Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Thuney, Tom and Trending Topics - 2/18/2020

Episode Date: February 18, 2020

It’s Trending Tuesday and Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com joins host Mike D’Abate to discuss the hot topics in New England Patriots Nation. The duo discuss Marcus Cannon’s rumored retirement, Joe Thuney’s likely departure and...of course...Tom Brady; including the potential impact of the TB12 method on the training of our Nation’s military.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful, and welcome to Trending Tuesday here on Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news notes and analysis, infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. I'm Mike DeBate, your host of Locked On Patriots, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And because it's your team every day, your questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcome here on Locked On Patriots. Please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter

at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. Also, while you're out there roaming the Twitterverse, be sure to follow Locked On Patriots as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Pats fans, for those of you that had the President's Day holiday off, hope you're easing back into your daily routine. And thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots. Pats fans, for those of you that had the President's Day holiday off, hope you're easing back into your daily routine, and thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots a part

of your daily Patriots coverage. And yes, the offseason continues to roll on here, folks, but there is no shortage of Patriots news out there. And that news fits nicely into today's topic, which, as I said earlier, is Trending Tuesday. And sitting here on this Tuesday, February the 18th, a lot of news surrounding the Patriots offense. Yes, absolutely, folks. It begins and ends with Tom Brady. And who's going to argue that that's the hottest topic?

The most important topic? Not this guy. It certainly is. But what might be a very close second is who's going to be protecting Tom Brady in New England. Of course, that's assuming Tom's back in New England. But that protection will come in the form of the offensive line. And yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, I briefly touched upon the Marcus Cannon rumors. Those caused a little bit of a stir in Patriots Nation on Sunday as to whether or not Cannon

was considering retirement. And then yesterday, as your President's Day was winding down, Matt Vertorama fansided, reported that guard Joe Tooney was likely to be leaving the Patriots and that he was poised to become the highest paid guard in the National Football League. And you've heard that sentiment a lot here on Locked On Patriots. A lot of the guests that I've had on, myself included, have all said that Joe Tooney was primed to make a pretty big payday, especially after becoming a second team wall pro and being so valuable to the Patriots offensive line.

If in fact these reports are true, it's hard to hold it against him, folks. Tooney has been the ultimate model Patriot and he'll be sorely missed on that offensive line. But just like the New England Patriots always do, it's going to be about next man up. But is that next man on the roster already? Or is it someone they'll look to in the NFL draft in 2020? And of course, as I stated earlier, the biggest question is who are they going to be protecting? These are the trending topics we're going to cover here today on Locked on Patriots.

And to help me do so, I welcome in one of the best at analysis and educated conjecture that there is in Patriots media, or really any media. My good friend, my paisan, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com joins me today, and we will discuss his unique insight into the Marcus Cannon situation, where they might look to fill some of the offensive line gaps that are likely to be created in the offseason. Will it be the draft? Will it be free agency? We'll ask Steve that question. And of course, last but not least, we will talk some Tom Brady, because guess what, folks? Yet another tantalizing tidbit dropped on this Tuesday morning, and that came via WEEI.com, who reported that the Patriots and Tom Brady are likely

to sit down within a couple of weeks and start negotiations. Now don't panic, folks. I know two weeks is a long time to wait. As it is, you've already been waiting over a month for news to come out on this. But this two weeks timeline actually makes a lot of sense. Don't forget, starting this Sunday, February 23rd, and then running through Sunday, March 1st, the NFL Draft Combine is taking place in Indianapolis. Bill Belichick, the coaching staff, Nick Casario in the front office,

they're going to have all of their attention focused on the Combine, and rightfully so. That's not a unique thing to the Patriots. That's something that happens across the board in the NFL with every one of the 32 teams. The week after the Combine will likely include a lot of follow-up, a great deal of evaluation, and that likely will set up a lot of draft strategy. Meaning that after that two-week period, the Patriots will be in free agency mode, and that means talking to the most coveted free

agent out there in the NFL. Now what will come from those negotiations is really anyone's guess. I can tell you that my optimism has not waned one bit. I still believe Tom Brady's coming back to New England. At the end of the day, it's still the best option for Tom, and I think it's still the best option for the New England Patriots. And to me, no reports about $60 million contract offers or where Tom, Gisele, and family might be looking to purchase a home do anything to change that. They're fun little stories to generate some chatter, generate a little bit of social media buzz, maybe get a couple of extra clicks or listeners, but they're not good indicators of what he's going to do. Really, I don't even believe they are indicators of what he's going to do.

But again, that's just my opinion. And in a moment, Steve Balistrieri will join me here on Locked On Patriots, and we'll talk some Tom Brady, as well as a lot of other trending topics when it comes to the Patriots offense. However, before I welcome Steve in, I just wanted to take a moment to address you. Yes, you, listening out there. If you've been a listener of this podcast, I'm sure you've heard all of the great advertisers working with Locked On to reach sports fans. But you may not know that Locked On Patriots is a great way for your local business to reach passionate Patriots fans just like you. Unlike any other podcast, Locked On gives your local

company the ability to reach local podcast listeners. Not just any other podcast, Locked On gives your local company the ability to reach local podcast listeners. Not just any podcast listener, a Locked On podcast listener. If your company wants to connect with Patriots fans and a predominantly male audience that is well-educated with disposable income, then let's put your company right here on Locked On Patriots. Local fans love to support local businesses. Text the word ADVERTISING to 33777 or visit lockedonpodcast.com slash advertising and let us know who you are. We'll get our team to help your team achieve Locked On advertising success.

Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit lockedonpodcast.com slash advertising. We look forward to hearing from you. Pats fans, my guest today is a part of the family here at Locked On Patriots. I love having him on for selfish reasons. I just love talking Patriots football with the man. But today, I have some questions for him that I believe he and only he can answer because he's one of the best and most knowledgeable columnists that you'll find in Patriots media anywhere.

You know his great work from Patsfans.com as well as him being the co-host of two amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and One Patriots Place with our great green friend Thomas Murphy. He's my Pison, and despite what people will tell you, he is worthy of all of the praise he gets, and then some. Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Steve, welcome back to Locked On Patriots, my friend. Hey, Mike, thanks for having me on,

and you know I'll always stop whatever I'm doing and talk some football with you, because it's always a blast. And you know what? And likewise, my friend. Whether it be on here on Locked On Patriots, whether it be on One Patriot's Place with you, me, and Murph, we always have a blast talking football, and it's amazing.

Steve and I are getting ready to see each other in our annual stops during training camp and during the summer at Gillette. It's coming close, my friend. It's unbelievable. This time seems to fly, and we always enjoy getting a chance to spend some time with one another covering training camp and the various events that happen throughout the summer as we progress toward the season.

But, Steve, it's Trending Twitter Tuesday here on Locked on Patriots, and I tried to tell myself we were going to make this a Brady-free edition here on Trending Tuesday, but just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in. It's unbelievable. You just can't get away from it. So we will address Tom, and we will get to that in just a moment. But first, my friend, let's talk a little line, and the old line, that is. And on Sunday, there was a little bit of a hoopla surrounding a player that I know you have talked about recently in your columns for patsfans.com, and that's offensive lineman Marcus Cannon.

Now, his status for the upcoming season is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to Patriots Nation. Sunday's report had him retiring. That has since been refuted, or at least it appears to be refuted, I will say that. But it does make you wonder and kind of nudge in the direction toward the fact that Marcus is likely to have played his last game in Foxborough. Now, it's no secret that his dead cap hit is far less from what the Patriots would be paying him as a member of the active roster. They would save almost approximately, I believe, approximately $6 million.

Again, that is an approximate. If anybody wants the exact number, follow at Pat's Cap on Twitter. My man Miguel is all over it. He'll tell you right down to the dollar and cent what they will be saving. He's the best in the business when it comes to that. But I believe that's the approximate. Now, you indicated in your columns that Marcus was likely done in New England as well. First of all, Steve, do you put any stock

into the retirement rumors? And if Marcus is not done playing, is there any chance that he might be back in Foxborough in 2020? Well, I'll tell you what I heard and um oh and to just clarify your earlier statement i have a text from miguel right here and his uh cannons cap hit. Cap savings would be $5,379,582. Okay, great. So good clarification. So it's a little closer to the $5 million than it is to $6 million, but you get it. It's definitely a savings that the Patriots would have by having him off the

roster as opposed to on. Great clarification. Thank you, Steve. I appreciate that. And, you know, I wrote about Cannon not returning because without giving too much away, I know some people that know members of his family. And his family was saying their goodbyes this winter, saying that dad, being Marcus, was moving them back to Texas

and he would not be returning to the Patriots next year. Now, whether that means he's retiring or they're cutting their ties with him, I don't know. But that's just what we heard and that was coming from his family, not so much him. So that's why we're of the opinion that he's not coming back. That being said, I know Doug Hyatt said that he pretty much confirmed that the Patriots aren't going to, or he's not retiring.

I think that's what Doug tweeted out. Right, yeah. I don't know. I mean, I'm just, you know, when I said that, I was just going by what I heard, because his family is supposedly back in Texas now, and they were saying that, you know, dad was not returning next year.

And, you know, for lack of a better term, Steve, I mean, what better source could you ask for as a journalist than a member of the man's family who is intricately involved in his decision making and what he wants to do in his thought process? And, you know, a lot of that becomes, you know, forget, please forgive the pun here, folks, but a lot of that becomes canon law. I mean, really, it becomes a situation where you buy into that because of the source of where it's coming from. Now, Doug's report on Sunday, I thought was very closely worded. And Doug is a very good journalist, and he knows how to word things. He knows how to be careful. He knows all about how certain reports can be misconstrued. The way he worded it was, I can confirm from what I've been told that Marcus is not retiring. It sense. It looks like the Patriots would be looking at the dead cap hit as opposed to the main cap hit if he were to remain on the roster, and it's almost a no-brainer at that point. Now, there are ways around that.

You could ask him to extend the contract. You could ask him for a restructure. I'm not sure if Marcus at this stage in his career is going to be willing to do either one, especially when offensive linemen are such a premium in this league, when you can go out there and probably get bigger money on the open market if, in fact, he were to be cut loose. So I think there's a lot of the questions that are being worked out right now. Who knows? I don't know for sure whether or not retirement is even on the table when it comes to Marcus. It might be something he's considering. A lot of erroneous reports going around over the weekend. Definitely caution you folks.

My guest today was absolutely cautious in the way that he projected that information, not just here on Locked on Patriots because this is not an exclusive. He did put this in his column a couple of weeks ago and something that we've talked about offline, something that, you know, has, you know, been kind of out there in the Patriots Twitterverse, basically, for people to be able to take a look at and see if there is any truth to the rumors about Marcus. But there's no question about it, my friend.

If he does vacate the New England Patriots offensive line, that leaves a pretty big hole. And another big hole that unfortunately I think the Patriots are going to have to endure filling this year is Joe Tooney. And it is apparent right now, at least according to the reports that we've seen, that it's likely he's played his last game in Foxborough as well. We've talked about this a lot, Steve, whether it be here or whether it be on one Patriots place, that Tooney was likely to be priced out of the Patriots range. And Matt Vertorama of Fansided was pretty sure about that in his report yesterday as well.

So with Tooney likely out, and again, I affirm that he's gone, but with him likely out, I think that means that the Patriots are going to be looking for offensive line depth in the draft. And our good buddy Murph joined me a couple of weeks ago here on Locked On Patriots, and he had the Patriots looking to do that maybe as soon as the first round. And I'll be honest with you, Steve, I tend to agree with him in a lot of ways on this. I think this is a good opportunity for the Patriots to add some young depth on this line. He is a big fan of Cesar Ruiz. I was a fan of his before Murph came on the show,

but I've got to tell you, I like this pick more and more as I look at it. Yesterday here on Locked on Patriots, I also gave my opinion on Josh Jones, the offensive tackle out of Houston. A lot of people think he might be a pretty good fit, someone that could come in and be a big body right away to protect Tom Brady. I think he's a little bit more of a project at this point, and I outlined that yesterday here on Locked On. So with the combine beginning in just a few days, do you believe that the Patriots will look to the

offensive line in the draft? And if so, who do you see as a potential fit? Well, I do believe that they're going to go either offensive or defensive line with that first pick of theirs. You know, a lot of people are talking about another wide receiver. They opted for a wide receiver with a 23rd pick last year. I just can't see them doing it two years in a row. I really don't. I mean, a lot of people saying Henry Ruggs and would I love to see him here? Oh, yeah,

absolutely. I think a lot of people would. Yeah, I mean, because he's just electric when he gets the ball in his hand. But do I see that happening? No, I really don't. I think they're going to go heavy early in this draft, and I see them going either like an offensive or a defensive lineman. Who are they going to pick? I'm still up in the air about that. I mean, a lot of people have them going with a tackle,

and they have two tackles that are waiting in the wings. And, you know, one guy didn't play at all last year. He never even saw the field, and that's Yodney Kajus, who they drafted out of West Virginia. And they also have Corey Cunningham, and he's kind of like on the back burner right now, but they brought him in last year. You know, he played a handful of snaps. I'm not even sure exactly how many.

I think it was right around 50, but then he ended up losing the swing tackle position to Newhouse, who was the older veteran. So, you know, I'm kind of leaning toward that first pick might be a guard or interior guy. And I think that's a very smart move, and especially when you talk about versatility. Versatility is something that I think the Patriots are going to desperately need

on this line this year, especially with the absence of Dante Skarniecki. Naturally, whoever takes his place is going to be coaching that line in the mold of what Dante had in place. So I don't think there's going to be too much of a departure in philosophy or anything to that nature, but you're still missing that wisdom and counsel that only Dante can provide. So I think in a lot of ways, I think you're going to see that type of versatile type of role be something that they're targeting. I mentioned Ruiz earlier on in the discussion, and Murph is very high on him. Jones was someone that the draftnetwork.com had projected as a possible Patriots target. Again,

because of the tackle situation, I think because of Isaiah Winshell, a lot of people are worried about protecting Tom Brady. They're thinking that maybe bringing in somebody that can play a left guard position or be a versatile lineman could be a fit. Again, I think Jones right now, I think his decision-making, I think he's a little bit too much of a project for the Patriots, and I think that's why they might try to go with someone who's a little bit more battle-tested, maybe a little bit more ready to make an impact at the professional level right away. I'm glad you mentioned somebody like Corey Cunningham,

because I think there's a lot of forgotten line depth on this team that really doesn't get the attention that it deserves. You mentioned Kajusti. He's someone we've talked about several times offline and the impact he can have. Yelda Frohol is someone that never saw any type of in-game action. We did see him a little in the preseason. He got beat a few times and got beat badly in some of those games, particularly against Carolina.

I think that can be something that could be a work in progress. Jermaine Illuminor is a guy that right now is on this roster as well. Doesn't get a whole lot of play. He was a healthy scratch an awful lot. But he's got some ability to be able to make an impact. If people can give him the opportunity to make that impact,

I think he can be someone that could be a good depth piece as well, but I agree. I think the O-line is definitely a concern. I don't see a whole lot available by way of free agency this year, so I think if the Patriots are going to look to add depth, it's going to be during the draft.

So, again, combine week coming up. My friend, I tried. I really, really did try. Folks, I tried. But the trending topic for the New England Patriots continues to be Tom Brady. And, look, I understand it. I do get it. I'm definitely not sick of talking about

Brady, folks, but it's just one harebrained philosophy after another. But, you know, we all saw the report, Stephen, I'm sure you saw the report over the weekend about the Raiders being willing to offer Tom $60 million over two years, which to me, that's like reporting that the grass is likely to grow green in the spring. I don't think there's any question about that. To me, it's almost a foregone conclusion that if a team is looking to snag Brady away from the Patriots, they're going to be willing to go that extra mile. And whether it's the Raiders or anybody else, I think that's a figure that a lot of teams would be willing to go to if they think Tom can be had.

But WEI reported this morning that the Patriots and Tom will likely sit down to talk in a couple of weeks. When you look at this story, Steve, knowing all we know about Tom and the Patriots and their history with each other and their negotiating tactics, all of that rolled into one, what do you believe it's going to take to get this done, in your opinion? Well, I think they're going to have to come to a happy medium that satisfies both parties. I don't think one is going to hold the other over a barrel at this point. I think that it's going to have to be somewhere in the middle. I think Brady might have to settle for a little less than he'd probably get

somewhere else. And I think the Patriots are probably going to have to pay a little bit more than they probably really want to. So I think that $30 million tag hit that they're talking about, I think that's your ballpark right there. I really do. I don't think it's going to be much less than that.

That's interesting. That's an interesting point because I've gone on record here a few times saying that I believe the upper 20s would be a reasonable figure. I don't quite think they're going to hit that $30 million plateau. I think that's up there as a ceiling and I think that's almost like Tom in a way saying, hey, look,

I can go out there and I can go to the Raiders and they're going to offer me that and I think the Patriots are going Tom, in a way, saying, hey, look, I can go out there, and I can go to the Raiders, and they're going to offer me that, and I think the Patriots are going to come back and say, yeah, okay, well, you know, well, do you really want to be here, because if you really want to be here, let's talk business, you know, and I think a lot of what we're going to see, you know, you get that Michael Cole-yone, Moe Green-type feel to this negotiation, you know, whether it's, you know, your own or whatever. I don't think you're going to come to that realization just yet, but I really do. I think you're going to see a little bit less than the $30 million figure,

but I agree with you. He's not going to sign here for $15 million a year, and to be totally honest with you, I think if that's what the Patriots were thinking about offering him, I don't think they would even insult his intelligence like that. I said that yesterday here on Locked On Patriots. There's not the acrimony that people want there to be when it comes to the Patriots and Tom Brady.

There's still a great deal of synergy between these two entities. They don't hate one another. Tommy Curran noted in his column yesterday on NBC Sports Boston that there isn't of the presence of that rancor that I think a lot of people are wondering if there's that acrimony between these two sides hasn't happened. Doesn't mean it can't happen during negotiation, but I just don't see that being the case. to the dollar figure, Steve, staying on this for a moment. We're sort of in agreement on that. I think you're probably on the higher end of that. I might be a little bit on the lower end of the upper 20s. I think maybe 27, 28 might be able to get it done. Maybe even a 26, 5 if there's a type of a guarantee

that the Patriots can surround Tom with some offensive help, meaning the offensive skill position. When you look at this team, do you believe that wide receiver is a bigger target, or do you believe that tight end is a bigger target? Because I think right now, I think what Brady needs is a capable tight end, someone that can come in and block and be a threat down the field. He's never going to replace Rob Gronkowski, but I think he's looking for that type of talent. If that's the case, who do you see as a potential fit for this team,

not only on the roster but also monetarily? Because that's a big part of this. Right. Well, I mean, you know, going back to Tom, you know, we spoke with Miguel Benzon, who you mentioned, Pat's cap about a week or so ago, maybe two weeks ago. And, you know,

Miguel brought up a really good point before we get to the tight end, and that when it comes to Brady's contract is the collective bargaining agreement is going to play a big role in that. This collective bargaining agreement runs out this year, if they sign a new one prior to, you know, Brady's contract being done, then you can start seeing more of that, I don't want to say shell game, but, you know, that, what's the nice way of putting this? You know, I think you're going to see more of a, you know, creative cap hit for Tom Brady. Whereas with the collective bargaining agreement expiring this year,

if they don't sign a new one, everything's going to have to be on the books. So that'll have something to do with that. But we'll see what they have. I mean, it's all speculation at this point, and we've heard so many different things it's ridiculous. However, getting back to your last question, I think tight end is definitely more important. You know, we talked about the wide receivers that were blue in the face this

year, and really they have good wide receivers who can catch the ball. They just need a guy with some speed at wide receiver that can catch the football. I think they're pretty much set. I think if they bring in one guy with some speed, probably a free agent rather than a draft guy, but if they bring in one speedy guy that can catch the football, and I'm not talking about deep threat folks. Whenever I mention speed, they're like, Patriots on a deep threat team.

That's not what I'm talking about, but if you watch Kansas City, and I say this all the time, you watch their players. A lot of their big plays are five-yard slants or less, you know, because they have that speed. They catch the football, and they're gone. And that kind of speed opens the rest of the field up. The rest of the Patriots wide receivers, I think, aren't that bad. It's just they didn't have that one guy that could take the top off of things,

and teams didn't respect their speed whatsoever, so they played close to the box. So, you know, that's something we have to keep in mind. The other thing being, which is the tight end position, it really took away the middle of the field that they loved to work in the last 10 years with Rob Gronkowski. I mean, that was the thing. They just ate up the middle of the field because he would demand so much attention and they could attack the seams of the defense.

I think they really need a tight end that can go down the field, catch the football, and attack the seams. Now, the guy I would want is Hooper. I know a lot of people are on the Henry bandwagon. Henry's hurt a lot. And the last thing they need is to, you know, pay a guy a bunch of money and then he gets hurt again. I really like Hooper. Will they be able to afford Hooper? I kind of doubt it. But, you know, that being said, we've seen stranger things happen. They might be able to work out some

deal where they bring in a guy like Hooper. I mean, Henry could be an option. I'm not really on the Tyler Eifert bandwagon. And then there's some other lesser guys, I think.

But, you know, there's tight ends out there that are free agents and they'll be the opportunity to add another one during the draft in the mid to late rounds, and I think they should do that as well. And I think you make a lot of interesting points. First of all, the point on Henry, and I'm glad that you made that because, again, I am on the Hunter Henry train because I've seen what the kid can do. I've covered him in Los Angeles, and I know that he is the type of tight end, that I think the Los Angeles Chargers are going to do because I, for one, don't believe Tom Brady is headed there. So if that's the case, you're going to be bringing in a new quarterback,

a young quarterback, and I know the Chargers are probably going to look to the draft that in dollars. And if they can do that and try to work out a long-term deal with him, I can foresee that being an option. So I don't think Henry might be as available as people think he's going to be. And if so, and they had to go north of that to sign him to a multi-term deal with him, I can foresee that being an option. So I don't think Henry might be as available as people think he's going to be. And if so, and they had to go north of that to sign him to a multi-year deal, there is the injury concern. When it comes to Hooper, I agree with you.

I think he's the most complete package when it comes to tight ends out there. Me personally, just from a sick obsession I have with movie quotes, I would love to see a guy named Hooper play here. I can tell you right now, Hooper drives the boat, Chief, would be something that you'd hear a lot on Locked On if Hooper ends up coming here. There are a couple

of other comments that Quint made in that movie, too. This is a family show. I'm not going to go there, but you know the one I'm talking about. Anyone who's seen Jaws knows the line I'm talking about. In any case, I agree with you. I think Cooper might be a little bit out of their price range, but you never know. You could possibly see some sort of creative deal that's worked out.

Who knows? Maybe the allure of playing with Tom Brady for one or two years might be enough to get him to take a little bit less than market value to come up here to New England. But I agree with you. I think the Patriots need to address the tight end position because that middle of the field was a disaster for them this year. Every time Julian Edelman went across, he found himself double, triple teamed, and he absolutely got creamed this year.

And it's amazing that, you know, that with all of the injuries that he sustained, that he didn't get hurt worse than he did with a lot of the stuff that he had to put up with. So I agree, Steve. I think it's going to be an interesting offseason. We definitely have both sharp eyes squarely placed on Foxborough and what the Pats are going to do. But I'm glad we stayed on the offensive side of the ball today and talked about some of the moves that the Patriots would need to make.

What can I say, my friend? You always bring the wisdom and counsel like only you can. Before I let you go today, I don't think there's any one of our listeners here at Locked On Patriots that don't know where to find you and where to follow you. But if they don't, please let them know where they can always find your great work, not just when it comes to the New England Patriots, but also the great work that you do with the military that had a little bit of a Patriots crossover.

And I'll give you a minute to pump your tires on that one because it was a phenomenal article and a little bit of a brush with celebrity. So let our listeners know what I'm talking about here, Steve. Yes, you can find me on Twitter, at SteveV7SFG. And yes, I write for PatsFans.com. I also write for a military news site called SoftRep,

which handles mostly special operations type stuff. A couple of weeks ago, well, actually it was a couple of months ago now, I had approached the TB12 clinic down in Foxborough about doing an interview with them in regards, not about football or the Patriots, but it was in regards to special operations soldiers. And I know that, you know, what they preach and the longevity and how Tom recovers much faster, a lot of those things would be things you're looking for in a special operations community,

specifically Green Berets because that's the unit I served in. So I had approached them about doing an interview, and, you know, would the TB-12 method be something that would be beneficial to soldiers, A, and, B, would it be something they would be able to continue on their own once they're deployed and, you know, be able to recover faster, be able to continue on their own once they're deployed and be able to recover faster, be able to stay pliable, that's the big thing with those guys, and cut down on injuries. Well, they came back and they said they'd be more than willing to do the interview and then they said to me, excuse me, they'd be willing to do it on the condition that I come down

and see for myself what the entire workout consists of and for me to go through it. Well, to make a long story short, I went down there, and not only am I sold on the fact that it would work for the military, I'm sold on a personal standpoint. I've had chronic pain in my knees and back for over 25 years. And the day I walked out of there after the very first appointment, my knees were feeling better than they have in over 20 years.

Now, I will tell you, my friend, that was some painful stuff. As Tom calls it, his body work when he works with Alex, where they have to lengthen and soften your muscles, that was some of the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life. However, I will tell you, I walked out of there and my knees felt better than they have in over 20 years. So I'm a firm convert to that, and I'm not just saying that because we cover the pads.

I know how I feel, and I'm going back, and it's not inexpensive whatsoever. It's pretty steep, so it's not like I can afford to go there twice a week, but I'm going to go there as much as I possibly can because I'm a firm believer in it, and I do believe not only will it help our soldiers, it will help anybody that's suffering any kind of injury, and it will help maintain your body as well. So that's what I wrote about. Absolutely.

Absolutely. And, again, folks, definitely check out this article. It is one of the best that I've read all year long and quite a while because it melds together, I think, two subjects that so many people are passionate about, and that is our United States military, our soldiers, and the brave work

that they do each and every day. But also on the fun side, it allows you to pull in a little bit from the world of professional sports, and TB12 and Tom Brady, who is beloved up here in New England. And it didn't just catch my eye, my friend. It caught a very special eye. And I won't steal your thunder here.

Please go ahead and let our listeners know who was a fan of this article, who was a big fan of this article. Well, my phone started going, ringing off the hook as I was getting all these text messages and DMs and everything from everyone that I know, family members, friends, like yourself. And they were like, did you see you quoted your article? And it was Tom Brady himself. And Tom said it was a great article, which I'm not going to sit here and lie to you I you know puffed out my chest a little bit on that one because I was like hey Tom liked what I

wrote so and he doesn't say that a lot about what a lot of gets written about him so now I you know I was really appreciative of that and and like I said I'm a firm believer in it I I wish that something like that had been around when I was a member and Special Forces because I think I'd be walking a lot better these days if that was available back in the day. Absolutely. And something like this really makes for such a great synergy between the type of workouts and the type of regimen that you have in TB12 and the type of workouts and the type of regimen that you have in TB12 and the type of workouts and the type of regimen that you have in the United States military

in keeping our soldiers healthy and keeping them upright and pliable and giving them the opportunity to live a longer life that's a little bit less pain-intense than normally would happen. So great work, Steve, and awesome work on catching the eye of Tom. You have every right to puff out your chest when it comes to that because it is definitely an honor. And if I'm being honest in terms of my speculation, and I don't have any basis for this,

but I'm saying in terms of my speculation, I think there's probably a few more articles that he's read of yours that he likes that maybe he can't share on social media, but I'm sure that caught the, that caught the eye and it'll continue to catch the eye because your great work, in my opinion, my friend is right up there with anybody in this business.

Steve, thanks so much for joining me today on locked on Patriots as always have a great day, my friend and be well. Thank you, Mike. And thanks for having me. Anytime.

My friend Patriots fans that concludes today's trend. Be well. Thank you, Mike, and thanks for having me. Anytime, my friend. Patriots fans, that concludes today's trending Tuesday episode of Locked on Patriots. Certainly hope that you enjoyed today's podcast. It's always my honor to be joined by Steve. He always adds such amazing insight. I enjoyed hearing his insight on Marcus Cannon, the Patriots offensive line situation, and his brush with the celebrity that is Tom Brady. As for me, I'll be back again tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest news notes

and analysis from Foxborough. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Steve Balistrieri for his time, insight, and appearance today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Have a great day, everyone.