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SportsTranscript
00:00I am joined by Robert Griffin III, James Whitefield, Yates Mena Kimes.
00:09All right, so first play we're going to look at, second and two, one of the Patriots' first
00:13offensive plays.
00:15Was I looking at you forever there?
00:20No, my cat just jumped over the makeshift barrier I just created and she, it's the younger
00:26one.
00:27Okay.
00:28She's a little bit too big for work, so this should be a very interesting episode.
00:30Good.
00:31A nice cold open here on the Patriots Daily Podcast this lovely Wednesday.
00:35It's Rams week, so thanks for joining us.
00:37We're powered by PrizeFix and GameTime here on Pat's Daily.
00:40As you know, we'll get to them later, but first it's a mailbag episode of the podcast.
00:45Normally we've started these with a little something, something, a little film breakdown,
00:49a little makeup from earlier in the week, but we're all caught up right now.
00:54So we're going to answer as many of your Patriots questions as possible as they head
00:58into this week.
00:59Pat's sitting at three and seven, Rams at four and five after their loss on Monday night.
01:04Patriots looking to get on a little bit of a win streak here.
01:07We spoke to Gerard Mayo, spoke to Drake May, spoke to Hunter Henry.
01:10There was an open locker room session today, Yannick Ngakwe spoke.
01:13So a busy day down in Foxborough.
01:17Before we get into the questions, couple absences off the top was Marcellus Dial, Isaiah Bolden.
01:24Can you help me out with the other two?
01:25Isaiah Bolden, Marcellus Dial, Dietrich Wise, I'm going to pull up my actual tweet from
01:30it just like fourth one and I can't think of one, Taylor Jones was absent again and
01:34Sione Taki Taki, so the secondary and the defensive line, particularly when you look
01:40at depth, have some taken some hits at least today.
01:43Yep.
01:44For sure.
01:45Looking at the comments as well.
01:46Appreciate you guys on the congratulations on the SI job.
01:49That's another thing we can mention.
01:50I am writing for Sports Illustrated now.
01:53Some breaking and trending new stuff over there started this week, so I appreciate the
01:57kind words and if you probably already saw, I will be here on Pats Daily doing Patriots
02:01coverage at least throughout the end of the season and then we're going to kind of assess
02:04things from there, but you don't lose me yet.
02:07You're still stuck with me as of right now as the Patriots continue on, but thank you
02:11guys.
02:12Appreciate it.
02:13And I hope you guys will continue reading my stuff.
02:14We'll be here for all the video stuff, the Patriots coverage, Pats Daily and post game
02:19and whatnot.
02:20So thank you guys for that.
02:21Now, let's get into it.
02:22We got Patriots questions.
02:23You got a bunch of them in on Twitter, and if you have any in the chat, feel free to
02:27throw them in as well, and we'll get to as many as possible over the next half hour or
02:32so.
02:33I want to start with this one, A, because Old Man Mob is always in the chat, but B,
02:37we always get questions about T Higgins, and he was a topic of discussion for us, both
02:41on the pod and just behind closed doors, you know, hanging out at the stadium the last
02:45couple of weeks, me and Taylor, between me and Taylor, and it's T Higgins.
02:50So should the Patriots be worried about his injury history this season, and should that
02:55deter them from going to sign him this offseason?
02:58So I actually talked, I think it was Evan last week about this, and that's kind of where
03:02I've been, where it's like, I don't really want to throw a bag at somebody with this
03:05injury history.
03:06You don't even know what kind of deal, if he like wants to absolutely get paid, even
03:10though obviously, you know, he's missed some time this year.
03:12Evan brought up a good point that these soft tissue injuries, especially, you know, all
03:17the games he's missed, it almost kind of feels like a situation where it was like,
03:20you know what?
03:21You guys kind of screwed me.
03:22I don't have any guaranteed money after this year.
03:24You know what?
03:25I'm not going to risk getting hurt.
03:26I'm going to sit these games out, you know, you can make the argument like, oh, you want
03:30a competitor.
03:31And you know, the Bengals aren't totally out of the playoff hunt yet.
03:34So, you know, you'd probably like them on the field.
03:36But I think I, honestly, this is one of those where I feel like I just don't know.
03:41And that's the best answer I can give.
03:42Now, at the same time, I've been saying, I want the Patriots to draft somebody like a
03:46Tep McMillan, like someone with a rare skill set who's cheap and like quarterbacks.
03:50If you have those kinds of guys under contract for four years, that's just huge and gives
03:54you a ton of flexibility in terms of your cap and all those kinds of things.
03:57But at the same time, this room, I know they got Kendrick Bourne for another couple of
04:01years, at least, you know, contract wise, KG Osborne probably going to be gone.
04:05I think this room needs a leader with the history of success in the league.
04:10Like Kendrick Bourne, yes, he has been on successful teams.
04:13He's had flashes and things like that.
04:15But he's never had a full season where you're like, damn, that Kendrick Bourne guy, you
04:19really got a game plan around him.
04:21T Higgins has been to a Super Bowl.
04:23He's made some incredible plays.
04:25Like I know everyone questions, can he really be a number one?
04:27Just look at his tape.
04:28Like there are things, when I was a scout at Syracuse, there were some guys where they
04:32would be like, with the first five to 10 plays, you can usually tell whether a player is good
04:36or not.
04:37So it's like, it doesn't, that's obviously consistency matters.
04:39But a lot of the time, it's just like, if this dude is doing something that you don't
04:43really see happen very often, that's a special talent.
04:46T Higgins, like the way he works the sideline, the fact that he's the kind of guy with the
04:49size to beat jams on slants, and then the speed to actually take it to the crib from
04:54like 80 yards out, like those are rare traits.
04:57So from that perspective, T Higgins also seems like he's very good.
05:00Anytime I've seen him speak to reporters, seems like he's a really well spoken guy who
05:04could be the leader for a younger room.
05:06I really wouldn't mind the T Higgins thing, as long as if it was injuries, there were
05:10some incentives laid in that would make me feel a little bit better.
05:13But yeah, I'm kind of starting to tip more towards, you know what, T Higgins is available,
05:18go get him.
05:19Obviously, like I say, every year draft the guy as well.
05:21But in a room where you have so many young talents, like you got Pop, you got Booty,
05:25you got Baker, you got Polk, guys who are going to be under contract for a while.
05:29I think you do need that dominant alpha guy.
05:31But at the same time, you have young guys to develop as well behind him.
05:34So I think it'd be pretty cool if they were like too deep, at least and you could have
05:37a pretty significant rotation, or at least backup plans in case T Higgins does have to
05:42miss out.
05:43Yeah, I like that way of looking at it.
05:45I've been Team T, you know, since it sort of became a realization that Cincinnati is
05:50probably not going to be able to pay both him and Jamar Chase.
05:53But I also do totally understand what you're saying.
05:56We simply won't.
05:57Yeah, right.
05:58Exactly.
05:59Yeah.
06:00And so, I mean, I would go for it.
06:02I still think they should go for it.
06:04I do think the injuries can be a concern, but at the end of the day, too, it's like
06:08what you just mentioned.
06:09It's a guy who he knows he's not getting paid out there.
06:12He doesn't have to exert all of all of himself.
06:15The Bengals aren't winning right now, so you might as well sit these things out.
06:18And on one hand, yeah, you question the competitiveness there.
06:22But at the end of the day, it's football.
06:24It's a business.
06:25If he wants to go come get paid, come here and develop that.
06:29And the Bengals made him the first player.
06:31And I don't even know how long to get franchise tagged and not get a new deal or anything.
06:35They really did kind of do him dirty.
06:37So you know what, I'm willing to...
06:41These teams have info, and they have intel, and they're able to gather information.
06:44So hopefully they can get some information to be like, hey, he's really not that much
06:47of an injury risk.
06:48We probably will just protect him.
06:49So if that's the case, I really don't mind because one thing is he invests in you and
06:53does right by you.
06:54But another one, they're just like, yeah, we're going to keep you hostage.
06:56Like bump that, bro.
06:58I'm staying healthy, and I'm making my bag next year.
07:01I mean, I trust him as a true number one guy.
07:03People say he's the number two to Jamar Chase, but really, I see them as two number ones.
07:08He's not a number two wide receiver.
07:10And he was the number one before Jamar Chase was drafted.
07:14I think they forget that Tee and Burrow were drafted at the same time.
07:18That was his guy before he got, obviously, Chase, who was his guy in college.
07:21Of course.
07:22And there were a ton of games that Jamar Chase missed last year, and Tee Higgins had to be
07:25the guy.
07:26So it's not like there's no tape of him having to be that guy.
07:28If you want to leave Tee Higgins one-on-one most of the time, I think you're going to
07:32win that battle on the offensive side of the ball.
07:35Exactly.
07:36Yeah.
07:37So we're Team Tee here, as long as he's healthy.
07:39And I think you mentioned right there that they can gather that intel and insight to
07:44not overexert themselves or overpay if they do think the injury is going to be a concern.
07:48You also mentioned Ted McMillan in that answer, so that's why I want to go to this one.
07:52With seemingly rising concerns and questions about Calvin Banks and Will Campbell at the
07:57next level, and Drake seemingly offsetting some of the offensive line deficiencies this
08:02week, is Ted McMillan, Luther Burden, I won't even say Travis Hunter's name in this conversation,
08:08but is a wide receiver, is it time for them to really consider taking the wide receiver
08:12over an offensive lineman at the top of the draft?
08:15I think it's all going to be about value, to be honest.
08:17Now I think you're in a position, you've got the quarterback, you're finally in a spot
08:20where it's like, all right, we do have multiple needs, let's just see where the draft board
08:23falls.
08:24I think for agency is going to be a big part of that.
08:27I feel like it'd probably skew younger at left tackle because we know Gerard Mayo does
08:31like Vidarian low.
08:32He's under contract for another year.
08:34Thank you, Courtney, for the compliment on the haircut, I really appreciate it.
08:38I think that the better plan probably for tackle, like I said, you have a veteran there,
08:42a guy who's got a deal, but also he's not so locked in that you probably wouldn't want
08:46to get a young guy just in case he leaves the next season.
08:49Maybe Vidarian balls out next year and gets a good contract or what have you.
08:54Young receiver, again, is the spot where I would like them to have a proven guy who
08:58can really command that room and command respect from other defenses.
09:01So is it a possibility?
09:02Hell yeah.
09:03I mean, if Ted McMillan is there and you think he's a better value, Will Campbell and those
09:06guys are off the board, whatever Kelvin Banks, if they like those guys as tackles, then yeah,
09:10sure.
09:11Pull the trigger.
09:12But you also, I think you want to refrain from having too much depth because that's
09:16why, you know, drafting just for need or drafting just by value, it's not always the right move
09:21because if you have three quarterbacks, you like spending a first round pick on a quarterback
09:26is a bad investment because it doesn't matter if he's a good player or whatever.
09:29You already had depth at the position.
09:31He probably could have addressed something else, but then at the same time, if it's like
09:34the Colstrain situation where, yeah, you know, probably shouldn't have drafted a guard just
09:38because of the positional value.
09:39You can argue that till, you know, kingdom come or whatever, although I did at the time.
09:43Yeah.
09:44I think it's really going to come down to what happens in free agency.
09:47And then based on that, really how the board falls for the Patriots, wherever they end
09:50up.
09:52I'm starting to, uh, not starting to, I've, I've been nervous about the Patriots and their,
09:56their lack of ability to draft a wide receiver.
09:58And I love Ted McMillan, uh, Luther burden out of Missouri is pretty good too.
10:02Uh, when you look at Jalen Polk and Jayvon Baker, the season two guys that we were high
10:07on struggling, I know it's super duper early, but do we trust them to go back into the well
10:13and take a wide receiver again?
10:14And Elliot is, is a little bit of a high pick.
10:18I Jalen was a high pick.
10:19He was 37.
10:20Like I get it popping booty two years ago.
10:25That's true.
10:26Now, now I want to, I, I, I was kind of gonna, uh, carry over into that where booty seemed
10:31like it missed.
10:32No, it seemed like it missed last year, but he's turned himself around and become, become
10:36a solid player and pop while hasn't really necessarily broken out.
10:40We know what he is and we know what he can be for this team when, uh, you know, when
10:44they get things right.
10:45So, uh, yeah, they did hit on those two, six, six round wide receivers.
10:49It seems last year.
10:50Um, so potentially if they get, take a guy at the top, uh, I agree that Drake may and
10:54his, uh, his ability to kind of, uh, scramble around and, and make plays with his legs and
10:59play on time for the most part and get the ball out of his hands has helped this offensive
11:03line.
11:04And also it's been the fact that they've now started, uh, the same five guys in multiple
11:08weeks and not multiple weeks in a row, but in multiple weeks and are seemingly doing
11:11so heading into next week as well, drive Mayo says he has his fingers crossed to do
11:15that.
11:16So if it could be serviceable and they can make this work and make that make it happen.
11:19I don't look, I don't think these five is going to be their full starting five next
11:23year, but it seems like it's not as much of a problem.
11:26And with a guy like Drake may you want to surround him with the best talent to throw
11:29to.
11:30So, uh, I'm in on taking a receiver at the top trade out of that pick.
11:32If you have it up top, uh, maybe you don't even have to, cause maybe you end up closer
11:36to the top 10 of the top 15, depending on how they can, uh, get winds going together
11:41here.
11:42Uh, back to the defense Taylor or to the defense rather, uh, is this Patriots D line if it'll
11:47pull up for me?
11:48I don't know why it's not showing this question also week or do we want to do the injury report
11:52real quick?
11:53Oh, did it come out?
11:54Yeah.
11:55Yeah.
11:56Let's do it.
11:57All right.
11:58So did not participate.
11:59Marcella style, uh, expected to Quail and Roy who left the game with a neck injury.
12:02So you only talk, you talk, you with a knee and Dietrich wise with a foot limited.
12:06We've got Kyle Duggar ankle, which is still better.
12:09You know, it limited.
12:10He was at practice today, participating in a padded practice.
12:13It could be a good sign for him.
12:14Daniel, a quality and Christian Ellis were both limited with abdomen injuries.
12:18Hunter Henry limited with a foot, but Darian low limited with a shoulder Marti Mapu limited
12:23with a neck full participant.
12:25Once again, Alex Austin, after he was activated from IR with a ankle injury that he suffered.
12:32I think this is probably going to be, be the week that we see Alex Austin play because
12:34Marco Wilson hasn't been terribly impressive.
12:36I don't love his effort against the run.
12:38He's a high cut guy.
12:40He's, you know, skinnier.
12:41So he's not just built really to take on the run very much, but it's one thing when you're
12:45Christian Gonzalez and you know, you're still willing and I'm never going to question your
12:49effort.
12:50It's more just like, yeah, I understand you not want to stick your face in the fire when
12:52you're potential top five player, your position versus Marco Wilson.
12:56When it's like, bro, you got John Jones and Marcus Jones, like taking on guards and firing
13:00downhill.
13:01Like their life depends on it.
13:02Alex Austin, I think is much closer in that vein of being more like willing to stick his
13:06nose in there.
13:07Hopefully we see more of him.
13:08And the other guys, you know, Daniel McQualling, Christian Ellis, obviously pretty significant
13:14pieces in the front.
13:15Ellis didn't play last week, but if you don't have talkie talkie, you know, you kind of
13:18worry about the linebacker depth because they were already very shallow with just talkie
13:21talkie.
13:22And Jaqueline Roy has been really good for them at nose tackle left early ish or midway
13:26through the game last week.
13:28So hopefully, you know, he can figure out some way to make it out there to practice.
13:32Jeremiah Farms had a breakout game.
13:35I don't want to say necessarily because I think you need to string them together, but
13:37easily the best game of his career.
13:39So maybe that kind of offsets that Marcella style.
13:41Isaiah Bolden went in for him at Gunner when he ended up getting hurt.
13:45And obviously with a concussion, unlikely it feels like that we'll see him, especially
13:48since he didn't participate.
13:50Yeah, they forgot.
13:51They also forgot to add Isaiah Bolden.
13:53I believe that'll be added.
13:57I was told that is not injury related and then he'll be back on Thursday.
14:00OK, so it sounds like it sounds like Bolden will be good to go and that he was just taking
14:05care of some things and he'll be back again with the Patriots on Thursday.
14:07I'm sure they'll edit that up.
14:09But yeah, Dial was out with a concussion.
14:12Talkie talkie.
14:13I believe talkie talkie left the game with a knee injury.
14:15I don't know.
14:16Did he return?
14:18Do you know if he returned?
14:19I'll look actually right now.
14:20It's fine.
14:21I can't not got it.
14:23Not a huge deal.
14:23Kyle Duggar, the big one.
14:26He's back at practice after missing the last couple games.
14:29So yeah, that is that is your Patriots injury report.
14:32Let's see if it's 25 snaps.
14:33He left in the third quarter midway through and didn't come back.
14:36Yeah, OK, so we'll see what happens there.
14:38But defense played pretty well last week, so hopefully they can they can continue that
14:43going.
14:43Speaking of that defense and the defensive line, Taylor, is this Patriots defensive line
14:48actually for real?
14:49Nine sacks last week.
14:50Probably not going to happen again, but they were really solid last week against Chicago.
14:54So do you think this was just a function of the Chicago team, or do you think they
14:59can?
14:59They can really get this thing going with the potential loss of teacher twice this week.
15:05However, and I don't know if it'll be on Sunday against the Rams, but we heard from
15:09drive Mayo today.
15:10If anybody hasn't heard yet that Christian Barmore may start practicing this week, if
15:14not next week with the Patriots.
15:17Yeah, so I don't think they're going to be getting nine sacks a whole lot.
15:19That's a function of one.
15:20The game then finally getting to pin their ears back.
15:23First of all, there's been so few opportunities for this defense to know the past is coming
15:27and be able to play that way.
15:29I will say that Keon White inside is one of the most disruptive players in the NFL this
15:34season.
15:34Anthony Jennings has been better rushing off the edge.
15:36Dietrich wise, not the kind of guy who's going to have a lot of quick wins, but still
15:40someone who knows how to apply pressure has done a better job keeping the quarterback
15:43in the pocket.
15:45But I think the reinforcements are really what excite me more like Yannick.
15:48And I think it's going to be a significant difference on this defensive line with his
15:52pass rushing ability.
15:53He can win outside.
15:54He can win inside.
15:55He can win by going straight through you.
15:57And that's a level of versatility and juice that I don't think this defensive front has,
16:01especially with no Joshua Uche.
16:03Jeremiah Farms made some impact as well.
16:06He had some really impressive wins as he kind of has throughout this season and even going
16:10back to late last season with his really strong hands and his quickness off the line of scrimmage.
16:14So I still think the pass rush is probably an issue, but I mean, dude, if you get Yannick
16:18and Gawkway back and Christian Barmore, I'm thinking that things are going to look a lot
16:23different because if you have Barmore and Keon White rushing inside at the same time,
16:27that's the kind of thing I was hoping we were going to get this season where I don't really,
16:30basically, if you're on the edge, just play contained because that quarterback is going
16:33to try to escape because those dudes are going to wreak absolute havoc.
16:37So I do think the pass rush is taking a step forward.
16:39Keon White mentioned that their chemistry is getting better, and I've seen that in their
16:42line games, the way they use blitzes and try to create disruption and then just keep the
16:47quarterback hemmed in.
16:48I'm sure we'll see that this week with Matthew Stafford.
16:51And it's not a very good Rams offensive line either.
16:54So hopefully they can capitalize on that.
16:55Yeah, I'm excited for the addition of Yannick and Gawkway.
16:58I think it was a smart addition for them on a low risk, high reward type of thing where
17:05they claim off waivers, and yeah, you have that top priority because of your poor record.
17:09But you see what happens.
17:10It's a contract year.
17:11It's not like you owe him a ton of money.
17:13He was asked today about potentially being a part of this team's future, and he said that
17:17they haven't talked about it, but Mayo mentioned it, that it could be something for now and
17:21moving forward.
17:22And we talked about it on our stand up down in Foxboro.
17:24That'll be up on the channel a little later on.
17:28But Taylor, you mentioned this week that he's 29.
17:30That's the age that they signed Matthew Judon to his long deal.
17:34So if he can get a raise when he were teammates.
17:37Yeah.
17:37And so if he can get that, the 2017 version of himself, which obviously that was a long
17:43way away.
17:43That's seven years ago at this point when he made a Pro Bowl.
17:46I believe it was his second season in Jacksonville, but he's going to get a lot of opportunities.
17:51I would think this week someone who can obviously pin his ears back as a pass rusher.
17:55But they've also mentioned that he can do more and play solidly in the run game.
18:00So we'll see what happens if he can be a veteran presence on this team moving forward.
18:05We spoke to him today.
18:06Seems like a sort of a stand up guy, not somebody who seems like he wants to be here, even though
18:11he's been kind of thrown in from a seven and three Ravens team to a three and seven Patriots
18:15team.
18:15So we'll see what happens.
18:16But I like the move.
18:17I think it made sense for them to kind of add some additional veteran leadership on
18:21that side of the football.
18:23All right.
18:24Let's talk about the Rams, Taylor.
18:25Do you think the Patriots in this offensive line have a plan to stop Jared verse and the
18:30rest?
18:30I will add the rest of this Rams front seven.
18:34Yeah.
18:34Darian low.
18:35Okay.
18:36He's been solid.
18:37Honestly, he has struggled the past couple of weeks, especially with like line games
18:41and slants inside.
18:42Those are some areas I need to see him get fixed.
18:45I think the plan is to get the ball out fast, to be honest.
18:47Like this ramps front is so, so disruptive.
18:50Jared verse.
18:51I think it's only Trey Hendrickson has more pressures over the last month.
18:55Braden Fiske and Kobe Turner are like both top three.
18:58I think Kobe Turner is number one in unblocked pressures one because of their line games.
19:02I use a ton of those on dropbacks.
19:04Also, Braden Fiske is just so or Fiske.
19:07I hope I'm saying his name right.
19:08It's just so quick.
19:09I think it's fair.
19:10I think so, too.
19:11So quick, so disruptive with his hands.
19:12Then you got Byron Young and Jared verse.
19:15Like there's not a whole lot of weaknesses on this ramps front.
19:18And that's what Gerard Mayo told us.
19:20He said this is one of the best defensive fronts of all we've seen all year.
19:23Even though they're young, they're disruptive.
19:25They're well coordinated and all those things.
19:27I do think they're leaky against scrambles to attack of Iowa completed three or converted
19:31three third downs on scrambles.
19:33One was like a third and 26 or something.
19:35And what was like a third in 19?
19:37Some really long yarded situations as aggressive as they are that sometimes does leave the
19:41edge open for quarterbacks.
19:43Hopefully, Drake may can make some plays happen with his feet.
19:45Hopefully, he gets the ball out fast.
19:47But you got to run at these guys, which is not going to be easy.
19:50But you got to try to wear them down just with those body blows.
19:53Like you're getting three, four yards of pop like last week.
19:55That's fine.
19:56You just need to assert some dominance on the ground or some physicality, at least to
20:00make things easier.
20:01Because this can't be another game where Drake may drops like 40 times or he's going to get
20:04his shit rocked.
20:05He's going to be very honest with you.
20:07Yeah, no, that you're right.
20:09That front is really solid.
20:10Some young guys, some some older veterans in there as well.
20:12But obviously, Fisk inverse able to play.
20:15They both went to Florida State.
20:16Is that right?
20:17They took both.
20:17Oh, yeah, not a Florida State.
20:19That's a good teammates.
20:20Yeah, yeah, that's pretty cool.
20:21I like that.
20:22So yeah, that is drafted them.
20:24And there was a video where they like, oh, yeah, it was either when they drafted one
20:28of them and the other was already there or something like that.
20:30But that was really cool.
20:31Yeah, that was cool.
20:33And so, yeah, I think, again, with this with this offensive line sort of coming, getting
20:37themselves into shape and really, you know, sort of hitting the ground running, if you
20:42will.
20:42I don't look, I don't want to give them too much credit because it still hasn't been
20:45perfect.
20:46But for the the ragtag sort of way that it's been brought in, like Demontre Jacobs, right?
20:54And Ben Brown, who haven't been with the team all season, Michael Jordan, who didn't
20:58make the initial roster, kind of a practice squad futures contract guy for who they are
21:03low replace, excuse me, replacement level left tackle, like solid, like really solid
21:08the last couple of weeks.
21:09And they're really getting it together.
21:10So good for them.
21:11And yeah, they should have a plan, obviously, for Jared Burse.
21:15I want to talk about specifically real quick.
21:16I just want to mention because I spoke to him today about his bounce back and what was
21:20behind it.
21:20He did mention that it was the ankle injury, which kept him limited.
21:23I think the previous few weeks.
21:25Yeah, last week he was a full participant and he was saying that he's really somebody
21:29who learns the repetition and learn through practice.
21:31So missing reps, I think, was significant for him and impacted his play.
21:35So really cool.
21:36And he's a really easy guy to root for.
21:38Like, he's a he's a good dude.
21:39He's kind of bounced around the league, but clearly has some talent.
21:42Like, obviously, he's not the kind of guy you want as a starter long term, but he's
21:45been a good spot starter for them, obviously, when healthy.
21:48So good to see that he's back on the men.
21:50Hopefully he and Baderian, though, can continue to improve.
21:52Yeah, and I like that.
21:53That that'll allow them to keep Mike at on the right side of the line if it's again,
21:58if he's healthy and playing like he was at the beginning of the season.
22:01So keep that going there.
22:03All right.
22:03We'll keep going in a second.
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23:27Now let's talk about Kendrick Bourne a little bit, Taylor.
23:31I don't have it off the top of my head, but I know we were speaking about it a little
23:35bit earlier on what he had to say with Mark Daniels from MassLive today.
23:39So I'm curious if you can loop that into sort of the answer to this question.
23:44Do you think Kendrick Bourne will play this week?
23:46And how do you think we'll talk about Drake May after I kind of want to get to Kendrick
23:50Bourne first, because he took over those KJ or excuse me, KJ Osborne took over his
23:54snaps last week and Kendrick Bourne took a whopping zero offensive snaps.
24:00He mentioned today, like you said with Mark, that he understands sort of why it happened
24:06and that he hasn't been playing his best.
24:07But do you think they'll end up giving him another chance or do you think he's going
24:10to ride the bench another week longer?
24:13I think it depends on practice, honestly.
24:15I don't think this is like a punishment or anything, but I do think it's acknowledgement
24:18that he wasn't playing well enough.
24:19We talked about that on the show against the Titans.
24:22Yeah, he had was more.
24:23It was the most productive game this season, but also twice he didn't run to his depth
24:27during the scramble drill.
24:28He admitted that he should have been running around more, which he said it.
24:31I would be surprised if the coaches didn't bring that up.
24:34And, you know, I want to see more from him.
24:36It's nice that, again, he took that step forward, but it clearly wasn't enough.
24:39And the coaches wanted to go with KJ Osborne, who also hasn't really done much.
24:43It's not a real great indictment on either.
24:45So and obviously he didn't do a whole lot in the game.
24:48So I I think the Patriots genuinely do want to play their young guys and give them just
24:53experience and get over whatever they're going through.
24:55Like I know Jalen Polk and Keyshawn Booty were the main guys in two receiver sets,
24:59whereas before it was Booty and Kendrick Bourne.
25:01Then it looked like in three receiver sets you saw more of KJ Osborne.
25:05So I think next week or I'm sorry, this week we will see more of Kendrick Bourne
25:09in that zero with KJ Osborne.
25:11But if we don't see him in that, I think it's an indictment that he didn't have.
25:14It was another week where he didn't have a very good practice.
25:17The whole KJ Osborne situation is weird to me.
25:19I thought they were going to cut him now that he finally can go wherever he wants.
25:23But maybe they just want to see Kendrick Bourne kind of get his feedback under him and be more
25:26consistent.
25:27So I guess we'll see.
25:28But I think there's definitely a possibility that he gets his job back, but in a rotational role.
25:32Yeah.
25:32And on that, I think that's what you want to see because they did just sign him to a three year
25:37deal.
25:37It's not this one and done season like you have with KJ Osborne, where I don't want to say it
25:41doesn't matter how he plays well or not.
25:44But really, it has nothing to do with your future.
25:47What happens with KJ Osborne this season where it may with Kendrick Bourne sort of piggyback on
25:52that.
25:52Here's another question from our friend Old Man Mob.
25:55What are the chances Kendrick Bourne is traded this offseason?
26:00I know you don't like to give chances, but I guess what do you think of?
26:03What do you think of the idea of trading Kendrick Bourne this offseason?
26:06If you get your legit veteran, you can play that X role.
26:10Yeah.
26:10Jalen Polk finishes the season strong for you.
26:12Absolutely.
26:13I think Kendrick Bourne, like one, his deal is pretty easy to get out of.
26:17Like that was one of the best things when he signed.
26:18It was like, oh, this is almost kind of like a more of a one, two year deal.
26:22And if he doesn't show anything, they can really cut themselves off scot free.
26:25So yeah, I think if they get that veteran and the young guys emerge, I don't think Kendrick
26:29Bourne.
26:29I think I know he wants to be part of the rebuild and everything and awesome for him.
26:33But at the same time, you're a pro and you want to play.
26:36And if there's four young receivers that are looking pretty good and there's a veteran who's
26:40probably not going to leave the field very often.
26:42It's just a numbers game at that point.
26:44And I think that Kendrick Bourne would be like, hey, I appreciate you guys.
26:47I love the time here, but I would just rather go somewhere where I'll have more of an
26:50opportunity.
26:51Yeah.
26:51I mean, realistically, whether he plays or doesn't, right, if he does play, then that
26:55gives teams some tape on, hey, this is what this guy can still do.
26:59And then you can trade them out of here that way.
27:01Or if he doesn't play this season and then you do go get a veteran or you do draft another
27:05guy, where does Kendrick Bourne fit in there?
27:07So at that point, you may cut bait and try and get what you can.
27:10It does stink because this off season, he mentioned wanting to be a captain.
27:14He obviously worked hard and came back strong after the torn ACL last year.
27:19But so far, it just hasn't worked out for him.
27:21He's obviously now getting to the older side of his career.
27:24Not that he's washed up or anything.
27:26I still think he has some decent football left, but it's going to come down to numbers
27:31in this room with guys like Baker and Pop, obviously, and Jalen Polk and Keyshawn Booty
27:39coming on now.
27:40Where does KB fit in this mix?
27:42Especially if you draft and if you sign someone, he might be on the outside looking in.
27:48So obviously, it's going to come down to how they go about free agency in the draft and
27:53whatnot.
27:54But you wonder if KB's days are numbered in Foxborough.
27:58All right, one more.
27:59There's a lot of revisionist history going on with their re-signings.
28:03Everyone was on board with the players they re-signed.
28:05You could have argued they should have signed Pharaoh Brown and Mack Wilson or whatever.
28:09No one was upset with the re-signings they made.
28:11It was seen as like, yes, these are guys who want to be here, who have actually been part
28:15of the reason you've been good.
28:16But now, obviously, Kendrick Bourne's coming off a torn ACL.
28:19Mike and Winnie was re-signed, but he's moving back and forth.
28:21I think he's just been in his head and admitted that he hasn't been as dominant as he wants.
28:26So I feel like the further we get from the offseason, the more people forget, one, it
28:30wasn't a very good free agent class, and they got pretty much universal praise for keeping
28:34their guys who were actually plus contributors and getting rid of the guys who weren't doing
28:38much or who kind of just felt like they needed a clean break.
28:41No, the internal signings were fine.
28:43The external ones, obviously, Taki Taki hasn't played much.
28:46You lose out on Leverett and Chooks.
28:50Those weren't great.
28:51But the internal ones, Tavai, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, obviously, you mentioned on
28:56Wenu.
28:57They extend David Andrews.
28:59You wonder how that works out.
29:00But they kept that core together from the Belichick era and tried to sort of bring at
29:05least the leadership over.
29:06And I think all of them have worked out so far besides really Kendrick Bourne.
29:10So but back on the receivers here, Taylor, what do you make of the Jacob Javon Baker
29:15stuff?
29:15Do you think we're going to end up seeing more of him on offense?
29:18I wasn't able to take much of a look at his film last week.
29:23I know that two weeks ago, when they lost to the Titans, he had played a couple snaps
29:27and gotten open on every play.
29:29What did you see from Baker this week?
29:31And do you think we'll end up seeing a little bit more out of him than just returning kicks?
29:36Yeah, so he only played four snaps against the Bears, and all of them were run blocking
29:41snaps, which was not what I wanted to see personally, because, you know, I was talking
29:45about Javon and how he was open downfield.
29:47I'm not really sure what's going on there, to be totally honest with you.
29:51It is kind of a mystery to me that he isn't getting more opportunities at Z.
29:55That being said, Keishon Booty, or X, I'm sorry, but Keishon Booty really has been more
29:59of their X receiver.
30:00Now, that said, you're clearly looking for a reliable number three behind, you know,
30:04Keishon Booty and Demario Douglas.
30:07Jalen Post's been fine, but I would like to see maybe Keishon Booty more at that Z role,
30:11and then Javon Baker at the X, because it's a much better spot for him.
30:14Like, Keishon Booty, I really like as a player, and I think he gets open pretty consistently,
30:18but he was getting locked up at times.
30:19Like Tyree Stevenson and, oh my God, Jalen Johnson are really, they're long, they're
30:24physical, like those are ideal outside corners.
30:27And it really showed why Keishon Booty is better as a guy who can operate off the line
30:30of scrimmage, because there just wasn't a lot he could do.
30:32He's 5'11", almost like 195, 200 pounds.
30:35Like, he's thick, but he's not as long or as big as you'd want against those kinds of
30:40matchups.
30:41Javon's kind of similar in size, but he's a little bit taller, and I think he's better
30:45when it comes to his releases and his quickness, especially when it comes to his vertical speed.
30:49So I don't know when we're going to see more of Javon.
30:51I thought we would this week, so now I'm kind of stumped.
30:54I think, again, it's just going to maybe depend on practice.
30:57I don't think, but yeah, that's really all I got, because there wasn't any tape to go
31:02off of him getting open against the Bears.
31:04Yeah, okay.
31:04So then moving into Keishon Booty against the Rams.
31:08How do you think he matches up this weekend against this Los Angeles Rams secondary?
31:15I haven't studied the secondary very close yet.
31:17I'm still really on the defensive front right now, and I'll have, obviously, in the preview.
31:21We're going to do a joint preview tomorrow of myself with Pat Speake, because Mike's
31:25not going to be around.
31:26But I will say, I just think Keishon Booty has earned Drake Mace trust.
31:30We're seeing he's kind of starting to lean into, he had a season high four catches.
31:34It really should have been five, if we're being honest.
31:36It was wiped away by a penalty.
31:37But it looks like he's someone that Drake Mace really trusts.
31:40And between him and Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry, those are really the only three guys
31:44that feel like they're getting consistent looks from Drake Mace.
31:47So how does Booty stack up with the cornerbacks?
31:50To be honest, I can't tell you that for sure.
31:51Even looking at the depth chart, I'm not really familiar with a lot of those guys.
31:54But Keishon Booty, I do think, is still going to see at least three or four targets from
31:59Drake Mace.
31:59And then hopefully they can get more going downfield, because they've struggled to do
32:02that the past couple of weeks.
32:03Mostly because of pressure and Drake Mace having to throw on the run.
32:07Yeah, I like the chemistry connectedness, if you will, that him and Drake Mace have
32:15developed here.
32:16So thinking more towards the future and the way Booty has really taken to coaching and
32:23taken to this new, I hate using the word regime.
32:26It's so buzzwordy now.
32:29It sounded good in the early stage of this thing.
32:32But now it's just like, oh, here we go.
32:34Maybe we'll go with administration.
32:36The new administration here.
32:38I'm presidential when I'm doing this.
32:39That is very presidential.
32:42Okay, that's fine.
32:43But the new leadership, if you will, with Mayo and Wolf and the new coaching staff, what
32:48have you, it wasn't great with him and Belichick here.
32:51And he's really taken on that.
32:53Looking towards the future, if they can stack this thing up with a big time X receiver,
32:59he can then transition to the Z, like you just said.
33:02You have a Z receiver in Booty who you have trust with.
33:05Then you have your true go-to guy on the other side, pop in the slot.
33:10Now we're sort of cooking here.
33:11Jalen Polk as a veteran, Jalen Polk, Javon Baker as some depth guys that you can start
33:20building this thing out with.
33:21It's exciting what they have in Booty, and I think he'll benefit even more when he's
33:26not that sort of go-to guy that he's had to be with Drake May.
33:31All right, let's go to one more here on the offense.
33:34Then we'll do our game time read, and then we'll go rapid fire through the rest of them.
33:39And I'm curious on your thoughts, Taylor, with Jaheim Bell.
33:44Just trying to read this.
33:44Few reports have talked about the progress Bell has made when it comes to blocking.
33:49Do you believe he will continue to get more offensive snaps behind Hunter Henry, Austin
33:54Hooper?
33:54Austin Hooper, Patriots' leading receiver last week.
33:57We were talking about it on the pregame show where they activated Mitchell Wilcox.
34:01Jaheim Bell is starting to get some playing time.
34:02You thought Austin Hooper might be the odd man out in this whole thing.
34:05He ends up being their leading receiver.
34:07But what do you make of Jaheim Bell's progress?
34:09What do you think they can do with him moving forward?
34:11I think his role is going to be consistent, to be honest.
34:13He gets like four or five snaps a game.
34:16He did throw his best block, I think, of his career on one of
34:19Romandre Stevenson's positive carries down in the red zone.
34:22But yeah, just until I see more, I can't really predict that we're going to see more from
34:26Jaheim Bell, because it's pretty much been the same thing anytime he's active and actually
34:29playing.
34:30Yeah, that's fair.
34:31I would like to see more of it, but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
34:34And he needs to figure out, like we talked about before, he's gotten better on the mental
34:40side and getting things going on that front, but still need to kind of button it up before
34:44you give him a ton of playing time.
34:46So all right, let's talk about game time, and then we will finish up this mailbag edition
34:51of Patriots Daily.
34:53Let's see.
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36:13Taylor, what time is it?
36:14Game time.
36:15Good answer.
36:16It is game time.
36:17It is also time to wrap up the mailbag with a couple more.
36:21I don't want to call them rapid fire questions.
36:23We're not really on a huge time crunch, but we'll go through a couple before we get out
36:26of here.
36:26And the first one, it's a simple one.
36:28What's the news on Cole Strange?
36:29Because I mentioned Christian Balmore earlier in the episode.
36:34Gerard Mayo mentioned him and Cole Strange's got, or he was asked about those two guys
36:39as people who are injured with this team mentioned that Balmore could be back either this week
36:43or next week on the practice field said he is a little farther ahead than Cole Strange.
36:48I believe.
36:49However, Chris Price of the Boston Globe reported last week that Strange is close ish.
36:55I don't, I'm not, I don't mean to put words in his mouth, but him and Mark Daniels have
36:59both said that Strange is around the corner to return it to the Patriots.
37:03So that's the news on Strange, but I'll kind of give it the floor to you, Taylor, to think
37:08or to say what you think could be added to this offensive line if they do end up getting
37:12Strange back.
37:13Do you think they plug them in?
37:14Do you think they try and shoehorn him into this starting five offensive line?
37:17Or do you think they keep them as a reserve?
37:19Well, let's think about it.
37:20So Gerard Mayo said the Christian Balmore was further ahead than Cole Strange.
37:24So Balmore could be a practice this week or it could be next week.
37:27So let's assume it's next week, right?
37:28So that's going to be week 12.
37:30Gets activated, probably isn't going to play that same week.
37:33So maybe we give it another week.
37:34So most likely we see Christian Balmore probably after the bye.
37:39Cole Strange isn't ready by then.
37:40He only has three weeks to even be activated.
37:43So you think again, if you're going to be activated, they're probably going to give
37:45him another week to get his feet under him because he hasn't played football since last year.
37:51What's he going to play for you?
37:52Two games, maybe like unless Ben Brown is playing poorly.
37:55I think it would be irresponsible to mess with the chemistry for a player who again
37:59is only going to play a couple, maybe three games for you and hasn't played in so long
38:02and is coming off a serious injury.
38:04So it was exciting the possibility that Cole could play.
38:07And you know what?
38:07Maybe by that point, maybe Ben Brown gets exposed or something and they do need an upgrade.
38:12And they're like, you know what?
38:12We might as well try it.
38:14But they said it's very frustrating that there hasn't been a lot of consistency with the
38:18offensive line.
38:19I think they're not really saying it.
38:20They've been answering questions pretty well, but I'm sure that they're not happy about it.
38:23If the coaches are saying they don't love it.
38:26So realistically, I feel like the closer we get, especially now knowing that far more
38:30is further ahead than Cole.
38:32I just don't feel great about the possibility of him playing more than like a game or two.
38:36So let's play a hypothetical here then.
38:38Yeah, yeah, of course.
38:39You mentioned earlier that he was a first round pick that they drafted more so for need
38:44rather than value.
38:45With that first round pick comes the potential for a fifth year option.
38:49Now, this is Strange's third season.
38:50He heads into his fourth next year.
38:53Do they send him into a lame duck year?
38:55Do they pick up that option?
38:57I don't know what the number will be.
38:58So that's kind of a it's a tough question to be the average for linemen.
39:01It's not even the position.
39:02It's like even he'll get paid like I think what whatever the tackles make as well.
39:06So is it worth adding a fifth year to his deal?
39:08Or do you think he just play out that fourth year?
39:10If let's say he doesn't play this season, you can't pick up his option, right?
39:13You have to just let the season play out.
39:15No way.
39:16Yeah, no, I think you have Jake Andrews on the roster as well.
39:20Actual center that you drafted with like a high pick like a decent pick.
39:24So yeah, yeah, I don't think I don't think you can do it.
39:28I think there's too much.
39:30It's too much of a raise.
39:31I think for a guy that's such an unknown.
39:33Yeah, you play out next season.
39:35And if it works, then you extend your arm and you extend him and give him what he's worth.
39:40But I don't think you can go off of that with such a mystery there.
39:43You can get him on a one year proof of deal probably season if you really need to because
39:47there's not enough tape for him to really have much of a market.
39:50Yeah, exactly.
39:51All right, let's talk lineman Ronnie Stanley.
39:54Not much about him in this free agency class.
39:57Should the Patriots go after him as their new left tackle number one?
40:03Obviously, it's an upgrade, so I wouldn't be against it.
40:06But at the same time, even if you look last year, when I looked at the dairy
40:09lows pressure rate allowed on the left side, I think it was better than Ronnie Stanley's.
40:13Now, that number can be deceiving.
40:15I haven't watched enough tape to be able to say why that was different.
40:18I'm also sure that Ronnie Stanley is a better run blocker with a dairy and
40:20lows been pretty up and down.
40:22But again, you have a guy who's a veteran, who's been in your system,
40:25who's going to be under contract for another year.
40:27I think it makes way more sense to invest in a young guy and try to
40:30develop him behind the scenes without the pressure than it does to bring in
40:33another veteran who has to play for you.
40:34And then it's like dairy.
40:35It's kind of sitting there like, all right, I played good football for you.
40:39I grew and I did everything you asked.
40:41And now you're going to bench me when I came up like once, right?
40:46I don't know on the season like that.
40:52You talk about developing players and all that stuff to upgrade.
40:54I just don't know if that's the move.
40:56Yeah.
40:57Sorry.
40:58I don't know if we lost you or if I got cut out for a second there.
41:01It was kind of shaky for a second, but you have me back now, right?
41:05Yeah, you're okay.
41:06All right.
41:07That was weird.
41:07But yeah, I'm with you.
41:10I find it hard to believe that Baltimore is just going to let him walk.
41:15You have Lamar.
41:16I don't know what their cap situation looks like, obviously.
41:18But Lamar Jackson making a ton of money.
41:22I think you keep his left tackle with him if you can.
41:26All right.
41:27I want to give you the floor here because you called this out when they did their
41:32Longhorn package this week with, well, I guess it doesn't necessarily completely correlate,
41:38but I want to give you the floor on that too, where do you think they'll keep playing
41:43Jonathan Jones at safety if Alex Austin does end up returning to the quarterback room?
41:48And I say that because Brennan Schooler was playing some safety last week in what they
41:52call the Longhorn package as a spy on the quarterback.
41:55Jonathan Jones did that against Lamar Jackson a couple years ago.
41:57Taylor called it out before we spoke to Jonathan Jones today, and Jones then mentioned it
42:02out of the blue today.
42:04So courtesy, or good job, Taylor, for calling that out.
42:06But what do you make of the idea of Jon Jones playing safety the rest of the season?
42:10I liked it, honestly.
42:11Gave them a lot of versatility.
42:12Where in the packages, he could go down in the slot if he wanted to.
42:15He could be the pre-safety.
42:16It allowed other guys to be in positions where I think they're better, like Jalen Hawkins
42:20and Del Pettis, keeping them closer to the line of scrimmage.
42:23So yeah, I think that's going to continue to be a thing, especially with Kyle Duggar's
42:26situation.
42:27You don't really know what's going to happen.
42:28Maybe if he comes back, that affects it.
42:30But also, Jon Jones hasn't really been playing Duggar's roles.
42:33He's more because Duggar, obviously, is that guy you want kind of in the slot.
42:36But I think if you're putting your best players out there, it's kind of hard to justify
42:40not having a grouping with Duggar and Jon Jones, as opposed to Marte, who didn't even
42:45play on early downs last week, and then Jalen Hawkins and Del Pettis.
42:48As much as you like them, Duggar acknowledged that him being out gave some other guys more
42:53opportunities, with Del Pettis and Marte Mapu obviously being the big names there.
42:58And then Alex Lawson, like I said, I'd like to see him play over Marco Wilson.
43:02I think they just want that rotation at corner.
43:04I asked Marcus Jones today why he wasn't playing more, and he was just like, I just play the
43:08snaps I play.
43:09I just want to know if you were going to give me any insight, but that's totally
43:12understandable answer.
43:14For whatever reason, they rotate him.
43:15And I know Andy Gresh was saying that he can't defend the run, and teams are going to like
43:23seeing him on the outside, and slot corner protects you from the run, which is literally
43:27the opposite.
43:28A slot corner basically takes on the role of a linebacker.
43:32But to that point, the bigger thing was that Marcus Jones, every single week, has some
43:38really impressive play against the run, where he's like shedding a block or coming up like
43:41full speed and making a tackle.
43:43So I think he's better in that regard than Alex Lawson and Marco Wilson, which is why
43:47I'd like to see him on the field always.
43:49But maybe there are some injury considerations.
43:51I don't know.
43:51He also is on the punt return.
43:52So I don't know if that factors in at all.
43:55But yeah, Alex Lawson, I'd just like to maybe see cut into Marco Wilson snaps.
43:59Yeah.
43:59All right.
44:00I want to finish the mailbag with this, because Patriots start the season one and six.
44:04They've now won two out of their last three, and they're going for a win streak this week.
44:08I don't know if you can believe it.
44:09Patriots last week had the number one pick after their loss to Tennessee, according to
44:14Tagathon.
44:16After their win against Chicago this weekend, they ended up like outside, just outside of
44:21the playoff hunt.
44:22So it's kind of funny how many bad teams there are after that, you know, that big jump in
44:27the NFL.
44:28But two out of three playing strong draw.
44:30Mayo says this is the kind of football they want to play.
44:33Mentioned on the radio this week that he wants to be the team that nobody in the league
44:37wants to play.
44:37So what do you think has changed for the Patriots over these last three games where they went
44:41to?
44:42They lose one in overtime.
44:43They clearly are playing a better brand of football than they were at the beginning of
44:47the season.
44:48I think part of it has been like last week, obviously, was the run game.
44:51They didn't have a run game the two games before that.
44:53But I do think that it coming back, like we've mentioned, opened up the playbook.
44:57Obviously, Drake may.
44:58I know Jacoby reset one.
44:59The game for them was pretty incredible efforts.
45:01I think Keishon Booty emerging has been a pretty big part of that as well in terms of
45:04the passing game, at least.
45:06And then I think defensively they've been better against the run like it wasn't perfect
45:09in those games.
45:10Obviously took some body blows are really bad in overtime against the Titans.
45:13But if you look at the numbers, they've been pretty solid against the run the past few
45:17weeks.
45:17I think the pass rush is slowly starting to take in the right direction and coverage has
45:21been pretty good throughout.
45:22The only issue has been that real second level when they get attacked on inside routes.
45:26But even that hasn't been quite as bad.
45:28Like Jelani, I had a really nice robot where he got underneath a crossing route from Keenan
45:32Allen to kind of force Caleb Williams off his spot.
45:34So I think the second level being a little bit better in coverage.
45:37I think the defensive line starting to put it together.
45:40And then I think obviously the pass protection in the first two games was better.
45:45But then the run defense opening up was the big thing.
45:47But in general, I just think they're playing better like they're executing at more acceptable
45:52level.
45:53The Titans still were like a pretty significant blip on the radar there.
45:56But those are really the big improvements that I've seen.
45:59Yeah, I just think that I'm with you and I think they've just been able to settle down
46:03across the board.
46:03They have they have their answer now at quarterback where it was such a question mark when and
46:09if they would make the transition from Jacobi.
46:11The offensive line has found some consistency.
46:14Finally, where you're not shuffling guys in and out all the time.
46:17Yeah, you had the blip on the radar.
46:18You just mentioned with the Titans with Layton Robinson versus versus Mike and when you and
46:22that whole shuffle.
46:23But in general, that's settled down.
46:25I think defensively, they had a lot of injuries.
46:28Jawan Bentley goes down.
46:29Obviously, Jabril Peppers is not an injury, but that's a different situation.
46:33And David Andrews goes down as well.
46:36So there's been injuries offensively, offensively and defensively.
46:39And they've sort of found themselves as far as leadership goes.
46:42And as far as on field play where, yeah, you get used to playing with guys, then they go
46:47down.
46:47And yeah, their skill being gone doesn't help.
46:49But also the the chemistry and consistency and the same guys out there and being used
46:54to playing with people goes away as well.
46:56So they've just sort of found they found themselves and they've settled down a little bit.
47:01And I think that's massive.
47:01And I think that's what's going to propel them hopefully throughout the rest of the
47:04season.
47:05Now, I don't think they're going to go rattle off a bunch of wins.
47:07I still don't think they're a great football team, but they at least sort of seem to have
47:12a little bit of an identity, which I think is is good.
47:15And I think we'll give fans and fans, team fans, players and coaches some hope moving
47:22forward.
47:22So we'll see what happens.
47:23But it is exciting.
47:24I feel like they finally sort of found an identity that they can keep building off of.
47:28Also want to credit Marcus Jones's returns.
47:30He's had like a bigger time in all of these games.
47:32That's been another huge part of it.
47:34Him giving them better field position.
47:35Yeah.
47:36Special teams have been solid.
47:37Jeremy Springer.
47:38You know what?
47:39Actually, I lied.
47:40Jeremy Springer.
47:41I don't know if you saw my tweet, but remember what I mentioned on the postgame show that
47:44Jeremy Springer was fired up about Brendan Schooler's sack?
47:47Yeah, it wasn't Jeremy Springer.
47:49It ended up being Drew Wilkins and Dante Hightower.
47:52They showed Drew Wilkins really fast, and I assume that they were panicked.
47:55Jeremy Springer wasn't him.
47:57But yeah, especially it's been pretty good, too.
47:59I know Bryce has been up and down, but schoolers bringing it not only as a gunner and as a
48:05special teams guy, but also now as a defensive player as well.
48:08So that's going to do it for our mailbag edition Rams week.
48:12Taylor will be back with the Patriots beat guys tomorrow.
48:16I am on.
48:16I am on work with Sports Illustrated tomorrow.
48:18So again, I'll be in and out of the podcast, but I'm not going anywhere.
48:22Just yet.
48:22So again, I appreciate you guys all giving me the kind words, both on Twitter and in
48:27the chat today, but not going anywhere.
48:29I'll still be on past daily here with Taylor on Patriots press pass.
48:34So yeah, we'll have a crossover with Taylor, Brian and Alex tomorrow, and then we'll be
48:41back pregame and postgame on Sunday as the Patriots take on the Rams from Foxborough.
48:47So thanks for watching.
48:48We appreciate all the interactions, both in the chat and on Twitter for your questions.
48:53So until next time, thanks for watching.
48:54Take care.
48:55Take care of yourselves.
48:56Take care of each other, and we'll talk to you soon.
48:58Peace out, everyone.