Before an exclusive interview with Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne, WEEI's Nick "Fitzy" Stevens joins the show to preview Drake Maye's first NFL start, how the Pats can keep up with the Texans and make game picks.
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00Well, that was fast.
00:00:15Drake Bay, I told you last episode, hey, it's coming.
00:00:18The window's open.
00:00:19It could be two weeks from now, it could be three weeks from now, it could be four, but
00:00:22it's coming soon.
00:00:23Yeah.
00:00:24Callahan Newsflash.
00:00:25It's coming Sunday.
00:00:26Drake Bay is here.
00:00:27And look, if you have been listening for the last few weeks, you know I have been on the
00:00:32sit, sit, sit, sit the kid, keep him away from the worst pass-blocking offensive line
00:00:38not only in the league, not only that I've ever seen, but historically, according to
00:00:42ESPN, would finish as the worst pass-protecting offensive line since at least 2006.
00:00:47I'm still excited to see Drake Bay.
00:00:49Look, I made my thoughts clear.
00:00:51The Patriots are going in a different direction.
00:00:53When the news broke Tuesday, as I was literally in the middle of a jog running around something
00:00:58I think Drake is probably going to do a whole lot of against the Texans.
00:01:01I sent out a lot of texts, made some calls, these are the folks in the locker room, in
00:01:05the organization, a couple outside the league being like, hey, what do you make of this?
00:01:08And just wrap my arms around something that, you know, I thought was going to come in a
00:01:12couple of weeks.
00:01:13It was always inevitable.
00:01:14They were going to play Drake this season, but why now?
00:01:16What's happening?
00:01:17And I wrote a column stating again that opinion.
00:01:20I think they're rushing him into this, and this is not, you know, an issue where everyone's
00:01:24on one side or the other, Daniel Lasky, Mina Combs, even Tom Brady, last time we heard
00:01:29from him, is saying the same thing I am.
00:01:30Just wait.
00:01:31Be patient.
00:01:32It's not going to happen.
00:01:33So why is it happening now?
00:01:34Well, in speaking with people who were, let's say, very close to what's going on here, the
00:01:40deal is this.
00:01:41Last time you saw Drake Bay, they said to me, he was pushing Jacoby for the starting
00:01:45job.
00:01:46He was better the last two weeks of camp and in the preseason than Jacoby was.
00:01:51Since then, Drake has only gotten better, and yes, it's only practice, but understanding
00:01:55they were going to play him anyway.
00:01:57They looked at this game and said, well, we might as well do it now because the last three
00:02:00weeks Jacoby has been actively hurting them on offense.
00:02:06And the fact that those two happened together coincided with the schedule, in my opinion,
00:02:12based on things that I've heard, observed, and kind of pieced together, did expedite
00:02:16the plan a little bit, but the plan was not like week seven.
00:02:20It wasn't week four.
00:02:21It was, he's going to play sooner rather than later.
00:02:24When that is, will be determined by how Jacoby plays and how Drake practices.
00:02:28Jacoby played bad, Drake practiced great.
00:02:31Here we are.
00:02:32They made the switch.
00:02:33And when I pushed back and said, okay, could you have just not picked a team with Deneal
00:02:38Hunter and Will Anderson on the edges, again, working against your offensive line, the worst
00:02:42in the league?
00:02:43They said, honestly, we don't really care that much about the opponent.
00:02:46It's more about him and playing.
00:02:48And the fact that we're at home in their eyes, I know this for a fact really helped
00:02:52too, which again, to me, if I'm running the team, I care less about the geographic location
00:02:57than the team actually on the other side, who's going to give us a lot of problems and
00:03:01to me, go over.
00:03:02Ryan's is a really good defensive head coach.
00:03:03They see it differently.
00:03:04The dice cast, they've come up Drake may.
00:03:08So there's more Intel in that column if you haven't read it from Tuesday.
00:03:12But there's background in there as we just talked about now of why they're doing this
00:03:16now.
00:03:17He's gotten better specifically with the footwork playbook mastery, and he's been better against
00:03:21pressure.
00:03:22Alex Van Pelt actually today.
00:03:23I know everyone's favorite office coordinator right now, uh, who I've been plenty critical
00:03:27of.
00:03:28So the Drake started a good on good meeting, starting off and starting defense period where
00:03:33it was all about the blitz, which also tells you, they think Houston's going to bring a
00:03:36lot of pressure.
00:03:38Drake may was six for six quote in his decisions in that period, meaning he did the right thing
00:03:44every single time.
00:03:46So yes, that is more coming from the coaches.
00:03:48And I would trust a lot more of what I've heard privately over the phone and via text
00:03:52than what coaches are going to say publicly.
00:03:53They're never going to bash their own guys, but there's a lot of overlap there.
00:03:58So that's what I know.
00:03:59That's what I've learned.
00:04:00That's what we're going to go with moving forward.
00:04:01The Patriots are going to go with Drake may, and hopefully he survives the last 12 games
00:04:04because this is a lot of the season left to go, but that's where they're at.
00:04:07They think he can do it.
00:04:08They believe that much in him.
00:04:09And that's why I started that column going, Hey, if you remember five hours, and this
00:04:14is from hard knocks revealed this five hours before Elliott Wolfe drafted Drake may, he
00:04:18turned down an offer with multiple first round picks and other selections from the Giants.
00:04:23The Vikings also made an offer like that.
00:04:25I remember the Giants were just a pick six, so you're going back three spots for a first
00:04:29round pick and more from a team, you know, it's going to stink next year.
00:04:33They said, no, the Patriots were smitten with Drake may they are smitten with Drake may
00:04:38and everyone has fallen out of love with the Jacoby percent experience.
00:04:40You want to know why Drake may starting on Sunday?
00:04:43That's it right there.
00:04:44It's not about the opponent.
00:04:45It's got a little bit to do with the fact that they're at home, but the fact that they're
00:04:48just ready and they've been wanting to do this and Jacoby percent to play as of late
00:04:52gave them a reason why.
00:04:53Okay, so we're going to talk a lot more Drake may with Fitzy coming up after that Kendrick
00:04:57Bourne the best four minute drill we've ever had in this podcast.
00:05:01He was again out of 10 right from the get go.
00:05:04Just what you see is what you get with that dude.
00:05:07You are going to experience it if you haven't yet, and he's been on the pod before, but
00:05:09this was this was different.
00:05:12And aside from that, I want to remind you, we have a lot of folks who support this podcast
00:05:16among them is price picks.
00:05:17And so whether the Patriots are winning or losing on Sunday, you can win at home by playing
00:05:21price picks.
00:05:22And this is how it works.
00:05:23Go to price picks.com where you download the price picks app today.
00:05:26So I've sent all of my friends who come ask and listen to this podcast.
00:05:30You look at different stat projections for different players and you go more or less.
00:05:33And if you make as little as four correct picks, you can win up to 100 times your money.
00:05:39And if you sign up today with just a five dollar deposit, you get 50 bucks instantly
00:05:44with code CLNS.
00:05:45You don't even need to win your five dollar deposit.
00:05:48You get 50 bucks in bonus if you download price picks today and use code CLNS.
00:05:54This could be for CJ Stroud to have fewer than this amount of yards.
00:05:57It could be Drake May more than twenty five and a half rushing yards, whatever it is,
00:06:01just player stat projections more or less and you string them together.
00:06:04Even if one of those players gets injured, your picks are still good.
00:06:08That's the injury insurance.
00:06:10And not in other places.
00:06:11So download price picks today with the app.
00:06:13Use code CLNS against CLNS to get 50 dollars instantly after you play your first five dollar
00:06:18lineup win or lose price picks.
00:06:21Run your game.
00:06:22Time for my price picks.
00:06:23Picks of the week.
00:06:24Full disclosure.
00:06:26When you include the basically automatic pick of Caleb Williams, more or less than half
00:06:31a passing yard.
00:06:32I'm still only six and seven on the season like the Patriots were after a little slow
00:06:35start here.
00:06:36Here's the thing.
00:06:37There were two squares that I saw for Pat's Texans where I'm not using my own money, but
00:06:42I want to give you the best advice that I can.
00:06:44And again, as I always say, if you want to do the opposite, go ahead, George Cassandra.
00:06:49Joey Sly more than five points.
00:06:53Seems like a layup here.
00:06:54If the Patriots lose 40 to six to Houston, you still win because Joey Sly made two field
00:07:00goals as he should have against Miami when he made a 38 yard or Mr. 33 yarder.
00:07:06This is it.
00:07:07If they stink in the red zone or if they get three touchdowns in one field goal, you still
00:07:11make it.
00:07:12So Joey Sly more than five kicking points.
00:07:15The other one that I have here, which I think is just.
00:07:20It's there.
00:07:21It's easy.
00:07:22Stephon Diggs less than 62 and a half receiving yards.
00:07:24I think he's going to get the Christian Gonzalez treatment.
00:07:27Tyree kill can't get more than three catches on Christian Gonzalez in a game.
00:07:31Stephon Diggs, who doesn't have Nico Collins opposite him now, by the way, I don't think
00:07:35is going to clear that mark with Christian Gonzalez, probably shouting him all the way
00:07:38across the field.
00:07:39So I'm going Joey Sly more than five kicking points.
00:07:42I'm going to step on digs less than 62 and a half receiving yards.
00:07:45So that's it.
00:07:46Here comes Fitzy from WEI.
00:07:48After that, Kendrick Bourne.
00:07:49And again, if you have a minute, but this episode is more than an hour long, so I know
00:07:53you do to rate and review.
00:07:55It really helps us.
00:07:56OK, Apple, Spotify, five stars.
00:07:59You can email me.
00:08:00You can leave a review.
00:08:01Any kind of feedback is good.
00:08:02We're rolling here midseason.
00:08:03There's going to be a lot more topics, a lot of stuff to dive into with Drake May, as we
00:08:06do here with Fitzy.
00:08:07If you like what you hear, let us know.
00:08:10Apple, Spotify, five star rating review or email me a Callahan at Boston Herald.
00:08:15OK, here comes Fitzy and Kendrick Bourne.
00:08:18So a week ago, I text our next guest and said, hey, man, we need some good vibes in here.
00:08:24You are captain of the good vibes.
00:08:25Even at then it wanted three.
00:08:26They go one and four.
00:08:28But what happened next?
00:08:29Who's the ultimate vibe?
00:08:31Drake May in to Kobe Brissett.
00:08:33Sorry, pal, you're out.
00:08:35And I have to say, I don't think it's an accident, Fitzy, that this change is made right before
00:08:40you come on the podcast after another bad Patriots loss, because I don't know if there's
00:08:44been a fan base happier at one for to see the new fresh face, 22 year old franchise
00:08:49quarterback finally playing on Sunday.
00:08:52Thank you from that Patriots nation of which you lead back to its leader, Nick Fitzgerald.
00:08:57You ask for good vibes, Patriots nation.
00:09:00I give you Drake May.
00:09:02That's right.
00:09:03The mayhem is here.
00:09:04The mania has arrived.
00:09:07May Day is officially Sunday, October 13th, 2024.
00:09:12And I got to tell you, for as somebody who remains constantly plugged in to the Patriots
00:09:17people in the Foxborough faithful, I'm not saying that we're back, but Callahan, I'm
00:09:23thinking we're back.
00:09:24I think we're not back to where we were.
00:09:27Okay.
00:09:28We're not back to like, yeah, I don't, I'm not saying we're back, but I'm thinking we're
00:09:32back.
00:09:33We're all right.
00:09:34We're back-ish.
00:09:35Can I at least get back adjacent?
00:09:36Can I get, can I get in the, okay, fine.
00:09:39We're back adjacent to where we're like oblique.
00:09:42How's that?
00:09:43Okay.
00:09:44Fair enough.
00:09:45Yes.
00:09:46Uh, because if just what I can see initially on social media, let alone what I've heard
00:09:50from fans in the lots.
00:09:52And ever since the switch was made, sure.
00:09:54There's still a bunch of, you know, uh, Belichick rump swabs and, and bill super fans that are
00:10:01just going to go like, ah, it doesn't matter.
00:10:04Mayo should get fired.
00:10:05You gotta get the kid killed.
00:10:07It's going to be awesome to see him on IR by week nine, blah, blah, blah.
00:10:11The rest of everybody who still actually has a little joy or room for joy in their heart
00:10:17is so excited to have just some buzz back a little hope.
00:10:21Like you're heading into a game Sunday, not already resigned to your fate, because you
00:10:27know, even if the Patriots win with Jacoby reset, or if they were to win and they did
00:10:31it, but once, and they couldn't and should have done it probably at least two, if not
00:10:35maybe three other times, it wasn't going to be pretty.
00:10:38It wasn't even really going to be that fun, but you'd walk away saying, Hey, I can't believe
00:10:42they did that.
00:10:43It was okay.
00:10:44Absolute best.
00:10:45Now, you know, there's going to be a much lower floor at times.
00:10:49You have no idea how high the ceiling is going to be, but it's going to be miles above what
00:10:54you saw for the first five weeks.
00:10:56And basically the product that the Patriots were trotting out every week was untenable.
00:11:00There was just no way to possibly continue to bring out that torpid slog of an offense
00:11:07and say, this is the best thing that we can offer you.
00:11:09I know you got more back in the kitchen.
00:11:11Come on.
00:11:12I know.
00:11:13No, no, no.
00:11:15No more than this dried up Turkey sandwich.
00:11:16Let's go.
00:11:17I feel like you just dumped half a thesaurus on us, um, tor, torpid, uh, never one of my
00:11:22favorite words.
00:11:23One of my all time favorite words, a good one.
00:11:26Here's the thing.
00:11:27We just started talking before we started recording and realized we were doing a show
00:11:30and said, okay, we need to stop.
00:11:32And the next question I would have asked you is the first one I have here today, because
00:11:34I don't know the answer to this question, even though folks can listen to you on E I
00:11:37six rings and things podcast, and obviously follow you everywhere, uh, which they should.
00:11:43What did you think of the timing five games in Drake may starting here at home against
00:11:47the Houston, Texas.
00:11:49If anybody with the new England Patriots dares to tell me this was the plan all along, I'll
00:11:56tell them they're so full of ish.
00:11:57Their eyes are Brown.
00:11:59And I, after that, I expect them to sell me a bridge that spans Plymouth to Sagamore or
00:12:04across the East river in Manhattan, because this is it's horse crap.
00:12:08There's zero chance.
00:12:09This was ever.
00:12:10The plan is the timing suspect.
00:12:12Absolutely.
00:12:13But can you, can you make sense of this timeline or for people that don't necessarily love
00:12:18them, but at least sat through the more recent Marvel movies and understand what alternate
00:12:22timelines and multiverses are.
00:12:24They had a different timeline in mind, however, Elliot Wolf and his Cleveland Packers slash
00:12:32Green Bay Brown's plan of trying to let Drake may incubate for as long as possible.
00:12:37Uh, Robert craft, the entire organization, trying to let them go about their business
00:12:43without any advisory or heavy handedness, uh, uh, Gerard Mayo coming on EEI every Monday
00:12:48and saying like they reviewed the tape and Jacoby gives them the best chance to win.
00:12:52And Alex van Pelt saying the best thing this kid can do is sit.
00:12:55All of them are, all of them are wrong.
00:12:56They couldn't sit.
00:12:57They couldn't do it anymore.
00:12:58They could not possibly do it anymore because Jacoby Brissett through his own, his own will
00:13:06of wanting to be turnover verse and hold onto the ball and be very meticulous and methodical
00:13:10about it.
00:13:11Along with the fact that the early returns on this line gave him PTSD, post-traumatic
00:13:17post-traumatic sack disorder, because he was the most hit quarterback in the NFL, the most
00:13:21pressured quarterback in the NFL.
00:13:24And there's a reason why teams have blitz the Patriots at the highest rate, uh, by far
00:13:28in the NFL this year, doubling, and if not at times tripling their usual blitz rate is
00:13:32because you could get home and you know that you could make him hesitate.
00:13:35So now they, they have to, they, they have no choice but to start drink me.
00:13:41Would Miami have made more sense?
00:13:42Cause that was a winnable game.
00:13:43Absolutely.
00:13:44That game was in hand.
00:13:45The game that most people are now calling the worst NFL game ever played.
00:13:48Yes.
00:13:49It was there for them.
00:13:50Would it have made more sense on the road against Jacksonville who either you or I could
00:13:54probably go for three 10 and two tutties against because their past defense is so bad.
00:13:58Yes.
00:13:59Maybe the jets.
00:14:00Cause he got his toes dipped, you know, in the river sticks against the jets a few weeks
00:14:04ago.
00:14:05All of those would have made more or just wait till the Rams game in late November.
00:14:09If the, if the product was watchable, it's more of my question.
00:14:14Like I, I, I think that's an accurate retelling.
00:14:16I think it's a totally fair assessment, but like coach Fitzy, you get the call Monday
00:14:21night.
00:14:22Drod says, I'm about to call both quarterbacks.
00:14:23What should I tell them?
00:14:24What's your answer?
00:14:25She got a Jacoby.
00:14:29You don't get to go home, but you can't stay here anymore, man.
00:14:32You made the time that you were a thumbs up at the time.
00:14:36Absolutely.
00:14:37Absolutely.
00:14:38I just like, I think the debt and honestly the death blow, like, first of all, when you're,
00:14:43when you're a Boston Herald partner in crime, Doug Cide, who's easily the most rational
00:14:49level headed of all the beat guys of everybody that covers the Patriots and is heavily invested
00:14:55in the Boston sports scene says on his podcast with Michael Hurley, sorry, time's up.
00:15:03You have to start Drake May when Doug Cide, who has never met a hot take that he's embraced
00:15:08or even like parked his car near says it's time to start Drake May.
00:15:12Then there's a good chance.
00:15:13It's time to start Drake May.
00:15:14I would, I w you would have had to have done the same thing.
00:15:17You can't Jacoby Brissette has re we've reached peak Brissette.
00:15:22So I don't want to spend much time on this because we have a lot of stuff to come up
00:15:25with with May and both the Texans.
00:15:27And I said this in the previously recorded intro is just to say my stance all along has
00:15:33can been, has been, can we just do better than the worst past protection in the league?
00:15:39Can we have an offense that understands who needs to be out there and who's doing what?
00:15:43Cause you know, as well as I do the first four, five weeks, the answer was no, we can't,
00:15:48we can't do better than that.
00:15:49We don't know if we're going to play and things have started to settle as weird as it was
00:15:52on Sunday, uh, around Jacoby Brissette, more outside zone running game, Kendrick Warren's
00:15:57back.
00:15:58Hey, we're playing through two tight ends and it's working well.
00:16:00Oh, and then we finally get targets for pop Douglas at the end.
00:16:04I would have liked to have seen them flesh out some more answers.
00:16:07I'm not hung up on this.
00:16:08I might've been open to them starting May against Jacksonville.
00:16:11Um, and again, I've said my piece.
00:16:13I was just curious on your end because I think there are more people who are of that ilk
00:16:17Doug yourself, others obviously drive Mayo.
00:16:19And then you have the other, like, no, no, no, no.
00:16:23Dan Orlovsky meet at times.
00:16:25Tom Brady.
00:16:26Last time we heard from him of like, just, just, oh, this is, this is the worst thing
00:16:29that I've ever seen.
00:16:30How GRD went off on EI this week as well.
00:16:33I'm sure Tom Curran is probably taking blood pressure medication as we speak right now
00:16:38dealing with this because he thought that Mayo and the company wanted to sit in the
00:16:42entire season.
00:16:43If, if the Patriots had their druthers, he wouldn't have seen the field Allah, not even
00:16:47my homes in a more Jordan lover, Aaron Rogers capacity, because that's where Elliot Wolf
00:16:51was healed.
00:16:52Well, guess what?
00:16:53In those particular situations, you had more talent on your roster and a future hall of
00:16:56fame quarterback, a ahead of, ahead of Rogers and ultimately Jordan love in this place.
00:17:03You have a journeyman who who's on his second stint in Foxborough who just doesn't have
00:17:07the zip zam that you need to play.
00:17:10Like he can't move the same way anymore.
00:17:12The guy looks, come on, everyone felt too terribly for him playing.
00:17:16We all thought he was going to get mortalized and he moved around the pocket, like an 87
00:17:20year old guy getting out of his armchair to grab his Walker to make his way to the toilet.
00:17:24It was miserable.
00:17:25I felt so badly for him.
00:17:26And I was gonna say the death knell was that final throw.
00:17:30Like I don't care.
00:17:31You got to find Paul.
00:17:32He's got to take a chance.
00:17:33You got to take a chance on Douglas at the two and just let him try to make a football
00:17:37move.
00:17:38You don't give it to a double covered Hunter Henry at the 12 with two seconds left.
00:17:41Sorry.
00:17:43So the news broke Tuesday afternoon off day for players off day for media until news breaks.
00:17:49And there's been about 48 hours since then to kind of sit with this.
00:17:53And there's the initial like, holy shit, it's happening.
00:17:56Like here we go.
00:17:57The Michael Scott gift is happening.
00:17:59Here we go.
00:18:00Yeah.
00:18:01Oh my God.
00:18:02Yeah.
00:18:03And you're like, I bet you're going for a run.
00:18:04And then you hear the breaking news and you're like, ah, shit, I got to go back and write
00:18:06a call.
00:18:07It was in a draft of my column that I posted after with some Intel in there.
00:18:10I think I kept it at the bar.
00:18:11I was literally, literally going for a run when that happened or at the end of it literally
00:18:16happened, stopped in my draft.
00:18:18So the reason I bring that up though, is you get to sleep on it once, right?
00:18:22You get to sleep on it again, Wednesday night.
00:18:25And as someone who consumes a lot of their thoughts and time with the Patriots, how differently
00:18:30if at all, do you feel now two days later, digesting this hearing from May hearing from
00:18:34Mayo hearing from ABP about the decision?
00:18:36Look, I know this is not an optimal opponent for him to be going up against with one of
00:18:40the best pass rushes and maybe the best pass rusher in the NFL right now, maybe the ascending
00:18:45best pass rusher and second-year player, Will Anderson and the best in Danielle Hunter,
00:18:50who has the most QB pressures in the league.
00:18:52I saw what they did.
00:18:54They ate Josh Allen's lunch right in front of him last week, and then threw the empty
00:18:58bag back at him and told him to clean up the mess.
00:19:00Like nine, nine, nine, nine, Mrs. Bueller, nine completions wouldn't be surprised.
00:19:07Kind of like a couple of years ago, like in that AFC championship where my homes faltered
00:19:12in the second half against Cincy and they punched their ticket to the super bowl or
00:19:15on that Christmas day game when Jair Alexander couldn't stop picking off passes from Tua
00:19:20in both of those games.
00:19:22I think we, I think with hindsight being what it is, we probably should have seen those
00:19:26quarterbacks pulled for head trauma and the same with Josh Allen.
00:19:30Like maybe he wasn't feeling it the rest of that game as well, because none of the balls
00:19:33were where they needed to be.
00:19:34The play calling was very suspect as well.
00:19:37They were all, they were all out of sorts.
00:19:40I I'm, I'm fine with, I'm fine with this.
00:19:42Like he's not going to get like beat up to the point where he he's taken hits before.
00:19:47It's got three older brothers.
00:19:49He's used to getting his ass handed to him on a regular basis and I'm not advocating
00:19:52for or saying that the violence that he's going to deal with is going to be, it will
00:19:56be acceptable Callahan.
00:19:58But like I'm at least excited about the game that his hits are just as bad as Luke May
00:20:03when Luke May was 16 years old.
00:20:05I will not, I will not be doing that.
00:20:08It's a different kind of trauma that he'll be dealing with for sure.
00:20:11And the cold tub is going to feel a whole hell of a lot different Sunday and Monday.
00:20:15And as I said in the open, it's not the physical punishment that, that bothers me.
00:20:20It's not, it's the accumulative effect of which I think we saw it start to break percent
00:20:24a little bit where he's anticipating pressure getting to this, the top of his drop.
00:20:28And there's a little hitch, everything we saw with Mac after last year that it just,
00:20:34it's additive.
00:20:35And so I don't want that to happen to Drake.
00:20:36I don't know that it will.
00:20:37Uh, the line obviously is not good right now.
00:20:39That's more of the concern of the habits that you build when you're constantly under pressure.
00:20:43It's like if you go straight from war to vacation and you're waking up at 4am because like you
00:20:49want to, because you just wake up and you just don't sleep period.
00:20:53That was actually, that's a, that's a valid concern.
00:20:56Last week before the game, when I was waltzing about talking to fans before the kickoff of
00:21:02men's paths, a couple of the older fans said their biggest concern about starting may too
00:21:07early was that he would end up picking up some bad habits, habits that weren't based
00:21:14on trying to read defenses process plays and make the right read so much as help, help.
00:21:20I got to save my life.
00:21:21I'm on the run.
00:21:22Like he would, he'd be in self-preservation mode, but if you watch enough college tape
00:21:27of Drake may, you know, I didn't know that he, he led all, he was the leader in all purpose
00:21:32yards in 2022 as a 20 year old, his first year starting at North Carolina.
00:21:37And a lot of those came with his feet.
00:21:39He was second, I guess last year and called QB runs behind Jaden Daniels.
00:21:44So one of the things that I think you can look for, and he's going to have, some of
00:21:48them are going to be called by design.
00:21:50Some are just going to be out of desperation.
00:21:52There are going to be QB runs involved in this game plan Sunday.
00:21:56If Alex van Pelt knows what's good for him as well, because if you just sit him back
00:22:00there on five and seven step drops all day long, everyone's going to look the fool for
00:22:04starting the kid.
00:22:05What in a game they'll say was way too early.
00:22:08Yes.
00:22:09Last thing, and then we'll get into that game, soak everything in the opponent, the offensive
00:22:13line, the fact that you're home, all of it, what is a reasonable expectation in your mind
00:22:19for this kid?
00:22:20Like you just said, he's going to run.
00:22:22So when I think about that, statistically, I think two touchdowns is, is reasonable expectations
00:22:28because you probably get a one that may be by design.
00:22:31Like we saw in his first preseason game B, obviously they're going to throw a deep, they're
00:22:36probably going to be behind.
00:22:37They'll need to throw more than a lend itself to more opportunities to score.
00:22:40At the same time, people forget his first pass attempt in the NFL hit a Jets defender
00:22:45and both his hands on a little stick row.
00:22:47So there are going to be times that just cause he's a rookie because he's a rookie trying
00:22:50to overcome a whole lot.
00:22:52But you saw it in that same tape you referenced in North Carolina, like he's going to take
00:22:54some chances.
00:22:55That's fine by me.
00:22:56It was in love with the kid as a prospect, as much as permissible, uh, you know, in this,
00:23:01this environment.
00:23:02Uh, and so I think two touchdowns, two interceptions to answer my own question is where I land
00:23:07on this somewhere around 200 yards.
00:23:09Anything above that seems unreasonable to me, but anything below is like, yeah, that
00:23:14seems fair.
00:23:15A Josh Allen stat line from last week against the Texans would be a shock.
00:23:19I can't see him completing less than 45% of his passes, something in the neighborhood
00:23:24of 50 to 59% of his passes completed a pick or two, one passing touchdown, one rushing
00:23:31touchdown.
00:23:32I think that would be a spectacular debut.
00:23:34I don't expect Sunday when the game is over and jerseys are being exchanged and clips
00:23:41are being sent to the, to the NFL Instagram and people are headed out to their cars and
00:23:46they're having an after gate because they don't want to sit in that God awful traffic
00:23:50for three hours.
00:23:51And of course they cannot wait to read the latest Andrew Callahan column at bostonherald.com.
00:23:55And of course they are too, they are locked in to the six rings postgame show on WEI.
00:24:01We are going to be in a celebratory frame of mind because we will have gotten a glimpse
00:24:05into our future.
00:24:07The future under center and Foxborough has arrived.
00:24:09And I know I sound political, like I'm working for the may campaign or something like vote
00:24:13may 2024 or the Patriots on Sundays, you know, but I put it this way.
00:24:20My first reaction when I heard about it was this is supremely ironic that Drake may gets
00:24:26his first start at home.
00:24:28He doesn't even wear the primary uniform.
00:24:30He is going to be in the path, the Patriot throwbacks in his first game ever in the NFL,
00:24:36let alone his first start at Gillette stadium.
00:24:39He is going to, that's the perfect outfit because he's going to be running around like
00:24:44vintage 1979, Steve Grogan for his life, hopefully making some plays along the way.
00:24:49And I, I don't know who's back there, but I hope they have one of those Stevie Grogan
00:24:53neck rolls for him.
00:24:54Cause he's probably going to need it.
00:24:56You imagine he, uh, he hit that on the head too, in his press conference, as far as like
00:24:59easy wins layups with the fans, best fans in the world, boom box check.
00:25:04He said that, and then shouted out the throwback uniforms.
00:25:07Like the kid just has to sit there and watch his approval rating go up because you're the
00:25:11third overall pick.
00:25:12You're the fresh face quarterback.
00:25:14You're athletic and exciting, but he's, he's handling business behind the mic for whatever
00:25:18little that, uh, that matters.
00:25:20And I had tipped to those units.
00:25:21Yeah.
00:25:22I hope he finishes the game and win or lose, you know, like, you know, I hope he finishes
00:25:27the game.
00:25:28That would be a good sign, but I hope he finishes the game, showers up, talks to everybody,
00:25:32goes out to the parking lot.
00:25:33And instead of just going to lot six and getting in his, you know, his probably souped up truck
00:25:38that he got at Dan O'Brien auto or something, or Bach automotive or something from the auto
00:25:42mile, you know, it takes a whiff of the lot and goes, hold on a second, just ambles over
00:25:46someplace gets, you know, gets into a tailgate at six o'clock, gets a nice Italian sausage
00:25:52or some Dom steak tips and a bud light.
00:25:54And just, you know, hangs out with the people.
00:25:56Like there's no greater way to ingratiate yourself with the people than to go out there,
00:26:01have a nice little beer and meat summit, and then talk about the day, like, ah, tough one
00:26:05out there, kid.
00:26:06Yeah.
00:26:07The fan sounds like a coded invite from you.
00:26:09Like, please.
00:26:10It's like, I'm going to go around to like the closest 10 breweries.
00:26:15I'm going to like Trillium, Wormtown, all of our favorites.
00:26:18And I'm just going to put my card down and say, if Drake may ever walks in, you let him
00:26:21know Uncle Fitz's first beer.
00:26:24That's not, that's not, that's on him from right there.
00:26:26And I want to add before we get into the game thing, I just want to say that a, it has been
00:26:32great to see, uh, on Instagram, on Twitter, YouTube for the first time in years, at least
00:26:39three years since Mac Jones debuted.
00:26:41And I think those were halfhearted that, uh, it's great to see the people that do the Photoshop's
00:26:47the edits, like the hype swaps and whatnot, and also like the hype reels and, and whatever
00:26:53else mixing pro footage and college stuff with like superhero music or hard rock.
00:26:57They have basically been laying dormant.
00:26:59They've been in hibernation the last two plus years.
00:27:02They're all back.
00:27:03They're all back.
00:27:04They're all creating content again.
00:27:05This is great for the content engine.
00:27:08And I'll leave you with this.
00:27:10He has a chance, God, do the Patriots want to see him so badly, especially before Robert
00:27:15Kraft would trot out Jacoby Brissett, you know, after having brought Mac Jones out last
00:27:20year in that Germany game, the international product alone, the benefit of that next, next
00:27:25week could be worth millions to the organization.
00:27:28Maybe now, finally, people will stop bringing their Mac Jones and Jimmy Garoppolo jerseys
00:27:32to the stadium with duck or electrical tape on the back with may written on it.
00:27:37And they'll actually go invest in a real Drake may Jersey.
00:27:42Spoken like a true company, man.
00:27:44I like it.
00:27:45Um, here's what I would say.
00:27:46If you're not going to the game, like Fitzy or myself, you can still get a ticket and
00:27:51I can guarantee you this.
00:27:52You will not find a lower price than the will at game time where you should go for all of
00:27:55your ticket needs because they have the lowest price guarantee.
00:27:58And I'm telling you, if you find a ticket elsewhere, that's cheaper, they'll credit
00:28:01you 110% of the difference.
00:28:02I am keeping an eye on this because I got tickets for my wife and a friend who was coming
00:28:06to the London game next week.
00:28:08And that was a pretty penny, my friend.
00:28:10So go to game time where still they have not had any lower ticket prices anywhere.
00:28:14And I don't think you'll find them because of game time picks, which filters out all
00:28:17the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats.
00:28:19You don't have to waste time searching for thousands of tickets.
00:28:22And when you want to see what your seat view looks like before you get to the stadium,
00:28:26good idea.
00:28:27When you go to Fenway Park, you can do that with their seat view.
00:28:29All of this is at game time, lowest price guarantee seat views, filter out all the fluff,
00:28:34download the game time app today, create an account, use code CLNS for 20 bucks in your
00:28:39pocket, $20 off to your first purchase terms to apply and create an account.
00:28:43Just redeem code CLNS for $20 off Pat's games, concerts, shows, whatever.
00:28:49Download game time today.
00:28:50What time is it?
00:28:51Game time.
00:28:52What's up, pal?
00:28:53I love that.
00:28:54Are we speaking?
00:28:55It was such a beautiful transition saying like, yeah, spoken like a company man.
00:28:59And now it's time for my in pod ad read seamless transition.
00:29:05You know, actually, I think I'm going to use the game time app because I am currently in
00:29:09the market for four tickets to I'm taking one Sunday off of the six rings postgame show,
00:29:14taking my 11 year old to go see.
00:29:16And now he is super excited that Drake may is starting because a, he'll actually want
00:29:20to watch the game, but watch the game B he'll make it past halftime and see, I bought him
00:29:25a bunch of Drake may rookie cards.
00:29:28And I said, Hey, root for this kid, because if he turns out to be good, dad's basically
00:29:31buying you a bond or a stock that should mature rather quickly.
00:29:35So we're going with his best friend and that guy's dad who I'm friendly with.
00:29:39And we're going to Chicago to see bears, pets, just going to sit in the stands again.
00:29:44Like I used to Callahan and I cannot wait.
00:29:47That's going to be Williams versus may dude.
00:29:48It's going to be awesome.
00:29:50I'm just impressed that your kid knows what a bond is like that didn't have an explanation
00:29:56of like, Oh, good.
00:29:57This is like a, you know, nevermind, but you're going to have to meet us up for a, you're
00:30:01going to have to meet us up for some Chicago craft beers the night before.
00:30:04I will.
00:30:05What am I?
00:30:06Good friends.
00:30:07He is, uh, related to bears, royalty, Doug Buffon, longtime linebacker, right before
00:30:12that Superbowl team in the mid eighties.
00:30:13I think led all bears, linebackers, all time and interceptions, and used to be their radio
00:30:18analysts on game days.
00:30:20And so his nephew is a buddy of mine.
00:30:23He will be out there.
00:30:24So he will have a beer the night before.
00:30:27I definitely will have some beers and hopefully not your 11 year old, but maybe we can just
00:30:31talk stocks instead and that'll all, uh, that'll all work out.
00:30:34Okay.
00:30:35Let's get to the football.
00:30:36Texans are coming in.
00:30:38They are foreign one Patriots, of course, one in four.
00:30:41Here are the Texans, uh, rankings by DVO, a seventh overall.
00:30:45Okay.
00:30:4621st in offense.
00:30:47They're third in defense, six on special teams.
00:30:50Their last four 23 to 20 win versus Buffalo, 24 to 20 win versus Jacksonville got housed
00:30:5734 to seven at Minnesota.
00:31:00And then one 1913 versus Chicago, the Patriots, of course, one in four.
00:31:04They are 29th by DVO, a 30th in offense, 28th in defense.
00:31:11But Jeremy Springer, I, if I don't think he's single, but if he was, he would be going around
00:31:17Friday night to the bar saying my special teams are third by DVO way.
00:31:21What's your name?
00:31:22So there you go.
00:31:23Uh, let's talk about when the Patriots have the ball.
00:31:26We just spent a lot of time about Drake may obviously all eyes are going to be on him.
00:31:30I'm curious what you think, because I have a couple little wrinkles in here for you.
00:31:34What the offense looks like with him under center versus how we've come to know this
00:31:38Alex van Pelt offense through Jacoby Brissett through five years.
00:31:42So help me Lord.
00:31:43And if I'm Jacoby Brissett, I would be just a hot stack of mad like that little red dude
00:31:48in the inside out movies.
00:31:50If there's motion and RPO in the offense on Sunday, I I'd be, I would, I would turn to
00:31:56AVP and I'd be like, where was this?
00:31:58What?
00:31:59Huh?
00:32:00Oh, Oh, saving it for the kid.
00:32:01Huh?
00:32:02Basically it was just a plan to screw me, huh?
00:32:04Take my $8 million check and go home.
00:32:06Thank you very much.
00:32:07Um, how does the offense look?
00:32:10I think it looks very different, uh, even though it's all from the same tree, all from
00:32:15the same, all from the same book and plan, will it, will it remind you of that offense
00:32:20at times?
00:32:21Yes.
00:32:22I think you'll see more shotgun.
00:32:23I think you're going to see, you probably will see a little pre-snap motion.
00:32:27I wouldn't be surprised if they try to involve, uh, the receivers in the running game as well.
00:32:32Uh, obviously you're not going to involve your tight ends, like, like back in the Hernandez
00:32:36days or something like that, where you had somebody supremely athletic, there was no
00:32:40mention of the FX show.
00:32:41There's no mention of murder in this podcast.
00:32:44Thank you very little.
00:32:45Uh, you want to get them involved, like some RPO, some jet sweep, something to just, to
00:32:49just try to get Houston back on their heels for a second, because if it's plotting and
00:32:54predictable and you're going to let the Andersons and hunters of the world basically just strap
00:32:59them on and just go from first to fifth on every play, then the pats are cooked before
00:33:04they even kick the ball off at one o'clock on Sunday.
00:33:07Uh, so yeah, I think you're going to see, you'll see Drake may run early.
00:33:11You'll see him moving around also move the pocket.
00:33:15Like you're going to have like, get it, get Gibson, get Gibson involved in a lot of ways.
00:33:19Some shovel passes, maybe hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody else, maybe throw
00:33:23the ball like a Kendrick Bourne, um, but move the pocket, do what Charlie Weiss's greatest
00:33:30game that he ever called for the Patriots was Superbowl 38 because he thought this was
00:33:35going to be as a commentator that he called as a, no, as an OC was Superbowl 38 because
00:33:43they faced that ferocious line and they had Russ Hochstein in there and everybody thought
00:33:48that Brady was just going to get brutalized and they moved the pocket all day.
00:33:52And on the run, he was throwing dimes and darts to branch and Brown and come and givens.
00:33:57So move that pocket, do everything you can.
00:34:00Your offensive line is athletic.
00:34:02I mean, they're, they, they finished last week, 20th ranked in pass blocking.
00:34:06That's a step in the right direction ish.
00:34:08If you will, they're not great, but they're not as bad as they were four weeks ago.
00:34:12And Calhoun, we may even have offensive line continuity.
00:34:15You may see the same starting five out front for two weeks in a row.
00:34:19So we got that going for us.
00:34:21And based on what we've seen in practice, which I should have mentioned this sooner,
00:34:24um, reminder, Stevenson has not practiced Wednesday or Thursday.
00:34:27Just, just hasn't even been in the locker room when the media has been there.
00:34:30I'm not ruling him out, but generally that means the guy's not going to play on Sunday
00:34:33at best.
00:34:34He's a game time decision.
00:34:35So we'll see.
00:34:36It might be Antonio Gibson in there starting today.
00:34:38They could also replace Nick Leverett who gave up seven pressures as the new backup
00:34:42center filling in for David Andrews, which no one, you and I, whether it's on stage,
00:34:46it's with our hand on a football, trying to snap them between our legs or just walking
00:34:50into a bar.
00:34:51No one wants to follow our guy.
00:34:52David.
00:34:53David.
00:34:55So tough act for Nick Leverett, but they could have Brian Hudson.
00:34:57Who's a practice squad center.
00:34:58They signed Ben Brown today to be another center familiar with this offense, to be on
00:35:02the roster, which all of which tells me you could have a shake up there again.
00:35:06Not great to have that be Drake Mays for a start, but here we are.
00:35:09The point I'm drafting rookie out of Louisville at center and his getting his first start
00:35:13at the same time that Drake may gets his first start.
00:35:14Yeah.
00:35:15Not great, Bob.
00:35:16Yeah.
00:35:17Not guaranteed.
00:35:18Just saying he's been out there running a little bit here and there with once and uh, not great.
00:35:22So the, the, the moving the pocket thing is big to me.
00:35:25And it's not only just, okay, boom, here's the snap, but the best thing the Patriots
00:35:29are doing right now offensively, which is the short list is the under center run game.
00:35:33So when you talk about more shotgun, obviously that gets to the point of, okay, we want to
00:35:36do what's best for the quarterback, but how far do you go in that direction when it encroaches
00:35:41on and takes away from what is good for everybody else understanding he's more important than
00:35:46any other player.
00:35:47But if this is the only thing we're doing well, duo inside zone.
00:35:50So now outside zone runs, you want to keep that going to which I would say you don't
00:35:54have to go to shotgun in.
00:35:57You can move the pocket with those runs.
00:35:59Just run more bootleg, which Jacoby per set.
00:36:01Here are the numbers was four of eight for 28 net yards, including a sack and a touchdown
00:36:08on these plays.
00:36:09That's less than two per game for an offense that like you are listening to me talk about
00:36:13this.
00:36:14Other folks were saying the same thing.
00:36:15It's a bootleg, bootleg, bootleg play action game.
00:36:17More of that.
00:36:18The only question is, was the pressure rate on those plays 66% because Jacoby turned around,
00:36:25boom, there's pressure.
00:36:26He can't do anything about it in a way that we've already seen.
00:36:29Drake may do against the Eagles.
00:36:31One of his best completions drew a rough in the passer flag and got around it.
00:36:36Or is this because teams just have a really good lock on when the Patriots are running
00:36:41play action?
00:36:42Because I think we're going to see more downfield throws and we're going to see more bootleg
00:36:46plays, because that helps accomplish what you're talking about, moving the pocket, get
00:36:49them out of pressure.
00:36:50Yeah, I think it's big.
00:36:51I think it's because teams were able to quickly solve the puzzle against the Patriots offense.
00:36:56I think like if it was a run up, here's going to be play.
00:36:59Actually, I'll applaud them for committing to the bit and like running student body left
00:37:04and running student body right and then calling a pass on third down.
00:37:07Like it was it was high school level at times.
00:37:10It was so it was so except at the end of the first half, which Alex Van Pelt to his
00:37:13credit just went straight at it.
00:37:16Like Mike Reese asked him about this today and calling Mike Reese out or detailing that
00:37:20is no way calling him out.
00:37:22And he was like, oh, I know everyone at the end of the first half was like the second
00:37:25and two are like, oh, Alex, Alex has been reading.
00:37:27He's been listening.
00:37:28He's heard it.
00:37:29He's like, yeah, I'm still kind of split on it.
00:37:30But this is what I thought we had.
00:37:31We had a shot play.
00:37:32Good receiver didn't happen.
00:37:33We had an open receiver and third down couldn't complete the pass.
00:37:36That's what it was.
00:37:37So he's self-aware enough.
00:37:38It doesn't make you feel any better at home or you watching this in the stadium, but that's
00:37:42just where we're at.
00:37:43It brings me no, no, no comfort or consolation at that point.
00:37:46But I agree with you that you're definitely going to see more downfield passes.
00:37:51You're going to have to because, look, Stroud's going to get his OK, CJ Stroud moves around
00:37:56so well.
00:37:57He's incredibly accurate.
00:37:59I mean, not as accurate as Jaden Daniels, the guy taken right before Drake may now lead
00:38:03in the NFL and accuracy in an absurd sign of growth and evolution.
00:38:08But he also played five whole complete college seasons, whereas Drake may only played two.
00:38:12So he should be further down the line.
00:38:14I'm sure he and Drake may check out athletically on a comparable level as well, but he's years
00:38:20ahead of him literally as well as figuratively.
00:38:23So yeah, take some shots down the field, maybe to Polk's because I keep getting told and
00:38:27I keep seeing analytics every week that say Polk has great separation.
00:38:31I don't buy into that as much as I don't buy into the Darien Lowe being PFFs top rated
00:38:36tackle last week on the offensive line as well.
00:38:38There's what I just want to hit pause really quickly because the Polk point is a good one.
00:38:43There's a fantasy points whose co-owner developer director Joe Dolan is a friend of mine.
00:38:48He's been on the show.
00:38:50It's a complete opposite of PFF separation grades.
00:38:52I don't know how they happen.
00:38:53Some of them have GPS tracking next gen stats as Jalen Polk did last PFF as Jalen Polk at
00:38:58last and fantasy points is like, no, no, he's he's there.
00:39:02And they they measure, you know, separation is like, you know, if you get a step, that's
00:39:08a win.
00:39:09It's an absolute like you cross the threshold near there.
00:39:12I'm forgetting the term, but you get what I'm saying.
00:39:14You know, there's no kind of degrees of separation here.
00:39:16So they're saying, oh, he's open.
00:39:18It's just not by miles and miles and miles the way that, you know, next gen stats might
00:39:22have based on the average yards away you are from a defender at the catch point, which
00:39:26they don't include other routes.
00:39:27They should.
00:39:28They don't.
00:39:29But that's just the thing on there.
00:39:30So 72 offensive grade from PFF for that last game.
00:39:34I almost tweeted out, oh, look at PFF newest analysts judging to cover percents came and
00:39:39took the script, the headshot from the media guy to put a little fake mustache on him to
00:39:43tweet that.
00:39:44I was like, this is really saw in the wound for a guy who just lost his job.
00:39:46But yeah, it blew my mind to see that, you know, 72, please, Mike, 7.2 would have probably
00:39:52been more.
00:39:53It's 60 is average.
00:39:54So that's that's him saying he had a good game and everyone else's eyeballs saying differently.
00:40:01So you've got to obviously more, more to pop Douglas, just because if you got him, then,
00:40:05you know, without trying to get him blown up, because we know he's a little, he's, it
00:40:08says fragile on the package that ships him to the stadium every week, get the ball to
00:40:12pop Douglas more.
00:40:14Your tight ends will be your tight ends.
00:40:15I thought they've done a pretty good job of integrating Hooper and Hunter Henry as well.
00:40:21Obviously he's got to be active in order to be able to make it.
00:40:23And I know he's had some issues.
00:40:25There's a maturity component and that's why a lot of teams didn't have them on their boards.
00:40:29Jayvon Baker, who was a prime target from Drake May in the preseason.
00:40:33I don't know if he's going to be active or if he'll be involved in the game.
00:40:36Keyshawn booty could be a bit of an X factor on Sunday because he gets open and he, he
00:40:42catches the ball usually when it's thrown to him.
00:40:45And I also think he showed up really well on the game tape on Ramond Ray's 33 yard touchdown
00:40:49that went off tackle early.
00:40:51He was, he was hustling down the field, blocking his ass off all the way down there.
00:40:54The coaches love to see someone who doesn't get as, as, as a coach of fifth and sixth
00:41:00grade flag football.
00:41:02I always tell my kids run to the whistle and never quit on the play until you're told to
00:41:06do otherwise.
00:41:07And it's great to see him do that.
00:41:09And maybe he'll actually be the beneficiary.
00:41:12Maybe they'll establish a quick connection.
00:41:13We don't know who Drake Mays, he's going to have a binky.
00:41:16He's going to have a boo out there.
00:41:18Is it going to be Polk?
00:41:19Is it going to be, is it going to be Douglas?
00:41:21Will it be booty?
00:41:23Will it be Baker?
00:41:24I don't know, but I'm kind of, that's kind of one of the things I'm most excited to see.
00:41:27Okay.
00:41:28So I told you this off air and now's the time to spring it on you because I've been waiting
00:41:33for you to use a particular word that I would love to use and infiltrate the Patriots commercial
00:41:41breaks that you run in the stadium with these questions and contests and trivia.
00:41:45You said the word binky, my friend, for all the folks here at Pat's interference, the
00:41:49loyal listeners, the viewers, myself, the producers.
00:41:52Would you, for us Sunday during a commercial break, when everyone in the stadium is watching
00:41:57you on the jumbotron somehow sneak in the word binky as a wink winky to the rest of
00:42:02us, would you do that for us?
00:42:04Oh, it's a done deal.
00:42:05It's just a matter of, it's just a matter of if you want it done during the jet blue
00:42:09trivia segment, or if you want it done during the fast 15, the world's fastest in stadium
00:42:13game show in NFL history, whatever it is that you want, I'm going to be slinging prizes
00:42:17on Sunday and I have to unburden myself of them as quickly as possible as well.
00:42:21Because I've got two minutes or less, depending on if the referees want to blow up my spot.
00:42:25Binky done deal.
00:42:28I will also blow up shortly within two minutes because I used the word winky, but we're going
00:42:32to forget that.
00:42:33And we will, let's make it the jet blue.
00:42:36So are we just going to name all the other ghosts from Pac-Man while we're here?
00:42:42But people who are going to the game and I will be watching for this, a watch for the
00:42:45jet blue trivia question and listen for the word binky.
00:42:49That is fancy chatting you as I've done sometimes on TV radio, it's just a fun, it's a little
00:42:54secret word game, you know, a nod to the folks.
00:42:57Not the easiest word to sneak in as well, but you know, cause I find adjective descriptives
00:43:01are usually a lot easier as opposed to nouns, but you know, next time I will tell you the
00:43:06story because this originated when I was doing college radio, like play by play for Yukon
00:43:12basketball and football and baseball and soccer and hockey.
00:43:17The time my parents dared me to say coitus on the air and how your boy, I was going to
00:43:23say, got it in there, said the word without anyone into the fabric of his description
00:43:28into the fabric of a basketball broadcast.
00:43:31Anyway, we're going to get back on the rails here.
00:43:34Let's wrap up the offense.
00:43:35Drake may starting.
00:43:36You got to move the pocket more shotgun.
00:43:38We don't know.
00:43:39Reminder, Stevenson status.
00:43:40You listed off a bunch of guys who are going to be important tomorrow, Douglas.
00:43:43The protection is what it is.
00:43:44It's a very good pressure defense.
00:43:46They're four down.
00:43:47They'll get creative on third down, but like the Texans are mostly a zone.
00:43:50Do what we do type of defense.
00:43:53Yep.
00:43:54Who are the people around Drake may, in your opinion, you can go up to three that are most
00:43:58important to this offense, thriving and supporting him and making sure that he can do whatever
00:44:04he can to give some hope for an upset on Sunday.
00:44:09Who are the people in your neighborhood that, that like Mr. Rogers always said, look for
00:44:13the helpers.
00:44:15Believe it or not, first and foremost, I'm not going to just go super easy with like
00:44:20this receiver or that running back.
00:44:23Who are the people, the players, not the people or the players, people.
00:44:26So I'll give you the top of my list and buy a little bit of time here.
00:44:29Alex Van Pelt is number one.
00:44:31Well, yeah.
00:44:32AVP is number one.
00:44:33Number one.
00:44:34It's the play calling, which encompasses the protection, you know, the predictability
00:44:39of run versus pass, how much play action they're using.
00:44:42They're still way, way, way, way down and play action with the rest of the league that
00:44:45needs to go up.
00:44:47Tempo plays it out.
00:44:48Drake may like to run.
00:44:49He's number one.
00:44:50In my opinion.
00:44:51Let me give you my number two then.
00:44:52All right.
00:44:53Ready?
00:44:54I'll give you my number two before I'm I'm on board with I'm on board with the plan.
00:44:56Now, Mike, I want to like, you need to, you need to officially have a put on your big
00:45:01boy pants, $19 million game.
00:45:05He has not played that well this year.
00:45:06He has been caught on tape, getting just absolutely smoked, not blown by, not beat
00:45:11smoked on some plays this year.
00:45:13And it's a bit of a surprise.
00:45:14Does he need to drop some weight?
00:45:16Is he not invested or could it just be, and this is something Hart and I discussed on
00:45:21the six rings podcast as well.
00:45:23Do you see everyone's level of play raise anywhere between five to 25, even 30% because
00:45:31before it was, ah, all right.
00:45:33You know, I I'm a professional.
00:45:35I got to cash.
00:45:36I got to collect my check.
00:45:37We'll all quote do our job, but whatever to like, Hey, I think like, let's, there's going
00:45:42to be some more eyeballs on this.
00:45:43Like let's, let's, let's restart the season.
00:45:46Now it officially begins a new today.
00:45:48Do we see that from everybody?
00:45:50And do we see that from a window?
00:45:51Because whether he's wrote, whether he's pulling from guard now that it'd be back at the guard
00:45:56spot over to his left to set an outsized pocket, to give may an extra second or two, or just,
00:46:01you know, blasting open some holes on a pulled run left or straight up the gut on student
00:46:05body.
00:46:06Right.
00:46:07I need to see, he needs to be a force in factor.
00:46:09I want him to land on all of our respective like thumbs up lists on Sunday after the game.
00:46:14Yeah.
00:46:15I, uh, I'm going to go with the center, Brian Hudson or Nick Clever.
00:46:18Like that's, that's the fastest way to get any pressure, right?
00:46:21In the line from point a to point B, how do I get there as fast as possible?
00:46:25If you're the Texans interior pressure is the goal.
00:46:28There was a ton of it against Miami disrupted percent.
00:46:30Who's not may, but I think at least on the edge, like we can go to Monterey Jacobs and
00:46:34but area low versus Daniel Hunter and Will Anderson.
00:46:37And I'm just going to tell you that they're not going to win those matches to give chips,
00:46:43to give doubles, to run at those guys, um, to do whatever he can do assist them.
00:46:48And I'm telling you the soft middle of the Texans, as, as any Bernard one said, my, the
00:46:53soft underbelly of my upbringing has been my soft underbelly.
00:46:58That's the soft middle of the Texans defense is the soft middle.
00:47:01They need to go at them and also protect me from blitzes of what's a very good rangy linebacker
00:47:06core.
00:47:07So I would go to impel the center.
00:47:09And then I'm going to look to, um, pop Douglas, which is, people are probably just sick of
00:47:14me bringing this up, but the dude beats man coverage.
00:47:16He works the middle of the field.
00:47:18May has a much quicker release than preset.
00:47:20So him being able to fit the ball into tight windows, or as soon as tomorrow, Douglas wins
00:47:25over the middle is going to be huge.
00:47:27Otherwise you're looking at the tight ends.
00:47:28I just don't think opponents are afraid of the Patriots tight ends, um, who got a lot
00:47:32of love and attention from Jacoby percent.
00:47:34We saw how that went.
00:47:35So it's not to knock Hunter Henry or Austin Cooper.
00:47:37It's just, if you ask yourself of those three players, Douglas, Henry, and Hooper, who would
00:47:43scare a defense the most, the little guy, no, yeah, I'll go, I'll go AVP on whenu.
00:47:49And then I'm going to go, I'll go Gibson because if he's going to start in place of, if he's
00:47:54going to start in place of Ramond rate, there's a good chance.
00:47:56He's going to get a lot of screen passes, dump offs, and quick, you know, hit in the
00:48:00flat with a quick pass a out of desperation, because Drake may is going to be like, they're
00:48:04coming at me quicker than I thought pot here.
00:48:05Hello?
00:48:06Hey, yo.
00:48:07Uh, or that's going to be the play design.
00:48:09And Gibson was a wide receiver in college and he's really good with the ball in space.
00:48:13And he's a nimble runner.
00:48:15And I like him better as the third down back option, as opposed to being the primary back,
00:48:19he may have to carry a Shane Vareen super bowl 49 level of like eight, nine, 10 catches
00:48:24on Sunday just to keep may upright and alive and keep some drives moving.
00:48:29There was also a little thing I read earlier today.
00:48:32One of the aggregators had it on the Twix platform of something you had in your column
00:48:36where one of the, uh, Marcus Jones was telling you that, uh, he, that like he, he had a play
00:48:43defended perfectly in practice.
00:48:45And when, when he went up to get it, cause he knew he ran the route for the receiver,
00:48:49he goes up and the ball had already been like, he was expecting basically a brisette ball.
00:48:55And what he got was a Drake may missile and the ball was already there and it was thrown
00:48:59tighter and quicker than he anticipated.
00:49:02And that was just sort of a, something like, Hey, all right, this kid's like, again, that's
00:49:06that sort of thing.
00:49:07Like there's going to be that, that extra little juice, that little extra pop that everyone's
00:49:10going to be feeling on Sunday may make the defense and the offense respond.
00:49:15Yeah.
00:49:16That, um, that happened this morning, post a little story, just like, Hey, going to guys
00:49:20in the locker room yesterday on defense, dry mentioned the arm and the athleticism.
00:49:26We all know that we're aware, but what does it feel like?
00:49:27What does it look like when you're opposite that in practice?
00:49:30And so Marcus Jones told me some stories, Daniel quality, Joe Milton told me a story
00:49:33a couple of weeks ago, uh, somebody else's in there and it's exactly as you put it, but
00:49:38we just got aggregated, which is kind of strange choice because the whole thing took
00:49:41like three paragraphs.
00:49:42It's the lead of the story.
00:49:45That's why people are aggregating everything they can because they want hype.
00:49:49Yes.
00:49:50But the first comment was, why is this written like a novel because it's a story, God forbid
00:49:58everyone, anyone reads something long form again, like, no, I need it this short and
00:50:01this quick.
00:50:02And then here's the mile long aggregation, which no one cares about this, but this is
00:50:05my podcast.
00:50:07And then the next follow-up tweet is the story link.
00:50:09Like just, just, just put it in the same one.
00:50:13You know, like this is everything that you're copying and pasting starts with someone who
00:50:17wrote it in the first place and then you copy it and paste it anyway, that's just the life
00:50:21you live.
00:50:22Uh, the Patriots defense is also going to play despite the fact we've taken now basically
00:50:2540 minutes to get to them.
00:50:27Uh, CJ Stroud has had one bad game this year.
00:50:30It was against old pal, Brian Flores, who's giving everyone headaches and getting three
00:50:33picks out of Aaron Rogers in London.
00:50:36And we know the Vikings are doing, it's not a lot of exotic stuff, but their best sharpest
00:50:40was packaged.
00:50:41They're playing a lot of quarters on early downs.
00:50:43There's no Niko Collins for the Texans, which would make this game very differently.
00:50:46I think the obvious starting point for the Patriots is to shadow Stefan Diggs with Christian
00:50:50Gonzalez, send help in the slot versus tank Dell, a couple of old Houston guys cutting
00:50:55it up.
00:50:56Marcus Jones tank Dell.
00:50:57What a great, what a great matchup that would be because you know, Marcus like tank Dell
00:51:01was my dream for the Patriots to draft.
00:51:04I wish they heard me last year.
00:51:06They didn't.
00:51:07And now he's thrived whenever healthy in Houston, Marcus Jones.
00:51:09I still say he's, he's better at cornerback than people give him credit for.
00:51:13I wish he would.
00:51:14I wish they would use them on offense or find a way to just get him the ball in his hands
00:51:17where he could actually score as opposed to preventing teams from scoring.
00:51:20But he had great cover grades his senior year in Houston as well.
00:51:23So I think that I know we're going to talk matchups that we're dying to see come Sunday,
00:51:28but Gonzo on digs and Jones on Dell are both going to be, you know, BYO popcorn.
00:51:34So, and you know, I, I advantaged tank Dell, even though some of the numbers aren't as
00:51:38great as you would think underlying in his second season, you're looking for your tube
00:51:42jump and this and that.
00:51:45The rush is the bigger question to me because Brian floors broke some of the Texas protection
00:51:51rules.
00:51:52And again, short circuited their offense.
00:51:53They scored seven points in that game in Minnesota.
00:51:55The Patriots can copy a lot of that because they run a lot of the similar blitz stuff.
00:51:59And so I'm asking you understanding CJ Stroud has a one Oh 4.9 passer rating versus the
00:52:05blitz.
00:52:06How are you doing your best to affect him with pressure?
00:52:09Because you feel comfortable in the back end.
00:52:11Are you just saying we have to go for it?
00:52:14Balls out, like go get CJ Stroud, who's going to carve us up somewhere somehow.
00:52:18But if we get home, it's a sack or maybe a strip sack.
00:52:21Or do you say we have to play it safe and just bet on the coverage will hang in there
00:52:26long enough.
00:52:27And someone gets home.
00:52:28Who are you going to be sending though?
00:52:29Because you know, you're down Jabril peppers for at least this week, if not the foreseeable
00:52:34future, who knows if he's even ever going to play for you.
00:52:37Yeah.
00:52:38Foreseeable future at least.
00:52:39Right.
00:52:40And Marte Mapu shows up last week.
00:52:41Now look, they're playing, uh, they're playing a three-legged dog of an offense last week
00:52:44in the Miami dolphins, but you're down both starting safeties.
00:52:49Duggars still dinged up as well.
00:52:50Marte Mapu with his first full game and start in the NFL did okay.
00:52:55By all accounts, he'll have to, he'll have to do even better this week, but you're down
00:52:58so many of your best playmakers on defense.
00:53:01I mean, the, the, I know attrition happens.
00:53:04Injuries are part of the game.
00:53:05I get it.
00:53:06Everyone plays hurt from the first nap of the season until they grab their golf clubs
00:53:09and board a plane for the Caribbean in January.
00:53:11I got it.
00:53:12But the past defense, just playmaker after playmaker first, they need to stop naming
00:53:16any future captains because it's like a final destination movie.
00:53:19Second, the second you're named a captain, you get injured.
00:53:23I'd go, I'd go for it.
00:53:24And I would just trust my guys on islands.
00:53:26I would say Gonzo.
00:53:28If like Tyreek Hill said, you're a top five cornerback, you're he, him.
00:53:32He's one of those guys.
00:53:33Now here's your next great challenge.
00:53:35Steph digs loves to show up the Patriots.
00:53:38He loves hating on the Patriots almost as much as he loves having affairs with eight
00:53:42months of pregnant rap stars.
00:53:44So why not?
00:53:45Don't rub your head Callahan.
00:53:46These are just facts.
00:53:47Okay.
00:53:48Yeah.
00:53:49Yep.
00:53:50He's as dirty on the field as he is off of it.
00:53:51Good for him.
00:53:52You get what you want.
00:53:53Okay.
00:53:54It's a short trip around the sun kid.
00:53:55So Gonzo versus digs.
00:53:57Great matchup.
00:53:58Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones, get all the Joneses like, uh, who's it's not, what's the
00:54:02name?
00:54:03Is it Xavier or something or other?
00:54:04I forget the guy who's going to end up having to step up and get more, more looks.
00:54:08Thank God.
00:54:09Nico Collins.
00:54:10Isn't going to be there on Sunday.
00:54:11And also I'll ask you this, who's going to be on Dalton Schultz.
00:54:15Dude's good.
00:54:16He's a, he's a solid, solid tight end.
00:54:19Yeah.
00:54:20I think that's going to fall to Jalen Hawkins.
00:54:22Who's been really good.
00:54:23I think it may have covered so far among those safeties.
00:54:27Yeah.
00:54:28And I, I, it's just, there, there's no great matchup there, right?
00:54:31Because also they're not going to play a ton of man.
00:54:33I don't think considering their man's own rates versus San Francisco and then Miami
00:54:38different personnel, different quarterbacks, but it's the same.
00:54:41The bones of that offense are the same that you see in Houston, right?
00:54:43Bobby Sloat came from San Francisco.
00:54:45It's the same Shanahan ask offense.
00:54:47And so they say we want eyes on the quarterback.
00:54:50We're going to commit to the run game.
00:54:51And I think they were better about using their personnel last week where it was not like,
00:54:54Hey, we're going to play base and let you get fast guys all over the place against,
00:54:59you know, seven defensive lineman and linebackers.
00:55:01But right.
00:55:02Don't Schultz will factor in whether you're playing three safeties and it is Marta Mapu
00:55:06or Jalen Hawkins, or just someone covering, you know, a hook curl or curl flat zone.
00:55:13Like you just, it's, it's more of an awareness thing.
00:55:15I don't think this will be a single, like we're talking about Gonzalez, Stefan Diggs.
00:55:18Everyone's got to keep eyes on and be aware of his favorite spots.
00:55:22And when they like to get to him, because there's just no one-on-one matchup for him.
00:55:26I'll throw this at you though.
00:55:28So DeMarcus Cummington has gotten much better with the timing of his blitzes.
00:55:31They allowed one completion, single one against Miami and CJ Stroud.
00:55:37Not only is it, is an outstanding quarterback, but he's someone who I think can get a little
00:55:42bored like my homes did.
00:55:43And all the years of Belichick was like, we're in drop eight and we're gonna play man.
00:55:47And we're gonna have too deep.
00:55:48And you're just going to have to either make a bad decision to fit a window in there or
00:55:52pat the baby in the pocket.
00:55:54And his passer rating against eight man coverages was under 80 a year ago, 75.5.
00:56:00And it's 87 this year.
00:56:02Now this year is like tiny, tiny samples to throw it out.
00:56:04But I do wonder Keon White, Joshua Che pick your defensive lineman and you show a lot
00:56:11of pressure, make it look like you're doing what Minnesota did and then back out of it
00:56:15repeatedly and hopefully you're going to turn over that way where you're, you're so
00:56:19sure on the, on the coverage side.
00:56:22I wonder if the inverse of what they might be expecting actually might end up helping
00:56:25them more.
00:56:27You would think so.
00:56:28And I did love those defenses where they would sit back and flood the zone and, you know,
00:56:32rush three sit eight, you know, that's the Pat's fans most became most familiar with
00:56:38that because that was the defense that Rex Ryan called in that 2010 divisional upset
00:56:42when the jets came in and beat the Patriots.
00:56:44That's what helped Tom Brady start seeing ghosts.
00:56:47And then obviously if that was made famous, but I'm not going to mention that in my, no,
00:56:53it's okay.
00:56:54Listen, I think Matt, listen, if anyone, if anyone, I won't say like deserves an apology
00:56:59or a, you know, a sorry card and an edible arrangement, it's Matt Patricia, just because
00:57:03like his offense looks like the 2007 Patriots compared to what we saw the first five weeks
00:57:08with AVP and preset as well.
00:57:10They probably should.
00:57:12I just think that he's such a good playmaker and he's still got enough good weapons that
00:57:17they'll find a way to feed and just cut the Patriots slowly, but surely underneath.
00:57:23And it'll be death by a thousand seven yard passes.
00:57:26And if that's the case, then Covington will have to find the right time to either, you
00:57:31know, send a safety or a corner in on a surprise blitz or just trust the Keon white.
00:57:36And if he's in the face of Laramie tonsil, he's not going to be going very far as well
00:57:40because tonsil is just that good as well.
00:57:42So move your guys around and try to find your matchup, by the way, shout out Daniel equality.
00:57:47Still one of the most underrated members of this team and defenders in the NFL guy guy
00:57:51just brings a high quality effort each and every week, whether they're ranked eighth
00:57:54or 28th overall.
00:57:57He's a talk to him yesterday.
00:57:59I'm feeling it physically, but it's about to clear his career high and snaps for a season
00:58:04in a couple of weeks.
00:58:05Like he is, they need a lot more in his body.
00:58:07Oh God, they need reps.
00:58:08They need, they need somebody else to spell these guys, dude, like the, the, the bar,
00:58:14like what, at the end of this season, I'll be very curious what the ultimate tales that
00:58:19are told to this team are.
00:58:21And one of them is going to probably be, we didn't anticipate just how much we would miss
00:58:25Christian Barmore.
00:58:26Yeah.
00:58:27I mean, he's a, he's a pillar of your past reps.
00:58:30Like these guys I talk about, they have gravity to them.
00:58:32And then when they're driving double teams, you can hit the opposite side of the protection
00:58:35or a slide.
00:58:36And then you go the other way.
00:58:37Cause just him lining up somewhere goes, Oh, we, we have to account for that guy in a way
00:58:41that no one's talking about that.
00:58:43The 28th ranked defense right now in the league by DBOA.
00:58:47One last thing that I was going to mention, then we'll get to the three, two, one quickly,
00:58:50three matchups, two keys, one random wildcard thought and a game pick and get out of here
00:58:54is escaping me right now.
00:58:57It's just not, it's not a good set up.
00:58:59I shouldn't take it a little bit longer with the defense this week.
00:59:04It's just, let me, let me put it this way.
00:59:07What's your level of confidence just in the whole operation?
00:59:10I think people are down on AVP, but specific to DeMarcus Covenant and their ability to
00:59:14coach up this defense, which is on the field, the Tony it's Miami.
00:59:17You just sit back and go before it was like, Oh man, Mayo said this himself.
00:59:21We'll always have a good run defense and personnel is a big part of that, but like what's your,
00:59:25what's your level of confidence that you can safely say, Hey, we won't get killed on defense.
00:59:29I gave these guys, I gave these guys a mulligan a while ago when they basically were out half
00:59:34their starters.
00:59:35You know, I, there are disappointments on this, on this defense, like Josh who has just
00:59:41been too far upfield and not been able to hold his edge and not been a very effective
00:59:45pass rusher thus far this season.
00:59:48Maybe he should have taken that multi-year deal somewhere else with more money in the
00:59:52off season, because I don't think he's going to be getting it and could very well be back
00:59:55in new England again, this coming, this coming year.
00:59:57But when you're down to starting safeties, your middle linebacker, who's your defensive
01:00:01captain in the green dot where Christian Barmore, one of the 10 best defensive linemen
01:00:05in the NFL who just got paid like one as well.
01:00:07Okay.
01:00:08Okay.
01:00:09Okay.
01:00:10I like Barmore a whole lot.
01:00:11He is not in the top 10.
01:00:12Don't I don't.
01:00:13I think he, I, I think this season he would have entered that conversation.
01:00:16Okay.
01:00:17Well, there's conversation.
01:00:18There's being in the top 10.
01:00:19Like we could do the miles here.
01:00:21We could do the two defensive ends for Houston right now.
01:00:23We could go down the hole.
01:00:24I think of, see, I think of them differently.
01:00:27Like I, I, excuse me.
01:00:28Defensive tackles.
01:00:29Okay.
01:00:31That's okay.
01:00:32Okay.
01:00:33Pardon me.
01:00:34Let me requalify the guy.
01:00:35Yeah.
01:00:36Okay.
01:00:37And I'm not, I'm not here to hear you.
01:00:38I'm just the previous statement, your honor.
01:00:39One of the potentially 10 best tech would be like, you know, like pick your pick your
01:00:46favorite block.
01:00:47Lazar would be having a defensive lineman mutiny at this point.
01:00:51So yeah, I I've, I've kind of just like they're, they, they're, they're forced to evolve and
01:00:58the depth has been stressed and challenged something, something brutal.
01:01:01All right.
01:01:02Put it this way.
01:01:03Are they as bad as the 28th DVOA ranking overall?
01:01:06I don't believe so, but are they as good as we thought they would be?
01:01:10No.
01:01:11And there are, and there are reasons why may also point out the, in the three, two, one,
01:01:16however you'd like to wrap up the pod.
01:01:17Let's just do it right here.
01:01:18Here's all right.
01:01:19Here's my, here's my sort of wild card.
01:01:21The Patriots defense has a much better game than anticipated.
01:01:24You want to know why?
01:01:25Because they don't spend 41 effing minutes on the field.
01:01:28Like they have had to in so many of these games, when you're losing time of possession
01:01:32each week, 36, 24, 40 to 20, 41, 19, 39, 21.
01:01:38These guys are gassed and like, forget about the fact that they're already playing more
01:01:41snaps than they're used to.
01:01:43They're just out there, hands on hips, heavy breathing.
01:01:46Thank God it's been warmish so that they're not feeling the icicles like Newport cigarettes
01:01:50in their lungs in the new England weather later in the season.
01:01:55Yeah.
01:01:56I have one or two bad decisions back in my day at a South shore bar.
01:02:00You know, that's, that's something that we, the Drake may affect, may stretch all the
01:02:06way into the legs, health and energy of the defense in the fourth quarter.
01:02:10So that last week when Miami decided to bring in the fullback and just absolutely hammer
01:02:14them to pieces on that touchdown drive, maybe this week they've actually spent a little
01:02:18less time on the field because Drake may held onto the ball a little longer.
01:02:22Yeah.
01:02:23All right.
01:02:24Let's go.
01:02:25Let's go.
01:02:26One, two, three.
01:02:27Then my wildcard thought is the last time the Texans came to new England.
01:02:28It was the first game I ever covered on the Patriots beat 2018 season opener.
01:02:33Yeah.
01:02:34Now I was at mass life.
01:02:35Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass to Robert Kowalski.
01:02:38Deshaun Watson was game two of that season.
01:02:43Game one, the game one was the Sunday night game against the Steelers against the Steelers.
01:02:47Oh, that was 2019.
01:02:48My apologies.
01:02:492018.
01:02:50It was a game match and Deshaun was back, but he wasn't quite himself.
01:02:54But in 2017, that's that particular Sunday with the toe tapping cooks was ethical.
01:02:59Yeah.
01:03:00Bill O'Brien is still the head coach.
01:03:01Just a lot of people in a lot of different places.
01:03:03And that reminds me of that two, two keys to victory.
01:03:06I said it before, like you got to hit Houston in the middle.
01:03:10You don't Antonio Gibson.
01:03:11Like you talk about draining clock.
01:03:12If you want to tire out Willie Anderson and Danielle Hunter, keep them on the field, like
01:03:17run at them.
01:03:18You can go a little bit of tempo.
01:03:19But the yards where you're going to find the most on when you're running the ball are
01:03:23going to be between the tackles.
01:03:25I think they have to win there.
01:03:26So you talk about Michael one, who big game huge for him, Michael Jordan, the left guard
01:03:30is really settling in well and playing really, really well.
01:03:32I think it's been overlooked and helps that he's six foot six, 300, whatever pounds.
01:03:36But those two on either side of the center have to get some push.
01:03:40And I think they will.
01:03:41That to me is, is a big key.
01:03:43Yeah, I think it's going to, I think it's going to be, it's going to be containing the,
01:03:49I don't, I don't expect the Houston run game to be spectacular.
01:03:52Mixon's back at practice.
01:03:53Damien Pierce is pretty good as well, but he, they're both listed as questionable heading
01:03:57into this game.
01:03:58I'm sure Houston's going to try to pass first, then hopefully get a big lead and try to drain
01:04:03the clock later on.
01:04:04So it's going to be containing these very sharp run.
01:04:07Like tank Dell is as quick as can be.
01:04:10He is every bit as quick as tomorrow, Douglas.
01:04:12We already talked about how Steph digs loves to screw the Patriots, Robert Woods, old Bobby
01:04:16trees in his mid thirties, but still bringing it.
01:04:19They have a really, really good receiving core.
01:04:22So the Patriots cornerbacks against the receivers of the Texans, like this is going to have
01:04:26to be there.
01:04:27This'll have to, I always thought this secondary was going to be much better than advertised.
01:04:31This is the week for Christian Gonzalez to start earning the Jersey sales and the playing
01:04:36cards.
01:04:37This is the week for Marcus Jones to show that he's more than a return and a gimmick guy.
01:04:40This is the week for John Jones to get that, to earn the next payday.
01:04:44He's probably looking for whether it's in new England or somewhere else next year.
01:04:49I think Christian Gonzalez is there personally, but I hear the whole point of like, you want
01:04:52to be a, one of the best secondaries in the NFL.
01:04:55We get that.
01:04:56You're down to your, your two best safeties.
01:04:59You still got to make it work.
01:05:00So I'm, I'm with you there, uh, three match-ups look, it's just going to be Drake may versus
01:05:07the pass rush for me.
01:05:09And in a way that says what Jacobi percent did really well in the first two weeks was
01:05:15take a terrible situation and not let it get any worse.
01:05:17Okay.
01:05:18His, his pressure sack ratio is really, really good.
01:05:20Then it went in the toilet the last three games.
01:05:22So how often does Drake may he's going to face a lot of pressure.
01:05:25Okay.
01:05:26What next is really what I'm asking here.
01:05:27How many sacks does he take?
01:05:28How many hits does he take?
01:05:29How many times does he slide versus screwed out of bounds or try to lower his shoulder?
01:05:34He can't do that stuff.
01:05:35Like he needs to take the bad situations and contain them.
01:05:38So how does he handle that pressure?
01:05:39I think is my number one matchup.
01:05:41And then, uh, we'll get yours and I'll give one and we'll get out of here.
01:05:44Yeah.
01:05:45That's Drake.
01:05:46Yeah.
01:05:47Basically Drake may against D'Amico Ryan's.
01:05:48Like how much does he like to, like he's got rather than dial up exotic blitzes.
01:05:52I think you're talking about the Patriots dropping eight and trying to frustrate CJ
01:05:56Stroud or bore him to pieces and to make an either the wrong read or, or just taking off
01:06:00on his own.
01:06:01And he's a big dude, by the way, like he moves so well for somebody his size, like he's sneaky
01:06:05much bigger than you would think he is.
01:06:07And Drake may is no, no Danny Woodhead himself as well.
01:06:10So does D'Amico Ryan's just decide to pin his ears back defensively speaking and send
01:06:15his, send his horses after may, or does he say, you know, actually I'm going to make,
01:06:19I'm going to, I want to frustrate him.
01:06:21I want, let me, let me, let me drop a couple of guys in the zone and see if we can get
01:06:25it, trick him into thinking this, this lineman wouldn't drop back in all of a sudden.
01:06:30And next thing you're like, it's, it's a, it's that great play Monday night.
01:06:33Who's number 50 for the saints who dropped back on my homes and my homes didn't see him.
01:06:37And uh, the saints guy.
01:06:38Yeah.
01:06:39Yeah.
01:06:41I think he thought he was going to have a fat guy.
01:06:42Touchdown.
01:06:43That was a thick six.
01:06:44Yes.
01:06:45Six is one of the greatest lines of all time.
01:06:47Oh my the thick six.
01:06:49Um, so yeah, that that's gotta be obvious.
01:06:52Matchup number one.
01:06:53I'll give you a sneaky good matchup.
01:06:55Number two, if the Patriots are going to be in this one as well, uh, you're going to have
01:06:59two guys in a place notorious for swirling weather patterns and, and wind conditions.
01:07:06Uh, we all know Joey Sly can bang home a long one.
01:07:10Although last week, missing the 33 yarder was not exactly the greatest.
01:07:13How do you do and follow up to a 63 yarder Fairbairn can bang it.
01:07:18He can act like he can knock home a 60 yarder just as much as the next one.
01:07:21So if you find a way to frustrate Houston and you grind this down to a lower scoring
01:07:26affair than some may imagine, because Houston has a negative point differential on the season
01:07:32because they got their blanks handed to them by the, the, by the Vikings.
01:07:36So I'm going to go Joey Sly versus creamy Fairbairn.
01:07:39Like you, you can't take, you can't take, nope.
01:07:42Can't miss one.
01:07:43Can't miss them.
01:07:44I don't know what to do with that.
01:07:46Sure.
01:07:47Cosign.
01:07:48Um, Christian Gonzalez versus Steph Diggs also up there.
01:07:49I think, I think that would be, that's so easy.
01:07:52Come on.
01:07:53I'm giving, I'm giving you the surprise.
01:07:56Okay.
01:07:57Diggs Diggs versus Gonzo.
01:07:58Yeah.
01:07:59Sure.
01:08:00Hunter versus Jacobs.
01:08:01Yeah.
01:08:02Anderson versus here.
01:08:03Here's the ultimate key.
01:08:04Okay.
01:08:05If you can turn a generic Fairbairn into an arm wrestling contest, somehow before the
01:08:08game, there's, there's your, your big advantage, like a keg toss or just like something.
01:08:16My God, posting one 50 dumbbells, the kicker.
01:08:21That's not even like, Oh, you've got big arms and a giant chest.
01:08:24That's like my risks.
01:08:26Don't bend.
01:08:27If you just sat on my palm, like that, is there a chance?
01:08:31Is there a chance that the Patriots needed one yard that badly?
01:08:35Sly would just come in Devlin style and just get in there.
01:08:39Guys an animal.
01:08:40Um, all right, I'll tell you, I'll tell you what else I'm just going to do Kendrick Bourne
01:08:45versus legitimately Kendrick Bourne versus these.
01:08:49I don't know if he's going to draw Stingley great cornerback underrated very for the Texans
01:08:53as well.
01:08:54Okay.
01:08:55You know, last week, first game back, got his, you know, got his toes wet, took a couple
01:08:58hits, got tuned up.
01:09:00What did he end up with?
01:09:01Two catches last week?
01:09:02Yes.
01:09:03Yeah.
01:09:04Okay.
01:09:0516, 16 snaps.
01:09:06Yep.
01:09:07Yeah.
01:09:08So more so hoping that he gets double the snaps get like, make a play.
01:09:11Don't just leave it open to pop Douglas, who we all know is jitterbug fast and can get
01:09:15open in an Italian sports car, but if he takes the big hit, we only had one first.
01:09:20Okay.
01:09:21Yeah.
01:09:22So we only had that one catch where it got to hear everyone go board.
01:09:23Okay.
01:09:24Well now make a different, like, okay.
01:09:26I mean, we're still not expecting you to be a hundred percent, but like get open, use
01:09:29that veteran savvy and be that vibe that they need.
01:09:34Like make a couple of plays, get his team hyped up, get the crowd hyped up as well.
01:09:39Maintain that energy because what you don't want is the pop of Drake may coming out, fist
01:09:44pumping in the crowd, taking his first series of downs.
01:09:47And then like last week where there's a dog walking away in the background, as you saw
01:09:51right there, as you're, if you're watching on YouTube, but like, like that for opening
01:09:57drive last week was like run sack sack.
01:09:59And the crowd was like, well, I'm here, but I'm emotionally checked out already.
01:10:02And then they didn't have any reason to get back into the jet blue trivia question.
01:10:07That's, that's all that they were here for.
01:10:08And hearing the word binky integrated into it.
01:10:10Yes.
01:10:11That's coming on.
01:10:12So I'm excited.
01:10:13I'm so I'm going to video this from the deal.
01:10:14Deal.
01:10:15All right.
01:10:16You got to go.
01:10:17You have a dog to pet before you do game pick who wins and by how much, Oh, I hate picking
01:10:21against my favorite football team, but I got to be realistic as opposed to, you know, 35
01:10:2720 Patriots.
01:10:28LFG.
01:10:29No, realistically speaking, uh, I think the Texans take command in the second half and
01:10:36it looks like they're going to pull away.
01:10:38Drake may leads him, uh, hasn't thrown a touchdown pass yet leads a miraculous drive where they
01:10:43just basically go schoolyard brings the game to not within a field goal, but striking distance.
01:10:50There may or may not be an onside kick.
01:10:52There could be a stand where the Patriots need to get the ball back within the last
01:10:56two and a half minutes.
01:10:57The defense just isn't able to Texans, 24 Patriots, 20.
01:11:02Cool.
01:11:03I mean, that's basically every Texans game this year, except for the Minnesota one, uh,
01:11:08I have Texas 27, 17.
01:11:10I initially had 16, but I don't know.
01:11:12We talked about two touchdowns for Drake may and whether it's, you know, QB power or just
01:11:17a regular zone read or quarterback draw, whatever it might be like, they're going to put his
01:11:21legs involved and get, I think, let him get hit early.
01:11:24So it's like, Oh, the nerves are gone.
01:11:25Like I'm, I'm in this now.
01:11:27Didn't you say he's going to have the jitters this week?
01:11:29So what's the best way to get him to get rid of them?
01:11:31Just get them knocked out of you.
01:11:33Yeah.
01:11:34Like the red sea protection and just everyone just vacates the pocket and you just let him
01:11:39fend for himself, get hit and then you're good.
01:11:41Um, yeah, I I'm with you.
01:11:42I think the Texans pull away.
01:11:44They show who's a better team in the second half.
01:11:45I do think the Patriots coalescing their offense, who they want to be, the plays that they want
01:11:50to use more of players.
01:11:51They want to use more of.
01:11:52He's going to help.
01:11:53They're going to play a lot more and he's coming up next.
01:11:54I will say the best four minute drill we've done on this podcast.
01:11:58Great segment, starting with dry mail, being pissed at him for the advertising and broadcasting
01:12:03his entire life online.
01:12:04Um, and then a bunch of other stuff, but, uh, yeah, I think, I think the vibes will
01:12:09be high.
01:12:10They were high here today because you came on and got the quarterback change that the
01:12:13people wanted.
01:12:14Some people want it.
01:12:15And, uh, I don't know, this is good, my friend.
01:12:18This is all, it's always a great time, my man.
01:12:19And listen, let me just say to everyone else out there who's still listening, who at first
01:12:26even said like, I don't know, I don't like this.
01:12:28I don't like this spot.
01:12:30You should have given the kid a softer landing life's tough in the NFL.
01:12:33I just want to say, yeah, life's tough in the NFL and maybe, you know, just baptism
01:12:38baptism by fire, iron sharpens iron, all of your favorite coaching, you know, cliches
01:12:43and whatnot.
01:12:44But just think of it this way.
01:12:46If he can get out there on Sunday, in addition to like keeping the asses in the seats for
01:12:50four quarters and getting the crowd in his own team hype and raise the level of play
01:12:56in what could very well be a feel good defeat that begets a moral, another moral victory
01:13:00Monday and Patriots nation.
01:13:03Think about how much easier some of the games to come.
01:13:06He'll be more prepared for the jets.
01:13:07Cause he faced the Texans.
01:13:09The Jags may be that much easier because he just held his own against the Texans as well.
01:13:14This may be to his benefit in, should he survive and should the game go as optimally
01:13:19as possible for Alex van Pelt, the Pat's line and Drake may, he and the team may very well
01:13:24benefit significantly by having to play one of the toughest opponents in the NFL in his
01:13:28first start.
01:13:31The other side is he gets his ass kicked and then we have a real problem, but I love the
01:13:36optimism and I'm not here.
01:13:39That's where I'm back.
01:13:40Yeah.
01:13:41That's right.
01:13:42We're back, baby.
01:13:43We will be listening.
01:13:44Nicky jet blue trivia segment, pass interference, infiltrating the Patriots in stadium show.
01:13:49It's 50.
01:13:50He's done an unbelievable job for years.
01:13:51Love having you on bud.
01:13:52We need to have a margin soon.
01:13:53I have your list of recommendations here.
01:13:55Of course, we're always going to give the old hat tip to vitamin C, our friends, Dino
01:13:58down in Plymouth and in Weymouth.
01:14:01And of course, I don't know.
01:14:02Maybe we'll do for agency summit.
01:14:04We've done draft.
01:14:05We've done preseason down there, some beers and hats and pints.
01:14:08What do you think about that?
01:14:09We're overdue for a get together down there for sure as well.
01:14:12It's like you're overdue to take a day off and just fill your soul hole with delicious
01:14:16fest beers and Marsons to you and all the listeners.
01:14:19I say prost and let's go pass.
01:14:21Awesome.
01:14:22Here comes Kendrick Bourne.
01:14:23Thanks, my guy.
01:14:24Wrapping up some more paths interference with the first two time guest who plays to the
01:14:28Patriots.
01:14:29Kendrick Bourne do an episode back in the summer.
01:14:30He's back.
01:14:31He's playing and he's ready for a four minute drill.
01:14:32He knows the rules.
01:14:33You can't run out the clock.
01:14:34You just got to answer the questions.
01:14:35I'll start the clock.
01:14:36You ready?
01:14:37I'm ready.
01:14:38Let's go.
01:14:39Pop Douglas.
01:14:40No lie.
01:14:42I don't know what's going on right now.
01:14:43Do you think that we're going to live up to that?
01:14:44I think so.
01:14:45Let's go.
01:14:46Okay.
01:14:47Here we go.
01:14:48Starting the clock.
01:14:49Ready, set, go.
01:14:50Question number one.
01:14:51You share a lot of your life online.
01:14:52Draft parties, date nights.
01:14:53I know what the inside of your house looks like.
01:14:54It's on YouTube.
01:14:55What is the maddest someone has ever been at you for filming while you guys were hanging
01:14:59out?
01:15:00Oh, Gerard Mayo kind of got mad at me for filming sometimes.
01:15:05Like getting off the pictures, playing, going to San Fran, he was mad at me.
01:15:08What did he say?
01:15:09What happened next?
01:15:10He said, man, just get on social media.
01:15:12I'm tired of you on social media.
01:15:13Did you stop?
01:15:14No, I didn't stop.
01:15:15I'm not going to stop.
01:15:16All right.
01:15:17We're not stopping either.
01:15:18Question number two.
01:15:19How does a Mayo team meeting differ from a Bill Belichick team meeting?
01:15:23Kind of more open, more funny, more funny.
01:15:27Not as serious.
01:15:28Still serious, but not as serious.
01:15:30So we've heard Bill crack some decent jokes, especially in low lights.
01:15:33What's a Mayo joke sound like?
01:15:35How is it funnier?
01:15:36Oh, it's just, I can't, I can't explain it, but it's just, it's just funny.
01:15:40You know, he's a funny person.
01:15:41Like he's more open in his funniness.
01:15:43Bill was more low key in his funniness.
01:15:44Gotcha.
01:15:45Speaking of funny, funniest teammate you've ever had?
01:15:48Funniest teammate, Jawan Bentley.
01:15:50How funny is he?
01:15:51He's, he's sneaky funny.
01:15:52So you got to like get to know him before you can understand.
01:15:55Okay.
01:15:56You just spent most of the last 12 months rehabbing from an ACL.
01:16:00Most of that I'm sure sucked.
01:16:01What was the best part about rehabbing from an ACL?
01:16:04I was on vacation early.
01:16:07Like on the beach?
01:16:08Cause you were in LA.
01:16:09Yeah.
01:16:11I was in LA, son.
01:16:12So that was kind of the perk of it.
01:16:13You know, not playing.
01:16:14I get to just chill.
01:16:15All right.
01:16:16Uh, what is the teammate you would least like to Netflix and chill with your sister and
01:16:21then date?
01:16:22Pop Douglas.
01:16:23Wow.
01:16:24Pop again.
01:16:25Who has been the answer to this question many times before.
01:16:27Why is it pop?
01:16:28I can't trust him yet.
01:16:29I don't know.
01:16:30He ain't showed me a, he doesn't have a girlfriend, doesn't have a wife or anything.
01:16:34So I don't know.
01:16:35I don't think he is there yet.
01:16:36All right.
01:16:37I'm going to pop back on here to answer for this cause he's can't bury it.
01:16:40Um, Drake may is going to start on Sunday.
01:16:42What's just a fun fact about him that folks outside the locker room wouldn't know?
01:16:47Um, I think they know he's a good basketball player.
01:16:51I think they saw that.
01:16:52So, um, besides that, I don't know.
01:16:56He's a Hooper.
01:16:57So I think he's going to hoop on Sunday.
01:16:58Have you ever seen him hoop?
01:16:59I haven't seen him hoop.
01:17:00I only seen the highlights.
01:17:01Okay.
01:17:02Well, what's he like in a team meeting then?
01:17:03Like, is he funny?
01:17:04He's we've heard he's outspoken.
01:17:06Any kind of little Drake may tidbit?
01:17:08I can't really say he, he's not really like a jokester.
01:17:11He's like, he talks fast as we see, like his media interviews.
01:17:15What do you mean?
01:17:16What are you talking about?
01:17:17I wouldn't know anything about that.
01:17:18He talks fast.
01:17:19He talks fast.
01:17:20You can't really like understand them, but he's not really a funny guy.
01:17:22I can't, I don't, I'm still learning them.
01:17:23So I got to come back to me in a few weeks.
01:17:26You know what you need to do?
01:17:27You got to have him on YouTube.
01:17:28I got to have him on YouTube.
01:17:30That's a great idea.
01:17:31Yeah.
01:17:32Or get on some Bourne Blast swag.
01:17:33Anyway, moving on from, uh, pimping out your stuff.
01:17:35My wife asked me to do blank around the house.
01:17:38I can't stand it.
01:17:39Fill in the blank, uh, take out the trash.
01:17:45That's it.
01:17:46That's kind of it.
01:17:47I can't sometimes like going to eat.
01:17:50If I'm super tired, she's like, let's go eat somewhere.
01:17:52I can't stand it, but I'll go because it's my wife, but yeah.
01:17:56So those two trash and going out to eat when I don't feel like it, smart man.
01:18:01Oh, we got three more NFL corner when you beat him on a route for a catch.
01:18:06It just feels a little better.
01:18:07Who is that corner?
01:18:08Ah, I would say Ramsey.
01:18:11He's tough.
01:18:12I didn't beat him last week, but he's tough.
01:18:13It feels good.
01:18:14Cause he's elite.
01:18:15That's it.
01:18:16That's it.
01:18:17No personal beef.
01:18:18No personal beef.
01:18:19All right.
01:18:20Two more.
01:18:21What's a advice.
01:18:22Kendrick Bourne would have given to himself.
01:18:23If you're talking to yourself when you first get to new England, March, 2021, all that
01:18:26you've known and experienced since, what would you tell yourself back then?
01:18:28Uh, take care of my body.
01:18:30I just did bad with that first coming here and now that I'm doing that, I feel better.
01:18:34So taking care of my body.
01:18:35Gone out to eat less.
01:18:36Then again, you had a hundred yards.
01:18:38So yeah, that's, it gets tricky, but yeah, I probably eat better.
01:18:43Take care of my body.
01:18:44All right.
01:18:45Last two seconds.
01:18:46Your least favorite media question.
01:18:47Uh, I don't know.
01:18:48Um, how does it feel when you lose?
01:18:49That one admittedly stinks, but this is not stunk.
01:18:50I think we got another five stars from Kendrick Bourne.
01:18:51Boy, I appreciate you.
01:18:52Patrick Fearns out.