Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Ultimate AFC East Crossover: New York Jets - 7/15/2020

Episode Date: July 15, 2020

It’s Day Three of Ultimate Divisional Crossover Week across the Locked On Podcast Network. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Joe Marino of Locked On Bills, John Butchko of Locked On Jets and Kyle Crabbs of Locked On Dolphins to take a deep dive into the AFC East. Today...when you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way. The New York Jets are under the microscope and the hosts discuss the Jets’ upcoming season, roster questions, and the team’s prognosis under head coach Adam Gase.  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, and welcome to your middle-of-the-week, middle-of-the-pack Wednesday episode of the ultimate AFC East Divisional crossover right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. As always, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Patriots fans, thanks again for joining us here today on day three of the Ultimate Divisional

Crossover. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And your team every day means your questions, your comments, your feedback, always welcomed and greatly appreciated. Share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC.

And while you're out there saying how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Folks, I hope that you've been enjoying the Ultimate Divisional Crossover week here on the Locked On Podcast Network. It's always an honor to sit down with my colleagues across the AFC East,

really across the entire Locked On Podcast Network, and be able to absorb a cross-section of wisdom and counsel when it comes to anything and everything related to the NFL. And I'd like to think that the unofficial theme this week has been keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Nothing is more relevant to that than delving into the fate of your division rivals. And so far this week, we kicked off things on the right note, discussing your New England Patriots on Monday.

We bantered about the Buffalo Bills in yesterday's Tuesday episode. But today, when you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way. And those Jets will be the topic of discussion on today's pod. Sam Darnold, Le'Veon Bell, Quentin Williams, Adam Gase, and the New York Jets. They'll be in the crosshairs today as my good friend and colleague John Buchko, host of Locked On Jets, will'll be in the crosshairs today as my good friend and colleague John Buchko, host of Locked On Jets, will take the driver's seat. And I guess you could say that there was a little bit of trolling at the beginning of

this episode, calling it middle of the week, middle of the pack. By consensus, this looks like a two-team race for supremacy in the division between the Buffalo Bills and your New England Patriots. But the Jets may have something to say about this. Yes, I'm well aware the last two times these teams played in 2019, the Patriots were But the Jets may have something to say about this. Yes, I'm well aware the last two times these teams played in 2019, the Patriots were victorious in both occasions. In fact, the last time these two teams shared a field together, the defense of your New England Patriots made Sam Darnold look like he was seeing ghosts. And back when this happened, I made plenty of Ghostbusters

jokes, folks. I'm not going to do that today. Because now we're in 2020. And the biggest question on everybody's mind is how does gangrene down in the Meadowlands match up with the other three teams in this division? Well, today here on the pod, we will discuss that because myself, Joe Marino of Locked On Bills and Kyle Krabs of Locked On Dolphins will join John Butchko on the mic and dedicate today's pod to the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets. And folks, fear not. Hopefully that's the last time I ever

have to do that on the airwaves here on Locked On Patriots. But even though there are not a whole lot of analysts that are picking the Jets to possibly win the AFC East this year, don't let that fool you. This team played very well down the stretch, and they also made some key improvements in the offseason. I was especially impressed with the Jets draft.

Bringing in offensive lineman Mekhi Becton is a great way to provide Sam Donald with additional protection. Hopefully it won't make him feel like he's seeing ghosts again this year. I know folks, I told you I wouldn't make the joke, I just can't help myself. And even though New York lost wide receiver Robbie Anderson due to free agency, they were able to draft a pretty suitable replacement, and that's wide receiver Denzel Mims. What does it all mean on the field? Well, those are the very questions that John, Joe, Kyle, and myself will delve into today as we analyze and predict the Jets' place in the 2020 AFC East. But before today's conversation takes a green turn, and usually when we say that, folks, it means that we're about to be joined by my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself,

Thomas Murphy. Different kind of green today. It's a Jets green. But first, we start with some news from the red, white, and blue of your New England Patriots. And today is July 15th, folks. Today at 4 p.m. is the deadline for players under the franchise tag to sign long-term deals with their teams, or else they have to play on the franchise tag for the 2020 season. Now, this affects a number of NFL teams, folks, but relating to your New England Patriots, that means today is the deadline for offensive lineman Joe Tooney and the Pats to reach a long-term deal. Otherwise, Tooney gets locked into the one-year deal that will pay him $14.78 million, as was dictated by the franchise tag. Now, we've been hearing right

along, all week long, that the two sides were pretty far apart when it came to any type of contract negotiations. In fact, just this morning, Mike Giardi of the NFL Network reported that the two sides were so far apart at this point that it was pretty close to a foregone conclusion that Tooney would indeed play out the 2020 season under the tag. Now, I'll be the first to admit that if you had told me about three weeks ago that Joe Tooney would end up playing the single season under the franchise tag, I would have said it was more likely they reached an extension, or possibly even worked out a deal to trade him. Then came Saturday, when the Patriots announced that they had indeed been awarded approximately $6.55 million in cap relief as a result of settling the Antonio Brown and Aaron

Hernandez grievances. All of a sudden, the Patriots had nearly $8 million in cap space to work with, so it made Tooney's hit a little more palatable for them to carry. Again, if this had been a few weeks ago, I think there might have been an issue, and the organization might have felt more compelled to try to get an extension done. But with the increase in cap space, I think the team realized at this point that they can handle that hit. Now, with regard to Joe Tooney, this is an excellent deal for him. Again, he had all the leverage with the Patriots, not only by getting hit with the franchise tag, but also what the roster looks like. Tooney's presence on this team, especially

this year, is so important. He is their unquestioned starting left guard, a second team all pro at that, but he's also the backup center, and he also could be a potential option at tackle in case of an emergency. Couple that with the fact that not only are the New England Patriots starting a new quarterback under center for the first time in almost 20 years, they're also entering this season without Dante Skarnecchia. So from the Patriots' perspective, they can afford a cap hit like this now, and I think continuity is the tipping factor here. They realize that Joe Tooney is valuable, and if they have to pay nearly $15 million

this year to keep him in the fold That's something they're willing to do from Tooney's camp. This makes a ton of sense He makes a pretty good salary is able to test free agency next year and maybe even go toward a more lucrative deal than what? The Pats were willing to offer him this time around Ultimately the Patriots are glad to have Joe Tooney back in the fold for at least one more year You have to think that Tooney is satisfied with the one-year $15 million salary and a chance to go out and get more on the open market or sign a deal with the Patriots that keeps him here long-term.

But the fact that these negotiations have to now continue when the season is over is quite simply just the cost of doing business for the Patriots and Joe Tooney in this situation. So Joe Tooney's presence on the offensive line will be a welcome sight for Patriots fans, and most certainly for the team and its coaches. And he will definitely be needed to help provide protection for the quarterbacks and the running backs against some pretty stout defensive fronts in the AFC East. One of those belongs to the New York Jets. And in just a moment, folks, John Butchko will take the microphone and lead all of us through a journey of the green part of the Meadowlands. Day three of the ultimate divisional crossover AFC East style

coming right at you when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Crossover week for the AFC East continues here on the Locked On Podcast Network. I am John Butchko, the host of Locked On Jets, joined by Mike DeBate, the host of Locked On Patriots, John Buchko, the host of Locked On Jets, joined by Mike DeBate, the host of Locked On Patriots, Joe Marino, the host of Locked On Bills, and Kyle Krabs, the host of Locked On Dolphins.

And we've reached the point in the week where we are going to talk about the New York Jets, who finished 7-9 last season. And the 2019 campaign was really a tale of two seasons for the Jets. They started the year 1-7, and the 2019 campaign was really a tale of two seasons for the Jets. They started the year 1-7, and the first half of the season was capped by a loss to the then-winless Miami Dolphins.

The Jets then bounced back and won six of their last eight games. Now, that did include a loss to the then-winless Cincinnati Bengals, but the Jets were able to at least avoid an embarrassing 3-13 type season. And then this offseason, the new general manager, Joe Douglas, went to work overhauling the roster. The Jets were active in free agency, although not as active in a different way than they've been in past years, because the Jets had, under their former general manager, Mike McCagnin, been a team that set the market, giving out big money deals to big names.

Joe Douglas took a more cautious approach. Lots of one-year contracts, moderate deals on guys who they felt had upside. And then in the draft, the Jets invested early in the offensive line, taking Mekhi Becton. And then in the second round, they went to wide receiver, taking Denzel Mims out of Baylor. And we're going to get the perspective of some of the hosts across the AFC East today on where the Jets line up in this division.

So I'm going to start with Mike, the host of Locked On Patriots. Mike, good to talk to you today. Oh, always a pleasure, John. Thank you so much for coordinating today and looking forward to talking a little New York Jets. Now, Mike, a little bit earlier in the week, we did our show on the Patriots, and you mentioned that there was probably no team that saw more drastic changes this offseason than the New England Patriots because they lost, in my opinion, not just one but two legends. They lost Tom Brady, of course, a guy who very much in the discussion for the greatest

quarterback of all time. But another key loss that I thought could have big implications for this team is Dante Skarnecchia, the legendary offensive line coach. And I don't say that lightly when I talk about an assistant coach. I don't think that there are many assistant coaches that make a big difference in this league. But Dante Skarniecki was as good of a coach as there was in the NFL. So new quarterback in Cam Newton. There were also some other losses, some other additions. This kind of feels like an offseason like any other in New England because for 19 years you had the same coach and quarterback.

It's unprecedented stability at the two most important spots for an NFL team. So, Mike, I want your opinion on what you think, realistically, the Patriots' ceiling is, what their floor is for this season, and how confident you are heading into 2020. Great questions all the way around and i'm so glad john that you mentioned dante skarniecki because believe it or not we've actually been able to make it through the first two days of crossover week without mentioning dante's name and it definitely deserves to be mentioned and it is a key loss look he has been a stalwart of the patriots dynasty for a number of years now predatesates Brady, predates Belichick, going back to the earlier days of the Robert Kraft ownership. And even before that, Dante, to me, is one of

those guys, those indelible coaches on a staff that he may wear the assistant name moniker, but he's the guy that is able to keep this team together. The way the job that he's done with coaching the offensive line has been amazing. Now, the Patriots did have a situation where he had retired years ago, came in, Dave DiGuglielmo came in, did an adequate job, actually brought that team to a Super Bowl. But the offensive line just never quite regained the same type of savvy, the same type of intelligence, and being in the right place at the right time as they did under Dante Skarnecchia that will be a loss that the Patriots have to contend with this year and one of the reasons why I say and I've received some backlash and Joe you received a little backlash on this yesterday as well for Patriots fans is that I believe that the Patriots ceiling technically is the AFC East crown in 2020. But I also believe that it's probably a little more realistic to believe that they could

end up surrendering that title this year for the first time in a long while, simply because continuity, I think, is on the side of the Buffalo Bills. And yes, I mean, they do have new faces in new places, obviously, Stefan Diggs. But there is a greater amount of continuity, even in the coaching staff, than there is in New England right now. Obviously, all eyes are going to be on Cam Newton. How is he going to come in and be able to change the complexity of this Patriots offense, who had Tom Brady run it in an Earhart Perkins offense that, to me, was one of the greatest of all time at doing what he does. Cam Newton is capable of running that system. I think a lot of people forget that they tend to lose a lot of what Cam can do in the passing game in his mobility, his ability to

tuck and run things that Patriots fans have not seen their quarterback do in quite some time. And I say that with all deference to Tom Brady, who I still believe to be the greatest to ever play the position. But Cam brings another dimension. All of a sudden, now the Patriots have the ability to incorporate the RPOs that we talked about a little bit earlier this week. Cam has the ability to make reads down the field. He can step up.

He can take his time stepping into throws, but he can also be able to make a decision on a dime, tuck the ball and run when there's nothing else available patriots have not had that so that's a new dimension uh i look for and to a certain extent bill belichick to broaden the patriots um um playbook and be able to you know incorporate those elements into their offense now on defense they've suffered some losses as well and we've talked about this and we will talk probably a little bit more about guys like Kyle Van Noy and Landon Roberts. When Kyle takes the microphone and talks to us about the Miami Dolphins, those are two key additions for the Dolphins. Those are two great, pretty big key losses for the Patriots because

that swarming linebacker defense that we saw from them last year in the 3-4 set is really one of the big reasons why the Patriots were where they were and in the thick of a playoff run without that defense I think the Patriots would have fared a lot different we saw that in the game against the Jets last year obviously the infamous Sam Donald seeing ghost game you know don't forget that Sam was only a second game back from mono so that's's a tough task for a defense, a Bill Belichick coach defense that had so many athletic linebackers like Van Noy, like Collins. They were essentially swarming him all around. Linebackers, pass rushers were getting in his face. The secondary played very well that game.

I think McCourty, Harmon, Gilmore and Terrence Brooks all had interceptions on Sam. He lost the ball for the fumble. So there were a lot of things that went wrong. It was because the Patriots' defense was so good and so tight at being able to make those reads. This year, they're going to have some new faces. Josh Uche all of a sudden becomes a much more prominent member of this defense as a rookie. It's a lot to put on a young guy's shoulders. I think he can handle the load, but ultimately he's going to have to show it on the field you've got guys like Chase Winovich

that need to step up I believe he will do it but the Patriots have not had traditional prolific pass rushers at the defensive end position it's going to be a big year for a guy like Dietrich Wise who I think is on the roster bubble and in danger of maybe not making the final roster this year in New England so in terms of my long-winded response to your question, I believe their ceiling is the AFC East title. I believe the second place is a likely destination for them. I believe their floor is probably third in this division. I don't see them dropping any lower than that simply because they still have a great amount

of talent on both sides of the ball. At the end of the day, they still have Bill Belichick at the helm. So that's my prognostication on the Patriots. But I think they're looking at two tough matchups against the Jets this year because those are always barn burner games whenever these two teams take the field. Thanks, Mike. Great answer. Now let's turn to the Buffalo Bills. Joe Marino, host of Locked On Bills.

Joe, great to talk to you today. Yeah, looking forward to this, John. And, you know, again, it's always fun to talk Bills. Joe, great to talk to you today. Yeah, looking forward to this, John. And, you know, again, it's always fun to talk Bills, Jets and think about, you know, Darnold and Allen entering in that same draft class. Absolutely. And on yesterday's show, Joe led us through

talk about the Buffalo Bills and he asked me a question about Sam Darnold. So now I'm going to turn the tables on Joe. And obviously, you know, Jets and Bills are kind of linked because they both have quarterbacks who were drafted in 2018, entering their third year. So let's talk about Josh Allen. And Joe, you can correct me if I'm wrong. My perception of the Bills through Allen's first two years, especially last year, was they were not necessarily a quarterback-centric team. And that's not to say quarterback play did not matter,

but they were not relying on him the way maybe like New England was relying on Tom Brady to carry the load. And I'm interested in your view on how much you think will fall to Allen this year and how confident Bills fans should be that he can take the next step. Well, John, I think the most encouraging thing about believing that Josh Allen can take the next step is looking back at the steps that he has taken to this point. And I've encouraged listeners of Locked On Bills to go back and watch Josh Allen at Wyoming and see the player that he was in college and contrast that to the player that you saw last year. And I think Josh has shown many places in his career so far that he has grown. Whether you think about the player he was at Wyoming to the quarterback we saw early in his

rookie season, to the player that we saw after he came back from injury as a rookie, to the player we saw early in 2019, to the player we saw at the end of 2019. I think there's been points where I can, I can point to and say, those were steps. Those were major steps forward. And so the best thing I can tell you about believing that Josh Allen and that he will grow and take another step forward in 2020 is that he has proven that he can develop. And, you know, I think it's one of those things where you point to this Bills team, and I don't think that they necessarily at this point win because of Josh Allen, right? It's about the defense.

I think it's a well-coached football team that situationally plays pretty well. But at the same time, since joining the NFL in 2018, Josh Allen is in the top four when it comes to leading game winning drives in front of him Drew Brees Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson and it's Josh Allen who's led eight game winning drives in 24 starts that he has started the game and completed he had two that he didn't complete due to injury and then of course the Jets game in week 17 where he started out the game and then he rested the rest of the way as the bills could no longer be impacted in the playoff standings and so there are moments where josh allen has come through in the clutch at a significantly high rate and so that is very

encouraging that in those key moments that josh does rise to the occasion and you know i i think when you when you consider josh and his impact on the football team obviously he brings some difficult elements to defend in terms of his physical talent, but he's absolutely the leader of the football team. The entire locker room respects him. The coaching staff speaks in raves about his leadership, and you hear things that he does that scream franchise quarterback, whether it's calling draft picks right after they're selected

or engaging with free agent acquisitions and organizing throwing sessions. And, uh, you know, just the way that his teammates talk about him, where you hear guys like Cole Beasley saying, I want to go to war with Josh Allen. I want him in my foxhole. I mean, everybody loves this guy and, uh, and they're behind this guy. And I think that he's well supported. And I think that the bills have done very well over the landscape of his time since he entered the league in terms of building around him. And we talk about him going into year three and the Bills need him to take this next step. And they've made it a very they made it a comfortable situation for him to do that. And we contrast that to Sam McDonald. It's very different.

But Josh enters year three with the same offensive coordinator in Brian Dable. The entire offensive coaching staff returns from 2018 to 2019. The entire top nine offensive linemen that the Bills had last year, they're all back. The entire tight end room is the same. The entire running back situation is virtually the same, except for you take Frank Gore out and you add Zach Moss in. Plus, John Brown and Cole Beasley are back in their roles

with Stephon Diggs now added to this equation. So you can't help but feel really good about the infrastructure around Josh Allen and the fact that he's supported by a great defense. And so that need to do, he doesn't have to do that much because he, he, he can rely on a stable cast around him on offense. And then of course, relying on, on, on a very good defense. And so I think it's all right there for Josh Allen. It's kind of like a no excuse year in my mind in terms of what Brandon Bean has built around him.

And obviously, the hope is that he continues to grow and develop just like he has since he's entered the NFL. Thanks so much for that answer, Joe. Great answer. And now we move on to Kyle Krabs, the host of Locked On Dolphins and the newest member of our Locked On AFC East family. Kyle, great to talk to you today. Yeah, this should be fun, even though we're rubbing elbows with some teams that we don't necessarily get along with in the fall. It's still the summertime, so extending pleasantries is a nice kind of olive branch for everybody here in the East. Absolutely. I asked Mike a question

about the Patriots and I asked Joe a question about the Bills, but I just can't help myself talking to the host of Locked On Dolphins. I have to ask about Adam Gase. He, of course, spent three years with the Dolphins as their head coach, was fired after the

2018 season. The Jets brought him in in 2019, and I will tell you, Kyle, he was a very unpopular hire in this fan base. People looked at the job he did in Miami, and they questioned whether this was the right hire for the team, whether it was the right hire to develop Sam Darnold. And through his first year going 7-9, even with a strong second-half performance, there are still a lot of questions in this Jets fan base about Adam Gase. You've seen him from up close. You've seen him from afar. Give us your breakdown on Adam Gase. Have you seen him get better since that first year in Miami? Do you think Jets fans should be confident in Gase?

And I will tell you this, don't feel like you're offending Jets fans if you have negative things to say, because I'll tell you, I'm locked on Jets. I frequently am pretty critical of the job Gase is doing. Well, and in that case, the saying, great minds think alike, really is true after all, John, because I think about there's a quote that was attributed to Bum Phillips, and it was in regards to another Miami Dolphins head coach, Don Shula. And it said Don Shula can take his in and beat your in,

and then he could take your in and beat his in. And I think about Adam Gase as a head coach, and I think the exact opposite of that is what is most applicable to describe Adam Gase as far as he is so steadfast in believing that the way he thinks it should be done is the right way to do it. And he doesn't take into consideration putting players in the best position to be successful. There is a laundry list of names from his time in Miami that he was so eager to shuttle out the door because either they weren't buying in on what he was asking to do on the field or he was butting heads with him or they didn't like the game plans and they gave him feedback and he just didn't want to deal with it you know the Jarvis Landry it was the most high profile owner they put him on the franchise tag they end up trading him to a for a fourth and a seventh and then after that happened

Landry came out and said yeah Gase used to threaten guys in the Dolphins locker room that he was going to trade him to to Cleveland to be in purgatory if they didn't buy in on what he was doing. And lo and behold, that's where he traded Jarvis. Jarvis suddenly is not leading the NFL in receptions with 112 or whatever it was and couldn't even scratch a thousand yards because everything he ran was in three yards of the line of scrimmage. And he goes to Cleveland and suddenly he's averaging 13 and a half yards a catch and over a thousand yards. But you think about guys like Jordan Phillips who Adam Gase cut because he got tired of a player who was speaking out against not agreeing with his approach um Damian Williams the running back who's now with the Kansas City

Chiefs Adam Gase told him at the end of the 2017 season that they were going to bring him back and then completely ghosted him in the offseason and I think about Adam and then I look at the end of the 2017 season that they were going to bring him back and then completely ghosted him in the offseason. And I think about Adam, and then I look at the job that he did in New York, and I think about the Caliccio-Semoli incident, where he's alienated Caliccio-Semoli, and they asked him, have you talked to Caliccio? And he says, no, Caliccio hasn't asked to talk to me. Okay, well, you're the head coach of the team.

And that was the most common denominator for everything that happened with Adam Gase in Miami is nothing was ever Adam's fault. Adam had an alibi for everything. He had an excuse for everything. And then you see him go to New York. And now we're in a situation where Jamal Adams is pissed off with the team. No sooner that they fired Mike McCagnin, but he had Le'Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley issues to smooth over because the news came out that he didn't want those players for the prices that they got signed for by McCagnin. And these are now your star players on both sides of the ball, and they got a problem with you before you've even played a snap. So his teams don't play offensively efficient football.

His teams are very sloppy. You go back and look at Adams track record for his teams and penalties. They don't do a lot of stuff well. And then you have a guy who I have serious concerns with about his player relations. And I have nothing. I've seen nothing based on some of the drama out of New York, the Colicchio Assembly stuff, the Jamal Adams stuff, the Le'Veon Bell stuff that gives me an indication that he's changed his stripes in any way there.

And I just, I don't feel like this is any different than the experiment that went for three years in Miami. And I was really surprised. I understand that they finished six and two down the back half of the stretch, John, but it was a softer schedule and uh they took advantage of beating uh new york and washington and miami was half their wins in the back half of the season those three teams each picked in the top five of the draft and uh we were talking about is adam gase going to make it to the end of the season in year one and lo and behold you know, they get some momentum and beat up on some teams.

And I was surprised that he seems to have built any kind of momentum. Great answers by our panel. So when we return, our roundtable is going to tell us where they think the Jets fit in the AFC East. We're here on AFC East Crossover Week here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Today we're talking about the New York Jets. The Jets finished 7-9 in 2019, but now let's talk about where they will finish in 2020 in the AFC East. So let's start with Mike.

Mike, the Patriots have obviously dominated this division. In fact, since 2001, there have only been two seasons that have not ended with the Patriots claiming the AFC East title. And interestingly, Chad Pennington, it was the quarterback of both teams that won the AFC East in years New England did not. But Tom Brady was the quarterback for those division titles. Brady is now gone. Where do you think the Jets will finish in the AFC East in 2020? And do you think that they will finish ahead of the New England Patriots? Well, you know, I've taken a little bit of heat for saying that the new england patriots were

about to finish behind the buffalo bills in the division this weekend you know i stand by it i still believe that at the end of the day the bills right now do have enough continuity on both sides the football maybe even a little bit greater than what the patriots are bringing to the table to challenge and maybe even take over that division that being said i still believe the patriots are going to be right in the mix. I'm not being a hater here, John, by any stretch of the imagination, because I am impressed by what level of talent the New York Jets are putting out on the field, both on the offense and the defensive side of the ball.

I think they showed signs of that team that was projected to be a possible playoff sleeper a year ago, right around this time when people were projecting about teams that could surprise and raise an eyebrow but at the same time i don't see them finishing any higher than either third or maybe even last in the division this time simply because i believe the talent level and the coaching acumen that the new england patriots and the buffalo bills are putting up on the field still make them a potent one-two combination. I'm a big believer in Brian Flores, maybe even more so than Adam Gaze. And considering what Kyle had to say about Adam in the previous segment, I think it probably is that we're like-minded when it comes to that.

And from what I've heard from your assessment of his job capabilities on Locked On Jets, I think we're probably in agreement. Look, Miami is a team right now that is very intriguing to me. his job capabilities on locked on jets. I think we're probably in agreement. Look, Miami is a team right now that is very intriguing to me. They have a roster with a lot of potential. They need to bring it together and they need to gel. There's a lot that would need to happen for me to have them consider being possibly in that number one or number two spot in the division. But I do think from top to bottom, they might be the third best team in this

division right now so at the same time it wouldn't surprise me to see the jets be able to challenge maybe get that third spot maybe even peck away at a possible playoff uh you know spot if things roll the right way but a lot would have to roll the right way in my position i don't see the jets in a position to be able to overtake the patriots i don't Jets in a position to be able to overtake the Patriots. I don't see them in a position to be able to overtake the Buffalo Bills. I think right now their most likely competition is the Dolphins for either third or fourth in the division. But again, time will tell. That's why we play games on the field, not on paper.

Injuries, chemistry issues, coaching problems, things of that nature can all add up uh to difficulties on the field and of course the wild card in all this gentleman is the covet 19 pandemic how is this going to affect certain teams um you know you never really know for sure how teams are going to be affected by this and that could really change the complexity of what we see on the field this year so ultimately i think the jets are probably looking at more of the bottom end of the AFC East rather than the top end. But there's a lot of talent this year. And if for any reason Adam Gaze can harness that and get the most out of Sam Darnold, this is not going to be an easy out any time they take the football field. And I think as Mike alluded to, right now,

a lot of people like the Buffalo Bills. They were a team that went to the playoffs a year ago seem like they are moving in the right direction as a franchise and that brings me to Joe Marino and Joe you know I think back to week one when the Jets had a 16 point lead over Buffalo in the third quarter and the Bills came back and won that game and I wonder would both teams seasons have gone in different directions had the Jets won that game? Would the Jets maybe have had more success? Was that game maybe a launching point for the Bills to have a successful year? Would things maybe have gone a little bit differently if they had not come back to win that game? And now you have a Bills team coming off a playoff run.

They have expectations. It's always different when you have expectations. I think you see it across the league every year. There are teams that snuck up on other teams in the league the year before, but nobody's going to be looking past the Buffalo Bills this year. Both the Jets and the Bills have third-year quarterbacks looking to take the next step. Where do you see the Jets fall in this division? Do you think Sam Darnold can improve enough to put the Jets near the top of this division? Do you think they can get past the Bills? How close do you think these teams are?

John, you mentioned that week one game, and I do think you make a good point. If things are different, if the Jets don't blow that lead, where does the season head from that point forward for each team? I think I would say more significantly than the loss that the Jets received in that game in the loss column, it was the injuries to CJ Mosley and Quinnen Williams that were sustained that really, you know, were, I thought, major blows to that defense. And that defense is still able to finish, what, seventh overall in the league last year under Greg Williams.

But, you know, how much better could it have been with a healthy C.J. Mosley and the impact that he made in that game alone? And, of course, Quinton Williams, a highly talented top-five pick, that his rookie season was derailed very, very quickly. So those were terrible consequences of that loss in addition to taking a loss. And let me tell you some things about this, this jets team that I, that I think are true. Uh, first of all, I love, I absolutely love the job that Joe Douglas did, uh, in his first draft as the jets general manager. I wrote an article for the draft network.com in April 28th, and it's titled jets. Douglas

crushes first jets, uh, first draft is jets GM. And I mean, they took a bunch of guys that I just loved in the draft process. And I think not just that I like the players that they that they took. I like that they played the value components of the draft, you know, going ahead and getting the offensive lineman BK back to that pick number 11. And then understanding that this was a deep wide receiver year and stealing a guy like Denzel Mims in the second round. And then, of course, I think I yeah, I mean, I, I, I like from top to bottom, I, I mean, even right down to the punter that they drafted, I, I love every pick that they made. And so I'm very optimistic about Joe Douglas.

And if I want to be optimistic about the jets, I'm, I would bring up that CJ Mosley is healthy and that Quinn and Williams is healthy. And that this cornerback situation is markedly better than it was last year. And there has been reinforcements brought to the offensive line and, you know, they, lose Robbie Anderson, but they add Brashad Perriman and Denzel Mims is now part of this receiving core. So I think you can you could look at this and be pretty satisfied with with some of the gains that they made this offseason. But I got to be honest, John, where I draw pessimism is the Adam Gase component of this

football team and and that this has all been entrusted to him. And we've seen, we saw that. I mean, I'm not going to make this a direct comparison to the Cleveland Browns last year, but that was a talented football team that was given to the wrong leader and Freddie kitchens and it underachieved and Baker Mayfield regressed. And so I feel similarly about this jets team and where I can get behind this collection of talent in a lot of ways. And I am optimistic about Sam Darnold. And I'll tell you, I bet you locked on Bill's listeners will tell you that they're very annoyed with me about how how positively I speak about Sam Darnold and his youth and where he's at at 23 years old and his ceiling moving forward and that the Jets just have not done him any favors in terms of the way they built around him. So I am not, I am not trying to completely, uh, you know, like this team on fire, but I just can't get behind Gase is leading this football team and taking it to the places where it will be matching this talent. We don't even know what world of issues are in store as the season elongates here under Adam Gase. And so my fear that things can potentially bottom out this year with Gase,

you know, really kind of puts a big cloud over my expectations for a football team that I think is much improved and heading in the right direction with, with Joe Douglas. So I think I I'm predicting the jets to finish last in the AFC East. And I think that the general consensus among analysts in the NFL is that the top two teams of the AFC East are New England and Buffalo and the Jets of Miami might be battling it out for third, which brings me to Kyle. and this offseason they've made a number of additions. They were active in free agency. They, of course, brought in who they hope will be their new franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

What's your perspective where the Jets finish in this division? Do you think that it's the Jets and the Miami Dolphins battling it out for third place, and do you think the Dolphins have passed the Jets? I don't know if they've passed the Jets, but I definitely agree with the sentiment that this is a tale of two divisions within the division, with Buffalo and New England being the teams that are more ready to win now. And, you know, Joe did a great job outlining some of the successes of the Jets 2020 NFL draft. And I really like a lot of what they did. But at the same time, you know, I just got done on the last segment

ranting about, you know, experiencing the sins of the Jets head coach and Adam Gase for myself for several years. And I know Jets fans can sympathize with just how far Miami had to go because they were paying for the sins of one Mike Tannenbaum, who New York Jets fans know all too well about constructing a team and the salary cap management and how there was a reason why there was this tanking narrative for the Dolphins and why you were having people on national program and calling for the competition committee to conduct an investigation against the Dolphins. It's been impressive to see what they've been able to do in a short amount of time, in 18 months. This will be the second consecutive year in which there's 50 plus percent turnover on the roster with the Dolphins signing 11 free agents and bringing in

12 players throughout the weekend of the NFL draft. Nearly half the roster right there is going to be brand new bodies. And I don't think it should be overlooked on just how far Miami had to go. And then obviously getting these pieces to gel is the big question I really like Greg Williams the defensive coordinator and and what he's done with this Jets defense the Jets have the talent but I do think the coaching is such a big divide between the teams where you saw Miami kind of got stronger as the year went on. The Jets got stronger as the year went on. But from a production standpoint and offense perspective, Sam Darnold needs to make that step. I don't know if Adam Gase is the right person to do that. I don't believe that he is. But you could flip a coin, I think, based on a lot of the unknown

that's out there regarding the coronavirus and what the offseason looks like, the Jets have more players that are back. The Dolphins offensively are going to be starting a completely new offensive line, not just an upgraded player here or there, but five new starters, potentially a brand new quarterback, and lots of pieces. So lots of moving parts. So I think it's a coin toss, generally speaking, depending on what could go right or what could go wrong for both teams potentially finishing third. Great answers across the board. And I guess I'll have the last word. And I think, Kyle, you kind of alluded to this, the Jets and the Dolphins are I don't think either team is built for now the way the Dolphins have approached the last two years they're clearly thinking about the long haul and I think that new general manager Joe Douglas if you look at the offseason moves he made they were more they were they were not moves that were what I'd call win now moves they were moves

looking I think to build a more solid foundation. And kind of like the Dolphins, the Jets had a long way to go. The Jets have drafted poorly for years. They drafted Mekhi Becton in the first round. It was the first time the Jets have used a first-round pick in an offensive lineman since 2006 when they drafted DeBricka Shaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. This is a long-term building job, and I think that's the way Douglas approached it. The Jets did not make the splashy moves to try and improve immediately, so I tend to agree with you guys. I think that there is a way for the Jets to thread the needle and finish near the top of the division, and that would probably include New England and Buffalo underachieving, not hitting their ceilings, but I think more realistically, a good season for the Jets might be somewhere around 9-7,

where maybe they're in the mix for the final wild card spots. Anyway, thanks to you guys today. It was a great show. Really enjoyed doing it, and hope you enjoyed listening to it. We are three-quarters of the way through AFC East crossover week. And tomorrow, Kyle will take the helm as we will discuss the Miami Dolphins here on the Locked On Podcast Network. And so Patriots fans, three down and one to go on this ultimate AFC East divisional crossover

week right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. As I said to open the show today, we prognosticated on the Patriots. We bantered about the Bills. And today we juxtaposed the Jets. I know, folks, I took a couple of liberties there with that one. But tomorrow here, folks, we close the week out in style. We will take our talents to South Beach and dish on the Dolphins as my colleague Kyle Krabs, host of Locked On Dolphins,

takes a seat in the host chair. And Kyle and myself, alongside Joe Marino and John Buchko, will prognosticate the future of those Miami Dolphins. And as you know, there are plenty of old friends here in Foxborough spending their time in South Beach. Brian Flores, Teddy Karras, Eric Rowe, Alandon Roberts, Kyle Van Noy, just to name a few, will all

be wearing Miami Aqua this year. But will that all translate to greater than a third or fourth place finish? Well, those are the questions that my esteemed colleagues and I will attempt to answer tomorrow. So to ensure that you do not miss this final installment of the Ultimate Divisional Crossover AFC East style,

or really any episode of Locked On Patriots for that matter, be sure to follow us on Spotify, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, and of course, you can always listen to Locked On Patriots right on your very own smart device. Simply ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots, and if you've enjoyed today's episode, now tell your smart device to play the latest episode of Locked On Fantasy Football. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate.

I thank you all so much for listening today and for staying locked in to Locked On Fantasy Football. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank you all so much for listening today and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.