Tom E. Curran joins to preview Patriots Training Camp!
Patriots insider Tom E. Curran joins the show to discuss what fans should expect from Drake Maye in training camp.
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00:00Joined on WEEI by Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.
00:03He's brought to you today by Drains by James.
00:05At Drains by James, they give a poop about your pipes.
00:08What's going on, Tommy Curran?
00:09How we doing?
00:10Good afternoon.
00:12Good to hear from you guys after a brief sabbatical.
00:15It's been a soupy summer, and I love it.
00:17How much recovery time did you need
00:20after the mega Mr. Who wedding?
00:23Because I'm just starting to feel like myself again,
00:25personally.
00:27No recovery time necessary.
00:30Oh, nice, you're back.
00:31Yeah, fit as a fiddle, ready to go.
00:32The soggy summer didn't drag you down too much.
00:35OK, well, Meggo's out today.
00:36Was he at the actual wedding or the thing you went to?
00:38Oh, that's a good point.
00:39Yeah, were you at the Friday night
00:40or were you at the Saturday shindig?
00:42I think the Friday night was family,
00:44so I'm not part of the Ottolene Mason tribe.
00:46So I went to the Saturday event.
00:48I see, Saturday event.
00:49We got football here or not?
00:51I mean, not really, but yeah, no.
00:53So when it comes to it.
00:54So far I'm here, I'm like, sprinter clock,
00:56and now the Meggo wedding.
00:57We're going to do some football.
00:58Well, we were talking about the sprinter talk of all that,
01:00of a Tom Brady discussion.
01:02He was number five on ESPN's Top 100.
01:03But when it comes to training camp,
01:05we were just discussing Bill Belichick.
01:07I've heard you say you think he's potentially
01:09very comfortable in staying in the life he's doing right now,
01:13staying away from football.
01:14He doesn't need to be on a podium answering questions
01:16about Dak Prescott or Jalen Hurts
01:18or getting second guessed by Jerry Jones.
01:20You feel like he could really stay out of coaching
01:23and not return.
01:23Why do you feel that way?
01:25Yeah, I didn't say that he's comfortable.
01:28I said that over the course of time,
01:30he might find it quite appealing as he finishes the year.
01:33I don't know what his demeanor is toward it right now.
01:37And I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Pelissero reporting
01:40that Bill intends to get back in coaching.
01:42Bill Cowher intended to get back in coaching.
01:44He never did.
01:45And I think there's other guys who
01:47intend to get back and do things.
01:48And then after they start doing something
01:51that's cushy and easy and you're not second guessed
01:55to a fare-thee-well, as John Dennis might
01:57have said back in the day, then maybe it has some appeal.
02:00So I would, instead of saying, oh, yeah,
02:03Bill Belichick's definitely coaching in 2025,
02:07despite Tom's report, I'd say I wouldn't
02:11be surprised if over the course of time he found it appealing.
02:14But I don't know that that is the case.
02:16I would imagine he intends to continue coaching.
02:19But we've seen it happen before.
02:21And he is 72.
02:22And he is having a good time.
02:23And he isn't getting second guessed.
02:25And he does, look, if Adam Schefter was correct when
02:28he posited in the offseason that Bill
02:31wanted to go to a media market that wasn't very difficult
02:34and big, which I wouldn't know, anything
02:36that comes from Schefter might as well come from Bill,
02:39then it shows you that Bill's pretty much all set
02:43with being second guessed.
02:44He always was.
02:46Tom, a lot of changes, a lot of things to keep an eye on.
02:50What is the most interesting aspect
02:52of the opening of training camp in New England?
02:57Reaction, I think, among the fans,
03:00just ignoring the obvious with Drake May and Kobe Brissett.
03:03But the reaction to fans, I think,
03:06post-Bill to something that they've not
03:08seen in a quarter century, which is somebody else running
03:12the team other than Bill Belichick.
03:15The camp crowds are often different than the sports
03:17radio talk or TV talk crowds or the people
03:21we see on social media.
03:23So what will the response be on a day-to-day basis?
03:26Be at Joet Stadium, how crowded will the fans be?
03:31What will the reactions be?
03:32So that, to me, is really the most intriguing non-football
03:35thing that I look at, Andy.
03:38Just is it going to be thronged?
03:40Are people going to be 15 deep waiting
03:42for J. Vaughn Baker and Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry
03:46to come off the field and sign their hats?
03:48Or is it going to be friends and family?
03:51Talking to Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.
03:53He joins us here on WEEI.
03:55Brandon Aiyuk's name has emerged this week.
03:57He's demanded a trade in San Francisco.
03:59Jocena Anderson said the Patriots checked in on him,
04:02but they were turned down at the time.
04:05Does Brandon Aiyuk make sense, not just on the field?
04:07Obviously, they could use an upgrade at receiver.
04:10Does he make sense for the Patriots,
04:11given the acquisition cost?
04:14Personally, I don't think that he does,
04:15because you're going to immediately take a very good,
04:19but I don't think elite wide receiver, who is,
04:22because he's surrounded by so many unbelievable players
04:25and a Kyle Shanahan offense, he benefits from that.
04:28He benefits from Kittle.
04:29He benefits from McCaffrey.
04:30He benefits from the offensive line,
04:33which is ridiculously good, and Deebo Samuel.
04:36Can he come here and be an elite one?
04:38Or is he basically Calvin Ripley with a better recent resume,
04:41because he's been on a better team?
04:44I would resist the idea of saying,
04:46okay, let's go give a five year, $150 million contract
04:51with $75 million guaranteed to Brandon Aiyuk.
04:54Not because he's not good and the Patriots don't need it,
04:57but simply because they have enough on their plate right now.
05:01Don't worry about buying the giant TV at this point.
05:05Let's just worry about the things in the house
05:08to get the place in working order on a day-to-day basis.
05:11Andy, do you agree with that?
05:14Yeah, for the most part, I do.
05:16But I think with those guys, it's always a projection.
05:18I didn't think Stephon Diggs was as good
05:21as Stephon Diggs ended up being for Josh Allen.
05:24You know what I mean?
05:25So it's, that's a projection.
05:27It's an unknown.
05:29So Tom, I guess-
05:30Wait a sec, that's a good point.
05:32Didn't Allen establish himself and then they said,
05:36let's go get Diggs?
05:37Yes, yes.
05:37I think that was the case.
05:38Yes, absolutely.
05:39Maybe that's the way to do it.
05:40It is probably the smart way to do it,
05:42because I do think there's going to be enough pressure
05:43on your rookie quarterback, nevermind, whenever he plays,
05:46or even pressure on Jacoby Brissett.
05:48There's pressure on either guy who's not a stud QB
05:52when you bring in $120 million receiver,
05:55who's like, yeah, I need to get mine
05:56and prove that I'm really good now.
05:57So yeah, no, it's probably smart.
05:59Tom, three years ago at about this time,
06:03I was of the belief that Mac Jones was going to start
06:05as a rookie for the New England Patriots.
06:07I had seen an evolution in the summer and in minicamp
06:10and just thought that's the way it was going to go.
06:13I do not feel the same way about Drake May,
06:15despite being a Drake May fan.
06:17So my question is, do I feel less confident
06:20in the rookie quarterback this time around
06:21because of the rookie quarterback
06:23or because of the guy he's competing with?
06:26The guy he's competing with.
06:29That's the gap between Kim Newton and Mac Jones
06:35in terms of being able to get the ball out on time accurately
06:39and manipulate things at the line of scrimmage
06:42and understand what they were looking at was non-existent.
06:45Yeah, the mic gave him an issue, right?
06:49Finding the mic gave him an issue,
06:50which was a bit of a red flag.
06:53They start every camp in the red zone.
06:55So every time the offenses look worse
06:59because they're in a compressed area
07:00and they're not hitting.
07:02But I just remember the first couple of days,
07:04Mac Jones had the ball out, even in the red zone,
07:06so frigging fast, it was ridiculous.
07:09And as Brian Hoyer has said to us,
07:10I thought they were giving him the plays
07:13because he was so good.
07:14And Kim was so hesitant.
07:15And I just don't think it's going to look that way
07:17with Drake May because Jacoby Persett
07:21is a pocket, under center player,
07:23playing with an offensive coordinator he's familiar with,
07:28as opposed to Kim being in year two,
07:30where the Patriots were probably going to start to try
07:32and segue back to being a normal offense,
07:37as opposed to the cam offensive 2020.
07:39So I don't think Drake May has a shot.
07:42I think it was Chad Graff,
07:43I was reading his story on the athletic
07:45and he said 35% chance that Drake May
07:48is the opening day starter,
07:49which certainly isn't walking the plank
07:51and saying, I think it's going to happen,
07:53but I don't think it's even close to that.
07:55I mean, he has to win by frigging knockout and injury
07:58to be starting on day one.
08:00Okay, he's Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.
08:02Check all the latest there.
08:03I saw Phil last night, Tom,
08:05you guys are on the verge of starting up
08:07everything all over again, right?
08:09Like quick slants and Patriots Talk Podcast
08:12and all these things, right?
08:13You're about to get full go on that.
08:15We are, Adam, and I want you people to look out
08:18for Training Camp Central, which will begin next week
08:21on Wednesday, first day of training camp.
08:23That'll be at six o'clock.
08:24We'll give you the skinning on everything we know,
08:26but we're going to give you every single day,
08:29small tidbits and bite-sized Patriots Talk Podcast
08:34to tell you exactly what happened on the field.
08:36Okay, we'll be watching.
08:37Thanks so much, Tom.
08:39Thank you for having me.
08:40Tommy Curran.