Patriots Playbook 9/27: Jets Recap, Cowboys Preview and NFL Week 4 Predictions

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Patriots Playbook, the legend. Is it my turn
to talk?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Now?

Speaker 1 (00:09):
It looked like the Patriots, you know what Patriots. It
looked like in real speed. They're all running an instant replay,
you know. Yeah, they're doing the no no no no no, no,
no no, you know, six million dollar man things.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
What is the Patriot way?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
The Patriot way is shut up, do your job.

Speaker 4 (00:23):
How they're working for you?

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Now, buddy, would you really ask him what that? Buddy?
I think somebody probably does need to do that, buddy.

Speaker 5 (00:31):
Now, here's your host of Patriots Playbook, John Rook.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Welcome to the program for a Wednesday, Week four of
the Nation to Football League getting ready to get started.
And I'm wondering I'm feeling I'm actually feeling Evan Lazarre.
I'm feeling just a little bit like I've been shunned. Oh,
because you know, Taylor Swift doesn't come into the studio
to attend our programs here, and so I'm just I'm

(00:57):
feeling a little hurt. I'm feeling a little you know,
left by, and I'm feeling a little out of pocket,
you know. I mean, she's showing everybody else in the
world love. Why can't she show us a little love?

Speaker 3 (01:06):
You want your own Taylor love story, that's what you're saying.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
I don't. Look, I'm she's a little out of my
age bracket, but I would I would tell you that that.
I'm just you know, I'd like to have a little
bit of the attention on us, you know, because clearly,
I mean I've seen where you know, Travis and Jason
Kelsey have like the number one rated podcast in the
country right now, just because she decided to go to
a flipping football game.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Well, she's the biggest pop star on the planet.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
She's probably the biggest personality on the planet, right, most
recognizable person I mean, that's that's that's something we used
to reserve for people like Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. Yeah,
but now it's Taylor Swift.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
She's up there. I mean, look, she's she's great. You
can't you can't deny that. I Mean, the Kelsey stuff
is kind of insufferable to me. Maybe that's partially biased
because I don't like Travis Kelsey very much.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Because what I can I can take Travis kelcey in
dribs and drabs. I mean, I think what he's doing
is okay, you know, fine, that's what he wants to do.
But you know, all this stuff about him being one
of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
No, no, greatest receiving tight end.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
He's a very good receiving tight end, but greatest tight end.
Uh No, I don't. I mean, no, am am I wrong? No?

Speaker 3 (02:27):
I mean I think he's the second greatest tight end
of all time, but second greatest.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
No, no, no, no, no, no, not sir, the greatest
tight end from well right now. I mean you'd be
hard pressed and not say Rob don Kowski. But to me,
I think I'd have to throw in John Mackie, for
whom the you know, the collegiate tight end of the
years are named after. I think I'd have to probably
throw in Mike Ditka is a pretty good one. I

(02:54):
even I'd even take the Cowboys Jay Novichk. I thought
he was a really good, you know.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Tight like guys that are like basically sixth tackle you know,
tackles like you know, no.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Check wasn't was a very good receiving tight end.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
But the game has changed a lot, I guess, is
my point of like how they use that position and
what that position's stressed, you know, to do and things
like that. So I don't know. I mean, Kelsey's production
speaks for itself so well.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
He because I think that the Chiefs utilize him more
really as a wide out than anything else.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, but that's you know, that's a lot of guys
now that play that.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
That's well, that is as you just said, that's the position.
That's the nature of the position today, whereas the Patriots
tend to play a little bit more of the traditional
tight end that can also block and give you help.
Like we saw what Fabro Brown did last week, which
was which was great. I mean that was the that
was the game breaker, that was the difference in the game.
Most tight ends don't do that today because of the
way spread offenses have, you know literally you know, put

(03:50):
guys at all into the field and so you don't
have the role of traditional tight end anymore. It's just
I didn't exist.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
It's really a trickle off from the college game. Like
the college game, I feel like you're either truly a
sixth offensive lineman, right, like a true blocking tight end,
or you're like a Travis Kelce type, you know, like
you know, Dalton Kin Kate. But last year coming out
of college, didn't block a lick in college, but was
a great receiving prospect. That's sort of the way that

(04:19):
it is now. Like it's very very rare in the
college game that tight ends have a ton of production
in the passing game unless they're you know, these jokers
or these move tight ends, like like a Dalton Kinkaid,
you know, even like looking back at like you know,
a guy like George Kittle, like at Iowa. You know,
I always got a great lineage of tight ends recently

(04:40):
Hawkins and Kittle, Noah Fant, But like those two guys
that I just mentioned were not big production guys in
the passing game, right, But Noah Fan was because Noah
Fan was used as a receiver, you know. And you
know Laporta, who I love a place for the Lions
now draft pick for the Lions. He was more of
like a move tight end, not a not a hand

(05:02):
in the dirt. Why so, it's I think a lot
of it's the college game too. I mean, the spread
offense doesn't use a whtcha.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
It's just it's just changed it. But for my money,
give me a tight end that can catch the ball
and also be a hand in the dirt kind of guy,
guy that can you know, that needs to be that
extra tackle, that needs to block, needs to help his
quarterbacks blindside, whatever it is. I want to tight end.
They can do a little bit of everything. I thought
Mackie was one of those. I certainly thought guys like
Ditka and and Jackie Smith. You remember him played for

(05:29):
the old Saint Louis Cardinals. You know, never forget the
touchdown pass he dropped in what was that Super Bowl
twelve against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oh my god, Yeah, you know,
you know, but those were really good old school tight
ends because they could do the catching and they could
do the blocking.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
Mark Bavarro Bavaro, Yeah, there's a good one that I Bill.
Don't get Bill started on.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
My I know, I just blitzed out on that one,
and I would tell you, hey, the Patriots had a
pretty good one too.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
Russ Francis Well, Russ rush All World France.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Ben Coates is super underrated.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
He is.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
Ben Coates was like what the guys are today. But
he was doing those types of things in the passing
game in the nineties and if he had played now,
I think he would have been even He would be.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
If he had played in this era, Ben Coach would
be considered one of the old time greats. Yeah, he was.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
I mean his athleticism and his ability after the catch
to carry tacklers and things like that, that was that
was next level. You know that that was new for
that era. I feel like, you know, he's one of
the first guys that was was really dynamic like that.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
As long as we're talking tight ends here, since I
kind of started us in that direction.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Claire must be thrilled.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
I'm right, You're welcome, Claire, You're welcome. What are your
thoughts on the current tight end situation, especially in a
lot of what we saw with Faerl Brown coming in
and basically, you know, nuking everybody, including the Jets defense
on his you know, big play.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
There's a lot of positives. I think that, you know,
they ran the ball better this week just in general.
I thought the interior offensive line and and the you know,
the offensive line blot better. But I thought Pharaoh Brown
was was a real factor. I love the full back wrinkles.
I've been clamoring for them to get the full back
back in the offense since they got rid of the
full back and now having a guy that can at

(07:13):
least do that some of the time. He only did
six times on Sunday, but it's better than nothing. And
I like Henry and Kasiki as receivers. I think their
problem now is they have to play all three of
them in that thirteen jumbo package, because each one of
them does one thing well, but they don't all do

(07:38):
like what you just were talking about, none of them
do all of it well. Right, So, like Hunter, Henry
has got great rapport with Mac Jones. He's a good
route runner, especially against zone. He's got great feel for
the passing game, just great instincts.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
That wide receiver a tight end.

Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yeah, Kasiki's it explosive player. Gasiki can run and then
Pharaoh can block. But you don't have a guy that
can run, that has the feel for the game and
can block.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
So because of that, you're.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
Playing all three of them at the same time, which
I think worked against the Jets because of the type
of there.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
Didn't we sixteen of them? Yeah? Good lord, Yeah, I
never thought i'd see that, but we did. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
So, like the positive spin is that they got the
run game going. They hit the big play on the
play action, so they had success with it and and drugs.
The negative spin is, well, you like you have to
play thirteen because one guy's got to be able to
block and one guy's got to be able to catch,
and like, you know what I'm trying to say, Like,

(08:42):
there's just not they don't have one guy that can
do it all. So they have to get all three
of them out there on the field and mix and
match and you know, make sure everybody's doing what they're
good at and all that kind of stuff. So and
in some respects, I think it's nice they do have
three tight ends that can play. It's just not exactly
you know, they don't have obviously nobody's gonna be a Gronk,

(09:03):
but they don't they don't have a well rounded tight
end necessarily, which I think has put them in a
little bit of a buying personnel wise that they have
to put all three of them in the game.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
You know, this week, sort of speaking of Gronk, this
week started college basketball practice, you know, with practices around
the country. And I noticed this week that Rod Grunkowski
had attended and worked out practice at Providence College. Yeah,
and you know, keep in mind, now he only played
three years of football at Arizona. Yeah, but I you know,
I mean, you know, he's now that. But it made

(09:35):
for great shall I say, Twitter memes and and TikTok
posts and things like that this week, just to see
him there working out with the you know, Providence College
black and white on.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
So yeah, yeah, I know, I'm sure he's probably a
very good basketball player based off of his size. He
he could hit.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
A corner jump shot. Yeah, he hit a corner jot.
He was really good. He was really good from about
fifteen sixteen feet in.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Do you know who has got an unbelievable jump shot
is Brady Brady's. Brady's form is perfect, like.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
Candy would be the quintessential shooting guard with his height
and his length.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah, his ability to shoot it, Like, can you imagine?

Speaker 1 (10:16):
Can you imagine Tom Brady at thet on the front
side of a two three zone with those arms? Come on, man,
how are you gonna get by him? Right? Hey? Can
you imagine trying to drive the paint and have Rob
Gronkowski waiting for you in the low block? That would
I'm back in the hell right out of there. Yeah, okay,
so all right, we love to digress early on the program. Hey,
coming up on the show, Greg Bedard from Boston Sports

(10:39):
Journal is going to join us with his thoughts on
where the Patriots stand going into Week four and some
slight improvements, which Evand and I will get into in
a couple of moments. Todd Archer covers the Dallas Cowboys
for ESPN and ESPN dot Com. He's gonna join us
on the show, as will Russell Baxter, the pro football
guru himself on Week four. Around the National foot Ball

(11:00):
a win is a win is a win. Are you
in that category.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
In this instance? Yeah, because they were zero and two
and they absolutely had to have it. If if we're
talking about a different circumstance going in and you know,
winning ugly so to speak, is whatever. But I think
what ultimately it comes down to. And we've we've been
taking some heat on the other show because of how
negative we've been on Tuesdays about these games and things

(11:27):
like that, and I think where there was a lot
of good things that I you know, kind of just
hit on the tight ends. The run blocking I thought
was significantly better in this game, especially in the second half.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
I've almost thought it was night and day. Yeah, I
mean because Trent Brown came in to anchor the left side. Yep.
You know, Low did not know. He didn't embarrass himself,
certainly at right tackle, yep. And you know there are
a couple of I thought, and I don't look at
it the catch the All twenty two as thoroughly as
you do, but I do look at some of the
clips in the replace just to see the tendencies and

(12:00):
to have, you know, something intelligent to talk about on Wednesdays,
of course, But other than a couple of guard spots,
I actually thought the off that was clearly their best
overall line. And if you believe in things like Pro
Football Folcus grades, which I don't really subscribe to because
I think their system of grading is a little skewed,
I say, uh, but they had Brown as the number

(12:21):
one rated tackle in the NFL this last week.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
Yeah, his game was tremendous. He was clean sheet in
pass protection and like playing with his food at some times,
Like he just was dominant in pass protection, and he
was a little streaky in the run game. But the
reps that he did have that were good were dominant,
you know, like double teams just pushing guys six seven
yards off the ball type of reps. So that was

(12:44):
one of his better games I've ever seen him play.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
Okay, because of that, then why did we still see
Ramondre Stevenson struggle with the ball? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (12:52):
You know, I think that this is like a number
one question for everybody, And everybody likes Romandre and his
the year he had last year. I'm not really concerned
about Remondre. I think that there's a lot of like
tendency and like situational elements to it that you see
throughout the course of a game where when Remondres in
the game defensively, that's the guy, right like they you

(13:16):
would talk to, They know that.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
The balls, He's gonna get it when where they are.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
And I just think that, like, yeah, exactly, And when
you talk about we talk a lot about, you know,
guys that like opponents circle on the Patriots roster, right,
you know, Michae Lombardi refers to them often as Tuesday players,
Like who's the guy that when you get in the
game plan meeting, the head coach comes to you and says,
how are we going to slow down? Micah Parsons like,

(13:40):
how are we going to slow down? Ceedee lamp and
on the Patriots offense, even though you can have a
big picture discussion about the fact that they don't really
have that guy. The guy is Remandre, Like that's that's
the closest thing that they have to it is Ramondre Stevenson.
So I think when he's in the game, teams are
doing some different things with their front mechanics, you know, slanting, stunting, run, blitzing,

(14:05):
like all those types of things to get in the
backfield and create disruption and close down holes and things
like that, and the run game becomes a real focus
when Ramandra Stevenson is on the field for the defense,
and they have a plan coming into the game of
how exactly we are going to stop Ramondre Stevenson. So
when I look at Zeke's carries and how defenses kind

(14:28):
of play against them, and the holes that are available
and all that stuff, and I look at Remandre's carries,
there's a lot to me. And it's not making excuses
for Remandre. It's just trying to tell you what I see.
I see a lot more space for Zeke than I do.

Speaker 1 (14:43):
For why would that even be possible because they know
Zeke's going to get the wall. Two of these in there.

Speaker 3 (14:47):
I think that there's an element of just that's the
focus of the game plan. If this is how we're gonna.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
This is how we beat the Patriots. First and foremost,
slow down, stop Raman Race Devens. Yeah. Second, put pressure
on Mac Jones right. Third, we don't really need safety
help over the top when they need the receivers. Yeah,
make sure the tight ends don't beat you deep. Hello Jets,
Yeah hello? Yeah? F Brown? Did that cost them the game? Right?

Speaker 3 (15:14):
You know those That's that's my read on it.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
You know.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
Miami, and I thought Bill O'Brien was really candid about
this in between the Miami game and in this Jets game,
and he talked about how they felt like they weren't
they didn't game plan the Dolphins defensive front very well.
And I think the big thing that he was hinting
at was line movement, right, like stunting, slanting like things

(15:41):
like that that teams do to combat run plays mostly.
And you know, I think like we think of stunt
says like just like a pass rush thing. But you
can run. You can stunt against the run, right like
you can you can slant guys, you can you know,
twist guys, things like that that caused disruption to the
blocking schemes in the run game as well, And so

(16:01):
there was a lot of that going on too, I
think in the Miami game specifically. So I think it'll
come for Remondre. I mean, if you want to be concerned,
just because that's the market we're in and everybody's got
to get all up in arms, the wear and tear
of last year and then the slow ramp up this
year might be a factor. So in that respect, Like.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
Is that one of the reasons why they gave him
less reps earlier this year?

Speaker 5 (16:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (16:28):
And I do wonder if that's contributing to the slow
start now, not because he's worn down still, but.

Speaker 1 (16:34):
Because he's just not catching up to speed.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
Yeah, yeah, right right, And so maybe by Talloween, like
you know, that that that changes, you know, or maybe
if it's maybe it's even sooner. Like I said, I
I'm not like super concerned about Ramondra.

Speaker 1 (16:48):
Are you a little bit like me that you're a
little anxious to see how Ezekiel Elliott Treatz has returned
to Dallas?

Speaker 3 (16:54):
Yeah, I mean, look, the Cardinals ran all over this
Dallas team last week, and we talked about this on
pu little bit. There's obviously the potential that dan Quinn
and the Cowboys defense overcorrects their run game mistakes from
the week before, has a completely different game plan, completely
different mentality to stopping the run, and is a different

(17:15):
football team in that regard. But the stats tell you
that the Cardinals ran for over seven yards to carry
for two hundred yards plus against this team last week.
So in some respects, yeah, the Cowboys might be more
planned and more tightened up in the run game, you know,

(17:35):
buttoned up in the run game. But at the same time,
I do think that you need to come into this
game and see what they got in the run game,
and you know, the run defense in general, like we
can get into. I just kind of tried to explain
some of the front mechanics of run defense that teams use,
you know, run blitzes and things like that, but in general,
it's a mentality both sides of the football either need

(17:59):
to want to be a physical team to run the
football or stop the run, or you don't.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
That's didn't you find that Arizona kind of just took
it right at Michah Parsons And if you sort of
like disengage him.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
Yeah, so I thought that they had a really well
orchestrated plan of how to run the football. That was
not a let's just get hat on a hat and
blow them off the ball type of game. That was
a well thought out game plan and schematically that. I
really had a lot of fun watching the Cardinals run
game from Sunday. They they were cool, like, they did

(18:32):
some cool things and the main the main ingredient was
they knew that Micah Parsons wants to get vertical up
the field. He wants to shoot gaps. He wants a
knife in the gaps because he wants may players in
the backfield right, whether it's resting the passer.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
He wants that's the kind of guy he is.

Speaker 3 (18:51):
He wants a TfL every single time the hand the
football off.

Speaker 1 (18:54):
So what they did the car loss. For anybody that's
wondering what the hell TfL is.

Speaker 3 (19:00):
I thank you. And the Parsons, uh, you know, they
ran right at him. But what they did, they didn't
run right at him. They invited him up the field
or they invited him into a gap and then right. Yeah,
so so they do did a lot.

Speaker 1 (19:17):
Of it looked like it looked like in a lot
of plays that I saw anybody, Uh, it looked like
he was a college freshman learning that you can't go upfield.
You gotta be contained in your rush. Yeah, and he
forgot that and so he's by This is the biggest
problem that Chase Winovich had when he was here at
linebacker in New England. He was always overplaying the rush

(19:38):
and guys were blowing by me other way. He couldn't
make a play. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
So the question is, you know, this is a a
four to three base defense in Dallas. They don't run
a three four, which as great as Parsons is, like
I think he's a three four outside linebacker, Like I
think that's his But that's besides the point. The point
is is that he plays a lot of in line
defensive end. Like he has to play with his.

Speaker 1 (20:02):
Hand in the dirt.

Speaker 3 (20:03):
Yeah, right, because that's the system. And he does it
at like two forty five two fifty.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
So he's light.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
He's light. He's as explosive as a player is they'll
face all year, maybe in the entire history of the NFL.

Speaker 1 (20:18):
There's like a doubt that the guy is gonna be,
you know, a defensive MVP. Candidates unbelievable talent, but yeah,
can you neutralize that talent? Arizona proved you could.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yeah, So the Arizona did it with their zone game
Run game, where you know, they ran a lot of
like winebacker split flow, where like they had the line
blocking one direction, but the play was actually hitting in
the opposite direct. So he's flying up the field to
the left and they're at the point of attack is
actually to the right, and the Patriots are that's not
what they major in, right, they don't major in a

(20:50):
lot of zone or a lot of that kind of stuff.
But what you can do is you can draw play,
you can trap or influence wham where like you're just
in you're begging him, like just come up the field,
and then what they're gonna do is they're gonna hit
him from different angles, right, So they'll invite him up
the field because the guy over him isn't gonna isn't
gonna necessarily hit him. But then the guy comes from

(21:12):
the side and ear holds him, right, you know, And
and that and that is how you kind of can
do it in the Patriots way of doing things instead
of the Cardinals' way of doing that's.

Speaker 1 (21:21):
One thing I think that certainly we can look for,
and I think that they'll try to make the Cowboys
pay with Ezekiel Elliott. I think the Patriots understand that
Zeke wants to make sure that the Cowboys know, hey,
look what you gave up on a little bit too early. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
And I think that he's a good back for these
types of schemes because he is a guy that's decisive
and gets downhill and runs with the head of steam
and is in someone that has ever really been a
dancer in the backfield. So I hit the hole, hit
it hard, and let Micah Parsons just run up the
field like that. That's that's what the Cardinals did. Is

(21:55):
hopefully the Patriots can have the same success.

Speaker 1 (21:57):
Well the two of the key you know, key things.
I think about it trying to score here because I think, look,
I think a Patriots will have some success in slowing
the Cowboys down. I do. I like the way the
Patriots defense is starting to mold into shape. Christian Gonzales
Jabril Preppers I thought was outstanding again this last week.
You know, I think the back end is set. I
think the linebacking corps is adequate. They lost some depth

(22:19):
in the front with Daniel Laqualley's I are this week.
But at the same time, fortunately, that's one area of
the team where the Patriots have a good amount of
quality depth right now, and that's in the defensive front.
So right now, no harm, no foul, And I think
that they can play the Cowboys to that you know,
twenty to twenty four point range, and they should be
able to do that. The question is can the Patriots

(22:40):
offense score enough to beat Dallas. Yeah, they couldn't do
that against Miami, they couldn't do that against Philadelphia. Can
they do that against the Cowboys? They've got to figure
out a way to go over the top, whether or
not that's you know, going with more play action, whether
or not it's you know, trying to you know, connect
to twenty plus yard downfield, which you know, I think
Mac and even ironically I saw this this week, Joe

(23:01):
Burrow or like, statistically the worst in the NFL in
going over the top twenty plus yards. I'm like, Joe
Burrow really yeah, So, you know, but that's what the
Patriots need to continue to work on to be able
to keep defenses honest. And Dallas lost a big part
of their secondary. Yeah, and you know so, I you know,
and I've always liked Leyton vandersh To me, I think

(23:24):
he's a guy that has a lot of coverage ability.
He's a kind of linebacker I've always thought that the
Patriots needed because he was equally adept to stop at
the run as well as covering guys coming out of
the backfield or taking on the tight end coming off
the line of scrimmage. Yeah, I agree, that is a
big factor. You gotta think, Parsons, you got a good
Cowboys defensive front vander esh Is waiting in the wings
somewhere to make a play. You got to figure out

(23:46):
a way to burn the Cowboys over the top since
they're a little wounded back there. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (23:49):
So first game. Admittedly, you know, they they'll have a
full week of practice with the group now that without
Treyvon Diggs, and I'm sure they'll they'll fix some things
that they did wrong in that Cardinals game. But there
was two or three plays that were just wide open
coverage bus against the Cardinals, and I think a lot
of it stems from the fact that they have a

(24:10):
couple guys that have moved around now because Trayvon Diggs
is gone. Stefan Gilmour just got there, right. This is
first year with Dallas, so he doesn't have a ton
of experience in the system. There's just a lot of
moving parts and new faces and guys that haven't played
a lot of football together. So on the one hand,
even though you can sit there and say the Patriots

(24:31):
don't really have a number one receiver that can take
advantage of a mismatch, now that Trayvon Diggs isn't out
there right, Like, it's not like it's the opposite where
Ceedee Lamb can now feast on a Sean Wade right like,
the Patriots don't have that luxury. But what I think
Bill O'Brien will do is he will test the coverage
rules in the back end, Like, okay, for example, if

(24:54):
we're three by one and then we run a switch
release pattern where we go like this, like who has who?

Speaker 1 (25:01):
Right? Like, you know, if we're in a body able
to tell fast, Yeah, yeah, on a switch route like that,
you're gonna believe me, you'll find that out really quick. Yeah,
you know.

Speaker 3 (25:11):
Week one, I think a lot of the cool chematic
stuff the Patriots did, we're out of those bunches, right,
the three receiver bunches. So there's a couple of different
ways that teams usually cover bunches. One of them is
the easiest way, which is just to lock into receivers
and level yourself off so you avoid being run into.
The other way is what a lot of teams do

(25:31):
is called a box principles, where like I have first in,
you have first out, you have first second in, I
have second out, that sort of thing. But when you
have you know, if you're in a box rule situation,
out of a bunch and you have three or four
guys that have only have only really played one game together,
and now all of a sudden, the Patriots are doing
Bill O'Brien's, you know, scheming out of this who has

(25:55):
who right?

Speaker 1 (25:55):
Be interesting to see how they make those selections.

Speaker 3 (25:58):
Yeah, and I think that that's the this type of
mental stuff that the Patriots will try to put the
Cowboys secondary through. So, yeah, they can't out personnel or
out talent them still, but they might be able to
out fox them a little bit now that Trayvon Diggs is.

Speaker 1 (26:12):
And I think that's the key to winning the game.
You're right, They're not gonna out personnel Dallas. Tallis says,
some of the best personnel top to bottom of any
team in the league. Pretty easy to say that when
you look at you know who they have on the roster.
But at the same time, I think the Patriots have
the smarts in this particular regard. And the other matchup
I'm looking forward to besides Ezekiel Elliot against the Dallas defense, Yeah,
I want to see Christian Gonzales and CD Lamb matchup. Yeah.

(26:34):
You know Mike McCarthy, I know, even said earlier today,
and it was kind of funny because I'm sure Bill
told him, right, you know that, Oh yeah, Ced Lamb's
gonna see Christian Gonzales. Well, I think on occasion, yeah,
but exclusively, I'd be stunned if that happened.

Speaker 3 (26:48):
Yeah, so I think it'll happen a lot. I mean, granted,
it's against Zach Wilson, so it's take that with a
grain of salt. But he covered Garrett Wilson on over
half of Garrett Wilson's routs. It was like sixty something
percent of Garrett Wilson's routes. So he definitely has taken probably.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
See that and then some maybe Ceedee Lamb. But it
won't be every route. I don't think.

Speaker 3 (27:09):
Yeah. I think the biggest thing with the Cowboys offense,
and this is I'm on the Patriots this week. I
think the Patriots are gonna win this game. And I'm
the reason why I feel like the Patriot's gonna win
this game is because Mike McCarthy has publicly pledged that
they're going to run the ball more. In Dallas. He
fired Kellen Moore because he said, quote Kellen Moore wants

(27:29):
to light up the scoreboard, and he said, I, personally,
Mike McCarthy want to rest my defense. I want to
run the ball. I want to control the clock, control possession.
So no team in the NFL runs more places per
drive than the Dallas Cowboys. They run almost eight plays
per drive their scoring drives. Last week, we're all over

(27:51):
ten plays against Arizona. So they want to ground and pound.
That's the type of offense that they are now. Interesting
and benefit of that for the Patriots is that the
score shouldn't get out of hand. If that's the way
the Dallas is going to play, right, you don't score.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
No, you probably stay within a you know, at least
a score, maybe two you know, the entire game, even
if you fall behind quickly. And of course, the one
thing that I thought really helped the Patriots this last
week was not playing from behind against the Jets. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:20):
So the Cowboys are shortening games, Yeah, just like the
Patriots are trying to try a short game too. So
if you have two teams that both want to run
the ball and both want to play with the football
and shortened games and play it from ahead and all
that kind of stuff, that doesn't that script does not
tell me that this game is going to be like
the one we saw in twenty twenty one, when ball

(28:42):
teams are going up and down the field.

Speaker 1 (28:43):
Yeah. I don't think so either.

Speaker 3 (28:45):
I think the Patriots can win that kind of game.
Maybe maybe I'm a homer, but I think they can.

Speaker 1 (28:48):
I think that's the only kind of game they can win, right,
I mean, until we can see that the offense is
capable with something other than what we've seen for the
first three weeks. Look, you're going to have to try
to win the game twenty to seventeen. Yeah, you know,
that's really what it boils down to. Yeah, Okay, think.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
Ask Greg about col Strange for me.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
Cole Strange. Yeah, okay, well I'll do that. Thanks Evan Lazar.
Welcome in Greg Bodard from Boston Sports Journal. All right,
I got to ask Evan's question, what about col Strange?

Speaker 6 (29:13):
Greg, Yeah, well, I think that was a leading question
by the prosecution.

Speaker 1 (29:22):
He says, it's a leading question by the prosecution. He's
just laughing, that's all I would say that.

Speaker 6 (29:29):
Look, I don't know how much is injury related, because
we obviously we saw him go out for a while
very early in camp. But so far, what he's put
on film compared to what he put on film last year,
he's struggling. And I think that Antonio Maffi, I think
is a real alternative starting at left guard for this

(29:50):
team and might make them better in the short term.
And I think they got to think about, you know,
if it is injury related, maybe sitting Cole for a
to make sure he gets fully healthy, because right now
he's a liability for this team and I don't think
they can.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
Afford that up.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
Yeah, I think we saw where, you know, he's been
whipped pretty badly in a couple of snaps, you know,
you know, since he's even been in there, and uh,
I think it was it was, you know, uh, who
wasn't this week one of the linemen And I forget
who it was that was interviewed, but basically said, yeah,
he's really struggled since he got hurt on the first
day of camp. He's tried hard to get back and

(30:29):
he just really hasn't gotten back healthy. I'm sort of
paraphrasing here. Didn't somebody say that this.

Speaker 6 (30:34):
Week one of the life That sounds familiar?

Speaker 1 (30:37):
And yeah, what David Andrews I think said that. Yeah, yeah, I.

Speaker 6 (30:40):
Mean that would be true. It's just you know, the
problem is is that a lot of the film and
and look, quinnin Williams is one of the best in
the league. Again sure sure, but uh, you know his
he's having a lot of leverage issues at that position.
His his center of gravity seems to be higher than
a lot of guys. You know, certainly Michael wenu Mafi

(31:02):
is built low to the ground in that position, is
it's more beneficial to be a little bit built more
to low to the ground. And Cole's just got to
figure out how to use his leverage better. But you know,
if I were the Patriots, I would think about sitting
him going with Mafi and seeing what that.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
Looks like, Well, what did you think of Antonio Maffi?
Then you know, getting that, you know, repeated time in front.
I mean, did he handle himself well enough to where
the Patriots can be relatively certain that they don't have
to do things differently because they've got a rookie lineman
in a guard.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (31:38):
I would say with the amount of reps that he
got during the summer, and he was almost exclusively at
left guard all summer the preseason. You know, I think
he played about twenty six twenty eight snaps in relief
of Cole Strange on Sunday. I only had him for
one minus play in the game. He gave up a
run stuff, which is, you know, a much better rate
than than Cole was doing in his about forty five

(32:00):
snaps in that game. So you know, I mean, I
wouldn't say you're certainly losing something by going with something
like Mafi, because Cole Strange is unquestionably a better athlete
and could do things running down the field of getting
to the second level that Mafi can't do because he's
not that type of player. But I think it just
in terms of pass protection, limiting negative plays. I think

(32:23):
that MAFI might be the best alternative right now.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
I know Greg, that you wrote about this earlier this
week on the website Boston Sports General, But I wonder
if you might kind of fill us in in your
own words here, what you really think is kind of
holding this offense back at this stage and is it
improving enough to where you can see it can actually
make a difference between winning more often later this season.

Speaker 6 (32:48):
Well, let's start with the positives. I think that considering
and you always have to take this into account positive
and negative that people, you know, get ruffled when you say, well,
it's hard to hell how good that is, how good
that was, because the defense wasn't very good. Well, you
know there's another side to the point of that is
that you know, okay, the offense wasn't highly productive against

(33:10):
the Jets, but you have to take an account that's
one of the best defenses in the league. I mean,
they are really, really good.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
It actually up.

Speaker 6 (33:16):
Front, and I think that what I saw out of
the Patriots progressively, I saw a team in terms of
their offensive line start to get a lot more push
in the running game. That opened up a little bit
more play action than we've seen in the first couple
of games, and that's really where this team's going to
need to play because let's, let's face it, they're not

(33:36):
dynamic anywhere else, you know, on on on the offensive
football field, and so but you know, to get to
your point about the passing offense, I mean, I just
don't think they've figured out exactly what role everybody needs
to play. And I don't think everybody's on the same page.
Like you know, the two third down throws late from

(33:56):
Mac to Juju Smith Schuster, you know, I think if
that's Jacobe Myers and somebody that that Max Jones has
a lot of history with and a lot of practice
time with, And I do think that's an issue with Juju.
I don't know how much he's practicing. You could see that,
you know, on the field and from people I've talked
to in the organization. You know, those those third downs
should be pretty easy back shoulder completions the way Mac

(34:20):
threw them, But with Juju, they're not hitting and you know, so,
but should he even be put in that position to
be outside the numbers and winning against guys, is that
really who he is?

Speaker 7 (34:31):
I don't think it is.

Speaker 6 (34:31):
I think he's more of an underneath zone yards after
the catch guys, and they're using them in a different way.
So I think they just they need to figure out
what each guy does well, what they don't do well,
and sort of carve out some roles where everybody knows, Okay,
this is what I need to do in each play.

Speaker 1 (34:48):
And I think the thing that's disconcerting about that to
me is that shouldn't they have figured this out, you know,
over the summer. I mean, you know what what he
can do best. I mean I realized they're babying him
along somewhat because of the alleged wink wink, you know
what I mean, knee problem that Juju has. But you know, frankly,
I just they're not a lot there. And I've always
seen him be better underneath coverage as opposed to going

(35:10):
to the sideline, even when he was in certainly when
he's in Pittsburgh, but even when he was at Kansas City.
And it just seems to me they're using him wrong
on top of the fact that he's probably missing a step.
But I'm like, WHOA, what's going on here?

Speaker 6 (35:23):
Yeah, you know, I would say that's fair to say
John and I do think, you know, when you talk
about shouldn't they be past this by now? You know,
in some respects, Yes, I do think the Taekwon Thornton
injury and taking out that vertical element, I think has
caused them to move some pieces around and that's been
part of the issue. But I also think that you know, Juju,

(35:46):
you know, hasn't really practiced a ton from what I understand.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
I think that's correct.

Speaker 6 (35:51):
I think that's been an issue.

Speaker 1 (35:52):
Yeah, it is an issue, and it's a shame to
say it, but I mean, you know, and I don't
like to ever call anybody a the B word, bust.
I really don't, because I think a lot of times
it's unfair. And unless you've ever thrown on the pads
and you know, put on the jockstrap at the NFL level,
you just you don't know. But at the same time,

(36:15):
I'm having to say, Wow, this is a disappointment, and
I think time is running out on him to try to,
you know, make a corrective move here.

Speaker 6 (36:23):
Yeah, I would say that's fair. And you know you're
talking about I know, the coaching staff was very high
on him and what his role was going to be
this year, and you're just hoping that he gets past
this injury wise, but I don't know if that's ever
going to happen.

Speaker 1 (36:36):
Yeah, all right, So Greg Bdard of the Boston Sports
Journal is here. I want to flip it to the
other side, because, quite frankly, I think the defense seems
to be coming back into a mold that might have
even surpassed what we thought it could be before this
season got started. Christian Gonzales. Look, I said this a
couple of weeks ago, and I managed to probably talk
about it every week. And I know you've written about it,

(36:57):
You've talked about it on your own pod, and you
do a lot of of you know, appearance appearances with
Felger and maz on ninety eight five in Boston and
uh and I and you know, it's a it's camp
miss radio. But I would tell you that I get
the impression here that even though the Patriots should have
taken an offensive lineman somewhere, maybe even in the first round,

(37:17):
but certainly somewhere higher than they ended up taking him,
the fact that Christian Gonzales fell to them is a
lightning bolt from the sky, because this guy can be
maybe one of the best to have put on a
Patriot's uniform and play that position. To me, corner is
the toughest position to play in the NFL. And reason

(37:38):
that it's tougher to me than quarterback. Admittedly, quarterback's got
a lot of decision making it here, but corner is
tougher because you got to do everything running backwards.

Speaker 6 (37:49):
Well, I mean, I will definitely argue with corner a
quarterback being easier than cornerback. I will definitely argue with that.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
I don't know if it's easier, it's it's different, but
I would I would argue for corner being intrinsically more
difficult just because of the impossible things you're asked to do.

Speaker 6 (38:07):
Yeah, I mean it's it's certainly a difficult position, and
I think those guys are starting to get paid for
that reason. Yeah, And I think it's one of the
one of the elite positions that you need to have
in this league to be successful, and the Patriots since
Stefan Gilmore haven't had that. And you know, there's no
question that Christian to this point in time has been
extremely impressive on film. I mean, I'm not going to

(38:30):
get into you know, what do they do against you know,
how much was he responsible for aj Brown and Tyreek
Hill and Garrett Wilson. But there's no question that the
skills that he has covered, skills that he puts on
film are real and you just think of the possibilities
down the line of what he can do for this
team if he keeps following this successful path. I mean,

(38:52):
it's it's been very impressive. It makes the defense a
lot better. The defense is playing with a lot of confidence.
Their mental mistakes are very few, which you would figure
with a veteran group that's been together for a while
and you know they have they certainly have a lot
of potential to carry this team to uh, you know,
even more victories than maybe we thought before the season.

Speaker 1 (39:13):
Now for the Patriots really to realize their full potential,
do they need one, two, or all three of the
Jones boys back on the active roster?

Speaker 6 (39:22):
That would that would certainly help. I mean, you know,
Jack's a very good cover guy. Marcus not sure how
much of a role he was going to have this
year on defense, but he obviously helps with depth issues.
And you know, no offense to Sean Wade because I'm
sure he tries very hard, but he just you know,
isn't all that talented and you'd rather him not be

(39:45):
on the field.

Speaker 4 (39:45):
So uh yeah.

Speaker 6 (39:47):
But if the Patriots keep rushing the passer like they have, uh,
it's not going to matter who they have playing at
cornerback because the pass rush has been that good in
the first couple of weeks.

Speaker 1 (39:57):
Okay, so Dallas this weekend US got to be hurting
a little bit for that performance at Arizona this past weekend.
Is this a winnable game for the Patriots andior estimation?

Speaker 8 (40:08):
I think so.

Speaker 6 (40:08):
I mean, I would rather have the Cowboys fat and
happy after another big victory. Yeah, me too, feeling themselves.
And I do think that the Cardinals, the way they
were able to run the ball about seven yards per carry,
the way they limited Dallas in the red zone, I
think that the Cardinals showed the Cowboys a lot of

(40:29):
their weak points. And I'm sure Mike McCarthy, who I
covered for a long time in Green Bay, is going
to be all over the film and looking at that
and making sure that doesn't happen again. Maybe that that
closes up some of the loopholes that the Patriots were
looking to exploit in their game. But you know, I
don't think. I think that the Cowboys. They have some

(40:50):
injuries on their offensive line, which isn't good. They lost
their top cornerback digs Yep for the season with an
ACL injury. I don't think they're overly talented on offense
if you take care of Cebe Lambs. So, you know,
I do think this is the type of game that
is in the Patriots wheelhouse.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
Final questions though, for you, what is the matchup you're
looking forward to most for Sunday?

Speaker 6 (41:13):
Well, anybody against Michael Parsons and Michael Parsons. I know
Bill wouldn't go there today, and.

Speaker 1 (41:19):
He wanted to go Lawrence Taylor, didn't he he wanted to.

Speaker 6 (41:22):
Yeah, he's the closest thing I've seen the Lawrence Taylor
since Lawrence Taylor. And and he is very early in
his career and Bill doesn't want to entertain it until
you know, Mike is in the league for about a decade.
But uh, you know, he's he's that good. If the
Patriots have a sound plan and limit you're not you're
not going to totally eliminate him, but you know, eliminate

(41:43):
Micah from making too many negative plays, forcing turnovers, anything
like that. If they can limit Michael Parsons and he'll
line up all over the place, so it's tough to say,
you know one guy only. Maybe it's Zeke and pass
protection against Michael Parsons, his former teammates. That is a
matchup to watch. If the Patriots can limit Micah Parson's

(42:05):
impression on this game, then they have a good chance
to win.

Speaker 1 (42:08):
Yeah, Evan likes them. I can't believe it because a
week ago I didn't like I didn't think there was
a snowball's chance in hell. I think at the very
least a snowball can stay frozen for at least a
little while on Sunday.

Speaker 6 (42:21):
Yeah, if they can run the ball, If they can
run the ball like they showed against the Jets and
do that against the Dallas team that got run over
last week, I think that that really opens up a
lot more in the pass the game. And that's sort
of the next we saw. The first step that they
needed to take to the offense was getting a little
movement in the running game, cohesion on the offensive line.

Speaker 7 (42:43):
That was good.

Speaker 6 (42:43):
They got them under center, some play action passes. If
they can just take that to another level against Dallas, Yeah,
then they might have.

Speaker 1 (42:50):
An upset, and they still got to eliminate mistakes. They
can't have you know, the drive killing holes, or they
can't put the football on the ground, or Matt can't
throw a dumb pass that gets picked off, and especially
a pick six. I mean, they still have to avoid that.
Because the Cowboys are at the top of the NFL
and give away takeaway, They've got that going for him.
The Patriots are down around what twentieth, They're like minus
two on the year. That's a big factor I think

(43:12):
in the game as well, especially when you're playing at Dallas,
where the Cowboys have had a lot of success recently.

Speaker 6 (43:18):
Yeah, yeah, no question. I mean they they are a
tough team. They're going to be grumpy after the last game,
which which I don't love. But this is this is
this is the Patriots type of game. It's their type
of matchup. It's a it's more of a heavyweight out
than you have to worry about too much quickness or
anything like that. So you know, I do think that

(43:39):
that the Patriots have a reasonably good chance at pulling
an upset this week.

Speaker 1 (43:42):
Greg, I appreciate the time. Thanks always good to talk
to you anytime. Budd You got it. Greg Bedard, Boston
Sports Journal at Greg A. Bidard b E D A
R D is how he spells the last name. That's
where you get him on the X post, follow Twitter whatever.
ILL never get used to that, and I will even

(44:02):
if it's X for the next fifty years. I'm still
gonna call it Twitter. It just just makes more sense. Sorry, Elon,
but you're not cutting me in, so you know I'm
gonna cut you out. Eight five five PATS five hundred
is the toll free telephone number eight five five p
at S five hundred. Web radio at Patriots dot com.

(44:26):
If you get some thoughts on the matchup you want
to predict the score fire away. You can also do
so on X at JR Broadcaster. That's also my ig
handle the case anybody wants to know see how I
handled that one wow at JR Broadcaster, on Instagram and
my Facebook page as well. Todd Archer, ESPN, Dallas Cowboys Reporter.

(44:50):
You're gonna join us at about three forty five Eastern
time today, right, so he's gonna get us late in
the show. Russell will come up a little before three thirty.
Can we see Russell can scoot a little bit it
see if he minds you. If he's at least in
his office at home, which is right. I know he
normally is around this time. So we'll see if Russell
will come in and do that. So in the meantime,
it's me and it's you and whatever you got about

(45:11):
what you saw against the Jets and whatever you're hoping
to see against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend or anything else.
NFL related eight five five Pats five hundred. Elvit Uh wait,
No Elvis has left the building. No Eldred has entered
the building. Hey, Eldred, you're gonna lead us off. What's up, buddy? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (45:31):
How you doing?

Speaker 1 (45:33):
Are you sitting? Are you driving right now? Are you
just standing still? I love it. I love it. And
you get all the kids, you get all the kids
in the all the kids in the back windows, start,
you know, pulling the chain to get you to do
it again.

Speaker 8 (45:46):
You have a guard to him do it?

Speaker 4 (45:47):
Yeah, yeah, you know, especially even when.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
Oh my god, right, anybody, anybody, Eldred, if you don't
blow the horn, anybody flip you off sometime when I
do blow the on Now if they just knew, but
if they knew you were Eldred from North Carolina. I
guarantee you they wouldn't do that.

Speaker 4 (46:14):
Well they might, but the truck d I was just blowing,
blowing that damn stuff. Someone flicked off or whatever. Yeah,
I know, but I flicked back.

Speaker 1 (46:22):
Yeah, I'd consider that almost an honor. I love you, buddy.
What's going on today? What's on your mind? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (46:39):
This game? You know, like I told you before, but
jord and my family a Cowboys fans, right, bigger than
my dad? Yeah right, you know, big Tomin Andrew follower.
And matter of fact, when we buried him five years ago,
got a cowboy, got a cat for the start, and
they got him a suit for the Cowboy Adam you
know is that we carried him out. Okay, biggest Cowboys

(47:03):
fan even known in my life.

Speaker 1 (47:05):
My granddad was. My grandfather was similar. I remember our
Sundays at home when I was a teenager, younger, you know,
kid and teenager. Growing up, our Sundays entirely revolved around
the Dallas Cowboys. We couldn't even have Sunday dinner unless
we planned it around the Cowboy game. Because my granddad
had to sit at front and center in his easy

(47:25):
chair watching the Cowboys, and that was it, And that's
how I really got to be a football fan was
through what my granddad did well watching the Cowboys. I
remember that succinctly back in the nineteen sixties when the
Cowboys were playing the Green Bay Packers and the Ice
Bowl in sixty seven, and then they were a part
of some of those early nineteen seventies teams, the one

(47:47):
that lost to the Baltimore Colts of the Super Bowl.
And so I get where you're coming from from the
family perspective.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
Especially against the Steelers.

Speaker 1 (47:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (47:56):
And my brother he was the ring culpris either it's
just he was a kid because every boy root of
the Cowboys, he's non bumped the Cowboys.

Speaker 1 (48:09):
Yeah, I get it. I get it.

Speaker 4 (48:12):
So now I'm the punching of the joke. We had
Brady and we get beating him at time we played him.

Speaker 1 (48:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:21):
So now they want me to come over and have
dinner and.

Speaker 1 (48:23):
Uh and then they want to lay into you. Yeah,
and they and they want to kill you right yeah.
Are you going to give them the are you going
to give them the pleasure of your presence?

Speaker 9 (48:33):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (48:33):
Because I ain't gonna chick it out like they did
on me a couple of times. But I'm gonna tell
my man who put Tom Brady jerseys on my hat?
Just going over there?

Speaker 1 (48:40):
All right, Well, then make sure you eat plenty of
food and you drink drain. In fact, i'd wipe the
fridge out. Okay, I'd wipe the damn fridge out. And
then when the Patriots win the game, I'd make sure
that I leave a loud belch right behind before you
exit stage left. How do you like that?

Speaker 4 (48:57):
I told you so.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
Yeah, it's exactly right.

Speaker 4 (49:01):
But yeah, it's gonna be a tough task, you know,
with us.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
But I don't know, Well, let's I mean, let's you.
I mean, look, first of all, I'm gonna I'm gonna
kind of go to some of your your your your
your your pet arguments here. The secondary is not a
secondary right now. Christian Gonzales, even you got even you
gotta admit, he's got the makings and something special. And
I know he's only played four games of his NFL career,

(49:27):
but everything we've seen thus far, man, you know, uh,
dude seems to have the athleticism to be able to
stick with the guys who are the you know, pre
eminent receivers in this game. There are gonna be days
that he gets beat. Ceedee, Lamb could be one of
those guys this weekend because Lamb also has, you know,
quite a bit of talent. But I really like what
we've seen thus far. I think the Patriots actually for

(49:48):
the first time eldred In Oh gosh, certain we've been
talking about this for what the last six seven, maybe
even ten years, that the Patriots defense had to become faster,
had to become quicker. They need linebackers that weren't thumpers
but movers, and I think they actually have some of those.
And even Juan Bentley has learned how to do that
a little bit.

Speaker 8 (50:08):
I think so too.

Speaker 4 (50:09):
But remember I wanted Christian Gonzalez, even though I want
to quit Williams first, but Christian, I said, we had
a choice. I really get the corner and the wide receiver.
I'm happy with him, you know, And like I said,
I take my lumps on him. I'll do the season.
But next year he's gonna be a beast. Next year, Yeah,
it's gonna be a beast.

Speaker 1 (50:26):
Next year he will he will be, he will be
and and look and and you know, next year's next year.
I you know, I look, we're four weeks through you
know the you know, three weeks through the you know
the the current season, and you know, a week ago, Eldred,
everybody was already ready to put dirt on these guys. Now,

(50:47):
you know, even though it was a relatively lackluster game,
ugly game game that damn, they were actually lucky to win.
You know, if if Randall Cobb had gotten lucky and
come up with that Hail Mary catch, we would be
a different universe in which we live in today. But
fortunately for the Patriots it didn't go that way. They
did just enough to win. But now you need to

(51:08):
see this team take the next step. You need to
see them not only compete, you need to see them
get ahead. You need to see them learn how to
play with a lead, as you know, which they did
a little bit this last week. Sure, but you also
need to see them go over the top and score
a little bit. And yeah, you need to see this
defense play against somebody other than Zach Wilson.

Speaker 4 (51:28):
Exactly. And Dak is a pretty good, pretty good matchup this.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
Yeah, I think Dak is a very good matchup because
Dak has got a good enough arm. He's certainly nimble
enough afoot. I like Dak Prescott, And you know, I
just think that the Cowboys have they they've schemed wrongly.
You know, Well, they've been really good the last few
years offensively, I think they hadn't been strong enough defensively.
Now that they appear to be better defensively, they've had

(51:54):
injuries bite into that and they've changed their offensive philosophy
is you know Evan Czar was just talking about because
they want to ground and pound you now, and Mike
McCarthy's calling the plays because they let go killing more so.
They no longer longer want to wing it down the field.
They want to try to outpossess you and pound you
into submission. Frankly, I think that kind of plays it

(52:15):
in New England's hands.

Speaker 4 (52:18):
I think so too. But all day I'm worried about
is our offense defense? Why on our defense? I think
we all hold it about twenty twenty four to twenty
six at the most. You know, I'm just worried about
our offense.

Speaker 1 (52:31):
Well, you got you're gonna have to hold Dallas to
twenty four. If you can hold Dallas to twenty four
or less, you got a chance to win the game,
because I'm not convinced even if the offense takes a
step in the right direction, I'm still not convinced until
I see it that they can score more than twenty four.
I really don't know this, and I'm not being funny
or facetious or anything else. I'm being honest. I you know,

(52:52):
until about yeah, And so that's why this team. When
you say, hey, the defense has got to win games,
you damn straight it does. It has to keep them
in games. Now, the Patriots might be able to score
a little bit more, but then they're going to rely
on the defense to do some scoring for them like
they did last year, and they had a worse offense
a year ago. Now we're not seeing the scoring at

(53:13):
least yet, you know, early from this defense. Although they
did get the safety you know this last week against
Wilson in the secondary or I mean against you know,
the Patriots because they met Judon sacked them in the
end zone, so they got the safety out of it.
But I'm talking about you know, a pick six. I'm
talking about a fumble that gives them a short field
and you know, in red zone possession where they can

(53:34):
get into the end zone, you know, And I want
to see the Patriots, you know, they need to pull
off a ten twelve play drive against the Cowboy defense
because then the Cowboy offense is going to have a
bit more sense of urgency. I think, to get down
the field if they're playing from behind, and that's not
the way Mike McCarthy wants to play. Based on what
I've seen the first three weeks of this year.

Speaker 4 (53:55):
Yes that's having a good game plan, but good corners too.
But they also got good receipts. Even though Lambs is
the man Gallup. I don't know what's wrong with Gallops Gallup.
Sometimes he's up, sometimes he's down, and the other guy
and the tide end how that's new. But he he's
catching on a little bit. And they do get three backs,

(54:16):
including vond you know, and so that's, you know a
little bit more that I'm more in the chew own
because that was My family keeps shooting about, oh oh
we got our butt with Sunday, but y'all will turn
around and get the same butt women that we got.
Well we'll see, yeah, we'll see, you know. So I
told him, I said, I'm gonna I'm gonna go with

(54:36):
my boys this. You gotta score, I said, no, I
don't have a score, but I'm still gonna go to
go down to the Patriots fighting but kind of iffy.

Speaker 1 (54:45):
But like I said, I know, well they go.

Speaker 4 (54:49):
I'm with it.

Speaker 1 (54:50):
I'm if he too, I'm iffy, yeah, I'm I'm I'm
iffy right with you, if you right with you.

Speaker 4 (54:58):
In the first two weeks, the Cowboys, the good printed
them during Cardo and whatever whatever that guy did. I
watched that game too, like we did my I can
do it. Every man up in the motion, dis direction,
this and that, and they was lost. I mean them
the linebackers in the corners didn't move on a couple
of them things, and they was lost. And we could

(55:20):
do that.

Speaker 8 (55:21):
That's even better.

Speaker 4 (55:21):
But the guys got speed too. We we got speed
in them running backs apart, but I think but we
got to speed at the receiver end. That's well.

Speaker 1 (55:30):
Yeah, And the speed that they have the receiver end
isn't healthy like it should be. And I think that's
a big factor of why the Patriots are having trouble
on offense, because they just they're not they're not spreading
teams thin. And I know you've said this ever since
I've probably known you. Uh, you know, the Patriots need
somehow some way to stretch the field and make that
underneath side, Yeah, make that underneath side a little softer.

(55:52):
That's where a guy like Julian Edeman really you know,
had success, Wes Welker had success. And you know Jujus
has got you know, all these you know apparent you
know injury problems that are going on, which are wink
wink left unsaid. But the middle of the fields all muddy.
And the reason is muddy is because the Patriots don't
have the ability to stretch it and get somebody out
there worth a darn. So you know, it's kind of

(56:12):
conspiring against them right now.

Speaker 4 (56:15):
Yes see, I've been saying it for fifteen years. Y'all
was knocking me for fifteen.

Speaker 1 (56:18):
No, no, no, no, no, Marine, do we knock Eldred
at all? No, No, we don't no, no.

Speaker 4 (56:28):
No, we don't need it. We got it. Yeah, we
had the greatest quarter back of the league. Then we
don't have him no more. And I ain't even told
you back then even the greatest needs to be up
every now and then, you know, just think, just think
when Cooper left the Raiders and Brady was here. I
think Brady would made a pitch and I'm hoping we
did it too. I did it on the radio. Bill

(56:48):
didn't do it. Just think if we had Cooper or
d they've been winning some more Dinner, Super Bowl, the
problem one more before he retired last year.

Speaker 1 (56:55):
Maybe maybe he had order maybe.

Speaker 4 (56:59):
For Mars and Stalwart. They yet two and Bill ran
away from it and stayed away from it. And that's
his big downfall because he wanted to start it. Those
three wide received in the tight end and you know,
been two thousand with that. So but that's Bill.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
You know what we need to do, Eldred. Maybe in
the off season we need to have uh me and
you host a Bill Belichick sucks because show.

Speaker 4 (57:26):
Oh I'll give it. Hey, you got more than three hours.

Speaker 1 (57:31):
Wow, wow, Oh my god. That's what I like about you.
You don't mince words, dude, You really don't. Hey forward,
I know, I know, well, you keep going straightforward. No
backing up, no be be be backing up the truck today.

Speaker 4 (57:46):
Okay, Okay, I can bag real good truck though.

Speaker 1 (57:49):
Yeah, I know, I bet you can. No, but I
want you to just flatten those suckers. Okay, all right,
you two buddy, be safe out there, all right. Eldred
in North Carolina and alive. He's a hoot. Eight five
five pats five hundred, Sean of Vancouver, thanks for hanging on, Sean.

Speaker 7 (58:10):
How about damn cowboy?

Speaker 1 (58:14):
Listen one of Yeah, it is one of my favorite
things is to hear that old Jimmy Johnson recording. How
about the Cowboys? You know I like that? Do we
have that drop? How about yeah? Yeah, yeah, there we go.
I knew I thought I thought we probably still had
that right, spelt it as cowboys. I kept typing in Dallas.

Speaker 4 (58:36):
Next year.

Speaker 6 (58:36):
Isn't great.

Speaker 10 (58:36):
I don't hope you hear me.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
All right, Yeah, I can hear you. I just I
don't think the connection is terribly good. I heard a
little whistling in the background. What are we having a
hurricane in Vancouver's flying a plane?

Speaker 10 (58:45):
It's in the line.

Speaker 6 (58:46):
The weather's fine here?

Speaker 1 (58:47):
Really? Wow? Are you you sound like you're up in
flying in an airplane?

Speaker 10 (58:54):
Yeah, I'm sitting in my apartment waiting waiting for the
Patriots to start on Sunday afternoons.

Speaker 1 (59:01):
Well, see, you're but the time when this phone call
is over. When this phone call is over, you'll be
five or ten minutes closer to kick off.

Speaker 2 (59:09):
Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 10 (59:09):
Yeah, well, i'm predicting now. I'll just give it right
out of the way. I'm predicting the Cowboys twenty three
Patriots twenty.

Speaker 1 (59:16):
Twenty two, twenty Okay, you know, actually that's probably about right.
I would give you that. You know, if if the
Cowboys make a mistake and the Patriots can play cleanly,
I think you could flip that script.

Speaker 10 (59:30):
Yeah, it could go if it's change. It's just I
see this as one of the teams that's better. I
see there's five more games, including this one where I
pencil in the Patriots is a lost, And that one
doesn't mean it's going to happen. It's just the way
I see it, because generally the same is what we
thought they.

Speaker 1 (59:49):
Were right, right, But don't you have to, Sean, don't
you have to beat somebody good somewhere along the line,
And wouldn't the Cowboys fit that bill?

Speaker 10 (59:58):
Sure, and this might be the week, but they're probably
going to lose one of those toss ups as well.
You know, there's all the other seven games. I'd see
a toss up so or not seven. I think it's
more like nine and seven teams.

Speaker 2 (01:00:12):
But yeah, so.

Speaker 10 (01:00:12):
It's it's a tricky one, but the way the Patriots
could win this game coming out of the game. First
play on offense, I want to see Remander in the
back field with Carrel Brown, but staying in the backfield,
have Mac under center, and then play action for one

(01:00:34):
of three options. Either you're going to go to Mario
Douglas underneath, you're going to go Born as an intermediate route,
or Parker on a side trying to get over somebody's head.
And go with one of those plays and then just
change things up and make it something that the Cowboys

(01:00:55):
don't actually see. And in terms of Barol Brown's goal,
I want them to have a big role, but I
want him to see something different than last week. Have
them there just looking out for that pass rush, looking
out for wherever the Cowboys are going to get to Mac,
and then you know, playing up on a Mika Parsons

(01:01:16):
on the run, just going to find him and hitting
him or the he can get through for some positive
artig Yeah hope. So and that's where the offense to
make a splash. And then I'm I'm excited to see
our cornerback are rookie of the Year potential and Gonzo
going up against Stevie Lamb. See a fourth in a
row where he's shutting down a great receiver.

Speaker 1 (01:01:37):
Yeah, that's that's really got my I mean yeah, I
think that could be literally a matchup between two of
the best young players in the league right there. And
and you know, this will be a chance for you know,
Gonzales to kind of show, hey, you know what, I'm
the real deal. You know, if he can, you know,
have a day where he can bat a few away
and you know, get a couple of those you know,

(01:01:58):
you know DPUs, you know passes defended that kind of
thing against a guy like Cde Lamb.

Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
Yeah, definitely, what else?

Speaker 1 (01:02:10):
Yeah, okay, all right, but you say twenty two twenty
can enjoy the game, all right, Thanks Sean, appreciate you,
Thank you, buddy. By the way, Patriots fans, if you
want to see Toyota's best offers, including those not seen
on TV, go to buy at toyota dot com. It's
Toyota's official website for deals from the official vehicle of
the New England Patriots. Toyota Let's go places and Bridgestone

(01:02:34):
is the official tire of the New England Patriots and
Bridgestone tires are now on sale through September thirtieth, not
much time left at all. Sullivan Tire Locations visits sullivantire
dot com for a location near you. In case you
did not hear today, Patriots had perfect practice attendance, which

(01:02:54):
includes Devon Godshaw who left a little bit of an
ankle injury last week against the Jets, and also Cold
Strange he was a participant today in practice. The first
injury report will come out in about an hour, maybe
a little under an hour from now, so you can
get that here on the website. But still, that's that's

(01:03:14):
a step in the right direction. Full health is a
step in the right direction. Here's our buddy Trey in Memphis. Hey, Trey,
how are you, man?

Speaker 7 (01:03:23):
What's it going on? John?

Speaker 3 (01:03:24):
I'm doing good man.

Speaker 7 (01:03:25):
How are you guys?

Speaker 1 (01:03:26):
Hey, we're hanging. We're just we're trying to go week
to week. Here. Hou's Memphis, man, Memphis is It's been
very hot down here in the Salvage.

Speaker 7 (01:03:37):
And probably one of the hottest summers of my life. Really,
I'm gonna be honest with you. So, I mean, man,
you talking about there was some weeks in August where
we had ninety nine two hundred degrees and then he
didn't did like as high as one eighteen like smoking here,

(01:04:00):
I mean most smoking.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
One hundred and eighteen. That that actually that.

Speaker 7 (01:04:07):
He didn't dance here, man with like record high.

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
The warmest temperature I have ever been in was one
hundred and seventeen degrees and that was in Sacramento, California,
where it can get pretty hot there north of the
of the Napa Valley. You know, they're kind of in
a hole there, and so it can get a little
steamy there in the middle of the summer. I mean,
that's like apparently you Beme, no, no, Well, I know,

(01:04:32):
I know because record numbers. Listen, I know they had
that this year. In fact, this was the warmest summer,
uh And it may have been I don't know statistically,
it may be the warmest on record, but I know
it was the warmest since nineteen eighty, so it be
the warmest summer they had in Dallas in over forty years.
And I remember the summer of nineteen eighty because I
was a college student at the time. And I lived.

(01:04:54):
I lived in my dorm. I lived in my fraternity
house that summer, which had no air conditioning, so I
couldn't literally I could not live in my room inside
the frat house because there was no I mean, I
could open up the window, but it's like, right, sure,
where was the breeze? So we also there was one
air conditioner in the room, one air in the entire

(01:05:16):
dorm frat house, and it was in the study because
everybody wanted to be cool on the study and we
all pulled on mattresses in there and slept at night
because it was the only room that you could actually
sleep somewhat comfortably. And that was the summer of nineteen
eighty where we had, oh god, I think we had
something like twenty one twenty two. It was in the

(01:05:37):
twenties consecutive days of one hundred degree temperatures. And that
was between Dallas and I went to school in Austin
and Fort Worth, where I was originally from. It never
got below one hundred for over three weeks. Wow, it
was like one hundred and three, one hundred and four,
one hundred and six every day.

Speaker 7 (01:05:58):
I tell you, what done.

Speaker 2 (01:06:02):
You know it?

Speaker 7 (01:06:02):
How when my children don't even want to go outside
and play. It was still in the ninety eight nine
ten o'clock at night.

Speaker 2 (01:06:09):
I mean, so, but.

Speaker 1 (01:06:10):
That's that's Oh it was hot. Oh hey, I know that.
I was in Sacramento this summer visiting the Cistern Law
and it was ninety five at about no. Nine ten o'clock.
I mean it was warm. A couple of years ago,
I went to Vegas, h you know, for a planned
you know, vacation, actually goes see the Grand Canyon. Because

(01:06:30):
I had never been in the Grand Canyon, only flown
over it. So we decided to go down in the
Grand Canyon. And we stayed in Vegas, because why not,
It's Vegas, right. And when we were in Vegas, we're
sitting up on the veranda, the top level of the
hotel we were staying, it was one hundred degrees at
eleven o'clock. One hundred at eleven, and I'm like, that's

(01:06:51):
just you know, I mean, I remember I came from that,
I grew up in that environment. But I don't know
how people can do that now, how can they do that?

Speaker 7 (01:07:00):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:07:01):
Tray it is it? Does it ever get? Does it
ever get too hot to barbecue.

Speaker 7 (01:07:06):
Oh absolutely not, absolutely not, absolutely not. With that being said,
great question, Absolutely not.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
Okay, all right, because I can't. I can't ever let
you go without mentioning barbecue to you somehow.

Speaker 7 (01:07:21):
Oh I can't. Oh well, now the barbecue is happening
regardless of the inclement inclement weather, regardless of what it is.
It doesn't matter. The grill will be fired up and
they will.

Speaker 2 (01:07:36):
Be smoking like a freak trying nice nice.

Speaker 7 (01:07:40):
Yeah, all right, Well, I want to get to the season.
Even though the pagers are one and two, we are
could easily be three. And oh, you look at the
first game, it was inches, so you know, it was
an inch of way of the second game, and you know,

(01:08:02):
it's pretty much the same thing, you know, just a
little bit of mistakes. Sunday's game against the Jet it
was gonna be a tough game either way. They just
gave us all we can have though, and I wasn't
surprised that, you know, it came down to the last
play and so, I mean, you know, just found a

(01:08:24):
way to win the game. I mean, so I pretty
much you know, I'm not pushing the panic button yet.
I mean, but you know, I love to see the
offense do a little more than what they're doing. Like
I said, I don't know what's going on. We were
Mandre Stevens. I don't know if having Zeep there is

(01:08:48):
a problem. I'm not sure. I don't know what I mean.
But he's definitely not giving us the juice that we
was getting out of him last year. You know, there
were sometimes the first two games I thought he was
touching about a little bit too much. Well, I mean,
what are your talents on the on the back speed
and and where we are?

Speaker 1 (01:09:08):
Yeah, you know, Evan and I talked about this at
the start of the show a little bit Trey that,
you know, because I asked him the same thing. I said,
you know, Remondre, he seems to be he's not reading
the holes well enough. And I wanted to know, at
least in his estimation, is this Remondre or is it
the lack of consistency in the offensive line that's kind
of holding him back? And I think we came to

(01:09:30):
the conclusion that it's probably more the offensive line issue
than it is Remandre. He just thinks, you know, look,
they they kind of they kind of brought Remandre along
slowly to start the year because they want to make
sure there wasn't too much wear and tear on him early,
so they wanted to kind of like kind of slowly
reintroduce him back into the offense. And Evan kind of
thinks that Remondre he's sort of like where he should

(01:09:52):
be at the end of training camp about now, about
a month into the season. Yeah, and so he's hopeful
that we'll we'll continue to see more rapid improvement and
they've got to try to scheme him. And I think
this is something that Bill O'Brien even talked about over
the last couple of weeks that you know, Remander has
to learn to hit those holes quicker, and because you

(01:10:14):
don't have offensive linemen that hold the blocks quite as long,
so they've got to scheme it to where you know,
he can hit the holes faster. And so you might
see more of that. And I think you also might
see Ezekiel Elliott, you know, as more of a lead
back in certain situations, maybe even this way this week
against the Cowboys, just because you know he's going to
be motivated to play. And based on what I've seen

(01:10:36):
through the first three weeks, you know, I think Elliot
still has a little zip left. Now. I don't know
if he'll have that zip left in week twelve or thirteen,
but right now, in week three and four, I'm seeing
a little life left on the legs. So while we
got some life in the legs, they should use it,
don't you think. And I think that's kind of where
that's kind of where the running game is.

Speaker 7 (01:10:57):
Well my being here that I mean, you know, I understand,
you know, he's gonna be motivated, you know, here playing
in Dallas. I mean, so of course he had a
little juice that we could see Sundays. So my word is,
I'm not worried about it, but I just feel like,
you know, I want to I don't want him to

(01:11:18):
just be juiced up, you know, this week just because okay,
were playing Dallas, and then you know, from the rest
of the season we see that crap we saw we want,
you know, not holding on to the ball, you know,
not not hitting the hole like he should. I mean,
but now you know, I don't want to know. I

(01:11:42):
don't want to phade I don't want to phase Ramandra
out because I mean, he was the MVP as far
as as far as you know, it's me, he was
our offensive MVP all last year. I mean, because he
carried us a whole lot, and I don't wonder you
I mean, he's coming up on what, well, how many

(01:12:02):
more years he have left on this rookie deal? He
did see it all? He has one more? I'm not sure,
I mean, but you know, I love to see, you know,
when that whatever the issue is, I love to see
that get feted. And I'm glad to see Kendrick Bourne.
You know, see he seemed to be out of Bill

(01:12:22):
Benichick's dog houses on what I can see, and I
just I'm looking at him and have a big game.
I'm gonna let you guys roll. I know you got
other calls.

Speaker 1 (01:12:32):
Oh yeah, that's good. Trey is always going to talk
to you, buddy. Thank you for the time. You know.
I'm not sure really how to answer that. I share
a lot of the concerns that Trey has. I'm not
entirely uh certain where his primary uh beef would be

(01:12:57):
in this particular regard. But I would also tell you that,
you know, the start of a season can take on
different shapes and forms and fashions and and all kinds
of things. And while I think we all kind of
knew that the Patriots start of the season was going
to be difficult the way that the schedule lined up,

(01:13:17):
And I said this during the preseason, I said this
during the offseason shows that we do monthly, you know
here on Patriots dot Com Radio that you know this
team can go one in three and it's not going
to wreck the year. So as far as I'm concerned,
this team is kind of on pace. Now this also
means that at some point they're gonna have to get
it straight and they're going to have to figure out

(01:13:40):
a way to make some headway. But you know, when
you look at the schedule, gosh, I'm got me get
the schedule in front of me here. Some of these games,
in all honesty, some of these games that looked daunting
even a month ago. Okay, at the Raiders Buffalo at home,

(01:14:05):
certainly at Miami Washington, Indianapolis, at the Giants, Chargers at Pittsburgh.
Then of course, then you get Kansasity at home. You
gotta go at Denver. I mean, guys, I think there's
a chance there certainly an opportunity to win seven, eight

(01:14:26):
nine games. Now they probably would have to win. I mean,
if we're gonna do the what iffing here, And the
reason I'm saying this is because, look, I don't think that,
you know, even if this team loses to Dallas this weekend,
which certainly could happen. Even if this team loses to Dallas,
there's an opportunity to bounce back here. And the opportunity exists,

(01:14:48):
where as a month ago I didn't think it did.
But you know, look at you. It starts next week
against you know, New Orleans. You can go and play
at the Raiders and try to win that one. You know,
we'll be talking certainly about know last year's game. I
think I had nausea before that one. I think Buffalo,
you know, here in Foxborough is a winnable game. Washington,
Indianapolis at the Giants, the Chargers, here in Foxborough at

(01:15:11):
the Steelers, these are all winnable games. At Denver, uh
and of course the Jets. At the end, you win
those games that you think you should could win, you're
gonna be at at worst, I think ten and seven.
So I don't want to I don't like to put
more than just you know one. I don't like to
put more than one week's worth of wait on any

(01:15:33):
particular week. We know where the faults are on this team.
We've seen them already rise to the first three weeks.
We kind of knew some of these were coming. There
are a couple of others that are there that we
weren't really expecting. Certainly, the the the egregiousness of some
of the play on the offensive line has been well documented,
not only here but in various circles of the media throughout.

(01:15:57):
They're finally getting healthy. They're finally getting healthy. Now they're
healthy er. I don't know if they'll ever be healthy,
but that's something to be said for that. I think
Mac statistically is having very good year, especially when you
consider uh the guys who are blocking in front of him,
and those guys are getting better. I'm if I were

(01:16:21):
so inclined, you know, in the whole Mac controversy, I'd say, look,
I think they've gotta they've got to pick up his
option next year. Uh and and I think they ultimately will.
By the way, I because I was gonna mention this,
and I said, huh, I's nothing worth it. But I
just mentioned Mac Jones. This whole story about you know,
the cup check with the sauce gardener uh as Colonel

(01:16:45):
Sherman T. Potter mash Fame once said, mule muffins, mule muffins. Okay, listen,
if you've ever played the sport of football, and I have,
I didn't play it well, but I've played enjoyed the sport.
I've enjoyed covering it way more than I've enjoyed gotten
the crap beat out of me. But if you've ever

(01:17:08):
played the sport, you undoubtedly have been on the bottom
of a rugby scrum. Okay, And and and you know,
in football at least you got you know, pads and
things protecting your unmentionables. But if you could tell me
that you have been in a pile up on the

(01:17:28):
football field and not have somebody give you a cup check, dude,
you lion, Okay, you lion. I think sauce Garder did
was you know, I honestly believe he was manufacturing Okay,
it didn't look to me from all the video angles
that we've seen, it didn't look to me like anything

(01:17:50):
was intentional at all. Max already to the point this
week where I'm onto Dallas, I'm not even gonna acknowledge
it anymore, you know, agreed, Devin Mcca and even a
few others have said, you know, hey, you know these
things keep surrounding you and people keep thinking that you
might be a dirty player. Then you know, hey, you
got to do something to put yourself in a position

(01:18:10):
to not be in this position. And I don't disagree
with that. Mac has to do what he can do,
I think to be on his best behavior. I think
Mac is no different from anybody else that's really ever
played the sport of football. And you know, somebody, you know,
he just got to remember it. He just got slung
to the ground and there was no flag. So you

(01:18:30):
know he's gonna get up from that, you know, getting
slung to the ground and that scrum there from the Jets.
He's gonna get up feeling a little feisty. Anyway, Guys
do this, they they they bop each other in the
jewels every now and then, just to wake you up,
you know, And hey, shame on you. If you're not
wearing a cup, that's your fault, that's your bad. Okay, man.

(01:18:52):
I got to tell you, you know, having been a little
league umpire for a long long time myself, okay, uh,
and not knowing the absolute with absolute certainty that the
young catcher in front of me was gonna be able
to get everything that was coming his way. Uh, yeah,
you damn sure. I had, you know, protection, and I
even remember that from my days, you know, playing football

(01:19:13):
and basketball again, not all that well, but I loved it.
I loved playing anyway. So I'm no dope. And you know,
I know that there are guys who say, well, I
can't wear that because you know it doesn't allow me
freedom of movement. Okay, I'm good with that cup check.

(01:19:34):
I'm gonna do that to mess with you more than
anything else. I don't think that's being dirty at all.
That's gamesmanship. Okay, that's the point. I'm trying to make
gamesmanship happens all the freaking time. Or are you not
aware of this? Is this world of ours so politically
correct that you can't mess with the guy's head. Well,

(01:19:54):
that's stupid. It's stupid. Matt's saying, yes, yes, yes, but
that's stupid because I ain't gotta apologize for it later.
That's and no, you shouldn't have to apologize. All's fair
in love, war and sports. That's it. Percent agree, that's it.
I've always lived by that. I'm always gonna continue to
live by that, and anybody who thinks differently, well, I'm

(01:20:15):
sorry you live that way. You have that right, you
have that right, but I don't gotta and I ain't
gonna simple simple the whole it was a non story.
It was a non story. That happens all the time.
There are scrums, okay, all the time, you know, guys

(01:20:37):
who are getting you know, yanked at, groped. I think
the line that I came up with is that there's
more groping going down to the bottom of a football
pile than at a drive in movie on Saturday night. Okay,
that's just that's the way it is. That's just the
way it is. So move on all you you know

(01:21:00):
PC you know, Oh, that's a terrible thing to do.
Come on, you know, i'd call you a pink hat.
That's what I would call you, pink hat. Okay, Oh,
I can't believe that he did that. That's terrible. Come on, okay,
all right, we'll get Russell on as soon as we
can then, right, Okay, maybe he does well, you know,

(01:21:22):
we did tell him three thirty, so you know, that's
the way it kind of works, kind of roles on
that Russell's gonna join us here in just a few minutes,
we hope, and then Todd Archer from ESPN dot com
will join us in about fifteen or twenty minutes. I
got a couple of meals that I want to read
as well. By the way, let's talk stats. Bob's Discount
Furniture has sofas that convert the sleepers when you're feeling sacked,

(01:21:45):
mattresses that put you to sleep as soon as you
touch down, and thousands of highly rated styles that keep
the home team happy. Shop at Bob's, the official furniture
store of the New England Patriots. Howard from Stratford, Connecticut
says John a couple of items. One, A win is
a win, no turnovers wasn't pretty, but don't care. Just

(01:22:07):
win D domination. Oh for work in progress. Okay, I
see yeah, because there's o's in work and o's in
progress and think I see that, Howard, Thank you this week,
keep the no turnovers trend going, run the ball to
set up the play action pass. Big D is not
for Dallas. It is for Patriots defensive domination. Make Dak

(01:22:30):
look like Zach Ooh. I like that one. That's a
good one. We should have coined that earlier this week
make Dak look like Zach. Okay, I'll give you full
credit for that one. Hard had this as a loss
when I did my prediction, when I did the when
the schedule came out. But after watching the Arizona Dallas
game last week, I believe I need to rethink that.
He says past twenty four Dallas seventeen fair. I'm really

(01:22:56):
the same way before last week's game, and that goes
for the Dallas Arizona game too. I knew that the
Patriots were cruising toward anelle at at and T Stadium.
I just I never felt which is why I was
really hoping they could figure out a way to get
a win over the Jets because I thought, Okay, this
is a one in three shoe in. But I also

(01:23:17):
said even when I said the Patriots could go eleven
and five, that I thought one and three was a start.
Statistically it'd be really tough for them to overcome that,
but I thought they could. You want to make a
bold prediction. That's a bold prediction. Start one and three
and you finish eleven and six. Come on, that's bold. Okay,
Maybe I need to have my head examine. Just don't

(01:23:40):
grope me at the bottom of the pile. That's all
I ask. Okay, what else do we have here? Claire?
Since this note, she says, Hi, John, Hi marine tight ended? Yes,
I love it. Three tight ends. But Evan has a
point on the well rounded tight end. Hunter may be
the one that's the most but Gasicki is dynamic and fluid.

(01:24:01):
Brown is turning out to be a good number three.
But I see his point. I'm still very excited by
the tight endage cup Overfloweth. I'm sure you are, Uh,
Patty and aguam John, if I had a hammer. My
heart is telling me to pick the Pats this Sunday,
But my head is a different story. I think it's
gonna be another white knuckler with the Cowboys coming out
on top twenty four to twenty one. One of these weeks.

(01:24:23):
Mac is gonna have to try and pull a game
out at the end. I just don't see it happening
this week, you know. I think that also speaks to
partly what Trey was talking about a couple of minutes ago. Patty,
you know it's coming, but is it gonna come against
a team that you kind of really feel like you
can beat. Look, I think the next step the Patriots
have to beat if they're gonna be a contending team

(01:24:44):
is they got to beat another contending team. This is
as good a week as any as Greg Benard told us,
you know, in the last hour. Frankly, it would be
great if the Cowboys were coming off a win here,
because then they'd be as I like to call them,
fat and sassy, and you know, they'd be feeling like,
you know, we're doing everything right. Why are we going
to mess with what's working? And then I think the

(01:25:05):
Patriots have a better chance to game plan for them.
Cowboys then become a little bit more predictable. Now the
Cowboys have to look at it and say, wow, we
gave up two hundred and twenty two yards on the
ground Arizona. We got to do something to fix that.
And yeah, maybe we need to open it up a
little bit more on offense because we'd be attacking rookie cornerback.

(01:25:26):
So I'm just saying here, sometimes, you know, a it's
great if the Cowboys lost, and you know, okay, so what,
but they're still a contending team. There's still one of
the more talented teams in the entire NFL. Certainly within
the NFC, I don't know if they're quite as good
as Philly, but you know, that's a strong division. The
NFC East and the AFC East, to me are the
two strongest divisions in the NFL this year. And it

(01:25:48):
just so happens to be the Patriots luck that, you know,
and the AFC East team's luck that they're playing the
NFC East this year and vice versa. Be interesting to
see how the head to head matchups really pan out
at the end of this year. You know, I don't
think Washington's terrible either. I don't think the Jets are terrible.
Jets have a very good defense, and we saw that
last week, you know, but anybody, I saw several arguments,

(01:26:14):
you know, you know for the Jets saying, well, wow,
if they had if they had Aaron Rodgers, you know, well,
I will use Patty's phrase, well, if I had a hammer,
I'd be hammering in the morning, I'd be hammering in
the evening. And okay, fine, the Patriots have mission three
of their top defensive backs too. Okay, they're missing of
the Jones brothers who all play back there, so hello,

(01:26:36):
you know it wouldn't quite be the same team that
Aaron Rodgers would be facing. I don't have to convince
you of that, but I'm just saying, you know, Jets
fans who were thinking, well, you know, by if we
had Aaron Rodgers, that would have been a two touchdown
Jets went come on, man, you gotta be real. You
need a little bit more than that. I thought the
Patriots game plan against the Jets was superb. They wanted

(01:26:57):
to make Zach Wilson beat them with his arm. He
couldn't do it. I would tell you that that ten play,
seventy five ish yard drive at the end of the
game where they pulled within five at fifteen to ten,
worried me quite a bit because the defense had several
opportunities to make plays to get off the field and
it couldn't do it. And it was Zach Wilson at

(01:27:20):
quarterback leading that charge. So that's got to be something
that was and still is and maybe will be in
film study for this week. But I do think that
you know that there's gonna be an opportunity there to
improve on that Bart from Poland via Cordoba, Spain, John

(01:27:42):
my friend, had an opportunity to win a twelve hundred
dollars parlay from five bucks on Sunday? What was the
one thing that missed? The Cowboys versus Arizona? And we
were supposed to go party with that money. So let's
beat the crap out of Dallas for that. Gonna blame him, right,
he's his twenty four to twenty one pains. Oh, nice
to hear from you. Nice to hear from you. Thank

(01:28:03):
you for listening in and contributing to the program.

Speaker 4 (01:28:07):
A real woman could stop.

Speaker 7 (01:28:08):
You from drinking that, a real big woman.

Speaker 5 (01:28:11):
It's time to go around the NFL with football guru
Russell Baxter.

Speaker 1 (01:28:15):
Now the name is Flounder on Patriots playbook Flounder aka
Russell Baxter. Hi, Russell, how are you today?

Speaker 2 (01:28:27):
Well? I'm doing well.

Speaker 4 (01:28:28):
How are you.

Speaker 2 (01:28:30):
Deat aactice and the Patriots feat and the Jets?

Speaker 1 (01:28:33):
Yeah? Right, fifteen in a row. You know, I realize
it's not a record, but it's certainly getting close to
a record. It certainly ties a Patriots franchise record for
beinging a team. You know that many times consecutively. Do
you ever see when when a team gets into like
ripping off four, five, ten, fifteen in a row, whatever

(01:28:53):
it is. Do you ever see tendencies one way or
the other that kind of give you a hint that
maybe that's dreag is about to die?

Speaker 2 (01:29:03):
You know it's that's a that's a great question because
some of these streaks are inexplicable, especially during free agency.
You could almost understand them years and years ago, John,
when you know, rosters didn't change as much and coaching
staffs didn't change as much. But you know, you look

(01:29:23):
now and listen.

Speaker 4 (01:29:24):
I know Bill.

Speaker 2 (01:29:24):
Belichick's been there the entire time. Uh, you know, that's
but that's one school factor. Tom Brady hasn't been there
the entire time, and they continue to continue to win
and personnel changes. But I mean, what's the Raiders that
beating the Broncos now nine times in a row? You
know they they's there. That's a team that has changed

(01:29:47):
coaches numerous times, Okay, and Broncos. So I don't know
how you put a finger on it now opposed to
years ago when the team had a in style that
was counteractive to the team they were playing. You know,

(01:30:07):
great historical equivalent to that would be Pittsburgh and Dallas. Yeah,
you know, obviously they had played each other in Super
Bowls ten in thirteen. I know I'm going back a bit,
but I think what people also forget is in nineteen
seventy seven when the Cowboys won the Super Bowl. When
they won Super Bowl twelve, I think they were in

(01:30:28):
the top ranked offense in the top ranked defense. They
were twelve and two. One of their two losses was
to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and it wasn't closed. The
year after Super Bowl thirteen, Dallas went to Pittsburgh and
Pittsburgh beat him again. It was the game where Roger
Staubak got knocked out with a concussion by Elsea Green

(01:30:48):
with it, I remember that.

Speaker 1 (01:30:49):
I remember that. You bet.

Speaker 2 (01:30:50):
And then you go into nineteen eighty two and Dallas
had won like seventeen straight openers. The Steelers were coming
off back to back non playoff years. It's a Monday
night game and lo and behold what happens again?

Speaker 4 (01:31:02):
Yeah, Pittsburgh goes in.

Speaker 2 (01:31:04):
And beats Dallas. And you know in those latter years
what it really proved to be, you know, and Pittsburgh
was always defense warrior. We know that the Cowboys had
one hell of a time covering two wide receivers named
lynd Swann and John.

Speaker 1 (01:31:19):
Stalworth hall of famers.

Speaker 2 (01:31:21):
Yeah right, the Hall of famers. And in fact, you
I know you'll remember this when when the Stewers beat
the Cowboys in Super Bowl thirteen, which to me, historically
it's not. My favorite super Bowl was Super Bowl thirty
two Denver in Green Bay. As far as how the
game is played, historically, half the Hall of Fame is
in Super Bowl thirteen, from the ownership to the coaches.

Speaker 8 (01:31:42):
The player.

Speaker 1 (01:31:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:31:44):
But lynd Swan and John Stalwarts were the first wide
receivers in Super Bowl history at the time to both
catch one hundred yards of passes in the same game,
and that was against Dallas and Super Bowl thirteen.

Speaker 1 (01:31:56):
Yeah, good historical stuff. I knew you would have that.

Speaker 2 (01:32:00):
Well speak and by the way, speaking historical stuff, since
you alluded to the fact that the Patriots is not
a record, two teams that are playing this week hold
the record, or at least one does, and that's the
Dolphins and the bill Yep, the Dolphins beat the Bills.
I like to call it like a bad asset trip.

(01:32:20):
The entire decade of the nineteen seventy yep twenty times.

Speaker 1 (01:32:24):
Interrupt, which is incredible.

Speaker 2 (01:32:28):
And again similarity to obviously Don Schule was there the
whole time. BOJ Simpson was there a bunch of the time.
The Bills had some solid teams over that stretch, and
so I say, they could not, for the life of
them beat the Miami Dolphins. And I'm going to actually
be writing something about that with the two teams playing
this week.

Speaker 1 (01:32:47):
Nice I'll look forward to that. I got, you know,
some games here on the schedule, speaking of which the
Dolphins and Bills game is going to I think of
a lot of interest around here. But the Thursday night
game has got a lot of intrigue for a lot
of reasons because both teams are two and one, the
Lions at the Packer. You expect the Packers maybe to
be there. You don't expect the Lions to be there.

(01:33:07):
The other intriguing thing is is that you know what
you know, Thursday Night Football. For all the hit that
it's taken about being on Amazon Prime and nobody can
find it where it is and all that kind of stuff,
the ratings are starting to go through the roof. So
it tells me either a people are getting smarter and
finding out where Amazon is on their you know, cable
or on their streaming systems, whatever they are or b

(01:33:28):
it's just really good football, or at least starting to
come into really good football. And it may be a
little combination of both.

Speaker 2 (01:33:35):
Well, before we talked about that game, I just got
an update in my ear by the way, Miami just
scored again.

Speaker 1 (01:33:42):
We'll get to that. We'll get to that.

Speaker 2 (01:33:44):
I know we will. No, you make a streat point. Listen,
if it's the NFL, people are gonna find it. And
you know, listen, they cut their teeth last year. You know,
a new announcing team, betteran announcers. I mean, you can't
do much better than now. Michael Kerktreet, you know who
does college and obviously pro football now and so on.
So they find their niche and as they grow, they

(01:34:06):
you know, the schedule get will get better for them,
and they have a really good game this week. I
think Green Bay has surprised some people winning two of
their first three games, and I think surprise people the
way they have looked, because I'm sure there were a
lot of people weren't short Detroit. Was everybody darling or
most people spoiling as far as maybe winning the division
this year and so on. Off the way they finished

(01:34:28):
last season and knocking the Packers at the playoffs like
they did. So they returned to the team that the
crime per se. Now they stuffed. There comes a couple
of weeks ago against Seattle, Green Bay had Atlanta dead
to rights and couldn't hold on to that lead. And
yet Green Bay bounced back with eighteen unanswered points in
the fourth quarter last week to beat the Saints. So yeah,

(01:34:50):
this is a very intriguing game. It'll be interesting to
see if Detroit pass rush can give Jordan's love lot
of headaches. And I wouldn't be surprised. I know green
Based offensive line has banged up, so that's something to
keep an eye on. But no, I think you bring
you a break point about Thursday night football and what

(01:35:14):
Amazon is doing, and they're not lacking the quality names
on their broadcast. I will certainly say that. But and listen,
let's let's be really honest. You hear O, Michaeok boys,
you're going to tune it?

Speaker 1 (01:35:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I definitely agree with that. All right,
so let's let's get back to Let's get back to
what the Dolphins did last week. I mean, goodness, gracious sakes,
alive seventy. If forty is a forty dog and fifty
is a fifty burger, what the hell is seventy?

Speaker 2 (01:35:44):
Well, seventy isn't something I've reached yet. I can tell
you that, but I'm getting closed. So let me tell
you a piece I did this week about how wild
this was. Obviously, when you score seventy four, which is
for the second most in irregular season game in NFL history,
and you roll up seven hundred and twenty six.

Speaker 1 (01:36:06):
Yards, which was also number two.

Speaker 2 (01:36:09):
Number two. Here, I took a whole closer look that
I thought this something was interesting. Their seventy points was
more than any other fifteen games that was played last week.

Speaker 1 (01:36:22):
So there, seventy alone was more than any other fifteen
games combined. Right.

Speaker 2 (01:36:27):
The second highest scoring game last week, John was Carolina
thirty seven. I'm sorry, Seattle thirty seven. Carolina twenty seven sixty.

Speaker 1 (01:36:36):
Sixty four, Right, and they outscored. Yeah, that's pretty good.

Speaker 2 (01:36:40):
Now get this. Seven hundred and twenty six yards also
was more than eleven.

Speaker 1 (01:36:46):
Games geem any Christmas.

Speaker 2 (01:36:49):
So in other words, there were not I mean, for instance,
the Chargers in the Vikings each total four hundred and
seventy five total yards, so that wasn't on the list.
There were also three other games that had more than
seven hundred and twenty six yards, but there were eleven
games last week that the two teams did not combine

(01:37:09):
for seven hundred and twenty six total yards, and that
includes Baltimore and Indianapolis, which actually played five quarters instead
of four quarters. So that to me is we saw
something last week that was astounding. And listen, they they
put backups in at the end, and you know, Denver,

(01:37:31):
Denver couldn't stop it back from running, and it was
I don't know what to take from it in terms
of a humility standpoint, and how the Broncos bounced back
from something like that. And yet Miami, who put thirty
six on the board in the first week and you know,
is really humming offensively. You can't say enough about Tyreek Hills,

(01:37:54):
but you also can't say enough about their running game,
which is really opened up. The last two weeks. It
really was a non factor and they really have not
had much of a running game the lengst few years.
When we get closer to wrapping up, I've got a
kind of a question for you and people listening to

(01:38:14):
the show about two games this week. One involves Miami
and Buffalo, and the other one involved with Denver and Chicago,
and it's kind of an interesting parallel.

Speaker 1 (01:38:24):
All right, Well, let's let's go ahead and lead into that.
And you know you got you got Denver in Chicago
both oh and three, which not a lot to look
forward to that unless one unless you're in that one,
unless you're a fan of either team.

Speaker 2 (01:38:36):
Well, and if you're the Bears, not oh and three,
but thirteen in a row they have now lost. That's
not the longest streak in the history of the Francis franchise, right,
might as well allude to my question, And again I
feel like a shill. But another piece you'll see over
the weekend and.

Speaker 1 (01:38:55):
So on, So you're allowed to shill on this program, Russ.

Speaker 2 (01:39:00):
If Miami is obviously the highest scoring team in the league, Okay, Buffalo,
by the way, his second Buffalo has scored ninety one points.
Seventy five of them have come in the last two
weeks in beating the Raiders and the Commanders. Okay, so
obviously you have a matchup between the two highest scoring
teams in the league. Okay, the two teams that have

(01:39:23):
given up the most points in the league in three
weeks are the Denver Broncos.

Speaker 1 (01:39:28):
In Chicago Bears.

Speaker 2 (01:39:29):
Yeah, okay, so here's my question, for two totally different reasons, John,
which one of these will be the higher scoring game?

Speaker 1 (01:39:39):
I think, right, I think that's a legitimate question. Now
I would tend to favor Miami Buffalo could I could
see that one turning out to be like forty eight
to forty five pretty easily. But at the same time,
you know, if we're talking defensive ineptitude, then why can't
the Broncos and Bears also be something like that?

Speaker 7 (01:39:58):
Absolutely?

Speaker 2 (01:39:59):
And I mean, how often do you get an opportunity
that in the same weekend, the two highest scoring teams
and the two teams that have given up the most
points in the league actually square off against each other.
It's just crazy. It's something I happen to notice it
this morning, and I think it's a fun thing to contemplate. It.

Speaker 1 (01:40:18):
Definitely is that some two and one matchups that are
worth looking at Ravens playing at the Browns, and I
also looked at the Bucks playing at the Saints, and
I'm trying to play pentention to that, and I think
Patriots fans would do, because the Saints will be here
in Foxborough in another week. The Eagles are at home.
They've got the two and one Washington Commanders at home.

(01:40:40):
So I think there's the potential there for some decent
games this weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:40:44):
Oh well, Baltimore and Cleveland to me is very much
on my radar because you know, we talked about the
year of Cleveland's defense. Yep, and so far they have
lived up to billing. Cleveland, I believe, has given up
less than five the totally yards in three games. And
how about this, John, The Cleveland offense has given up

(01:41:07):
more touchdowns in the Cleveland defense.

Speaker 1 (01:41:12):
Say that again.

Speaker 2 (01:41:13):
The Cleveland offense at Deshaun Watson pick sis and at
Deshaun Watson fumble return have given up more touchdowns than
the Cleveland defense.

Speaker 4 (01:41:23):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (01:41:23):
One, that's crazy. That's crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:41:29):
I mean, that's and and and listen, they you know,
in Cleveland's playing. This is actually a little way their
third divisional games in the first four weeks. And uh,
you know, if they they managed to beat Baltimore and
that'll put them, uh, you know, and two and one
in the division. They lost at Pittsburgh in a game
where turnovers pumped them, and yet they shackled the only

(01:41:52):
the only offensive touchdowns Jim Schwartz unit is given up
in three weeks is that Kenny Pickett to George Pickens
long touchdown pass. And that's it though. I mean, you know,
the Browns, I've gone through their share of hell for
lack of a better word. I know they were in
the playoffs a couple of years ago, won a game

(01:42:14):
at a playoff game at Pittsburgh Baker Mayfield, and the
team got hot at the right time, but they were
last place again last year. And Jim sports with the
people they brought in on that defensive line, uh you know,
they traded for Zadarius Smith, they set signed Shelby Harris,
Dalvin Tomlinson, they already had Monius Darrett. That is one

(01:42:37):
hell of a fierce front four. And I'll be curious
to see how Baltimore is able to handle it.

Speaker 1 (01:42:42):
Yeah, all right, I'm gonna get I gotta get onto
the Cowboys here in just a second, Russell, So I'm
gonna ask you a quick thought about the matchup at
Dallas this weekend, and and how you see what Dallas
did last week and how what the Pager did last week.
And if that kind of plays in New England's hand,
or just because Dallas might be a little perturbed that
they didn't play well, might they play more into the

(01:43:03):
Cowboys hands?

Speaker 2 (01:43:04):
I think it plays move into New England's hands because
and this term gets over you so much blueprint. I
no stretch of the imagination that I expected Arizona Cardinals
to run for over to one of the yards against
the Cowboys. Yep, and it made it look pretty easy
doing it. I didn't think they had that kind of

(01:43:26):
personnel up front, but of course you know this as
well as anyone. It's hard to fact the quarterback when
the running back has the football.

Speaker 10 (01:43:33):
Yeah, and I think that.

Speaker 2 (01:43:35):
That played by Josh Dobbins that ironically, that long run
that he had down the sidelines in the first and half,
I think that really put the Cowboys on their toes.
They melted in the red zone. One they did have
the football. It wasn't like they didn't move the football.
I think Arizona has been you know, they let two

(01:43:57):
games get away from them against Washington and Philadelphia, and
they dominated the Cowboys all that.

Speaker 4 (01:44:02):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:44:02):
I don't know where this tanking talk gets into every year.
They don't look like a tanking nootball team to be Now,
the New England is patient with its ground attack. I
see no reason that they can't do the same thing
to Dallas that the Cardinals did to Dallas and keep
that heat off of Mac Jones. Yeah, and you know
the Cowboys offensively, it's funny because they scored seventy points

(01:44:26):
in the first two games, But offensively did they look
like quite in sync, to be honest with you. And
I'll be curious to see what Bill Belichick throws at them.
I'll be curious to see how often Matt Judon, who's
among the sack leaders in the league again, is in
Dak Prescott's.

Speaker 1 (01:44:44):
Face, right, Russell, Thank you as always, my friend. It's
great to talk to you. And let's try it again
next week. We'll do we'll do better.

Speaker 2 (01:44:52):
Hey, we were able to get the whole segment on
the ear this time.

Speaker 1 (01:44:56):
I know. Hey, damn cell phones, Believe me, I get it.
Thank you, my friend. Always going to talk to you
at Backs Football Guru on x Twitter, whatever the hell
it is. Todd Archer covers the Cowboys for ESPN ESPN
dot Com. He's kind enough to give us a few
minutes today here inside the playbook. Hey Todd, John Rook

(01:45:18):
here in Foxborough. Thanks for the time. I know you're busy, Yeah,
no problem.

Speaker 9 (01:45:23):
Let's talk about a Deek filmcoming.

Speaker 1 (01:45:25):
I guess, well that's kind of where I was going
to start, to be honest with you. I mean, how
big a deal is it from a Dallas perspective? And
how big a deal should it be from a New
England perspective, Because if Zeke has a little life left
in those legs, my guess is he'd really like to
spend some of that energy on the team that said
we don't need you anymore.

Speaker 4 (01:45:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:45:45):
Absolutely, And it's funny I was thinking about it today,
I having covered the Cowboys those three and obviously you learn
the history of the franchise. Other than Emmett Smith coming
back here in two thousand and three with the Arizona Cardinals,
I can't think of another player of Zeke's note with
with a homecoming like that. So you know you're looking

(01:46:05):
at you know, twenty one years apart, third all time
leading brusher in franchise history, a guy beloved by his teammates.
Guys today talking about him, just how much he meant
to them over his time here in Dallas. And you
know that the Cowboys will have a little video tribute
to them before the game, probably at Jerry jonestod at

(01:46:25):
that today on the radio. So from a football perspective,
though you kind of hit on it and your last
year about Arizona running for two hundred yards on the Cowboys,
I'm pretty sure that the Patriots saw that and they're
going to want to say, Okay, let's see if we
can run on the Cowboys. And that's that's been there
Achilles Feald the last few years. And if they don't

(01:46:47):
get in the lead, if they can't maintain gap responsibilities,
they have a hard time stoping the run. And they
certainly did last week.

Speaker 1 (01:46:54):
Yeah, and I really think that was the key. I mean,
you obviously saw the game much closer than I did,
but that was the key from what I witnessed, is that,
you know, they kind of took it right to Michael
Parsons and he was, you know, I think caught a
noman's land more often than he would like to have been,
which is part of the reason why the Cardinals had
some of the success that they had. So I'm sure

(01:47:16):
that that's going to be a point of emphasis this
week in practice. What else should be do you think
for Dallas, because you know, the Patriots are kind of
predictable too. They kind of know what New England brings
to the table here.

Speaker 9 (01:47:29):
Right If you're talking like defensively, it has to be
stopping Elliott and Ramondre Stevenson and putting it on Matt Jones. Yeah,
seev he can make plays at their outside pim or
the guys. They miss Travon, they'll miss Trayvon Diggs, no
question about that. But they can kind of compensate for
that with pass rush. If they can't. They like to

(01:47:49):
say pass rush is a privilege. Well, if they don't
get in favorable pass rush situation by stopping the run,
it doesn't much matter. And then on the other side
of the ball, Cowboys, it's figuring out what they're doing
in the red zone. You know, they're three for their
last eleven. They have fifteen red zone possessions. That's the
good news. Most of the league. They're moving it up
and down the field, but once they get inside, it's oney.

(01:48:10):
They can't punch it in. They probably missed Seke a
little bit there, but last week they missed three Pro
Bowl offensive lineman two and we're not sure if you're
gonna see Tyron Smith, Tyler Riadis Zach partin this week either.
So they get a lot to offensively they need to
clean up going against a Patriots defense that obviously strong
and talented and as a coach like Belichick that changed

(01:48:32):
things around. And they're really good generally speaking in the
red zone as well. So it's it's gonna be a
pretty solid matchup here between these two teams. And I
don't know if it'll be like it was a couple
of years ago when they went to overtime. Yeah, but
I think we'll be as close, maybe not as high scoring.

Speaker 1 (01:48:51):
Yeah. You mentioned the offensive line issue that the Cowboys
are having. It's, you know, a similar situation here. The
Patriots started the year with offensive line issues, and it
looks like, I mean, everybody was a practice today. It
looks like you at least you're getting guys back out
of the field. Where do the Cowboys stand in terms
of trying to get you know, some of these guys
back into their lineup?

Speaker 9 (01:49:08):
Do you think I'm sorry, could you repeat that I
cut out?

Speaker 3 (01:49:12):
Sure?

Speaker 1 (01:49:12):
Yeah, no problem. So where do you think the Cowboys
are and try to get some of their wounded up
front back on the offense to contribute.

Speaker 9 (01:49:19):
I would be surprised if Tyron Smith plays at this
point at left tackle, and then it becomes okay if
you move Tyler Smith out to the left tackle where
he played last year, keep him at left guard, and
go with somebody else. I think Zach barn will have
a chance to play this week. Teller biatus as a
hamstring strain. That one's always kind of tricky. So maybe
Zach Martin gets back. But you know, under Mike McCarthy,

(01:49:43):
the Cowboys have had sixty some odd offensive line combination
since he got her in twenty twenty. Hard to build
up your continuity on an offensive front. So they're they're
gonna ask Dak Prescott to get it out quick again
and last you know, it works to a degree. But
then when you get in the red zone, you better

(01:50:04):
be able to score. And that's that's Probabsly. The issue
that they've had is.

Speaker 1 (01:50:08):
The issue over the Cowboys not being able to either
score in the red zone or go vertical like we've
seen them do a lot in the last couple of years,
simply because Mike McCarty is calling the plays, and he
tends to be more conservative than say, you know, Kellen
Moore was.

Speaker 9 (01:50:22):
I don't know if it's conservative so much as it
is just a different than philosophies and schemes. Right, Like
you think of a West Coast offense, it's timing base,
it's get it out quick and let guys make plays
after the catch. But there's still a lot of this
offense that remains the same that dakdad since his rookiear
in twenty sixteen. So they just need to do a

(01:50:43):
better job of winning outside and when they do take
their shots, block it up better.

Speaker 4 (01:50:49):
You know.

Speaker 9 (01:50:50):
Ceedee Lamb's off to a really good start. Michael Gallup
finally had at a game worth noting last week. Six
catches for ninety two yards, his best performance in sane
he's giving twenty twenty one. And then Brandon Cooks has
to get going. Didn't play in week two, played last week,
but didn't really.

Speaker 6 (01:51:06):
Do very much in the past game.

Speaker 9 (01:51:08):
But he's the guy that they're gonna have to get involved.
And as McCartney says, you have to make chunk plays
to win in this league. It's hard to go the
distance all the time, So they're going to need to
make them some big chunk plays against the Patriots defense.
So it's largely of pretty averse at Miami might say differently,

(01:51:28):
but pretty averse thing.

Speaker 8 (01:51:29):
Even that's a big player.

Speaker 1 (01:51:30):
Sure, Todd, what does this Dallas team do well right now?
And where do they need to make their biggest improvement?

Speaker 9 (01:51:37):
Well, they rushed the passer well, and I realized that
after last week. You know, that's a little different and
last week excuse everything. Really, the best trade of that
defense is their ability to take the ball away and
their ability to affect the quarterbacks. And even without trade Diggs,
they have guys that can take the ball away. Durn Bland,

(01:51:57):
who's replaced him, has had six interest in his first
two seasons. You're gonna see Stefan Gilmore.

Speaker 7 (01:52:02):
He's a guy you guys know all about.

Speaker 9 (01:52:04):
He can He still playing at a solid level. They
have to set the tone defensively, and that's the one
thing dan Quinn when he talked to us on Monday
that he was most disappointed was wasn't the mistackles, or
wasn't the yards that they play allowed, wasn't the points
all that stuff? It was that when someone said Hey,
that didn't look like your defense. He said, that felt

(01:52:24):
like a five fingers slap across the faith. I have
a feeling that these guys generally respond to pour outings,
and I think you'll see them play much better on
Sunday against Join Island.

Speaker 1 (01:52:34):
All right, and then, you know, with all the red
zone troubles, as we sort of alluded to, have you
seen you know, anything definitive as to why this team
struggles like it does, because you know, listen, I haven't
seed ee lamb out there. I'm really looking forward to
that matchup with Christian Gonzales because I think that could
be two of the best young players in the entire
NFL going at each other. But you know, have they
become too one dimensional? Is because they're trying to rely

(01:52:56):
too much in the running game. What are they doing
differently when they insigne the twenty.

Speaker 9 (01:53:01):
Yeah, I think some of it was okay the Jets
week they went two of six in the red zone.
Some of those drives late in the game. When they
drove it down there.

Speaker 4 (01:53:11):
The game was over.

Speaker 9 (01:53:12):
They weren't going to pull out a whole bunch of stuff,
and McCarthy was generally content to kick field goals. In
that one it was thirty to ten and it might
not even been that close, so you take that as
maybe a one off. Last week, they got hurt by
penalties once they got down there, and honestly, another thing
that hurt him it was always like first and ten

(01:53:34):
from the eleven. That's a hard situation, is like the
field's so condensed, there's not a lot of places you
can go. But again, Dak needs to play better. A
couple of fade balls need to be a better spot,
and his receivers on the outside and.

Speaker 4 (01:53:47):
His tight end.

Speaker 6 (01:53:47):
They have to win more.

Speaker 9 (01:53:49):
You know, the offense ave lot even though he didn't
have three guys still put up.

Speaker 6 (01:53:53):
Four hundred yards.

Speaker 9 (01:53:54):
They weren't necessarily the issue. They just need to have
guys do better in their one to one matchups and
that's where that's stuff. Kids exposed more in the red zone.

Speaker 1 (01:54:02):
How's your brother Gary doing.

Speaker 9 (01:54:05):
He's doing good. He's waiting for another season. They get
going here, I know, I know.

Speaker 6 (01:54:11):
I'm excited to see what Kim.

Speaker 9 (01:54:13):
English brings to the squad as well. It should be
a good one.

Speaker 1 (01:54:16):
Now. I think they'll have some talent which will make
your brother Gary and all the other Friar fanatics. I
think somewhat intrigued by the start of the season. But uh, well,
I'm just going to say, you know, he comes up
to me before games where we started the broadcast. He
comes up to our announced booth and he looks at me.
He looks like he just ate a lemon.

Speaker 9 (01:54:37):
That's his resting face.

Speaker 6 (01:54:39):
He's always like that.

Speaker 1 (01:54:43):
I love it. I love it well. I appreciate you,
brother Todd. Thank you so much for the time on
the on the Cowboys, and I look forward to visiting
with you again. I'm down the trail sounds good.

Speaker 2 (01:54:52):
Thanks Tom for you You bet.

Speaker 1 (01:54:54):
Todd Archer ESPN, ESPN dot com covering the Dallas Cowboys,
as he said, now for twenty seasons. So he's got
a little experience on a beat that I was on
for a very very long time as a very very
young man years ago. And we refer to his brother, Gary.
Gary Archer is is a dear friend. I've known Gary
for well over thirty years and he is a long

(01:55:17):
time season ticket older probabdence college basketball, so you know,
and and he's just, yeah, yeah, we got to figure
this out, you know. And he comes over and He's like,
you know, yeah, I know, we just beat Villanova by
twenty five, but damn, I'm really worried about this one.
I'm like, Gary, you just have to lighten up. Francis Marine.

(01:55:37):
You see him sometime when he comes over, the short
little guy with the you know, the white hair and
he's got the beard, and he comes over and he
kind of looks at me like, you know, hey, you know,
I'm Gary Archer here, and I'm like, Gary, I know
who the hell you are. Okay, I've only known you
for thirty five years, dude, you know, but you know,
he comes over that serious look, and you know, I
don't know if we can beat these guys. I'm like,
you got lighting up and enjoy life. Really, you got

(01:56:01):
to lighten up and enjoy life. It's the Friar's baby,
the Fryas. I'm gonna give Andy and Vermont the last
word on the show. Here, Hey, Andy, how are you doing?
And thanks for hanging in.

Speaker 8 (01:56:12):
Oh John, good to hear from you, good to talk
to you. And I know it's been a while. I think, uh,
you know, with with some of the stuff the Patriots
are going through, I think the hardest thing to dealing
with yourself. That's the line, and we need Scar, we
need Scar to come back.

Speaker 1 (01:56:31):
Well well, okay, okay, I understand why you say that,
because the thought had crossed my mind too. All right,
I'll be honest. However, at some point in time, you've
got to allow the man to move on with what
he wants to do with the rest of his life.
That's number one. Number two, somebody eventually has got to
take this thing over. And I don't think this is
a coaching issue. I really don't. And whether or not

(01:56:52):
you think it's Adrian Clem's fault or not for any
of the inadequies in the adequacies in the offensive line
right now, the major issue here is they just haven't
been able to put healthy guys on the field together
until now. So we saw a step in the right direction.
You know, they graded out well if you believe in
what Pro Football Focus does with the grades, they certainly

(01:57:13):
graded out well. This last week. Mac Jones was clean.
So I mean, let's let's take it a step at
a time and if you can, you know, keep Micah
Parsons from you know, decapitating your quarterback this week again,
I think that's a step in the right direction. I
think the I think the Patriots will you know, try
to get the ball out quickly, and they'll try to
run the ball right at you know, Parsons, or they'll

(01:57:35):
invite him into the backfield as we talked about earlier
on the show today and and see if they can't
just you know, wham right past him. And I think
that will certainly be a part of it. It's kind
of like throwing the old football sucker punch.

Speaker 2 (01:57:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:57:46):
The Cowboys had a great defensive win first first week
and and I think I think overall Patriots offensively, especially
this kid, Gerald Brown, only smoked good addition to the team.

Speaker 4 (01:58:05):
And we had a right.

Speaker 8 (01:58:06):
Tackle that joined the team recently. He's a young guy,
might be working out too. Yeah, I want to take
a conversation and turn it a little bit. My friend
Joey v Joey Ventura did a lot of the got
it and did a lot of the graphics for the
cleats for the defensive guys that got that. Always when

(01:58:29):
they played a certain time of year, cancer awareness and stuff,
they always got auctioned off. Joey passed away. He's my
age mid fifties, passed away earlier this month.

Speaker 1 (01:58:42):
Huge loss I'm glad you mentioned it, and I didn't
realize that that was his background, but yeah, that's that's yeah,
that's tough.

Speaker 8 (01:58:52):
He he fronted. He's a musical guy like me. He
fronted the Fun Jersey the Ban Joey tribute band for
about twenty years. But his his passion was graphic arts,
with doing his moricycle helmet and the cleats for the
for a lot of the defensive guys on the team. Well,

(01:59:15):
you know, he did really well at it, and he
was always a big hit with the players and a sad,
sad loss a friend of mine that was down in
the Springfield, Chickpe area.

Speaker 1 (01:59:27):
Well, I'm glad you brought it up. I'm glad you
mentioned him, and I'm glad you gave him a little
a little gave him his props here on the program.
Good job out of you, Andy.

Speaker 8 (01:59:36):
Yeah, good to talk to you, and I hope to
catch up with you another time this season.

Speaker 1 (01:59:40):
Let's do it whenever you're ready.

Speaker 8 (01:59:41):
I'll be here, Okay, Chuck, thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:59:44):
Thank you, Andy, and Vermont. Going to wrap up our
program today. Our reminder Patriots vans, if you want to
see Toyota's best offers, including those not seen on TV.
Go to buy at toyota dot com. It's Toyota's official
website for deals from the official vehicle. I'll the New
England Patriots Toyota Let's go places. Oh quick update on
the Patriots Playbook Fantasy League. All right, uh, who COMMISSI?

(02:00:09):
You beat big Gronkowski last week? Way to go? All right?
Arm dus Is also had a big win. ACP had
a big win. The Bamboo Shooters beat the Football Orgasms.
Love that. We're on to Cincinnati. I got a big
win over Go Pats. Date Mike Wow, one hundred and

(02:00:31):
eighty four points against the Chowderheads. That's a pretty good day.
Pretty good day. So the league's standings. Then after week three,
after three weeks, Bamboo Shooter is up at the top.
Date Mike big Gronkowski's COMMISSI, You're fifth. Come on, man,
you got I'm not trying to win. I'm on the
show every day. You got work to do. You got

(02:00:52):
work to do, is all I'm saying. We'll try to
give you a little bit of a Patriots Playbook Fantasy
League update here at the end of the program each
and every week. Our thanks to Todd Archer from ESPN
dot com covering the Cowboys. Our thanks to Greg Bodard,
who writes extraordinarily well, and if you're not a subscriber,
you probably should be to the Boston Sports Journal. Great
Patriots coverage now between him and Mike Giardi. Okay, so

(02:01:14):
it's probably worth your time. Our thanks to Russell Baxter,
of course, and Evan Lazar as he always is in
the playbook on Wednesdays. Next Wednesday, same patch time, same
Pats channel, and we'll talk about those Saints as the
Patriots get ready to come back home to play at
Gillette Stadium. Enjoy the game this weekend. Solong everybody. Thank

(02:01:36):
you for downloading this podcast.

Speaker 5 (02:01:37):
Subscribe on Apple, Google Play, and everywhere else you listen.
Like the show, please rate and review us. Listener comments
and ratings help keep us high in the podcast rankings
so new listeners can find us. Be sure to check
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