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EPISODE 22 - Patriots free agency, Mike Vrabel speaks, NFL combine!
125 Plays2 months ago
We talk Patriots at the combine!!
Enjoy!
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Timestamp
00:00:00
Savage Boston
Alright, what's up guys? Welcome back to the Savage Boston Podcast. I am here tonight with my friend Brett, ah per usual.
00:00:04
Bret
you
00:00:08
Savage Boston
And it is February 25th, it's 8.30 night and we're recording. um Again, like to timestamp it in case anything we say, you know, gets used out of context.
Football News and Twitter Discussions
00:00:21
Savage Boston
So anyway, yeah, today was kind of like, we had a really huge lull today.
00:00:27
Savage Boston
for like football news and Patriots news, it's been pretty bleak on there on the Twitter realm, like just nothing going on. You know, it's one of those where you're really kind of like scratching for content.
00:00:38
Savage Boston
And, uh, you know, what's funny is, uh, there's a guy, another guy on Twitter, Bryson, who I've known for a while in there, who is kind of, kind of critical of, um, you know, mock drafts and stuff like that on Twitter the other day, causing a couple arguments.
00:00:47
Bret
Yeah.
00:00:53
Savage Boston
And, You know, I kind of – this is a a tangent, but i but I kind of agreed. Like, I agreed with his overall take. It's it's all we got right now as football fans is just mock drafts.
00:01:05
Savage Boston
It's mock drafts. Like, we had like, two weeks of just fucking mock drafts. And I get it. Like, if if you're not, like, deep diving football, if you're not – you know, watching tape or or preparing for the combine or draft, like I can understand how that could be ah really boring stuff for you and like kind of low, low rent content.
NFL Combine and Leadership Contrasts
00:01:26
Savage Boston
So I definitely hear the criticism for that.
00:01:27
Bret
Thank you.
00:01:29
Savage Boston
And I'm very excited for for the combine. um You know, we obviously – today Mike Rabel spoke, which was – it was refreshing. It's refreshing that everyone's down at the Combine and now kind of feels like we can really start the new – kind of new league season.
00:01:48
Savage Boston
Yeah. And, you know, i think Vrabel obviously is just so refreshing compared to what Gerard Mayo was saying last year. I mean, it is night and day.
00:02:02
Savage Boston
ah it's just feels like he knows not just what to say well, but he just – he feels like the adult in the room. He feels like the guy who's in control and he knows what he wants to accomplish. So how did you feel about kind of variables? First, first kind of a interview down there at the combine today.
00:02:21
Bret
Yeah, i'm I'm kind of in that... like camp where I'm trying to figure out if Vrabel is that good or Mayo is that bad. And I'm kind of leaning towards Mayo is just that bad.
00:02:33
Bret
And that Vrabel is just, I mean, yeah, he commands a room and that's pretty well known.
00:02:39
Bret
but But I don't think he's like anything so special in these press conferences. He's just, he sounds like a confident guy. But you think about a lot of the other NFL coaches, they're just confident guys that,
00:02:39
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:02:50
Bret
know what their systems are, know what their approach is and how they're building a program, and they can stand behind it confidently. So i I'm kind of in the camp that I think, honestly, Mayo was just that bad.
00:03:05
Bret
ah but Either way, it's still good to have a guy like Rabel in the room. I think it was another self-evident ah you know press conference that he really is the guy in
Concerns Over Elliot Wolfe's Decisions
00:03:17
Bret
charge. So when it comes to decision-making and what they do in the drafts,
00:03:21
Bret
and how they approach free agency, it's it's a variable system. It's a variable roster, ah which is refreshing. And that's good to know because, ah you know, obviously a lot of question marks about Elliott Wolfe didn't really have a great track record and what he did this past offseason really didn't hit like anywhere.
00:03:40
Bret
I know it's really early to tell with some of these draft picks. Obviously, they could turn it around, but it's hard to look at any move that Elliott Wolfe made last year and say,
00:03:51
Bret
that was a great move other than the May pick, which was almost by default. So I think that's the part that I'd say was my biggest takeaway is it's good to know that we have a guy in the room that is clearly the one in charge, ah has had a history of building winning program ah down in Tennessee. And I think ah you know we'll see how it approaches this offseason.
00:04:16
Bret
But I also, like I said, think Mayo was just he was just that bad.
00:04:20
Savage Boston
Yeah, I like how – I mean he clear he clarified that today pretty pretty quickly. He's like, you know i wouldn't I wouldn't have taken this job, he said, unless I had kind of some sort of oversight over the personnel.
00:04:30
Bret
Yeah.
00:04:32
Bret
yeah
00:04:32
Savage Boston
He's very, very clear like it's his show. And I think that's been clear. i think his decision-making over personnel was a big selling point you know with Kraft. It's basically Kraft kind of found Bill Belichick light.
00:04:46
Savage Boston
you know i mean? It's not not the same. He's more of a leader in the locker room and obviously he doesn't have the same pedigree as Bill, but he's going to bring that same type of tough guy attitude with a little more love ah for and from the players.
00:05:00
Savage Boston
Kind of a little more of a leader of men type attitude, which a lot of the players are attracted to. like They want to go play for a guy like Dan Campbell or who's going to like go to bat for them. so I like that he came out and kind of said right away that he is the one that has kind of
Free Agency Speculations and Salary Cap Impact
00:05:14
Savage Boston
like, I'm sure he really does have full um kind of like final say, I should say.
00:05:14
Bret
Thank you.
00:05:19
Savage Boston
Like obviously he needs Elliot Wolfe and Cowden to do the scouting. They're all collaborative talk about it. I'm sure if them two are like, we really love this guy, you know, maybe he'd listen to him. He'd be like, all right, I trust you guys. Right. But he's got the final say.
00:05:31
Savage Boston
He's the one like, you know, it's it's his team. So I love that because, you know, obviously we talked enough about Elliot Wolfe, but like Elliot Wolfe's talking to the media tomorrow. So I don't know what's going to come out of his mouth. i don't know if he's going to say some wacky stuff.
00:05:44
Savage Boston
um It's at one o'clock. to me, must see TV. You know, I'm excited for that. i want ah I want to go in see what Elliot Wolfe has to say because –
00:05:52
Bret
Thank you.
00:05:54
Savage Boston
I think the last time he spoke to the media was before the season where he ended up going on a couple of tangents about how to teach Vidarian low, how to become a really good tackle. If he just like uses his hands well, and and remember being like, why is he talking about this?
00:06:08
Savage Boston
Like he's a G you know, he's like the GM. So I don't know. I thought it was odd. So are you going to tune into Elliot Wolf tomorrow? You'll probably be working or something.
00:06:16
Bret
Well, I'll be working, but i'll ah I'll catch the clips and see what he has to say. I'll be interested, too, yeah just to hear kind of the change in tone, potentially, on how he approaches it.
00:06:27
Bret
It was very clear at the end of the season that he was... ah really frustrated me and made those comments about just development and lack of development with the coaches and such. So I'd be curious to see kind of his mindset going into this offseason.
00:06:42
Bret
um But, you know, more important and kind of seeing where he does with echoing some of Rabel's comments on, on how they approach the, ah the free agency and the draft to me, I think it's going to be really a really good indicator when we get to that free agency and probably the week before. So really like, you know, within the next week
00:07:02
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:07:02
Bret
see what happens with some of the rumors coming out because you free agency in the NFL definitely moves pretty quick. And we'll see where they go. i mean, Rabel talked about how we really got to focus on bolstering the offensive line.
00:07:16
Bret
I'm hoping they try to address some of that. But you know we'll we'll see. I think early indications on free agency and how they approach that is going to be a good sign to see what direction they're going to take and then ultimately give us indicators on how they approach the draft and how they're going to approach the draft.
00:07:32
Bret
Thank you.
00:07:33
Savage Boston
kind of scared that not a lot of guys are actually going to be hitting free agency. I think this is kind of the problem with the salary cap increase is a lot of teams are like, all right, you know, we can sign some of these guys to longer term deals, um you know, and and push the money down the road a little bit. and the salary caps is going to keep going up because the league is too, is doing too well.
00:07:54
Savage Boston
It's doing so well, you know, there's, there's enough money to go around. yeah, that's my That's my biggest concern is like, you know, today, you know, one big rumor is like like it had passed that Trey Smith was supposed to be testing free agency, chiefs Chiefs guard, right?
00:08:08
Savage Boston
Big player that I had down as like a top target this offseason.
00:08:11
Bret
Thank you.
00:08:12
Savage Boston
And the report is today that they're trying to progress towards a five-year deal. Now, that's a reporter from the Chiefs. So believe what you will. Again, it's kind of – it's lying season. It's rumor season. But – They don't come from nowhere, and and I would be pretty pretty disappointed if he didn't hit the free agent market. Same with Ronnie Stanley.
00:08:32
Savage Boston
We thought for a while, Ronnie Stanley, he's the major, the free agent left tackle piece. He's going to come and hit the free market, and it turns out like he might be working out a deal with the Ravens because they think they can pay him. so That's my my fear is you're not going to have anybody that's actually going to hit that's worth paying.
00:08:52
Savage Boston
you know who Who's out there right now as a free agent that you're going to look toward and say, I need to pay this player?
00:08:59
Bret
Yeah, and that's kind that's kind of the problem that is happening, like you said, with the salary cap increasing. I know it's just one of those things when you start increasing the salary $25, $30 million dollars year over year, it's it's like that's that's a player, right?
00:09:14
Bret
And that's a franchise-type player that you just don't let walk.
00:09:15
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:09:18
Bret
So and that's why, typically speaking, you're you're not really seeing free agencies that are like, free agents, I should say, that are like 30 years or under that have a good like you know history or a good track record to be able to say like they're going to be a big hit, which is why like a guy like Tee Higgins would have been huge. And it's kind of an anomaly just because of the fact that in Cincy you're dealing with Burrow, Chase, and Higgins all kind of at the same time, which is kind of forcing that. But that one's even a situation that's very much ah in question and doesn't look likely.
00:09:54
Bret
And then you know throw a guy like Godwin in the mix where we thought he might be someone else, again, who's just shy of 30. I think he's like 29 and you know could have been a good good potential pickup.
00:10:02
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:10:05
Bret
Obviously, a little bit of an injury history, but you know could have been a nice guy to sign. so We'll see. I still think there's enough guys out there that you can really add to some depth. um I know we talked about in the last podcast and Sarone was basically saying, like, let's be a big hitter out early in the market. The problem is we just don't know who's the early...
00:10:29
Bret
guys out in the market could be a big hitter on, you know, like who's the top free agency if, who's the top free agent if all those guys are are taken up.
00:10:29
Savage Boston
who Yeah.
00:10:38
Bret
So I think that becomes very problematic and i I definitely don't want to get ourselves in a position where we overspend I know we're obviously the most cap space, but you we can't put ourselves in cap jail this early. We got to be smart about what we do with our signings. But yeah, it's it's a real problem right now with the league where basically you get guys that are coming up on their contract and they're like, okay, we're going to increase the salary cap by 25, 30 million. It's like, well, there we go. Solution solves.
00:11:09
Savage Boston
I you've got to hope some of these players actually like really like money. You know what mean? You got to hope they really like money because if you're Trey Smith, you're just not going to get paid as much by the Chiefs as you are by, let's say, the Patriots.
00:11:20
Savage Boston
But he might not care. You know, when you get to that level, sometimes it's enough money. You just feel comfortable. Like he might take five years, $20 million dollars a year, five years, $18 million. dollars Like he might take a deal that works for both sides, right?
00:11:34
Savage Boston
And you have to hope that some of these guys really just want to get paid. Like someone wants a true payday. That's the only way you're going to hit. Like, does Ronnie Stanley just really want a payday or not? Because because if they don't, they want to work out those deals.
00:11:49
Savage Boston
There's not going to be, you're going to have to start looking at, yeah, that B tier of tackles and that B tier of guards. like And there are there are a couple of guys out there, but there's also 32 teams. So, so We can't sign every player.
00:12:02
Savage Boston
like so like Again, Alaric Jackson, ah the left tackle from the Rams, that's a guy I'd tackle.
00:12:07
Bret
Yeah.
00:12:08
Savage Boston
No, he's not supposed to be This ah amazing, amazing player, but he's at a good run. He's a solid tackle. Like that's who you're going to have to pay because there's just, there's not going to be another option other than the draft. And Vrabel also said today, interestingly enough, he said that he hopes they can do enough, whether it's through trade or free agency, that when the draft happens, they can kind of let the the draft come to them.
Draft Strategy and Trade Options
00:12:33
Savage Boston
They don't have to say, we need we need a tackle.
00:12:33
Bret
yeah
00:12:35
Savage Boston
We need to take Will Campbell because we have a deficit. No, like they need the players and let the draft come to them.
00:12:42
Bret
Oh, yeah. No, and we'll see. the other The other thought is, you know, do they do they have trade options? Like, obviously, we've talked about Kopp.
00:12:50
Savage Boston
I don't know.
00:12:51
Bret
We've talked about Kopp. I know my position on Kopp. But, like, I would love it if they were able to get themselves in a position to... you know, get a guy like DK or, you know, even a guy like Debo.
00:13:03
Bret
I mean, I would take a run at him. Like it depends on what the the trade is, but like, again, could be a guy that you could potentially pick up.
00:13:06
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:13:10
Bret
If I had my choice out of all of that, I would obviously pick DK. But that's the part where I also look at and say, you know, is there a trade option out there that we're just not seeing? Right.
00:13:21
Bret
And that's one of the things that's so weird is it's just like super quiet going up with free agency, just like over two weeks away. and i feel like ah this time normally you have a lot more buzz around what's going on um and it's just not there which obviously makes me a little nervous because you you have a free agency that feels kind of like a lull and then you go to the draft and you look at the draft there's just not a lot of blue chip guys that are in this draft roster i think there's definitely depth later on which is where we're gonna have to hit but it's not like
00:13:56
Bret
it's a sure fire pick that we're probably we could get it for like it. It could be ah guy that we're we're taking a little bit of a run at that in normal years wouldn't be like in the top 10 and and
00:14:08
Savage Boston
I think i think there's there's there's like five or so major trade options or i would say maybe like four, at least four major trade options that feel like moderately obvious right now.
00:14:22
Savage Boston
um You know, I think we talked about the two that were announced that they can actually seek trades, which are Cooper Cup and Debo Samuel.
00:14:27
Bret
Thank you.
00:14:29
Savage Boston
You know, those are actual trade options. I really like Cooper Cup more than Debo. I think Cup though, obviously is so crazy injury prone and aging with decreasing production. Like that's not a player a player you pay a lot.
00:14:43
Savage Boston
like That's a guy who you give up a sixth-round draft or a seventh-round draft pick for because no one else wants to take his contract, and you ask him to restructure his contract. So like that's what I would do for Cup. I'm down to going as Cup is your second or third guy. He's a leader in the room. I like Cup.
00:14:59
Savage Boston
um And then the other obvious ones other than Cup and Debo, ah people have mentioned, are Chris Alave from the Saints. which is a little more out of the box, but he's a 24, extremely talented, who's had a million concussions and is insanely risky.
00:15:06
Bret
yep.
00:15:15
Savage Boston
So high risk, high reward. And then the last one or two writers, DK Metcalf, obvious one. I don't think they want to pay him in Seattle. He's going to take up a huge chunk of their cap. I just don't think they want to pay him and he wants to get paid. So he's got one year left in his deal. And then AJ Brown is the pie in the sky that he, for some reason, wants to leave the Eagles.
00:15:35
Savage Boston
So that's five players right there. um And I mean, which who out of that is truly realistic? Because I would say really it's Cooper Cup.
00:15:44
Bret
Yeah, well, it is cupped for sure because, I mean, he's already being shopped and he talked about being shopped. Whereas some of the other guys, like you just mentioned A.J. Brown, I mean, that one is, i think, a little bit further stretched, right?
00:15:59
Bret
And I don't know why he would...
00:16:00
Savage Boston
That's the the furthest one, yeah.
00:16:02
Bret
Yeah, I don't know why he would want to leave that situation ah at all.
00:16:05
Savage Boston
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:16:06
Bret
um So, like, I just don't see that. So, and like I said, DK, dk I think has a realistic possibility to be on the market. Like, I think that one's a pretty one, pretty good idea that he's gonna be on the market just because I don't think, I agree, I don't think Seattle wants to pay him.
00:16:14
Savage Boston
yeah
00:16:21
Bret
He's coming up on his contract. and they're going to try and trade him while his value is high and see what they can get with it. And, you know, if you look at it in this market, like you could probably make a trade for that guy. So, you know, and I know we've talked about this in the past too.
00:16:38
Bret
I do think the NFL really overrates the value of a draft pick. You know, you take a guy like DK Metcalf and you're like,
00:16:49
Bret
And you look at him on a trade market and you're like, okay, what would you give him for a pick? So like, what, what would you give? What, what do you think?
00:16:56
Savage Boston
for a DK?
00:16:57
Bret
Yeah.
00:16:58
Savage Boston
um I think... I think the problem is like everyone wants to say like you give up your second for DK or something like that. And and I think that's possible. Like if you knew you were going to have a long term signing and he came as a sign sign and trade with an extension ready to rock, you knew he was signing.
00:17:18
Savage Boston
Like I would maybe give up, you know, a two for that. I would really prefer to give up a three, but it depends on the market and how much interest people have.
00:17:27
Bret
But that...
00:17:27
Savage Boston
Um, But I think that's that's kind of realistic because Seattle might want a two. No one expects them to give up a one.
00:17:34
Bret
no
00:17:34
Savage Boston
But they might want a two. But you have to have an extension ready.
00:17:36
Bret
but that but So like that's my point, right? So for me, I look at it, and yeah, i hear the sign and trade. like You would have to have a signed deal, and you're looking at probably a three-, four-year deal for a guy like that.
00:17:51
Bret
Maybe a four-year deal with like the fourth year as an option. But the the guy's 27 years old.
00:17:54
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:17:57
Bret
He's like one of the best receivers in the league still, top ten.
00:18:00
Savage Boston
Very durable. Very durable.
00:18:02
Bret
very durable. And you look at it and you're saying yourself, like, how many number two draft picks, like, not not the second round draft picks, like, don't pan out.
00:18:12
Bret
And that's the part where I look at it and say, like, when you get an established guy like this, who is 27 years old, like, no brainer.
00:18:13
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:18:20
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:18:21
Bret
Like, absolute no brainer. So it's like,
00:18:23
Savage Boston
It's also like money though too. You know i mean? It's, it's, I totally get your point. I think you're right. Like it's, they're worth more like ah miles Garrett. He's probably worth two firsts. You, you just don't know.
00:18:35
Savage Boston
I know he's aging, but he's like the, one of the best defenders in football, you know, same with Micah Parsons. What's he worth? You know, at least probably a first round pick, but you know, you know what you got with those guys. The problem is, is money.
00:18:47
Savage Boston
Really. It's really a money problem. Like when you draft someone in the second round, if you do hit, you got five years of control at low money. It's like why the rookie quarterback is so big, you know, with Drake May, like he's on short money for the next four years.
00:19:02
Savage Boston
So I think it becomes a money problem and guys are reluctant to give up those picks because if you hit well, like look at the Rams hit on Jared verse and, and, and Fisk or whatever.
00:19:13
Savage Boston
And they have like two sick defenders on really cheap contracts and then they can let other guys go. And you have that cycle. Like that's who the team you want to be, dude. You want to be the team like we used to be where you could let guys get wacky contracts, be like, all right, go get your money somewhere else.
00:19:29
Savage Boston
Like, go look. You can go get your money somewhere else. come And let me know. If you want to come back here and play for a Super Bowl team, you come back here. It's like what the Chiefs can do right now. Like, if' sure, if you want to go get paid, go get paid.
00:19:40
Savage Boston
But they look at Trey Smith and like, Trey, do you want to be back in the Super Bowl next year? Or do you want to go play the for the Patriots? And who the fuck knows what's going to happen? So that's the problem. It's it's it's money.
00:19:51
Savage Boston
It's a money problem.
00:19:53
Bret
Money is always a factor, but this is, again, why we're in the position we're in right now where we we can be more aggressive with money.
Rebuilding Timeline and Wide Receiver Changes
00:20:00
Bret
And we just talked about free agency where we pay guys.
00:20:00
Savage Boston
We have to do that, yeah.
00:20:03
Bret
So like I look at it and say to myself, like if we can get like DK and get him on a four-year contract at, like let's just say, on average, $35 per year,
00:20:04
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:20:09
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:20:15
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:20:15
Bret
and you have to trade a two, I would do it. Because then at that point, I look at it and say, we're getting a wide receiver. And like, yeah, okay, it's going to be top dollars. But like, we're not we're not in a position where we're going to be ah great team.
00:20:32
Bret
And like, we're not like, I think realistically we're we're like two to three years away. Right. I think next year we could, we could really be closer to 500. I expect us to be like biting at the bit for potential playoffs, but I think things would have to break our way.
00:20:47
Bret
I think year two, you know, if things go right, then yeah, we're we're probably a playoff team. But like year three is when, you know, if things are all clicking that we're going to be there.
00:20:53
Savage Boston
Yeah. It just
00:20:56
Bret
Like you don't see turnarounds like you saw in Washington this year. And I would not be surprised if next year Washington falls back a bit. Right. That's just that happens. Look at Houston. Right. Houston was like popped off their first year with Stroud and then they stepped back a little bit.
00:21:09
Bret
Like it just it doesn't happen in that league and it's designed that way. So like I just look at it.
00:21:13
Savage Boston
depends on Drake May. Yeah.
00:21:15
Bret
I just look at it and say, if you can give like Drake May, a guy like DK Metcalf for like a four year contract and you're paying him that, like to me, I would do it in a heartbeat.
00:21:22
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:21:29
Bret
And I just think there's so many people like, oh, no, dude, you can't do the two. I'm like, so let's go draft fucking Polk then, you know, and see how that does for us.
00:21:37
Savage Boston
Well, obviously, like our drafting has been horrible. So it's hard for us to imagine like having ah having drafted a good wide receiver because it's been so long since that's happened. and We just don't draft good wide receivers.
00:21:48
Savage Boston
And I think, you know, the the the last three are just are just crippling. You can't go from trying to hit on the kill Harry to Tyquan Thornton to Jalen Polk and have those those kind of misses like these aren't even mid players. I mean, like.
00:22:02
Savage Boston
Like this isn't a mid-tier basketball player or something. Like these are guys who just straight missed all of them. And if Jalen Polk comes back and is great and they give him next opportunity, he does well, then congratulations, Jalen Polk.
00:22:17
Savage Boston
I just and don't see it. I think mentally he just lost it. So, you know, again, I'd be stoked if he comes back.
00:22:23
Bret
Thank you.
00:22:23
Savage Boston
Good for Jalen Polk. But I just don't see it. And like the, I think in my opinion, i tweeted this out, like the the wide receiver room next year, I think it's going to be wide receiver. One is going to be somebody you get in via trade or free agency.
00:22:36
Savage Boston
That's wide receiver. One wide receiver. Two is probably going be someone you pick up in the draft. Maybe Jack Beck, Besh, or maybe, you know, you trade up and get book or golden or whatever. Like number two might be a new guy in the draft.
00:22:50
Savage Boston
Then going have, know, pop Douglas, know, Booty, then the rounding it out is Polk and Baker ah because you're not going to cut them yet. Maybe Baker could be borderline next year. And I think they'll cut they'll trade or cut – they'll probably trade Kendrick Bourne, um who's just been here for a while, and you're going to get kind of blocked on the depth chart. And and I think he's he's like 30.
00:23:11
Savage Boston
So, and makes a bunch of money. So I don't know. It's not going to be in ah an incredible core, but if you change to the top of that, so let's say again, if you had, okay, DK Metcalf and Jack Besh and then Pop Douglas and, and booty, you're like, all right. Okay. Like I see what we're working with here.
00:23:30
Savage Boston
You know, like there's, there's potential for the room to like, or what if you get two guys in free agency or trade? Like you get um Cooper cup, Cooper Cup, and somehow you trade for T. Higgins still because they don't want to sign him or he doesn't want to sign long-term.
00:23:43
Savage Boston
Like, you know what I mean? The room could look crazy different when it all starts.
00:23:47
Bret
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we, we hope it's, it's got some differences there and you, you hope a guy like, you hope a guy like Polk or Baker or like fourth or fifth in the depth chart because they're trying to establish themselves.
00:23:53
Savage Boston
It's showing.
00:24:01
Bret
But I don't know. The other thing is, is wide receivers, like ah other than like when they were playing with Brady, like, and generally speaking, wide receivers come out and they usually hit within the first year or two. So like, if those guys aren't hitting, then it makes me feel like they're going to be misses.
00:24:19
Bret
And,
00:24:19
Savage Boston
It looks bad for Polk for certain. I'll tell you that.
00:24:21
Bret
Yeah, and it's just it's incredibly frustrating. i know we've talked about it before, but like for whatever ungodly reason, the Patriots are just horrendous when it comes to wide receiver picks.
00:24:32
Bret
ah like They just have like the worst track record in the last decade plus of drafting just really shitty wide receivers that do not pan out.
00:24:42
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:24:42
Bret
um So we'll see. at Like I said, to me, I look at it and say, if I could find an option to... get a guy like a DK, i would do it.
00:24:53
Bret
And I would rather do DK than for like Cooper cup and like a sixth or seventh round pick. Like I just, while I understand cup, like I've said, and I think on paper makes sense to kind of help teach these guys how to be a professional.
00:24:59
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:25:08
Bret
um and i respect the guy i think the guy would show up if he could he's just like definitely on the the back end of career and i just don't know why you'd want to put any any any level of investment in a guy like that when you're trying to really build
00:25:12
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:25:24
Bret
an entirely new roster. So we'll see. We'll see the direction they go. I'm excited either way for free agency because I do think there's a potential things could start to maneuver. but And then, like i said, I think it gives us indication of what we're going to look at for the draft and and you know how they do with free agency and where that goes.
00:25:41
Savage Boston
You're going to Well, they're be really, really... They're going to be really creative. That's it. like That's the best word. you just have to be truly creative. Elliot Wolfe has to be creative.
00:25:51
Savage Boston
Or whoever is in charge. Cowden, Vrabel, all of them. like They have to create ah a plan... where that maybe we don't see, you know, what's the move, what's the move they're going to do that we don't see.
00:26:02
Savage Boston
is it, is it, all right, we really love Olave. You know what mean? Like, I don't know. Like we're all not half kidding. We're like, that's truly an option. Like they're going to be interested. I think they're personally like, because they're going to miss on the biggest free agents um because no one's available. I think Godwin is going to resign with Tampa. I think,
00:26:20
Savage Boston
you know Let's say for the sake of it, Higgins re-signs with the Bengals and they franchise him and he signs.
00:26:24
Bret
No.
00:26:27
Savage Boston
and like There aren't many. like and I'm not interested Keenan Allen. Keenan Allen runs like a 4-8-40.
00:26:31
Bret
no
00:26:32
Savage Boston
I don't want Keenan Allen. like there's ah like Maybe Darius Slayton, if you want to sell that, like he could be a decent 2-3 maybe.
00:26:35
Bret
no
00:26:40
Savage Boston
People trying to hype up Darius Slayton. How much better is he than – how different is he than Booty? yeah I don't know enough about Slayton. I know a couple reporters, Taylor, Kyle's hypes up Slayton a lot. um But like, you know, you're going to have to really get creative. So I think they will pick up a, probably a roster rounder on the free agent market. And then I do think they're going to have to trade for someone. And I think that person could be T Higgins or DK still.
00:27:08
Bret
you
00:27:09
Savage Boston
Like there are options, but like, i think Higgins is not, I know everyone's people like to get on me, but I don't think Higgins is going to sign with, but with the Bengals. I just don't, I think it's too much money. i don't know. I don't see them giving him a massive deal. And like, he's going to realize how much money he's missing out on unless he's really comfortable losing a ton of guaranteed money. And maybe he's comfortable with that.
00:27:32
Savage Boston
um I don't see, i just don't see it happening. I think he'll be available for trade.
00:27:37
Bret
Yeah, I mean, that's what they're hoping for, right? It sounds like all things, like they're going to tag him and they're going to try and trade him and it's not going to happen.
00:27:40
Savage Boston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:27:45
Bret
um so we'll see and i i mean obviously he's gonna be he's the highest name on the entire market like everyone's gonna be trying to get for a guy like that just because i mean it's so rare to see a guy who's like what 25 years old but like arguably a one on any other roster other than the roster he's on and you look at and you just say like
00:27:50
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:28:09
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:28:12
Bret
ah Yeah, if that guy's out there, like people are going to be chomping at the bit to go big for him. So I'd like to see that. I do i do think like when you look at the free agency, what I do anticipate, I know Snooty's talked about like just get a lot of middling guys to fill out the depth.
00:28:31
Bret
I think we're probably going to do that a lot on defense. I think there's a lot of names on the defensive side of the ball that we could go out and we could sign.
00:28:34
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:28:39
Bret
That's really going to help to kind of shape the defense and what we have on that side.
Focus on Defensive Strengthening and Episode Wrap-up
00:28:44
Bret
i mean, I, We definitely need to bolster the the linebacker core. I think that's just been a really weak spot for us.
00:28:52
Bret
um And then, you know, looking in the backfield, like, Saron talked about it, getting that, you know, center fielder that can really be a playmaker out there. Like, we just don't have that.
00:29:04
Bret
And,
00:29:04
Savage Boston
Javon Holland is like a very good free safety from the Dolphins, like a top free safety. But I just don't know if they want to allocate that kind of cap space on Holland at free safety, but he would be a stud.
00:29:17
Bret
Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I mean where I say it'll be interesting to see where it goes, but I think – we may get one or two hits on offense.
00:29:17
Savage Boston
He's available.
00:29:29
Bret
I think a majority of our free agency is going to be on the defensive side of the ball. Uh, and I think there's a, there's a lot of pretty good names out there on the defensive side that could fill in some legitimate holes that we have, uh, to strengthen it.
00:29:43
Bret
And, you know, see where it goes. Like, i would love it if we could get like a guy like Josh sweat. Right. I think that would be huge for us.
00:29:50
Savage Boston
realistic. I do think that's realistic.
00:29:51
Bret
And, 100% realistic. And I look at that and I say, like okay, like can we make a run at him and try to get a guy like him? So... so I just think the problem is is it's so offensive heavy that there's just not a lot of names out there. But on the defensive side, I think there are some guys out there that could actually fit our roster, help solidify some needs for us.
00:30:15
Bret
That, again, puts us in a position, like Vrabel just said, where we're not going into the draft saying we're just going to be drafting for need constantly. you know and
00:30:23
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:30:24
Bret
You don't want to be the Atlanta Falcons sending your entire defensive line personnel down to figure out what you're doing for drafting for defense because you're not going to send anyone an offense.
00:30:32
Savage Boston
That's a weird story. I saw that.
00:30:34
Bret
What's that?
00:30:35
Savage Boston
That was a weird, that was like a weird story or whatever. Like they're only interviewing defensive players or something like that.
00:30:40
Bret
I feel like that's got to be like a total fakeout, but it also could be entirely real because it's the Falcons.
00:30:48
Savage Boston
It's the Paladins because they're poorly run team?
00:30:50
Bret
It's the Falcons.
00:30:52
Savage Boston
They had an opportunity to hire Bill Belichick and then they didn't, which I think
00:30:53
Bret
Exactly.
00:30:56
Savage Boston
my might, might've been a poor choice. I think it's been a poor choice for a bunch of teams not to hire Bill. And I think Bill is actually probably deep down still pissed.
00:31:02
Bret
you
00:31:03
Savage Boston
He's not in the NFL, but he pot committed to UNC. It's going to pretend like that's what he wants to do instead of playing. It like being the coach of like the Raiders. So anyway, all right, we'll probably wrap here. Just have a nice quick, a little pre-combined podcast. I think next week. ah Yeah. Next week we'll have some good results and we'll get to see on this Sunday, how long will Campbell's arms are.
00:31:24
Savage Boston
Which is what everybody wants to know. That's the big the big Patriots hubbub now is the arm length. All right, good stuff. we'll We'll tune in next week. See you guys later.
00:31:34
Bret
Peace.
00:31:35
Savage Boston
Peace.