- yesterday
Felger and Mazz invite Alex Barth onto the show to discuss the latest news from Day 7 of Patriots Training Camp, including analysis of Will Campbell's performance.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00So we've got eyes and ears in the form of Alex Barth, 98.5thesportshub.com,
00:05joining us now down the line from Gillette.
00:06Hi, Barthie.
00:08Hey, guys.
00:08I was told to extend an invite if you want to come down.
00:11No, thanks.
00:13Okay, Barthie.
00:15How will Campbell look today?
00:16Yeah, it was his roughest day of the three days in pads so far,
00:20and it was really one period that Caleb on chase on got to him,
00:24beat him for a couple sacks, had one, two pressures in that as well.
00:27It was all chase on who's been great,
00:28but Campbell, it's that outside-in move.
00:31That was, you know, arm length aside in terms of the schematics.
00:35The big issue for him coming out of college was how he handles those sorts of moves,
00:39and it got him a couple times today.
00:42So he'll need to bounce back from that.
00:44He'll need to work back from that.
00:45But when they're in those more traditional pass sets,
00:47those more straight dropbacks, that's where you really wanted to see him.
00:50He steadied himself after the start, but, you know, after two sacks,
00:54that's going to be the storyline.
00:55So why does that outside-inside get in trouble?
00:58Can you explain that?
00:59Like, what is it about that?
01:00Because if it's not an arm length thing, I thought his feet were good.
01:04Is it about moving?
01:05Like, what's the issue?
01:06It is a little bit of an arm length thing.
01:08It's not directly an arm length thing.
01:10Like, your arm length doesn't prevent you from blocking that move.
01:14But we talked about this a lot during the draft.
01:16He has shorter arms.
01:17That matters.
01:18It's not disqualifying.
01:19But how does he compensate?
01:20And some of how he compensates at times is he kind of cheats a little bit to the outside.
01:24So if he's cheating to the outside, the guy sets up outside, he buys.
01:28Well, now the inside's exposed.
01:29So it's just something he's going to have to work on getting better at.
01:33His footwork's good, but it can be better.
01:34It's, you know, faster footwork and just studying tape and recognizing more when guys are going to try to attack him with that sort of move.
01:41Well, correct me if I'm wrong.
01:42Yeah.
01:43Have I read more about him struggling than excelling?
01:46I mean, I've seen both, you know, when he's in full 11-on-11, you know, I feel the reports are better.
01:53Or when he's in running situations, it's better.
01:56But, you know, then I would key on white, ragdoll him, or Jason had a day against him.
02:00Am I sensing more bad than good with Will Campbell?
02:04The bad, so I think if you were just add up the good and the bad, there's been more good plays.
02:08But the few times he's been beat, he's been beat pretty clean.
02:11So you mentioned that one-on-one with Keyon White on the first day of pads.
02:15I mean, that was a dominant win from Keyon White.
02:17After that, Will Campbell had a solid day, but it was about 50-50 because it was the first rep and it was against Keyon White and all that.
02:24Same thing today.
02:24He had more good plays than bad, but it's that four-play stretch where you have two sacks and a pressure.
02:30Because they're all kind of in a sequence there, I think it's a little emphasized.
02:34So that's also something he can clean up, right?
02:36If you're going to get beat, and he did have a nice recovery in one-on-ones in his second rep today.
02:41It looked like he was going to be beat initially, kind of shuffled his feet and got the guy back to the outside.
02:45That was against Keyon White.
02:47But, you know, when he gets beat, minimize it.
02:49Because any lineman is going to get beat.
02:51What the really good ones can do, you get beat, but you minimize it and you recover.
02:55Let me ask you something.
02:56Sure.
02:57Has anyone else been working at left tackle with the ones?
02:59No.
03:00Do you think, and now it just pops into my head, if they get an early read that he might not be ready for left tackle.
03:09He's a rookie.
03:10Okay, never mind the physical limitations.
03:12Do you think that they would pull the plug on him at left tackle early and not go through that?
03:18Or do you think, maybe to partly justify the draft position or their preseason plan, he's left tackle come hell or high water?
03:26So, I don't think so for two reasons.
03:28One, I think he got to see him against NFL talent.
03:30And I don't think they would make that switch before the season starts.
03:33Maybe he has a quick hook come September if he has a rough camp.
03:36I think it would have to be really bad to make that switch.
03:38The other thing, I don't know who's replacing him.
03:41Like, Vidarian Lowe's on PUP and he obviously wasn't great last year.
03:45You see her Durant got hurt yesterday.
03:46He wasn't back out there today.
03:48Marcus Bryant's a swing tackle.
03:49He's been mostly on the right side.
03:51That's kind of it for their left tackles.
03:53They don't really have anybody else.
03:53Like, this is an understated story at camp.
03:56Even if Campbell's good and gets hurt, I don't know who their backup left tackle is.
04:00They've kind of been rotating, guys.
04:01This is something I'm going to start thinking about.
04:04You know.
04:05Make sure you go down there.
04:08That they're all in on Campbell and really have no one else.
04:11No, I mean, so.
04:12You're right, though, Jim.
04:14But.
04:14Thank you, Alex.
04:15It's about the kid.
04:16Do you risk, if he's not ready to play left tackle day one.
04:21And do you risk, you know, ruining his confidence?
04:25Or sort of setting him back as a player?
04:28Sure.
04:28Because he gets off to a bad start on a high-pressure position.
04:31He's getting Drake May killed.
04:33Or they're having to send extra protection over there on a regular basis.
04:36It's limiting the offense because there's always a tight end or a running back.
04:39You know.
04:40So, et cetera.
04:41And, you know, at what point do you say it's not worth it?
04:47Move him to guard where he's more comfortable or probably more suited.
04:51Let him get his feet.
04:51And if you, you know, go from there.
04:53As opposed to starting at left tackle.
04:55If he's not ready.
04:55And I'm jumping the gun a little bit, Alex.
04:58I admit it.
04:59But.
04:59Is there at the very least.
05:00It's something they should.
05:01I mean.
05:01If he's not ready.
05:03I don't know the point of putting him out there.
05:05What I would ask back to you.
05:06And this goes back to kind of the theme of last year.
05:08Or you talk about his confidence and his progress and where he's at.
05:10This is all about Drake May.
05:12If whoever you're.
05:14Like, part of answering that question is who are you replacing him with.
05:17Even if you think he's going to struggle.
05:18If whoever you're replacing him with represents a significant drop off.
05:22Does that prohibit you?
05:23Because it's really hard to answer that question without knowing who the best.
05:27Who the backup left tackle is.
05:28And not knowing who the backup left tackle is.
05:30Is in and of itself a problem.
05:33Well, it feels like a lack of a contingency plan.
05:35Like, it's just, oh, the rookie's going to be fine.
05:36And I almost feel the same way at the quarterback position, Alex.
05:39Because having been down.
05:40Because I was down there.
05:41You saw me Saturday.
05:42You were down there.
05:43But, you know.
05:44If a guy who got dinged up last year with concussions.
05:47And they're going to let him run.
05:49And Drake May.
05:49And maybe May struggles.
05:50But say he gets hurt.
05:51Their backup is the Pastronaut.
05:53And Dobbs has looked awful.
05:55At least what I saw Saturday.
05:56And from any report that I've read.
05:57Right?
05:58Yeah.
05:58He had a better day yesterday.
06:00It was probably his best day.
06:01But I have not been.
06:02You know.
06:03I've been a little underwhelmed.
06:04Not that I had these super high expectations.
06:06But I've been a little underwhelmed compared to what I expected with Josh Dobbs.
06:09That's kind of a different one.
06:10We know that they wanted a different personality type there.
06:13A guy who was going to be more that veteran leader.
06:15Versus the young guy looking for more reps.
06:17The thing with tackle for me is, again.
06:18They just had such a long to-do list this offseason.
06:22That it kind of got pushed down.
06:24Because they couldn't go get a guy.
06:26With Dobbs.
06:27It'll be interesting to see if he can come along a little more.
06:29When they get into game action.
06:30And he gets some chemistry down.
06:32But Joe Milton looked better last year than Dobbs has.
06:36I would say that.
06:37Great.
06:38Alex Barth.
06:39Joining us from Gillette at Patriots training camp.
06:42How about the rookie receiver?
06:43How about Henderson?
06:44The rookie receiver or the rookie running back?
06:46Henderson or Williams?
06:47I always get that mixed up.
06:48Henderson's been really good.
06:50Okay.
06:50I'm curious about the receiver.
06:52The receiver.
06:53Flashed early.
06:54Kyle Williams.
06:54What's he done since?
06:55Yeah.
06:56Running a little hot and cold.
06:57So he had that really good first day.
06:58Was quiet for a couple days.
06:59Had a few drops.
07:00Came back today.
07:01Ran a really good go ball.
07:03Cleared DJ James off the line of scrimmage.
07:04Drake May dropped one right in the bucket.
07:07It's hot and cold.
07:08I think that's the way you put it.
07:09You want more consistency out of that role.
07:12But the flashes are impressive.
07:14We're going to have to see when he gets into game action.
07:15We see him against other players.
07:17The joint practices are going to be big for him.
07:18Right?
07:19Against other NFL corners.
07:20Guys that aren't going against him day after day.
07:22And kind of picking up on his little tendencies.
07:24Can he beat those guys in the route?
07:26Because that's where he's going to win.
07:27He's not a guy that's going to win at the catch point.
07:29He's a guy that's going to win by creating separation down the field.
07:32What about Polk?
07:33Has Polk built any momentum?
07:34I get this thing for University of Washington guys.
07:37Because everybody knows Alex.
07:38His first day back out here was good.
07:40He caught a touchdown pass.
07:41He was feisty as a run blocker.
07:42Haven't noticed much from him the last two days though.
07:45Okay.
07:46Carlton Davis.
07:47What's the story there?
07:48It sounds like it's just veteran rest.
07:51Load management.
07:52This is a guy that's dealt with injuries throughout his career.
07:53He usually plays at least 10 games every year.
07:56But he rarely plays 17.
07:57So it's these kind of nagging injuries.
07:59They seem to be into the veteran rest thing.
08:01Morgan Moses has been in and out of the lineup.
08:03Harold Landry got a rest day today.
08:06You know, the fact he opened on NFI and then cleared means he passed his physical.
08:09So it's nothing serious.
08:11I wonder if there's just something lingering from last year that they want him to take his time coming back with.
08:15Maz didn't believe me yesterday when I was in the one chair.
08:18And I told him, you told me, you think Javon Baker's having a sneaky good camp, right?
08:23Lowercase g, good start to camp.
08:25He did have the catch of the day yesterday.
08:26He had a nice toe tap today.
08:28Look, most of it's coming against the second and third unit.
08:30But for him to get the reps with the first unit to prove what he can do, he's got to succeed against those guys.
08:35So I still think he's pretty far down the depth chart.
08:37I still think right now he's on the outside looking in.
08:39But, you know, credit where credit's due.
08:41I think he's done as much as he can realistically with the opportunities he's been given.
08:46And at the time, you contrasted it with Polk, who wasn't able to get on the field.
08:49It was just kind of an interesting way to look at those two guys who were drafted together.
08:54So, Alex, let's leave Will Campbell out of it for a minute.
08:58How worried should people be about the offensive line?
09:01Because now Bradbury's hurt too, right?
09:03Bradbury, like, twisted a knee or something at the end of practice yesterday.
09:07And didn't they just pick up some kid from B.C.?
09:10Yep, local guy, Dudley Mass, Alec Lindstrom.
09:13He wasn't out there a ton today.
09:14It's Ben Brown back in at center.
09:16Jared Wilson seems to have passed Cole Strange as the starting left guard.
09:19He was out there a ton today.
09:21You know, I'm worried about the tackles.
09:23Morgan Moses is in and out.
09:25Where is he at?
09:25Obviously, Will Campbell is a rookie.
09:27He's got to come along there.
09:29The interior doesn't bother me a ton.
09:30It's the outside, especially the depth.
09:32When guys start dropping off, center oddly is the one place where they actually have depth.
09:36But Bradbury got hurt.
09:38Moses has been in and out.
09:39You see her Durant got hurt.
09:40Yesterday, they lost City.
09:41So today, they're already losing a ton of linemen.
09:44They already didn't have a ton of depth.
09:45We've talked about the tackle depth quite a bit.
09:47So I think if, as it stands right now, it's okay.
09:51It's not great, but it's better than last year.
09:53That can evaporate pretty quickly, though, because the depth isn't there.
09:57Again, I'm just telling you what I hear because I'm not down there, so I don't see it.
10:00I don't know how much better it is than last year.
10:02Me neither.
10:03I don't know.
10:04Well, at this time last year, we didn't even know who the left tackle was going to be.
10:07And the guy that ultimately became the starting right tackle was on the Denver Broncos.
10:11Okay.
10:11But it's more about me saying it's better than last year is more about how far away they were last year than where they're at right now.
10:18Understood.
10:18So, but if they go from 32nd in the league on the offensive line to 30th, I'm not going to consider that better than last.
10:26You know what I mean?
10:27They got to.
10:27Fair.
10:28Like, you know, for me, if they can get into the top 20, that would be outstanding.
10:33If they can get to, like, 24, 25, 26, somewhere in there for the moves they've made, they were never going to fix the whole thing in one year.
10:38Again, they were so far away.
10:40But there is some semantics in it's better than last year.
10:43I don't think people realize quite how bad it was last year.
10:48Alex, I was encouraged, and I have been encouraged by some of the coaching points, the teaching points that I've heard from Vrabel and others about Drake May when it comes to running.
10:57Be a passer, not a runner.
10:59Heard May say early in camp that's the thing he worked on the most in the offseason, focusing on being a passer, not a runner.
11:04We saw the clip in the documentary, you know, encouraging him, cajoling him, be a passer, not a runner.
11:10Vrabel said many, many times he's got to protect the equipment and know when to run.
11:14So, like, that whole tone to me felt like they weren't going to be running Drake May, and I liked it.
11:20And then I heard yesterday, I know you're limited in exactly what you can say, but then I heard yesterday they're running him around like an idiot.
11:27So, what is this going to be?
11:30I don't think they're going to, like, I don't think it's going to be Josh Allen running 10, 15 times a game.
11:33I don't think the number's going to be zero, but I don't think it's going to be double digits.
11:37I think it's something they'll do in spots.
11:38They'll still pick their spots when they need an impact play.
11:41The running versus the passing thing, though, he's done a much better job of cutting down on the scrambles.
11:46And it's kind of a two-way street.
11:47If you can cut down on the non-designed runs and him taking contact you're not intending him to take,
11:53it opens you up to maybe running him designed a little bit more because you know he's not taking as many hits.
11:57So, I don't think it's going to be zero.
11:58I think it's going to be more than last year.
12:00And, frankly, I don't think the number should be zero because his legs are a threat.
12:03It helps keep defenses honest.
12:05You want a little bit of that.
12:06But there is a happy medium where you don't want to go so far to the other side as well.
12:09Nothing I've seen, I believe, it's going to be this gross over-reliance on his legs.
12:15But I think they are going to be something that they go to here every now and then.
12:19I just think, again, this isn't necessarily what's best for the team, but in terms of his development,
12:23I think for his development, it's I would keep that club in the bag and just it'll always be there.
12:30You'll always have it.
12:31I would overemphasize the other thing, again, just for the development part of it.
12:35Yeah, I'm with you.
12:36Look, if you have a third and one for the game, break it out, right?
12:39You know, first and ten in a 21-point game, I don't need to see it.
12:42I am encouraged by how much he's cutting down on the scrambling, and he's talked about that.
12:47He wants to remain a thrower longer.
12:49Today was a great example.
12:49As bad as the offensive line was today, May did a really good job kind of navigating pressure,
12:54extending plays, continuing to look to throw.
12:56He had some chances to scramble that he didn't.
12:58He threw instead, completed passes.
13:00So that's a big part of it for me, too.
13:02It's not just the design runs.
13:03It's cutting down on the non-designed runs.
13:05Okay, Alex.
13:06Appreciate it.
13:07Anything else from the assembled gallery here?
13:09No, no.
13:10I just want to thank you for being our eyes and ears.
13:13I appreciate it.
13:14Me too, Alex.
13:15You have no idea.
13:16But anytime you guys want to come down, feel free to say hi.
13:19We'll sit next to you and let Bedard sit by himself in his chair on the hill by himself.
13:24Yeah, I get it.
13:25No, no.
13:25On his perch.
13:26He has a perch down there this year with his binoculars.
13:29He's a little higher up.
13:30He's in a new area.
13:31He's got a nice setup.
Recommended
4:15
12:15
16:52