• 2 months ago
Greg Bedard and Nick Cattles preview the Patriots game against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. Tune in for more on the extensive injury report for both teams, the Patriots offensive line situation, and a discussion on whether this could be Brissett's last start.


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Transcript
00:00This is the Greg Bidard Patriots podcast with Nick Cavins.
00:07All right, we'll get to this San Francisco 49ers matchup in just a couple of minutes.
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00:42What time is it?
00:43Of course, it's GameTime.
00:44All right, let's get to some headlines, Greg, and when you look at this game, the first
00:48thing you notice is the injury report.
00:51My goodness, injuries galore.
00:54Let's start with San Francisco.
00:56Deebo Samuel, expected out, run CMC, literally flew to Germany, got a treatment on his Achilles,
01:04which doesn't sound good.
01:05Javon Hargrave tore his pec.
01:07I think it was on the triceps, tore his triceps, so he's going to be out.
01:11George Kittle, limited at yesterday's practice, we're recording this on Thursday early afternoon.
01:16Brock Purdy has a sore back.
01:18He was a full participant, but his back's a little cranky.
01:22How does that impact San Francisco, their game plan, and what they could look like on
01:26Sunday?
01:27Well, I mean, I think against most teams, it would impact them a lot.
01:32Against the Patriots, you know, I don't think it impacts them all that much.
01:37I mean, I think the big thing is, you know, Trent Williams, he mispracticed with an illness.
01:41I assume he's going to be back.
01:43We also saw him go out of the game against the Rams, but he did return.
01:48At first it looked scary.
01:50He's a guy they pretty much can't afford to lose because he's one of the best in the
01:57league.
01:59But you know, in the hands of a different offensive coordinator, especially what's going
02:04on with their offense, you would say like, you know, I don't know what they're going
02:11to do against a defense like the Patriots.
02:17But with Kyle Shanahan and the Patriots defense, you know, I don't really think it disrupts
02:22them all that much.
02:23I mean, Kyle Shanahan's such a wizard that like, you know, if Kittle's not available,
02:28then he'll use Juszczak more.
02:31And you know, Jawan Jennings, the wide receiver, really busted onto the scene last week with
02:38a huge game against the Rams.
02:40Ayuk, it still seems like with his holdout and everything, they're still trying to get
02:45him acclimated into the offense.
02:50Of course, not having Debo and not having McCaffrey out there definitely makes a guy
02:56like Brandon Ayuk, you know, instead of being like the third option or the fourth option,
03:02you know, now he's the number one option and it's different and teams are going to play
03:05you different.
03:06And so I don't have a ton of concerns.
03:11I mean, the Hargrave injury, probably in the near term for this team, for the 49ers,
03:17is probably the most troublesome.
03:18I mean, he's one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league.
03:21And I will say that I haven't been overly impressed with the 49ers defensive line, especially
03:28without Hargrave.
03:29Of course, Nick Bosa is Nick Bosa and, you know, he's great.
03:35But outside of that, you know, I don't think that this 49ers defense is all that formidable.
03:43Fred Warner, of course, is probably the best defender, regardless of position in the league.
03:51But if he doesn't have those big guys like Hargrave and those guys up front taking up
03:56blockers and letting him run sideline to sideline, he's not quite as good.
04:00So, you know, I think we'll get into the Patriots injury situation, but I would say
04:07I would say, you know, slight advantage to the Patriots, Patriots offense, you know,
04:13with the injuries that are going on with the 49ers.
04:15And I would say not much of an advantage for the Patriots defense going up against the
04:22San Francisco offense.
04:23Yeah.
04:24You mentioned Hargrave.
04:25Let's look in the trenches because the Patriots injury report.
04:28My goodness.
04:29No bueno.
04:30So Michael Jordan, Vanarion Lowe did not practice yesterday.
04:35Andrews, So and Wallace were all limited.
04:41How concerned are you about this offensive line, Greg, with all of these injuries stacking
04:46up now at this point?
04:47I mean, Nick, we're looking at the we're staring at the possibility that Demontre Jacobs, who
04:54finished the game against the Jets at left tackle, who was one of their waiver claims,
04:59could be basically the fourth left tackle for this team in four games.
05:04And that's that's pretty scary.
05:07I'm surprised that David Andrews, like it says, not injury related rest that he missed
05:12practice on Wednesday.
05:15I think we talked about it last podcast.
05:19David's play the last couple of weeks has been concerning.
05:23And I think he is dealing with something.
05:26He's the ultimate tough guy.
05:27He's not going to let anybody know.
05:28He probably doesn't want to even be on the injury report.
05:31I'll be interested to see what his designation is today.
05:34Maybe they did give him, quote unquote, rest on Wednesday, but he might be limited today
05:40with an injury.
05:41But, you know, Michael Jordan is a guy that I think has played well in the first three
05:47games.
05:48Now, city.
05:49So is on his way back.
05:50He's he was limited with an ankle.
05:53I think I would rather have Michael Jordan out there.
05:58But yeah, of course, with the Patriots offensive line situation, this is not making it any
06:04better.
06:05Now, I mean, it's crazy that they just haven't been able to find any chemistry or continuity
06:09up front injuries, troops leaving the team due to mental health.
06:13I mean, there's just so many things going on where it's impossible to to really evaluate
06:20what they originally wanted to do because they just haven't been able to do it.
06:25And now they just keep falling deeper and deeper into this hole.
06:29Not only offensive line.
06:31You also look at the defensive backs, Greg, Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, both limited.
06:38Alex Austin did not practice.
06:40Of course, Austin was getting snaps the last game over Marco Wilson because Wilson had
06:45not played well.
06:46So the secondary is also dinged up here.
06:49And I would imagine Kyle Shanahan has taken notice of that.
06:53Yeah, for sure.
06:55And I think that, you know, when we talk about this matchup and we'll get further into it,
07:02I don't think there's anybody better in the league at, you know, especially now that Belichick's
07:07not in the league at looking at an opponent.
07:12And seeing what they do well or don't do well or where they're having injury problems and
07:16exploiting that.
07:18And so, you know, I don't know if this is going to be a huge air game for the San Francisco
07:2449ers.
07:25Of course, they are going to, you know, dial up some things.
07:27You know, I was just watching their film and the first touchdown, Juwan Jennings was just
07:32like a Kyle Shanahan special where, you know, they they they totally got the defense to
07:40buy in that it was going to be a run and bring the safety down.
07:43And even Juwan Jennings is like, you know, faking that he's going to block and there's
07:48motion all this way.
07:49And then all of a sudden Jennings just pops out and he's wide open in the end zone.
07:53I mean, that's Kyle Shanahan.
07:55That's play calling that scheme.
07:58And he's the best at it.
08:00But, you know, the the Patriots defense, especially their secondary, Nick, and I think you would
08:06agree with this, especially after what we've seen, at least against the Jets and maybe
08:10late against the Seahawks.
08:13They're going to have to tackle in this game and tackle a lot so that that these guys are
08:19a little bit dinged up and traveling across the country.
08:25It's they're going to have to gird up and really play play tough to keep this game close.
08:29One more injury note, because, yes, if you were wondering, there is more that I think
08:34might get overlooked this week because of the offensive line stuff and because of Christian
08:37Gonzalez, Anthony Jennings.
08:40Now, he did not practice yesterday.
08:43We'll see how, you know, this goes the rest of the week.
08:47But I was surprised I was I was looking at some stats, Greg, this week.
08:52And one of the things that shocked me.
08:55Was that Anthony Jennings, I was looking at ESPN and they, you know, run block win rates
09:02and they're, you know, winning against the run for edge defenders, ESPN's metrics.
09:09They actually have Anthony Jennings as the number one run edge defender this year so
09:15far.
09:16And we'll get into this a little bit more in depth.
09:19But San Francisco runs outside the tackles an awful lot.
09:24And we saw the discipline or lack thereof on the pass rush from the defense last week
09:29against the Jets.
09:30And now the guy that's been the best in the league, obviously best on your team, setting
09:36the edge is a DNP due to a shoulder with this specific matchup.
09:41That could be a big issue.
09:42Yeah, and I'm trying to think I completely agree.
09:47I mean, I think Anthony Jennings has done a lot of really good things, especially, you
09:51know, against the run and setting the edge and, you know, making negative plays like
09:57he's his improvement over the last two years has been astounding.
10:04He sort of really announced himself last season as the season went along.
10:08And he's tremendous.
10:09I mean, I guess I'm guessing that and they don't even have a guy like Xemnas who, you
10:16know, flashed during training camp and all that stuff.
10:19And, you know, he's on IR now.
10:22I take it they're going to have to probably move to buy to edge, you know, big, strong
10:27guy can set the edge, does a lot of really good work against the run.
10:31Also, when he's on the edge, he's not as good.
10:33I think, you know, when he's at inside linebacker, which he's had to be for Bentley, I think
10:38they're going to have to look at some other options and moving to buy, you know, maybe
10:44they play Ellis or somebody like that.
10:47But yeah, I totally agree.
10:49I think Anthony Jennings not talked about that much, but been a really good player.
10:55And this is the type of team San Francisco, because basically what they're going to have
10:58to do is, you know, to have a hope to have any hope at stopping or corralling this offense,
11:05they're going to have to set the edge hard in the run game and make it make the 49ers
11:11play in a phone booth.
11:13If if Jennings isn't there to do that, it's they definitely take a hit.
11:18Maybe Jamri Comra or Kroma is is the guy that comes off and then all of a sudden is on the
11:23active roster.
11:24We heard that he's decent at the point of attack.
11:26All right, we'll get into the quarterback conversation because there's a number of quarterback
11:31notes Greg wants to hit.
11:32But before we get to that, Greg also wants to tell you about prize picks.
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12:17picks.
12:18Okay.
12:19I'm sure everybody's been looking forward to this because I hit last week and of course
12:22a drum roll.
12:23You know, by the way, you know, but Dard's been peacock at all week about these bets
12:28on prize picks last week, walking around his house, telling his wife and his kids how great
12:32he was.
12:33Exactly.
12:34You know, you know me, Nick.
12:37So this week I'm sort of pressing my luck a little bit.
12:41I'm going with an extra pick.
12:44So of course we have the Caleb Williams free square.
12:48Yes.
12:49I am going and I mixed in some more 49ers because I feel a little bit better about them.
12:56So I'm going Antonio Gibson more than six and a half receiving yards.
13:01I think that we heard Alex Van Pelt today tell reporters that a way to telegraph yourself,
13:08but this is a, what do you term it?
13:11Get the ball out quick game.
13:14So who were the players that are closest to Jacoby Bursette?
13:19The running backs.
13:20So I feel good about the backs in the passing game.
13:23So six and a half more for Antonio Gibson.
13:28I'm going Ramond Ray Stevenson more than 13 and a half receiving yards.
13:33Hopefully they can hit a screen pass.
13:35I'm sure they're going to dial one up early.
13:37Now I'm going to the 49ers, Nick Bosa more than 0.25 sacks.
13:43I mean, he's got to get that, right?
13:45I mean, I think he can get that like breathing on the Patriots.
13:49You guys trade Jacobs or whatever the hell isn't up to the task.
13:52Is that what you're telling me?
13:53Jacobs, baby.
13:54Yeah.
13:55Yeah.
13:56They totally had the third pick in the way of a while and they got the steal of a guy.
14:01I'm going Brock Purdy more than nine and a half rushing yards.
14:07I think that we've seen the Patriots have contained issues against Gino Smith against
14:12Aaron Rodgers.
14:13Of course, they're going to double down on that.
14:15I think they were embarrassed.
14:16They should be embarrassed, but still I think of, you know, all the movement that the San
14:22Francisco 49ers get going back and forth.
14:25I think Purdy is going to break off, you know, a couple, he's going to scramble at least
14:29a couple of times.
14:30And then this is the one I don't feel great about, but he's on my fantasy team.
14:35So I'm pressing my luck.
14:37Dwan Jennings more than 47 and a half receiving yards.
14:42I think the Patriots will make a priority and I think that Jennings will shake loose.
14:51So that's what I have this week.
14:54Follow me on there.
14:56Enjoy the winnings.
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15:12Run your game.
15:13Greg, Gerard Mayo said this week that the team is not looking to add a veteran quarterback.
15:18Is that a mistake?
15:23I think it is.
15:24I mean, I just like to have, I mean, even if the guy's on the practice squad you know,
15:30I just like to give myself options.
15:32I mean, we're seeing this all over the league.
15:34I mean, not just this year, but last year, I mean, quarterbacks are going to get hurt
15:39and you know, you know, whether it's Jacoby Brissett and or Drake may I just want to give
15:46myself options more than, than Joe Milton.
15:49I mean, I do think that it would be in their best interest to let Drake bake a bit more.
15:55I know we're hearing more and more.
15:56I think some of it's because of, you know, they played on Thursday night.
15:59So there's a lot to talk about.
16:01Of course there's, you know, some radio hosts out there locally who, uh, who act like Veruca
16:07salt and want Drake may now, and, you know, throw a temper have been throwing a temper
16:13tantrum for weeks on end.
16:15I want it now, daddy.
16:16And, uh, so look, I, I don't, I don't know if he's ready yet.
16:22I mean, I would just give myself options, but this is what they're, this is sort
16:28of, you know, what they've been going down.
16:30I mean, I remember asking people in the organization around cut down day, like,
16:34all right, well, who's the veteran that you guys are signing?
16:36And they're like, Joe Milton's the practice squad quarterback, quote unquote.
16:41Yeah.
16:41So I, I, I don't see why anything would change.
16:45And we're hearing a lot of reports about Drake Mays, really good in practice.
16:48Like, of course, I don't think, I don't think the coaches are going to sit up
16:52there and be like, boy, he really stinks.
16:55Like, um, but it is what it is.
16:59Drake Mays time is coming probably sooner rather than later.
17:02And then we'll all see what happens.
17:06You and I are on the same page when it comes to the veteran quarterback stuff.
17:09We've been having this conversation since they drafted two quarterbacks
17:13and had zappy on the roster.
17:15And I'm not a zappy guy, but I said then, and I feel the same way now would not
17:21have been the worst idea to try to get Milton to the practice squad and keep
17:24zappy on the roster because he's another veteran dude.
17:27And if, if you feel like may, isn't quite ready.
17:30And as Greg always says, you know, let Drake bake.
17:33If, if you want them to keep baking, then you'd have another option.
17:37And so now in the worst case scenario, which, you know, I'm, I'm certainly not
17:40hoping for a wishing for, but preset goes down and then may gets banged up.
17:45And I got Joe Milton out there behind this offensive line, uh, far from ideal.
17:51Uh, don't love the idea.
17:53You know, I try to, and I do a terrible job.
17:57So, because I'm so stubborn and so tunnel vision, but I do try to
18:01understand people's arguments and try to look at them in a reasonable way.
18:06And I know there's a lot of people watching or listening to this podcast that
18:09they want Drake may out there right now.
18:13I really can't come up with a good reason why to play him right now.
18:15Like, I, I just don't know how you watch this offensive line beyond pace to, you
18:21know, give up 170 hits on Jacoby preset.
18:24That's an actual number folks.
18:26I mean, Mike Reese said reset's been hit 30 times the first three games.
18:31If you extrapolate that out, he's going to take 170 hits.
18:35And you want to throw may out there right now, your wide
18:38receiver room is a shuffle act.
18:40We don't really know who the best receiver in the room is.
18:43They don't have Kendrick born yet.
18:44Who is the best receiver on this roster?
18:46Osborne still getting too many snaps.
18:48You have an offensive coordinator who Greg's has said, he's literally just
18:52picking plays off the sheet right now.
18:54Not really setting things up.
18:55And you know, Gerard Mayo comes out this week and says that they're still
18:59trying to figure things out, coaching staff, players, and everything.
19:02You want to put Drake may in the middle of that, right?
19:05I just, for the life of me, I don't get it.
19:08What is the rush?
19:09Wait a few weeks.
19:10If you've got to wait a few weeks, let's see if the
19:13offensive line can get healthy.
19:14I just, I don't understand it.
19:16Well, and that's where I am, Nick, I'm the same way.
19:19It's like, you know, when you talk about this Drake may thing and you know,
19:24you, you gotta give me a good reason and your entertainment value, um, your,
19:31uh, desire to watch the team.
19:34That's not, that's not a reason, um, that Jaden Daniels is doing X, Y,
19:39and Z is not a reason because as we illustrated in the last podcast, like
19:43they're two completely different prospects and what Jaden Daniels is
19:46doing so far is not a surprise.
19:49Everybody knew he was the most pro ready quarterback, especially because
19:53they're basically running the LSU offense, um, you know, in Washington.
19:58And, you know, he has Terry McLaurin, which certainly helps things.
20:02Um, you know, look, I understand Drake may, and we even saw this in the jets game.
20:08We've seen this in every, every time we've seen Drake may on the field, he is
20:13going to make some plays that make you sit up, you know, the, the throat
20:17of pop Douglas was really good.
20:20I wasn't a huge fan of the run on fourth and eight.
20:22I would have rather him thrown to Hunter Henry, but a lot of people, you
20:26know, get, get excited about that.
20:29Um, you know, I do not, but as soon as Drake may gets in there and who knows,
20:35it could be this week given, you know, San Francisco and their defense and
20:39the hits that Jacoby's taking.
20:41Uh, I, I can tell you, I can guarantee you Drake may is going to make a couple
20:45of plays in every game where you just like that dude's got something special
20:49because he's a big, strong athlete and those things show up at some point in
20:53but nobody, everyone advocating for Drake may, none of them think about the downside.
21:01They just think about, they have visions of Jaden Daniels and CJ
21:05Stroud, like dancing in their heads.
21:07They don't think about, you know, the Bryce Young's and, and, and, uh, and,
21:12and Mack Jones and Sam Darnold's and Zach Wilson's, you know, when I do,
21:17well, we talked about this before.
21:19I do have a, a high level of trust in Drake in terms of his, um, comportment
21:26when, you know, dealing with adversity and things like that, like, I think
21:29he's going to be one of these rare guys that, that can deal with that stuff.
21:33And it's not, he's not going to be overly taxed, but you know, the more he
21:37plays and the more he's out there, the more he's going to get hit, the more
21:41he's going to get rushed, the more he's going to start looking at the rush,
21:45the more he's just not even going to let things develop and he's
21:47just going to take off and run.
21:49And I just don't think those things are good for his development, but you
21:53know, I, I think, I think his time is coming sooner rather than later.
21:58There are a number of people who rubberneck and enjoy car wrecks.
22:02Are car wrecks good?
22:03No.
22:04So the entertainment value is just like, if it's a car wreck, you're
22:07going to watch it, but it's not good.
22:10Uh, and, and people say, oh, well, it's, it's not going to be perfect, Nick.
22:14It's never going to be, nobody is saying that it has to be perfect.
22:18Nobody is saying it has to be perfect.
22:20I said this on my podcast yesterday, discussing Drake may, if you had these
22:25boxes before the season that needed to be checked, I don't think the
22:29Patriots have checked a single box.
22:31Live receiver, play caller, offensive line, head coach, like the operation.
22:37I don't think they've checked the box yet to, to, to justify
22:41throwing Drake may out there.
22:43So it doesn't have to be perfect, but it's got to be better than what I've
22:46and maybe they'll have a shot at, you know, getting for Darien low at left
22:50tackle and one of so Jordan Robinson at left guard, Andrews at center,
22:56slide a window back to right guard.
22:57Give Kate and Wallace the shot at right tackle.
23:00Then maybe with those five guys, you see a little bit better or
23:05hopefully a lot better past protection over time.
23:08And Alex van Pelt figures out how to help his offensive line and his play
23:13calling improves as he gets more reps as the OC and then Kendrick
23:17born comes back in a week or two.
23:19A lot can change in the next two or three weeks, even if it's better,
23:23not great, better to me is when you start to entertain Drake may
23:29not right now, my personal opinion.
23:31Um, Juwan Bentley, quick note here.
23:35Went to the IR Kyle Duggar was named captain.
23:38Greg.
23:39Yeah.
23:40Um, interesting.
23:41I mean, I guess it's not a surprise because, uh, you know, I assume
23:47peppers is already a, a captain.
23:50Isn't he?
23:50Yes.
23:51I believe you look it up and I'm pretty sure he is.
23:54Um, you know, I, I don't see really who else they could have named.
23:59I mean, maybe to buy, um, but you know, basically having two of your,
24:06two of your safeties as the captain.
24:08Um, you know, I'm more worried about the calls.
24:10Like I think, I think what, what went on last week, I wouldn't be surprised
24:14if he is a captain just to confirm.
24:17Um, I wouldn't be surprised if Duggar gets the green dot back this week and,
24:23you know, which is good and bad.
24:26I mean, I think it, it frees up to buy to buy played way too many snaps.
24:30He can't do that.
24:30Maybe you put them on the end and you're mixing packages, but you know,
24:35um, this is a big week for Duggar, making sure everybody gets on the same
24:40page, because as soon as you, if you have a screw up, the 49ers are
24:43going to take it 80 yards.
24:46Speaking of big week, big week for Gerard Mayo after last week and
24:49what we saw in the jets game.
24:50Yeah, a hundred percent.
24:52I mean, we're, we're all sort of watching Gerard and grading things and how
24:56he's doing and things like that.
24:58Um, to me, this is, uh, you know, one of the first really big measures.
25:04I mean, this is a team that got embarrassed on national television.
25:08Um, we, we have no idea how these Patriots are going to respond to Gerard Mayo.
25:15We knew in the past with the past regime, pretty much, maybe not as much as the end.
25:19Um, and, and certainly when, uh, number 12 was that quarterback, you could
25:24always count on the Patriots, like bouncing back the next week after a bad performance,
25:28they would definitely answer the bell.
25:31Can this team do that?
25:32Do they have the, do they have the belief in the coaches that they're going to put
25:36them in the right position to succeed?
25:39Are, or are there internal questions?
25:41And, uh, I think the start of this game is going to be huge.
25:45I think it's a huge moment for Gerard Mayo and sort of, um, gives us an
25:49indication on, you know, what kind of long-term success he's going to have.
25:53Because if these guys fly out there to Santa Clara and again, don't really show
26:00up to play and get run over by the 49ers.
26:05Well, I mean, that's, that's a bad indicator on, you know, how much Gerard
26:09Mayo is actually reaching these guys.
26:11Yeah.
26:11I mean, these guys got to be ready for game time.
26:13And speaking of game time, Greg's ready to talk about game time.
26:17That's right.
26:18I am.
26:18Uh, it's that time of year it's football season temperatures getting cooler.
26:24I love football season.
26:26The smells in the air pretty soon.
26:27We're going to have a lot of leaves and fires.
26:30And you know what that tells me?
26:32I got to be out of the football game, whether it's pro or college, I got to be
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27:20What time is it?
27:22No, I try to beat you.
27:23Try to beat your job.
27:24All right.
27:24Uh, Patriots offense.
27:26Let's look at this matchup.
27:27Now Niners coming up on Sunday.
27:29Uh, Patriots offense versus this Niners defense.
27:33Uh, yeah, I mean, look, um, I, like we talked about before, I don't think that
27:43the defensive line of the 49ers is as imposing as it used to be, especially
27:47without, you know, hard grave.
27:49Um, we all know about Nick Bosa.
27:51I think Leonard Floyd on the other side is, um, I don't
27:56even know what he does anymore.
27:57I don't think he's that good.
27:59Um, I don't even know if he was ever that good.
28:01Um, but you know, the big thing is.
28:06They have to, they have to go through a game.
28:08Alex van Pelt has to go through the game and especially this one and say, and this
28:14is what coordinators do in the NFL.
28:16At least some of them, the good ones.
28:17They'll say, I'm not getting my quarterback hit this week, or at least
28:22I'm limiting the hits, especially early on in the game and figure it the hell out.
28:28I mean, if you got to put, you know, I was watching some of the Rams, uh, 49ers
28:34game and Sean McVay, like put multiple people on, on Nick Bosa.
28:41Um, he would put two tight ends on his side.
28:43He would run at Nick Bosa.
28:45He would bring guys in motion and crack down on them.
28:48I mean, you know, just think back to, you know, some of the matchups that, uh, well,
28:53whether it was Joey or Nick, because they're, they're similar, the Bosa
28:56brothers, um, you know, but how many times.
28:59Uh, especially Joey Bosa.
29:01Um, cause I was surprised, Nick, I was looking back at the series.
29:04I, for some reason, I seem to remember more matchups with the 49ers where like
29:09Kyle Shanahan, like completely bits, blitz the Patriots.
29:12Um, but I guess it was just the one matchup, the 33 to six game, uh, at
29:19Gillette stadium, where the Patriots like had no shot, they were like wiped off the
29:22field, but, you know, just think about those Joey Bosa games when he was with
29:26the chargers.
29:27I mean, how many times the Patriots would either run at them or Brady would get it
29:31quick and you see the film and he's just like, I can't get near him.
29:34I can't breathe.
29:35That's what coordinating is.
29:36That's what scheming is like, if you, especially when you're dealing with a
29:4049ers team, which yes, Fred Warner's tremendous, but upfront with all their
29:46issues, like Nick Bosa is a guy you have to take care of the whole game
29:50plan should revolve around that.
29:52So, you know, that's what I want to see.
29:54I want, I want to see them attack the safeties of the 49ers
29:59who I don't think are great.
30:00I think it should be a big tight end game, but I don't care if you got to get out
30:05there and bring on an extra offensive lineman and stick them Nick next to Nick
30:11Bosa, just say, we're going to run the ball and we're not going to get our
30:14quarterback hit.
30:15You could do that if you want.
30:17Alex Van Pelt has just chosen not to do that and he better do it this week.
30:22Or, you know, we're looking at another a hundred yards of passing, which
30:26is just, you know, embarrassing.
30:28I know Michael Hawley doesn't really believe in that stat, but it's a, it's
30:34freaking embarrassing and it needs to be a lot better than that as defense.
30:38Not what you expect.
30:39They're not as good as you would expect their 19th and DVO way.
30:43Uh, they are 30th in opponents yards per play.
30:47They've given up a bunch of yards per play.
30:50Uh, they are 21st and red zone defense.
30:54I know I'm going to sound like a broken record.
30:56I couldn't care less.
30:58Alex, Mr.
30:59Van Pelt, how are you?
31:01If you're listening to the podcast on your way out to San Francisco,
31:04hopefully the flight goes okay.
31:05Run the football.
31:07Okay.
31:08Run the ball, run the ball.
31:10When you look at the Niners defense, they are 28th in run defense DVO way.
31:17They are literally one of the worst run defenses in all of football.
31:22Run the ball, Alex, this defensive line, Greg talked about it earlier
31:27with Javon Hargrave, he's out.
31:29And even with Hargrave, this D line had the third lowest stuff.
31:33Percentage defensive line is not winning against the run.
31:37I watched the Rams game, just like Greg did.
31:39You know what I noticed?
31:40Sean McVay running the football an awful lot up the middle.
31:43Two reasons.
31:44He thinks the middle is soft, which it seems to be soft.
31:48Secondly, you don't want Fred Warner going sideline to sideline.
31:51So let your big offensive lineman get to the second level and punish Warner
31:58and take advantage of that with some good runs, run the football.
32:02The other thing I would say, Greg, what I think we've seen a lot, and this
32:06might change because the jets didn't blitz a lot the first couple of weeks
32:09of the season, and then it was like a blitz of Palooza on Thursday night.
32:13So maybe the Niners will go blitz of Palooza.
32:16Of course, Robert Sala, former Niners defensive coordinator,
32:20a lot of similarities.
32:21Um, but from what I saw and from what I have read and looked into, not a ton
32:27of tricks from this Niners defense.
32:30You're not going to have a lot of simulated pressures.
32:32You know, they have the slack, the second lowest blitz rate in the league.
32:36So they don't blitz the quarterback an awful lot.
32:38Hargrave, uh, I thought had five or six splash plays last week against
32:43the Rams in the run and especially against the pass, he had two or
32:46three dominating snaps and, and, and pass and pass versus pass protection.
32:52So you don't have Hargrave out there.
32:54Like Greg said, game plan for Bosa.
32:57One last note, defensive backs, various wards, a good player,
33:00not great player, good player.
33:02Uh, he'll get caught with his hand in the cookie jar a few times.
33:06The rest of the defensive backs, San Francisco 30th and pass yards per play.
33:11So they've been beaten up in the past game as well.
33:14Uh, who Fonga is a good safety.
33:17He's a guy who is, you know, who's been awarded, uh, for, for his play,
33:22but he's coming off an ACL.
33:24So he's a little bit rusty.
33:26I don't know if he's ready to be back out there.
33:29And interestingly enough, San Francisco, they don't stack the box.
33:34So very often as much as other teams do.
33:37So I just think the opportunity there is to run the football and take
33:41advantage of that up the middle and make this a time of possession game.
33:45I think that's what you've got to do.
33:46All right, before we get to the Patriots defense against the Niners
33:49offense, want you to check out BSJ 50 bucks for the year, but
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34:06All right.
34:06Patriots defense, 49ers offense.
34:09Just a couple things here, Greg, to set you up.
34:12Uh, this is a team that I think people misconstrue both McVay and Shanahan.
34:19And they think that all they do is just light it up and do spread
34:21offense and throw the football a ton.
34:23It's not the case that they like to run the ball.
34:26And that's why we talked about it during the summertime when people
34:29were losing their minds about Alex van Pelt saying we're going
34:32to be a run-based offense.
34:33Well, guess what?
34:34The lions, the Rams, the Niners, all of these offenses, people love
34:39their run-based offenses, Greg.
34:41Yeah, I would think that I think, and I mean, it's pretty much a fact
34:46that Kyle Shanahan does his best work.
34:49He's, he's like a cut above everybody else because of what he does in the run
34:54game and, you know, how he, you know, there's a lot of illusions, there's a
34:58lot of motions and it's all designed really to get the run game going and
35:02he'll hit you in a bunch of different, different directions, you know, what's,
35:07what's interesting, I don't know if this surprises you, Nick, but it somewhat
35:11surprised me, you know, because we talk about the Patriots defense
35:14and how talented they are.
35:16Yeah.
35:17D did you know that the Patriots are 26th in defensive DVO way they are, let's
35:23see, they are 25th against the pass and they are 16th against the run last year.
35:30They finished ninth and D defensive DVO way.
35:33So, uh, I'm a bit worried about this and I think that, you know, San Francisco
35:39might not have the weapons without Debo that they normally do, but I do think,
35:43I think we're going to see a lot of, you know, they're going to mix personnel
35:47between two backs and two tight ends and probably go with the two wide
35:52receivers most of the time.
35:54Um, but look, the Patriots, I think Kyle Shanahan, he's just like Bill Belichick
36:00and that, uh, you know, if you're, if you're a team, you like to see those
36:05coaches early on in the season because they put up a mirror and they tell you
36:09exactly where your weaknesses are.
36:10And then you can sort of work towards fixing them.
36:14I think that Kyle Shanahan is going to see a Patriots defense that is weak down
36:18the middle, um, that in the defensive tackle spot, um, opposite to Von Godshall.
36:25They can't stop the run there.
36:26I think the linebackers without Bentley are weak and I think the
36:29safeties are a bit overrated, especially against the past.
36:34So I, I, I look for a lot of, uh, you know, Mason who's, you know, looks
36:39tremendous, I mean, he's such a power back with use check in the backfield.
36:44You're going to get Kittle and multiple tight ends, and there's
36:46going to be a lot of movement.
36:48It's going to be, to me, there's a couple of things that I'm looking
36:51forward for the Patriots defense.
36:52They got to hold up at the point of the attack.
36:54They got to be disciplined in the gap, not only against the run,
36:58but also the past you can't get caught.
37:00This is where I worry about Kyle Duggar.
37:02A lot of the bells and whistles that Kyle Shanahan likes to do.
37:05That's the kind of stuff that Kyle Duggar gets distracted by.
37:08And then all of a sudden he forgets about coverage and then there's a, you
37:11know, a tight end George Kittles going down the field for 60 yards.
37:14Um, so, you know, big week for this defense, you know, if they're, if
37:18they're, if they're as good as they think they are, um, they're going to,
37:23they're going to have to really pull the rope, uh, for this team and
37:28really keep this team in the game.
37:31Whether you believe in Brock Purdy or not, or you think it's a Kyle Shanahan
37:36thing, or I'll just tell you this Brock Purdy is on a heater.
37:40Uh, he's sixth in passer rating.
37:41He's fourth in QBR and he's not dinking and dunking.
37:45He's second in yards per attempt, completion percentage over expected.
37:50He's number one in football.
37:53Uh, the pass game and Greg can break this down better than I can.
37:57I'll just tell you the passing game for San Francisco is crazy efficient.
38:01Uh, there, you know, when you look at it, there are 23rd and pass rate.
38:06Which brings me back to the whole pass run thing.
38:09And Shanahan bases, his offense off of running the football.
38:12They're in the lower 10th, you know, lower third of, uh, of the NFL and pass rate.
38:17They don't throw the football a ton, but they're fourth in yards per play and
38:22they have the second best passing yards per game, again, efficiency.
38:29And we talk about Shanahan.
38:30Let me just give you some numbers here, Greg, this tells you
38:34their second and passing yards per game.
38:36Okay.
38:36I want you to keep that in mind.
38:38When I give you these numbers, they are 31st in the NFL and yards after the
38:43catch, second worst team in football, they are 26th and yak over expected.
38:51So they're not, they're not even expected to, they can't get yards after the catch.
38:57They're 31st 31st.
39:00When you look at the whole average target separation stuff.
39:03So what does that tell you?
39:05It tells you that the receivers don't consistently get open.
39:10They don't gain a ton of separation.
39:12Uh, of course, Debo has been banged up by you, you know, all that stuff.
39:16Uh, they don't get a ton of yak.
39:18So how are they getting all of these passing yards?
39:21Kyle Shanahan, he schemes things up, he schemes them up and any, he makes,
39:28he makes Brock Purdy crazy efficient.
39:30He makes this passing game efficient and he gets the most that he can get out of
39:35pretty much almost anybody on the field.
39:37Brendan Iuke.
39:38Interesting, Greg, he's been pretty ineffective.
39:41Uh, and people can say, oh, well that's because, you know, he, he held out all
39:46of camp and I'm sure that didn't help.
39:49But Grant Cohn, who I follow from my time out in Sacramento, he posted this, uh,
39:54you know, Iuke, he, he hasn't been, uh, as good as you would think he, he should
40:00be, or would be over a several game length.
40:04Now, I mean, when, when you look at his statistics over the last seven games,
40:1023 catches under 300 yards, only one touchdown and quarterback ratings,
40:1581 when throwing to Brandon Iuke.
40:18So he hasn't been super productive in the last seven games.
40:22He's been on the field.
40:23One last thing I'll say about this before we get to the pick.
40:27And I think Greg can, can also highlight some of this stuff too, but I find it
40:32interesting if, if the Patriots are going to stuff the box with their issues against
40:36the run last week, because as Greg said, Shanahan, that'll open up some different
40:41things from Shanahan, but their run game versatility, Greg, you know, you and I had
40:45the conversation earlier in the week about what van Pelt wants to do and they will
40:50run it and I form with use check.
40:53They will run it out of the gun.
40:55They will run it under center.
40:57They will throw tosses at you.
40:59They will run draws.
41:00They will run outside zone.
41:02They will run downhill.
41:04They will throw the whole kitchen sink of run game calls at this Patriots defense.
41:10Greg.
41:11Yeah.
41:12You know, a hundred percent.
41:13And then also add in the fact that they're probably really pissed off that they blew
41:18that game against the Rams.
41:21So they are going to be extra on top of it.
41:23Shanahan's going to be pissed off.
41:25Like, and remember they didn't finish the game against the Rams.
41:28So probably finishing this game, uh, if they get an early lead is going to be,
41:33uh, paramount, but yes, this is, this is the type of attack that, that leaves
41:39defenders dizzy, especially if you haven't seen it very much now, you know, the Rams.
41:45The Cardinals, the Seahawks, like they see it twice a year.
41:49So they're used to it.
41:50I mean, I just, I just can't get the vision of the last time
41:55the 49ers and Patriots met.
41:57Um, I want to say it was in, um, well, it was four years ago.
42:01So it was 2020.
42:02No, it would have been, yeah, 2020.
42:05And it was like 33 to six and it was just a track meet.
42:08And, um, and even going back to when Harbaugh was there, when they
42:13came here with that team and, uh, this is just a, it's a lot different
42:20than the Patriots have seen.
42:21And this is, this is tough.
42:22Thank goodness.
42:23They have 10 days to get ready for this game because they're going to need it.
42:26And that's why I think we're going to get a real litmus test on not only
42:30Gerard Mayo, but all the coaches on this team, you know, can they do the job?
42:34Because they've had plenty of time to get ready for this, to
42:37get the players ready for it.
42:38Will that, will that play out on Sunday?
42:40We'll see.
42:42One last quick note from practice because, uh, Doug Kai just tweeted
42:46this out, Doug, from of course, the Boston Herald, uh, we can update
42:49you on some of the injury situations.
42:51So, uh, according to Doug, Alex Austin was absent, uh, Vidarian
42:57low city, so did not participate.
43:00Anthony Jennings did return.
43:02So, uh, it looks like Demantre Jacobs could be your starting left tackle on,
43:10on Sunday, we'll see if Caden Wallace can get out there.
43:12I mean, Caden Wallace, no note on him.
43:14So I guess he could be ready to go, but, uh, needless to say, not great.
43:18Before we get to the pick, download the prize picks app today.
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43:31All right, let's get to this week's pick.
43:33Uh, I am two and one against the spread on the season.
43:36Greg is one, one, and one.
43:38Uh, we are both two and one straight up.
43:41You look at fan duel.
43:42Uh, I saw 10 and a half.
43:44Greg has, we'll call it 10.
43:47So we'll have, uh, the niners minus 10, the over under is 40 and a half.
43:53Greg, you can once again, lead off this week.
43:58If, um, if the 49ers had one last week, I would probably pick the
44:03Patriots to cover the point spread.
44:05But the 49ers are one and two.
44:09They ain't losing this week.
44:11Um, they're not going to fall to one in three.
44:14If, if, if Gerard Mayo and the team, first of all, if they pull an upset,
44:18like this will be one of the greatest Patriots coaching performances like ever.
44:23Um, if they keep it close, I will be impressed.
44:27Um, I don't like the spot for the Patriots at all.
44:31Uh, I like the 49ers big in this game.
44:35I'm picking the 49ers, uh, let's say 32, 32, 10.
44:46Okay.
44:47Um, I think both teams can run the football.
44:52So I do wonder the, the, the one thing about the over under is I don't know how
44:56many possessions there will be in this game, because I think good point.
44:59All teams can run the football.
45:01And if, if the Patriots play it smart, which you never know after
45:05last week, ladies and gentlemen, um, again, Alex, uh, run the ball.
45:10If they, if they run the football and both offenses run the football,
45:14you know, fewer possessions, maybe not as many points as we might anticipate.
45:18Uh, but I, I think, you know, the Niners are going to win this game.
45:22I think the Niners win by, by double digits.
45:25Double digits are always difficult in the NFL when we talk spreads.
45:29Uh, so I'm going to go Niners 24, 13 because of the lack of possessions,
45:37but I wouldn't be surprised if you get up to like 30 to 13, but I think the
45:41Niners, uh, they cover, they win the game.
45:44Uh, I'm going to go under though.
45:45Just guessing that both teams are on the football a lot.
45:48I don't feel good about it.
45:49All right.
45:50I don't hate it.
45:52He's Greg.
45:53I'm Nick enjoy your weekend.
45:55I'm heading to an Oktoberfest on Saturday.
45:57So I am sure as hell going to enjoy my weekend, uh, because of that and good
46:02college football, by the way, if you're, if you're a college football fan, a
46:06couple, couple of good games, uh, this week, so everybody enjoy your weekend.
46:10We'll be back early next week to recap, uh, hopefully what is not a bloodbath.

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