Tom E. Curran joins to preview Patriots Training Camp!

WEEI-FM / WEEI

Patriots insider Tom E. Curran joins the show to discuss what fans should expect from Drake Maye in training camp.

Transcript

00:00Joined on WEEI by Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.

00:03He's brought to you today by Drains by James.

00:05At Drains by James, they give a poop about your pipes.

00:08What's going on, Tommy Curran?

00:09How we doing?

00:10Good afternoon.

00:12Good to hear from you guys after a brief sabbatical.

00:15It's been a soupy summer, and I love it.

00:17How much recovery time did you need

00:20after the mega Mr. Who wedding?

00:23Because I'm just starting to feel like myself again,

00:25personally.

00:27No recovery time necessary.

00:30Oh, nice, you're back.

00:31Yeah, fit as a fiddle, ready to go.

00:32The soggy summer didn't drag you down too much.

00:35OK, well, Meggo's out today.

00:36Was he at the actual wedding or the thing you went to?

00:38Oh, that's a good point.

00:39Yeah, were you at the Friday night

00:40or were you at the Saturday shindig?

00:42I think the Friday night was family,

00:44so I'm not part of the Ottolene Mason tribe.

00:46So I went to the Saturday event.

00:48I see, Saturday event.

00:49We got football here or not?

00:51I mean, not really, but yeah, no.

00:53So when it comes to it.

00:54So far I'm here, I'm like, sprinter clock,

00:56and now the Meggo wedding.

00:57We're going to do some football.

00:58Well, we were talking about the sprinter talk of all that,

01:00of a Tom Brady discussion.

01:02He was number five on ESPN's Top 100.

01:03But when it comes to training camp,

01:05we were just discussing Bill Belichick.

01:07I've heard you say you think he's potentially

01:09very comfortable in staying in the life he's doing right now,

01:13staying away from football.

01:14He doesn't need to be on a podium answering questions

01:16about Dak Prescott or Jalen Hurts

01:18or getting second guessed by Jerry Jones.

01:20You feel like he could really stay out of coaching

01:23and not return.

01:23Why do you feel that way?

01:25Yeah, I didn't say that he's comfortable.

01:28I said that over the course of time,

01:30he might find it quite appealing as he finishes the year.

01:33I don't know what his demeanor is toward it right now.

01:37And I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Pelissero reporting

01:40that Bill intends to get back in coaching.

01:42Bill Cowher intended to get back in coaching.

01:44He never did.

01:45And I think there's other guys who

01:47intend to get back and do things.

01:48And then after they start doing something

01:51that's cushy and easy and you're not second guessed

01:55to a fare-thee-well, as John Dennis might

01:57have said back in the day, then maybe it has some appeal.

02:00So I would, instead of saying, oh, yeah,

02:03Bill Belichick's definitely coaching in 2025,

02:07despite Tom's report, I'd say I wouldn't

02:11be surprised if over the course of time he found it appealing.

02:14But I don't know that that is the case.

02:16I would imagine he intends to continue coaching.

02:19But we've seen it happen before.

02:21And he is 72.

02:22And he is having a good time.

02:23And he isn't getting second guessed.

02:25And he does, look, if Adam Schefter was correct when

02:28he posited in the offseason that Bill

02:31wanted to go to a media market that wasn't very difficult

02:34and big, which I wouldn't know, anything

02:36that comes from Schefter might as well come from Bill,

02:39then it shows you that Bill's pretty much all set

02:43with being second guessed.

02:44He always was.

02:46Tom, a lot of changes, a lot of things to keep an eye on.

02:50What is the most interesting aspect

02:52of the opening of training camp in New England?

02:57Reaction, I think, among the fans,

03:00just ignoring the obvious with Drake May and Kobe Brissett.

03:03But the reaction to fans, I think,

03:06post-Bill to something that they've not

03:08seen in a quarter century, which is somebody else running

03:12the team other than Bill Belichick.

03:15The camp crowds are often different than the sports

03:17radio talk or TV talk crowds or the people

03:21we see on social media.

03:23So what will the response be on a day-to-day basis?

03:26Be at Joet Stadium, how crowded will the fans be?

03:31What will the reactions be?

03:32So that, to me, is really the most intriguing non-football

03:35thing that I look at, Andy.

03:38Just is it going to be thronged?

03:40Are people going to be 15 deep waiting

03:42for J. Vaughn Baker and Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry

03:46to come off the field and sign their hats?

03:48Or is it going to be friends and family?

03:51Talking to Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.

03:53He joins us here on WEEI.

03:55Brandon Aiyuk's name has emerged this week.

03:57He's demanded a trade in San Francisco.

03:59Jocena Anderson said the Patriots checked in on him,

04:02but they were turned down at the time.

04:05Does Brandon Aiyuk make sense, not just on the field?

04:07Obviously, they could use an upgrade at receiver.

04:10Does he make sense for the Patriots,

04:11given the acquisition cost?

04:14Personally, I don't think that he does,

04:15because you're going to immediately take a very good,

04:19but I don't think elite wide receiver, who is,

04:22because he's surrounded by so many unbelievable players

04:25and a Kyle Shanahan offense, he benefits from that.

04:28He benefits from Kittle.

04:29He benefits from McCaffrey.

04:30He benefits from the offensive line,

04:33which is ridiculously good, and Deebo Samuel.

04:36Can he come here and be an elite one?

04:38Or is he basically Calvin Ripley with a better recent resume,

04:41because he's been on a better team?

04:44I would resist the idea of saying,

04:46okay, let's go give a five year, $150 million contract

04:51with $75 million guaranteed to Brandon Aiyuk.

04:54Not because he's not good and the Patriots don't need it,

04:57but simply because they have enough on their plate right now.

05:01Don't worry about buying the giant TV at this point.

05:05Let's just worry about the things in the house

05:08to get the place in working order on a day-to-day basis.

05:11Andy, do you agree with that?

05:14Yeah, for the most part, I do.

05:16But I think with those guys, it's always a projection.

05:18I didn't think Stephon Diggs was as good

05:21as Stephon Diggs ended up being for Josh Allen.

05:24You know what I mean?

05:25So it's, that's a projection.

05:27It's an unknown.

05:29So Tom, I guess-

05:30Wait a sec, that's a good point.

05:32Didn't Allen establish himself and then they said,

05:36let's go get Diggs?

05:37Yes, yes.

05:37I think that was the case.

05:38Yes, absolutely.

05:39Maybe that's the way to do it.

05:40It is probably the smart way to do it,

05:42because I do think there's going to be enough pressure

05:43on your rookie quarterback, nevermind, whenever he plays,

05:46or even pressure on Jacoby Brissett.

05:48There's pressure on either guy who's not a stud QB

05:52when you bring in $120 million receiver,

05:55who's like, yeah, I need to get mine

05:56and prove that I'm really good now.

05:57So yeah, no, it's probably smart.

05:59Tom, three years ago at about this time,

06:03I was of the belief that Mac Jones was going to start

06:05as a rookie for the New England Patriots.

06:07I had seen an evolution in the summer and in minicamp

06:10and just thought that's the way it was going to go.

06:13I do not feel the same way about Drake May,

06:15despite being a Drake May fan.

06:17So my question is, do I feel less confident

06:20in the rookie quarterback this time around

06:21because of the rookie quarterback

06:23or because of the guy he's competing with?

06:26The guy he's competing with.

06:29That's the gap between Kim Newton and Mac Jones

06:35in terms of being able to get the ball out on time accurately

06:39and manipulate things at the line of scrimmage

06:42and understand what they were looking at was non-existent.

06:45Yeah, the mic gave him an issue, right?

06:49Finding the mic gave him an issue,

06:50which was a bit of a red flag.

06:53They start every camp in the red zone.

06:55So every time the offenses look worse

06:59because they're in a compressed area

07:00and they're not hitting.

07:02But I just remember the first couple of days,

07:04Mac Jones had the ball out, even in the red zone,

07:06so frigging fast, it was ridiculous.

07:09And as Brian Hoyer has said to us,

07:10I thought they were giving him the plays

07:13because he was so good.

07:14And Kim was so hesitant.

07:15And I just don't think it's going to look that way

07:17with Drake May because Jacoby Persett

07:21is a pocket, under center player,

07:23playing with an offensive coordinator he's familiar with,

07:28as opposed to Kim being in year two,

07:30where the Patriots were probably going to start to try

07:32and segue back to being a normal offense,

07:37as opposed to the cam offensive 2020.

07:39So I don't think Drake May has a shot.

07:42I think it was Chad Graff,

07:43I was reading his story on the athletic

07:45and he said 35% chance that Drake May

07:48is the opening day starter,

07:49which certainly isn't walking the plank

07:51and saying, I think it's going to happen,

07:53but I don't think it's even close to that.

07:55I mean, he has to win by frigging knockout and injury

07:58to be starting on day one.

08:00Okay, he's Tommy Curran, NBC Sports Boston.

08:02Check all the latest there.

08:03I saw Phil last night, Tom,

08:05you guys are on the verge of starting up

08:07everything all over again, right?

08:09Like quick slants and Patriots Talk Podcast

08:12and all these things, right?

08:13You're about to get full go on that.

08:15We are, Adam, and I want you people to look out

08:18for Training Camp Central, which will begin next week

08:21on Wednesday, first day of training camp.

08:23That'll be at six o'clock.

08:24We'll give you the skinning on everything we know,

08:26but we're going to give you every single day,

08:29small tidbits and bite-sized Patriots Talk Podcast

08:34to tell you exactly what happened on the field.

08:36Okay, we'll be watching.

08:37Thanks so much, Tom.

08:39Thank you for having me.

08:40Tommy Curran.

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