CLNS Media's Taylor Kyles welcomes James White to the show to host a mailbag edition of Patriots Daily. They'll discuss some of the current problems within the Patriots organization and preview this weekend's game against the New York Jets.
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SportsTranscript
00:00I am joined by Robert Griffin III, James White, Field, Yates, Mena Kimes.
00:16All right, so first play we're going to look at, second and two, one of the Patriots' first
00:20offensive plays.
00:24What's going on, everyone?
00:26Taylor Coles here for CLNS Media, coming at you with another episode of Pat's Daily, brought
00:30to you by our good friends at PrizePix and GameTime.
00:32And no, you do not have deja vu.
00:35Once again, we have James White on the pod, three-time Super Bowl champion, member of
00:39the All Decades team, co-host of the Money Down podcast, and as you saw, member of the
00:44intro.
00:46Very glad to have you back, brother, for this mailbag today.
00:48Going to be answering some fan questions, talking about, you know, there's a couple
00:52of things that are rumbling around for the Patriots right now.
00:54We're going to dive into those, but before we get into that, first of all, James, welcome
00:58back to the show.
00:59How are you doing?
01:00I'm doing well.
01:01I can't complain.
01:02Appreciate you having me back.
01:03Obviously, it's a lot of stuff going on, you know, in the media and in the locker room
01:07as well when it comes to the Patriots.
01:09So here to answer some questions.
01:12And you got the wall of sweet feet behind you, too.
01:15I love that, man.
01:16That is a hell of an aesthetic.
01:17All I got is my Funkos and my, you know.
01:20Those are sweet, too.
01:21All right.
01:22So before we get into the mailbag questions, we got to discuss the elephant in the room.
01:28After the loss in London against the Jaguars, Gerard Mayo came out and said that we're a
01:32soft football team.
01:34Now, personally, when I heard that, I was like, yeah, I know the Belichick tenants where
01:37you got to stop the run, run the ball and cover kicks.
01:40That's what makes a tough team.
01:42But I also understand that people weren't really happy with the phrasing and took it
01:45to mean that he was calling the players themselves soft and not taking enough accountability.
01:50Now, he did correct himself the next day, said that the team is not soft, but they have
01:53been playing soft, which is a very distinct difference.
01:56So I'm curious, what were your thoughts when you heard the comments?
01:59What do you think about really the whole situation in general?
02:02And today we were in the locker room.
02:04We spoke to a bunch of players.
02:05No one pushed back.
02:06Everyone said, yes, this is a challenge.
02:08We are playing soft.
02:09We need to be better.
02:10So knowing all that, how do you feel about this whole fiasco?
02:13I mean, I never took any issue with him saying it, you know, in the first place because he
02:17just being honest.
02:18You know, it's different than what Coach Belichick would do.
02:20He would kind of keep it very vanilla, wouldn't, you know, really explain like what's going
02:25on to the media.
02:26I mean, he would say it, you know, in the, in our meeting room, he'll probably call us
02:30soft in the meeting room and kind of ask us what we're doing, like what's going on as
02:33far as execution wise.
02:35But I think it's just a little bit different.
02:37Everybody hearing, you know, this much openness, you know, from a coach about what's going
02:40on.
02:41I think he's just trying to get his team going.
02:43I mean, where they take it the right way, I don't know where they take it the wrong
02:46way.
02:47Still, I'm not sure.
02:49I'm not playing that locker room.
02:50I don't know what the temperature is right now as far as those guys, but they should
02:52take it to heart.
02:53You should.
02:54And I saw it on, you know, David posted a little clip from his podcast and I always
02:57felt the same way.
02:58Like when, when Josh would get on us or, or what Bill would get on us, you know, in the
03:02meeting room or call us out individually or as an offense or as a defense, yeah, it sucked.
03:07You know what I mean?
03:08Like you, you would take it personally, but like David said, I'm like, I'm going to prove
03:11you wrong.
03:12Like you, you think, you think we're playing soft?
03:13Like I'm going to come out here against the Jets on Sunday and I'm going to hit them in
03:16the face.
03:18We're a tough football team, that type of thing.
03:19So I think he's trying to get that type of response from those guys.
03:22I know Bill had a little fun with it as far as, you know, as far as him saying like they
03:27had, you know, the top of the team, top team in the league, as far as yards per carrier
03:31on defense and wise and all that, which rightfully so like they, they play a little bit better
03:35last year.
03:36I mean, they're dealing with some injuries, you know, as well in the defense with some
03:39guys I think will help with as far as the run defense, but I think the, the want to
03:43just has to be there as far as everybody offensively and defensively.
03:48When you mentioned those injuries.
03:49So for the run defense, Bill did acknowledge, yeah, you had the best run defense last year,
03:52but this year you got at least guys that are out and definitely are gone.
03:55You don't have Christian Farmore.
03:56You don't have Juwan Bentley, no Lawrence guy, no Jabril Peppers.
04:00And even today, Keon White said, NBC sports, Boston's Caleb Burton.
04:03They're trying to find that real leader amongst the group.
04:05Cause you got the more quiet guys like, you know, John Jones is trying to step up.
04:09Duggars really more of a soft-spoken guy, a lot of guys that lead by example.
04:12So obviously defense and offense, it's not the same, but how have you ever been in that
04:17kind of situation where you've lost several key captains, leaders that were really vocal
04:21leaders as well, who had key roles and really what is that like for a team when you don't
04:25have that kind of vocal leadership?
04:28I've never been in like a type of situation that they've been in.
04:31When I was there, a lot of the main guys are still there.
04:34Devin Slate, you know, Tom was there for a good amount of time.
04:37Julian, we never really dealt with, you know, too many guys that hadn't played a bunch of
04:41snaps for the team.
04:43You lose, you lose Bentley, you know, you have got child in the middle, you know, he's
04:47been there for a few years.
04:48You have Dietrich Weiss, but most of those guys, you know, they haven't, you know, been
04:52a part of the organization for too long at like John Jones.
04:55He's a leader.
04:56He definitely is.
04:57But when it comes to stopping the run, he's not really a part of that.
05:00Like if he's in the slot, yes he is, but he's not too much like in that front set where
05:04he can handle that.
05:05So like a guy like Juwan Bentley is definitely important.
05:08Maybe it's a guy like Gotchow or Dietrich Weiss, which he, you know, in his media press
05:12conference either today or yesterday, he said like, I take responsibility for that.
05:16Like I'm a leader.
05:17I feel like I need, I need to take more accountability for us being a soft football team, which is
05:21good to see.
05:22And like, make sure there's a point of emphasis in practice, making sure everybody's in their
05:25right fits and their right gaps.
05:27Not only just being there, but you can't really, you know, show in practice, but when the game
05:33rolls around, not just being your gap, but actually, you know, get off a block and make
05:37a play.
05:38It doesn't mean, you know, be a hero or anything like that with guys jumping, you know, jumping
05:41off their blocks and all that, trying to make a play.
05:43But when it's your chance to make that play, the running backs coming through the hole,
05:47like you have an edge on a blocker, you know, get the guy down, which I saw a ton of arm
05:52tackling against the, I guess the Jaguars where the guys were in position, kind of stick
05:57an arm out, you know, Bigsby's running through it, D'Ernest Johnson's running through it.
06:00You know what I mean?
06:01So when these backs and these players in this league are too talented, just stick your arm
06:04out and think you're going to make a play.
06:07And Keone White also mentioned that, that, you know, guys are trying to make a play,
06:12but we've also heard for multiple weeks that, yeah, you can't go outside of your responsibility
06:16because it's the same mantra.
06:17You got to do your job because if you want to be the hero and you want to be the guy
06:20that's making plays, you're going to put other people in difficult positions.
06:23And that's where other weeks it's been just, they get dashed a few times a game.
06:27Last week was one of the only times I can remember getting a run on right in the game,
06:31just punched in the mouth.
06:32Yeah.
06:33And it wasn't even like they were getting gas.
06:35They're just getting the Jaguars, getting three or four yards of pop in one.
06:38Like they were just, you know, doing some wrinkles and all that.
06:42They're just getting straight downhill.
06:43Like, look, we're going to get these three or four yards until you stop it.
06:46We couldn't, like, I just simply what it was.
06:48And when teams see blood in the water, the Jags aren't a physical football team as far
06:53as run the football.
06:54That's the first time I've ever seen them do that in quite some long time since probably
06:57like when Fournette was there or like Fred Taylor or anything like that.
07:01And Maurice Jones and Drew, they're just like, hey, we're going to keep adding to these
07:03bags.
07:04This clock, we've got to lead until you stop it, which we had.
07:07We had the fourth down stop, you know, down the red zone, which was good.
07:10I got I thought the guys made some plays like in the run game, but it wasn't consistent
07:15enough to steer them away from it.
07:17100%.
07:18Now, the last thing before we get into the mailbag, you mentioned leadership and taking
07:21responsibility.
07:22Gerard Mayo has been under fire for people kind of perceiving that he is not taking accountability
07:27and people thought that he was kind of putting the team under the bus.
07:29Now, personally, I haven't really seen it that way.
07:31I feel like Gerard just understands intrinsically, yes, it is my responsibility.
07:35I'm the head coach, but also, you know, he's still working on his media persona and all
07:40that.
07:41But, you know, what you say does unfortunately matter in those situations.
07:43Is there anything you think he should maybe be doing differently?
07:46Like I asked him today on the TV and the broadcast, they show you on the sideline, but they never
07:50really show like with Bill or he would be in the huddle talking about like, do your
07:54job, stick to the fundamentals and pointing things out.
07:56He mentioned he'll do that sometimes, but also will defer to his coordinators and things
08:00like that.
08:01When you're losing, everything is under the microscope.
08:07That's just kind of what it is mean when when you're one in six, things aren't going right.
08:11You can't score an offense.
08:12Teams are running over you on defense.
08:15People are going to find, you know, any little thing that you're doing is going to be it's
08:18going to be the wrong thing and they want you to do the opposite of what you're currently
08:21doing.
08:22Yeah.
08:23He could be a little bit more involved in the huddle.
08:24Not like it's going to be some game changing thing at the end of the day.
08:27Like you've got to put those guys, you know, during the week in the best position to succeed
08:32based on the team you're playing.
08:33Make the adjustments, you know, on Sunday or Monday, whatever it is, when things aren't
08:37going right, try to make some quick adjustments on the sideline to figure things out to get
08:41it right.
08:42But yeah, I just I just think everything's under the microscope right now.
08:45That's what happens when you're losing football games.
08:48I think Mayo's doing a solid job.
08:49I think this thing is different.
08:51People just aren't used to it.
08:52You know, I mean, like he's he's going to be himself.
08:55He can't go and be Bill in the media.
08:58Let's let's just call it that.
08:59He's not going to be no less talkative and less descriptive.
09:03Maybe eventually he'll get to that point.
09:05I don't know.
09:06He's just kind of trying to be himself.
09:08And I think people aren't really open to that right now because we're not winning.
09:12So people are like, all right, why are you saying all this?
09:14Why are you saying all that?
09:15Like, just just keep it quiet.
09:16We don't want to hear that like that type of thing.
09:19I think we've got to let let things play out.
09:22It's just it's just the nature of the game.
09:24When you're losing in the NFL, you're going to hear things, all sorts of things,
09:29that what you need to do, what you shouldn't do.
09:31That's just that's just what comes with it.
09:33So actually, last last question before the mailbag, because we're talking about
09:36coaches under fire, how everyone's always getting questioned.
09:39Alex Van Pelt.
09:40Now, he's obviously come under a lot of fire himself as well.
09:43I think what he's done with Drake May is very admirable.
09:45I think that's the biggest reason he was brought in was to develop Drake May
09:48and also obviously tailor the offense around him and things like that.
09:51But from your perspective, you played for
09:53one of the best offensive minds in the modern era of football.
09:57What have you seen from Alex Van Pelt?
09:58Do you think he's doing a good job or
10:00the things you'd like to see him do better?
10:01Just what's your take on how he's been coordinating commanding the offense?
10:05I think he's been doing a pretty solid job.
10:07I like early on the football game last week, getting Drake on the move,
10:10some some bootlegs, get him outside the pocket, let him stand in there,
10:14make some throws.
10:15I honestly thought the pass protection was pretty decent against the Jags
10:19compared to previous weeks where every time there's a drop back,
10:22guys are in the quarterback's face.
10:24He had quite a few clean pockets.
10:26So I do think he must have addressed that as far as protecting the quarterback.
10:31And I think he's just trying to find the right personnel as far as receiver.
10:35I mean, obviously, Hunter's a solid tight end.
10:37He's gonna be the future guy as far as that.
10:39Just finding the right receiver groups to get things going right now.
10:42Polk's in a little bit of a funk.
10:44I'm sure he'll get out of that at some point as far as getting open,
10:47catching the football.
10:48But he's been pretty solid, boring.
10:51He's just trying to get back into things.
10:53His first couple weeks back, he'll get it going eventually.
10:55But you gotta find, Pop Douglas, he was sick or whatever, so
10:58he couldn't play a bunch of snaps.
11:00But whenever you have a good group of guys,
11:02a solid group that you can consistently be out there, I think that helps.
11:05And I think if Pop Douglas played that whole game, who's definitely,
11:09Drake Mays' probably favorite target aside from Hunter Henry,
11:12I think that probably would have helped with that game.
11:14So I love what I'm seeing from Bute.
11:16He's taking the most, making the most of his opportunities,
11:19taking the top off the defense, running pretty solid routes.
11:22But I do think it's not just an Alex Van Pelt thing.
11:24Guys just gotta get open.
11:26Jags played a pretty decent amount of man coverage, and
11:29I would say there wasn't a ton of separation going on when they did run man
11:32coverage, so I don't think it's just about the coaches, which they can be better.
11:37But as players, you gotta take a little bit more on this too.
11:40Absolutely, all right.
11:41We are going to open up this mailbag and get to some of your great questions.
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12:55All right, we're going to start in some territory I know you're very familiar with.
12:59We're going right to the running back room.
13:01First question, what are your and James' thoughts on the running back room at
13:05the moment?
13:05They looked great in the first couple weeks, but have struggled lately now.
13:08Romandre Stevenson obviously been dealing with a foot injury.
13:11I think he missed his practice, was listed as a foot, but also a personal matter.
13:14Antonio Gibson, I think he's been a bit limited, it feels like,
13:17because I'm surprised you haven't seen more from him necessarily.
13:20Jermichael Hasty took on a big role, had himself a touchdown on a throw where he
13:24was locked wide open against the blitz.
13:25So what do you feel about that running back room?
13:27Also, obviously, including guys like Kevin Harris and Terrell Jennings.
13:30I think the running back group's in a solid spot.
13:32Now, Romandre started off the year pretty solid aside from the fumbles
13:36in the first four games.
13:38The Antonio Gibson, he's been pretty solid in spurts.
13:41And Jermichael Hasty, I'm pretty sure that was the most he's played on offense
13:44right last week, and he made some plays for us.
13:46So I just think they need to get those guys more involved in the passing game,
13:49too. All three of those guys can catch the football.
13:52Get them in some isolation routes, some more screens, not even just screens,
13:55just get them out to the flag, get the ball in their hands, RPOs,
13:58get some blockers out in front of them, swing screens, get them in space.
14:01If you can't run the football, get these guys in space as quickly as possible.
14:05Line them up out wide, get them screens out there.
14:08I think there's enough talent in that room where those guys can make plays in
14:11space.
14:11Like I said, if your offensive line can't win one-on-one blocks in double teams,
14:16you can't just completely eliminate those guys.
14:18I think those are some of your best players on offense.
14:20So I think we could use them a lot more.
14:23I love that you mentioned the passing game.
14:24I know you are a little bit biased towards running back in the passing game,
14:27but I've been thinking the same thing.
14:30They have been doing more swings and stuff like that.
14:32Obviously, led to an interception in Drake May's first game.
14:35He tried to run it twice, and the same look to Will Anderson.
14:37But the slip screens have been working, but at least they are trying.
14:41I would love to see Antonio Gibson more involved downfield.
14:44When he got signed, my first thought was,
14:45this is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the NFL.
14:49Last week, they played a team that was vulnerable against some of those.
14:51I know Quincy Williams has been targeted a couple times deep against running backs.
14:55Hopefully, we see that this week.
14:56But with the running game struggles in the past two weeks,
14:59is there anything that you've noticed specifically?
15:01It looked like last week, those backside pursuit on outside zone,
15:05we're giving them a lot of trouble.
15:06Week before, it felt like their doubles really weren't hitting.
15:09I know Mike and Wenu mentioned the blitzers and
15:11not being able to come off against double team.
15:13So what's been going on from your perspective?
15:15I just think we gotta know what we're working with here as far as offensive line.
15:18We're kind of a makeshift offensive line aside from Mike and Wenu.
15:22These guys, they're battling, they're fighting.
15:24But it's the NFL going against some tough opponents every single week.
15:28I think as far as Alex Van Pelt to try and help those guys out,
15:31maybe just give the defense a little bit more eye candy, shifts motions,
15:36flash blocks just to cause a little hesitation for those linebackers,
15:39those secondary defenders.
15:41And maybe that'll allow for your backs to get through some of these holes or
15:44allow for the offensive linemen to get up to some of these blocks.
15:46They're kind of like what the 49ers do.
15:48They do a bunch of stuff before the snap or after the snap, but
15:52it's really the same thing.
15:53At the end of the day, you just gotta dress it up a little bit,
15:55just cause some confusion.
15:57Maybe that'll help the running game out, so.
15:59Hopefully, hopefully, all right.
16:02What needs to happen to revitalize the past run game is the O-line play, and
16:05if so, what is going wrong there?
16:07We kind of already touched on that.
16:08Is there anything else?
16:09Just wanna, I know that was already there.
16:11I think just dress it up some.
16:12I think outside zone has been their best play since week one.
16:16So just, yeah, so get back to that as much as possible.
16:20That, look, that's what the O-line seems to be their best at.
16:23Just continue to run that.
16:24Like I said, just dress it up some.
16:25Don't just line it up and run it every single time.
16:28Shift motion, have a RPO off of it, whatever it may be, or
16:31out of different formations, out of different personnels.
16:33Whatever, it's two back, however you may see fit.
16:36I think they need to get back to that as much as possible.
16:39How about getting Drake Maymore involved in the run game?
16:41Cuz I feel like- That too, yeah, mix it in.
16:43They're not really respecting the fact that he might just kinda take it himself.
16:47Would you like to see more of that from him as well?
16:49Yeah, just mix it in there.
16:50I mean, it doesn't have to be ten carries or anything like that, but
16:53short yardage, red zone.
16:55They'll stick a little run in there, keep them honest,
16:56cuz that definitely can help the run game.
16:59You got a quarterback that can run the football,
17:01that'll make defense ends outside linebackers just a little hesitant.
17:05Especially on outside zones, a lot of those guys to get downhill and
17:09get through the line of scrimmage, so that's a great idea.
17:11Give me old Peyton Manning naked boot.
17:13Yeah, yeah, stick with it.
17:14All right, let's see what we got next.
17:19I can see there's been a spark on offense since Drake May became the starter, but
17:23we see the offense's true potential until the offensive line settles on a group and
17:27strings games together.
17:28Now, it hasn't been for
17:29a lack of effort that they haven't had the same offensive line combination.
17:32We've seen multiple line combinations within the same games.
17:35And that makes it hard to even find the group you like,
17:38much less a group that you can actually put on the field because you want to.
17:41So what's your perspective on this one?
17:43I mean, I think, like I said, I thought the offensive line did pretty decent as far
17:47as pass protection last week.
17:49So I gotta give them a ton of credit based on what they've done
17:52over the first several weeks.
17:53I think they've improved from that aspect.
17:55But yeah, if you can consistently have the same five guys out there,
17:58they'll build chemistry, they'll build trust, and they'll continue to get better.
18:02I just think it's just everything as a whole.
18:03I think you gotta be able to run the football.
18:05And guys just gotta, when you have those opportunities to make plays down the field
18:09or win in one-on-one situations, the receiver's gotta do it.
18:13I think it's a combination of everything.
18:14I will say, I think Drake has done solid.
18:16I thought last week he protected the football, didn't have a couple interceptions.
18:20I mean, I know he had the one in the red zone that was close.
18:22He tried to squeeze that corner out, corner out in there, and
18:25safety to get a good break on that one.
18:27But I think he's protected the football well in two weeks, continue to do that.
18:32I think it's just everybody as a whole, just it all working together.
18:35I don't think it's just the offensive line, it's receivers too.
18:39Like look, man, if you know what you got out there in front of you,
18:42protecting you, look, create as much separation as you possibly can.
18:46Make sure you get into your depths, diverse zone coverage, whatever it is.
18:49Make sure everything is right for the young quarterback to go out there and
18:52succeed.
18:53Perfectly said.
18:54Now we are gonna get away from the offensive line,
18:56cuz I just keep hitting you with those.
18:57Let me get one more on the offensive side.
19:00Honestly, I'll open this up to the defensive side as well,
19:02cuz we haven't really talked about them much.
19:03Besides Drake, are there any other players you think have upside and
19:06can grow with Drake moving forward?
19:08And obviously, really just with this new era of Patriots football.
19:11I mean, Boutte, I mean, he's been the most impressive as far as, I mean,
19:15him, Pop Douglas, but Boutte for sure.
19:17We all know this kid was supposed to be the number one receiver off the board a
19:21couple years ago, and he had some off the field stuff and whatnot.
19:24So the talent is there.
19:25Seemed like he came locked in this year from training camp on, and
19:28he's been chomping at the bit to get his opportunity.
19:30So I'm excited to see him continue to grow throughout the year.
19:33And eventually, hey, I think Javon Baker's gonna have to,
19:36he's gonna have to get out there eventually too.
19:38Based on what the receivers have been looking like so far, get them in the mix.
19:42I mean, I don't know how many plays, whether it's a specific personnel, but
19:45just see what you got.
19:45Cuz when during the preseason, there's a couple times where May was throwing it up
19:49to him.
19:49So I feel like the trust factor is there as far as trusting him getting behind
19:53the defense.
19:54So whenever he gets his opportunity, I'm excited to see that.
19:58And 15, he's a good football player.
20:03I like his versatility.
20:05He can play man to man coverage.
20:06He'll get in the mix down there in the run game.
20:08I think the more and more he plays and stay healthy,
20:11that kid can be something special for the defense too.
20:14And with Booty, I just love giving him his praise.
20:16Cuz I know last year was rough today, we spoke to him.
20:18He mentioned, yeah, Ken reports that last week.
20:21I don't know what the plan was, cuz the dude had one bad game and
20:23then he kind of got benched.
20:25Booty brought that up again and said, I talked to Gerard Mayo this year and
20:28said, that's just not happening again.
20:29I'm not doing it.
20:30All the coaches even said when he came in,
20:32they didn't really think that he was a starter.
20:33They didn't see him that way.
20:35But he put his nose down, he worked hard.
20:37Everybody talked about his study, how it's gotten better.
20:39He's asking questions in the meeting room.
20:41We love to hear that.
20:42And then Mapu, the fact that the first game back,
20:45he was out there getting everybody settled with the green dot,
20:48coordinating the defense.
20:49I thought that was really impressive.
20:50I really think he's got a bright future,
20:52especially if they can keep him on the back end.
20:54He's versatile, but I feel like he's better than that team that kind of role.
20:58Exactly, where it's like center field, but in those obvious passing downs,
21:01maybe some robber, maybe some man covered.
21:03Just like he's not Jibreel Peppers and Kyle Douglas.
21:05We need to stop trying to make him look like a kid.
21:08Yeah, he'll get in there, he'll throw his face in there, I'll give him that.
21:11He'll throw his body in there, doesn't always resort to tackle, but hey,
21:14he love the effort.
21:15That's right, effort's more important than anything when you're that size going up
21:18against offensive linemen.
21:20All right, we got a few more questions from the mailbag, but
21:22first a word from our friends over at game time, be right back.
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22:49All right, so I tried to keep this mailbag light on defensive stuff for you.
22:52But as a running back, I know you understand how defense is trying to attack
22:56you and limit your run game.
22:57So I am curious here, when defending the run with limited personnel,
23:01you got your Qualen Roy and Eric Johnson trying to fill in the snaps.
23:04Christian Baltimore, you got Ray Quantic Millen, Christian Ellis,
23:06trying to fill the gap left by Juwan Bentley.
23:09So what schemes are there to allow a team to punch above their weight class in
23:12the run game?
23:14So I mean, as much as you can, try and get more people in the box than what they
23:18have, blockers, trying to discourage the run.
23:21I know we're not, we've never really been a big team as far as pirate in the front,
23:25rock in the front.
23:26When the ball snaps, just cause some confusion, try and create an edge.
23:30Sending guys, blitzers off edge, slot blitz, safety blitz.
23:33And those are things you can try and help, not every single play, but
23:35mix it in there to try and create a negative play to catch the offense off guard.
23:39I think a little bit more of that will help.
23:41But at the end of the day, like I said, a lot of the times during this Jaguars game,
23:45guys were in position, it's just the Jags were creating their own yards.
23:49They run through the arm tackles and get those five to ten yard runs.
23:53I said, I think it just comes down to effort and technique.
23:55At the end of the day, at times even at double teams,
23:58they're blowing those tackles completely out of the hole.
24:01And it's hard, it's hard to be a nose tackle taking on those double teams.
24:05I know when I was there, they teach you to drop your knee, whatever you can to try and
24:09clog that hole, allow for some of your other defenders to make the play.
24:12So yeah, I know it can be a scheme thing to try and do it.
24:16But to me, it's always run game is offensively and defensively.
24:20It's always about effort.
24:21I mean, schemes definitely help.
24:23But if you can out effort and out physical somebody, that out beats any scheme.
24:27Any time I asked like an Anfrey Jennings or
24:29a Von Gottschall about like their run defense because those guys are so dominant.
24:34It is just the most basic answer you'll hear because it's the truth.
24:37I just feel like it's effort.
24:38It's like, do you want to get blocked?
24:39No, don't get blocked.
24:41It really is that simple.
24:42I don't know if you mentioned today, someone asked,
24:45are you guys still a two gapping scheme?
24:46And he mentioned, we have two gap principles.
24:48We also do have single gap because there was that one slot blitz in the big nickel
24:53where they put Peppers in the slot, have him and
24:55Anfrey Jennings just wreak havoc in the backfield.
24:57But again, it comes down to personnel because it's not the same like Marte Mapu
25:01blitzing off the edge or Marcus Jones versus a Jabril Peppers who brings that
25:05hitting power and that physicality.
25:07So 100%, I think the confusion post snap could help.
25:10But you also don't want to get too far away from your fundamentals because you've
25:13been coached this since training camp.
25:14You're not an attacking front the majority of the time.
25:17Yeah, you don't want to get in too much of that because if they block that stuff
25:22right, that usually ends up being a gash.
25:25So that's why some teams just don't do it.
25:27If teams know it's coming, they have the right run, get it all blocked up.
25:31That creates a big play.
25:32So yeah, I think it's just want to at the end of the day.
25:34And like I said, they have the guys to do it, man.
25:36It's just been a couple weeks where they've really slipped up as far as
25:39the run game.
25:40It can be sure it up.
25:41That's why we got a lot of football at the play.
25:44People just hit the panic button.
25:46I understand the standard.
25:48You help set that standard.
25:49I'm sorry, James, you're partially responsible for all this backlash.
25:52You know what, I won't dig on you too hard.
25:55All right, all right, next question.
25:56What do we got?
25:57A couple of quick hitters before I get you out of here.
25:59From lowest friend of the show.
26:00Hey, guys.
26:01For James, what would you say felt like the lowest point of your career,
26:05and how did you ultimately get out of it?
26:07Lowest point of my career was my first year in the NFL.
26:11Getting drafted, only playing in three football games,
26:14and active the entire year, aside from those three games.
26:17And I pretty much just played cleanup duty like the last couple of drives
26:21to finish out the game just to get a few reps.
26:23I was just happy to be out there.
26:29We getting blown out, and I had those last couple drives.
26:32I was just getting some good reps, and just happy to be on the field for
26:35the first time.
26:36So that was an exciting moment for me, but
26:38that was the roughest year of football for me.
26:40Going from little league, high school, college, and
26:44you're playing every single game, most snaps on offense.
26:48And you get to the NFL, and you're back watching.
26:51And you almost feel like you're not a part of the team, and
26:54that's a tough pill to swallow.
26:56Definitely not rooting against my team, and
26:58they want them to have all the success in the world.
27:01But you wanna be out there and
27:03do whatever you can to help your team win football games.
27:05So that was hard for me, but it helped me learn.
27:09Just because you make it to the NFL doesn't mean you earn the right to play.
27:12So my approach was, not that I didn't approach it the right way my rookie year,
27:16but I took a completely different approach.
27:18Coming to my second year, I'm a foursome,
27:20that had to put me on the football field.
27:22And it didn't resolve that right away, and
27:25ended up scratching the claw to make the team.
27:27And I honestly thought I was going to get cut that year based on the amount of backs
27:31that we had, like eight backs during training camp.
27:33And based on the preseason reps, it was looking like I was an odd man out.
27:37But ended up making the roster, still was inactive.
27:41The first half of the season, Deion Lewis, heck of a player,
27:43was having a heck of a year.
27:45And I was still watching until my guy eventually got hurt, unfortunately.
27:48And that's when my opportunity presented itself.
27:51I mean, it happens to a lot of people in the league,
27:54get your opportunity based off somebody in front of you getting hurt.
27:57And like I said, I just try to never look back from now on.
28:00Absolutely, all right, we're gonna close with something a little more cheery, all
28:03right, last question for you.
28:04If you could give advice to the fan base about dealing with these hard times,
28:08what would it be and why?
28:09Please talk them off the leg if they need it.
28:12Yeah, just manage your expectations, man.
28:15Look, coming into the year, I can assure most of you probably assume that we
28:20weren't gonna win a ton of football games in the first place.
28:23And now that we're in this situation, everybody's ready to jump ship,
28:27fire this guy, fire that guy, trade this guy, get rid of this guy.
28:31That's not the way this whole operation works.
28:33Just as Mayo's first year as a head coach, just let him learn and
28:36grow throughout the year, let these players learn and grow together.
28:39You got a rookie quarterback, it looks like his future is bright,
28:42let him grow throughout the year.
28:43And look, we have a banged up offensive line, and
28:46this is tough to execute when your offensive line is banged up every week.
28:49And you're shifting those guys trying to figure out what you can do.
28:53So there's a lot of young talent here.
28:55Let's just find the positive, it may be hard, just try and
28:58find the positive in what you see out there every single week.
29:01And I truly think these guys will continue to compete, and
29:04they will compete harder as the year goes on.
29:07It's tough, it's not fun, I'm telling you.
29:09As a player, it's not fun going in that building after losses,
29:12especially after losing six in a row.
29:14I mean, I've never been in that predicament myself, but I can only imagine.
29:17And you got outside noise, obviously,
29:19you're gonna have some noise inside the building too.
29:23I think Mayo will do a good job of keeping those guys together.
29:26But as fans, as we watch, there's nothing wrong with being a harsh critic,
29:30that is fine.
29:31But when it comes to saying fire this guy, trade that guy,
29:35I don't think we have to get there.
29:37This is year one of this operation, it's gonna take time.
29:39I think we gotta clip that and make that the promo for the video.
29:43James, all right, I'm gonna get you out of here.
29:46Thank you so much again for your time.
29:48You got a lot of love in the chat, everybody had fun.
29:50This was a blast, brother.
29:51So please, before I do let you go, remind the people that they don't already know
29:55already where they can find you.
29:56You got some good stuff coming down the pipeline you should look out for.
29:59Yeah, make sure you guys check out the Money Down podcast.
30:02It's myself, two of my former college teammates, Warren Harris and
30:06Jordan Sheldon.
30:07We do talk some Patriots football, but we talk football, all sports, life,
30:11business, whatever it may be.
30:13The main topic of our podcast is called the Money Down, Money Down Situations.
30:17We say it applies to football, third down in the game situations, but
30:20applies to life to where we all have moments where we gotta bet on ourself and
30:24go all in and we wanna share that moment for all of our guests.
30:27We had Taylor on there, he shared his moment.
30:30And all the guests that we have on, we want them to share their story to kind of
30:34give the future generations or even older generations some energy,
30:39some positivity to move forward their lives.
30:41So that's what we're all about.
30:42We're on IG, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, we're on the Believe Network.
30:47So it's been fun, continue to grow, and I'm sure some of you guys are already
30:50checking out and we appreciate the support anytime you guys do watch.
30:55You fellows do an absolutely great job.
30:56I had a blast on the show.
30:58For Patriots fans, you get a little bit of your bad news, but also some therapy.
31:01You get to talk about something else you didn't know.
31:03Yeah, so get your mind off it.
31:05Exactly, so once again, James, thank you so much for joining us.
31:08And thank you all, as always, for watching.
31:11Now take care of yourselves, take care of each other.
31:13We will see you next time.
31:14Peace, y'all.