July 5, 2020 • 52 mins
Mike Blewitt and George Kurtz are back in action for another edition of Football Full Circle! In this episode, the guys discuss Cam Newton signing with the Patriots, the Patriots punishment, and the Patriots' skill position players. Is Cam Newton fully healthy? Does Cam Newton have what it takes to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year? Mike and George wrap up the show by discussing the Buffalo Bills. Who will win the AFC East?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sports grid dot Com Betting insights and entertainment at your
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sports grid dot Com. Hey, everybody, welcome to football full
(00:21):
circle right here on the grid. Mike Flutted, George Kurtz
coming at you in the next hour talking about all
the latest news in the NFL, and George, really there
isn't the latest news in the NFL because it's a
dead period. But during this dead period, we did get
this one golden nugget, and that's Cam Newton going to
(00:41):
the New England Patriots. I think it is something that
it's sort of shocking to read and was shocking for
people to digest, but it isn't objectively a huge surprise.
It was the only job left for him to potentially
take where he could be a starter. Now there are
many offshoots of talk about that are surprising related to it,
(01:03):
but Cam Newton to the Patriots kind of talked about
this for a while. I mean it made sense of
the Patriots. They have nothing to lose here, Whether or
not you believe Cam is of the m v P
CAM or the broken down Cam. He signed for the
bare minimum well along with someone centives pay this have
no money against the cap. They couldn't go out and
sign to anything big. There's also lets you know that
(01:24):
thirty one other teams we're all they interested for whatever reason,
they already have stars. Didn't want to bring his personality
in that he doesn't fit the offense, whatever it might be.
It tells you a lot of it. In New England,
I think this makes a lot of sense, Mike. I
think this is if Stidham doesn't perform well or he's
not ready, Camp can take if you can learn the offense,
which I assume he can. He's got time now whatever
(01:44):
in early July now, so I think it makes sense.
It makes sense in New England, Cam's a one year,
make good deal. Alright, make a good and then go
into the Francy next year or maybe stick with the
gonna be their long term well quarterback. Yeah, and I
would say I should have shouldn't have buried the lead.
But happy fourth of July weekend to everybody out there,
so we'll get into I'm wearing my red white and blue.
George is I don't In morning, I guess wearing his
(02:07):
all black shirt all least flashing a little gold. I
kind of like it. Today the shirt is green. Maybe
I'm color blend. I don't know. It looks it's a
dark green. I I okay, I don't know how that's
a festive fourth of July scenario, but I digress. So
I think you're right. I've said before, and I'm not
the first one to say it, there's really no bad
(02:29):
one year deals. You take a shot. I don't care
if the Colts signed Devin Funches for fourteen million bucks
or whatever they did, and this year they got Phil
Rivers for million, they're not over the cap as a result.
The Pats, as you said, rightfully said they had the
least cap space in the entire league for this year,
but it's almost entirely and sent him laden deal. It's
(02:51):
one one million dollars the flat minimum for somebody with
his level of experience in the NFL. Now he can
earn up to seven and a half million dollars, but
that typically rolls over into next year and impacts next
year's cap. They're not going to be paying out incentives
as he goes and blow busting out their cap number
and getting fined for it. So um again, it's just
(03:15):
a one year deal. If Cam really hasn't recovered from
these injuries, which is obviously the major question mark, then
they move on. They don't think he's a great fit.
The Patriots more than any other team I've ever seen,
evaluate people pretty quickly and move on. It wouldn't even
stunned me if they realized a few weeks into camp,
(03:37):
you know what, he's not healthy, he's not driving with
our offense, with our our situation here, we're gonna move on.
It wouldn't stun me. I absolutely do not expect that
to happen. I think Cam's gonna start a majority, if
not all, of the games for the Patriots this year.
But I'm just saying that is really the nature of
their um, their atmosphere there, or their culture, that's the
(04:02):
word I'm looking for. Yeah, I like you, I expect
Camera stot the majority or they gained. It's not all
of them as well. I think that's why they brought
him there. I certainly think he's a better quarterback instead
of at this point in Sidham's career. I don't know
if said it would ever be what Cam was. Do
I think there are some problems here? Sure? I do.
Once again, the fact that no of a team offered
them more than the minimum lets you know that teams
have doubts for whatever reason, they have doubts. The fact
(04:24):
that they couldn't look at the ankle, couldn't look at
the shoulder. Those are two significant injuries for a quarterback
of his skill level, of her skill, what he what
he possesses. Obviously, shoulder bad. You can't throw the ball.
You don't have the same zip. You don't He was
never an accurate thrower in the carse place. Does this
hurt that even more? Can you get the ball down
the field with zip? We don't know that. We think so,
but we don't know that for sure. But more importantly,
(04:46):
with the ankle injury, if he doesn't have that athleticism anymore,
he's almost useless then, right, If you're not a good
accurate quarterback and you can't run now, then you have problems.
There's a reason why we don't see a lot of
aging running quarterbacks because that the hits take a toll
on you through the years. We hope Cam is going
to be that player. I think Bill Belton is hoping
(05:08):
John McDaniels is hoping he could be that player because
some when someone asked me on Twitter, do I think
the Patriots sold let Cam loose and others where they
let him run do his thing? Well, you have to.
You have no choice because if he can't do his thing,
then he's not camp. He's just he's a block quarterback
that instead of maybe the better option uh than Cam.
And I think that's where it comes in, where if
(05:29):
the Patriots see this in camp in August, he just
he can't move anymore. He's just not camp. Yeah, they
might move on. I don't expect that to happen, mind you,
but yes I can see that happening. People think, oh
the Patriots signed him, Oh they got there, They're gonna
the super Bowl now ten more years, they're gonna be
a great teeth of the next decade. I don't quite
see that. Remember, the Patriots haven't hit on every fridge
that they brought in. If very Randy Morris, there's an
(05:51):
Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon didn't work out. There doesn't always
work out for them. That being said, we're not surprised
at the pageot that take the shot here. Pagets look
good of doing this, because in my mind, there's only
upside here. There's only if Camp is that guy. Yes,
maybe they do have diffranchise quarterback now for the next
eight nine years. Yeah, so that's what. So that's I mean,
(06:11):
You've said a bunch of things there that I will
respond to, But I think the endpoint is really and
it ties into the first thing you said during that
is that none of these other teams offered And and and
now it looks especially silly considering what New England just
got him for. But what if the Steelers brought him
in to back up Ben or other teams that the
(06:32):
Chargers had taken a shot along the way, or the
Browns who were apparently kicked the only other team to
really have any kind of serious discussion without an offer. Obviously,
how silly does it look now? But you know Andrew
Brandt a longtime NFL executive, and you and I bring
him up at brought him up at times during this show.
His thought process and I understand this is that people
(06:56):
teams would be concerned about their starter being at risk
of just being harangued by fans, by the front office
being harangued by fans and the media to insert Cam.
Were he the backup when your starter plays poorly, up
folds through a pick, Let's bring Cam in, or minshoot
(07:17):
through a pick, Let's bring Cam in? And Jaguars are
almost a different discussion, not really necessarily trying to rack
up wins. But you know, the two teams that I
think stand out to me are the Bears and the Chargers.
I'd rather take a risk on Cam Newton than have
what they currently have. I'm not really a believer in Herbert.
They're gonna give him a shot. I'm open to seeing
how he plays, but I'd rather have him the Tyrod
(07:38):
Taylor and with the Bears. I'll take Cam over both
of those guys. I agree with you on the Bears.
I thout the Bears. I would rather have Cam, you know,
I see what happens there. The Charge just doesn't I
get it. You got the rookie you wanted to play
at some point this year, isn't You don't know? I
think that herb was gonna be all that great. Probably
I'm on your side there, but I get it. They
drafted on top tech. At least there was a plan. Yeah, right,
(07:59):
there's a play and Tyrod Taylors are flying backup, so
I don't have the only only issue there is once again,
charges are they see that? Everything else in place, but
the quarterback might be a playoff teams they had cam there,
you know, I could certainly see that, and once it end,
we don't know what happened. What would have happened this
offseason if there's no pandemic. If he could have visited teams,
they could have looked at the ankle, they could have
(08:21):
looked at the shoulder. He might have had a job
months ago with one of these teams that were right.
The money, I also wanted this. I do wonder if
there were teams that offer them more money, not significantly more,
but more money. But he's like, well, I can make
more money, but I'll be a backup and maybe not
play this year. Or I can make no money, but
I start with New England. It's New England, It's Belichick McDaniels,
(08:43):
gonna win some games about a national coverage and get
paid next year. It's such a unique scenario. These guys
a former m v P and we can sit here
and pick up hart Camp look and going back to
the hits, because you've talked about this as well. I
wish I had the numbers in front of me, But
people used to talk about how many hits Andrew Luck
(09:03):
took and how it's piled up, and it resulted in
injuries and ultimately ended his career. For now, at least
Cam's taking way more than him because he was a
running quarterback. He was a goal line guy. Like, the
one thing you could say about Cam Newton is there
were times, and I'll relay it back to your other
point about how assuming he wants to do it and
(09:27):
he can still do it, you're going to utilize this
athleticism and have him run. You can't eliminate it because
then it's not the same Cam Newton. But there were
times that Cam Newton, who, in my opinion, along with
a very few other select guys, is the most imprisonive,
impressive physical specimen to ever play quarterback. Doesn't mean he's
(09:49):
the best quarterback, doesn't mean the best arm, but just
athletic wise, he's incredible. He's six five, he's two fifty pounds,
he runs like crazy, and obviously he's one everything. You
can win Heisman Trophy, National Championship, Juco all this kind
of stuff, but um, you know, the the amount of
(10:09):
hits that he's taken is far exceeds anybody else, including
retired Andrew Luck. So all of this comes back into
me saying like, I don't really know what it's gonna
look like. I understand why teams are hesitant, but it
still looks silly to me that you didn't try it
for a million bucks. Yes, I get it, you know,
I agree with everything you said. It's why we were
(10:31):
always cautious or with running quarterbacks now Lamar Jackson because
he's not built like Cam, and Cam broke down Ben Roelisberg,
who used to be able to move a bit, he's
broken down. We see this over and over again. This
is why I think see how did a great job
in calming Russell Wilson down not wanting to run all
over the place. Yes, be mobile, but let's not do
the running place where he's gonna take these kinds of
(10:52):
hits because you want these, you want your quarterback the
last decade and a half, twelve fifteen years, not four years.
Can I think they thought about calming him his running
ability down, but the fact that he's not a great
quarterback as far as throwing the ball, You're not gonna
win with having Camp dropped back free five seven step
drops thirty five times a game. That's not what he
(11:12):
does well. He has to have that mobility, that ability
to escape the pocket, to run. You mentioned the goal line,
to be that that threat that make that Sydney play
up close to worry about him. If they're worried about
playing pass coverage, they will. Camp was not. He's not
that kind of quarterback. So I think I wonder. I
do want to the injury the it's the ankle injury
that probably worries me. Was on the shoulder, you know,
(11:33):
if he's not that guy anymore, at the concussions, all
those hits and they've added up. I do wonder if
that's why other teams certainly shied away. I didn't think
he was worked the risk, especially in an off season
where you couldn't look at him, you couldn't test him,
you couldn't evaluate him because no one could visit anybody. Yeah,
I mean it's a long time. He hasn't played. In
sixteen months, you know he hasn't or you will not
(11:53):
have played in about a year. He hasn't won a
game and something like twenty months or something like that.
He lost his last eight starts, to believe with the Panthers.
But yeah, the foot surgery for a guy that's as
big as he is is obviously a concern. He isn't
thirty five, he's thirty one. That helps me a little
(12:13):
bit too. Again, there is no risk whatsoever with this signing.
And next year, if this all works out, the Patriots
can have a quarterback for the future. Bill doesn't necessarily
have to look for to a tongue of Bioloa or
Jordan's love in the draft. He can just play with
Cam Newton for five years, right, and then he and
(12:35):
then Bill will retire. I know he's everybody think he's
gonna die on the sidelines at some point. He's gonna
be seventy five years old and be like, all right,
I'm gonna I'm gonna get on my boat out of Nantucket,
piece out and never talk to many of you again.
So UHATI he's Tucket. He's not a Nantucket. So um
so all right. So one question, we're gonna keep talking
(12:56):
about the past after the break, but would you favor
can m as comeback Player of the Year over Ben
or somebody like that. Tell me your records, your records. Okay,
we're gonna come back. We'll do a little bit more
of that. On the other side of football full Circle,
it's Mike and George. Get on the Grid sports grid
dot Com Betting, insights and entertainment at your fingertips as
(13:18):
our team covers the most important topics in sports wagering,
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Want the edge than Get on the Grid sports grid
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(13:40):
sports grid TV. George is at George Kurtz. I'm at
Mike Blewett. Catch me on Instagram. It's an MP Blewett.
So uh, I was talking about comeback Player of the
Years right wait wait wait wait wait you want wait
on Instagram? Yeah, I think I ever heard you mentioned
your Instagram handle before. I don't always do it because
it's not great. I've tried to come up with different ones,
(14:00):
but I just went with MP Blue and it's my
initials and my last name. I've tried to chat, I've
tried Snapchat. I didn't really get it. And I'm just
not I'm not doing it anymore. I downloaded TikTok to
try to figure it out. My daughters are in love.
(14:21):
My oldest daughter, thirteen year old, that's all she does.
TikTok old day. She's probably upstairs right now. TikTok. I
swear I don't get it. I just said I get that,
Like there is sort of entertaining stuff on there, but engagement,
I don't know. Send me stuff all the time making
fun What parents do We tell them to go to bed,
tell him to do a dishes, tell him, you know,
(14:43):
it's funny. It is funny. It does sound like the
old parents stuff. This really creative stuff on there. I
get it. It's just a we'll see maybe maybe all
surprised people and we'll get a little following going. But
sports Grid's on there, so feel free to find sports
Grade on as well. So all right, so odds have
changed a bunch. We'll go through all well, since we're
talking about camp specifically, we're going to get into the
(15:05):
Patriots Big three questions for this year, which now has
frankly changed. But um Cam Newton for Comeback Player of
the Year. I wish I we had talked about this
specifically when we did this last time. We just did
this last show. We didn't come back player of the Year,
and we thought there'd be a combination of Roethlisberger, Stafford
(15:25):
or somebody like that. But now Cam Newton thrust into
the second best odds, second shortest odds here, I should
say not best. Roethlisberger plus two sixty, Cam Newton at
plus three forty, Rob Gronkowski plus four twenty. I don't
see that. J. J. Watt plus seven hundred. I don't
see that. Matt Stafford plus seven hundred A J. Green.
I don't think the numbers would be there necessarily at
(15:47):
plus nine hundred, but he did miss an entire year.
They might throw the ball a lot. Uh, and he
got Alex Smith, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton. I think it's
a three horse race, Ben, Cam staff and you gotta
figure it out. Ben and Cam I could see that
being a tight race, right if they both rip off
(16:08):
ten in six seasons, who do you pick? Well, it's
a two horse race. Stifford is not gonna get in this. Uh.
He maybe he deserves to be somewhat, But you talk
Cam was all of last season. Ben missed most of it.
Stafford played most and you're also talking to national followings Steelers,
New England and then the Detroit Lions. Yeah, you're not
winning it, Matt. Sorry, I know, I assuming assuming Camp
(16:32):
starts sixteen, all right, Camp starts sixteen and Ben starts sixteen. Uh,
it'll come down to what what's the record? What's the uh? What? What?
What stats they're putting up there? We know what, Ben,
the Steelers had a great defense last year, but their
office was so bad they couldn't get in. So if
they get in this year, and I expect they will be,
that's a feather in his cap with Cam. You know,
(16:53):
I didn't I thought the New engl is gonna be
the New England. I thought the Page is gonna be
a bad team this year, which stead of six and ten,
seven and nine. Now I assume Camp is going to play.
I think at least a five hundred team nine and seven,
so there's certainly better. So to come down the stats,
you know, I probably will give the edge to Ben
because well, he only had the one injury. It's a
bad one. But I still think he can throw the ball.
(17:14):
I think he'll be I think he'll be the Ben
of all, Camp, I don't know if he can move.
I just don't know if he can move. And I'm
also still pretty certain that Pittsburgh will be a wild
card team. I'm not certain that New England. I think
it certainly puts them back in the hunt. I don't
think they're better than Buffalo. I still think Buffalo is
still a team to beat in the a f C East.
Just I think I think Walton was a team to
beat in the a f C North. So I think
it's close. I think to come down to what they do.
(17:36):
But I'll give the slight edge to Ben. It's really
strong reasoning there. It's hard for me to disagree. How
about likability, Um, I think both players catch heat from
opposing fans. Ben, obviously you've made your feelings known on him. Um,
(17:58):
He's never really won any age or awards. Cam's won
an m v P. So if I'm utilizing that is
maybe there's a little bit more of an appetite to
vote for Cam Newton versus Roethlisberger. You think that, I
mean that could play a role, right, not universally loved either,
He's not. I know he did win an MVP. He did,
but people and people do dislike that then, well, as
(18:20):
you said, I made my feelings, I do not like that.
It doesn't endear himself to anybody. He's just constantly people
He's done some things in his past. Cam's never done
anything now. He just he's had some issues with the
media as well, but being maybe being more of an
i'my person, which is what Ben is. Actually a lot
of quarterbacks. Do you think about that? Um Cam's biggest
crime really, and I don't personally love it, is that
(18:43):
he's he's surly, he sulks on the sidelines. It looks
the baby at times. I've thought, you know, after the
Super Bowl, I actually thought, and I was initially critical
of him. I thought they put him in a bad
spot the way they had the the way they had
after he lost the Super Bowl. It looked like he
was being really disrespectful and he was just being a
sore loser. But they actually put him in a position
(19:06):
there post game after that super Bowl where he could
hear the audio of the Broncos players talking about him
and the Panthers. So he's listening to guys sort of
talk smack about him as he's giving an interview. So
I'm resolving him of that, but um, you know the
Superman stuff. Look, we're both older white dudes, George, so
(19:31):
I think us constantly giving and I've seen other people. Hell,
I saw some Boston radio guys this week giving their
takes on Uh. You know, Bill is not gonna like it,
and I like that the Patriots don't allow celebrating. It's like, really,
you're putting yourself in the position of a young black
male athletes and how they want to celebrate. It's like
(19:53):
it's like the baseball with the bat flip. Like I'm
not a bat flip guy personally, but like, let them
celebrate how they want. Do. I think it's ridiculous that
you're celebrating where you're down four touchdowns. Yeah, just go
back to the sidelines. You're losing. But if Cam wants
to go a little Superman chest and that's a signature thing,
go for it. I don't have to love it, but
I'm not going to criticize him for it. I think
(20:15):
it'll be interesting to see if he but how he
reacts to Bill's routine. We know Gronkowski hated it all right,
Brady eventually wore him down. He wanted out. I do
about a long time. A long time went by before
they really got sick of it. I also wonder Cam's
still playing for a big contract if he's gona have
to calm all that down to get that big deal
(20:36):
from even New England or another team. So if he
has to be uh, I don't want to say on
his best behaviors like that's silly. He's not doing anything wrong.
Everybody celebrates. But if you don't have to adhere to
the rules of Bill's rules and not go against it,
you know that Camp's a big social media guy. That
seems to bother him more than anything else. Like Gronkowski
(20:56):
celebrated a lot on the field. Oh yeah, dude, that
that Spike We all love theron Spike Boat, you know
that sort of thing. I think when you could compare
Cam and Ben on their best days, Cam is a
much more likable guy. He seems to be more uh
you know, he's had the big bright smile, he talks
more open, uh, just more loose where he's not as
(21:18):
uptight as Ben. He's entertaining and instant really likable at all.
And from that standpoint, but he's not a marketable person
in the least. Do I think the outfits he wears
at the end of the games are silly. Yeah, of course,
But what do I know about fashion? That's exactly what
he would say to you, right, I don't. I know
nothing about fashion. You're be lucky. I don't even know
(21:41):
if my clothes match. Okay, I think the first two
things that in my closet. The shirt is literally the
next shirt that was hanging in my closet from the show.
I am wearing jeans. I'm not wearing boxers. People, so
they'll get off my back. But I don't, you know,
I don't put a lot of thought into what I'm wearing.
He does, do I think something ridiculous? Yeah, I wouldn't
be caught dead wearing it. I would have for a
movie role or TV roll for me to wear some
(22:02):
of the stuff he's wearing. And that's that's his personality.
He likes to be out there and say, hey, look
what I'm wearing, A feather in my hat, whatever the
hell it is. What do I care? Really? What what
it makes? No give us to me, you know. So
I think he's a more likable person as far as
the media voting for him. Uh, and a lot of
the media dislikes Ben. I think it'll be interesting if
they both have the same stats. They both went in
a wild caught around everything. If everything was even, I
(22:24):
do think Cam would win. Yeah, Um, okay, So closing
the book on Cam, um, And by the way, you
could place you can play some bet on both of
those guys. You can put a hundred on Ben, a
hundred on Cam, just hypothetical, and if either of them win,
you're gonna come out ahead. You can play at that
route if you want it. Um, So that's something to consider. Um,
(22:49):
let's talk about their other odds that have changed, because
now they're they're seventy to one, seventeen to one to
win the Super Bowl, to win the a f C.
There now seven to one their win total. George is
the thing that boosted through all of this and last time, Yeah,
it's still there nine and a half and the over
(23:09):
excuse me, is plus one fifteen. So the juice is
on the over that when we were discussing that earlier
in the year, it was eight and a half. So
it goes up to nine and a half. Now, Um,
what do you think now? And then that really boosted up.
I'm taking the over. I actually think Cam is gonna
be a big boost here. I'll take the over with
the Pats. He certainly helps New Engles a better team here,
(23:32):
and I do think he's going to start. I did
not like this team in the stood him. I already
said earlier in the show with Cam. I think they're
around and nine win team, maybe ten, I did. I
still think Buffalo is the better team. I don't think
they went with the vision they Buffalo is the better team.
They made a lot of good moves here and they're
going for and I think they still smell it here.
Although the rest of the ANFC is the a f
C is gonna be like are you kidding me? Really?
(23:53):
We get rid of Brady and now we're gonna worry
about Cam old different problems, So I wouldn't touch it.
I I'll be still lean towards the under. I think
nine is my my number here. It's not enough for
me to bet because I gotta I gotta be a
game and a half two games difference for me to
put money on it. I'm only that half game out,
so I'm right right there. You know, I still think
I worry about It's still not a lot of weapons here, Mike,
(24:15):
you know Edelman, you better hope to kill How are
he is going to be that guy? The defense played
very well, lest it can they do it again? Have
my doubts, you know, the offensive long little chewed up there,
So I have my doubts all over the place. Here.
I would still lean towards the under Yeah, we'll do
There are three big questions in the next segment. I
know we're spending a lot of time in New England,
but it's the biggest story imaginable. So real quick story
(24:38):
on Bob Craft. Give me the summary on that one. Yeah,
I was real No. When he was down in Florida
before the NFC Championship game against Casey, Um might have
had a little fun, alright, Well not Mike. He had
a little fun, got caught and the video they have
of it, apparently the lower courts threw it out said
now you can't use this against correct and the other guys.
It's like what seventy people something like that, you can't
(25:00):
use it. Now. The prosecutors trying to get on appeals,
trying to get that overturned, they admit that they can't
get it overturned. The charges probably go away because the
evidence will be gone, you know, so listen, maybe it
it gets overturned, maybe it doesn't get overturned. I mean,
we know we did it, and it's just suspect it
won't be on record or anything like that. So what
We'll see what happens there. I'm not gonna get into this. Yes,
(25:21):
and you do what you gotta do. I'm on record
of saying I don't. I don't worry about stuff like this. Mike,
there's an old George calling joke. Sex is legal, selling
is legal. Why isn't selling sex legal? I haven't really
no problem with there's a consenting adults. That's the important part,
consenting adults. You want to regulate it like they're doing
on Nevada, tax it and all this other stuff. I'm
(25:43):
fine with it as those two people are great. I
don't care if they exchange money. I really don't. He
didn't have sex is more of manual gratifications. Shall we say?
What what? What obviously started all this was the investigation
by the FBI into the practices of these establishments in
the man or which they have obtained the people that
are working there, um, and that's what creates a big controversy.
(26:07):
The real key of this story is the video. If
people see Bob Craft walking out of this place on video,
there's no debate. I don't really think there's much debate anyway,
but video evidence, as we've seen, can ramp these things up.
We'll come back never all that, we'll come back after
(26:29):
this On the Grid Sports grid dot Com Betting insights
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(27:00):
the Grid, Mike and George talking about the Patriots spending
a lot of time on this. Obviously there's just a
lot of Patriots stories. They really filled this dead spot
with Cam Newton signing. We talked about Bob Kraft not
wanting the video of him walking in and out of
that establishment, trying to block that in courts. But we'll
start it off this segment as we get into the
three questions. But we'll start it off with the punishment. Now,
(27:22):
a lot of people thought it was strategic, and I
don't deny thinking that as well. Uh strategic in that
they signed Cam Newton the same night that the information
is released about them receiving punishment for a film crew
filming the Cincinnati Bengals sideline. Correct. Yes, Uh, obviously they
(27:44):
weren't supposed to be doing this. Yeah, they tried to
play just normal what was a day in the life
of the crew or something like that of scout whatever
it was. Uh, they got caught and then they got
penalized for it. I've actually heard people go, uh, conspire
as far as this Mike that they've had Cam signed
for a while. Now you know therell be a week
and what they but they knew these penalties were coming out. Well,
we're not going to announce the camp signing until the
(28:06):
penalties come out, so we can get that up the
back page, which by the ways, worked beautifully. Yeah. Whether
that they meant to do it or not, it's worked beautifully. Yeah. Um.
I believe that they they paused on the signing to
you know, do it at the same time. But at
the at the same time some people out there thinking
it's a significant punishment, I don't consider it to be
(28:28):
that at all. A million dollars that's nothing. I mean,
it means nothing. If it was ten million dollars, it
would barely be a dent for me, although that would
be a significant fine so as the NFL is concerned.
But a third round draft pick for a team that
just creates more draft picks than anybody, and it's gonna
(28:48):
be seeing a ton of compensate compensatory or they're gonna
get the max number of compensatory picks next year because
of all the players they lost this year. It doesn't matter.
They were gonna have over a dozen picks next year.
A third round pick. You could say it's a lot,
but whatever, if you just keep if you look, if
(29:09):
they keep skirting the rules and keep trying to gain
an edge by bending or breaking rules, and the NFL
doesn't really come down on them, They're just going to
keep doing it, doing it as would any other team.
I don't consider us to be a real or significant punishment.
I am irritated by it. And I'm not a big
conspiracy theorist on this, but I think they have proven,
(29:31):
if nothing else, that yeah, we're gonna bend or break
rules at times to get an edge. I just think
they do it. And there are four parts of the punishment, right,
We're going reverse or the crew can no longer work. Okay,
like the Patriots care about that? Apparently they were independent crew. Anyway,
what do they have said is not related to football operations?
I have to as the host, I have to set
the parameters of the story. They are saying that they
(29:53):
had nothing to do with football operations. They acted independently,
not knowing uh with the Patriot it's staff giving no
guidance as to what they're feeling. Right, So what pages
don't care about that? I don't care if these guys
can working on So that's done, all right? Now? They're
not allowed to film any any games next season? Is
this a huge thing where it matters? They can still
see film on TV and stuff like that, does not
(30:15):
have maybe quite the angles they want and stuff like that.
So that's not significant. You mentioned at one point one million.
That's a joke. That's an absolute joke to a team
like New England, and no team would care about that,
all right, and then the you put up perfectly the
third round pick at the old slap on the wrist here,
because they're gonna have a thousand competitory picks, that third
(30:37):
round pick at best will be top eighty five, top ninety.
It won't be in something that they can't withstand when
I don't get Mike, is this We've had spy gate,
we've had the flake gate, rather creptin, the you know,
the magna gratification thing, and yet you're still giving them
slaps on the wrist. What do you need to be
told here? What do you need to see here to
(30:59):
stop this open as nation? At this point, it doesn't
matter that it will. You know what if the I
don't know if h if the Standisco four unine is
did this, this is you know this the punchhment we'd
give them. That may be true, but you know what
the forty nine is haven't had spy gate, the flake gate?
Their owner going at the massage follows all right? I
mean this old thing has had this over and over again.
(31:20):
How were they not told after spy Gate, the flake gate,
the owner thing that hey, you do anything else, I
don't care what it. I don't give you a breaking
pencils League ordered pencils. We're coming down on you hard.
You're gonna lose multiple number one picks. You want to
stop this crap, that's how you do it, multiple number
one picks. Finding I said that find has to have
at least a zero at the end, ten million at
(31:41):
least ten, if not million, to send a message when
the same organization does the same thing over and over
and over again, cut it out. It's crazy. But maybe look,
maybe the league is motivated by by by knowing or
or presuming that other teams are doing similar things. And
(32:04):
then you start digging up skeletons and thirty two different
closets and it becomes problematic. But again, I think this,
I think the punishment is just sort of a joke
because I mean, the pick doesn't matter at all. It
just doesn't matter. And for those of you out there
would say, well, that could be the next Dante High Tower,
all right, it could be. They have all these other picks,
(32:27):
they're not there have been that great at drafting recently. Anyway.
They just utilize them as collateral, which is the right move.
They're just gonna take some swings on these guys. You
bring up an interesting point, Mike, with what you just said.
They don't even know if you're meant to that. They
are worried about other teams, you know, skeletons in the closet. Look,
I'm not a hypocrite. I'm sure there's other teams doing
similar things trying to skirt the rules. They just haven't
(32:48):
been caught yet. I bring you up, well, that would
happen in baseball, the Actions would caught cheating. Every team
in every sport cheats. You're kidding yourself if you don't
think they're every team cheating in some way. How to
the degree of cheating that's different. We don't know that,
but every team cheats, right, I mean, also, the Astros
got caught, Red Sox caught, Look at the Yankees got caught.
(33:11):
Everybody's doing it to some degree. The Act has just
made it so obvious. The Patriots have made it so obviously.
They keep getting caught. They don't care. They're not worried
about the penalties. They know what that's would be a joke.
We don't care. It's worth it. I mean, it's this,
and I really it's more of a I'm not asking you,
I'm just throwing out there. Every time they caught, they
(33:31):
get caught. How many times have they gotten away with it?
I agreed. Look, I don't think there's anybody in the world,
in the NFL world that has any better idea of
how closely these things are decided winning in the margins,
and so what I've talked about many times of the Patriots,
and I think this is just another case of that.
(33:52):
The guy has been involved in nine Super Bowls as
the Patriots. None of them we're blowouts, none of them.
They're all close. He had a ten point win against
the Rams. That's a game in the fourth quarter. He
had a comfortable win against the Eagles. But that's a
game in the fourth quarter. Might have been more comfortable
than the others. The Panthers, the Rams, the Seahawks, on
(34:14):
and on and on. The ones they eagle, the other Eagles,
Super Bowl, the ones they won, the ones they lost
decided by fractions, the Bills game in where he was
the defensive coordinator. The only Super Bowl he's been involved
in that was a blowout was he was defensive quarter
in the six game Giants excuse me, eighty six Giants Broncos.
(34:36):
That's the only one. And that was a game at halftime.
So I'm saying I I say all that to say,
nobody in the NFL world or in the sports world
knows better than Bill Belichick how tight these things are.
And I think if he bend some rules break some rules,
it gets some some super Bowls. That's just the way
I would imagine he's approaching it. And he's probably not
apologetic because he assumes other people are doing it too.
(34:58):
Let's talk about their big three questions. Get to it.
So it's all changed up now. The first thing is
how many games this can't play? I I think it's healthy.
I think he'll be healthy assuming we play opening weeks.
So I mean, could you get hurt during the season. Sure,
if you want to keep, want to give you over
under twelve, I'll give you the over season. I'm over
(35:20):
as well. I'm over Yeah. I think he plays almost
all of them. You know, you got to give him
the occasional you know, bad hammy or something like that, uh,
you know, twisted ankle or something like that. Maybe he
misses a game, maybe they give him a break going
into into they have a where's their bye week? I
think they're bye weeks right in the middle of the season.
So anyway, so I'm with you. I think Camp plays
(35:43):
almost all of them. I don't think they ever completely
believed in staid him. I think that's what this is about. Um,
So that's question number one, number two, and this is
one that I've positive with people online during the week
is that I actually do think that you can slot
Cam into this off as they utilize throws that are
close to the line of scrimmage. It's when Brady has
(36:04):
been really effective over the last several years, uh accepting
last year and where the offense obviously came to a
halt with the amount of injuries that they had, But
Brady's throws were to open guys close to the line
of scrimmage, notably Edelman and even Gronk in a couple
(36:25):
of years back. But do you think that Cam comes
in and can be effective in that similar offense or
they have to change it up for him significantly. Well,
it depends how you look at it. If you want
to tell me that dog keep me all the shot
the short throw short with what Brady did a lot, Yes,
that's what Cam wioks all that he's not good. Would
you put the bullet to mediate or deep? He's got
(36:46):
He generally has the armed for it. We don't know
right now, still wondering how that arms trade there's but
let's assume the arm is there. He has the arm.
We can throw the ball anyway you want, just not
always where you want it. When he throws it right,
the accuracy is just not there. So I wonder that
I think you need and that he can because, like
I said, if he can't run, he's not that same
mobile quarterback. If you're telling you're gonna have him drop
back thirty five times and win, no, he's just not
(37:09):
not consistently. He's not that guy. He's not I don't
want to say a Brady type. I don't mean the goat.
I mean that type of quarterback, drop back quarterback. He's
not a drop back quarterback. He needs to be able
to move. He'll never be able to move like Lamar Jackson. Again,
he probably needs to be able to do at least
what Aaron Rodgers does now, who doesn't run as much
but can escape, you know, that sort of thing. I
think if he can't do that, he's not that guy,
(37:31):
then I think it winks in trouble here. And I
think they've I still think they've upgraded, but not massively.
You know that. I don't think they'd be I don't
think he would get the long term contract he's looking
for from anybody and they see that he can't be
that kind of guy. I agree, with that. I agree
with that. Look, the difference, the difference maker that Cam
is is because he can run. What worries me about
him is and I we've watched him do this is
(37:52):
I've seen him many times during his career really try
to impose his will on other teams, running people over
early games to establish it. I just think that's got
to be over with for him for the most part.
I don't think he can get rid of it completely,
but I just think he has to understand. Look, his
football mortality is sitting right in front of him. I
(38:14):
think he has to realize that to some quarter and
you need that first down. He can no longer put
his head down, no longer put his head down. He's
got slide. Yeah, I'm with you. He just didn't often
do that. But I would suspect he can't adapt, all right,
So give me another That's another big question. As far
as you're concerned with the Pats, we get skilled positions
who can step up here. I mean, you don't have Grounk, right,
(38:37):
you do. You have a couple of rookies at tight end.
You got Matt Lacas, Dalton Keene, who's going to step
up here? While receiver outside of element who's up there
in age? Will he be as good with cam kinsinu
who was banged up the last year. I have to
start a drink and he'd be something to kill Harry.
I mean, who's stepping up to your micon has to
be It has to be Harry. It has they better prayative.
(39:00):
That's the big puss getting who's got Marquises league they
bring over? I mean that when I look at that,
I mean the weapons you you don't stop, you announce
that's four guys. Have ever heard last year or apperceiving
for I know, well, we'll get this next secon. Let's
stop the announcing. Who's in the fantasy industry? Yahoo's go
to war. We're up an interrecting question on Twitter. Sports
(39:20):
grid dot com Betting Insights and entertainment at your fingertips
seven as our team covers the most important topics in
sports wagering, real time odds, predictive betting models, expert picks,
and more want the edge than get on the grid
Sports grid dot Com. Hey, closing out this hour on
(39:42):
the grid talking a lot about the Patriots, like they've
got a lot of stories on a team like this
canna have four stories in a dead period of the NFL.
So let's wrap up. Are we had these questions about
skill players? You said, who would I trade for the
pat skill players? Like another team Jacksonville. That's the only thing.
(40:05):
That's the first team that popped out to me. The
DJ Sharks look pretty good. That's that's somebody brought up.
Man is worth more than any New England player. You've
got Nikila, Harry and Edelman there, And if we're including Jacksonville,
they're not in the player They're not a playoff team'll
be retired by time they get good. Yeah, oh yeah,
just trade No, but they're running back situation is still viable.
(40:28):
Sony Michelle is catching a lot of grief from people
because he doesn't catch passes, and it seems like a
waste of a first round pick to have a non
versa running back. And that's right. But I don't think
Michelle is objectively a bad player. I think for you
fantasy owners out there, if you're in a PPR league, yeah,
he's got a little bit less value, but I think
he's gonna carry the ball a lot, and I think
that he's got opportunities to score. They've Over the last
(40:51):
several years, they've been in the top ten of rushing
attempts almost every year, mainly because they're good. They're running
out the clock at the end of games, right, but
still they've been an effective running team for the most part.
Last year started to fall apart offensive line issues. Michelle
wasn't as good, but he and James White are a
good tandem, so in that sense, they're definitely better than Jacksonville.
(41:14):
Who's who's your new England player on offense? Where you go, oh,
that's the guy you're at defensive? Who you gonna stop
this guy? There's nobody agree, there's nobody you're afraid, there's
no game breaker. Used to be afraid of Brady just
being able to figure it out, and they weren't even
afraid of that at the end of last year. You
know what my biggest concern is, and I don't think
enough people are talking about it. Yeah, this defense was
good last year. They lost a whole bunch of guys. Yes,
(41:35):
they lost a lot of guys. Danny Shelton gone, Kyle
van Noy gone, Harmon out of there and land and
Roberts has been gone. Like there's just a bunch of
guys over the last two years, specifically this year, that
are gone. Uh. They still got the McCardy brothers there,
and they've got Gilmore, Um but one in so I
(41:59):
actually don't think defense is going to be nearly as good.
I think they'll play effectively because Bill is there and
they still got some team leaders there, but I think
they're missing some guys. What I'm really what I'm really
interested about, what's so fascinating about all of this, which
I think people need to really consider, is that next year,
(42:19):
the Pats salary cap wise are a blank canvas. They
owe Shack Mason money, they owe Stefind Gilmore money, and
they can basically get out of every other contract on
the entire team. Doesn't mean they cut McCardy or Edelman,
but they could if they felt like it. Um Accordings
has got a bunch of void years at the end
(42:39):
of his deal, but it's really like Stefan Gilmore and
Shack Mason a guard and that's it. Joe Doney's on
a one year franchise player deal and there's been rumors
about him being traded since this day he signed the
franchise tag, or since the day they tagged him. So
I don't know. I got more questions than just about
the offense. They lost a whole bunch of players. I agree,
(43:00):
and I think this team is. It's just why I
and even if Brady came back, I might have had
Buffalo as still the best team to beat in this division.
Buffalo is going for They made additions New England. Hasn't
they keep losing players? Here was? It wasn't eventually happens everybody,
even Bill and I do agree with you that he'll
make the defense better because of it's built. But the players,
I mean, once again, the name players. It's not like
(43:21):
there's a lot of name players on defense, which makes
the point. And you don't have discuss this before in
prior shows. It's amazing this team is so up against
the cap. When you look at their austin you think
you're thinking, to hell's get paid. Who's making this money?
There's a bottom mid range guys. They're paying their offensive
line collectively a decent amount. It's just that none of
(43:42):
them are household names. Joe Doney's the franchise player, Like,
come on, half of half of football fans don't even
know who he is. Yeah, it's funny how this team
is constructed, and as your maybe Bill is playing for
the blank canvas and he'll go for it then, but
I think he was was purely doing that, and I
think stud would have played this year. I think Bill
still thinks he can win. Yeah, Dante high Tower, he'll
(44:05):
be under contract too, so he's like the third guy.
But it really is just those three. It's like it's
like Dante High Tower, Shack Mason and and it's Stefan Gilmour.
It's crazy because James White, no, Sonny Michelle No, They're
like they're not getting paid big money. So all right, uh,
let's try to move on to another team. You spent
(44:25):
almost an hour in the Patriots and it's making me
want a puke. But in any event, but what's that
Pittsburgh fan? Yeah, sort of Look, you spent an hour
on him there. It really is sort of fascinating all
the things that going on with him now that Cam
is in the mix. Than what was your thank New England.
I don't know what we've been talking about. Thank you
for the content, thank you for the project. Yeah, so
(44:48):
I will put a bow on it by saying like
I'm really interested in it. I'm not like the ah.
I can't believe they got camp for a million bucks,
like any of you could have gotten camp for a
million bucks. Don't complain if the Patriots end up being
good because of it, Why didn't you just do that
to keep him away from the Patrons? I'll put a
bow on. Do they make the playoffs? Yeah, they're in.
They're a lock for me now. Yeah, they offer me too,
(45:10):
So I think I had them in anyway. I didn't thine.
I think it screws over So I seem like the
Browns may not be able to get in now because
Cleanlon'll get it up because you're gonna get in over him.
I would have like them seeing somebody different. But I
think they're in as well. And the bet just for
those of you on Fandel New England and make their Patriots.
Yes minus two thirty no plus one four. So you
(45:33):
gotta pay. You gotta pay a premium in order to
make that bet. But that's a lock as far as
I'm concerned. So um, all right, Buffalo Bills, we only
got a few minutes left here, Buffalo Bills. All right,
we'll do it quick, alright, pick three questions from Buffalo Bills. Obviously, First,
one's Josh Josh. Really it's it's always close. If Josh
(45:56):
Allen is ready to make that next step, then this
is a danger is dangerous football team. I might say,
next step. He doesn't need to be Lamar and Jackson
doesn't need what do you think is next step for him? Good? Good, consistent,
not doing dumb think childish things. Thanks you singing in
a high school football and let me throw the football back,
which for no reason here because I don't want to
(46:17):
get hit and I need a Hail Mary when I
don't need a Hail Mary, that sort of thing. Consistent
football player, he's ready to do that, especially throwing the football.
I know you can run, okay, I know you have athleticism, slide,
get down, don't take those hits, you know. But if
he can do that, dangerous team here, because we know
what defense is, there might be the best day Fens
and football certainly one of them. You know the skill
(46:38):
positions they're getting there, right, you acquire stuff on dis
I may not be a huge Dicks guy as far
as the number one wide receiver, but I think he's
a good compliment to this team of what they needed.
So I think once again it's I hate to put
an all on Josh Allen, and lord knows, the pressure
just got ratcheted up even further on Sunday when Cam
Newton signed. But he could be that quarterback dangerous, dangerous team.
(46:58):
I think he might have the most pressure in the NFL. Yeah,
He's completed fifty eight point eight percent of his passes.
He threw twenty touchdowns, he had nine picks, he ran
four moved down here, he ran four yards and nine touchdowns. Impressive.
He's a good athlete, he really is. But the fifty
(47:19):
eight percent is what's going to worry me forever. His
completion percentage wasn't good in college. It's not It wasn't
good last year. Do I think he took steps forward? Yes?
Do I think there's a ceiling on what he ultimately
is going to be. I do think that. I'm not
a believer that he But here's the thing. What's been
(47:39):
what's become a question that I've asked every year, and
what what I'm really curious to see is that if
a quarterback that is not an elite and I put
that in quotes because it can mean anything you wanted
to mean, quarterback can actually win the Super Bowl, because
(48:00):
that's really the only question that matters, right, Who's there's
only one guy in the last decade that people are like, yeah,
that won the Super Bowl Flacco. Right, In the previous decade,
there was really only one other guy that people are like,
it's Dilfer. So they're both Ravens guys. Everybody else is
Tom Brady and Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton
(48:24):
Manning and Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes. It's a crazy
list of the guys that actually won. Folds is the
other one. Excuse me, I can't leave that out. But
and that was a unique scenario to right, it was
just a sort of a four game run in order
to get there. Five game run, um in order to
(48:45):
But um, it's really the only question you need to
be able to answer. Um. I just don't know. I
can't say I believe it now. I think they can
win the division, but I don't think he's I don't
know that I'd like to see it. I'd be into
sit in seeing it, but I don't know that Josh
Allen is ever gonna get there. I think you're looking
at like, you know a guy that can be really good,
(49:08):
but the rest of the team around him is going
to have to be stupendous, and it's he has to
have a Flacco like run, right, he has to have
a flawless run or a fold like couple of games
in order to do it. But doesn't mean he can't.
It just means that I'm not going to believe it
as easily until I ever see it. I can't know.
I'll go six. I agree with you. I think there
(49:28):
was a ceiling there. He's ever He's never going to
be a superstar, that kind of guy who comes in
starts starts completing fifty pcent of her passes and everybody's like, oh, yeah,
that's a guy. I really see something in him, Like
all right, I don't what makes you happy? Yeah, that's
a huge difference. That would make me thrilled if you
can get there. He's never gonna be in the upper sixties.
He's not that kind of guy. If you just get
(49:50):
the sixty three, sixty four, that's probably what I'm looking for,
a massive number of passes completed, or of course in
the season, you do the numbers, it would be right.
I just think I think he can get better, But
I do think there's so much pressure on him that
worries me because I think, once again there's something maturity
here that he needs to grow up a little bit.
I think he's going to feel that pressure. I think
(50:10):
it's good that he plays in Buffalo and not Dallas
on New York, you know, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New England,
one of those heavy media sit in fact that he
does play in New York. I again, I just feel
like I said, uh, not down state New York. I
think that helps him next with Buffalo sort of buried
up there. So I think that's a good news for them.
That being said, I said he might have. I definitely
(50:31):
believe he's top five with the players with the most
pressure on them this season. Yeah. I mean, if if
you are a Bills fan out there and you're hating
everything I'm saying, I would say to offer encouragement. Ben
Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl in two thousand five, and
he played an absolutely terrible football game. Um, Josh didn't
even play that bad of a game in the Josh
(50:51):
Allen didn't play that bad of a game against the
Texans in that playoff game. He got crazy at the end,
throwing footballs away and making really boneheaded plays. But that
there's something you can bounce back on. Right. That was
Roethlisberger's second year. They won the Super Bowl. He had
a tremendous defense and skills players around and skill players
(51:13):
around him. But I think it's something that, look, they
can build some more around him. I think there's room
for improvement, and I think that, yeah, he could win
a Super Bowl. But this team, like right now, this
is sort of a loaded team. Isn't the best wide
receiving corps I've ever seen? No, but Diggs, Brown and
Beasley it's the best one in that the best one
in that division, that's for sure. And running back solid
(51:38):
knocks Tyler Crofts. It's it's solid. It's a solid group.
It's not great, but it's it's a solid group. And
they have some depth there. They can afford injurate onl
with every position. And the defensive depth is crazy so
as good. It's to me, it's the best defensive depth
in the whole league. Could the Niners play better than them,
Steelers play better than them, yes, But if you start
(52:00):
going down the list and look at the backups on
this team, you got like they got. If they have injuries,
they don't have major problems depending on where that position is.
It's a really good team. I think mcdermot's and McDermott
and Brandon being have done an excellent job of creating
the team in their image. And I still think right now,
(52:20):
I think it's a dog fight right now in this division.
I actually probably at this point with the cam Netons
signing side with the Pats, but it's close. I'm going
with Buffalo. I think they, I think really win the division.
I think they have a third best team or these
right today with the Calls right behind Chiefs and Ravens.
Sports grid dot Com Betting insides and entertainment at your
(52:41):
fingertips as our team covers the most important topics in
sports wagering, real time odds, predictive betting models, expert picks,
and more. Want the edge than get on the grid.
Sports grid dot Com
Sports grid dot Com Betting insights and entertainment at your
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sports grid dot Com. Hey, everybody, welcome to football full
(00:21):
circle right here on the grid. Mike Flutted, George Kurtz
coming at you in the next hour talking about all
the latest news in the NFL, and George, really there
isn't the latest news in the NFL because it's a
dead period. But during this dead period, we did get
this one golden nugget, and that's Cam Newton going to
(00:41):
the New England Patriots. I think it is something that
it's sort of shocking to read and was shocking for
people to digest, but it isn't objectively a huge surprise.
It was the only job left for him to potentially
take where he could be a starter. Now there are
many offshoots of talk about that are surprising related to it,
(01:03):
but Cam Newton to the Patriots kind of talked about
this for a while. I mean it made sense of
the Patriots. They have nothing to lose here, Whether or
not you believe Cam is of the m v P
CAM or the broken down Cam. He signed for the
bare minimum well along with someone centives pay this have
no money against the cap. They couldn't go out and
sign to anything big. There's also lets you know that
(01:24):
thirty one other teams we're all they interested for whatever reason,
they already have stars. Didn't want to bring his personality
in that he doesn't fit the offense, whatever it might be.
It tells you a lot of it. In New England,
I think this makes a lot of sense, Mike. I
think this is if Stidham doesn't perform well or he's
not ready, Camp can take if you can learn the offense,
which I assume he can. He's got time now whatever
(01:44):
in early July now, so I think it makes sense.
It makes sense in New England, Cam's a one year,
make good deal. Alright, make a good and then go
into the Francy next year or maybe stick with the
gonna be their long term well quarterback. Yeah, and I
would say I should have shouldn't have buried the lead.
But happy fourth of July weekend to everybody out there,
so we'll get into I'm wearing my red white and blue.
George is I don't In morning, I guess wearing his
(02:07):
all black shirt all least flashing a little gold. I
kind of like it. Today the shirt is green. Maybe
I'm color blend. I don't know. It looks it's a
dark green. I I okay, I don't know how that's
a festive fourth of July scenario, but I digress. So
I think you're right. I've said before, and I'm not
the first one to say it, there's really no bad
(02:29):
one year deals. You take a shot. I don't care
if the Colts signed Devin Funches for fourteen million bucks
or whatever they did, and this year they got Phil
Rivers for million, they're not over the cap as a result.
The Pats, as you said, rightfully said they had the
least cap space in the entire league for this year,
but it's almost entirely and sent him laden deal. It's
(02:51):
one one million dollars the flat minimum for somebody with
his level of experience in the NFL. Now he can
earn up to seven and a half million dollars, but
that typically rolls over into next year and impacts next
year's cap. They're not going to be paying out incentives
as he goes and blow busting out their cap number
and getting fined for it. So um again, it's just
(03:15):
a one year deal. If Cam really hasn't recovered from
these injuries, which is obviously the major question mark, then
they move on. They don't think he's a great fit.
The Patriots more than any other team I've ever seen,
evaluate people pretty quickly and move on. It wouldn't even
stunned me if they realized a few weeks into camp,
(03:37):
you know what, he's not healthy, he's not driving with
our offense, with our our situation here, we're gonna move on.
It wouldn't stun me. I absolutely do not expect that
to happen. I think Cam's gonna start a majority, if
not all, of the games for the Patriots this year.
But I'm just saying that is really the nature of
their um, their atmosphere there, or their culture, that's the
(04:02):
word I'm looking for. Yeah, I like you, I expect
Camera stot the majority or they gained. It's not all
of them as well. I think that's why they brought
him there. I certainly think he's a better quarterback instead
of at this point in Sidham's career. I don't know
if said it would ever be what Cam was. Do
I think there are some problems here? Sure? I do.
Once again, the fact that no of a team offered
them more than the minimum lets you know that teams
have doubts for whatever reason, they have doubts. The fact
(04:24):
that they couldn't look at the ankle, couldn't look at
the shoulder. Those are two significant injuries for a quarterback
of his skill level, of her skill, what he what
he possesses. Obviously, shoulder bad. You can't throw the ball.
You don't have the same zip. You don't He was
never an accurate thrower in the carse place. Does this
hurt that even more? Can you get the ball down
the field with zip? We don't know that. We think so,
but we don't know that for sure. But more importantly,
(04:46):
with the ankle injury, if he doesn't have that athleticism anymore,
he's almost useless then, right, If you're not a good
accurate quarterback and you can't run now, then you have problems.
There's a reason why we don't see a lot of
aging running quarterbacks because that the hits take a toll
on you through the years. We hope Cam is going
to be that player. I think Bill Belton is hoping
(05:08):
John McDaniels is hoping he could be that player because
some when someone asked me on Twitter, do I think
the Patriots sold let Cam loose and others where they
let him run do his thing? Well, you have to.
You have no choice because if he can't do his thing,
then he's not camp. He's just he's a block quarterback
that instead of maybe the better option uh than Cam.
And I think that's where it comes in, where if
(05:29):
the Patriots see this in camp in August, he just
he can't move anymore. He's just not camp. Yeah, they
might move on. I don't expect that to happen, mind you,
but yes I can see that happening. People think, oh
the Patriots signed him, Oh they got there, They're gonna
the super Bowl now ten more years, they're gonna be
a great teeth of the next decade. I don't quite
see that. Remember, the Patriots haven't hit on every fridge
that they brought in. If very Randy Morris, there's an
(05:51):
Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon didn't work out. There doesn't always
work out for them. That being said, we're not surprised
at the pageot that take the shot here. Pagets look
good of doing this, because in my mind, there's only
upside here. There's only if Camp is that guy. Yes,
maybe they do have diffranchise quarterback now for the next
eight nine years. Yeah, so that's what. So that's I mean,
(06:11):
You've said a bunch of things there that I will
respond to, But I think the endpoint is really and
it ties into the first thing you said during that
is that none of these other teams offered And and and
now it looks especially silly considering what New England just
got him for. But what if the Steelers brought him
in to back up Ben or other teams that the
(06:32):
Chargers had taken a shot along the way, or the
Browns who were apparently kicked the only other team to
really have any kind of serious discussion without an offer. Obviously,
how silly does it look now? But you know Andrew
Brandt a longtime NFL executive, and you and I bring
him up at brought him up at times during this show.
His thought process and I understand this is that people
(06:56):
teams would be concerned about their starter being at risk
of just being harangued by fans, by the front office
being harangued by fans and the media to insert Cam.
Were he the backup when your starter plays poorly, up
folds through a pick, Let's bring Cam in, or minshoot
(07:17):
through a pick, Let's bring Cam in? And Jaguars are
almost a different discussion, not really necessarily trying to rack
up wins. But you know, the two teams that I
think stand out to me are the Bears and the Chargers.
I'd rather take a risk on Cam Newton than have
what they currently have. I'm not really a believer in Herbert.
They're gonna give him a shot. I'm open to seeing
how he plays, but I'd rather have him the Tyrod
(07:38):
Taylor and with the Bears. I'll take Cam over both
of those guys. I agree with you on the Bears.
I thout the Bears. I would rather have Cam, you know,
I see what happens there. The Charge just doesn't I
get it. You got the rookie you wanted to play
at some point this year, isn't You don't know? I
think that herb was gonna be all that great. Probably
I'm on your side there, but I get it. They
drafted on top tech. At least there was a plan. Yeah, right,
(07:59):
there's a play and Tyrod Taylors are flying backup, so
I don't have the only only issue there is once again,
charges are they see that? Everything else in place, but
the quarterback might be a playoff teams they had cam there,
you know, I could certainly see that, and once it end,
we don't know what happened. What would have happened this
offseason if there's no pandemic. If he could have visited teams,
they could have looked at the ankle, they could have
(08:21):
looked at the shoulder. He might have had a job
months ago with one of these teams that were right.
The money, I also wanted this. I do wonder if
there were teams that offer them more money, not significantly more,
but more money. But he's like, well, I can make
more money, but I'll be a backup and maybe not
play this year. Or I can make no money, but
I start with New England. It's New England, It's Belichick McDaniels,
(08:43):
gonna win some games about a national coverage and get
paid next year. It's such a unique scenario. These guys
a former m v P and we can sit here
and pick up hart Camp look and going back to
the hits, because you've talked about this as well. I
wish I had the numbers in front of me, But
people used to talk about how many hits Andrew Luck
(09:03):
took and how it's piled up, and it resulted in
injuries and ultimately ended his career. For now, at least
Cam's taking way more than him because he was a
running quarterback. He was a goal line guy. Like, the
one thing you could say about Cam Newton is there
were times, and I'll relay it back to your other
point about how assuming he wants to do it and
(09:27):
he can still do it, you're going to utilize this
athleticism and have him run. You can't eliminate it because
then it's not the same Cam Newton. But there were
times that Cam Newton, who, in my opinion, along with
a very few other select guys, is the most imprisonive,
impressive physical specimen to ever play quarterback. Doesn't mean he's
(09:49):
the best quarterback, doesn't mean the best arm, but just
athletic wise, he's incredible. He's six five, he's two fifty pounds,
he runs like crazy, and obviously he's one everything. You
can win Heisman Trophy, National Championship, Juco all this kind
of stuff, but um, you know, the the amount of
(10:09):
hits that he's taken is far exceeds anybody else, including
retired Andrew Luck. So all of this comes back into
me saying like, I don't really know what it's gonna
look like. I understand why teams are hesitant, but it
still looks silly to me that you didn't try it
for a million bucks. Yes, I get it, you know,
I agree with everything you said. It's why we were
(10:31):
always cautious or with running quarterbacks now Lamar Jackson because
he's not built like Cam, and Cam broke down Ben Roelisberg,
who used to be able to move a bit, he's
broken down. We see this over and over again. This
is why I think see how did a great job
in calming Russell Wilson down not wanting to run all
over the place. Yes, be mobile, but let's not do
the running place where he's gonna take these kinds of
(10:52):
hits because you want these, you want your quarterback the
last decade and a half, twelve fifteen years, not four years.
Can I think they thought about calming him his running
ability down, but the fact that he's not a great
quarterback as far as throwing the ball, You're not gonna
win with having Camp dropped back free five seven step
drops thirty five times a game. That's not what he
(11:12):
does well. He has to have that mobility, that ability
to escape the pocket, to run. You mentioned the goal line,
to be that that threat that make that Sydney play
up close to worry about him. If they're worried about
playing pass coverage, they will. Camp was not. He's not
that kind of quarterback. So I think I wonder. I
do want to the injury the it's the ankle injury
that probably worries me. Was on the shoulder, you know,
(11:33):
if he's not that guy anymore, at the concussions, all
those hits and they've added up. I do wonder if
that's why other teams certainly shied away. I didn't think
he was worked the risk, especially in an off season
where you couldn't look at him, you couldn't test him,
you couldn't evaluate him because no one could visit anybody. Yeah,
I mean it's a long time. He hasn't played. In
sixteen months, you know he hasn't or you will not
(11:53):
have played in about a year. He hasn't won a
game and something like twenty months or something like that.
He lost his last eight starts, to believe with the Panthers.
But yeah, the foot surgery for a guy that's as
big as he is is obviously a concern. He isn't
thirty five, he's thirty one. That helps me a little
(12:13):
bit too. Again, there is no risk whatsoever with this signing.
And next year, if this all works out, the Patriots
can have a quarterback for the future. Bill doesn't necessarily
have to look for to a tongue of Bioloa or
Jordan's love in the draft. He can just play with
Cam Newton for five years, right, and then he and
(12:35):
then Bill will retire. I know he's everybody think he's
gonna die on the sidelines at some point. He's gonna
be seventy five years old and be like, all right,
I'm gonna I'm gonna get on my boat out of Nantucket,
piece out and never talk to many of you again.
So UHATI he's Tucket. He's not a Nantucket. So um
so all right. So one question, we're gonna keep talking
(12:56):
about the past after the break, but would you favor
can m as comeback Player of the Year over Ben
or somebody like that. Tell me your records, your records. Okay,
we're gonna come back. We'll do a little bit more
of that. On the other side of football full Circle,
it's Mike and George. Get on the Grid sports grid
dot Com Betting, insights and entertainment at your fingertips as
(13:18):
our team covers the most important topics in sports wagering,
real time odds, predictive betting models, expert picks, and more.
Want the edge than Get on the Grid sports grid
dot Com The back on the grid right here. Catch
us all on Twitter at sports Grids, on Instagram at
(13:40):
sports grid TV. George is at George Kurtz. I'm at
Mike Blewett. Catch me on Instagram. It's an MP Blewett.
So uh, I was talking about comeback Player of the
Years right wait wait wait wait wait you want wait
on Instagram? Yeah, I think I ever heard you mentioned
your Instagram handle before. I don't always do it because
it's not great. I've tried to come up with different ones,
(14:00):
but I just went with MP Blue and it's my
initials and my last name. I've tried to chat, I've
tried Snapchat. I didn't really get it. And I'm just
not I'm not doing it anymore. I downloaded TikTok to
try to figure it out. My daughters are in love.
(14:21):
My oldest daughter, thirteen year old, that's all she does.
TikTok old day. She's probably upstairs right now. TikTok. I
swear I don't get it. I just said I get that,
Like there is sort of entertaining stuff on there, but engagement,
I don't know. Send me stuff all the time making
fun What parents do We tell them to go to bed,
tell him to do a dishes, tell him, you know,
(14:43):
it's funny. It is funny. It does sound like the
old parents stuff. This really creative stuff on there. I
get it. It's just a we'll see maybe maybe all
surprised people and we'll get a little following going. But
sports Grid's on there, so feel free to find sports
Grade on as well. So all right, so odds have
changed a bunch. We'll go through all well, since we're
talking about camp specifically, we're going to get into the
(15:05):
Patriots Big three questions for this year, which now has
frankly changed. But um Cam Newton for Comeback Player of
the Year. I wish I we had talked about this
specifically when we did this last time. We just did
this last show. We didn't come back player of the Year,
and we thought there'd be a combination of Roethlisberger, Stafford
(15:25):
or somebody like that. But now Cam Newton thrust into
the second best odds, second shortest odds here, I should
say not best. Roethlisberger plus two sixty, Cam Newton at
plus three forty, Rob Gronkowski plus four twenty. I don't
see that. J. J. Watt plus seven hundred. I don't
see that. Matt Stafford plus seven hundred A J. Green.
I don't think the numbers would be there necessarily at
(15:47):
plus nine hundred, but he did miss an entire year.
They might throw the ball a lot. Uh, and he
got Alex Smith, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton. I think it's
a three horse race, Ben, Cam staff and you gotta
figure it out. Ben and Cam I could see that
being a tight race, right if they both rip off
(16:08):
ten in six seasons, who do you pick? Well, it's
a two horse race. Stifford is not gonna get in this. Uh.
He maybe he deserves to be somewhat, But you talk
Cam was all of last season. Ben missed most of it.
Stafford played most and you're also talking to national followings Steelers,
New England and then the Detroit Lions. Yeah, you're not
winning it, Matt. Sorry, I know, I assuming assuming Camp
(16:32):
starts sixteen, all right, Camp starts sixteen and Ben starts sixteen. Uh,
it'll come down to what what's the record? What's the uh? What? What?
What stats they're putting up there? We know what, Ben,
the Steelers had a great defense last year, but their
office was so bad they couldn't get in. So if
they get in this year, and I expect they will be,
that's a feather in his cap with Cam. You know,
(16:53):
I didn't I thought the New engl is gonna be
the New England. I thought the Page is gonna be
a bad team this year, which stead of six and ten,
seven and nine. Now I assume Camp is going to play.
I think at least a five hundred team nine and seven,
so there's certainly better. So to come down the stats,
you know, I probably will give the edge to Ben
because well, he only had the one injury. It's a
bad one. But I still think he can throw the ball.
(17:14):
I think he'll be I think he'll be the Ben
of all, Camp, I don't know if he can move.
I just don't know if he can move. And I'm
also still pretty certain that Pittsburgh will be a wild
card team. I'm not certain that New England. I think
it certainly puts them back in the hunt. I don't
think they're better than Buffalo. I still think Buffalo is
still a team to beat in the a f C East.
Just I think I think Walton was a team to
beat in the a f C North. So I think
it's close. I think to come down to what they do.
(17:36):
But I'll give the slight edge to Ben. It's really
strong reasoning there. It's hard for me to disagree. How
about likability, Um, I think both players catch heat from
opposing fans. Ben, obviously you've made your feelings known on him. Um,
(17:58):
He's never really won any age or awards. Cam's won
an m v P. So if I'm utilizing that is
maybe there's a little bit more of an appetite to
vote for Cam Newton versus Roethlisberger. You think that, I
mean that could play a role, right, not universally loved either,
He's not. I know he did win an MVP. He did,
but people and people do dislike that then, well, as
(18:20):
you said, I made my feelings, I do not like that.
It doesn't endear himself to anybody. He's just constantly people
He's done some things in his past. Cam's never done
anything now. He just he's had some issues with the
media as well, but being maybe being more of an
i'my person, which is what Ben is. Actually a lot
of quarterbacks. Do you think about that? Um Cam's biggest
crime really, and I don't personally love it, is that
(18:43):
he's he's surly, he sulks on the sidelines. It looks
the baby at times. I've thought, you know, after the
Super Bowl, I actually thought, and I was initially critical
of him. I thought they put him in a bad
spot the way they had the the way they had
after he lost the Super Bowl. It looked like he
was being really disrespectful and he was just being a
sore loser. But they actually put him in a position
(19:06):
there post game after that super Bowl where he could
hear the audio of the Broncos players talking about him
and the Panthers. So he's listening to guys sort of
talk smack about him as he's giving an interview. So
I'm resolving him of that, but um, you know the
Superman stuff. Look, we're both older white dudes, George, so
(19:31):
I think us constantly giving and I've seen other people. Hell,
I saw some Boston radio guys this week giving their
takes on Uh. You know, Bill is not gonna like it,
and I like that the Patriots don't allow celebrating. It's like, really,
you're putting yourself in the position of a young black
male athletes and how they want to celebrate. It's like
(19:53):
it's like the baseball with the bat flip. Like I'm
not a bat flip guy personally, but like, let them
celebrate how they want. Do. I think it's ridiculous that
you're celebrating where you're down four touchdowns. Yeah, just go
back to the sidelines. You're losing. But if Cam wants
to go a little Superman chest and that's a signature thing,
go for it. I don't have to love it, but
I'm not going to criticize him for it. I think
(20:15):
it'll be interesting to see if he but how he
reacts to Bill's routine. We know Gronkowski hated it all right,
Brady eventually wore him down. He wanted out. I do
about a long time. A long time went by before
they really got sick of it. I also wonder Cam's
still playing for a big contract if he's gona have
to calm all that down to get that big deal
(20:36):
from even New England or another team. So if he
has to be uh, I don't want to say on
his best behaviors like that's silly. He's not doing anything wrong.
Everybody celebrates. But if you don't have to adhere to
the rules of Bill's rules and not go against it,
you know that Camp's a big social media guy. That
seems to bother him more than anything else. Like Gronkowski
(20:56):
celebrated a lot on the field. Oh yeah, dude, that
that Spike We all love theron Spike Boat, you know
that sort of thing. I think when you could compare
Cam and Ben on their best days, Cam is a
much more likable guy. He seems to be more uh
you know, he's had the big bright smile, he talks
more open, uh, just more loose where he's not as
(21:18):
uptight as Ben. He's entertaining and instant really likable at all.
And from that standpoint, but he's not a marketable person
in the least. Do I think the outfits he wears
at the end of the games are silly. Yeah, of course,
But what do I know about fashion? That's exactly what
he would say to you, right, I don't. I know
nothing about fashion. You're be lucky. I don't even know
(21:41):
if my clothes match. Okay, I think the first two
things that in my closet. The shirt is literally the
next shirt that was hanging in my closet from the show.
I am wearing jeans. I'm not wearing boxers. People, so
they'll get off my back. But I don't, you know,
I don't put a lot of thought into what I'm wearing.
He does, do I think something ridiculous? Yeah, I wouldn't
be caught dead wearing it. I would have for a
movie role or TV roll for me to wear some
(22:02):
of the stuff he's wearing. And that's that's his personality.
He likes to be out there and say, hey, look
what I'm wearing, A feather in my hat, whatever the
hell it is. What do I care? Really? What what
it makes? No give us to me, you know. So
I think he's a more likable person as far as
the media voting for him. Uh, and a lot of
the media dislikes Ben. I think it'll be interesting if
they both have the same stats. They both went in
a wild caught around everything. If everything was even, I
(22:24):
do think Cam would win. Yeah, Um, okay, So closing
the book on Cam, um, And by the way, you
could place you can play some bet on both of
those guys. You can put a hundred on Ben, a
hundred on Cam, just hypothetical, and if either of them win,
you're gonna come out ahead. You can play at that
route if you want it. Um, So that's something to consider. Um,
(22:49):
let's talk about their other odds that have changed, because
now they're they're seventy to one, seventeen to one to
win the Super Bowl, to win the a f C.
There now seven to one their win total. George is
the thing that boosted through all of this and last time, Yeah,
it's still there nine and a half and the over
(23:09):
excuse me, is plus one fifteen. So the juice is
on the over that when we were discussing that earlier
in the year, it was eight and a half. So
it goes up to nine and a half. Now, Um,
what do you think now? And then that really boosted up.
I'm taking the over. I actually think Cam is gonna
be a big boost here. I'll take the over with
the Pats. He certainly helps New Engles a better team here,
(23:32):
and I do think he's going to start. I did
not like this team in the stood him. I already
said earlier in the show with Cam. I think they're
around and nine win team, maybe ten, I did. I
still think Buffalo is the better team. I don't think
they went with the vision they Buffalo is the better team.
They made a lot of good moves here and they're
going for and I think they still smell it here.
Although the rest of the ANFC is the a f
C is gonna be like are you kidding me? Really?
(23:53):
We get rid of Brady and now we're gonna worry
about Cam old different problems, So I wouldn't touch it.
I I'll be still lean towards the under. I think
nine is my my number here. It's not enough for
me to bet because I gotta I gotta be a
game and a half two games difference for me to
put money on it. I'm only that half game out,
so I'm right right there. You know, I still think
I worry about It's still not a lot of weapons here, Mike,
(24:15):
you know Edelman, you better hope to kill How are
he is going to be that guy? The defense played
very well, lest it can they do it again? Have
my doubts, you know, the offensive long little chewed up there,
So I have my doubts all over the place. Here.
I would still lean towards the under Yeah, we'll do
There are three big questions in the next segment. I
know we're spending a lot of time in New England,
but it's the biggest story imaginable. So real quick story
(24:38):
on Bob Craft. Give me the summary on that one. Yeah,
I was real No. When he was down in Florida
before the NFC Championship game against Casey, Um might have
had a little fun, alright, Well not Mike. He had
a little fun, got caught and the video they have
of it, apparently the lower courts threw it out said
now you can't use this against correct and the other guys.
It's like what seventy people something like that, you can't
(25:00):
use it. Now. The prosecutors trying to get on appeals,
trying to get that overturned, they admit that they can't
get it overturned. The charges probably go away because the
evidence will be gone, you know, so listen, maybe it
it gets overturned, maybe it doesn't get overturned. I mean,
we know we did it, and it's just suspect it
won't be on record or anything like that. So what
We'll see what happens there. I'm not gonna get into this. Yes,
(25:21):
and you do what you gotta do. I'm on record
of saying I don't. I don't worry about stuff like this. Mike,
there's an old George calling joke. Sex is legal, selling
is legal. Why isn't selling sex legal? I haven't really
no problem with there's a consenting adults. That's the important part,
consenting adults. You want to regulate it like they're doing
on Nevada, tax it and all this other stuff. I'm
(25:43):
fine with it as those two people are great. I
don't care if they exchange money. I really don't. He
didn't have sex is more of manual gratifications. Shall we say?
What what? What obviously started all this was the investigation
by the FBI into the practices of these establishments in
the man or which they have obtained the people that
are working there, um, and that's what creates a big controversy.
(26:07):
The real key of this story is the video. If
people see Bob Craft walking out of this place on video,
there's no debate. I don't really think there's much debate anyway,
but video evidence, as we've seen, can ramp these things up.
We'll come back never all that, we'll come back after
(26:29):
this On the Grid Sports grid dot Com Betting insights
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(27:00):
the Grid, Mike and George talking about the Patriots spending
a lot of time on this. Obviously there's just a
lot of Patriots stories. They really filled this dead spot
with Cam Newton signing. We talked about Bob Kraft not
wanting the video of him walking in and out of
that establishment, trying to block that in courts. But we'll
start it off this segment as we get into the
three questions. But we'll start it off with the punishment. Now,
(27:22):
a lot of people thought it was strategic, and I
don't deny thinking that as well. Uh strategic in that
they signed Cam Newton the same night that the information
is released about them receiving punishment for a film crew
filming the Cincinnati Bengals sideline. Correct. Yes, Uh, obviously they
(27:44):
weren't supposed to be doing this. Yeah, they tried to
play just normal what was a day in the life
of the crew or something like that of scout whatever
it was. Uh, they got caught and then they got
penalized for it. I've actually heard people go, uh, conspire
as far as this Mike that they've had Cam signed
for a while. Now you know therell be a week
and what they but they knew these penalties were coming out. Well,
we're not going to announce the camp signing until the
(28:06):
penalties come out, so we can get that up the
back page, which by the ways, worked beautifully. Yeah. Whether
that they meant to do it or not, it's worked beautifully. Yeah. Um.
I believe that they they paused on the signing to
you know, do it at the same time. But at
the at the same time some people out there thinking
it's a significant punishment, I don't consider it to be
(28:28):
that at all. A million dollars that's nothing. I mean,
it means nothing. If it was ten million dollars, it
would barely be a dent for me, although that would
be a significant fine so as the NFL is concerned.
But a third round draft pick for a team that
just creates more draft picks than anybody, and it's gonna
(28:48):
be seeing a ton of compensate compensatory or they're gonna
get the max number of compensatory picks next year because
of all the players they lost this year. It doesn't matter.
They were gonna have over a dozen picks next year.
A third round pick. You could say it's a lot,
but whatever, if you just keep if you look, if
(29:09):
they keep skirting the rules and keep trying to gain
an edge by bending or breaking rules, and the NFL
doesn't really come down on them, They're just going to
keep doing it, doing it as would any other team.
I don't consider us to be a real or significant punishment.
I am irritated by it. And I'm not a big
conspiracy theorist on this, but I think they have proven,
(29:31):
if nothing else, that yeah, we're gonna bend or break
rules at times to get an edge. I just think
they do it. And there are four parts of the punishment, right,
We're going reverse or the crew can no longer work. Okay,
like the Patriots care about that? Apparently they were independent crew. Anyway,
what do they have said is not related to football operations?
I have to as the host, I have to set
the parameters of the story. They are saying that they
(29:53):
had nothing to do with football operations. They acted independently,
not knowing uh with the Patriot it's staff giving no
guidance as to what they're feeling. Right, So what pages
don't care about that? I don't care if these guys
can working on So that's done, all right? Now? They're
not allowed to film any any games next season? Is
this a huge thing where it matters? They can still
see film on TV and stuff like that, does not
(30:15):
have maybe quite the angles they want and stuff like that.
So that's not significant. You mentioned at one point one million.
That's a joke. That's an absolute joke to a team
like New England, and no team would care about that,
all right, and then the you put up perfectly the
third round pick at the old slap on the wrist here,
because they're gonna have a thousand competitory picks, that third
(30:37):
round pick at best will be top eighty five, top ninety.
It won't be in something that they can't withstand when
I don't get Mike, is this We've had spy gate,
we've had the flake gate, rather creptin, the you know,
the magna gratification thing, and yet you're still giving them
slaps on the wrist. What do you need to be
told here? What do you need to see here to
(30:59):
stop this open as nation? At this point, it doesn't
matter that it will. You know what if the I
don't know if h if the Standisco four unine is
did this, this is you know this the punchhment we'd
give them. That may be true, but you know what
the forty nine is haven't had spy gate, the flake gate?
Their owner going at the massage follows all right? I
mean this old thing has had this over and over again.
(31:20):
How were they not told after spy Gate, the flake gate,
the owner thing that hey, you do anything else, I
don't care what it. I don't give you a breaking
pencils League ordered pencils. We're coming down on you hard.
You're gonna lose multiple number one picks. You want to
stop this crap, that's how you do it, multiple number
one picks. Finding I said that find has to have
at least a zero at the end, ten million at
(31:41):
least ten, if not million, to send a message when
the same organization does the same thing over and over
and over again, cut it out. It's crazy. But maybe look,
maybe the league is motivated by by by knowing or
or presuming that other teams are doing similar things. And
(32:04):
then you start digging up skeletons and thirty two different
closets and it becomes problematic. But again, I think this,
I think the punishment is just sort of a joke
because I mean, the pick doesn't matter at all. It
just doesn't matter. And for those of you out there
would say, well, that could be the next Dante High Tower,
all right, it could be. They have all these other picks,
(32:27):
they're not there have been that great at drafting recently. Anyway.
They just utilize them as collateral, which is the right move.
They're just gonna take some swings on these guys. You
bring up an interesting point, Mike, with what you just said.
They don't even know if you're meant to that. They
are worried about other teams, you know, skeletons in the closet. Look,
I'm not a hypocrite. I'm sure there's other teams doing
similar things trying to skirt the rules. They just haven't
(32:48):
been caught yet. I bring you up, well, that would
happen in baseball, the Actions would caught cheating. Every team
in every sport cheats. You're kidding yourself if you don't
think they're every team cheating in some way. How to
the degree of cheating that's different. We don't know that,
but every team cheats, right, I mean, also, the Astros
got caught, Red Sox caught, Look at the Yankees got caught.
(33:11):
Everybody's doing it to some degree. The Act has just
made it so obvious. The Patriots have made it so obviously.
They keep getting caught. They don't care. They're not worried
about the penalties. They know what that's would be a joke.
We don't care. It's worth it. I mean, it's this,
and I really it's more of a I'm not asking you,
I'm just throwing out there. Every time they caught, they
(33:31):
get caught. How many times have they gotten away with it?
I agreed. Look, I don't think there's anybody in the world,
in the NFL world that has any better idea of
how closely these things are decided winning in the margins,
and so what I've talked about many times of the Patriots,
and I think this is just another case of that.
(33:52):
The guy has been involved in nine Super Bowls as
the Patriots. None of them we're blowouts, none of them.
They're all close. He had a ten point win against
the Rams. That's a game in the fourth quarter. He
had a comfortable win against the Eagles. But that's a
game in the fourth quarter. Might have been more comfortable
than the others. The Panthers, the Rams, the Seahawks, on
(34:14):
and on and on. The ones they eagle, the other Eagles,
Super Bowl, the ones they won, the ones they lost
decided by fractions, the Bills game in where he was
the defensive coordinator. The only Super Bowl he's been involved
in that was a blowout was he was defensive quarter
in the six game Giants excuse me, eighty six Giants Broncos.
(34:36):
That's the only one. And that was a game at halftime.
So I'm saying I I say all that to say,
nobody in the NFL world or in the sports world
knows better than Bill Belichick how tight these things are.
And I think if he bend some rules break some rules,
it gets some some super Bowls. That's just the way
I would imagine he's approaching it. And he's probably not
apologetic because he assumes other people are doing it too.
(34:58):
Let's talk about their big three questions. Get to it.
So it's all changed up now. The first thing is
how many games this can't play? I I think it's healthy.
I think he'll be healthy assuming we play opening weeks.
So I mean, could you get hurt during the season. Sure,
if you want to keep, want to give you over
under twelve, I'll give you the over season. I'm over
(35:20):
as well. I'm over Yeah. I think he plays almost
all of them. You know, you got to give him
the occasional you know, bad hammy or something like that, uh,
you know, twisted ankle or something like that. Maybe he
misses a game, maybe they give him a break going
into into they have a where's their bye week? I
think they're bye weeks right in the middle of the season.
So anyway, so I'm with you. I think Camp plays
(35:43):
almost all of them. I don't think they ever completely
believed in staid him. I think that's what this is about. Um,
So that's question number one, number two, and this is
one that I've positive with people online during the week
is that I actually do think that you can slot
Cam into this off as they utilize throws that are
close to the line of scrimmage. It's when Brady has
(36:04):
been really effective over the last several years, uh accepting
last year and where the offense obviously came to a
halt with the amount of injuries that they had, But
Brady's throws were to open guys close to the line
of scrimmage, notably Edelman and even Gronk in a couple
(36:25):
of years back. But do you think that Cam comes
in and can be effective in that similar offense or
they have to change it up for him significantly. Well,
it depends how you look at it. If you want
to tell me that dog keep me all the shot
the short throw short with what Brady did a lot, Yes,
that's what Cam wioks all that he's not good. Would
you put the bullet to mediate or deep? He's got
(36:46):
He generally has the armed for it. We don't know
right now, still wondering how that arms trade there's but
let's assume the arm is there. He has the arm.
We can throw the ball anyway you want, just not
always where you want it. When he throws it right,
the accuracy is just not there. So I wonder that
I think you need and that he can because, like
I said, if he can't run, he's not that same
mobile quarterback. If you're telling you're gonna have him drop
back thirty five times and win, no, he's just not
(37:09):
not consistently. He's not that guy. He's not I don't
want to say a Brady type. I don't mean the goat.
I mean that type of quarterback, drop back quarterback. He's
not a drop back quarterback. He needs to be able
to move. He'll never be able to move like Lamar Jackson. Again,
he probably needs to be able to do at least
what Aaron Rodgers does now, who doesn't run as much
but can escape, you know, that sort of thing. I
think if he can't do that, he's not that guy,
(37:31):
then I think it winks in trouble here. And I
think they've I still think they've upgraded, but not massively.
You know that. I don't think they'd be I don't
think he would get the long term contract he's looking
for from anybody and they see that he can't be
that kind of guy. I agree, with that. I agree
with that. Look, the difference, the difference maker that Cam
is is because he can run. What worries me about
him is and I we've watched him do this is
(37:52):
I've seen him many times during his career really try
to impose his will on other teams, running people over
early games to establish it. I just think that's got
to be over with for him for the most part.
I don't think he can get rid of it completely,
but I just think he has to understand. Look, his
football mortality is sitting right in front of him. I
(38:14):
think he has to realize that to some quarter and
you need that first down. He can no longer put
his head down, no longer put his head down. He's
got slide. Yeah, I'm with you. He just didn't often
do that. But I would suspect he can't adapt, all right,
So give me another That's another big question. As far
as you're concerned with the Pats, we get skilled positions
who can step up here. I mean, you don't have Grounk, right,
(38:37):
you do. You have a couple of rookies at tight end.
You got Matt Lacas, Dalton Keene, who's going to step
up here? While receiver outside of element who's up there
in age? Will he be as good with cam kinsinu
who was banged up the last year. I have to
start a drink and he'd be something to kill Harry.
I mean, who's stepping up to your micon has to
be It has to be Harry. It has they better prayative.
(39:00):
That's the big puss getting who's got Marquises league they
bring over? I mean that when I look at that,
I mean the weapons you you don't stop, you announce
that's four guys. Have ever heard last year or apperceiving
for I know, well, we'll get this next secon. Let's
stop the announcing. Who's in the fantasy industry? Yahoo's go
to war. We're up an interrecting question on Twitter. Sports
(39:20):
grid dot com Betting Insights and entertainment at your fingertips
seven as our team covers the most important topics in
sports wagering, real time odds, predictive betting models, expert picks,
and more want the edge than get on the grid
Sports grid dot Com. Hey, closing out this hour on
(39:42):
the grid talking a lot about the Patriots, like they've
got a lot of stories on a team like this
canna have four stories in a dead period of the NFL.
So let's wrap up. Are we had these questions about
skill players? You said, who would I trade for the
pat skill players? Like another team Jacksonville. That's the only thing.
(40:05):
That's the first team that popped out to me. The
DJ Sharks look pretty good. That's that's somebody brought up.
Man is worth more than any New England player. You've
got Nikila, Harry and Edelman there, And if we're including Jacksonville,
they're not in the player They're not a playoff team'll
be retired by time they get good. Yeah, oh yeah,
just trade No, but they're running back situation is still viable.
(40:28):
Sony Michelle is catching a lot of grief from people
because he doesn't catch passes, and it seems like a
waste of a first round pick to have a non
versa running back. And that's right. But I don't think
Michelle is objectively a bad player. I think for you
fantasy owners out there, if you're in a PPR league, yeah,
he's got a little bit less value, but I think
he's gonna carry the ball a lot, and I think
that he's got opportunities to score. They've Over the last
(40:51):
several years, they've been in the top ten of rushing
attempts almost every year, mainly because they're good. They're running
out the clock at the end of games, right, but
still they've been an effective running team for the most part.
Last year started to fall apart offensive line issues. Michelle
wasn't as good, but he and James White are a
good tandem, so in that sense, they're definitely better than Jacksonville.
(41:14):
Who's who's your new England player on offense? Where you go, oh,
that's the guy you're at defensive? Who you gonna stop
this guy? There's nobody agree, there's nobody you're afraid, there's
no game breaker. Used to be afraid of Brady just
being able to figure it out, and they weren't even
afraid of that at the end of last year. You
know what my biggest concern is, and I don't think
enough people are talking about it. Yeah, this defense was
good last year. They lost a whole bunch of guys. Yes,
(41:35):
they lost a lot of guys. Danny Shelton gone, Kyle
van Noy gone, Harmon out of there and land and
Roberts has been gone. Like there's just a bunch of
guys over the last two years, specifically this year, that
are gone. Uh. They still got the McCardy brothers there,
and they've got Gilmore, Um but one in so I
(41:59):
actually don't think defense is going to be nearly as good.
I think they'll play effectively because Bill is there and
they still got some team leaders there, but I think
they're missing some guys. What I'm really what I'm really
interested about, what's so fascinating about all of this, which
I think people need to really consider, is that next year,
(42:19):
the Pats salary cap wise are a blank canvas. They
owe Shack Mason money, they owe Stefind Gilmore money, and
they can basically get out of every other contract on
the entire team. Doesn't mean they cut McCardy or Edelman,
but they could if they felt like it. Um Accordings
has got a bunch of void years at the end
(42:39):
of his deal, but it's really like Stefan Gilmore and
Shack Mason a guard and that's it. Joe Doney's on
a one year franchise player deal and there's been rumors
about him being traded since this day he signed the
franchise tag, or since the day they tagged him. So
I don't know. I got more questions than just about
the offense. They lost a whole bunch of players. I agree,
(43:00):
and I think this team is. It's just why I
and even if Brady came back, I might have had
Buffalo as still the best team to beat in this division.
Buffalo is going for They made additions New England. Hasn't
they keep losing players? Here was? It wasn't eventually happens everybody,
even Bill and I do agree with you that he'll
make the defense better because of it's built. But the players,
I mean, once again, the name players. It's not like
(43:21):
there's a lot of name players on defense, which makes
the point. And you don't have discuss this before in
prior shows. It's amazing this team is so up against
the cap. When you look at their austin you think
you're thinking, to hell's get paid. Who's making this money?
There's a bottom mid range guys. They're paying their offensive
line collectively a decent amount. It's just that none of
(43:42):
them are household names. Joe Doney's the franchise player, Like,
come on, half of half of football fans don't even
know who he is. Yeah, it's funny how this team
is constructed, and as your maybe Bill is playing for
the blank canvas and he'll go for it then, but
I think he was was purely doing that, and I
think stud would have played this year. I think Bill
still thinks he can win. Yeah, Dante high Tower, he'll
(44:05):
be under contract too, so he's like the third guy.
But it really is just those three. It's like it's
like Dante High Tower, Shack Mason and and it's Stefan Gilmour.
It's crazy because James White, no, Sonny Michelle No, They're
like they're not getting paid big money. So all right, uh,
let's try to move on to another team. You spent
(44:25):
almost an hour in the Patriots and it's making me
want a puke. But in any event, but what's that
Pittsburgh fan? Yeah, sort of Look, you spent an hour
on him there. It really is sort of fascinating all
the things that going on with him now that Cam
is in the mix. Than what was your thank New England.
I don't know what we've been talking about. Thank you
for the content, thank you for the project. Yeah, so
(44:48):
I will put a bow on it by saying like
I'm really interested in it. I'm not like the ah.
I can't believe they got camp for a million bucks,
like any of you could have gotten camp for a
million bucks. Don't complain if the Patriots end up being
good because of it, Why didn't you just do that
to keep him away from the Patrons? I'll put a
bow on. Do they make the playoffs? Yeah, they're in.
They're a lock for me now. Yeah, they offer me too,
(45:10):
So I think I had them in anyway. I didn't thine.
I think it screws over So I seem like the
Browns may not be able to get in now because
Cleanlon'll get it up because you're gonna get in over him.
I would have like them seeing somebody different. But I
think they're in as well. And the bet just for
those of you on Fandel New England and make their Patriots.
Yes minus two thirty no plus one four. So you
(45:33):
gotta pay. You gotta pay a premium in order to
make that bet. But that's a lock as far as
I'm concerned. So um, all right, Buffalo Bills, we only
got a few minutes left here, Buffalo Bills. All right,
we'll do it quick, alright, pick three questions from Buffalo Bills. Obviously, First,
one's Josh Josh. Really it's it's always close. If Josh
(45:56):
Allen is ready to make that next step, then this
is a danger is dangerous football team. I might say,
next step. He doesn't need to be Lamar and Jackson
doesn't need what do you think is next step for him? Good? Good, consistent,
not doing dumb think childish things. Thanks you singing in
a high school football and let me throw the football back,
which for no reason here because I don't want to
(46:17):
get hit and I need a Hail Mary when I
don't need a Hail Mary, that sort of thing. Consistent
football player, he's ready to do that, especially throwing the football.
I know you can run, okay, I know you have athleticism, slide,
get down, don't take those hits, you know. But if
he can do that, dangerous team here, because we know
what defense is, there might be the best day Fens
and football certainly one of them. You know the skill
(46:38):
positions they're getting there, right, you acquire stuff on dis
I may not be a huge Dicks guy as far
as the number one wide receiver, but I think he's
a good compliment to this team of what they needed.
So I think once again it's I hate to put
an all on Josh Allen, and lord knows, the pressure
just got ratcheted up even further on Sunday when Cam
Newton signed. But he could be that quarterback dangerous, dangerous team.
(46:58):
I think he might have the most pressure in the NFL. Yeah,
He's completed fifty eight point eight percent of his passes.
He threw twenty touchdowns, he had nine picks, he ran
four moved down here, he ran four yards and nine touchdowns. Impressive.
He's a good athlete, he really is. But the fifty
(47:19):
eight percent is what's going to worry me forever. His
completion percentage wasn't good in college. It's not It wasn't
good last year. Do I think he took steps forward? Yes?
Do I think there's a ceiling on what he ultimately
is going to be. I do think that. I'm not
a believer that he But here's the thing. What's been
(47:39):
what's become a question that I've asked every year, and
what what I'm really curious to see is that if
a quarterback that is not an elite and I put
that in quotes because it can mean anything you wanted
to mean, quarterback can actually win the Super Bowl, because
(48:00):
that's really the only question that matters, right, Who's there's
only one guy in the last decade that people are like, yeah,
that won the Super Bowl Flacco. Right, In the previous decade,
there was really only one other guy that people are like,
it's Dilfer. So they're both Ravens guys. Everybody else is
Tom Brady and Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton
(48:24):
Manning and Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes. It's a crazy
list of the guys that actually won. Folds is the
other one. Excuse me, I can't leave that out. But
and that was a unique scenario to right, it was
just a sort of a four game run in order
to get there. Five game run, um in order to
(48:45):
But um, it's really the only question you need to
be able to answer. Um. I just don't know. I
can't say I believe it now. I think they can
win the division, but I don't think he's I don't
know that I'd like to see it. I'd be into
sit in seeing it, but I don't know that Josh
Allen is ever gonna get there. I think you're looking
at like, you know a guy that can be really good,
(49:08):
but the rest of the team around him is going
to have to be stupendous, and it's he has to
have a Flacco like run, right, he has to have
a flawless run or a fold like couple of games
in order to do it. But doesn't mean he can't.
It just means that I'm not going to believe it
as easily until I ever see it. I can't know.
I'll go six. I agree with you. I think there
(49:28):
was a ceiling there. He's ever He's never going to
be a superstar, that kind of guy who comes in
starts starts completing fifty pcent of her passes and everybody's like, oh, yeah,
that's a guy. I really see something in him, Like
all right, I don't what makes you happy? Yeah, that's
a huge difference. That would make me thrilled if you
can get there. He's never gonna be in the upper sixties.
He's not that kind of guy. If you just get
(49:50):
the sixty three, sixty four, that's probably what I'm looking for,
a massive number of passes completed, or of course in
the season, you do the numbers, it would be right.
I just think I think he can get better, But
I do think there's so much pressure on him that
worries me because I think, once again there's something maturity
here that he needs to grow up a little bit.
I think he's going to feel that pressure. I think
(50:10):
it's good that he plays in Buffalo and not Dallas
on New York, you know, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New England,
one of those heavy media sit in fact that he
does play in New York. I again, I just feel
like I said, uh, not down state New York. I
think that helps him next with Buffalo sort of buried
up there. So I think that's a good news for them.
That being said, I said he might have. I definitely
(50:31):
believe he's top five with the players with the most
pressure on them this season. Yeah. I mean, if if
you are a Bills fan out there and you're hating
everything I'm saying, I would say to offer encouragement. Ben
Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl in two thousand five, and
he played an absolutely terrible football game. Um, Josh didn't
even play that bad of a game in the Josh
(50:51):
Allen didn't play that bad of a game against the
Texans in that playoff game. He got crazy at the end,
throwing footballs away and making really boneheaded plays. But that
there's something you can bounce back on. Right. That was
Roethlisberger's second year. They won the Super Bowl. He had
a tremendous defense and skills players around and skill players
(51:13):
around him. But I think it's something that, look, they
can build some more around him. I think there's room
for improvement, and I think that, yeah, he could win
a Super Bowl. But this team, like right now, this
is sort of a loaded team. Isn't the best wide
receiving corps I've ever seen? No, but Diggs, Brown and
Beasley it's the best one in that the best one
in that division, that's for sure. And running back solid
(51:38):
knocks Tyler Crofts. It's it's solid. It's a solid group.
It's not great, but it's it's a solid group. And
they have some depth there. They can afford injurate onl
with every position. And the defensive depth is crazy so
as good. It's to me, it's the best defensive depth
in the whole league. Could the Niners play better than them,
Steelers play better than them, yes, But if you start
(52:00):
going down the list and look at the backups on
this team, you got like they got. If they have injuries,
they don't have major problems depending on where that position is.
It's a really good team. I think mcdermot's and McDermott
and Brandon being have done an excellent job of creating
the team in their image. And I still think right now,
(52:20):
I think it's a dog fight right now in this division.
I actually probably at this point with the cam Netons
signing side with the Pats, but it's close. I'm going
with Buffalo. I think they, I think really win the division.
I think they have a third best team or these
right today with the Calls right behind Chiefs and Ravens.
Sports grid dot Com Betting insides and entertainment at your
(52:41):
fingertips as our team covers the most important topics in
sports wagering, real time odds, predictive betting models, expert picks,
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