Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Tight-Endage Tuesday - Smith, Henry, Asiasi and More with the Countess of ‘Clazz’ - 10/26/21

Episode Date: October 27, 2021

With the investments made at the position in the offseason, the New England Patriots’ were clearly looking to maximize the usage of multiple tight end sets. Thus far, in 2021, the Pats have yet to see the full potential if its two star additions, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. Today is ‘Tight Endage Tuesday’ and joining host Mike D’Abate is the Countess of Clazz, and resident tight end expert Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper. The dynamic duo discuss the potential of Jonnu Smith, what makes Hunter Henry such a great fit in New England, will we see Devin Asiasi any time soon (?) and, in honor of National Tight Ends Day…Clare’s favorite Patriots’ tightendage memories.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.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.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 into the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Tuesday, October 26th, 2021. And it's not just Tuesday. It is tight endage Tuesday 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 of course, Locked On listeners, thank you all so much

for making Locked On Patriots your first listen each and every day. Remember that Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. Greetings and Tuesday salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this tight endage Tuesday episode of the Locked On Patriots Podcast. 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, 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 that feedback. Send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. 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 LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, we still bask

in the glow of a 54-13 beatdown of those J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets. The Patriots moving to 3-4 on the 2021 season and have a pretty tall task coming up in Week 8 with the L.A. Chargers and a matchup at SoFi Stadium in the City of Angels. But before we turn our full attention to this Week 8 matchup with the Chargers on Sunday, all of us here in Patriots fandom still want to take the time to revel in the glory of a 54-13 beatdown of the Jets. And as happy as we were with that victory, there are a

lot, especially out there in the national landscape, that are trying to maybe lessen the impact of what the Patriots did on the field at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. And as I found myself perusing the power rankings, which are now out for most of the major national outlets for Week 8, started to see a common thread through some of them, that not necessarily everyone on the national stage was impressed by what the Patriots did against the Jets on Sunday. Even going as far as to say that New England's victories are only against rookie quarterbacks,

and if they continue on this pace, the next victory they'll have is in Week 17 against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. I don't know about you folks, but the first thing that I thought of when reading something like that is biased, agenda-driven bunk. Look, any type of journalist, and I use the term loosely, can take their hatred of an individual team and try to lessen the significance of what the Patriots did, which was a 54-13 dismantling of the New York Jets, an NFL football team.

They're not a BCS team. They're not a high school team. That's an NFL football team. Maybe they're not the best in the league, but there are NFL quality players on both sides of that ball. The Patriots completely dominated this game. That's something that any team should be excited about. Again, the Patriots' victory over the Jets on Sunday didn't magically vault them into top playoff contention,

but it did provide the necessary foundation for both the offense and the defensive blueprint for the remainder of this season. Mack Jones, who, again, I'll remind some journalists that he's a rookie himself, continues to demonstrate accuracy, poise, command of his offense, much more so than any of his peers, including Trevor Lawrence, who was the number one pick in the draft. The Patriots are utilizing that multiple receiver tight end set out of play action, and they're using it to their advantage. They're also coupling that with a very strong running game led by Damian Harris.

Flip over to the other side of the ball, their defensive front continues to be their strong suit, along with a stout linebacking core. That's helping to pace what has the potential to be among the league's most formidable front sevens. The depth at outside corner, that continues to be a problem. And with slot corner Jonathan Jones now on season-ending injured reserve, the Patriots are going to struggle to make up for that loss. However, there are still a lot of miles to go in New England, but Sunday's victory is not just a mere footnote. To do anything to diminish it simply exposes you as just someone that's trying to lessen the Patriots' capabilities. Now, that's not to say that the Patriots needed to leapfrog up into the top

10. There's no question about it. They don't deserve that spot. But I think a reasonable spot is somewhere in the teens. And that's exactly where I had them ranked for Sports Illustrated. And that's exactly where the Locked On Podcast Network has them ranked. Number 17. I think that's pretty fair. What's also fair is if the Patriots show that same type of dedication and metal against the Chargers on Sunday, they're only going to continue to climb. But again, that's just my two cents, because today here on Locked On Patriots, it's not all about complaining about the power rankings. No, this is Tight Endage Tuesday, and in case you haven't figured it out already, every time we talk tight ends ends we are always pleased to welcome our favorite

connoisseur on the subject the empress of tight endage herself the countess of clazz miss claire clazzy claire cooper and claire will definitely enlighten us on what we saw on the field on sunday from johnny smith was johnny on the verge of that breakout game we keep hearing about and if he's healthy heading into this week can we expect to see more of the prolific tight end on the verge of that breakout game we keep hearing about. And if he's healthy heading into this week, can we expect to see more of the prolific tight end on the field? We'll also talk Hunter Henry, who without question has been the Patriots' best player at the position. But not only that, he's also been one of Mac Jones' favorite targets and a player that the Patriots can rely on all over the offensive side of the ball.

We'll also flip the script and talk a little bit about Devin Asiasi. Yeah, remember him? He's been a healthy scratch for the majority of the season. Can we expect to see Devin on the field anytime soon? And, sure enough, we will talk Claire's favorite tight-endage memories as just a few days ago, we all celebrated National Tight Ends Day. Folks, an action-packed agenda, tons to talk about, and we will return in just a moment with the Empress of Tight Ends Day. Folks, an action-packed agenda, tons to talk about, and we will return

in just a moment with the Empress of Tight Endage herself, Ms. Claire Closy Claire Cooper, when today's Tight Endage Tuesday episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Hello again, Patriots fans. This is Mike DeBate with an incredible app everyone who buys gas needs to know about. Get Upside. My listeners are making up to 25 cents for every gallon of gas, every time they fill up. Just download the free Get Upside app in the App Store or Google Play right now. Use promo code TOUCHDOWN and get a bonus 25 cents per gallon on your first fill up. That's up to 50 cents cash back.

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card for Amazon and even other brands. So don't delay, do it today. Download the free GetUpside app and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50 cents per gallon cash back on your first tank. Use the code TOUCHD touchdown when you download GetUpside. Patriots fans, if you are a fan of Locked On Patriots, and I sincerely thank you for being one. I also, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen each and every day. Don't forget, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms.

But if you're listening to me on a daily basis, it's a safe bet that you're probably also a fan of my guest today, because I know I am. Her wit, her wisdom, an absolute staple here on Locked On Patriots. And hers is a voice and an accent and, most of all, a giggle that you all know very well from west midlands in the united kingdom she is a patriots writer for pat's propaganda the third voice for one patriots place and a special contributor and columnist for full press coverage patriots where she also hosts

her very own podcast and folks when i tell you this is a must listen for any Patriots fan, I am being 100% sincere. Please check out a Claire perspective, the podcast, a must listen once again for any Patriots fan, and I highly recommend it. It is once again, my honor to welcome the Countess of class herself, the Empress of tight endage, Claire classy, Claire Cooper, back to lockdown Patriots. Thank you, Claire, so much for joining me today from across the pond. Welcome back to Lockdown Patriots, Countess. Oh, you're welcome. Thank you so much for having me and everybody for being patient and having me and that massive

introduction. I'd like to add you missed off Queen of TE and Baroness of Blockers, but you know, they're mouthfuls, so I'll let you off. Queen of TE andoness of blockers but you know it's their mouthful so i'll let you off queen of te and baroness of blockers i like that you know it takes me back to my gi joe days when i was a kid there used to be a villainess named the baroness cobra you know she had been going with destro anybody that's listening to this i know joel is listening to this and laughing his tail off right now because he is as much of a gi Joe and Transformers net as I was growing up. But no, I love it. It's great. And as far as I'm concerned, keep the nicknames coming. Murph has quite a few of them. He's up there on the Pantheon, but

you're growing in terms of aliases, Claire, and I love it. I absolutely love it. And it's well deserved. You know, we always have a lot of fun at your expense regarding the tight endage. Folks, we've talked about the T-shirts that are being sold via Pratt's Propaganda, which, by the way, I highly recommend. Check that out. Just a little bit late for National Tight Ends Day, but you can still celebrate. It's one of those holidays that's celebrated throughout the year. So I recommend it. Yeah, there is definitely a penchant for the tight end position when it comes to Claire.

She's really emerging as one of the more talented, one of the more well-rounded writers on all things New England Patriots. And folks, please check out all of her great work, whether it be game recaps, whether it be commentary on what the Patriots are doing, and in-game analysis. Claire really is second to none when it comes to this. And that's one of the big reasons why, other than the giggle, of course, we love having you on here at Locked On Patriots and providing your wisdom and counsel, because you do it in a unique way, and you do it in an insightful way, because if anyone listened to yesterday's pod here, and if you haven't had a chance to check it out, please check out the pod titled Annihilation of Aviation, where Murph and I break down the Patriots 54 to 13 drubbing of the New York Jets.

I just love saying drubbing of the New York Jets. It really fills me with a lot of pride to say that. But in any case, the New England Patriots victorious moving to three and four on the season. We talked a lot about the offensive line. We talked about Mack and his prowess. We talked about the running game. We flipped the script and talked about the defense, even a little bit about Jonathan

Jones injury. But we specifically, I don't want to say stayed away from the tight end position, but we took a more temperate approach because we knew this subject was coming up today and we knew who better to go on record and to talk some tight endage than the empress of tight endage right here. So, Claire, I'm going to start just for a minute by talking about Jonu Smith. Obviously, we're going to get to Hunter Henry. We're going to get to Devin Asiasi.

There's a lot to talk about here when it comes to Patriots tight endage today. But Jonu Smith has been, I don't want to say maligned throughout the fan base, because I think there's been a lot of patience and a lot of anticipation to see what this guy can bring to the table in terms of excitement level and in terms of prowess on the field. But Jono may not have been utilized as well as people had thought going into this game. He was actually being deployed on the line more as a blocker than he was as a potential pass catcher. And that surprised a lot of people because Jono was such a an effective weapon in the end zone and the red zone.

Excuse me. And in the end zone, but in the red zone particularly is where he was utilized so well by Tennessee. He is a very adept blocker. He can also make the jet sweep or the occasional carry out of the backfield. Patriots fans were a little concerned that maybe he wasn't being utilized the right way. In Sunday's game, we saw him utilized the right way, especially out of the block. He was utilized as a catcher out of the backfield. He was also a carrier out of the backfield. The Patriots were featuring him heavily. And then he went down with a shoulder injury.

And unfortunately, you know, we're still waiting on word as to whether or not, you know, John, whose injury may keep him out of practice this week. We'll know more when the Patriots take the practice field on Wednesday, but Claire, as you started to watch this game, you started to watch things unfold. Do you think this was a concerted effort to get John who the carries and the catches that he needed to maybe kickstart his prowess in the open field? Or do you think that maybe the Patriots were going to try to go away from this strategy like they did the previous week where they started off heavy with the two tight ends and then backed it off um are we seeing the emergence of John O'Smith if he's healthy

uh going forward into the next few weeks yeah completely I think the way that they set up in the first quarter it was they were looking to heavily utilize him I mean like you said he's been in each game and he's been utilized considerably as as a blocker and that's what they've sort of needed and some of that might be a reflection on the instability of the offensive line that they've had so he may not be able to have been used as much as they would have liked simply because they had a weakness elsewhere that they needed him to support and now touch wood maybe the offensive line is getting a little bit more into its groove I know we've still got sort of injuries and absences and things like this and there's still a lot of kind of shuffling going on but I think they've sort of fell into their jam now and so

maybe the attention could move away from him having to block so significantly and it was finally time that the Patriots were going to get a chance to use him sort of more in in plays as you mentioned about his athletic ability when we went into the season a lot of people were sort of saying to me as a tight-ended enthusiast it was like watch out for Jano Smith because this guy he's got it all he can do everything he's an athletic guy he can block but he's he's a you know he's a playmaker he's a runner he's a receiver that kind of thing so it was we're going to see a lot of him and then we really really didn't and like you said I think a lot of fans were puzzled kind of a little bit down on it thinking well you know maybe he hasn't got what we thought he had sort of thing maybe he's been

a hard sell and and that kind of thing but I think this game was going to be potentially obviously we'll never know because he went out with injury but I I think this game was going to be, potentially, obviously we'll never know because he went out with injury, but I think maybe this game was going to be what we were going to see and we did. He was utilised considerably in the first quarter. A lot of short passes. He got some yardage, 28-yard catch and 24-yard.

So, you know, the first quarter was pretty much about Jonu and Harris, in all fairness. He had a powerful run early, the first quarter was pretty much about Jonu and Harris, in all fairness. He had a powerful run early in the first quarter, the 28-yard gain from a short left pass from Mack. And that's when his athletic ability was really on display with that run. I really sort of watched that quite intently and saw just sort of the power of him sort of going forward type thing so and I think this is sort of what the Patriots obviously saw in him and knew what he was going to be able to do and it was really unfortunate that he went out I think it was early in the second quarter I didn't

actually see it reported I didn't sort of see it when I watched the game until it was sort of afterwards to notice his absence that um the injury with the shoulder kind of thing so Smith and Henry got banged up um in practice pre-season I mean Hunter didn't even play I know we'll talk about him later but he didn't even play kind of um in the pre-season and I know that in a recent press conference he has sort of mentioned how that can affect the dynamic and sort of maybe the absences that we had from Janu earlier kind of in pre-season in practice kind of thing sort of slowed down his dynamic and maybe that's another reason sort of why they didn't utilize him as significantly as we all thought but as you said now the shoulder

injury this is something that unfortunately hits the tight end position all over you know it's not just Patriots it's it's such a sort of a powerful or throw your body in kind of position that they're going to get injuries I mean Rob Gronkowski was you know prime example of of this kind of thing the amount of injuries that that guy sustained over over his term that he ended up having to take a year out just to kind of get his body back into check so I'm just really hoping that this is just a bit of a ding um a bit of a setback I mean he didn't have a great game against the Saints I mean he I'm sure he put his gloves and his cleats on probably you know the wrong the wrong hands are the wrong feet he just had such a bad game but he did we did see him come

out of that and and this was looking like it was going to be, as you said, the game that we were going to see him. So just fingers and toes crossed, really, that we find out that even if he needs any time, it's only going to be a little bit, so that we can see him going forward and see them utilize him a lot more in tandem with Hunter Henry. Yeah, absolutely. Great insight. And again, with John, there was that dual threat capability that everyone was excited to see, myself included. I had the chance to cover Hunter, and we'll talk a little bit about Hunter in just a moment. And I knew his prowess as a route runner, as a pass catcher, knew that he was the type of tight end that could put his hand in the dirt and get a good block in. But that ability to carry out

of the backfield with the jet sweeps and the red zone targets was something that I really could not wait to see unleashed in Jonu Smith. And I think we were about to see it on Sunday. The way that the game was being called looked like they were making a concerted effort to try to get him in. And don't kid yourself. The Jets have also been watching a lot of tape on Hunter Henry as well.

They're looking at this and saying he's developing. How can you not want to watch tape on Hunter Henry? Not as much footage as some, but at the same time, you know, they're watching a lot of that footage. And they're saying, look, Mac Jones is developing quite the synergy here with Hunter Henry. These guys are on the same page. He's running great routes for him. He's making catches in the open field. He's a red zone target.

He's a touchdown target. These are types of things that the Jets wanted to try to shut off. And because the Patriots hadn't been using Jonu effectively, maybe that opened the door for them to be able to exploit some of the holes in the Jets defense a little bit. And I think he was primed for a monster game. It is unfortunate that he had to go out early in the game on Sunday with a shoulder injury. And again, folks will continue to monitor John who's health and we'll probably know more perhaps on Tuesday as you're listening to this news might be breaking or on Wednesday, definitely when the media has a chance to speak with Bill Belichick again and we have a chance to get a look at what these guys look like on practice for Wednesday's session, that'll be a telltale.

But having that prototypical move tight end like John O'Smith alongside a guy like Hunter Henry is definitely going to be, you know, something that the Patriots will utilize very heavily as much as they can. And hopefully we'll see these guys healthy on the field and ready to contribute. Claire Hunter Henry, a favorite subject of yours. And although Ryan Izzo was no longer on the team, although folks, I do have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to hear that name again,

come up perhaps within the next few, you know, few moments here. Hunter Henry, I thought put in another masterful performance uh he is really becoming one of mac jones most effective targets his most reliable targets and not just you know effectiveness and reliability but he's really emerging as someone that is gaining the respect and not only the respect, but also the trust of the Patriots coaching staff. Bill Belichick yesterday went out of his way to praise Hunter Henry and what he brings to the table and things that most fans and, you know, most not even, you know, media alike would pick up on. But things that he's doing, the little things that he's doing that are really helping the Patriots to emerge, praised Hunter for having a great skill set

and being good in a lot of different ways. And he outlined something yesterday, a story that I wanted to share with you that I thought you'd find amusing. And Bill Belichick was so impressed by one of the plays that Hunter had on Sunday, which was actually on special teams, not out in, you know, his offensive snaps, where they had to flip the punt return based on, excuse me, the kick return that Gunnar Ryszewski was able to take back. They flipped the return based on where the kick was.

Hunter came all the way over from the right side of the field to make a key block to spring Gunnar and be able to get him that early big time kick return that set the Patriots up in great position to be able to score on their first drive of all the players on the field. Hunter had the farthest to travel in order to come in to make that block. That shows you the hustle that shows you the field awareness, and it shows you the drive to do whatever it takes to be able to get your team to win. Hunter was not going to be involved in that play. Didn't have to be, and probably no one would win. Hunter was not going to be involved in that play. Didn't have to be.

And probably no one would have thought any less of him if he wasn't, but he saw the ability to do it. He knew he could. And that's the type of thing. Those little things are the type of things that lead to big things. Hunter has become an undoubted favorite of yours, Claire, and I don't want to steal your thunder on why. Primarily from what you saw on the field from him on sunday but

really overall what makes hunter henry such a great fit for this new england patriots team well to be fair you kind of covered it in your sum up really it's his versatility and it's his utilization as a full tight end he can block he can he draws good coverage he you know he makes plays he makes catches that kind of thing he pretty much ticks all those boxes that you need in a tight end and then he does like like you said the sort of the behind the scenes situation with the extra beats like the play you just mentioned and also the the sort of the dynamic that he's getting with the quarterback I mean those kind of things they were significant I hate to make the comparison and I'm not doing this to make as a comparison I'm just using it as an example but Tom Brady Rob Gronkowski had an amazing relationship

they still have an amazing relationship and they have an amazing dynamic on the field and having Matt Jones and Hunter Henry sort of have that sort of relationship has you know it's got to instill so much confidence in sort of fans in the team in in coaching kind of thing so I'm not trying to compare them to Tom Brady and Gronkowski it's just that we've had them here sort of as Patriots so those that's the relationship we have seen if we'd had a different quarterback in a different time and I'd be using the additional example obviously but you know that that's the example that we've got to look at so to have that or something very similar is it's going to boost everything and it's going to boost everything around it and it's going to be a focal point to sort of pull up the team together so it's good to see it's good to have that kind of there and I mean

we know that that Hunter Henry is you know Bill's got a bit of a soft spot for him or you know whatever you want to call it because he's followed his career and now we can see why he followed his career because he's such a good tight end and and and that's the sort of position that you know that Bill wants he wants that kind of versatile rounded dynamic guy and I think fortunately we've got that in Hunter Henry and it's great that the dynamic is there with Matt Jones it's wonderful that the relationship is clicking that he's he's got that guy out there I mean he Hunter's played something like 72% of the offensive snaps. He's had 24 receptions, 264 yards, four touchdowns.

You know, the numbers are really quite good. So we can see that he's being utilised in the system. And as you said, very versatile as well. Draws coverage, blocking, you know, on the special team. So he's got the key to being such a good tight end. And he's already fitting in so well so it just puts the confidence there and I mean I just wanted to drop this bit of information when I knew that we were going to be talking about Hunter I put it in my um game recap for Pat's Propaganda uh because I discovered this information um and that it was Hunter's fourth receiving touchdown in the game against the

Jets and that's the longest streak of a tight end at the Patriots since Rob Gronkowski in 2013 and I thought that was really cool to show that look you know he's setting up to be somebody good I'm not saying he's setting up to be Gronk don don't get me wrong. Gronk is Gronk and Hunter Henry's Hunter Henry, but he's got really good ability. And it's just refreshing to see, you know, we had a bit of a drought at tight endage for the last two years, even though I love Ryan is out, as we know, but we still didn't get out of him what we're getting out of Hunter Henry. And it's just very, very exciting. And I read this morning, I think it was on social media media which was really quite interesting was um from the press conference I think it was I think it was yesterday but Adrian Phillips mentioned that Hunter Henry's hands are like magnets and it's just lovely to

hear these little tidbits of information from like team members and stuff like that but these little extra things that you wouldn't sort of necessarily see so yeah I absolutely love it and two guys that know each other very well from their time in Los Angeles two guys that I know pretty well from covering both of them as members of the Chargers starting off in San Diego and then heading out to Los Angeles these two guys were players that I loved covering out in LA and I absolutely salivated over having them both in Patriots uniforms someday to see them both wearing Patriot blue is truly something that I take pride in and I really take a lot of joy in every day not so much pride I mean I had nothing to do with it folks but I do take an awful lot

of joy in seeing these guys as Patriots because they really fit the prototypical mold and when you hear Bill Belichick talk about guys like Adrian Phillips and Hunter Henry especially you really see the um just the the reverence and the other respect and um the the overall confidence he has in these guys and that really has been the case their whole career and now having them in New England uh really is something special so great stuff and great analysis Claire sorry I'd cut you off I do want to comment I did notice during the game is because you mentioned about how you know so Hunter was coming from sort of LA that kind of thing I think he might be feeling the chill already in Boston because I noticed that when he went onto the sidelines he was always wearing his woolly hat

so I'm a little bit concerned about his, you know, keeping warm. I did notice that his bumble hat was on kind of like all the time. So I know the poor guy may be suffering from, you know, lack of elation. So I just hope they keep him nice and toasty. I'm sure they will. I'm sure that they're going to do their best to keep him warm on the sidelines. But, you know, bottom line, it is a joke. They need to ensure that they look after this tight end.

I am putting my foot down. Absolutely. Please send your warm gloves, mittens, winter hats, and sweaters or whatever to Claire. She'll forward them to Hunter, and we'll be all set, and everything will be good. And I'm sure he'll be able to get them and appreciate the care package of warm clothing. But, yeah, there's no question about it. It is a lot chillier up in New England than it is in Los Angeles and uh Patriots fans it's always an honor when the empress of tight endage herself the queen of te's the baroness of blockers joins me here on the pod and we'll get to more with Claire in just a moment, including the forgotten man

in the trio of tight ends that the Patriots employ, Devin Asiasi. We'll also talk a little bit about Claire's favorite memories going back and celebrating National Tight Endage Day, which happened this past Sunday. Of course, all this and more right here on Locked On Patriots. And once again, folks, thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Now, you know we've got you covered on all things Patriots. And once again, folks, thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Now, you know we've got you covered on all things Patriots, but with the trade deadline

right around the corner, don't miss our live NFL trade deadline show, reaction to every move, plus a second half season preview and much more. Catch the show live 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Eastern, November 2nd, exclusively on the Locked On NFL YouTube page. More tight-endage talk with Glair Cooper when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, we're back and better than ever. All eyes are on the gridiron as teams are back to start another football season. As always, BetOnline is your number one spot for all the pro and college football action this season.

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RockAuto.com. Patriots fans, Claire, Klazzy Claire Cooper, the Countess of Klaz herself, joins me here today on Locked On Patriots. And Claire, in the previous segment, we talked a lot about your favorite subject and two of your favorite subjects on the Patriots this season. John O'Smith, Hunter Henry, tight endage galore as the Patriots start to finally realize that employing this 12-man, 22-man personnel on the field leads to a great deal of scoring. It could lead to a great deal of offensive prowess.

And right now, we're all concerned about the health of John O'Smith, obviously, moving forward. Hunter Henry has been everything is advertised in Moore, and he really is developing such a great synergy with Mac Jones. But we haven't seen a whole lot of the third member of this tight endage group, and that's Devin Asiasi. Devin has been, I want to say, a healthy scratch for the last few weeks because we haven't seen him on an injury report. I know that there were difficulties and injury problems going into training camp and through the preseason, but there are a lot of people that believe that he's been able to work through that.

And Devin has kind of been enigmatic when it comes to this group. We've talked a lot about his emergence and the fact that he can be a stellar receiver in the open field, that he can throw a block every now and then. We know Dalton Keene, obviously, on injured reserve. He was never going to take a snap this year because of injury problems. And we hope that he's recovering and convalescing well. But Devin just continues to be enigmatic. When you look at this now, and I know that inside information is not something that really any of us have right now when it comes to Devin Asiasi, but is the possibility that Jonu Smith having to miss time? We don't know if that's the case yet but if he does do

you believe that we will see a little bit of Devin Asiasi on the field or is this a situation where the Patriots feel more comfortable maybe plugging someone like a Jakob Johnson or dare I say an Akil Harry into that spot what are your thoughts about Devin Asiasi right now and we'll get into Harry and Jakob in just a little bit well yeah that's really fair that you say that and I mean I must admit I I really don't have any kind of insider knowledge I really wish I did have a bit more of a line into knowing I mean I mean Asiasi played he only only played, the problem that, sorry, the problem that there is, is as fans, obviously, we haven't seen a lot of him anyway. I'm assuming that internally they've seen a lot more of him, but it is a bit of a puzzlement. We saw him in only nine games in 2020.

He had five weeks on IR mid-season. So that's never great. And he had a Covid season to contend with as well I mean he's had seven targets two receptions 39 yards and a receiving touchdown and that was 2020 that's all we saw of him now that isn't even sort of covering that's like one game of what we're getting out of tight ends for this year and as lucky as we are obviously that's not a great reflection for Asiasi and that's all that we're able to sort of look at from a fan perspective is the sort of the lack of showing that we've had from him and it's always the puzzlement of has he not got it or are we just not seeing it and unfortunately we can't answer

that question and and we're not really getting that answer from internally either and you would expect you'd expect to see him more I mean I get they dropped a lot of money on Smith and Henry and I get they want the production from them and now we're really starting to see it unfortunately with John who's um injury that could put that back once again but as we said earlier we've we saw him a lot in the first quarter of the game against the Jets and and he seemed really good Hunter's been producing so is it just a case of they've been producing so well that they don't even think they need Asi Asi out there they don't you know he can be a healthy scratch because it's just not necessary will the Smith injury you know push him forward my gut says no and I mean

obviously I'm only going on my personal opinion of what I've seen this this season and I get that and I am only giving my opinion here but Smith had a you know he had a really dodgy game against against the Saints and stuff like that so if they were going to plug Asiasi in to fill the holes fill the voids in you know that they may be seeing from from the two veterans you think they would have used him by now because you know maybe he'd be utilized to take a bit of the pressure off Hunter and smith that kind of thing so i kind of feel like if they were going to use him even though hunter and smith obviously big names that's why they've signed them it just it just feels like they're not using him

because he hasn't got it and i this isn't a slant on asiasi this isn't me telling you guys that I know anything this is just me my feelings of if he was if he was really that good surely we would have used him by now particularly in some of the games where Smith hasn't really sort of been able to perform to his you know to his full standard you know you kind of think well why wouldn't they have just plugged Asiassi in for a little bit but he's been inactive every single game and I don't know I really yeah I'm as decisive as they come on I know but I just I just I just my gut as I said sorry to repeat myself but I just feel like if if they if he had said enough about him they would have used him by now but that's what the logic feels like to me I mean I don't know you could be completely from a different angle on this but that's just sort of my perspective is I think

they're just going to if Smith's out because of his injury I really I mean Jakob Johnson's really been performing so I think they're just maybe just going to fill the void with him for a bit because especially because as we mentioned Hunter Henry has been so sort of productive is such a well-rounded tight end I just think that they do they sort of shuffle things around rather than just put another tight ending I could be completely wrong part of me wants to be completely wrong because I would like to see what this kid has got sort of thing. I would like to see him in the role that Jonu Smith has been playing because I've heard that he could kind of do that kind of thing.

And now I get he's not, you know, a VFS ability quite, you know, to the standard of Jonu Smith. I appreciate that. But he's got those kind of building blocks that would make him that kind of tight end. So you'd think he would just not in in place of Smith but because they haven't put him in in that position before it's I'm starting to think maybe he's not maybe he hasn't and that's why they're not I think you're on to something there when it comes to uh to Devin and I happen to agree with you by the way I really don't think johnny smith's health or his status for sunday's game is going to do all that much to affect how they look at devon because they've had the opportunity to incorporate multiple tight ends and if you want to use that one uh that 12 man or 22 man personnel where you employ two tight ends on the field at the same time all it takes is one injury to throw that off you want to have

someone that is capable of being able to shoulder that load. And Devin Asiasi, for all intents and purposes, should be that person. At his core, when he's properly utilized, he can show off some pretty good athleticism. He's got good speed, good length, good size. He's demonstrated some ability to increase his prowess as a route runner. But the greatest asset that he has is he's a natural hands catcher. He's got very good body control, which makes him someone that could make a catch or two out in the open field and really help you to eat up some yards. It's not going to get you yards after the catch, but he's going to be able to at least get out, run the route correctly, make the catch and be able to, uh, to receive and move the chains. The Patriots obviously don't see that in him, or if they do, they're seeing it progress

very slowly. And at this point, it comes back to what we talked about when Jono and Hunter were first signed. Claire, you and I talked about this right here on Locked On Patriots. Why are you going out and spending all this money on two tight ends when you drafted two tight ends in the previous year? Just didn't make a whole lot of sense. So obviously there's something there that the Patriots are either seeing or not seeing that's leading to his consistently being inactive

for Sunday's games. We talk about that Belichickian double secret probation. Well, Devin has been on it for quite some time, and there's got to be a reason for it. So maybe we'll see him get some action. But I don't think that John O'Smith's injury situation is going to lead to anything there. So once again, excellent analysis. And we always appreciate you lending your wisdom and counsel when it comes to things

like this. But I wouldn't be doing my job, Claire, before I let you go today with acknowledging first of one of the more important days of the year for you, and that is Tight Endage Day. It just happened this past Sunday on October 24th, and even though we don't broadcast on Sunday, I could not let this week go by without giving you the opportunity to come on and let our listeners know about your tension for the holiday and your favorite tight-ended memories uh when it comes to uh to the new england patriots so countess the floor

is yours take us home with some good tight-ended stories uh that our listeners can take with them into the next spot wow this is just letting me loose this is really dangerous this is to just kind of go yeah you can talk tight ends just go for it just me loose this is really dangerous this is to just kind of go yeah you can talk tight ends just go for it just go nuts this is really dangerous I mean yeah happy national tight-ended day to everybody slightly belated you know on Sunday great stuff love it um but yeah tight end Tuesday've always been sort of a tight-ended kind of girl as they say and it's something that it's it's it's I'm kind of now known for this is this is my thing and this is it and in all fairness as people probably all know by now because I've kind of gone on it gone on

about it since my kind of career in this business if you like really started kind of last year was Rob Gronkowski I mean he's a fan favorite anyway you know fun guy that kind of thing but his his playing ability I want to say his athletic ability but obviously as his career went on and he got dinged up then he wasn't quite as smooth on the field um running and that kind of thing but it was just the way that he could sort of march it down the field guys dropping off him and and you know Brady still targets him it was just the dynamic the relationship between the quarterback and the tie end as I mentioned that earlier in the show it was just it's it was just a

beautiful thing to see um and that's why I'm so sad that it's now you know over in Tampa Bay but as for specific memories my memory really sucks so I don't really have like one that that one specific moment I know that there was I think it was a Washington game I can't remember when it was but I'm pretty sure it was a Washington game and Grump's got the ball he's running down the sideline and there's just like three four guys hanging off him and he's still going and it's like oh it's amazing I just love to see that kind of thing so yeah and I think there was a Detroit game um the guy had been yapping at him all day and he just like slammed him off the field and it's just like I just love things like that I'm just yeah I'm just terrible for that kind of thing really but um it's memories you all know that I'm an Iso fan unfortunately we didn't really get to see much from him as a patriot he had injury in his rookie year and stuff like that so

it was difficult to really have a lot of Izzo sort of memories at his best. It was, he was my rebound guy and I never hid from the fact that he was my rebound guy when Gronk retired, but I remained loyal because he was a Patriot and he's a Patriot tight end. And that's where my loyalty lies. So I, I, I do still hold the torch for Ryan Izzo,

regardless of what everybody thinks. So, you know, when he, there's, there's, he, there was a touchdown.

I think it was 20 I want to say 2019 touchdown and his touchdown celebration like sticks in my memory kind of thing so I don't remember the the game or anything because I'm rubbish when it comes to things like that but yeah that sort of sticks in my memory so I do I do love that but I've got to say um Hunter this year he's been delivering so much and every time that there's a Hunter Henry catch I just get really excited and I know it's really lame and people like laugh at me and things like this but I just don't care I just I'm just loving it and every time he gets a touchdown things like this and people are tweeting at me like crazy and stuff like this it's just it's amazing it gives me you know the the pleasure from it because I get the the the interaction from other fans as well so not only do I get to enjoy it because you know he's my tight end and that's great but I get this

interaction with fans as well and that's just so much fun and you know it's just it's brought everything to me being such like a tight end enthusiast if you like and and just yeah that in itself is just a wonderful memory just to get to keep really great stuff well i can assure you we can hear the cheers and the hollers from west midlands in the uk whenever hunter henry makes a big play and no all kidding aside the accolades that you get and the tweets that you get when that happens uh you know it's not a novelty it really is well deserved and it's well earned because you don't just come out and talk about the tight end position or just proclaim to be someone that is a fan of it.

You are a student of the way this position is played. You're a student of the game now, the way offense is played and defense. And the way you've grown in that way, Claire, by leaps and bounds is truly, truly amazing. And that's one of the big reasons why we love having you on here on Locked On Patriots. Obviously, we've got a good rapport, good banner back and forth, but the knowledge that you bring here is always second to none.

And that's why I love having you here on Locked On Patriots. In terms of tight-endage memories, I think you were right on the money. One of my favorites of all time does include Rob Gronkowski. In week 11 of the 2014 NFL season, when he took former Patriots cornerback Sergio Brown and threw him out of the club. Just threw him right out of bounds. I just love that.

To me, that just that really and hearing Rob describe it afterwards, you just had to throw him out of the club. Really is typical, Rob. And we miss Rob a lot up here in New England. No question about it. But Hunter is definitely doing his part, and hopefully tight endage will be long-lived here in New England because the Countess of Clads herself, the Empress of tight endage, the Queen of T.E., the Baroness of Lockers, decrees itself. And because of that, we have to bow in reverence to Her Majesty.

Claire, I always enjoy when you come on here uh and not talk football talk tight-ended here on lockdown patriots but we do have a lot of new listeners each and every day so for the benefit of those listeners please let everyone know where they can find you interact with you on social media where they can find your great work and what you have coming in the coming days and weeks from the great pen and the great voice of claire clazy claire cooper of course thank you so much, Mike. I always get to come on Lockdown and we get to talk tight ends because I always end up coming on when it kind of needs covering type things.

So I always get to be sort of the tight endage person. But I do, as you said, I do cover other things. It just so happens that when I come on Lockdown, we do our little tight endage segment. So that's sort of how it seems to work out really. But yes, you can find me each and every week with thomas murph murphy and steve balistrari at one patriots place where

we discuss pretty much everything argue banter that kind of thing but everything patriots obviously um my as you mentioned i do a game recap and i'm a writer for patspropaganda.com so you'll find literally I do a game recap every week and my colleague Tom he does a preview each and every week so if you follow Pats Propaganda it's at patspropaganda you'll find kind of the before and afters of each game and obviously the Patriot stuff you'll find there you will find the yes the infamous tight-ended t-shirt and the I like tight ends and I cannot lie t-shirt. They're available at patspropaganda.com. I write for full press coverage. I am fortunate that I'm a special contributor there. So you'll find me here, there and everywhere on there with a clear perspective. And that's where you will find my podcast, my baby, the thing that is dear to my heart a clear perspective podcast where I get to talk patriots with a guest um about twice a month I tend to produce that so

that is out pretty much everywhere that you can download your your podcasts from and recently I recorded on Friday of last week just before the game with John Rook the voice of Gillette Stadium um the master of the playbook John Rook yes, you'll find that everywhere you download your podcast. As for the future, well, as I mentioned, you'll find me on my game recap. So Monday morning, you'll find me coffee in hand, recapping the game for anybody that either wants to read a recap or miss the game themselves. And then you'll find me on One Patriot's Place, as I said, each and every week with Steve and Matt. And again, folks, anything that Claire puts voice to microphone or pen to paper on is always point, click, learn enrichment material, as I like to say here on Lockdown Patriots. The podcast that she produces and does on a daily or I should say daily on a bi-monthly basis. It's truly amazing. It really, really is.

And the guests that she's been able to interview from Mike Giardi of the NFL Network, Tommy Curran to NBC Sports Boston, Bill Perry, Karen Grigian, some of the greatest names in Patriots media have gone on Claire's show. And when I tell you she matches them wit for wit,, believe me when I tell you definitely check these out. You do not want to miss any of these. You can find them all on fullpresscoverage.com and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. In the meantime, my dear friend, please thank you so much for coming on and joining me today here on tight end Tuesday on Locked On Patriots.

And we look forward to having you back here again, really, really soon, but in the meantime, continue to stay safe stay well and uh it'll always be a fun time when you join us here on the microphone of Lockdown Patriots thank you so much Countess thanks Mike thanks for having me everybody it's been fun just like that Patriots fans we are almost halfway through your work week but fear not because there is still a ton of Patriots coverage here to come. Of course, which includes starting to turn our attention to the City of Angels and a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8 at SoFi Stadium. So to ensure 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, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend, the Countess of Clats herself, Ms. Clasie Claire Cooper, for her time, her insight, and her appearance on today's pod.

But most of all, I thank you so much for listening, for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and of course, your first listen each and every day. And remember that Locked On Patriots is free and available on all

platforms. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.