Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Wideout Wednesday: Patriots 2021 Wide Receiver Outlook — 1/13/2021

Episode Date: January 13, 2021

The New England Patriots corps of wide receivers underwhelmed during the 2020 NFL season. While sub-par quarterback play and injuries played a role in that assessment, their performance on the field deserves a healthy slice of blame pie, as well. Joining host Mike D'Abate is former Boston Herald columnist John Sapochetti. The duo discuss the potential of receivers Jakobi Meyers, N’Keal Harry and Gunner Olszewski. They also prognosticate on whether Julian Edelman might have played his last game in a Patriots uniform.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. EchelonGo to EchelonFit.com/LockedOn and try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Wednesday, January 13th, 2021, and it is right out Wednesday here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Happy Hump Day, Patriots

Nation. Thank you so much for joining me here today on the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback

are always welcomed and very much appreciated. Share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there doing some Wednesday wandering through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, for the last couple of days here on the pod, we've been talking about the more positive aspects of the Patriots 2020 season. And I know you probably hear that, roll your eyes and say, what's so positive about a 7-9 season? We're not watching the Patriots in the playoffs. Let's just forget the 2020 season ever happened. But we can't, and quite frankly, we shouldn't ignore the good that

comes with the bad. The special teams were solid this year for the New England Patriots. The offensive line was a pretty big bright spot. And just yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, we delved into yet another positive of the 2020 season, Patriots running back core. Yeah, they had a pretty solid group of runners in 2020 and look to have a solid group of runners in 2021. But in the interest of trying to even things out and for the benefit of those of you that aren't exactly looking at 2020 with a glass half full mentality, today's pod is going to focus on an aspect of the Patriots 2020 season that wasn't exactly

deserving of a ton of praise. That's right folks, I'm talking about the Patriots wide receivers, hence the name Wide Out Wednesday. And as a whole, this was a group that underperformed in 2020. Now some of that has been attributed to poor quarterback play. Others attribute it to a good amount of injuries. But, as Aristotle would say, virtue lies in the middle somewhere. Yes, the quarterback play was subpar at times. Yes, the Patriots wide receivers had a lot of injuries to overcome in 2020. But the wideouts as a whole have to take some accountability for their play on the field.

And in the hopes of providing the most objective perspective, see, Claire, I take my title as the Admiral of Alliteration pretty seriously, but all kidding aside, folks, in hopes of providing an objective look at the Patriots' wide receiver core in 2020, as well as their potential place on the Patriots' roster in 2021, is renowned journalist and columnist John Cepicetti. And you all know John's great work from publications such as The Lowell Sun, The Boston Herald, and most recently, John has become a colleague of mine at Full Press Coverage.

John is an amazingly talented writer, and his insight and opinions are both objective and direct. And today, we'll be evaluating the recent past and projected future of wide receivers would be complete without mentioning Julian Edelman, who caused a little bit of a social media stir last night when he took to Twitter and quote tweeted an article that had been published on the Patriots Wire on USA Today about the multi-million dollar social media presence he had built without incurring the wrath of Bill Belichick. Julian tweeted the following, and I quote, Boston, I love you. You've weighed on my and my family's mind for a long time.

Julian followed that up with three emojis, the high five, the praying hands, and the red heart, the hashtag gotta believe, and he closed the tweet with four emojis, three of which were rings, and one of which was a squirrel. Now, on the surface, this might be nothing more than Julian just expressing his love for the city of Boston and all of the support they provided him throughout the years. However, a lot of social media was abuzz last night, thinking that this could be a precursor to Julian announcing either retirement or maybe that he was ready to move on from New England.

Well, as of the time I'm recording this podcast, Julian is yet to explain what this tweet actually means. But John Cepicetti and I, in just a moment, will give our best guess when we talk about the potential future of Julian Edelman here in Foxborough. So sit tight, settle in, because an action-packed wide receiver discussion here on this wide-out Wednesday on Locked On Patriots is coming at you in just a moment. But first, some news on the Patriots coaching staff to share with all of you today before I welcome John into the hot seat, and that is regarding Patriots inside linebackers coach Gerard Mayo. And on Wednesday morning, MMQB's Albert Breer had reported that Gerard was expected to interview

for the Philadelphia Eagles' vacant head coaching position. And without question, this is big news for Gerard Mayo, but it's also pretty big news for the Patriots as well. Gerard is coming off only his second year as an NFL assistant coach, and he's already developed into a pretty hot commodity on the coaching circuit. And most of us Patriots fans remember Gerard Mayo's prowess on the field. He's a former first-round selection at the linebacker position, spent eight years here with the Patriots, won a Super Bowl along the way, and really developed into one of those teammates that just mentored everyone he came in contact with. Again, for the past two seasons, he's served as New England's inside linebackers coach, and he's also been the top defensive assistant alongside outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick, son of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Now, it does remain to be seen how the Eagles are going to evaluate him, but the fact that

they did extend an invitation to him to come in an interview for a head coaching position speaks volumes about how Gerard Mayo is considered when it comes to the NFL coaching cycles. In fact, just last year in 2019, Dante Hightower, who many have considered to be the heir apparent to Gerard Mayo, kind of taking over for him as the quarterback of that defense, had the following to say about Gerard, saying, quote, he's a hell of a coach. I wouldn't expect anything less. He's got so much knowledge and so much wisdom that he brings, not just as a football player. He's definitely done it. He's seen it. He's played it. But the reputation that he has, he's an all pro. So it's great to have a linebacker coach who's been through so much and can relate to a lot. And while I know

that Dante was primarily talking about Gerrard's prowess as a linebackers coach who's been through so much and can relate to a lot. And while I know that Dante was primarily talking about Gerard's prowess as a linebacker's coach, you can really translate those sentiments to whether or not Gerard Mayo ascended to the role of defensive coordinator or even a head coach like the job he's interviewing for in Philadelphia. Bottom line, and regardless of how this turns out, this definitely shows that Gerard Mayo is a young coach on the rise and a name to be watching moving forward, both when it comes to bigger opportunities with the Patriots and maybe even elsewhere. If Philadelphia decides that Gerard is their man, I can say unequivocally that they are getting a great man and a great coach. But if this is just the first of many interviews that Gerard Mayo will go on, as I like to

say here on Locked on Patriots, keep a sharp eye on Gerard Mayo over the course of the next couple of seasons. It's my guess that he'll be a head coach here in the NFL in short order. And with that, Patriots fans, it's time to kick off our discussion here on Wide Out Wednesday with John Cepicetti. He'll be joining me here on the hot seat when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, you're unique and so are your taxes. TurboTax Live has experienced tax experts who

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wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, my guest today is one of the most highly respected journalists and columnists in our industry. You know his great work from publications such as the Lowell Sun, Sentinel and Enterprise, and of course the Boston Herald, and I'm just naming a few folks. He is currently a fellow columnist and colleague of mine at fullpresscoverage.com and the host of the Get Off My Lawn podcast with Keegan and Sap on Full Press Radio. It is my honor to welcome my friend and colleague, John Cepicetti, to the podcast today. John, welcome to Locked On Patriots. Thanks so much for joining me today.

Mike, I'm speechless at that introduction. How can I possibly even approach that? Thank you so much for those kind words, but it's a pleasure joining you today, and it's been a pleasure dealing with you and Ian on the morning show. Sometimes Ian and I get a little heated when we talk quarterbacks, and you kind of sit tight and listen to us, but it's a pleasure to be with you today. The pleasure is all mine, and I assure you the kind words are definitely well-deserved, as always. And folks, John is a first-time guest here on the pod. he just alluded to

this but uh we're no strangers to one another in actuality uh john and i can be heard together like he said on tuesday mornings on full press radio john is a regular contributor to fpc radio live which i co-host each and every weekday alongside my friend and colleague ian glendon who's been on the airwaves here on locked on patriots several times as my guest. And, you know, John, it really is. It's fun to be able to join you on Tuesdays. Ian and I always have a blast. And even when it gets heated, I can always be counted on to throw a movie quote in there and kind of quell the storm among, you know, two very opinionated and two very good people

at what they do. So, Buddy, your expertise in the area of pro sports, in my opinion, is unmatched. And as someone that has been someone that has both seen and covered the highs and lows of the Patriots franchise, such as you have, I thought this might be the perfect opportunity.

And you might be the perfect person to join me here today to discuss what I think might be the most scrutinized position grouping on the Patriots roster. And I'm not talking quarterbacks, folks. Of course, we talk a lot about quarterbacks, but I'm talking the core of wide receivers that the Patriots have. And, John, if we're talking Patriots wide receivers, to me there's no better place to start than Julian Edelman. Julian spent the better part of 2020 on IR with a knee injury.

This is coming off of 2019 where I literally watched this kid in practice. I say kid, he's not too much younger than I am, but I literally watched him in practice battle a rib injury, battle a shoulder injury and a knee injury. Any one of which would have put anybody lesser on the shelf, but Julian powered through it. So you can imagine that that knee injury this year, keeping him out had to be driving him crazy. That's definitely not the way he wanted to spend the season. You and I both knowing and covering Julian, we know his spirit and his drive. It also put into sharp contrast that there is a great deal of uncertainty about his future in New England. And, you know, he played a career low six games this season um it's not getting any easier to

run through the middle of the field as a slot receiver that he's done so well for so many years here in foxborough you know conventional wisdom john says that julian is the perfect place to just hang it up he's a super bowl mvp so three-time super bowl champion a record holder for a lot of playoff receiving statistics and he even posted a cryptic tweet last night. And I opened the show today by reading that tweet and teasing that we were going to talk about this today and then some. You know, basically saying Boston has been great to him and his family over the years. It almost sounded like a preparation for a goodbye. And I hope that's not the case.

But you and I know Julian and his drive I don't know if the future for Julian Edelman is going to be in New England next year but one thing I can tell you I just don't see him hanging it up just yet with one year left on his contract and a lot of factors just seemingly working against a reunion do you believe that Julian Edelman returns to the Patriots in 2021 I don't Mike I Mike. I think he's going to retire. He'll be 35 by the start of the next season. You've detailed some of his injuries in 2019, not to mention his injury this year,

and injuries every single year. This young guy is a warrior. He goes out there. He puts his body out on the line every Sunday. He's an all-time great Patriot. I don't think he's a future Hall of Famer. I don't think he measures up to those standards. But as far as in Canton, not necessarily in Foxborough.

But I think it's a good time to retire. Again, he'll be 35. They're going to have a new quarterback next year. He's going to have to learn to work with that quarterback. And also, he's built such a big social media brand that I could see Julian Edelman hosting a podcast a la Pat McAfee.

I mean, he's got great connections within the NFL. I mean, you don't think Tom Brady would join him every week the way Aaron Rodgers joins Pat McAfee every week? I'm sure that would be pretty interesting to see, or Rob Gronkowski, or any of the guys that he played with for a long period of time. And I kind of hope he retires because it's not just necessarily the knee or the rib or any other injuries he's had. I'm more concerned with the amount of concussions he's probably suffered. And I think it's time to get out, get out a year early rather than a year late. In theory, you've made a good living, probably hasn't made as much as he could have because the Patriots are tight with the dollar. but go ahead into the next aspect of your career and i think he can do well after football so i'm kind of cheering for him to retire he's given this organization so much uh you know for

the last decade i didn't go out on top even though he only played six games this year absolutely and i completely agree with you when it comes to his concerns about his health. And you mentioned the concussions, and that's something that I don't think gets enough press or maybe enough mention is the difficulties that he's had and some of the injuries that he's had. This is a guy that is not going to take a light hit. He's not going to adjust how he does the business on the field based on his physical limitations. He's going to go out and he's going to give you everything he's got night in and night out. I remember Larry Bird making a comment once about someone telling him when he was a young player

that if he wanted to be around for a good long time, he better quit mopping up the floor. And Bird basically said, no, you're crazy about that. That's the way basketball is played. That's how I'm built. That's how I do things. And in his later years, Bird basically acknowledged and he says, yeah, I'm built that's how I do things and in his later years Bird basically acknowledged and he says yeah I see what he's talking about now I feel the bumps and the bruises but I'm not going to change my game even when I can't do it I'm still going to go out there

and play every night and if I can't go out there and play that way that's when I know I'm done maybe Julian takes a page out of the Larry Bird book there I'll throw a wrench into this plan, and we've been hearing a lot about maybe the Patriots trying to do Julian a solid, maybe working out a trade or something to that effect that might be facilitating a move, maybe to, I don't know, maybe to Florida somewhere where a couple of his former teammates are playing out there. Do you see that scenario possibly being played out at all? Probably not. Now, last year, Bill Belichick did what he did with Rob Gronkowski, but he got decent draft capital from Gronkowski,

and Gronkowski was only going to come back if he went to Tampa Bay. With Julian Edelman, he may force his hand and say, I want to go play with Tom Brady. And at that point, Belichick may kind of hold back a little bit on that because I don't think Julian is as averse to maybe coming back and playing for Belichick as Gronkowski was. Gronkowski was playing in one place last year, and that's it. He wasn't going to play anywhere else but tampa bay so i think that that's a little bit different um you know unless belichick is probably you know wringing his hands as he sees the buccaneers advance for the playoffs while his team was seven and nine does he want to make tom brady and tampa that much more happy i i can't really

see that happening but uh you know i don't know what the market would be for a 35-year-old slot receiver who's quite banged up. At best, you could get maybe a sixth-round pick for him or maybe just outright release him. The shelf life is not long for those types of players. And he's kind of, you know, past the expiration date. He's played a longer period of time and older than Wes Walker, who played, obviously, a similar style in the same position. So I think that his value is probably not all that great. It seems to be a great story and the romantic in you would like to see him

go join his best friend Tom Brady. But I don't know if Belichick will be as accommodating and exactly what could you get for Julian Adelman at this point. There was still some value in Gronkowski when the Patriots traded him to Tampa. And again, Gronkowski only wanted to go to Tampa, nowhere else. And maybe Julian's in that position as well, only wanting to play for Tom Brady. Yeah, and I think you make an interesting point. Look, sentimentality, and even in terms of romanticizing stories about Julian going down

and joining his good buddies Rob and Tom down in Tampa and making one more run with the band back together again, albeit in a different uniform. You have to understand that sometimes romanticism and reality are two completely different things. Our mutual friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com joined me here on the pod yesterday, and we discussed this very point about James White. And despite sentimentally wanting to hang on to these players there comes a time when they have to move on for whatever reason whether it's personal wants whether it's better or more lucrative options for the player elsewhere family obligations you know it can be tough but it's a part of the

business and I'm the eternal optimist I'm still hoping that we see Julian this year I love covering him up at Gillette. Hopefully I'll be back at Gillette this year to see him practice. And selfishly, I would love to see him come back for one more run. But, you know, after watching Tom leave last season, I keep myself prepared for anything. And you've made some good points. So we'll see what the future holds for Julian. But I think you might be more on to something than maybe a lot of us in the Patriots fan base,

even myself at times, might want to acknowledge. But John, if Julian does in fact leave New England, the Patriots are likely to shine the spotlight on who I consider the next heir apparent to that great slot receiver that the Patriots have always coveted, and that's Jacobi Myers. I think he's been one of the best stories of an otherwise disappointing 2020 season for the Pats. Started the year buried on the depth chart, but injuries suffered by Julian and also by Nakiel Harry allowed Jacoby to rise to the occasion. And give him credit. I think he played very well this year. point he is the lone patriot that was list that was listed excuse me on the top bribe receivers of 2020 by pro football focus uh they had him listed at number 25 and here is their assessment and i quote myers was sneakily one of those most productive wide receivers in the league despite

putting up a goose egg in the touchdowns column due to josh mcdaniel's pounding the rock in the touchdowns column due to Josh McDaniels pounding the rock in the red zone. The former undrafted free agent generated 2.24 yards per route run. That's 10th at the position and second among second year wide receivers behind only A.J. Brown. John, that's pretty big, in my opinion, that's pretty big praise from a publication that isn't really known for mincing words. In your opinion, do you think Jacoby Myers is capable of living up to the hype in 2021? I think Jacoby Myers would be perfect as your third option, maybe your fourth option if you're really loaded at a position. For him to be your alpha male, that's not going to work. He doesn't normally have the right body type to be a slot receiver.

He's a little taller, obviously. I think he's 6'1", maybe 6'2". Former quarterback like Julian Edelman, and that gives them an advantage because they understand how to run routes. They understand what the quarterback's going through as well. That's why you've seen some quarterbacks that can't play in the NFL become wide receivers.

So that's a nice aspect of it. Like I said, if he's your third guy, now you're building something. If he's your main guy, not so much. I like the player, though. I mean, considering that he was out there with Cam Newton for most of this year, and Cam, God bless him, you know, put in 100% effort, seemed like a really good guy, leader, all of that.

Can't throw the football. I mean, that's still the responsibility, one, for a quarterback, right, is to be accurate with the football and to take's still the responsibility, one, for a quarterback, right, is to be accurate with the football and to take care of the football, and he did neither at any sort of level this year. So you have to look at these receivers and say, if you get a competent quarterback, how different will it be? I think Myers was their best receiver this year,

and I think going forward he can be a really nice piece for this team as, say, the third option. If that's the case, now you've really built that receiver's room up to something that can compete in the NFL. Because right now, you make a case that the Patriots' receiving core is the worst in the league. It really is. I mean, they just don't have any standouts. But Myers is the one guy that I think you can kind of expect to be even better next year with more competent quarterback and more experience going into his third year. Without question. So well said. And look, Jacoby is that type of player that you can build with, not necessarily build around. And I'm

glad you made that distinction. A lot of people look at Jacoby Myers and say, oh yeah, he's going to be wide receiver one next year. I don't even think Jacoby would be the first to tell you that he's going to be wide receiver one. It's not his game. It's not how he's predicated. True, no other Patriots saw more targets this year. He had 81 targets, caught more passes at 59, or registered more receiving yards at 729 than Jacoby Myers this year. I think that was essentially by default.

I think it's because they didn't have a lot of other options around him. And Jacoby was simply the most reliable. He is the best route runner they have on this roster, say for Julian Edelman being healthy. And again, you made the point that he's played quarterback. That helps a wide receiver develop into a great route runner. He didn't catch a touchdown, but he did throw two of them. And he connected with Rex Burkett and Cam Newton on scoring passes.

I think he was probably their most consistent presence at wide receiver this year, and I agree with you. They're going to have to have someone else emerge or maybe bring in someone else that can be wide receiver one and two. Now, if you're looking at Jacoby being the third option in the slot primarily, now you're looking at a pretty good core. And one of those guys that might have to emerge is someone that is being hit with the dreaded b word folks and i'm not getting dirty

here i'm telling you the word is bust and that is someone who is probably the most polarizing member of this roster on the fan base you know who i'm talking about in just a minute folks john sapochetti and i will discuss Nikhil Harry, his projection in 2021, and the best of the rest on this roster when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Lockdown listeners, are you ready for some football? Of course. We're all football fans.

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LockedOn listeners, NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday. Brian and Matt give you the national perspective all around the NFL, covering the latest news and insight on every game, team, and move around the NFL. Get your picks, previews, and much more every weekday with the Peacock and Williamson podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Pats fans, John Sappachetti joins me here today on Locked On Patriots.

And John, we've been talking a lot about wide receivers. We've talked primarily about two, Julian Edelman and Jacoby Myers, and two of the probably most prominent members on this roster. But if we're talking polarizing members on this roster, I think this next gentleman has to be considered at the top of the list, and that's Nikhil Harry. Now, Nikhil did have a better statistical year in 2020 than he did in his rookie campaign in 2019.

Caught 33 passes, 309 yards, two touchdowns. I think the best game he had came against Seattle in the second week of the season. He caught eight passes in that game for 72 yards. A lot of people thought maybe we were seeing Nikhil emerge. Then he had some injury problems and some difficulties getting separation. And basically the season kind of unraveled a little bit. Save for maybe a few good plays that he's made.

One game in particular against the LA Rams this year, I thought he made some nice contested catches and really was a bright spot in an otherwise very dismal game that year. But if we're being honest, John, he hasn't really lived up to his hype at this point in his career. Coming out of Arizona State, we were told about the contested catch radius, the fact that he could go up, make contested catches, be tough, almost a hybrid-type, tight end-type receiver that could really make plays toughly. But he just hasn't seemed to do that lately.

When you look at Nikhil Harry, do you see potential for him to be wide receiver one, wide receiver two, or are the Patriots heading dangerously close to have to circle the wagons and label this kid for what he might be and that's a first round draft bust i think the latter is going to be the case i mean in his first two years he really hasn't shown anything first year we heard that he never connected with tom brady okay i get that brady's a veteran who was 20 years older than nikhil harry and brady i think had lost patient patience with any young receivers by Brady, okay, I get that. Brady's a veteran who was 20 years older than Nikhil Harry,

and Brady, I think, had lost patience with any young receivers by the 2019 season. Cam came in, and Cam really reached out to Nikhil Harry. Remember, after Cam signed, they worked out together. And then remember some of the comments that came from Nikhil Harry's agent about Cam, kind of put Cam under the bus, which I don't think is a good look. You know, you haven't been productive at wide receiver. Don't blame the quarterback for all of your ills. It just doesn't appear that he knows how to play the position.

I mean, he's a big, strong guy, decent speed, not great speed. We heard he was going to be another Des Bryant, right, that big physical receiver that you could put the ball up and he'd go get it, which isn't necessarily something the Patriots have had in the past because Tom Brady, who's no longer quarterback, but in 2019, Tom Brady was still here. He's a precise thrower. He likes to throw guys open, get guys open, you scheme them open, not necessarily go for 50-50 jump balls. So that didn't work.

Cam's not a precise thrower at this point in his career, and I don't think Cam's going to be back next year as a Patriots quarterback. I certainly hope not. But it looks like a bust because what else can you do with him? How many penalties did he have this year for holding? You know, at the wide receiver position, they had offensive linemen that didn't have as many holding calls as Nikhil Harry. His run after catch is nothing great. He doesn't seem to be a real

physical receiver. I've seen cornerbacks take him down handily on some of those jet sweeps that they've run. So I don't know what his benefit is. And it kind of speaks back to what Belichick has done in the draft, especially over the last six, seven years, which have been, quite frankly, disasters, especially at that position. But he used a first-round pick on Nikhil Harry, and it just didn't work out. And I know some of the reporters at Monday Morning Quarterback talked about that Belichick fell in love with him because Nikhil Harry at Arizona State played for a friend of Bill Belichick's, and in their personal meeting, which was about a half a day,

that Belichick was so impressed by the young man that Belichick at that point didn't listen to his scouts who had Bebo Samuel rated higher, had A.J. Brown rated higher. And that kind of goes back to where I think a lot of the problems with the Patriots right now are that Bill's not very good at the draft because how could he be? He's an NFL head coach. I don't think he spends much of Saturday watching college football and then when the offseason comes he's preparing for next year how much can he really be in tune with

the college game and apparently just doesn't really listen to his scouts and pick the player that he wants and obviously this was a miss so I think he maybe comes back for one more year and we'll see what he does in training camp at that point if they don't think that he's elevated to being himself a third or fourth option and wide receiver they probably say nice to know you we'll let you go yeah and i think i agree with you uh when it comes to him being back for at least one more year i think the patriots will try to see what he can do look a lot of the information that came out from his wide receivers coach, the footwork king, when they had mentioned, oh, well, you know, it's the system that was played in, and, you know, the quarterback missed him. A lot of that had to do with difficulty getting separation from

defenders. And I've heard the argument go either way, that the separation argument is either not really too damning toward a wide receiver because it really is based more on the quarterback leading them, but it could be based more on the wide receiver as well. Either way, it made it difficult for Nikhil Harry to get open last year, and at times he would rely heavily on the jump ball and basically jump passes in order to get his game going. That's not a sustainable formula for success if you're an NFL wide receiver. You have to be able to get separation. You have to be able to find the seams and be able to do that. A lot of that is on the keel. I mean, there's no question about it. You mentioned discipline.

You mentioned the ability to go over, get it, take the hits over the middle and be able to open up on the outside. I'm not seeing enough of that. I've been labeled as an Akil Harry apologist. And, uh, you you know i try to give him the benefit of the doubt as much as possible because i do like what i see in terms of contested catches going up making tough catches but really i mean the excuses are going to wear thin and if they bring in a quarterback this year that might be able to hit him a little more open than cam newton was able to do this year and he still struggles then you're really going to see the wagon start to circle, and then the vultures are going to start circling overhead for Nikhil Harry.

And to me, I think that could spell the death knell. It's going to be a big year for him in terms of being able to prove his worth. And you look at wide receivers in the NFL that will be entering their third year next year, like Nikhil Harry, you've got A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Debo Samuel. These guys are already studs. And wide receivers, generally when they get into the league, it doesn't take them a long time to get up to speed in the NFL because the NFL is now borrowing or stealing a lot of the concepts in college.

It's not like years ago where a wide receiver wouldn't get thrown too much in college, get to the NFL and have to learn how to run routes at a very high level. I mean, look at these guys from Alabama. They come into the league and they're outstanding right away, and they're the most talented of all the wide receivers. But, you know, wide receivers can make an impact as a rookie, and he didn't do that as a rookie or a second-year player, and most likely he's going to be playing for his third different quarterback if he's here next year so there's

that part of it that can slow down the learning process for the quarterback i mean you're going from tom brady to cam newton to whoever next year they're all going to be different types of quarterback so he's going to have to try to uh you know learn how to play with a new quarterback maybe they just have to simplify some of the routes. Instead of nine different routes, just have him be really good at two or three. That does limit your offense, but it makes him somewhat productive. And again, if he's your third or fourth option, you live with him until the contract runs out because at that point,

you're not going to give him a second contract if he continues to not produce. Absolutely. And I think you make some great points, especially when it comes to Nikhil and how different this offense may look this year with a new quarterback. Maybe a little bit of a new strategy from Josh McDaniels. It looks like a foregone conclusion that Josh will be back. I don't see his name being bandied about by a lot of head coaching vacancies right now. So I'm assuming he's going to be back. And will he adjust his play calling strategy a little bit as well to fit some of the guys on this roster? And speaking of the guys on this roster, we've spoken primarily about three wide receivers, but I figured we'd finish up today with a little discussion on the best of the rest. But and that means Demir Bird and Dante Moncrief were both free agents this year. Obviously, Demir Bird would be the more high profile. I think he had a much better year.

Dante Moncrief, a very limited sample size, wasn't too productive in the wide receiver game. Maybe a little bit in the kick return that he provided a little spark for the Pats. But Demir Bird would probably be the guy that if they're going to resign one of their free agents, this is the guy they would look to. Gunnar Ryszewski can line up as a receiver, but his prowess is in the return game, although he did have some moments there where you saw him line up. And I know from guys that I spoke to that were at training camp last season in a limited press corps said that they were very impressed by the way he broke out of his routes, by the way he ran them, and the way uh he was able to make sure-handed catches so maybe we see a little more from gunner in that department this year i don't think so i think

it's going to be more uh the the punt return game that his uh area of expertise is in and of course i never really mentioned matthew slater among this group he's technically listed as a wide receiver but we know why matthew is on this It's a special team's prowess. And we're seeing Matthew Slater line up at wide receiver regularly. You know, the Patriots depth chart is thinned out significantly. John, when you look at the best of the rest, is Bird the guy that you would bring back? Or do you look at any one of these guys and say they're kind of all expendable, just go out on the free agent market or the trade market, or most likely the draft to bring some new blood into this wide receiver core. In the perfect world, Mike, I would go after a free agent,

but a high-profile free agent, Allen Robinson. Galladay from Detroit who sustained some injuries this year and only played five games. Allen Robinson would be my first choice. I mean, he's been productive in the NFL for six, seven years, and he's had Blake Bortles and Mitchell Trubisky throwing to him. So if you can get a quarterback better than those guys, you can see Allen Robinson really join as a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver,

which I think he is. That would secure your number one slot. And then maybe you have Jacoby Myers as your slot guy. See what Nikhil Harry can do. I do like the Mayor Bird. He brings a speed element to it. He seems to be a solid route runner, and I think he was pretty productive this year.

So he'd be the target of the in-house candidates. And Olszewski gives you that, you know, value as a punt returner. We know how much Bill Belichick values special teams. Rick Gosselin, who is the best guy, a good friend of mine, who is a Hall of Fame voter and ranks the special teams every year, once again ranked the New England Patriots as the number one special teams unit in the NFL. So just look for the victory over the L.A. Chargers,

how much special teams meant in that game. So that can kind of round out your roster. Bird would be the one guy that I think would be a nice guy to keep on. But at some point, Mike, they're going to have to bring in a high-profile wide receiver. I don't necessarily trust Bill Belichick drafting one, unless he starts to give some power to his scouting department to make the call more so than he does. But he is good at picking out free agents.

And I think, you know, Alan Robinson would be someone that could really add to this roster going forward. Absolutely. Robinson is definitely at the top of my list. Someone you know very well and someone who's been on the airwaves here on Locked On Patriots several times, Evan Lazar of CLNS Media, he and I have had conversations about Alan Robinson being in this environment,

being here in New England, and just the prototypical type of Patriot guy that you would love to see with a proper quarterback and what he could do. It'd be amazing. And you're kind of leading us in very well to what will happen next week here on Locked On Patriots because we'll be doing a lot of hypotheticals in terms of what would this guy, quote-unquote,

look like in a Patriots uniform. How would this change what they do offensively, defensively? And you can bet Alan Robinson is going to be in that discussion. So, John, what can I say? You've set us up very nicely to go into next week, and I could not be more grateful to you for that. I thank you so much for joining me today, bringing your level of wisdom and counsel to Locked On Patriots.

That just brings the bar and sets the bar so much higher. Please let our listeners know where they can find you on social media, what we can expect from the great pen of John Capochnetti in the weeks and days to come. And as always, we look forward to having you back here on Locked on Patriots very soon. I can be followed on Twitter at JohnSap25. We post columns occasionally in the Lowell Sun. I'm no longer with the Herald,

but the Herald and the Lowell Sun obviously are affiliated, same ownership group, and I always have columns appearing on full press coverage in all sports, not just football. And obviously for the next hopefully three weeks, I want to make sure my Packers win another Super Bowl and get my man Aaron Rodgers his second Super Bowl to go along with what will be his third league MVP.

So I'm really excited about the chances of the Packers adding yet another championship, which would give them 14 in their great history. So that's what we're rooting for here. I'm a Packers guy. I'm actually more of an Aaron Rodgers guy than a Packers guy, but that's my man, and I'll be rooting for him.

And, yep, we'll just do some analysis to what's going to happen this offseason. This is a fascinating offseason for the Patriots. Really, for the first time in 20 years, not great expectations, and Bill Balchuk is going to happen this offseason. This is a fascinating offseason for the Patriots. Really, for the first time in 20 years, not great expectations, and Bill Balchuk is going to have to earn his money this offseason as both general manager and coach to retool this roster

and find a quarterback. Absolutely. And from what we've heard in the last couple of weeks, he's being paid very well, so that is a lot of money to earn. Still in Bill, we trust in a lot of money to earn uh still in bill we trust in a lot of sex in this type of environment here in patriots nation i'm one of them and i think that he'll be able to do that but it's funny that you mentioned the packers because uh there are a lot

of patriots fans right now that i think are throwing their support behind green bay if tom and the tampa bay buccaneers cannot get the job done obviously i know a lot of patriots fans are loyal to Tom, and you can understand why. But Packers are an intriguing option, and if they go up against the Bills or the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, I think there will be a lot of cheese being eaten on Super Bowl Sunday up here in New England.

It's the lesser of two evils. And don't let Glendon fool you. There are some Patriots fans and columnists and media members alike that have a lot of respect for what Aaron Rodgers is doing out in Green Bay. I'm certainly one of them. So thank you very much for joining me today, my friend. Stay safe, stay well. And again, we look forward to having you back on here

on Locked On Patriots very soon. Thanks again for joining me. Mike, my pleasure at any time. Patriots Nation, the work week is now more than half over, but we are still just scratching the surface when it comes to our news notes and analysis from Foxborough for this week. We were locked on Murph Monday, reborn to run on Tuesday, wide out Wednesday, and tomorrow we are going to continue that trend by bringing you Tight End Thursday. And if we're talking tight ends, you can pretty much guess as to who will join me here on the hot seat tomorrow.

The Countess of Clas herself, Claire Cooper, will join us to talk tight ends. And perhaps only Claire's wisdom and counsel and optimism may have us feeling a little bit better about the position heading into 2021. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download and subscribe to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Radio.com, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank John Sapochnetti for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod.

But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, folks, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.