The Patriots have named Mike Vrabel as the next head coach and we're having mixed feelings. On one hand he's a former Head Coach of the Year. On the other hand...was the interview process a sham? What should we expect from the new coach? Alec and Rich cover it all.
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SportsTranscript
00:00All right, tell everybody and welcome to Patriots first and goal
00:02I am Alex Shane breaking down not Patriots football because the Patriots season is blissfully over but
00:08Is in news it has begun already. We have a new head coach Rich Hill not surprised by the Mike Vrabel hiring at all
00:17Some people love it. Some people were really really hoping for Ben Johnson
00:21I'm very excited to hear what you have to say
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01:26It's when you play your first $5 prize picks run your game rich
01:31Maybe next year we'll the breath some prize picks money on the Patriots when they make the playoffs with coach
01:35I'm not afraid will the Savior franchise
01:38Overall rich how you feel on about this fire? I know neither of us are surprised
01:42I know you were kind of leaning towards Ben Johnson when we last picked but I think people thought that it wasn't going to happen
01:47So now the dust is settled as official. How you feeling? I mean, it's fine. I don't know man
01:54It's it feels so preordained
01:57And I think my big issue with the Gerard Mayo pick last year was that it also felt preordained
02:05it didn't feel like it was a real coaching search and
02:08I have a lot of conspiracy on this and I would love to break those down with you
02:13But at the top of it
02:16They didn't do an interview process and they got Gerard Mayo
02:20Do you feel like there was any semblance of a real interview process this time or did they just know it was variable out of
02:28The gate and for that reason two years in a row of it feeling like it was a sham
02:34Interview process makes me feel very uneasy
02:37Yeah, it's funny like the male thing. I was more willing to overlook because look he's been with the team since he was drafted
02:44He was part of the coaching staff. He was obviously well-respected in the locker room
02:49It was weird to me that I don't know how many people have been born as a head coach having not called a single play
02:55As a coordinator, I'm sure it's happened in the past
02:57I'm not a encyclopedia
02:59But it's very crazy jump to make who've gone from not all a single play with your team to be the head coach all of a
03:05Sudden but again Kraft had seen them Belichick was there there seemed to be a mutual respect. I can get that
03:12move the rebel thing
03:15It's I
03:16My only concern again, I'm not upset about Brable at all. I think he's a good head coach
03:20I think he's gonna be good in New England
03:21I think one thing he offers that Ben Johnson doesn't doesn't is he's been there before he's been around the block and
03:28He's not a rookie head coach coming into an absolute disaster of a culture and organizations. That's a big win
03:34My only question is you know
03:35I think the Patriots were infamous for so many years from the Belichick era to not only not listen to the media
03:42But almost aggressively do the opposite of what the media predicted when it comes to draft picks free agency signings trades
03:49Off season moves, whatever if there was anybody saying anything this what the Patriots should do
03:53You're almost guaranteed for them not to do that
03:56I wonder if they've come the wind's now blowing the other direction where every time the media makes a popular consensus
04:02The crafts are going to listen to it
04:04Maybe to save some face to get some reputation back a documentary
04:07That they're now kind of trying to appease the masses and the Brable hire was again in the interest of the team
04:14But also you can't overlook. This was kind of the more popular pick and so they kind of just fast-tracked it. Yeah
04:19No, totally. I mean, it's what we're ultimately at the end of the day. I feel like he'll be a fine head coach
04:25Right, you look up and down who are in general the best head coaches in the NFL the fact that it was
04:33You know, Ben Johnson was another candidate
04:35They weren't going to go for another first-time head coach zero experience young guy hot shot
04:41After they did the mayo experiment not saying that mayo met any of those descriptors
04:46But you can't go for a young first-time head coach again, right?
04:51That's just not a thing that they were ever going to do
04:54And so when you see who aren't the longest tenured head coaches, you got your tomlin you got your harbaugh andy reed
05:01Obviously sean mcdermott. They've been the four longest tenured head coaches in the nfl
05:06Added mcveigh and shanahan who you know, you can't replicate
05:10That's the core
05:12Everything else is kind of a bit of an offshoot where I think there's been
05:15Varying success of people off of different coaching trees
05:19Obviously, I think that you have lafleur and o'connor who have been good coming out of the mcveigh tree
05:25Uh, you have mcdaniel's had like a varying level of success out of the shanahan side of it
05:30We have campbell who's doing a great job as well. D'amico ryan's is overachieving
05:35There's a lot of different way places where above average head coaching can take place
05:41In my head
05:42There's only a couple head coaches where the to the level that belichick was on defense
05:47That you have that much of a game changer in the coaching role. I think andy reed
05:53I think shanahan and I think mcveigh are the three coaches that I would say. Oh
05:59Their coaching is a differentiation point that makes them competitive with whoever they have
06:04everyone else
06:06Is a ceo
06:07Can you manage the team and the personnel and not cause them your team to have mistakes to make errors to not lose games?
06:16That is your responsibility
06:18I don't think that rabel. I think he's good at what he does. I don't think he's necessarily
06:23Obviously no it is belichick on defense. I think that he's good enough to make them play the fundamentals
06:29I think that they're good enough to get them in the right track
06:32And then if may is who we think he could possibly be as one of the top quarterbacks in the league
06:37That could be a very good pairing to make them competitive. Obviously. The standard is six super bowls. That's not going to happen
06:44But what could happen is a very competitive team on a regular basis, and that's what we're looking for
06:51Yeah, I mean all I really want to see out of 2025 again
06:54I have no super bowl aspirations 2025
06:56But I I think there's a chance given their soft schedule given their cap space in the offseason
07:01They're about to have I think a winning record isn't out of the question at this room in the offseason
07:06Maybe a sneak in as a wild card. That's still the bills division
07:09It will be for the foreseeable future
07:10But I think they are potentially a wild card team depending on what unfolds
07:14And I think that they have the talent and if they hadn't had such a drop off on defense
07:19Between 2023 and last season with pretty much the same roster
07:25I would maybe be swinging singing a different tune, uh this evening
07:28But the fact that they are basically the same team and it's starting to come out
07:31I don't know if you're paying attention now that the season's over but
07:34Patriots players are are whispering about there was just no
07:38Sense of unity in the locker room. Mayor didn't really know what he was doing
07:41You know, he like the communication was off again. He was just I don't blame the guy. He was just in over his head
07:47He just didn't wasn't able to and I one thing I think mike braver will be able to do
07:52Pretty quickly is establish a culture. Um as a player. He was a well-respected guy in the locker room
07:58there's all these really funny stories about what a bastard he was and how like he liked to just use
08:03Toughest nails and didn't put up with any crap, uh in a good way
08:06It's not he was a bad teammate
08:07But like he was a very straight narrow guy that really got things done
08:11And he has to be able to apply that and look the reality is he had success with the titans
08:15Was it 2019? They went to the aids championship game. Um, granted they had derrick henry. He's kind of a cheat code
08:22But he was undefeated against bill belichick. I don't think fable ever lost belichick as coach of the titans
08:28They made the playoffs three straight years in a row
08:30They won the afc south twice in a row in 2020 and 2021
08:34Things started to go south for them in 2022 and 2023. It's why he got fired
08:37But he's got the track record and again, I think ben johnson may be potentially potentially higher ceiling
08:45Than meg frabel does I don't know if mike bravo is going to be a you know
08:4820 year 10 year coach the way nobody in the nfl is
08:53But I think where this team's at in terms of what a mess they are from top to bottom
08:58I think they need somebody to come in here that's established
09:00That's been around the block a couple of times that can deal with the boston media and bravo is the guy for that
09:05So I know ben johnson is a cooler pick. He's a sexier pick. I think bravo is the right one
09:10I agree with you though that the interview process was kind of weird
09:14And I just wonder two things. I wonder if a
09:18It might have been a scenario where bravo was being courted by another team
09:22And there was a risk of losing him if they didn't pull the trigger quickly very very possible
09:27and two
09:29It's I don't know i'm kind of mixed about this if if you are a company
09:34And you are really dedicated on hiring this particular employee at another company and that's your person
09:41But you still have to just do the round of interviews to like put the face time in
09:45I don't think that's fair to anybody
09:47I think you should be allowed to hire whoever the hell you want
09:49You shouldn't have to put give a courtesy interview to somebody because that's a waste of everybody's time
09:54So maybe it's a combination of both those things. They knew they wanted bravo from the start
09:57They didn't want all the jets get them
09:58For example, they don't want another team to get on the raiders
10:00Maybe maybe tom brady was going to make a push for him. There's rumors about that
10:03They wouldn't let him leave boston and they had to do their perfunctory stupid couple interviews just to say they did it and then
10:09We're off to the races
10:11Yeah, totally. I mean like and I also don't blame aaron glenn defensive coordinator from the alliance. He said, uh, i'm good
10:17No, thanks. I don't need an interview there because you know for the rooney rule that they got byron leftwish and pep hamilton
10:23It's like let's be serious
10:25Zero percent chance than any of them were going to do anything
10:28um
10:29And so like truly it was a ben johnson's versus vrabel thing and I don't think ben johnson was seriously being considered for this role
10:37My conspiracy on this one
10:40Is
10:41that vrabel
10:42I mean he
10:43Got fired from the titans because he was pretty explicit at like the patriots his induction to the patriots hall of fame that he wanted
10:50To come to the patriots like he was pretty up front about that
10:55And this is my completely unfounded conspiracy
10:58Is that the patriots wanted him this whole time?
11:02and they had a few things that they couldn't play with because
11:06one
11:07If they hired vrabel and they had tampered with him as head coach of the titans
11:12How many top picks would they lose?
11:14How many of them especially them being top five picks right? They they could not afford to lose those
11:20That would be franchise altering and so they couldn't hire him immediately. This is my again completely unfounded
11:26But it seems
11:28Like the patriots didn't do anything with mayo as head coach, right? They didn't sign any big free agents
11:35Uh, one of the things that vrabel mentioned was, you know
11:38They talked with elliot wolf sounded like they couldn't do a lot of things from a you know signing perspective and i'm like
11:44Were his hands tied because they've been biding their time. Did they know it was going to be vrabel this whole time?
11:51And they had one
11:52Couldn't tamper with vrabel so they couldn't sign them to mayo had it in his contract that he needed to get the role
11:58And so just throwing away the 2024 year allowed both of those things to fly by
12:04They knew it was going to be vrabel this whole time
12:07I don't know man again completely unfounded. But if that came out as in the truth, I'd buy it completely
12:13I'll tell you rich. I love the conspiracy theory and that's not super far-fetched
12:17It isn't again who knows what goes on behind closed doors in the nfl?
12:20You never know. Let me ask you so rich if you were robert kraft you own the patriots
12:25Who would you have hired?
12:26You're taking a flyer on ben johnson or you still have gone vrabel if you if it's your job to hire somebody
12:30Yeah, I mean I I would have done a real interview process
12:34I think that's the thing is I would get in the best possible candidates because
12:40You could aim for the ben johnson. Hope he becomes the the shanahan lafleur
12:46you know mcveigh their
12:48Ability on offense and if you match them with a good quarterback will let you to contend for their entire career
12:54Or you could try and go the uh, you know
12:58tomlin harbaugh
13:00You know, etc
13:00You know belichick even route where you train the entire team on just being so good at every single fundamental that you don't lose games
13:09In the sense that like you you you might be outplayed, but you don't do something that costs you the game
13:14and
13:15That's where I think rabel will be is that he's not gonna he's gonna train them to not cost games
13:20I think my hesitation with him and why I would have liked there to be a completely open interview process
13:26is
13:27That I don't think he was
13:30Over the top good with the titans, right? Like obviously he got coach of the year. They made it to the afc champ
13:36So he's not bad. He's a good enough head coach
13:40his team
13:41Ranked in the top 10 and point differential once
13:45In his entire year as the titans head coach and they ranked eighth
13:48Even in their best year when when they he won, uh, the awards ap coach of the year in 2021
13:54They ranked 11th in point differential
13:56He he was handicapped a little bit by having tannehill as his quarterback, but tannehill wasn't a bad quarterback
14:03He was just firmly a 10 to 15th ranked quarterback
14:06his defenses
14:08Were mediocre unless they're able to force turnovers
14:12and so I have just
14:14Hesitations around did he do well enough?
14:17Because the afc south was the worst division in football and has been for the past 25 years
14:23Is that why his team was able to outperform is because they're beating up on the jaguars and the then bad colts twice a year
14:32And the texans weren't good either and so, you know, that's what the patriots did
14:37So not saying that that's not a bad way to do it
14:40But I don't know if I ever saw anything. I was like, oh he's an exceptional
14:43Head coach that will transform the team
14:46But my other side of it and this isn't answering your question either though
14:50Is that belichick would always say players win game coaches lose games and if rabel
14:55Can come in help them avoid losing games?
14:58All we talked about last year is that mayo cost them games that they were playing one
15:03Possession difference games and they lost all of them if rabel comes in turns them into a coin flip
15:10You got a 500 team and that's something to work with
15:13Yeah, I mean it's I can it's always you know
15:17Armchair quarterbacking. It's kind of how we do it
15:20I was always kind of a variable guy again
15:21I think if this is a situation where maybe it wouldn't have been a firing so it's kind of a moot point
15:25But if the patriots were a little bit less of a mess
15:28um
15:29as an organization and there's still some locker room culture in there and there was some semblance of
15:33Whenever you want to think about it, there's some semblance of the patriot way
15:36He was still present in those locker room
15:38Maybe a new head coach could come in and he could have those growing pains
15:41He could learn on the fly a bit because ben johnson
15:43I wish him all the best wherever he goes. It might be the raiders
15:46I can see tom brady making the big push for him
15:48But he's gonna have some learning curve because just it's inevitable. Uh, and that's just the way it is
15:53And plus like rabel was an all-time great patriot. So I
15:56I think that definitely factored in the fact that he played well. Absolutely
16:01Then I that um, do you think rich, uh that he has a longer leash than gerard mayo or if the patriots go?
16:09He does yeah
16:10He does there's there's no world where belichick fire fires two head coaches after one year twice in a row
16:17That's just not going to happen
16:19There would likely be elliot wolf would lose his job
16:22So elliot wolf is going to say yes to whatever rabel asks for this upcoming year
16:26Um, but I I mean I I would be shocked they have another top pick right now
16:31They have a lot of money to spend. I think that
16:35They want to have a little bit more consistency for drake may
16:39I'm very much wanting to see who
16:41Rabel brings in as a offensive coordinator because I don't think van pelt was good at developing may putting them in a position to succeed
16:49Very curiously which coaching tree rabel pulls from on that one and he has a good track record of success
16:55There in my mind, uh, you know, he had matt lafleur come over and so i'm i'm very interested to see
17:01What rabel is able to do on that front?
17:04It's funny is alex van pelt is he officially out or is he still technically the offensive coordinator?
17:08Do you know where we're at right now with that?
17:10The ben volin reporting is that both mayo and van pelt were fired by 5 p.m. The day of the game
17:17Yeah, that's what I thought. Um, yeah, so and but covington's still there as of right now, right?
17:22I think technically. Yeah, right. So there's still some pieces to move around
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18:24So if you had to guess rich hill as of right now
18:27Who would you bring in if you're mike vrabel as an offensive coordinator and probably defensive coordinator as well?
18:33Yeah, I mean, it's a great question. There's always that trade-off for comfortability. That's something that you
18:39Well, I wouldn't blame them for you know, assuming that you've worked with before someone that had upside
18:44Uh, we were talking before the podcast
18:46One of the names float around as an offensive coordinator was tommy reese who was the tight end and passing game coordinator for the browns
18:52When frapple was the consultant there this past year and in my head i'm just like
18:57Please don't don't don't bring anyone in from the browns team
19:00And fortunately reese was promoted to offensive coordinator of the browns. So that's that's not going to happen
19:05um, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some familiar faces from his time, uh with the titans, I think a lot of the
19:14Coaches that he had with them have found their way to teams like the giants
19:19But in particular
19:21I would love to see them bring in
19:24Like a keenan mccardell type like someone who has played coached under the mcveigh tree in general
19:30what i've loved to uh is a little bit of the development that we saw out of
19:35Kevin, o'connell and the vikings with sam darnold and you know, I right now there's a view that flores
19:42The you know former patriots head or defensive coordinator brian flores might go somewhere with josh mccown who's their quarterbacks coach
19:50McCardell has been their wide receivers coach for a while
19:52Uh knows the system super well has been considered for the patriots offensive coordinator in the past
19:58I would love to see someone come in with a semblance of innovation in thought leadership
20:04at the offensive coordinator role someone who's
20:06You know, obviously josh mccanniels
20:09Fine floor to have if he's the guy
20:11So be it but if someone can come in who is a little bit more innovative who is a little bit more modern
20:17I would be very okay with that choice
20:19Yeah, and mcdaniels is kind of the the name is folding around a lot again. I'd be fine with that
20:24He's a great offensive coordinator again
20:25I think we talked about from our last podcast too is like would mcdaniels
20:28Want to come back for like a seventh stint as the offensive coordinator of the patriots
20:34Maybe you know, I think I I can't see him getting any more head coaching opportunities at this point
20:39Too many times I think the offensive coordinator which he's very good at is his ceiling
20:44And I think he'd be a very creative offensive coordinator for a quarterback like drape
20:48Who has mobility and who's able to to make plays?
20:51um
20:52but you know
20:53I don't know. I I I'd like to make sure that whoever they bring in is kind of
20:59Not as old school
21:00I think one of the one of the people uh, one of the complaints people are having right now
21:04About the early interviews rable's doing is he's talking about
21:07You know teams that run the ball 40 times a game don't lose and they're like well
21:10He's gonna run the ball all the time
21:12It's like well
21:13If you're running the ball 40 times a game, you're probably up by three touchdowns at halftime and you're just knocking the clock out
21:18And so they're they're manipulating stats. I think they're concerned with rable offensively. He's a defensive guy
21:23He's a linebacker, but but he learned how to how to coach offense more but he's going to be a very boring
21:28Kind of run it on first down second down throw it on third down and punch kind of kind of coach
21:33And honestly, I would be totally fine
21:35Running on first down and second down throwing on third down if that third down became a first down
21:39I don't care how you get down the field
21:41I'm, I don't I don't need drake may to air it out 25 30 45 times a game
21:45I just need the pagers to win football games again and have some semblance of an offense and fix the offensive line
21:50that's all I really care about and I I still think you can do that and
21:55Again, i'm not gonna i'm not gonna get too nuts throughout this pick because he's got a lot of work to do
22:00I'll be very curious to see what his first move is
22:02And i'm hoping I if you had to guess now rochelle
22:04We can talk more about it as the offseason gets more in a full swing
22:07But do you think vike rable's first move as head coach will be kind of make some big splashy?
22:12Free agent signing like a t higgins or think he'll go kind of more belichick style and fill out the roster with solid player guys
22:18That contribute right away
22:19Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a lot of the unflashy
22:25But really good signings like not saying the diamond in the rough that rable himself was when the patriot signed him
22:32But if the first three signings are all offensive linemen, I would be very happy with that, right?
22:38Like you building the offense and improving them is brick by brick
22:42You have no offense with a bad offensive line
22:45And so that is the first thing that needs to be fixed drake may needs to have protection in front of him
22:50I think from a personnel perspective
22:53That's where they're gonna go. I also just think it's going to be complete trench
22:57Remake because they were just terrible
23:00Against the run this past year
23:02And I think that that's where there's going to be a lot of shake-ups and truly to vrabel's point
23:08Everyone's up for their jobs again. I don't think it matters who got an extension necessarily last year
23:14So if he comes in he thinks that godshaw isn't the right fit
23:18Then I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot of movement there even with names that we thought might be safe
23:24Yeah, uh, it's again. I don't want to call it a complete reset
23:27I think I think the rebuild is underway, uh and positive steps were made last season, but
23:34I guess there was one positive step made last season, right?
23:37They found a quarterback and everything else kind of up in the air. That's a big positive first step
23:41I'm not saying it's a bad thing
23:42But it's not like they made some real real progress elsewhere quarterbacks the guy and what vrabel done was it?
23:48Uh, we will soon see but again, I think it's i'm optimistic
23:52Uh, I I don't think mike represents some kind of savior
23:55I wouldn't have thought ben johnson was some kind of savior
23:58This is not a team where our coach is going to come in and magically fix it
24:01Uh, I just need someone to kind of just plug the holes in the ship
24:04Stop it from sinking and maybe it can float on its own
24:07Uh, and I got I do think there's some good pieces in place and and vrabel will do some good things with this team
24:12He's a very likable guy and um, i'm looking forward to it. He has my support
24:16Um, and that's kind of all I have to say about it. I don't have anything else to talk about with this one
24:21No, nothing on the the vapor front definitely will be breaking down more once his staff bills out once the season ends
24:27um alec any surprises from the divisional round that you think's worth talking about here as the
24:32I think it was the second time in nfl history that the same four teams made it to the final four in a
24:38Given conference and talking about the the bills chiefs ravens and texans
24:43So, uh, I don't know if you have any thoughts on where the league currently stands with the final eight teams
24:49yeah, I mean
24:49I feel like it's kind of always the way it is in the afc
24:51I feel like the afc is kind of always sends the same team to the playoffs and those teams kind of slowly
24:56Filter in and out over the years. I really really wish it was
25:00It was ravens chiefs this weekend and bills texans
25:03That'd be a much better game because that means that I think I think that the chief walk all over the texans
25:08Even the chiefs aren't good
25:10The texans are not going to arrowhead and winning that game
25:12And then the bills and the chiefs are going to those in the rear is going to beat the ever-living crap out of each other
25:17For four quarters and they're going to come limping into arrowhead. So I think we're probably looking at a chiefs
25:22like lion super bowl now and
25:25um
25:26I'll be rooting very very hard for the life that happens. I just wish that the raves were playing the chiefs and not the bills
25:30but that's
25:31That's why you play the game the regular season to get that seating. Yep
25:34Yeah, I I do think that one of the most
25:37uh
25:38Imbalanced changes that the league has made is only having one bye week
25:42So that way the the number one team is way more likely to make it to the super bowl in a given year
25:47Uh, I I don't appreciate that change
25:50Um, but it's one that uh, we'll see how it truly plays out
25:54I actually wouldn't be surprised the texans went in there and won
25:57I think you need to have a little bit of recklessness to pull it off
26:00And I think that why not go for it with cj stroud?
26:03I feel like it's the raven's ear for some reason
26:07So i'm curious to see how that plays out. I think the nfc
26:12I like the lions a lot if the commanders go into detroit and win. I don't think i'll be fully surprised. I think that jayden
26:20uh is really the truth for the commanders out there and
26:25Just
26:25I I just wouldn't be shocked. There's got to be a couple upsets that take place and I don't think we've really seen one yet
26:32No, yeah, we haven't but I I feel like you know
26:34Just like if if the chiefs are not going to three-peat I think it's going to be the lions that take them out
26:39I just don't really see the eagles or the commanders
26:43um taking them out, uh at all, I just really really don't uh, maybe i'm wrong on that one, but
26:49Yeah, I don't know
26:50Uh, I just also to your point about the the playoff structure like the 2-7 game is such a bad game
26:57It's just not a good football game
26:58I know you've got like the marching band in the south 16-1 upset
27:01But like I don't maybe i'm i'm just recency bias here
27:04But the 2-7 games this this this past week were pretty brutal. I think last year they were pretty brutal as well
27:11Meanwhile, the only thing i'm hoping is there were times when the patriots had that first round by
27:15And they came out against whoever was playing them in the divisional round and they were very very sloppy a little rusty
27:21And the chiefs basically rested all their starters for the broncos game, too
27:24So maybe they're gonna basically i've had three weeks off
27:27coming into this game
27:28there's definitely some rust availability there, but
27:30I don't even care about the chiefs in terms of like the three-peat threatens tom brady's goat status
27:34I don't care about that at all. Like tom brady's goat is untouchable and anybody orders
27:38Otherwise, it's just stupid at this point
27:40but
27:40it's just you want some variety in the super bowl and the fact that we had the chance to have like a bills like
27:45A bills lines role is like a very sick possibility
27:48Um, and one of those teams has to win by definition
27:51Uh, i'm rooting really really hard for that
27:54Yeah, I think this year more so than any other year too, though. It's that the chiefs are boring
27:58Yeah, they got that's the biggest cardinal sin in football
28:01It's like is your team boring and that's where the chiefs are like they might luck their way into pulling it off
28:06But they are without a doubt the out best third most exciting team in the afc
28:12Probably are they a top five most exciting team left in the playoff? I don't think so
28:17I don't think that they are uh, and so that's where I don't want them to keep going
28:22They're not fun to watch right now
28:25You have a lot of other better offenses and that's what draws eyeballs and that they are not that fun to watch at this point
28:31in time
28:32Um, I think what they also the league should also do is just lean into it and do eight teams
28:37You know, even though that's half of the the conference that gives you the seating
28:41you get the team who's
28:43Removes the bye week, which also I don't think the league will care about that
28:47But then you still get the easier ish matchup, but you remove just the preposterous advantage that the first
28:54Round by gives that number one seed and balances out a little bit more to make it more engaging
29:00Yeah, and that's more games more money in the nfl's pocket and the number one seed still gets home from the advantage
29:04Which is a big niche that you can earn from the one seed i'd be all for that
29:08but again, I think the 1-8 and I guess it'd be there's always upsets just the way it is, but
29:13Uh, if the 2-7 game is any indicative of what the 1-a game is going to be it'd be a lot of bad football
29:18And it's very it's bordering on turning to the nba where like everyone makes the playoffs. We're kind of just waiting for regular season
29:24so
29:25More football is always a good thing, but this is all
29:28Irrelevant rich show because the patriots aren't in it. Uh, one thing I like about with the patriots being bad is
29:34The pressure that used to be on me
29:37Watching patriot football in january was pretty embarrassing how nervous I would get for game the stakes
29:44The kind of oh they they you know
29:46Because we were kind of waiting around for all season
29:48They they went 12 and 4 13 and 3 got a first round by and the season always started in january when it was time
29:54And you get so nervous now i'm just kind of relaxed watching the games don't really care who wins no real brooding interest
30:01And after 20 years of super bowl or bust, uh, it's a nice little break. I'm not gonna lie
30:06Yeah, totally and at least this year again. I know I said I wasn't like pumped with the rabble choice
30:12He's still a fine choice
30:14and I think
30:16There's going to be more hope going to this year
30:18I hope my conspiracy bears out a little bit and the patriots spend all their money finally on some big name tickets and they were
30:25Just waiting, uh, but I I think that this year
30:29Will be better than the past two years have been and if they come back at the end of the 2025 season
30:36And we are again talking about a top five overall pick
30:39We got greater problems till we'll talk about here and then it becomes absolutely clear clear that the only problem is craft
30:47Yeah, no, that's true. Well, may uh, may our podcast never go there michelle
30:53Yes, well until next time alec will probably be breaking down patriots, uh with rebels more fleshed out staff
30:59I imagine that they'll wait for the season to end so they'll have access to more coaches on other teams
31:04Before it gets fully populated
31:06But until that time comes alec you enjoy the rest of the post season and you have a good one. You too, buddy. See you
31:28You