Belichick won’t say obvious - Zappe to start; More mail | Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast - video Dailymotion

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In the newest episode of the Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast with Nick Cattles, Greg and Nick discuss Bailey Zappe being expected to start against the Chargers, taking over from Mac Jones. Bedard offers an in-depth analysis of what this opportunity means for Zappe and shares his thoughts on why he believes Zappe might be too overjoyed. The episode also features a segment where they answer questions from a mailbag session with Greg's BSJ members chat.  EPISODE TIMELINE:  0:00 INTRO 2:45 Status quo on QB … everyone knows it will be Bailey Zappe but Bill won’t say that. 9:10 What it means for Mac 12:10 What it means for Zappe 15:35 Bedard does not love Zappe attitude with this. He’s too freaking happy  20:40 Patriots flexed out of MNF 24:15 Mailbag from my BSJ members chat every Friday 24:20 Are there any QBs, RBs, TEs or WRs on the current Patriots’ roster worth retaining beyond the current season? 27:18 Are the Patriots still considered a premium destination for a head coach and/or GM?  28:04 If BB is sacked after the season, what are the chances that he just retires? 29:43 Operating under the assumption it’s Mayo next year I’d like your thoughts on Billy OB return 30:51 Flores back as DC / Asst Head Coach? 32:40 Personnel- anyone currently here salvageable or is a fresh voice there needed? 34:55 Mayo promotion? 40:02 Pick’em: Chargers -5.5, 40.5 o/u  Check us out over at BSJ $50 for the year … Bedard and Giardi tag-teaming on the Patriots with film and the best sources around to give you the most accurate reporting on your football team this season.     Check Greg's Coverage out over at www.bostonsportsjournal.com, for $50 on BSJ's annual plan. Not only do you get top-notch analysis of all the Boston pro sports, but if you're a Patriots junkie — and if you're listening to this podcast, you are — then a membership at BSJ gives you access to a ton of video analysis Bedard does on the coaches film, and direct access to him in weekly chats.  This episode of the Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast w/ Nick Cattles is brought to you by  Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering parter of the CLNS Media NetworkRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.    ODDS-R! Ever wished you could navigate the betting field with the confidence of a pro? Enter OddsR. They're not a sportsbook, but they're the sports betting advisor you've always needed. It's like having a playbook for smar

Transcript

00:00 For Bailey Zappi to come in from the first practice

00:02 when he's getting all the reps and Mac is on third team

00:05 and him to have a big smile on his face

00:07 and somebody said, "Good practice."

00:09 Great practice.

00:10 And then when he gets in front of the cameras

00:13 to have this huge grin on his face and all that,

00:18 I'm sorry, I don't like it.

00:21 I think it's in poor taste.

00:23 I think it's, to me, it's extremely selfish.

00:27 He has to realize, and I, again,

00:29 I understand the underlying emotions for Bailey Zappi,

00:32 but you're the quarterback of the team.

00:34 And what he needs to understand,

00:37 he needs to be a lot more humble because this is,

00:40 A, this is a two and nine football team

00:42 that he's now quarterbacking, okay?

00:44 This is not nine and two.

00:46 This is not the good times we're rolling in New England

00:49 and around one Patriot place.

00:51 Like, this is crappy.

00:52 You just got pulled off Monday Night Football,

00:54 which we'll talk about in a second.

00:56 And number two, Bailey Zappi did not earn this opportunity.

01:01 This is not something that he is getting

01:03 because he practiced lights out

01:06 or when he got into the games,

01:08 he was lights out and showed

01:10 that he was the better quarterback.

01:12 He is getting this opportunity because of injury,

01:15 a brain injury, basically, to Mac Jones,

01:17 that he is mentally broken at this point.

01:20 You know, this is a guy that he shares the quarterback room.

01:24 Obviously, we know that there's no love lost

01:26 between these two.

01:28 We've seen this over the course of their career.

01:30 And for Bailey Zappi to basically be happy

01:34 because Mac Jones has failed, because the team has failed,

01:37 I'm sorry, it rubs me the wrong way.

01:39 It is extremely selfish

01:42 and I don't like it very much at all.

01:44 - The Greg Bedard Patriots podcast

01:45 is brought to you by FanDuel,

01:47 the exclusive wedgering partner of the CLNS Media Network.

01:50 - He's Greg, I'm Nick.

01:52 - Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattles

01:54 as the big voice tells you each and every time

01:57 we do one of these episodes.

01:58 And this episode, as is usually the case as well.

02:01 - Yeah, dang way.

02:03 - This episode is brought to you by FanDuel,

02:05 the exclusive wedgering partner

02:07 of the CLNS Media Network.

02:08 Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets

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02:16 All right, let's get to the headlines here.

02:19 Greg Bedard, quarterback situation.

02:22 Seems like the status quo from earlier in the week.

02:26 Everyone knows that it's going to be Zappi,

02:28 at least that's how we feel.

02:30 But Belichick won't say that.

02:32 Let me first ask you,

02:33 why is Belichick not officially announcing a starter

02:37 and saying Zappi's the guy?

02:38 - 'Cause he's chicken bleep, that's why.

02:42 - Hey now.

02:43 - Look, I'll do respect to Bill Belichick.

02:47 There's a reason why he answers every question

02:50 the way that he does,

02:51 including about this quarterback decision.

02:53 And it's obvious to everybody

02:55 from everybody you talk to within the team,

02:58 Zappi's getting basically all the first team reps.

03:02 Malik Cunningham is number two.

03:03 Mac Jones is running the scout team.

03:05 Seems like this is at least the start of,

03:08 who knows how long it lasts,

03:11 where I think they're just finally,

03:15 after we've been talking about this, I don't know,

03:17 for a month, six weeks,

03:18 where they are gonna give Mac Jones the opportunity

03:21 to just sort of just reset, dial back,

03:25 sort of take a mental health break,

03:29 which is what he has needed for a very long time.

03:32 For whatever reason, whatever reasons you think of it,

03:35 that's just where he is at the bottom line.

03:38 And if Bill was to come out and he would say,

03:43 yeah, we're gonna go with Bailey this week

03:47 and just answer it like a normal human being,

03:50 the next plethora of follow-up questions would be,

03:55 Bill, how did it get this bad with Mac Jones?

03:58 How did we go from where he was as a rookie,

04:00 second in offensive rookie of the year voting

04:03 to now a point where that player

04:08 can't play in the National Football League?

04:09 How did it get here?

04:10 And he would have to, if he entertained it,

04:13 if he wanted to answer those questions,

04:15 I mean, they would just start.

04:16 It would be a, how did it get here?

04:19 Going back at all his answers.

04:22 Do you think you did the right things?

04:24 How much of this is your fault?

04:26 It would be easy.

04:28 A normal human being, a normal head coach

04:31 who is responsible for everything football-related

04:36 with his franchise would come out and tell you the decision

04:41 and just right off the bat, just take it head on and say,

04:47 look, this is not what anybody wanted.

04:49 Obviously I am in charge here.

04:53 Every decision is mine.

04:55 It's safe to say at this point that we made multiple errors.

05:00 Yes, Mac Jones has some ownership in this as well.

05:04 I'm sure he'd be the first one to tell you that,

05:07 but for my purposes and for my role,

05:11 this is my responsibility.

05:13 And he's a player that has done everything that we've asked,

05:18 just about, Bill might quibble with that and might let on,

05:22 but this is a player that has done everything we've asked.

05:26 His work ethic is unchallenged,

05:28 came here as a smart player, was pretty good his rookie year,

05:34 looked to, worked his butt off in the off season

05:37 before his second season,

05:38 and then it has completely fallen off since then.

05:41 As the coach, as the director of all things football,

05:44 the New England Patriots, that failure falls on me.

05:48 That is my responsibility.

05:50 That's what you would get with real leadership,

05:54 with a real human head coach,

05:56 but Bill Belichick is not gonna do that.

05:57 He is not going to take responsibility

06:02 for the failure of Mac Jones,

06:05 the failure of this football team,

06:07 the failure of likely his own job at the end of the day.

06:10 I'm sure privately, and you can sort of infer from,

06:14 if you go and listen to Mike Lombardi's podcast

06:16 the last two times, he's basically savage Mac Jones.

06:20 And basically, I think that he echoes

06:24 a lot of what Bill believes,

06:25 which is basically, this is Mac Jones's fault.

06:28 If Mac Jones was better last year,

06:30 if he took the coaching better last year,

06:31 if he was better this year,

06:33 we would be in a lot better shape

06:35 and we would be in the playoff rate.

06:37 But because he failed,

06:40 because he couldn't take care of the ball,

06:42 the simplest thing that we ask the quarterback to do,

06:45 we are two and nine and we're talking about

06:47 the end of my tenure.

06:48 And so that's where I think it's at.

06:51 - Straight up scapegoating.

06:52 That's what it is with the Mac Jones thing at this point.

06:56 And he can, Belichick can have his friends in the media

07:00 say these things, that's fine.

07:01 But it really has come down to that,

07:04 that the easiest way for Bill to deflect everything

07:07 is the quarterback situation.

07:08 And if we didn't have a broken quarterback,

07:11 then we would be better and all of that stuff.

07:14 I think other questions you mentioned

07:16 as far as Bill not wanting to answer the Mac questions,

07:19 I also think part of this is that Belichick

07:22 doesn't want to answer the Bailey Zappi questions

07:24 as far as, if he names him the starter,

07:27 Bill, why did you release this guy

07:29 before the season kicked off?

07:31 - Good point.

07:32 - What happened with the idea of you not needing him

07:35 back in September, but now he's the guy you go to.

07:39 You could also bring up questions about Malik Cunningham.

07:42 You just released that guy four to six weeks ago, Bill.

07:45 You just, you threw Malik Cunningham

07:48 into that Raiders game and then you released him

07:50 and now he's what, your number two quarterback?

07:53 He's taking number two quarterback snaps.

07:55 So all of the other questions

07:56 about that quarterback room too,

07:58 I think Bill wants to stay away from

07:59 'cause he knows it's been bad.

08:01 And it's just the big picture, Greg, 30,000 feet,

08:04 is just the utter lack of accountability.

08:06 And we've talked about it before.

08:08 I don't want to repeat it again over and over and over,

08:10 but it's this lack of accountability

08:12 from not only your head coach, but also your GM.

08:16 In that dual role, Belichick not having the accountability

08:21 to step up there and say,

08:23 "We didn't trade anybody because of this.

08:26 "This is how we felt about the trading deadline.

08:28 "This is how it actually works,

08:30 "the communication between all of us."

08:32 Yes, I actually do have the final say.

08:35 When he's asked about Mac Jones on EEI,

08:38 he talks about how he was collectively drafted.

08:41 These are all ways to dodge, deflect, duck.

08:45 That's what it is.

08:46 He doesn't want to take accountability.

08:48 He doesn't want to stand up there and say,

08:50 "I screwed this up.

08:52 "I did this wrong.

08:53 "This is why we're doing things."

08:55 And he's able to toggle between head coach and GM

08:58 whenever he wants, which is very convenient.

09:00 When he's asked about GM questions,

09:03 I'm just focused on the Chargers.

09:05 When he's asked about the Chargers

09:08 or he's asked about a quarterback call,

09:09 he can dance around that.

09:10 It's just whatever.

09:12 What's this mean for Mac Jones?

09:14 Great question, Nick.

09:17 I think in the near term, I think at this point,

09:20 you basically take it week to week.

09:23 I would say he at least sits through,

09:26 so they have the Thursday night game next week

09:28 against the Steelers.

09:30 I think he, if I were them,

09:33 I would give him a mental health break through that game.

09:37 And then when they come back, maybe reassess,

09:40 see where Bailey's at, see where Malik is at,

09:43 see where Mac Jones is at.

09:45 Possibly you entertain putting Mac back out there

09:51 after that.

09:52 Again, I'm not saying that's what they should do.

09:55 This is way down the road, one step at a time.

09:58 But I think in general, big picture,

10:02 as far as his future here in New England,

10:05 I'd say it's pretty much over at this point.

10:09 I mean, let's just play this out.

10:13 Bailey plays good enough,

10:15 and I expect Bailey to play decent down the stretch.

10:19 The Patriots are competitive.

10:20 I'm sure there will be a lot of,

10:24 they just should have done this from the beginning,

10:25 that sort of thing.

10:26 We'll see.

10:27 But as far as next season and Mac Jones,

10:31 well, let's play this out.

10:32 Bill Belichick is gone,

10:34 as we all figure is the case at this point.

10:37 It's Gerard Mayo and Billy O'Brien,

10:40 a new personnel chief, in my mind.

10:45 I think they will reassess at that point.

10:47 It depends on where they get the quarterback.

10:52 I think if they get one high in the draft

10:56 by trading up or wherever they are,

10:58 if they do that, I could see Mac Jones being traded

11:03 draft day, maybe the second day of the draft

11:05 for a second day pick.

11:07 Hopefully the San Francisco 49ers, for Mac's sake,

11:10 sort of, Darnold's on a one-year deal there.

11:13 We know how Kyle Shanahan feels about Mac Jones.

11:15 That would be great for him.

11:17 He needs a fresh start.

11:20 If they go, say, quarterback in the second round,

11:24 I still think the odds are good that Mac is gone.

11:28 And then they just look for veteran du jour to bring in.

11:32 Perhaps they draft two quarterbacks next year.

11:34 Maybe a quarterback late, a Brock Purdy type guy.

11:38 Or depending on Bailey Zappi, maybe Bailey Zappi's back.

11:41 So I could see rookie quarterback Bailey Zappi,

11:45 veteran du jour here next year.

11:48 But I say that chances are strong,

11:50 no matter what happens, that Mac Jones is done

11:53 in New England.

11:54 And my hope is he lands in a really good situation.

11:57 Either San Francisco, Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota,

12:02 I think would be a good spot for him.

12:05 Somebody who knows how to take care of the quarterback

12:08 and teach the quarterback.

12:09 And so that's what I think it means for Mac.

12:12 - What's it mean for Zappi?

12:14 - Well, this is his chance.

12:16 This is his chance to have a 10-year NFL career.

12:20 I think he has a chance, just to illustrate

12:24 how screwed up the entire quarterback situation has been

12:28 with the New England Patriots.

12:29 I think you and I were both in the same spot

12:31 with Zappi last year where going in,

12:34 I wasn't overly impressed with him.

12:36 I'd never entertain cutting him, but okay,

12:38 we'll see what happens.

12:40 But I think, and his spot starts in playing time.

12:46 He had risen to the place for me,

12:48 I won't speak for you, Nick, where I thought that

12:51 he had proven, okay, you got a competent backup

12:54 NFL quarterback, and that's a good place to start

12:57 for this team.

12:58 Of course, it got to the point,

13:00 and that's a whole nother rehash of he's not even that

13:04 in their eyes.

13:05 I mean, like you said, cut at the end of camp,

13:07 he had a terrible training camp.

13:09 He was put on the practice squad,

13:10 wasn't even put on the initial 53.

13:14 And never got a chance when it was obvious

13:18 that the starting quarterback was struggling.

13:22 When he did get a chance, he was awful.

13:25 I mean, I don't know if anybody's checked his stats,

13:27 but his completion percentage is like 43%.

13:30 When he entered the game last week,

13:32 it was basically like they put a non-quarterback

13:37 at the quarterback position in terms of what they

13:39 allowed him to do.

13:40 I would, you know, hopefully they give him,

13:44 I expect them, Chargers defense is not very good.

13:47 I expect them to give him a little bit more to do,

13:49 but from what we've seen, I'm a big believer in

13:52 how the coaches use a player tells you a lot

13:56 about the player.

13:56 - Yeah.

13:57 - And what Billy O'Brien has done with Zappy so far,

13:59 he doesn't think he's very good at all,

14:01 and is protecting him a lot.

14:03 We'll see if that continues.

14:04 Maybe it changes with a whole week of practice.

14:07 We'll have to see, but there's no doubt,

14:09 this is his shot to stick around here next year.

14:12 I don't think he's any, I still don't think he's

14:14 anything more than a backup quarterback,

14:16 but we'll see.

14:18 He's gonna get an extended viewing here.

14:20 - If people are gonna throw some revisionist history

14:24 at us, if Zappy plays okay the next couple of weeks,

14:29 I just look at this as necessity versus a desire.

14:32 Bill Belichick's desire, the Patriots' desire

14:35 was not to start Bailey Zappy.

14:37 This is a necessity.

14:40 There's no other option, folks.

14:43 MAC is broken, Zappy should have started last week

14:46 against the Giants.

14:47 There's nobody else to go to because of how bad

14:50 this quarterback room has been.

14:51 The quarterback shuffle with Corral, Ian Book,

14:56 McSorley, Cunningham, Greer,

14:59 they should never be in this spot.

15:02 But they have to start Zappy, not because they love

15:05 the idea or they want to, because they have to

15:08 at this point.

15:09 It's an indictment on the quarterback room

15:12 instead of a feather in the cap of Bailey Zappy.

15:15 And the Chargers matchup, this is a good opportunity

15:18 for him.

15:19 Chargers defense isn't very good.

15:21 And he's had the full week of reps, so if he wants

15:24 his chance, he's got it this Sunday.

15:26 With that said, I noticed a note that you sent today,

15:30 Greg, to me, and I actually haven't talked about this

15:33 on my podcast, The Nick Cattle Show, but I was thinking

15:36 this watching Zappy through the week.

15:38 Everybody's kind of painting him as like,

15:40 oh, look how confident he is.

15:42 Look how cock sure he is.

15:45 I wasn't really in love with it.

15:48 I didn't necessarily love the way he handled some things

15:55 in the locker room this week.

15:56 And I gather, reading your note to me,

15:59 you kind of felt the same way.

16:01 - Yeah, now look, I understand this is a big moment

16:05 for Bailey Zappy.

16:06 This is something that he has wanted.

16:08 So I understand if internally he's excited

16:12 about this opportunity, totally natural.

16:14 And I'm sure some people out there will take this

16:17 as, "Badard, you just hate Zappy."

16:19 Okay, that's not what it is.

16:21 I have nothing against Bailey Zappy.

16:23 Just like every other player, I've graded him,

16:25 whether it's on the practice field or on the game field,

16:28 what I see.

16:29 And so I just want to make that clear.

16:33 This isn't about Bailey Zappy.

16:35 And I understand why he's excited about this opportunity.

16:37 He probably thinks that it's long overdue.

16:40 I understand all that.

16:41 Those are human emotions, I understand.

16:44 But for Bailey Zappy to come in from the first practice

16:47 when he's getting all the reps and Mac is on third team

16:50 and him to have a big smile on his face

16:52 and somebody said, "Good practice."

16:53 Great practice.

16:55 And then when he gets in front of the cameras

16:58 to have this huge grin on his face and all that,

17:04 I'm sorry, I don't like it.

17:05 I think it's in poor taste.

17:08 I think it's, to me, it's extremely selfish.

17:12 He has to realize, and again,

17:14 I understand the underlying emotions for Bailey Zappy,

17:17 but you're the quarterback of the team.

17:19 And what he needs to understand,

17:22 he needs to be a lot more humble because this is,

17:24 A, this is a two and nine football team

17:27 that he is now quarterbacking, okay?

17:29 This is not nine and two.

17:31 This is not the good times are rolling in New England

17:34 and around one Patriot place.

17:35 Like this is crappy.

17:37 You just got pulled off Monday Night Football,

17:38 which we'll talk about in a second.

17:40 And number two, Bailey Zappy did not earn this opportunity.

17:45 This is not something that he is getting

17:48 because he practiced lights out

17:51 or when he got into the games,

17:53 he was lights out and showed

17:55 that he was the better quarterback.

17:56 He is getting this opportunity because of injury,

17:59 a brain injury, basically, to Mac Jones,

18:02 that he is mentally broken at this point.

18:05 This is a guy that he shares the quarterback room.

18:09 Obviously, we know that there's no love lost

18:11 between these two.

18:12 We've seen this over the course of their career.

18:15 And for Bailey Zappy to basically be happy

18:18 because Mac Jones has failed because the team has failed,

18:22 I'm sorry, it rubs me the wrong way.

18:24 It is extremely selfish

18:26 and I don't like it very much at all.

18:29 - It's a victory lap.

18:30 So he's waiting to call out for the duck boats

18:33 'cause he's starting this game on Sunday.

18:35 You're two and nine, man.

18:36 Let's just keep this to a common sense level.

18:41 After that Colts game in Germany,

18:45 pretty much all of us said,

18:47 "You gotta start Zappy the next game."

18:49 And they still did not want to start you, Bailey.

18:52 So now if he proves people wrong

18:54 and they win some games,

18:56 and then later on in a few weeks,

18:57 he wants to be a little bit cheery

18:59 and have the victory lap,

19:00 okay, but I don't think it's necessary at this time.

19:03 And I go back to,

19:04 and this is why you guys wanna check out

19:06 Boston Sports Journal.

19:07 Mike Giardi had a report going back a couple of weeks ago

19:10 and I covered this on my solo podcast

19:12 because the lion stood out to me.

19:13 He talked about Zappy on the field

19:15 and how he wasn't good enough to take the spot from Mac.

19:18 But within that story,

19:19 Giardi also mentioned Zappy's attitude

19:22 and how Zappy has rubbed some people the wrong way

19:25 in that building.

19:27 And I just thought of that when I saw

19:29 the victory lap from Zappy this week with the media,

19:32 where, oh, he kinda doesn't think that his poop stinks.

19:36 He doesn't understand and acknowledge

19:38 that he was cut a couple of months ago.

19:40 That could be the attitude stuff

19:43 that Giardi's reporting on.

19:45 I don't know, but I take Giardi's story

19:48 and I look at what Zappy,

19:49 how he handled himself this week,

19:51 and you could feel this air of like,

19:53 I'm the best, everybody make way for me.

19:56 It's my time to start.

19:58 That could rub people the wrong way.

20:00 And if people are thinking,

20:01 oh, you're being so unfair to Bailey Zappy.

20:03 If you saying that to us,

20:06 we're killing Mac Jones for every single

20:09 solitary body language thing,

20:12 everything that Mac has said,

20:14 the Alabama Mac stuff during the off season,

20:16 don't be a hypocrite.

20:18 Don't be a hypocrite.

20:19 Mac Jones has been raked over the coals,

20:23 over everything he has said,

20:24 everything that he has done,

20:25 the way that he looks on the bench,

20:27 his breathing technique on the bench, everything.

20:31 So this is what happens when you're the quarterback.

20:34 You look at it and you question some stuff.

20:37 Patriots flexed out of Monday night football.

20:40 Embarrassing, Greg, for the Crafts?

20:42 So freaking embarrassing.

20:45 This is the worst of the worst.

20:46 I mean, you're talking holiday season,

20:49 December football,

20:51 the two time Super Bowl and defending champion,

20:55 Kansas City Chiefs coming in here with Patrick Mahomes,

20:58 the best player in the league, Travis Kelsey,

21:00 the best tight end in the league,

21:04 Taylor Swift off her tour, probably in the house.

21:07 You have the possibility of all the Swifties tuning in

21:11 on Monday night football and they take you off.

21:14 Like I heard Felger say this with Curran last night

21:17 and I totally agree with this.

21:18 This franchise has now come full circle.

21:21 This is a franchise that was banned

21:24 from Monday night football for years

21:26 because of some of the antics at old Schaefer Stadium,

21:31 Sullivan Stadium.

21:32 And now to be the first team ever,

21:36 and this is the first year, but still,

21:38 the first team ever to be flexed out of Monday night football

21:41 where I can't believe they're allowed to do this,

21:44 that they can get to change a game a whole day.

21:47 What if you were Chiefs fans who booked in,

21:51 "Oh, I'm gonna get in Sunday night

21:52 and then go to the game on Monday."

21:54 Well, crap out of luck 'cause it's 1 p.m. game now.

21:57 For that to happen, if the crafts weren't sold on,

22:04 moving on from Bill Belichick,

22:09 this is sort of like the icing on the cake.

22:11 This is just indicative of where this franchise has fallen.

22:13 People are saying, "Well, it's a favor to the Patriots."

22:17 Who cares?

22:19 Who cares?

22:20 It's not about the why, it's about the what.

22:24 The what is that they were flexed out of Monday night

22:26 football against the premier name

22:28 in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes.

22:30 Even if it's a favor, it means that the NFL gave you pity.

22:35 They pitied you so much that they were like,

22:37 "Okay, Robert, we'll get you off on Monday night

22:40 'cause yeah, you guys suck."

22:43 And it was a double nut punch last night

22:46 because right after the flex announcement,

22:50 I'm watching Thursday night football

22:51 and I actually posted this at Nixie Radio,

22:54 if you wanna follow me, all of you follow Greg by now,

22:56 at Nixie Radio on X or Twitter or whatever we call it.

23:01 Right after this announcement of the flex,

23:03 we got the Thursday night graphic

23:04 of Bill Belichick and TJ Watt.

23:06 - Oh yeah.

23:07 (laughing)

23:09 - They can't even put a player up there.

23:13 They can't even put a Patriots player up there

23:16 because there's nobody to put up there

23:18 to entice you to watch the game.

23:20 It's the matchup of Bill Belichick versus TJ Watt.

23:23 That's what they're promoting.

23:24 A double nut kick last night for Robert Kraft.

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24:00 FanDuel, official partner of the NFL.

24:02 - All right, again, check out BSJ.

24:10 I told you why just a few minutes ago

24:12 with the Mike Giardi report.

24:13 Mike and Greg do some great stuff.

24:16 And of course, you got Corrales and the Celtics.

24:18 Everything happening at BSJ, 50 bucks for the year.

24:22 And Greg, part of the whole BSJ thing

24:24 is that you do a member chat every Friday.

24:27 And we've got just a bunch of questions.

24:29 Try to flip through these as quickly as possible here

24:32 with me before we get to our pick for the chargers.

24:35 First one from BillD1530.

24:37 Are there any quarterbacks, running backs,

24:39 tight ends, or wide receivers on the current roster

24:41 worth retaining beyond the current season?

24:44 - Um, OK, let's start.

24:48 Quarterback position, Bailey Zappi

24:50 has a chance to be a backup.

24:51 Malik Cunningham has a chance to be a third string quarterback.

24:55 You know, I would like to see after the season

24:57 what's gone on, depending on what happens in the draft.

25:01 And their evaluation him as a wide receiver,

25:04 it's been tough for us to do that.

25:07 They know better because they've seen him in practice.

25:11 You know, I would be willing to give Malik Cunningham a shot

25:14 to develop as a quarterback this offseason.

25:18 Running back, Stevenson, I would have traded Ezekiel Elliott,

25:22 tried to get something for him.

25:24 I thought that would've been really smart on the deal

25:26 that he was on.

25:28 I'm sure they would have loved to have him back in Dallas.

25:31 I mean, I like Zeke.

25:31 I think he's done really well.

25:34 I don't think there's a real place on him for--

25:37 on this team for a rebuilding team.

25:40 Do they have anybody beyond that on running back?

25:45 Oh, they have Jemichael Hasty now.

25:47 You know, whatever.

25:48 Tight ends.

25:53 Like I've said before, I would franchise Hunter Henry

25:57 because that franchise number is fine.

26:00 You don't have anybody at tight end

26:01 because you didn't draft anybody.

26:03 There's nobody-- everybody's a free agent at the position.

26:06 And I would bring back Pharoah Brown

26:07 because he's a good number two blocking tight end.

26:11 So I would bring those two back.

26:12 Again, I would-- they got to draft the tight end,

26:15 develop somebody, maybe more-- somebody

26:17 with a little bit more quickness down the field.

26:19 As far as wide receiver, of course, DeMario Douglas.

26:24 Keyshawn Booty, I'm bringing back

26:25 as long as he's been a professional behind the scenes,

26:28 which as far as I know, he has.

26:31 Everybody else can go.

26:33 Tyquan Thornton can go.

26:34 Devontae Parker can go.

26:36 Juju Smith-Schuster can go.

26:39 That probably won't be the case.

26:40 I mean, maybe Juju just needs a knee surgery in the offseason.

26:45 Another one and he might be better.

26:47 I don't know, but I'm not counting on him.

26:49 But I would blow that whole room out and start over--

26:52 Was he in the team born?

26:55 Oh, yeah, I forgot about born.

26:57 Well, I mean, he's coming back from ACL.

27:00 So I doubt that he has much of a market.

27:02 I would love to have KB back.

27:05 Is he going to want to be back?

27:08 I don't know.

27:08 Could other teams want him?

27:10 Probably.

27:12 So yeah, I would love to have KB back,

27:14 but tough injury to come back from.

27:16 Emily224, Patriots still considered a premium destination

27:19 for a head coach and/or GM.

27:21 Yes, I think so.

27:24 I mean, because when you look at those situations

27:29 as a head coach and GM, the number one thing you look at,

27:31 the number one thing you can't change about an organization

27:34 if you come in, is the owner.

27:36 The owner is always going to be there.

27:39 I think Robert Kraft is looked at very favorably

27:44 around the league.

27:45 I think he empowers his people.

27:46 I mean, look what he just did with Bill Belichick.

27:48 He basically turned everything over to Bill

27:50 and let Bill do whatever he wanted to for good and bad.

27:55 And so yes, I still think it's a top tier destination

28:02 in this league.

28:03 If Belichick is sacked-- this is from Bruce Wadman--

28:06 if Belichick is sacked after the season, what are

28:08 the chances he just retires?

28:11 Zero.

28:12 I think he's not going to go out like this.

28:14 He is going to--

28:16 as long as there are opportunities out there for him,

28:18 and I think there will be, I think this is what he does.

28:23 This is what he's done for 50 years.

28:25 And remember, this coming year is

28:27 going to be his 50th in the NFL and 25th as a head coach.

28:31 Kind of really good round numbers.

28:34 And maybe he just--

28:36 I'm sure he's looking for an opportunity where

28:39 he can win right away, get that Super Bowl title to sort of

28:43 match Brady, and then maybe he thinks about stepping aside

28:46 or moving upstairs.

28:47 But I think the chances are very slim.

28:51 I don't like to say zero, so 0.5% that he retires.

28:55 I just think this is what he does.

28:56 This is who he is.

28:57 He doesn't have a family, really, to go to.

29:00 No wife like that he's going to go.

29:02 What's he going to do, go play golf in Jupiter?

29:04 I think he's going to continue coaching.

29:06 And there will be opportunities for him.

29:07 Don't get it twisted.

29:08 Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show

29:11 that there could be as many as seven to 10 head coach

29:13 openings this offseason.

29:15 And look, Ben Johnson's a name.

29:17 Bobby Slowick is a name.

29:18 We can go through all the names.

29:20 Jim Harbaugh has been linked with Chicago this week.

29:23 But there are not seven to 10 head coaching prospects

29:27 that are above Bill Belichick.

29:29 Somebody, no matter what he's done

29:31 in the last couple of years, somebody in the NFL

29:33 is going to look at him and say, yeah,

29:35 I'd rather have Bill than a first-time head coach.

29:37 So he will have a market.

29:39 Here's another question.

29:40 This is from Dave EB.

29:43 Operating under the assumption it's Mayo next year

29:45 as the head coach.

29:47 He would like your thoughts on the following, Greg.

29:49 Bill O'Brien, is he viable to bring back,

29:51 maybe let him pick his own staff?

29:53 OK, we'll start with that one.

29:58 Yes.

29:59 Look, has it gone well this year?

30:02 No.

30:03 But I think that Bill O'Brien has a track record.

30:06 And maybe it's not as good as some people like.

30:08 But I think that he has a track record

30:11 of being a successful offensive coordinator

30:13 with different types of quarterbacks.

30:16 And I think it would behoove the Patriots and Gerard Mayo

30:20 and the Crafts to say, Billy, do whatever you

30:23 want with the coaching staff.

30:25 And that makes things a lot better on the coordinator.

30:28 It makes things a lot easier.

30:29 And it allows-- you have to--

30:32 they have to get back--

30:33 this franchise has to get back to drafting better

30:37 and developing players.

30:38 And I know the practice rules have changed and things

30:40 like that.

30:41 But everybody's working under the same rules.

30:44 And I just think that player development in this franchise

30:48 has fallen off almost as much as their drafting ability.

30:53 Brian Flores back as defensive coordinator

30:55 slash assistant head coach.

30:57 It's interesting.

30:58 I mean, I just don't--

31:00 I don't see why the Vikings would get rid of him.

31:02 I'm sure he's under contract for at least another couple years.

31:06 Kevin O'Connell is a guy that seems from afar--

31:11 it seems like he just lets Flores do whatever he wants,

31:13 which he puts the crap out of people.

31:15 I think that defense has played really well.

31:17 I really like O'Connell as a head coach.

31:20 And I'm sure Flores thinks that's a good spot for him.

31:23 It's been a good showcase spot for him

31:25 until perhaps he gets his next opportunity to be a head coach.

31:29 So I don't see that happening.

31:31 I would say with Gerard Mayo as head coach,

31:35 I assume that Steve Belichick and Brian Belichick

31:38 are going to go with Bill wherever he goes.

31:41 There's an outside chance that doesn't happen.

31:43 I know Gerard and Steve have a very close working

31:45 relationship.

31:46 They're very close.

31:47 Perhaps Steve stays because of that.

31:50 We'll see if Gerard wants Steve to stay.

31:52 But I will say on staff, Demarcus Covington,

31:55 the defensive line coach, I think

31:58 has done an excellent job this year with his group.

32:01 I think it's been one of the best groups on the line,

32:03 has been for a few years.

32:04 So just in terms of that, I think

32:06 he's demonstrated that he's an excellent coach.

32:09 Maybe he's ready for the next sort of gig, a promotion

32:15 to defensive coordinator.

32:16 That's possible.

32:17 I would also keep an eye out on what happens with the Raiders.

32:20 Of course, we know there's a lot of Patriots people

32:23 out there as remnants of the McDaniels regime.

32:26 Patrick Graham is a guy that I think Mayo played for when

32:30 he was here, who's the defensive coordinator of the Raiders.

32:33 If he gets let go, I could see that.

32:36 I could see him coming back here as Mayo's defensive coordinator.

32:41 Personnel, anyone currently here salvageable?

32:45 Yeah, I mean, look, I have a lot of respect

32:48 for Elliott Wolfe and Patrick Stewart, who just came back

32:54 this year from the Panthers.

32:55 He had risen to vice president of personnel with the Panthers,

32:58 was here before.

33:00 I think he has a lot of respect around the league.

33:05 If it's Mayo, the Crafts have to sit down and say, all right,

33:08 who do you want to run personnel?

33:11 I wouldn't be opposed to Dave Ziegler coming back here.

33:15 There's a story out from Hondo Carpenter,

33:18 who covers the Raiders.

33:20 It was a very pro-Ziegler story.

33:24 What a very good--

33:26 go ahead.

33:27 No, I was just going to say, if you're reading it, boy, oh,

33:29 boy, whoever was talking to Hondo

33:31 was very excited to dump the dirt on Josh McDaniels.

33:35 That's for sure.

33:36 Well, and basically say that if it were up to Dave Ziegler,

33:40 the Raiders would have been like Super Bowl champions.

33:44 Every misstep was McDaniels' fault.

33:47 And the alternative was awesome.

33:49 It was Ziegler's idea.

33:51 I mean, look, it might be right.

33:53 I don't know.

33:54 I know there's some truth in that from stuff

33:55 I know about the Raiders.

33:57 But I do think that Dave Ziegler--

34:00 I think he's really good.

34:02 And whatever happened in Vegas happened in Vegas.

34:05 But I do think that Ziegler is very good.

34:07 I know he's not afraid to voice his own opinion.

34:10 He wasn't afraid to challenge Bill when he was here.

34:13 I think Mayo needs that type of guy.

34:15 And I think he'll seek that type of guy.

34:18 But from what I've heard, I'm not a big fan of Matt Groh.

34:24 I just don't think he was ready for that job,

34:27 to go from college personnel to running the whole personnel

34:29 department.

34:31 And they have good guys there as well.

34:34 Steve Cargill-- and there's another guy

34:38 that I can picture, but I just can't think of his name

34:41 right now.

34:41 But he's also very good.

34:44 But I would start with Vette Elliott-Wolf and Patrick

34:48 Stewart, and I would talk to Ziegler again,

34:50 because I think he's really good.

34:51 All right, we just have time for a couple more

34:53 before we get to our pick for this weekend.

34:55 This is from KCJohnson9.

34:57 Was surprising your Roundup article with the league execs

34:59 that all five believed Mayo will still be the coach.

35:03 Can you think of any other recent examples

35:05 of a team moving on from a coach after a very poor season

35:07 and then promoting one of the coordinators to take his place?

35:10 Nothing comes to mind to me, Nick.

35:15 I don't know if something comes to mind for you,

35:17 but I think this is a unique situation.

35:20 I mean, this is a legendary coach.

35:24 I'm trying to think of when Shula left,

35:26 they brought in Jimmy Johnson.

35:27 When Chuck Noll left, they brought--

35:30 well, Bill Cowher, I assume, was on staff there.

35:35 So I think that would be one.

35:37 I'm trying to think--

35:38 Tom Landry was also Jimmy Johnson.

35:40 Man, Jimmy Johnson pulled out a lot of legends.

35:45 The Grim Reaper for legends.

35:47 I'm trying to think of--

35:49 Bill Walsh retired.

35:51 Seifert took over.

35:52 Of course, he was successful, so I guess that wouldn't--

35:55 but I guess Bill Cowher would be the greatest, best example.

35:58 And that took them a while to get that turned around,

36:01 and they stuck with it.

36:03 But I just think this is a unique situation.

36:05 And it's not really about, well, Mayo's just--

36:09 if the Crafts are keeping Mayo just to keep the status quo,

36:13 that's obviously a mistake.

36:15 I don't think-- I think they--

36:17 we've talked about this before.

36:18 I think they view Mayo as--

36:21 maybe he has the best traits of Bill Belichick that allowed

36:24 this franchise to be successful, but he has a lot more upside

36:30 in terms of personality, leadership, decision-making

36:34 ability, maybe his mind for the current modern NFL game

36:41 being maybe perhaps ahead of its time, certainly ahead of Bill.

36:44 And they look at that, that he can bring the Patriots up

36:48 because of his upside.

36:50 Yeah, I've said this on the Nick Cattle Show podcast

36:52 that I do.

36:54 People want the young offensive mind, and I get it.

36:56 We've seen it across the league.

36:57 That's the trend.

36:59 There are some names like Bobby Slowick out there down

37:01 in Houston, Ben Johnson, of course.

37:04 He's being talked about in Detroit.

37:07 It's fascinating to me, Greg, and I just

37:09 wanted to bounce this off of you for a minute,

37:10 because looking at this roster, defensively,

37:13 I wouldn't say that they're completely settled,

37:14 but they're mostly settled.

37:16 Christian Gonzalez comes back, Jonathan Jones.

37:19 The defense on paper, you could say

37:23 they're going to be reasonably good next year

37:25 if they just bring back most of the components, right?

37:27 Obviously, Duggar will see and Uche will see.

37:30 Offensively, like if you hire a young offensive mind,

37:33 let's say Ben Johnson.

37:35 Ben Johnson's done great things in Detroit,

37:38 but he's a first-time head coach.

37:40 You bring that guy in, he's replacing the legendary Bill

37:44 Belichick.

37:45 He has to overhaul the offensive roster for the most point.

37:50 He has to overhaul the scheme.

37:53 He has to pick an offensive coordinator

37:55 that's ready for that job.

37:57 Is he going to call the plays as a first-time head coach?

38:00 Will he be calling the offensive plays?

38:03 And then you look at the market and the media.

38:06 I think we fall into this trap, Greg, of talking about, oh,

38:09 that name and this name and that name.

38:12 But when you pull away from it and you

38:14 look at the actual responsibility

38:16 that that guy is going to be taking over,

38:19 that is a lot to ask for somebody

38:21 to replace the legend, overhaul the offensive roster,

38:24 overhaul the scheme, deal with the media, deal with the market,

38:28 deal with all of that while you're still on the job

38:31 training.

38:31 Yeah, I completely agree with you on that.

38:38 And I would just add that if I'm Gerard Mayo and I'm in charge

38:42 and I get with the personnel guy,

38:44 basically, they need to go to Billy O'Brien.

38:47 Because like you said, the defense

38:49 will be good enough, certainly.

38:51 And they just go to Billy O'Brien and say,

38:54 who do you want a quarterback and what

38:56 do we need to do to support that quarterback?

38:59 Something that they never did for Mac Jones.

39:01 Like the first-- after his freshman year--

39:04 freshman year-- after his rookie year,

39:07 they should have gone to--

39:09 well, first of all, they should have hired

39:11 a real offensive coordinator.

39:12 But in any event, they should have been like, OK, well,

39:17 Mac's our guy.

39:19 What do we need to do to make him the best?

39:21 What do we need to do to support him?

39:24 Protect him, beef up the offensive line,

39:26 get him a freaking third down back, get him a Julian Edel,

39:29 get him a real slot receiver.

39:31 Let's re-up Jacoby Myers, that sort of thing.

39:33 Just go to Billy O'Brien and say, all right,

39:37 who's our quarterback?

39:38 If we get them, what do we need around him?

39:40 What are the pieces?

39:42 What do you need for coaching staff?

39:44 Go execute.

39:45 Yeah.

39:45 And get this crap show on the road.

39:50 All right, let's get to the Pick In A Minute episode brought

39:52 to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS

39:56 Media Network.

39:56 New customers receive $150 in bonus bets with any winning

40:00 $5 Moneyline bet.

40:02 All right, Greg, we look at this game.

40:03 Chargers minus 5 and 1/2.

40:05 The over/under is 40 and 1/2.

40:06 Your brief thoughts on what we might see on Sunday

40:09 and your pick.

40:10 Yeah, so Keenan Allen being out of practice all week

40:16 is huge in this game.

40:17 I mean, you look at the Chargers,

40:19 the way they're-- no Mike Williams.

40:22 You really look at their--

40:23 and first of all, let me just state this.

40:26 I love Justin Herbert.

40:27 Freaking love him.

40:28 I was totally wrong on him coming out of college.

40:30 I judged him in that Oregon scheme

40:33 too much when really it was the scheme that

40:35 was holding him back.

40:37 We've seen that a lot in recent years.

40:38 And I think a lot of us are changing

40:40 how we evaluate quarterbacks.

40:41 But certainly since he's been in the league, I love him.

40:44 I think he's the closest thing to Dan Marino.

40:47 Certainly a different quarterback, but just

40:49 in terms of that type of talent.

40:51 And I think that a lot of people put the Chargers failings

40:56 on him because, of course, they always

40:59 put it on the quarterback.

41:00 I just disagree.

41:03 I think that he has a horrible offensive line outside

41:06 of Slater at left tackle who's really good.

41:08 The offensive line is freaking horrible.

41:10 He has barely any running game.

41:12 Without Keenan Allen, without Mike Williams,

41:14 they basically have nobody.

41:15 I think Parham is their tight end.

41:18 He's decent, but they really don't have anybody.

41:20 It's like it's Keenan Allen, check it down

41:22 to Eckler, who's really good.

41:24 And that's about it.

41:25 Their defense is horrible, even though they

41:27 have a defensive head coach.

41:29 They can't stop the run.

41:30 They get thrown on.

41:33 So and the Chargers are coming east to play a 1 o'clock game.

41:39 And it's Brandon Staley, who we all know

41:41 is a terrible head coach.

41:44 I like the Patriots in this spot.

41:45 I think that when we talk about the Bailey Zappi stuff,

41:48 I think something going for Bailey Zappi and why--

41:52 let me just say this.

41:53 At this point right now, Bailey Zappi

41:55 is better than Mac Jones, OK?

41:56 I mean, that's just a fact because Mac Jones is just--

41:59 he's broken.

42:00 So I expect better quarterback play.

42:02 I don't expect it to be great, but I

42:04 think it'll be pretty good.

42:06 And I don't like the Chargers coming out east.

42:08 I don't think that they're very good.

42:10 I like the Patriots in this spot.

42:12 I don't know if I'm going to pick them outright in this game.

42:14 And who really knows at this point?

42:16 I mean, when we're picking these games with the Patriots,

42:19 all these games are about what the Patriots are going to do,

42:21 how they're going to execute.

42:23 We have no idea how they're going to execute.

42:25 It's not about the opponent.

42:26 It's not about X's and O's.

42:27 It's about, can the Patriots block?

42:30 Can they not have turnovers?

42:31 Can they not have penalties?

42:34 It's not about, oh, well, this team does this,

42:36 and they can exploit-- it's not about that.

42:38 Can they walk before they run?

42:41 That's where they are.

42:42 So it's 5 and 1/2.

42:45 I like the Patriots to cover.

42:47 And I'm going to say, I think it's

42:48 going to be a little bit high scoring.

42:50 So I'm taking the Patriots in this game.

42:53 I don't know if I'm taking them outright.

42:54 And I'm going with the over in this game.

42:57 I'm going to stick to my edict.

42:58 I said it.

42:59 Until the Patriots win on the football field,

43:01 I'm picking against them.

43:02 It's working out for me so far.

43:04 I'm going Chargers minus 5 and 1/2.

43:07 Over under 40 and 1/2, I'm going under just

43:09 because I have no earthly idea what

43:10 to expect from the Patriots offense this weekend.

43:12 I don't know if they're going to let Bailey Zappi throw

43:14 the football more than five yards down the field.

43:17 I don't know if Bill O'Brien's going to do this thing that

43:18 he's done in two straight games where, for some reason,

43:21 against bad run defenses, he waits until the second half

43:23 to start running the football down their throat.

43:25 I would hope that he runs the football 50 times this weekend.

43:28 We'll see if he does.

43:29 But they need to prove it to me.

43:31 So I'm going Chargers minus 5 and 1/2.

43:33 And I'll go under the 40 and 1/2.

43:34 He's Greg.

43:35 I'm Nick.

43:35 Everybody enjoy your weekend.

43:36 Be safe.

43:37 Have some fun.

43:38 We'll be back early next week to recap everything that's

43:41 happening in the Patriots' world.

43:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]

43:48 [CHEERING]

43:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]

43:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Belichick won’t say obvious - Zappe to start; More mail | Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast

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