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00:00With Tom E. Tuesday, Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.
00:03He's brought to you by D'Angelo's Sandwiches.
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00:41Tommy Curran, what's up?
00:43Good afternoon.
00:45Oh, it's a wonderful afternoon with the Patriots having their
00:48victory Monday yesterday, Tommy Tuesday today.
00:51We played a clip from you on NBC Sports Boston on Sunday
00:55discussing the juxtaposition between Caleb Williams and Drake
00:59May.
01:00I don't know if you want to elaborate on that at all, but it
01:02was striking on Sunday.
01:04It was and I'm not sure exactly what the clip was, but my biggest
01:08impression is that Caleb Williams is being so poorly managed
01:15that they're going to be below scratch by the time they start
01:19to get him organized.
01:20When you look at the Patriots for all their faults and missteps
01:26at numerous levels, personnel, head coaching, coordinators,
01:29etc. Robert Kraft said to me, and I think he said it publicly
01:32as well, the only thing that matters is coaching quarterback.
01:35And when you look at the quarterback development that they've
01:37done, whether it's from Alex Van Pelt and the on-field stuff
01:41with a slow playing of putting him out there or the way that
01:44May himself has ascended to the leadership role that he did
01:48in a very diplomatic way where he wasn't overstepping, you
01:52can contrast that with Caleb Williams.
01:54The footwork of Williams, the timing of Williams are abhorrent.
01:59He is holding the ball too long.
02:02His footwork and his just spray misses are unbelievable.
02:07He's got 19% of his throws, period, are wild.
02:14I have the status on my computer.
02:16I'm doing it right now for quick glance, but it's just jaw-dropping
02:19how inaccurate he is and the lack of development that he has
02:22experienced since getting to the league is going to put him
02:25probably back worse than he was when he got there in April.
02:30So it's a real contrast in the way the two players were developed.
02:34You know, we've talked a lot about the report that Drake
02:37May kind of pulled the offense aside and spoke to him because
02:40they were having a bad practice and, you know, and showing
02:44some leadership there.
02:45Are we making too big a deal out of that?
02:46Because Jones and I think that is like fantastic and like
02:49what a step forward or is that just something that hey, you
02:51know, every once in a while quarterbacks kind of just have
02:53to do that.
02:55No, I think it's a huge deal because was he going to do that
03:00in April, May, June, July or August?
03:02No, he was not wandering in here saying I have it all figured
03:06out the way Caleb Williams, for instance, was texting the
03:08punter that they drafted in the fourth round and said we're
03:11not going to need you much this year.
03:13May did not come in and act as if he had it figured out.
03:17We watched him during rookie minicamp and he was glacial in
03:20his detail-oriented approach to learning what they wanted
03:25him to do.
03:26So it's been a very gradual, I think, assumption of the
03:31leadership mantle.
03:32He never big-footed Jacoby Brissett, but when it finally
03:35came time for people to get on the quality control and
03:38everybody had probably said something for the fast-talking
03:44somewhat awkward but kind of lovable Drake May standing up
03:49in front of a bunch of adults.
03:51At the age of 22 and say we need better is kind of impressive.
03:57I think and it's just it shows that the Patriots got the right
04:00guy. One thing that Mayo said during the owners meetings is
04:03he's all football.
04:04He's all football all the time and notice that have we seen
04:07any social media stuff?
04:09Have we seen any Instagram?
04:10Have we seen any branding?
04:11Have we seen any no bull or whatever it else we see players
04:15embrace?
04:16He's all football.
04:18Yeah, I think I've seen one auto dealership commercial that
04:21he does but it's minimal.
04:22We had the moment that I know you didn't like I didn't love
04:24either with Aaron Rodgers after the Jets game, but no, it's
04:27been very minimal and just to juxtapose it with you mentioned
04:29noble to juxtapose it with Mac Jones.
04:32Like I don't know would Mac ever would Mac call stuff like
04:36that? What do you address the whole team?
04:37Would he run it by the the offensive coordinator or would
04:41he just go behind the offensive coordinator and head coaches
04:44back like it feels very different not to pile on Mac.
04:47But I'll go ahead and pile on Mac.
04:48It feels very different than him.
04:51I think that he probably wouldn't I think that he would
04:53have the respect somewhat of his teammates, but in that dynamic
04:57Bill was already actively peeing on his forehead on a regular
05:01basis.
05:02So it's very difficult for you to if you're not empowered by
05:07the people above you to show that you have the ability to
05:11lead.
05:12So it's tough with P on your forehead.
05:14I agree.
05:14That's not easy.
05:16Yeah, and be a compelling figure.
05:26But yeah, it's it's very I mean, it's Brady again.
05:30We can make a comparison without making, you know, a one-to-one.
05:34He is the guy but Brady in 2001, excuse me 2000 with the leader
05:40as the sixth round pick of a fleet of draft picks and he
05:45assumed the leadership role and I remember listening to guys
05:49say that when he got in the huddle.
05:52Even during practices when he was the starter to be like, oh
05:56God, we just show over the top in terms of let's get enough
06:00to this and it's like two hours into the practice and they're
06:03like, well, but he's genuine Brady was and I think that Drake
06:08May is extremely genuine almost in a way that there's nothing
06:12calculated it the way I could see.
06:14I think Brady could be a little calculated but I don't think
06:17that Drake May is a calculated guy.
06:20The only thing that he wants to get is better.
06:23What do you make of both Kendrick Bourne being inactive last
06:27week with the idea of playing younger guys, but then also
06:30KJ Osborne getting the second most wide receiver snaps.
06:34I think it's two different things are at play here one.
06:38They want to get younger guys the ball more often and I think
06:42we saw that with Keisha on booty into Mario Douglas, but the
06:46guys who are not on their details and I think that we've seen
06:50over the course of time is lovable is Kendrick Bourne is he's
06:54not a detail-oriented fella.
06:57I think it's the general perception within the organization
07:00well-meaning happy and productive as he can sometimes be he's
07:05just as prone to mistakes.
07:07So in on one hand, you don't see J.
07:10Vaughn Baker tycoon Thornton is completely in mothballs now,
07:15but they're moving.
07:16You have to have somebody out there in terms of you have to
07:19have three wide out.
07:19So they have the two tight ends.
07:23So DeMario Douglas case on booty and KJ Osborne are your three
07:30that you're going to put up and you're going to more or less
07:33pound the ball to the two tight ends Hooper and Henry and then
07:36to DeMario Douglas in case on booty because they're your best
07:39players and excuse me.
07:41Jalen Polk.
07:41I left him out of that conversation too, but I really think
07:44case on booty is their best wide receiver and it'll probably
07:46still be the best wide receiver.
07:48Even when Jalen Polk improves, I just think he's a better
07:51player.
07:52No, we were talking about this yesterday.
07:53I think that's a shift for for keeping myself as well.
07:56We both take him, you know, as the number one guy over pop
08:01Douglas at this point.
08:02It's time now for Tommy currents flex of the game.
08:04It's presented by Flex car ditch the dealership and save
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08:09What is your flex of the game from Pat's Bears?
08:11Tom flex of the game with the Patriots after the heinous
08:15turnover in second half on the interception coming back and
08:19bowing up.
08:20I'm not sure.
08:20Was that the second half that I misspeak there?
08:22I should have been more prepared in my flex of the game.
08:24It was the first half.
08:26Okay, first half.
08:28Let's also then go with the bow up after that where they did
08:32not allow points and also the bow up in the second half after
08:37they had a kind of a sketchy first drive and there was an
08:41opportunity for maybe the Bears to gain a little bit of
08:44momentum coming into the second half and the Patriots forced
08:47you in another three and out.
08:48So flex of the game from DeMarcus Covington for understanding.
08:52He had a sitting duck back there who was ready for the taking
08:54and an offensive line that was pockmarked and attacking it.
08:57We spent a lot of time on the defense, but DeMarcus Covington
09:00who's been lit up several times.
09:03He saw a ball on the tee in front of them and he hammered
09:05it with the Chicago Bears offense.
09:07What do you think of the outlook for the rest of the season
09:09for the Pats three and seven?
09:11Obviously not a very good record, but there's a lot of bad
09:13teams in the AFC.
09:15A lot of bad teams in the NFL.
09:16We saw the Rams last night not look great.
09:19Miami also even in a win didn't look great.
09:21And then you have the Colts as your next three opponents who
09:25none of them are really playing great football.
09:27So how do you see the Patriots kind of the next month or so?
09:32It's interesting because if you look at each team, they're
09:36probably all more talented than the Patriots.
09:39One by one by one.
09:41All of them have better players than the Patriots, but I think
09:44Sunday is generally oftentimes just a snapshot of where your
09:47team is that week relative to injuries, overall mood, game
09:52plan, and the Jets and the Bears were able to be beaten by
09:56the Patriots because they had basically quit on their seasons.
09:59They had quit on their situations and the Patriots were
10:03able to make, hey, they weren't able to do that with Tennessee
10:05because they're not that good, the Patriots.
10:08So it depends on who they get when they see the Rams.
10:11It depends on who they get when they see the Dolphins and
10:15the Colts.
10:16All those teams are going to look at the Patriots and go, we
10:17should beat these friggin guys.
10:19Every single team.
10:20So I don't think that they're going to go on a run.
10:23I still think that if they get to five wins, that's expected.
10:28Four wouldn't stun me and six would kind of open my eyes.
10:31Don't you guys think if they get to six wins, I'd say, wow.
10:35Yeah.
10:35No, I'm taking the under on that.
10:38I just think it's how I feel now compared to three weeks ago
10:42is completely changed.
10:43And I feel like I have a lot of interest in these games as
10:46far as like, I don't know how the outcome is going to go.
10:47Like, I think they're probably going to lose Sunday to the
10:50Rams, but I think it's more of a toss-up than it was a month
10:53ago. Same with the Miami and Indy game.
10:55And so I'm definitely intrigued that they're in this spot.
10:59But yeah, I mean, they still end the year of four or five
11:02wins. I wouldn't shock me.
11:03Let me ask you a different way, Tom.
11:05We were saying, hey, there are two games out of playoff spot.
11:07There are only two games back at Denver.
11:09There's a lot of teams in that mix.
11:10Is that a foolish discussion?
11:12It sounds like you think that's probably a foolish discussion
11:14to look at the Patriots as a playoff team.
11:16It's not, but it's foolish, I think, to look at them and say,
11:19well, that's a playoff level team.
11:21Because there are, Jonesy, two plays, three plays away from
11:26six and four.
11:27They are literally three plays from six and four.
11:29Say they got the two-point conversion against the Titans,
11:32Jalen Polk got his foot down, and they didn't butcher it
11:34against the Seahawks.
11:36This could be a six and four football team, and they're not
11:40a playoff caliber roster. And had those breaks gone their way,
11:44would we look at them and say, well, these guys are going to
11:47be a tough out?
11:47Well, maybe, but I just don't think that, I think that would
11:51be a premature playoff appearance relative to the skill level
11:56of the team.
11:57Like, for instance, the Patriots in 1994 went to the playoffs
12:03in Drew Bledsoe's second year, and the next year they went
12:065-11 in 1995, and they were horrendous.
12:10Then they went to the Super Bowl the next year. Like, the Patriots,
12:13it's going to totally track the exact same way the early
12:1890s Patriots did, I believe, if they get it right.
12:21A Super Bowl appearance?
12:23I'll take that.
12:26Who's the Brett Favre running around with his helmet off
12:28when they lose?
12:29I couldn't sleep for weeks after that.
12:31That was a tough image.
12:33Oh, that's going to be Caleb Williams.
12:38I don't know if you saw Bill Belichick on Pat McAfee yesterday.
12:42Maybe the most surprising part of it was that A.J.
12:45Hawk asked the question, but Hawk asked him about specifically
12:48the Patriots and Drake May, and as you can imagine, Belichick
12:52took it to, yeah, he looks good, like, outside the pocket,
12:54and Romandre Stevenson's a great back, but really, it's all
12:57about Chicago.
12:58I don't know what your take is on Bill.
13:00Once again, kind of sidestepping any kind of positive statements
13:04about the Patriots.
13:07He's got some bad takes.
13:08I mean, you should at some point, you should at some point
13:12acknowledge the fact that Drake May is better than you thought
13:15he would be when you looked at him in April at the draft.
13:20You have compelling information, Bill.
13:22People want to hear it.
13:24We respect your opinion, but be able to say, well, that's a lot
13:27better player than he is now.
13:29Don't make it sound like he's running around like a chicken with
13:31his head cut off and not being decisive as to when to run.
13:34He's not wandering around back there.
13:36That's one of the best things about his game, but I think sometimes
13:39Bill is so reluctant to lob praise or admit that, hey, I got that
13:44wrong, that he's going to stick with it.
13:46You notice he also managed to meander over to a Jacksonville
13:50sideswipe.
13:51The double in that answer, the double benefit of that being, hey,
13:57Scott, I'm still here and your team still sucks and you should
14:00have had Mac out there.
14:02The guy was 6'6 and 18 in his last 24 games here.
14:08Yikes.
14:09One of the worst offenses on record and they're still digging out
14:12on Patriots record, not national football.
14:15Yeah, but it's funny when you really hold his takes up to the
14:22light, how just laden with agenda they are.
14:27Well, it's a good thing.
14:28They had Ramondre Stevenson draw on the defense last year when they
14:30won their four games because obviously that was a big thing that
14:33helped him out.
14:33Who was his best back last year?
14:34Who was Bill's best back last year?
14:36That would be Ezekiel Elliott.
14:37Oh, so you're arguing Zeke over Ramondre.
14:40Okay, I see where you're going.
14:41Oh my God, he was much better than Ramondre Stevenson because they
14:43couldn't block.
14:46Anyway, to knock on Bill, some bad takes from Bill Belichick.
14:51I'm certainly familiar with one.
14:52Tommy Curran, always with good takes.
14:55You can watch him on Quick Slants tonight.
14:57You can read his latest at NBC Sports Boston.
14:59Drake May has risen to the occasion for the Patriots on and off the
15:03field. Check that out there.
15:04He joins us every Tuesday here on Jones and Keefe.
15:06You can also catch him Thursday at 3.30 on WEI Afternoons.
15:10Tommy Curran, we appreciate the time.
15:11Thanks so much.
15:12Thanks guys.
15:13Good fun.
15:13Tommy Curran joining us here on a Tommy Tuesday.