This is the Patriots Catch twenty two podcasts with Evan Lazar and Alex bar and Lazarre.
Hello, everybody nailed it, Joined has always by our bar.
Here is Evan Lazar and Alex Bars.
Are you focused on this right now or are you lost in the in the your your appearance on No.
Sorry, he's saying that I am have a lack of height in a bad back. Half of that is true.
The lack of height is definitely true. I didn't know about the back bark. Everybody that that heard that. Alex said that I was the pot calling the kettle black. Yeah, seriously, I guess is that's that's fair. I mean, like, I'm not people that can't tell from me sitting in this chair, I'm vertically challenged. I'm not. I'm not exactly six feet tall either. But you know, whenever there's a chance to take a joke at you, I gotta take the opportunity.
Meanwhile, we end up getting the pit anyway, So shout out to David helping us out.
Oh oh at Springsteen you're talking about now.
Because that was that's what where that conversation came.
So I get Bruce Springsteen, also known as the Sports Writers convention, Yes, which you saw multiple Patriots reporters.
Patriots reporters the reporter so as me and Matt McCarthy from the Hub. Yeah, saw Mike Reese, Yeah, saw Does Sebastian Volmer count as Patriots media?
He does?
Now, Sebastian Volmer was there. I saw Land Yeah, it was actually him and Marcus Kuhne were there together both planned. Who else did I say? As DJ Bean from NBC Sports Boston, Yeah, that was his first ever Springsteen showcase. Believe there were no it was was there, Tom Giles, We saw some other people. It was a fun night. It's good night.
How many tickets do you think that media take up to a Bruce Springsteen concert? Like, at least at least seventy are of somebody in media.
Or seventy five percent of sixty thousand whatever.
People the whole media Boston was at that concert. Morell's agreeing. I I think that's really what it was.
That's a lot of people to be working in media, all right, Enough with the pleasant care pandering here to the springsteenist, does is that a thing? Springstenie says Springsteen fans, it predates the need to have a little kitchen title for everything.
Yeah, Springsteener's that's better. Uh. So we have a lot to talk about. As Alex just mentioned, we have, uh the fifty three man roster. We've seen him out of practice the last couple of days, along with the practice squad. And I'll be honest, you know you. I always come with an opening take. It's how I like to start off the show. I was ready to come in here if this show was like yesterday at ten am, before waivers happened and before everybody cleared and magically reappeared at
practice on the practice squad. Yeah, I was ready to come in here guns blazing about this whole Bailey Zappy situation because my my first immediate reaction was to.
Analyze Zappi's role in all of this, right, and how we went from what I'm not to take any victory laps.
If you want to take a victory lap on this you can. I you know, I try not to not take any victory laps this show. If you listen to this show all last season, we never wavered on this show. We were steadfast in the fact that Mac Jones was a better quarterback than Bailey Zappi. Number one and number two, what they were doing with Bailey ZAPPI was keeping him on the rails. Honestly, like in terms of the scheme and what they were.
At, it was a little smoke and mirrors.
Yes, it was you know, Fugazi. It wasn't real. It was it wasn't real.
It was real, it wasn't sustainable.
I think that's You're right, that's a better way of putting him.
It was. It was more we were saying. I remember we had this conversation the week Mac came back. We had we did a whole thirty minutes on will they let Mac Jones run the Bailey's Appy offense?
That's what it was, right. So there's there's two things that play here with with this Bailey's Appy thing. One is, for lack of a better phrase, the downfall of Bailey Zappy to go from a guy that has his name being chanted by the Dlatte Stadium faithful to come into the game.
I don't I don't think that's fair to Bailey's Appy to call it a downfall.
It's a pretty significant turn.
Not but Bailey Zachy, did you go from that Monday night against Chicago where sixty five thousand people are going zapy. Yeah, okay, off the roster, I would just rephrase. But he's the same guy he's always been, right, he didn't chill. He changed some things this summer, but it's more the downfall of the people who because we're on the zappy trade. Yeah, it's more the downfall of them. The fever has broken because I don't think Bailey's at like, did he have a good summer?
Other puns can we come up with on this?
Did he have a good summer?
No?
I also don't think he didn't. I I didn't think he deserved to get cut me neither. I didn't like. I don't think he did anything monumentally wrong. So I feel weird calling it his downfall because I think that implies significant fault on his part, and I don't think that exists here.
So there's that conversation which we can have, which I think also speaks to some of the things that we have talked about on the show during training camp of why ZAPPI was struggling in the Bill O'Brien offense, What were some of the issues we were seeing and the biggest thing And I went back and looked this up to make sure I had the numbers correct. His splits last year with play action and without play action were the guy that he is. Like his no non play
action dropbacks. He was at five point eight yards per attempt. That's about what I would expect based off of what we've seen this summer. His play action yards per attempt last year, well, you want to guess the number is astronomical. Do you want to guess?
It's like the best in the league, isn't it? Yeah, it's like, what fifteen sixteen yards something like that.
Seen seventeen yards per attempt off play action.
And this is not a Bailey Zapp beat. Every quarterback's better with play action. That's just true. Across the league. He was exponentially better. But this is why, again you go back to it. His play action rate, the percentage of his pass attempts that came off play action was double mac Jones.
Yeah, it was twenty six to sixteen, so not double.
Okay, almost almost.
Ten percent on that sample is pretty.
The three numbers I remember looking up last year were play action rate, RPO rate, was forced play action rate RPO rate, under center rate, and extra blocker so sixth seventh blocker. They were all everything was struck. One of those numbers is ZAPPI doubled up might have been rpr
rate YEA doubled up Mac Jones. But and it goes back to the point where you that's why it looks so different, because they were allowing Bailey Zappy to use mechanics that helped the quarterback that Mac Jones didn't get to us as much. And then what you saw this summer was sort of what that looks like on even footing.
Correct when they put them both in the same system. It was it came crystal clear pretty quickly in the summer.
That it became clear as soon as you sent that text, as.
Soon as I was ragging on Mac on like day four of pads or whatever that was, it came it became very crystal clear that Zappie was not made to be extremely efficient and uh sophisticated. No bells and whistles, no play action like let's just roll the ball out and play football and the guy that got the got the ducks in the row better pre snap, which I think is a huge, huge part of this Bill O'Brien offense. Everything you got to be able to set the protection.
So let me, let me ask you this, you started cutting real quick. But like I've said this, and I'm curious your thought on it because i don't know I've ever said it on the show. Uh, the way the Bill O'Brien offense works, Yeah, the result of the plays decided before the snap. Once the ball is snapped, it's too late. Everything that makes it either good play or bad play has pretty much happened before the ball is snap.
I would say at least like like sixty five to seventy five percent of the pre snap stuff, it just decides that determines the outcome. Okay, So yeah, so the more than half you have to set the protection, right, that's the biggest thing. YEA, you know, work with the offensive line. Are we three down? Are we four down? Are we you know? Is it an overfront? Is it an underfront? Like these are the things that they call out pre snap, and then you have basically two plays
most of the time called in the huddle. It's not always a run in a pass. Sometimes it could be run to run, sometimes it could be passed to pass. But the point is is that when you read that defensive structure pre snap, you need to make a check to the better play. Whether it's staying in the play that you called or checking to the second play. Once get to that point, then the ball is snapped. Now
you have to read the coverage. You have to remember how the play changes to the coverage right, the side adjustments and the route options and all that those types of things, the conversions of the routes. You have to remember all those different types of things, and then you have to make the throw right. But then you have to actually do the action of the football part.
Well, it's not just you have to. I would even say there's another step in there. So yes, you have to understand how to play it. Just once the ball is staffed. You also have to, maybe this is one of the same, understand how the other players are going to adapt, right, because you it can't be as simple as you were. Right, there's an option route here, he's good like it's based on the cover. It's going to
be an out route. You need to make sure you're reading it the same way your wide receiver reads it, because if you read it one way and you're thinking out, if he reads it the other way and he's thinking in it, get get picked off.
Yeah, that's how that happens. So you have all these different elements that go into the the mental part of the game for this Bill O'Brien offense, and I think what became crystal clear is that Zappi really struggled with those elements because he was holding the ball for an eternity, trying to read out the plays and make the right plays and things like that, and his decision making completely fell off. And the last thing that went was the accuracy. He started spraying the ball up.
Well, that one. I think he was trying to do that like side arm stuff.
There, and I think, to be fair to him, like the timing with the receivers you're working with like Thyrec Pitts and Roley Webb and Scottie Washington, and there's just this cast of characters that are continuously rotating in and out. And then the blocking up front wasn't very good. Like all these things played a role, But I think the main thing is is that, like, yes, there were real causes for concern in the Bailey Zappie camp in terms
of his fit in the Bill O'Brien offense. He was a much better fit in rhythm based offense with locked routes, where all he had to do was make a play right, whether it's off of play action or even in the spread elements that they used him in last year, it was down the field, pick a matchup, and throw the ball to the matchup right. Like, it wasn't a whole lot of all this different type of minutia that we just broke down so that there's that angle of it.
But I actually don't think that's why he was cut. I don't think that that's why he was cut. I don't think that his play warranted him being released from the roster, right, I think why he was cut. And this to me is like where we talk so much about quarterbacks and receivers and passing, and like that's the the quarterbacks draw all the headlines for all the right reasons, you know, that's the position that we always talk about the most on any football team, not just the Patriots.
But the reason why the Patriots had to play gymnastics with the roster was because currently they have six offensive tackles on this roster, because they don't have any tackles besides Trent Brown Well that can play.
That's part of it. I think you could blow it up even a little bigger than that. They have eleven offensive linemen. Yeah, because they handcuffed themselves into keeping eleven offensive linemen. Going back to the draft, you draft three guys in the top one fifty, you're keeping all of those guys. They then went out and acquired two linemen right before cutdowns. Those are guys that are making the team. You had Riley Reef with the guaranteed money he was given,
he was making the team. They probably didn't need to activate Calvin Anderson right away until it was clear they had no other tackles, right so you're not going to activate him from NFI and then put him on PEP and put him on IR. That wouldn't make sense. So they I'm not saying they had to keep eleven guys.
Like they they I think they felt like they had to keep eleven guys because they had to keep all their options open. Well, because if they know and Calvin Anderson's a turnstile, they have to.
But a guy like Jake Andrews doesn't keep their options open in that regard. But he was the guy who had to keep because it's just that's asset management, and they were going to they put themselves in a corner where they were going to have to make a decision that was poor asset management. Whether it was cutting one of the guys they drafted this year, whether it was cutting one of the guys they traded for, whether it was going short at another position, in this case quarterback
and maybe even running back. You can look there as well because of the like they could have spread out their picks more in the draft, they could have attacked the position quality instead of quantity and not ended up with all of these different offens. Like there's a number of places it could have changed.
But that that's my whole take on this, right.
But I think it's it's not just tackles, it's offensive line as a whole, because a guy like Jake Andrews factors into that. Yeah, a guy like Mafi, a Tonio Maffi fact but a Tonio Maffi made the team even if they didn't. If they were good at tackle like a Toni and he was a seventh round pick the way he played in camp, Antonio Maffi should have made this team. This Jake Andrew's city. So that's where you look and you're like, well, those guys are here because
of their draft talk. A guy like Tyrone Wheatley. He's here because he was recently traded for Darien Lowe. I like, I liked that move, hand up, I'll say that. But they had too many guys that were roster locks for reasons other than twenty twenty three talent level, and that's where they kind of got put.
Into a corner. Right, So this all I think we're on the same page here and we're getting to the same destination.
Wait, I just think it's bigger than your your miss.
This all comes down to the fact that in the off season, whether when I say offseason, I mean March, I don't mean two weeks before the regular season opener.
Well, I think it's both.
No, I think in March and then also in April during the draft, they had opportunities to spend premium assets at the tackles position. Correct, The worst position on the twenty twenty two Patriot was right tackle, and I don't know if it was particularly close. It was an abomination. Isaiah Win, Marcus Cannon, Yodney could just Connor McDermott. At the end of the season, even Connor McDermott playing like replacement level was an upgrade, right, So.
That was how Connor McDermott was the bright spot.
That's how bad tackle was. Right tackle specifically was for the Patriots last year. And we get this a lot. I got this lot. I don't enough. If you did well, what could they have done? What could they have done differently? And when I hear that, that and the injury excuse, like the in camp injury excuse.
Yeah it did.
Those two things just blow my mind that were even using those as excuses. There were six free agent starting tackles in March.
I talked a lot about it, the whole Sodo thing, remember, right, Oh yeah, Orlando Brown. Yeah, you Hadwan Taylor, you had mcglinche, you had McGarry, you had Andre Dillard who they tried to see and got out bid by Tennessee for not a lot of money. And then Wiley, who was the starting right tackle for the Chiefs last year in the Super Bowl. So he Wiley is one that I look at and I'm like, that was not a ton of money. And he started every game for Kansas City last year.
He pitched a shutout in the playoffs, zero sacks allowed in three games in the playoffs, including against the Son Reddick and the Super Bowl. And that was a guy that wasn't going to cost you a Mike McGlinchey eighty million dollars to bring in. So they had six free agent tackles that were start as five of them changed teams. Caleb McGarry was the only guy that went back to
his original team out of that group. So you had five movable objects on the offensive line that you could have signed, and instead you'd, let's call it what it is, you cheaped out and you signed Calvin Anderson and Riley Reef, a thirty four year old Riley Reef who we knew was over the hill in Chicago. Lastyard didn't even start out of the gate for the Bears, who had a terrible offensive line, by the way, didn't even start until like midway through the season when they had injuries. He
was essentially their swing tackle last year. Calvin Anderson, who has twelve starts, he was their uh. Conor McDermott, Yeah.
Twelve starts in three years for Calvin Anderson. He was another option that you threw out there.
Which, like signing those guys individually isn't necessarily a mistake, but this is so it's it's only signing them and not bringing in right, right, right.
See, this is where the depth thing becomes. Like, this is where the conversation starts, right because if you have like, let's just put a placeholder in there. They tried to sign Andre Dillard, so let's go with Andre Dillard for arguments sake. If you come into the season with Trent Brown and Andre Dillard as your tackles and then you're telling me that Riley Reef is your swing tackle, fine,
that's about those guys should be. That's how you feel out depth, right, Like, that's how you have an established pecking order. That's how you have two capable starters. Then you have your tackle, and then go ahead and draft City So in the fourth round as a developmental tackle because you like the.
Trades like that, that's that's your four Like, that's how you That's how a real team does this, right, Like, that's how you're supposed to do it.
Instead, they just threw darts. They just started throwing darts. They signed Reef and Anderson, they draft so now they're trading for Tyrone Wheatley and Vaderian Low who I like both of their games for separate reasons. We can get into that a little bit if we want. But at the same time, I'm sorry, but Tyrone, Wheatley and Vaderi and Low are also dart throws. Neither one of those guys is a sharp eeden starter on your offensive line
for any team. They're also lottery tickets. And all they had to do was in free agency because look, I will give them this, and I mean this, they did a really good job with their first three picks in the draft. I can't get on them too much. For Christian Gonzales, Kean White and Marty Mapu, all three of those guys can play. Was there a better way to use those assets? And maybe you're still taken Zaliz in the first and you get a tackle on Day two.
I even look early on day three, Evan, like Dwan Jones has kind of being a star.
Was headed Dewan Jones. I need I need some Belichick Macro truth serum on Dewan Jones. Why was Dewan Jones off the Patriots?
To be fair, it wasn't just them, He was off a lot of teams.
Boards But that's why I need to know.
So that's I do think there's something there, But whether it was which, by the way, I need to take I was telling you about Dwan Jones in like October. Yeah, we'll get to it.
We'll get to it.
We'll get to it. So listen to me this time.
J C.
Latham, Alabama.
This is just like you had to do that. Yeah, I had to.
I had to. Well, because it's it's week to get to it's we won. College football starts on Saturday. I want to give you a reason to watch. My reason being there's no reason to watch now.
I'm just kidding.
There is reason. Whether it was Dwan Jones, whether it was Blake Freeland, whether it was Warren. I think you were big Warren McClendon right from from Georgia guard antack Jalen Duncan.
Yeah, you had these guys that were tackled, that were right so that we're not guards, that you're making a tackle.
It's the mystery box. Well what could city so be a big people moving right tackle. Okay, So like he could be Dwan Jones or and I know Dewan Jones went a little before him, but I think he went after Ryland Right Andrews.
So they drafted Jake Andrews a pick or two before Dewan Jones. And it's sorted by positions, so he sort of drafted. When I say you, I mean the Patriots. Yeah, the Patriots drafted a backup center to one of their best players.
Yeah, Jake Andrews went one oh seven, Dwan Jones went one eleven, Chad Ryland went one twelve, and then City So went one seventeen.
So you drafted a backup center to a team captain, a pillar of your current team when you had a young satit you like on the roster, and Cody rus Cody rusy and you drafted that over Dewan Jones, who might not start in Cleveland this year just because they have Conklin and uh, Worf's already not worth. So who's there to the other tackle? I can't remember. Uh, it's coming to me, it's coming. It's on the tip of my time.
Oh, I get there.
Jedrick Will's right, yes, yeah, yes, uh and warfs will same same draft. I think two really good tackles Conklin and now Will. So those guys are starters. But Dewan Jones is going to be a starter in Cleveland at some day. He'd start here right now, easily, day one, starting right tackle. I I can't figure that one out. So don't don't sit there and tell me that they had no other options. Don't tell me that they had no other option, that there was nothing else that they
could do, because that's baloney. There was There was talent available, whether it was in the draft or whether it was in free agency. If they just spent a little bit more money on the tackle position, and then we wouldn't be in any of this mess. We wouldn't be worried about the Eagles defensive front dominating the game in ten days, and we wouldn't be worried about Bailey Zappi being on waivers. Because if you had a proven.
Right tackle right now on your roster, or even just a more high upside, high floor right the guy that I can sit here and say I can start Week one right pencil the min I'm gonna say that because we're saying Dewan Jones be the answer. He's not proven, but sure he's there's enough there that I don't need to go.
I would have gone the free agency rode. I guess that's why I keep saying proven. I means I would have signed somebody.
I was Soto signed one draft one. I wanted both, I thought you were talking about like Wan Soto for no sign draft one s O d oh, I wanted both of them.
Okay, So then you have your five starters right that you're you're locked in on the roster. You have your top swing tackle, you have your top interior guy, and then you have one or two spots for development guy.
Eight or nine is general the number or something like that. They are at eleven, which is a Belichick era high. By the way, they've never carried eleven guys on the initial roster, and meanwhile they're at a Belichick low. I don't know if it's Belichick lo. I have the numbers for the last ten years. Last ten years, fewest running backs they've carried his three. They did that once every other year. It's been four.
Right, so you have one quarterback, which I and I get it. People are gonna sit here and say, Evan, what difference does it make they're on the practice squad. They can elevate them on game day, they can sign them to the fifty three after they put some guys on ir like who cares? And I get that, but that's not the point. The point is that right tackle is still a major question mark on this team. It
was a major question mark last year. It was a major question market going into the offseason, and they did absolutely nothing to solve the problem. And now we're here where Bailey Zappi has to be waived. You have to carry two running backs on the initial fifty three man roster. You have to carry two tight ends, which I really don't think they ultimately wanted to do, honestly, because I think they're gonna play a lot of twelve and I
think they're gonna want some depth at that position. So you have to do all these things, and all of this could have been avoided if you had just given Andre Dillard three million dollars more than what the Tennessee Titans offered him, all of it could have been avoided. And so the story today and yesterday in the shock wave on Tuesday, on cutdown Day is that the Patriots
cut Bailey's appy, and that sticker shock is legit. But the real crux of this whole thing is that their offensive line is a complete mystery even to the people running the team. And that's why they made two trades for tackles fourteen days before the start of the season, and that's why they're carrying a Belichick or a high eleven offensive lineman on the roster. And that's why your backup quarterback was just put on waivers the other day.
Yeah so, but at the same time, at the same time, and Bill said this when you put it because because he gets out, Oh, I din't put this player in the prak squad. When you wave a player, you never know. You may think you know, but you never know. Right, they were okay potentially losing Bailey's appy. Doesn't mean they wanted to lose him. Doesn't mean they wanted to get rid of him. They clearly didn't. They brought him back. Right, They were okay losing Bailey's appy.
And that's why I say that it's not about Bailey's appy because quite frankly, no, but I was okay with them losing.
But here's the thing. But it is a little bit because the theories about and maybe he's got put to rest Thursday night, Friday night in Nashville, but the theories about Mac being on a super short leash, and we could see Bailey's appy by the end of September and it might end up being his if they really felt there was a chance Bailey Zappy was going to start in meaningful games for them this year. They would not
have been comfortab. They shouldn't have been comfortable potentially losing him, and they were comfortable potentially.
I guess my point when I say that, like, I don't care about Bailey's Zappy, not to be like mean about it, but is that I think that a.
Lot of them, you think it's a bigger deal. Why why they had to wave him in the fastest way?
And I also think that bailey'sz appies are a dime a dozen. I think that Colt McCoy, I think that Will Greer. I think Brett freakin' Ripping probably could come in here and back up Mac Jones just as well. I don't know.
I that's look, that's what I think. I already gave this giving other shows.
Who had have been a preseason Will Greener Bailey's Appy.
I don't really know how I know real good last game it wasn't okay, uh I Well, Nathan Rourke was the guy I was looking for former Nathan. What is Nathan Rourke notable for?
I don't know.
Ask me, ask me what you're about to ask me.
What is the difference between Nathan Rourke and Bailey's appen.
Nathan Rourke has won the Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player. Uh, here's the yeah, he he tore it up for the last year. Why do you not know these things because you have a life? The difference the thing and here people on both sides of the Zappi argument hate me Evan because we've talked about this. Right, you either have to think he's the starter who should push mac Jones, or you have to think he doesn't belong in the league. I am where I have been on Bailey Zappie since
day one. He's a good backup quarter He's probably somewhere between the thirtieth and fortieth best quarterback in the league. If he's your starter, it's not great. There's he's in terms of going to an emergency starter, he'd probably beat towards the top of that list. Yeah, but he's one of the better backups and there is value in having a good backup and being a good backup quarterback does matter, and that is why I would rather they not have cut him and burned a rookie contract on a guy
that is a good backup quarterback. So that's where But I'm also not under the illusion that he's going to come in here and take over the team.
Fair enough, and that's the one thing that I will say that makes it about Bailey zappy to me is the rookie contract. I hate the idea that they just ripped up his rookie contract because, on the one hand, now they're a year to year with him, right, That's just the nuts and bolts of it. He's a year to year player whether he stays on the practice squad or he signs back to the fifty three, unless they give him a multi year deal when they sign, which
is possible. But bottom line is he's a year to year guy now, and he was anyways because his money wasn't guaranteed in year three and four. And I get all that, but they had team control on the player for year three and four. So now, and let's just play this out. You mentioned him like, you know, spot starting and things like that and being effective. Let's say, and I hope this doesn't happen. We don't wish injuries,
so don't come at us about this. But what happens if the exact same scenario happens that happened last year where Mac gets hurt, and I'm not saying that Mac is playing poorly. Like, let's take that out element out of it.
Now, Mack gets hurt, Mac cannot play. Mac gets hurt, and Bailey's Appy comes in for two games, keeps the team afloat, wins them a couple of games to keep the train on the tracks of the season, Mac comes back whatever. So basically what happened last year, exactly what happened last year minus the Bears game.
Is Bailey's APPI going to get paid in the offseason? Well, because he's a free agent now.
So this year he wouldn't because he's gonna be an ERFA. If you have less than three years of team controller what's called an exclusive rights free agent, which bass in the RFA. Now he would be at the end of the season. He don't leave two years, so he's not an unrestricted free agent. Oh, currently, when if his deal expires, right, his practice squad deal aspires, they would have to sign to a SUTs deal right in order to have him
under contract. Yes, right, But but if they didn't, he would be an e r F A Okay.
So I didn't.
Okay, So as long as he's on the practice squad. He's a free agent if he's on the press. Let's say some team loses their quarterback in Week one, Right, they can go and he doesn't have to sign. Yeah, but they could go off Bailey offered contract sign uh because if he's going to sign and then get cut when the quarterbacks come, there's a number of reasons he might not. But like I mean, he's a free agent.
I would be looking for the first exit door. Fair.
He is a free agent as we sit here today. Bailey's appy. A team could call and offer they can't off from practice squad spot. They have to offer him a fifty three man rocks spot. But they could do that. That is true until if and when he signs to the fifty three. Once he signs to the fifty three, if that's a one year deal, at the end of the year, he would become an eerf So if he if he finishes the year on the fifty three, okay, crap, if he finished on the practice squad, it would be
futures deal, which is a free agent. Right. Well, if you can't sign a guy to a futures deal from your fifty three, so he would become a free agent. He would become what's called an E RFA exclusive rights free agent, which means only the Patriots can negotiate with him. For other teams to negotiate with him, the Patriots basically have to give up rights. They essentially they have to without putting them get I didn't realize that we're so very bogged down in this cause this is what we
do BRFA. I didn't realize that he was going to become an RF. E RFA is two years of experience and less after three years, And this is where he'd essentially be like an undrafted for agent because UDFA contracts for three years, then he becomes an RFA. That's trick gets really interesting if you get to this point, if he's shown some promise, you never see our restricted free
agent quarterbacks. You never see that. If you drafted a quarterback, if you don't think he's good enough, you've cut him generally at that point, and then it becomes can you tender him? Would a team give up a second round pick for Bailey's appy problem that then not that long ago a team get up a second round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo, And how that got they're still paying for They're still paying for you. What have they done?
He's better than him at the time.
At the time Jimmy Garoppolo was traded, he had started two games, won them both played part of a third game. Yeah, what what is Bailey Zappy done?
You've already thought this out.
I know I've given this takeabok.
This is your your sick o the point.
But whatever they're unless they it's not. I just think he's overrated. Unless they signed Jimmy to a multi year deal. When they signed him back to the fifty three, he is now year to year. That is the reality of it.
So that's the Bailey Zappy offensive line take off the top of the show. I just I want to continue to hammer home the point that the biggest issue of all of this is that the Patriots did not do enough to address the tackle position in the off season.
And and now they're overcommentation.
Yes, and you have to remember that this was like the injuries thing bugs me too, Like people are, oh, well, Riley Reef got hurt, Like, what do you want them to do? This was already going off the rails before Riley Reef got hurt. Okay, Riley Reef was already moved inside to guard. By the time Riley Reef got hurt, they already had determined that Riley Reef couldn't play tackle anymore, so he's already moved inside to guard Connor McDermott's mia.
He was also playing poorly going into that injury, so they knew that this. We all knew this was a problem already before anybody got hurt. So that's where the Patriots are at. And now they have the Eagles, who had the second rated pass rushing football last year in terms of pressure rate. The Jets have had the seventh. The Dolphins were not in the top twenty, but they have a good bookend ed rushers. I think they're gonna be better this year.
In the past game they were well, they didn't have Bradley Chubb for the.
Start of the year, and then the number one rated pass rushing football last year, the Dallas Cowboys. In your first month, so you have one two and seven and another team that I think is potentially going to be in the top half of the league as well.
Are you holding out any hope that we get out there Week one? Riley Reef of he's healthy at right guard, Mike Wint right tackle or Antonio Maffi and Mike and Winno on the right side.
There I'm holding out a little bit of hope. But he did play a snap of right tackle. Why why why make all of these this? Why jump through all these hoops just to be moving Mike on went to right tackle?
Because you're worried about the backups, because you know that if you lose trend, you're right.
But if you worry about the backups, like can you keep like two layers of depth? Like why do you have to keep six?
Because because they're gonna do essentially what you said, they're gonna figure it out. Like I don't Tyrone Wheatley daring Low. I doubt both those guys are on the team for seventeen games. They're essentially going to have a September's an extension of the price.
So here's the other.
They're gonna have a competition and one of those guys will stick. Yeah, those moves make more sense when you look at it through the lens that they brought those guys into be backups rather than compete for the starting trick.
I agree, But at the same time, like this is the other my ang on, this is it because I wanted to work down the roster and then we're gonna take some calls, I promise. But running back, they have two running backs on the roster, Tome Montgomery and Kevin Harris are on the practice squad. They traded Pierre.
Strong, who, Yeah, I didn't like that trade.
Maybe they were to cut him anyways, Like maybe that's where that was heading. I know that's always the adage, right of Oh they were, they just were gonna cut him anyways. I didn't like the trade either. I did not because I disliked Tyrone Wheatley. I think Tyrone Wheatley has some really exciting trades. From an athletic standpoint, I think he's an athletic kid. I think he's got good foot speed. I think he can block in the run
game using his positional blocking with the foot speed. There's things to like about his preseason film, absolutely, but I didn't like it for two reasons. One, I really didn't think Kevin Harris or J. J. Taylor were rosterable running backs, so Pierre Strong was the one.
JJ. I thought you had a really good I didn't have a kid there.
I think that ultimately, unless you're like Darren sprolls quick and fast at that size, it's just.
Really tough, you see, fund right, that's.
A good unless you're one of those guys that's just different in terms of how they move on the field at five foot six, it's really hard. So I think JJ Taylor is like is like the football equivalent of a of a four A player. You know, he's right in the middle. So Pierre Strong to me, felt like the one guy that had the talent and the upside, but that really the talent to be a rosterable running back as your third running back. And the other reason
why I didn't really like the trade. Where's your speed now out of the backfield? Now you can talk?
You hope it's time Montgomery.
Your other speed's on injured reserve right now, right with Taekwon, and who knows what's gonna happen with that. And so really you're looking at in terms of bringing guys that move differently in this offense, that have that explosive gear. It's essentially Pop Douglas and that's it. Like Kendrick Bourne and I think does a little bit, but I don't know if it's really truly on that elite level. It's
but it's it's good. You know, Kendrick Bourne is the guy that's got good burst and good energy with the football in his hands. But that's what I was hoping, holding out hope with Pierre Strong. It's not that you necessarily need him to carry the ball twenty times and be this bell cow running back, but four or five touches a game on a screen or on an outside run or a toss player, just something to get him
out in space. He was the one guy that was dangerous in space with the ball in his hands, and I just feel like they lost it a little bit in this trade.
We have some news.
Oh what's the news, Ian Rappaport.
The Patriots have claimed former Panthers quarterback Matt Corral.
So we have a new quarterback.
We have a new After all of that, we have a new so let the plot that get oh wait in eight weight. So they claimed him on waivers, so that means he's on the fifty three. So that's your backup.
That's your backup quarterback, Matt Corral.
So that's the roster spot.
Uh by Taekwon Thorn probably what I go back you said that I couldn't call it a downfall.
Of Bailey's appy. I'm calling it a downfall. You're gonna now I not only better than Ma Correll.
You got cut and you got replaced like they're giving Ma Correl a fifty three min roster spot over you. That's what's happening here. That's shocking. I mac Correl's been a disaster in the NFL. Now, granted he's been in Carolina, right in Carolina.
Uh well no, he he broke his ankle in the preseason game here last year and hasn't played the rookie last year. That was it. Yeah, but he's I don't know, he hasn't been anything in the end. He hasn't played in the NFL, but he played in the preseason this year. Yeah.
Yeah, so that that that's interesting. Well we'll give some mac correl takes here in a second, but let's get to the phones. John is in Louisiana. John, thanks for hanging on. What's up? John? Hey? Hello, hello, Hey there you are all right?
So uh Evan, first off, ausseems like you are thinking that victory left one that Zabie seever.
Can't help it.
But uh yeah, I already know. So I got a question about the left tackle situation. So you said a free agency would say, do you think that would have affected the contract that Jabrill Severs and everybody else isn't brought back?
Uh?
No, I don't because I think that you can find cap space in a million different ways. You can stagger contracts in a million different ways. So I would I have given like an Orlando Brown Mike McGlinchey contract to a tackle and been able to afford all the rest
of it? Like, maybe not U, but I think that there was options out there, like a Diller, like a Whiley, like those players at that level that would have been better than what you got and would have been able to spread the money around just the same.
So in as far as the draft, who would you have placed if you would have drafted somebody? I know you said you like the first, but like I'm I'm kind of confused. Who would you have rather not take?
PREDENTI someone at the Dwan Jones from Ohio State. I would have taken Blake Freelan from BYU. I would have taken Jalen Duncan, the Maryland guy, any of the Day three picks, literally any of.
Them except Pop Douglas. Oh yeah, of course, except Pop Douglas. Sure take the receiver for the early day three the late day three picks. You're telling me that this team needs Jake Andrews for what? Like, I'm not trying to pick on Jake Andrews. I'm just if David Andrews gets hurt, then you're in trouble anyways, right, regardless of who his backup is. But is Jake Andrews at this stage of
his career significantly better than Russi or James Ferrence. I don't think so, not based off what we've seen over the summer. I would also say that I like Mafi. I think Mafi is going to be a starting caliber guard the way that they play football here, he'll be. He'll be a starting caliber guy next year. But you had a more immediate need at tackle, so that those are the picks that I would have replaced him. I think that's that's the obvious way to go.
Okay, appreciate you guys, Thanks.
John, Thanks for the call. All right, Patty is an agua on what's up? Patty?
Tough guys? Hey, So I got something for each of you. First off, the college football Minute, for actually half a minute. I'll make it quick Evan Alex, Yeah, you're gonna watch. I know you're watching college football this weekend. Of course, pay attention Boston College wide receiver Joe Grifton junior from my hometown, from my alma mart Or Springfield Central High School, the home of Champion. This kid's going to be a stud. He's not coming out this is coming year, but he's
eligible in twenty twenty five. He's like the perfect, the prototype guy that's going to replace Davante Partner. Hopefully, I'd love to see it, all right, So, Evan, the one thing I'll disagree with you with was I was hoping that they would like you. I know, you said you want them to dry tackle and free agency. I'm with you with those guys with Dwan Jones, and I was big on Blake Freeland. I mean, I wanted them to get young guys and develop them and into this system.
And I mean, both your tackles are going to be gone next year unless they extend Brown. But that's kind of a crap you because you never know what you're gonna get with them, you know. So I'm just I feel the frustration. I'm right there with you. Hopefully I do have fate that Billy O'Brien and Clem are gonna piece this together. I'm not gonna take too much out of Week one. I never do anyway. But I mean, as long as Mac comes out of the game healthy,
I'm good, and that's all I care about. And that's all I got, guys.
Fair enough, Patti, thanks for the call. Look, I don't want to. I know I'm sounding like alarmists when it comes to the offensive line Situationian, I think it's workable. I just think that a lot of the things that have happened this summer, and that it happened on cutdown day.
I feel like a lot of these things happened because as they put themselves in this in a hole, like they created a hole and now they're trying to get themselves out of it, and now we have all this cat you know, uh roster gymnastics and jockeying and all this different stuff going on, and I feel like a lot of this was so avoidable if they had just addressed it with a real answer, like instead of throwing blind darts at the board and saying, well, hopefully one
of these guys is serviceable, they could have just went out and made a real move and solved the problem. And that's where we're at. I'm gonn take this last call, and then Alex you got to give your your mac correl take. We've talked about mac corral a little bit off the air.
I'm learning about Matt Corrow right now. Do you know he wants try to fight Wing Gretzky's son.
Why is that relevant?
Is it not?
All right? Let's take Tony in Canada. Let's up Tony.
Hey, hi guys. I have a comment, And then I question, I guess the comment and is regarding regarding the Patriots as I think that this year, my prediction is they'll be struggling to make fourth place, they'll be out of the playoffs. And I think this year, at best, they'll do as well as he did last year or lose a few other games. And the question is regarding Bill Belichick, and I know, like, yeah, I mean, things didn't work out with the tight end or not tight end, sorry,
the offensive tackle position. But Belichick really hasn't spent a lot of money this year, so in your opinion, like what is the what is Belichick trying to do? Like he's obviously not signing players he didn't go crazy this year like he did a few years back. What's the plan? Like, what is he planning to do? What do you speculate on is he planning on maybe possibly extending a lot of the other players, or what's the reason? I guess
what do you think is the reason for it? For the way he's he's been managing the team this so far this year.
Thanks for the call, Tony, I honestly know how you feel about this, Alex, so just speak for myself.
Well, second week in a row. Apparently they're trying to get my attention on the sportshop right now because Felger doesn't know how waiver claims were.
Oh my god. Uh. I don't think Belichick's managing the roster any differently than he always has. Like that's that's the thing that I think that maybe doesn't get talked about enough or gets missed or something like that. Like other than the free agency spending spree in twenty twenty one, this is how they've always done it, Like they have built. Their whole thing is conservatives, spending solid, miiddle class, build from within, draft and develop like that. That's that's their
whole thing. Like the twenty twenty one free agency class was the outlier. That's not the norm. Now. Sometimes they do go out and make like one splash, you know, a Stefan Gilmour, a Darrell Revis Uh obviously didn't work out, but like a daily as Thomas right, like they they've done that in a vacuum. But going out and spending a ton of money in free agency, like they did it a couple of years ago. That was the one time they did it, and other than that, they've never
done it again or done it in the past. So their methodical approach is exactly how they've always done it, and I there's obviously some legitimate reasons for it, Like there's some real sound reasoning for it. I think the biggest being that the real sweet spot is by drafting players and being good in the draft and then developing from within. That's how they built the teams in their early two thousands for the most part. Like that's how
you build your roster for sustainability in the NFL. But you know, to the caller, like if you're expecting them to go out and spend a ton of money on free agents, like you got the wrong team, Like that's not going to be who they are, at least not as long as Belichick is here. If that's truly the trigger man of all of this, Like that's never how
they've operated, that's never how they are. All right, Uh, let's let's get your macarel take Alex because you obviously remember him from Old it's a whole lot more than I do.
So Matt Corral was a really interesting quarterback going into the draft last year because his career has been a roller coaster. Came out of Southern California in high school, was a five star recruit US Army, All American, all of that stuff, Like this is a guy who's usc UF. I don't remember if Alabama was interested in him. Ends up going to Old Miss, where they had another top ranked recruit in Jordan Tamu, who people might remember. I think he was here on the practice squad for like
a week once. But really roller coaster his first few years in college. Struggled to get playing time as a freshman as a red shirt freshman, started to play a little more, but was really a run first quarterback his junior year, there were so lean Kiffin comes his junior year in twenty twenty, and there's flashes, but he turned the ball over a ton and then in twenty twenty
one he started to put it together. Thirty three hundred yards, twenty touchdowns, five interceptions, ran for another six hundred and fourteen yards eleven touch downs. He was a layane kick like, well, Lane Kiffen wants his quarterback to be Matt Corral. And then that was sort of a down year for quarterbacks and people start talking about is Matt Carral first round pick? And it was kind of trending that way. And then he hurt his ankle in the bowl game. A lot
of people were like, he's not. It was kind of consensus he wasn't gonna play in the ball game. This is guy who's gonna be a first round pick. A quarterback played in the ball game, which people like, this is great. Look at that leadership, like he's definitely gonna be a first round pick. Now. No, But that's the thing, you know what I mean, Like when those guys right.
At the fact that people like believe that.
Yeah, I think teams look at that. Oh, you're willing to play the ball game even though your first round pick. You can't. You love football, you care about your team, your teammates. Hurt his ankle, and it then struggled during the pre draft process, goes to Carolina. Last year, the Panthers actually traded up with the Patriots to get him. The Patriots used those picks later on Bailey Zappi and Marte Maphu. So that's that's a good trade. That's a
very good trade. And then I remember he was so they saw him in joint practices and we know this, the Patriots like the guys that they see in joint practices. I didn't think he's very good here last year that week and then early on in that preseason game he suffered I said ankle injury earlier as wrong was a Liz frank injury. That's his foot foot, and missed the whole season. So this summer I think he was kind
of hit and miss. He was never gonna start, right, They have Bryce Young and he was always going to be the guy. But really athletic, he's not. He's a different kind of quarterback than what they've had. I'm trying to find his height weight. I know he's on the smaller, on the smaller side, moves around a lot, makes plays out of structure, Definitely a threat with his legs. He can be a reid option guy, but the accuracy is an issue. He does have a bit of a quick trigger.
He doesn't handle pressure super well, so kind of an anti Mac Jones. I don't think the things he's good at are he's as good at as the like Mac Jones' best traits. But he's a he's a different kind of passer and it's gonna be interesting to see what the for him.
So I what I remember of him is is mainly you telling me to watch Alabama ole Miss a couple of years ago when it looked like ole Miss was actually going to be able to go toe to toe with Alabama.
So that that year, that was that twenty twenty one year where he had a year in Kiffin's offense. Yeah, he was like a heisman he was a Heisman candidate. Yeah, No, he was eismen get I'm trying to remember who. They had a really good receiver on that team too, I'm trying to remember who was.
So the thing about ole Miss's offense that's that's important to mention is that they are they are a modern, modern, modern scheme under Lane Kiffin. They're an air raid team.
Is Jonathan Mingos, Yeah, they do a bunch of crazy stuff offensively, like we're talking about motions options like a want to say it's as new age as you get.
Read option, they like never punt right, like they're just like this aggressive pedal to the medal spread everything that you hear about, like you know, where's football going, and like new age football like Ole Miss does all of it. So in some respects, it was a little bit difficult when I did, like do a little bit of an EVL on some of those quarterbacks just thinking that maybe
they would draft one. It was tyficult to project how Matt Corrale is going to play in an NFL system because Ole Miss is just very, very unique and weird.
So that was a big part of it. But the one thing that I will say about Matt Corral and let me be clear that this is one hundred and ten competition for Bailey Zappy, not competition for Mac Jones, but with Matt Corral I think, and you you know, grieve me or not, Alex, I think that Mat Corel has more tools at his disposal than a guy like Bailey Zappy, Like I think he's a little bit bigger.
I think he's got a bigger arm. I think he's a little bit more mobile, not necessarily, like a little bit like I think Billy Zappi's got decent elusiveness in the pocket and like he's pretty light on his feet in the pocket. But Coral can run, you know, with the football, like in designed run fashion. So what this looks like to me is that they have these two
quarterbacks and Mac and Zappi. And we talked about this, and I think this is why a lot of people latched to Malie Cunningham was because they don't really have like the toolsy, developmental upside guy, right, Like, they don't have that guy. And I don't know if mat Correll is ever going to be anything more than than a journeyman backup. I don't think so. But he does have a little bit more of that athleticism gene that everybody's
clamoring for all. You know, the teams that don't have a Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen Mahomes type of player, that's what everybody wants. That's not ma Correl. Mac Correl is a I think a designed runner more than he is like a scrambler and a or a out of structure playmaker. But he's got some mobility, and he's got a bigger arm than Zappy, and he's got some of those tools
that everybody is clamoring for. So in a lot of ways, I think it's interesting because I expected them to be looking for a more stable, experienced veteran option, like a Colt McCoy type of option, or you kind of know what you're gonna get. Mac Correll is another is a ball of clay like mac Correll is a developmental player. He is I think, and again, you know, feel free to disagree with me. If they had to thrust somebody into a to a game, yeah, I think it's Bailey Zappy.
I still don't think that you would put mac Corel in a game. I get, you know, picking out the fact that like he has to learn the system and like I'll get integrated and all that kind of stuff.
I just mean in general, I don't really look at mac Correll as like a stable steady like Brian Hoyer. Backup, So, Matt Correll is, remember when we were going into the draft and every there was that take that a lot of people had that was like, oh, look at what the Eagles did with Jalen Hurts. They had Carson Wentz, but they still took Jalen Hurts in the second round. Is like a project, right, and I met, we got blue in the face telling people that guy does not
exist in this draft. That might be Matt Corrall. Matt Corrall might be the this guy's got a ton of tools. Let's see what we can turn him into.
Guy.
Yeah, but he's not as good as challenging.
He's not as good as Jalen Hurts.
No, but he wasn't. Like he wasn't as good as Jailen Hurts in college, and he's not as good now. Like I'm no, he wasn't as good as Jalen Hurts.
He wasn't as good as Oklahoma Jalen Hurts. Jalen Hurts at Alabama.
Was limited as a passer.
People forget what Lincoln Riley did for Jalen Hurts.
Well, he doesn't hurt everybody, so that's true. I just it's interesting to me that this is the path that they took because I think a lot of the reporting out there, and I'm not like bashing on the reports or anything, but a lot of the reporting out there, and and my indication would be, let's go after a
Colt McCoy. Let's go after like a backup that's like a steady presence that can come in and you know somebody that's like a little bit better than Trace mcsorly, right, like basically that kind of guy that is not this guy. Macarel is an athlete. Ma Correl is a developmental prospect, and uh, it'll be interesting to see what becomes of him. You know, I don't think that you're thinking much of it right now. The other thing that I would say
about this that I find a little bit interesting. Now it costs nothing to claim a guy on waivers and then he gotta pay him.
Right, so they Now it's funny for all this stuff we were talking about the rookie contract, they now have a quarter They now have a contract on quarterback on a rookie contract from the same draft is.
For the purposes of facilitation, because that's what I do here.
Sometimes, Why not Trey Lance, Like why if youn't have to give up a draft pick?
But if you were gonna do this, you didn't have to give up a draft pick. He but Trai Lance is just enough. Draftick trailiance is just better mac Correl. I also wonder if they thought Trey Lance was you wonder.
I nothing in Matt Corrall, like, yeah, he hurt his foot last year. I don't think you look at him and you say, here's the guy whose growth has been hindered. I think in Trey Lance, you look at him as a guy and and you know, did the Niners ruin him? Basically? Is he passed? I also return.
So the reason why I brought this up is because my real theory on it is that I think that they looked at Trey Lance and they said that guy could be looked at as a real competition for Mac Jones. And I do think that there's something to be said. I'm not totally in on the conspiracy that Bailey z
Appy was cut as a message to Mac Jones. Yeah, I don't necessarily think that, but I definitely think that they want to make sure that there is no question, there's no question who the starting quarterback of the team is, and if you bring in a guy like Trey Lance, it's gonna be He's gonna be there.
I honestly my thought was, is this maybe Lane Kiffin and we know he's like indirectly in the Belichick with Saban.
I wonder who knows what his relationship was with Bill O'Brien too. It might they might have a relationship as well.
Well they I would think they wouldn't. The other thing about it is Corral. I don't know how much carry over there it'd be here. But remember Bill O'Brien didn't run his offense at Alabama.
This was old.
When he was brought in, Mac Jones taught him the lane or the Steve Starkesian but it so he ran a lot of his offense at Alabama, but then there was a lot of Alabama staples. But those Alabama staples came from mine Kiffn. I'm saying. So, I don't think, Matt. I don't think the Patriots playbook, even though it's kind of three or four degrees removed. Oh yeah, I don't think the Patriots playbook is going to be totally foreign.
Too, like the the RPO stuff, the empty stuff, like all that stuff.
I'm sure as president, but I don't even say. I bet even some of the terminology there's going to be carryover from what he was doing at or from what Corral was doing at Ole Miss with Alabama's former offensive coordinator.
Yeah, absolutely so very interesting stuff. Matt Corrall on fifty three man roster claimed by the Patriots. So on the fifty three man roster now Bailey Zappi is still on the practice squad. Malie Cunningham is still on the practice squad. Last thing on Macrrel because we kind of broke down Macarrel enough. I want to get to some of the other things about the initial roster. I want to go back to the what I just mentioned briefly. Week one,
Philadelphia comes to town. Who's the backup quarterback? Because in mcare on the.
Roster, I think, because you're not going to activate or you're not gonna elevate Bailey's Appy, why not and then use the third quarterback or your quarterback.
Cratch mac Correl. He just would be Then why is why is mat Corral here developed to develop them? Clearly?
I guess maybe I think it's Zappy. I think they have too many other guys that need to elevate. They're gonna need to elevate a running back. They're probably gonna need to elevate a tight end.
Maybe they don't elevate the tight end.
Mm I'd like maybe I just I think it's too. I think you can rule out we we thought it was kind of a lock that Bailey's Appy was going to end up back on the fifty three at some point. Yeah, I think that's out the window.
Yeah, I'm I'm honestly, this whole thing is really surprising to me. How I know, you don't want me to call it a downfall, but I'm calling it a downfall.
I just think it's on.
I'm so surprised that we've come this far though with it. I really am like to I take, like I said, you do, but to go aux, to go from what we saw on that Monday and I did against Chicago.
But chanting, is it really take the media thing out of it if you're looking at it in the room, Like, here's a guy that played really well in two games against two of the worst defenses in the league and then struggled against the worst defense in the league and then had a bad summer. Take the whole Zappi fever thing out of it. Yeah, there, it was not that hot of a take to say you were worried about their backup quarterback situation. I don't know how much Matt
Correll fixes. It doesn't to me Matt Correll is a ball of clubs. I think I think Bailey's Appy right now is a better quarterback. Me too, That's what I'm saying. So I had him, I had him ahead of Mat Corral in that draft. Zappi be the backup in a week. That's my point, on top of the fact that you have to get more integrated. All right, you might be right, you might be right, like I just think Bailey Zappi is the floor. Right Like Bailey Zappi is a floor backup.
Matt Corral is a guy that has a little bit of a ceiling, totally different blairer than Bailey Zappi. Jonathan emailed in and I wanted to weigh in on the Zappi thing, and uh, you know he he plays out a compelling argument here about how much Zappi has regressed and how you know, we really should be you know, talking about that more. I think, without any tools to give guy a guy upside, you want a certain floor to be happy with that spot, meaning the backup quarterback.
Last year he gave that, gave you that. This year, while a line player was a problem, he also took looks like he broke his mechanics, and he misses his easy throws without pressure weights too often. If you have both a low floor and a low ceiling, you have an issue. We've obviously seen. You can do worse watching Trace sorely shots fired. But Zappi's regression should hugely change their view on him. So this is what I wanted
to address. Should do you? Is your view on Bailly Zappi hugely different than it was a year ago.
M No, that's all the I said it. For a second. He's a good backup quarterback. Yeah, he's not a starter. He does belong in the league. He is a good backup quarterback. Matt corral may or may not be an NFL court He may be a starting NFL quarterback. He may be an XFL starting quarterback. Like, I don't know yet.
I'll watch him in the XFL.
Yeah, but I'm saying, like, I have zero idea what Matt Corrall is an NFL pass. I didn't think he was great in joint practice last year. Yeah it was two days. I'm not gonna give my whole opinion based off that. Yeah, I didn't love him coming out of college. I thought, all right, this is a guy that's really athletic. I don't know what else he does. We'll see how they coach him up. He's a lottery ticket.
Yeah, that's how I feel. My opinion on Billy Zappie has not changed. It all because of a couple things. One, I think we're both in agreement that we kind of thought this is who Bailey Zappi was all along, and he was propped up in the situation that he was in last year. Get as much as we destroy Matt Patricia on this show, and we enjoy doing it based
off of what he put us through last year. You got to give him a little bit of credit, Like he made Bailey Zappi look look pretty good for two games, right, Like, give him a little bit of credit for that. I guess there's one thing that we can give him credit for. But my feeling on Zappy hasn't changed. I think that
this is who he always has been. But I also think at the same time that if you put him with the starters right, starting offensive line, starting receivers, and then you watered down Bill O'Brien's offense to make it similar to what he ran last year, if you had to start him in a game like the scenario we laid out earlier where the exact same thing happens as last year. I think that they could put a game plan in for Bailey Zappi to be okay, just like
he was last year. So that's why my opinion hasn't changed on him. I think he showed us this summer what we already knew to an extent, but he proved to us this summer that he is not a starting quarterback that's capable of opening up the birth of your playbook, right Like, he's not going to come in here and run all these different things and change all these different things at the line of scrimmage and make all these checks and these audibles and all. That's not going to
be Bailey Zappi's game. But if you absolutely if you had to start Bailey Zappy in a game, and you go back to some of the stuff they did with him as a rookie and you water it down and you narrow it down to the things that he's good at, I think that he would still be serviceable as a backup. So I guess my opinion hasn't changed that much. I do agree with the email that his mechanics and like all the s side arm stuff. I think messed with
it a lot. He missed a lot more short throws in the quick game than I remember him missing as a rookie. You know, slance, you know that type of stuff a lot more this summer than I remember him last year. But again, I don't think my opinion on him as Drassic change because I still think you could make him a competent spot starting backup if you absolutely had to. And I still feel that way. Yeah, And
I think mac Corral is a totally different animal. I think that's that's a ball of clay that you're hoping it can develop long term into something.
Yeah.
All right, let's take this call from Eddie in California. Eddie, what's up?
What's going on?
Guys?
Hope you guys are doing good today. I kind of like the route that the Patriots are taking in these three development quarterbacks. Cunningham's at the end now Corral, and I think I do prefer that over veterans like Colt McCoy, because I feel like if we get a veteran like Colt McCoy, it won't it won't light up the offense. And I get that these developments won't light him up as well, but I think it'll just be more fun
to watch. And I feel like we know that we probably don't have a playoff push, and so taking a veteran quarterback probably is just like I just feel it won't make the games enjoyable. What do you guys think about that?
Okay, Edi, Yeah, I understand your point. You know, there's a little bit of h and thanks for the call.
There's a little bit of the unknown, right, there's a little bit of the upside, and like maybe with corral to a little bit of mobility, Like just like Blie Cuttingham goes out there for one drive in a preseason game against Houston in the fourth quarter against a bunch of guys that just got cut, and everybody goes crazy because he can run around, right Like, So I guess there's there's sort of that element that makes it more exciting.
We've got a couple of calls, and I was really putting on doing this this last week or next week. Excuse me, but just quickly, am I a homer and am I a good team employee? Alex? If I say that I disagree with these people that are calling in that say the Patriots have no playoff chances.
They have playoff chance. I mean they should contend for that that fun a wildcard spot. Yeah, I don't think it's a guarantee. I don't think it's a lock, but like they're not going to be out of it before December.
I don't right, I agree with you. I don't agree with the car say we don't really have a chance to make the playoffs this year. I don't agree. Last year, this team was eight and nine, and granted we've talked about this, it was kind of a fake playoff race for them down the stretch last year. They weren't really in it. They needed a lot of help and they needed to beat Buffalo and have other teams completely fall apart. So I get they weren't really in it, but they
were technically one win shy of the playoffs. Like if they had gone nine to eight instead of eight and nine, they would have had tiebreakers to keep them out of the playoffs. So I think that they have playoff hopes. Do they have hopes to win a playoff game? Probably not? But do I think that they could make the playoffs? Yeah? Why not? Like I think you take an eight and nine team last year you give them a real offensive coordinator, you upgrade in a couple different spots. I think I
don't think it's that crazy. Let's get to some of the other things about the roster before we wrap it up here. I don't think either one of us was surprised about two tight ends. I think that I talked myself into three at a couple points, but I don't think it was totally shocking to see them only roll with two. I am interested to see how they block it, right, Like, is Hunter Henry gonna be a better blocker this year
than he was last year? Maybe, like with the coaching and the scheme and the angles and all that stuff improved, Like maybe he can be KAUZICKI I still view as a receiver. I don't think he's gonna block very much for you. Do they use like a guy like Tyrone Wheatley played tight end in college? Like, do they use him as like a sixth offensive I.
Think you're gonna see a lot of six offensive one, especially early on. We talked about the past rushes. I think you see some of that.
I think that's possible as well, So not a huge shock there. Their running back situation, we've talked about it a little bit. This one did surprise me because, yes, I know again similar to the Zappi thing. Yes, they have their running backs on the practice squad. Time Montgomery and Kevin Harris are on the practice squad. Remember when Belichick, there's two years that I feel like Belichick in Belichick so bad when it came to running back depth that
I never thought we would go back there again. It was the Stephen Jackson year. What was that twenty fifteen I think it was fifteen, Yeah, where they had to place Stephen Jackson's corpse in like the last two games of the season because they didn't have any other running backs. And the other one ended up being something that they were kind of ahead of the curve on with Cordell Patterson and they actually they discovered he was a running back before anybody else did. And now he's a great
running back in Atlanta, which is kind of ironic. But in eighteen, right, it was eighteen that they had to use Patterson at running back, and after that I just thought there was no way that they would they would leave themselves high and try it running back none And they're not totally high and dry because they have the
guys on the practice squad. But I go back to the pier strong trade and I wonder, you know, is Time Montgomery really the change of pace back, if you want to call it that that this team needs, Like is he really capable of doing that? Is he going to be healthy? Is he going to be ready to go that? Those are the big question marks. But how surprised were you about two running backs? And like, where do you think they go from here?
At this I thought j Taylor into roster spot. I understand them being hesitant giving Time Montgomery one because of his injury history, and I think the practice squad is perfect spot for him. But they yeah, it's it's well under what they usually do. I was, I was pretty surprised by that.
Yeah, Uh me as well. All right, let's go over to the defensive side of the ball and then I'll we'll wrap with with your kickers, your your rookie kickers winning the jobs. I know that that makes you happy. Uh well, I guess really quickly. I'm sorry. I know I said we were gonna go defense. Was there any question in your mind at the end that Pop Douglas and Kasehan Boody were both going to make the team now.
After that, after the way I was a little on defense about kash On Booty going into the final preseason game, but once they they didn't give him a chance to earn a spot, which told me, yeah, he's got one right.
Right, So you could have read that one of two ways. Obviously, you could have read it that they didn't want to put any more film out there and have them not sneak into the pie. I was with you, I.
Don't believe in that the whole there trying to bury Hi. They're trying to hide him. You give players every chance. They can't turn a round.
The only thing that I thought that maybe they hid was Malik at quarterback. They hit that a little bit.
You can hide things schematically, Yeah, but I don't think you're like, all right, we're gonna bench him and sneak him on another practice Like that doesn't right.
I thought sense the second that Kaishan Boody took that slant forty two yards of the house at Lambeau, that's all.
That's when I knew I wanted him on this That's when I knew I wanted him on the team. On the team, I didn't know if that was going to be enough for them, but apparently.
Yes, and they're like that.
And then he had the good week when they came back when they were getting ready.
For tennis sae. Yeah, and he was good in the practices in Green Bay too.
Yeah.
So what I love about that that cat sit.
He's a gamer, dude, I'm telling I wonder if he kind of got the feeling that he was maybe on the fence and was just like, all right, let's show him what I can do. Let's open it.
Yeah. I love when people are like, all, like the safety took a terrible angle in Green Bay. Yeah, like it wasn't a good angle, but he also ran through the angle like you know, like he took the ball and he exploded after the.
Safety took a bad angle because the margin for error was so minuscule because of the way. Yeah, that's what he does. I remember the comp for him before the draft, like if he maxes Max's maxes out, Oh no, it was not mine, Debo.
Oh man, that's a big comp.
But like that kind of player.
I don't know if he's I don't know if his breakaway speed is like quite as good as Debos, But what he's good at is he's it's weird with him because his his straight line speed doesn't show in his route running, like he doesn't run by people on like a go route or something like that, but he hits a different gear with the ball in his hand.
It's more a you Also, for his size, you don't expect a guy to move that fast. And so you know, bigger receiver, you think you got to square up, tackle him, go low. The smaller, quicker receivers, you give yourself more room. You kind of can't with him, yeah, because if you square him up, he'll run over you. And if you hesitate to get to the point to give him more room to cut, he exactly what he saw against Green Bay.
So it's just he's weird because like when you watch him on film, you're like he just has no juice, Like he's not running by anybody, and he's not really threatening on a vertical stem or Like there's just no juice to his route running.
It's not dynamic like Pop Douglas runs dynamic routes like that guy right it was explodes off the line, gets into the break like all that with with Kaishawn Booty, it's like he just he's like a different guy with the football in his hands.
It's very weird. It's a little Kendrick Bournish like. I think that there's a little bit of an overlap there in terms of skill set, but it's it's a it's kind of a cool, uh study. Let's go over to defense. I was happy for Sam Roberts. I thought, I thought he played his butt off the entire preseason and made the team like he We talk, you know, you talk
a lot about Alex like the at large roster spots. Yeah, he was competing for an at large roster spot and he took the dang thing like he he made the team like it wasn't like, oh, we need like six defensive linemen and to meet the threshold, we're gonna keep Sam Roberts. He forced his way on.
He was too good. He was too good. Love seeing guys like that, and you know he's gonna be here too. He might play too, He might play a little bit. I'm not exactly sure where, but the fact he can play pretty much any spot on the defensive line. Like last year, I did he he dressed only one or two games.
He played like very spare, Yeah, but he did. He did play.
He might play a little more this year.
Yeah, edge rushers your favorite. No, Ronnie Perkins back on the practice squad.
Didn't surprise me.
Yeah, so that's that's the one that you just like, can't really take the take the bait of the final preseason game beating up on like six string tackles.
Well, it was more so my when I was doing my last roster projection, my last spot was Sam Roberts Ronnie Perkins. That's what it came down to. And like Sam Roberts was good in Green Bay, he was good in the Green Bay game. Ronnie Perkins was hurt for most of that and then just came back and had a last good preseason game. So it was one game versus two weeks. And maybe if he wasn't hurt that down that stretch, he makes a stronger case. But yeah, just off one game, it's it's tough to give it to him.
Where As Mac Wilson made the team.
Yes, and no, I no, no, I wasn't.
I was surprised.
I was like, what's his role like a special special teams Okay, Marte Mophu's backup?
Do you really need like Marta Mapu as a rookie might already be a situational backup, Like, do you really need a backup to the backup?
I think they're playing have bigger plans for map that.
I hope so, but I'm not convinced of it.
Leadership, he's been here that kind of thing. I think he just made it on intangibles.
All right.
I just I I wouldn't have It's one of those ones like I wouldn't necessarily have put him on. But I understand based on the way they operate, why he made the team.
I feel like, and maybe this is just my bias coming in. First of all, his run defense film last year, in his run defense film in the preseason, is not playing.
He's only gonna play on third downs.
He can't play in the run game.
He's only gonna play on the third down.
The second thing I would say is that I get I do. I get a little bit frustrated when they keep guys like this, where you have these younger players like a Mapou that are better than Mac Wilson. And sometimes I fear that he'll play the veteran guy, right like I fear that Bill will play the veterans.
Oh that's all valid, but I'm just saying like, that's the kind of guy they keep for exactly what you just said. I I just that's why they want him as a fallback.
Nothing to do with mac Wilson. If he's listening to ob he doesn't take this personally. I almost like it when they cut those types of guys so that Bill doesn't have the option to play the veteran over the young guy. That's just where I stand with with Mack Wilson corners, no big surprises at the top, right like Christian DAWs, John Jones, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones.
Are we like out of the woods at this point that Jack Jones like he's gonna uh no, no he.
Has is I think the next hearing is in between week one and two.
No, but like at this point he's gonna be on the field week one. Yeah, okay, so unless the league steps But I'm saying like they usually step in by now. Yeah, probably that's what Okay, Yeah, but usually the league also lets like the legal stuff right carry through before they
really get involved. One quick thing on Miles Bryant, take your your little your little tweets out of my replies on Miles Bryant is on the roster, all right, Like I understand that Patriots fans have frustrations with Miles Bryant.
I get it. We all have the same frustrations. You know how many people, Alex, you get their applies to, like the initial why is Miles Bryan on this team? Like why why can't we move on from Miles Bryant. Miles Bryant is not a man cover corner. He's not a man to man guy. He's too slow and he's not capable of keeping up with starting caliber NFL receivers in man to man. We know that. But they have really really big shoes to fill. And I'm writing about this for Monday, so you can check that out. They
have really really big shoes to fill. With Devin mccordy, they're gonna be a little bit more too high. I think they're gonna still play some zone like they those are the roles that Miles Bryant's gonna be competing for. I think, I hope I would assume that he's gonna be out of Week one or week two against Miami, Like you know, Miles Bryant, you got Jalen Waddle, Like, I don't think we're doing that anymore. But at the same time, I he's somebody that is really heady and
zone coverage. He's a sound tackler, he's got good instincts. He's a good zone player, zone player, and a smart, savvy, veteran type of guy. I have no problem with Miles Bryant being on the team, and I think we need to stop picking so much on Miles Bryant. That that's my soapbox moment with Miles Bryant.
Miles Bryant. It like Miles Bryant is not as bad as he's looked because they haven't used him correctly. If they're not a corner, if he's not if they're gonna use Miles Bryant correctly, I actually think it makes a lot of sense to keep him for a lot of the reasons you just said. If they're gonna have him try to man up on an island the other team's fastest wide receiver, yeah, it's not gonna go well, right, Isaam right exactly, So I don't mind them keeping him.
I think he's a very smart football player. I think he's a very physical football player, especially for his size, and there's value in having that. He'll play on special teams He's a good guy to have on the back end who can come forward and make him play. But you now have the whole thing's built out of slot corners pretty much. John Jones, Marcus Jones, Sean Wade. There's no reason Miles Briant should have to play slot corner reps this year. As long as they keep him out
of that role. I'm fine with him making the team because I do think that he does bring an element of toughness and football IQ to the secondary.
Let's lay off Myles Brian. That's all I'm saying.
I just just just understand what you're watching.
Also, you mentioned Sean Wade, Yeah, made the team, and I am I allowed to be like, I don't want to use the word excited, because I'm not. You know, he's probably gonna be like a fifth defensive back and he he he might even be in active honestly for game day. But I'm like a little bit intrigued. Is that the right word? Maybe by Sean Wade. And the main reason is We've talked about so many times with Sean Wade that his big season at Ohio State was
playing slot cornerback. It was not playing on the boundary seasons. Yeah, his big The reason why he was on the NFL's map was because of how good he played in the nickel role in Ohio State, its slot corner role. The Patriots have moved him back there this year. They've played him there in a little bit at free safety, and
I thought he had a really good summer. And I think between that, the fact that he's really a natural slot and not an outside corner, and the fact that he actually brings some size to the slot as well. Because as much as they're gonna play Miami twice a year and they're gonna have to go up against Waddle and Hill, and they're gonna have to go up against speed slots every week, they're also going to potentially see some slots that are bigger, you know, like a guy
like a Garrett Wilson for example. And I know you probably don't want to put Sean Wade on Garrett Wilson, but I'm just using him as an example. They are going to play some bigger slots too, and they needed somebody with some size one two hundred pounds. He brings that element to it. I think he can play safety and he can play corner. I'm a little bit intrigued by Sean Wade. I thought he had a good summer, and I think that he's just at home playing out of the slot.
So this is another one like Matt Corral. They love signing these guys that were like elite high school talents, yeah that didn't pan out, and seeing if they can tap into that. How impressive was Shawn Wade in high school eleven he won the Game USA D National Football Player of the Year for defense. He was named of all the defensive players in high school football nationally in twenty sixteen. The best other guys who have won that Caveon Thibodeaux first round pick Kooyd McKinstry gonna be a
first round pick. Solomon tulia Pupu is an edge rusher for USC. I don't know if you're familiar with him. It's the Trojans, are you actually no?
I think does he have a brother, Tully?
I think that is him. I think he goes by TULLI yeah, oh yeah, he just got drafted. Oh no, no, no, so it is his brother, Yeah, sorry, no, because he's still there. It's gonna be his.
Last His older brothers in the NFL, his older brothers.
In the NFL. Jabrill Pepper's won this, Jadavian Clowney won this, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence on offense, Kyler Murray, Leonard Fron, Like you talk about the guys that Sean Wade's in company with. He went to Ohio State, was a really good slock owner, really good slock owner. For two years. People thought he was gonna be a first round pick. And then in that twenty twenty season, and remember we loved him going into that drifts, You're like, here's value.
This is a guy's a first round pick fell to the fifth round. Why they played him on the boundary and he just couldn't do it. And I think it messed him up. Because he's talked about his confidence level. It seems like he's gotten back in that groove. He's playing back in the slot where he's comfortable, he's confident, he's making plays there. There is a ton of natural talent when it comes to Sean Wade to tap into.
I intrigued.
I really think the last couple of years was all mental. Yeah, And if they have him back on the right track, you're talking about a guy who can be a top three corner. You're talking about a guy who was the potential to be we'll see if he gets there, potential to be a starting slot corner.
So I think we saw some of those flashes in camp. Yeah, I mean he had that pick on the goal line and it would have been a pick six in a game that showed some really, really heavy instincts. He sniffed the screen out, jumped the pass, and ran it back the other way. I talked to him briefly in the locker room on Wednesday after they cut downs and officially made the team, and when I asked him about playing back at home in the slot, I think, is how
I freez like you could. The relief on his face was just like, yeah, like this is where I belong, this is.
Who I am. And I again, I think the theme of this show. He's kind of been taking flyers on players in those Ball of Clay players. If there's a guy you're gonna bring in and you're not really sure where you're gonna use him, but you want to give him a roster spot because of potential, this is the kind of guy you do that with. This is absolutely the kind of guy you do that with. Okay, So speaking of so shout out and again that he came back and made the team after two rough years, like super happy.
Yeah, speaking of balls of clay and making the team. And I I gotta admit I didn't see a mere speed making the team. And I guess I probably should have seen a little bit more once Isaiah Bolden's injury happened and that kind of opened the path for him. They Belichick what like a week ago, two weeks ago, called him a developmental player.
I think So here's the thing. I don't think they think he's a corner. I think they see him as a Matthews Slater type, as a pure special teamer. Well, then in that context, it makes a lot of sense.
So if they well they they basically listed him I think on one of our graphics as a stage.
So I was going to bring that up. I wasn't sure. Yeah, the graphic you guys did, which looked really cool. Shout out to the graphics team. YEA, yeah, No, I liked it.
I liked it.
It was a cool graphics. All the offensive players had read behind them, all the defensive players they blew behind him. It was like all the head shots and then the special teamers. So Nick Fole not nick Fole, Chad I got I'm just defaulting to that. Chad Ryland, Bryce Baringer, Joe Cardo, and Matthew Slater had white behind them, So did Chris Board would you kind of expect and a mere speed?
Yeah?
So I maybe that telegrams. I know the graphics people are making them football decisions. But did they get like a list and he was listed as a specialist.
I think I think they did.
So. Yeah, I don't think he's ready to play corner in the NFL. Maybe in a year or two he could get there. I thought Isaiah Bolden showed me much more in that regard. But spend a lot of time with Matthew Slater, spent a lot of time with cam Ac Cord. Bill Belichick, you know, was complimenting him and the way he plays in the kicking game. So did Matthew Slater. In that context, it makes a lot of sense. We were kind of talking about, Oh they're keeping less. This is specialist.
Brendon Schooler I think is technically like a safety or a dB.
I think Brendan Schooler was he might have had white behind him.
That he is now you know, we know he's a special team.
Right it's a Brendan schooler. But Brendan schooler we knew from the beginning.
Shout out to Dylan and Karina for the great.
Because he made it. Brendan's schooler who had white behind him, Bryce Barrier, Chris Bord, Joe Cardona, Chad Ryland. Yes, Brendan Schooler did, Matthew Slater and a mere Speed. So that's and that's the full group.
So they're special teamers.
Those are the special teamers. So I if they're going to play a mere Speed at corner, I'd be spriced.
Yeah, Oh I would be too. I mean, I think that's a long way. I think essentially six guys that can play corner that are actual corners. All right, we're going to clear the floor. Your your rookie specialist, Your your Patriots punter and kicker for the twenty twenty three season. Chad Ryland, Bryce Berenger, the young kid, the kids. The kids won the jobs.
The kids are all Alex.
How close was it really for either of them?
I think it got a little close with Barringer when he had that rough week in Green Bay, if that makes sense. This is what it always should have been. I know you don't want to hear it. The only question of Kicker was whether they were going to keep both of them or not. And I honestly believe Evan that that was a consideration.
I'm not going to push back on you on it anymore because they didn't do it, so we don't have to.
But I do think it was something they thought about.
I think, I'll give you this. I think that it was something that they thought about. But I think the only reason why they seriously might have considered it was because for leverage for a trade like I think that they might have looked at it like.
Made the trade later. I kind of wondered that as well, like.
They might have looked at it and said, you don't want to give us what we want in the trade for Nick Folk, well just keep him right, like that sort of thing, and then eventually in season like Tennessee comes calling and they're desperate and they and they make the trade happen. I I was a little bit. So were you surprised that all they got was a twenty twenty five seventh? I was a little bit.
I wonder you talked a lot about the reason that they were letting Nick Folk rep as much as they did, was a respect thing. Yeah, right. I wonder if Bill Belichick went to Nick folk and said, where do you want to go? Yeah, and that.
Well, I've talked in Tennessee, I think earlier today. Yeah, And he has said that the Patriots initially said that they were waiving him or cutting. He wasn't going to go on waivers, so cutting him. But I don't know if it was the Patriots that came to him then and said, but Tennessee is showing interest. And I think that they asked Nick Folky like, would you rather be a free agent or would you rather go to Tennessee?
Like what? He you know, what do you and he said that he I think Frable actually called and recruited him to Tennessee and he he said, let's make the trade.
All right. So I wonder if there was an element of that yeah in there. As for this so little spoiler alert, I'll have my bold predictions up next week. My bold predictions for the Patriots season up on ninety eight five of the sports sub dot com. One of them is going to be chat ed Ryland and Bryce Bearinger both play seventeen games. I hope so well, I'll tell you why that's a bold prediction, Evan, I don't think it's bold, but the numbers tell us it's bold.
Yeah.
The last team to have two rookie kickers start Week one, Yeah, was the twenty eleven, twenty fifteen you've already heard me do this, Miami Dolphins.
I stole it from you.
The last Oh did you use this?
Oh?
Of course, well, I stole it from PFR. The last team to have two rookie kickers play rookie kicker and punter play at least ten games both was actually more recent. It was it twenty eighteen than Oakland Raiders because Daniel Carlson, people forget started the season Minnesota. Yeah, the last team to have two a rookie kicker and rookie punter both play a full season. It Actually, it's never surprised. It's never happened in the seventeen game season. You have to
go back to twenty eleven. Alex Henry and Chris Henry not related, they're spelt differently for the Philadelphia Eagles, So this is pretty unprecedented. You don't see this so in that sense, Well, I.
Mean, I do think it's a little team that draft a punter and kicker in the same draft in like one hundred years or something like that.
No, because the Raiders did that like three times under Altavis.
No, they were the first time team in a while to do that, though, I.
Think it's been done more recently than twenty eleven.
Though. Oh, they drafted a punter and a kicker in the same draft. Yeah, that was like going around, was it?
Either way? It hasn't happened since twenty sixteen that two guys have played a full season. So I'll be interesting because.
It's our job to be uh, you know, to poke holes and everything. Right, that's that's just the gig.
Yeap.
What is your biggest fear?
Oh, sorry, no, it's not twenty eleven. It's twenty twelve. Oh, it's twenty twelve, twenty twelve, and it's actually so this is a good omen. It was the twenty twelve Saint Louis Rams, Greg Zerline and Johnny Hecker, which if these guys turn into Greg Zerline and Johnny Hecker, pretty good, it's a pretty good draft.
Get Bill Belichi'm sorry.
Both of those guys are drafted. Okay, Oh no, Johnny Hecker was undrafted, So build and take.
Him sing, What is your biggest concern, not not about the roster decision, Yeah, just their biggest concern about Chad Ryland and Bryce Behnger individually their performance this season.
Uh, like looking ahead or my biggest concern from what I saw in the summer. But yes, so it kind of almost goes to what you talked about with Mac Wilson. Yeah, there's gonna be growing warts with Chad round there are, and I think he's an NFL caliber kicker, but there's gonna be growing pains. And I hope that they don't panic it. They like part of having a rookie kickers that you're just that's what you're signing up for. Yeah, and I hope that they know that's what they've signed
up for. So I when that comes one, how's he going to handle it? And how's the team gonna handle it?
Uh?
My biggest concern with Baringer, I thought it was pretty good. I don't know he he It's not even a weather thing because he's been in in Michigan.
I think Bearinger is like a classic. He's a classic long ball hitter. Though, like he's gonna have some shanks. We saw some shanks and so in the three.
But I would also say this. I I was gonna say, my biggest concern every punter is shanks. My biggest concern is touchbacks. Yeah, I think they're gonna be more aggressive going for it un fourth down over the fifty. That's a Bill O'Brien specialty.
No, I've been I've been hoping and dreaming of that since twenty eighteen. Hasn't happened.
They did a little bit nick fall early on. Yeah, twenty twenty one, they were kind of aggressive. Yeah, no, I yeah, there's gonna be a shank. There's gonna be shanks with Bearinger, but I don't think it's gonna I don't think he's gonna shank the ball more than the average punt.
I actually agree with the you know the shank stuff. Yeah, you're probably right, will be pretty look much.
He's not gonna perfectly hit every pun he's gonna kick this season.
Yeah, touchbacks, I would say, is a big one. And like and in the same vein as like I'm kicking your coverage is a thing like I did it like in life, but like it's a thing to do it like in general. Right. Ah, that was good? Can we click that and said that home. Uh, it's good to. Uh, it's good to you can really out kick your coverage,
Like that's a thing that can happen. And I we saw it a little bit in Tennessee, like you bomb one seventy yards and it's like, you know, Matthew Slayer has got a long way to go to cover that.
Look, they kept one of their fastest players in a mere Speed. Maybe those two things are related. The need for speed is so, I would say. So. The thing is he kicks it far, but he doesn't kick line drives.
No, he gets it. He gets it up there.
He really does. And this goes back to my thing, Evan, what's the proper application of the forty yard dash? Do you know this at this point? So the reason they were on the forty yard dash when they started the combine, it was very simply the average punt at the time was forty yards and it was can you get down the field in time? Teams would compare the forty yard dash to their punter's average hanngtime, and it was can you get down the field in time to cover a punt?
A mere Speed's forty four point three four seconds. He'd throw half a second on they're getting jammed at the line right dang fast. But that's a guy that's gonna get to how many hangtimes did Bryce Bearinger have this summer? Even on those boomers that.
So you think Gunner week one slater a mere Speed.
I'm trying to think who else they put out there. Seems like the schooler played Gunner a little bit last year, but he's.
More of an articular guy.
Yeah, you need fast gunners if you're gonna have a punter like this. But a mere Speed is very fast.
All right, there you go. That's that's that's what you get. On even another one, we connected dots of how a mere Speed is on this roster. Pretty surprising that he made it, and he's on the roster because he's got to cover punts.
I'll give you one more tay, you want to go to another level on this. Yeah, if they're going to elevate him at all this year, Malie Cunningham would be one of their faster gunners. And we saw him practice there.
You think Malie Cunningham can play gunner in an NFL game.
No, But they were giving him off, they were trying him out there.
So all right, Well that does it for this show. We're gonna be back next week, hopefully back at two o'clock if the schedule permits for the Patriots, but it should because it'll be a regular Thursday, and it'll be a longer break in between practice and open locker room next week, Alex, So Philadelphia the Eagles, h oh.
Yeah, we're we're We're back in, back in.
To season mode. We will well, we'll maybe talk a little, Brady, but I want to mostly focus on the game. And I'm gonna tell you next week. And I've already brainstormed this with the Alex off the air, but this is a pro tease right here. I'm gonna tell you next week why I think the Patriots offense, the offense can actually score some points against his Eagles defense. Alright, I'm gonna tell you that next week. You're gonna have to
come back next week and hear why. I'm outside my mind thinking that the Patriots are going to hang thirty on the Eagles in ten days. But until then, signing off for Map behind the Glass, Alex, I'm Evan Lazar. Thanks for listening. We'll see you guys next week, and thanks for watching on YouTube. Keep that up. Thanks.
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