Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Tumultuous Tuesday: Six New England Patriots Opt Out. Now What? - 7/28/2020

Episode Date: July 28, 2020

The New England Patriots have had an eventful 24 hours. Not only are they attempting to navigate a season which will see them start a new quarterback for the first time in nearly two decades, they are now faced with losing valuable members of their roster amidst concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Patrick Chung, Dont’a Hightower, Marcus Cannon, Brandon Bolden, Danny Vitale and Najee Toran have decided to sit out the 2020 campaign over concerns surrounding COVID-19. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the impact of these opt-outs, where the Patriots might look for assistance, and whether this is a harbinger of things to come for the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. It is tumultuous Tuesday here on the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions,

the New England Patriots. So folks, how was your evening and morning? I'm certainly not speaking for all of you out there, but I'm willing to venture to guess that your evening was not as interesting as that of our New England Patriots. And as always, folks, I'm not generalizing. I'm not saying that all of you didn't have an eventful or an exciting or even a tumultuous Tuesday morning like the Patriots did. Their theirs was certainly very highly publicized. And that's exactly what we're going to be talking about right here today on Locked On Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a

proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback always welcomed, greatly appreciated, and we encourage you to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. And while you're out there saying, how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, to call today's episode Tumultuous Tuesday may actually be an understatement. In what was supposed to be the day on which veterans were supposed to report for training

camp in Foxborough, we both went to sleep and awoke to the news that six players, the same number as the Lombardi trophies that adorn the trophy case at Gillette Stadium, are opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Those six players are fullback Danny Vitale, offensive lineman Najee Torin, starting right guard Marcus Cannon, linebacker Dante Hightower, running back Brandon Bolden,

and hot off the presses of this broadcast, safety Patrick Chung. That list reads like a who's who of the New England Patriots roster. Granted, there is still a ton of star power left on this roster to compete in 2020. But when you see players like Dante Hightower, Brandon Bolden, Patrick Chung, Danny Vitale, all players that were expected to play a pretty major role in the Patriots' success, it's definitely going to cause some questions, some concerns, and maybe even a little squeamishness on behalf of all of you out there. And to be totally honest with you folks, I have questions myself.

And seeing that one of our favorite frequent guests here on Locked On Patriots has a special connection to one of those names that's going to be opting out, I thought today would be the perfect day to grace the airwaves with a little green wisdom and counsel. That's right, folks. Your favorite and mine, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, joins me on the hot seat, and Murph and I will discuss the opt-outs. We'll discuss where the Patriots go from here,

how will they fill some of these roster spots, and whether or not what's happened over the last 24 hours in Foxborough is a harbinger of things to come for the entire NFL. And don't worry, folks. You know as well as I why we brought Murph here. We'll be talking a little Brandon Bolden, and Murph will provide his insight on why the loss of a guy like Brandon Bolden could have a pretty profound effect on the Patriots roster this year. Full disclaimer alert, at the time that Murph and I conversed on this matter,

ESPN's Mike Reese had not yet published his report that Patrick Chung would be opting out. So in terms of Murph and my conversation, you're going to hear the number five instead of the number six. Because Patrick's opting out had not yet been reported, we didn't count him among the list of players that the Patriots now find themselves in need of replacing. And in no way to diminish the impact of guys that will be opting out that Murph and I did discuss, particularly Dante Hightower, folks, I want to take the next few minutes to address Chung's opt-out. And late morning, early afternoon, right around noontime, ESPN's Mike Reese had announced that Chung would be the sixth New England Patriot to use the opt-out.

Now, the Patriots' roster until this point had already taken some significant hits. We mentioned Dante Hightower, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Danny Vitale, offensive guard Najee Torin, all decided to use the opt-out. And the right to use that opt-out was granted to all of these players as a result of the agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association, which was made just last week. And again, at the time of the reporting of this podcast, it seems that all of these opt-outs are voluntary. And it really disheartens me to see a lot of people, not necessarily Patriots fans who I think have been very level-headed when it comes to all this, but some on the national stage, even those that dare to call themselves journalists,

are questioning the integrity of some of these players that are choosing to opt out. They're questioning their motives. I've seen some asinine arguments that are trying to attach this to a disdain for Bill Belichick among the Patriots locker room, or even some that believe that players are taking this route just so that they can get a paid year off. If you're subscribing to one of these theories, folks, I don't really know what to tell you except to say I respectfully disagree, and I'm probably being overly diplomatic when I say that, but to question the motives of players that are choosing to put the health and welfare of themselves and their families ahead of all else should never be questioned, disparaged, or used as a pathetic method by which, and I'm quoting my good friend Tanya Ray Fox by saying this, taking fans down unnecessary

and unsubstantiated rabbit holes. Thanks, Tanya. I love the way you put that in your tweet. I had to use it. I understand that the whole Belichickian conspiracy theory makes for good copy, might even make for a good afternoon radio show topic, but at the bottom line, folks, it's absolute and total rubbish. I've covered Bill Belichick for the better part of the last three years. I have several colleagues in the media that are much better at their job and have done it a lot longer than I have. The consensus among those that I spoke to today, those that

think rationally, know that Bill Belichick is the type of coach that will always tell his players to do what's best for them. That's what you're seeing these players do. That includes Patrick Chung, who is making this decision as, once again, an expectant father. Dante Hightower and his fiancée recently became new parents. Dante also has a mother who is a type 2 diabetic. Danny Vitale and his wife recently had a new child. And Marcus Cannon fought non-Hodgkin's lymphoma back in 2011. If you're questioning his motives as to why he's not so eager to jump into a season

that might put him at risk for contracting a disease that he may have trouble fighting off, folks, again, like I said, all I can do is respectfully disagree with you. People can say they have a right to ask the question. I guess at the end of the day, they do have a right to ask the question. But if you're thinking clearly, folks, you'll see it the same way I do. This is not an indictment on Bill Belichick, least of all from a guy like Patrick Chung, who signed a two-year extension in the offseason.

If he really hated it here, not going to do that. It's also not a freebie year for guys like Hightower and Bolden. Certainly not for guys like Vitale and Torin, who haven't quite amassed the annual salary wealth that guys like Hightower, Bolden, and Chung have. No, at its purest form, this is about players making the best decision for themselves and protecting those around them whom they love. You can't fault anybody for that, in fact, I commend them for doing it, as I do each and every player throughout the NFL, having the courage to take a step that not every player is comfortable taking. Yes, it seems like this has hit the Patriots a little harder up front.

Keep in mind, folks, that the Patriots are not an organization that lets things slide. They don't procrastinate. They hit it head on, they get the job done, and they do it right away. I'm sure these conversations have been going on between Bill Belichick and his players for months now. They knew when the team expected these decisions, and in my opinion, the Patriots did not want to lag along until the Monday, August 3rd deadline.

So maybe these opt-outs are looking a little disproportionate right now. At one point, you saw that five players throughout the other 31 teams had opted out, and five players had opted out on the Patriots alone. I don't think that's a coincidence, but I also don't think it's the final product. I believe you're going to see players from a lot of other teams come forward now and say that they are opting out. And at the end of the day, and this is just my prediction, folks, I think you're going to see as many or almost as many players on each of the NFL teams as the New England Patriots

have. But as I said before, before I welcome Murph in here, I did want to give Patrick Chung's announcement it's due. And his decision to voluntary opt out was a little bit surprising, but it wasn't necessarily shocking. As I stated before, Chung is once again an expectant father, and you're hearing a lot of those same sentiments. I want to make sure that I protect my newborn and my family. Can't blame Patrick for that again, folks. I sound like a broken record, but it's true. He pointed out just days ago during his appearance on the Double Coverage podcast, hosted by his teammates Devin and Jason McCourty that becoming a father was unquestionably the

greatest thing that will happen to him during the 2020 season. Yeah, he just signed the two-year extension to redo his contract, but don't forget that he was reportedly considering retiring from the game at one point earlier this year, and one of the major reasons why he was considering retirement was to spend more time with his family. Patrick is thinking along those lines, and again, folks, I think his decision is an honorable one. Now, that's not to say the Patriots are not going to miss his presence on the field. They are going to greatly miss Patrick Chung's presence. The secondary has largely been considered to be the strongest component of their defense. That's a unit that was ranked at or near the top of the NFL in 2019. They also

didn't have to go through that much turnover. They did lose Daron Harmon in that third safety role, but the team drafted Kyle Duggar in the second round of the NFL draft, also added veterans Adrian Phillips and Cody Davis via free agency. Because Murph and I are going to discuss how the Patriots might address the losses on the offensive line and at linebacker when it comes to Dante Hightower, I think what they're going to do in Chung's absence is turn to their offseason acquisitions to fill that void, either Phillips or Davis. It wouldn't shock me to see Kyle Duggar get some consideration for the starting job, but the reason I'm hesitant to give Duggar the nod here is because this offseason does not provide him with the prep time he's going to need to learn the

Patriots system. Having had the opportunity to cover Adrian Phillips in Los Angeles, I can tell you I believe he's in the driver's seat right now. Phillips has a tremendous amount of versatility and a tremendous amount of experience that can make him a guy that can step up into that linebacker role. He can play the type of safety that Patrick Chung played, and he has a wealth of special teams knowledge. You all know I've been boring you to death with all of my praise of Adrian Phillips for the last few months since the Patriots signed him.

I think he's up to the challenge, I think he steps up, and I think he's in the driver's seat to take over this role right now. All of a sudden now I think Cody Davis becomes more valuable, as does Terrence Brooks. You all know I've been a little iffy on Terrence's footing on this roster this year. I think now he's going to be needed more than ever, and I look for him to remain on the Patriots roster this year as well. So again, folks, there are my brief thoughts on Patrick Chung's opting out. As always, we'll continue to bring you the very latest and talk a little more about

Chung and the impact it will have on the secondary in tomorrow's episode of Locked On Patriots. But here today, my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto Thomas Murphy, is chomping at the bit to take the hot seat and talk a little Dante Hightower, Brandon Bolden, and the fate of your 2020 New England Patriots. All this and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, to recap, Danny Vitale naji taran marcus cannon dante hightower and brandon bolden have all chosen to forego the 2020 nfl season amidst concerns over the covid 19 pandemic notable names that will sorely be missed this year in foxborough and my guest today has some

wisdom and counsel to lend on this subject. In fact, you might call it some green wisdom and counsel, especially when it comes to that last name I mentioned. That's right, Patriots fans, your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the Count of Murphy Fisto, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked on Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship today and for joining me, Don Murph. Always, man. I always love when I get kicked up in the lineup a little bit. Batting third this week.

Batting second this week. Absolutely. I'll take it. Well, I've always said, you know, when you've got the bat of Babe Ruth sitting there on the bench, ready to come in at a moment's notice, it is the greatest feeling for a host of a podcast or any radio media entity. I don't care where it is. When you can go to the greatest, you always do that. And I appreciate that this morning on short notice.

But I considered with the breaking news out of the land of Foxborough, I thought you'd be the perfect guy to talk to today. And Murph, it's been an interest. You're very welcome. And it's been an interesting few hours, buddy. The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect what is already what I've described as an unorthodox and unprecedented offseason. Since yesterday evening, five players from our New England Patriots have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season, and they've done so in advance of the league deadline of this coming Monday, August 3rd. Each of them has the potential of hitting the

Patriots hard here, and I know that you're eager to lend your insight on Brandon's decision, and that's one of the big reasons why you're here today, buddy, but let's start with the field. Most notably, Dante Hightower, Marcus Cannon, Danny Vitale. Each of them have more than valid reasons for opting out, but these guys were considered to be a big part of what the Patriots were going to do on the field this year. Now, from a logistical standpoint and from a medical standpoint and from a familial concern, I don't think anybody can blame any of these players.

Marcus Cannon battled non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011. I said to open the show today that that puts him in the high-risk category. I don't think anybody can fault him for being a little bit overcautious when it comes to his health. Danny Vitale and his wife are proud new parents of a newborn baby. He's considering the health and welfare of his family, as is Dante, who welcomed a newborn on July 16th. He's also protecting his mother, who is a type 2 diabetic. So there's a lot more going on than just what happens on the field here. First, my friend, what was your reaction to these opt-outs, particularly the volume of

opt-outs that we saw in a very short period of time? And what does this mean for the Patriots on the field? Well, first of all, you know, I applaud all these gentlemen. It's a very difficult decision to make at any point in time to step away from football for health reasons. We're talking about a lot of money and a lot of security. And I do believe that you're going to see more and more of this over the next several days. Repeat that question. I started a tangent.

I freaking got lost. No, not at all. Putting Brandon on the shelf for just one moment, because I know you're looking to speak to him, and you're the world's foremost expert, and we want to give you the platform to do that. But the loss of guys, especially a guy like Dante Hightower, who we've described him several times as the quarterback of this defense

and someone that directs traffic better than anybody, the loss of a guy like Marcus Cannon on this offensive line, Danny Vitale was supposed to be a big part of what they're doing offensively this year with the resurgence of the fullback in the absence of James Devlin. Even Najee Torin, who I don't want to label as a footnote here. Najee had some experience and really could have competed, I think, for one of those backup roles on the offensive line, especially with the Patriots' lack of experience in that area. Players like this as a whole, what does it do to this team on the field, and what does it mean for the Patriots this year? Well, it's definitely going to throw a monkey wrench into what Bill had been planning, but

Bill is like a Russian. He doesn't go to the bathroom without a plan, son. And that's, that's just the way it is. So I I'm sure that he had in the back of his mind what was going on here and the players doing this as early as possible have done Bill and the Patriots, you know, they've gone the Patriot way. Bill, Bill in years past has let guys go early that he knew were on the bubble so they could find a suitable replacement for them. I mean, they could have a better chance at being picked up somewhere else. And in this case, they're letting him know and allowing him to maybe find a suitable replacement for

them. Guys that are going to be able to fill in. There's a lot of depth at all of these positions. Maybe, maybe not so much at at the linebacker position. It's it's a, when you remove a piece as important as Donta Hightower is it's, it's really difficult to fill that spot with anyone. So I think Bill is going to end up filling that spot with a lot of people as his M.O. in situations like this when guys have gone down in the past.

When Dante has gone down in the past, he's somebody that has dealt with a lot of injuries throughout his career and played through most of them. All the ones that you know about, folks, there are dozens of others that Dante Hightower has played right through that you've never heard of or might have read about on an injury report. It's not going to be easy. They added a lot of young players this offseason at that position. They spent a second rounder on Uche, a third rounder on Anfernee

Jennings. Cash Malula is out there. He's a six-round pick that we were wondering about a few weeks ago, who we might be wondering a little bit less about. And then there's, you know, your, your buddy, uh, Brandon Copeland, um, who, who is, you know, brought in as a free agent. And, um, these are all guys that are going to, I believe, have to step up, step in and play a bigger role right there in the middle. I agree with you, especially when it comes to guys like Cash Malloway, like you mentioned.

Evan Lazar was our guest here on Locked On Patriots on Friday, and he spoke very glowingly about Cash and the motor that he brings to the table and the abilities that he can bring to the table. All of a sudden, you know what, I think we're all struggling with it. I'm hoping. I just got Omano Manoanui down last week. I can't do it. Yeah, Omano Manoanui was a difficult one. That's why they all called him Hooman.

But, you know, from a selfish standpoint, my friend, you know I love my dad jokes and my play on words. I'm hoping Cash makes the team so I can put Cash Me Outside on some of my tweets uh as it is who made that man a gunner as it is who made that man a gunner may end up being extinct and i'm hoping that's not the case folks but not in all in all actuality we want to bring it back to reality here folks and you know there was a little bit of a harsh dose of reality for patriots fans this morning um i agree with you i think the patriots are going to build from within. I think they have the wherewithal to be able to withstand some of these hits.

But we'll get to where they're going to go in a moment because, Murph, the moment I think that most of our listeners have been waiting for and probably the most played segment of this podcast will be the question I'm about to ask you. And Brandon Bolden is someone in whom you have a strong interest, to say the least. We like to use that as a punchline at times, all in good fun. But Brandon's decision, as is the case with Marcus, Dante, Najee, and Danny, is one that I not only respect, but I also commend.

This is not an easy decision for any professional athlete, folks, by any way, shape, or form. You know Brandon's competitive nature as well as anyone. The floor is yours, bud. First of all, take us through what you thought when you saw that Brandon was choosing to opt out of the 2020 season. And what does his loss mean for the New England Patriots? From not only an on-field standpoint, but also a leadership standpoint, so many guys

in that locker room looked to Brandon for guidance, not just on the offensive side of the ball, but also on special teams. What is a loss for a guy like Brandon mean for the New England Patriots in 2020? Well, we're talking about a player that contributes in so many ways that it really can't be defined in stat sheets. This is a man who single-handedly, and I will go down to my grave, won the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. You guys can go back and look at the tape. Cliff Averill lived in Tom Brady's grill all day long. And until Brandon knocked him the hell out, I toned that down for the audience that we have here.

Things were mighty rough. This is a man that comes in, does his job, does it really well, not only on the field, but in the locker room, in the film rooms, in the running back room. He was going to be, for the first time ever, the senior the senior back um the man that everybody was looking for he's the guy that can go out there and fill in for you know a four four snaps or four quarters or four games if you need him to um he it's really difficult to put into words everything that that brandon bolden brings to a football team. And it's not just here.

It's going back to his college days. It's going back to his high school days. You will never find a coach that will tell you that Brandon Bolden is not one of the best leaders that they have ever been around and somebody who always has a good take on any player that he's with, always has great advice that should be taken and heeded. And this is not something that can just be laughed off. There are people out there, what are you talking about? It's Brandon Bolden. He's a special teamer.

He's a lot more than a special teamer. He's a special player. He's a special teammate and a special man, and I really do. I applaud him because he is not somebody who has made hundreds of millions of dollars at this game. living compared to you or I or other people, but we're not talking about Tom Brady money here. There aren't a lot of people knocking down his door to endorse their products and things of that nature as anybody who is, quote unquote, a special teamer has. I do. I applaud his decision. It was difficult, and this might be one of the more difficult replacements that Bill has to make. Bill lost Brandon for a year playing games with his contract and trying to squeeze in this and squeeze in that and fiddle around with things. And he realized what a mistake that was, and that's why he brought him back. Without question.

And so many people I've seen this morning rallying around a guy like Brandon Bolden, and I say rallying around, I mean specific mentions that I've seen on Patriots Twitter and on social media. I think so many people appreciate what he brings to the table. Again, you mentioned his special teams prowess, his experience. For me, that always regarded him to be a roster lock, and we're very like-minded on this. I thought he was going to be one of the more valued veterans on this 2020 Patriots roster.

And fans and media alike seem to be gravitating toward that. His absence on the field this year creates a palpable void for New England without any question, buddy, as they navigate through what I've described, again, as a very unusual season. Look, he was used sparingly on offense. He's got 230 rushing yards since 2016. But when you factor in the stalwart that he was on special teams, he was on the field for 71% of New England snaps last year.

For a special teamer who's sparingly used on offense, that to me is such a valid statistic in terms of being able to validate what this guy means to the team and what he does well uh when he was used in situational offensive packages he made highlights folks he was almost always making his presence felt when he was taking snaps on offense so i agree with you i think this is going to be one of the more tough uh cuts for the patriots i shouldn't say cuts one of the more tough cuts for the Patriots. I shouldn't say cuts. One of the more tough losses for the Patriots is the best way for me to put it this season.

And one of the more tough for Bill to be able to replace. And, buddy, that's going to lead me quite nicely into how we're going to kick off the next segment here on Locked On Patriots. Because we have talked about those Patriots that will not be on the field in Foxborough this year. They will be missed, but the show must go on, or at least that's the plan. In just a moment, Murph and I will discuss where the Patriots go from here and if this could be a harbinger of things to come in the NFL as a whole. This and more when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Pats fans, Thomas Murphy joins me today,

and we have discussed the losses on the field for the Patriots and how they're each going to hit the roster individually. But, Murph, the Pats still need to put together a roster to feel the 2020 season, and one would have to think that some veteran experience is going to be needed to offset these losses. Now, according to our good friend, the Pats cap, Miguel Benzon, he has the Patriots now projected, after accounting for the opt-outs of Dante Hightower,

Brandon Bolden, Marcus Cannon, Najee Torin, and Danny Vitale, five guaranteed salaries added to the Patriots' dead money, even accounting for the re-signing of Will Hastings, which kind of slipped under the radar last night, wide receiver out of Auburn, now back in the fold for the Patriots. Pats have 76 players on their roster, and according to his cat number as of Tuesday morning, $24,045,302. That's pretty flush for a team that up until a few weeks ago

had less than a million dollars available, less than a half a million dollars available at some point. My question to you is, my friends, do you think the Patriots put this newfound cap room to use on a veteran or two, maybe even, dare I say, one that is high profile, or do they build from within that we hinted at in the previous segment? Do they go with guys like Cash Malalaya? Do they look to see what a guy like Anthony Jennings can bring to the table and try to make him a little bit more of a Dante Hightower clone? Is this the year that Juwan Bentley comes up and makes that jump? Or do they go with guys like Brandon Copeland and even maybe keep a guy like Dietrich Weiss around now? Where do you see the Patriots going this year personnel wise as a result of these losses? Yeah, I think it's going to be a build from within year. I do believe that they'll go

out and try to spend some money to shore up the offensive line, but other than that, it's going to be a build within year. We could even see Joe Tooney get kicked out to tackle and maybe one of these younger guards step in there. We could do that. There are guys with experience in this system. LaRage and Waddle we talked about offline. Marshall Newhouse, Jared Vandal here, they are out there to be had. In the backfield, you know, it's a very full room. I think this helps J.J. Taylor immensely,

seeing what he's going to be able to do now. It's still without a preseason. That's a very difficult reach for him. But let's just go back to the other side of the ball for a second. And replacing Donta Hightower just can't be done by one person. And I really don't see anybody out there that you could spend serious money on that is going to be able to do that. I think it is going to be guys from within, and it's just too difficult to bring somebody into.

We often talk about how intricate this Patriots offense is. It's even more difficult on the defensive side of the ball, and especially in the way that Bill has been building this defense over the past two years. It almost seemed like he knew that the end was near between him and Tom, and that this was going to have to be a defensively-minded team, a running-minded team on the offense. And I just don't see too many people out there that are going to be able to come in here and do the things that Hightower did. So I'm really not sure that that is in play right now to go out there and spend the kind of money,

even when all of this cash just fell into their lap. So I'm not sure where you're sitting on that point right now, but that's where I am. It's going to be an internal thing. There will be some money spent on the offensive line with guys who might already be familiar with it. But, um, on the defensive side of the ball, I just can't see it. I am like-minded when it comes to you, my friend, and that may anger some of our listeners.

It may surprise some of our listeners, but look, the name out there that everybody wants to see sign with new England. We've heard it several times is jadeveon clowny i think right now he's the only player available that can make a high tower like impact um i still don't think it's likely and for the reasons that you mentioned i don't see the patriots being a fit for him i think jadeveon is going to realize that the patriots may not be bargaining from a position of strength at this point. They're looking at the loss of not only an emotional leader, not only a logistical leader on the field, but one of the best players at his position.

I mean, regardless of what you think of Dante Hightower's game over the years, whether he's declined, whether he's passed his prime, he's still one of the best at what he does. He's always in the mix, and he has a nose for the football. Bill Belichick loves linebackers like that. And you can't get linebackers or edge rushers off the street like that that have those types of instincts. So because of that, I think Jadeveon is going to realize that maybe he's got the Patriots in a precarious position. Bill Belichick doesn't do well with ultimatums. And if Jadeveon is trying to hold his feet to the fire, Bill's just going

to dust his feet off and he's going to walk away, in my opinion. So I agree with that. I'm not saying it's impossible, folks, but I am saying it's highly unlikely. I agree with you on the offensive line. To me, that's where some veteran leadership may come in or some veteran presence. And I think it's going to be guys that have experience. Keep a sharp eye on Adrian Waddell, folks. I really think that this

could be a fit in New England he knows the system um I've had the opportunity to speak with Adrian at training camp a couple of years ago when he was with New England uh very humble very contrite and very willing to do whatever it takes uh to further the cause of the team so he may be a good option folks don't throw things at me. Marshall Newhouse is still out there. And don't get crazy when I say that. But Marshall still has knowledge of the Patriots system. And he was a Swiss Army knife last year.

They plugged him into a lot of different holes. Now, you can make the argument. I've made the argument here on Locked On Patriots that he didn't quite fill them very gallantly. But if there is a need there for someone to come in and be able to at least keep the ship in the right direction, Newhouse could be an option. I've seen DeMar Dotson's name thrown out there. I've seen Cody Glenn.

I think they may go to that well and try to bring in some help on the offensive line. Don't sleep on the guys we have in camp either, folks. Yanni Kajusti, to me, I think is now in the driver's seat to start at right tackle and Evan and I discussed him in depth on Friday's episode Murph you and I have discussed Yanni as well I remember when the Patriots drafted him the buzz in that draft room at Gillette Stadium in the 2019 draft is that if healthy the Patriots had just gotten a steal I think he has the opportunity to do that this year from those that I talk to close to the team, they say he's healthy and he's ready to go. So keep a sharp eye on the juicy as well. Yelda Frohold, I think is also in the mix. He could be a chameleon of a guy that might slide into a tackle, even though he's a natural guard. I think that could be an option as well. Jermaine

Illuminor, Corey Cunningham, they do have depth at that position, but maybe a guy coming in with some knowledge of the way this system works and success in the way the system works could be a good harbinger of things to come. Speaking of harbingers of things to come, they're not always good, my friend. Harbinger usually indicates bad news. And to close out our show today, Jason LaConfora of CBS Sports recently posted an article that said that the opt-outs that you're seeing in the NFL could be a clue that we might not be in the best position right now to see a 16-game season.

It may not be feasible for a lot of different reasons, and also made the argument that the season itself could end up being in jeopardy if things don't turn around soon given what we're seeing in New England right now Murph do you believe that the full slate is in jeopardy here in with the NFL and do you believe that this could be a harbinger of some things to come throughout the entire league yeah I do right now 10 players have opted out five of them on the Patriots and I do believe more and more are going to do this as we see the things that are happening in sports around the country. You know, just what's going on with baseball right now. These guys cannot play in a bubble.

Mark Schofield wrote an excellent piece on this a couple of weeks ago. I'm sorry, I can't remember which of the 14 places that Mark writes for where you could find it. I'm sure if you went over and checked him out on Twitter, he'd be able to let you know that. That was Touchdown Wire. It was USA Today's Touchdown Wire. There you go. Thank you very much. And it was an excellent piece.

And I agreed with a lot of the things, most of the things that Mark said. It's always smart to agree with Mark. And, no, I do think that this season is in jeopardy, not just a partial season but the entire season. It's so scary out there and to expect a game like football to be played in this environment is downright petrifying. If the guys are out there, I will no doubt be there every Sunday cheering them on and bringing all of you my insight on it. But I would not be shocked if the season is contracted in some way, if we get more fewer games and more time off in between games, and or not play a season at all. None of us want to see that, but it might be a necessary evil considering the landscape

and the times that we live in right now. Yeah, I agree with you. And it hurts to say that. And I know a lot of people out there, I saw Kyle Brandt's tweet and looked, I don't want to come down on him or anything like that. I think everybody is trying to do their best to navigate through what is a difficult decision. But when we say that we're either not optimistic or when we and I when I say we, I mean, you know, our colleagues in the media, Murph, we try to bring you the information as best we possibly can. We try to be as objective. We try to be as as honest and as forthright as we can with the details that we see. And I agree with my friend here on the other end of the microphone right now. It's difficult to leave it to a sports corporation to navigate an unprecedented medical emergency. If there's not a unified response within the country itself, what makes us believe that there is the magic solution to all of this within the world of professional sports.

And I'm not just going to come down on the NFL. We're seeing Major League Baseball with it. Obviously, the NBA and the NHL are doing well in the bubble, but there haven't been any problems presented yet. I hope there aren't. But when you see something like that come forth, then all of a sudden that may get put under the microscope as well. So at some point, I think something other than a 16-game schedule, forth, then all of a sudden that may get put under the microscope as well.

So at some point, I think something other than a 16-game schedule may be in order. That was the thrust of Jason's piece this morning. Anyone that hasn't read it, I definitely encourage you to go out and take a look at it. But yeah, I think that there are going to be more teams. Don't forget the deadline is Monday, August 3rd, folks. So the Patriots are being proactive. They're getting a lot of their opt-outs out of the way. This could end up coming down where you see a lot of

teams in similar situations having players opt-out. I don't think you're just going to see 10, five of them coming from the Patriots and then five of them smattered throughout the league. I do believe there are more coming and we'll continue to bring those to you here on locked on Patriots.

And if there are any other pats that make the decision itself, you know, we'll bring you our wisdom and counsel as best we possibly can. But my friend, what can I say? I thank you for coming on today. You're always family at locked on Patriots. And thank you for coming on, on short notice to talk Brandon Bolden and some of these unprecedented roster moves by the New

England Patriots. Folks, you should already be following this man. But for any of our new listeners, follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto on Twitter at Team Murph 207. The columns, including his monster keys, instant analysis. They're always point, click and learn material. You'll be a better football fan. You'll be a better person by reading what this man has to say. Always proudly found, excuse me, folks, on diehardbostonsportsfans.com.

Never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with Murph and our great mutual friend, Steve Balistrieri. Thank you again, my good man. Always honored and humbled by your presence. Have a great week

and we look forward to talking to you again real soon. Thank you for having me, bud. And before I go, I want to give a shout-out. Classy Claire, happy birthday. Absolutely. Happy birthday to our good friend Claire. And definitely, we

know she's listening, and we appreciate all of your support. One of Locked On Patriots' most valued friends and most valued fans. Thank you for doing that. Murph and I wish you a happy birthday. And on behalf of all of the family here at Locked On Patriots, we wish you the same, Claire.

But that being said, my friend, you stay safe and stay well. We'll talk to you again next week. You too, my brother. And so, folks, that puts a lid on this tumultuous Tuesday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And before we close out today, another tidbit that was offered by Jeff Howe of The Athletic, whose opinion I always trust. Jeff is always accurate in the information that he relays. And we'll close the Locked On Patriots podcast today by saying that from the sources Jeff

has talked to within the organization, that the Patriots believe that Chung's decision would mark the end of the opt-outs in New England in 2020. Jeff was careful, however, in indicating that this remains a, quote, fluid situation and that players' feelings could change as test results come back in the ensuing days. And of course, right here on Locked On Patriots, I will continue to bring you the very latest in news, notes, and analysis from Foxborough. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts,

follow us on Spotify, download us wherever you get your podcasts, and of course, you can always listen to Locked On Patriots right on your very own smart device. How do you do so? Very simple. Just ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is 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 staying locked in to Locked on Patriots. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change you wish to see in the world. And have a great day, everyone.