LIVE: Recapping Week 3 of OTAs: Drake Moves Up Depth Chart | Patriots Daily x Patriots Beat - video Dailymotion

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Patriots Daily's Taylor Kyles and Mike Kadlick team up with Patriots Beat's Alex Barth and Brian Hines for a crossover live show to recap Week 3 of Patriots OTAs. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye took reps ahead of Bailey Zappe during both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills which could signal a move up the depth chart.  Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS  Gametime! Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply. Go to https://gametime.co !  #Patriots #NFL #NewEnglandPatriots

Transcript

00:00:00How's it going, everybody?

00:00:03We got another crossover episode for you, Patriots Daily, Patriots Beat.

00:00:06I'm Alex Sparth with Brian Hines, Mike Kadlec, and Taylor Kiles.

00:00:09Thanks to everybody sticking around.

00:00:11I know we started a little late.

00:00:13Traffic is a bitch.

00:00:14So here we are now, though.

00:00:16It's time to start the show.

00:00:17What?

00:00:18Can I not say that?

00:00:19No, we're good.

00:00:20We're podcasting.

00:00:21You can leave.

00:00:22You can tell me whatever you want.

00:00:23I just started the stream for some reason.

00:00:24My bad.

00:00:25Yeah.

00:00:26I heard your voice off Taylor's phone on the screen.

00:00:29That's what I was like.

00:00:30Oh, OK.

00:00:31So, well, here we are.

00:00:32We're starting.

00:00:33We're going.

00:00:34We're off and running.

00:00:35Day eight of Patriots OTAs, day three, that was open to the media.

00:00:39It was also the final OTA practice for the media.

00:00:44They'll have two more practice, one or two more practices this week.

00:00:47Friday is now.

00:00:48So it's not open to the media.

00:00:50I don't know that it's outright canceled or if they're doing one of those like off-site

00:00:53kind of practices.

00:00:54We will be back next week for me and Dory Minicamp and we'll have some more of these

00:00:58crossover shows then.

00:00:59But, you know, I don't want to so much put a bow on it because Minicamp is going to be

00:01:04more of the same and there is a lot more evaluation to be done.

00:01:07But just for us, you know, another part of the offseason checked off, but plenty, plenty,

00:01:12plenty to talk about today felt like a more intense day.

00:01:16That's relatively speaking, it's there's still no pads, there's still no contact.

00:01:21But they went into low red zone.

00:01:23It was a lot of 11 on 11 and it was a lot more Drake May.

00:01:27Drake May has passed Bailey Zappi on the non-existent depth chart, Gerard Mayo.

00:01:33Very effusive for practice that there is no depth chart.

00:01:36There is no starters or backups, but it's been through the first two practices we went

00:01:41to Jacoby Bursette, Bailey Zappi, Drake May, and then Joe Milton.

00:01:45If he's out there today, it was May going after Bursette and at times just the two and

00:01:51going from May back to Bursette back to May then to Zappi.

00:01:55So early on, we kind of lamented that, Hey, is Drake May getting enough reps?

00:02:01And we all kind of had the caveat on that take that it's day one of a long process

00:02:05and we're sure they'll build up.

00:02:07Well, here we go.

00:02:08They're building up.

00:02:09Let's start with, uh, Brian, we'll start with you.

00:02:12You're in the second spot there.

00:02:13Yeah.

00:02:14I mean, that's what we've been waiting to, uh, see every time we've come on here, we've

00:02:18said that's our big thing, right?

00:02:19We need Drake May to get as many reps as possible.

00:02:21He's the number three pick.

00:02:22He's the face of the franchise.

00:02:24This is the time of the year where he should be getting these reps to develop.

00:02:27So it was good to finally see him working a second there in those team drills ahead

00:02:31of Bailey's app.

00:02:32He's still Jacoby, like I think he had 10 or 11 more reps than him.

00:02:36So he's still the number one van Pelt even said Jacoby is our starter, but a good to

00:02:41see Drake getting more involved here as we go.

00:02:44And, and even he kind of said after practice, like it's a competition between him, Bailey

00:02:47and Jacoby, they've been rotating.

00:02:50So again, like the, the big caveat on this is maybe this has happened throughout, you

00:02:54know, the spring and we just haven't seen it, but this was the first time we got to

00:02:57see it.

00:02:58Uh, and that was good to see him kind of work his way up there.

00:03:01Yeah.

00:03:02I think it's no, yeah, no, I think it's noteworthy to like Taylor, you asked, uh, Gerard Mayo

00:03:08before practice, if, if that was sort of a, a planned thing that all the rookies would

00:03:12be taking reps behind the vets.

00:03:15And he said, no, not really.

00:03:16It's kind of just, you know, you guys may see it and everyone's going to kind of be

00:03:19sprinkled in together.

00:03:20But today was the first day where it seemed like a rookie actually jumped a vet on the

00:03:23depth chart because everything we've seen so far was all the rookies repped after the

00:03:27veterans, even when it came down to, you know, the offensive line and the wide receivers,

00:03:32Jalen Polk, Jayvon Baker, guys like that didn't really get in.

00:03:34Uh, and then today you saw a little bit of a change, not only a quarterback, but Caden

00:03:38Wallace was out there with, you know, some of the first sets of offensive line and Jalen

00:03:42Polk sort of got some run in there with, uh, I don't want to really call them the ones

00:03:46because again, it is so early, but you know, some, some noteworthy reps, I guess I'd say

00:03:50on offense.

00:03:51So, uh, good for Drake may good for really, you know, a bunch of the young guys too.

00:03:54So, uh, good to see him get that chance this early, right.

00:03:59You know, we've talked about whether they would sort of throw him into the fire, starting

00:04:02a mini camp or wait till training camp.

00:04:04And, you know, while Bailey's happy, you know, still here, uh, he's kind of the, the quote,

00:04:09the quote unquote backup, but they're getting them in the mix early.

00:04:11So I like to see it.

00:04:12It's, it's, it's about time because he is the future and you want to see what you have

00:04:15in the guy.

00:04:16All right.

00:04:17Taylor.

00:04:18I think it's okay for us to say ones because Alex Austin literally without being prompted,

00:04:22use the term ones.

00:04:23So even if the coaches aren't using it, I think the players can still tell when there's

00:04:28a certain group in that's, you know, playing with the guys who are projected to have a

00:04:31role.

00:04:32Although they are, they did definitely start to mix guys in.

00:04:35They have been doing it, but we saw today felt like Jalen Polk definitely got more reps

00:04:38with the one starters, whatever you want to call them.

00:04:42That was interesting.

00:04:43So in terms of the quarterbacks, well, I find it most interesting that Drake may now is

00:04:47over Bailey's happy, pretty definitively from what we saw, we'll see what it looks like

00:04:50in mini camp as well.

00:04:51And if that continues, but drug Mayo did say that he wants it to be three quarterbacks

00:04:56going in to the summer.

00:04:57And as we know that third quarterback doesn't need to be a world beater necessarily.

00:05:01Like we saw trace McSorley in that role and bless his heart, but like it was tough to

00:05:05watch when he was in there.

00:05:06Like the inaccuracy was pretty bad and Joel Milton obviously has more talent.

00:05:10So you'd like to get in more opportunities, even if they aren't pretty, obviously, you

00:05:14know, when I was talking about Bailey's happy, potentially staying on the team as a veteran

00:05:18backup, you know, that was what the caveat of, if you're not comfortable with may being

00:05:22the backup, where if Jacoby does God forbid get hurt, then you have to put somebody in.

00:05:26It makes sense.

00:05:27But I think we could probably agree that Zappy has been at best inconsistent throughout the

00:05:32practice that we've seen, which may have in part led to may rising up the depth chart,

00:05:37so-called in addition to him just performing better.

00:05:40So it kind of feels like Zappy's, you know, slipping down the depth chart and could potentially

00:05:45not be on the roster.

00:05:46And this kind of thing continues through many camps.

00:05:48All right.

00:05:49So let's talk about Drake May's performance today, because it was a little bit of a roller

00:05:53coaster day for him early on.

00:05:55He looked very good.

00:05:56Like he's getting the most of the reps and you're seeing the growth.

00:05:59He did a great job moving in the pocket, a couple of throws in motion, had one like off

00:06:05angle throw, dropped the arm, still zipped it in.

00:06:08I think that was the Juju Smith Schuster right through tight coverage for a touchdown.

00:06:13But then towards the end of practice, they go into 11s, they go into full field.

00:06:17There was one.

00:06:18I don't know what happened.

00:06:19He had Juju Smith Schuster had a great day today.

00:06:22He had Juju Smith Schuster wide open 10, 12 yards downfield, kind of on the hash in just,

00:06:29I mean, sailed it way over his head.

00:06:31Not even close right to Caleb for demand.

00:06:34The rookie corner who picked it off comes back on the next series miscommunication with

00:06:38Antonio Gibson.

00:06:39Gibson's running a crosser.

00:06:40He sits in the zone.

00:06:42May leads him.

00:06:43Kyle Duggar makes a diving interception.

00:06:45So two picks, um, a bit of an up and down day.

00:06:48Now look, that's going to happen with any rookie, but I think that's also why they're

00:06:53taking it slow.

00:06:54And Alex Van Pelt said before practice, two terms he used, it's a marathon more than a

00:06:58sprint when it comes to developing rookie quarterbacks.

00:07:02And he also said the growth's not linear.

00:07:04It's not all in one direction.

00:07:06You want a net positive, but it's going to be forward and back and forward and back.

00:07:11And I think today was a great example of that.

00:07:12And that's why, especially, I know I said this was the most intense practice we've seen.

00:07:17We've seen three practices in a low intensity practice like this.

00:07:22You want to be really careful to not get too high or too low.

00:07:25Uh, uh, you know, I was up there watching with a former Patriots beast up beat host.

00:07:29Everybody knows who that is.

00:07:31He was drooling over Drake may and a man who shall not be named.

00:07:34No, people got mad at me when I did that.

00:07:36When he first left, I'm talking to Evan and he's drooling over Drake Mase.

00:07:39Like, why isn't he starting?

00:07:41And like, look, he was performing well, but he also had the picks and the picks don't

00:07:44mean he shouldn't start or he's behind or anything, but it's just, you, you really got

00:07:48to be careful this time of year to, to look at the full body of work.

00:07:51I know that's kind of a cop out take, but that's really how I feel about practice today.

00:07:57I mean, I look at it too.

00:07:59It's like, and I joked on, I joked on Twitter that, you know, uh, next year we'll get the

00:08:05number one pick next year and we'll try it with somebody else.

00:08:07Like, of course this kind of stuff is going to happen.

00:08:09Like that's, you know, that's the, you know, trials and tribulations of being a rookie

00:08:13quarterback.

00:08:14You have to get your feet wet.

00:08:15Somehow you're not going to be perfect.

00:08:17Brett Favre's, you know, not, I don't want to say he's not the best example.

00:08:21I'm not trying to compare him to Brett Favre, but at one point in touchdowns and you let

00:08:27it in picks.

00:08:28That's kind of what you're getting with a gunslinger.

00:08:31You want to limit that kind of stuff, but you know, sometimes you say a one, sometimes

00:08:34you make a bad throw.

00:08:35So I wasn't necessarily too upset with the interceptions again.

00:08:38That's going to happen.

00:08:39Uh, but you're right.

00:08:40I mean, up and down day overall, there was one play where me and Taylor talked about

00:08:43it on our standup.

00:08:44Like they were in the, they were in the red zone.

00:08:47I don't remember if it was 11th or sevens, but you know, it was like Drake got onto his

00:08:52third progression, you know, looked, looked one way, looked again.

00:08:54And then backside, he has Douglas on the back line for a touchdown and he zipped right

00:08:59in their side.

00:09:00I'm like, that was the play of the day in my opinion.

00:09:01So when you get that and then you can balance it out with picks on June 4th and it's this

00:09:05early in this guy's career, I'm okay with it.

00:09:07As long as you, you know, you continue to get in the reps with these guys.

00:09:10And like you said, Alex, you want to see progression.

00:09:12It's not always going to be linear, but overall from now until the summer, you know, you want

00:09:17it to continue to, you know, tick up.

00:09:19And Alex Van Pelt did say it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

00:09:23So this is not like this one day you obviously want to see him bounce back, but this is not

00:09:27going to be indicative of who Drake May is.

00:09:29I think we all know that, but also it's nice to hear from the coaches that, you know, this

00:09:33is a day by day thing and we're going to see how he grows.

00:09:35And I thought it was still pretty significant that before practice, we heard from Alex Van

00:09:39Pelt and Gerard Mayo, and they spoke pretty highly of May's development saying like, he's

00:09:43putting in the hours, they're already working like 12 to 14 hour days, but he also sees

00:09:47him and Jacoby Brissett like in the steam room, watching film and doing what they can

00:09:52specifically made to really be able to catch up and potentially take that top job.

00:09:56And, you know, as much as Jacoby, I'm sure wants to be the starter.

00:09:58I also think he wants to be able to be the best kind of leader and mentor for Drake May

00:10:02that he can be because that impact is going to last, you know, possibly throughout May's

00:10:06career.

00:10:07And also T.C.

00:10:08McCartney mentioned how he wants to make sure that Drake's feet and eyes are tethered together,

00:10:13which is something that we already knew coming in.

00:10:15But again, it's kind of cool hearing it from the actual coaches, because it's one thing

00:10:19to do it on one play, but you have to do it every single time.

00:10:22And one thing I also asked T.C. was, you know, how do you balance the fact that May

00:10:25is the super talented quarterback who can be accurate even when he's off platform?

00:10:29And he mentioned, you know, in the NFL, there's going to be plenty of opportunities for this

00:10:33guy to show that he can do things like that, especially with all the pressure and everything

00:10:36in the NFL.

00:10:37But what you really want is to make sure that he has it down.

00:10:40And it's you know, there's that saying that, like, you're not going to rise to the occasion,

00:10:44you're going to fall to your habits.

00:10:45And that's what you want.

00:10:46So that it's muscle memory.

00:10:47He's got it baked in.

00:10:48So when things do get hard, everything is still lined up, or at least he's doing most

00:10:52things right.

00:10:53And his athleticism takes over.

00:10:55I mean, I don't know what happened on the play to Juju, where he just sailed the ball.

00:11:00But maybe it was something where his feet and eyes weren't necessarily tied together.

00:11:03So you know, not the biggest deal in the world.

00:11:05He still did have some positive moments as well.

00:11:08We'll just have to see how he bounces back.

00:11:09Come in.

00:11:10Yeah.

00:11:11Right.

00:11:12And I'm going to try fixing this before it drives everybody crazy.

00:11:15We lost Mike.

00:11:16But yeah, I thought it was also noticeable.

00:11:18There you go.

00:11:19That's a good one.

00:11:20That a lot of the success came in, like the seven on seven work.

00:11:23And then when you move to 11 on 11 and you put the offensive line in there, which I'm

00:11:27sure we'll get to the offensive line was a bit of a mess today, missing some guys.

00:11:30But that's when things for the whole offense to like even Jacoby percent, things kind of

00:11:34fell apart in the 11 on 11 work.

00:11:37But yeah, you mentioned like the Juju one was bad.

00:11:39I didn't think the Antonio Gibson one from my point of view and Taylor, we were talking

00:11:44about that.

00:11:45We were right next to each other.

00:11:46We thought that was more on Gibson.

00:11:47It looked like man coverage.

00:11:49We should have continued the route, continue that drag route and not sat down in zone looked

00:11:53like May was expecting that.

00:11:54That's what led to that interception.

00:11:56But this is kind of the annoying part that we only get one one day a week.

00:12:00We can't go tomorrow and see how he bounces back because he ended poorly, ended with two

00:12:05interceptions.

00:12:06We'd love to go out there tomorrow and see how he bounces back and even look at the reps

00:12:11again.

00:12:12Like, is he still repping number two?

00:12:13But unfortunately, we can't.

00:12:14So that's what, you know, as we turn to mini camp, we'll be there every day and training

00:12:17camp.

00:12:18Obviously, those are those are the advantages of those time periods.

00:12:21Sorry, I'm trying to get composed here with that mic.

00:12:26So yeah, that was it for the quarterbacks.

00:12:28And I don't think it was just May who was up and down either.

00:12:31For the record, I mean, Jacoby Bursette had I mean, he had one throw to the Michael Pettway

00:12:36where Pettway had two defenders on top of him and it just did not matter.

00:12:41I mean, just thread of the ball in, you know, that's the one, Taylor, you remember you said

00:12:44something to me like that.

00:12:45You would have thought Pettway won the Superbowl the way he was celebrating that look good

00:12:49for him.

00:12:50Like, go out there, have fun like that's important, you know, but he had that, but he also had

00:12:54some play.

00:12:55I percent zap.

00:12:56He didn't throw any picks.

00:12:57Zap.

00:12:58He had his moment too.

00:12:59He had a high point ball.

00:13:00Jean Bell, you know, good touch, but they, they were, we'll get to the offensive line,

00:13:06but they were also holding the ball a lot and some of that was coverage, but some of

00:13:11it, it did look to be like, you know, Mack Jones, he's talking about take a profit, right?

00:13:16Just take what the defense gives you.

00:13:17And there, there were times where zappy, especially it felt like he had guys open, but it wasn't

00:13:22the guy he wanted and he held onto the ball.

00:13:24And I think somebody had him down.

00:13:26I hate doing sacks in non-padded practice, but somebody had him down for, I think like

00:13:30three or four sacks on what was only eight reps.

00:13:33Jacoby took a couple of sacks as well.

00:13:35So, you know, when you get in a red zone, you start running some more complex concepts.

00:13:41Dry Mayo talked about that before practice.

00:13:43So there naturally is going to be a learning curve here in terms of getting on the same

00:13:47page.

00:13:48When, when you talk about the more complex elements of the offense, but you did sort

00:13:51of see a disconnect from, from all the quarterbacks today.

00:13:55Yeah.

00:13:56And KJ Osborne kind of talked about that after practice, he said he played in an offense

00:13:59similar to this in Minnesota for the first two years, I think of his career.

00:14:03And he's like, you don't really see how this comes together until we get the pads on in

00:14:08training camp and everyone's kind of, you know, flowing and more into it.

00:14:12And, you know, they were in the low, low red area for most of the day.

00:14:15So it is tight quarters.

00:14:16It's condensed down there, but definitely looked like a unit that was kind of repping

00:14:20that for the first time together this year.

00:14:22Yeah.

00:14:23It seems like any thoughts on the splits on the splits?

00:14:28Not necessarily.

00:14:29Again, I thought it was good that drank may was the guy who was getting the lion's share.

00:14:33I think Joe Milton, I honestly thought took advantage of his opportunities.

00:14:36He threw what should have been two touchdowns on his first two reps.

00:14:39One was dropped.

00:14:40Then I think it just seemed like there was a miscommunication on another, but really

00:14:45for the most part, I thought he was solid, but yeah, outside of that, and again, he only

00:14:48had four attempts, but the other quarterbacks, it was just super up and down and Jacoby percent

00:14:53had the most bright spots.

00:14:55Like there was one throw he had to DeMario Douglas where he was covered, but Jacoby threw

00:14:59it before he came out of this break.

00:15:01So by the time Douglas did come out, the defender wasn't ready to break it up.

00:15:05And that was a touchdown.

00:15:06And he had a couple of connections with Hunter Henry surprise, surprise, you know, the veteran,

00:15:10he knows who his red zone monster is and they didn't connect on everything.

00:15:14They had a couple that weren't completed, but still for the most part, it was kind of

00:15:18cool seeing them get to connect.

00:15:20But in the red zone, I think it's so important to remember that it is very difficult for

00:15:25any offense to execute in not just the red zone, but the low red zone.

00:15:29It's literally the hardest thing to do in football.

00:15:31And this is an offense.

00:15:32It's got a ton of new pieces.

00:15:34Like we talked about similar things last season, but there were even fewer guys on this offense

00:15:38that have worked together.

00:15:39Neither of the quarterbacks have worked with any of the receivers outside of, you know,

00:15:42this camp.

00:15:43So I don't want to read too much into it, but you do want to see development.

00:15:47This is okay.

00:15:48That's the starting point.

00:15:49You expect the defense to have a leg up, it wasn't just leg up, it was dominant.

00:15:52But you know, from now on, when we do see other opportunities, you want to see some

00:15:56kind of development, better timing, not holding on to the ball.

00:15:59Even Drake May said, I think there was a throw to DeMario Douglas who was like, yeah, I wish

00:16:03I'd gotten the ball and it takes sooner.

00:16:05So there are improvements that need to be made.

00:16:06But as we say with every single OTA, grain of salt, because there's so many little, it's

00:16:11about growth.

00:16:12It's not about necessarily production.

00:16:14All right, Mike, let's try this again.

00:16:17Hey, what up?

00:16:20What'd you think of the other quarterbacks today besides Drake May?

00:16:23Well, can you hear me now?

00:16:24Is my connection better?

00:16:25Yes.

00:16:26You're good.

00:16:27We got it.

00:16:28Taylor was going in and out right when you jumped back in, so that had me worried, but

00:16:31he's good now.

00:16:32Oh boy.

00:16:33All right.

00:16:34Impressions on other quarterbacks besides Drake May, I thought Jacoby Brissett was great.

00:16:37I thought Brissett looks really good.

00:16:39I mean, we know he understands the offense.

00:16:41They've all kind of alluded to that.

00:16:42T.C. McCartney mentioned it today.

00:16:44Alex Van Pelt really hammered it home too.

00:16:47So look, I think he looks solid.

00:16:49His arm is as strong as ever.

00:16:50He zips the ball in there.

00:16:51He gets what they're doing.

00:16:53Joe Milton, look, I don't think he has much of a spot on this team really long term, but

00:17:01man, when you stand back there and watch him fire the ball in there, it's like nothing

00:17:05I've ever seen.

00:17:06Like, it's incredible.

00:17:07And sometimes I worry that there's no real finesse to it and it's always on a line.

00:17:12Like, there's no touch to it.

00:17:14He's always just throwing rockets, but man, if you can do that and you can finally kind

00:17:19of hone that in and find some touch eventually, that's a really strong weapon to have.

00:17:24So those two guys, I thought, you know, those were the, I guess, the thoughts on them.

00:17:28And then Bailey Zappi, pretty good later on in practice, but still kind of rollercoaster

00:17:34just like we've seen for the entirety of, really the entirety of his Patriots career.

00:17:38So.

00:17:39All right.

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00:18:48All right, so we've kind of already hinted at the offensive line.

00:18:54Now I'll say this.

00:18:55I find it so tough to talk about the offensive line coming off a practice like this just

00:19:00because they weren't padded.

00:19:05They aren't supposed to make a ton of contact.

00:19:08It's really just kind of setting picks.

00:19:11They're just kind of standing in the way and the guy's free to run around and that's it.

00:19:15My bigger issue with the offensive line today is, all right, so Michael Nguyen who troops

00:19:20core four, not there, which you know, it's optional, fine.

00:19:24This should have been a day if they're really serious about Caden Wallace developing him

00:19:28at left tackle.

00:19:30This to me should have been a day that he was at left tackle a lot and he spent most

00:19:34of the day at right tackle.

00:19:35And I get Taylor.

00:19:36I see why I was, we talked about this before and we were down there like it's not that

00:19:40uncommon to have a day in camp where you start playing people, you know, off their

00:19:47usual position, especially on the line, you're just like, all right, we're going to play

00:19:50all the right tackles at left and all the right left tackles at right today just to

00:19:53get everybody the reps and see maybe who can be a potential swing tackle.

00:19:57But Caden Wallace's development should supersede that, especially because he's already playing

00:20:02on his offhand anyway.

00:20:03That's where you're trying to get them.

00:20:05So on the flip side, you saw Calvin Anderson, the left tackle where he should be playing

00:20:09more because he has actually his experience there, but that, that was the big head scratcher

00:20:13to me.

00:20:14I thought they had a great opportunity to give Caden Wallace a ton of work on the left

00:20:16side today.

00:20:17They didn't do it, but Taylor, I know you disagree.

00:20:21So look, I don't fully disagree.

00:20:22I do think it's important for Caden Wallace to get reps at left tackle.

00:20:26This is also the first time we've even seen him at right tackle in the practices we've

00:20:29been to.

00:20:30We also have no idea what the context is and what's been happening in practices previous

00:20:34or what's going to happen in future practices.

00:20:36So every offensive lineman or every offensive tackle seemed like they were playing on the

00:20:40opposite side where they usually play.

00:20:42Like Tyrone Wheatley Jr. was at left tackle.

00:20:44We don't usually see him there, but Darian Lowe, who we all know is much better at left

00:20:48tackle than right, was at right tackle.

00:20:50So again, I don't think that Caden Wallace doesn't need the reps, but we have no idea

00:20:55if he's getting more behind the scenes and repping extra, you know, on his own or what

00:20:59Scott Peter's plan is and cross training is something that they value.

00:21:03And yes, Caden Wallace has experience at right tackle, but he doesn't have experience

00:21:08at right tackle doing what Scott Peter specifically wants him to do in practicing those techniques.

00:21:13So if, you know, something happens to Mike and Wenu and you're like, all right, I don't

00:21:16want to switch Chukcho-Korofor back and forth if he's been at left tackle for multiple weeks,

00:21:20it's going to be Caden Wallace most likely at right tackle unless he's not good enough

00:21:23to play and it's a veteran or something like that.

00:21:26But if we are in mini camp or training camp and we are seeing Caden Wallace for days at

00:21:30right tackle, then I'm like, yeah, what the hell is going on?

00:21:33This is funky.

00:21:34One day I'm not moved, especially because again, it wasn't an isolated thing.

00:21:39Everybody at the offensive tackle position seemed like they were playing on the opposite

00:21:42side from where they usually are.

00:21:43All right, Brian, who are you siding with, me or Taylor?

00:21:47I was on Barr's side.

00:21:48That was one of the first things I pointed out when they first moved into team reps there

00:21:55at 11s.

00:21:56I'm like, why is Caden Wallace on the right side?

00:21:59He played there at Penn State.

00:22:01If we're playing him at left tackle and that sounds like the plan, now is a perfect time

00:22:05with Chuk's not there to get him as many left tackle reps as possible.

00:22:09Then I got that whole spiel from Taylor on the field and I got it again.

00:22:14That's the third time I think I've heard it now because I got it on the field.

00:22:16I got it in the media with Barth and now I got it here.

00:22:20I get what you're saying.

00:22:22Maybe yesterday they were out there and he got all the reps or not yesterday.

00:22:27Maybe tomorrow they come out and he's at left tackle and then the next day he's at

00:22:30left tackle.

00:22:31This is just a pure cross training day.

00:22:33If you're moving him to left tackle, I want him getting as many reps as humanly possible

00:22:39on that side.

00:22:40Today seemed like a great day to do that and they didn't, so I was a little disappointed

00:22:44in that.

00:22:45Mike?

00:22:46Yeah.

00:22:47Sorry, Taylor.

00:22:48I'm tripling down.

00:22:49Yeah, sure.

00:22:50If you have a cross training day, fine by me and that's how it should go.

00:22:55You're seeing these guys in different positions, but we haven't seen Caden Wallace in the position

00:22:59they wanted to play yet, right?

00:23:01Yeah, he's played left tackle before, but he was a right tackle in college, so I guess

00:23:04he's quote-unquote used to that now, so give him the left tackle today.

00:23:10You need to train him at left tackle before you cross train him at right tackle if that's

00:23:14the plan for him.

00:23:15Now, if that's not the plan for him, so be it, but again, I don't understand.

00:23:19Again, you're right, Taylor.

00:23:21We don't know the context of the situation.

00:23:23He could be at left tackle all the time on the days that we're not there, and so they

00:23:27use this as an opportunity, but again, as Alex alluded to, with Chooks and Onwenu not

00:23:32there, your next up left tackle in theory is Caden Wallace.

00:23:36You should be at left tackle the entire practice, so I didn't like it, but again, Taylor, this

00:23:42is kind of the third or fourth time you've heard it from me, from Brian, from Alex, so

00:23:46I'll leave us to it, but yeah.

00:23:48I will say just a couple other things real quick.

00:23:51You guys know when it comes to non-padded practices, it's just really hard to get a

00:23:55rise out of me when it comes to stuff that happens on the offensive line.

00:23:58These reps are not nearly as valuable as when they can actually go full speed.

00:24:02Like Colesrange has talked about it when it comes to bull rushes.

00:24:05You can't simulate that kind of thing, and you're not really supposed to be bull rushing

00:24:08people when you don't have pads on, and if you are, you're not going 100%, so it's muscle

00:24:12memory for sure, but you can get that muscle memory in.

00:24:15If this is the first time, it's the first time we've seen him take any snaps anywhere

00:24:18that wasn't left tackle, and again, that's the real thing, is it's one thing if they're

00:24:22switching them around, it's like, all right, geez, this is starting to get a little weird.

00:24:25Also there's a trickle-down effect.

00:24:27If he has stayed at left tackle, then that affects, does that mean that Calvin Anderson

00:24:31is still at right tackle and can't get his reps at left?

00:24:34We talk about Drake May and Caden Wallace and the rookies and all that, but it's not

00:24:38just about them.

00:24:40There should be kind of, not prioritizing necessarily, because these early round guys

00:24:44should be getting some significant number of reps this season, but the veterans need

00:24:49those too.

00:24:50Those are also valuable.

00:24:51Of course, we want Caden Wallace to come along as quickly as possible, but the veterans also

00:24:54need some type of exposure and experience so that they can contribute, and the guys

00:24:58in the coaching team can see, hey, are these older guys good enough that maybe we don't

00:25:02necessarily have to play Caden if he's not ready?

00:25:04If the guy's not ready in year one, it's not the worst thing in the world.

00:25:06He's an older prospect, but it's a lot worse.

00:25:08We say the same thing about Drake May.

00:25:10These guys don't need necessarily to start week one, the guys who will be playing every

00:25:14snap, so that's it.

00:25:15I don't want to keep droning on about it, but I just don't think it's that big a deal,

00:25:20personally.

00:25:21I'll just say this.

00:25:22Do they have virtual reality for offensive tackles yet?

00:25:25Is Caden Wallace getting 100 simulated snaps at left tackle in the locker room right now?

00:25:31I'll text Scott Peters with the number I don't have.

00:25:34Look, I'll just say this.

00:25:37To your point, Taylor, about Calvin Anderson, I am fine sacrificing Calvin Anderson's reps

00:25:42to get Caden Wallace ready.

00:25:43I think not taking that approach is part of what cost them in the past, is you need

00:25:51to invest in the rookies, and you got to put the kids ... Maybe not in this setting specifically,

00:25:56but just as a whole.

00:25:57If it was just today and that's it, I guess whatever, but you got to put the kids on the

00:26:02field, and they're going to make mistakes, and it's going to happen, and it's going to

00:26:06be frustrating, and it's going to make you roll your eyes, but it's the only way they're

00:26:09going to get better.

00:26:11You can't just leave them on the sideline until they're ready, because they're not going

00:26:14to get ready.

00:26:15They could afford to do that 10 years ago for a number of different reasons, and that

00:26:20was a unique thing.

00:26:21They're not going to get back there.

00:26:23That's not how the other 31 teams operate, so I just ... Yeah, I am a little worried

00:26:33about how they're handling Caden Wallace's development early.

00:26:36For such an important position, a position that they failed to struggle for a long time,

00:26:41or that they failed to find an answer for a long time, they've struggled for a long

00:26:45time.

00:26:47I don't love their plan A there either.

00:26:49I can't help, but it stands out to me.

00:26:51In Scott Peters, we trust.

00:26:53I'm done.

00:26:54Scott Peters, we trust.

00:26:56I mean, that kind of seems to be the line.

00:26:59Evan's big into the offensive line too, and that's his ... And if that's what it is, that's

00:27:04what it is, and that's great, but let's see it then, because they're putting a lot of

00:27:09bags in Scott Peters' basket.

00:27:10Also, if Caden Wallace was not specifically Scott Peters' pick, I would admittedly be

00:27:15more worried.

00:27:16I would.

00:27:17But if it's the guy who's going to be training him, and it's not like this is a guy who's

00:27:20fresh off the street.

00:27:21No, he hasn't been the offensive line coach before.

00:27:24All he did was learn under one of the best in history, so that just is why I don't feel

00:27:29quite as concerned.

00:27:33I'm definitely cautiously optimistic because of Scott Peters.

00:27:37There is caution there for a reason, but again, this was his pick and a guy that he's

00:27:41like, yeah, he can play left tackle.

00:27:43I asked him about him today as well, and he wouldn't give too many details about Caden,

00:27:46but he was saying that ... I forget what it was.

00:27:48I got to run it back, but-

00:27:50Taylor, though, you would have ... Objectively speaking, you would have rather seen him at

00:27:53left tackle, right?

00:27:54Hmm?

00:27:55Oh, I mean-

00:27:56Like you're not excited that he was at right tackle.

00:27:59Point blank, yeah.

00:28:00I want to see him get as many reps as left tackle as possible, for sure, but again, I

00:28:04don't know why they had him at right, and it was something they did with everybody,

00:28:07so that's just ... It's one day.

00:28:08Again, if this is a continued pattern, then for sure, I'll walk back and be like, I don't

00:28:12know what the plan is here.

00:28:14Even if I don't know what it is, it is concerning, but one day, I'm sorry, just it doesn't move

00:28:18me.

00:28:19All right, Brian, any more thoughts on the offensive line before we move on?

00:28:24That was pretty much it.

00:28:26Nice to see Sidney So back.

00:28:28He was left guard, but yeah, the tackles were the big thing with Big Mike and Chooks out

00:28:33today.

00:28:34More center reps, too, today for Antonio Laffey, so I mean, they're going to give him a chance

00:28:40to make the roster after he struggled last year, at least to be sort of cross-trained

00:28:44all across the inside and not just at the guard position, so I think that's noteworthy

00:28:48considering how he kind of struggled last year.

00:28:51It doesn't seem like he's getting squeezed out too much yet.

00:28:53He was sort of taking those second reps behind David Ingers, so ...

00:28:55Yeah, he seems like a guy that's on the fringe, and the more positions he can play, the better.

00:29:01Exactly.

00:29:02He can play A position.

00:29:03All right, wide receivers.

00:29:04Two big standouts today at the wide receiver position.

00:29:05One kind of no-duh, one may come as a little more of a surprise.

00:29:06We'll start with the easy one.

00:29:07Pop Douglas, they still can't cover this kid.

00:29:08They can't.

00:29:09Loved Drake May, by the way, comparing him to Josh Downs.

00:29:10Yes.

00:29:11After practice, Downs a little bit bigger, but if you remember our draft coverage from ... Yeah,

00:29:12Mike, that was me and you, right?

00:29:13Yes.

00:29:14Two years ago?

00:29:15Yeah, two years ago.

00:29:16Yeah.

00:29:17Yeah.

00:29:18Yeah.

00:29:19Yeah.

00:29:20Yeah.

00:29:21Yeah.

00:29:22Yeah.

00:29:23Yeah.

00:29:24Yeah.

00:29:25Yeah.

00:29:26Yeah.

00:29:27Yeah.

00:29:28Yeah.

00:29:29Yeah.

00:29:30Yeah.

00:29:31Oh, yeah.

00:29:32We know this one.

00:29:33Yeah, two years ago.

00:29:34Josh Downs stands a couple of them right here, so ...

00:29:35Well, and you know if you follow our draft coverage how we like to do the tiers during

00:29:39the draft.

00:29:40So we had Ze Flowers was the top of that kind of receiver tier, then Josh Downs was Day

00:29:46Tuesday, and Pop Douglas was Day Three Ze, so would you look at that?

00:29:51Yeah.

00:29:52Now look, any time you have a player that size ... 58, 190, it comes with the caveat

00:29:58of let's see what he does when pads come on.

00:30:00Now, obviously we saw him do it last year, but this is, he looks like he's taking his

00:30:03game to another level.

00:30:04So he set himself up to build on that season he had last year.

00:30:10I wouldn't go, you know, betting him for MVP or anything yet.

00:30:13That's kind of my point is we have a long way to go, but I mean, do we give him the

00:30:17Justin Jefferson contract?

00:30:19Right, exactly.

00:30:20Let's not give him 140 million just yet.

00:30:22But I mean, in a setting where you would expect him to thrive, he is thriving and we know

00:30:27that it at least somewhat translates because we did this last year with him where he dominated.

00:30:32I don't remember actually if he did that much in the spring, but I remember when we got

00:30:36to the first couple of practices at training camp and they got into one-on-ones, it was

00:30:40nobody was near him.

00:30:41He kept putting guys on the ground, but it was, he's small, let's see when the pads come

00:30:45on and the pads came on and he continued to dominate.

00:30:47So he was immediately another good start for him today.

00:30:50He was immediately their starting slot receiver, like as soon as camp started and he never

00:30:55let it go.

00:30:56It kind of gave him the, oh, okay.

00:30:58He fumbled and didn't let it go.

00:31:01Yeah, that's an important thing where, you know, he's good without pads, but let's see.

00:31:05And then it just was seamless in there.

00:31:06So yeah, another, I guess I'll jump in another great day from Douglas.

00:31:10I think he's, he's also, I like to watch the, you know, the, some of the off the field stuff

00:31:16and how he, you know, works in the room and things like that.

00:31:18He already kind of seems like a leader there too, like paying attention, helping guys out,

00:31:24but also like just dancing and having fun.

00:31:25And like, he seems like he has a lot of good confidence about himself, which I think is

00:31:29a positive too, but no, he was, he was great today.

00:31:31I mentioned my, my favorite play of the day with may finding him across the back of the

00:31:34end zone, but they can't like three or four touchdowns during 11 on 11s where, you know,

00:31:39he just, the play's kind of broken.

00:31:41He finds a little cushion, somebody finds them and he rolls into the end over a touchdown.

00:31:45Like he, we talked about it on our mailbag, Taylor.

00:31:48I think pop's going to lead them in targets.

00:31:49I think he's going to lead them in receptions.

00:31:51I have no doubt that he's going to continue to do what he did last, last year.

00:31:55And what we've seen at camp so far has only really helped that out.

00:31:58Yeah.

00:31:59He had a touchdown from all the quarterbacks too, which really stands out because he's

00:32:04repping with different guys and still finding ways to make plays.

00:32:07And he just looks different when he goes through drills.

00:32:10Like he just, the foot speed, the explosiveness, the younger guys have a little bit of that,

00:32:15but just pop like the way he's proportioned, it looks really impressive.

00:32:19And then I'm trying to think there was a, there was, Oh yeah, Drake may said, you just

00:32:23like can't cover this guy in a phone booth and in the low red zone where the offense

00:32:27looked pretty bad.

00:32:28Pop was the only one who consistently did stand out in a positive way.

00:32:31And that was kind of why he's a really tough guy to cover in short areas.

00:32:34And even if you cover him, he knows how to play bigger than his size and is great in

00:32:38those contested catch situations.

00:32:41So again, there wasn't a lot of positives to write home about for the offense, but pop

00:32:45was absolutely one of them.

00:32:47And it's just nice to see that there's some consistency on this offense, especially with

00:32:51Kendrick Bourne out another guy where you were hoping that he would be what he's been

00:32:54in the past, but we have no idea when he's going to come back.

00:32:58Right?

00:32:59Yeah.

00:33:00He's been their best receiver throughout, like consistently throughout these spring

00:33:02practices.

00:33:03And it is like you said, Alex, like we've seen him do it in real games with the pads

00:33:08on too.

00:33:09So it's not just, you know, a Trey Nixon or a Taekwon Thornton type thing like this.

00:33:13This is real.

00:33:14He moves at a different speed.

00:33:15We knew that.

00:33:16There's no other receiver on this roster who can kind of has that jitterbug ability.

00:33:20So it's insanely impressive to pump me up to hear may compare them to Josh Downs cause

00:33:24we've been saying that so much and Josh Jones was so good with Drake may caught like 90

00:33:29balls, thousand plus yards and 11 touchdowns too.

00:33:32I think so.

00:33:33That's a really fun, could be a really fun connection here to develop.

00:33:36All right.

00:33:37Let's hear from our friends at game time.

00:33:38Then we'll get into the other standout receiver.

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00:35:03Taylor, are you okay?

00:35:06Yeah, I just sometimes I got to get the ADHD out, you know, you had a little moment there

00:35:11during the during the break.

00:35:13All right.

00:35:15So I bet I bet you there's one more receiver that that stood out and that was Juju Smith

00:35:20Schuster got open all day, had a couple of touchdown catches, really seem to have a knack.

00:35:25I thought he was doing good with like the toe tap stuff.

00:35:28You know, this comes after the I wasn't any more than 60% last year.

00:35:32I'm 100% now comment from him.

00:35:34We've talked about this.

00:35:35You have four roster locks, Baker, Polk, Douglas Bourne, because when Bourne's ready to start

00:35:41the season, which sounds like he will be Osborne probably makes it.

00:35:46If he doesn't make it, it seems like it.

00:35:48They didn't keep five receivers, although Osborne had a rough day today.

00:35:53And then it's do they keep that six spot?

00:35:55And if they do, it's between Juju, Taekwon, Rager, whoever, whoever else you want to throw

00:35:59in there.

00:36:00We've talked about that, you know, kind of being a roster crunch.

00:36:06Are you believing that Juju can play his way back onto this roster?

00:36:09Brian, I'll start with you.

00:36:12I think he can.

00:36:13It wasn't he had some like drops today.

00:36:15He dropped one from from Joe Milton, but he was getting open.

00:36:18He had the touchdown in the back corner from May and then one across the middle from Jacoby.

00:36:23And then he had the other one where he was open the May interception.

00:36:26Like he was wide open on the second.

00:36:28Great job of getting open before that.

00:36:30Yeah.

00:36:31So if he's healthy like that's that's the big thing, because he looked wash last year.

00:36:35Like after the catch was very slow.

00:36:37If he's healthy and he can move a little better and he can get open, like I think there's

00:36:40a path and I keep going back to like last year, the Pittsburgh game and a week or two

00:36:45before that, it seemed like they kind of let him be more of like a big body contested catch,

00:36:51you know, slot receiver, a big guy just over the middle of the field and the Pittsburgh

00:36:56game at work.

00:36:57There were other chances where like the chemistry wasn't there with Mac and Bailey's happy because

00:37:01he missed the sprain.

00:37:02And that's something he talked about.

00:37:03So if you get some big arm quarterbacks now, you know, out on the field and he can build

00:37:08chemistry with them and his role kind of evolved.

00:37:11So he's more of maybe a big slot and he doesn't have to be this jitterbug type of guy.

00:37:15I think there's a role for him and it's not going to come on special teams.

00:37:19I thought it was noticeable today.

00:37:20They finally were kickoffs and he was the only receiver.

00:37:23He was working one on one with receiver coach Tyler Hughes because all the other receivers

00:37:27were like working on special teams.

00:37:29So it's got to come as a receiver.

00:37:31And if he's healthy, I think there is a way that maybe he could, he could sneak on it.

00:37:35And if he's productive like that, that's, that would be a huge kind of random and added

00:37:39bonus for this group to Taylor.

00:37:43He's kind of in that offensive lineman category for me, where I'm like, let's see what happened

00:37:46in the past.

00:37:47Come on.

00:37:48Because once guys can be a little more physical with him, we'll see just how much juice he

00:37:52actually has and whether he can consistently make the plays.

00:37:55Like we saw in Pittsburgh and like Brian and we're on the same page that gave me some hope

00:38:00that he can regain some kind of form where he's, you know, at least a competent receiver.

00:38:04Even as a blocker last season, there were times where he looked so bad.

00:38:07They weren't even using him as that.

00:38:09Even when it was like, all right, he's not a good receiver, but he's big.

00:38:12And then he wasn't really taking advantage of those opportunities either.

00:38:14And last year was such a cluster, you know, I'm not going to hold it against him too much.

00:38:19I definitely want to see if he can stack good days together.

00:38:22It was kind of worried me that it seemed like he was working alone with Tyler Hughes for

00:38:26a while.

00:38:27I don't know if that's good or bad.

00:38:28I don't want to blow it up or anything.

00:38:29But he wasn't working with the other guys.

00:38:30I don't know what that's about.

00:38:32You hope that he really is still 100% or at least working his way to get really close

00:38:35to that.

00:38:36But like you guys said, KJ Osborne was inconsistent today as well.

00:38:41If the young guys aren't really there yet, like Jalen Polk and Jayvon Baker, by the time

00:38:45we get towards the end of the summer, it's like they're clearly talented, but I don't

00:38:48know that we really want them to have large roles early on.

00:38:51I mean, you're paying Juju a lot of money and you're going to have to pay a lot of money

00:38:54to get rid of him.

00:38:55So I may have the cap space to eat it, obviously, but I do want to see more from him.

00:39:00But hats off to him.

00:39:02He was solid today.

00:39:03Mike.

00:39:04I'll just, again, echo what Brian said, because that was going to be my point, too, as far

00:39:10as the special teams value.

00:39:11Because oftentimes, that fifth, sixth receiver that makes a roster has to give you something

00:39:17outside of just the offense, right?

00:39:19They need to be able to be a gunner.

00:39:20They need to be able to be a kick returner.

00:39:22We noticed that there was two guys, like you said, Juju working with Tyler Hughes, and

00:39:26then on the defensive side of the ball, Christian Gonzalez was working with, I think, it might

00:39:30have been Mike Pellegrino or somebody, where those were the only two DBs or wide receivers

00:39:34that weren't in the special teams drill.

00:39:35So those guys, and obviously Christian Gonzalez is a lock, but Juju doesn't add that, where

00:39:41all the other guys do.

00:39:42Tyquan Thornton could potentially be a gunner.

00:39:44We've kind of seen him work in there sometimes.

00:39:46So like, now, does it help him that all the other guys do all that stuff so he can still

00:39:51make the roster as the sixth guy?

00:39:53Maybe.

00:39:54I will add, too, that at one point, it looked like he was getting worked on.

00:39:57I don't know if it was his foot.

00:39:58I don't know if it was his ankle.

00:39:59But Juju's health has always kind of been the thing for him for the last couple seasons.

00:40:03So if something like that pops up again, then it's going to be tough for him.

00:40:06But he did have a good day today, Alex.

00:40:08You're right.

00:40:09Like, he showed who he can be.

00:40:12It's a solid receiver.

00:40:13Now, is he going to be the guy we've seen back in Pittsburgh or even the area of Kansas

00:40:17City?

00:40:18Probably not.

00:40:19And Taylor mentioned, too, it's going to be hard to get rid of him money-wise.

00:40:21So we'll see what happens.

00:40:22But overall, a solid day for one of the veteran guys that they have.

00:40:26I'll say this.

00:40:27Money-wise?

00:40:28Sorry, Taylor.

00:40:29Go ahead.

00:40:30I just want to say, a little context for how we got open just so we can be completely transparent.

00:40:33The time where it was against Mann, it was against Mikey Victor.

00:40:36And I think the other two were against Zone.

00:40:38So...

00:40:39Well, Mikey Victor's had a...

00:40:40Let's be totally honest.

00:40:41He wouldn't get an open against, like, Alex Austin or Christian Gonzalez.

00:40:44I just want to be as transparent as possible so we know, yes, he got an open, but all of

00:40:48those circumstances.

00:40:49That's all.

00:40:51Mikey Victor's been competitive.

00:40:53He's not the worst corner on the team.

00:40:56Money-wise, maybe this is kind of being simplistic or obtuse.

00:41:00They got rid of Johnnie Smith.

00:41:01They can get rid of Juju Smith-Schuster.

00:41:02They'll figure out a way to make it work.

00:41:04That's kind of...

00:41:05Oh, we don't have to waste money.

00:41:06That's nice.

00:41:07Right.

00:41:08Somebody will have a receiver get hurt or something down the line.

00:41:12On the special teams thing, that's where I struggle with it, is you have Jalen Rager

00:41:17who has a chance to be a truly electric kicker turner.

00:41:21I don't know how good Taekwon Thornton will be as a gunner because does he have the body

00:41:24type to be a tackler?

00:41:26Tough to say, but he's trying.

00:41:29He's out there.

00:41:30He's working at it.

00:41:31I don't think Juju can just at this stage in his career with a bad knee.

00:41:34You don't want him doing that, but man, if you're the fifth receiver, you have to play

00:41:39special teams.

00:41:40You just have to, and it's just tough for me to see the math with Juju there.

00:41:47Depending on any of the other receivers, any other offensive positions we missed.

00:41:50I'll add this, actually.

00:41:52Jermichael Hasty, very involved today.

00:41:55Had a nice catch.

00:41:57We've talked about that third running back spot being a sneaky good competition.

00:42:01Hasty, Kevin Harris, Deshaun Fenwick, the other running back they signed, Terrell Jennings,

00:42:07the VFA.

00:42:08Terrell Jennings.

00:42:09Jermichael Hasty stood out a little bit today.

00:42:12So just of note.

00:42:13That back shoulder from Jacoby Brissett was pretty.

00:42:15It was a nice catch.

00:42:16It was a flat route, and I'm like, okay, good job.

00:42:19But then the back shoulder, I was like, oh, okay, that was legit.

00:42:21That was pretty cool.

00:42:22Yeah, I agree.

00:42:23I'll add that I loved what I saw from Jalen Polk today.

00:42:28He was sort of a receiver that I had my eyes on, too.

00:42:30I thought he popped at least early, and again, I tweeted it, too.

00:42:34It was routes on air, and with a grain of salt.

00:42:37You have to with this kind of stuff.

00:42:38That's the saying of OTAs, as we've mentioned many times.

00:42:42But he just looks confident in his running.

00:42:44His hands, he just catches pretty much everything.

00:42:47I don't worry about that.

00:42:48He seems confident in his hands, and so I think one push comes to shove, and again,

00:42:52you see him with some of those first groups of receivers as well.

00:42:56Look, I know it's super early, but that could turn into a really good pick and somebody

00:43:00who you can rely on in your passing game for a long time.

00:43:02So I liked what I saw from the second round rookie today.

00:43:06Especially the high points.

00:43:07He's going to be involved in the red zone.

00:43:09It's going to be in those real 50-50 kind of opportunities.

00:43:12He showed he could do it in college, and if he can do it in New England on top of Hunter

00:43:15Henry Pop, who has such good short area quickness and contested catchability, would be a great

00:43:20complimentary piece, and somebody who could probably contribute early on.

00:43:22So yeah, totally agree, Mike.

00:43:24Brian?

00:43:25I'll just say, other offensive, I'm excited for Antonio Gibson.

00:43:29I'm going to buy into Antonio Gibson again, as I do every year.

00:43:33Just how they use him, his skill set is exciting.

00:43:35And then the biggest day we've seen from the tight ends, and maybe not a huge surprise,

00:43:40but they get in the red area, like Hunter Henry involved.

00:43:43I mentioned Pat Way caught a touchdown and then basically threw a duck boat parade on

00:43:49the sideline over there.

00:43:50And then Jaheim Bell, first we saw him go up and get a high point from Bailey Zappi.

00:43:55So good to see that room get involved as well as get into the red area where they should

00:43:59kind of shine there.

00:44:01I'll actually add this too.

00:44:02He didn't do a ton, but I say this a lot in these practices, it's not necessarily how

00:44:07are you performing.

00:44:08It's who's getting the opportunities, who's on the field, who's not.

00:44:12Mitchell Wilcox was out there a lot today with Jacoby Brissett and Drake May.

00:44:18So again, just file that one away.

00:44:22Something to keep in mind.

00:44:23He got a ton of reps today.

00:44:25I think he was probably repping over Austin Hooper at times.

00:44:27I didn't see Austin Hooper a ton.

00:44:31He was working a lot of special teams, Austin Hooper.

00:44:33Okay.

00:44:34That's kind of concerning for me because I didn't love what I saw in a film from Mitchell

00:44:38Wilcox, to be honest.

00:44:40He seemed like exclusively an off-ball type of tight end, and you're using him at wide.

00:44:44I just don't think he has really the size or skill set to be that.

00:44:48And he didn't stand out in any way.

00:44:50Again, the reps were significant, but I didn't really see anything that was impressive.

00:44:55So I don't know, just because he's a guy who's been in the league, it's not a huge projection

00:44:58for him.

00:44:59He has tape that we've seen against NFL competition, and it hasn't been great.

00:45:02And I hope that's not something that continues.

00:45:04I'll just say that.

00:45:06Have we done an attendance run through and mentioned that Javon Baker was there but didn't

00:45:10do anything?

00:45:11Because...

00:45:12Just did.

00:45:13Okay.

00:45:14I think that's noteworthy too.

00:45:15I mean, he was there, but he didn't do much.

00:45:19And so again, another, don't sound the alarms, it's June 4th, but file that away as maybe

00:45:24is he dealing with something, an injury of some sort.

00:45:27We'll see what happens with minicamp next week.

00:45:29Javon Baker was there, a guy who was exciting last week, did next to nothing in today's

00:45:33practice.

00:45:34Him and Marcella Style, both limited from the rookies.

00:45:37Yeah.

00:45:38Right.

00:45:39That's that.

00:45:40All right.

00:45:41We'll use Marcella Style to transition over to the defense.

00:45:42Look, I know the biggest story of the day, defensively, was Christian Barmore.

00:45:45He was constantly getting into the backfield, all of that.

00:45:48Good.

00:45:49I don't want to take anything away from Christian Barmore.

00:45:52Again, there's no pads on, they can't really hit each other.

00:45:56I just, I have trouble like devoting a ton of energy to that because yeah, the strongest,

00:46:05most explosive lineman on the team dominated a practice with no contact.

00:46:11And like, yeah, of course he did.

00:46:13That should happen.

00:46:14They're not doubling, they're not scheming up at the line.

00:46:18Like I don't mean to like take away from him or anything.

00:46:21I know this is coming off as a little condescending, but I just, there were more interesting

00:46:27defensive developments for me today than that.

00:46:28But if we don't talk about it, it seems like we, we left something out.

00:46:30So I don't know if you guys feel differently, but that's, that's my piece.

00:46:33I feel like I have a lot to agree.

00:46:35You'd rather him do it than not.

00:46:37Right.

00:46:38Yeah.

00:46:39I know.

00:46:40I'm glad he did it.

00:46:41Yeah.

00:46:42But I think if you were like, hey, Barmore, how do you feel you did today?

00:46:43I think he would give a similar answer to you.

00:46:44It's like, there was only so much I really could do.

00:46:47It's great that you can push someone backwards when you're massive and freakishly strong.

00:46:50But yeah, I don't think he would be taking any victory laps himself either.

00:46:53Right.

00:46:54We're not betting him for defensive player of the year.

00:46:56We're not hitting any sack totals.

00:46:57Well, you can, but not for today.

00:47:02Like I'm saying, we're not going to go back.

00:47:04Let's say he has like, for whatever reason, I don't think so happens to the dominant player,

00:47:07but let's say like the first practice of the summer with pads, he doesn't have a dominant

00:47:11day.

00:47:12I'm not going to be coming back.

00:47:13We shouldn't be coming back and be like, well, that one day at OTAs, he was amazing.

00:47:16Like he's the best lineman on either side of the ball on the team by a wide margin.

00:47:22It's not close prior confirmed.

00:47:24What is more interesting to me today, it's kind of a two-parter one, Christian Gonzalez,

00:47:30more involved.

00:47:31He really only did individual and positional drills.

00:47:34The first two practices we saw, he sat out team drills today involved in team drills

00:47:39have had, you know, a couple of close coverages.

00:47:41I thought he looked good.

00:47:42He moved well, all of that, even with him doing more now granted, Jonathan Jones wasn't

00:47:47there, but even with him doing more, Alex Austin was still on the field.

00:47:52A ton Gerard Mayo was highly complimentary of him before practice.

00:47:58You want, if we want to buy stock, if we want to do that thing, right.

00:48:02Alex Austin, like what I'm seeing from out, that's more, I wasn't expecting this.

00:48:08This is new.

00:48:09There's actually something to sink your teeth into here because man, if, if they feel Alex

00:48:14Austin can be competitive boundary corner and he had two more pass breaks up breakups

00:48:18today, working with that top unit, we I've said this a lot, like as good as John Jones

00:48:24has been on the boundary the last couple of years, and there still are situations like

00:48:28when you play the dolphins, you're just going to match him, right?

00:48:31You're not going to play slot boundary against team built like Miami, but for that, you know,

00:48:35default defensive package, if Alex Austin can be a player, you have Christian Gonzalez,

00:48:41Alex Austin, John Jones in the slot with Marcus Jones and potentially Sean Wade or Isaiah

00:48:47Bolden or Marco Wilson, giving you some flexibility.

00:48:50That is a big boy secondary.

00:48:54So I continue to be very encouraged by what we've seen from Alex Austin so far.

00:49:00Alex doll.

00:49:01Austin's kind of given Jack Jones vibes where it was like consistently, you would see him

00:49:05show up in practice to be clear on the field.

00:49:07Yeah.

00:49:08I was going to say easy.

00:49:09Does it Taylor?

00:49:12I hope that's obvious, but it is the same where every single practice you see him around

00:49:16the ball making plays and you can't really say that about anybody else.

00:49:20And then we spoke to him for a little bit after practice and he mentioned that it has

00:49:24helped with camaraderie and just himself being able to have more experience now that he's

00:49:28been with the team for a while and has gotten to learn more about the system and everything

00:49:33like that.

00:49:34So I would for sure buy stock in Alex Austin.

00:49:36I liked him last year.

00:49:38Mike Pellegrino, I know likes him as well.

00:49:40So he's someone that if you want to get excited, a lot of things get excited about with this

00:49:45But for a quarterback position where you're hoping someone emerges, he's done that for

00:49:49you and there hasn't been any plays either where you're saying, oh, he was good, but

00:49:54I can't really, I think there was one play last week where he might've gotten too aggressive

00:49:59and I looked like he might've tackled someone to the ground.

00:50:01That's the only thing where it's just like, all right, you know, ease up a little bit,

00:50:04but also the fire he brings, man, if he can emerge as a starter, you get that fiery again,

00:50:09Jack Jones on the field type, or it's just a different kind of swagger that you don't

00:50:14get from John Jones and Christian Gonzalez, who are more kind of quiet, reserved guys,

00:50:17closer to like a Peppers, who also was very fiery today.

00:50:20I don't know if you guys heard that he, he got in someone's ear and dropped a couple

00:50:25expletives.

00:50:26It was very funny.

00:50:27He's super entertaining.

00:50:28Yeah.

00:50:29I've been cautious about getting excited about the second side of Christian Gonzalez only

00:50:35because if it doesn't work out, you know, that that's a serious problem on this team.

00:50:41So I've been like, all right, let's, let's just wait and see how it goes.

00:50:44You know, don't, don't give Alex Austin the starter job yet, but today kind of changed

00:50:48the course and changed my mind.

00:50:49Like that's been a talking point is that other side where if again, Alex, you said it best,

00:50:55like if you don't have to put Jonathan Jones on the boundary and you can rely on one of

00:50:59these young guys and trust them, then there's just the trickle down effect in the rest of

00:51:03the, in the rest of the room and the rest of the defense that just makes it again, an

00:51:06a plus unit.

00:51:07And so if it can continue great, because then you don't have to go and spend money on a

00:51:12step, feel more to be your, you know, your break glass in case of emergency type guy,

00:51:16you can just rely on these young guys, Christian Gonzalez keeps doing this thing and then you

00:51:20move forward from there.

00:51:21So yeah, definitely a an encouraging day from Austin who there, there was one play too,

00:51:26that set up with him.

00:51:27It was starters on starters had a nice pass back up on type on Thor and on a passenger

00:51:31call.

00:51:32You're set, had a couple more of those, but that's one that stood out for me.

00:51:34So yeah.

00:51:35All is well in the outsourcing department so far.

00:51:38Yeah, he's been, he's been very good.

00:51:41And you know, Gerard said this morning that after last year, they said like, this is an

00:51:45NFL player.

00:51:46And we saw those flashes, like the interception against the bills, a good, good performance

00:51:52against the chiefs late in the year.

00:51:54So he's got some talent.

00:51:55So now like you said, no, John Jones, no Marcus Jones today will be interesting in mini camp

00:52:00when all these guys are here, how that kind of, how that room shakes out.

00:52:03You still imagine they're going to mix and match, right?

00:52:05They're a game playing defense, but how's that kind of base lineup going to, is it was

00:52:09Alex Austin work his way to the outside as, as John Jones still out there.

00:52:13So that'll be something that's kind of the top of the list next week in mini camp.

00:52:17One other defensive thought for me, Jalen Hawkins getting a ton of run with that top

00:52:21unit.

00:52:22I still think he's going to be their answer for when they want to go true free safety

00:52:26Duggar and peppers in the box.

00:52:28We've seen him in that role quite a bit.

00:52:31And he's another player to keep an eye on.

00:52:34Isn't Mop who had a breakup on Jaheim bell in two practices?

00:52:37Yeah.

00:52:38Yeah.

00:52:39But he has no today.

00:52:41He had one.

00:52:42Was it one?

00:52:43And I feel like, cause I remember, I think Mike, I was next to you and I was like, frankly,

00:52:47I liked Jaheim bell, but if Marty Mop was against him, he should be getting a breakup.

00:52:50I remember saying that in another practice and saw it today and it felt like deja vu.

00:52:54So again, he should be doing that, but I love him in that tight end eraser role.

00:52:58And in that, like in that big dime package where I think Jabril peppers is best at free

00:53:01safety Duggar in that D Mac role where he's kind of Robin in the middle.

00:53:06And then Marty Mop, who either as the tight end eraser, as that guy who's in the deep

00:53:09hole.

00:53:10And yeah, he's making plays, but you like to see Hawkins thoughts on defense.

00:53:15Yeah.

00:53:16Like, yeah, that's your free safety kind of body type.

00:53:19Right.

00:53:20And if we had to do 53 roster projections now, he'd probably be on it because also they

00:53:24did one punt drill today and it wasn't like they didn't actually punt.

00:53:28They just did the jugs, but they lined up and he was the personal protector on the first

00:53:32unit.

00:53:33And that was a job that was Adrian Phillips and Cody Davis for the last two, three years.

00:53:38And they're obviously both gone.

00:53:39So it looks like Hawkins might have the first crack there.

00:53:43And like, that's if he's doing that, if he's that free safety body type, like he could

00:53:47be on this 53 man roster where we stand right now on June 4th, obviously a long way to go,

00:53:52but he's been pretty active and involved early on here.

00:53:55All right.

00:53:56Finally.

00:53:57Completely on.

00:53:58Hold on.

00:53:59Go ahead.

00:54:00Completely unrelated.

00:54:01No.

00:54:02I don't think Adrian Phillips and Lawrence guy signed anywhere.

00:54:03No.

00:54:04I was thinking about that when I was, cause I wrote that today and I'm like, they didn't

00:54:09sign.

00:54:10They probably don't want to participate in spring practice right now, but they're still

00:54:13out there.

00:54:14Yeah.

00:54:15They're both free agents.

00:54:16Good call.

00:54:17Interesting.

00:54:18All right.

00:54:19Good call.

00:54:20Continue Alec.

00:54:21All right.

00:54:22Special teams.

00:54:23Couple notable special teams happenings today.

00:54:24First off field goal.

00:54:25One live field goal period.

00:54:26Five kicks.

00:54:27All four.

00:54:28Wow.

00:54:29Chad Ryland.

00:54:32Still no Joey.

00:54:33Sly kicking Ryland.

00:54:34It was an adventure.

00:54:35He went four or five, but two of the kicks went directly over the left upright in the

00:54:41third.

00:54:42Just snuck in the right side by less than a football is with.

00:54:44So all from about 40 ish yards, it's just tough to tell from our angle.

00:54:48The lines on the field are a little faded exactly where he was kicking from, but call

00:54:52it 40 to 45, 48, somewhere in that range.

00:54:57Deeper than definitely deeper than last week.

00:54:59Definitely deeper than last week, but he also missed last week as well.

00:55:04He's still a little erratic.

00:55:07That's just what it is.

00:55:08Like he's it's better, but that's in a practice setting.

00:55:12So you know, Birmingham stallions, they play on Saturday as that's their semifinal.

00:55:20If they make the championship, it's another week.

00:55:21And then Jake Bates is eligible to sign any of the other, you know, the UFL once their

00:55:26season's over, they'll have to wait through the playoffs.

00:55:28So more kickers are going to become available.

00:55:30I don't know if I'm the Patriots, Chloe, they don't Joey slides just here to be a presence.

00:55:35I don't think he's here to kick footballs.

00:55:37If I'm the Patriots, I'm starting to look at those UFL kickers.

00:55:40I'm starting to seriously look at those UFL kickers, right?

00:55:44I mean, yeah, like I don't know.

00:55:50It's eight for 10 here in the spring.

00:55:52Like he's still making them.

00:55:53All right.

00:55:54So it's eight for 10, but let's, I mean, again, two directly over the upright.

00:55:58They all count.

00:55:59They all count the same in the scorebook.

00:56:00So those don't.

00:56:01Cause you never know when the refs are going to have something up out of the side you're

00:56:07talking about.

00:56:08I was like, I don't, I don't know.

00:56:09That didn't eat.

00:56:10If it was like that, I hate that whole rule where it's like they go up to infinity.

00:56:13It's like, sure.

00:56:14If it goes to infinity, it's going to bounce off.

00:56:15What are you talking about?

00:56:16Well, but it can bounce in.

00:56:17That's the thing you can do.

00:56:18I can't kick it.

00:56:19It's stupid.

00:56:20And eventually those already, well, they did that already.

00:56:23They did that like 10 years ago.

00:56:25You ever watch old football and the goalposts seem like super squatty, like how high are

00:56:30we going to make them?

00:56:31Is it going to be the Kibbe dome where we're just going to hang them from the roof?

00:56:34Use Chad Ryland to practice how high you got to make them.

00:56:39Maybe that should be at every team, a different height goalposts, and it can be like a home

00:56:45field advantage thing.

00:56:46If you have a really bad kicker, you have low goalposts.

00:56:48If you have a kicker that can nail it, you have high goalposts, but yeah, not, not a

00:56:53great day for Chad Ryland today, uh, in terms of field goals again, he was four or five.

00:56:58So I feel weird saying that, but he, he was spraying ball and the one that missed, it

00:57:01wasn't very close.

00:57:02So, um, the kicker watch remains on the other thing we did finally see kickoffs and all

00:57:09three kickers got a slide Beringer.

00:57:12All three got a chance.

00:57:13Ryland got the most of it.

00:57:16They were trying some different kickoff looks.

00:57:18There were some traditional like looping kickoffs ball up on the tee.

00:57:22They did one where they put the ball flat on the T and kicked it more like a line drive

00:57:26directional kicking return wise.

00:57:28They use two players.

00:57:30The most interesting thing for me though, and this is where, this is why I love this

00:57:33because like, we're going to have to see it to like really start to break this down.

00:57:38And this is something I never considered.

00:57:40So if you're, there's a major challenge here built in for the return team that I personally

00:57:47didn't recognize until now and talk to some other people, not in the league, but like

00:57:52other reporters or just people who were football, you know, observers maybe isn't being discussed

00:57:57as much as it should.

00:57:58So you can't move until the ball hits the ground or the return or catches it.

00:58:02Right?

00:58:03So if you're on the coverage team, that's no, the coverage team, it's easy because you're

00:58:08looking at the current team, your back is right.

00:58:11So the coverage team is looking back there.

00:58:12They know when to go.

00:58:13Exactly.

00:58:14The return team.

00:58:15Like there were times where you saw guys lined up and they're lined up like this.

00:58:20They're lined up looking over their shoulder and they got to wait and see when that falls

00:58:23caught or hits the ground.

00:58:24And the reality is if you in the time it takes to see that register and look back, the defense

00:58:33now has advantage.

00:58:34They're coming at you guys are moving.

00:58:36So what are the other options?

00:58:38All right.

00:58:39Bye.

00:58:40Mike.

00:58:41I guess hates this.

00:58:42Take.

00:58:43All right.

00:58:44You good?

00:58:45Yeah.

00:58:46All right.

00:58:47Whatever.

00:58:48I guess.

00:58:49I don't know.

00:58:50All of a sudden you guys.

00:58:51All right.

00:58:52So where was I?

00:58:53So, yeah.

00:58:54So you can look back over your shoulder, but then you have that delay.

00:58:56One thing I thought I saw them do today, maybe I just registered this and it's not what they

00:59:00were doing on purpose, but you could have one guy on that line who's assigned to look

00:59:06back and he yells go or something.

00:59:09The other thing you can do is, cause this is how, you know, I noticed the balls loud

00:59:14when it hits the pads of the returner and maybe you go on the sound.

00:59:18So here's the thing about those last two, whether it's a guy calling out a signal or

00:59:22the ball hitting, if you're on the road, that can be erased.

00:59:29Even home.

00:59:30It could be tough at home.

00:59:31Well, so if what smart teams should do, you know how in the Patriots offense on the field

00:59:36up, right?

00:59:37Quiet offense at work.

00:59:38They put up on the scoreboard.

00:59:39Like this needs to be communicated to NFL fans.

00:59:42So listen up, tell your friends if you're planning on going to games when you're well,

00:59:48so when your team is returning, shut up.

00:59:51When your team is kicking off, be loud because you don't want the other team to be able to

00:59:56communicate.

00:59:57Now, maybe there are other ways around it that I'm not thinking of.

00:59:59Maybe you watch the scoreboard and maybe that's what I literally just thought of that.

01:00:03Now, maybe that erases all of this.

01:00:05Maybe you're looking at a scoreboard to see it.

01:00:06We got a big scoreboard.

01:00:08They should be able to see, but it is on a little bit of a delay.

01:00:12True.

01:00:13It is on a little bit of a delay.

01:00:14So, you know, I, I gotta, I, I gotta ask some people about it, but like, I love it.

01:00:19Like there's all these new wrinkles to it.

01:00:21I keep figuring out.

01:00:22It's so cool.

01:00:23So that was my big takeaway from kickoff today.

01:00:25I don't know if you, how you guys feel, uh, if you have any thoughts on, on the strategy,

01:00:29I know that some of the returns they're setting up there, it looked like they were working

01:00:31on some more intricate blocking schemes.

01:00:33Um, Taylor, we'll start with you.

01:00:37You shouldn't start with me.

01:00:38I like to start with Brian.

01:00:39I just, I, it's so new, man.

01:00:41I was like, how do we not let Brian go first?

01:00:50Yeah.

01:00:51Yeah.

01:00:52All right.

01:00:53Brian went first for Chad Ryland.

01:00:54That's the fun part.

01:00:55It's new.

01:00:56We got to watch it develop right in front of our eyes.

01:00:58But I noticed that too, like, how are they going to respond to that?

01:01:02How are they going to get off?

01:01:03Cause you are like, those guys are right in your face now and they have a running start,

01:01:07the coverage team.

01:01:08So you got to be quick with that.

01:01:10Uh, some of the schemes looks like maybe like a run play type thing without getting into

01:01:15too much detail.

01:01:16But, uh, the only other thing you have a choice, a two man return team or one man return team.

01:01:21They were pretty consistent two man return team, which is, I think the right call.

01:01:25Me too.

01:01:26That's how I would, that's how I'd attack it.

01:01:28You get one block or there, at least with kind of a running start, you can work in reverses.

01:01:33They didn't do any of that today.

01:01:34That's probably something more down the line, but, uh, yeah, that, that's what I would do.

01:01:38I liked the two back there and that's how they kind of did it.

01:01:41It was, uh, Rager and Gibson got the first crack.

01:01:44They rotated a lot of guys, but those, those were the first two up on that return team.

01:01:49Mike.

01:01:50Yeah.

01:01:51You guys nailed it.

01:01:53Um, my only other, you know, sort of observation there was like Brian said with Gibson and,

01:01:57uh, who was it?

01:01:58It was a Gibson.

01:01:59Now I'm losing my Rager Rager Polk was back there.

01:02:04Wallace was back there.

01:02:05There was a ton of guys.

01:02:08So they're, you know, they're, they're rolling those guys through.

01:02:10We'll see what happens.

01:02:11But, um, the other thing too, was that a lot of the times when they did the kickoffs was

01:02:16they laid the ball flat and they're trying to sort of like just lob it into that sort

01:02:20of the landing zone is what you call it.

01:02:22So trying to figure out a way to not kick it out of bounds, not kick it out.

01:02:26And they also got it down there pretty quickly, which I thought was interesting.

01:02:29It wasn't like they were leaving it in the air.

01:02:30It basically just throw it in the landing zone and try and let them return it somehow.

01:02:35So maybe that's a way to get the ball there quickly.

01:02:37It bounces quick.

01:02:38It hits off a guy and then it's a live ball or something.

01:02:41I don't know, but they were, it, it sort of seemed like they were, uh, well, so fooled

01:02:44around with that.

01:02:45So

01:02:46the coverage team can move when the ball hits the ground, not when it's caught.

01:02:50That's a difference from the XFL rule because they did tweak it.

01:02:53And if there's a risk there, because if the ball rolls into the end zone, it rolls out

01:02:58of bounds.

01:02:59Obviously you're giving up a ton of yards, but also right.

01:03:02If you can play it where the ball's going to hit the ground first, you don't allow the

01:03:08returner to get that head start.

01:03:09So I would definitely experiment with ways to put the ball on the ground and bounce it

01:03:13to the returner rather than just outright kick it off.

01:03:16And it did look like there were different ways they were doing it.

01:03:18Sometimes it was flat and it looked more like there were times where it was up and then

01:03:22you really wanted to try to get the hang time.

01:03:25So that was what I, to be honest, I made the mistake of watching from the opposite field.

01:03:28So I was watching another drill.

01:03:29I looked over, had binoculars and I'm like, I can't see what's going on.

01:03:32And by the time I got over there, it was a little late, Brian, I told you, I was like,

01:03:35yeah, that was a mistake.

01:03:36I shouldn't have done that.

01:03:37So I know for next time, it's kind of, it's hard to process when you're looking through

01:03:40a binocular, but I thought that was interesting, the different ways they were practicing actually

01:03:44getting the ball down there.

01:03:46And then again, the returners where it was like the receivers who were good in space,

01:03:50like the running backs, like Kevin Harris back there.

01:03:52So yeah, they were mixing and matching different groupings, but yeah, Brian, I mean, you nailed

01:03:57it.

01:03:58There were a lot of like heavy personnel, tight ends, linebackers in the middle.

01:04:01And then like, as you got wider out, it was more corners and some of those lighter body

01:04:05types.

01:04:06So maybe that who knows, maybe that will change by the time they dive farther into this.

01:04:13The only other thing like kind of surprised Isaiah Bolden isn't returning kicks like at

01:04:17all.

01:04:18Like they had seven or eight guys again, it's two returners back there.

01:04:22So like they had seven or eight guys rotated in there and Isaiah Bolden wasn't one.

01:04:27He was like historically good in college at Jacksonville state.

01:04:31He almost broke one like in the preseason when he was healthy last year.

01:04:34So that's someone who you would imagine would factor into that equation.

01:04:37But maybe with the new rules, they see something different and he hasn't been back there.

01:04:41So that was just something noticeable in the return game too.

01:04:44All right.

01:04:45Anybody else?

01:04:46If not, I wanted to hit on a couple of quick things really quick and then we'll wrap it

01:04:49up.

01:04:50Go for it.

01:04:51All right.

01:04:52Some Jets fan was in here talking trash.

01:04:53Why do you guys even talk about the past games?

01:04:56I talk about the Patriots because I get paid to talk about football.

01:04:58It's a beautiful thing.

01:04:59You should try to experience it sometimes.

01:05:01Not that easy, but it's a ton of fun.

01:05:02Oh yeah.

01:05:03You're right.

01:05:04Jesus.

01:05:05And they're going to win more than two games and it's practice.

01:05:08Let's see it on game day.

01:05:09Yeah.

01:05:10That's kind of the whole summation of the show.

01:05:11That's going to be the summation of the next few months, but they don't play a game for

01:05:14another few months.

01:05:15This is what we have to talk about.

01:05:16We got a show today.

01:05:17We got to talk.

01:05:18This is what we're going to talk about.

01:05:19We got a show to do today.

01:05:20That's damn right.

01:05:21So that'll do it for us.

01:05:23So that I, we can kind of play in a little bit live on the air here.

01:05:26I think the plan is, I don't think we're going to do crossover shows for the first couple

01:05:31days of mini camp.

01:05:32Like, so it's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

01:05:34I think just because there's a lot going on, it's going to be Patriots beat.

01:05:38It's going to be Patriots daily Monday and Tuesday.

01:05:41There won't be a show after Wednesday's practice because we will be at Gillette all night for

01:05:46the Tom Brady ceremony on Wednesday and then game three of the NBA finals.

01:05:51But, uh, the Brady ceremony.

01:05:52So I think the plan is to come back on Thursday.

01:05:55All four of us do a big show, full mini camp recap, spring practice recap, and the Brady

01:06:03ceremony.

01:06:04So that'll be a fun one that will definitely be one to tune into.

01:06:07So it'll be like a four and a half hour show.

01:06:09Yeah, that's going to be, that that's going to be a marathon and that, and I mean, but

01:06:13then we go on, I mean, we'll still be doing shows, but it's summer break for Patriots

01:06:17coverage.

01:06:18It says down of a time as you get on the NFL calendar.

01:06:21So make sure you subscribe to the Patriots.

01:06:25Make sure you subscribe to the Patriots, CLNS channel, you'll get our Patriots daily Patriots

01:06:29beat.

01:06:30All right, Taylor, you have a list of free agents.

01:06:32You want to pull that up?

01:06:33Oh, cause somebody asked if there were any good free agents left.

01:06:36Mike and I kind of touch on this in our mailbag.

01:06:38So I already have a list if we want to just look at it real quick and see if any names

01:06:41pop out.

01:06:42You can pull it up.

01:06:43I'll just say this.

01:06:45I, we're in, we're still in that period where, um, guys aren't going to want to do OTAs.

01:06:52I think we're still in the period where free agents count against comp picks, right?

01:06:56Doesn't that end?

01:06:58That ended after the draft.

01:06:59Oh, did it?

01:07:00Okay.

01:07:01So maybe some guys signed, but, um, I probably going to be like summer additions.

01:07:04I don't think this is anybody they'd sign anytime soon, but these are people that are

01:07:07available.

01:07:08So Elliot time range, right?

01:07:10I, there's a couple of names I like on here just at first glance, I'll give you my opinion.

01:07:14Gilmore.

01:07:15Obviously I've been huge on that.

01:07:16Um, Justin Simmons would love to see him, um, Yannick and Gawkway share.

01:07:22I don't really know what his role would be, but he's a good player.

01:07:25Um, I, I always say I've gotten asked a ton about David Bakhtiari.

01:07:30If he could still play, he'd be on the jets.

01:07:33That's just the reality.

01:07:34And like, just talking to people, I think he's just, his knees done.

01:07:38He's played 10 games in the last three years.

01:07:41You want to bring him in on a flyer?

01:07:42That's it.

01:07:43I would also add guard to this list because there's, um, uh, there's a couple of guys

01:07:52and now I'm blanking on the names I think is one, maybe one, but, um, there's a couple,

01:07:59I have it on, on, on my thing here.

01:08:01There's a couple of guys who played for McAdoo in New York that are available who like were

01:08:05starters last year.

01:08:07Okay.

01:08:08Um, Mark Lewinsky is a Mark Lewinsky and Justin Pugh.

01:08:13I'd also add Trey Turner and Phil Haynes are, are, were starters last year.

01:08:16So it wouldn't surprise me if they sign a veteran guard.

01:08:20Yeah.

01:08:21Also in this list, if the left tackle spot is so bad, they still have to break glass

01:08:26in case of emergency options in Donovan Smith.

01:08:29If he wants to be on a rebuilding team and Charles Leno, who was just on the commander.

01:08:33So I don't really know that he's going to be super picky.

01:08:35I have DJ Humphries with an asterisk because he tore his ACL.

01:08:38He's not going to be ready for a while now with that is yeah.

01:08:41And then Micah Hyde as an asterisk said, because he said he'd only want to play for

01:08:45the bills or he's going to retire.

01:08:47Maybe they can bring in, maybe they can bring in one of those left tackles and cross train

01:08:50to a right tackle.

01:08:53Uh, no, we need Riley reef back to play guard.

01:09:00Yeah.

01:09:01Charles, Charles Leno's the guy I'd sign.

01:09:03Maybe they bring back Riley reef to play guard.

01:09:04Like that's the thing.

01:09:05Um, he wasn't bad at guard.

01:09:09No, he wasn't bad at guard.

01:09:10They just took them forever to figure that out.

01:09:12By the time they figured it out, he blew out his knee in the preseason game.

01:09:15Uh, yeah, I, I'd go Charles Leno here if I was going to at, at corner.

01:09:21I mean, I just love the idea of Steph Gilmore.

01:09:23I, the other three options honestly aren't bad, but I, I, one Steph's been here to, I

01:09:29like stylistically him working with Gilmore or him working with Gonzalez is just such

01:09:36an attractive option to me.

01:09:40If the cornerback competition with the young guys doesn't work out a hundred percent, I

01:09:43feel like it's a no brainer.

01:09:44Also JC Jackson, I should have put on this list.

01:09:46That's my bad.

01:09:47Um, but yeah, it's kind of a different situation.

01:09:50I mean, he's still a free agent though.

01:09:52And if we're talking about guys, they would add that Gerard Mayo is specifically brought

01:09:55him up as someone that they would be open to reuniting with.

01:09:58Uh, Chris price actually mentioned on our show that he is an option or somebody that

01:10:02could bring in.

01:10:03So, I mean, if we're talking most realistic guys, again, I love Steph, but we can't ignore

01:10:07JC Jackson.

01:10:08I guess my point is like, I don't know that I think JC Jackson either plays for the Patriots

01:10:13this year.

01:10:14He doesn't play like these are some guys that you might step Gilmore's going to have a market

01:10:18when the time comes.

01:10:19David Howard's going to have a market when the time comes.

01:10:22I think JC Jacks, I think JC Jackson, you call them when I say a market, I don't mean

01:10:2632 teams.

01:10:27I mean, I think there'll be a couple, right?

01:10:29So I think with the way last year went, the Patriots know JC Jackson, they're familiar

01:10:34with him.

01:10:35So they have that inside.

01:10:36Um, I, I, I think if you want JC Jackson, you can call him.

01:10:40He'll show up.

01:10:41I don't think you have to worry about him going elsewhere.

01:10:44So that, that's what I mean by different situation for sure.

01:10:48Anybody else?

01:10:49Any other thoughts on the free ages?

01:10:50I just love Justin Simmons.

01:10:52Yeah, that's, that's what, although Jalen Hawkins showing up, showing up.

01:10:58So I do not, Justin Simmons is not coming.

01:11:02I'll say this.

01:11:03I, I noticed you didn't put, I noticed you put running backs on there, even though that

01:11:07could be a neat, there's no good running backs.

01:11:10That's why there's no wild.

01:11:14Maybe they'll re-sign CJ Marable who they had in camp last year, UFL standout.

01:11:18But it's in a league where we talk about, there's so many extra running backs.

01:11:25There aren't right now.

01:11:26It's kind of crazy.

01:11:27So that's maybe an after roster cut down thing.

01:11:29First of all, I made this in my free time and I don't know how to use Photoshop.

01:11:32So no, you can't get a semi-pro graphic.

01:11:35And this is what this show is.

01:11:36It is.

01:11:37Yeah.

01:11:38Don't call it on it.

01:11:40Just grinding it out.

01:11:41Football stuff.

01:11:42We don't have time for fancy graphics.

01:11:43That's not what you think this is three, three yards in a cloud of dust kind of broadcasts.

01:11:49So that seems like as good a note as any to end it on.

01:11:52So again, a Patriots beat.

01:11:54We'll be back at some point this week.

01:11:55I got to text you, Brian, because we got the finals Thursday.

01:11:57I got to figure out what I'm doing.

01:12:00Taylor and Mike, it's Patriots daily.

01:12:02So you will be back tomorrow, I would assume.

01:12:03Anything you want to plug?

01:12:05It's a big week for guests.

01:12:07You know, not a ton going on in the football world right now, but tomorrow I've got Trevor

01:12:11Sycamore from PFF.

01:12:13That's going to be really exciting.

01:12:14I've got Steven Ruiz on Thursday coming by.

01:12:18And then on Friday, I've got Andre Weingarten.

01:12:21He has spent time as a Madden ratings adjuster, as well as someone who's been a pro scout

01:12:25in the league.

01:12:26So a lot of really smart, well-informed opinions that are going to be on the show.

01:12:30Should be a blast.

01:12:31Weingarten's good.

01:12:32You know, just following him on Twitter, he's good.

01:12:34So Madden stuff.

01:12:35Yeah.

01:12:36That's what he does.

01:12:37Oh yeah.

01:12:38So you can check that.

01:12:39I wrote about Madden today.

01:12:40985sportsup.com.

01:12:41Brian's stuff is on Pat's pulpit.

01:12:43These two guys on the end, Mike Taylor, CLNSmedia.com.

01:12:47So for Brian Hines, Taylor Kyles, Mike Kadlik, I'm Alex Barth.

01:12:50Thanks for tuning in.

01:12:51We'll talk to you next time.

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