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The world's of vaginal podcast Welcome to Patriots Unfiltered.
Evan told me he has a lot of experience making the turkey, really, which it's baffling to me that he would be put in charge of something like that.
But one of them and Palix, you might help me with a na latitis lativius or something like that. I think he's got center.
Marcus Jones textedt a VP said he could snap who's.
The other guy on the roster, like backup linemen that has some center experience?
To Smith, that was I was.
I think I said, let's eat it.
The sharps know something in this game. I don't know what it is. What's something.
You know somebody's gonna win.
It's hard to be ugly as a woman in twenty twenty four because there's so many things you can do. There's makeup, there's procedures like it's photox, like, I don't know if you're not trying.
You're just not Have you given up? Honey?
How come then you only eat turkey one day a year?
Is your god?
Right?
This is Patriots Unfiltered, presented by Toyota's official website. For deals, buy a Toyota dot com.
All right, welcome to Patriots Unfiltered. It is Tuesday here at Gillette Stadium. It's bye week here, but we still have a lot to talk about. We need to wrap up Sunday's game. I would say a real it's one that got away. Yeah, it's one that got away. They had this. We talked about this on the post game show. Paul Deuce, Evan'll be here, Matt's in the booth. They could have taken control of the game in the first half and they just didn't do it.
Yeah. Yeah, they were the better team I thought for basically the entirety the sixty minutes. And you're right that the two for six in the red zone inability to maximize the scoring opportunities ultimately came back and bit them at the end when they couldn't come up with a stop. But yeah, the game was You're gonna go down to the last play of the game and all that, but they should have had at least a two score lead, if not more.
Yeah, so easy to break down. I feel like red zone penalties, the last drive. Yeahah, those are the critical points of the game. And yeah, just that last drive just bugs me. I mean watching it yesterday again, watching it back, and they just couldn't They couldn't get off the field that Christianella said, we needed one guy to step up and make a play, and I didn't.
I mean, you know, there's been a lot of games over the last couple of years when the Patriots win, you know, we say, you know, was that really a Page's win or did the other team just play poorly? I wonder in Indianapolis if they're saying that, is that a Colts winner? Did the Patriots just play poorly, you know? Or did they Yeah?
And I don't think the Patriots played poorly. I just don't think they give it to us. Yeah, I do think that and it's it's one of those things because I actually think the offense played the best game they've played all year.
That's why, that's the fact.
Yeah, but I thought that like it it looked that way too. They literally marched the ball on every single drive except for the two following the turnovers, and like it just was a killer.
And I know that we're not blaming refs for the loss, but I look back at the Gonzales pick. It was a clear face mask that should have been another fifteen yards that would have changed. Obviously the position would.
Have run the ball twice since no attle.
Closer, but they would have automatic.
I thought he did hit him in the face. There's no question Listen that crew struggles in general, but I'm not going to go to a penalty that they didn't call. They did what they did offensively. I just think the mindset Fred that really bothered me. And we're going to get into a lot of these things, you know when we talk about the game. But it is eight minutes left in the game, and I feel like their goal was to milk clock right and I think the goal should have been points, which just reminded me of did you ever send back the mail bag because I didn't send anything to Chris. So Chris, if you're listening upstairs.
Nail bag is approved.
I'll get your mail bag and i'll get you the notes at two o'clock. Maybe when we take a break, I'll run and give them to you.
I think the phrase that popped into my head with that with it, it was just it wasn't hard to take it from the Patriots.
That's what it was like.
They had it for maybe a second, but they didn't do enough at the end to to hold on to it and to make it hard on the Colts.
And I mean, so I know everyone's killing the Patriots and the coaches for the two runs in the sack, and that's an indication of milking clock rather than trying to move the ball. But in their minds, could they well see, I just can't justify it. But I know that they thought that they were running the ball well all game.
But that might be true, but you were throwing the ball well all game.
Well that's why I just stopped myself, because they were also throwing the ball well too. So is it a fifty to fifty things?
So if you want to run it on first down because you're running the ball well all day. Fine, Yeah, you didn't run it well on first down, so you're gonna do something different. I said this on Sunday. Second and eight in the NFL is not a running down, It's not.
I think it goes to the aggressiveness thing that that's a theme that they've been kind of getting hit with that throw the ball. Drake's playing well, Put the game on the kid. Let him go win or lose with his arm. That's what I was willing to do in that game.
Like big picture of things like I know that we've made a lot and the three of us kind of agree. You know, if they win six games, five games, four games, it doesn't really matter to us that much because we understand where they are limitations wise with the roster. I think this game on Sunday was a little different. I think this kind of a game, you need to win that game for a lot of reasons. Number one, you played better than the other team. But at some point you need to have some tangible results to show your players, and I think when you're not getting any actual wins to create that culture that Gerardmeo says is difficult to create. He says it takes some time. That's a lost opportunity to start doing that that game.
Plus this is probably their last best chance.
That's true too, But like I just look at it as they haven't, Like I didn't look at the The Tennessee game to me was like this game, only Tennessee was the Patriots. In the Tennessee game, you know, it was a game that could have gone either way, Like the Patriots could have gone for two and stolen.
The game at the whoa, oh, we just lost our lights. I don't know what happened.
I'm gonna guess that we're not on the air too.
But are we on the air? Are we still on air?
We are still okay, well, we'll keep going.
We're in the dark.
But I thought there was some similarities to the Tennessee game, almost in reverse. Yeah, like the Patriots could have gone for two at the end and stolen the game the way the Colts did. But the Titans really I thought were the better team over the course of the sixty minutes. Sure this is the opposite. So I wasn't like I was disappointed that they didn't go for two, so we because we didn't get to see that. But I was way more disappointed as you know, as like just a watch watching the game of this loss, because I felt like they absolutely were in control of this game. Fred's was laughing at me because like, I haven't had this feeling in a long time. Like I really thought like at the end of the game, they're gonna win. They're not, They're not gonna score. The Patriots are gonna start Like I don't know why I felt like that, but I just felt like that day, the Patriots were that much better than the Colts. Yeah, and they still couldn't win.
I just I felt bad about the defense going into it, and that was you know, putting it all on them at the end, and you hope that they were going to be able to step up. But you know, I think they they had a couple turnovers, But I just think when you stack up the two sides, the offense has made some strides this year. Like I find it really hard to say, like Alex Van pelt out, like how can you look at.
What Drake I thought they had done great game with the exception of that, you know.
Is there a chance that Drake may saw maybe a lighter you know, are heavier, I'm sorry, a lighter box and audibled into a run.
I mean, yeah, I'm not going to eliminate any possibilities that I have no idea about. Yeah, I mean absolutely there's a chance of that.
Ye possible. But I think there's showing elements of creativity.
You know.
Look, it's not perfect yet, but we talk about having a little bit of patience with a new staff. I mean, I think this is where you're looking at all. Right, we've been patient with Alex van Pell. Maybe he wasn't doing all the things that we wanted, but he's gotten our young quarterback to a place where he looks really good. Everyone in the league has taken notice of this kid. So for me, I say, continue to let that guy develop. But at the same time, you look at the defense that already had pieces and let's face it, a lot of holdover from Bill. These are Bill's guys on the defensive side of the.
Ball, and it feels for those guys too.
I saw that.
I saw that, and I feel that he had and he had to say, they resigned all my guys again.
So you heard that from Lombardi Space.
Theater.
I take a trip to the old man.
No.
Uh, Now we're gonna have to freeze.
But yeah, I mean I I I caught that thing with Bill and you heard the same hits that he obviously was saying to Lombardi about they brought all my guys back, right, Well, we.
Brought all your guys back.
Why do they think, like, why isn't it going right?
Like you still mean?
They're just watching the pregame show Sunday, Mike, someone asked us if we felt like there were more more players on offense or defense, more good players. I think we both agreed, if you're gonna just individually, there's more on defense, yeah, right, you know, I don't know if they have a tremendous amount of town on either side of the ball, but there's more on defense.
And it's not playing.
It's not playing up to, you know, even the level that they were at last year for a lot of those guys. And you know, certainly with Peppers coming back in Barmore, it starts to put a little bit more of a light on Well, is it about injuries or is it just that this defense isn't all on the same page.
We got we got workers working behind us here, engineers coming in pulling apart things.
Paul's coughing up along.
I can't believe a little space eater tripped.
Up the A lot of amps. I think a lot of amps, I guess.
So all right, Yeah, but I did think it was a frustrating loss just because the offense, what MIC's out like, the offense played so well, Yeah, and to only get twenty four points with all those drives like they should have had at least this, This should have snapped your thirty point streak, Mike, Yeah, this should have been.
The game forty one?
What is it now? Forty one? Forty one game?
Are you all right?
I'm gonna step out for a second.
I keep I keep predicting a thirty one point for the Patriots. You want to get there.
Can't get there, No, just can't get there.
And they should have though, you know.
And that's something Paul and I talked about on on Unfiltered, was just like, what do they do in the red zone?
How do they close it?
What are you born in a barn?
Hold on just going outside?
All right?
Now, it's just now, it's just deuce. It's just chaos here. During the bye week, things are falling apart here.
The Circus music with the Benny Hillton. Uh yeah, So now it's it was tough tough to swallow that one. And uh, you know it's it's we got the bye week. Now see what they what they come up with. They're practicing out there right now.
So yeah, see Pepper's back. How did he do?
Okay?
I mean I would have liked to him got that fourth down sack.
You know when he came in.
It was just a little late and his decision. Yeah, it kind of reminded me of the schooler one that he actually did make the sack in Chicago where he sees what's going on and then he goes. But he was just you know, a couple of steps late, uh in his decision to to go. So that was unfortunate. I you know, I just can't get over the fact that they did play very well on offense. I think it was Drake May's best game. You know, he spread the ball around, everybody kind of contributed, you know, Gibson, I think it was his best game running.
And they just.
Couldn't get to win. And and you know, you'll see it on the PU Show. But you know, eighty percent of games in the NFL end up eight points or less. You know, so I really I don't like it when Girod says, well, this is the NFL. You know, no, no, no, this is not the NFL. This is your team this year. Your team isn't a team that you know does the things to win the game. Your team right now is a team that does the things to lose the game, right And that's the hump you need to get over. You know, It's not a points thing, it's not a defensive points allowed thing. It's a mistake thing. You know, it's coming up, you know, in the big moments with the right decision, the right play. And that's that's what's separating now the Patriots from you know, three and eight, are you know, closer to five hundred so and you know, so forget about the points. You know, you know, there's no solace in losing close games right now because you're losing all the close games. And that's who you are right now, And that's the hump they need to get over.
Well, that's the question I'm wondering about Fred and you, I mean your team, I mean, I guess you've been here through it, Like do you do you subscribe to the theory that a team needs to learn how to win, Like is that you know what I mean?
Like, I don't know.
I like because Brady came in and oh one, and they just kind of seem to know how to win. And I hate comparing things to Brady, but.
But I agree with your point.
And that was one of my rants on Patriots on Filter on TV check it out Thursday. It's just I'm sick of hearing hows my bad on that one?
You know?
And Michael and Winnu this week with the third down where yeah, Drake audible to play and I, you know, and I didn't.
I didn't hear it and I went still to the left side.
It just seems every week we're talking about key plays in the game. We go to talk to the guys afterwards and they're like, yeah, that was that was me. I should have gotten a Killplemore's yard.
Steep, Like I'm sick of hearing the my bad, like lock in and play a good game.
There's different styles of coaching, and some coaches coach out of fear, like they want the players to be afraid to make mistakes. A lot of coaches don't subscribe to that. They think that's the wrong way. But I think there is something to be said about, you know, drilling into guys. Don't be the guy that ruins it. Yeah, don't be the guy that screws it up, that loses the game for your teammates. You know, I don't know, like you said it, guys, are you know, too quick to say, oh, it's my bad and you know just move on. There has there has to be accountability, and unfortunately there's not a lot of depth in this team, so guys have to play. There's no one all right, well you're sitting. Well, that's hurting the whole team because the person you're bringing up is you know, shouldn't even be out there. Yeah, so, but there, I think there needs to be a little bit of fear of God put into this team about you know, screwing up.
I totally agree.
I'd start with with the wide receiver room because I think that they're kind of the prime operators with this where it's yeah, you just ran the wrong route on that one. He didn't get the right depth on that one. He probably should have sat on that one. Like you know, you hear it week after week with that position group specifically, and it's been you know, an underperforming position group as it is. I just that that stuff has to end. And when Jonathan Jones, like I've heard him say at least two times this year we just weren't locked in, I'm like, what.
Are we waiting for? Like this?
Are you capable againting?
Is this team capable of getting locked in?
Because we're talking Paul about you know how Jerizell you know this. I tell the guys, this is the NFL, and you know, eighty percent of games and eight points so less right, and they're all one sc right, right, So don't look at the scoreboard and say, oh, we're.
Close, right, So you know that. I'm glad you brought that up. So he made a couple of mentions with two and five I think in one score games. That's that's what he used yesterday. So I remember that was a big thing last year. So I went back and looked in the first thirteen games. They had ten one score games last year, right, So.
At these games, the fact that you're losing those games, that's more important, right.
And you know in other sports those kind of tend to even out, you know, especially like baseball one hundred and sixty two games as a randomness to it, one run games they're generally going to even out a little bit. You know, bad teams actually typically win more one run games because they're not good enough to beat you by more than one run. But in the NFL, almost all of the games are close. Because I joke about this all the time. There's no homecoming games in the NFL, right you know, watch Carolina play? Anybody watched the Paranthers play lately? Like that's probably the least talent the team in the in the league in terms of just pure roster. They sold off a lot of parts and they're playing like nose to nose with everybody. That's just the nature of the game. But when it comes down to it, Kansas City is going to make the plays at the end of the Tampa Bay who's not a great team, but they're a better team than Carolina. They're gonna make the plays at the end of the game to beat you, cause you're not quite good enough to win those games. Yep. And that's what I think the Patriots are running into right now.
I mean, is it?
But is And I said to Fred, you know, do you subscribe to the theory of teams having to learn how to win? But I mean I go back to talent, like how much can coaching do, Like in a certain point, you're in those key moments, and that's where this Patriots team is continually faltered, you know.
Yep, So we continue to work on the lighting here. Just in case anyone's wondering, I hope our camera person is on his toes.
I don't think the cameras are.
I don't think the cameras are.
Oh, we don't have cameras either.
I don't think we're have cameras.
Oh okay, he look pretty dead.
Wow. So we are on the air though, right.
We are on the air, but not on TV.
Not on TV.
Just our voices.
Yes, we are audio only right now.
Faul's coffee is gonna just go out here?
Just yes, still, fretz there you go.
PEPSI doesn't do it. Oh you tell me that Pepsi. Alright, okay, all right. So so that's the game I talked about. You know again, I don't want to talk about penalties, but these these refs, I mean, that was a clear face masking Gonzales. At the end of the game. I watched the barbore one that everyone's screaming about the fact that it came down to that play. You know, you can't complain about the refs, but I don't think it was as much a penalty as people think. Wow, really no, because what happened is Barmore beat his man, and as as he beat his man, the man the guy that he beat kind of slid behind and fell and kind of grabbed Barmore as he was falling down, and and he kind of did pull him. But there's no way a ref and see that well, plus in that, you.
Know, the thing that I would say about that play is that when Quentin Nelson comes around, he trucked him. Now, he knocked him over this like I originally thought he got pancaked. And then when we saw the replay with Chris replayed over the guy, it was one of those low bridge He just like he got hit and then he ended up falling down. But I do think that he the guy on.
The ground was like the high.
D with you like in a pile and you just got killed. And like the guy kind of put his arm up and yeah, like I and and I don't I don't expect.
I didn't expect even if even if the guy behind Barber hadn't pulled him, he was getting trucked anyway, So I think he was being taken out of the play in any.
Now you want to talk the helmet hit on Hunter Henry, the face mask that you were talking about on Gonzalez. Yeah, so there's those calls that were missed. What did you guys think. I'm curious what you guys thought. Mayo got a lot of heat for not challenging that catch on the last drive.
Yeah, so he said he didn't get a good look at it. Which if you don't have it, you know, a look at it, do you risk losing that time out when you know they're going to be important in this game? You know? Then? I mean, we all watched it. Some people are saying it's clear evidence that the ball hit the ground. I don't think it did. I saw the tip of the ball exposed and it did make contact, but the ball didn't move.
I don't think they still don't understand that rule.
Right, it's not just touching the ground.
I agree with you. I think that would have been a toss up at best. Yeah, and I think I could see them overturning that and call it. Anything could happened in the end, But I thought the one the previous week in Miami was much more clear that Jalen Wattle did not catch it. Girod challenged it and they.
Upheld it and he lost.
I thought that one. I don't know if you guys remember this play, Yes, I sure do, I know.
I remember we was on our side in the press box.
Yeah, yeah, I thought that play was clear when they showed the replay that Waddle trapped it and they they held They upheld that call. So I think this one was much more to catch than that one.
I'm not killing Mayo for that. What I am wondering is why didn't he have a better look at So.
I also have another rant on Twitter I saw several times, so I think that was a seven yard completion on third and ten. I think it set up fourth and three, which they converted. I don't know if you know, Mike, but if they overturned that call, Patriots would have won.
Yeah, right right, Everything else would have happened.
No, but like, why does the fourth and ten play automatically not convert? They converted fourth and three? Like why why? I mean, why is it automatic that they wouldn't have gotten the first downright? Based on the way that drive went?
Sure, Evan, just so you know, I turned. Yeah, we had no cameras, no lights.
I'm sorry they're not ready for your close up today.
We still are on air so people can hear us.
Okay, it's throw Justify.
Practice has turned.
Has turn. I know it's cold out there. It's cold, yeah, so there must be a lot of grousing, mostly for me.
Honestly, I hate the cold. I'm soft. I I fully admit it. Yeah, I I it's chilly out there. This is probably the coldest day that we've been out there all year. I would say for practice. It was a little cold last week too, but this is pretty bad.
Yeah. Yeah, a lot of any sun out is that not helping?
Well, no, not really, because like half the field is in the shade. We're in the stadium today, and of course they put the media in the in the shade and in the sun, you know, because of how we you know, treated after the game on Sunday or something. I don't know, I'm just totally kidding, totally kidding.
But so the team did go into the Bowl today. I guess they're working on the practice fields.
Yeah and everything. Yeah, it's it's weird over there right now. So the training camp fields are getting resotted, regrasped tough time. And then the lower practice field there's construction going on right there, so like getting in and out of the lower practice field is like a little bit of a experience right now too, So it's all kind of coming together down there.
So it's Tuesday practice. It's a rare second Tuesday in a row, but a rare Tuesday practice because the team is going to take the rest of the week off being the bye week. Were they in pads?
No pads, no pads, you know, obviously upper shells, but but no lower pads, not in full pads. So just quickly on attendance before we get too distracted here, no Gelaanni Tavai and no Viderian Low or the two players.
Interest was on the radio this morning, but he wasn't at.
Practice, wasn't at practice. And Low has been dealing with that shoulder injury, and we see him walking around in one of those like shoulder splint thingies. That's not a splendor, I don't I don't know what to call it. That's certainly it's like a harness almost to like, you know, help him support his shoulder a little.
Bit based on the way the offensive line played last game.
Yes, you've got the buye.
Do you think they played well enough to stay the way they are the five? Or do you bring in cold strange after the bye? Well?
I just wonder where at this point, because I thought this was another solid game for Ben Brown at center and Laden Robinson. They clearly want to develop him and want him to play at left guard, and so he's not going in at left guard and that's sort of off the table, and he's not going in at center because Brown's been playing pretty well there. I don't know if he deserves to be benched by any means. So he doesn't play tackle unfortunately, so you can't bench one of the tackles for him. So not to say they have this embarrassment of riches, certainly not. But it's also just one of those things where like, do you want to bench a guy like Ben Brown who has been doing the job pretty adequately since he got it.
So, Yeah, So a lot of times in the summer in training camp, the hotter it is, the more clothes the coaches wear. They that's when they wear their you know, you know, layers. Yeah, do you see a lot of guys in shorts today and T shirts, you know, just to show like, you know.
Not a lot. There were a few guys players in shorts still. Christian Ellis was still rocking shorts and I was like braver man than me. I guess some of the coaches though, were just in like sweatpants and a sweatshirt, which I think is a bold move as well for how cold it is out there. But maybe they move around so much during practice that it doesn't really matter. Now, Hunter Henry was in a Patriots winter jacket underneath the pads. Uh so that's the look. That was what he was doing. I I don't think we have to release an injury report today because Tuesday and it's the bye week, So I don't think they need to release an injury report.
I don't think so.
But it looked like Hunter Henry was was there to hang out and not participate much in this practice today as well. So he might have just been bundled up to uh because he's going to be standing around a little bit.
Oh yeah, yeah yeah, So uh so that's your practice report, it is.
I guess that's the last practice of the week.
Was it Was it full media attendance or oh no, ye, a little lighter, a.
Little lighter today. Some people I think have actually taken the whole week off for the bye week. Very nice because good for them, Good for them.
It's been it's been tough.
I mean, can you imagine this has having a cover thirteen games?
This has been an especially rigorous season for the media.
Yeah, I mean a lot of Sunday at once. Yeah, it doesn't get much. Don't get no tougher than that.
It's tough. It's tough, got bites, you know, fix those fingertips.
You know, lot of carpal tunnel. Got to be worried about that.
I mean, in terms of the media, this has been a pretty pretty easy, easy year.
I mean it's scheduling wise, yeah, I mean, you.
Guys have had a couple of long trips, right, you had San Francisco, Yeah, London, you know, London, Miami.
Now we'll go to Arizona.
And you have the most Sundays ones I think we've had in twenty.
I can't remember. I can't remember having this many.
No, I know, I don't like to complain about covering a football team as it is, but yeah, no, no complaints in terms of any of that for you.
But I think we might be just talking about the rest of it on the television.
Yeah. I mean, look at thirteen weeks in a row, and if you really, if you want to go down this road, uh, you know, really, training camp starts and then the train has left the station. So it's really going back to July for most of us though we've been we've been grinding, as you like, Clay Fred.
So I hope everyone gets a well deserved break. Yep. So we already kind of talked about the game itself. Any take that you want to get off your.
Chest a couple I guess just listening to what you guys were saying when I came in, I'm going to disagree on the Christian barmore thing. I think it's two penalties in one block. Chop block, for sure.
I disagree with the front on that too.
Chop block, And I get why just by the look of it, it looks like a hole. But to me, by the rule, it looks more to like a chop block than a hold because he's got somebody around his legs and then Nelson comes up over the top like that is a textbook chop block, Like somebody's engaged with his lower body then hits him up top. Now with that being said.
There you go.
I have to acknowledge that just keep.
Going, job, guys, good job, might even get some heat back. Yeah, I know he was getting cold in here, wasn't it. It's cold.
Those are one of those situations. Heater, that's one of those situations though, where like it was, it was Fred right that plugged in the space heater. It's better him than any of us.
I do agree with that it was probably a penalty, But I also agree with Fred's point that it's hard like it's directly in the middle, to the right of where the ball was run. It wasn't even at the point of you know. But I do think you guys on the ground, I don't think it was an intentional chop. I think the guy like lost his balance and he ended up right at the guy's legs. I think Evan's right. I think by the letter of the chop block law, he's got the guy engaged, you know, at his legs, and then Nelson hits him. That's supposed to be automatic, right, So I was surprised that, I guess I would.
So do we figure out Let's just say that it was a penalty, All right, do we figure out what happens after that? Good?
Yeah, I was already wondering that actual point.
It's it's basically, you have the choice now to attempt the extra point from fifteen yards back or ten yards back. I can't remember how much it is for a chop block, or you can go for two from the twelve yard line if you wanted to.
So, if they wanted it, but if they wanted to kick, do you know that that's a fact because because that's a shorter extra point that it would be otherwise.
No, No, if they wanted to kick, the fifteen yards for the chop block would have been from the fifteen, so it would have gone back to the thirty and made it a forty eight yard.
Oh, forty eight okay instead of forty two, thirty three, thirty three yeah whatever, yea hard okay, okay.
Yeah, So they could still go for two if they wanted to. That they would have had to go for it probably, Yeah, so Dan Campbell wasn't in the stadium, so they probably would have just kicked.
If it was a penalty, it would have been over time, yeah, most likely.
Yeah.
Yeah, Okay, Now the one thing I will say about the penalty, and I get that this is probably wrong to say this, but I also feel like I don't want games decided.
Necessarily no call, but I do think it was a penalty.
Yeah, Like it was one thing. If you know it's a two point conversion and a guy's running wide open in the end zone and somebody tackles him, you know, it commits defensive pass interference or something like that. But this was one of those sort of in the trenches kind of things where I don't know. I don't know if I love the game being decided by a penalty in that spot if it doesn't have to be.
So I just found it made me so mad because of course, of course, like they let a nineteen play drive and then it's like but.
They held us on the two point, Like I'm like.
Come on, that was kind of my like, so I wake up money now. We saw this on the postgame show because when I the first time they showed it f I looked at it and I was like, wow, Bobo just got pancakes. Yeah yeah, because you just see the first shot and I see this like he had the red sleeves on, arms go up and I was like, Wow, Quinton Nelson killed him. Then they showed another replay and I'm like, oh, no, no, no, he didn't get pancake. There's a guy right behind him. It's like when you're in school and then they got table, you get your friend to set up behind him, and that's what I thought happened might start. So I was like, he didn't get pancake. That was just a low bridge, and that's what happened. Then I wake up Monday morning to the Zapruter film. Everybody and their brother had different angles of the travesty of this non call that like, and I'm kind of with Mike. I'm like, you just allowed that quarterback to convert three fourth downs in a nineteen play drive which was actually twenty one places because I think there were a couple of penalties along the way, and you're complaining that the two point conversion didn't get overturned with a you know, a chop block or in a hold or whatever I did.
Yeah, I'm one hundred percent with you. I understand from a player perspective though, because because I totally because you know, he you know, just talking after the game with some of them, like he knew the play that they were going to run because they've been running all game QB power. They've been running it. They probably read it ten times in the game. So he swims the tackle man to get to get into the backfield because he knows that that's where they're going to try to hit the play, and so he his in his mind, he was like, I blew it up, like I had, Like I was right there and I had.
With that because he beat his man, but he was now Nelson was coming. Nelson hit him right.
But did Nelson hit him because he had to make the tackle right for whiffing on the block on bar Moore? Like see, it's it's a domino effect, right, Like, because that that's not who bar who Nelson is supposed to block. Okay, so Nelson is fixing the mistake by the tackle by blocking bar Moore at the point of attack there, So it did someone else. Yeah, the linebacker theoretically should have been unblocked to make the play.
Because Richardson did touchdown. He did get hit outside, but they plowed him.
Okay, But I'm not like I think it was I think there was a penalty. Yeah, I definitely think it was a penalty.
I guess yeah, like the context of the game and how it ended, so technicality I wanted, you.
Know, yeah, it's too bad.
Yeah. My only other thought on the on the game was, you know, just again other than finding a way to lose all these close games, which is painful. But again, just watching the defensive film, you just you see a lot of issues on that side of the football, a lot of issues with just obviously talent level personnel, especially in the front seven, but also you know, assignment's run fits, coverage busts again in the red zone. Like there's just not a well coached, well oiled machine on the defensive side of the ball right now. And offensively, you're seeing some progress and you're seeing some good things from Van Pelt in the scheme and all that kind of stuff, and defensively you're just getting none of that outside of Christian goan Zales, you know, flashing here or there every once in a while, and that is extremely discouraging because I just don't know where they go from here. Defensively, like, you have a defensive minded head coach, you have a young defensive coordinator and Covington who you like, so you know, do you move on from Covington. Do you give jirod more defensive responsibility? Like moving forward? You know, how do you fix that on that side of the ball, I think is a big question. Just assuming that Juwan Bentley comes back and Barmore gets fully healthy and all of a sudden this is a top ten defense again, I think is a is a giant leap based off of what we've seen, I mean, everybody. It kind of feels to me like the like the Bruins, not the cross sports, where like there's multiple guys that are underperforming, Like there's just like all over the defense, you know, to buy Kyle Duggar, Jonathan Jones, you know, just go on down the line of guys that have played really good football for you over the last couple of years that just aren't playing good right now.
So I can't wrap my head around It's that these are the guys you kept, these are the coaches you kept, These are the holdovers, this is the holdover side of the ball, and yet they're the ones who have fallen off and haven't been able to I can't I can't quite wrap my head around make it, make.
It, because I really thought Sunday was gonna be one of those they're gonna flex our muscles against.
It, like the Bears.
Yeah, like like Chicago, and it wasn't They've had to know of those games.
And Richardson, you know, wasn't great, but he was good enough.
It's like, you know, Pellegrino, Brian Belichick, like these guys have.
Yeah, so Jonathan Jones f And I'm curious, do you feel like he sort of I don't want to use the word bench but do you feel.
Like he was benched perform phased out? I think is a is a good way to put it, because he can't play corner anymore.
Do you think Austin played well for the most part but it wasn't It wasn't perfect, but I thought he played pretty well.
I was reading your your wrap up and you said that they were rotation rotating and at that and that play at the end, it was just Astin turn really out there. And Gerard wants to see how these young guys are going to play. Yeah, and you can't like take them out if you really want to, you know, judge them fairly. You got to keep them out there in the big place.
I don't have a huge problem with that mentality. If That's why I'm wondering. I'm when you brought up, you know, the guys that haven't played, and you you included Jonathan Jones. That made me think more was this performance related that he wasn't out there at the end of the year.
I think he just wants to see people, see people.
I think there's and there's also the whole matchup thing of like there's a lot of big receivers on the Colts, so like who is he without Josh Downs, Like who is he really going to cover? But you know, we're just looking up some stats here at the bye week, and out of seventy two qualified corners in the league, Jonathan Jones is dead last and passer rating into his coverage right now, you know, he is the worst corner in the league by a lot of metrics at this point in coverage.
Goes back and see the post game reaction every week to see that I haven't seen any of that. What do you mean, Like, no one's written that, no one's tweeting that after the game, breathlessly killing me all the stats.
Yeah, yeah, it's fair.
I mean I think Evan's slowly right.
It is another thing that hit my radar and I connected to to they're turning guys over at the bottom of the roster too. They brought in another practice squad guy today. They got rid of Michael Jordan, they got rid of Joe Giles Harris yesterday. There you know, I mean, I don't like I'm Paul's converted me. I'm not like saying these guys are gems. But it seems like they're churning up the bottom of the roster at the end just to see if they can find anybody who might be able to stick and compete next summer.
Yeah, I definitely wonder too, just you know, about Kyle Dugger and where he is at mentally right now, because this wasn't as egregiously bad as the Miami game, where it's obvious that he's not playing well. But when you watch the film back, I mean, there's there's as many minus plays on this tape as there were last week for Kyle Dugger. Obviously the touchdown on him, you know, at the end of the game, but just other plays too, where he's just not in the right places, or you know, gets beat again or gets beat up the seam and the tight end just drops the ball, you know, and what should have been like a walking touchdown on him earlier on in the in the drive if he gives that one up. So it's just, uh, he's a player too that he's more talented, he's better than that.
You know what if I said, let's get rid of the safeties playing linebacker, Like, why don't we get rid of that and have linebackers play linebacker and let NFL?
Can you really do that?
Well?
I think most teams in.
The league do that right Well, Like they're not they're not trying.
Lock like Kyle Duggert and inside linebacker where he's not gonna be able to stop the run, Like he just doesn't fit to do that.
Yeah, well I like him better stop in the run than I do him in coverage.
I know we've talked about how linebackers are being phased out in this league a little bit, like they're running that as dominant as they used to be.
They're running there that that cracks. We play with Richardson on the design quarterback run and it's like fourth and short is one of those fourth down plays. I can't remember which one, and the whole stadium knows what play they're gonna run, easy and Kyle Duggar gets smoked on the crack block, like doesn't even see coming and gets pancaked on the edge, And I'm just like, well, what did you think they were going to run? Like they were going to run a different play like that was.
And I would say, you guys are right actually, because I would say the same thing the other fourth down play, you know, the fourth down that they wouldn't have gotten if they overturned the call that was I think it was fourth and three that they got eleven yards on.
Yeah, they actually threw it on now one.
Yeah, but he could have run it too, because Pepper's was out there and he got dusted. He's the contang guy. Yeah, and he got right around him easily looked and he saw he had a guy wide open. He just threw it for the easy money rather than just running for it. But he could have done either one. And that's those guys, both of those guys. That's what they should be able to do. I'm not asking I'm not asking Doug Art to blanket Michael Pittman on that that tying touchdown. Yeah, I don't think that's his skill set. He but Evan's play that he's talking about he should be able to recognize a block coming and take on the block and set the edge and force the guy to do something. That was an easy conversion both ways. One was left toward the Colt sideline, the one that you're talking about with Douger, and the one I'm talking about with Peppers was toward the Patriots sideline. Yeah, and I think they were both full with down plays on that last drive.
You gotta start asking questions I think on the about the defensive coaching, and now at this point, more so I would say than than Van Pelt, like I think Van Pelt has done.
I thought there was a study job, a lot of good stuff in that game before you got here. I said, with the exception of the two possessions like after the picks, you know, and I didn't like the mentality late in the half. But I don't put that on him because I think that there's like the timeout usage and whatnot. I don't think that's him. I think that's a head coaches. But the two drives after the two picks, especially the last one, but the little shovel pass to Hunter Henry, you have the play action to Marcus Jones. I really liked that wrinkle.
That was a nice play.
I really, I really enjoyed that they.
Did a whole gift one had a gift.
Yeah, power read well, I actually just download the videos. I don't over We're beyond gifts now, Mike, you don't like the boomer.
Yeah, I didn't know you had that.
I liked that place.
That's probably one of my favorite plays they've run all year. That's a that's a Kansas City Andy Reid specially right there exactly.
Yeah, that was than I loved the Hunter and the Hunter Hendy, the Austin Hooper touchdown like a little I don't know if it was like an over a sale sale route you got it, if it wasn't al route. I mean, there were so many guys in the same spot. I wasn't really sure exactly what it was, but I like, I liked that.
Can I use the word something for sale?
A lot of people go, yeah, no, Look, it's a good concept against the coverage because they know they're gonna play some sort of single high safety because that's what the Colts play all the time, and so you're just flooding that sideline, right, You're gonna run the vertical and the sale route fells in underneath it, and usually that sale route should should be open. If not, then you just throw the check down in the flat to the running back. So that's like a three level read for the quarterback and it's wide open. They had another play to Austin Hooper that I put on Twitter where you know, really nice scheme where Pop Douglas comes behind Drake May in an orbit or satellite motion and then he fakes the toss out to Pop Douglas and throws it left off that play action fake. So they actually wheel Remandra out of the backfield and use Douglas as like the play action fake. You know, a lot of motion, a lot of misdirection against his own defense is how you take down that kind of coverage because you know their eyes are going to be on the quarterback in the backfield, so you just you know, create chaos, a lot of misdirection, a lot of motion, things like that. They motioned a ton in this game. Twenty times they use motion at the snap, which was a season high. So they did. They did a bunch of really nice things in this game offensively.
Do you think that this is more related to the Colts or do you think this is a sign of the offensive coaching staff hearing the calls for we need to be more creative, we need to mix it up a little bit, and them evol.
I think they're they're getting more confident, so they're building the pages in the playbook, you know, as Drake May, you know, gets better every week. I think they're opening up and adding, you know, a little bit to his repertoire. Yeah, so it's funny though you mentioned Hunter Henry earlier. They were playing Zoe's call on the Hunter Henry interception, you know, the one where we all said, you know, if the throw it ben to the other shoulder, it would have been easier to catch. And it was a little bit on Drake May. You should have heard Zoe, you can't throw the ball any better than that. I mean that was literally what he said.
Listen, it's ridiculously unlucky. Yeah, the play ended up being an interception, but it wasn't perfect, and they got like, yeah, it's a little on Hunter Henry, it's a little on Drake Man. Yeah, I mean it happens.
Yeah, it's a little bit of faults for making that game.
But yeah, and they were there like you were slightly off target with you throw, you didn't deserve to get an line pick out of it. But like, my god, that's another one I heard about on Twitter. I wake up Monday morning.
I was like, But the other thing, though said is.
I don't know, like he is not waking up Monday morning.
That was much better when I was still the other thing so said, in the moment, it's like he's on his back. Why is any down because he never has never even close.
To catching I will defend Zoe just a little bit like watching it live like then when you watch it back ten times on a replay, Yes, it was live call. You know, maybe it's a little bit different, but yeah, I thought the ball it was a little bit.
He never had a little bit to the inside which allowed I think it was Zayre Franklin forty to get that ball in. You might have gotten a hand on it.
Yeah, you can see it clear. You can see it clear his day on the end zone view that Henry Actually it's his right hand that kind of has to reach out his right hand like this to try to bring the ball back in and if he fronky catches it, yeah, if he hits him on between the eight and the five.
It's a touchdown, right, all right, My foot's here, so we're gonna take a break. When we come back, I want to talk about what you think coming out of the buy drawd mao's message to the team should be, and of course your calls and emails here and Patris unfiltered right after this. Whether you're in the game or betting on the game, you'll need a game plan. DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sports betting partner of the New England Patriots, provides you with everything you need to build your personal betting game plan so you can get in on all the action while practicing safe bets. Visit DraftKings dot com slash Responsible dash Gaming to learn more about all the safe betting tools DraftKings has to offer. Hope is here eight hundred and three two seven fifty to fifty or gambling Helplinema dot org must be twenty one plus play it smart from the start game. Sincema dot com physically president Massachusetts, see DraftKings dot com slash Responsible dash Gaming for details and statespecific responsible gambling resources.
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When someone accidentally threw away the school play costumes, oh no, replacements were shipped with FedEx and with picture proof of delivery, everyone could focus on the perfect opening night FedEx where Now it's next for residential delivery only, And.
We welcome you back to Jillette Stadium where the Patriots will host the Indianapolis Coach later today. It's a pregame social fueled by Duncan and we're pleased to be joined by WWE superstar Kofi Kingston.
I'm looking at myself on the screen.
That's your one.
I'm in the right, yeah right, yeah, yeah, what's up man? Thank you for joining us, Thank you for having me. It's such an honor to be here.
It's an honor for us to How is you here? And you know if those don't know you're from the Boston area.
I am. I grew up in Winchester, graduated from Winchester High. I'm a Sachem yep, yep. I went to Boston College as well. And so you're an Eagle in right, right, Yeah, we have to be. Yeah, big game yesterday.
Yeah, so you're a Patriots fan.
Huge Patriots fan. Absolutely.
Who was your favorite player as you were growing up in the area, Coach.
I mean, it's an it's an easy answer, but Brady, right, I mean.
But if we take that one away, take Brady.
Away, I'd probably go with Randy Moss. You know, uh yeah, it really was, you know, being almost pretty much almost undefeated, well undefeated, but the whole season. Yeah, great, great season for sure, great season for sure.
Is there a favorite Patriot memory that you can think of when you were growing up? Like the one thing we were so spoiled with it was an irishman and riches for almost twenty years or twenty years plus. Yeah, what was your favorite memory during this whole run?
Yeah?
I feel like I'm just giving you like the most easy and basic answers. But being down twenty eight to three in the Super Bowl. Actually, my friend and I live streamed us watching the show or watching the game and just being down. Everyone like when you're on top, everyone wants to see you lose for some reason, and they don't want to appreciate what greatness is. I'm like, you should be appreciating what we're seeing right now, like Brady in his prime, Like we should be appreciating it's, not hating on it. And I'm you know, we're down twenty eight three, and I'm getting all these texts from all my college friends and they're just they're not even Falcons fans, but they just want to hate on us, you know. So then just to see us like come back and to win and Edelman making that incredible catch, like how did this happen? The greatest comeback in the history of sports and it happened to us, and like solidified if you didn't think that Brady was the greatest at that point, like he was after that game, you know, to be able to come back, because it was also just crazy.
You've convinced me in less than three minutes that you can handle yourself in a bar if you want to debate the.
Patriots, Come on, man, all right, bro, I've had several dues, and I just don't understand why people like don't want to see people win, right, It's so weird to me. It's so bizarre, right, Like the chiefs are kind of experiencing that right.
Now, question right, like people interesting to watch.
It's just wild how that happens? Man, Like, what do they say? You're you know, you live long enough as the good guy to become the bad guy. That's not the quote, but you know what, that's the sentiment, right, it's pretty wild.
So besides being here at Let's Dame today to watch the Patriots take on the Colts, one of the reasons is Kofi is here to promote the Monday Night Raw at the Garden in just over two weeks on six sixteenth. That's right, yeah, tell us about that.
Monday Night Raw is always spectacular And as you guys know, like the fans in New England and Boston are the greatest fans in the world, so passionate, you know, we have so many like what we do is we win, right, we want to see winning happens. So if you want to win yourself, then you come to a WWE show. Like, if you hate fun, then don't come. If you don't like fun, then don't come to the show, because it's an amazing show. It's like super fun. There's like big pyrotechnics everywhere, the loud music. It's like a rock concert. You get to see incredible athletes doing incredibly athletic things. You cheer for the guys that you love, you boo the guys that you hate, and that's all okay. We want you to come and have an experience. So tickets are still available, but they're probably not going to be available for long. So you got to go out there, get your tickets, and come out and be entertained. It's gonna be great.
So the easy answer is the Boston guy would be what's the best crowd you've been in front of? And you'd want to say Boston, But because WW is such a huge international event, what's the best crowd KOFEE that you can recall that you've been in front of.
So I have two answers for this. We had a show in Santiago, Chile, and we hadn't been there as a company before and South American fans are super super passionate. So we had the one show. It sold out in like five minutes, and then they opened it up for a second night and just to see if it would sell. That also sold out in like fifteen minutes. So as soon as we walked out there, the entire arena just like I've never felt an energy so strong as the fans in Santiago two nights in a row, and we would just go out there and we'd be standing there and people be losing their minds and then you like take one step like whoa, you know, so just crazy, crazy energy the entire night. The second answer, The most interesting place that I've ever wrestled at was in Nime, France. It was in a colisseum, like an actual coliseum where people spilt blood and fought for their lives, and now here we are doing that in our span nex, you know, and we put a ring right in the middle of the stadium, and it was great to just like, you know, do what was being done centuries before. Of course, we got to leave with our lives, so it was a beneficial time for us, but very unique. I've been so experienced, so fortunate to be able to experience so many different cultures and travel the world and just you know, the w W universe is amazing. We have the best fans, the most passionate fans, and it's been an honor to be able to do this for so long at such a high level.
We're pleased to be joined by Kofi Kingston, the w WE. Mike and I. I don't know that we have an expertise, but I guess we talk about the Patriots to know a little bit about the Patriots. Specifically for your appearance here today, we brought in our w W E. Do you have a wrestling name.
I don't have a wrestling name, but I did the Killer Kowalski School for my buddy's bachelor party.
Really, really, what a great place to have a bachelor party. So what did you do when you went?
So we got up on top rope, you know, threw some elbows down the ropes. It's if you can picture somebody this big trying to run the ropes.
I've seen it.
Bro.
There's a guy, Brian Malone's he helped train me. He wrestles with Roh every now and again, but legend in the Northeast. I had my last match on the Independence with him and he's a big guy, but an incredible athlete that moves around in ways that he should not be able to move in that size. So I've seen that happen. You know, I've seen guys like yourself do incredible things.
I wouldn't call myself an incredible athlete, but I tried.
I called you, you know, you know, take the compliment. Yeah, man, come on.
So you've done just about everything in the business. You've won a lot of those, right there, A lot of championship bell the titles, Yeah, the big ones obviously when you won the ww Championship, But outside of that, what would you consider your career defining moment?
Oh man, this is such a weird question because I feel like I don't like talking about my accolades and I feel like I'm bragging or whatever. But you asked, you know, That's why I'm gonna go ahead and say it. I think the first title that I ever won was the Intercontinental Championship. That was the first title that I ever won, not just in WWE, but also on the independen scene. And to wrestle against someone like Chris Jericho, who is an established legend in our industry and a guy who I looked up to at that time, like, you know, he's the man, he's always been the Man. Shawn Michaels was also involved in that match, And Shawn Michaels is my guy, you know. To me, I've never seen him have a bad match. All the matches that he has had have been great, So for him to be involved, for that to be my first title when it really made me feel like I actually like I'm here now. I made it, you know. And I was so green that when I held the title up and they made like a Tops card of this, I'm holding it like this, yeah, and you know what I mean, like you can't see the plates of the time. This is not how you hold a title up. But I never had the experience before. And sure enough that's the card that they used on like the Tops or whatever whichever company made the card. But yeah, that was something, you know, like this has always been my childhood dream. When I was a kid in Winchester, we'd have all the guys, all the kids in the pit what our neighborhood was called. We would come through my friend. We would have royal rumbles and battle royals, which I don't suggest to any kids to do at home. Don't do that, you know, because it was very dangerous. But we loved wrestling, and I really like envisioned myself being at WrestleMania winning the WWE Championship. So for me to actually have that happen, the term have your dream come true is so cliche, but that to me, like, that's what actually happened. This is all I've ever wanted to do. So I've just been so blessed to be able to be one of the few people on this earth to say that they have lived out their childhood dream and are continuing to live out their childhood dreams. So it's been a while ride that's awesome.
Well, Kofe, I had to reach out, you know, I told you Meg Morant used to work. Yeah, you know, she's a pro, so I figured i'd reach out to her. So she scripted me a question. Oh wwemo out here for a second. If you I'll do my best Meg Morant, but a right this week is the new day is ten year anniversary, wouldn't you know it? He and his best friend, slash tag team partner, have not been able to get on the same page for the past few months, and last night on Raw Woods crossed the line bringing up how Kofe Menia has ended.
How does Kofi forgive him.
I mean, these two got to get it together before their big anniversary.
This is crazy. Meg Murran, my good friend, the person who I'd say I told her she's just an amazing person, and she gives me the hardest hitting question. I was hoping to come here and i'd have to talk about that. But yeah, Xavier Woods, he and I have been butting heads as of late. But you know, families, that's what they do. Anybody with siblings knows that at some point in time you're gonna butt heads. Unfortunately for us, it's kind of unfolding on television. We have our tenure anniversary which is on Monday on RAW, and I don't know what's going to happen. It's one of the first times that like, I really have no idea what's going to happen with the celebration is going to be. Like, we have been a group for ten years and we've never been into a fight, We've never had an argument. But over the past few months we've been butting heads a little bit, and last week things got pretty intense. After our match. We were screaming at each other as soon as we got backstage and saying some pretty terrible and dacardly things to each other. But you know, uh, it was what it was, and uh, I guess we'll figure out what happens on Monday.
Yeah, you know you mentioned television and.
And now great moments in.
History. If you say he's a friend of Eric, isn't that proper? Isn't a friend of Eric's redundant? If he belongs to Eric? That's what the OV means. It's possessive. So why do we get involve Eric's.
That's a good one, Like you don't you know it's friend Eric's friend would be proper.
But if you say he's a friend of Eric, that's also proper. Now, yes, but a lot of people say he's a friend of Eric's, right, I don't. I don't know that I'm right. I don't know that I'm right about that one. So I'm not being a friend of Eric, right, That's how I don't. That's how I would righty.
Grammar deep diving ap parillo English, I know very specific.
I know you just got on a blog and just wrote on your own. Some of us had to go to college and learn how to do it. Per elitism not very good one.
But that's another great moment from.
All right back here on Patriots Unfiltered eight fivey five past five hundred is the TPX hotline.
Was manning the Holy Cross power play.
He wasn't a journalism class.
That's the second thank you podcast at email. I like that. That was early in Mike's tenure, when Paul was still upset that I hired.
A blog.
And now look at us.
I was very much instrumental in Mike's hired Were you you not so much? I know that that is not true, that is not true an interview too, But Mike did more work on you than I did. I did a lot of work. Ye it's Fred or you were?
You were on my hockey dB page checking.
My sophomore status like what happened sophomore year?
I'm like, what is this guy? I liked you?
Like when you came in and did that that radio show I took. I didn't realize.
Why I think what I did.
I was glad I did.
When I did that radio presser, I started an argument between you guys because I went right in with this like takes and you guys started get into it, and I was like, oh, I think this is good. Like these guys are taking something I said and running with it.
You know that was that was good?
What's coming on?
I didn't realize how easy it was, though everybody thought I was.
Speaking of each other. That's a good segment.
A lot of people have said that. Yeah, yeah, buddy, Andy Hart said, how long is it going to take you to fight him?
Yeah?
I've mellowed BB in New Hampshire writes, and I'm a new listener as of this season thanks to my boyfriend converting me. I've come to realize though, that he and I have Paul verus Fred arguments. We'll be talking Patriots and switch off on who's who. Sometimes I'll assume the Fred roll, asking pointed questions and challenging him on semantics to pin down a opinion to hopefully later prove him wrong. And sometimes he'll assume the Paul role as more of a stubborn katrarian who can't understand how anyone could be so dumb as to disagree with him. The funny part is that we always come to the so we agree conclusion, but managed to spend twenty minutes arguing as if we aren't on the same side. He loves you, guys, and turns twenty seven on the twelve. So please, if you read this, wish Joe in New Hampshire a happy birthday. Thank you guys for the endless entertainment. So Joe, Happy birthday, Joe, early birthday.
You guys are doing it right, good job.
I don't congratulations if you're winning arguments with your girlfriend too, like you're walking away peacefully from those like most argument. That doesn't sound like most couple arguments.
I know of life.
I'm a friend. I'm the friend of arguing when I argue with that.
Even if you're right, though you're wrong, you know it just counting.
You're just holding out until you're ready to say sorry.
And while we're on the just stop this.
While we're on the girlfriend whose boyfriends are big fans theme, Julia right Sin. I wanted to reach out because my boyfriend Cameron absolutely loves the Patriots and your podcast. To be honest, I've never been interested in sports, but after meeting my boyfriend, I began to learn more and more. You guys have been a huge help and are so fun to listen to. Fred, You're hilarious. Thank you. I was wondering if you could give a shout out to Cameron Fox of Brockport, New York, for being an awesome guy and a loyal Patriots fan. It would mean the world. All right, camera fans, this is for you.
Awesome.
You've got a great girlfriend, she's got good taste and shows. I don't know about you, but shows for sure.
I'm not no.
Yeah, all right, So we're bringing people together, bringing couples together. People could do like one of those things where they have all the people that got married because of Patriots on filter and you'll have them all together for a party.
Yeah, I count sure. Oh, I'm pretty sure that that's not true. No, not at all.
We'll go with it though.
All right, so let's turn to our callers on the TPX hotline. We've been, as No Socks would say, patiently standing by.
No Socks dropped the MESH concept today.
We were waiting for you, like, No Socks, don't talk scheme until Mesh.
I don't think it was crazy.
I'm not saying this about No Socks because his football knowledge is fantastic, but apparently we're not ready to have the conversation of what mesh actually is and looks like because you know, everybody, the spacing is horrible. Every single time you run mesh I digress. It drives me nuts. Okay, just like it's a crossing concept. They're supposed to intersect, they're supposed to cross, So if you freeze the frame where they're crossing, then yes, they are on top of each other, because that's the point of the concept.
He's like a math a calculus professor trying to teach it to like third grader.
It's like, it's not hard.
I don't you understand because we're hangover.
When when Zach Galafanarkus is doing the blackjack and all the things are going.
Right right, a beautiful.
Mind funny because he's fat.
Let's go to Christian in Virginia. What's up Christian?
Hey, guys, how's it going on?
Hey? Pretty good?
I guess I'm in the same boat as spread Uh. With that, I always feel like this is gonna be the week, and I'm always a little bit disappointed. But I will say my optimism is carrying on. The Jets are having a horrible season, and we're probably gonna have a pretty good pick. And on top of that, I feel like the dread of having a high pick is a little bit less now that Bill isn't picking stuff.
Oh there you go, good Christian. Thanks for ohtay, Okay, thanks for the call. No, I every week I think this is the week they're gonna hit thirty. They haven't been able to.
Well, this was a good pick. I have to be honest with you. You picked thirty one and they had twenty four, and they had more than ample opportunity to make it thirty one.
Okay, you need a blanket.
You got your hands, so say I was onto something.
I just gave you your props. I gave you your flow up.
I won't bog down the show on draft talk. We're going to do draft talk on Catch twenty two on Thursday. Oh wait, you can listen to that there if you want. Last year a fantastic year to stink. This year it's not shaping up to be such a great year to stink. So just to keep that in mind about the Patriots draft pick.
Not being a good year to stink. So, in other words, it's not a deep draft.
No, it's not a very good draft period.
Really, why do you think that is? Like the after effects of COVID, A lot of guys have come out they didn't you know, like.
I didn't think of it that way. I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I think some years are better than others. This year reminds me a lot of the twenty twenty two draft, where there was Kenny Pickett was the only first round quarterback. You know, Aiden Hutchinson comes out of that draft, Sauce Gardner. You know, there are good players in every draft, right Like, I'm not saying that every guy is gonna stink. But last year, in my mind, there were seven blue chip prospects at the top of the draft. The three quarterbacks Joe alt Brock Bauers, Marvin Harrison, Junior Molik Neighbors. This draft, I don't know if there's one.
Don't care about that as much I care about the depth of the draft, because even if you are at the top of the draft like the Patriots are, there's only you're lucky to get that one blue chip guy. It's the rest of the picks that I'm more concerned about.
I hear you, if you have to hit on three picks at least, But this last year, based off of what we've seen so far, I think you could make the case that all seven of those guys are going to be hits, like Caleb will see if the Bears get their no, but we're only going to be able to get one of them, right.
But can I just interject here for sure, let's just use apples to apples. So if you have a guy like, let's just say brock Bowers, if he's that much better than everybody else, the next guy might be a pretty good player. But if you don't have that caliber player at the top, correct, it stands to reason that the guys in the ensuing rounds will not be as good as the guys in the ensuing rounds because because down.
Wait about it, it's like that that makes no sense. Listen, listen, Let's just say brock Bowers tight end. I know who he is. By the way say it. Let's just say he's a blue chipper. Okay, so there's a separation between him and the rest of the tight ends. That doesn't mean they got worse because he got better.
It's dropping like the best tight end is going to make that. So now the guys that are in the ensuing rounds are not as good.
They're not as good as him.
It just stands to reason, I'll give you, they're not as good as the guy who's going to be the number one at the position, and that guy is not as good as they've been.
But what I'm saying, no, but like, let's just say that they're not as good as him. But let's just say that they're fine in second round talent, they're fine, third round.
Talent, you know, yeah, the best one might be that. Well fine, that's my point is just not as much high end talent.
So the talent no, but but drops not well I disagree. My point is that as a Patriots stand right now, we're only gonna get one shot at a first round pick. I'm more concerned with how deep is the rest of the rounds? Is there is there talents spread out on the rest of the draft.
They're not going I can't tell you what the whole depth of the draft is. But these guys that talk about it say, no.
It's not about Well, that's what I'm That's what I'm more worried about.
Yeah, I would just say that. My point was is that you want to if let's they're picking fifth, fourth overall right now, they have the fourth overall pick in the draft, you want to use that pick on somebody who is worthy of the fourth overall pick. Sure, you don't want to just have to pick a guy. And right now, as I'm starting to go through some of these guys, especially on the offensive side of the ball, it kind of feels like you're just gonna have to end up picking somebody because you have to pick.
Well, that's a problem. You have to turn into car be able to trade down because everyone sees the same thing, right, and there's.
No quarterback quarterback advice you to move on to people.
Just to give a tangible example, Ted McMillan from Arizona's nice player. Like, I think he's a nice player. I probably would have had him as like the fourth or fifth receiver in the class last year. So this year he's going to be the first receiver. To give you a peek into the Evan soul. Yeah, So, Mike, can I do the pregame show on Sunday? We come upstairs and it's usually like maybe ten twelve minutes before kickoff.
So I walk over and sit down next to Fred. I look at Evan. Evan's got his laptop open. What is he watching Arizona TCU highlights?
But he's a nice player, Like I think that, like you know t Higgins, Drake London. I think those are like decent comps for him. But last year he's he's the fourth or fifth guy off the board at that position. This year he's a top ten pick. Like, that's not what you want. You want to just have to take him by default?
Yeah, sure, you want somebody, So I do want somebody that's worth it because you're paying them a lot.
And I know what your point is, like, that doesn't necessarily mean they are on as many you know, the second round, third round guys.
If the guys that are the second round talent.
My feeling is the second round guys in the past are being taken in the first round when there's no high end talent. Yea, So now the third round guys are second round guys.
Unless they were really close.
Yeah, you know, maybe, but I think that's sort of hard to imagine. That's all I'm this. And again I don't know. I don't know the depth of the draft. I don't. It's not my area of expertise.
It's not I'm nowhere near ready to comment on the depth of the draft in terms of the days two and three, but Day one, just again, like you know, I think there's a lot of the town on the defensive side of the ball is decent. You know, some of these guys on offense will be contributors in the league. I'm sure. And maybe I'm wrong and something one of these guys will explode. But in my mind, like Travis Hunter is really the only true blue chip talent in this draft, And if there's no quarterback going one to one, then Travis Hunter is gonna go with the first overall pick. So if the Patriots aren't picking.
First over the running back, I know he's.
Gender, well that's a running back, but yeah, is he a blue chip running back? I mean I don't really believe in blue chip running back boy, so.
Well, was he like Bjon Robinson or Jamiir Gibbs.
Uh, he's smaller than Bijon, So like that is like a concern that true? Yeah, Yeah, he's really good. He's really really good. He probably should win the Heisman. I think Travis Hunter is going to just because of the name recognition, but Genry probably should win it. He's a really good player, but he's running back.
Yeah, this schools comes on the heels too.
I remember having the conversation last year around the draft of that, A lot of the sixth and seventh round guys, they say, are like Udfa's now like that the depth in the draft generally hasn't been.
And that's Fred's thing too about the the COVID that add extra. You know, COVID you still get every game you watch, it's just like fifth, sixth, seventh year guys. You know that Miami guys. Ninth year it's also nil.
You know, like a lot of the guys are going back because they're getting to go back, so now they'll go into next year's draft, so that that.
Is going to take a few years.
But I do understand you, yeah with yeah, I mean, maybe you don't get a blue chip guy with the fourth overall pick, but you can still get good players. And if you can, then that that's okay. But I just think it stands to reason that if the highest the first round picks are not first rounders every year, they're just first rounders this year, then my guess is the second rounders aren't second rounders every year, their second round is this year. Like, I just think it's a trickle down. I can't imagine that this draft has you know, fifty really good players but no great ones, whereas most drafts only have twenty really good players, but ten great ones, like doesn't doesn't that hard to imagine? I don't know, not really, and I'm just using, you know, random numbers.
I'm coming around to defense. All right, that's awesome, Jared.
I just think of whatever, whatever you think is the very best player, Like this is a year you have to stick to your quarter unless it's a quarterback.
Jared in LA. What's up? Jared only waited for over an hour, so I guess, hang up. Emory is in Virginia. What's up? Emory? Emory?
Yeah?
Are you there?
Hey?
Good at the gentlemen? Hey, I enjoyed listen to you. I appreciate keep them this informed with football, sure, but I do have a bone on the pick with you, just some of the the version and the lack of support. What in my opinion for coach Mayo at times? Hey, thirteen games. You know Belichick, Jimmy Johnson, Dan Kimbell and a few others. They didn't get off to great stars all them. Ask me give the man a chance, and I said, I know. There have been some positive verbage as well, but not enough. We're just saying thirteen games. I think he's the man cut out for the job. But we need to slow our role and put that that loose away. Don't don't hang him yet.
Just yeah that I don't know anyone's doing.
All right, thank you?
No, no, no, But every stay on though, yeah you know for a second, because no, I hear what you're saying. But we can't every week say we got to give him a chance. We have to talk about what's going on. So tell me some positives. Give me some positives, some.
Positives that those guys are playing hard for him. Those guys are playing hard. And I haven't heard anything come out from Robert k about, you know, about Mayo and the job that he's doing. I think he understands that this is his first opportunity as a head coach and there's gonna be some hiccups.
Come on.
The last Belichick put in twenty plus years, some good years, but those last three to four years, come on, come on, that was unacceptable. I agree with yeah, But you know what, we didn't. We didn't hope because we we thought about all the good years that he brought, you know, in the Super Bowls and stuff like that, and so all I'm saying, thirteen games. Really, come on, gentlemen, please okay, give him an opportunity. So like you, like you said, Fred, that's a legitimate question. Yeah, you know every week, come on, now, it hasn't been. There have been some positive sciences, stuff like that he's trying to be his own man, and those some big shoes to feel, you know when it comes coach Bilichick and all that. But all I'm just saying, thirteen games, you please, come.
On, no doubt? Okay, is there a lot on this, thanks Emory.
Well, I don't think there's any chance that he's not back next year.
Yeah, No, I don't know. I think we all think he'll be back. Yeah. Yeah.
I mean I don't really feel like we're.
Overly No, I don't think we are overly negative with But at the same time, we have to be fair. If we believe that, you know, coaching affected a game negatively, we have to say that.
I think there's been some mistakes and like like Hemory said, he's only coached thirteen games, he's gonna make Yeah, Like, I think game calculation, game mistakes. I think it was an error as an example, to not call timeouts on defense in the last minute. Once the Colts got first and goal from the seven, I think they should have been calling time out, and you know, you look at it, they end up getting to midfield. If they had twenty more seconds, might they get to the thirty five right? And then you kick a field goal to win the game.
Yeah, Well that's.
What that's all.
If you wanted to get better, you got to talk about these things. Is the things he's got to clean up.
I'm sure he's analyzing these things too.
But I just think there just doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the timeout usage in these games. Like before halftime, they're running the ball while simultaneously stopping the clock with timeout, So I get the goal is to make sure that that's the last possession of the half. So then wouldn't to use a Paul phrase when that stands to reason to let the clock run after you run the football, Like why are you running the ball and then calling a time out immediately to stop the clock?
You wanted to run the ball, then run to the line and run it again, right, and then call timeout so you still have you know, if you let the clock that way.
Let it run so that you milk some of that clock off so that it is the last possession of the of the half, and then at the end of the game. I'm you know, I'm with Paul, like how you don't call timeouts on defense there to give your offense as much time as possible to rebuttal knowing that they really haven't st you all day on that side of the football, at least until you get to the red.
Zone, which you wouldn't even need to do, you wouldn't have to write.
So and you know, we say those things knowing, yeah, he's new and he's but these are the things that he has to get better at.
I think the frustration for me too is just like, you know, he has people on staff Evan Rostein is the name that he always talks about, that are supposed to be advising him in these types of situations, So like it's the people around him too that are sort of letting him down, it seems like. And if those guys are on the headset saying time out, time out, time out, and he's just ignoring them because he's going off of his own gut or his own instincts or whatever, then you know that that's a kind of a problem. Too, like, because it's obviously not working. You know, the method is not working.
So we're gonna, like, I feel like we need to talk about the games and whatnot. Now the big picture. I'm with Emery big picture. You know, thirteen games, he's you know, he's gonna you know, get better at these things the radically and get his own players in and have his culture and all that stuff. But week to week, I think we need to analyze what happens in the game. You know, the first game that he coached, could he have gotten any more praise from this show and all others around here about how good they looked, how how disciplined prepared, the game plan on both sides, the lack of penalties, the lack of mistakes, and they go to Cincinnati and win a game. I mean that was the quote unquote narrative in week one, right, So I think you have to sort of not to steal my show's line. But we have a show to do today.
We talked before the break and I asked the question coming out of the by what should be the message from Mayo to his team? Four games left? What's your message?
Who wants to be here?
Yeah?
Well it's not to me, it's it's it's not even who wants to be here. It's like you're a professional, whether you're here or not. Everything you do is on tape, so as a professional.
Like that's the whole. Like they play hard for him, Like I don't know, but right now the Jets are a dumpster fire. They emptied the bucket on Sunday. That's a game that they will win in for fifty nine minutes and they couldn't win at the end. Like teams play hard. I mean, these guys are exactly what you said. You're a professional. If you're not going to be there, if you're not going to be part of the future for that team, you got to put something on tape.
That someone's going to be wanting for somebody.
These guys are fighting for their NFL lives. Like I don't think there's a lot of dumping in the NFL. Now there might be, Like Carolina clearly sold off a lot of pieces last year because they wanted to get bad. I think you can make an argument that Washington did it with cha Chase Brown. Yeah, Chase Young Young And I almost called Chase Brown it's a running back. Chase Young in sweat you know, you can sell off pieces maybe to not put yourself in the best position to win, but you can't ask your players to go out there and not play hard.
That's tankings from the management and ownership. Well right, like that's from that's some upstairs to use a hockey term, not ice level, like that they don't the players are.
I would agree with Emory. I think the Patriots have played hard. I think the other teams play hard too, and I don't think there's a lot of like they just didn't really show up, like they got blasted in Miami. I don't think it's because they weren't trying. I really don't. I know some people said they quit, they quit, they quit. I don't think that they weren't trying in Miami. They just played poorly.
It's a really big challenge to play these teams that they got to play too. And I mean, we talked about the defense.
They're gonna have to face Buffalo.
It was really good twice.
So all the things we're saying about the defense right now, like, let's imagine what those things look like through the prism of Josh.
Something about Buffalo that I'm a little worried about that like I don't remember ever having to be what like they could just line up and run it at you.
Now they're having too much fun. It's becoming really easy for them. You know what your window, Well, they played some good team Anderson window. The windows closing on that prediction.
If you're division five years in a row, the coach is doing snow angels on the field post game. Money is alright, can you believe that?
Matt told me that. No, Socks told me that. On money, He goes, what do you think of Ara's snow angel? I couldn't believe it.
No, it's they're they're having fun in Buffalo because it's coming easier to them.
But I just like they line up now and they.
James Cook, they just run it at you, like from in the snow game, from under center to like not designed like with Josh Allen as a factor like they used to have to do. Like now they can literally just run it traditionally right at you, like Alo back to like you.
Know, I just well, that's the other thing. It's it's kind of interesting around the league how some of these long term guys are starting to come back like a boost before the play Hollywood Brown might be coming back for the Chiefs. They're gonna get I mean, this is not the same category, but Dj Humphries I think might be getting ready to play left tackle for them. That's been a disaster. You watch any of that Black Friday game. They can't block their tackles, can't block anybody. And you know, if you had any questions as to why Kansas City is so sporadic offensively, that's it.
There's no way Buffalo can win a Super Bowl. I'm sorry, Oh, I don't.
I'm not saying they're I'm not saying they're not capable.
I think they're saying in the in the for the order of the universe, they.
They're a notch behind. I think Detroit Philadelphia, like Philadelphia has been really impressive too. We don't we don't really talk about them.
I don't know if there are not behind anybody right now.
But yeah, you know what, I'm just not sold on the Bills defense. I know they've played well, I'm not sold on their defense. I think you can run on them, and I think they're I still think they're a little soft defensively.
Molano will help.
If he can be healthy. What's that.
I do think they have the MVP of the league.
Well, yeah, that's why.
I mean, that's that's that's one he and what's the conversation like as we go into the off season with the Patriots coming off a two out of three against that team, you know, that's that's going to be, you know, a report card for you. And so Fred asked about how are we going to handle these last four games? Well, you got four good teams that you know, you need to show something against. You can't roll out there and just try to end the season. I mean that they'll get they'll get walloped.
Yeah, the message needs to be, you know, we need to keep improving. Yeah, you know, we need to keep moving forward and keep improving, keep doing these things like offensively, you get a little momentum you started, right, let's keep building on it. Evan talked about there was a lot of different creative things that we hadn't really seen. Let's keep putting.
More of those in.
Yeah, you know, let's improve in the red zone. Maybe some design zone reads for Drake may in the red zone, stuff like that.
They did do a couple of them, and they all converted to andoffs, of course, but I just I look at it that is the biggest thing to me is like, if you're talking to you know, Drake May and some of the guys that are going to be here even just this is how you build momentum into next season is by finishing this season strong and figuring out what you're good at now this season and then you build and build and build. Now, that's how teams get better. That's how Detroit got better. San Francisco trades for Jimmy Garoppolo and has a nice end of the year and his first year there. Then the next year they're contender. Like that's how you build a team. And you know it might not be for everybody because they might not all be here, you know, next year, but for the guys that you know for a fact are going to be on this roster in twenty twenty five, that's got to be the message is let's continue to build forward so that we can hit the ground running in twenty five.
Yeah, all right, back on the TPX outline, Tim is in Boston. Hey, Tim Thig.
Guys, I have a big problem with how the NFL called.
CPI in certain situations that happen on Sunday and then the chief game left Friday. It happens when the receiver in the corner are running stride for stride on a go route and a quarterback underthrows it. So the receiver stops and comes back towards the ball and initiates contact with the corner who's not looking, and they call it every time it bails out a bad throw against good coverage. It drives me crazy. I think they need to make some rule where if the receiver initiates the contact, it's not DPI.
What do you think, Well, the problem with that, I hear what you saw him, but if the defender looks back, he's not going to get called. The problem is he has no idea where the ball is, and you're calling it a bad throw. A lot of times it's supposed to be that. It's supposed to be a coming back that Yeah, thanks Tim What Tom Brady?
Yeah, the back shoulder throw, No one threw it better. Yeah, and he did it first.
So a lot of times that sets up the defender to be in that bad position. So as a ref youve got to call that because he's not going for the ball, he's not making a play for the ball, he has no idea where the ball is, and he's impeding the receiver from getting to the ball. There's no other way. What there's nothing else to do but to call PI.
If the receiver was running across the field and then stopped and ran back the other way for the ball and ran into the defensive back, would you say that that's pass interference?
Of course?
Yeah, So why wouldn't you do it? If he's running up the field and comes back.
From that, you can't impede the guy unless you know, like you're like I said, it's fifty to fifty and you're going for the ball to.
Those are the ones I hate. Yeah, when the guy does go up and mix a play on the ball and you know there's some hand fighting and stuff, and they call those, but the like the and it's not fair to Jeelani Tavai. He's thirty yards downfield chasing the guy. Of course he's behind him. He's not he shouldn't.
Those are different to me. I I don't like the ones that are go routes where it's ten yards underthrowne and the receiver is clearly almost flopping, like the receiver is clear and it's.
Not a ball, right, but you could tell the difference.
Yeah, but they don't they they don't tell the difference.
Well, that's that's why every place should be reviewable.
I just think there needs to be something reviews.
I know it's that doesn't mean you have more reviews, Paul, but you just said every play is reviewable. You can, but you still have the you're still limited as a team, but you can choose to review any play.
I just think there needs to be some sort of They don't call it a lot, like you know, embellishment or flopping in basketball or whatever. They have rules now where it's like if you're hockey they call it. Yeah, if it's a ten yard underthrow on a deep ball and the receiver purposely initiates contact by going back to the football, and like.
You know, that I think is interference. Like I have no problem with that. The first one you described, I'm with you, Like it's it's like woefully underthrown. The two guys just kind of like and the guy just kind of like flops, he knows he has no chance, throws his arms up and like that to me.
If you're both running like stride for stride down the field and the balls in the air and it's clearly underthrown. The receiver looks back to it and just slams on the brakes because the ball is clearly underthrown. Like, you gotta be how It's like if you're on the highway and the car in front of you stop, Sure, who's fault is that yours?
Yours?
Yours?
The car behind is always he's always at fault.
Yeah, I don't agree with that.
I have to be aware.
So there you go.
You have to be aware around it.
And so if you're running stride for stride and you're both looking back and the balls woefully underthrown, you're stopping too.
But I just don't think that, Like I get what you guys are saying. I just I think for the defensive player, like, it's not how it's coached, And that's just really difficult.
I know, it's it's a it's a hard position.
If you're playing man coverage in your back is to the quarterback, and that doesn't necessarily mean that your burnt your beat.
It just means that's how you play man.
You're chasing and what I'm saying, but see if what you're saying, if you know you can get away with that as a defender you face mask not I don't mean grab them, but you get stars every time, And how's he gonna catch the ball.
But that's not what I'm necessarily talking about. I'm just saying when guys like obviously, when the receiver is running a route and the defender's playing man to man behind him, like he's obviously gonna have his back to the quarterback and he's gonna be behind like on his back hip right, Like, that's.
Just when you see that receiver.
But I'm not talking necessarily like right perfectly in phase, Like there could be a play where that happens what you're talking about, and I don't like those either, But I'm talking about a play like Tavai the other day where he's like five yards behind, Like no, the one to Marcus Jones to Mitchell. If that ball had been underthrown and Mitchell stopped and came back for it, that should be interference. I mean, Marcus Jones was not in good position on that play and he's chasing, he's desperately trying to get in. But now the throw was out to the outside, so there was no interference on it. But if that throw was short and Mitchell comes back and he has to go through the defender. That should be a penalty.
Unless Marcus Jones turns aroun.
It makes a player to make a play, right.
That's different.
It's hard to coach.
That's it's really hard to play.
Yeah, it is, especially that situation.
I could talk to for I mean, I forget half of the stuff that he said. But Bill gave us a dissertation on that in a in a production meeting one year before a preseason game. And I was I was the receiver he stacked. I stacked him, and then he was in phase. He had all the all the all the.
I just did. I I don't care for.
The like you got to go up underneath it's put my arms out like this. He's like, you got to go up in between the arms, you know, and like he had. It was I mean, it was unbelievable how the minute details and minutia that he came up with.
When you're a team that plays as much man coverage as the Patriots do, you're gonna get beat. And so playing the ball from out of phase is an art that you have to master in this defense, and they've been really good at coaching it over the years. They're they're one of the better.
I would agree with that.
I'll never forget Bryant College. Paul after a practice Belichick, not Belichick, parcels as ty Law who had just got drafted on the side. This is after practice teaching him when you're going down the sideline with the player with the receiver, you don't use your inside arm. You use your outside arm. And he showed how it's like four or five inches higher up if you use that outside arm instead of this arm. And and Tyler was like, oh okay in Michigan.
Yeah, yeah, coaching.
And it's hard, like cornerback.
That's why I just totally get. But it's from the caller.
And I remember Flacco doing these two, Like I remember Flacco driving me crazy.
That's different, like like when you're throwing like some of those just like yeah, like you're throwing like your goal on a play is to get a penalty. Yeah, that I'm with the caller.
That's sort of where I'm getting at too. Is like it's it's almost like an art on their side where I'm gonna this is covered, but I'm gonna slightly underthrow this and the receiver is gonna react a certain way and we're just gonna we're just gonna drop.
But if the defender does look back in time, now he's in the better position to make the pay.
That's what I'm saying. If you if you play the ball right, you're looking when the ball is underthrown and you can go and make a play on it now. And I understand Evan what Evan's talking about. And Bill has also talked to us about this. Fans used to really get on the Patriots defensive backs for never looking back, and Bill used to explain, they're not taught always to look back. It depends on the situation, depends on the route, it depends on phase. Yeah, you know, it depends on your positioning and whatnot. But you're not always taught to look back.
Because that's my point is like the technique is not taught to look back for the football and like this is I think something that the league often misses out on is like these guys actually played football or are they just making up rules as we go here, because like they're they're they're calling DPIs like this that go strictly against the way that the play is coached.
For me, it's all about a case by case. If I could watch ten plays that Tim could show me, and I'll bet you I would agree with him on at least five of them. Like, no, I wouldn't have called that passing flirites either, but not just the whole back shoulder thing when the receiver, Like no, you can't just be a traffic code and be in the way. Like if the guy's making a player on the ball and you're not, that's a penalty, yep, But like it's the you know it when you see it, like when you scram one around. Sometimes the receivers they look like they're like fish out of water and they're like just the hands of flailing and the defensive back is just there and they're almost like grabbing the defensive back and making it look like the guy's stopping them. Those are the cheesy calls.
It actually doesn't bother me all that much, and we just really, yeah, I hate.
The whole like it should be fifteen yards, Like no, it shouldn't be. Like I watched these college and they told these bombs and guys to have no idea where they are. The defensive backs have no idea, and they take these forty fifty yard plays away just by running into a guy and it's a fifteen yard penalty. Right.
I don't like that.
I know I think it should be a spot foul.
But right, but a lot of people don't know, I know, not with you with minority.
I just want to feel like the play actually had a chance like it, like those are the ones that get you where I'm like, there wasn't even a chance on that one like that.
You know, you know what I'm talking about.
This is what I'm saying that in the case my case, I'll bet you at least half of the passing the Fantasies and Patriots games this year, I've disagreed with both both sides both ways.
I feel like holding an illegal contact has sort of worked as like a buffer so that not everything's a spot foul, because there's there definitely are different you know, degrees of like how egregious the foul is, and so to call everything a spot foul is probably going a little too far.
Let's get back to the phones, Seawn's and Vancouver Ay, Sean, Sean.
Hey, everyone else.
I know I was a little pessimistic in the pregame show.
Didn't really think the.
Patriots We're going to win but I am really fron that they lost and upset, but I want to bring some civil lining. I want to say that there are things I'm going to be looking for now. I have the bulk for a future with Austin. Maybe he can turn into a boundary corner. The tight ends look pretty good born and pop. They could be functional receivers if we get a number one. So that's what I'm watching for the next four games. We want to see the progress so we can make and see if it's more than just Drake and Gonzalez moving forward.
So deb you gotta leave you with that, all right?
Thanks? Vin. What are you guys looking for in the next four games. What's the thing that you're looking to most surprise.
I'd like to see a surprise, like some something I'm not expecting, because a surprise win.
Yeah, it could be that. Like I mean, I don't think it's crazy.
I don't expect they'll beat the Chargers, but Chargers here right after Christmas, I mean, they'll be in the hunt. I just think there's opportunities for them to make some noise or at least to have a good impression going into the off season.
But have a player have a good game.
You know, I don't think anything they're gonna do over the last four games is going to change how you feel about the off season and the positions and all that.
But you can at least say, all right, this guy coming.
Into camp, you had a good, good, good end of the season.
So if they could pull a ninety three and like rattle off, you know, let's say three win. You know, I'm not gonna say all four. Let's say they could win three, that I think would be the surprise. Like one game, I don't care, But if you can win three or four, that's a building block. That's a springboard into the off season. It certainly wasn't ninety three. Yeah, And I know the callers have mentioned like Detroit in that first year they were like, oh, I think they will zero to ten or something like that, and they finished three, three and one down the stretch, Like that's a springboard for you. Then the next year they went nine to eight, and last year they were in the NFC Championship.
Is there any merit in trying trying to get Poke involved, Well, your second round pick with four games, Well, that kind.
Of stuff is more of what I'm what I would be interested in the last four games, can you establish that Leydon Robinson as you left tackle right? I would disagree a little bit with Evan. I would put Cole Strange at center to see if he can play. You have four games. Is there any way Cayden Wallace can get healthy and back on the field and put him at right tackle. Four games is a decent sample if those guys can play, because now instead of needing four offensive linemen next year, I might only need two. Right, Well, maybe I need maybe I still need whatever. Maybe I found like my quality backups. Maybe I found a swing tackle. Maybe I found a you know, versatile guard who can play on both sides.
I don't.
I don't know Jalen Polk and Javon Baker, and they already have young receivers with Douglas in booty, you know, can they show any flashes and the and the good news I don't have a lot of faith in these things, by the way, but that's what I'd be hoping.
The good news is that all these remaining games, their opponent will be playing for something, you know, because even the Bills, they've got the head on head advantage over Kansas City. See, all they need is Kansas City to.
Lose once Arizona. Yeah, Arizona has got a game against Seattle this week that they kind of have to win. If they don't, okay, they they might, they might go. But yeah, I mean the Chargers are going to be in the playoff pitcher. And yeah, the Bills. I think you're right. I think the Bills will have a chance to get the number one seed. Yeah, and even if they don't, they want to fight for the number two seed.
Yeah.
I'm less caught up on the personnel because they think it's going to take a lot. I do too, for me to be convinced in four games that like Jalen polk Is is a player for this team.
Yeah, but if he if he has four good games, it was against four good opponents.
To be really good.
But what if just out of you know, he's got I think he's got twelve catches. What if he had twelve in the last four games?
I mean, and is he a player in the room, like, like, does he belong on the roster? Like I guess that's.
What he's gonna be on the roster second round?
Right, So, Like, I guess I could be convinced of that in that respect, but like that I am now going to count on him.
That he completes the bomb to Javon Baker that Baker dropped in the preseason.
That doesn't do it for me.
Receiver off the table, we got it, we.
Got I'm trying.
Personnel wise, there's not much I don't I don't think that it's gonna convince me that, oh, well, we have Jalen Polk, so like forget about T Higgins, Like we don't need that guy anymore. Say that, but like okay, like even Andy Hart, but not even just just not even just T Higgins, Like I I don't think I'm convinced that Jalen Polk can play in this league, So like I need to like see way more.
Like that's what I'm saying. What if he gets what if he had like four catches in each of the.
My my bigger, my bigger the league, My bigger point is that to me, it's more about the coaching on offense and defense and like where we're headed on those sides of the ball from a coordinator perspective, like if this continues offensively, what we saw Sunday isn't just about the Colts. It's how they're going to play offense moving forward, then I feel pretty good about Alex van Pelt staying on. If they don't button up some of these details on defense and they don't fix some of these things that are going wrong for them defensively, they might have to ask some tough questions about DeMarcus Covington in the offseason and where they're headed on that side of the football. How you chess match against good teams tells you a whole lot about your coordinators moving forward.
And I would really like to see, I mean, captain obvious, I'd really like to see Drake Bay play really well in bad weather yea, because it more than likely he's gonna have three bad weather games, yeah, every year.
At least like the.
Two Buffaloes in the Chargers or you know, that's two that are here, one in Buffalo. Chances are all three of those are going to be bad weather.
Just I'm just piggyback on Evan.
I'm just so interested to see what they come out with defensively against Buffalo, because we've seen that Buffalo team roll this defense when it was you know, okay with Bill running it, and now it's their worst defense they've had and how are they going to respond? Do they have anything in the in the like I think that's a great point.
Can we cover receivers in the red zone? Like can we just like, let we don't have to fix everything right like, And this is I think like the bigger gripe that I have with Mayo two is it's like, you know, Bill would always go in and with like three things yeap that we need to button up. It wasn't let's try to fix the entire defense in one week. It's like, let's not, you know, have coverage bus in the red zone like we did in Miami. Let's get that buttoned up. First drive of the game against the Colts, two wide open receivers on a coverage bus for an easy touchdown. So like, you didn't fix it. You didn't fix the problem. So like at some point in time they have to show some signs of improvement.
Riley's an Arizona. What's up? Riley? We'll see you next week.
Hey, what's going on? Gentlemen?
Hey?
Hey, just a couple of quick thoughts here, because I was obviously on Mayo's defense of things what I called a few weeks ago saying that everybody needs to kind of, you know, bring back the reins and real a man on the criticism on Mayo. But it's some of the things that were just witnessing. It just really makes me scratch my head and question what the hell are we doing? And we're obviously at the home spreads of the season here where you would like to see a smooth operation and you would like to see things buttoned up, but there's just so many glaring issues from Van Pelt. And don't get me wrong, I think Van Telt has you know, had some really good play calls the last few games, especially in this game versus the Colts and that opening drive versus Miami, and same with the Rams. But it's kind of like what Evan alludes to, what kind of identity are we are? We Are we a run first team? Are we a pass first team? And at this point the season, I would think that they would have some sort of identity, but we just see the same issues pomping up where ven Pel has a great first drive, you know, like I said, in this game, the Dolphins game, the Rams game, but then here we are running it on a first in ten and we run it, you know, two straight times, and then may take that attack on the third down when we're trying to score before half, and he did essentially the same thing just a few weeks ago against the Titans, where he prioritized the resetting of the downs more so than going down the field and scoring and putting points on the board. So that's just something that I think we definitely need to get figured out. But my main concern is more so on the defense side of the ball, because I think ben Felt will clean up those things and kind of get a better feel rolling in the next season. But I definitely agree with you guys, I think there definitely is some questions surrounding Covington and where we go from there, because you just see the same mistakes week in and week out where there's just giant coverage busts and we have guys wide open waltzing into the end zone And.
To me, oh, sorry, Riley fast Finger, but I get it. Is it the defensive coordinators job to be teaching the fundamentals and getting those mistakes out or is that the position coaches job or what are we referring to as the fundamentals mistakes like you know, not filling you know, run fits and things like that.
I think so, like you want to say like tackling or like everyone was talking about techniques on pass defense with a corner, right, that's probably more of a position coach. Yeah, but the your game plan to stop the run is your run fits. Yeah, and you're discipline, especially gap integrity, and.
That involves all eleven guys, right, So you're really talking about the holistic style of the defense and how you want to go about doing things. I you know, on the play calling side of things, like, I think one of the most overrated things coming out of games is second guessing play calling. Obviously, when the play call doesn't work, we're all going to sit here and say, horrible play call, right.
Not me. I thought it was a horrible play call and a touchdown run by Antonio.
Yeah, Like you know, like those types of things just kind of irk me because it's always a results based thing, like, oh, yeah, this is a great play call because it went for a fifty yard touchdown. Well he took a sack. Horrible play call. Like to me, the best play callers are call or play designers that have plays that have answers to the test no matter what the defense is in, right, Like whether if it's manner zone, it's single high, it's too high. However, they're fitting the run if there's an extra hat in the box, like whatever. Good play callers and good offensive coordinators and offensive minds they call plays that have built in answers for whatever they're gonna get thrown at.
So sequence so acting plays, setting plays up.
So it's second and eight and you know Van Pelt gets criticized for running the ball again, Yeah, is there any chance on second and eight? Drake May sees what the defense is offering and calls out of a pass into a run.
So they have cans right like, so depending on what the defense is in, they'll can of call like if the defense is in single high and they have they might have a run and like a play action pass called, and so that if they start in the run, they could go can can and then they can run the action pass because they have a look that they like the play action pass into. So they do some of that type of stuff. But in terms of like Tom Brady level PhD, like we're gonna re you know, adjust the entire chessboard. I don't think we're at that point yet with a rookie quarterback, but to me, it's just like.
So I guess what I'm getting to is when you grind the all twenty two I try, and you're looking at that second and A and you look at what the defense is in. Is the run call the right call?
Yeah? Like you know, so the two plays that people are keep on bringing up before half are actually are actually are pos. So they have routes connected to the run. And Drake is reading a guy in the box and determining whether he's gonna hand it off or he's gonna throw the football. So they actually had sort of run pass options on both of those plays, and so they both converted to runs and they didn't block it well and they got stuffed, you know, and so like, yeah, you could argue that maybe they shouldn't be running the ball at all, and like I get that argument, But to me, it's just like it's execution. You know, they as much as I get on them, you know, for a couple of the red zone drop back calls that he had, like they ran mesh in that one red zone play that Drake may get sacked on and Kendrick Bourne runs the wrong.
Route, is standing next to each other.
Yeah, Like he runs the wrong route, Like, so, is that the coordinator's fault that the play didn't work because.
They actually stopped in the same place they Dideah, they did.
And when I say coordinator's fault, yes, it's the coordinator's fault that the team isn't buttoned up. I'm more mean, like, is the play call at fault for that half?
I would just say I thought Sunday, you know the call at Riley was just saying, like another game where a you know, the opening script was good, It wasn't just the whole game was good. They of offense and they moved the ball very well in the first half. And in the second half. It wasn't just the opening script. Uh, Miami. They didn't move the ball at all in the game. They had one drive, the second drive of the game was the only halfway decent drive, and that was it. They got shut out for three quarters. This game was light years different than the last game. Yeah, And I think that part of that was I was so frustrating. Part of that was game plan. In play calling. I thought they did a good job of it. I like Evan said, no one's ever going to agree with every play call. I thought the second and eight at the end and the end of the half. Was a bad call. Even if it's an RPO, I don't like it. I'd rather have Drake throwing the ball. And I hated the second and eight run call after the Gonzales pick. You know, you want to run it on first down. Fine, I would have taken a shot on first down, but you want to run it fine, second and eight. We got to get points.
Yeah, we got to.
End this game.
Yeah, the second, the second and long runs have to go like that's a big math. No, no too, like the analytics nerds, you run it on second and second.
Touchdown run for Antonio Gibson. I hated the call. Yeah, I hated it.
Consistent though those are a little different inside the red zone for the nerds, like between the twenty second and long runs like the nerds was I might as well just punted.
That was a really good run by Gibson. There wasn't a touchdown like that wasn't blocked for a touchdown.
Quite According to the next Gen that had a two percent chance of being a touchdown.
Thank you. Yeah, so that was a good run.
Sean's in Toronto. Hey Sean, Hey, guys.
I just wanted to venge a little bit about the NFL replay system and get your thoughts about.
How they can make it a little bit more equal here.
I just noticed how it affects the Patriots is that had they become a less watchful product and a less of a draw, you get like the worst CBS crew or the bottom of the barrel box crew who loads their stadium up with five camera angles and when it's time to go to a replay, you're kind of stuck with what they got. Meanwhile, you got the NBC crew or the primetime games that could really zoom in and get the perfect angle on something. I don't know if it's the NFL being keep, if it's the broadcast being keep, where if a certain stadium can't put cameras in certain places. But I'm curious to hear your thought about if there's any way the NFL can make their replay system a little bit more uniform and a little bit more equal to each game that's going on across the league.
Yeah.
No, it's a good question, Sean now, and I think it's a great point, Sean. It's one I've railed against for years. Every game should be treated exactly this well.
I think. I know there's a minimum amount of cameras broadcast needs. There is, and I know on the big primetime games there are extra cameras. What I don't know is are those extra cameras cameras that would come into play on a replay. I'm not sure about that because.
You see it on side games all the time, the NBC it there's different angles, there's different if the close that they can. Yeah, I think Sean's point is accurate. Whatever the most amount of technology that one game gets, they.
Should all be All games should get it right.
You don't get the coverage like sean'son you know, I understand that we get it, you know, like the third or fourth team. Yeah, for like Fox or CBS, that's fine, but they all should be covered the same in terms of the camera angles. Now, I don't think he's talking about this game in particular. I think he's talking about the NFL at large.
YEP. Now, the other thing he alluded to is that even the crews vary, like every cameraman is not created equal. Some cameramen are better and.
Right, but I think for the most part, you get all the shots that you need. You just don't have as many angles because some games don't have as many. I know, I know, like we saw the play on Sunday, Like, if you want, if they could have challenged that call if they wanted to, we saw it right away.
We only saw that. I only saw that one angle from behind the play or in front of the.
Play, Right, what's the only angle you need?
Well, I don't know. There's probably other angles of that play.
No, I understand that, but they showed it immediately. As my point, if you wanted to challenge it, they could have challenged it. I think sort of, we didn't get a good look at it. It's kind of a cop out. I think that you're right. I think they would have not overturned that call. I think his hand were underneath the ball. He pinned it against his chest, and yes, the ball hit the grounds, but it didn't help him catch the ball.
Yeah, I would have liked to see the other angle from like maybe the visit from the visitor sideline coming from the other way. I didn't see that, but.
I but I agree with Sean's point. I don't understand how a league can have replay be involved, but yet not every not every game is equipped with the same amount of cameras depending on the caliber of game you should have. You know, Carolina and Jacksonville should get everything that you know Detroit and Philadelphia yet, Yeah, like it's not fair to have it be different.
I'd love to ask somebody from the league the stance on that.
And my guess is it's an NFL cheap like he Sean said that, Like, I don't know if the NFL is being cheap with a broadcast. Yeah, my guess is the broadcast bill used to say, you know, maybe we'll have a bake sale for the league.
Yep, let's see. Well, a couple more emails before we have to wrap up here.
Mike and have an went to the locker room, by the way.
Yeah, they just want to take off Christopher from where. The only coach I have positive feelings about is Van Pelt. I think he, like May, has improved over the course of the season. Also, he should be given some credit in May's development. I don't know what Gerad does well and I haven't seen any improvement. He talks himself into trouble with the media almost weekly and keeps making mistakes that are very similar. Please p U crew inform me where I'm wrong. Is he a defensive X and O genius. How's the culture at three and nine? Should they be playing hard for him? They're professional millionaires. Wolf has a lot to prove. Mostly unimpressed. The jude On trade is probably his best move. I this offseason, with all the money and picks they have, there should be massive talent improvement. I really don't know about those running the show. I fear the kids convince Craft to get rid of the mean old man, and now it's Lord of the Flies. Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's that bad. Really, no, I.
Don't either, And I just I think, you know, I'm thinking back to Emery's call from about a half hour ago, Emory in Virginia, and I think that he's right. Like I look at it and say, yeah, all the things that people are criticizing are probably valid. But let's give it a little time for Elliott Wolf and for Girodmeo to sort of see their vision through and see if they can get that. I don't think it was a great first year, but let's see if they can get some players in here that they want to work with and if they improve.
I'm afraid of what Evan was talking about about this draft, and that's going to be the excuse. Well, it wasn't a very.
Well this draft, but we have to have a minimum.
Of three players from that draft be contributors in twenty twenty five.
But can they contribute or are they good?
The good contributors good. I'm not saying they're gonna like good need to be good. I believe it when they say there's not enough Blue Chippers. I get that, but look at all the players in the league that are third fourth round players.
You need to find contribute and you need to use money in free agency. You need to like both both that. I heard a call yesterday and I don't know if it was accurate, a call to one of my shows. Actually my show claim that Washington got five starters in the draft and five players in free agency in the draft. Now, I don't think Washington's a great team, but.
They're count to earth a little bit. But put forty two.
On the board last week, but they want I think they're eight and five. They're well ahead of schedule in terms of competing for the playoffs. They're in a very similar spot that you are. They had the second overall pick, YEP, and they drafted a rookie quarterback who hit.
It's a good comp.
It's a good comp. I heard they had you hear Did you hear this conversation? Yeah, yesterday I thought it was you know, it was an interesting comp. Now. I don't know how good all those players are. I don't know who the free agents they're talking about are. But you can do it. You can add to your team. Now, is it the typical free agent bump that you get a bump in year one and it's not really good for long term sustain success.
We'll see.
We'll see.
The Patriots can turn this around quickly.
I think there's no reason why they can't be a competitive team next year.
That's right.
But it's not going to be easy.
No, they have to make the right moves.
You have the hardest piece to find. You have a talented quarterback. I don't know how good he is. I do know how talented he is. I don't know how good of a quarterback he is yet, But you have the hardest piece to find. He can do things that your last guy couldn't. Now it's up to you to get some guys around him that can make place. All right, protect them.
That's going to be it for this edition of Patriots Unfiltered. We'll be back tomorrow. It's the bye week for them, not for us. We'll be here Wednesday and Thursday, so make sure that you tune in or catch us on the podcast wherever you get those podcasts, Spotify, iHeart iTunes all those plays. Tap that app to happen. All right, we'll talk to you tomorrow.
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