keep a sharp eye on this week.

Tons to talk about, tons to break down. So without much further ado, let's welcome in the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy joins me here on this hashtag Locked on Murph Monday, Tuesday episode of the Locked on Patriots podcast. Hello again, Patriots fans. This is Mike DeBate with an incredible app everyone who buys gas needs to know about. GetUpside. Just download the app for free, then use the promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50 cents per gallon cash back on your first tank. Some people who drive a lot are making as much as $200 to $300

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your New England Patriots are enjoying a victory Monday and here on lockdown Patriots. We're really enjoying Mondays. Not that we don't always enjoy Mondays, but a victory Monday when it's a hashtag locked on Murph Monday, it's fun times all around because you guessed it folks. He is here. He is ready to roll your favorite and mine my benefactor in this business and the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag the count of murphy fisto himself the legendary thomas murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on locked on patriots thank you for coming to me in friendship thank you for coming

to me in victory but most of for coming to me in victory, but most of all for joining me today, Don Murph. Oh, always my pleasure, man. It's an Emerald Green kind of day. We love it. We love it. Keys were turned. Good things happened.

A couple of bad, bad little hiccups there, but other than that, man, I'm a happy camper. I am a happy camper. Thanks for having me back, Michael. Oh, are you kidding me? This is the hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. You own the day here on LockedOnPatriots. We wouldn't have it any other way, and the listeners absolutely love it. And Murph, we're making a habit out of this. This is pretty good. Victory Mondays are becoming the norm again here in New England, and for the first time in a long while, there's a lot of optimism

surrounding this team. They currently the cusp of playoff conte the playoffs began today, make the cut. So an era o New England surrounding t solid day running on the collectively between Damia Stevenson and your man, B to impress people on the defensive side of the ball.

But there are a lot of game balls that could have been handed out. But I don't think you can really slight J.C. Jackson on this one. I don't think anybody is going to be grudges to that. Two interceptions, one of them for an 88-yard pick-six. The other, actually, to me, was the more textbook of the two. And I'm not taking anything away from what JC did in the pick six. Remarkable speed, great vision. But there was something about that interception in the end zone of Darnold

that was just textbook. If you're a cornerback, and back in the day when I was in much better shape, that's the position I played, that's the type of play you want to make on the ball that's something that you show the team and you show in a video but you know what let's let's get right into it Murph I think everyone in Patriots Nation right now is figuring that this team is a playoff caliber team and it's hard to argue following that one and three start to the 2021 season. The Patriots are winners of four out of their last five games, including back-to-back road wins, Chargers last week, Panthers this week. What, in your opinion, has given this Patriots team that marked improvement that they're seeing that's allowing them to climb their way back

into the AFC standings? Well, it's identity. They finally embraced who they are. We've been saying since preseason that this is going to need to be a run-first team, that they're going to have to ground and pound. Four yards in a cloud of rubber pellets was the recipe to get this team into the playoffs, and they have. They finally embraced this over the past three or so games. We've seen the offensive line come together for the most part. They're working well. There's, as I said, a couple of hiccups there that kind of rattled some teeth and might have rearranged a few internal organs on young McCorkle Jones this weekend.

But other than that, this is what this team is. It would have been nicer to have seen a couple of more completions. But other than that, the ground-and-pound game plan that they came out with that I talked about and using these running backs out of the backfield as pass catchers is the way to the future, is the way to playing ball in December and January. Absolutely, completely 100% agreed. And it is the blueprint to be able to play that type of ball

and move forward into the postseason. agreed and it is the blue to play that type of ball the post season and you k these teams and whatnot a the buffalo bills necessa not look like the formid everyone assumed that they dropping to five and thre dropping a game to the Ja

not to say that Buffalo is done or that they're, you know, beyond by any stretch of the imagination. This is still a very formidable team that theoretically, I mean, they face a tough gauntlet, but they could run the table. I mean, this is a team that has talent on both sides of the ball. So nobody's counting Buffalo out of this yet, but no team in the AFC has emerged as that dominant force where in years, Murph, and a lot of times it used to be the Patriots, you would sit there and say, OK, well, the first spot is out of reach, but maybe we can catch this team. Maybe we can catch that team. You're not seeing that in the AFC this year. And the way the Patriots are playing, it could end up meaning good things.

So that was really, I think, the biggest takeaway from the game yesterday. And the fact that the Pats have gone on the road and done all this and other teams are faltering at home and on the road, it's really a sign of a ray of hope. Let's put it that way. Yeah, absolutely. Without any question. is a ray of hope beyond belief for the New England Patriots, their fans, and the organization who did not take kindly to being on the outside looking in when it came to a playoff spot last year. This team definitely is looking to make the postseason, and they're definitely looking to erase that bad taste in their mouth. Murph, obviously, there were a lot of great plays yesterday, but again,

we talked a little bit about JC Jackson. We talked a little bit, you know, about what this team is doing well and how they're moving forward. But two things that I continue to be impressed with when it comes to this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball, is their ability to increase their production when it comes to pass protection or pass. We'll get to the O-line in a minute, folks. That's a little bit of a Freudian slip. But their ability to rush the passer, get after the passer, and really the synergy that is forming between Matt Judon and Christian Barmore.

And we talked about this a little bit last week. But, you know, the fact that these guys have been able to find that right blend of man and zone coverages, that in a lot of ways has been facilitated by the fact that Judon and Barmore consistently are getting the pressure on the passer, and they're also contributing in the running game as well. Bill Belichick was very effusive in his praise last night for Christian Barmore, really emerging as one of the top rookies in the league on the defensive side of the ball. Murph, when you look at this tandem now, not so much down the line because it's tough to look into that Belichickian crystal ball, but what are these guys doing so well that's helping to make this defense so efficient? acting. It's amazing the way Barmore sees the field from his position. Of course, Judon has just been

a massive weapon to use. When he's unleashed, it's truly been unreal. There is no play where you go back and you look at the film where this man is not either getting into the quarterback's face, he's getting into a running back's midsection, or being held on every single play. It's A, B, or C, I talk about the laundry every week. The laundry that is not thrown at whoever is trying to impede this young man from getting to the position he wants to be in, which is usually the quarterback's face or, as I said, the running back's midsection, is unbelievable.

He is literally held on every single down. And Barmore is just getting better and better and better. And as Bill builds up trust in him and allows him to do more things, we saw this early in the game. He made a big statement early in this game and just kept on going. And as Bill trusts him more and lets him, puts him on the field more, you're just going to see it again and again. It's a fantastic find. This may be the best second round pick that the Patriots have ever made. Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, just his ability to push the pocket, be able to spend the amount

of time that he's spending in that offensive backfield and folks for a guy like Christian Barmore with his size and his skill set that's not an easy task he makes it look easy but it's not easy to maneuver in a large individual exactly and you're beating offensive linemen that are pro caliber and he's making them look like you know he's been beating these guys for years I still have to remind myself each and every time I see this kid take the field that he's a rookie because he just plays with such poise, such he's blowing up his own players to go make a tackle. Absolutely. Without any question. And because of that, I think in a lot of ways, you know, the New England Patriots, like you said, are without question happy with the selection. But at the same time, you have to start looking at this kid as being one of the best uh you know second round selections that this team has ever made and getting him

at number 58 absolutely looks like a true steal for the i was asked i was asked this week if um this past draft was the best in patriots history it's a bit early to to say that but if this keeps up for another three or four years that's exactly what we might be looking at yeah absolutely without any question and of course another big part of that Patriots draft is the guy they took at number 15 good old McCorkle Jones as you'd like to point out I would like to point out that Mac's first name is actually Michael believe it or not so I like to take that in common with the young rookie QB. But at the same time, Mac is starting to get maybe a little bit of a Spursian cast his

way. Is that warranted? And what are Murph's thoughts on the play that everybody outside of New England is talking about right now? And of course, you knew Murph was here and you knew we were going to talk about it. Brandon Bolden talk when this Monday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, does this sound familiar? You've got one device that lets you catch the game live, another device that lets you

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experts. Patriots fans, once again, the legendary and I say it with every ounce of sincerity, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. It's not only Victory Monday here on the pod, it is hashtag

Locked On MurercMonday. But, you know, it's hard to take away from difficulties, or I should say it's really difficult to talk about a victory and have to talk about a subject that, I don't know, I really just don't know what to make of it at this point. But, you know, you know what I'm talking about. And for the benefit of those of you listening that don't know what to make of it at this point. But you know what I'm talking about. And for the benefit of those of you listening that don't know what we're talking about yet, yesterday, Mac Jones was the victim of a pretty crushing hit by Panthers defensive end Brian Burns. Came in, got the strip sack, breakdown in communication. The offensive line there, Isaiah Wynn did not get back into position. Looked like he was having difficulty uh you know coordinating that with tight end hunter henry

uh but mac was absolutely decimated got you know the bad hit lost control of the ball carolina recovers and after the game hassan reddick linebacker for the panthers uh called something that mac jones did during that play egregious and dirty, for lack of a better term. And there's been several video out there on the web that we've seen. We've all seen. If you haven't, double check that. I believe Dub Climan's got a good angle on it to see it in one of his tweets. Albert Breer has also tweeted out the video where you can see Mac reaching for Brian Burns' ankle. Brian's trying to twist to get out of it.

He goes down and then they call the trainer over and he needs to be assisted off the field. Spent some time in the medical tent, comes back out and he's able to play. Bottom line, the Panthers are spinning this as something that was egregious, something that was dirty. Hassan Reddick came out after the game and said that he hopes the league addresses it, that he was not happy with it. Matt Rule came out. He was not as forceful in his disagreement with the situation, but also said that he

believes at least a foul or something to that effect, a holding penalty, should have been called. Murph, I know you've seen the video. I know you've seen the replay. When you look at this, first of all, do you believe that there is any type of dirty intent? Are the Panthers onto something here? And second of all, Bill Belichick said this morning that he believed that Mac thought that Brian Burns had the football. Exactly.

Is this a football move? Because we've been seeing a lot of New England Patriots fans. And to tell you the truth, I mean, I'm in this regard right now. The Mac was trying to make a football move. Whether you think he should have been penalized for it or not, I think is another story for another day. But I don't see dirty intent here. Am I off or am I looking through this with Foxborough rose colored glasses?

No, no, not at all. When I heard about this last night, I said the exact same thing. If I was Mac Jones, I would have just come out and say I was trying to make a tackle. I didn't know that he didn't have the ball. I just had my insides freaking turned outside and turned around. And there was the guy who stripped me running the other way. I reached out, I grabbed his ankle, and that was it. I was trying to make a football play. End of story. That is the only explanation that I can think of.

I don't think McCorkle Jones is a dirty ball player. No, I don't think he's a dirty ball player either, and Matt Rule was very, very cautious to say that he believed it could have been a foul. It could have been a holding penalty. I mean, I think that's fair think at this point, you know, you have to be extremely careful. You have to be extremely sure about someone's intentions. I know after the game, uh, emotions are high. Um, Hassan Reddick is going to, you know, defend his teammate. And I think anybody would in that situation. I mean, I'm sure Patriots players would probably have had a similar reaction, a visceral reaction to something like that. But I encourage you guys to go out, take a look at the

video, because while some are arguing that the video has really made their case about Max intentions, I don't believe so. I actually think that this video is a little bit more on the side of caution in terms of what max intentions were he looks like he was trying to make a football move and i think that this again is being a little overblown but whatever regardless of what i don't think i don't think this should impugn his talking about the comments of of ball players that are dejected and then just lost a a very tough game where they had gone out and played their absolute best, and it didn't come out on top.

They were aggravated. I understand that, but this in no way was a dirty play. If things like this continue, maybe you could talk about that, but at this stage in Mac's career, no, I i'm not hanging that that on him no i'm not gonna hang it on him either and look i mean you know the league uh is going to be reviewing it uh it's the patriots so they review anything that the patriots do anyway but uh they will they will do their due diligence we'll see what ends up coming from it but uh ultimately i mean if the league does decide that maybe he should have been penalized or called for a holding call. Yeah, I think so. Full and thorough investigation. You know, people will be called and

millions of dollars will be spent. And at the end of the day, there still was no flag. Yeah. Ted Wells is on speed dial and you can bet that he's going to be called here. No, just kidding, folks. You know, Murph and I are talking tongue-in-cheek but uh yeah we might not be we might not be kidding too much folks um um all right so here's the moment we've all been waiting for now thank you for indulging me on that because it is a story and we do have to cover it folks I know a lot of Patriots fans are you know upset that this has become the story that it is. But we're going to get the level-headed wisdom and counsel of my good green friend here. And thank you for indulging that.

But this is the moment that people have been waiting for. Brandon Bolden yesterday, my friend. Overall, I think the Patriots ran the ball very, very well against this team. They were extremely, I don't want to say overproductive because that's the wrong word. They were very much prepared to run the football against this Panthers team. You didn't want to go in having to test that secondary. Stephon Gilmore ended up getting the early interception. That had the chance to be disastrous. I thought Mac did a nice job of recuperating from that. And the thought Mac did a nice job of recuperating from

that. And the Patriots did a nice job of utilizing the run to open things up. And Damian Harris, once again, very good, you know, on the ground. Ramondre Stevenson continues to look fantastic at a couple of good big time runs, but I was very impressed by what Brandon Bolin did yesterday. 81 total yards, 54 of them on the ground on eight carries, two catches for 27 yards. That dual threat back that the Patriots have needed, that role is being filled by Brandon. Before we get into maybe a couple of different difficulties that the Patriots might be having, let's talk Brandon Bolden first. Murph, what is it about Brandon, his versatility, his veteran leadership?

What is it about him that has made him settle into a role that not many envisioned him playing when the team first started the season way back a couple of months ago? Just the veteran savvy that he brings to this team or any team that he's on. When given the opportunity, Brandon has always been able to contribute in this way when he's used properly. And what we saw yesterday was a game plan that he was in complete mix-in, that he knew what his job was going to be going into that game. And he executed fantastically. Even when you take out the long, I think it was a 16- or 15-yard run, he still had a very productive day.

He hit holes. He was patient. And that just comes with a person that's been in this system, is running behind a line that he knows and trusts, and a game plan that he knows and trusts. Yeah, absolutely. And that, I think, is the key to all of this, and something that people need to remember when it comes to Brandon. It's not even so much that, oh, Brandon's a special teamer, and he's giving them extra, or this is, you know, I've seen this is whipped cream on top of the ice cream or,

you know, gravy on top of the biscuits. No, this is something that Brandon Bolden is designed to do. This is something that he's very much trained to do. He's in the right environment to do it. And that to me is something that's as important as anything else to take away from his ability to be able to do this. I think does the player a disservice. And the fact that Bill Belichick gives him the chance to do it is something that really makes him showcase his talent. Brandon's value to this team would still be evident, even if James White were healthy and the Patriots were running the football with a four-man rotation and Brandon was a special teamer primarily, this would still be someone who is extremely valuable to this

franchise. He was left on the roster for a reason, folks. When the Patriots had a chance to make roster cutdowns, very easily could have left Brandon Bolden on the cutting room floor. They didn't, and you're seeing the reasons why now. So I, for one, could not be happier every time I see him rip off a good run or find the end zone. I always think of you, my friend, but I also think of Brandon as well, because he really is such an invaluable part of what that team does both on and off the field bill belichick once again effusive in his praise for brandon and well deserved you can tell these guys have such a tremendous amount of respect for one another and it's good to see that manifested on the field that's it i'm sorry no go no go, man. Go ahead. I hate to do this, and you know I hate to do it,

so we're going to try not to do it, but I can't just not address it. Ending on a bad note is something that you know we never like to do here on Locked On Patriots, but the Patriots had their share of walking wounded last night as they left the field in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, two of which are to a position we just talked about where Brandon Bolden has done great things, but even Brandon must be really concerned about the health right now of both Damian Harris and Ramondre Stevenson,

both of these guys going down with head injuries in the fourth quarter. No word on them yet. Bill Belichick was asked this morning. We don't know anything yet, so we're still waiting to hear any type of definitive word on what these guys might look like in terms of status this week for practice, but the hits were tough. I mean, they took two difficult shots. Harris was a crushing hit from Brian Burns. He was down on the ground for a notable amount of time, got some medical attention, did get up, walked off under his own accord to the locker room. He didn't return. Stevenson took a tough hit as well. Are the Patriots facing some trouble in the backfield here when it comes to Stevenson and Harris? If either one of them or both of them

are going to be unable to go, that's a lot to place on the shoulders of Brandon Bolden. We know, obviously, at that point, J.J. Taylor would be active, but could they be working the waiver wire this week to try to bring in some talent? How difficult could this be on the bats? It could be very difficult if both of these guys end up missing Sunday's game or even longer. We all know how the NFL and the Patriots in particular are handling any kind of head injuries going on now. So yeah, they will be working the wire this week. Bill is not going to tip his hand on condition until he has to, until the league tells him that, you know, you've got to put these guys on the report and let everybody know what's going on.

But no, it could be a very difficult Sunday afternoon against the Browns if both of these guys are sidelined. J.J. Taylor is there. This will give a lot of fuel to the uh to the the sony michelle why did you trade sony um contingent that's out there but no they're going to take a look see who's out there and uh possibly bring in a couple of guys this week for looks yeah the armchair officiating is going to be going on a lot. I should say armchair GMing is going to be going on a lot this week. You know, probably from a source that really had nothing but negative things to say about Sony when he was here. You know, we all know about the Suck and Blow crowd.

They're going to be loud, I'm sure, on this as well. And all of a sudden, Sony will be the, you know, the second coming of Jim Brown. And that's coming from someone that is still, to this day, a very big fan of Sony Michel, and I loved what he did here. I wish he could have hung around, but I think the Patriots had no choice but to do what they did. But you're going to see it, and it's going to continue, and it will fester. But bottom line is, folks, yeah, this could be one to watch.

So as we like to say here on Locked On Patriots, keep a very, very sharp eye on the running game because you hit the nail right on the head, Murph. This Cleveland Browns team is a staunch run defense, ranked third in the league right now. They're the Cleveland run defense. So this could be a challenge for New England. But what that might mean is more play action opportunity or maybe more of a passing attack for young Mac. Don't worry. I'll have the keys for you by Friday. Absolutely. And again, folks, you turn the keys, you go to the top,

you don't turn the keys you're never heard from again. And that's why this man is Amelia here on locked on Patriots, the true Don of the locked on Patriots podcast, the wisdom and counsel like no other. And that's why he has his very own branded hashtag. Folks, I can't stress more than I already do that you should be following this man on Twitter, and you should be following the amazing content

that he puts out each and every day for E2GSports.com, especially those monster keys, which I call the must-read of the week. Follow my good friend on Twitter at Team Murph 207. And again, the content that he puts out, as well as all the great writers over there at E2GSports.com. Check them out. But check out my man Murph.

It'll always be point, click, learn material. And how can I forget? You cannot miss a single episode of One Patriot's Place with Murph, our great mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and the Countess of Clas herself, Miss Claire Clasie Claire Cooper. Bud, thank you so much for joining me today. We look forward to talking ball with you again here next week. In the meantime, stay safe and well. And I'm honored and humbled, as always, by your presence. Thank you, my friend.

Always too kind. It is always great to sit down here in this chair and just talk a little football every Monday with you. Let's hope we get four in a row next week. I would hope so. It's going to be a tough task, but you know what? The Patriots have faced tough tasks before, and this team's rounding into form. It has a familiar ring to it there in Foxborough, and who knows? The sky could be the limit when it comes to the 2021 New England Patriots. But one game at a time.

Next week, bud, can't wait to talk football with you. I'll be here. And so Patriots Nation, one down but still a lot of Patriots coverage to come here on the pod. So to be sure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, I am your host, Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening

and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until next time, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.