Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Ultimate AFC East Crossover: Who Do You Love? - 2/14/2020

Episode Date: February 14, 2020

It’s Ultimate Divisional Crossover Week across the Locked On Podcast Network. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Joe Marino of Locked On Bills and John Butchko of Locked On Jets to take a deep dive into the AFC East. Today, the trio close out the week by discussing the AFC West and NFC West Divisions. Lastly, they play a game of ‘Who Do You Love?’ on this Valentine’s Day episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello and happy Valentine's Day to all of you faithful fans of the AFC East. It is the fifth and final day of the Ultimate Divisional Crossover Week here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Mike DeBate. I am your host of Locked On Patriots. And as I have been all week, I am joined by my esteemed colleagues. First off, John Buchko, host of Locked on Jets. John, thanks for joining us today on Valentine's Day of all days. Yeah, Mike, and I envision people with a romantic candlelight dinner playing the ultimate AFC East crossover in the background tonight.

I think that's the perfect way for anyone to spend their Valentine's Day. If you're listening to this early on, gentlemen, definitely. Your Valentine, whoever she, he may be, definitely. I guarantee you they will love it. And also, you heard the chuckle on the other end. That belongs to my other esteemed colleague, Joe Marino, host of Locked On Bills. Joe, welcome to the party, pal. Mike, we've been spoiled this week.

I'm used to talking into a microphone by myself for 30 minutes a day, and I've got two other guys to bounce things off. It's going to be weird going back to a soloing podcast next week. It really is great, isn't it? We can bounce off of one another. We can steal each other's ideas. I mean, what better way to spend a whole week? No, I'm just kidding.

It has been. It's really, you know what? It has been a blast blast and I will definitely, you know, close the show properly by showing my appreciation to these two great guys who have been awesome this week. And I can't thank them enough for that. But gentlemen, it's Valentine's day, but it is also a day where we have discussed, we've discussed the New England Patriots. We've discussed the Buffalo bills. We've discussed the Buffalo Bills. We've discussed the New York Jets and we've discussed the Miami Dolphins. But today we're closing out the ultimate divisional crossover week. And I think a good theme for today's show, at least the first half of today's show,

should be the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And it being Valentine's Day, I thought it might be nice to keep our friends close, but our enemies closer. So enemies closer. So today we're going to talk a little about the other common foes that we're going to be facing this year in 2020. And of course, the schedule makers of the NFL have matched up the AFC East with the AFC West and the NFC West for the 2020 season. And that's going to make for some real intriguing matchups. Of course, in the AFC West, the Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, they're in position to repeat their regular season mark or better when you take a look at their schedule. They're going to be coming in.

You know that date is going to be circled on all three of our calendars, Miami Dolphins included as well. The road games may be challenging for the Chiefs this year. Baltimore and New Orleans is going to be, I think, a good couple of tests for them. But don't be shocked to see these guys be able to rattle off some victories. So this one is going to be a tough one and a hotly anticipated one in all of the AFC East to see how they match up against the defending champions. But that's not the only team in the division. There are three others and three other pretty formidable teams. The Las Vegas Raiders.

Yes, not the Oakland Raiders anymore, folks. It is the Las Vegas Raiders. They showed life at some points in 2019. They tailed off at the end of the year, but this is a team that can rattle off some victories if they're capable of adding the pieces they need to. They're higher than most places, I think, when they are playing well, but their lows tend to be a little bit on the low side as well. So with a friendly schedule, can John Gruden show the improvement that they need to prove

in order to be able to make something happen? We'll see. There remains to be seen. Another team in the AFC West that we'll be facing this year is the Los Angeles Chargers. Anthony Lynn, head coach, facing some big challenges to get the Chargers on the right side of the right games they had difficulty winning tight games last year Philip Rivers era appears to be over in Los Angeles so who will be the quarterback will they stay in house will they go via draft will they pick up a free agent all valid questions as we roll in toward 2020 and of

course the Denver Broncos and the Broncos are a little bit of an anomaly. At times, they look like a very good team. At times, they look like a team that was probably an also ran. A lot's going to be expected from head coach Vic Fangio. Drew Locke is going to come in likely to be the starter from start to finish in Denver. So there's a lot of upside. Their schedule is not exactly a brutal one. They have the opportunity to win some games, but the Broncos have to figure out like the chargers. They have to figure out how to win those close games. That's something they didn't do a lot of in 2020, but there are pretty good teams in the NFC too. And this year in the AFC East, we're staying out West. And of course,

the major challenge is going to be with the San Francisco 49ers. And we'll be calling up. I'll I should say, in just a few minutes to give us the lowdown on the football team in Frisco, the defending NFC champions. However, again, three other teams in the division. The Arizona Cardinals figured to improve off of a 5-10-1 record last year. It's not going to be easy. They have a very tough division to play in. They're also playing, again, they're playing the Buffalo Bills. They're playing New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins. They're playing the New York Jets. And also they're playing the Eagles and the Cowboys. So

that's going to be a very difficult schedule for them. That could put a damper on a 49ers-like turnaround for Arizona this year. Another team out west, the second team in Los Angeles, and they may have aspirations greater than their results. That would be the Los Angeles Rams. You have to believe the Rams come up better than the 9-7 record they had after a disappointing showing following their Super Bowl appearance just a year ago. To me, this is going to be a big prove-it year coming up for Jared Goff.

And, of course, last but not least, the Seattle Seahawks anchor the, the, the NFC West along with the San Francisco 49ers. Very difficult to count out a team that's quarterbacked by Russell Wilson. That's coached by a Pete Carroll, difficult division, but their road schedule is manageable.

So will that lead to success? Only time will tell. But again, folks, we're bringing everything back to the AFC East this year. And I opened the show by saying that the paper, offense, defense, special teams, that offense jumps right off the board. It really kind of hits you right off the bat. Mahomes, Kelsey, Hill, Watkins, Nicole Harden, and these are Damian Williams. These are players that are formidable weapons in and of their own right and they're all on the same team when you look at this kansas city offense what do you look for in 2020 can they even improve from the formidable unit that we saw this year well i mean it's another year of experience for pat mahomes and with andy reed and that continuity is going to serve them very well um i think the

key with the kansas city chiefs and we'll see what happens with Sammy Watkins, his deal is definitely something that they could move on from and they need cap space. And they've got some big defensive free agents that they have to deal with in Chris Jones and Kendall Fuller and Brashad Breeland. But here's the deal is if they're going to bring any of those guys back, Sammy Watkins is a contract that they may need to move on from. But even without him, you rattled off some names there and Meikle Hardman and Tyreek Hill and the best tight end in football, arguably in Travis Kelsey and of course, Patrick Mahomes. And what you saw from the Super Bowl game was about three quarters of the San Francisco 49ers doing a really good job of taking away the big plays from Pat Mahomes. And if you can take away the big plays

and really force him to take his eyes and look more in the shorter areas of the field, and you know, he wants to go deep. You can, you can bottle up Patrick Mahomes pretty decently. And that's the real challenge. And when you think about the AFC East, the strength of all four teams, I think this year and probably next year will be the defenses. And so you like that you have a chance because of good defense, but the ability to take away big plays will be the key component of how the AFC East fares against Super Bowl champions. And I think that's a great point in terms of what we see with the Kansas City offense and the Kansas City defense and how they were able to peak and come together at the right time. That's something they're going

to need to carry over and they're going to need to improve. Let's face it, every Super Bowl champion, every Super Bowl contender needs to improve the following year if they look to be in the same spot. These teams get hungrier, they get more savvy, and they develop better ways to be able to play through adversity each and every year. That's why you see a lot of these teams contend year after year after year. It's something that they're used to. And I think we'll see that from the Chiefs. They have the makings of a budding team that could end up becoming a dynasty someday.

John, we talked a little bit about the Kansas City offense, but I don't think the defense really got enough love this year, especially in the latter half of the season where we saw guys like Chris Jones come up huge to Ron Matthew making big plays. Frank Clark really anchored, I think, that defensive front and really brought some attitude and some pop to that lineup. when you look at the Chiefs this year and the threat that they can pose not just to the teams in the AFC East but all over the AFC do you think this is a defensive unit that will improve in 2020 well like Joe said they have some guys who they'll need to re-sign Chris Jones I think is at the front of that list you know I mean this is obviously not a defensive dependent team I think this is a team where they're looking for the defense to do enough, get the big stop, which is something they were able to do against San Francisco. I think when I look at this unit and there are some good players when you talk about Frank Clark, when you talk about Tyron Matthew. But it's it's this a team where the offense is built to carry the load.

They depend on their offense to win games and their defense to do just enough. The one concern I have for them is that they were a very inconsistent team against the run in 2019. And it came back to bite them in some of their losses. And I think about the Sunday night game against the Colts where the Colts, it wasn't just that the Colts ran effectively. It's that the Colts were able to play keep away from the, from the chiefs. And that's actually something your Patriots did a year earlier in the AFC championship game where they held the chiefs,

I believe to only seven points through the first three quarters of the game. You know, I think the best way to stop this offense is to not let them get the ball. So I think that that's something that they may need to address. Now there are in today's nfl i'm not sure there are many offensive coordinators who have the discipline to just go with a run heavy offense try and just put together long drives play keep away the goal not necessarily being producing the most explosive plays but if you look at some of their losses this year

when you talk when you look at the game that they lost to the the Colts when you look at the regular season losses to the Texans and the Titans now they avenged the five the latter two in the playoffs these were teams that ran the ball very effectively on them so you know you look at the AFC East teams can they run effectively on the Chiefs in 2020 I think that's something the Chiefs may want to address this offseason and I mean the one thing the other thing I would say is that run stoppers on defense typically are not that expensive. They're one of the easiest things to acquire in today's NFL, so I think it's certainly plausible they could do it. But I think that that's something that concerns me

because while they had their moments in the game against the Titans who were a tremendous rush team in the AFC championship game, this was a Kansas City defense that was inconsistent defending the run through much of the season. Yeah. And I agree with you. I think in a lot of ways it was a very inconsistent, you know, defense throughout much of the season. And that is something that they're going to have to address because ultimately, like you said, this is a team that is predicated on the offense. And ultimately that is always going to be their strength. But if you don't make defensive tweaks here and there, eventually teams will be able to catch up. You mentioned the

Patriots, and that is something that the Pats were able to do in 2018, was to keep this offense off the field and limit them to the amount of times that they were able to make plays. They weren't able to do that, obviously, in 2019. Very few teams were able to, and that's one of the big reasons why that the Kansas City Chiefs were the last team standing and the eventual Super Bowl champions. But gentlemen, they're not the only team in the division. Like I said earlier, there is the Raiders, there is the Broncos, and there is the LA Chargers. Joe, starting with you, when you look at those three remaining teams, who do you believe is going to be the toughest out for an AFC East team facing one of these teams this year? Yeah, I think it's going to be the toughest out for an AFC East team facing one of these teams this year.

Yeah, I think it's going to be the Denver Broncos, to be completely honest with you. Defensively, they have some free agents that they have to deal with, mostly on the defensive line, but they have some cap space. I think they'll be able to address a lot of that, but I'm excited about what this offense can be. And real quick, back to the defense, Vic Vangio is going to have this unit playing well, him and his long-term defensive coordinator there, Ed Donatel, in terms of them working together. And of course, Brad Chubb coming back on defense. Alexander Johnson, a rising star linebacker. A lot of good things happening on that defense, but offensively is where I get excited about how this team can get better and have more

wins next season. Starts with Drew Locke, their young quarterback, a rookie who played pretty well late in the season when he got his chance. I think an off season of him being the guy going into the season will be a big deal for him in terms of him building upon some of the experience he gained in year one, but then he's got some weapons, right? They, they drafted Noah Fant in the first round, a very dynamic tight end from Iowa Cortland Sutton emerged as a, as a true number one receiver in the league. I think there'll be able to use some draft capital to tap into this really good wide receiver class and really round out the weaponry we know about Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman in the backfield.

But here's the other X factor. It's Mike Munchak with year two with this offensive line. And there's some weaker links on this offensive line, some guys that need to get better. But we've seen Munchak from his time in Pittsburgh just really develop offensive linemen, and I'm excited to see what Dalton Risner, a second-round pick that really starred for them at left guard, what he can be in year two of his career. Garrett Bowles, another year with Munchak, a first-round pick from 2017. Jawan James, they didn't even have him all year, the big free agent that they signed from the Dolphins.

So I think that this offense has some very clear course to getting better, some reasonable options to get better. And I think that's going to start complementing their defense. And this is going to be the team to watch here in this division outside of the Chiefs. Excellent. So, Joe, with a vote for the Denver Broncos. And I absolutely I think you make some great points, especially when you mentioned guys like Fant and Risner. I spent a lot of time scouting them and mocking them to the Patriots in the 2019 draft. So I didn't get a chance to see a whole lot of the Broncos last year in covering the Pats. They obviously didn't play in the regular season. So I will be interested to see how these two teams shake out. And I, for one, I'm looking forward to the matchup with Denver.

John, what say you with the remaining teams, including the Broncos, if you agree with Joe, who do you believe is going to be the toughest opponent this year for your New York Jets? Well, I say this with some degree of hesitation because the quarterback situation is so unsettled and could impact so much. But I look at the L.A. Chargers as a team that I'm expecting to be much better this coming season. Now, they have some things to figure out, including including the quarterback position and including Melvin Gordon. But I look at the team. I mean, some of the players, I like some of the players there.

I like, you know, they have a pass rush, which is the first thing I look for on defense. They have they have some really good pass rushers. But more than anything, when you lose nine one score games and when you lose three games that you're leading with one minute left, I don't care what you say. There has to be some bad luck in there. And I just think that at some point, I just think next year the luck's going to even out. And that alone is going to help them net a couple extra wins.

So it's kind of a wild card pick because there's so much unsettled with that team. But I think I'm going with the Chargers. I'm going to go with the L.A. Chargers as well. well so we have two votes for the chargers one vote for the broncos zero for the raiders which probably gives the green light for the raiders to run the table against the afc east this year so you heard it here first on locked on uh afc east folks uh you know send your hate mail here mid-season uh but we have just scratched the surface on the Western swing that the AFC East is going to be put on. They will be facing the NFC West. And in just a moment, we will get into that NFC West, including the defending NFC champion 49ers and three formidable teams nipping at their heels. Once again, the sun rises in the East and it sets in the west and the afc east is going to be doing

a lot of west coast traveling this year not all the games will be in the west but they'll have a west coast flavor and that's because we're facing both western division teams we chronicle the afc east in the previous segment excuse me the afc west in the previous segment facing the afc east however now we're on to the NFC West and gentlemen, San Francisco 49ers were a worst to first Cinderella story in this division a couple of years ago. And coming back to the 2019 season, not a lot of people expected the 49ers to make that type of such a quick turnaround, but they ran it on a very formidable defense and a pretty potent running game and the occasional decent game from their quarterback, which guy gets a lot of slack for the way he played in the Super Bowl. But I'm a big fan and a big believer in Jimmy Garoppolo.

So, Joe, we'll start with you. The Niners, I asked you to chronicle the Kansas City offense earlier because that is the strength of what they do. But the Niners' strength is undoubtedly their defense. You look at the front seven, you look at that four-man rush that they put, it is one of the most fearsome in the league. Moving forward, will the Niners continue to ride that defense, and do you see them making any moves to even upgrade their defense as they look to make another Super Bowl run this year? Well, I expect the 49ers, the strength of the team to continue to be the defense. And, you know, they've got five first round picks on that defensive line. And it's

just a dynamic group that can generate organic pressure on the quarterback and they're all athletic and they're long and they're physical. And it's just tough to, you know, defenses are built up front and the 49ers have built one hell of a defensive line. Here's the challenge. They've only got about $12 million in cap space and they've got some big questions to answer in terms of defensive free agents. One of their key pieces up front, Eric Armstead, a 2015 first round pick, and then their 2014 first round pick and Jimmy Ward, who's an important, versatile defensive back for them. And so you get a little bit nervous about their ability to retain those guys with just $12 million in cap space and a team that has needs at potentially wide receiver with Emmanuel Sanders as a free agent and then the need to improve the interior offensive line.

So they're still going to have plenty of horses up front for that 49ers defense, even if they have to say goodbye to Eric Armstead. And obviously, their core being together under Robert Sala, who I think they should be very fortunate, did not leave for a head coaching job. So I think they'll seize that opportunity and there'll be a really good defense. But you get a little bit nervous about some of the other talent in this division and just the fact that I'm not as high on Jimmy G

as you are in terms of if he has to carry this team can he do it if there is any type of a regression which I think we should expect somewhat reasonably for that to happen yeah I think that's a reasonable uh I think that's a reasonable conclusion to make usually when a quarterback peaks at a young age maybe giving a little bit more than they were expected to give at a young age, maybe giving a little bit more than they were expected to give this year. I think you can expect a little bit of a step back. However, I've seen things in Jimmy Garoppolo that lead me to believe that this is a guy that's going to use the off season to burn that competitive fire and to make himself better. He studied under

a guy that's very adept at being able to do that. And I think that does count for something, but I love the points that you made on the defense on the offensive side of the ball again putting Jimmy aside this running game that San Francisco employed was a very strong three-man uh wrecking crew in a lot of ways Raheem Mostert was probably their best and most consistent runner throughout the entire playoffs but Tevin Coleman was definitely a force all season long. A forgotten guy in that running game is Matt Breda, where the 49ers offense is definitely looking for its own identity. They want to prove that they're just as formidable as this 49ers defense. So moving forward into 2020, do you believe that they can add either a piece to make, to give another dimension to this offense or who do you look for that's currently on the roster to step up? Maybe

a running back, maybe a receiver, maybe Jimmy Garoppolo himself, who's going to bring this offense to the next level in 2020 for the San Francisco 49ers. Well, you know, Mike, it's interesting because I always hear people talk and you kind of alluded to this. People talk about how surprising it was that the 49ers emerged this year. But I think back over the last couple of years, at the end of 2017, they got red hot near the end of the season. And I think into 2018, they were like the trendy pick. Everybody had them winning that division and going to the playoffs. And then they had the nightmare season where Garoppolo gets hurt, like everything goes wrong.

And you start 2019, and why didn't we see it coming? Because all the things that were there in 2018 were there as well, except they added a couple of great pass rushers in Ford and Bosa. So I guess my feeling is that this 49ers team, we should have expected them to be good. And on the offensive side of the ball, I think they have one of the best play callers, of the best play designers in football and kyle shanahan he does a great job making life easy on his guys through the pre-snap motion that they run through

the jet action that they run in the run game they make the blocks easier because they get defensive defensive guys to kind of get confused on their lane assignments and set them up for easy blocks and as far as garoppolo goes he's an interesting case because as i think joe kind of alluded to i'm not sure that there's a quarterback in the nfl who had faced less adversity this year from the standpoint because of their run game they were never really in bad downs and distances because of their defense they never had to put a ton in bad downs and distances because of their defense they never had to put a ton of points on the board because of the how effective they were setting up play action he had a lot of big windows to throw to so i think that going forward this team

is going to need garoppolo to start shouldering more of the load i don't think that they're going to be able to shelter him to the extent they did this year. And I think it's I think Garoppolo is just an interesting guy because I'm not sure what to make out of him. And there aren't many quarterbacks who are through six years in the NFL who are as much of an open question right now as Jimmy Garoppolo is. Now, a guy I really liked heading into the draft last year was Debo Samuel and you saw the way they incorporated him in the playoffs in the run game I think he's only going to get better so I see him emerging I think this is another team that might want to look into the deep draft class at wide receiver because I think they're probably going to need somebody if they are not able to retain

Emmanuel Sanders but the other thing I wanted to note is just the 49ers are a team that points to the triumph of the fullback, the return of the fullback in the NFL. They led the NFL, I believe, around one third of their snaps were out of 21 personnel, which is two backs and one receiver. And they have Kyle Ustak. I can never pronounce his name, but a guy who's a legitimate receiving threat out of the fullback position. And then, of course, I'm remiss by mentioning him last,

George Kittle, who, if Travis Kelsey's not the best tight end in the league, I think you could make a strong case George Kittle is. So 49ers have a lot of weapons. Their backs are good receivers, both halfback and fullback. They have a tight end who's difficult to match up with. Debo Samuel's emerging. So all the weapons are there. I think the big question for them is, will Garoppolo be there is an anomaly. One thing I can tell you about the way the work ethic that he does have is that he will, and I alluded to this earlier with Joe, that he will work to give it everything he has and be able to improve on where he needs to be. But there are still question marks. You know, there is a question mark about a sophomore slump.

And I mean, in a lot of ways, this was Jimmy's first year, first fully healthy year as a starting quarterback in this league. And he makes a Super Bowl. So, I mean, that says something. I don't think that if he was essentially like a passenger along for the ride, that this team would be, would have been in contention for a Super Bowl. Sometimes you can get there. Sometimes you can't, but ultimately I think if they're going to get back, it's going to have to be on the arm of Jimmy Garoppolo. He's going to have to show some improvement. I believe he can do it, but the jury's still out. Gentlemen, again, not the only team in the league right now, not the only team in the division.

There are three other teams right now in the NFC West. Joe, as you look around the NFC West, again, like we did with the AFC East, who do you believe is going to be the toughest out when it comes to that division of the remaining teams, the Rams, the Cardinals and the Seahawks? It's the Seattle Seahawks for me. And it's really because of one reason. And that's Russell Wilson. That dude shows up. He's your quarterback. You automatically win 10 games. And it's just how it goes. He's overcome bad supporting cast every year. In my opinion, that's Seattle, maybe not early on in his career, but of late where they've depleted that defense. They have not really replenished it with talent. They still have struggles with the offensive line.

There's so much bad around him, but Russ Wilson overcomes it every year. And I think they've finally got some reasonable flexibility with the cap. They have over $50 million in space. They've got some answers, just like every team, or questions right now, just like every team heading into free agency in the draft. But, you know, the offseason's right there in front of them to improve some things. And, you know, look, that defense was bad last year. I think bottom five in the NFL still found a way to get to the playoffs.

And, of course, it's because of Russ Wilson. I think Russ Wilson with another year with DK Metcalf, his running game back healthy next year, they're just, they're just going to be a tough team to play every year. And it's, it's a lot about my belief in Seattle, but you know, look, I think Arizona still work in progress in LA has truly kind of restricted themselves with some bad contracts. And I think they're going to have too many holes to really recapture their sizzle from a couple of years ago. Absolutely. And the Seahawks were within an eyelash of being a team that could have contended for a Super Bowl this year for the

better part of the season. They were in that mix. So that is a definite smart pick. And I think a wise pick. John, what say you, what do you believe is going to be the toughest team in the division, not named the San Francisco 49ers? Well, you well you know i i look through the other three teams uh one by one so i look at the arizona cardinals and i'm a big kyler murray fan but i look at the people running the team and you know covering the jets jets have not drafted well in recent years so i've been i was looking through the league recently to see if there was another team that i felt like drafted as poorly as the Jets. And then I came to the Arizona Cardinals and I said, oh, yes, there it is.

So, I mean, I don't think Steve Kimes has been a very effective guy at acquiring personnel. And Cliff Kingsbury, while I respect him as an offensive mind, I think the jury is still out on whether he can handle running the entire operation. And frankly, I don't, I still am trying to figure out how you go from being fired by Texas tech to immediately being hired as an NFL head coach. I've still scratching my head a bit at that career path. So although I'm a fan of Kyler Murray, I think Arizona is probably out for me. I think they're too much of a work in progress. I look at the Rams and I just can't get over how short-sighted that team has been in its roster building i mean they did not need to go they did not need to just totally limit their options in the future to the extent they they did they could construct a team that could be

competitive in the short term and still have options in the long term and now i believe they're in a stretch where they're going to go five straight years without a first round pick you just can't do that in the NFL. So by default, I guess I'm kind of agreeing with Joe, and it's for the same reason. It's Russell Wilson. And I'll say this. The pieces around Russell Wilson need to improve,

and that includes the coaching. Seattle's an interesting organization, I think, from the standpoint that there was a point where they were the premier organization in the NFL. They had those great draft classes in 2010, 2011, 2012, and they built this incredible team. And it's easy to miss, but slowly everything else has atrophied, and you haven't noticed it because Russell Wilson's been able to take on more and more of the load.

And part of this is I think Pete Carroll's approach needs to change. I think he's still in that mindset where he wants to run the ball first and play conservatively and lean on his defense. And that was fine back in the days where you had Marshawn Lynch in his prime and that incredible defense with the Legion of Boom in the secondary. I think Carroll needs to adapt a little bit and put the ball in russell wilson's hands more and that also goes to his offensive coordinator brian schottenheimer who is a hated figure within the jets fan base because of the poor job he did and well so i think sometimes nfl fans are too quick to criticize their coaches in many instances nfl announcers are way too hesitant to criticize their coaches and i remember watching the seahawks two playoff games and the first game they were visiting the eagles

on nbc and chris collinsworth is talking about how brian schottenheimer is a perfect fit for pete carroll because he wants to run the ball first second and third and i'm sitting there saying you have russell wilson why would you want to run the ball first, second, and third? And then in the divisional rounds, Troy Aikman's talking about how Brian Schottenheimer wants to establish Marshawn Lynch. And this is not the Marshawn Lynch who was the best back in the NFL five, six years ago. This is a guy who just came out of retirement.

So essentially Brian Schottenheimer's idea for a playoff game was when he had the best quarterback in the NFL, make sure he establishes a guy who was retired three weeks earlier. So I think that there needs to be some sort of adjustment in Seattle's approach to the game and put Russell Wilson, put the ball in Russell Wilson's hands more, because Seattle had a lot of close wins last season. And I think part of the reason those games went down to the fourth quarter is they were just too conservative on offense. And then once they let Russell Wilson take over, he pulled the games out. So I think they need to trust their quarterback a little bit more adapt. But I think Russell Wilson is just so good that he's been able to transcend

what have not been spectacular circumstances over the last few years in Seattle. And I think he's the difference. So I'm with Joe on this one. I go with Seattle. Yeah, I think we're all in agreement. I go with Seattle as well for a lot of the reasons that you and Joe both outlined, obviously Russell Wilson being the main reason. I liked some of the additions that they made on the defensive side of the ball. And I think they have a good balance on both sides. But John, I think you made an excellent point. They're going to need to increase their awareness. They're going to need to up their ante when it comes to, uh, to play calling and it comes to being a little bit more savvy in how to use some of their weapons. That's something that I think hurt them this year. And it's something

that will continue to hurt them unless they make the proper adjustments. So again, I think that, uh, the Cardinals are a team that have a lot of promise, but I do think there's still a couple of years away. And again, I think we both made, or the three of us made comments. You both made the comments and I happen to agree with you about the Rams, definite poor planning when it comes to roster building there. And another, like I said earlier, approve it year, I think coming up for Jared Goff, a big year for him that he's going to need to prove his worth. And I think you're going to need to see a lot more out of the Rams for them to be in contention. So, gentlemen, now that we have dissected the upcoming schedule, it being Valentine's

Day and all, seems like the perfect time to spread a little love. And in just a moment, folks, we are going to basically go through our own version of how do I love thee when it comes to players we love on our own team and maybe a player or two that we covet from another. Gentlemen, again, it has been an honor to share the microphone with you during this week for Ultimate Divisional Crossover. And because it's Valentine's Day, this is a great opportunity for us to discuss the players that we love most. And also maybe even delve into a little bit of the taboo type love for players that we wish we had on our team. But we'll stay with our own teams first.

And let's play a little game of who do you love and who do you covet. And again, we'll start with familiar territory. Even though we love our team, some players stand out on those teams above the rest. It might be a tough choice, but Joe, let's start with you. Who is your most beloved Buffalo Bill? You know, I tried to think of something outside the box, but I just have to go with the best player on the team. And that's Trey White, number 27. You know, first time All-Pro this year, Pro Bowler.

Got to vote for defensive player of the year in fact and i think he's meant a lot to this organization uh the first draft picked of the sean mcdermott era obviously they traded way back in the first round and we're still able to get him and got some caps like cap flexibility and uh as well as some draft pick flexibility in future years and he's become one of the best cornerbacks in the league. And he's a dynamic playmaker, as you guys all know, but he's got that personality to go with it. And he's just a lot of fun to root for

and certainly one of the pillars of the organization. And, you know, everything from the way he plays to the Trey White Goalie Academy to the way that he interacts with teammates. And if you follow him on Instagram, how comical he can be when he's in the locker room and, you know, clowning with his teammates. So I think he's definitely the most beloved Buffalo bill. Hard to argue with that.

Trey White had a tremendous season, one of the best defensive players in the league, and it's understandable that he would be your choice. John down in the Meadowlands. Who's your Jet all the way when it comes to your favorite guy on that team? I had very much the same outlook as Joe. I tried to figure out

another way, but I also have to go with the best player on the team, and that's also a guy in the Jet secondary. It's Jamal Adams, who was just named first-team all-pro at safety. I mean, he can do it all. If you need to shut down the other team's tight end, he'll go cover them all game.

If you need somebody to stop the run, he's the best run-stopping safety in the NFL. If you need a big sack, he's the best blitzing safety in the NFL. He just does it all. He was voted team captain this year. I've never seen a prospect like Adams when he was voted team captain this year i've never seen a prospect at like adams when he was coming out who everybody just talked about his leadership skills when he was uh being drafted out of lsu that was like the first thing people talked about and i i just think on on the field

in the locker room you can't do better than him and again i really i think that you've made a wise choice i mean you take a look at the leadership ability the acumen that he brings to the field we talked about jamal adams he was a big part of our jets discussion this week and i think that's a wise choice so again i'm in agreement gentlemen but guess what i thought a little outside the box on this one and believe it or not my most beloved new england patriot does not have the this one. And believe it or not, my most beloved New England Patriot does not have the initials TB, believe it or not. But you know what? Anybody that listens to my show, don't worry. I am a card carrying member of the Brady fan club. I want the man back in 2020. There is no question about it. And look, Tom Brady is the easy choice.

But if I'm being honest, my most beloved New England Patriot resides in the special teams unit, and that is special teams captain and wide receiver Matthew Slater. Look, Slater has been a guy that is just one of the most reliable players on this team. He's always in the right place at the right time, making big plays, directing the unit when it comes to the special teams. That's not by happenstance, folks. That is by design. He is one of the best at what he does. I firmly believe that when all is said and done, Matthew Slater has put together a Hall

of Fame type career. And a lot of people may roll their eyes and say, well, a special team really shouldn't be considered for Hall of Fame voting. I think when you take a look at what Slater has been able to do throughout his career, you'll see that he is deserving of that. He's one of the most respected and one of the most revered guys in that locker room. Guys like Julian Edelman have gone over and above to describe how much Slater is a part of their not only training routine, but also building the morale of the guys in that locker room.

I've had the privilege of having, you know, been able to sit down and speak with Matthew and he is truly one of the most genuine, humble and down to earth people that you'll ever meet in your life. So to me, he is my below most beloved Patriot. Everything he brings to the field in terms of Pro Bowls, in terms of field acumen is definitely there. But again, it's the intangibles and everything he brings to the field in terms of Pro Bowls, in terms of field acumen is definitely there. But again, it's the intangibles and everything he brings to the table that makes him my most beloved New England Patriot.

Well, gentlemen, we've talked about the guys that we love on our team. But you know what? I think it might be time for having some hypothetical fun. And that is the chance for some forbidden love, maybe even some taboo love. And while there's no love lost between our teams and our fan bases, we know that, there are players that we all respect, and maybe even a few we wish we had on our team. So, guys, if you could send a Valentine to any player in the AFC East that is not a member of your team, who would it be? And John, we'll start with you this time. Who is your valentine player of the afc east well with the jets having one of the worst offenses in the league how could it not

be an offensive player somehow it's not uh i actually going to go with mike uh guy on your team stefan gilmore who at this point is probably the best corner in the nfl and from the chance perspective you remember the days of daryl Rivas and how much of a difference it makes to have a corner like that, who you can trust on an Island to shut down any receiver in the NFL. You can stick him one-on-one against the other team's best guy, no matter how good he is. And you could trust that that guy's not getting open.

It just makes such a big difference. It opens up blitzes. You can double up, you can give your number two corner help. So I'm going to go with Stefan Gilmore. And a wise difference. It opens up blitzes. You can double up. You can give your number two corner help. So I'm going to go with Stephon Gilmore. And a wise choice. Gilmore was the most consistent Patriot, I think the best New England Patriot this year from start to finish. And it's hard to argue that the Patriots would have even been in contention as much as they were if it weren't for the play of Stephon Gilmore on that defense. So I applaud your decision and you still can't have them getting back to that though. I'm just kidding, John. I'm just kidding.

Joe will turn the tables to your favor. Who would you send a Valentine to, to try to woo them to Orchard Park for 2020 in the AFC East? Got a Valentine, one player from each of the three division rivals. I'll keep this quick. But from the New York Jets, I am sending a Valentine to Quinnen Williams. Those Jets fans do not appreciate you and the talent that you have, young man. They got on you.

You had a slow rookie season. You had that foot injury early on. But that guy was the best player in last year's draft. Wait until you see what that dude does this year. dominated the sec he's got a bright future uh from the miami dolphins and i didn't think as much about uh you know needs for the bills and it was more about just players that i love and that i'd want to have uh for the miami dolphins i want christian wilkins their number one pick from last year that kid or that kid he plays like kid. And I watched him at Clemson for all those years. And he just loves playing. His passion for the game is just infectious. When the team scores a touchdown, he sprints on the field. And that's why he's on the field goal

team as a starting defensive tackle, because, you know, he's not going to be able to keep himself on the sideline. You might as well put him on the field goal team. He is just a ball of fire. If you get a chance, if there's any, if there's one of the mic'd up videos that you need to watch, go watch one from Christian Wilkins' rookie season, and I promise you, you'll fall in love with this dude. And from the New England Patriots, I chose a special teams player as well. And it is not Matthew Slater.

It is Jake Bailey, the punter. The Bills do need an upgrade at punter, and I really appreciate Jake Bailey. 41.3 net yards per punt as a rookie. Finished second in the league in punts pinned inside the 20-yard line. Love his ability to control punts and put it deep and make offenses go the whole field. So Jake Bailey from Stanford, come on over to Western New York. Excellent choices. I can tell you from having watched Bailey from Stanford, come on over to Western New York. Excellent choices. I can tell you from having watched Bailey in practice, there's still a few punts that I think he's put up in the air

that still haven't landed yet. He does have a hell of a leg, and I think Wilkins is a solid choice, definitely without any question. I think Williams is a solid choice from the Jets. When it comes to me, you know the New England Patriots are in desperate need of a tight end. So I'm going with the Buffalo bills, Dawson Knox. And I'll tell you exactly when I developed my man crush on Dawson Knox, and this is going to surprise a lot of people. This was

after a dropped pass and the game against the book against the Baltimore Ravens on December 8th, he drops a tough pass. And that would have definitely set up some interesting opportunities for the Buffalo Bills to score. They would have had a first down deep in Ravens territory. That would have given them a chance to actually score a touchdown in that situation. That was a tough loss and a tough drop for him. Cole Beasley came over to him after the game, and Matt Parino did a nice job of chronicling this

very shortly after it happened for his website, nyup.com. And he's chronicled that Cole Beasley went over to him, put his hand on his shoulder and said, look, this is the moment that players that are worth their salt come up big. And sure enough, the next play, Dawson Knox comes up with a huge play. He came up with a big play, a 37-yard strike from Josh Allen to Dawson Knox, ultimately led to the Bills to a fourth-quarter touchdown, successful two-point conversion. That gave them a chance against the Ravens.

That's the type of player that I admire. That's the type of player that I think most football fans admire. And you know what? It's the type of player that we desperately need in new England. Dawson, why don't you come to new England? It'd be a great fit for you. You can catch passes from Tom Brady. We all know he's not going anywhere. We can talk about him going to Los Angeles or Las Vegas or playing in the XFL, or he's going to quit and just do TB 12 full-time. Now we know he's coming back for one more run. What better way to do it than to play in the shoes?

One of the greatest tight ends of all time, Rob Gronkowski. You have a chance to fill those shoes. You've got Gronk-like hands. You have Gronk-like blocking. You'd be a great fit in New England. I guarantee you, you'd love it. And don't read what you read in the papers. Bill Belichick is not that difficult of a guy to play for.

He's a big teddy bear. He just doesn't like the media, but he loves his players. So come on to Foxborough, Dawson. We're desperately needing you. And in that, I know Joe's probably throwing stuff against the wall as we say that, but gentlemen, it really has been an honor to share the microphone with you this week. And we hope that you have all enjoyed the Ultimate Divisional Crossover and much more.

I hope you enjoyed it much more than the fun that we had recording this. Before we head back to our own respective corners, guys, please take a very brief minute to let all of our listeners collectively here in the AFC East know where they can find you on the Twitterverse and interact with you. Joe, we'll start with you. All right. You can find me on Twitter at the Joe Marino, obviously locked on bills, but the full-time

gig is over at the Draft Network. And I know that you guys are all very interested in how your teams can build through the draft. And I promise you, you will find no greater coverage of the NFL draft and all the prospects that will be on your team than what you'll find over at the draftnetwork.com. We've got the mock draft simulator and, of course, the new premium memberships. Check it all out. The Draft Network. And, of course, our colleague John Butchko can be found each and every day on the Locked

On Jets podcast, available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts. John does an amazing job for fans of Gang Green Nation. And for all you fans of the Bills, Patriots, and Dolphins, John provides a great listen behind enemy lines. As for me, you can find me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC, and also be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. All of our shows will return to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday, as it is Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked On Podcast Network.

We're always excited to see what our friends at thedraftnetwork.com, including our esteemed colleague Joe Marino, have in store for our teams when it comes to the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, especially with the draft combine in Indianapolis just a little over a week away. So please be sure to join your team every day right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, on behalf of Joe Marino of Locked On Bills, John Buchko of Locked On Jets, I'm Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots. Thank you so much for listening.

Have a great weekend, everyone.