Jones & Keefe: Mike Onwenu joins the show

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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.

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