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EPISODE 47 - Inside Patriots practice with Andrew Callahan!
350 Plays18 days ago
Drake Maye's development!
How is Will Campbell in practice??
Trades coming??
enjoy!
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:01
Savage Boston
All right, guys, welcome back to the Savage Boston podcast. We're here with a ah very special guest tonight. ah You could call him ah the ultimate reporter on from the Boston Herald. You can call him ah maybe a TV star from NBC Sports Boston.
00:00:16
Savage Boston
ah Please welcome in Andrew Callahan. How are we doing?
00:00:20
Andrew Callahan
Uh, blushing is what we're doing. I would not suggest calling me either of those.
00:00:23
Snooty
Thank you.
00:00:23
Andrew Callahan
There's an ultimate reporter at the boss. Harold's my guy, Doug, who I know has been on the show before. i would have said wise, uh, wise choice, but I appreciate the compliments. Good to be on you guys.
00:00:32
Savage Boston
Great guy, Doug. Great guy. Great guy. um
Insight into Practice Limitations
00:00:35
Savage Boston
Yeah. So we appreciate you taking the time in for real, um especially since now we're kind of entering the period where ah the public really isn't allowed to see these practices, um which for us, for our sake, really stinks, um you know, because it was fun there for a bit when we get to get to go down and and see what's going on. But, um you know, hoping you can provide some nice insight tonight.
00:00:56
Savage Boston
um of kind of what you're seeing down there. And just to kick it off, um you know, obviously we're hitting this kind of, i wouldn't say like a snag, right? Like coming off the the Vikings joint practice, especially the second one and coming off the preseason game, ah you know, this past weekend.
Drake May's Progress and Offensive Struggles
00:01:12
Savage Boston
How do you feel about the direction the offense is moving and kind of Drake May's overall development at this moment in time?
00:01:21
Andrew Callahan
Yeah, I think I heard ah earlier reading some some DMs, you guys have kids, so you understand like that wobble early on when they first start walking and you're not really sure if they're going to make it across the room.
00:01:27
Savage Boston
Oh, yeah.
00:01:30
Savage Boston
ah yeah
00:01:32
Andrew Callahan
like That's kind of what the offense looks like right now. and you're You're jumping to cover any corners of the table with your hand and you you know eventually they're going to get it, but right now it's it's a little wobbly. and so I'm not concerned about Drake Bay. I know the big deal, because it is a big deal, their turnovers has been made of the interceptions and the fumbles. And look, that's a part of his game and he's a young quarterback that's going to be you know a feature um and sometimes a bug for a long time. But to me, the only real concern I have is the offensive line, which we always know is going to be an issue. And Josh McDaniels can can work around to some extent, but they're still working in Ben Brown at left guard. And today he got to work in at center where Garrett Bradbury, we thought he kind of locked that job down.
00:02:12
Andrew Callahan
So that's where my my biggest concerns are, less so with May and the turnovers. Because over camp, you know, until yesterday, Monday, at two picks. So, again, not great. His interception rate was 1.5%. That would have put him in the top half, ah well in the top half, among starting quarterbacks last year in terms of the best protecting the
Will Campbell's NFL Transition
00:02:30
Andrew Callahan
ball.
00:02:30
Andrew Callahan
So, again, not not super worried about Drake.
00:02:30
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:02:33
Snooty
I think the other big concern most fans had coming in was how Campbell was going to do at left tackle. I know a lot is was made about his his um his wingspan and his arm length and everything.
00:02:45
Snooty
um By all reports, he seems to have had a bit of an up and down camp. But what's your overall sense on how he's acclimating to the NFL?
00:02:52
Andrew Callahan
I think Will's general disposition, and I've made this joke before, but like you you you guys feel like you know Mike Vrabel pretty well, right? like Listening, seeing him, watching him play, right?
00:03:01
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:03:03
Snooty
For sure.
00:03:04
Andrew Callahan
Okay, so tough guy, really smart. So I've joked that Will is like the Louisiana love child that Vrabel never had because this guy, is it's hard to rattle.
00:03:06
Savage Boston
yeah
00:03:12
Andrew Callahan
He plays with an edge. He's smart, super physical. The issue is he's a rookie offensive lineman. And the history of the NFL of rookie offensive linemen is they generally stink when it comes to pass protection because the level of athlete, even for a guy like Will,
00:03:25
Andrew Callahan
who started for three years in the SEC, is just so much higher than what you just saw in college football. Again, not to mention he's 21. So this isn't to excuse what's generally been poor play and pass protections to say, this is what I expected.
00:03:37
Andrew Callahan
Now, Will it has exceeded my expectations when it comes to his athleticism of the run game. And you saw this on his first snap in that preseason opener, with a run on a crack toss left. He's leading the way, and he takes his corner not only just 10 yards downfield, but puts him almost into the turf at Gillette.
00:03:53
Andrew Callahan
And so to me, that's what you can expect from Will, where he's going to be an asset run blocking, but pass protection is going to be a wild ride sometimes. I just said this on my podcast. like I would just bake in allowing two to three pressures per game.
00:04:06
Andrew Callahan
And so today was better in practice, but you know you've probably had about half, maybe a little bit more than half, of practices in training camp where he's given up a quote-unquote would-be sack.
00:04:16
Savage Boston
Yeah. I mean, I obviously loved watching him. ah You know, when we see the preseason game, he performed really well in both games, which was nice. But as we know, it's second, third string guys, maybe. Right.
00:04:26
Savage Boston
It's not like and the joint practice felt like the real the real event with, ah you know, facing off with Greenard and giving up, as people said, maybe like three sacks and something like 11 reps.
00:04:27
Andrew Callahan
Yep.
00:04:36
Savage Boston
That was kind of the headline, so to speak. But I feel like um just his his general demeanor and how he behaves on the field is exactly what you want. in alignment and offensive lineman, like how mean he is.
00:04:48
Savage Boston
And, and my friend Snooty here was talking about it Like we want alignment with that attitude. It's like Logan Menkins, right. Who you knew, like, i remember when, when the Patriots drafted Logan Menkins, we, you know, back in whatever year that was like 2005, maybe was it was a five.
00:05:00
Andrew Callahan
Profile.
00:05:02
Savage Boston
um So when they drafted Menkins, we're like, who's Logan Menkins. Right. And then, and then they show the, yeah the highlight tape. This is him beating down people like after the whistle. And you were like, all right, like there's there's something going on here.
00:05:14
Savage Boston
And then obviously he had a you know fantastic career. but But with Will Campbell, like that's the player kind of that we want to see in some respect. Like I want to see him get into the second level. I want to see him getting on to linebackers especially, maybe even safeties, right?
00:05:27
Savage Boston
And then getting a pancake or something. But, um you know, I think ultimately – We're still, there is, and don't want to say Jerry's out, right? Cause I like him as a guy and as a player right now, but can he just be ah left tackle of the future? Like, can he be that?
00:05:43
Savage Boston
Or do you think at some point you will have to move and down to guard, even if it is in like a few years?
00:05:49
Andrew Callahan
I don't know. And I don't know, honestly, if Will knows or even the Patriots know because you just have to let it play out. So we could guess. i mean, I could tell you like, ah, two years they're going to kick him inside the guard, which, you know, it's funny you bring up the Mankins comparison because of memory serves.
00:05:59
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:06:03
Andrew Callahan
He was a college tackle and then they move him inside to play left guard and he starts for the next, you know, eight, nine, ten years, whatever it was here in New England before he got traded to Tampa Bay.
00:06:09
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:06:11
Andrew Callahan
And so, you know, when I bring up the and the demeanor, and we talked about that earlier, I also say that to say that, you know, even when Will does struggle, like he's going to handle this well as a smart, mature, tough, edgy guy. And I remember asking Rabel before the draft saying, hey, what did what did you learn from your first round picks in Tennessee that the these lessons you can apply moving forward? And one of the things he noted was not just the durability, which has been very durable in the SEC, but you've got to have the right mentality to handle the the label you're going to have for the rest of your career as a top five, top 10, top whatever pick.
00:06:43
Andrew Callahan
And Will can do that at a position where if you don't do anything bad, that's a good day.
00:06:45
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:06:48
Andrew Callahan
But as soon as you give up pressure or hurry or sack, right that's the only highlight we have. So whether that's a tackle or guard, I don't know. But he's the type of player that they decided to build their team around as Mike
Offensive Line Challenges and Rookie Impact
00:06:59
Andrew Callahan
Rabel's first draft pick in this era because he embodies all the things that Rabel wants.
00:07:03
Andrew Callahan
And so whatever the ceiling is, and whatever position that will be, I believe Will Campbell will get there. It's just a matter of where that ends up being for most of his career.
00:07:12
Snooty
in that regard, it seems like that he was a safe pick in that, in that sense that like, if, if, even if he moves down to guard, he's still a tone setter. He's still a leader in that locker room and he still sets the, sets the tone for the group.
00:07:24
Snooty
And it's someone you can build around. So you're not going to miss at four. You what mean? Like it's, he's the type of tackle that like, it's going to look ugly. He's not super. I mean, when he's technical he and when he's on, he's, he's very on, but a lot of his reps, it's like, yeah, that's not going to look pretty, but he's going to get the job done, which is, I don't know. He gets the job done.
00:07:45
Snooty
If that's all that matters at the end.
00:07:46
Andrew Callahan
Yeah, it is. And it's funny because the thing that you would point to so far in camp about what he's doing well, and you could see this at LSU, is his recovery. So like when he doesn't win the first split second of a rep, and there's very often this race and pass protection, or just, you know, the pass rush and pass protection to who gets your you get who gets their second foot down first, right?
00:07:55
Snooty
Mm-hmm.
00:08:02
Snooty
Good cheer.
00:08:06
Andrew Callahan
Like who's gaining ground or who's able to set the point of contact. And so when Will loses that, He's able, because of his flexibility and athleticism, to kind of back up, but eventually get a heel on the ground and go, I'm not going back any further.
00:08:18
Andrew Callahan
And it's not great that like the starting point of your strength is you're losing, but you find a way to kind of level the playing field. But to your point about, yeah, just stop the guy in front of you, he can do that. It's just going to look uglier and come a little bit closer to Drake May. I mean, it even happened in today's practice than you might like. But I think, and Jonathan Greener told this to Doug um you know last week, like it's just good he needs reps.
00:08:40
Andrew Callahan
All these young guys need a ton of reps. and He might be the youngest on the team, if I'm not mistaken.
00:08:44
Savage Boston
I know I wanted to throw it out there too. Like, you know, everyone was all hot and bothered about Membu. And even I was like, Oh, i like I like Membu. I like Membu's tape. I was like, yeah, he's he's a good player. Right. And he's getting, he's getting cooked a little bit.
00:08:56
Savage Boston
He's having a really tough go to, to begin the season. So it's not like it's just, you come out and you're perfect. You what There's rarely is everyone like a Penny Sewell or even like what Slater, the guy who just tours Patella 10 and he's just like a
00:09:07
Snooty
Good chance.
00:09:08
Andrew Callahan
Well, Sewell struggled too. You asked people in Detroit. Those were rough years of everyone going, why didn't we take you know Jamar Chase, who I think was a pick before pick after.
00:09:16
Savage Boston
hmm
00:09:16
Andrew Callahan
like this is When I say this is the history of of rookies in the NFL, you could talk about Andrew Thomas ah with Giants, who looks great now. you look Look, I'm up in Madden. I'm sure he's no lower than like an 86 because, of course, we've got to pick out the best possible, most professional measurement here on this football podcast.
00:09:31
Savage Boston
and
00:09:32
Andrew Callahan
Bad ratings. But he he was considered an all-time bust his first year, maybe plus in New York. It just takes time. And this isn't a guarantee that Will Campbell will be better than Membu. i mean, you're getting rave reviews ah in Chicago with Ozzy Trippola out of Boston College who did really well there. And Membu looks good in New York.
00:09:49
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:09:50
Andrew Callahan
Preseason football is not only a small sample, it's a bad sample. We don't know anything yet. We won't know for at least six weeks. And that that sucks to say in a podcast in August, but it's
Patriots Trade Options and Strategy
00:09:58
Andrew Callahan
just the truth about these players and these teams right now. Even if we want to know as much as we can about them, it's just too soon.
00:10:04
Savage Boston
And one of those that that's one of those few drafts where it's actually funny between Sewell and Chase, neither pick was wrong. Do you know what i mean? Like they they both worked for both teams really, really well.
00:10:12
Andrew Callahan
Yep.
00:10:14
Savage Boston
And I think that ended up, that's rare that that happens. You know, it's usually like ah like a McConkie and Jalen Polk situation. um Not to dive into that too soon. But but basically, like, yeah, I think Will's wills the character.
00:10:27
Savage Boston
ah he's the type of person you want. He's got the character of who you want, and I really obviously hope he develops. I think people just get so scared now of the arm length. You know, you're you're used to watching baseball all summer where everything's just about, like, statistics and baseball savant and looking up exact measurements. And then yeah coming to football season, sometimes you've got to remember, like, part of this stuff is just is instinct.
00:10:48
Savage Boston
part of the stuff is attitude. It's, it's, it's, you know, there's more to it, and which is why i love football. Like sometimes the guy without the perfect measurements can be an amazing player. Like Tom Brady's a great example, right? So, um so again, I think, um you know, I'm really hopeful for Will.
00:11:04
Savage Boston
ah Bring it back around to the interior line. um You know, one ah one of our, we've talked about it forever. Everyone's been talked about it. Like we've had problems with, not problems with how they address the interior line, just that I feel like there's not enough there, not enough meat on the bone. And as you alluded to already, you know, we got now, you know, Jared Wilson, is he taking a step back? Is Ben Brown getting in at reps at center?
00:11:27
Savage Boston
Uh, is Garrett Bradbury, how is he actually looking like, what's your actual level of concern for the interior offensive line, especially at left guard and center?
00:11:37
Andrew Callahan
Yeah, I think without context about Wilson being a rookie and Ben Brown being the top option at left guard and center, like this is what you have to work with. You can panic all you want, but it's not going to change.
00:11:47
Savage Boston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:49
Andrew Callahan
Without context, like relative to the rest of league, it'd be like an eight, eight and half because it's just not a good talent pool there.
00:11:54
Savage Boston
yeah
00:11:55
Andrew Callahan
i mean, Bradbury was cut for another guy who played his position. And there's a reason he was in Minnesota as a visitor for those during practices and not still a resident. He's not good in pass protection. And I've seen that bear out in one of the ones.
00:12:06
Andrew Callahan
Now, when you go into this with some context and some understanding that like the Patriots swung and missed and you don't get points for trying, but that's what happened. And you understand what they ended up with is a physically gifted left guard or center, depending where Jared Wilson ends up, who only started one year in college, but you can see it. And he outperformed Cole Strange to start camp.
00:12:25
Savage Boston
No.
00:12:25
Andrew Callahan
you know It's probably a five or six because this is what you have to work with.
00:12:25
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:12:28
Andrew Callahan
And it's just a matter of them finding the five best. But the concern is Ben Brown, who started the spring and in early summer on third string, might be starting week one.
00:12:39
Andrew Callahan
And this isn't to dismiss Ben Brown, who's really worked hard. But ultimately, that's not the guy that you wanted there based on the way that you drafted and signed guys in for agency.
00:12:46
Savage Boston
no
00:12:47
Andrew Callahan
So, you know, across the league, this is one of the worst situations for an interior line. Which, by the way, Mike Arwanda has been very good this summer. Those little two spots have not been. But when you consider what they were coming into camp with, you know, it's about where it was before. Like I said, at five or six.
00:13:03
Snooty
So I've always had the sense that I think they want Bradbury at center over certainly someone like Wilson or even Ben Brown simply because they want a veteran there to help May set the protections and things like that.
00:13:11
Andrew Callahan
Yeah.
00:13:14
Snooty
But are they are they crazy to have two rookies on the left side to start the year, Wilson and Gamble?
00:13:22
Andrew Callahan
Well, I think the crazier thing would be to have guys in there who are not your five best offensive linemen.
00:13:22
Snooty
I mean, that's...
00:13:28
Andrew Callahan
So if it works out that two of them are rookies, I mean, A, that doesn't reflect great on the rest of the offensive line, right?
00:13:29
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:13:34
Snooty
no
00:13:34
Andrew Callahan
But B, if you just say, well, we're goingnna start Ben Brown because – You know, he's been in the league longer. He's not as good as Jared Wilson, but like, we're just going to put him out there. And then he gives up, say two sacks. You go, well, what were we doing?
00:13:46
Andrew Callahan
You know, get it. I think you accept and understand like they're going to be growing pains. It's not ideal. This was not their plan to have Jared Wilson and
Concerns about Wide Receiver Depth
00:13:53
Andrew Callahan
Will Campbell both start in the left side. And it might not be. I mean, again, Ben Brown got good snaps with the starting offense today, left guard, but I don't look at it like that.
00:13:59
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:14:00
Andrew Callahan
Like they, when I, when I've checked in on this, their word is like, look, we just need the five best out there and we don't know who it is yet.
00:14:07
Savage Boston
yeah I mean, I literally, I feel like it was actually, weirdly enough, one of the biggest ah fan blows of the offseason here has been when it felt like Jared Wilson took a step back and not necessarily got demoted, right? He got all his ankle, got a little banged up and they, and they you know, played him at played a a guard with the second string, right? But like, it felt like an actual blow. Like people online were, it felt like really upset because they they were somehow were anchoring in that Jared Wilson, like he's ah a home run hit.
00:14:36
Savage Boston
Right. He's your guy. He's going to be that starter. He's solid next to Will. And it really felt like, ah I don't know, it felt like people were really upset about that. So I'm hoping, i mean, how did Jared Wilson look, look out there today?
00:14:47
Andrew Callahan
I mean, first of all, it doesn't sound like the internet at all. The internet that I know is always rose ah rosy and happy and just complimenting my work left and right.
00:14:52
Snooty
Thank you.
00:14:53
Savage Boston
well Yeah, yeah.
00:14:56
Andrew Callahan
They they love everything.
00:14:57
Savage Boston
Yeah, me too. Me too.
00:14:58
Andrew Callahan
ah um but he He was fine. you know i think the the best tape you can have is the only tape that you can have right is the preseason which you know i just pohpuo is a small sample to bad sample but that's you know it's harder to evaluate offensive line when we only get one look which is in practice And what you saw in the preseason has largely held up in practice. so And what that is, is a guy who's better run blocking than he is pass protecting. Again, that's common to a lot of rookies.
00:15:23
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:15:24
Andrew Callahan
And I thought he looked more natural at center than he did at left guard. And it's not because he can't play left guard. But again, he just came off a whole season at Georgia where center was his position. So there's talent there.
00:15:35
Andrew Callahan
But you know after that kind of hot start, you're starting to feel a little bit of a floor because Rookies are going to have more variance, a wider range of outcomes to their first season than most players who by the end of their career, you know who they are.
00:15:47
Andrew Callahan
They don't know who Jared Wilson is yet. So he's looked fine, ah but you can definitely see he's more comfortable run blocking and pass protecting and playing the position he did last year than the one they've been trying him out this summer.
00:15:58
Snooty
How has Cole Strange looked? Because I think a lot of people, myself included, expected more out of him this year, you know, with a full offseason, you know, post, what do say, his patella tendon?
00:16:08
Savage Boston
Tyler Trennan.
00:16:09
Andrew Callahan
Yep. Yep.
00:16:09
Snooty
um I expected him to come back with a little bit more juice. You know, he had some experience in the McDaniels system before. I expected a little bit more out of him, but I haven't really heard much. and Obviously, he's been demoted at this point.
00:16:21
Andrew Callahan
Yeah, it's ah it's a tough summer for Cole, who's squarely on the bubble. And I think it was probably overdue that he got some snaps at right guard, which is something we've seen a lot more this summer than his previous three seasons, because you just like to have a guy who can play multiple spots on the offensive line.
00:16:36
Andrew Callahan
The center experiment still is not going great. And great... would be 99, 100% success rate on snaps, right? Because you notice that when a guy botches a snap like he did today, and you go, this you just can't afford that in real games, especially when there are other guys Ben Brown and Garrett Bradbury, who have played center a lot longer.
00:16:54
Andrew Callahan
And the tough part is for me, not because Cole's like a nice guy or nice to the media, but you know he was an offseason award winner. So it's not only he came back from an injury that he told us after, like I had to learn how to walk again.
00:17:05
Snooty
Mm-hmm.
00:17:05
Savage Boston
Yeah.
Marcus Bryant and Offensive Line Scarcity
00:17:06
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:17:06
Andrew Callahan
But comes into a new position last year at the end of a loss season.
00:17:09
Andrew Callahan
New coaching staff. Participates every day in the meetings. Lifting more than other guys. Getting in earlier. Leaving late. All the cliches is living up to that. And in the first 10 days of camp, they go, well, you're not as good as our third-round rookie. And they pull him.
00:17:22
Andrew Callahan
And he hasn't left the second-team offense. So I genuinely don't know if he'll make the roster. He'd probably be like my 51st or 52nd guy on right now, if I had to guess. um But I'll do my final 53-man after the preseason game Thursday because unlike a lot of guys on that roster, that game might actually mean something to his roster status this season.
00:17:41
Savage Boston
Yeah. Let me, as a quick, I wasn't going to ask this, because it since you just brought it up, is anyone actually playing in that game? Do we get any first stringers Thursday night?
00:17:50
Andrew Callahan
I'd be shocked. I mean, not just because, you know, you had Drake may drop back 25 times in competitive team drills, which is a high number.
00:17:52
Savage Boston
Let's think.
00:17:57
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:17:59
Andrew Callahan
They were running sprints after. So like this, what this would be is, you know, in a regular season game week, right.
00:18:00
Savage Boston
Yeah. yeah See you later.
00:18:04
Andrew Callahan
Two days before the game, this would be a Friday practice. When they the Patriots hold practices on Fridays, they're walkthroughs.
00:18:07
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:18:11
Andrew Callahan
They're doing trick plays.
00:18:11
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:18:12
Andrew Callahan
They're doing highly specific stuff that they might have screwed up on Wednesday and Thursday. But guys are in sneakers. like It's a very, very light day. This was a heavy day for all the guys that you would consider starters right now.
00:18:22
Savage Boston
Gotcha. Well, that's too bad. I was hoping it would be a fun game. I mean, it's still fun if you're, you know, watching, watching who's going to make the roster. I would say this. Do you think there's any trade market here? I know we keep everyone, obviously myself included loves throwing out hypothetical trades and not even talking about the big trades yet, potentially, but just for our, for our own guys, is there a trade market for whether you're Anthony Jennings, you can, you can slide to another team.
00:18:44
Savage Boston
Cause obviously some people in our starting to say he could make the roster because obviously he's a talented player, but with the scheme fit,
00:18:46
Snooty
Thank you.
00:18:50
Savage Boston
um You know, does he have a market? Does Kyle Duggar have any market? you know, does Kendrick Bourne have a market? Because those are all guys we kind of theorized could be on the move.
00:18:59
Andrew Callahan
Yeah, i actually just talked about this on my podcast with Mike Giardi about an hour ago, so i'm not going to give you the full thing. I will tell you, i i feel fairly confident that they will pull at least one move um before or around Tuesday's cut down day.
00:19:18
Andrew Callahan
And it's not because Anthony Jennings is suddenly a hot commodity across the league or people want to take Kyle Duggar's contract. And Kevin Bourne could be a candidate for trade.
00:19:24
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:19:26
Andrew Callahan
Maybe they stashed him on IR. Who knows? But the point is, I think they've got enough players at those positions where they're comfortable offloading any one of them. And you couldn't say that in past years where you were at the mercy of your own lack of talent and just kind of had to sit there and eat the injury or the bad contract or a guy who wasn't a scheme fit. And Anthony Jennings, by the way,
00:19:47
Andrew Callahan
is someone that I watched be on the scout team in the spring in the start training camp. And since then has only risen up the depth chart in the way that Kyle Duggar has not. So like personally, I think he should be on the roster.
00:19:55
Savage Boston
Yeah. Yes.
00:19:57
Andrew Callahan
It's not because I've been high on Anferty Jennings really at any point in his career. Like I thought he's solid, fine, like whatever kind of player doesn't change my life. But he's changed his game enough where I think he could be a fit here. And I don't love a lot of the depth options behind him.
00:20:11
Andrew Callahan
But just because I think that or the tape would back it up doesn't mean they agree. And they're taking a longer term view with this roster, which I want people to remember.
00:20:15
Savage Boston
yeah
00:20:18
Andrew Callahan
Like Efton Chisholm's earned a roster spot, right?
00:20:21
Savage Boston
yes
00:20:21
Andrew Callahan
But he's still the sixth receiver. That guy's usually developmental. That's exactly what Efton Chisholm here. He's not here to help win games in
Rookie Impact and Team Planning
00:20:28
Andrew Callahan
2025 necessarily. He's here so he can help win games in 2026. If Danford E. Jennings does get cut...
00:20:35
Andrew Callahan
That's going to, I believe, going to be part of the mentality of Elijah Ponder is not ready to play defensive snaps. Anthony Jennings could do that, but he's going to be a core special teamer and we're going to develop them. And moving forward, he'll be ready to help contribute us so ah contribute to winning because we've got guys ahead of him that can do that right now. Keon White, Harold Landry, Kelevan Chason, yada, yada.
00:20:52
Savage Boston
I did see that you wrote today, and I found this really interesting. You wrote that, you know, Caleb on chase on was was taking a bunch of first team reps away from Keon White, which yeah I thought was really interesting tidbit.
00:21:01
Andrew Callahan
Mm-hmm.
00:21:04
Savage Boston
And i think people, especially in Internet land where I can operate, um people have really high opinions of Keon White. You know, and and high, high opinions, really, really high opinions that maybe aren't earned from a guy who had how many sacks last year after like week three?
00:21:21
Savage Boston
You know, not many. so um So, yeah, I mean, ah how do you feel? You feel like Chason's earned that first team time?
00:21:29
Andrew Callahan
Absolutely do. And look, I've spoken to Kalon twice in my life, and both of them were like reporter scrums, five minutes, six minutes, whatever. So it's not like I know the guy.
00:21:40
Andrew Callahan
But what I know is that he's led the team in these, quote, would-be sacks that me and Phil Perry and Doug Kai and all these guys keep track of.
00:21:45
Savage Boston
yeah
00:21:46
Andrew Callahan
And I know that he's looked like a guy who was deserved starting snaps, frankly, a week or two ago. And Keon White was unblockable like Chason was for the first eight to 10 days, but then really went quiet.
00:21:58
Andrew Callahan
And I said this on TV, I don't know how long ago, but like I'm out of the Keon White prediction business because that guy is an enigma, I think is a personality and is a player. And, He's also older than Chason, by the way, which I think would shock people because Chason came into the league in 2020 as a first-round pick.
00:22:14
Andrew Callahan
Kean White was a second-round pick in 2023. Kean White's older than him.
00:22:17
Savage Boston
Wow. Yeah.
00:22:18
Andrew Callahan
So there's not like there's this sea of untapped potential physically for a guy who's pretty much at his physical peak right now. It's just that Chason hasn't been able to weaponize that because he played for the Jaguars for four years and then the Raiders.
00:22:31
Savage Boston
yeah
00:22:31
Andrew Callahan
They both now have the same coach who's helping them on the edge, Mike Smith, who's a great assistant coach and has really helped both of them develop. But... But only one of them has continued to get better. The other one, at least over 10 days, which doesn't mean a whole lot, still in August, ah has not. And that player who has not gotten better is Keon White. And that's why you saw him rep with the second team today and chase on take every single starting snap opposite Harold Landry.
00:22:52
Savage Boston
wow
00:22:53
Snooty
i I know at this point, everyone wouldn't really be shocked if Jennings or Duggar or even Bourne were cut. Is there like a surprising cut candidate that you know we should be looking out for? and like would that Obviously, a tell for that would be the amount of playing time that they'd receive on Thursday.
00:23:10
Andrew Callahan
I don't think so at this point. And this is less about the Patriots doing something to shock us and more that like there are enough of us, I think present company included, that are sickos when it comes to like the Patriots' third line of their depth chart.
00:23:23
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:23:23
Andrew Callahan
This is like people asking for sleepers in fantasy. you know like There are so many professionals in the fantasy football space that someone somewhere is like, oh, this is a guy to watch out for this year. And maybe he's on a practice squad.
00:23:35
Andrew Callahan
And so there's there's no more unknowns. It's just a matter of like, who do you... what Where are the gaps between your evaluation and the teams? And I don't think there's a wide enough gap where we would go, oh my God, you cut Jabril Peppers? Like, no no, no, We all know Jabril Peppers is good.
00:23:50
Andrew Callahan
We all know that Ben Brown's probably going make the team because the reps he's taken in camp. So, you know, Duggar was the one that if you said it two weeks ago would have been a surprise.
00:23:53
Snooty
Thank you.
00:23:58
Andrew Callahan
um But right now, given everything we've seen in the preseason game and him being on scout team and the practices since... You know isn't a surprise at all. We expect it. It's just happened really, really fast.
00:24:07
Savage Boston
I thought for the wide receiver room, i I thought, you know, I thought they'd keep seven. ah I said that a few days ago, only because I thought J. Ben Baker, as as everyone said, right, he's contributed really well in special teams, right? He's playing pretty well in special teams. He just, but then you watch a preseason game and you're like, okay, like,
00:24:25
Savage Boston
you know, having seven targets in one catch against whatever second, third stringers isn't great. And especially if you contrast it with what Chisholm did, um it's kind of like, I just don't know.
00:24:40
Savage Boston
a i don't know if they'll actually keep Baker. And then B, if they get rid of Baker and somehow Polk's gone and Caden Wallace gets cut, like Drake May might be the only draft pick left from last year's class.
00:24:53
Savage Boston
which is shocking, I think.
00:24:56
Andrew Callahan
Yeah,
00:24:57
Savage Boston
Like, how is that even possible would be the question.
00:25:00
Snooty
Thank you.
00:25:00
Andrew Callahan
yeah I mean, look, I think there are a couple things. One, you just miss on guys, so right? Like just the evaluation piece you whiff on. And this is not uncommon across the league. Most draft classes do not stick with their their team that picked them after three to four years.
00:25:13
Andrew Callahan
That said, this would be still shocking because, as you said, even the guys picked at the top who get the grace and benefit of, oh, I'm a second round pick. I'll stick for two years. Like Taequann Thornton. hung around for a couple of years because he was a second round player.
00:25:23
Savage Boston
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
00:25:25
Andrew Callahan
Okay. ah Caden Wallace has changed positions. And this is the the regime change part where the current coaching staff does not see him as a tackle like Ellie Wolf did. They say, you're going to play guard. And so that, you know, combined with some injuries has affected his development in the spring and in the summer.
00:25:41
Andrew Callahan
And so, There's just a lot going on. And part of it, like Elliott said this week, you know there's a change in vision. And that was his explanation for why this year's draft class was so much better, which kind of pins last year's vision on Mayo, saying that there wasn't one. And I don't think that's particularly fair because Elliott was the one doing the drafting and Elliott was the one who reached...
00:25:59
Andrew Callahan
For Jalen, Jalen Polk was a second round prospect, but Caden Wallace was a reach. Like that, that's just what it was.
00:26:02
Snooty
Mm-hmm.
00:26:04
Savage Boston
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:26:04
Andrew Callahan
um And sometimes you take gambles at the start of day three, which is what Javon Baker was, is a known one quote unquote character risk.
00:26:04
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm.
00:26:09
Andrew Callahan
And sometimes character risks are like the guy's lazy. And other times it's like he's been arrested and Javon Baker's somewhere in between in terms of someone to handle, but he's been better. I think in terms of his mindset this year and the results just haven't been good enough. So unless they really love his work because gunner on special teams and the flashes he's shown, because you've seen good catches here and there.
00:26:28
Andrew Callahan
um Not sustained, though. that That would be the only way that he makes the roster, in my opinion.
00:26:32
Snooty
So I'm a bit of an O-line sicko. I played O-line. i I love watching O-line. I hear a lot of stuff on on the internet and a bunch of fans and even some reporters writing about Marcus Bryant.
00:26:44
Snooty
And to me, he looks very, very stiff at right tackle. um I know played left tackle in college, so he looks a little bit more fluid there. Is there anything there for him as a prospect, to as a developmental tackle, maybe a swing tackle this year?
00:26:56
Andrew Callahan
Yeah, I think so. And I'm with you. You know, he looks a little stiff and he did not test as, you know, the greatest athlete in the world. And that probably explains why he stayed. I think he played five years. He had two of Mizzou after he transferred.
00:27:08
Andrew Callahan
But the thing i think they like about him and that I've seen is, you know, he can play both of those both of those spots. Right. Like we all watched him. Andre Jacobs, a right tackle for too many games last year.
00:27:18
Snooty
Yeah, wait a minute.
00:27:19
Andrew Callahan
Vizzerian Lowe did not play right tackle last year, and now they're trying him out there. And the job is, as you know, swing tackle. Who can play both, at least good enough?
00:27:26
Savage Boston
Thank you.
00:27:27
Andrew Callahan
And right now, the answer is the guy who did it in college, and so he's a seventh-round rookie. But you know what? If he's, as we talked about, Jared Wilson, Jared Wilson's among your five best. We've got to play the five best. If your third-best offensive tackle is the seventh-round rookie, he's little stiff.
00:27:40
Andrew Callahan
That's just what it is. So I think it's almost as much of a reflection on him, at least surpassing my expectations, but also low into Madre Jacobs, you know, which everyone's taking their turn bashing those guys, um still not improving to the degree to which that they have asserted themselves as a better option.
00:27:58
Savage Boston
By the way, Lowe last year, he actually tested out as like an okay pass blocker. Like according to PFF, he wasn't that bad to start out there. His run blocking was heinous.
00:28:09
Savage Boston
But apparently like PFF liked him moderately as a pass blocker. um I know the fan base hates him, but um it is what it is. But yeah, so do you think, you know, i know that we're waiting for, I guess, waivers at this point.
00:28:21
Savage Boston
And it's kind of like, you know, picking up scraps from another team. But like, is there, is there a move left? Is there a move out there to maybe again, bolster like your interior line? Like, is there something they could do or might do?
00:28:36
Andrew Callahan
I don't think so with the O-line, guys, just because everyone wants good offensive linemen.
00:28:42
Savage Boston
Yeah.
00:28:42
Andrew Callahan
right like I think, you know and maybe Snudy wants to speak to this, but I think the development of the offensive linemen in last five to ten years has almost never been worse in college. and i used to cover college football before that high school football, watched all three levels my entire life, and there just aren't as many guys walking the planet.
00:28:59
Andrew Callahan
who you feel like they could play on an NFL Sunday and do okay. And there are a lot of reasons for that. But my point is, if you've got a guy who's passable, you know even like City So, who granted was was pretty good as rookie, but since then has not shown anything worthy of sticking on NFL roster, he might make the team just because he's the best guy in the interior who could play left and right guard and might be cut from a team also that has a bad offensive line.
00:29:05
Snooty
Thank you.
00:29:12
Savage Boston
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:29:24
Andrew Callahan
So if there is one move that I'm looking at because we've not seen their third tight end, Jack Westover, also played some fullback the last couple of practices. And honestly, I don't think Westover's strong enough at the point of attack to align as a strong side tight end when they're running the ball, is they do trade for some blocking tight end. o That's the only thing that he does, because they signed a couple of them. They haven't worked out as undrafted rookies. That's what happens with undrafted rookies.
00:29:47
Andrew Callahan
But someone else who can play fullback, because losing Brock Lampe, another undrafted rookie, What is a bigger blow than I think people realize? They're still going to run a lot of two back in McDaniel's offense, but they don't have the personnel to do it just yet.
00:29:54
Savage Boston
and
00:29:59
Andrew Callahan
That, to me, would be the trade that they swing.
00:30:01
Savage Boston
Now that we've talked about it and about to wrap it up, but now that we've talked about it, i feel like ah they feel like they're putting a little bit too much reliance on, on rookies, just, you know, throw it out. There's a lot of rookies in the mix, especially with the offensive line that it's a, just, it feels a little risky. Not like they have many options. Cause as you said, they have to put their best five out there.
00:30:21
Savage Boston
So, you know, it is what it is. But ah yeah, so we'll wrap it up here. I appreciate you coming on. Thanks for giving us your time. And ah yeah, don't sign off yet because I don't want to lose the audio.
00:30:32
Andrew Callahan
You got it.
00:30:32
Savage Boston
ah All right, guys, tune in next time. Peace.