The Boston Bullpen Podcast
Your Boston Sports Relief. Gil and Tommy break down everything Boston sports with the takes, the passion, and the honesty of two fans who live and die with these teams. Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins, from the trade deadline to training camp to the playoff race, we cover it all. New episodes every week. Pull up a stool and join the Bullpen.
The Boston Bullpen Podcast
Red Sox Bats Go Cold, the Gonzo Standoff & Bites & Bets Debuts
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The bats have gone quiet at the worst time. Gil and Tommy break down the Red Sox slide, a lifeless offense that's dropped 7 of 10 and can't buy a hit with runners on, and ask whether it's real trouble or just noise for a team still holding a playoff spot. Plus: Adley Rutschman's cold stretch, and the reinforcements on the way with Trevor Story and Roman Anthony starting rehab assignments.
Then to Foxborough, where the Christian Gonzalez saga just got a new twist. Devon Witherspoon signed the richest cornerback deal in NFL history, the exact domino Gonzo was waiting on, and he's still not practicing. We break down the Patriots' 13-13 preseason opener against the Colts, the standout performances and the special-teams woes, look ahead to this week's joint practices with the Eagles (and A.J. Brown facing his old team), get into what Gonzo is really after, and assess a banged-up Patriots defense.
We also rank all four Boston teams from furthest to closest to a championship, and debut a brand-new segment, Bites & Bets, where one of us reviews a local spot and drops a bet of the week.
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🎙️ New episodes every week
Hosted by Gil & Tommy
Your Boston Sports Relief
The Boston Bullpen Podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, or Major League Baseball. All opinions are our own.
Follow The Boston Bullpen Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @bostonbullpenpod
👍 Facebook: @bostonbullpenpod
🎵 TikTok: @bostonbullpenpod
🎙️ New episodes every week
Hosted by Gil & Tommy
Your Boston Sports Relief
The Boston Bullpen Podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, or Major League Baseball. All opinions are our own.
Hey Tommy, the Red Sox just got dominated in two out of three in Pittsburgh, and the Christian Gonzalez saga just gets weirder and weirder. Which one's stressing you out more?
SPEAKER_01Probably the Christian Gonzalez saga. The Red Sox are going to make the playoffs. The teams behind them are much worse than they are. The Gonzalez thing is getting super weird. I know.
SPEAKER_03And Framewell came out and said that it is an injury. Do we believe him? The whole thing's weird. Witherspoon sign. He's talking about he wants money from three years from now. It's getting real crazy, but we'll get into it.
SPEAKER_00This is the Boston Bullpen Podcast.
SPEAKER_03Welcome back to the Boston Bullpen Podcast. I'm Gil. He's Tommy. We got a lot to go over. The Christian Gonzalez saga is getting weirder and weirder. The Red Sox bats are dead. We got a lot to get into, Tommy. But before we do that, I just want to remind everybody, please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or on YouTube. If you're listening to us right now on Apple, Spotify, please leave us a five-star review. Let's get into it. All right, Tommy. So this Red Sox team is getting a little frustrating. What do you think? What's going on here? Is it panic time? I know like they have a bit of a cushion. The teams behind them aren't great, but this team is ice cold.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, I I I don't think it's panic time just because they're kind of locked into that second wild card. It would be a catastrophic collapse, which would it would be typical of them. But I think they're five and a half, five or five and a half games up on the second wild card. The teams of the chase of them are like the Indians, the Blue Jays. You know, there's there's teams that are just below 500. I think the run they went on is gonna is going to put them in the playoffs. These other teams are gonna have to play like 700 baseball to catch them. It's just it's not gonna happen. But I but again, if it did happen, I wouldn't be shocked because this is what the Red Sox have done historically. Today, what happened again today is that you know, they had another minor league lineup. Like I said, you can't you can't start four or five platoon guys. Nick Sogard let off. He did great going 0 for 4. Okay. You had uh Monasterio was hitting. I don't know if he was sixth or seventh or whatever he was at. Um he was 0 for 4 as well. Then at the end of the lineup, you have Siegler, who was one for four. I'm sorry, one for two, and Connor Wong was two for three. So Connor Wong had had two of your hits. You know, you only had five hits. Right. So, you know, you again, you I get it. It's a getaway day. They're coming back, but you you don't have time for that. You can't have four guys that are that are just they call them 4A players. You can't really have that. There are reinforcements coming back. We'll get into that. It couldn't happen at a better time. Uh, there's definitive timelines on some of these guys with rehab starts and everything. So uh we're definitely want to get into that and talk about that because that's gonna be super important for this team.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. And that's actually gonna be my next question. But before we get into that, I kind of want to talk about Adley Rushman a little bit. The dude, since he got here, is just ice cold. He went 0 for 4 Sunday, 0 for 5 Friday. He's uh getting on base a little bit with some walks here and there, but just not hitting the ball at all. And like I know his defense helps a bit, but we need him to hit a little bit. It's not even just the 4-A players, just the guys that belong in the major leagues all the time. They're not hitting either. So they really need to get some guys back, get some of these guys hitting, get some of these 4-A players out of here. But let's get into the guys coming back.
SPEAKER_01I'm trying to look it up here. I haven't seen it yet. Uh Trevor Story was supposed to be in the lineup today for Worcester. And then Tuesday, you have Roman Anthony coming back. He's gonna be getting a first rehab start up in Portland, Maine. And Isaiah kind of falefa, again, is he uh, you know, is he gonna be the the savior? No, but he's a career to almost 265 hitter. You know, he hits, and he's hitting 277 this year unlimited that bats. So you're gonna get you're gonna get a guy that's gonna hit 265 for you. You know, that's better than they have now. And it's a veteran guy who's been in the playoffs, granted, he cost the Blue Jays the World Series last year with his base running, but he is another veteran guy. You you've got to have some of these veteran bats back. Now, Story, what what do you do with Story? Uh obviously he's gonna play, uh, because he, you know, he does, if he can always get a hold of one. And when he does, it it's like lightning striking because uh the there couldn't have been a fastball over 55. But would you put him at second base? And if is Arius gonna come up? No, if Arius comes up, then you put Story at second base. I just don't think they're gonna rush Arias. I don't think they want to screw that up. They've they've screwed up guys in the past by doing that, and there, you know, their approach with Anthony and Meyer and some of these other guys has been really slow. So I that would go against what they've done in the past. I think Story's gonna be your shortstop. I think Kyner Faleffer's gonna be your second baseman until Curtis Mead comes back, which is looking at like the middle to end of September. You know, once that lineup's here, it it's it's it's a lot better. At least on at least on paper and in theory. But again, you don't know where you're gonna get from Trevor Story and Kyna Falefa, you know, he's he's a he's a singles hitter, uh, but he but he does get on base, I guess. So I am looking forward to that, having those guys come back. Right now, this team is on uh they're not on life support, but they're playing like they're lifeless. There's really, there's just no excitement to this team right now. They're just flat. You know, the base running mistake the other night just comp you know, compounds when you're not playing well, just mental mistakes. They've been pitching okay. Sonny Gray has been nails again. If it wasn't for him, they they would have got swept.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, 15, got his 15th win, career high already. It's been he's been awesome. I think like like you said, with with Story coming back, yeah, he's not gonna hit for average, but at least he has some pop. This team is historically bad at hitting home runs. They don't have many guys that could just open it up with one swing. So I think getting some pop back in the lineup will help as long as you know he doesn't strike out 15 million times, you know.
SPEAKER_01Trevor Story had a single today.
SPEAKER_03All right.
SPEAKER_01So I don't know how many bats he had, but I just saw it. He uh he had a single. So I mean that's that's it helps, I guess, but it it doesn't matter. You you have to have these other guys. These other guys, you're gonna have one or two of these platoon guys in the lineup. You're just gonna have him every night. And those guys, those guys have to hit. Yoshida's gone to the I. So, you know, he he's only played six games in the outfield, but he's DH'd he's dh'd a good amount since he's been back. Well, you don't lose that you lose that bat. And that guy, you know, he very rarely strikes out. He he puts the ball in play, and now you lose that, and that hurts. It might help answer the log jam because the last time the last time he had this hamstring injury was in Japan when he was when he was playing there, but he was out a month. So you put him out a month now, you kind of know it's and it's a hamstring. You know, it's not yeah. So you don't know what's gonna happen with that. So the roster problem might have might have solved itself, but now you have another problem because I think Yoshida was gonna make the postseason roster, and now is he even gonna be healthy enough to play?
SPEAKER_03I don't know if it's a good problem to have or not, because it feels like all these extra guys they have aren't great. So I feel like they're just they're just shuffling crap. You know what I mean? It's just like put another guy in the lineup that's not really gonna hit, you know?
SPEAKER_01Right. No, I absolutely agree. But get getting back to a steady lineup, a sense of normalcy, because there is no really steady lineup. All right, you know, Nick Sogar leading off, that's that's not ideal. That's not good, that's not gonna be a playoff lineup. So when you can have a set a set lineup where Roman Anthony is gonna be leading off, Rauschmann's gonna be your two or your five or your six, Contreras was not in the lineup today, so he was out. They need consistency, they need to get healthy, but they need you need a consistent lineup. And once you have that, uh it it does change things for the better, or it it it needs to for this team.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Do you think you think they're gonna lead lead Anthony off like as soon as he comes back?
SPEAKER_01Or I I think so. I mean, where else you gonna where else are you gonna put him? I mean, Rauschmann is Rauschman is best is best suited in the two slot, but if he's at five or six or seven, I guess Raphaela can hit second. You're not gonna hit him third, fourth, fifth, ninth. You know, he's not a nine-hitter anymore. So, you know, can you lead Raphael? Yeah, you can. I I don't think it's the best spot for him. I think he's good at in the two-hole. I'd rather have him in the tool and Rauschmann in the five than vice versa. I I think Raphael is a good player, but I I think he's he's not really a five. Uh and I Roman Anthony is gonna be the leadoff. Or I think he should be.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yep. And yeah, like you said, that just having that stability. I mean, if you have Roman Anthony, you have Adley, you have Abreu, Contreras, and uh Rafaela, like that's a major league five. You know what I mean? Like that's something that pitchers will have to think about going through.
SPEAKER_04Right now, it's just like you said, you got a bunch of 4-A players in there, and they're just getting mowed down by everybody they face recently, you know.
SPEAKER_01No, I I agree. And that's uh that's something that I think the picture's gonna become a lot clearer in the next two weeks. I think Roman Anthony's gonna be up in two weeks. Trevor Storey's gonna be up in two weeks. Maybe Anthony's three, but he's gonna be he's gonna be back up here, and kind of falefa is is kind of on the same trajectory. Then who do you send down? So I know Eli White's not going anywhere. He's fast as lightning. So he he's he's a guy that they're gonna keep because he's gonna be on the playoff roster. I I didn't think he was at first. I look more into him and and he's lethal on the bases.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, pinch running and stuff like that. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Defensive replacement, he's pretty good defensively. So you're gonna you have Sogar, Monasterio, Siegler. Who who's gonna go? Uh I mean if Stor Story comes up, I mean Yoshida's on the IL, so I don't know if they made a court. They must have made some move today. I didn't see it. But you know, whoever that is can uh can be sent down, and then Yoshida can Trevor Story can take that guy's place, and I think he comes back first, then Roman Anthony, and then kind of falef. So I I think Siegler and Sogard are the guys that are gonna go. Monasterio, again, he's a doubles machine since the all-star break. I think you need that bat. Also, he plays shortstop. Siegler's kind of cold now. He really hasn't done much uh in the last couple of weeks, and Sogard's been up and down his whole career. So and you got Nate Eaton, too. He's up and down too. So but I I I think it's gonna be Siegler and it's gonna be Sogard that that go down.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I agree. I agree. One more thing on the Red Sox, Garrett Crochet. Are you losing hope in him coming back? Still no timetable for return. I guess he's throwing a little bit.
SPEAKER_01He's throwing. Um, I I think I think if he comes back, it's gonna be towards the end of September. And he, like I said, he's gonna be a two or three inning guy. It would be nice to have him. Obviously, it's crochet, but I do have some concerns. Chapman threw the other night, through okay. I don't know if you noticed in that game, he he hit the 40 innings plateau, uh, the 40 innings milestone for him that was uh it set off a vesting uh a contract for next year. So uh he's automatically renewed next year as long as he passes a physical whatever for 13 million. So 13 million for him is pretty good. It's a guy that wants to be here anyway, so that that that takes that out of the equation where uh if if he didn't hit that, if he got hurt and he was doubting, would they bring him back? So now he's gonna come back. Uh Whitlock has the elbow issue. So, you know, you're gonna need you're gonna need guys in the bullpen in crochet, could be that guy that that goes an inning or two, you know, uh in a in a playoff series and and kind of fills a void if one of those guys are out, or he just becomes another weapon there. I think he comes back. All indications are that he's coming back, but who knows what's gonna happen. This is not a guy that uh a couple years ago, you know, he didn't want to go to a pitch for a contender unless they were gonna extend him. So I'm not gonna say the guy doesn't want to win, because obviously I'm sure he does, but like, you know, you get a chance to go to a contender a couple years ago and you're like, I'm not going anywhere to anybody unless you extend me.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's not it wasn't like the, you know, that's not like the drive I was looking for out of him, you know, where people compare him to Chris Sale. Chris Sale would, you know, he did run through a wall-dup pitch in the playoffs.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I don't know what Crochet is going to do. He does have his contract, but he does want another one. Uh, and we can't afford to have him miss another year with an injury because he pretty much missed the year here, uh, which is which is not promising because he's only thrown 150 innings plus one time. That was last year, and and and he came back and he was awful.
SPEAKER_03And this was the worry. This was the one worry with crochet was he had never pitched that many innings, and then he does it one year and he misses the basically the entire next year. You know, that's it's pretty brutal. But Chapman, I I I kind of like that they have him walked up for next year now, because now this team, Adam Adley, coming into next year healthy, they'll have the whole offseason to add, hopefully another bat. And then you, you know, you hold on to Chapman, the pitching staff's in good shape. Like this team, you know, I don't want to look too far ahead, but going into next year, I think, is in is in pretty good shape.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they are. And uh I I don't think you uh uh like you know the days of having some of these guys like Sandoval come in and pitch hopefully are over. I mean, he He was brutal today. Yeah, I mean you get down two nothing after the first, like, come on.
SPEAKER_04He's gotten annihilated by left-handers this year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he has, he's another one of these guys that they brought in one of these deals. He's hurt last year. It's like making like 10 million. They've been doing that for the last few years, bringing in these veteran guys, hoping that they're they're they're gonna become something, and none of them have really worked out. This guy's had a couple of spot starts this year that uh that that he was clutched in the last month or so. But that that's a guy that I I don't even know if he makes the playoff roster. What's he gonna do? I mean, is he gonna come out of the pen? I I I don't know. You know, he's not used to that Slayton when on the I. L today, I believe. His numbers have been atrocious, you know, the last month and a six weeks or so. He hasn't been really very good. So he's on the I. L. You are a little weak in the bullpen. And if and if Whitlock's elbow, Bach and Adam doesn't go away, then that's gonna be a big problem for this team. Because he's he's their eighth inning guy. And I don't have I don't really have any confidence in anyone else. If Crochet comes back, Jovanny Moran is probably gonna be sent down because he's a lefty. They're not gonna get rid of uh the few right-handers they have in there who may not be as who may, you know, who may not be as good as Moran, but Moran's gonna be the guy that goes, I'm pretty positive. And I'm disappointed because he's a pretty he's a pretty decent guy to have. It's just gonna be a numbers game. But we'll see.
SPEAKER_03All right, Tommy, let's get into some Patriots. They had the first preseason game last week. They did, you know, okay, I guess. You know, nobody really played. These are exhibition games, but we'll get into that a little bit more during this segment. But I I really wanted to start with this wide receiver group again, and we could talk about the preseason aspect of that. The preseason game, none of them really played. No AJ Brown, no Romeo Dobbs, no Pop Douglas. Does that kind of tell us who their top three is?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I think so. And that's it, that's trending around the league where guy, you know, you you can kind of put the math together. Even Woods, the cornerback, didn't play, so he's he's probably your your fourth cornerback. You can kind of put it together that way. I was reading earlier Karen Garegian on uh Mass Live, she had her projected 53-man roster, and she did not have booty on it. She had him getting traded. So, and she's she's pretty good. She's really good and really in the know. And I like her a lot. I pretty much read everything she puts out. Um she's great, and she doesn't have him on the team. Um I I I think what you what you saw was was those those are gonna be your top three. And what what they do with the other guys remains to be seen. This Chisholm special teams guy, he he adds that they are a little deficient on special teams with school routes still. There's been some other guys and other positions that that we'll get into that were, you know, raise some eyebrows. But I do think those are your three wideouts, those are your top three. I think your top heavy, your one and your two is very, very good. Um you have a great one, you have one of the best twos in the league. I think Robo Dobbs is underrated. Like we talked earlier. Jordan Love is is I don't think he's a good quarterback. And I I think he's been Dobbs' been underutilized in Green Bay with him, whether it's the quarterback or the system or whatnot. But then you you Yeah, but then you're three four. I don't know. I I I kind of like Matt Hollins as the three. I I if you need if if you're running a third and five or third and six, you need a first down, they're gonna lock in obviously on on Brown, Dobbs, whatever. And Matt Collins just gets open. He's got great hands, he catches everything. I really like him as as the third guy. But uh I think that's the thing.
SPEAKER_03And he gives I what I like about him though too is he's just he gives them a different, just a different style of receiver. He's much bigger than everybody else, much taller. And he just he's one of he's a guy you can kind of just throw it up to, you know. I guess you can kind of throw it up to booty, he's got a little bit of that into in him, but Mack Collins just gives you that, you know, field stretcher, big guy. He's a really good run blocker, all those things. And I have the snap counts from the game the other day, and Kyle Williams actually he stood out the most in the game. Now, listen, this is preseason. It's impossible to judge. Everyone's playing backups. The Colts played all backups. So, like, to judge these players off this one game, it's an exhibition game, it doesn't count. These guys are out there just getting work. So, like, yes, Kyle Williams looked great, but I'm not gonna put too much into it. He also played the second most snaps. Chisholm actually played the most snaps. And to me, in the first preseason game, I that that just tells me that they're trying to get an extended look at him. He's probably on the on the chopping block. I think, you know, him and Kyle Williams, they got the most snaps. I think Kyle Williams is probably more like they just want to see the kid play because it's only his second year. I mean, same thing with Chisholm, but like you got an undrafted guy compared to a guy that was drafted pretty high, you know, usually works out that way. But when you got, unless they trade booty, someone's gonna have to get cut. And I just I really hope they don't trade booty. I really don't. Because I I think the way they're set up now is they're just gonna rotate the third guy, which I'm totally fine with. And they got three guys that could rotate in, maybe even four guys that could rotate in and be effective.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I hope they don't trade them too. Um, I I think they are gonna move them. I I I didn't before, but at what I've read, I I think they're gonna move them. I don't know what they're gonna get for them. I think if they can get a third rounder, they'll move them. If they could only get a fourth, they'll probably keep them. But I think they're trying to get a third rounder. I did hear some report over the weekend that, and I don't buy this, that there was potential that maybe they package Pop and Booty in a deal. I can't see that happening. I don't know where that came from. I've heard it on the radio that they were talking about somebody had brought that up. But Chih Chisholm makes the team if they trade booty. If they don't, he doesn't make the team. That's the guy. You know, and and having pop there, you know, they don't have many guys that they've drafted. They have two then. They because Chisholm's undrafted anyway. So they have uh Pop and then they have Kyle Williams, they're the only guys that they've drafted that are in the receiver room. So I think the optics of letting Pop go is i i is worse because then you'll only have one guy out of six that you that you drafted if if you get rid of booty. And they kind of hit gold on booty. He took took him in the sixth round. It's you know, it's those are guys a hit or miss. He had some the gambling issues in college or allegations or whatever, and he slipped and whatever. But I mean he was highly productive in college. So that's a guy that I think if they can get third round four, they'll they'll get rid of him, but if not, they they keep him. And I and I think they get that. Um, you know, Stefan Diggs took a while to to sign, but a lot of these guys can do that because they want to go to to a situation that that's that's right for them, and then they they look at wide receiver situations with injuries and whatnot, and they can kind of pick where they go. You know, he could have gone in free agency to really anyone if if he was reasonable with the money. It's not like he wasn't wanted. San Francisco was a team that was looking at him. There were other teams looking at it. The Patriots were looking at him as well, commanders were looking at him. There were several others that were interested, the Giants I think were interested in them. But I I think guys are gonna get hurt and then they're gonna get desperate, and then they're gonna offer a third-round pick or so for someone like him for a team that's a contending team when a guy goes down, which is inevitable.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I think I think Diggs, Diggs played that perfect. He just kind of waited for everything to kind of settle. Wait for a couple guys to get injured, and boom, he's in the door, and it's honestly a perfect fit. The only thing they have over there is Tyrion McLaurin.
SPEAKER_04He's a perfect two to Tyran McLaurin. Much better setup than they had before.
SPEAKER_03Let's talk more about the preseason opener. What do you think about Tommy DeVito being the backup?
SPEAKER_01Well, it's funny. They did a whole segment on this the other day on Sports Radio, and I was listening to it. And, you know, how how you need a capable backup, okay? You need uh, you know, the uh the pastornaut last year, it seems like a nice enough guy. He did get picked up, though. He signed somewhere over the weekend, I think. Somebody got hurt. Detroit. He went to Detroit, I believe, or they they're going to sign him after Bridgewater retired. I I did like what you saw from DeVito. He's got a little downfield ability, he's got, you know, he's got a little moxie to him. But let's be honest, if Drake May goes down, screw it up. Yeah, I mean, what are they gonna win? Without Drake May, this would this team wins three games. So, I mean, yeah, I I guess, you know, it's it's nice, but people do this all all every pre- Oh, this is this guy's a superstar. Pre- Again, this is like watching mid-level college football, okay? This isn't even like watching big time college football. It's like what it's just like watching, I don't know, a top 50 team play a top 55 team.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03Honestly, judging like really anything off of preseason games is basically impossible. You just you got second string, third string, fourth string guys all mixed in, guys that had never played next to each other. It's and you have no idea. You're like, oh, it was a great play. Like, cool. Guys playing against guys that are gonna be back doing their regular job three weeks from now. You know what I mean? Not in the NFL anymore, you know? Right. So it's really hard to judge. But I think the veto is serviceable. Like, I think if Drake May goes down for two games, like he could come in and win one of them. But you know what I mean? Like, I don't think he's bad. He started games in the NFL, he's a decent backup quarterback. I mean, is he better than Jacoby Brissett? Probably. Probably not. But like, are they that far off? Probably not, you know?
SPEAKER_01No. No, I agree. And you had you had I mean, Brissett had to go. The same way people talk about Joe Milton. He had to go. Joe Milton, you know, he was a superstar in the preseason, and now all of a sudden he wants to be the starter and just, you know, you need to find roles. You do need a good backup quarterback. It's probably the most important backup position in all of sports, if you think about it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01You know? You know, you're you're your backup quarterback. The quarterbacks make make the teams go. So the backup has to be serviceable, has to be a guy that can get you through even a quarter. Drake makes, I hopefully he learns how to slide, stop leading with his head, you know. But he, you know, in the NFL, you you you grimace after a hit on your head and you're out. You're in the tent. And when you're in the tent, you you're usually in there for at least a series if they clear you. So you do need a guy that can come in and maintain a drive. The pastorna couldn't really do that. He he just it just wasn't his his forte, is not an NFL quarterback. You know, he's like a third.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he had that he had that like one hot run with Minnesota and that was it, you know. Yeah, the highlight of his career and it was over.
SPEAKER_01That ended pretty quickly. But uh he he made good money last year. So um but yeah, I I I think DeVito is all right as a backup that can come in and just keep the team above water if you had to. And you you know, it's worst case scenario, but you do have to think about that. You know, what if what if no knock on wood? But what if you know Drake May got hurt and missed four games? Yeah. You know, it's not season ending. It's uh say it's a sprained ankle, he's out four to six weeks. Well, can can you go two and four in those games? Can you go, you know, three and three? And and and that that way your season isn't over when the guy gets back. But we're we're getting ahead of ourselves.
SPEAKER_03So the defense, I want to talk about the defense a little bit from the preseason game. Obviously, you have all backups in there. They they forced four turnovers. It's Anthony Richardson, and my God, he is he the worst? Gotta be one of the worst top five picks of all time.
SPEAKER_04That kid is an absolute disaster.
SPEAKER_03I don't know how he's even on still on it. The only reason he's still on an NFL team is because he was the fourth overall pick. But they turn the ball over. It's never a bad thing. It's good to see the defense taking the ball. I just think always, you know, that's what you want from your defense. You want you want your defense to take the ball away. Yeah, I mean, he he was he wasn't even good in Florida.
SPEAKER_01So them. And them taking him fourth overall was a joke. Back then, people were laughing at him. And, you know, he's he's he's big, you know, he can move, uh, he can run with the ball. I mean, he's he's not built like a quarterback, but it just he doesn't have the uh doesn't have the talent. And they took him at four. It's like, what are you doing? So, you know, they they're getting what they deserve with him. I'd rather have Tom DeVito than him.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So I actually heard I heard uh what's his name? Tom Curren, and I think it was Felger arguing about you know who they'd rather have for backup quarterbacks. And Curran said that he would rather have Anthony Richardson and like JJ McCarthy. And I was like, my what, dude? Like, I wouldn't want either of those guys near Drake May.
SPEAKER_04No, absolutely not.
SPEAKER_03Dude, Michigan wouldn't let JJ McCarthy throw the ball. Like, right. And then they were like, you know what we should do? Draft this guy 10th overall. Two of the worst quarterback selections of the last five years, probably.
SPEAKER_01Well, people wanted the Patriots to trade out of to trade out of four to and back to like eight and take JJ at eight. I'm like, what are you? The guy the guy didn't play. Look at that Michigan team. Like, none of those guys are really doing anything. Uh Coram, I think Blake Coram was on that team. He might be the only guy. He's the best, probably out of the bunch. Yeah, yeah. And he was a third-round pick, I think, and he's gonna be productive this year with the Rams. They're gonna they're gonna go one-two. He's pretty good. But other than that, that team has nobody. I mean, J JJ McCarthy is gonna be better off getting traded. Kyler Murray's young enough. If he's okay, he's gonna be pretty good with with Justin Jefferson. You know, they they have they have a pretty good uh core of weapons around him to utilize his skill set. Like you said earlier, he's a guy that just uh can create stuff. I think we had talked about this, it wasn't today, but we I think we had talked about it before. I've talked about it with somebody, but uh he's a guy that that when he's on, he's on. And he he's a guy that goes out and and gets open and and gets away from pass rushers, and he's got a great arm. It's just he hasn't been able to put it together in Arizona. But is that was that his fault or was that the team around him? Now he's got Kevin O'Connell as his coach. He has a good wide good wide receiver, he's got a pretty good backfield, and that that team can can do well with him there. And if he does well, then there's no room for McCarthy. But they end up trying to end up trading him for like a fourth or fifth-round pick. That's probably his value. He's probably worth a sixth, but he's still probably overrated. Well, he's a first-round pick. He's still got a no, he he doesn't.
SPEAKER_03He's still got that little bit of shininess on him for being a first-round pick. Somebody would pick up. But I mean, like, you're gonna trade for him as a project. He's with Kevin O'Connell. He's one of the best quarterback coaches in the league. So, like, how where are you going that for a to be a project? You know, how much better can you can you have it? Kyle Shanahan, maybe, you know?
SPEAKER_01I mean, they already have they they have a starter in Purdy, they have another starter of Mac Jones. Look what Shanahan's done for him. That that's a guy that I think they were they were probably asking for a first for him, and that's why he didn't go. Because I I think you could you I think you were a high second. I I think you probably could have got a high third or a low second for him last year for teams that are needy. But yeah, yeah, I I think JJ McCarthy's career trajectory is gonna be like Trey Lance. Just gonna it's it's you know, a guy that was overrated, overvalued, taken way too high, and ended up not really doing anything.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And the crazy part is I think Trey Lance is probably better than him.
SPEAKER_01Might be. Yeah, he might be. While while we're on the topic, a guy that looked awful the other day was Cam Ward. So, you know, he was, I mean, he's just he's the number one pick in the draft, but you know, that's because the team, the team was quarterback needy, but yeah, why would you take a guy that's nowhere near projected as a as a first-round pick just because he he just because he's a quarterback? He was projected, he was he was projected as a second-round talent, but he went number one overall because they need they needed the quarterback. And it's just, you know, and and I think that's what the Browns saw with Shadur Sanders. They were like, he's I mean, I don't know if he's a fifth-round talent, but he's probably a third or fourth round guy. But they weren't going to take him second or third overall just because they need a quarterback. You know, they made a good decision there. Now that the Titans, if this kid doesn't work out, you set yourself back because of the other guys you could have taken at different positions. I mean, what if what if they're terrible again this year? If they're terrible and there's a real big quarterback draft next year, you know, there's potential five, six guys going in like the top 20 picks. That's why it's so important that the Patriots hit the home run on Drake May because he's a cornerstone guy, and it's so easy to miss on these guys. So easy. They miss people miss more than they hit.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01And and it's just it, we just even in the first round.
SPEAKER_03Like God, most of these guys miss in the first round. That draft, Cam Ward wasn't even the best quarterback drafted in that draft. I think Jackson Dart's better than him. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01And and that that's that's he's proven it. Jackson Dart's electric and he's their franchise quarterback. He's gonna get paid. Cam Ward is is is he he reminds me of a CJ Stroud down in Texas, where that's a guy they might let walk after on his rookie deal. Cam Ward might be that too. He I mean he was that bad the other night, that bad going up against guys that are backups. He was terrible.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03At least CJ had one good year, you know what I mean? I don't even know if Cam Ward could put together that type of year. I he d he don't look great. And now he has Carnell Tate. They've gotten a little better. I know we're getting a little off subject talking about other NFL teams, but this stuff matters when it comes to the Patriots. This competition, and like you said, that the Patriots hit on their quarterback, and that was another draft, too. Like a lot of people were very high on Drake May. I don't know if people remember that. Everybody wanted Jaden Daniels and weren't sure about anybody else besides Caleb. Like, I'd take Drake May over Jaden Daniels 10 times out of 10. I think Jaden Daniels is gonna be a problem his whole career. He's gonna be in and out, he's gonna be getting hurt. He's built like a twig. Give me Drake May all day.
SPEAKER_01He's a problem now. So look at look at the drama he's bringing, okay? The number thing. Oh God. Yeah, it's it it's it's it's it's absolutely ridiculous where where his his attorney he should fire his agent and saying you you can't you can't use his name, image, and likeness anymore because uh he didn't he wouldn't the number five went to a a stud that was promised. Lane Kiffin, who I'm not a huge fan of at all, but he said there, he stood up there and said, Well, this was promised to the kid coming in as part of his deal to come here. It wasn't done by me, but I'm gonna honor it. That's what he was promised. You know, this is ridiculous it's just absolutely ridiculous. That that that guy's just gonna be a if if that's how he really is, he's gonna be a problem. I want nothing to do with someone whose personality is like that. Paul Feinbaum, I don't know if you listen to him, he's phenomenal. He's got a great show. He was quoted uh in an article I read in ESPN as saying that he's not even he he's not even welcome in Baton Rouge anymore. He's just so disliked down there by the fans over what he did the other day. Uh whether that's true or not, I don't know. But you know, he's kind of tied in big time to the SEC. And uh that that's just ridiculous. This guy was this guy had that whole community, the school around, he was just the guy. And now to do something like that, see what the New York Mets did. They trolled him the other day on social media. They they won four to one, and they they stopped and they said, they said, well, we we stopped at four out of respect for Jaden Daniels, number five. It's great. It's awesome. So good. It's awesome. So great. It's great. Yeah, it just and it's a guy that's gonna have injury. He had injury histories before he's gonna have him again. And then just to have that drama, I don't want any drama. We got enough drama. Listen, this Patriots team has had plenty of drama in the last 20 years, okay? You know, we we had the the Belichick versus the Brady thing. We had uh a tight end murdering people. Uh we we've had a a ton and ton of off-the-field issues.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, Bobby Kraft getting massages or whatever. Right.
SPEAKER_01So there's been so many off-the-field distractions, major ones. We don't need any more, especially with with a younger core now, with a younger quarterback. We don't have a Tom Brady here with his leadership. You have developing leaders on both sides of the ball. You don't we don't need any of that stuff whatsoever. And I I I you know, people worry about A.J. Brown. A.J. Brown, I think, is gonna be like Randy Moss when he came here, not the production, but he's gonna be the guy. He's he's gonna be the leader. He's gonna all the all all that baggage is is I I think was just bad blood with Philly. Let's see what happens in the joint practices this week because I think someone's coming after him.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we're gonna talk about that in a minute. But before we do that, I just there's one more thing I want to talk about from the preseason game, and that's the kicker. And God, I hate kickers, and I don't even want to talk about it. But this dude missed three field goals. That could be a serious problem when we get into the season and games matter.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he did. I'm more concerned about the 49 yater, and people will say, well, he missed the 56 and the 55 yacht. Well, this isn't, you know, this isn't 2018 anymore, okay? Those are the things.
SPEAKER_03Dudes are hitting dudes are hitting 50 yarders a big problem in the this league now.
SPEAKER_01You have to make those. He started one. He started up like this last year in the preseason. He hit 84% of his field goals in the regular season. I think he only missed, I think he was 51 or 53, an extra point. So he was he was pretty good. But this is concerning. You know, he doesn't have anyone there pushing him. I don't know. I mean, but even if they brought someone in, is it realistic? Is he like, oh yeah, great, yeah, this guy's gonna steal my job. Yeah, I know. I was one of the best kickers in the league last year. I'm not going anywhere. But I I do think I do like Mike Vrabel saying, yeah, the kicker's gonna make those kicks. That's what he's here for. It's pretty much what he said. Gotta you gotta make those kicks. You got one job. That's it. One job. However, uh, his long snapper, I don't know, I'm not a kicker, but his long snapper was out. Ashby wasn't in, so I don't know how that how how if that affected anything. But it's not like the the field goals were just like just wide left or wide right. They were way off.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03He's now that could so like I I used to long snap when I was a kid, and like that could affect it. The guy's not getting the ball like he's used to getting it. It's taking him longer to get it down. That that could definitely affect it, but you're a professional kicker, man.
SPEAKER_04Like you gotta figure it out.
SPEAKER_03And it's not like the long snapper snapping for the first time in his life. They didn't just like throw out some guy on his hands. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Now they uh they got to back to work Saturday and Vrabel had him using the the sk the smaller goalpost, which is like half the size, and he was sick, and he was six for six.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01The one that they thought he missed, it actually went over the upright, so he was six for six on those, which is good. But I I I think Rabel's gonna light a fire under him and and keep him motivated. Bringing someone in, it's not it's not bring him in, but it's not realistic. It's not like real competition. That that that that guy could hit six from sixty yards, and he's not gonna take Bor uh Boregales' job. So, but I I think it is something worth worth watching because in in a league where kicking is really matters. Now, you have guys kicking 60, 65 yarders, so every point, every point counts. Obviously, that's cliche, but it does. And you gotta have a guy that that can go out there and give you six, you know, nine, ten points a game, whether it's field goals and extra points.
SPEAKER_03All right, Tommy, let's move on. You just brought it up a little while ago, but the joint practice going down with Philly, Philly's coming here. This is a big joint practice, I think. This is you know, a measure and stick type thing. This is AJ Brown practicing against his old team. That should be real interesting. How big of a test do you think this is, and what are you watching?
SPEAKER_01It's a huge test. So, number one, uh, I I think uh there's bad blood there. I think once AJ Brown left, you know, guys were, whether they liked him or not, or they mean it or not, um, they were out on social media supporting Jalen Hurts. That's their guy. Um, I I think I think somebody's gonna go at somebody's gonna take a shot at Brown. There's gonna be a fight. I'm telling you, it's gonna happen. If if it AJ Brown's gonna be directly involved in it, it's it's it's just gonna happen. So the uh what I'm what I'm concerned about is obviously the Eagles have an incredible defensive front. Uh, and now the Patriots are are are really short on the line. Obviously, they got rid of Caden Wallace, uh, Ben Brown. I don't know if you saw that. He's hurt. He's gonna be out. Frable, he's being coy. He goes, I don't know, four, six, eight, twelve weeks. I mean, okay, Mike, but he's gonna be out at least through the end of the preseason, so it's gonna be an extended loss on him. They're already short at guard. So this doesn't help. They're one injury away on the offensive line for this becoming a major depth problem again and a major problem. Morgan Moses is uh in his 12th or 13th year. He could go down at any time. I don't know what's gonna happen. Do you do you move Lomo inside and now he's now he's starting at guard? I I don't know, but it's a it's a problem. And obviously pressure up the middle is is important. And if if the if the Patriots can't keep Drake May, Drake May has to be able to, you know, yeah, he can he can move a little bit in outside of the pocket, but he's lethal in the pocket. When he can stand there and pick apart people, uh defenses, he's unbelievable. His accuracy is incredible. So, you know, like again, the best passing percentage of measures in the league last year. Um most accurate passer in the history of football last year. Okay, I know it's one year, but he's pretty damn good. And if you're gonna get pressure up the middle, that that's gonna be a problem. And they, you know, this defense is good, so I'm curious. I don't think Drake May is gonna play. Uh, this game's at New England, right? Yeah, so I don't think Drake May is gonna play. Uh, and uh, I think there's a there's a concern about that turf, which is new. I don't know if the Patriots cheaped out on it again, but I I think that was probably why he didn't play at all in the first game. I I don't think Drake May plays in the preseason. I really don't. I don't think he's playing against the Eagles, and uh, especially with that offensive line, now you don't know what you got. So I'm I'm looking for that. There is this one guy that I'm watching for the Patriots this preseason. It's Eli Raradon, the tight end out of Notre Dame. The Patriots, when they're at their best, have had a nice two two tight end packages. They've they've been successful when they when they run that. Now, this is a kid that was hurt in high school, and then 10 months later he tore, I think, the the same ACL or MCL. He had a pretty good senior year at Notre Dame. He played, he's big, he's 6'6, he catches the ball. Uh, I think he's an upgrade over Austin Hooper, I think, who was a, you know, at the end of his career was still a serviceable tight end, too. This kid has tight end one potential. That's the guy I'm watching because if they can, if they can get that going again, they're gonna be dangerous. And he has the ability, he's big, he's strong, he's tough, and he can move. That's the one guy I'm really I'm really watching because there's not really many open spots, you know. Yeah, do I want to watch the Kyle Williams? I I guess, I mean, compete for the fourth or fifth spot. But this is a guy that could be playing, not every down, but he could be playing. He's not a big, not great on blocking. They drafted another tight end who's a much better blocker. Uh, but this kid, this kid can catch the ball, and I think he's gonna be I think he's gonna be dangerous.
SPEAKER_03I have read a few reports that he's been a standout at camp, and like you said, he's gonna be on the field for sure. And honestly, having Hunter Henry there as a mentor is probably the perfect mentor. I Hunter Henry's just been solid his entire career. You know, had a little bit of an injury issue in the middle of his career there, but as solid as they come for tight ends, perfect mentor. And like you said, when especially in a Josh McDaniels offense, if you can get the two tight ends going, they have a good receiving core, they have good running backs. It's it's open game for him. He could do anything, he could switch up personnels, do a bunch of different things, get guys open easily. I think it's gonna be a really fun year for this team on offense, if the offensive line holds up. Because, like, like you said, that's the that's the thing I'm watching. You're going against this this uh Eagles defensive front. And not only do you have injuries on the on the offensive line, you're gonna be trying, you know, low move, probably at left and right. They're probably gonna get him both looks because, like you said, Morgan Moses is old as dirt, so who knows what's gonna happen there. But then on top of that, Jared Wilson's playing center now. He didn't play center last year. He's a center in college, so he knows how to play center, but he's in the NFL now. So this is basically his rookie year playing center. That's a big deal. Having a new center is a big deal. If those guys can't get it, it makes it a lot harder for the quarterback. And he's gonna be going against Jalen Carter.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Jalen Carter's a stud. Yeah. He I mean he's he's a beast. I don't know how much he's gonna play.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I just mean in the joint practices. Not even the preseason game, but in the joint practices, just how to see how they catch up. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Absolutely. The uh, you know, there's gonna be guys that are gonna get cut uh from teams for whether it, whether it's uh typically the guys that get cut on the old line that uh are are for cap purposes, might be little older guys making too much money, obviously. They go with the younger guy that stands out in preseason. I'm not saying the Pats, I'm saying guys that the Pats could end up targeting for increased depth along the line. They're gonna have to. You know, Caden Wallace, he he wasn't very good, but he he was a body, but he he's gone. They're a little weak on the offensive line uh on on the inside, which was you know, to typically it's been the outside. The outside still has a bunch of question marks. The right tackle, his age, the left tackle, can he play? You know, in a perfect world, they they they're okay, but I think there's gonna be issues on that line, and I think it's gonna be more so on the interior uh than the exterior.
SPEAKER_03I honestly wouldn't mind if they are gonna move booty, try to get it, try to get some offensive line depth for him. That would actually help this team now instead of a third round pick next year. I'd I'd rather see him help this team this year. Because I'm I think they can compete, and I think the two things holding them back are gonna be that offensive line if they can't stay healthy, and obviously the defense, if they can't stay healthy, or if Christian Gonzalez isn't playing, or let's actually let's actually get into Gonzalez now. Okay. I mean, we we've talked about this guy a bunch. I mean, every day it's a new report. It's he wants to reset the market. He doesn't want his deal to be null and void after seven months because some other guy's resetting the market. Like, honestly, like at this point, like I don't know who this guy thinks he is.
SPEAKER_01What are we doing? I'll tell you is he's he's Kyrie Irving, he's Jalen Brown, the smartest guy in the room, okay? And that pisses me off. All right. You're up for a contract now. You're not gonna set the market for three years from now because there's a new league year and a deal coming in, and then the cap goes up and all these things, okay? You're signing the contract now. So McDuffie was 31 million, Witherspoon is 33. Is this kid gonna go to 35? It's it's gonna go up $4 million, okay? It's not gonna happen. They're not, he's not gonna reset it. If he wants that, he can go. I'm sorry. You know, I don't know what's gonna happen because this is a guy that doesn't want to get hurt. He he sat out the other day, so now he's gonna play in regular season games with the deal he's on now. I'd be fine, like I like I said yesterday, I'd be fine with them giving him some more money this year, okay? Keep him happy on the field. You, you, you, you give him, they've done it before with guys, you know, you you give him a few million dollars more, whatever, keep him happy, and then you deal with it, you deal with it next year. But again, the the ball is in the Patriots court. You can you can franchise them twice, you can you know trade them. But uh if he's looking for $35 million, that that's just not gonna happen. It's just absolutely ridiculous. I don't know what uh advice he's he's gotten on that. I understand the agents want to get the most from them, but this is like this is I I don't get this is like a criminal trial where the defense attorney throws up a hail mirror, like it this makes no sense. It's like, hey, let's shoot for the moon here, because this is all we got. There's that's the only way he's gonna get 35 if they say, yeah, we're gonna agree to reset the market. But that that it's how often a Hail Mary's completed? Almost never. Not often. No. So it's it's just not honestly.
SPEAKER_03Like, obviously, the Patriots know what he wants, and they're clearly not giving him what he wants. So I I did hear that he's willing to play and bet on himself, but like he's sitting out now. Who knows about next week? If he keeps sitting out, I just don't I don't love it. Those guys get hurt almost every time almost every time.
SPEAKER_01And he doesn't need to betting on himself. He's one of the top corners in the game. What's he betting on? Betting on himself is and which he might be doing, but you're betting on yourself where it's like, well, you know, I could take that, you know, I could I could sign that extension. Baseball put. No, no, no. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna take that deal. I'm gonna bet on myself and I I want to sign that big money deal next year because it's more of a prove it thing. This guy's, I mean, he's not gonna how much better can he get? I mean, yeah, he's he's a top five or six cornerback. I get it. Is he gonna be one or two? No. He's not better than Sertan. He's not a one or two. It's he's still good. I mean, he's he's I don't dislike the guy like I joke around and everything. He's still a top five or six cornerback, but he's acting like he's the number one by far, and he's not. He's gotta come back to earth. He's just not, like I said, smart. He seems like the smartest guy in the room. Uh I just I'm all set. If he wants $35 million, he's not getting it here. Would anyone give him that? No one's gonna give him that. The Seahawks didn't give Witherspoon that, and he's arguably a better player. So people say, no, uh, a lot of people say Gonzalez is. I don't see it. I really don't. And but but you're not gonna reset the market four million dollars. It just doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_03It happens all the time. These guys bet on themselves. Like I remember I think it was Dennis Schroeder a few years back, maybe five or six years ago now, playing for the Lakers. They offered him like four years, 80 million or something like that, and he turned it down to hit free agency and then got like a veteran minimum. Yeah, and has never made that money back.
SPEAKER_01You remember that? But but you know, how much better is Christian Gonzalez gonna be? There's nothing to bet on here. You're just you're good. You're not, it's it's you know, if you ride it out in two years and then you sign because that's when the market is, you know, it just but it's not gonna, it's not gonna work like that. He's up for the contract, and I think they're gonna play hardball. You're gonna have Drake May, let's say he makes 70 million, okay? AJ Brown makes 40. You're gonna pay this guy another 35, 145 million dollars. My math is right. Three guys. It's not happening. You're not you're not you're not giving the guy $35 million. You're not. I don't know, I don't know if Drake, Drake May's gonna reset the market. I I think he will. I don't think he's gonna take a discount. I mean, who knows? He might, but you know, you're looking at $65, $70 million for Drake May.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Which, which for any quarterback is honestly insane. I just think the the quarterback numbers are getting crazy. You got Tua Tunga by lower and uh what's his name? Kyler Murray playing for other teams, getting paid like $50 million from their original team.
SPEAKER_03Those deals are are bad. Jordan Love, he was one of the first ones to sign a $50 plus million dollar deal. He's gotten worse every single year since the deal. I just these these numbers are getting way too high. Way too high.
SPEAKER_01I mean, you're not gonna you're not gonna overpay uh a good quarterback. Well, you maybe you have to, but it's it doesn't make sense to you overpay them just because other teams have terrible personnel offices and make bad decisions. Whoever gave two of that contract, I mean, it's got what? Uh the same with Kyla Murray. I I like I said, he's gonna be a serviceable quarterback this year in Minnesota, but he's not worth any of that money.
SPEAKER_03No, nowhere, no, just nowhere closer to that. I think these teams just get, you know, quarterbacks hard to find, so they're like, ah, we got a guy. I guess we gotta pay him. And it's it's a mistake every time, but I don't know, man. It's the the cap is clearly crap because those teams are paying those guys to play for other teams, and they still feel the team. You know what I mean? Right. They they need to figure it out. They they just really need to figure it out. As long as he's playing this year, I don't care what he does. I would like to see him back on the field playing football in practice, get ready for the season. All right, Tommy, we're we're debuting a new segment. We're calling it rank them. And this is just the four Boston teams, major teams, and we're gonna rank them from four to one. Longest shot for a championship to best shot as a championship currently, current season, and we'll we'll keep this up to date. We'll do it, you know, maybe once a month or something like that, just to refresh, you know, things change, players changed. I'll start it off, and my furthest team from a championship, and this might surprise some people because I'm a basketball fan, a big one. I think the Celtics are the furthest of the four from a championship right now. And then now that I take into account the league, it's not just the team. I just think currently constructed the way the Celtics are, there's just no chance of them winning a championship right now, this year, especially.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I actually have the same pick. Uh, and it's not and it's not because I'm not a big, you know, uh as knowledgeable in the NBA or I say uh, you know, the NBA i i it is, you know, I like some of the other sports better, but it and that's not it. It it's just not looking at the numbers. This is this is a team that that is, you know, built for 50 wins in the regular season again or 55 wins, but come the playoff time. I mean, it's just it's just not gonna work with this team. First of all, all four of all four of the teams are I consider playoff teams. So it's a good problem to have, I guess. But I I think the Celtics are gonna finish probably third or fourth in the East, but they're gonna get waxed in the playoffs again. I'd be shocked if they even get out of the first round. They're just they're just not built for it long term. So this might be the first thing we've agreed on.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and it's funny too, because outside of the Patriots, I look at all these teams, I agree, I think they're all playoff teams, but outside of the Patriots, I think they could all get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna give you mine just because just in case, we might have these the exact same. We might so I don't want people to think I'm copying you, so I'm gonna give you I'm gonna give you my second worst team, or whatever you want to call it, uh, the team that would be the next furthest from a uh championship, and that is the Boston Bruins. Uh I think they're a playoff team. Uh I think they have a really good first line after that. I think they're they're still a little weak. I think uh Haggins is is gonna be a decent player, but he's not gonna be a superstar by any means next year or the or or the year after. He's gonna it's gonna take a little bit of time for him to grow into the league. The goaltending is good, but you know, that the first pairing defense is is okay. I mean, this is a team that's gonna finish third, fourth, and fifth in the in the Eastern Conference. But I I again I I at at best they're a second-round playoff team. They're in no danger of of competing for a Stanley Cup at this time, just the way that they're constructed. Uh they are another one of those teams that's gonna be good enough to get in the playoffs. But I mean, the Stanley Cup playoffs, I think, are the are the greatest playoffs on earth. And you watch I watched a ton of them, all the other teams, and uh the Bruins are just uh a lot farther away from being at that level of competition.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, I also I also have the Bruins in that spot. And for a lot of the reasons you said, and like that was the first thing that popped into my head when I thought about the Bruins was like they could easily just lose in the first round, and then even if they get to the second round, can I really picture them getting much further than that? And the answer was no. I just I don't think they can get out of their conference. Never mind if they made it to the Stanley Cup. Now you gotta deal with Colorado or whoever, like whoever in the West that I think is better than them. You know what I mean? So I agree there. Who uh who do you have second closest to a championship?
SPEAKER_01Red Sox. Same. Yeah. I I mean I I don't think I don't think they're gonna win it. I think the American League this year is so bad, or there's a lack of a front runner like there is in the National League, where they could be two, you could have two teams, you know. The Dodgers and the Braves could could could be the two best teams in baseball, especially in the playoffs with the arms they have. The the Braves are a little weak on pitching. And the Dodgers have some guys hurt, but I mean that they're still loaded. Uh I think the Red Sox, the Red Sox have a shot. Listen, if if you get to the dance, you never know what can happen. And I think the Red Sox have a good shot to come out of the American League if they can write uh that they're taking on some water right now, they can write the ship, plug those holes, uh, and they'll and they're gonna be okay. Uh I I I do think they that their ceiling is the ALCS, but hey, maybe maybe you maybe you you get lucky, strike some lightning, and uh and you can get to the World Series and anything can happen.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, the reason I had them second was just because their pitching staff is so good, like you know how it is. You get to October, it's cold, the bats aren't as hot, a lot of games are really tight, they have a good pitching staff. The bullpen's a little banged up, so that hurts, but you can get, you know, you can get into a series in baseball in October and the pitching could just be lights out and carry you, you know, it could happen. So that's why I put them there. And then also on top of that, like like I said, going into next year, I think they're one bat away from just competing. You know what I mean? Keep the pitching staff intact and they'll be fine.
SPEAKER_01I absolutely agree. I can't believe we're like minds are like intertwined right now, I guess you and I.
SPEAKER_03So obviously that brings us to the number one, and it's the Patriots. I had the revolution. Oh man. But I mean, I'd say I think it's pretty obvious. You got the quarterback, they were in the Super Bowl last year. Yes, they may have, you know, lucked into it a bit with the schedule they were given. Even their schedule through the playoffs was was pretty soft. But I just think overall, the moves they made this offseason, the offense should be much better. The defense, you know, if they're healthy, should be good again. That could be the defense was good last year. I think it could be better this year. Adding the rookie uh Yakis, I think he could be a big addition for them. As long as Gonzalez comes back and plays. Like I said, all around, I think they they're a better team than last year. And I I think they can make a run again.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I agree. I I think I think the ceiling on this team, realistically, I'd be happy with, is the AFC championship game. Same with the Red Sox. I I think the the league is gonna be a little, the AFC is gonna be uh better this year, Mahomes, uh, and the Chiefs are gonna be back in contention. I think the Bengals, uh, I think the defense will hold up enough and their offense is certainly gonna put up points. Um, but uh I don't I don't think uh the Bengals or the Chiefs necessarily are better than the Patriots, but you know, you have more teams competing and you're gonna have a better seven teams in uh the playoffs. I think the Patriots really need to do well in the regular season because it's really hard to come here and play football in early January. It's it can be cold. Um, you know, you get you get some of these some of these warmer climate teams coming in here, especially if it's the divisional game or even the AFC Championship game. But I like I said, they have the quarterback, they have the coach, they have the offensive coordinator, they have a better offensive line, they're gonna have a better defense. Kevin Byard, I think, is was a huge underrated pickup. Uh he's a leader, and I I think that that they have the best chance to win a title. All teams are all playoff teams, which is nice, but the this team is a little bit closer than any of them to uh trying to get that next title.
SPEAKER_03All right, Tommy. We're going into another news segment, and this is a fun one. This is Bites and Bets. We got this idea from basically want to be a podcast that is local, that supports local. And so this is a way that we found to do that. We're both kind of foodies, so we thought, you know, let's let's try some places, let's rank them, let's get their names out there, we'll make some fun out of it, and then we'll throw in a little bet for fun, bites and bets. So I started it off, and the way I wanted to do it was I grew up in this area. I'm a greater Boston North Shore guy. I've been here my whole life. I've tried basically everywhere that has been around, you know, all the classics. So I wanted to try somewhere new, somewhere that I haven't tried, somewhere, you know, that is a newer company, you know, up and coming. Like I said, maybe help get their name out there. So I tried Gennaro's Cutlet Counter in Salem Mass. They have two locations. I went to the High Street location. They're also in Salem Willows. It's a very simple menu. I'll post that on the video if you're watching on YouTube. Um, it's basically just cutlet sandwiches. They make some pizzas, a couple cold subs. I saw them making an Italian, which actually looked really good. I didn't get that. I ended up getting just a classic chicken palm. I figured it's called the cutlet counter. I should just go with the classic and try the cutlets. The place was a bit of a mess, not messy like stuff everywhere. They had one guy working, and this dude was dealing with everything. Like, shout out to that guy. I didn't get his name, but he handled his business. So it was crazy. He's got Uber Eats orders coming in, people walking in. It was kind of nuts. But he hooked me up. I got my sandwich. I ordered a pizza. I never actually got the pizza, but he was cool about it. They actually ended up comping my entire meal because the pizza never came out. But the sandwich was delicious. I'm gonna give it a 7.8. I just want to keep, you know, keep the scale honest for now. This is the first one. I don't want to come out hot with like an 8.5, but it was a super solid sandwich. I would definitely go back there for a chicken palm sub for sure if I was ever in the Salem area. Just, you know, good spot.
SPEAKER_01Excellent. Uh I so I haven't heard of that place. I am a big cutlet guy, and I'm uh I can get to that area pretty easily. Uh, I'm definitely gonna check them out because it sounds like a place I'd like to support as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, check it out. And like the menu look cool. I I definitely, like I said, the Italian look good. I want to try that. And they're one of there's not many places on the North Shore that make Italian pizza. Most of the the shops on the North Shore is Greek pizza, which I'm not a huge fan of. My kids love it. I don't. I want Italian, that's it. That's that's pizza to me. But I definitely want to go back and try that. But uh let's get into let's get into my bet. So I got a fun one. It kind of goes along with the way I'm feeling about the Patriots and Drake May. I didn't want to take Drake May for MVP because that's kind of I don't know, it's too obvious. He was right there last year. Who knows? He maybe he's a perennial MVP candidate, but I skipped over that and I started looking at the touchdowns. So I got Drake May, 35 plus touchdown passes, plus 650. This guy threw 31 touchdown passes last year with Stefan Diggs and no one else. To me, if he stays healthy, he's throwing 35 plus touchdowns easily.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, oh I agree. I think I think that's plus 650. I think that's a great bet. I thought there would be a lot lower than I haven't seen that. Uh where was that on? Was that on DraftKings?
SPEAKER_03So DraftKings had him plus 600. I found him plus 650 on Caesars. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I again, Vegas knows better than I do, but I think that I I think that's a great bet. Uh for that, I I figured that would be plus 250, plus 300, because I think he's going to hit that. You know, he he added AJ Brown, and I think there's going to be a more of a reliance on the passing game this year with him and Ian Dobbs. You got you got top heavy, you got guys in the red zone that can catch the ball. Brown's obviously a red zone threat. Dobbs is a is a touchdown machine, you know, in less than 15 yards, and uh, and so is Mac Hollins. I I think that's a I think that's a good bet.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you got two good tight ends that can catch the ball, you got two good receiving backs. Easily, I think he can get over 35. It just that's that stuck out to me. So, you know, it's it's fun. Throw flunch money on it, pizza money. 20 bucks will win you like 150 bucks.
SPEAKER_01You know, does does does Drake May throw two touchdowns a game? That get that gets you to 34. I mean, like, you know, he's gonna have a game where he's got one, he's gonna have a game where he has five. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Remember that game last year he threw like five in the first half and then they sat him? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I did, yeah, yeah. Crazy. Yeah, I think that's I think that's a pretty solid bet.
SPEAKER_03And we're gonna track all these bets too. Like, I'm not just gonna give you guys bets and then just be like, yeah, whatever. Like, I'm gonna track them all. We'll keep track of it, see if we're winning, see if we're losing. But like I said, to me, as long as he stays healthy, 35 shouldn't be a problem. And plus 650, I just I feel like that's a mistake. That's gonna do it for the Boston Bullpen Podcast. I'm Gil, he's Tommy. Please follow us on social media. If you listen to us, you know, on YouTube, on Apple, on Spotify, please leave us a five-star review, subscribe, download. All those things help grow the podcast. We really appreciate everybody, all the love we'll be getting on social media. You know, please, if you have any questions for us, any recommendations, anything like that, stuff you want to hear on the podcast, hit us up on social media. We're both very active. We love to hear from everybody that's listening to us. We really appreciate everything. That's the ball game.
SPEAKER_00This is the Boston Bullpen Podcast.