CLNS Media's Taylor Kyles and Mike Kadlick preview Patriots OTA practice.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - What's going on everybody.
00:19 Welcome back into another episode of Pat's Daily
00:22 here on the CLNS Media Network
00:23 powered by PrizePix and GameTime.
00:26 I am Mike Kadlik, he is Taylor Kiles,
00:28 and we are here to preview the Patriots'
00:30 second Open to the Media OTA of the off-season.
00:34 Patriots are well on their way in the off-season program.
00:37 Rookies are here, veterans are here,
00:39 and they've been on the field here and there
00:41 over the course of the last couple of weeks.
00:42 And Wednesday afternoon will be the second one,
00:45 as I mentioned, Open to the Media.
00:46 So we're gonna get into everything we think,
00:49 what we wanna see, what we're looking forward to,
00:52 what to keep our eyes on, and what you fans
00:54 may be able to take away from this session as well.
00:56 So Taylor, before we get into it,
00:58 how the heck you doing, man?
00:59 How was your weekend?
01:00 How's everything going?
01:01 - It was good, bud.
01:01 I was down in New York with girlfriend's family,
01:04 so that was fun, but I am exhausted.
01:07 We got back, we started driving back
01:08 at like four o'clock in the morning,
01:09 so I was running on fumes, you know?
01:12 I'm still excited, no TAs are here,
01:13 that's getting me some fire,
01:14 but yeah, it was a busy weekend.
01:16 - I'm with you, Memorial Day weekend.
01:18 I was at a wedding, came home,
01:20 just now I'm throwing my camera all around.
01:21 I was at a wedding Sunday night,
01:23 then I was up late for the Celtics last night,
01:25 so I am running on fumes, but like you said,
01:28 it is a quick turnaround because we have OTAs tomorrow
01:31 and we got a pre-room today.
01:32 So let's get right into it because I think,
01:36 you know, we can talk about,
01:39 I guess wide receivers are interesting,
01:40 but we can talk about guards
01:41 and we can talk about defense
01:43 and we can talk about coaching
01:44 and, you know, we'll get into all of that
01:45 and I think that that's a level of interest for sure,
01:48 but the number one thing is the quarterbacks
01:49 and it's always gonna be the quarterbacks,
01:51 especially with the number one pick, Drake May being here.
01:54 I know that the OTA number one that was open to media,
01:57 I was not there as I kind of beat home
02:00 in our mailbag with Doug the other day, I was not there,
02:03 but what I took away from everyone that was down there
02:06 was that Bailey Zappi was in front of Drake May
02:09 in the rotation, in the order, got a little bit more reps.
02:12 And I think we sort of, you know,
02:15 attested that to just depth chart positioning,
02:19 you're a rookie, you know,
02:20 you still have to earn your spot, yada, yada, yada,
02:22 but the truth is they need to get this guy ready.
02:24 And so let's sort of get into the QB rotation
02:29 and what you think is gonna happen on Wednesday,
02:31 because I know that was a little contentious,
02:33 people were like, you know, why are they worrying about this?
02:36 Why don't they just get Drake May ready?
02:38 Who cares about Bailey Zappi, whatever.
02:39 So what are you looking to see?
02:40 What do you think we're gonna see?
02:42 And, you know, what are you gonna keep your eye
02:44 on in the quarterbacks on Wednesday?
02:46 - Yeah, so I think it'll show us
02:47 how they view OTA specifically,
02:49 'cause after this, obviously we have many camp
02:51 than training camp.
02:52 So from what we saw last week,
02:54 it really did seem like it was veterans at the top,
02:56 which makes perfect sense.
02:57 You do, like, obviously the rookies have numbers,
03:00 but they still do need to earn their spot.
03:01 So I thought it made sense that day
03:03 to see Bailey Zappi is really the number two.
03:06 And then when they split off into separate units,
03:08 you did see really with the offense
03:10 that you're expecting to be the starters,
03:12 it was Jacoby Bursette and then Drake May.
03:14 And on the other field,
03:15 it was Bailey Zappi and Joe Milton.
03:16 So you kind of got a preview of, okay, like, yes,
03:19 clearly Drake May is the guy
03:21 they're trying to get to be QB to.
03:23 If they continue with OTAs being that kind of vibe
03:26 where it's really the veterans are first
03:28 and these young guys have to earn it,
03:29 I'm not gonna overreact, but still, I mean,
03:32 Doug was saying it in the mailbag show
03:33 when he's been on record as saying that
03:35 it doesn't make as much sense
03:36 to get Bailey Zappi those reps
03:38 because he shouldn't be in your plans.
03:39 Now, it was on record as saying,
03:42 because Albert Breard reported that the Patriots
03:44 wanted to get it down to like three quarterbacks,
03:46 but the way he phrased it,
03:47 it kind of sounded like they just wanted
03:49 kind of a top three in that fourth guy,
03:51 you know, if that's Joe Milton,
03:53 is gonna kind of be there, but not get a lot of reps,
03:55 then Gerard Mayo-
03:56 - The camp arm, the guy who's here,
03:57 the Trace McSorley, the Garrett Gilbert
04:00 from a few years ago, right, exactly.
04:01 - Exactly, but then Gerard Mayo made it sound
04:03 like he wanted them to have three quarterbacks,
04:05 which obviously you just drafted two quarterbacks
04:07 and Jacoby Bursette is someone
04:09 who could start games for you,
04:10 so that means Bailey Zappi is probably the odd man out.
04:12 But then it's like, okay,
04:14 then you're in a situation where Jacoby Bursette
04:16 did get injured a couple of times last season,
04:18 so are you comfortable saying, you know,
04:20 even if Drake May's not quite ready,
04:21 we will throw him in because we wanna get in these reps?
04:24 So it'll be really interesting to see how that's divvied up
04:26 because I think if you are saying,
04:28 we don't want Drake to play because he's not ready yet,
04:31 you know, in the first month of the season, let's say,
04:33 you'd like to have Bailey Zappi as your backup
04:35 because he's played NFL snaps,
04:37 but at the same time, this is a new offense,
04:39 so you could get another backup quarterback
04:41 who has experience,
04:42 it's not like they're impossible to find.
04:44 - No, that's a good point.
04:45 - It's gonna be interesting
04:46 if they continue to go with veterans first
04:48 or if you do see them say, okay, yeah,
04:50 now we're gonna go with the guys who need these reps
04:53 and need to start working with these receivers
04:54 we're gonna have out here,
04:55 and that's Jacoby Bursette and Drake May.
04:57 - Well, 'cause I was gonna say too,
04:58 like, before you mentioned the fact
05:00 that you can kind of just get another camp arm in here,
05:02 like, my whole thing is,
05:04 why are we rushing Bailey Zappi out the door so fast?
05:07 Like, I know that, you know, if, you know,
05:12 if things went south,
05:13 there could be a chance that he kind of, you know,
05:16 throws a, I don't know, I don't, put it this way,
05:18 I don't see him being like a cancer in the quarterback room
05:21 and trying to think that he's something he's not.
05:23 I don't think he's like that.
05:25 I think it's not like you are loaded with talent
05:30 where roster spots are at a premium right now
05:32 and it's like, well, we kind of gotta get rid
05:34 of a quarterback because we need to bring somebody else in
05:37 and we don't wanna cut this guy, you know what I'm saying?
05:38 So like, you need bodies, you need arms,
05:41 you're at 90 people right now,
05:43 or I don't even think they've approached 90.
05:44 So as long as Bailey Zappi understands his place
05:47 in the room, knows he's a camp arm, knows he's here,
05:49 and frankly, knows he's still getting paid and has a job,
05:52 I don't think he's gonna, you know,
05:54 throw a fit and be upset that he's not getting the reps
05:56 that maybe he thinks he deserves
05:58 because, you know, they did sign Jacoby,
06:00 they did bring in Drake May.
06:01 It's no secret what the plan is here.
06:03 So if there's an understanding that he's just here
06:07 to help out, get paid, get reps to play quarterback,
06:11 I don't like, just keep him on the roster
06:14 until you have to cut people down.
06:15 I don't think there's really that big of a problem
06:17 if he's just there throwing passes.
06:19 - And to be fair, like you said,
06:20 he needs to know his place in the room.
06:22 - Right.
06:23 - And he has said in the past, like, he thinks he is QB1,
06:26 and we know the veteran receivers like him
06:27 'cause they've known him for a while.
06:29 - Sure.
06:30 - I do kind of question whether he is truly okay
06:34 with that kind of designation, or if it's not just,
06:36 'cause every quarterback, obviously, like Jacoby Brissett
06:38 said, everybody wants to be the guy.
06:40 - Of course.
06:41 - But there's also like, okay, are you making it
06:43 kind of weird because you wanna be the guy,
06:45 where it's like, all right, man,
06:46 like, we don't really know what this is.
06:48 You can still fight, but like, you know,
06:51 maybe read the room a little bit.
06:53 If that's an issue, then that's where I'm like,
06:55 yeah, move on from Bailey Zappi.
06:56 And it sounded like last year, like obviously him and Mack
06:59 had a weird dynamic there, where it seemed like
07:01 Zappi took the opportunity to bond with the receivers.
07:03 So if he is, you know, a positive locker room presence,
07:06 I agree, it doesn't make any sense to get rid of him.
07:08 He's 4-4 in his career as a backup,
07:10 and that's considering last season,
07:12 he was not dealt a very great hand by the time
07:15 they really gave him the keys.
07:17 Guys were dropping every single week.
07:19 Like the games that they won just seemed like
07:21 once we went in thinking they had no chance.
07:23 So I don't really get why people are so quick
07:26 to get rid of him.
07:27 But again, the only way that I could justify that
07:29 is if it's like, yeah, this,
07:30 we really would just rather have our young guys.
07:33 And Jacoby is the guy who knows how to deal
07:35 with this kind of situation versus guy like Zappi,
07:37 who still hasn't proven a ton in his career
07:40 where you could see a team jump to sign him.
07:42 I think there are reasons too, 'cause again,
07:43 he's held things together somewhat at times,
07:46 but also like, yeah, he is inaccurate at times
07:48 and he is super inconsistent.
07:49 And he hasn't shown for a full 60 minutes,
07:51 like, oh, you know, I'm definitely comfortable
07:54 with him starting multiple games.
07:55 It's really like, all right, he's done it,
07:56 maybe he continues to develop.
07:58 So yeah, but ideally you'd like to see Drake May
08:01 as soon as possible, start getting reps
08:03 so he can get more comfortable
08:04 and we really start to see the best that he can do
08:06 by having a relationship with these receivers.
08:08 - And the other thing I wonder is like, okay,
08:10 game one, game two, where the plan is clear
08:13 that this is at least for the first couple of games,
08:15 it's quote unquote, red shirt, Drake May, right?
08:17 As if we might not even want him to dress as a backup
08:20 because say Jacoby gets hurt in game one,
08:22 we don't wanna throw him into the fire too early.
08:25 Is that a reason to at least keep Bailey Zappi around?
08:27 Because I mean, in theory you could dress Joe Milton
08:31 and Joe Milton could be your emergency backup
08:33 and you don't care what you do
08:36 to his development type thing, right?
08:38 - Yeah, Joe Milton should not be singing NFL field.
08:40 That's also like the big question.
08:40 - Of course, I'm not saying that.
08:42 - But like I feel like that needs to be remembered
08:44 is if there's a backup,
08:45 like you're ideally not having Joe Milton
08:47 see an NFL field preseason.
08:49 Yeah, it's gonna be a blast, I'm sure.
08:51 - Right.
08:52 - But he's very much a developmental prospect right now.
08:54 - And so that's why it's like, again,
08:56 I don't really see the reason
08:57 to get Bailey out of here that fast
08:59 'cause he can serve as your backup
09:01 while you're still getting Drake Mayberry.
09:02 Now you're not gonna keep four quarterbacks, I don't think.
09:05 So is Joe Milton a risk to get scooped up off waivers
09:07 if you do release him?
09:08 Like, I don't see him being cut
09:11 before the end of training camp.
09:12 I think you drafted him, he's in draft pick for a reason.
09:14 Like, there's no way that he's the next guy out.
09:16 So I just wonder the,
09:18 I shouldn't say I wonder the validity of Brewer's report.
09:20 I believe that that is something that he's reporting,
09:22 but I just wonder why.
09:24 Like, it doesn't seem right for them
09:25 to dwindle down the room so early
09:27 when you have a guy like Zappi.
09:28 - But that's what you had Norm seem to say
09:30 before practice last time. - I know.
09:32 - So I really do think he does wanna cut some,
09:35 and again, it's just saying that it's impossible.
09:39 You're not gonna cut Joe.
09:40 And obviously anybody else,
09:41 you know, it is a weird situation,
09:43 but again, that's what we'll be looking for.
09:45 So we'll see how the reps get divvied up.
09:47 And if you do see Bailey is kind of slipping
09:49 or it's clearly Mack is that second guy,
09:51 I think that's probably the signal that, okay,
09:53 he's probably on the outside looking in.
09:55 - And the one other thing I wanna look at
09:57 in the quarterback room too is,
09:58 again, we watched it last time,
10:00 but who's in Drake's Maze here?
10:01 Who is kind of talking him?
10:02 Who is working through the plays with him?
10:05 When they split up, is it him and Jacoby again?
10:07 And then Zappi and Milton on the other side of the field?
10:09 Like who, you know, they mentioned
10:12 and Gerard mentioned a couple of weeks ago
10:13 where you don't want, you know,
10:16 you have the one guy in the year
10:17 and it's gonna be AVP for Drake May rather,
10:21 but you're also gonna have Ben McAdoo around there
10:24 and TC McCartney.
10:25 And is it too many cooks in the kitchen?
10:27 Now, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing
10:29 as long as they're all preaching the same thing, right?
10:31 But if there's, you know, miscommunication there
10:33 with have you, but I wanna keep an eye on to his,
10:37 not only coaches, but you know,
10:38 how Jacoby Brissette's helping him out.
10:40 And is he standoffish?
10:41 Is he helping him out with his, you know,
10:43 his reps and kind of that kind of stuff?
10:44 'Cause that's the stuff that's so huge in this too,
10:46 is what Jacoby's role will be in Drake Maze development.
10:51 So I'm gonna keep an eye on that as well.
10:54 - Yeah, and it's kind of just getting
10:55 different perspectives where maybe Jacoby
10:57 can kind of bridge that gap between Drake
10:59 and Alex Van Pelt even more so,
11:01 like obviously Van Pelt used to be a player.
11:03 So he gives you kind of that edge
11:05 and that different type of perspective again.
11:08 But Jacoby still is the one who's actively doing it,
11:10 has seen all these different systems,
11:12 can maybe bring his own spin.
11:14 But I do think like when we were in practice,
11:16 again, when they split up,
11:17 it was Ben McAdoo pretty much running
11:19 the second team offense.
11:21 So that was pretty interesting
11:22 because this is a guy who knows the system.
11:23 It's like they came up in Green Bay together.
11:25 So these are guys who do know how to speak the same language.
11:28 And of course, like you can't act like ego
11:31 doesn't get involved.
11:32 So you do hope that these guys aren't trying to like
11:35 get the most amount of credit for the development.
11:37 Like TC McCartney, I'm sure will be in the mix as well.
11:39 Drake may named him.
11:40 So I think he is hearing from different guys,
11:42 but I do think it's Alex Van Pelt
11:45 at the top of the pecking order,
11:46 whereas Jacoby's already been in the system.
11:48 You don't really need to teach him.
11:50 So that allows rather than having like Ben McAdoo
11:52 or TC McCartney be the guy,
11:54 'cause really quarterback coaches,
11:56 as long as it's not the offensive coordinator,
11:58 they tend to really talk to more of the backups.
12:00 And it's the offensive coordinator,
12:01 if they are that type of like Josh McDaniels,
12:03 Alex Van Pelt type,
12:04 where they've worked with quarterbacks,
12:05 where they're really talking to the main guy.
12:07 You don't really need to do that with Jacoby.
12:08 Like you can kind of just make sure he's,
12:11 you know, up to speed and everything.
12:12 - Run the offense that you know,
12:14 and I can worry about Drake.
12:15 - Exactly.
12:16 Maybe like Ben McAdoo kind of hones
12:18 into some of the finer things,
12:19 like when Alex Van Pelt's running other things.
12:22 You know, again,
12:22 you don't want too many chefs in the kitchen,
12:24 but the fact that these guys have worked together,
12:26 where TC McCartney did work with Alex Van Pelt
12:29 for a few years in Cleveland.
12:30 And again, Van Pelt and McAdoo both worked together
12:32 for a while in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers,
12:34 we know how that kind of system worked.
12:36 And we know that they watched Aaron Rodgers tape.
12:38 So there's going to be some carry over into that.
12:40 So again, I think it's Alex Van Pelt at the top,
12:43 Ben McAdoo maybe when Van Pelt can't be as active.
12:45 And then I really think TC McCartney is kind of like
12:48 almost your potential like OC in training kind of guy.
12:52 Well, you want him to kind of elevate to the point
12:54 where he becomes a true like bonafide quarterbacks coach,
12:57 but these other two guys are just so experienced.
12:59 I don't think you want to put too much on his plate either.
13:01 - Yeah. So it'll be fun. It'll be exciting.
13:03 I think the quarterbacks is again, A1 tier one
13:05 as the things we're going to watch and keep an eye on.
13:08 Also going to be the rest of the offense
13:10 and the wide receivers, even the guards.
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14:17 All right, so let's get into the wide receiver room now,
14:23 Taylor, because yes, quarterbacks, great fun, all on good,
14:26 but you know, they don't do anything
14:27 if their wide receivers don't catch the football.
14:29 And the Patriots drafted a couple of them
14:31 in the NFL draft last month.
14:34 Can't believe it's already last month.
14:35 This off season's flying by,
14:37 but we do have Jalen Polk and Javon Baker on the docket
14:41 to sort of get into the mix.
14:44 And what did you see?
14:46 I'm curious what you're thinking about, you know,
14:50 as far as where they should play, how early they should play.
14:53 I know you've been an advocate for them to kind of get
14:55 in there as soon as possible,
14:56 but with what you saw in OTA number one that was open,
15:00 what did sort of the first group look like?
15:02 How often did those rookies get rolled in?
15:05 You know, we can even loop Jaheim Bell into this
15:06 at tight end because we do have Hunter Henry
15:08 and Austin Hoover, but you know,
15:09 Jaheim Bell's seventh round pick who you tweeted
15:11 a bunch of film out from him very early this morning.
15:14 I was rolling out of bed and I see Jaheim Bell running
15:16 as a running back and I'm like, I haven't even, you know,
15:19 rubbed the crust out of my eyes
15:20 and Taylor's already crunching the film.
15:22 But so what do you think about the pass catcher room
15:25 in general, what are you looking for on Wednesday
15:28 as opposed to what you saw last week?
15:30 - Yeah, so again, it was really veteran heavy
15:33 at the top of the depth chart.
15:34 The first team offensive weren't a lot
15:35 of rookies contributing.
15:37 He didn't see Jalen Polk at times when there was a young guy
15:39 from what I noticed and that makes sense.
15:41 A second round pick, you're expecting that he's probably
15:43 gonna be in the mix, if not in some packages
15:45 before he gets really comfortable.
15:47 Ideally, he can seize a starting role for you
15:50 and the way that he run blocks especially.
15:52 That's why I really think that he's gonna have
15:54 an immediate role for this team is I think he's gonna walk
15:56 onto the team as your best run blocker in terms
15:58 of his ability to take on so many different types
16:01 of assignments, bring toughness and energy.
16:03 So he was kind of at Z when I did see young guys.
16:06 I didn't see Javon Baker, but also it makes sense.
16:10 I think they were trying to really just give Taekwon Thornton
16:13 most of the run at X.
16:14 Like he really was the guy for them there
16:16 which still is interesting.
16:17 And then it was KJ Osborne more as the Z
16:20 and then Jaheim Bell, I didn't notice him
16:22 with the top offense much at all either.
16:23 It really was Hunter Henry and Austin Cooper
16:25 when they were using those packages.
16:27 So I'm hoping that we can see Javon Foster start
16:30 to seize that X role because he does pretty well.
16:32 - Javon Baker.
16:33 - Yeah, what did I say?
16:35 - Foster.
16:35 - I almost said it before and I did it that time.
16:38 Damn.
16:39 - That's all right.
16:40 - Javon Baker.
16:41 I do think that he is the best fit as that X
16:43 where he can separate, he has enough juice to win downfield.
16:46 I've seen some talk kind of pick up
16:51 about how he's like a good possession receiver
16:53 and how he's a good contested catch guy
16:55 but that's not all he is.
16:56 Like he needs to be more consistent in his route running
16:58 but this is a dynamic athlete.
17:00 Again, four star recruit who went to Bama for a reason.
17:03 And then Jaheim Bell is someone I think he's
17:07 so there's like backups and there's role players.
17:09 And I think Jaheim Bell is someone who,
17:11 Austin Hooper to me is more of like a backup
17:13 or just a tight end to where he's like another body
17:16 who can do everything and he's smart and he knows
17:17 the offense, but Jaheim Bell is someone I think
17:19 they're going to scheme touches for specifically.
17:22 - Yeah.
17:23 - Like on the play action stuff and screens design touches.
17:25 Like that's kind of what I was breaking down
17:26 is all these different ways you can use him.
17:28 And I do think we're going to see, especially on early down
17:31 some ways to get him involved in clever ways.
17:33 May not see it this early.
17:34 Again, I didn't really see him as part of the starting lineup
17:37 but it will be encouraging if we can start seeing him
17:39 kind of mix into certain packages, whether or not
17:41 they're going to show us this early, who knows.
17:43 But I think he can do so many things.
17:45 Earlier we see him kind of contribute
17:47 on some of those base of looks.
17:49 Then we'll start to see his role kind of expand.
17:51 And he said he's open to learning whatever position
17:54 that they want him to play
17:55 because he's played every position.
17:56 So yeah, it's another one I'll be looking out for.
17:58 - And the other thing I want to sort of,
18:01 not that I want to make sure they do it.
18:03 I'm looking to see if they do is like who they pair
18:06 with Drake May as opposed to, you know, Jacoby.
18:09 And when they put Drake May in the quote unquote
18:11 starting offense, is it more so with Baker and Polk
18:14 rather than Juju and Tyquan and KJ Osborne?
18:17 Because like, yes, you want him to be ready
18:19 with the guys who are on the team now.
18:21 But I mean, we've talked about it.
18:22 KJ Osborne's on a one-year deal.
18:23 Tyquan Thornton has two years left, including this year
18:28 but he's a guy who people don't really know
18:29 if he's going to make the team.
18:30 Juju Smith-Schuster, also two years left
18:33 but is he going to be here?
18:34 Are they going to try and trade him?
18:35 Is Kendrick Bourne going to be healthy?
18:38 Like, so, you know, you have to get him reps
18:40 with the guys who are here and who are going to quote
18:41 unquote start week one, but you also want to get him
18:44 on the same page with Javon Baker and Jalen Polk,
18:46 guys who are on four-year deals
18:48 or who will be on four-year deals once they sign.
18:51 I believe Baker signed this past week.
18:53 - In that category. - Yeah, right.
18:56 So I want to see how he can develop with them.
18:59 And if when they do turn the offense over to Drake May,
19:02 if they then also sort of start to turn over the offense
19:04 to the young guys as well, because, you know
19:06 you want them to be consistent on the same page,
19:08 know what they're doing together
19:10 rather than you turn it over to Drake May,
19:12 you don't trust the wide receivers yet, call it.
19:14 And, you know, and then they're behind the eight ball
19:17 and then it kind of just could potentially spiral from there.
19:19 So anything else on sort of the position groupings
19:24 that you're curious on skill-wise, I know running back
19:27 I mean, Antonio Gibson, what did you see from Gibson?
19:31 Again, I wasn't there.
19:32 I hate to do this, so I'm kind of throwing it to you
19:34 but like what did the running back look like
19:35 or running back room look like, anything from the rookies
19:39 on sort of the first team side
19:40 or was it more so from Andre Gibson?
19:43 - Really just from Andre and Gibson with the starters
19:45 but it was a lot like what we saw last year in camp
19:47 with Zeke, once he actually, once he got there
19:49 for training camp where he split back field stuff
19:52 where Zeke was kind of-
19:53 - I love that, I love that with him and Gibson.
19:55 That's going to be good.
19:56 - And it's perfect, yeah, you did see,
19:58 clearly Antonio Gibson's going to have
19:59 I think a pretty significant role in this offense,
20:01 gives them a skill set they haven't had in so long
20:03 where Ramondre is a good pass catcher
20:06 and he's dynamic after the catch and in space
20:08 and all those things, but he's not a great route runner
20:10 'cause guy's almost like 240 pounds.
20:12 He's a really big running back
20:13 and Gibson is a big guy as well,
20:15 but he carries it differently
20:16 because he has that wide receiver background.
20:18 So I do think they're going to,
20:20 and this is what Alex Van Pelt did a ton
20:22 with Cleveland's offense.
20:23 I think he's going to bring it over is,
20:24 it was a lot of positionless football
20:26 where you're seeing like David Njoku in the slot
20:28 and then a receiver blocking on the backside
20:30 like he's a tight end.
20:31 And they didn't do it as much with the running backs
20:33 'cause it didn't really seem like their skill set,
20:35 but like he's putting wide receivers at running back.
20:37 Really he'll move you all over the place
20:39 to give defenses a lot of weird kind of funky looks
20:41 which I'm excited to see.
20:43 That was one thing you watched the offense.
20:44 They don't get a lot of credit,
20:45 but Cleveland's offense did do some fun stuff.
20:47 And I feel like that's going to carry over with Gibson.
20:49 Another one in terms of the pass catchers
20:51 I'll be looking for is what's up with Juju
20:53 because he said he was a hundred percent.
20:55 And I know last year he said that,
20:57 but I think we all knew that that wasn't really true.
21:00 Like he didn't sound like he meant it.
21:02 It sounded like, I just don't want people going around
21:04 saying my knee is going to explode inside my leg.
21:07 But this year he really did sound like conviction
21:09 that he is healthier, which is matched up with the timeline
21:12 for when you have an ACL injury.
21:14 I don't think it was a tear or anything.
21:15 I don't think it was anything like,
21:17 do you remember it was a partial tear or something?
21:19 - I think so.
21:20 He was, again, he was nursing something in his knee
21:22 throughout the post-season with the Chiefs that year.
21:24 And I think it just kind of carried over to the off season.
21:26 I don't remember exactly what the diagnosis was.
21:28 - Yeah.
21:29 But you know, it would make sense now
21:30 that he's got a year removed.
21:31 We saw against Pittsburgh,
21:32 he finally started looking like what you expected
21:35 and then he lands on injured reserves.
21:37 But still, I saw Kwon Baker in the lineup before him.
21:40 Honestly, again, in my head,
21:42 sometimes I forget Juju's on the roster.
21:43 - Yeah.
21:44 - It was kind of the same thing.
21:45 I didn't see him much.
21:46 When I did, I was like, oh yeah, right.
21:47 Juju's still here.
21:48 So, you know, if he can contribute,
21:51 that adds good competition to the receiver room.
21:53 I think you have a good group of like three or four veterans
21:56 who are really interesting guys who could contribute
21:58 if maybe the younger guys take more time.
22:00 But ideally you do want those young guys
22:02 to establish themselves and carve out rules early on.
22:04 So yeah, I'll be looking to see what's going on
22:06 with Juju 'cause I thought it was interesting
22:07 that he didn't seem like a prominent part
22:10 of the starting offense considering, you know,
22:12 he's healthier.
22:13 - Yeah, and who he is and what is sort of his,
22:16 I guess his experience in the league.
22:17 Frankly, what contract he's on, a three-year deal,
22:20 which was worth a decent amount of money.
22:21 So it is definitely worth noting
22:23 that he wasn't really in that starting bunch last week.
22:26 We'll see what happens on Wednesday.
22:27 Before we get into the defense,
22:30 let's talk about the guard rotation
22:32 because we know that last week it was City So at left guard
22:37 and Nick Leverett at right guard,
22:39 Layton Robinson, I guess working in a little bit.
22:41 No Cole Strange, Cole Strange will be out
22:43 at least to start the season,
22:45 if not close to the midway through.
22:46 So are you expecting the same?
22:49 Do you think it should be the same?
22:50 Do you want to see a little bit more of a guy
22:53 like Layton Robinson get in the mix this early?
22:54 Do you want to see Caden Wallace get in over there?
22:56 Like what are you looking at in terms
22:58 of the interior offensive line
23:00 and what you want to see from them on Wednesday?
23:02 - I'm starting to think we really can't look too much
23:04 into what the rotation looks like, honestly,
23:06 because they released pictures for practice.
23:09 So there was some from sessions where we weren't there.
23:12 And I saw a Tony Amalfi at left guard next to David Andrews
23:14 which Kobe was at at quarterback.
23:16 And then at right guard, it's Michael Jordan.
23:18 So I really do think they're trying to give people
23:20 opportunities to win these jobs.
23:22 I still do think City So was someone
23:24 that they think shows promise.
23:25 And that's for me watching the tape,
23:27 I thought it all throughout last year.
23:28 It's like, yeah, it's not perfect,
23:30 but he's showing a lot of good flashes
23:31 and you try to play him a tackle the entire summer.
23:33 And then we're like, okay, yeah, now move to guard
23:35 opposite the spot where he played in college.
23:37 So in terms of natural positions,
23:39 I do like the idea of City So at left guard.
23:42 If he holds it down and somebody else establishes himself
23:44 at right, then he gets to play his natural spot.
23:46 If Cole Strange comes back and he has to flop, well, okay.
23:49 Then he's already in a position where he's done it before.
23:51 - Yeah, right.
23:51 - Exactly.
23:52 And it seems like they're trying to cross train these guys.
23:55 We've seen Antonio Maffi taking snaps at center,
23:58 also kind of on a sidebar.
23:59 I thought it was interesting.
24:00 There was a picture where all four of the quarterbacks
24:03 were taking snaps from centers.
24:05 There was David Andrews, there was Antonio Maffi,
24:07 there was Nick Leverett.
24:10 There was one more guy, I forget who it was.
24:13 - Was it Michael Jordan?
24:15 - Not Michael Jordan, oh, Charles Turner,
24:17 the undrafted group. - Oh yeah, okay.
24:19 - But there was no Jake Andrews.
24:21 Now we don't even know if he was at practice.
24:22 I have no idea what the context is,
24:24 so I don't wanna overreact,
24:25 but I mean, that group does make sense
24:27 considering they're giving Antonio Maffi
24:28 a pretty significant run in terms of snapping
24:30 and playing center.
24:32 Again, trying to cross train these guys
24:33 and see how much value they have outside of just one spot.
24:36 So I would expect that,
24:40 expect still sounds like a harsh word
24:41 because I really don't know, but-
24:43 - Yeah, right.
24:44 - Well, again, a left guard does make sense.
24:45 Nick Leverett just seems like the natural pick it right guard
24:48 if you're trying to get somebody in opposite city
24:50 until Lydon Robinson establishes himself.
24:52 But I know that Phil Perry had an interview with Jim Nagy
24:56 where he was saying that they didn't really get
24:58 to plug Lydon Robinson very much because,
25:00 I guess it's harder to kind of put Lyman on a pedestal
25:03 when there's so many skilled players that get more buzz.
25:05 But he said that he thought that Lydon Robinson
25:07 was one of the best performers,
25:09 was somebody who could be a starter.
25:10 And when you watch the reps, like he's stones guys.
25:12 He's a really good pass protector where,
25:14 if you're talking about all the guys
25:16 that Pats took last year, other than City,
25:17 so I think he's like head and shoulders better
25:20 than any of those guys,
25:21 which he was drafted higher than most of them,
25:23 it makes sense.
25:24 Like even a Jake Andrews,
25:25 I don't think Jake Andrews has a really clear path
25:27 to playing anytime soon, but Lydon does.
25:30 So I like that battle between him and Nick LaVrette.
25:32 LaVrette has experience, if the system works well,
25:35 he should be able to hold it down at least.
25:37 And then if Lydon plays to the expectations
25:39 that you have for him, he should be able to enter
25:41 the lineup and give you some quality snaps.
25:43 So yeah, City and Lydon is obviously ideal,
25:46 but I also am okay with Nick LaVrette.
25:49 If Michael Jordan establishes himself,
25:51 I think that's kind of a long shot at this point.
25:53 He's a young player, but he's been in the league
25:54 for a while and he's never really been a guy
25:57 who established himself throughout his career.
25:59 So a lot of different permutations.
26:01 Maybe we see more of a Tony Omafia guard than we've seen,
26:03 'cause he's went back and forth, but more at center.
26:06 So yeah, it'll be-
26:07 - And it's so important to remember,
26:10 I think, like how early it is.
26:11 Like it's May 28th.
26:13 So like you see a guy like Nick LaVrette
26:15 taking the right guard snaps, right?
26:16 And it's like, well now granted,
26:18 they brought him in for a reason,
26:19 but it's also like, oh, you drafted all these guys
26:21 for the last two years and Lydon Robbins is there.
26:23 Why isn't he there?
26:24 And what's wrong with the Tony Omafia and blah, blah.
26:26 It's like, all right, let's just take a step back.
26:28 Like they're seeing what they have.
26:30 LaVrette's experienced.
26:31 Like Cole Strange is hurt.
26:33 Siddy So has played.
26:34 And so it's like, it had also-
26:36 - They're not in pads yet.
26:38 - Right, they're not in pads yet.
26:39 And now we do need something to talk about on May 28th.
26:42 And that's why we do an ATA podcast
26:44 and I don't wanna say overreact,
26:45 but kind of overreact to what we see and what we don't see.
26:49 That's what we have to do.
26:49 But it's not the end of the world
26:51 if you guys like Lydon Robbins
26:53 and are getting their reps either.
26:54 So before we get into defense,
26:56 before we wrap this thing up,
26:57 we're gonna hit on cornerbacks.
26:59 We're gonna hit on Matthew Judon.
27:00 We're gonna hit on a overarching topic
27:01 on the team's discipline.
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28:29 - All right, let's talk about the cornerback room
28:33 because it's Christian Gonzalez, obviously.
28:37 It's Jonathan Jones, obviously.
28:39 What do you wanna see from cornerback three?
28:41 We have Marcus Jones, we have Alex Austin,
28:42 we have Marco Wilson.
28:44 Guys who, we mentioned it last show, again, with Doug,
28:47 that I was on with you.
28:49 It's kind of a who's who at that third position.
28:52 It's guys who flashed at the end of the last season,
28:55 but you don't know how reliable they're gonna be.
28:57 And frankly, look, I am the biggest advocate
29:01 of Christian Gonzalez.
29:02 I think he is their most promising young best player
29:05 aside from maybe Drake May.
29:06 But the reality is we saw him for two, three and a half games
29:12 and then he was gone.
29:13 And so, is he gonna flop?
29:16 I don't think so.
29:17 I think he's going to be a perennial all pro.
29:20 That's how high I am on him.
29:21 But that's just from the little we saw
29:24 and then he was out for the rest of the season.
29:25 So I'm curious what you're gonna be looking for
29:28 in the cornerback room, Taylor.
29:29 Who's gonna sort of fill in that third spot?
29:32 Is it Jonathan Jones?
29:34 All right, not Jonathan Jones, excuse me.
29:35 Is it Marcus Jones?
29:36 Is it someone else?
29:38 What do they do there?
29:38 What are you looking at in the secondary?
29:41 - Yeah, so one other thing that'll be interesting
29:42 to see how they're actually deployed.
29:44 Like in practice, they use so many three safety sets.
29:46 You don't really see who they want to be the slot corner.
29:49 I think the best case scenario would be Jonathan Jones
29:52 going back into the slot.
29:53 I think he's not quite as fast as he used to be,
29:55 which is understandable.
29:56 The guy feels like he's always hurting.
29:58 He still plays at a really high level.
30:00 But at the same time, he is getting older.
30:01 He's not that just like speed demon he used to be.
30:04 So I think the slot can kind of help mask some of that.
30:07 So then it becomes, all right,
30:08 who's gonna win on the outside?
30:09 Now, if Marcus Jones establishes himself as a slot guy,
30:12 I don't think he's gonna establish himself
30:13 as an outside corner.
30:14 I know he was solid there.
30:16 And I think in a pinch he can play there,
30:17 but I don't think he's maximizing his ability
30:19 by putting him in that position.
30:21 In that situation, then, you know,
30:23 Marcus Jones in the slot, John Jones outside,
30:24 I can live with that.
30:25 I still think John Jones is fast enough to live there,
30:28 but still, if he's on the inside, then it becomes okay.
30:30 Is it Alex Austin,
30:32 who obviously had that great play against the Bills
30:34 where he apparently baited Josh Allen into an interception.
30:38 There were some rocky moments at first,
30:39 but nothing that was so bad where I'm like,
30:41 oh, you gotta get this guy off the field.
30:42 It's like, all right, he's learning.
30:43 Let's see if he adapts.
30:44 And he did a good job not giving up a lot of big plays
30:47 while he also made plays of his own.
30:49 Marco Wilson didn't really play, I think,
30:51 until the last game of the season.
30:52 He was solid, had some good plays against Garrett Wilson.
30:54 He was physical, brought some energy and swagger.
30:57 I think him and Austin kind of bring,
30:59 they don't really have that in the secondary right now,
31:01 at least in the cornerback group
31:03 where Gonzo and John Jones are really quiet guys.
31:05 Marcus Jones is really gonna hoot and holler very much,
31:08 but those guys are more vocal.
31:09 So that'll be kind of fun to see that competition.
31:11 And Isaiah Bolden,
31:12 a guy that I think everybody was excited about
31:14 'cause he's got such great size and athleticism
31:17 and versatility from college, but he is still very raw
31:21 and he missed all of last season.
31:22 So you don't know how much he really was able to learn
31:25 and grow in that time.
31:26 So between those three,
31:28 those are athletic guys who can play
31:30 and did show at the very least,
31:31 they could be solid in some type of rotational role.
31:34 And then at the end of the day,
31:35 if they don't really establish themselves,
31:37 you can always call up Stefan Gilmore
31:38 and see if he'd be interested in joining a rebuilding,
31:41 which maybe he is, maybe he isn't,
31:43 but it seems like he's gonna be in that list of guys
31:45 who gets a call once teams are like,
31:46 "All right, we need better depth than we have."
31:49 But yeah, also Marcellus Dial, we have no idea.
31:52 He's gonna establish himself in the slot outside.
31:54 He's got great versatility.
31:56 I don't think we're really gonna see him get a real shot
31:58 at cracking the starting lineup
31:59 until he starts making plays against backups
32:02 because they have so many guys
32:03 who probably should be getting a shot before him.
32:06 And again, seventh round pick,
32:07 he's gonna be making his living on special teams
32:09 and as a filling, if we're being totally honest,
32:10 unless he shows something else.
32:12 But I like the competition.
32:14 I'm pulling for Alex Austin
32:15 just 'cause I really like the fact that
32:17 such a young player, so unheralded,
32:18 was bouncing around teams.
32:20 And it's like, oh, maybe Mike Pellegrino working his magic,
32:22 one of the most underrated defensive coaches,
32:24 I think, in the league.
32:25 But at the same time, again, Marco Wilson,
32:27 physical guy who's also a veteran,
32:29 and Isaiah Bolden, who has everything you want
32:31 physically in the defensive back,
32:33 just kind of needs to get up to speed with the pro game.
32:35 - Yeah, again, you mentioned Marcellus Dial, right?
32:37 And the one thing I wanna make sure I do on Wednesday is,
32:42 I mean, frankly, watch the defense at all.
32:44 Like there's, one of the things I wrote down in prep is--
32:46 - There's a lot to talk about,
32:47 I think drafted seven offensive players.
32:49 - I know, that's the thing.
32:50 It's like, during rookie mini camp, it's like,
32:53 now granted my sort of assignment that day
32:55 was to just watch Drake Mayen, right,
32:57 or whatever that he had to do.
32:58 But then I walk on the field, I'm like,
32:59 I didn't watch a lick of defense.
33:01 I didn't see anything.
33:02 I have no idea where Dial lined up or anything.
33:05 And so I wanna see in general
33:07 what kind of concerns I have for the defense, if any.
33:10 I mean, we've talked about free safety
33:11 and the mystery there, but Pepper's kinda held that down
33:14 and maybe Dial can play there.
33:15 And so I just wanna make--
33:16 - Dial's been on the field, he's been an outside corner.
33:19 - Okay, so there's, as of right now anyway,
33:21 from what we've seen, there's no real cross training
33:24 to the safety position just yet.
33:26 So we'll see if anything changes.
33:29 The other sort of overarching storyline on the defense
33:32 that I'm looking for is Matthew Judon gonna be there.
33:35 Because Judon, there's been some,
33:39 I don't even wanna call them rumors,
33:40 but trade ideas that perhaps Judon
33:42 could be traded before the season starts.
33:46 He did tell "MassLive" that he will be in Foxborough
33:49 for mini camp because he doesn't wanna throw away any money.
33:51 He doesn't wanna lose any dough.
33:53 Right now it's still voluntary.
33:55 So do we think Matthew Judon will be there?
33:58 The other thing is, he tweeted out,
34:00 and again, take this for what it's worth
34:02 because it's a GIF on Twitter
34:03 and he likes to screw around on social media anyway.
34:05 But he tweeted a GIF of the Wolf of Wall Street,
34:07 Jordan Belfort saying, "I ain't effing leaving
34:09 "this past weekend."
34:11 So does that mean an extension's looming?
34:13 Does that mean he's gonna stay?
34:14 He also hosted a children's football camp
34:18 this weekend in Massachusetts, for what that's worth.
34:21 A lot of guys go to their hometown.
34:23 A lot of guys go to where they kind of live
34:24 in the off season.
34:25 He held it in Massachusetts.
34:26 We'll see what that means.
34:28 So do you think we're gonna see Judon this weekend?
34:29 Do you think he's gonna hold out through the optional period
34:32 until the man himself comes in mini camp?
34:34 - I'll just say I'm not expecting him to be there.
34:37 It feels like such a personal situation.
34:40 I don't really feel right guessing
34:42 if he's gonna be there or not.
34:43 - Sure.
34:44 - I'll just say I don't expect it.
34:45 Now in terms of the GIF and the extension possibility,
34:49 so apparently there was some tweet that had gone viral
34:52 saying like proposing a trade scenario,
34:54 sending him back to the Ravens
34:55 for like a fifth and seventh round pick.
34:57 Maybe that was it.
34:58 But either way, if you're saying I'm not leaving,
35:00 it sounds like there's some optimism
35:02 that something's gonna work out
35:03 and he's probably gonna retire a Patriot.
35:05 He said he wants to retire a Patriot.
35:06 So it sounds like,
35:08 and the way that this team has been moving,
35:10 it'd be different if it were Bill in charge,
35:12 where like obviously Bill did give him an extension
35:15 and gave him a raise last season.
35:16 So I don't wanna make it sound like
35:17 he would never do that.
35:19 But we also weren't seeing Bill hand out extensions
35:22 anywhere close to what we've seen this season
35:24 in terms of like retaining guys
35:25 and rewarding guys this consistently.
35:28 Maybe I'm sure somebody could find some time
35:30 in Patriots history where they did something similar.
35:32 But in recent history, I will say it has not really happened.
35:34 So I wouldn't be surprised
35:36 if they're finding some way to work things out with Judon.
35:38 And you can say, oh, you're paying him too much.
35:40 He's coming off injury, he's older.
35:42 They have so much money.
35:43 What are you just gonna sit on it?
35:45 Like, I don't think they're,
35:46 unless obviously you can trade for some big name receiver.
35:48 I think they have enough money for that.
35:50 But if you overpay like you did with Duggar
35:51 for a guy who is really important to your team,
35:54 I don't really think it makes that much of a difference.
35:56 If it's not gonna hurt you
35:57 and you can make one of your best players happy,
35:59 and again, just send a message to the locker room
36:01 that Judon is the vocal leader of that defense.
36:03 It's very obvious.
36:04 So yeah, we wanna keep you around
36:06 because you're not just valuable on the field, which he is,
36:09 especially it's an upper body injury.
36:10 So there's less fear
36:13 that it's gonna affect his play significantly.
36:15 If it were lower, that'd be different,
36:16 but still we'll see.
36:18 But he is so much a leader and such a well-rounded player.
36:21 One of the few guys in that defensive front
36:23 who plays every single down, like a bar more,
36:25 where it's just, it's hard to find those guys, period.
36:28 So yeah, I think you keep him around.
36:30 I'm sure that Elliott Wolfe and company
36:31 are trying to find some way to make sure
36:34 that both sides are happy.
36:35 And if anything, kind of defer to, once again,
36:37 like we saw with Duggar, you have to overpay, do it.
36:39 It's not hurting anything.
36:40 You're not putting that money anywhere else
36:42 because I think the way the roster is constructed right now
36:45 outside of that elite number one receiver,
36:46 it's pretty darn good.
36:47 I think you have a lot of good players.
36:49 You have players- - There's a lot of potential.
36:50 - Are making less money than they probably should.
36:52 So yeah, I don't see any situation where Judon
36:55 is not on the team.
36:56 - Interesting, all right.
36:57 - I did not know more about that
36:59 than I thought I possibly could have.
37:00 - Nah, that's okay.
37:01 Nah, that's good.
37:02 - Yeah, we'll wrap it up with one final thought,
37:04 at least for myself.
37:05 I don't know if you have anything before we close,
37:07 but the one thing I also wanna see,
37:10 I'm curious what direction it goes,
37:11 is sort of the discipline on the team
37:14 and how they work through that kind of stuff.
37:16 Because when we were talking last week
37:21 and when we were watching at least rookie minicamp,
37:24 I remember, I think it was me and you
37:25 were kind of standing there and there was a false start
37:28 and nothing happened.
37:29 Not nothing happened, but like during the bill,
37:31 the Belichick administration, guy false starts,
37:34 guys commits a penalty, he's running a lap immediately.
37:36 Get out of here, get out of the drill.
37:37 We'll see you next time.
37:39 And that, like I'm not saying that's wrong.
37:41 That's sort of, it's just a different approach
37:43 discipline wise where if you make a mistake,
37:45 you pay for it and you gotta learn your lesson that way.
37:48 Where during, again, during rookie minicamp,
37:50 there weren't really, guys weren't taking laps.
37:52 And so I know that's something small and not,
37:55 again, not a big storyline and not something
37:58 that it's like, oh, what do you care
37:59 about guys running laps?
38:00 But it's a different approach and Mayo has kind of talked
38:02 about that different approach where,
38:04 I wanna love these guys first and I wanna be connected
38:06 with them first and he is a former player.
38:09 So we understand, does that stuff really work?
38:11 Does it not work?
38:12 Stuff like that.
38:13 So I'm curious if that continues, if that's only like a,
38:16 again, a rookie minicamp thing where, okay,
38:18 these guys don't know our cadence.
38:20 These guys are still trying to learn.
38:21 It is day one.
38:23 Why am I gonna throw this guy and run him 50, 65 yards
38:26 that way when we can use this as a teaching moment instead.
38:29 And this is what we're supposed to do.
38:30 This is why this happened, et cetera.
38:31 So that's sort of one thing I wanna look at.
38:34 And just how Mayo continues to interact with the guys.
38:37 We see some clips where the team puts out the mic dub
38:40 of him and Drake May and you get to kind of hear his version
38:43 of, okay, guys, onto the next drill.
38:45 And oh, here, you do this.
38:46 And he's all the hands-on stuff.
38:47 And so I like to see that and I wanna see how that continues
38:51 and how he sort of, again, continues to grow
38:53 as the youngest head coach in the NFL.
38:56 - Yeah.
38:58 So even with OTAs, like there was a false start
39:01 or something like that and they didn't run,
39:02 it's still like a day one thing.
39:04 - Right.
39:04 - Now, when it comes to what Gerard's doing,
39:06 obviously wait and see.
39:07 That's the caveat with all this stuff.
39:09 But Gerard was in the unique position of being
39:11 a mouthpiece from the team to Bill.
39:13 So like he understood, I'm sure as well as anybody
39:16 probably could in terms of being a player
39:18 and as a coach, obviously,
39:19 'cause he worked under Bill as a coach as well,
39:21 why he's doing what he's doing.
39:23 So like you mentioned, if he thinks that there's purpose
39:25 to it, and let's not forget,
39:25 like Gerard Mayo's on some pushover.
39:27 This is a guy who comes from a military family,
39:30 who was the captain of what was one of the toughest defenses
39:33 in the NFL.
39:34 Then his defensive units have been some of the best
39:36 in the league since he took over
39:38 as the de facto defensive coordinator,
39:40 obviously along with Steve Belichick.
39:41 So like, I just want to make it very clear,
39:44 this is not some guy who's just going to be all like,
39:46 oh, everybody love everybody.
39:48 Like, no, he's going to let guys--
39:49 - He's not a pushover, right.
39:50 - Right, exactly.
39:51 So I don't want to take too much into account
39:55 when it comes to like not running laps,
39:56 because I think when it comes time to crack down on guys,
39:59 he will.
40:00 Again, because we've seen like this defense,
40:03 I remember when I was doing my preview shows,
40:04 my behind enemy lines,
40:06 every week if somebody who studied the Patriots defense,
40:09 they're looking at the tape just like,
40:10 this is such a well-coached group.
40:12 And it's very obvious.
40:13 Obviously Bill has a lot to do with that,
40:15 but especially in the past couple of years,
40:16 Bill didn't get to spend nearly as much time on defense
40:19 as he probably wanted to.
40:20 It was a lot more of the offense.
40:21 So Gerard had to take even more onto his plate
40:23 for a unit that still was overall his.
40:25 Like he's leading these defensive meeting rooms,
40:27 he's putting the game plans together.
40:29 And of course, Bobelichick's probably going over
40:30 with the red marker and everything,
40:32 but that's a lot of his thoughts and his ideas.
40:35 So yeah, when it comes to the discipline,
40:37 I will believe it when I see it
40:39 in terms of any of that kind of lacking.
40:40 I just think that Gerard's gonna have a different style
40:42 and say, hey, when I was doing this,
40:45 a guy running the lap didn't do anything.
40:46 If anything, it pissed him off.
40:47 He missed out on the time to learn,
40:49 you know, it kind of got him behind
40:51 and it just kind of messed with the flow.
40:52 But I understand as an old head,
40:54 why you do that because it's worked for you,
40:55 but it just might not be his style.
40:57 So yeah, I don't think it's that big of a deal.
40:59 - Again, more so watching,
41:00 not if there's a lack of discipline,
41:03 but how they discipline and how they hone this thing in,
41:06 especially 'cause it is so early,
41:07 new system, new regime, et cetera.
41:09 So that's gonna do it for our Patriots OTA wrap up.
41:13 We will be down in Foxborough on Wednesday afternoon.
41:16 So make sure you follow along with myself
41:18 @MikeCadlickTaylor @TKyles39, both of us on X.
41:22 You can follow @PatriotsCLS on X as well.
41:26 I will have a ton of content over there,
41:27 making sure that you guys are covered
41:29 to see what's next on the Patriots OTA schedule
41:32 and how things go down at Gillette Stadium.
41:34 So take care of yourselves, take care of each other.
41:38 I butchered it, but that's okay.
41:41 - It's okay, it's okay.
41:42 - It's the past daily outro.
41:43 I got it the first time, I didn't get it the second time,
41:46 but we'll try that again.
41:47 Take care of yourselves, take care of each other,
41:49 and we'll see you next time.
41:50 - Beautiful.
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