March 10, 2025 • 34 mins
March 10, 2025: Host Adam Kaufman (Twitter @adammkaufman) is joined by Dan Watkins (@danwatkinsradio) and guest Joe Pisapia (@joepisapia17) from Betting Pros. The Patriots made a splash to open NFL free agency, particularly defensively, but most of the big names on offense landed elsewhere. The fellas take a tour of the movement and look at futures to consider with Pisapia.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
W r k O presians Boston's only nightly sports betting show,
The Gambler with Adam Kaufman. Now from nine till midnight,
your home to talk spreads, props, totals and more. Hey Doc,
and what's the harm of bringing back a little info
in the future. Maybe we could place a couple of baths.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
The Gambler starts now.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
All I have to do is bet on the winner
and I'll never lose. Kears, Adam Kaufman, what's up everyone,
Happy Monday. Welcome into a brand new week at The
Gambler with Adam Kaufman. And what a week? What all week?
What a month? I rival anyone to find a more
fun sports month than the month of March between college
(00:47):
basketball conference tournaments taking us into the field of sixty eight.
Of course, we are only days away from selection Sunday,
getting a look at the bracket and then crazy probably
upsetting for our wallets basketball that will take place for
a matter of weeks NonStop. It's gonna be incredible. The
channel flipping or app flipping or whatever the people do
(01:08):
out there to consume. Just go to a bar and
have them put a different game on every TV. And
don't leave for twelve hours. It will be the absolute best.
The regular seasons winding down both the NBA and the
NHL as teams getting themselves ready for the postseason. Baseball
futures talk there, free agency, all the spring training stuff
(01:30):
is obviously we're like halfway through there. We're weeks away
from the start of the regular season, which does begin
this month, and right now football football never really goes away.
Football is as year round as any sport that there is,
and this time of year, especially Dan Watkins, Brian. But hello,
(01:52):
we have ourselves the start of free agency today, the
beginning of the quote unquote legal tampering period. The new
league year begins on Wednesday. There have already been so
many free agent signings reported, trades that have already occurred,
official signings among guys who had been cut previously, loads
of movement, big names across the NFL and the Patriots.
(02:16):
One year after Gerrod Mayo had said that they were
gonna go burn some cash or whatever exactly it was,
now it's a new man in charge, Mike Rabel, and
you know what they're doing, just that they are spending, spending, spending,
and most especially on the defensive side of the ball
and with a team that really could stand to upgrade it,
(02:37):
essentially every single position outside of quarterback were even there.
They have added. It's nice to see.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah, absolutely, I absolutely love what the Patriots did today
and what they've done so far in this offseason. And
you look and what you see is Mike Rabel's fingerprints
are all over this football team. As it should be
that way when you look back at the Patriots last year,
I mean, guys, like look at how many just like
one score close losses that they had. They could have
just been changed if they could have just gotten a stop,
(03:04):
like the Seattle game in Week two, Jacksonville over there
in London, the Tennessee game in overtime, the Rams game
was a one score game. They blew it to the
Colts because they couldn't get off the field. They almost
knocked off Buffalo in Buffalo. I mean, you just like
one or two little stops there. And you're talking about
a team that goes from four wins to like eight
or nine and is like, you know, kind of like
(03:26):
on the verge of being in a playoff position. And
the Patriots go and they address defense, and this year,
you know they want to make sure that they're going
to be able to get off the field and they're
going to try to win some games, you know, and
in like the twenty to seventeen range, and I mean,
considering what's been available and when it comes to wide receivers,
I think that's the way to go at this point.
(03:47):
And we'll see if they do anything in the wide
receiver market other than Mac Collins, who you know, I
shouldn't sleep on that or anything like that, but love
the Williams move, the linebackers, Spillane Carlton Davis as a
second corner, Harold Lange. I really like what they're doing
right now, and it makes and like we were talking
about last week, Adam, it's we were saying, just get
(04:07):
professionals and serviceable football players and guys that should actually
be on the field. And that's what they picked up
today and yesterday too.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Let's build on some of those specifics and not necessarily
take you an order of importance. In fact, I guarantee
that's not what I'm doing, but I will go in
Josh chronological order. I'll go in chronological order, starting with
what happened inside twenty four hours ago, the return of
Austin Hooper one year, five million dollar deal. He was
(04:36):
you know, serviceable last year. Obviously you're not paying him
all that much. Signing bonus of a couple million good
for value up to seven million good for gambler's by
all means, and Hunter Henry can continue to be the
the star ish tight end within this roster. And then
you mentioned obviously Devon gotshow dealt away to the New
(04:58):
Orleans Saints. Got a twenty twenty s six seventh rounder
in return, so you know they gave him away. Essentially.
Robert Splane takes us to the beginning of the day,
formerly of the Raiders three year deal, almost thirty eight
million dollars undrafted free agent once upon a time, was
with Mike Vrabel his first year in Tennessee. And so
(05:20):
you know, obviously bringing in the linebacker with already some
familiarity there. You mentioned Carlton Davis cornerback can start opposite
Christian Gonzales three year, sixty million dollar packed gets almost
thirty five million in guarantees. So it's a nice one
to two punch right there on the outside for the
Patriots at corner if those guys can stay healthy. And
(05:42):
then offensive tackle of course, that is an area that
desperately needs to be addressed even still, but they have
started the process. Morgan Moses three year deal, twenty four million.
Now he's an older guy, and honestly, he's not great.
He's just better than what you've had. Thirty four years old,
started fourteen games last year for the Jets at right tackle.
(06:03):
I know the importance of left tackle, and they got
to get there too. This the right tackle, one hundred
and fifty eight career starts for him, and you know
comes in obviously is just a guy that can help
and like you said, a professional, a veteran there along
the line, and then you start to get into the
has he and Rappaport put a splash territory. Defensive tackle
(06:25):
Milton Williams of the Eagles, the Super Bowl champion Eagles
five sacks, ten quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss last
year for Philadelphia, a top target really in NFL circles
among defensive tackles, not just for the Patriots. He comes
in with a whopper of a deal north of twenty
(06:47):
five million dollars per year. That's right, more than a
hundred million dollar contract. If obviously he is here for
the life of it. We can talk a little bit
more about him. And then this dude from the Cardinals
whose name I can't even pronounce.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I don't want to try.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's I mean, there there are too many letters in
an order that I am unfamiliar with to try and
string this thing together. But you know what he's uh, well,
well Tonga. He has his last name. I don't know
what the first name is, Kira one year less than
is it Tiris? Might be Ciris sounds a lot simpler,
and it's spelled one year, two point seven million dollar deal.
(07:27):
So look, that will tell you that he is. Yeah,
I mean thirteen games last year he only started one,
had twenty two tackles, was out there for a quarter
of the defensive snaps. When you dig into the metrics,
he's not a guy it's going to give you a
whole lot. But just again adding to the defense mentioned
the quarterback position not an area that you need something
(07:51):
you hope. Anyway, Drake May is obviously the guy. There's
no question there. Joe Milton, provided he remains on this roster.
I know there are people that think, you know, trade
him away, get a you know, maybe even a first
or second round pick for him, but he's still on
the roster. And now there is a veteran who has
cost me money in the past, Josh Dobbs is now
on the Patriots roster, adding depth to that room because
(08:12):
obviously Jacoby Brissett is gone. And then final name or
one of the names that you mentioned, MATC Collins, the
wide receiver two year deal eight and a half million
dollars max value of about ten and a half million,
played under Josh McDaniels in Vegas, so clearly helps to
you know, add him to the offensive mix there with
(08:33):
the new old OC. You know, he Mike Rees had
tweeted out he had a great game and in the
twenty twenty two season feels like a lifetime ago going
against the Titans and Mike Rabel had eight catches, one
hundred and fifty eight yards and a touchdown. I probably
used him in fantasy that day and probably you know,
celebrated his you know, his his birth and place on
(08:58):
this planet. But as far as what he gives this offense, look,
I told my twelve year old about this signing and
his response was, well, he's not any good. So it's
not like the people don't know that Mac Collins is
not going to give you a whole hell of a lot,
you know, But I think we need to remind ourselves
(09:19):
what they had last year, and basically almost anything Dan
and Bryan at this point in time is an upgrade.
But if you're waiting for the big names, I mean
you may be waiting a long time, because as we know,
T Higgins was franchised by Cincinnati and doesn't mean he'll
be there. You could acquire him in a trade, but
(09:40):
I don't think he's going anywhere, so I would you know,
bank on him being back with the Bengals. Chris Godwin,
who the Patriots reportedly were heavy after, cashed in in
a much larger way than I ever would have expected
him to decide to stay, apparently reportedly leaving some money
on the table elsewhere I don't know where, but decided
to stay with Tampa and got north of forty million
(10:03):
in guarantees and a contract over three years that paid
him more than sixty And this is a dude coming
off a serious injury. So honestly, I thought he'd get
a cheapy one year proof of deal and then cash
in a year from now. He cashed in now, so
he goes back to Tampa. Anyone who wanted Devonte Adams
and I would have been open to that. Sorry, he
assigned with the Rams a couple of year deal to
(10:25):
finish out his career. He's there with Stafford and Nakua
and playing for McVeigh and all those guys. And we
can touch on that obviously, and what it means for
that division. I think we can play with some odds
a little bit later on. But you know, I think
you're not that I believed the Rams are going to
go out and win the Super Bowl. But I do
believe that at what twenty six to one, twenty seven
(10:46):
to one, there is great value in that number or
even just you know, when odds become available to bet
him to win the division as opposed to the team
that's going to be favored as it stands right now,
San Francisco. I would much much rather invest in LA
to win that.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
So I have that number right now if you want it. Well,
what do we know, San Francisco is the favorite even money.
LA's right behind him at two to one. Yeah, and
then see Seattle in Arizona about seven to one.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
That two to one sounds way better to me. But
you know, we'll have plenty of time to dive into
all that stuff. And then, uh, what other wide outs
am I missing? Short of great for a J Brown? Yeah,
Cooper couple be available. Uh dk Metcalf was traded, goes
to Pittsburgh, So Dariel drops him off stay with the Giants. Right,
(11:35):
some running back news we you know, just gotten alert
from schefter here that uh Najie Harris has left the Steelers,
joined the Chargers. There was who was it earlier just
a little while ago, joined the Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
Oh, Javonte Williams.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I like that, Javonte Williams. And that's uh, you know,
with obvious too. I guess, well he's I mean, he's
a free agent. But is he signed elsewhere?
Speaker 4 (11:59):
I don't think so, I guess. But the way they
were phrasing it is that he's expected to take Dowdell's
role in that offense. And I would assume so Dallas
everybody thinks he is going to take a running.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Back in the draft. But we'll see. So look, there
are a lot of interesting things happening, including you know,
just like there's we don't have enough time to get
into all of it right now, and we'll just sort
of be sprinkling it in throughout the night and throughout
the week and weeks to come ahead of the draft.
But you know, there's been so much that's happened in
recent days, like Gino Smith, you know, the being reunited
(12:32):
with Pete Carroll in Vegas. And by the way, the
Seahawks went out signed Sam Darnold. He got a nice
deal to replace him in Seattle. Meanwhile, you know, welcome
Justin Fields. I can't believe people thought he was going
to wind up back in Pittsburgh after they pissed him
off and benched him so early in the year when
he was playing well. He doesn't, by the way, signed
with the Jets. Welcome to the AL East or right,
(12:53):
hey as elast the AFC East. Pardon me, baseball in
the brain already. But when it comes to the Raiders
in particular in terms of any direct impact potentially on
the Patriots, you know, there were a lot of rumblings
that were or speculation floating around for a little while.
You know, if if the Raiders are after Shader Sanders,
could they potentially trade up to four if he's on
(13:14):
the board, Patriots move down get more rassets. All that stuff,
So that's off the table. It doesn't mean the Patriots
won't trade down with someone else, but they're not going
to be coming up looking for a quarterback anymore. So
there's just so much happening across the NFL. Clearly, if
you listen to me over the last fifteen minutes, it
will make your head spin. But great start. I wholeheartedly
agree with you by the Patriots addressing. And the thing
(13:37):
is anything that you address, if your Mike Rabel, Elliott
Wolf and all these other guys in that front office,
is just stuff you need to address, whether it was
the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of
the ball, both, like you got to address everything.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
Literally and everything except for starting quarterback and see one
of the corners number one right, Literally everything else is
on the table.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Everything and so start, good start today. Did they overpay?
I mean yeah, probably, but you have to you know, okay,
so what choice do you have? You are there's no
allure anymore. You know, once upon a time it was
the you know, you'll you'll take less money and deal
with the temperatures and you're in Foxborough and all that
(14:20):
because you're you know that that meant with that came
along with the not I mean a great likelihood, a
high percentage of winning a ring. That was your trade off,
and that was what you came here for. And if
not that you had Brady. Even after Brady, there was
still some appeal. If I'm gonna go play for Belichick,
he's an all timer, I'll be able to tell my
(14:40):
grandkids I played for him. You got nothing now right,
nothing you are you are building from the beginning.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Yup, and you have to overspend. And that's what they
did today. And it sounds like they swooped right in
at the last minute for Milton Williams, who I guess
was was like about to sign in Carolina. It sounded
like that was a done deal, and then all of
a sudden, I I believe it was Diana Russini who
started it that saying, no, that's not a done deal yet.
They're just they're they're like at the finish line, but
he hasn't quite crossed over. And then all of a sudden,
(15:08):
the report comes out from rap sheet that nope, the
Patriots are signing him. So they identified the guys that
they wanted and they did overpay, and I think there
was probably a little bit of that feeling after the
Godwin deal went down, like Okay, we really are going
to have to overspend here if we want to improve
this football team.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
And they went with that.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
So this day that started like going like, oh boy,
here we go again. They're gonna come, you know, interest
Kings and that they're just gonna comp short. But they
were right there and then it's it swung and I
think they had one of, if not the best days
in free agency, which obviously, you know, we'll see how
that plays out on the field, but a really good
day today.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
And last thing, I could have used a reminder over
text from you for all the texting that we did today,
guys talking football could have used a little hay cough,
Maybe stay away from those college basketball boosts on FanDuel.
Screw you towsond Oh my god, we're taking a couple
hundred from me today when I decided to invest in
you to win when everybody, everybody in the market, everybody
(16:07):
in the betting community love that play today to cover
let alone, you know I had win.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I had them spread in a couple of small builders
bank roll repair. They blew up for us today. I
mean Delaware shot close to sixty percent and tousand was horrible.
But they were the best team in the CIA all
season and to lose to a horrible under five hundred
Delaware team in the semi finals is just inexcusable.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Absolutely gross. But then again, I had a builder blown
up yesterday by Santa Clara fifteen point favorites Pepperdine US.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Yeah, Pepperdine and Pepperdine's up on Saint Mary's right now,
so the top, Yeah, they're up five, of course they are.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Doesn't matter. I think my tie into Saint Mary's went
up and smoked with Townsend anyway, So whatever, go ahead,
do your worst. We'll come on back.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
If there are games to be played, there are bets
to be made.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I'll bet you twenty bucks. I can get you gambled
before the end of the day. No way, I'll give
you three to one, eyes five to one. End on.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Here, get ahead of line movement, find in game value,
and hear the latest insights from your favorite industry experts.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
This is my gambling. If I win, we all win.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Tell your smart speaker to play that gambler with Adam
Kaufman on w RKO on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Our number two of the Gambler with Adam Kaufman here
on WRKO. Thanks so much for hanging with us. So
the state your case turned into a little bit of
as opposed to three group plays, just individual plays. I
gave you a play, Dan gave you a play, and
Brian gave you a play. Those plays in order were
Gonzaga minus fourteen and a half points. I don't remember
(17:56):
if I said Dan or Brian first. I'll just give
you other place leaves buddy line from Dad and then
from Brian the over six and a half asist for
Draymond Green. Parlay those three and hurry up to do so.
You got a few minutes plus five seventy one over
on fan Duel. Let's get to some football though Day
one a free agency least the legal tampering period. Everything
(18:17):
becomes official come Wednesday, the start of the new league year.
In the NFL, it's been active obviously between today and
recent days. The QB market Patriots making some moves, working
on sharing up the defensive side of the ball. Still
some work to be done. That's what happens when you
need things everywhere at basically every single position on the field,
(18:37):
and just veterans that are moving around, you know, some
staying put, some moving around across the NFL. A lot
of names in the fantasy and betting community. What they
have left in the tanks or coming off injuries that
remains to be seen obviously when we get to the
new season. But here to help us break down what
we've seen so far. Joe Pisapia, our friend over at
(18:59):
betting and Fantasy pros. He is on Twitter at Joe
Piece of PA and the number seventeen. Joe, how's going man?
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Was anything going on in the last twenty four hours
of the NFL? I hadn't. It's been cool, Adham, I
gotta say it's been It's been like crickets out there.
What a wild you know, twenty four hours Basically yesterday morning,
I woke up and I was trying to put a
show together for Monday. I was like, now, I hope
some stuff starts to break because right now it's kind of, yeah,
a little slow. We got the Gino Smith thing over
(19:28):
the weekend, and then all of a sudden last night
it was like the floodgates open. But it's certainly been
entertaining in the last twenty four hours after sure.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
So tell me, with what we've seen thus far, which
team do you think has helped itself the most going
into the new season, knowing full well that so much
still can change, and we still have the draft ahead
of us, and whatever trades and obviously worst case scenarios
of injuries in mini camps and OTAs and preseason and
(19:58):
all that, just as as we know things here on
March tenth. Which team moved up some slots on your rankings?
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Well, I think the cumulative here of Washington what they've
done getting punsled and also getting Diebo a few weeks ago.
If Debo is healthy and in good shape, which she
was not last year, I think we can all agree
Deebo did not come to camp in good shape. Obviously,
there are some issues they are going on. So I
think the Commanders went a long way here, some of
(20:27):
the pieces they brought in, because obviously they were very close.
They were in the game of the Super Bowl. They've
got a terrific quarterback. Obviously, I think the Commanders are
moving forward with a good strategy in hand, and they're
adding a lot of good leadership too. We're adding, you know,
you know, guys like Toms are captains, you know, and
I think that is a very important thing when you're
looking at the overall locker room and what these guys
(20:48):
are going to bring, not just on the field but
off the field. It's very important, especially for a young team.
And you can see teams like the Patriots and the Commanders,
who have a lot of cap space, have been very aggressive.
The Patriots, of you know, they were terrible last year
against the run, bringing in Landry, bringing in spill At,
and bringing in some of these guys that, you know,
finally some linebackers who know what they're doing. I think
that's very important. But you know, I think the most
(21:08):
intriguing move so far to me, there's probably two of them.
The first one is DeVante Adams, because I think it's
signals that the Rams really think that they are in
it to compete again for at least another two year
window here, and it's the signal that Cooper Cup is done,
they're moving on from Cooper Cup, and that other teams
should recognize. Look, we favor Cooper Cup well below where
(21:31):
we favor somebody like Devanta Adams at this stage and
their career, both betteran guys. So it's kind of a
red flag that are Cooper Cup's value wherever he lands.
But what DeVante Adams brings is a fantastic fantasy wide
receiver two guy who's gonna have wide receiver one games.
And if Pookaakua, who has had trouble staying healthy in college,
trouble staying healthy sometimes in the pro level he misses time,
now you've got DeVante Adams still. So that's a huge
(21:52):
win there for that offense. And I don't know if
it's going to be a long term win or not,
but at least potentially it is because people forget how
young Sam Donald is and if they've really found something
in Seattle with Sam Donald, and they've moved on from
DK Metcalf, they've moved on from Tyler Lockett, really kind
of changing over there. And Donald does turn out to be,
(22:13):
you know, like Baker Mayfield has, which is a franchise quarterback,
and they're getting him on a little bit of a discount,
which I think is really intriguing compared to what some
other quarterbacks are going to get paid. So Seattle potentially
gonna be a long term winner, short term winner, I
think definitely. The Rams signing of Devontae Addams, I though
it was a huge move for them, and I don't
know what the heck the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing right now,
to tell you the truth.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
So Joe, I'm glad you brought up the DeVante Adams move.
That's one of my most that's one of my favorite
moves that's happened so far too. And we were talking
at the beginning of the show, how you know it
might be worth you know, looking at LA to win
the NFC West again here heading into this year. Not
only do I think that the Rams might have gotten
a little bit better today, but I think the San
Francisco forty nine ers, who are the favorite right now,
(22:53):
took some big hits. They lost a lot of pieces
from Drake Green, Lotts, some guys in that offensive line,
the secondary obviously Deva gone. Are Yuk's coming back off
of a big time injury. I just I like where
the Rams are sitting right now.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
I completely agree with you. Seattle's going to be a
work in progress. And you know, the Rams last year
you got hot towards the end, and you've seen them
be in the playoffs now two years in a row,
and you know, I think Stafford's realizing that despite some
of the physical issues he's had, he's still got enough
left in the tank to be a very competitive quarterback,
still at his age, and it is an advanced age.
(23:28):
But you look around on what he's been able to
do the last couple of years, and I think it's
very impressive. And when you add another weapon like Adams,
I think that's kind of what hurt them down the stretches.
I think teams realize that Cooper Cup really wasn't giving
them anything. So now you have to worry about Pooka
a coup and all that volume and all the routes
pre that he runs in that McVeigh offense. But now
you have to worry about a veteran wide receiver who
(23:49):
still knows how to get opened, still has separation, still
it can go get it in the red zone, and
that is a threat I think they did not have
last year, and it showed when they got into those
bigger games against some of those bigger teams, and I
think I'm with you. I think the Rams gonna be
very competitive. They had a great draft last year. They
were able to somehow fill the void of Aaron Donald
there on that front line, and now all of a
(24:10):
sudden you bring in a big weapon like this. And
to your point too about the four nine ers, they're
a really tough spot right now. You know you've got
brand On you coming back from an injury, you got
Christian McCaffrey coming back from an injury. You have a
situation where you're looking at what your investment is in
brock Purty long term and is that a good idea.
They've got so many questions and you lose a green Law,
(24:30):
you lose a Hofon, you're losing all these other veteran
players that have been there. I think it's going to
be a real potentially dark time there. It's San Francisco,
because sometimes that window closes and sometimes you don't come
away with a championship. And the forty nine ers might
be in one of those spots where their best window
might have already been past them. And now they're looking
(24:51):
at whatever the next incarnation of this roster is going
to be, and I think it might take a couple
of years to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Yeah, and you've got some talent there, Juwan Jennings, Ricky
pier Saw. Obviously, if those other guys that you mentioned
are healthy, kid all least still got on the little
mileage left. We'll see what Trent Williams is able to
do health wise. Brock Purty is just not a guy
that personally, I'm all that high on, never have been.
You know, I think he's good, he's above average, he's
not elite. I'm not even sure he's great. You know,
(25:16):
he's just a guy that has you know, I don't know.
I used to, like so many around these parts, get
offended when people would say this about Tom Brady, and
I can't believe I'm even making this comparison. But you know,
like I just think brock Perty's a really good, efficient
game manager, which is not a slight it's yeah, but
(25:37):
is good at it and that's great. But you take
away those weapons, suddenly the system doesn't look as good.
And I was looking at Super Bowl futures. You know,
Dan mentioned the West, and I think that's a better bet.
It's a quote unquote safer bet. But thirteen to one
for San Francisco to win the Super Bowl versus LA
at twenty six to one, Like, I think both those
numbers are mispriced. You know, meet somewhere in the middle
(26:00):
with both of those teams. But anyway, you mentioned Washington
to go back to that for a moment. You know,
let's not forget we like to talk about this on
this show. It's been two decades since we have seen
a team win the NFC East in consecutive years. It'd
be really easy to back Philadelphia coming off a Super
Bowl win. I'm not even saying it would be the
wrong move, but I'd invest in Washington. I like what
(26:21):
that team's been doing. I certainly am a believer in
Jayden Daniels, and I think the Cliff Kingsbury can get
something whatever is left in the tank for Deebo Samuel.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
Yeah, look, I can't disagree with that, and it's very
interesting to bring that statistic up at back to back years,
and that division can be a little tricky. The defense
is still very young and very controllable for the most part,
so that is a big positive. I think it comes
down to the health of Saekwam Barkley. He got his
bag and he deserves it. An incredible season where he
(26:51):
changed the complexion of that team and he made it
more of a team environment, less about me and more
about we, and I think that rubbed off on those guys,
and when you go historically look at the guys who
have four hundred touches in the season, the following year
things don't go well. So if you're gonna write script
for Philadelphia not repeating in that division, it's the health
of sake Kwan Barkley, and it's something that nobody ever
(27:12):
wants to talk about. It's something that I was pounding
the table for in Fantasy last year, which is, hey,
Christian McCaffrey had four hundred and seventeen combined touches last year.
You gotta be fating him as a number one overall pick.
There's just no way this is gonna work out over
a full season. And guess what, we didn't even get
one week into the season and he was gone. So
I think that's something that people they hate the idea
of it. They never want to have that real talk
(27:35):
about that kind of workload and what it looks like
the following year, and historically speaking, it never looks good.
It just always comes back to haunt them. And that
is gonna be a tough pill to swallow there, But
that would be the out to me. The other move too,
that I think you guys get to everybody should really
be interested in and It's something that I predicted months
ago and I've been on it for weeks and one
live show today we were talking about it and it
(27:57):
broke as soon as we were talking about it, and
it was justin Field going to the Jets because he's
got an opportunity there twenty six years old to I mean, look,
he's gonna have to run. It's gonna be great for
fantasy because the offensive line isn't great. But you reunite
him with Garrett Wilson, you have a great head coach
and Aaron Glenn who's going to really support him. You
(28:17):
know they're going to commit to him. I don't think
they're gonna bring in competition. They're going to try this
and see what it looks like. But you got Garrett Wilson,
you've got Breise Hall, You've got Braylan Allen. You've got
a young roster there. You can go out and you
can draft him the wide receiver. There's some depths in
this wide receiver class. The defense has some talent on it.
You can turn this team around very quickly with a
football guy like Aaron Glenn. And I can't believe what
(28:40):
the Pittsburgh Steelers did last year. They were four and
two with Justin Fields. He fell into their lap at
twenty five years old and for a sixth round pick
and at four and two, nearly five and one, because
they almost pulled that rabbit out of their hatt Indianapolis
last year. If you recall that game, they came back
and they almost won that game, and they lost, and
what happened. They replaced him with a quarterback ten years older,
and they crapped out at the end of the season.
(29:02):
And of course Justin Fields walk why would he want
to go back into a situation where it's replaced by
Russell Wilson after having a winning record. If they just
let him have a year under his belt in the
offense to figure things out, get his confidence back, they
might have a franchise quarterback right now. Instead, the Jets
got him, and now they're sitting there scratching their ass.
(29:23):
And the Pittsburgh Steelers right now don't have an answer quarterback.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
So, Joe, I'm a little surprised right now as I
look at DraftKings and I see that the Kansas City
Chiefs are just minus one twenty five to win their
division right now. I mean, they have had an absolute
stranglehold over this thing here for I want to say
at least a decade at this point, have they either
taken that big of a step back here or have
any of those other three teams taken enough of a
step forward so far this offseason to actually be a
(29:50):
legit threat to Kansas City in that division.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
Yeah, I think with Kansas City it is always tough
to bet against them, but that division, certainly, I think
year of years got more competitive. You know, the Denver
Broncos defensively, very strong team. Bow Knicks. I did not
have only a bingo card that bon Nicks would pay
as well as he did in the NFL. I did
not think that was gonna happen. They made it easy
for him, They made it simplified for him. And you
(30:13):
know what, they did a great job. They got to
the playoffs and it was a very successful season. And
you expect that roster to improve year over years. They
continue to pull themselves out of the depths of sorrow
that was the Russell Wilson trade, right, And then you
turn around and you look at what the Chargers have
done too. Chargers going from a terrible team last year
(30:36):
to changing head coach and getting all of a sudden
into the playoffs this year, and now the playoff run
didn't work out unfortunately, but they remade the offensive line.
It's going to be facting to see how they draft
this year. They're going to want to run the football.
That's something that's going to be super important for them,
and solidifying that running back position, which it seems like
they've got a plan for now. And I think it's
(30:56):
going to be a much tougher out for the Chiefs.
And the one thing I will say to that point
is every single year, the team that loses a Super
Bowl the following year they don't make it back. It's
just historically something that happens. Only one team in the
last twenty five years has done it, and it was
Tom Brady in his quote unquote system. So you know,
it's a tom Brady record. Who could throw it out
the window because there's Tom Brady and everybody else. But
(31:19):
when you lose super Bowls, especially tough crushing last super bowls,
whether it be you know, last second or getting blown out,
it does not go well for you the next year.
Schedule's tough. Money becomes an issue with a lot of players.
You have players who are getting older. Typically a lot
of veterans on those kind of teams, so it's gonna
be complicated. I'm surprised it's that small of a number,
but at the same time, I think it speaks to
(31:41):
how tight that division is starting to get. I don't
think the Raiders are there yet, but the other two
teams I think are gonna be very competitive, and if
if Kansas City isn't quite as dumb and in their
own division, that's been the secret sauce for them. It's
so dominant division that they can get that by get
the two home games and get to the super Bowl.
That road might be a little bit tougher for them
this year. And to go in the road or in
the first round and don't get that buy, I think
(32:03):
it's gonna be much trickier for Kansas City this year.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Joe, we got to move quickly on this one before
we let you go. But you brought up the Steelers.
Who is their quarterback going to be?
Speaker 5 (32:12):
Oh god, you know, at this point it needs to
be Russell Wilson. I think they're gonna have to all
come together and figure it out. I mean, you bring
a DK Metcalf, I mean, I don't I don't know
what I mean. I have Steeler friends, family and friends,
and they are ready to jump off of any bridge
in Pittsburgh if that happened. They are not looking forward
(32:35):
to that. And you know what, if it's Aaron Rodgers,
then all you've done is continue that same cycle, right,
which is like, we're just trying to do everything we
can to just be what a ten win team, get
in the first round and lose. Again, that's not how
you build franchises. And they really, like I said, they
(32:55):
had it right in their fingertips. They let it slip through.
Even if Fields doesn't work out. The theory behind it
should have been, let him play, let him figure it out,
see what you got, and then if you end up
having that guy, you're good. You've got the coach. You
just need the quarterback. If you don't have coaching quarterback,
you don't win in this league. And right now they
don't have quarterback. So it's gonna be Daniel Jones's gonna
(33:17):
be Aaron Rodgers, or maybe just maybe they move up
in the draft for a guy like a Jackson Dart
and a guy I actually like a lot. But that's
gonna be a tough sell. I think, you know, I
like Jackson Dart. We'll see how that works out for them.
But if a Darren Rodgers, I think you're right back
where you were last year, which is hoping and praying
that things work out. But then what do you do
the following year, and you're back in that vicious cycle.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Joe's on Twitter at Joe Piece of PS seventeen. He is,
of course a host over with Fantasy pros and betting pros. Joe,
always enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
We'll bug you again soon. Try and you know, pay
attention to the news tomorrow. I hate for you to
be caught off guard again.
Speaker 5 (33:52):
Yeah, well, you know, hopefully. I mean, I'm sure something
will happen, that's for sure. You know, Hey, I'm very
glad I liked to You know, you're in the business.
It's always better to have too much to talk about
than nothing to talk about.
W r k O presians Boston's only nightly sports betting show,
The Gambler with Adam Kaufman. Now from nine till midnight,
your home to talk spreads, props, totals and more. Hey Doc,
and what's the harm of bringing back a little info
in the future. Maybe we could place a couple of baths.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
The Gambler starts now.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
All I have to do is bet on the winner
and I'll never lose. Kears, Adam Kaufman, what's up everyone,
Happy Monday. Welcome into a brand new week at The
Gambler with Adam Kaufman. And what a week? What all week?
What a month? I rival anyone to find a more
fun sports month than the month of March between college
(00:47):
basketball conference tournaments taking us into the field of sixty eight.
Of course, we are only days away from selection Sunday,
getting a look at the bracket and then crazy probably
upsetting for our wallets basketball that will take place for
a matter of weeks NonStop. It's gonna be incredible. The
channel flipping or app flipping or whatever the people do
(01:08):
out there to consume. Just go to a bar and
have them put a different game on every TV. And
don't leave for twelve hours. It will be the absolute best.
The regular seasons winding down both the NBA and the
NHL as teams getting themselves ready for the postseason. Baseball
futures talk there, free agency, all the spring training stuff
(01:30):
is obviously we're like halfway through there. We're weeks away
from the start of the regular season, which does begin
this month, and right now football football never really goes away.
Football is as year round as any sport that there is,
and this time of year, especially Dan Watkins, Brian. But hello,
(01:52):
we have ourselves the start of free agency today, the
beginning of the quote unquote legal tampering period. The new
league year begins on Wednesday. There have already been so
many free agent signings reported, trades that have already occurred,
official signings among guys who had been cut previously, loads
of movement, big names across the NFL and the Patriots.
(02:16):
One year after Gerrod Mayo had said that they were
gonna go burn some cash or whatever exactly it was,
now it's a new man in charge, Mike Rabel, and
you know what they're doing, just that they are spending, spending, spending,
and most especially on the defensive side of the ball
and with a team that really could stand to upgrade it,
(02:37):
essentially every single position outside of quarterback were even there.
They have added. It's nice to see.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah, absolutely, I absolutely love what the Patriots did today
and what they've done so far in this offseason. And
you look and what you see is Mike Rabel's fingerprints
are all over this football team. As it should be
that way when you look back at the Patriots last year,
I mean, guys, like look at how many just like
one score close losses that they had. They could have
just been changed if they could have just gotten a stop,
(03:04):
like the Seattle game in Week two, Jacksonville over there
in London, the Tennessee game in overtime, the Rams game
was a one score game. They blew it to the
Colts because they couldn't get off the field. They almost
knocked off Buffalo in Buffalo. I mean, you just like
one or two little stops there. And you're talking about
a team that goes from four wins to like eight
or nine and is like, you know, kind of like
(03:26):
on the verge of being in a playoff position. And
the Patriots go and they address defense, and this year,
you know they want to make sure that they're going
to be able to get off the field and they're
going to try to win some games, you know, and
in like the twenty to seventeen range, and I mean,
considering what's been available and when it comes to wide receivers,
I think that's the way to go at this point.
(03:47):
And we'll see if they do anything in the wide
receiver market other than Mac Collins, who you know, I
shouldn't sleep on that or anything like that, but love
the Williams move, the linebackers, Spillane Carlton Davis as a
second corner, Harold Lange. I really like what they're doing
right now, and it makes and like we were talking
about last week, Adam, it's we were saying, just get
(04:07):
professionals and serviceable football players and guys that should actually
be on the field. And that's what they picked up
today and yesterday too.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Let's build on some of those specifics and not necessarily
take you an order of importance. In fact, I guarantee
that's not what I'm doing, but I will go in
Josh chronological order. I'll go in chronological order, starting with
what happened inside twenty four hours ago, the return of
Austin Hooper one year, five million dollar deal. He was
(04:36):
you know, serviceable last year. Obviously you're not paying him
all that much. Signing bonus of a couple million good
for value up to seven million good for gambler's by
all means, and Hunter Henry can continue to be the
the star ish tight end within this roster. And then
you mentioned obviously Devon gotshow dealt away to the New
(04:58):
Orleans Saints. Got a twenty twenty s six seventh rounder
in return, so you know they gave him away. Essentially.
Robert Splane takes us to the beginning of the day,
formerly of the Raiders three year deal, almost thirty eight
million dollars undrafted free agent once upon a time, was
with Mike Vrabel his first year in Tennessee. And so
(05:20):
you know, obviously bringing in the linebacker with already some
familiarity there. You mentioned Carlton Davis cornerback can start opposite
Christian Gonzales three year, sixty million dollar packed gets almost
thirty five million in guarantees. So it's a nice one
to two punch right there on the outside for the
Patriots at corner if those guys can stay healthy. And
(05:42):
then offensive tackle of course, that is an area that
desperately needs to be addressed even still, but they have
started the process. Morgan Moses three year deal, twenty four million.
Now he's an older guy, and honestly, he's not great.
He's just better than what you've had. Thirty four years old,
started fourteen games last year for the Jets at right tackle.
(06:03):
I know the importance of left tackle, and they got
to get there too. This the right tackle, one hundred
and fifty eight career starts for him, and you know
comes in obviously is just a guy that can help
and like you said, a professional, a veteran there along
the line, and then you start to get into the
has he and Rappaport put a splash territory. Defensive tackle
(06:25):
Milton Williams of the Eagles, the Super Bowl champion Eagles
five sacks, ten quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss last
year for Philadelphia, a top target really in NFL circles
among defensive tackles, not just for the Patriots. He comes
in with a whopper of a deal north of twenty
(06:47):
five million dollars per year. That's right, more than a
hundred million dollar contract. If obviously he is here for
the life of it. We can talk a little bit
more about him. And then this dude from the Cardinals
whose name I can't even pronounce.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I don't want to try.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's I mean, there there are too many letters in
an order that I am unfamiliar with to try and
string this thing together. But you know what he's uh, well,
well Tonga. He has his last name. I don't know
what the first name is, Kira one year less than
is it Tiris? Might be Ciris sounds a lot simpler,
and it's spelled one year, two point seven million dollar deal.
(07:27):
So look, that will tell you that he is. Yeah,
I mean thirteen games last year he only started one,
had twenty two tackles, was out there for a quarter
of the defensive snaps. When you dig into the metrics,
he's not a guy it's going to give you a
whole lot. But just again adding to the defense mentioned
the quarterback position not an area that you need something
(07:51):
you hope. Anyway, Drake May is obviously the guy. There's
no question there. Joe Milton, provided he remains on this roster.
I know there are people that think, you know, trade
him away, get a you know, maybe even a first
or second round pick for him, but he's still on
the roster. And now there is a veteran who has
cost me money in the past, Josh Dobbs is now
on the Patriots roster, adding depth to that room because
(08:12):
obviously Jacoby Brissett is gone. And then final name or
one of the names that you mentioned, MATC Collins, the
wide receiver two year deal eight and a half million
dollars max value of about ten and a half million,
played under Josh McDaniels in Vegas, so clearly helps to
you know, add him to the offensive mix there with
(08:33):
the new old OC. You know, he Mike Rees had
tweeted out he had a great game and in the
twenty twenty two season feels like a lifetime ago going
against the Titans and Mike Rabel had eight catches, one
hundred and fifty eight yards and a touchdown. I probably
used him in fantasy that day and probably you know,
celebrated his you know, his his birth and place on
(08:58):
this planet. But as far as what he gives this offense, look,
I told my twelve year old about this signing and
his response was, well, he's not any good. So it's
not like the people don't know that Mac Collins is
not going to give you a whole hell of a lot,
you know, But I think we need to remind ourselves
(09:19):
what they had last year, and basically almost anything Dan
and Bryan at this point in time is an upgrade.
But if you're waiting for the big names, I mean
you may be waiting a long time, because as we know,
T Higgins was franchised by Cincinnati and doesn't mean he'll
be there. You could acquire him in a trade, but
(09:40):
I don't think he's going anywhere, so I would you know,
bank on him being back with the Bengals. Chris Godwin,
who the Patriots reportedly were heavy after, cashed in in
a much larger way than I ever would have expected
him to decide to stay, apparently reportedly leaving some money
on the table elsewhere I don't know where, but decided
to stay with Tampa and got north of forty million
(10:03):
in guarantees and a contract over three years that paid
him more than sixty And this is a dude coming
off a serious injury. So honestly, I thought he'd get
a cheapy one year proof of deal and then cash
in a year from now. He cashed in now, so
he goes back to Tampa. Anyone who wanted Devonte Adams
and I would have been open to that. Sorry, he
assigned with the Rams a couple of year deal to
(10:25):
finish out his career. He's there with Stafford and Nakua
and playing for McVeigh and all those guys. And we
can touch on that obviously, and what it means for
that division. I think we can play with some odds
a little bit later on. But you know, I think
you're not that I believed the Rams are going to
go out and win the Super Bowl. But I do
believe that at what twenty six to one, twenty seven
(10:46):
to one, there is great value in that number or
even just you know, when odds become available to bet
him to win the division as opposed to the team
that's going to be favored as it stands right now,
San Francisco. I would much much rather invest in LA
to win that.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
So I have that number right now if you want it. Well,
what do we know, San Francisco is the favorite even money.
LA's right behind him at two to one. Yeah, and
then see Seattle in Arizona about seven to one.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
That two to one sounds way better to me. But
you know, we'll have plenty of time to dive into
all that stuff. And then, uh, what other wide outs
am I missing? Short of great for a J Brown? Yeah,
Cooper couple be available. Uh dk Metcalf was traded, goes
to Pittsburgh, So Dariel drops him off stay with the Giants. Right,
(11:35):
some running back news we you know, just gotten alert
from schefter here that uh Najie Harris has left the Steelers,
joined the Chargers. There was who was it earlier just
a little while ago, joined the Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
Oh, Javonte Williams.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I like that, Javonte Williams. And that's uh, you know,
with obvious too. I guess, well he's I mean, he's
a free agent. But is he signed elsewhere?
Speaker 4 (11:59):
I don't think so, I guess. But the way they
were phrasing it is that he's expected to take Dowdell's
role in that offense. And I would assume so Dallas
everybody thinks he is going to take a running.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Back in the draft. But we'll see. So look, there
are a lot of interesting things happening, including you know,
just like there's we don't have enough time to get
into all of it right now, and we'll just sort
of be sprinkling it in throughout the night and throughout
the week and weeks to come ahead of the draft.
But you know, there's been so much that's happened in
recent days, like Gino Smith, you know, the being reunited
(12:32):
with Pete Carroll in Vegas. And by the way, the
Seahawks went out signed Sam Darnold. He got a nice
deal to replace him in Seattle. Meanwhile, you know, welcome
Justin Fields. I can't believe people thought he was going
to wind up back in Pittsburgh after they pissed him
off and benched him so early in the year when
he was playing well. He doesn't, by the way, signed
with the Jets. Welcome to the AL East or right,
(12:53):
hey as elast the AFC East. Pardon me, baseball in
the brain already. But when it comes to the Raiders
in particular in terms of any direct impact potentially on
the Patriots, you know, there were a lot of rumblings
that were or speculation floating around for a little while.
You know, if if the Raiders are after Shader Sanders,
could they potentially trade up to four if he's on
(13:14):
the board, Patriots move down get more rassets. All that stuff,
So that's off the table. It doesn't mean the Patriots
won't trade down with someone else, but they're not going
to be coming up looking for a quarterback anymore. So
there's just so much happening across the NFL. Clearly, if
you listen to me over the last fifteen minutes, it
will make your head spin. But great start. I wholeheartedly
agree with you by the Patriots addressing. And the thing
(13:37):
is anything that you address, if your Mike Rabel, Elliott
Wolf and all these other guys in that front office,
is just stuff you need to address, whether it was
the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of
the ball, both, like you got to address everything.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
Literally and everything except for starting quarterback and see one
of the corners number one right, Literally everything else is
on the table.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Everything and so start, good start today. Did they overpay?
I mean yeah, probably, but you have to you know, okay,
so what choice do you have? You are there's no
allure anymore. You know, once upon a time it was
the you know, you'll you'll take less money and deal
with the temperatures and you're in Foxborough and all that
(14:20):
because you're you know that that meant with that came
along with the not I mean a great likelihood, a
high percentage of winning a ring. That was your trade off,
and that was what you came here for. And if
not that you had Brady. Even after Brady, there was
still some appeal. If I'm gonna go play for Belichick,
he's an all timer, I'll be able to tell my
(14:40):
grandkids I played for him. You got nothing now right,
nothing you are you are building from the beginning.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Yup, and you have to overspend. And that's what they
did today. And it sounds like they swooped right in
at the last minute for Milton Williams, who I guess
was was like about to sign in Carolina. It sounded
like that was a done deal, and then all of
a sudden, I I believe it was Diana Russini who
started it that saying, no, that's not a done deal yet.
They're just they're they're like at the finish line, but
he hasn't quite crossed over. And then all of a sudden,
(15:08):
the report comes out from rap sheet that nope, the
Patriots are signing him. So they identified the guys that
they wanted and they did overpay, and I think there
was probably a little bit of that feeling after the
Godwin deal went down, like Okay, we really are going
to have to overspend here if we want to improve
this football team.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
And they went with that.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
So this day that started like going like, oh boy,
here we go again. They're gonna come, you know, interest
Kings and that they're just gonna comp short. But they
were right there and then it's it swung and I
think they had one of, if not the best days
in free agency, which obviously, you know, we'll see how
that plays out on the field, but a really good
day today.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
And last thing, I could have used a reminder over
text from you for all the texting that we did today,
guys talking football could have used a little hay cough,
Maybe stay away from those college basketball boosts on FanDuel.
Screw you towsond Oh my god, we're taking a couple
hundred from me today when I decided to invest in
you to win when everybody, everybody in the market, everybody
(16:07):
in the betting community love that play today to cover
let alone, you know I had win.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I had them spread in a couple of small builders
bank roll repair. They blew up for us today. I
mean Delaware shot close to sixty percent and tousand was horrible.
But they were the best team in the CIA all
season and to lose to a horrible under five hundred
Delaware team in the semi finals is just inexcusable.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Absolutely gross. But then again, I had a builder blown
up yesterday by Santa Clara fifteen point favorites Pepperdine US.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Yeah, Pepperdine and Pepperdine's up on Saint Mary's right now,
so the top, Yeah, they're up five, of course they are.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Doesn't matter. I think my tie into Saint Mary's went
up and smoked with Townsend anyway, So whatever, go ahead,
do your worst. We'll come on back.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
If there are games to be played, there are bets
to be made.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I'll bet you twenty bucks. I can get you gambled
before the end of the day. No way, I'll give
you three to one, eyes five to one. End on.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Here, get ahead of line movement, find in game value,
and hear the latest insights from your favorite industry experts.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
This is my gambling. If I win, we all win.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Tell your smart speaker to play that gambler with Adam
Kaufman on w RKO on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Our number two of the Gambler with Adam Kaufman here
on WRKO. Thanks so much for hanging with us. So
the state your case turned into a little bit of
as opposed to three group plays, just individual plays. I
gave you a play, Dan gave you a play, and
Brian gave you a play. Those plays in order were
Gonzaga minus fourteen and a half points. I don't remember
(17:56):
if I said Dan or Brian first. I'll just give
you other place leaves buddy line from Dad and then
from Brian the over six and a half asist for
Draymond Green. Parlay those three and hurry up to do so.
You got a few minutes plus five seventy one over
on fan Duel. Let's get to some football though Day
one a free agency least the legal tampering period. Everything
(18:17):
becomes official come Wednesday, the start of the new league year.
In the NFL, it's been active obviously between today and
recent days. The QB market Patriots making some moves, working
on sharing up the defensive side of the ball. Still
some work to be done. That's what happens when you
need things everywhere at basically every single position on the field,
(18:37):
and just veterans that are moving around, you know, some
staying put, some moving around across the NFL. A lot
of names in the fantasy and betting community. What they
have left in the tanks or coming off injuries that
remains to be seen obviously when we get to the
new season. But here to help us break down what
we've seen so far. Joe Pisapia, our friend over at
(18:59):
betting and Fantasy pros. He is on Twitter at Joe
Piece of PA and the number seventeen. Joe, how's going man?
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Was anything going on in the last twenty four hours
of the NFL? I hadn't. It's been cool, Adham, I
gotta say it's been It's been like crickets out there.
What a wild you know, twenty four hours Basically yesterday morning,
I woke up and I was trying to put a
show together for Monday. I was like, now, I hope
some stuff starts to break because right now it's kind of, yeah,
a little slow. We got the Gino Smith thing over
(19:28):
the weekend, and then all of a sudden last night
it was like the floodgates open. But it's certainly been
entertaining in the last twenty four hours after sure.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
So tell me, with what we've seen thus far, which
team do you think has helped itself the most going
into the new season, knowing full well that so much
still can change, and we still have the draft ahead
of us, and whatever trades and obviously worst case scenarios
of injuries in mini camps and OTAs and preseason and
(19:58):
all that, just as as we know things here on
March tenth. Which team moved up some slots on your rankings?
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Well, I think the cumulative here of Washington what they've
done getting punsled and also getting Diebo a few weeks ago.
If Debo is healthy and in good shape, which she
was not last year, I think we can all agree
Deebo did not come to camp in good shape. Obviously,
there are some issues they are going on. So I
think the Commanders went a long way here, some of
(20:27):
the pieces they brought in, because obviously they were very close.
They were in the game of the Super Bowl. They've
got a terrific quarterback. Obviously, I think the Commanders are
moving forward with a good strategy in hand, and they're
adding a lot of good leadership too. We're adding, you know,
you know, guys like Toms are captains, you know, and
I think that is a very important thing when you're
looking at the overall locker room and what these guys
(20:48):
are going to bring, not just on the field but
off the field. It's very important, especially for a young team.
And you can see teams like the Patriots and the Commanders,
who have a lot of cap space, have been very aggressive.
The Patriots, of you know, they were terrible last year
against the run, bringing in Landry, bringing in spill At,
and bringing in some of these guys that, you know,
finally some linebackers who know what they're doing. I think
that's very important. But you know, I think the most
(21:08):
intriguing move so far to me, there's probably two of them.
The first one is DeVante Adams, because I think it's
signals that the Rams really think that they are in
it to compete again for at least another two year
window here, and it's the signal that Cooper Cup is done,
they're moving on from Cooper Cup, and that other teams
should recognize. Look, we favor Cooper Cup well below where
(21:31):
we favor somebody like Devanta Adams at this stage and
their career, both betteran guys. So it's kind of a
red flag that are Cooper Cup's value wherever he lands.
But what DeVante Adams brings is a fantastic fantasy wide
receiver two guy who's gonna have wide receiver one games.
And if Pookaakua, who has had trouble staying healthy in college,
trouble staying healthy sometimes in the pro level he misses time,
now you've got DeVante Adams still. So that's a huge
(21:52):
win there for that offense. And I don't know if
it's going to be a long term win or not,
but at least potentially it is because people forget how
young Sam Donald is and if they've really found something
in Seattle with Sam Donald, and they've moved on from
DK Metcalf, they've moved on from Tyler Lockett, really kind
of changing over there. And Donald does turn out to be,
(22:13):
you know, like Baker Mayfield has, which is a franchise quarterback,
and they're getting him on a little bit of a discount,
which I think is really intriguing compared to what some
other quarterbacks are going to get paid. So Seattle potentially
gonna be a long term winner, short term winner, I
think definitely. The Rams signing of Devontae Addams, I though
it was a huge move for them, and I don't
know what the heck the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing right now,
to tell you the truth.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
So Joe, I'm glad you brought up the DeVante Adams move.
That's one of my most that's one of my favorite
moves that's happened so far too. And we were talking
at the beginning of the show, how you know it
might be worth you know, looking at LA to win
the NFC West again here heading into this year. Not
only do I think that the Rams might have gotten
a little bit better today, but I think the San
Francisco forty nine ers, who are the favorite right now,
(22:53):
took some big hits. They lost a lot of pieces
from Drake Green, Lotts, some guys in that offensive line,
the secondary obviously Deva gone. Are Yuk's coming back off
of a big time injury. I just I like where
the Rams are sitting right now.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
I completely agree with you. Seattle's going to be a
work in progress. And you know, the Rams last year
you got hot towards the end, and you've seen them
be in the playoffs now two years in a row,
and you know, I think Stafford's realizing that despite some
of the physical issues he's had, he's still got enough
left in the tank to be a very competitive quarterback,
still at his age, and it is an advanced age.
(23:28):
But you look around on what he's been able to
do the last couple of years, and I think it's
very impressive. And when you add another weapon like Adams,
I think that's kind of what hurt them down the stretches.
I think teams realize that Cooper Cup really wasn't giving
them anything. So now you have to worry about Pooka
a coup and all that volume and all the routes
pre that he runs in that McVeigh offense. But now
you have to worry about a veteran wide receiver who
(23:49):
still knows how to get opened, still has separation, still
it can go get it in the red zone, and
that is a threat I think they did not have
last year, and it showed when they got into those
bigger games against some of those bigger teams, and I
think I'm with you. I think the Rams gonna be
very competitive. They had a great draft last year. They
were able to somehow fill the void of Aaron Donald
there on that front line, and now all of a
(24:10):
sudden you bring in a big weapon like this. And
to your point too about the four nine ers, they're
a really tough spot right now. You know you've got
brand On you coming back from an injury, you got
Christian McCaffrey coming back from an injury. You have a
situation where you're looking at what your investment is in
brock Purty long term and is that a good idea.
They've got so many questions and you lose a green Law,
(24:30):
you lose a Hofon, you're losing all these other veteran
players that have been there. I think it's going to
be a real potentially dark time there. It's San Francisco,
because sometimes that window closes and sometimes you don't come
away with a championship. And the forty nine ers might
be in one of those spots where their best window
might have already been past them. And now they're looking
(24:51):
at whatever the next incarnation of this roster is going
to be, and I think it might take a couple
of years to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Yeah, and you've got some talent there, Juwan Jennings, Ricky
pier Saw. Obviously, if those other guys that you mentioned
are healthy, kid all least still got on the little
mileage left. We'll see what Trent Williams is able to
do health wise. Brock Purty is just not a guy
that personally, I'm all that high on, never have been.
You know, I think he's good, he's above average, he's
not elite. I'm not even sure he's great. You know,
(25:16):
he's just a guy that has you know, I don't know.
I used to, like so many around these parts, get
offended when people would say this about Tom Brady, and
I can't believe I'm even making this comparison. But you know,
like I just think brock Perty's a really good, efficient
game manager, which is not a slight it's yeah, but
(25:37):
is good at it and that's great. But you take
away those weapons, suddenly the system doesn't look as good.
And I was looking at Super Bowl futures. You know,
Dan mentioned the West, and I think that's a better bet.
It's a quote unquote safer bet. But thirteen to one
for San Francisco to win the Super Bowl versus LA
at twenty six to one, Like, I think both those
numbers are mispriced. You know, meet somewhere in the middle
(26:00):
with both of those teams. But anyway, you mentioned Washington
to go back to that for a moment. You know,
let's not forget we like to talk about this on
this show. It's been two decades since we have seen
a team win the NFC East in consecutive years. It'd
be really easy to back Philadelphia coming off a Super
Bowl win. I'm not even saying it would be the
wrong move, but I'd invest in Washington. I like what
(26:21):
that team's been doing. I certainly am a believer in
Jayden Daniels, and I think the Cliff Kingsbury can get
something whatever is left in the tank for Deebo Samuel.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
Yeah, look, I can't disagree with that, and it's very
interesting to bring that statistic up at back to back years,
and that division can be a little tricky. The defense
is still very young and very controllable for the most part,
so that is a big positive. I think it comes
down to the health of Saekwam Barkley. He got his
bag and he deserves it. An incredible season where he
(26:51):
changed the complexion of that team and he made it
more of a team environment, less about me and more
about we, and I think that rubbed off on those guys,
and when you go historically look at the guys who
have four hundred touches in the season, the following year
things don't go well. So if you're gonna write script
for Philadelphia not repeating in that division, it's the health
of sake Kwan Barkley, and it's something that nobody ever
(27:12):
wants to talk about. It's something that I was pounding
the table for in Fantasy last year, which is, hey,
Christian McCaffrey had four hundred and seventeen combined touches last year.
You gotta be fating him as a number one overall pick.
There's just no way this is gonna work out over
a full season. And guess what, we didn't even get
one week into the season and he was gone. So
I think that's something that people they hate the idea
of it. They never want to have that real talk
(27:35):
about that kind of workload and what it looks like
the following year, and historically speaking, it never looks good.
It just always comes back to haunt them. And that
is gonna be a tough pill to swallow there, But
that would be the out to me. The other move too,
that I think you guys get to everybody should really
be interested in and It's something that I predicted months
ago and I've been on it for weeks and one
live show today we were talking about it and it
(27:57):
broke as soon as we were talking about it, and
it was justin Field going to the Jets because he's
got an opportunity there twenty six years old to I mean, look,
he's gonna have to run. It's gonna be great for
fantasy because the offensive line isn't great. But you reunite
him with Garrett Wilson, you have a great head coach
and Aaron Glenn who's going to really support him. You
(28:17):
know they're going to commit to him. I don't think
they're gonna bring in competition. They're going to try this
and see what it looks like. But you got Garrett Wilson,
you've got Breise Hall, You've got Braylan Allen. You've got
a young roster there. You can go out and you
can draft him the wide receiver. There's some depths in
this wide receiver class. The defense has some talent on it.
You can turn this team around very quickly with a
football guy like Aaron Glenn. And I can't believe what
(28:40):
the Pittsburgh Steelers did last year. They were four and
two with Justin Fields. He fell into their lap at
twenty five years old and for a sixth round pick
and at four and two, nearly five and one, because
they almost pulled that rabbit out of their hatt Indianapolis
last year. If you recall that game, they came back
and they almost won that game, and they lost, and
what happened. They replaced him with a quarterback ten years older,
and they crapped out at the end of the season.
(29:02):
And of course Justin Fields walk why would he want
to go back into a situation where it's replaced by
Russell Wilson after having a winning record. If they just
let him have a year under his belt in the
offense to figure things out, get his confidence back, they
might have a franchise quarterback right now. Instead, the Jets
got him, and now they're sitting there scratching their ass.
(29:23):
And the Pittsburgh Steelers right now don't have an answer quarterback.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
So, Joe, I'm a little surprised right now as I
look at DraftKings and I see that the Kansas City
Chiefs are just minus one twenty five to win their
division right now. I mean, they have had an absolute
stranglehold over this thing here for I want to say
at least a decade at this point, have they either
taken that big of a step back here or have
any of those other three teams taken enough of a
step forward so far this offseason to actually be a
(29:50):
legit threat to Kansas City in that division.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
Yeah, I think with Kansas City it is always tough
to bet against them, but that division, certainly, I think
year of years got more competitive. You know, the Denver
Broncos defensively, very strong team. Bow Knicks. I did not
have only a bingo card that bon Nicks would pay
as well as he did in the NFL. I did
not think that was gonna happen. They made it easy
for him, They made it simplified for him. And you
(30:13):
know what, they did a great job. They got to
the playoffs and it was a very successful season. And
you expect that roster to improve year over years. They
continue to pull themselves out of the depths of sorrow
that was the Russell Wilson trade, right, And then you
turn around and you look at what the Chargers have
done too. Chargers going from a terrible team last year
(30:36):
to changing head coach and getting all of a sudden
into the playoffs this year, and now the playoff run
didn't work out unfortunately, but they remade the offensive line.
It's going to be facting to see how they draft
this year. They're going to want to run the football.
That's something that's going to be super important for them,
and solidifying that running back position, which it seems like
they've got a plan for now. And I think it's
(30:56):
going to be a much tougher out for the Chiefs.
And the one thing I will say to that point
is every single year, the team that loses a Super
Bowl the following year they don't make it back. It's
just historically something that happens. Only one team in the
last twenty five years has done it, and it was
Tom Brady in his quote unquote system. So you know,
it's a tom Brady record. Who could throw it out
the window because there's Tom Brady and everybody else. But
(31:19):
when you lose super Bowls, especially tough crushing last super bowls,
whether it be you know, last second or getting blown out,
it does not go well for you the next year.
Schedule's tough. Money becomes an issue with a lot of players.
You have players who are getting older. Typically a lot
of veterans on those kind of teams, so it's gonna
be complicated. I'm surprised it's that small of a number,
but at the same time, I think it speaks to
(31:41):
how tight that division is starting to get. I don't
think the Raiders are there yet, but the other two
teams I think are gonna be very competitive, and if
if Kansas City isn't quite as dumb and in their
own division, that's been the secret sauce for them. It's
so dominant division that they can get that by get
the two home games and get to the super Bowl.
That road might be a little bit tougher for them
this year. And to go in the road or in
the first round and don't get that buy, I think
(32:03):
it's gonna be much trickier for Kansas City this year.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Joe, we got to move quickly on this one before
we let you go. But you brought up the Steelers.
Who is their quarterback going to be?
Speaker 5 (32:12):
Oh god, you know, at this point it needs to
be Russell Wilson. I think they're gonna have to all
come together and figure it out. I mean, you bring
a DK Metcalf, I mean, I don't I don't know
what I mean. I have Steeler friends, family and friends,
and they are ready to jump off of any bridge
in Pittsburgh if that happened. They are not looking forward
(32:35):
to that. And you know what, if it's Aaron Rodgers,
then all you've done is continue that same cycle, right,
which is like, we're just trying to do everything we
can to just be what a ten win team, get
in the first round and lose. Again, that's not how
you build franchises. And they really, like I said, they
(32:55):
had it right in their fingertips. They let it slip through.
Even if Fields doesn't work out. The theory behind it
should have been, let him play, let him figure it out,
see what you got, and then if you end up
having that guy, you're good. You've got the coach. You
just need the quarterback. If you don't have coaching quarterback,
you don't win in this league. And right now they
don't have quarterback. So it's gonna be Daniel Jones's gonna
(33:17):
be Aaron Rodgers, or maybe just maybe they move up
in the draft for a guy like a Jackson Dart
and a guy I actually like a lot. But that's
gonna be a tough sell. I think, you know, I
like Jackson Dart. We'll see how that works out for them.
But if a Darren Rodgers, I think you're right back
where you were last year, which is hoping and praying
that things work out. But then what do you do
the following year, and you're back in that vicious cycle.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Joe's on Twitter at Joe Piece of PS seventeen. He is,
of course a host over with Fantasy pros and betting pros. Joe,
always enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
We'll bug you again soon. Try and you know, pay
attention to the news tomorrow. I hate for you to
be caught off guard again.
Speaker 5 (33:52):
Yeah, well, you know, hopefully. I mean, I'm sure something
will happen, that's for sure. You know, Hey, I'm very
glad I liked to You know, you're in the business.
It's always better to have too much to talk about
than nothing to talk about.
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