Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Wright On…Strange: Chattanooga HC Rusty Wright Discusses Cole Strange’s Fit with the New England Patriots — 5/8/22

Episode Date: May 9, 2022

In a one-on-one interview, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright speaks with host Mike D’Abate. Coach Wright provides valuable insight on the on-field prowess of New England Patriots offensive lineman and first round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Cole Strange. He also expresses his belief that Strange will be a perfect fit in New England.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Blue NileThis Mother’s Day give mom something she’ll treasure forever with fine jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKEDON SPORTS listeners get $50 off $500. Use code LOCKEDON at checkout.  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. We'll be right back. Remember that Locked on Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, which you might be either watching or listening to this podcast on right now. My name is Mike DeBate. I am your host of the Locked on Patriots podcast. I also cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. And once again, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends at BlueNile.com. This Mother's Day, this Sunday, Sunday, May 8th,

give mom something she'll treasure forever with fine jewelry from BlueNile.com. And Locked On Patriots listeners get $50 off, $500 good through Mother's Day. Use the promo code LOCKEDON at checkout. Patriots fans, the hot topic of conversation continues to be the 29th overall selection by New England in the 2022 NFL Draft. Cole Strange coming over from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, now projected to

be your New England Patriots starter at left guard. And I know that position still has to be earned. I know there's still rookie minicamp beginning this week training camp minicamp preseason there's a lot that has to happen before that job is anointed to him but I think his being chosen in the first round is a pretty good indication that the Patriots see something in Cole and ultimately I think that's what's going to endear him to Patriots fans. Look, there's still a lot of opinions out there. To be fair, I'll say opinions. Some people are a little bit more animated. Some people are a little more passionate about it than others. But ultimately, a lot of you

out there still believe that the Patriots squandered this pick, that they wasted it, that Cole is coming in here as a player that the Patriots could have had in a second or third round, maybe even later. Not a whole lot of vitriol being thrown at the player, and I do understand that. Most of you seem to think that Cole will be a very good pro, but some people are thinking, well, the Patriots just left too much dynamic talent on the board there. They could have got him later. They overpaid for him. I'm not going to chastise anyone for believing that. There's a logic to that, and I understand where it's coming from. I happen to think this is not a wasted pick. I happen to think that Cole Strange was selected at number 29 because the Patriots felt he was a first-round talent. You're

starting to hear information trickling in from sources. You're starting to see articles come out from members of the Patriots beat that indicate that other teams had first or very early second round grades on Cole Strange and that that's one of the reasons why the Patriots felt they had to pick him when they did. If that's the case and he ends up being a solid pro, it doesn't matter where they picked him. But don't just take my word for it on Cole Strange, folks, because I know there's still some skepticism out there on him. And let me tell you, the more I look at film on him, the more I hear about his abilities to succeed, not just on the field in terms of prowess and

skill set, but also his ability to contribute in the locker room, to be a leader amongst his peers. I really become more convinced by the minute, by the day, that Cole Strange is a great fit in New England and a player I cannot wait to watch and get to know throughout the course of this season and hopefully many seasons to come here in New England. But again, it's not just my opinion that counts here. Far from it. You're going to hear today from an

opinion that is definitely well-informed. Maybe someone who knows Cole better than anyone, especially when it comes to his prowess on the field and his ability to be a leader in the locker room. His collegiate head coach, the head coach of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Rusty Wright, joins me on the pod today. And in an exclusive interview that I did earlier this week with Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated, Coach Wright joined me to talk about Cole's ability, his readiness to be a pro. He consistently said over and over again, he's ready. You're going to hear that in his voice. You're going to hear him tell stories about how Cole set the leadership example really from

the day that he stepped on the field at Chattanooga. Someone who has not just the skill set to succeed in all aspects and playing in any area of the offensive line that he needs to play into, but also what makes him an ideal pro, not just at the professional level though, folks, but a pro that can succeed in New England. there is a difference and anyone who's played here anyone who's covered the team and anyone who is a fan of the team like all of you are know that there is something different about putting on a Patriots uniform there's something special and inherent in that uniform that logo and that legacy Cole Strange can definitely live up to it so here today on the pod I will talk to Coach Wright and you'll hear in his own words why Cole Strange is the ultimate fit and why he may be right on for the New England Patriots

in 2022. I know folks, thank you for indulging me in that one. I understand that that's a little bit of a play on words there, but you know what? It's the weekend and I'm going to throw one in if I want to here on this special edition of Locked On Patriots. But all kidding aside, folks, thank you once again for joining me here today. And in just a moment, Coach Wright is going to join me for an exclusive interview that I did with Sports Illustrated. But it will definitely be something that you can enjoy here as well on Locked On Patriots. But first, this Sunday, folks, Mother's Day is upon us. And don't worry, there is still time.

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for joining me here on this special weekend edition of LockedOnPatriots. And even though it might be strange times here in New England, we are right on in our assessment of the Patriots' first round draft pick. And again, I know, throwing in some play on words there for the weekend, but it is my esteemed honor to welcome into Locked On Patriots in an exclusive interview that I did earlier this week for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated,

University of Tennessee head coach Rusty Wright joins me here on the pod and he will discuss Cole Strange and the prowess that he brings to the table and why he is going to be a great fit here in New England. Without further ado folks, I give you head coach Rusty Wright of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Mike DeBate of SI Patriots Country talking to University of Tennessee Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright in response to the Patriots drafting Cole Strange, the former mock with the number 29 pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Coach, there seems to be a prevailing thought here with the New England Patriots amongst the fan base that Cole is going to be a prototypical Patriot. He was introduced last week here in New England, already seems to be saying the right thing,

sounds very much like a Patriot. He definitely fills a hole, especially at the guard position, if the Patriots choose to employ him in that regard. And I think he's going to be a very good fit here in New England. But one thing about Patriots players is that they have a penchant to be very coachable. And this is something that happens in the scouting process here in New England. Bill Belichick, his coaching staff, really take to guys that have the ability to be coached at a pro level.

Who better to acknowledge this than his college coach? How was Cole in terms of being coachable at Chattanooga? And what were your experiences like with him? Well, you know, Cole's the ultimate team player. He's one of those kind of guys where you tell him one thing and he tries to master it. And it doesn't matter if it's in the classroom or on the football field or fixing a car.

I mean, that's just kind of him. But you guys got a guy that played three spots here in college, went to the Senior Bowl, played a completely different spot at a high level than what he had been comfortable with in college. And I think that's his, you know, his best attribute moving up there with you guys is his availability to be a good player at probably two or three different spots. And that fits perfectly with what New England's always been about and uh you know he's a hard-nosed tough working guy that'll just he will

wear himself out trying to get things right trying to do things right be a perfectionist and and take coaching and I mean I know he's excited about being up there but I mean he you got the ultimate guy especially the ultimate team guy I mean he is he was's excited about being up there, but I mean, you got the ultimate guy, especially the ultimate team guy. I mean, he was a leader for us, took guys under his wing. You know, he thought about going and serving his country at one time, you know, so he just wasn't sure what he was going to end up doing. But that's the kind of person you're getting. That's excellent insight, phenomenal insight when it comes to Cole Strange. And look, again, he really does sound like that prototypical patriot.

And I'm glad that you mentioned his ability to be a leader, not just on the field, but also in the locker room amongst his teammates. And the service aspect is actually something I did not know. Thank you for enlightening me on that. That's great, especially with Bill Belichick's history with the U.S. Naval Academy, his father having coached there. There are very few coaches that have more respect. I would say I'd put him right up at the top of the list of those that have so much respect for our nation's servicemen and women. So that's a great piece of information. But one of the things that I did want to flush out a little bit more is his ability to relate to his teammates. Here in New England, linemen are very much looked to as leaders in the

locker room. The New England Patriots have had several over the years, going back to the days of Matt Light and Logan Mankins, who's drawing a lot of comparisons to Cole recently. David Andrews now is the center. These guys are looked to as the epicenter of the team's heart and soul, of the team's pulse. From your description, it sounds like they're getting that type of player in Cole. There's no question. I mean, that's the thing.

Everybody kind of has a special place in their heart for offensive linemen because of the pounding they go through and the uniqueness of that position because it's five people working together. Everybody's got to be on the same page. But Cole is that guy. I mean, he's that guy. He's that guy that it doesn't matter to them if they've got to go play center or guard or they've got to go play tackle.

They're just guys that are going to go figure out how to get it done, especially if they're good players, you know. They're not going to be like, you know, if you were to move a wide receiver to DB and him complain about having to tackle somebody all the time, you know, or whatever, or linebacker to fullback, and now he's got to go block somebody. So, I mean, those guys, you know, and Cole is a perfect fit for that because, I mean, you know, we played in a game and he had never snapped a ball in a college football game.

Our center gets hurt and we call timeout for him to get a couple of snaps in and then he plays center from the midway through the third quarter and the fourth quarter, you know, and didn't say, I can't do this, I won't do this. He's just like, yeah, screw it, let's go do it and let's go figure out how to go get it done, you know, and didn't say, I can't do this, I won't do this. He's just like, yeah, screw it, let's go do it, and let's go figure out how to go get it done, you know, and that's him. That's him in everything he does, and I think that's the best thing when you're talking about offensive linemen in general.

They want to be guys people can rely on, and Cole's one of those too. He wants that burden of being a good teammate, being a good professional, and being a good player, but a good professional, and being a good player. But I think he thrives in it when people, you know, maybe other guys shy away from it. I think he thrives in that deal of trying to be good and wanting to be a guy. Absolutely. And, again, great insight and things that I think our fan base is going to

really fall in love with when it comes to Cole and the game that he brings on the field. And that leads me nicely into my next question, because obviously we're doing our due diligence up here in New England, really delving into a lot of his college tape and also some of the senior bowl tape. And Coach, I don't know how much of the social media rounds have come across your purview,

but there's a couple of social media posts up here that are showing Cole having some difficulty in pass protection and in run blocking at the senior bowl. These clips, you and I both know, they're never as bad as they seem on the surface. They're always designed to push a narrative, in my opinion. And when you look at some of these first of all he was playing out of position a position he's probably not going to be asked to play here in New England and it also doesn't show the full story of the amount of time he was able to hold up before succumbing to a player that he's probably not going to play one

on one at a pro level to help quell some of the concerns among the fan base, how would you say Cole is in terms of being pro-ready at the guard position, both in pass protection and in run blocking? Well, I would say if he was from the University of Tennessee or the University of Alabama, he'd have been a number one pick and nobody would have said anything. And that's, but he's ready. The guy can play football. It wouldn't have mattered if he had gotten drafted with the number one pick overall or the 253rd pick or whatever the last guy is.

He's going to figure out a way to play pro football, and he deserves to be there, and he's going to be a good pro for a long time because he can handle the run game. He's big enough. He's athletic enough to go reach a three technique, to go cut off a linebacker running inside-outside zone, moving a double team.

You know, what you guys do offensively, he's a good fit for. And then pass protection, he's going to be just fine. I mean, he's going to have to figure out, you know, the speed of it basically more than anything else. But everything else, he's going to hold his his own and he's going to be fine. And like you said, best thing about it is you got guys in that offensive line room that are going to help him and teach him how to be a pro and teach him how to do

those things. But I'm telling you, the guy can play, man. It doesn't matter. He can play and damn right. He can play at that level. I know he can.

I agree with you. Absolutely. The thing that I love about Cole and the thing that really has been catching my eye in all of the footage that I'm watching on him, not just some of the highlights, because it's easy to go through highlights and look at a player and say,

yeah, you know what? Oh, wow, this player looks great. Now, a lot of players look great in highlights. That's what they're designed for. But it's watching off the ball. It's watching when he's not the focal point. Just the tenacity that he shows and playing through the block was really something that stood out for me about him. And one of the things that interested me in writing a piece like this, and you've been extremely helpful in that regard.

And I do have one final question for you before I let you go. When it comes to being pro-ready, we've talked about his experiences on the field, his coachability. We've also talked about your feelings on his ability to lead in the locker room and be a good pro amongst his teammates. To those that have any reservation about Cole being taken with the 29th pick, I know you've said that he's pro-ready. We're getting a player. I completely agree with you. In terms of how you believe his first pro season would come out, assuming good health and assuming that he gets the playing time that I assume the Patriots are going to give to him, what are Patriots fans, in your estimation,

going to be saying about Cole Strange at the end of his rookie season? They're going to see a guy play his absolute tail off and fit in, and he's going to be Boston blue-collar, New England blue-collar, frigging work like crazy, and everybody's going to go, there's one piece of our starting offensive line for the next seven, eight, ten years. That's what they're going to say. They're going to be like, that guy, yeah, he can play.

Man, he plays. You're going to watch him finish block. He'll probably have some fights started during games and things like that. He'll fit right in. But he's going to be somebody they're going to look at and go, well, you don't have to worry about that spot for the next however many years because he's with us. We've got a good one that's the

guy yeah they love their blue collar grit up here in New England as I know they do in Tennessee and I think Cole is going to be a hand in glove fit here for all of those reasons and you know bottom line I mean this is a situation where I've been quoted and I use this quote in my writing an awful lot skill position players may get the headlines, but championships are often won in the trenches and on the lines. And when you solidify yourself with a very good offensive line, defensive line, and you know this better than anybody, it always helps for the skill position players and any player

to be able to play their game a little bit better when those guys are doing their job. And do your job as a mantra up here in New England, and I think that Cole fits that perfectly. So, Coach, what can I say? I really appreciate you taking the time today. I wish you nothing but the best of luck with Tennessee Chattanooga this year. And we'd love to reserve the right to contact you in the future,

maybe a mid-year checkpoint to see how Cole is doing and just to get your thoughts. I understand you're going to be extremely busy very shortly, but I do thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. I know New England fans are really going to enjoy, and I know they're going to be intrigued by what you had to say. Yeah, we appreciate it, man. Anytime we can help you, I'll let us know. All right, no problem.

Absolutely, Coach. Thank you. Have a great evening, and thanks again for all of your hospitality. It truly means the world to me. Yep. You too. Thank you. Best of luck.

And so Patriots fans, we get ready to send you back in through the weekend, but locked on Patriots. We'll be back here on Monday when Thomas Murphy, the legendary kind of Murphy Fisto himself, joins me here on the hot seat as we grade anything and everything related to the Patriots offseason. In the meantime, please continue to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Smash the subscribe button to YouTube and download, subscribe to and follow Locked On Patriots audibly wherever you get your podcasts. Folks, once again, I thank Coach Rusty Wright of University of Tennessee Chattanooga, the head coach of the football team there and Cole Strange's head coach.

Coach Wright provided some invaluable insight that I really hope you enjoyed. It was my honor, my privilege to be able to share some talk time with him and for him to provide his insight and take time out of his busy schedule to speak to me earlier this week. In the meantime, folks, please continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Locked On Patriots will be back with you

on Monday. In the meantime, I am your host, Mike DeBate. Have a great weekend, everyone, and happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.