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00:00But we're joined right now by Patriots offensive lineman,
00:03and who knows where, Mike Nwenu.
00:05He's brought to you by Shaw's and Star Market,
00:07perfecting the art of fresh.
00:08Mike Nwenu, how are we doing this week?
00:11Yeah, what's up, Dave?
00:12I'm doing good.
00:12How about y'all?
00:13Oh, we're doing great.
00:14Pretty good.
00:15We're curious.
00:15We called it earlier.
00:16It's a little bit like whack-a-mole on the offensive
00:19line.
00:19You've lined up at right tackle.
00:21You've lined up at right guard.
00:22You were working at left guard the other day.
00:24Where do you expect to line up this week?
00:27I'll probably be expecting to play at guard this week,
00:30at right guard.
00:31At right guard, OK.
00:34I heard some comments you had yesterday where it's just,
00:37I mean, I don't think you're blaming anyone
00:39for moving around and playing at different positions.
00:41But it is, I think, tough to find a rhythm moving around.
00:45How have you handled that this year
00:46with all the different positions you've had to play?
00:50I'm sorry, can you repeat that question again?
00:52How do you handle the moving around
00:54from position to position?
00:55From position to position?
00:56Tackle to guard to potentially left guard?
00:59Yeah, for me, I mean, I've always
01:01been a right-sided player, so I think
01:03I've got right guard in the bag.
01:05But as far as right tackle, that's
01:07been the secondary position of mine.
01:09So those are things I've done in the past and things I'm used to.
01:15Just as far as moving around, it's
01:17kind of just where we're at right now.
01:19Or even going back to the past, just with injuries and stuff
01:22and just with contingencies and seeing what will work
01:26if things happen in the future.
01:28I mean, every year there's injuries and there's changes.
01:31But it feels like through nine games,
01:34you guys have had more combinations.
01:35I'm sure when you're in the huddle,
01:37you're looking around seeing different combinations
01:39all the time.
01:40How challenging has that been?
01:44I mean, as far as the O-linemen, I just,
01:46we all run in the same play and we all communicate.
01:49So it's five playing as one.
01:50So it's not really that much of a big deal to me
01:53in the huddle or whatnot.
01:55We get a very limited look at Drake May each week.
01:58He does an interview here on the station.
02:00We hear him after the game, but we don't get a ton of access.
02:03You mentioned the huddle.
02:04You're in there with Drake.
02:05What's he like on the field?
02:06How talkative is he?
02:08Kind of what's his attitude like?
02:09What's he like out there?
02:11Yeah, I would say he's even with the talking.
02:17He talks a lot.
02:17He jokes around.
02:18We joke in the huddle.
02:19So we have fun in the huddle and we enjoy it.
02:22So I would say he's a good sport with it.
02:24And he leads the huddle as well as Ben.
02:28You know, you've had a few offensive line coaches
02:31in your time here in New England.
02:32What has Scott Peters brought to the table?
02:36Yeah, Scott and Mike, I mean, they've
02:40all brought good things, just different viewpoints,
02:42different techniques, and stuff we
02:44can use in the middle and then during the fight
02:48or between when the ball is snapped
02:50and whenever the play ends.
02:52So I think in the past, I've had a lot of coaches.
02:56I think this is the most advanced or most technical
03:01and most skills and most tools that I've gotten in the past.
03:06You guys, we're talking to Patriots offensive lineman
03:08Mike Mwenu here on Patriots Friday on Jones and Keefe, WEEI.
03:11You guys started the year running very well.
03:14You struggled to run the football,
03:16at least with Ramondre Stephenson.
03:17Drake May individually ran well last week.
03:19But you struggled to run more as the year has progressed.
03:22I know you've had some injuries.
03:23But is there a commonality there where early on the run game
03:26was working, where now you're struggling to pick up yards
03:29on the ground a little bit more?
03:32No, I wouldn't say there's anything there.
03:34Obviously, it starts with the other one.
03:36So us improving our performance, blocking and running the ball
03:41as well, that will only improve the run game.
03:44So that's what we're focused on.
03:45And that's what we've been doing.
03:47Not to go too off topic, but I was
03:50reading that when you chose Michigan out of high school,
03:52you chose Michigan over Alabama, over Ohio State,
03:57over I'm sure several others.
03:58What went into that decision?
04:00Why did you end up?
04:01I know you're from, you're born in Detroit.
04:03Was that a place you always wanted to go?
04:04Or how did you make that ultimate decision?
04:08Yeah, I would say that was interesting enough.
04:11I mean, that was always the place I wanted to go.
04:14But I would say probably since my sophomore year
04:19or 10th grade in high school, I pretty much
04:21knew I wanted to go to Michigan.
04:22So I think I was committed since then
04:24or since the end of my 10th grade year.
04:27And really just I've had a family that's
04:30been full of Michigan fans.
04:32Some of my family have been Michigan State fans.
04:34So it's always been like a little rivalry
04:36in my own family.
04:38So I knew I wanted to be a part of that and go to Michigan.
04:41What's Harbaugh like?
04:44Harbaugh was cool.
04:46During the years I was there, I mean,
04:48he was a really good coach.
04:49I would say going from one good coach to another coach,
04:54I was already kind of introduced to kind of just the scheme
04:57and really just being an NFL player,
05:01being a pro at a young age.
05:02The way Harbaugh was conducting the team,
05:08I was kind of used to the schedule already
05:09when I got here in my early years.
05:11I was very thankful for that.
05:13And really, he just put me and my whole class
05:16in a good place because of where we all are now
05:19and even the guys that came after us.
05:21How closely do you follow it?
05:23We talked to a lot of your teammates.
05:24Some of those guys, it seems like,
05:26really keep track of what the college team is
05:28doing on a week-to-week basis.
05:30Are you watching a lot of Michigan?
05:32No, not really.
05:33I'm not watching a lot of college football.
05:35I mean, I'll peek at sports, but I'm not really that
05:38in tune with it.
05:39You're going back to the Midwest this week, Chicago.
05:43Is there a rivalry Detroit-Chicago?
05:45What's that like for a kid from Michigan?
05:49I wouldn't say it is, but it'll be nice going back
05:53to the Midwest.
05:54I've got some family in Chicago, so it'll
05:55be nice to get back over there and see them for a little bit.
05:59Where do you stand on deep dish pizza?
06:03I mess with deep dish.
06:05I mess with deep dish the long way.
06:08I think I went to Chicago when I was maybe in college.
06:12Last time I went, I think I had Giordano's.
06:15I don't know if that's the best deal,
06:16but that was a couple of years ago, for sure.
06:19Nice.
06:20Deep dish is a popular answer.
06:21Jeremy Springer went with the deep dish as well.
06:24Is there anything else you miss from now
06:25that you're in New England?
06:27Is there anything else you miss food-wise or anything
06:29like that that you miss from being back home or back
06:31in the Midwest?
06:34Not exactly.
06:35I would just say that it's probably more options
06:39that way.
06:40I'm used to just having a very, very open amount of options
06:45being from Michigan and then traveling to Chicago.
06:47Chicago has a really good scene of really good stores
06:50and just restaurants as well.
06:52So it's in my click.
06:53All right, well, Mike, I'm Wendy.
06:54We expect to see you this weekend at guard.
06:56Best of luck this weekend against the Bears,
06:58and we'll talk to you down the line.
07:00Appreciate it.
07:00Y'all be.
07:03All right, very good.
07:04Thank you, Mike.
07:04Thank you very much.
07:06He joins us every, well, most Fridays.
07:08Yeah.
07:08Here on Jones and Keefe on a Patriots Friday.
07:10I thought, I missed what he said there at the end.
07:11I thought he had a little bit more to say.
07:12I'm not sure.
07:13I don't have a cut off.
07:14I think he said, maybe I'll be easy, maybe.
07:15Is that what he said?
07:16Got it.
07:16Yeah, I think that's the last word,
07:17but that might have been what it was.
07:18But very good.
07:19Thank you, Mike.
07:19Messes with the deep dish.
07:20Probably playing right guard, sounds like.
07:21Appreciate it.
07:22Y'all be.
07:23Y'all be easy, you're right.
07:24Y'all be easy.
07:24So he was playing left guard at practice,
07:26but apparently that might have been for, you know,
07:30glass, you know, break glass case of emergency.
07:32So it sounds like he's gonna be at right guard,
07:33which is the position he clearly likes to play the most.
07:36No, he's told that to us now multiple times.
07:38He doesn't.
07:39I think he'll do it, which I don't even know.
07:41I don't even know that I would do it if I were him.
07:43What?
07:43The last text.
07:44Here's Keefe asking about food again.
07:47I was thinking about it.
07:49I wouldn't have been rude to be.
07:50I'm going to ask everybody what their pregame meal is.
07:52I think going forward.
07:53I almost asked this, and we like talking to Mike about him.
07:55Yeah.
07:56But, you know, there were the reports in the offseason.
07:58I almost asked, was there anything
07:59you don't want to mess with, like pizza wise?
08:01But I don't want to be rude.
08:02No, no, no.
08:03But like, I don't know.
08:03I like all kinds of pizza.
08:04Same.
08:05Yeah.
08:05So I'm not picky when it comes to pizza.
08:07I don't want to be rude about it.
08:08No.
08:08That was very good of you.
08:09Last thing I want to be is rude.
08:10Yeah.
08:11That's me.
08:11So yeah, no, he's made it clear multiple times.
08:13He wants to be a right guard.
08:15And I don't blame him.
08:15I wouldn't kick out the tackle if I were him.
08:17I'd be like, you guys just paid me well to be a right guard.
08:19How about this?
08:19I'll be a good right guard.
08:20You guys figure out the rest.
08:21Yeah, I'm a deal at right tackle.
08:23We talked in the offseason.
08:24You could have paid me and told me
08:25I was going to be a right tackle and paid me
08:26like a right tackle.
08:27You paid me as a right guard.
08:28So I don't blame him for not being the biggest fan.
08:31But he's been willing to move around, maybe
08:34at left guard this weekend.
08:36So we'll see.
08:36Doesn't sound like he's a fan of it.