Episode Transcript
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at meta.com/Metaverse Impact. What
0:46
is up everybody? Welcome into Tom
0:48
Curran's Patriots Talk podcast free agency
0:50
in full swing around the National
0:52
Football League. Not so much here
0:54
in New England. Phil Perry alongside
0:56
Phil. The momentum built by the Patriots
0:58
in their resigns has been a bit
1:01
diminished in the ensuing days by Swings
1:03
and Mrs. Calvin Ridley and now on
1:06
Thursday, assigning by left tackle Jonah
1:08
Williams that removes
1:10
that possibility from
1:12
their grasp. What's
1:15
the Patriots grade so far in your eyes? I'm going with
1:17
a C because I think that they
1:19
get a minus on
1:21
retention and divorcing
1:24
themselves from Devontae Parker, but
1:27
it's a D plus C minus on addressing your needs
1:29
on the open market. Yeah, I think
1:31
a C is fair. They are treading
1:33
water. They are doing
1:37
the minimum, honestly,
1:39
in my opinion, and
1:42
even that might be giving them a little bit
1:44
too much credit, Tom. If the expectation is for
1:46
them to not win a championship, not even make
1:48
the playoffs, but to be competitive,
1:50
be in the mix. Make
1:52
it watchable. Be watchable. And
1:57
listen, Drod Mayo and Elliott Wolf. Have
2:00
suggested that that's the goal. Robert
2:02
Kraft for years now has been talking about how
2:04
he wants to compete ASAP contend
2:08
ASAP Have
2:11
they done the minimum even to get there?
2:13
I would say no because The
2:15
Ridley thing is a disappointment at least they were
2:17
in on him Tom Jonah Williams I'm not so
2:20
sure and they need tackles and that seemed to
2:22
be a very reasonable deal I believe it was
2:24
two years 30 million to the
2:26
Cardinals. It's not like he's going to a championship contending
2:28
team So they need to do
2:30
more to get to where they want to be
2:33
even with The expectations
2:35
set relatively low. So
2:38
a C is is where I'm at
2:40
might even be a C-minus when
2:42
you look at The
2:45
amount of cap space they have Their
2:48
own admission that they're going to be aggressive
2:51
and then to come out of the store with very little
2:55
Even though they shopped hard Is
2:58
there a point where you say man There
3:01
just wasn't anything in there You're gonna compound
3:04
your problems if you go spend 27 million
3:06
dollars a year on Calvin Ridley
3:08
So it's okay to push away from the table
3:10
on him Or was he a
3:12
by any means necessary kind of player if
3:14
Kevin really said look I'd rather stay in
3:16
the South I'd rather stay away from income
3:19
tax from the state I'd rather stay away
3:21
from your millionaires tax and I'd rather stay
3:23
away from your TBD
3:25
a quarterback, so I'm gonna stick down
3:27
here not the Tennessee has a Check
3:30
that's the thing But I mean
3:32
the other things are factors, too. I
3:35
mean they have a new coach. I
3:37
mean it shows how undesirable the
3:39
Patriots are Before I get to that question though
3:41
was Ridley a guy who you would have looked
3:43
at and said by any means necessary Unless
3:47
he tells no because I'm not coming to you
3:49
know Listen you're not gonna make
3:51
them the highest paid receiver in football. I get it
3:53
and It sounds
3:55
like what they were reportedly willing to pay
3:57
for Calvin Ridley per Albert Breer
4:00
22 million a year would have paid him solidly in
4:02
the top 10, I believe, of receivers in the NFL.
4:05
That's an overpay. That's the reality of
4:07
free agency. And I, in some ways, Tom,
4:11
I won't stand up and applaud them for that, but I will
4:13
give them a little bit of a golf clap just for being
4:15
in it in a way that they never would have been in
4:17
it over the course of the last
4:19
20 years. We talked about this on
4:21
the radio earlier today, but Bill
4:24
Belichick's idea of a high-priced free agent is
4:26
Nelson Aguilar at 11 million per year a
4:28
few years ago. This would have been— The
4:30
22 million that they were offering per year
4:33
was the total value of the two-year
4:36
contract, given to Nelson Aguilar, who
4:38
stunk. Not
4:40
only did he stink, but they paid him more than
4:42
anybody else. So,
4:46
listen, there is, I think,
4:49
some positive to that, that
4:52
there will be a philosophical shift in terms
4:54
of how they invest in this team, that
4:57
this might be a more, quote-unquote,
4:59
modern approach to team building, because you do
5:01
value a position like receiver, which has become
5:03
a premium position in the NFL. And
5:06
so that's good. It's just you
5:08
would have loved for them to come away with the
5:10
guy because they are so bereft of talent there. And
5:13
so while I say it's not a by
5:15
any means necessary sort of addition, Tom, now
5:18
I don't know where they go, because they need it
5:20
too. And there
5:22
are some guys left in pre-agency, Mike
5:24
Williams, Hollywood Brown, maybe you can get one of
5:27
them and then you add one in the draft and you
5:29
have a real receiver room, but they don't have
5:31
it yet. And so I think it's fair for fans to look at
5:33
it and say, oh my God, what is this going to look like
5:35
in 2024? I know
5:37
post-Bill we are existing right now in a
5:39
don't be mean to Bill, it's piling on
5:41
period. But
5:43
last year, they were chasing wide
5:46
receivers away. Didn't
5:48
want Jacobi Myers, brought
5:50
in Juju. Had
5:52
no use for DeAndre Hopkins, even though they brought him
5:54
in and ultimately Bill didn't want him
5:56
because he didn't practice enough. You
5:59
know, I had a conversation with Robert Kraft, he wasn't saying
6:01
Bill, sign him. He's like, no, Andre,
6:03
no, don't practice enough. Instead
6:08
of paying those two what they would be this
6:10
year, they were out there
6:12
trying to pay Calvin really 22 million a year. I don't
6:14
even know if those two combined this year would have been
6:16
at 22 million. It's
6:19
just such a monumental screw up in
6:22
2023. And
6:25
I, by the end, I was like, yeah, they should sign DeAndre
6:27
Hopkins. They could use that at this juncture. They
6:30
wanted to keep Devontae Parker happy and they
6:32
wanted to get Juju Smith-Schuster in. And they're
6:35
paying the price right now because it's an
6:37
undesirable location. Bill, for his faults in
6:39
the last five or six seasons, was
6:41
still the only draw. There were
6:43
still guys that say, I'll go up there and play for Bill. But
6:46
it is absolutely mind blowing
6:48
the amount of rubble that they have to
6:50
dig out from under with bad
6:52
decisions made. Because the reason they were even
6:54
gonna be after DeAndre Hopkins was they couldn't
6:57
find a drafted receiver, not a Nikhil Harry,
6:59
not a Type 1 Thornton, not a you
7:01
name it. It's
7:03
mind blowing to me that you will have people after
7:05
the Patriots missed on Calvin Ridley and say, no
7:08
way for that guy? That's too
7:11
crazy. When the Patriots
7:13
themselves came very close to matching
7:15
that number, they disagree with the
7:17
people who say Calvin Ridley was
7:19
a drastic overpay. Or maybe they
7:21
would agree with it and they would say, I don't care. Because
7:25
our need is that great. And this is
7:27
what free agency is. So we
7:29
didn't push away from the table. I don't know
7:31
this Tom, but I wonder if they would
7:34
look at it and say we didn't push away from the table because we
7:37
thought he was worth essentially what he got. Here
7:41
are three questions that I have when it comes to this Ridley
7:43
deal that I would love to know the details on. And
7:46
we will try to figure these out in the near future
7:48
here. What was the guaranteed
7:50
money that the Patriots were offering? Because
7:52
if they were at 30 and the Titans are at
7:54
50, then it's not close and you get it. And
7:56
we can criticize them for that. That's a whole different
7:58
story now. that's the case. Were
8:01
they ever even given the opportunity to
8:03
match or exceed Tennessee's final offer? Meaning
8:08
did they have their strong offer
8:10
on the table to agent David
8:13
Moolagetta and then third team
8:15
comes swooping in Tennessee Titans they say to
8:17
Moolagetta, hey what's the best offer you've
8:19
got right now for Ridley? And he says 22 from
8:21
New England and they say if we make it 23
8:23
will he sign with us? Moolagetta
8:25
says, hell yeah let's go done deal.
8:28
And there's not even a call made to the Patriots
8:31
about re-upping it or maybe there is a call made
8:33
to the Patriots and the Patriots say I don't know
8:35
we might be negotiating against ourselves right now David. So
8:37
we like our deal we're not putting more
8:39
on the table just because you say there's a mystery third
8:41
team involved here that's willing to pay more. I would
8:44
love to know the details of that negotiation and how
8:46
that went because this is the first time general manager
8:48
and Elliot Wolf sort of
8:51
a fresh-faced front office. These are experienced
8:53
guys and smart guys but
8:55
nobody who was sat in
8:57
that GM chair before and so I just wonder
9:00
what that back-and-forth would have been like against an
9:03
agent or with an agent like Moolagetta who
9:05
is he's aggressive and he's been
9:07
very open and he's gone very public in terms of securing
9:09
the bag for his guys.
9:12
He sort of strikes me Tom is almost a football version
9:14
of Scott Boris right now because
9:16
he's got some really high profile clients making a lot of money.
9:18
Last question I have as
9:21
it pertains to Ridley is, was he ever coming to
9:23
New England period or were the Patriots
9:25
just being used this entire time to ratchet up the
9:27
number and then a team that he's actually willing to
9:29
go to came along and met it? And
9:32
that's the
9:35
undesirable nature of the Patriots franchise right
9:37
now is like fivefold.
9:40
First of all just on a financial standpoint
9:43
to live in Massachusetts and pay the state tax
9:45
and pay the millionaires tax and
9:48
comparing that to Jacksonville where he was where
9:51
Tennessee where he's going when neither of those
9:53
two things exist the
9:55
50 million dollars guaranteed that he's going to get in
9:57
Tennessee is not going to be taxed the same way.
10:00
So how much would the Patriots have had to offer
10:02
him so that it was Tennessee money? I
10:06
mean, like, there's an exchange rate that
10:08
exists within the United States from state
10:10
to state because of taxes. So
10:13
the Patriots would have had to go even higher. And
10:16
then again, Bill Belichick was a draw. Despite
10:22
the recent record, the Patriots themselves let him
10:24
go as long as they did because they
10:26
figured he'd fix it, I would
10:29
imagine sitting across from a six-time Super Bowl
10:31
champion who's an icon and a legend of
10:33
the game, if he's on the phone with
10:35
you, he might make you think twice. Even
10:38
if he doesn't have a quarterback. Yeah,
10:42
we've never done this for any wide receiver,
10:44
but Calvin, you're a guy. Or
10:47
would they even have been in on Calvin Ridley? I
10:50
mean, those are questions that I have. But
10:53
the disinterest, perhaps,
10:55
that we imagine that
10:58
Calvin Ridley would have in coming to the Patriots should
11:02
be a chilling realization for
11:04
Patriots fans. And as
11:06
a result, I
11:09
say, should they just be in the business now
11:11
of saying, we're not going to
11:13
attract anybody until
11:15
we get to be a better team? So
11:18
own it, live with it. As
11:21
I said the other day, eat your vegetables, take
11:23
your medicine and make your team better.
11:27
So if that means trading down because
11:30
you don't have a wide out for
11:33
your new quarterback to throw to and
11:35
you got torn ACLs
11:37
all over the joint coming in, Mike
11:40
Williams gets signed. Kendrick Warren,
11:42
Hunter Henry, Mike Williams, guys
11:44
all being rehabbed next to each other. Do
11:47
you just trade down and go and get Justin
11:50
Fields? I mean, Justin Fields for
11:52
a third, the Patriots
11:54
spent thirds on Dalton Keene
11:56
and Devin Asiasi in the same draft.
12:00
Swedish. So. I.
12:04
Love Thirds but Day with their we. They.
12:06
Have been use well here anyway. What?
12:08
Do you think all vessel. Is dropped
12:10
it on join. You
12:13
know it's interesting as you talk it out.
12:15
You know make your team better in and
12:17
therefore make your team a more palatable option
12:19
for free agents. You. Know
12:21
it might be the fastest way to do that. Actually,
12:24
sit at three in draft a quarterback. As
12:27
long as a quarterback and have been pretty good. You.
12:29
Know their guys. Now we're willing to go to Cincinnati
12:31
who never. Would. Have even considered looking
12:33
at Cincinnati? never mind living there are no
12:36
doubt. Just because you're borrows there.
12:38
So. If you get that caliber, Player three Overall:
12:41
And guys look at G. Daniels as a rookie say I
12:43
know they last won against. The teams are very good but
12:45
my goodness is that me an electric. And.
12:47
Is he gonna win a ton games at some point in his career?
12:49
Or. Same with Drake may. Boy. That's
12:51
the prototype, right? There's like twenty two years old.
12:55
Guy could throw threw a brick wall is pretty good
12:57
athlete to the suggestions two point oh his rookie. I
12:59
know they just one Five games twenty twenty four but
13:01
damn I might like to go play with that guy.
13:04
That. That might see your best bet.
13:07
That might be your most attractive. Selling.
13:10
Point. In the near future is a for
13:12
the quarterback and you get it right. What?
13:16
About the notion of just loading loading up the
13:18
room you got to coby reset. That
13:20
doesn't preclude you from going again. Just and
13:22
fields. Just
13:24
the Vikings are going to go get just and fields.
13:27
Bears are going to given to the Vikings within the division.
13:32
That will be to supplant same donald. Patriot.
13:35
Should just start opening a dialogue.
13:39
Many. Bringing Jimmy. You
13:41
know you bring him to be mid September. So
13:44
you have reset. This
13:46
is rob below. Feals. Zapped.
13:49
Is on the practice squad. Where's.
13:53
Nathan Rourke. Nathan. Rourke,
13:55
Cfl. Isn't Cfl
13:57
but get him speed dial. No.
14:02
Literal you're going to go up and say this
14:04
guy's frigid good. Oh
14:07
I mean I know it. It might end up
14:09
being the best thing for them to do, but.
14:13
Can. You imagine. How. Training camp
14:15
is going to feel for us. We're
14:17
watching and that's the guy that we're all
14:19
watching his left tackle. oh you seem hit
14:21
their bag. Pay him he looks
14:23
strong Jacoby, how does your outlook over
14:26
there? Bailey.
14:29
How does your outlook? I
14:31
don't always go through my progression. Tom. Mason
14:34
how does your work at best of it Was
14:36
a member of but nobody hit me in practice
14:38
which is usually good size. For
14:40
not supposed to hit you in practice. Oh
14:43
they're not l. O the
14:45
never mind of god now I have absolutely no
14:47
idea whether the guys get her nuts. do it
14:49
he a be a second tier y dos interest
14:51
you. Yes
14:53
Hollywood. Yet
14:55
to a degree Mike Williams to a degree say
14:57
I was just starting with this out in the
14:59
newsroom with our producer just kept asta are we
15:01
know the receiver and looks bad right now especially
15:03
after missing out on really what if by tomorrow
15:05
they have signed both Mike Williams in Hollywood route.
15:08
And. I you've got Mike Williams, Hollywood
15:11
Brown, Pop Douglas. Maybe. A
15:13
rookie in the sec around. I like that's a receiver
15:15
room them. Are are they blow
15:17
you away with talent? Know. But. That's
15:19
a professional receiver him. As
15:21
better than anything that had last year's
15:23
yeah. It's funny because. I
15:26
traditionally have been. Of
15:29
we people stop. It's just the beginning of
15:31
free agency kind of guy. Including
15:33
with Bill through up with Bill. I
15:35
mean with the Patriots spent in twenty Twenty one.
15:38
As they did which was drunken
15:40
sailor status. And. They did
15:42
spend. City. Irresponsibly.
15:45
On guys who hadn't done much. Charlie.
15:48
Smith had flashes Nelson Ag Works was
15:50
coming off a good deal with the
15:52
Raiders. Patriots spent top the market on
15:54
both of those guys. Hunter, Henry, Be.
15:56
Paid him like a really good player. Albeit
15:58
a tight end. So those
16:00
were. Really? Aggressive. spends.
16:04
But even in the years the patriots didn't do
16:06
much, Twenty Twenty two Armor B Y y them
16:08
then the direct so they did a very last
16:10
year we bomb. Figure. Out what's
16:12
going on. And last year I
16:14
was willing to sit. There is a huge you might
16:16
be better after the catch. I
16:18
mean it. It makes sense to me to move on
16:20
from a homegrown player. In
16:23
a vacuum. Specially when I guess I
16:25
didn't Mccorvey, etc say this is not
16:27
a great idea. Why? Would you
16:29
move the one guy who knows I do business Audio
16:31
Wide Receiver Room. As again, you never
16:34
know. Maybe devout they parker catches. At
16:37
least fifty percent of a fifty fifty balls that he
16:39
said it would get eighty percent of any was only
16:41
getting twenty percent. It
16:45
is too early to proclaim massive
16:47
failure. For. The Patriots
16:50
off season. And
16:53
are what to do? Not a song. Is.
16:56
What We Watch: Tower Bridge or the other night on early
16:58
Edition. And it was
17:00
our eyes working on deal. He's trying to get
17:02
his get Somebody on the line here. I
17:04
was over his play candy crush. And
17:07
Seth it's natural he was minutes I know
17:09
what I'm doing is I'm getting our guest
17:11
or into our into our zoom chat room
17:13
here. oh that a guest for the blood
17:15
yeah he just sex mean says any the
17:17
lanky semi the like some hello I put
17:19
we could look. At I'm helping the pod
17:21
right now. Ah, I
17:24
thought I did a twitter dm them. To.
17:26
Make meant to. Make. Tried to.
17:29
Call That means you did. Pick.
17:32
And you realize that link? I. Don't
17:34
see it. Affects kids
17:37
I didn't post I linked.
17:40
To fifteen and like. To.
17:42
Touch a day and so rather curious and I
17:44
never. Put. The Lincoln know
17:47
like absolute donkey. Complete
17:49
fifty six year old behavior. This.
17:52
Is for Nystrom and to a
17:54
nice from is a fantastic college
17:56
football. Expert.
17:58
He is expert on one. quarterbacks, there he
18:00
is right now. I'm just bringing in. Why
18:03
don't you give the skinny on your bio for
18:06
while I'm halfway through it? Oh, fantasy
18:09
pros betting pros at Thor KU
18:11
on Twitter. I think
18:14
I think that covers it. Well, we were first
18:16
introduced to Thor when he was working with us
18:19
at NBC, and he came on a few years
18:21
ago. And this is what he had to say
18:23
when he was actually on early edition talking about
18:25
the quarterback class in 2021
18:27
and what he thought of Mac Jones
18:29
at the time. Check this out.
18:31
It may even be four quarterbacks in the top four.
18:33
The Patriots are in a tough spot because you've got
18:35
to get up a ways there. Unless
18:38
you're cool with Mac Jones. I truly do
18:40
not believe the Mac Jones will be the
18:42
third pick. If you like him enough, I
18:44
mean, you're going to have to decide what
18:46
when the juices were to squeeze there. For
18:48
me, I'm not moving up, not for Mac
18:51
Jones. If it's for Trey Lance or Justin
18:53
Fields, yeah, I'm going to buck up some
18:55
future first round packs or pony up whatever
18:57
I need to move up. Now, Mac Jones
18:59
is good against pressure and his accuracy in
19:01
the short to intermediate range is very, very
19:03
good. He is going to run a system
19:05
effectively. I do believe that. But
19:08
there's a difference for me between a guy
19:10
who's ceiling is a very good game manager
19:12
and a guy who's ceiling is a guy
19:14
that changes the game. So the
19:16
reason we wanted to have our guy Thor in here wasn't
19:18
just his expertise in 2021 on Mac
19:21
Jones, which was excellent, by the way. Never
19:23
saying on Mac that
19:25
he wasn't good, but just perceiving
19:27
very correctly what he was. And you can hear
19:30
in there, he said Trey Lance, whatever. Everybody
19:32
liked Trey Lance as a player in
19:34
terms of what he could do injuries, whatever.
19:38
The upshot of all this. Kyle Shanahan is the best offensive
19:40
mind on the planet. He liked him a lot. So he
19:43
also liked that. But the
19:45
reason I wanted to bring Thor in is because Patriots sit here
19:47
at three now and
19:50
there's three quarterbacks viewed to be his
19:52
top three quarterbacks to draft. But Thor
19:54
is coming off the top rope again
19:56
and again And again. With.
20:00
Jeffrey. Jamison.
20:03
Mccarthy. Tj. Mccarthy.
20:06
Is. He really. He. Knew how
20:09
good is. he's. the were in your mind relative to
20:11
the other Qbs. I think
20:13
she's really really got he. He's the
20:15
Qb three on my board. I really
20:17
really good athlete he's gonna run into
20:19
high for for his love for fives
20:21
if he runs out. It's Pro Day!
20:23
We are very credible reports on that.
20:25
He waited to the Nfl Combine seventy
20:27
pounds heavier than you is listed on
20:29
his Michigan By off and proceeded to
20:32
run the fifth fastest three can't at
20:34
the entire Nfl Combine. Regardless of position
20:36
or the arm strength, he has an
20:38
absolute ten and the fastest. Our past
20:40
that they've ever track The Max Velocity
20:42
Nfl Combine sixty. Two Miles per Hour
20:44
Josh Allen did it are several years
20:46
ago John Milton match it year by
20:48
Judy Mccarthy at a sixty one mile
20:50
per hour drama. I his deep throwing
20:52
on a per pass basis was very
20:54
good last year at Michigan. Pressure numbers
20:57
very good. But what I love most
20:59
about his game and the translation to
21:01
the Nfl? it's throwing on the run
21:03
t especially Dad I. He's a guy
21:05
who keeps his eyes up, He keeps
21:07
up a body talk to throw the
21:09
entire time with his legs under him.
21:11
He always has his senses. About him
21:13
knows where the past the pass rushers
21:15
are and everything like that. Does a
21:17
good job manipulating the pockets before he
21:19
starts moving, but once he starts moving
21:22
he gets even more dangerous and doesn't
21:24
lose any accuracy whatsoever on the move.
21:26
because of this because he takes his
21:28
mechanics with them. Like. Like I said
21:30
he is. he's always talk to throw
21:32
with those eyes up. I think last
21:34
year his it's completion percentage was it
21:36
was seventy two point something in an
21:38
aggregate to completion percentage was scrambling with
21:40
seventy us any percentage off off off
21:42
his efficiency numbers while he was on
21:44
the moon. Smart kid, tough kid. Everyone
21:46
has been around him fonz over him.
21:48
Jim Harbaugh the Chargers code. I believe
21:50
he should be the number one overall
21:53
pick in this draft. There's a lot
21:55
of things to like about Jj Mccarthy.
21:57
The. atomic i were talking just yesterday about
22:00
Jay McCarthy Thorin and I said to him
22:02
some of the throws that he makes on the move.
22:04
He looks like a shortstop He's just very fluid.
22:07
The mechanics are there. It looks like I'm not
22:09
a quarterback Guru, but
22:11
some of the numbers are incredible to you mentioned
22:13
the plus 70% terms of completion percentage One
22:16
number that I've seen that blows me away is it's
22:19
even higher than that in terms of his on
22:21
target is quote-unquote on target Rate it's almost 80%
22:25
so, you know completion percentage is one thing. Maybe some
22:27
of those are droughts Maybe you know, they're right there
22:29
at the catchpoint to the fenders there and gets knocked
22:31
away But he is really accurate
22:33
on the move and in a league where
22:35
you have to make the first guy miss generally speaking
22:38
and you Have to be able to play out of
22:40
structure to succeed especially on third down That's
22:42
a great skill to have what do you say to the people though
22:44
Thor who say? Sorry The
22:48
breadth of work isn't there for me
22:50
because he played in an offense that just did not
22:52
rely on him enough You've got games where he's you
22:54
know, barely cracking 12 attempts, you
22:56
know That's that's not what I'm looking for in
22:58
my next franchise quarterback. Yeah, I don't
23:00
I don't think that's a fair criticism This
23:02
is a kid who is a prodigy
23:05
of an out of structure prospect who
23:07
fit his game into an NFL Pro-style
23:09
system under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. He
23:12
stole the job from a veteran guy
23:14
Kate McNamara who had just stolen a
23:16
job from a top 10 quarterback prospect
23:18
in this class Jill Milton The
23:21
second year third year he wins the national title
23:23
game as a 20 year old And
23:26
he proved in so doing that
23:28
he can also win with in structure. So
23:30
that's what you got to see at Michigan
23:32
I talked about the out of structure machinations
23:34
there. I think the narrative with
23:37
JJ McCarthy it gets inverted certainly
23:39
unfairly Instead of talking about
23:41
that and these alterations that he made to his
23:43
game and the things that he proved and then
23:46
how you can Project these other things that we
23:48
didn't get to see quite as much. We got
23:50
to see the flashes of it We know we
23:52
can do it. What will that look like in
23:55
an NFL offense when he's throwing more when his
23:57
team isn't just Logging opponents in the second half
24:00
he gets to play in the fourth quarter, I think
24:02
it was 11 games last year. Michigan had a
24:05
21 plus point lead. Seven of the
24:07
15 games that Michigan played last year.
24:09
JJ McCarthy did not take one fourth
24:11
quarter snap. That's why the volume stats
24:13
got away from him. But to your
24:15
point about the constitution of the Michigan
24:17
offense, you look at Blake quorum stats.
24:20
I find it so funny when people
24:22
are like, Oh, you know, they poo
24:24
poo JJ McCarthy and then try to
24:26
pretend that Blake quorum is this Colossus
24:28
in this force. And the only reason
24:30
that Michigan won the national title, it's because
24:32
of Blake quorum. The only reason that he
24:34
was being just the,
24:37
the, the, the, the, the Michigan running back.
24:39
Yeah. So last year, Blake quorum coming off
24:42
of an injury, had a 27.4 elusive
24:44
rating for people out there.
24:47
A hundred is considered solid.
24:50
I Blake quorum 2.42 yards
24:52
after contact per attempt decidedly
24:55
well below average in this class. Blake
24:57
quorum was not great last year and
24:59
Blake quorum also is not a receiving
25:02
back. Michigan's receiving back Donovan Edwards was
25:04
on a milk carton all last fall
25:06
until the very last game. And then
25:09
to your point fell about the discrepancy
25:11
between the accuracy percentage and the on
25:13
target rate that speaks to
25:16
the receivers. That he was working
25:18
with the receiving court, Roman
25:20
Wilson's okay. You know, he's probably going to be
25:22
an early third round pick. Cornelius
25:24
Johnson is a seventh round guy. And then
25:26
they had two tight ends out there. He
25:28
didn't get to work with Michael Pinnix is
25:31
receiving court, JJ McCarthy didn't, he didn't get
25:33
to work with bone Nick says receiving court.
25:35
He didn't get to work with the, you
25:37
know, the, the weapons that those other guys
25:39
did or in the systems that those guys
25:41
did piling up empty calorie stats like bone
25:43
Nick's did against the aggregate 80th defensive rank
25:46
last year where bone X would just take
25:48
the ball in shotgun, immediately turn to the
25:50
left of the right and then throw a
25:52
funnel screen. He didn't, and
25:54
then he pile up all these yak yardage
25:57
Jj McCarthy didn't get to do that when
25:59
he threw the the bar it was after
26:02
Michigan and run on first or second down
26:04
are resorting to line of scrimmage Blake format
26:06
for yards before contact every attempt to. That's
26:08
where that that came into place. Michigan at
26:10
the number two. Rents are P of our
26:13
offensive line. grades for run blocking last year
26:15
think they were in the twenties for pass
26:17
blocking rates are a little bit. We're still
26:19
good but but not quite as good but
26:21
wins. Eugene Mccarthy went back to past invariably
26:23
was in third and long situations where the
26:26
defence knew what was coming in humans throw
26:28
into a receiving corps. the with. Not as
26:30
good as some of these other top. Five. Top
26:32
six quarterbacks in the class and the difference
26:34
is still couldn't stop on. That.
26:36
Is what Nfl coaches terrible invite. By the
26:39
way of the top six quarterbacks in the
26:41
aggregate did you? Mccarthy played by far the
26:43
best defensive strength that when you're talking about
26:45
that and then having the joy in the
26:47
office assistant dean given the empty calories stop
26:50
he didn't have the the receivers had some
26:52
of these other guys that. But. He
26:54
still was. By far the with this
26:56
class is best. Quarterbacks in third and
26:58
longs in a recent thirds down situations
27:00
periods. I that's why you start to
27:02
see Judy Mccarthy shining. It's of these.
27:04
That's when you look at the correct
27:06
stats. When. You say he's a third
27:08
quarterback who are the two guys ahead. Of
27:10
him. I. Have Caleb one and I obtain
27:13
Daniels to. Wise. Ghz band of
27:15
the Drake May is a close in your mind
27:17
and is there anything the Drake May does? Superior.
27:20
Not just physically in terms of stature
27:22
that he does superior to. I'm
27:25
shooting. For. Sure yeah I
27:27
mean I have dragged me my top ten overall.
27:29
So I for me this is always been a
27:31
big for a quarterback class. I think it was
27:34
unfairly labeled as a big three heading into the
27:36
process. I think the Nfl are. We saw it
27:38
as it to as a big for and now
27:40
we're going around a reality on on. That's what
27:42
it is far as drink made The The reason
27:45
that I put him beneath Mccarthy is. First.
27:47
Of all you know he likes you when see
27:49
and rushing and twenty twenty two of the you
27:52
guys know Sam how of ran for a bunch
27:54
of yards in the fill on go off and
27:56
his last season as well. last season I'd drink
27:58
made in run for nearly as. The Yard
28:00
There's been this idea that drag me is
28:02
the rushing Utilities can be like Herbert's can
28:04
be like or Josh Al and or whatever.
28:07
No doubt is not going to translate to
28:09
the Nfl. He is not that caliber of
28:11
athletes. He is going to be more or
28:13
less a pocket passing quarterback in the Nfl
28:15
up. The thing that is superior to Mccarthy
28:18
I drink May has a Howitzer for an
28:20
arm. He has one of the butter arms
28:22
that you're going to see coming out. I
28:24
love that. I love his are deep touched.
28:26
Very very good I attacking downfield. he's awesome
28:28
at that kind of stuff. And
28:31
in the pocket started like manipulating a
28:33
pocket sensing the rice. I like different
28:35
stuff I.on but one thing I don't
28:37
like is when the pass rush starts
28:39
to get there like it's it's not
28:41
completely there but it it's starting to
28:43
get inside of it's kitchen. One thing
28:45
I noticed about Drag Me over the
28:47
last couple years is you know to
28:49
city begins to speed up his process
28:51
really quick that. The. It like
28:53
it's a he doesn't panic until sort of
28:55
it is. it's starting to com and know
28:57
that are I got to get up all
29:00
us suggests he just speedster everything. That's when
29:02
the accuracy outskirts to get a little bit
29:04
aaron on him and he doesn't have that
29:06
athleticism to extend the play like a Mccarthy
29:09
are like a Tale of Williams are like
29:11
I Daniels to escape containment and and and
29:13
get up the or whatever I've certainly projecting
29:15
to the another level. so it's it's also
29:18
in and set. Some spotty decision making is
29:20
why it's funny and to spill into your
29:22
more. Than draft guru than I but he
29:24
was interesting and watching Drake May taught ups
29:26
and I was smart enough to watch every
29:29
sack was a sack and ups I watched
29:31
every sack of trip back. He is not.
29:34
He doesn't have great lateral quickness or acceleration
29:36
to get to the edge. He. Got
29:38
caught a lot by defensive lineman. Who.
29:41
Would shoestring him and bring him down. I was the
29:43
as surprise attack is also it's. It's. Added
29:45
things you saw: Gg Mccarthy, for
29:47
instance, uplifted to put up last
29:49
night, was parkinsonian in his ability
29:51
to. Scoot. Scoot Scoot
29:54
Reset School. And I didn't
29:56
see that from Drag May you don't always want that.
29:58
From. A quarterback either. What? Do
30:00
I was surprised that. He
30:03
was is not lumbering. Any
30:05
faster. The mack. But
30:07
he's not a gazelle. Now
30:10
and so are you gonna necessarily
30:12
incorporate him into your. Offenses
30:14
you know, run game and and design
30:16
runs for him. Probably not. I guess
30:19
you could. He
30:21
is. Twenty. One years old, maybe get
30:23
stronger, maybe becomes a better runner at some point
30:25
time over the next few years, but. Ah,
30:28
I'm. I'm. Okay with it.
30:31
The. Fact that he's not that kind of athlete
30:33
because. I. Think Unless
30:35
you're Josh Allen and you're sort of built
30:37
like a tight end, you're kind of asking
30:39
for trouble. Ah, and it can elevate your
30:42
floor. Is a quarterback having that run game
30:44
available to you. Can.
30:46
Do a world a good for guy who's get
30:48
his feet wet in the Nfl and trying to
30:50
be productive. That's part of a resume I really
30:52
like a day I. Especially in a bad
30:54
situation would you might be here in New England. Thought
30:56
he could take off and run for sixty yards. At
30:59
any point in time, And you know,
31:02
maybe that's worth the risk and always
31:04
two hundred pounds. If. That com
31:06
I know is a little bit older.
31:08
maybe? the ceiling is. I'd. Eat
31:11
Arty kind of their as opposed to May
31:13
or Jj Mccarthy who are poor much younger
31:15
players. And
31:18
so I find that I find that a ha
31:20
ha you way all of those things together really
31:22
interesting and for me, Just to get
31:24
back to Jj Mccarthy it in. I talked to
31:26
one executive at the Combine born. Talk.
31:29
About quarterbacks and. Sort.
31:31
Of looks like it's gonna be quarterbacks through
31:33
the first three picks, right? and
31:36
when I was told was. Might. Be the first for.
31:40
I said really because I had heard the Jd.
31:42
Mccarthy was that good in the room. Had interviewed
31:44
really well Mccarthy people. People look at him that
31:46
way. Her. They. Do at And
31:48
so. I wouldn't be stunned.
31:50
and I had this in our most recent mock
31:53
draft on Nbc Sports bottom of our com: Quarterbacks
31:55
one, two, three, And. Four with the
31:57
Cardinals trading out. Who's. the safest
31:59
pick Between May Daniels
32:01
and JJ Between
32:05
May Daniels and the safest one would
32:07
be Daniels I think of those guys
32:09
No, that's safe for the GM but
32:11
safe in terms of because Daniels would
32:13
be the safest pick for the GM
32:16
You can say look he was Heisman Trophy winner He just you
32:18
know, he would compile 600 yards
32:20
of offense single-handedly in a game How
32:23
could I do anything JJ McCarthy would
32:25
probably be a bigger dice roll for
32:27
a GM So for
32:29
a GM, Jayden Daniels is safe, but is he also the
32:31
safest on the field? Well, I
32:34
think the thing that gives Jayden Daniels the
32:36
floor is to me he comes into the
32:38
NFL with two superpowers It's
32:40
the howitzer downfield with the touch
32:43
He's so good throwing down the field and
32:45
then it's that the ability
32:47
as a runner to wreak havoc So
32:49
you and then everything of his game
32:52
it plays off those two different things
32:54
But those two things alone heading into
32:56
the NFL that sets your floor and
32:58
it's a pretty high one Right
33:01
like because you know, you have the scrambling
33:03
ability then, you know You have the deep
33:05
throwing stuff which is gonna open up spacing
33:08
and to me he's like, you know We
33:10
think about this like with basketball usually but
33:12
a player that steps onto the court and
33:14
every time he does he changed Changed the
33:17
spacing of the floor that he's on. Yeah,
33:19
because of the way that Jayden
33:21
Daniels plays every single play He
33:24
becomes like this our puzzle for
33:26
the defensive coordinator of do we
33:28
keep back to deep safeties to take away
33:30
the deep ball? But if we do that,
33:32
then you can't spy Daniels You might not
33:34
be able to blitz them Do you keep
33:36
a spy on them to try to keep
33:38
them penned in and contain but then you
33:40
can't have the deep help Do you try
33:42
to blitz him to try to speed things
33:45
up? But Daniels was the best PFF graded
33:47
quarterback under the blitz last year So
33:49
he's very good at that as well It
33:51
just becomes a problem both with numbers and
33:53
then the spacing do you keep the resources
33:55
deep? Do you move them up? How
33:58
do you do that to me? My
34:00
fear with Jaden Daniels is you're going to look back
34:02
at the pro football reference bio
34:05
page in four years and see nine
34:08
games, 11 games, four games, 16
34:10
games. When
34:21
you consider these four quarterbacks in the 2024 draft
34:24
relative to the five taken in the
34:26
first round in 2021, it's a
34:29
little bit of an exercise here. How
34:31
would you stack them? It's
34:35
nine guys, but you got
34:37
Lawrence, Williams, Lance,
34:40
Fields, Zach, and
34:44
then Mac, and then these
34:46
three others that we've been talking about. So Tom,
34:48
would this be like my rankings of them like
34:50
heading into the draft? If they were all in
34:52
this draft together. Okay. Not knowing
34:54
what we know now. Right.
34:57
So what my grades were on the 2021
34:59
guys heading into that class, right? Yeah. Yeah.
35:03
So you got the numbers. Yeah. So
35:05
in terms of that, I
35:07
would have Lawrence one, Caleb
35:09
two, three would have Daniels
35:14
four fields.
35:24
Then I would have McCarthy
35:26
five, six,
35:31
six probably made then
35:34
Lance. Then I
35:36
had, I think was a Mac Mac
35:39
and Wilson. Did you hate Wilson? I
35:41
hated Wilson. Yeah. I spent
35:43
that whole, that whole spring just fighting the
35:45
Zach Wilson hive. I
35:48
didn't even feel good about taking a victory
35:50
lap on that because Zach Wilson became the
35:52
number two overall pick in the draft because
35:54
of a historical anomaly that was
35:57
a worldwide pandemic that forced. first BYU
35:59
and independent team to modify their schedule
36:01
because all the big conferences, they just
36:03
wanted to play in conference that year.
36:06
So BYU had the most atrocious strength
36:08
in schedule that you'll ever see, Zach
36:10
Wilton's last year. That's how we became
36:13
a high pick. And I screamed
36:15
it from the mountaintops, but the Jets were not
36:17
listening, that process. The Jets did not get around
36:19
to that. It was a pandemic they didn't hear.
36:22
Yeah, exactly. So you
36:24
had Jones ahead of Zach? Yeah,
36:26
I think so. So that would be like 8-9. Yeah.
36:29
That's interesting. Phil, what do you take a... It
36:32
kind of tells you that this is a better quarterback class than
36:35
the one from two years ago that yielded
36:37
five guys. Yeah, but it might make
36:39
you scared of Drake May, if you hear that
36:41
ranking right there. And I think there are... Listen,
36:43
I think the consensus is on Drake May that
36:46
there is no consensus. It just feels like
36:48
he is a boom or
36:50
bust kind of player. And if he
36:53
continues to have... And I know Thor still has him in
36:55
his top 10. It's not like he's down on Drake May
36:58
as a prospect. But is
37:00
that what you're looking for if you're picking third overall
37:02
if you're the Patriots and you have so many other
37:04
needs? Do you start to work
37:06
your way back toward if Caleb Williams
37:08
is off at one, which we expect to happen,
37:11
and Jayden Daniels is off at two, and
37:13
you're looking at your receiver room and it doesn't look
37:16
much better than it does right now, and you don't
37:18
have many sure things outside of Pop Douglas, and you
37:20
have a hole or two and big
37:22
ones on your offensive line, does
37:25
it make sense to take Drake May at three there? Or
37:28
are you asking to put a quarterback in a bad
37:30
situation? Or maybe you don't care, Thor.
37:33
I would ask you, are you
37:35
comfortable going the Joe Burrow route and
37:37
taking a good quarterback, dropping him into a
37:39
bad situation and saying, go
37:41
get him, buddy. And hopefully this works
37:43
in a couple years. Or would you rather punt on
37:46
the opportunity to take a quarterback, do what the Chiefs
37:48
did back in 2013, go
37:50
with a veteran, take a tackle in the top part
37:52
of the draft, and then really
37:54
wait for the right opportunity to
37:56
get the right quarterback. Yeah, in
37:58
the Patriot situation... I think it's definitely worth
38:01
considering all alternatives, you know, whether it's it's
38:03
the quarterback or whether it's trading down I
38:05
would want to know what the offers are
38:07
Obviously in my neck of the woods the
38:09
Vikings are actively working the phone lines They're
38:11
gonna want to be trying to move up
38:13
the Broncos are gonna be trying to move
38:15
up So the Patriots are gonna and those
38:17
are not the only teams that are gonna
38:19
be trying to move up The Patriots will
38:21
have options to move down But I think
38:23
your points well taken of you have to
38:25
consider it of if we take Drake May
38:27
here We don't love our offensive line. We
38:30
have bad receivers. You can't just do the
38:32
thing of like Oh, even if you love
38:34
Drake May more than I do like
38:37
to be like, oh, we'll just drop him into a bad
38:39
situation He's gonna overcome the circumstances
38:41
what evidence you have no one ever
38:43
got last no one ever does Well
38:45
burrow did borrow did Peyton Manning
38:47
did you know like those guys overcome it?
38:49
They come out the other side and they're
38:52
okay Got some toys in Manning got some
38:54
toys in you know, Edger and James and
38:56
Marvin Harrison at all And
38:58
I think borrow got his Jamar Chase within a
39:00
year Specific to Drake
39:03
May in 2022 when he went ballistic That
39:06
was in one of the most quarterback friendly systems that we
39:08
have in college football the Phil Longo system He worked with
39:10
Sam Howell before that he worked with Matt Corral before that
39:13
those guys, you know When maybe he pioneered the draft and
39:15
they should have because of that Well, I howled I guess
39:17
drop down a little bit because that last year he was
39:19
just scrambling around But you know, you
39:21
got to throw down field you got the advantageous
39:23
looks you're spreading the field different stuff like that
39:26
You're out It's a lot of pre snap reads
39:28
of where's my number advantage and different stuff like
39:30
that and then flinging it with that When you
39:32
have the best of it one on one deep
39:35
That's the thing that Drake May is the best
39:37
at the circumstances change this year and then you
39:39
you you modify the offense a bit The
39:42
Josh Downs goes to the NFL all
39:44
of a sudden Drake May's play is
39:46
not quite as good So I think
39:48
there is something like and again, I'm
39:50
not trying to nitpick Drake May too
39:53
much But you can't just be like
39:55
the circumstances around Drake May don't matter
39:57
because he's so dang good based on
39:59
even and what we've just seen the last two
40:01
calendar years with him. Boy,
40:04
this was great. Way smarter than we
40:06
were before. It's fascinating
40:08
to hear the intel relative
40:11
to this year's class, last year's class,
40:13
what the Patriots are looking at. It's
40:15
funny you being in Minnesota, because I
40:17
think that's one of the
40:19
teams the Patriots should absolutely answer every call
40:21
from the Raiders. Falcons
40:23
have addressed their need. But
40:26
all these teams are
40:28
ones that the Patriots should be talking to and
40:30
seeing who they can absolutely rake
40:32
over the coals to get whatever they
40:34
want. And even if they have to move down to Arizona
40:38
is at four, right? Yeah, Arizona is at
40:40
four. Thor, what would the
40:42
Vikings be willing to give up for three, you think?
40:45
Well, so for five, because that's
40:47
been the more popular one, the trade
40:49
chart it drives at 11 and
40:52
the Vikings first round pick next year. Chargers
40:54
will probably make them toss in maybe a late
40:56
round pick this year out the door in the
40:58
negotiation to get that thing done. The
41:01
three pick, you're obviously it's going to be
41:03
more than that. This
41:05
is where it gets interesting of if the
41:07
Patriots demand the next two first round picks,
41:09
which, but that's what I would do if
41:11
I was them, that might
41:13
be the moment where it becomes cost prohibitive for
41:16
the Vikings. But that's closer to the Kelly
41:18
Bluebuck. And when you look at the precedent
41:20
of these trades going from 11 to three,
41:22
that's closer to the value of
41:25
that third pick. Could the Vikings, could
41:27
they jive it with, will give you 11,
41:29
will give you 42, the Vikings picking
41:32
the second round and the first rounder
41:34
next year so that we can save
41:36
the other first round pick. Maybe you
41:39
could haggle a little bit, but I think that's
41:41
around where you're at with that. And that to
41:44
me is how teams build, is
41:46
they start creating a little
41:48
nest of picks that gives them mobility in the
41:50
next year's draft, gives them mobility in this draft.
41:52
If you can get a 2024 first,
41:54
you drop down to
41:57
11, another one in 2025. And
42:00
even a 2026, chill? Or
42:04
the second round, or it's, or is right on
42:06
that front. Usually, usually the way the league values
42:09
these picks is you dock it
42:11
around. For every year. If
42:13
it's a future pick, right? So if you get
42:15
a, if you get a future first, that's the
42:17
equivalent to a current day second. Um,
42:19
so either way,
42:22
it's something that the Patriots, I think have
42:24
to consider, especially if they're not fully, fully
42:27
sold on whichever quarterback's going to drop to them
42:29
at three overall. I'm not letting you go yet.
42:31
Cause I want to ask you about the logic
42:33
of doing that and then going
42:35
and getting Justin fields. For
42:38
the Patriots. Yeah. What the hell? Just keep
42:40
throwing quarterbacks into that room. You got to be
42:42
set, but go ahead. I think that'd
42:44
be brilliant. You know, if you trade down with the
42:46
Vikings and get their first round pick next year, the,
42:48
the Vikings aren't going to be good next year because
42:50
they have to take all the, they have their leave
42:52
the league by far and then dead cap hit, you
42:54
know, for this year, they had the three guys at
42:56
the dead cap. So the Vikings, they're not going to
42:58
be contending next year. That picks going to be in
43:00
the top half of the first round. The Patriots then
43:03
would be indicating that they're not, you know, you guys
43:05
aren't going to be contending next year either. Neither of
43:07
us are. So you're going to have two picks in
43:09
the top half of the first round. Then the Justin
43:11
fields thing, his trademark it is such where I think
43:13
a third round pick gets that done right now.
43:16
That's perfectly reasonable. You trade them a
43:18
third round pick. You let field start
43:20
for one year on a cheap contract.
43:22
When he leaves as a free agent,
43:24
probably he's going to sign for a contract where you recoup
43:26
a third round comp pick. If not, it's going to be
43:29
a fourth. So you're getting the
43:31
pick back on the opposite this year. They had the
43:33
three guys at the dead cap. So the Vikings, they're
43:35
not going to be contending next year. That picks going
43:37
to be in the top half of the first round.
43:39
The Patriots then would be indicating that they're not, you
43:42
know, you guys aren't going to be contending next year
43:44
either. Neither of us are. So you're going to have
43:46
two picks in the top half of the first round.
43:48
Then the Justin fields thing, his trademark it is such
43:50
where I think a third round pick gets that done
43:53
right now. That's perfectly reasonable.
43:55
You trade them a third round pick. You
43:57
let field start for one year on a
43:59
cheap contract. contract, when he leaves as a
44:01
free agent, probably he's going to sign for
44:03
a contract where you recoup a third round comp pick. If
44:06
not, it's going to be a fourth. So
44:08
you're getting the pick back on the opposite
44:10
end when you got one year of a
44:12
starting quarterback and acceptable starting quarterback in the
44:14
NFL at a very acceptable market rate. I
44:17
don't understand why a couple of these quarterback
44:19
desperate teams are not jumping on this. If
44:21
I was Sean Payton, I would have already
44:23
tried to consummate that trade. If I was
44:25
the Giants, I would have offered that instead
44:27
of signing Drew Lock. Let
44:30
me slow this down. The Patriots have the
44:32
potential then, for instance, just to spit all this
44:34
out. Say they traded and
44:39
brought in fields and then sent to the Vikings, hey, you want
44:41
to come up? You want to come up to three? We're
44:44
going to take your 11th overall pick, and
44:47
we're going to take a second
44:50
round this year as well. So
44:52
then, Phil, you got the fields. You
44:54
can take the field. And the 2025 first. And
44:57
you get your Roma Dunsay. And
45:00
the second this year, and the 2025 first,
45:04
they are in an unbelievable position to make
45:06
this a rapid rebuild. You can rebuild faster
45:08
by trading down than you can if you
45:10
take a quarterback, Phil. That I
45:12
believe. Yeah, I think the – listen,
45:15
I like that idea. And I am a fan
45:17
of Justin Fields, especially now. It sounds as though
45:19
the price tag for him, Thor, is low
45:22
to low. Yes. But
45:25
I think you're still looking for your quarterback. And
45:27
you're always going to be looking for your quarterback. You could have
45:29
the best roster in football. You could be the
45:31
San Francisco 49ers. And, Phil,
45:33
as though you don't have the quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo and
45:35
move heaven and earth to make sure you get the guy
45:38
and still not have the guy. And then
45:40
luck into the guy in the seventh round. You know what
45:42
I mean? Like, so if you think the quarterback's there, and
45:45
you have conviction in that evaluation, you
45:47
can't pass on him. If you
45:49
don't, what we're talking about is the smart thing
45:51
to do. For sure. Yeah, we
45:53
just don't know how the top of that Patriots
45:55
board looks. You know, like, there has been –
45:57
you know, there's been reports of – these are
45:59
the two quarterbacks. for sitting dead right on, but
46:01
other people report different stuff. You
46:03
guys know quite a bit. Yeah. Be kidding. I don't know
46:05
yet to be on that. They
46:07
don't, they don't know yet. My
46:10
feeling is Thor, their default
46:12
is quarterback. They're going to have to
46:14
be moved off that spot by somebody
46:16
disqualifying themselves. Whether
46:18
that be Drake may and you just say,
46:20
we just can't, I can't look at this anymore and get him out.
46:22
We're not doing that. Or JJ
46:24
McCarthy isn't good enough for them or
46:27
whatever. I think they have to be
46:29
moved off that spot. Phil from the conversations you've had.
46:32
Same thing, right? Yeah. That's my understanding is they're
46:34
still going through this process. And if
46:36
they love the guy
46:39
that's there at three and the
46:41
door is open for them to love more than one guy,
46:44
then they're going to sit there and they're going to take
46:46
whoever gets to them, but if they don't, I
46:49
see them trading back and I see them trading back and
46:52
probably for alignment, I
46:55
don't see them staying at three and taking a
46:57
Marvin Harrison Jr. Um,
46:59
or any of those other players. I don't think that's
47:01
what they would do. I think they'd move back. This
47:05
is a guest by me. My guess is they
47:07
would feel as though they'd like to be in
47:09
a range to still get Joe Alt, wherever
47:12
they think he might go off. So maybe that's six,
47:14
maybe the giants are willing to trade up. You
47:16
know, I don't know if you're, if you're able to get alt by going
47:18
all the way back to 11. But
47:22
that to me is the, is the move. You either
47:24
love the guy at three or you
47:26
don't. And if you don't, then you trade back, you
47:28
get a tackle, you build through the trenches, you do
47:30
that Packer thing. That's what they, you know, the premium
47:32
positions of the first round, it's quarterback, it's tackle, it's
47:35
pass rusher, it's corner, um,
47:37
it's usually not receiver. That second round is, you
47:39
know, your Greg Jennings and your Devontae Adams and
47:41
your Randall Cobb and your Jordy Nelson. That's what
47:43
those guys like to do. And that's what I
47:45
think Elliott Wolf will probably like to do. Give
47:48
it a background. It'll be very similar to what
47:50
the Cardinals do administration did last process where they,
47:52
they, when they first, they traded way down, then
47:54
they traded back up so they could get Paris
47:57
Johnson, but that was their target all along. You
48:00
know, obviously they had the quarterback in place, but
48:02
Phil, I agree with the way that you're setting
48:04
this up and the way that you're thinking about
48:06
it. If you have a conviction on a quarterback
48:08
that gets to three, yeah, you got to pop
48:10
them. I mean, how many shots do you get
48:12
to pop a quarterback? Do you have a conviction?
48:14
This guy is going to be a star in
48:17
the NFL, but if one
48:19
of those guys is not there, maybe for you,
48:21
it's only two deep on your board, those guys
48:23
go one, two. I think you have to consider
48:25
all the offers that you're getting for that. And
48:27
I think the alternate road for the Patriots, there's
48:30
a lot to say for that as well. That
48:33
is an attractive path as well, building out
48:35
the draft equity and everything like that. And
48:37
then at that point, you would have the
48:39
infrastructure around the quarterback for whenever you inevitably
48:41
did draft that quarterback, say it was in
48:43
next year's draft. And
48:46
all those big ticket items around
48:48
rookie contracts for a period
48:50
of time. Yeah. Your left tackle,
48:53
your wide out. And you just
48:55
took a corner who's the top tier corner and
48:57
then your quarterback. Boy, this was, we went
48:59
longer than I anticipated and I enjoyed the
49:01
hell out of every second. I really did.
49:04
Sam, always good talking to you guys. You're
49:07
the best Thor, appreciate you buddy. Appreciate it boys.
49:09
You know what I'm really happy about, Phil? The fact that
49:12
I'm so entrenched in my
49:14
beliefs that I've now switched again
49:16
back to trade
49:18
down. Trade
49:21
down, JJ McCarthy or trade down. Whatever
49:24
I see or hear last is what I want to do. Hey,
49:28
I'll say this. I'm not there yet
49:30
with you. But I
49:32
will say if the Patriots losing
49:35
out on Calvin Ridley moves
49:38
any of our audience closer
49:40
to your direction, I kind of get it.
49:43
Because for me, it's just harder to envision
49:45
a good receiver room. And if
49:48
you draft a quarterback at three, I've always been,
49:50
I'd like to see that guy
49:52
play. I think the owner would like to see that guy play. I
49:54
think the fans would like to see that guy play. But
49:56
if the receiver room ain't good, and
49:59
if the offensive line... not solidified? I don't
50:04
think that's a attractive option
50:06
is taking a young quarterback and
50:08
putting them in a really bad situation even if you
50:10
think he's got the medal, the
50:13
Joe Burrow medal to come out
50:15
the other side of that situation and be a
50:17
great player. I just think you're rolling the dice.
50:19
It's just so few of them. He's needling a
50:22
haystack. Him, maybe
50:24
Andrew Luck to a degree, never
50:27
got to a Super Bowl. But, and
50:30
Peyton Manning. I mean Trevor Lawrence
50:32
wasn't able to overcome his situation, still isn't. Hey,
50:37
talk about bad situations still. I'm a guy
50:39
who when he buys a car he's gonna
50:41
buy a used car because I don't like
50:43
buying new and I bought a tremendous vehicle
50:45
recently from Born Auto. This is not a paid
50:47
plug but I love them. I go
50:50
there all the time and I
50:52
just wanted to shout out my guy Mark
50:54
Afiro because he was in the service department,
50:56
had one little glitch on my new car,
50:58
new used car, new to me and
51:01
Mark made sure I got the thing back in a
51:03
jiffy and you know they
51:05
do good work there but Mark
51:07
in the service department there he deserves a special
51:09
shout out in my mind and you people know
51:11
I rarely do shout outs because you can't get
51:13
into that all the time but we appreciate the
51:15
folks at Born Auto. We appreciate Mark. So I
51:17
appreciate you. Right now I appreciate
51:19
Thor even more. Any
51:22
shout outs still? Barbara, Joe the barber you want
51:24
to send a shout out to Joe? I
51:27
give Joe all kinds of shout outs all the time
51:30
all day every day. That's my guy, my wife.
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