Join Alex Barth and Brian Hines on the latest episode of Patriots Beat as they dive into the start of Patriots training camp! Discover which defensive players they are keeping an eye on. They also discuss 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's trade request and explore the possibility of the Patriots making a move for him.
Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.
Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00:00All right, everyone, welcome in to another live Patriots Beat podcast here on the CL&S
00:00:27NBA Network presented by our wonderful friends over at Game Time.
00:00:31It is Brian Hines back as always with Alex Barth and we are one week away from the start
00:00:37of Patriots training camp.
00:00:39We'll be out there on the practice fields next Wednesday.
00:00:42So we had our offensive preview on Monday.
00:00:45So if you missed that, make sure you go watch that after we do our defensive preview today.
00:00:51But apparently we had a bunch of other NFL news and Patriots news yesterday.
00:00:57So we are going to start with some of that before we get into the defense.
00:01:01And we'll start with Brandon Ayuk and the San Francisco 49er star wide receiver.
00:01:08They've been going back and forth on a new contract.
00:01:11He's set to play on his fifth year option, which is like just over 14 million this year.
00:01:16And they haven't found an agreement on a new extension.
00:01:20Sounds like they really haven't talked on a deal since May.
00:01:23So he officially requested a trade from San Fran yesterday.
00:01:30And it sounds like you can also add the Patriots inquired.
00:01:32It was Justina Anderson, I think, reported that Elliott Wolfe and the Patriots have called
00:01:37San Francisco.
00:01:38It sounds like before the trade request became official over the past few weeks and they
00:01:42were kind of shut down, they just were told the Niners aren't going to trade him.
00:01:47So I mean, this is the wide receiver one that we've been clamoring for for a while now here.
00:01:54So just still doesn't seem like the 49ers might trade him.
00:01:58That's been the indication from a lot of these reports.
00:02:01They have control of him, right?
00:02:03Like he signed on the fifth year option.
00:02:05They can then franchise tag him moving forward for a team that's still in their Super Bowl
00:02:09window here.
00:02:10Like you'd imagine it's going to something drastic would have to happen for them to move
00:02:15him.
00:02:16But just with the trade request becoming official yesterday, the Patriots seemingly calling
00:02:22in and being involved, like how you feel about maybe Brandon and you could could you
00:02:28see him shaking loose out of San Fran there?
00:02:30And do you think the Patriots would be one of the front runners if he does?
00:02:35So there's a couple different stages here to it.
00:02:39First off, what does he want?
00:02:42And the reporting from NFL Network yesterday makes it sound like he doesn't need the Justin
00:02:46Jefferson contract.
00:02:47But they mentioned Jalen Waddle.
00:02:49They mentioned Devonta Smith.
00:02:50And when you hear that, when you hear reporters say that support, know that because somebody's
00:02:54hearing, you know, from the excuse me, from one of the sides.
00:02:58Yeah.
00:02:59This is the number that was discussed.
00:03:00This is the player we see as a comp.
00:03:01Devonta Smith signed a, I think it's a three year, $75 million contract, right?
00:03:07And Jalen Waddle, I think it's four years, three or four years, 84 million.
00:03:10So you're talking about somewhere in the 25 to $30 million range.
00:03:13That's what you have to pay him.
00:03:14And you have to pay him what it is going to cost you to get Brandon.
00:03:19He's not a rental.
00:03:20If I could just flip a third or fourth round pick for him to be a rental.
00:03:25And then, you know, you see where you go after that.
00:03:26I do it, but that's not reality.
00:03:29You're going to have to pay him.
00:03:30Okay.
00:03:31So what do the Patriots have to give up?
00:03:33The going price for these receivers, for these top receivers and for agency has generally
00:03:38been a second round pick.
00:03:41And then another high day three picks a fourth, fifth round, something like that, which isn't
00:03:46unrealistic.
00:03:48It's definitely not unrealistic, but I wonder if this is a case where you have teams like
00:03:53the chiefs, you have teams like the, uh, bills, right?
00:03:59Even maybe the, the Packers who are going to be picking late in the first round, who
00:04:04may be willing to part with that pick.
00:04:07And if that offers on the table, now, what are you doing?
00:04:12If you're the Patriots, cause are you going to give up your first round pick?
00:04:15That might be a top five pick.
00:04:17And I like brand new.
00:04:18I'm not giving up a top five pick for him.
00:04:19I'm not, they have other needs.
00:04:20They have too many other needs to move that pick.
00:04:23Do you go two seconds, maybe second this year, second next year, that's still for a team
00:04:28with a lot of roster holds, very expensive.
00:04:31So where I'm at is the Patriots should inquire.
00:04:35They should absolutely inquire.
00:04:37They shouldn't exactly be passive.
00:04:39If it's a second, you know, maybe, maybe nobody else steps up.
00:04:44You get them for like a second and a fourth, but, and I've been on this, Brandon Iuke is
00:04:51not the first great receiver to request a trade over his contract and he damn sure won't
00:04:56be the last.
00:04:58And you look at the guys next year, DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, who, by the way, if I goes
00:05:04where he wants to go, I'll get to that in a second, Terry McLaurin may very well be
00:05:07available.
00:05:08Yeah.
00:05:09AJ Brown's going to need new contracts in right guys like that.
00:05:13Can you go out and make that move and, and just do it next year when you have a better
00:05:18idea of where all your picks stand and also where your team stands.
00:05:23Like maybe Drake may sucks.
00:05:26You don't want to go pay Brandon Iuke for four years and all four of those years are
00:05:30just transitionary quarterback years.
00:05:33That's just not good asset management.
00:05:34It's not.
00:05:35So I, the Patriots should be involved.
00:05:41They don't need to be overly aggressive.
00:05:45If they miss on Iuke, it's not their last chance to add a star receiver.
00:05:48Far from it.
00:05:49I guess is my point.
00:05:50Maybe they won't have them for this year.
00:05:51But the other thing is if Drake may is not going to start the season, you getting Brandon
00:05:56Iuke for Jacoby Berset versus the receiver you get next year, we'll just be for Drake
00:06:00may.
00:06:01So look, if they can get them, get up, I'm saying like, don't write.
00:06:04If they can trade a second and a fourth for them, do that.
00:06:07Cause I mean, you can get them for, for what's fair.
00:06:11I wouldn't overextend is my point.
00:06:15That all being said, he's not getting traded.
00:06:18Yeah.
00:06:19Right.
00:06:20I'm with you on that.
00:06:21The 49ers are Superbowl or bust.
00:06:25Kyle Shanahan needs to get this freaking monkey off his back.
00:06:29They just put Ricky Pierce all on NFI yesterday.
00:06:32They need every, they don't need no stinking second round pick.
00:06:36I don't even know if they need a late first round pick.
00:06:39They need to win a Superbowl to justify everything that's going on out there.
00:06:45And moving Iuke for a second round pick doesn't help that, you know, they'll, they'll franchise
00:06:53tag him and trade him next year.
00:06:54Maybe they'll just lose him for the third round comp pick.
00:06:56If they win a Superbowl, it's worth it.
00:07:00So all that set up being said, he's going to be in San Fran.
00:07:05He gets traded.
00:07:06Yeah.
00:07:07He's going to potentially be.
00:07:08And I know I say the star wide receivers never hit free agency.
00:07:12And that's been mostly the truth.
00:07:15You might get an exception next year.
00:07:16T Higgins, Brandon, Iuke, you, cause there's just this scenario where you have these contending
00:07:21teams and in contending on different levels, but the Niners and Bengals are both Superbowl.
00:07:26Now teams, I think we can agree on that.
00:07:28Nope.
00:07:29Could be the Superbowl where they'll let a guy walk if you, cause if you get a ring,
00:07:34it's worth it.
00:07:35And obviously they can't both get that.
00:07:36In the pursuit of it, you may get a unique scenario where these guys become free agents.
00:07:41So again, I'm not saying the Patriots shouldn't be in on Iuke.
00:07:43They should.
00:07:44They needed covered dictating receiver, all of that.
00:07:47But I just don't, um, it's not the time now.
00:07:52It's not the time.
00:07:54Yep.
00:07:55I would say if anyone gets moved out there, it'd probably be Debo.
00:07:58Right.
00:07:59Yeah.
00:08:00So that was talked about during the draft.
00:08:03There was reporting.
00:08:04And so by the way, Jocena Anderson, I forgot to add this.
00:08:06Just seen Anderson.
00:08:07Yes.
00:08:08They tweeted that within the last few weeks, the Patriots checked in on Brandon Iuke and
00:08:11we're told he wasn't being traded.
00:08:13There was also reporting during the draft.
00:08:14The Patriots had checked in on Iuke and Debo Samuel.
00:08:17There was some noise, but that, that the Niners would rather trade Samuel than Iuke.
00:08:20Well, there's a reason for that because Iukes or Samuel at this point, not as valuable commodity,
00:08:27maybe not as good of a player.
00:08:28He there's a lot of miles on those tires.
00:08:30He has taken a beating.
00:08:31He hasn't been healthy in a while.
00:08:34You've seen his, his play take a step back.
00:08:36I'm good on Debo because I think he, he were, he's a very good player in the context of
00:08:41that offense, in the context of the Patriots offense.
00:08:43I don't think you're going to get your bang for your buck.
00:08:46So I, I, I, I think they might trade Debo too, but I think the reason they haven't,
00:08:51or I think the reason they won't, his value is depressed right now and they're not going
00:08:55to get close to what they want for him.
00:08:57They're probably not going to get what they want for Iuke either, but they're not getting
00:08:59it close to what they want for Debo Samuel.
00:09:01Yep.
00:09:02Yep.
00:09:04Okay.
00:09:05I mean, I've been, since the draft kind of came and went and you know, they added Jalen
00:09:08Polk, they added Javon Baker.
00:09:10I've been in the camp of kind of just see what you have in this group this year, right?
00:09:14Like you have some young guys, you see how pop, pop Douglas takes a year to leap.
00:09:19Hopefully you still have Kendrick Bourne coming back, like see what you have in this group.
00:09:24And then if Drake may is this guy that we think he could be, you have plenty of time
00:09:28to go add DK Metcalf next year or a receiver next year, or maybe like two years down the
00:09:35line.
00:09:36We, you know, we'd probably want that guy next year, but you have plenty of time.
00:09:39If Drake may is this really good guy to go add your number one receiver and you know,
00:09:44you hope Jalen Polk and Javon Baker maybe might even step up and maybe make that less
00:09:50of a need.
00:09:51But Iuke was the one guy where I was kind of like, if he really becomes available, I
00:09:55might change paths on that just cause I think he's like a stud, like a top 10 wide receiver
00:10:01in the league.
00:10:02But you know, you have to talk the price.
00:10:04Like I probably wouldn't trade the first round pick this year because it's probably top 10
00:10:09unless you think he's going to come in and give you like two or three wins and push that
00:10:14pick to like the late teens.
00:10:15Like if you're talking 17, 18, that might be more manageable to give up, but that's
00:10:19a big risk there, right?
00:10:21Like is he gonna, is he gonna really do that for you?
00:10:24And again, sorry to cut you off again.
00:10:25Once you know that next March, you can then trade that pick for other very good receivers.
00:10:33Yeah.
00:10:34So that's where I'm kind of at.
00:10:36If none of the team seems that are like contenders, projected contenders want to get involved
00:10:42in San Fran, like really has to move them for some reason.
00:10:45And they're like, okay, the Patriots second round pick might be 35 or top 40.
00:10:50And they're comfortable with that plus a fourth rounder.
00:10:53Like, but like I could get behind that, but to give up a first round pick this year and
00:10:59while you have to pay him a top 10 annual salary, which is going to be 25 annual million
00:11:05per year, like minimum, like that, that's a lot.
00:11:08That's kind of an unprecedented amount to give up for a guy like that.
00:11:12Like Tyree kill that trade a few years ago was a first to a first, a second, like, yeah,
00:11:19that's, I mean, that's an extreme.
00:11:21You're not going to.
00:11:22Yeah.
00:11:23And the dolphins, you know, they weren't projected to be like a top 10 pick.
00:11:27I forget where that pick landed.
00:11:28I think it was somewhere in the twenties because they made the playoffs that year.
00:11:33So they were.
00:11:34Yeah.
00:11:35So that, that was an extreme, but yeah.
00:11:38If you're talking to second, a fourth, second, maybe like a conditional third or something
00:11:43like that, you can get behind it, but giving up a first turnaround and then giving them
00:11:4730 million a year, uh, that's a lot, but then it all comes back to, as we both said,
00:11:53like, he's not going anywhere.
00:11:54I would be shocked if, unless he pulls like an Antonio Brown, like I would be shocked
00:11:58if he is not on the 49ers in week one.
00:12:02So again, I think this group that the Patriots have, this wide receiver, uh, group right
00:12:06now is what they're going to enter the year with, uh, and enter camp with next week.
00:12:11So yeah, I'm with you on that.
00:12:14Yep.
00:12:15Uh, speaking of the Patriots wide receiver group, they got some news on second year.
00:12:22Keishon booty yesterday because he was his underage gambling and computer fraud charges
00:12:30in Louisiana were dropped.
00:12:32So, uh, those cases are gone a week before training camp here.
00:12:37Uh, there was a lot of people on Twitter and the X machine yesterday buying Keishon booty
00:12:43stock.
00:12:45Are you in that group now that those, those charges are gone and maybe could he sneak
00:12:51onto that roster as the fifth or if they keep six wide wide receiver there?
00:12:56Um, I get not really, you know, he'll, I'll put them in a group with Juju Taekwon rager
00:13:02for that six, maybe spot, but he, he just, he needs to be more consistent.
00:13:08There's flashes, but that's what they are.
00:13:09They're flashes and the entering year two, you need to be more reliable.
00:13:14It's not uncommon for a young player to kind of flash like that, but the idea is you build
00:13:18on it.
00:13:19So can he be more consistent, uh, with his route running?
00:13:23Can he be more consistent?
00:13:24Um, can you just get open more consistently?
00:13:28I think is what it comes down to.
00:13:29And it's going to be a tough, you know, it's a little bit uphill cause Rager has the special
00:13:34team's value.
00:13:35Juju Smith Schuster brings a veteran element.
00:13:38He also has a contract that's tough to get rid of, and that will, I don't know, that'll
00:13:41be the be all end all, but it'll factor into the decision.
00:13:44I honestly can't think of anything for Thornton.
00:13:46Like he may get the bump over Thornton.
00:13:48Like he's just younger.
00:13:49He has more raw talent, um, but like he's got to outperform that he's got to outperform
00:13:54that group.
00:13:55And then either hope there's a sick spot or if there's an injury, maybe that fifth spot.
00:13:59So I'm not like, he's not a camp body.
00:14:03He's not a guy that's just here for camp and is going to be gone.
00:14:04Like he has a chance to make the roster and I just sit here and tell you won't be on the
00:14:07team, especially now, although it might've helped if he got suspended.
00:14:12But that's what, that's where I was at.
00:14:14Like I think the past, I saw a lot of people being like, okay, like he's, he's good to
00:14:18go now, but like, it's good.
00:14:21Obviously the charges got dropped for his case, but if you're talking about a football
00:14:24standup, you know, point of view, like a one or two game suspension, like you get to keep
00:14:29them around, then maybe someone gets hurt.
00:14:32Like that was a free roster spot.
00:14:34Yeah, that, that was exactly, it was a free roster spot.
00:14:37So for a guy who's competing, like that might've been the best way.
00:14:41And I know Mike Reese shared, like an NFL spokesperson said, we have been following
00:14:47developments in the matter, which remain under review.
00:14:49He may continue to participate in all team activities.
00:14:52Could he still get like league discipline?
00:14:55I don't know why.
00:14:56Cause it would be like, it all came while he was in the NCAA, but could the league still
00:14:59technically discipline him?
00:15:02I mean, the league can discipline you for anything.
00:15:04We know that as well as anybody.
00:15:05That's true.
00:15:06But I, I, I read that more as like corporate speak for, we're not going to say anything
00:15:12definitively in case more comes out.
00:15:14Cause they come out and say like, yeah, he's good.
00:15:16And then something else comes out about it and they try to suspend them, a mess on your
00:15:22hand.
00:15:23So I think that's more just corporate speak for, yeah.
00:15:25Like we were acknowledging that we saw this happen and that's as far as that statement
00:15:30goes.
00:15:31So I mean, cause if they suspended this point for what, like for what he, like you said,
00:15:35it wasn't, I mean, I think it was like a week after he was drafted, he was still betting,
00:15:38but if they want us to spend them for betting on college football, well, he was a draft
00:15:46pick that wasn't signed.
00:15:47Like there's, that's not against the NFL's gambling rules.
00:15:50As far as I know, like he wasn't betting on NFL games, but that also, those bets were
00:15:55placed in April.
00:15:56So I don't see how he would have been betting on NFL games or college football for that
00:16:00matter.
00:16:01He was betting on something else, maybe big college baseball world series guy, LSU.
00:16:05I think he was there with Paul, uh, Paul skiing.
00:16:07So I there's, there's, if they suspend him at this point from him and maybe he wants
00:16:12for your spot, but if I'm him, I say I appeal it and say, show me exactly what you're suspending
00:16:17me for.
00:16:19And I don't think that the NFL would have a case there.
00:16:21So that's my limited legal mind.
00:16:24Like not a lawyer grew up with lawyers, not a lawyer.
00:16:28I don't, I think he's out of the, I think he's out of the woods there.
00:16:32Yep.
00:16:33Yeah.
00:16:34I mean, he's not writing them off for a roster spot.
00:16:36You know, he'd someone, he'd be someone that benefits if Kendrick Bourne maybe starts a
00:16:40little slow and, you know, or if he's just on the pup list or needs some time, uh, like
00:16:45similar kind of skillset there.
00:16:47He's someone, you know, we talked about KJ Osborne not being like a lock.
00:16:52Like you'd imagine he's, he'll be on the 53 man roster, but if someone like a 23, 22
00:16:58year old Keisha on booty, who's shown like some flashes, if he has a more consistent
00:17:02camp, like he's someone who could push maybe a KJ Osborne off the roster, you know, go
00:17:06with the gun guy, go with the high ceiling guy.
00:17:08So, uh, definitely not a camp body.
00:17:11Like he'll have a chance to make this team, but, uh, those high end flashes, they just
00:17:17have to be more consistent.
00:17:18I like, we saw the last mini camp practice, three touchdowns, like good connection with
00:17:22Drake May.
00:17:23You just got to see that throughout the summer more.
00:17:26And then maybe, you know, we're talking about him working his way onto this team, but, uh,
00:17:31that's the case on booty news.
00:17:33That's the brand.
00:17:34Now you've news.
00:17:35The one other last piece of news from yesterday, the Patriots, uh, officially announced their
00:17:40entire personnel department in their entire coaching staff, uh, the coaching staff.
00:17:46We kind of knew there weren't any surprises on that.
00:17:49Uh, I saw some people, they were wondering where Troy Brown and Joe Kim were.
00:17:54They weren't listed on the staff.
00:17:55They are still working in a developmental skills role.
00:17:59So they just weren't, uh, officially listed, but, uh, the personnel department, there were
00:18:05five new hires.
00:18:07Some of them we already knew like Alonzo Highsmith, there were four promotions.
00:18:11Um, but anything surprise you like Matt grow, still involved director of player personnel.
00:18:17He's not going anywhere.
00:18:18I think the big promotion was Patrick Stewart.
00:18:21Who's been around a few years.
00:18:22Uh, he was promoted to director of pro personnel.
00:18:25So anything in the personnel department or the coaching staff besides just us getting
00:18:31the full list and titles, which is nice, but did anything stand out or surprise you on
00:18:37those two lists there?
00:18:38Uh, just a couple of things.
00:18:40So macro, we were kind of wondering what was going to happen with him with the whole Elliott
00:18:44Wolf thing.
00:18:45Like, are they going to promote Elliott Wolf ahead of him?
00:18:46Is he going to get demoted?
00:18:47Blah, blah, blah, whatever.
00:18:48Uh, is the first Elliott Wolf essentially jumped him executive vice president of player
00:18:52personnel.
00:18:53Matt grows the director.
00:18:54So that's the answer there.
00:18:55Troy Brown wasn't listed, which I know stood out to some people, Gerard Mayo said back
00:18:59in March, he was going to be on the staff.
00:19:01Joe Kim wasn't there either.
00:19:03And he'd mentioned Troy Brown as like a skills trainer coach, which is what Joe Kim is.
00:19:07I'm guessing that the position just wasn't included in the release.
00:19:10And the reason for that, I don't know.
00:19:14I don't know.
00:19:15We, we, we can play conspiracy theory all day, but I do think Troy Brown's still going
00:19:18to be here.
00:19:19He's not gonna be a receiver's coach.
00:19:20I think he's gonna be like a kick return coach, but he's still going to be here.
00:19:25Yep.
00:19:26Yeah.
00:19:27Just there'll be in those skill development roles.
00:19:28So, uh, yeah, that was personnel department, coaching staff, um, and then some wide receiver
00:19:35news.
00:19:36So, uh, we can jump over to training camp preview on the defensive side of the ball.
00:19:42Again, we talked about offense on Monday, so make sure you go watch that show if you
00:19:47missed it on the YouTube, but defense, a lot of coaching staff returns, you know, Gerard
00:19:53Mayo, who's been here the last five years, like he's the lead guy now.
00:19:58So there's still some continuity there to Marcus Covington, the defensive coordinator.
00:20:02We've heard they're going to be more aggressive.
00:20:05That's really the one change we've heard that they're, they're, they're trying to do be
00:20:09more aggressive, but again, start like big picture.
00:20:12Are you expecting this defense to look pretty much the same as it has the past few years
00:20:18here under Mayo, under Covington?
00:20:20And, you know, there's still some other, you know, Brian Belichick, Mike Pellegrino,
00:20:24are you expecting schematically this to still kind of look like a bill Belichick defense?
00:20:29I'm expecting it on the backend, definitely expecting it on the backend, but Covington
00:20:33has talked about being more aggressive upfront, things like that.
00:20:38I, I do wonder if there's going to be less that nose tackle, look less of that contain
00:20:45strategy and again, just more aggressive, just going right after the quarterback crashing
00:20:50lanes, things like that, that may not be apparent at first.
00:20:54And the reality is if they're down in games, which they very well could be for the nose
00:20:57tackle out there, cause team's going to be running anyway.
00:20:59So we, it may not be rel, uh, it may not be overly visible early, but I wouldn't be surprised
00:21:08if we see more again, back in, I think the same, I wouldn't be surprised if we see some
00:21:12more lighter fronts in some, uh, some more active fronts from the Patriots defensively.
00:21:19That's the one that I, and that's not necessarily a major shift.
00:21:23I probably made that sound bigger than it, than it is in reality, but it's, it's still
00:21:28going to more or less look like the same Patriots defense, but you know, and they may stay, I
00:21:32don't want to say base.
00:21:33Cause they would go God shot with five or six defensive backs, but they may stay in
00:21:37their base front on like a second and five in the past.
00:21:41Right.
00:21:42Or even like a second and three where it's a potential run situation.
00:21:44I wonder if now they're going to treat more, it'll yeah, he's simplest way to put it.
00:21:51I don't think anything we'll see will be new in itself.
00:21:56I think we'll see them use some of their passing down defensive front concepts, like the things
00:22:03they're running on like a third and 10 in the past.
00:22:05We may see that more now versus some of the stuff that's early down.
00:22:10We'll go to the side cause they'll go to passing down, looks in those situations that that's
00:22:14the one change, both personnel wise and, you know, drawn it up on the whiteboard.
00:22:18That's the one change I'm looking for.
00:22:19Yep.
00:22:20And I had so much trouble wording that Christian Barmore, he gave us like one little note.
00:22:26Like he said, little, I think it was in the, it was in the spring.
00:22:30Yeah.
00:22:31He says like more four down front.
00:22:32So maybe that's a change we see and maybe that allows like those defensive tackles to
00:22:38be more aggressive, right?
00:22:39Like you're not too gap and you can shoot gaps or something like that.
00:22:42So we'll, we'll see how that kind of shakes out, but agree.
00:22:46Like when you still have Mike Pellegrino, you still have Brian Belichick in the backend
00:22:49with a lot of the same personnel.
00:22:51That's probably going to look pretty similar, but maybe they, you know, shift some stuff
00:22:55up front.
00:22:56You know, that's Jerry Montgomery, a new defensive line coach, you know, DeMarcus Covington's
00:22:59still here, but he's got, you know, more of a hands-on role all over the place.
00:23:03And then Dante Hightower and Drew Wilkins who are on the linebackers and Wilkins was
00:23:08a guy who, his kind of MO when he came here was like blitz, like an aggressive blitz package.
00:23:13I think he was doing like the third down blitz for, was it Baltimore or he was with the,
00:23:18he was with Baltimore last year and then the giants before that.
00:23:22So Baltimore, I think he had a big hand in their third down blitz package.
00:23:25So that's something that could be a little more aggressive up front there, but I do have
00:23:31to ask no bill.
00:23:34How big of a loss will that be?
00:23:36Like obviously the greatest football mind of all time.
00:23:40I think we have a lot of faith in Gerard, you know, he's had a pretty big role on the
00:23:44defensive game plans, the meetings, the last few years he's been here and you still have
00:23:49some of the continuity on that coaching staff, but you lose like a great encyclopedia of
00:23:53football knowledge.
00:23:54Are you expecting that to be maybe a bigger loss than we're talking about?
00:23:59Or do you think the coaching that they have and all the personnel that's coming back,
00:24:04they can kind of make up for the loss of Bill's brain there.
00:24:09I think you'll notice it.
00:24:11I don't think it's going to be a, a static thing where like, there's just this level
00:24:16of however you want to call it.
00:24:18Like they miss bill X amount throughout the season.
00:24:20It's just going to stay flat.
00:24:22I think the biggest thing they're going to miss again, schematically, a lot of it's going
00:24:25to be the same.
00:24:26And you have guys that spent a lot of time with bill and you hope they absorbed a lot
00:24:29of his information.
00:24:31Obviously they can't replicate it perfectly and there is going to be a noticeable drop
00:24:34off throughout the season, but I think they're in a position to manage it for most of the
00:24:41year where I think you'll really notice it is there would be games, especially against
00:24:46either great quarterbacks or like quirky offenses where bill would just go deep in the bag and
00:24:52come up with something like the, you know, the evil scientist kind of stuff he would
00:24:57do the
00:24:58something from 1980 that the league hasn't seen in four years.
00:25:02Remember last year, those weird zone coverages, they're running against the dolphins or like
00:25:06just the way he matched up with certain quarterbacks.
00:25:08He always owned Justin Herbert, right?
00:25:10He always had something dialed up for Justin Herbert.
00:25:13Um, they won't play the chiefs this year, but like Patrick Holmes, right?
00:25:16So I think when you get to those kinds of games, right.
00:25:20When they face the elite quarterbacks, when they face the, the more upstart offenses that
00:25:25haven't really been tested that haven't been around much, that's where you'll miss bill
00:25:29because Ken Mayo, Brian Belichick, Demarcus Covington, can they get that creative?
00:25:39Like bill just having seen so much football and retaining it all there.
00:25:45There's just a database that he has that you can't replicate in terms of, you know, things
00:25:51to fall back on when you're creating something that, again, these guys just don't have.
00:25:55That doesn't mean they can't do it.
00:25:58It's going to be a lot harder.
00:25:59So that to me, I look at that chargers game, which is here in December.
00:26:04So Herbert will probably crap himself anyway, but I look at the chargers game.
00:26:08I look at the dolphins games.
00:26:09I mean the rookie quarterback thing, right?
00:26:11Rookie quarterbacks never beat bill, the bears game of Caleb Williams.
00:26:15If that thing's humming, that would have been a great, that's one where you would have looked
00:26:18at it and said, bill Belichick versus Caleb Williams is going to be a fun one, right?
00:26:22The Texans CJ Stroud.
00:26:25Those got a lot of young, they got a lot of young quarterbacks this year.
00:26:29That's that's where I look at it.
00:26:31Well, Aaron Rogers offsets all that.
00:26:32That's where I look at it.
00:26:34And I think that those are the games you're really going to miss bill, the high level
00:26:38young quarterbacks.
00:26:41What would he, or just upstart coaches, right?
00:26:43The Mike McDaniels.
00:26:44What would he throw at them that they've never seen before that they weren't prepared for
00:26:49he was so good at that.
00:26:50The Mayo and Covington can like, they can definitely throw stuff at these quarterbacks
00:26:54that they haven't seen, but it has to be the right thing, right?
00:26:59It can't just, you can't just do something different and expect it to work.
00:27:02So that's where I think you're going to, I think you're going to miss bill.
00:27:04It's going to be situational.
00:27:05I don't think there's going to be like this week one to week 17 consistent level of damn.
00:27:10If they had bill here, I think it's going to peak in Valley as the season goes on.
00:27:13Yep.
00:27:14Yeah.
00:27:15I mean the chargers game, like that would be one.
00:27:18Yeah.
00:27:19I wish that was a little earlier in the year.
00:27:20Yeah.
00:27:21That wouldn't be.
00:27:22And Justin Herbert, Justin Herbert's probably going to hand it off 40 times.
00:27:25It's going to be, well, all that, well, he might be better off because that game is going
00:27:29to be playing.
00:27:30You didn't just know it.
00:27:31The game is going to be playing the freezing rain.
00:27:32Yeah.
00:27:33A hundred percent.
00:27:34But the dolphins ones, I think those will be, you know, week five and then week 12.
00:27:38Those would be good tests because you know, bill would throw some unique stuff at them,
00:27:41but the dolphins had their number since two have got here really like they've had, they've
00:27:45had some trouble.
00:27:47You know, they can throw some unique stuff at that, but like you said, it's gotta be
00:27:50the right stuff.
00:27:51It hasn't always been the right stuff in those dolphins games.
00:27:52They've had some issues and then the young quarterbacks, like beyond Caleb Williams,
00:27:57they have, you know, Trevor Lawrence, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, some, some young
00:28:02guys there.
00:28:03So that, that'll be interesting to see if they can keep that success up over those kind
00:28:08of younger, more inexperienced guys.
00:28:10So all right, before we get into, you know, more of a position by position breakdown,
00:28:16I got to talk to you guys about game time, which is the authorized ticket marketplace
00:28:20of major league baseball.
00:28:21And it makes getting tickets faster and easier because prices on the game time app actually
00:28:26go down the closer it gets to first pitch with killer last minute deals, all in prices
00:28:30views from your seat and their lowest price guaranteed game time takes the guesswork out
00:28:35of buying all your MLB tickets.
00:28:37They have flash deals to save even more with exclusive in-app deals on select seats ahead
00:28:42of the game or event in zone deals to save.
00:28:44If you're looking to sit in a specific section, it is baseball season and the Red Sox are
00:28:48hot.
00:28:49And while they're going on the road for the next week, they'll be back in Fenway against
00:28:52the Yankees, where you can see all-star game MVP, Jaron Duran, as the Red Sox continue
00:28:57to make their playoff push.
00:28:59And if you're in the Boston area, if you're around Fenway cask and flag and bleacher bar,
00:29:03get in a bite to eat, get in a drink game time has last minute deals where you can save
00:29:06up to 60% off on buying last minute tickets for sports.
00:29:11So make sure you check the game time app right before first pitch to make sure you're
00:29:15not missing any last minute deals, and you can even get your comedy theater or concert
00:29:20tickets on game time as well.
00:29:22So take the guesswork out of buying all your MLB tickets with game time, download the game
00:29:26time app today, create an account and use code C L N S for $20 off your first purchase
00:29:32terms apply again, create an account and redeem code C L N S for $20 off download game time
00:29:38today at last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed.
00:29:41All right, uh, some position by position stuff.
00:29:46You want to start up front defensive line, start in the front seven.
00:29:51Um, I was doing a position by position kind of training camp battles.
00:29:57Uh, it's coming out on Pat's pole, but sometimes before camp here starts in my front seven
00:30:03preview was front seven versus front office, because that seems to be the two big battles
00:30:08right now.
00:30:09I haven't heard that yet.
00:30:10That's a good one.
00:30:11Because, you know, looking at the defensive line, looking at the linebacker groups, it's
00:30:15a lot of the same guys, right?
00:30:16Like we know a lot of these guys, there's just going to be some competition for death
00:30:20depth spots.
00:30:21It looks like, so like the two big storylines, it seems as Devon Godshaw and Matthew Judon
00:30:26are these contract status is going to get, uh, solved before they come back to camp.
00:30:32So where are you at with those two contracts?
00:30:35We'll kind of start here before we get into some more of the competition.
00:30:38Do you think these are going to get resolved before they come back to camp?
00:30:41Uh, veterans report Tuesday, Monday, Tuesday, uh, will we have holdings like last year with
00:30:49Jude on probably going to be Godshaw.
00:30:51That's what we saw from him in, in mini camp.
00:30:53Uh, are these going to linger throughout the summer or will they take care of these guys
00:30:57and just be able to focus on football when we start training camp?
00:31:02So maybe this is a bit of a cop-out, like I, I don't care if guys hold in the first
00:31:07three, four days camp, be out there in the pads.
00:31:09Come on.
00:31:10Like I'm talking like veteran established players, right?
00:31:15So could we see a hold in it?
00:31:18Technically?
00:31:19Yes.
00:31:20I wouldn't be surprised.
00:31:21I think Judon's gets figured out by the time pads come on.
00:31:23I just, he's too important of a player locker room schematically, especially if they're
00:31:28going to play that more aggressive defensive style.
00:31:31I think the Patriots bite the bullet and pay him.
00:31:33I do.
00:31:35Godshaw.
00:31:36I wonder about, cause it's the flip side.
00:31:37If they're going to be more aggressive on defense, there's less of a role for a guy
00:31:40like that.
00:31:41He's older.
00:31:42I don't know that not older than Jude on, but like he's on the older side.
00:31:46He's not a part necessarily of your next real competitive window.
00:31:51He is an important locker room guy, but you do have to draw a line somewhere.
00:31:55Yeah.
00:31:56And I'm not saying you don't pay him to send a message like that's not my point, but like
00:32:00if you can only pay one, you pay Judah.
00:32:02I don't think there's a debate there.
00:32:04I really don't think there is.
00:32:06So does that make things tougher?
00:32:09Like I wouldn't be surprised if, if Godshaws drags through the summer a little bit.
00:32:15Yeah.
00:32:16Yeah.
00:32:17I could definitely see that.
00:32:18And I agree.
00:32:20Jude on over him, like this is, they want to be competitive in the defense.
00:32:24Like they want to win games.
00:32:26You know, you don't want to rebuild to start off going two and 15, three and 14, right?
00:32:30You want to see some progress.
00:32:31They want to win games.
00:32:32And you'd imagine the defense is going to do that and they need Jude on out there.
00:32:36Like two years ago, I think they were tied for fourth in the league and sacks.
00:32:40And then without him last year, they plummet all the way down to 27.
00:32:43If you want to be more aggressive, like you need your best sack pass rusher, a sack artist
00:32:49out there.
00:32:50So, um, are you, are you still not extending him though?
00:32:54Like in ideal world, you would just sweet in this year for Jude on, and then maybe cross
00:32:59that bridge next March when, when we get there, even if I have to give him one more year,
00:33:04I'd be comfortable with that because you can always just trade him.
00:33:07That becomes a, you know, I, I'd give him the one more year and, and you get to camp
00:33:13next year.
00:33:14And if he wants to just stay great, if not, he becomes a movable asset.
00:33:17So beyond that, I think it's right.
00:33:22And I say that say if it's a three-year contract, if it becomes like a three-year deal, you
00:33:27know, rip up this year, three-year deal that that third year, right.
00:33:31Has no guaranteed money, whatever I'm saying.
00:33:35I wouldn't commit to him a ton beyond 2025.
00:33:39So I meant to bring this up earlier.
00:33:40This is an interesting question.
00:33:43Jude on for IUK.
00:33:46This is where that conversation gets a little more realistic.
00:33:50Now the Niners traded for chase young last year at the deadline, then lost him in free
00:33:54agency.
00:33:55I think he went to the bears, right?
00:33:56So maybe they do want an edge guy.
00:34:00And I said this, the Niners aren't going to trade IU because they're trying to win.
00:34:02Now a draft pick doesn't help them.
00:34:03Matthew Jude on definitely does.
00:34:07I, I would probably do this.
00:34:10This is more in the ballpark.
00:34:12And if you don't resign IUK, you didn't give up a ton to get them like Jude on in place
00:34:20of another top 50 pick makes sense to me.
00:34:24Now the Niners may not want to pay the Met Niners may not be interested in paying him
00:34:28because who they, they, they, they're not going to trade brand new for rental, right?
00:34:34They're going to want something back more concrete.
00:34:36I don't know if this works, but I, if you can't get it done with Judah, I've said this,
00:34:41the last thing you want is a step on Gilmore situation where this runs through October
00:34:47and you trade them for nothing, just so you don't lose them.
00:34:50That's the last thing you want to happen.
00:34:52The longer you wait, the more his value goes down.
00:34:55I give him the year I'd give him a year or two, but if you can't get a deal done with
00:34:59him, you have to trade them.
00:35:02You have to trade them.
00:35:03I think by the end of camp, cause then the value takes a significant hit again.
00:35:07This is, you're not going to get much more than brand new form.
00:35:10I think this is, that would be a, one of the better deals you can make.
00:35:14Yeah.
00:35:15I don't know.
00:35:16The Niners did sign Leonard Floyd and then they obviously have Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd,
00:35:20ain't Matthew.
00:35:21Judah.
00:35:22Yeah.
00:35:23That that's fair.
00:35:24But, um, so I just don't know, like if that would be the return they want for, I, I, you
00:35:29got to imagine they probably want a little bit more so, um, but yeah, it is an interesting
00:35:34package.
00:35:35I think the Patriots would definitely consider that if they, even if they could come to a,
00:35:40a contract that they agree with Jude on, like, I think that would be a, a move they would
00:35:45consider.
00:35:46But, um, elsewhere on the defensive line, any guys you're looking to make a push here?
00:35:54I mean, we know like Christian Barmore is going to be Christian Barmore, but it's some
00:35:58of these depth guys like, uh, Daniel quality might've fallen under the radar.
00:36:02You know, he missed most of last season with, uh, I believe that was a torn biceps.
00:36:07You have guys like Jeremiah farm, Sam Roberts coming back, um, Keon white, you can throw
00:36:13in that mix.
00:36:14I think we're expecting him to take kind of a year to jump here.
00:36:18He's been praised by Gerard Mayo this spring Dietrich wise, we kind of know what he is
00:36:22as a player.
00:36:23So maybe if they're more aggressive, that plays into the hands of like a Jeremiah farms
00:36:30or a Daniel quality who brings some juice as a pass rusher.
00:36:33Uh, but any of those kinds of guys on the defensive line, especially if they don't
00:36:37have Devon Godshaw, if there's a situation there, if that, you know, continues any of
00:36:42those guys up front that, that you're kind of looking at looking at here throughout camp.
00:36:46Um, I mean, Keon white's the big one for me, obviously just, you know, can he take that?
00:36:52What's that year to jump look like?
00:36:53Cause if he can, if he can turn into like a real, we talked about flashes earlier with
00:36:57Kate, Sean booty, like he showed flashes too, that kind of got interrupted when he got hurt.
00:37:01I mean, he was really, really disruptive and if you can have him on the strong side, he
00:37:07was just wrecking plays and he wasn't always getting the stats, but he'd come in, wreck
00:37:10the play quarterback running back goes elsewhere.
00:37:13Somebody else would clean it up.
00:37:14And that's exactly the kind of play you drafted him to be.
00:37:17If he can do that on a regular basis, it's going to make everything else so much easier
00:37:20on that front.
00:37:21So he's, he's one of the biggest names to watch in camp for me is Keon white.
00:37:25And I always hate doing that with, you know, line of scrimmage players, cause you can't
00:37:29really watch them a ton just because of the nature of this, but I think he's, he's one
00:37:34of the players to watch.
00:37:35Yeah.
00:37:36He'll, he'll be really fun to watch.
00:37:38You hope, but if he takes that next level, that just raises the ceiling of that defense
00:37:43so much.
00:37:44Cause you know, you can move them inside, you can move them outside, uh, just watching
00:37:47like they're, I expect them to be versatile, but watching their kind of main plan for him
00:37:53would be interesting because he can do so much for you, uh, up on the off, uh, upfront
00:37:58on the defensive line.
00:38:00So he'll, he'll be the top guy to kind of watch, uh, up there among the depth guys,
00:38:04like Daniel quality, he'll be interesting to watch, uh, how he looks coming back and
00:38:10I'm going to watch, I'm excited to see Jeremiah farms.
00:38:13Like I only, he only played like 70, 80 snaps down the stretch, uh, last year, but he had
00:38:18some intriguing like juice as a pass rusher.
00:38:21He held up pretty well against the run and again, limited sample size, but, uh, if you're
00:38:26maybe moving on from Devon Godshaw or you want someone who's a little more aggressive,
00:38:30like can give you more as a pass rusher, I think he's someone who can maybe carve out
00:38:34a role for himself.
00:38:35So, um, yeah, kind of the same similar group, uh, on the defensive line as years past, uh,
00:38:42Amar, Amar and Watts is the one guy that we can add was the, uh, newcomer.
00:38:47He's probably in kind of a Lawrence guy mold, but you know, maybe a more aggressive Lawrence
00:38:52guy, like he's shown some pass rush ability, uh, in the past.
00:38:56So staying on that trend, but, um, Ed rushers, you know, Jude on his big story, Uche is,
00:39:02is back on a one-year deal.
00:39:03He'll have a kind of a prove it year.
00:39:05He's someone who, again, if we're getting more aggressive and they let him pin his ears
00:39:10back, like he's someone who could maybe really give you a big, uh, pass rush impact.
00:39:14Hopefully he gets back to those, you know, 2022 numbers where he's breaking double digits.
00:39:18Uh, and then Anferty Jennings, he'll, he'll probably be the last guy in that mix.
00:39:22Keon white will factor in there, uh, as well, but anything with the edge group, like the
00:39:27edge group, we, we know these guys, as long as, you know, Jude on is here and they're
00:39:31all healthy.
00:39:32That's, that's a pretty solid group there, uh, with those three leading the way.
00:39:35Yeah.
00:39:36Joshua Uche is an interesting one.
00:39:37He's you bet on himself, right?
00:39:39He, he bet on himself to have a big year and if, if he does, I, it's, it's massive for,
00:39:46for the Patriots.
00:39:47So I, I think you're looking at, at a big year from him and, and like I said, it's mostly
00:39:50the same group.
00:39:51They were competitive last year early.
00:39:53I mean, they, they got brutal for injuries, but they were competitive last year.
00:39:57I think Anthony Jennings being back is sneaky, big, uh, we should expect big things from
00:40:01this group.
00:40:02Yep.
00:40:03Yeah.
00:40:04I agree with you there.
00:40:05Uh, that's the defensive front going a step back to the linebacker group.
00:40:10Uh, again, pretty, a lot of the defensive groups are pretty similar.
00:40:15Pretty much everyone back, but, uh, it's one Bentley leading the way they re-signed to
00:40:20Vi.
00:40:21So he's going to have a big role, uh, again, here it's kind of the depth guys, talkie talkie
00:40:26was a free agent addition.
00:40:27Uh, another guy coming back from injury, Raekwon McMillan, uh, will be a name to watch.
00:40:33That's might be kind of a depth battle there.
00:40:35So, uh, I guess linebackers, like, do they have enough, do you think to get by this year
00:40:42and are you expecting maybe Raekwon McMillan to make the team, like if he can stay healthy,
00:40:49you know, that was a bill guy.
00:40:50He, he loved them.
00:40:51So, uh, what do you think about that, that linebacker group there?
00:40:55They could use another guy.
00:40:56Where's Sione talkie talkie at, right.
00:40:58He missed most of the spring due to injury, but, uh, you know, you're, you're, you're
00:41:01counting a lot on John Bentley.
00:41:02You're counting a lot on Jelani to Vi, but those are guys, you know, you can count on.
00:41:06Um, and I, I mean, last year, those guys between the two of them, they, they had most of it
00:41:13handled.
00:41:14You know, you do need a backup.
00:41:15That's probably where talkie talkie comes in or that Mack Wilson role that sideline
00:41:18a sideline role.
00:41:19I think Raekwon McMillan is going to have a chance.
00:41:21They clearly like him.
00:41:22He, he can play sideline aside that he can play special teams, just got to stay healthy.
00:41:26But I think it's going to be him and, you know, talkie talkie will make the team, but
00:41:30what will his role be?
00:41:31You know, can, can Raekwon McMillan cut into that?
00:41:33Um, and I think that's the group, like they're kind of light of linebacker, but I, I still
00:41:38feel good about where they are, any position, you know, pending injury or you're, you're
00:41:41obviously worried about it, but I think they have a good group of linebackers and they'll,
00:41:47there'll be one or two more guys maybe that make the team like a Christian Ellis or Joe
00:41:50Giles Harris for special teams.
00:41:52So they should be in, in good shape there.
00:41:54And then on the outside, I know we just kind of talked about it with the edge, but one
00:41:57other guy I'd mentioned is, uh, O'Shane Jimenez.
00:41:59I think he got a lot of chances this spring with guys out and, and he should have a chance
00:42:04like they're going to need another depth edge guy, right?
00:42:06You have Jude on Uche Jennings, maybe to buy kind of factors in there, like depending on
00:42:13how you want to count them.
00:42:14You could use another guy, uh, Jimenez physical player and plays, uh, special teams.
00:42:20Yeah.
00:42:21Yeah.
00:42:22It was just Pat stats.
00:42:23Shout out.
00:42:24Just brought him up in the chat, said he had some pass rush potential.
00:42:27Uh, yeah, he was, you know, some of those guys, Uche, Jude on weren't there in the OTA.
00:42:32So he was really involved.
00:42:33He has experience under drew Wilkins from their time in the giant.
00:42:37So especially if there's Jude on contracting lingers, you might need another pass rusher
00:42:41there.
00:42:42So he could bring some more juice than a guy like Anthony Jennings does it and the pass
00:42:46rush mold.
00:42:47So, um, yeah, the front seven, like again, a lot of returning guys, we know a lot of
00:42:52these guys, we know their roles, but you know, the depth competitions will be, uh, kind of
00:42:57the things to watch throughout camp.
00:42:59But the secondary, especially the cornerback position has some serious competition.
00:43:05Would you call the cornerback room, maybe the most competitive on the roster?
00:43:08I mean, it is deep, it is talented and it is, uh, young.
00:43:12So Christian Gonzalez will be, uh, the top guy he's locked in there.
00:43:18Jonathan Jones is kind of the wild card because how they decide his role to be, we'll have
00:43:24a kind of a impact on the rest of the room and maybe the personnel they decide to keep.
00:43:28If he is opposite of, you know, Christian Gonzalez and maybe playing the field while
00:43:33Gonzalez plays the boundary, then we're really looking at these slot guys who can play the
00:43:38slot.
00:43:39So if we're moving Jonathan Jones back in the slot, then we're talking about, you know,
00:43:43guys opposite of Christian Gonzalez, maybe more Alex Austin, Isaiah Bolden.
00:43:47So I guess we'll start there.
00:43:49We didn't see much of Jonathan Jones in the spring and many camp, but where do you think
00:43:54when this is, and some of it's impacted by how some of these other young guys play, but
00:43:59where would you, I guess, prefer Jonathan Jones to line up for the, you know, they'll
00:44:03move them around.
00:44:05But his main role this year, what would you prefer Jonathan Jones to be playing?
00:44:10I'd put him in the slot because then you have Gonzalez on, on one boundary and either Alex
00:44:15Austin, or if you go out and get like a Stefan Gilmore on the other, now you're really cooking.
00:44:19And they're also like sneaky thin in the slot after Jonathan Jones is Marcus Jones is a
00:44:23good player, but you, you know, he's small, you wonder about him staying healthy.
00:44:27And then it's Isaiah Bolden who they've worked in the slot a little bit this spring, but
00:44:30is mainly an outside guy and Sean Wade.
00:44:34Like those are your slot corners.
00:44:35And they have some UDFs too, but I just think it, it stretches the whole thing out.
00:44:40If Jonathan Jones can be your slot corner.
00:44:42Now you, you need a good second, like you said, this will change sometimes when they
00:44:46play the dolphins, Jonathan Jones, she's going to shadow Tyree Kelly.
00:44:48You're going to game plan it, but it, it, it gives you a lot more depth if you can put
00:44:53Jones in the slot and get capable number two corner play out of guy like Alex Austin.
00:44:59Yep.
00:45:01Yeah.
00:45:02And I'll bring this up.
00:45:03Mike, Mike said in the chat, if John Jones isn't required to play outside, it's all good
00:45:06news.
00:45:07I mean, he was really good last year in a, in a quarterback one role, but kind of like
00:45:12if he's playing in the slot, that probably means Alex Austin or Isaiah Bolden had a really
00:45:17good summer and took the second cornerback role.
00:45:21So I would say that's good news if one of those young guys kind of emerges, but that
00:45:26will be, there's kind of two competitions in the cornerback room.
00:45:30It's like, how's that top unit going to shake out?
00:45:33And then it's who's going to make the team on a depth role.
00:45:36And you have Sean Wade, as you mentioned, we have Marco Wilson who is 25 and in year
00:45:43four and he's their second most experienced corner in terms of playing time.
00:45:47Will that factor into this?
00:45:49We have Azizi Hearn.
00:45:51We have UDFA Mikey Victor.
00:45:53We have six round pick Marcellus Dial, like he was their lone defensive player picked
00:45:57in the draft.
00:45:59Are they going to want to keep him around in that depth kind of group is one guy.
00:46:06You know, ahead of the rest, do you think, or, I mean, I mean, this is going to be again,
00:46:10a really competitive group for maybe one or two final spots there in that cornerback room.
00:46:16Yeah, it's, it's going to be highly, highly competitive and, and some of it will come
00:46:20down to those at large roster spots as well.
00:46:22Some of it will come that, you know, guys like Isaiah Bolden, Marcellus Dial, uh, if,
00:46:29if like Azizi Hearn makes a push that will come down to, it could be them versus that
00:46:32six wide receiver.
00:46:33It could be them versus Juju or Rager or Booty or Taekwon, right?
00:46:36It could be them versus O'Shea Jimenez, who we just talked about.
00:46:40Some of that's going to come down to that at large.
00:46:41I would not be surprised if they keep like six or seven corners though, because these
00:46:44guys are just, they're good players.
00:46:46These guys are, are, are going to be good players for that spot.
00:46:49Yeah.
00:46:50Yeah.
00:46:51I mean, we were talking about that six wide receiver, but I could see them saying, we're
00:46:55going to keep five receivers and then keep seven corners or something like that.
00:46:59Cause they have, they have a lot of talent there.
00:47:01Someone in the chat even said like Caleb for dement.
00:47:04I think he had an interception and, uh, the spring practices too.
00:47:07So I mean, we've said it so many times, like every one of those guys made a play or two
00:47:12in the spring where we all were like, Oh, okay.
00:47:14Like that was, that was impressive.
00:47:15So all of these guys had, uh, some good moments in the spring and that's going to be such
00:47:20a, uh, a competitive group, but are you still, I will say like, are you still holding out
00:47:26a little hope for Stefan Gilmore?
00:47:28Because he had the quote, I don't know if you saw yesterday, he had a, a text or something
00:47:33to Josina Anderson and he said, you know, he's being patient and the one, the one line
00:47:38that stood out to me, he's like, I'm being patient and staying ready until teams see
00:47:43what they have in training camp.
00:47:44And that like scream Patriots to me because, you know, we feel good about this room, but
00:47:49it's a bunch of young guys, right?
00:47:51Let's see what they have.
00:47:53Maybe like, it doesn't work as well as we thought in, you know, Alex Austin and Isaiah
00:47:56Bolden aren't ready for like a full-time, uh, role.
00:48:00And then that opens the door for Stefan Gilmore.
00:48:02So are you still holding out some hope there, uh, for a ghillie signing?
00:48:06Uh, yeah, absolutely.
00:48:09Absolutely.
00:48:10I, I, it would be great, uh, to bring him back.
00:48:15Not just cause he'd helped this team, but him working with, I mean, I've said this him
00:48:18working with Christian is awesome.
00:48:19It'd be fantastic.
00:48:20So I'd be on the phone.
00:48:22It sounds like, you know, I hadn't seen that quote.
00:48:24I'm just reading it now.
00:48:25Sorry.
00:48:26Sorry.
00:48:27I'm catching up.
00:48:28Um, I think some of that too, I'm being patient and staying ready until they have a camp.
00:48:31Some of that to me too, is like, I'm Stefan Gilmore.
00:48:33I don't need to do the first week of training camp.
00:48:36That's essentially just like football, the football equivalent of icebreakers.
00:48:39Right.
00:48:40I think some of that is I'm Stefan Gilmore.
00:48:41I'll show up when I need to show up, which he has every right to say that.
00:48:46Right.
00:48:47Take that approach.
00:48:48Damn.
00:48:49Good player still is.
00:48:50Um, but they, they should still be in, they should be staying in contact with them.
00:48:55Steph, what are you thinking?
00:48:57You know, this is our offer, you know, how do you feel about August one, blah, blah,
00:49:01blah.
00:49:02Like I, I, I'd be in contact with him.
00:49:03Yep.
00:49:04Yeah, definitely.
00:49:05Great.
00:49:06He'd be a great ad.
00:49:07Great.
00:49:08Add to there.
00:49:09Give you some needed experience as well.
00:49:10Again, a very young room.
00:49:11It's, you know, Jonathan Jones and then Marco Wilson is your second most experienced guy.
00:49:15So, uh, he would be a good ad there and they obviously have the cap space, uh, to make
00:49:19a deal happen, but, uh, safety room, uh, peppers and Duggar, they are what they are.
00:49:28Uh, we know them.
00:49:30Are you, do you still think like, are you in love still with that pairing back there?
00:49:36Like those two guys being on the field a lot, you know, we've talked a lot about the need
00:49:40uh, for a free safety and maybe that is Jalen Hawkins, who was pretty involved, uh, in the
00:49:46sprain.
00:49:47Maybe he takes on that, like that, the Ron Harmon role, like, are you good with that
00:49:50being your, your top three, uh, and getting that free safety body type back there to kind
00:49:56of pair with peppers and Duggar in the safety room.
00:49:59For what they have right now.
00:50:01Yeah.
00:50:02You know, I would've liked it if they'd added a full-time free safety.
00:50:03I will say this, I I'm, I'm like out ish on Justin Simmons at this point.
00:50:11I know I was big on him earlier.
00:50:12The fact that Jamal Adams signed before him to me is a warning flag.
00:50:14Then again, the Titans just love old players, but, um, yeah, I, I I'm out on that.
00:50:21I think for the group they have right now, that's what's best.
00:50:24But Jalen Hawkins needs to play and he's not going to be a hundred percent usage rate guy.
00:50:27Like I get that, but third down two minute drills, peppers and Duggar both need to be
00:50:33in the box.
00:50:34They both need to be playing where the most impactful.
00:50:36So you need some buddy on that back end.
00:50:38I don't think it's Marte Mapu.
00:50:39I don't know where Marte Mapu fits in all of this.
00:50:41That's going to be one of the more interesting storylines of camp.
00:50:43We can get to him more in a second.
00:50:45Jalen Hawkins is your best team safety.
00:50:47He's capable.
00:50:48He's not Demacordy.
00:50:49If you are, you know, it's not like to say he's terrible.
00:50:51He's not one of the best free safeties of a decade.
00:50:55He's capable in those third down situations.
00:50:59Yeah.
00:51:00I will see a little more camp and I'm expecting him to make the team and have a role defensively.
00:51:03Yeah.
00:51:04I think we looked it up.
00:51:05Like the Ron Harmon was like 50, 60% of the snaps, like the last three years he was there.
00:51:11Like you could see that.
00:51:12And then you let Duggar, you let peppers get closer to the ball, make plays, you know,
00:51:17Duggar.
00:51:18That was the other thing.
00:51:19The Marcus Covington kind of mentioned that he said being more aggressive and he's like,
00:51:22we want to create more turnovers and Duggar, they moved him away from the ball last year.
00:51:27And as you would expect, like he didn't create as many turnovers as he did two years ago.
00:51:31So if you can get him closer to the ball, maybe that helps you as a, as a whole unit
00:51:35create some more turnovers and, but you would need that free safety and you hope that's
00:51:39where Jalen Hawkins with that type of range and that type of skillset fits into the puzzle
00:51:44here.
00:51:45So let's do the Mopu conversation.
00:51:50He's still listed as a safety.
00:51:52He was working there more during the spring.
00:51:55I don't know.
00:51:56Like what, what's his role?
00:51:57Are we going to see him?
00:51:58Are we going to see like some of the Mack Wilson linebackers snaps?
00:52:02Could that be a situation, you know, you'd expect them maybe to move down there and some
00:52:06of those obvious passing situations, but like he, he's such a question mark to me and it's
00:52:13such a weird storyline for a third round pick top 100 pick last year.
00:52:19So just, I don't know, like, what are you thinking for Marte Mopu and where are you
00:52:23kind of at with him?
00:52:26I don't know.
00:52:27I really don't know.
00:52:28And, and ultimately I think he'll be on the team.
00:52:30Yeah.
00:52:31I'd be surprised unless they trade them.
00:52:34Like I'll be surprised if he may just be a specialist, like essentially the role he was
00:52:38in last year.
00:52:39And you see this all the time where, you know, coaching staff changes and there was a, there
00:52:42was a plan for a player and that plan no longer exists, you know, cards on the table.
00:52:47I think we all know he was drafted to replace Kyle Duggar.
00:52:49That was the plan.
00:52:50Bill wasn't going to pay Kyle Duggar, new front office, new coaching staff, Kyle Duggars
00:52:54back.
00:52:55They don't seem comfortable playing him at linebacker.
00:52:57I'd give it a shot at this point.
00:52:58I don't know what you have to lose, but they haven't played him at linebacker any substantial
00:53:01amount yet.
00:53:02They don't need another box safety.
00:53:04I don't think he quite, cause he put all that weight on, I don't think he quite has the
00:53:07range to play over the top, at least not in, you know, as a center fielder.
00:53:11So where does he play?
00:53:13Is he a big nickel?
00:53:14I guess it would be the best shop.
00:53:16They have guys that can do that.
00:53:19I think he's mainly going to be a special team or unless there's a ton of injuries,
00:53:21you're not going to see him a ton.
00:53:23This time next year, we'll be talking about him as a bubble player.
00:53:25Yeah.
00:53:26I don't know, like maybe big nickel, as you mentioned, like he takes some of those mile
00:53:33Bryant miles, Bryant safety snaps, but there's just not a path to like a full-time impact
00:53:40role for him.
00:53:41So it'll be interesting to watch.
00:53:44Like he, he's someone, how involved does he, uh, you'd assume he's going to have a big
00:53:49special teams role.
00:53:50Like, I think he was playing a little of the personal protector on the punt team in, in
00:53:55OTAs and minicamp.
00:53:57So, uh, he'll have a big special teams role.
00:54:00And then you just got to hope like something happens there, uh, on the defensive side,
00:54:05but it's a big question mark right now, moving, moving forward.
00:54:08So, um, that's all the positions, anything else, anything we missed there on the defense
00:54:17punter punter.
00:54:18Yeah.
00:54:19Uh, I mean, Bryce is locked in, they don't have a, any competition for him on depth chart
00:54:25this year.
00:54:26So, uh, I mean, he he's got to avoid the Ryan Allen of it.
00:54:32That's true.
00:54:33That's true.
00:54:34I think the big thing with him is just consistency.
00:54:37Like there were still, he had a really good year, like, and he had the second most punts
00:54:41in the league at 98, I think it was.
00:54:43So, um, it's just consistency.
00:54:46Like he still had the occasional shank, I think five out of his last six games, he had
00:54:51a net average under 40 yards.
00:54:53So, uh, some of that was poor field positioning, right?
00:54:56Like he also led the league and punts inside the 20, but, um, just more consistency, like
00:55:02avoid the shanks, uh, avoid some of that.
00:55:05So you'd imagine year two, like he he's got a full NFL season under his belt.
00:55:09He might finish a little stronger than he did last year, right?
00:55:12Like he was a rookie.
00:55:13He's never played 17 games before.
00:55:15So, um, but you know, you saw the talent, the leg was still, the leg was still huge.
00:55:20He had some success with the plus fifties, you know, all the inside twenties, uh, but
00:55:25you hope he doesn't punt as much as last year.
00:55:28Obviously we don't need 98 punts again, uh, this year, but I'm confident in Bryce, um,
00:55:34more so than the kicker position, obviously, but, uh, I'm good with him moving, moving
00:55:39in as the lone punter, uh, for, for training camp here.
00:55:43Yeah.
00:55:44Same, same.
00:55:45Just a little more consistently.
00:55:47I think you hit on it.
00:55:49Yup.
00:55:50Uh, but rest special teams like only is Brendan school or a lock for you?
00:55:56No, none of those guys are.
00:55:58Cause we don't know.
00:55:59It's like new roster construction.
00:56:00Are they going to keep so many, you know, if they're going to keep one, I guess it's
00:56:04probably him, but they may just say, we want guys that can play offense and defense too.
00:56:09They're not going to keep a ton of concentrated specialists.
00:56:11Even when bill was coming, but even before we knew bill was gone, like you wondered about
00:56:14his status with all the penalties last year.
00:56:16So, uh, he's not a roster lock for me.
00:56:19No, I, I, I think I had him on my last roster projection, but I, it wouldn't surprise me
00:56:27if he's not here.
00:56:28Yeah.
00:56:29He, he's kind of like in the KJ Osborne camp, I would guess where like, I would have him
00:56:35on.
00:56:36Um, he is like their pure specialists.
00:56:39Like it's really only him and Christian Ellis, like as the last two pure specialists, he
00:56:44has some familiarity, uh, with Jeremy Sprinter, the coordinator.
00:56:48So I would be surprised if he's gone, but if we get in the spring or spring, if we get
00:56:53in the, uh, preseason and he's, you know, committed penalties still and missing some
00:56:58tackles, like maybe that, that becomes more of a conversation, but I would expect him
00:57:03to be here.
00:57:04But again, those pure specialist roles, like they're maybe one, maybe two at max.
00:57:11Like those, those guys, uh, they don't exist on this Gerard Mayo, Elliot Wolf roster as
00:57:15they did on the Bill Belichick roster.
00:57:17But, um, so that would be something to monitor.
00:57:20We'll obviously be watching the kickoffs that, that will be exciting where those guys factor
00:57:24in if they, you know, are breaking out any, what they're breaking out scheme related wise,
00:57:29uh, on the kickoff.
00:57:31Yep.
00:57:32Uh, I think that's it.
00:57:34Like anything else, special teams, anything we missed defense, uh, anything else you got
00:57:39there?
00:57:40I think that's pretty much it.
00:57:42Yeah.
00:57:43All right.
00:57:44So one week we will be out there.
00:57:47Uh, this is, it's one of the best times of the year.
00:57:50It's one of my favorite times of the year.
00:57:53It's awesome getting to, you know, watch them practice each and every day.
00:57:57I would definitely recommend, I know it can be hot, but I would definitely recommend,
00:58:00uh, coming out to practice if you're in the area, if you can make it.
00:58:05Um, I think we did this a little bit last year, but I don't just any, if anyone is going
00:58:10out there to watch practice, do you have any tips, tricks, how to watch it is, you know,
00:58:15we don't really know, like they could, I'm guessing it's going to look fairly similar
00:58:19to the spring and you know, it is Gerard Mayo.
00:58:22So it's probably going to look fairly similar to a Bill Belichick practice, but we've never
00:58:25seen how this coaching staff puts together a training camp, right?
00:58:29Like we're used to the first four days, all being in the red area, they're working goal
00:58:33line.
00:58:34Maybe that changes, but you know, for people going to camp, uh, the pads won't be on for
00:58:39the first four days.
00:58:41That usually is the second week.
00:58:42So keep that in mind.
00:58:44But for people going to camp, do you have any tips, tricks, stuff to brain, stuff to
00:58:48watch how to watch practice anything for, for the viewers out there that might be in
00:58:52attendance?
00:58:53Yeah.
00:58:54So just a couple of tips, you know, have a roster handy, make sure your phone's charged
00:58:57because not all the information you want's on the roster, binoculars help sunscreen.
00:59:01Um, when you're watching practice, a couple of things I always point out is don't always
00:59:08follow the ball.
00:59:09You can do that.
00:59:10I mean, like do it sometimes, definitely, but also right.
00:59:14If you're, if you, if there's a receiver, you're excited to watch and you're just following
00:59:17the ball by the time it gets to him, he already made his move.
00:59:23He already ran his route, right?
00:59:24He's open.
00:59:25He might make a nice catch, but like, how do you get open?
00:59:27So, and if they don't throw him the ball, you still see him run their out.
00:59:29Same goes like, you know, linemen or corners or whatever.
00:59:32So I would say decide before the play who you want to watch or what you want to watch.
00:59:37You know, you can obviously watch more than one player at a time.
00:59:39Maybe you want to see like the coverage or whatever, but decide before the play, what
00:59:42you want to watch.
00:59:43And it helps to listen because they'll say, you'll hear one of the coaches yell out what
00:59:47the next period is.
00:59:48So you'll kind of, and sometimes you can hear more details.
00:59:51If you listen, you know, what's going on.
00:59:53If you know what to expect, you have a better idea of what to watch.
00:59:57If you don't know what to watch, and this is the, this is the best advice I have, and
01:00:01this helps me a ton.
01:00:03Look at Gerard Mayo, look at Alex Van Pelt, look at DeMarcus Covington, look at, you know,
01:00:07Tyler Hughes, if you're a receivers person, whatever, and look where they're looking.
01:00:13What is Gerard Mayo watching?
01:00:14What is Alex Van Pelt watching?
01:00:16Because if those guys are watching it, it's probably important, probably important, right?
01:00:20And then you see like, who are they talking to?
01:00:22Who are they spending more time with?
01:00:23So if you don't, and if you do that enough, and I'm not saying over the course of one
01:00:28practice, this is over the course of years, you know, watching practices, you kind of
01:00:33start to get an idea of where they're going to be looking.
01:00:35So that's the best advice I can give.
01:00:37If you want to really watch practice to break it down, actually I have one more, but if
01:00:41you really want to watch practice to break it down, look for what the coaches are looking
01:00:46for.
01:00:48And that's clearly what the big, big takeaways are.
01:00:50But one other thing I'd say is don't let one play good or bad dictate your entire view
01:01:01of, of, of a player's day.
01:01:03Like if one guy, if a corner gets smoked on one play, right, just get smoked, beaten bad
01:01:11receivers wide open, but he's right in the receiver's hip pocket the rest of the day.
01:01:16And you have another guy that's like a step or two behind on every rep.
01:01:20None of it looks jarringly bad, which player really had the worst day.
01:01:24The one that had the highlight blown coverage that everybody's going to talk about, or the
01:01:28guy that never covered the receiver.
01:01:30So it's in the same goes for good place.
01:01:32Like a guy may make an outstanding catch in knock it open the rest of the day.
01:01:37A guy may have a whole hum day catches a couple balls, nothing great about it, but he's like
01:01:41consistently involved.
01:01:43When we talk about a player having a great day or having a not great day, it's the full
01:01:48body of work.
01:01:50Individual standout plays are certainly a part of it.
01:01:52And you can say, so-and-so had a great day, except he did get burned once, but he recovered
01:01:57nicely and you know, was, was doing his job the rest of the day.
01:02:02But you don't want to let one play dictate the entire outlook of a player.
01:02:10Cause that's not how, that's not how anything works.
01:02:12And I feel like people are tempted to do that.
01:02:14Sometimes receiver makes a diving catch.
01:02:16Oh, he's making the team.
01:02:17Well, okay.
01:02:19He also dropped two balls and fell down running around, but somebody got the catch on video
01:02:24and that's on Twitter.
01:02:25And that's all we're talking about.
01:02:26So he's on the team now, like make sure you pay it.
01:02:31The individual stuff matters, but it matters in the context of the whole body of work.
01:02:35That's one B in terms of the most important advice I can give.
01:02:40Yep.
01:02:41And lastly, like if you're going and you are trying to like break this down, you're not
01:02:45going to see everything that happens.
01:02:47There's so much that goes out there, especially, you know, they'll split fields.
01:02:52They'll have one-on-one offensive line versus defensive line on one field.
01:02:55And then they'll have pass catchers versus corners on the other field.
01:02:59Like you're not going to see everything that happens if you're with people like split up
01:03:03your eyes.
01:03:04Like we use each other so much, you know, like one of us is watching offensive line.
01:03:09The other is watching corners or one of us is watching one field and they'll say like,
01:03:12Hey, who caught that?
01:03:13Like, you're not going to see everything that goes on.
01:03:16There's so much going on.
01:03:18So, you know, don't beat yourself up.
01:03:19Like if you miss something, just you'll figure it out, but you know, you're not going to
01:03:24see everything in live time.
01:03:26So but it is, it's a great time of the year being out there watching them practice.
01:03:33It's like the one time we all have full access to pretty much everything that's going on
01:03:36out there.
01:03:37So we definitely recommend you get down to Gillette if you can.
01:03:41The schedule is on the website.
01:03:43It is free to attend.
01:03:45So definitely worth your time if you can get down there and you can bear the heat for a
01:03:49few hours.
01:03:50So I'll say just to your point there, like work as a team, work as a team.
01:03:54We like, we will ask ourselves all the time.
01:03:57And some of us who work for the same outlet, like myself, Matt Dollop, right?
01:04:0198 five.
01:04:02They're going on to split fields.
01:04:03It's two fields at once.
01:04:04Okay.
01:04:05I'm going to watch this field.
01:04:06You watch that field or they're on one field, but you know, it's starters for starters.
01:04:10You watch the offense.
01:04:11I'm going to watch the defense or even if we, you know, we don't work together.
01:04:14Like I'll turn to you.
01:04:15I'll turn to Mike.
01:04:16I'll turn to Taylor.
01:04:17I'll turn to Evan.
01:04:18What did you see?
01:04:19I was watching this player.
01:04:20The ball happened over here.
01:04:21What did you see?
01:04:22Or, Hey, I'm trying to watch this.
01:04:23Can you watch this?
01:04:24You know, did you, did that player got hurt?
01:04:26Did you see what happened?
01:04:27Like bring a friend, bring a friend, work as a team, start a podcast.
01:04:32There you go.
01:04:34There you go.
01:04:35So, all right.
01:04:36So we'll be back Wednesday, right?
01:04:39We'll be back Wednesday too.
01:04:42We might do one more.
01:04:44We'll talk briefly after the show.
01:04:45We might do one more, like just kind of hype up for camp podcast early next week.
01:04:50We'll figure it may, uh, I guess no, probably unless there's big news, probably not.
01:04:54Cause we're going to have shows Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
01:04:57Yeah.
01:04:58We'll be back to daily training camp shows.
01:05:00So, uh, if we do do something, you know, Monday, Tuesday before we will let you guys know.
01:05:06So make sure you, uh, follow Patriots CLNS on Twitter, subscribe to Patriots press pass
01:05:11on YouTube, turn on your notifications.
01:05:14So you do, do you know when we go live?
01:05:16But if not, we will see you guys Wednesday, recapping day one of training camp.
01:05:21Make sure you follow Alex on Twitter at real Alex Barth, follow me on Twitter at I am Brian
01:05:25Heinz.
01:05:26We'll have live updates, uh, on our Twitter from practices and then 98, five, the sports
01:05:31hub.com.
01:05:32Alex will have some more training camp previews coming.
01:05:34And then of course, all of his training camp notebooks, uh, once practice starts and Pat's
01:05:38pulpit.com.
01:05:40I will have the same thing, some previews coming up over the next week and then our
01:05:44training camp notebooks there as well.
01:05:46So exciting time of the year, football is back, kind of back.
01:05:51And, uh, thank you all as always for tuning in with us this morning and we will see you
01:05:56guys from training camp next week.