- 5 months ago
On Thursday's edition of Felger and Mazz, the guys dove further into the joint practice between the Patriots, and Washington Commanders. While specifically discussing the play of Left Tackle Will Campbell, the guys explained how the rookie is starting to show signs of improvement.
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00:00A few quick follow-up thoughts from practice yesterday with the Washington Commanders.
00:05Maz was off yesterday, starting with the one that's generating the headlines, Maz, everywhere.
00:10Mike Vrabel jumping into a scrum and coming out with a bloodied cheek.
00:13Yes, bloodied.
00:14That was Drake, May, Ken.
00:17Yeah.
00:18Oh, my God.
00:19Yeah.
00:19But he wasn't the only one, you know, talking up Mike Vrabel and how he did it.
00:25Yeah.
00:26Yeah.
00:27Hunter Henry says he's right there with us, man.
00:29And I think that player comes out in him a little bit, too.
00:33You've got to love a coach that loves to compete and has those competitive juices, just like us.
00:39Yeah.
00:40Demario Douglas says, it shows a lot about our coach, man.
00:43He'll do anything for us.
00:45And that's love right there, end quote.
00:49Again, May says, that's what we're trying to build.
00:52And it starts with the head coach, the intensity, bringing it every day, taking no crap when we're out there on the field.
00:57Yeah.
00:58But also, it comes in a time where with our guys offensively, we've got to get over there and get in some tussles and have some penalties, and they get extra after the whistle.
01:07It can get us in trouble, but the mentality, I like it.
01:10I think it's what you want.
01:11Your thoughts?
01:12Okay, so I have no idea what you guys said about this yesterday.
01:16I obviously wasn't here.
01:18When I saw this, the first thing I said was, what a complete, total, hard-o move.
01:26This is like the ultimate hard-o move.
01:30I like Vrabel.
01:31I'm glad they hired him.
01:32But when the coach is jumping in the pile and getting in a fight, it's like a Jeff Fisher kind of thing, if you ask me.
01:39I think he looks like a tool doing this.
01:42And I think very highly of the guy.
01:45Okay?
01:45But ask yourself this.
01:48Would Bill Belichick ever jump into a pile and fight with the players?
01:51No.
01:52Not in a million years, because there is some separation there that should exist.
01:56Well, he's also old.
01:58Okay, but so how many other coaches?
02:00If Jim Harbaugh did this, Murray, what would you say?
02:04Oh, hard-o.
02:04Okay, so there you go.
02:06It is.
02:06Vrabel is a hard-o for doing this.
02:08But it's so him.
02:09Like, this kind of fits the mold of, I think, how he carries himself.
02:11I'm not that surprised.
02:12He looks like he can still play.
02:14What did you say yesterday?
02:16So, spare me.
02:17Oh, like, ridiculous.
02:18Spare me.
02:19I said when Vrabel realized he drew blood, he was the happiest kid in the world.
02:22Oh, my gosh.
02:23He was psyched.
02:24He's like, yeah.
02:25Blood and guts.
02:26He was psyched.
02:26He was so psyched to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if he went in there with a little razor blade
02:31and gave himself the old WWE wrestling cut on his forehead.
02:35This is what we said yesterday.
02:37And, like, just the commentary afterwards, like, oh, yeah, it's right there with us, man.
02:42Oh, stop it.
02:43Oh, it's ridiculous.
02:44And, you know, especially when Andrew Callahan made this point last night on TV, and it was a good point,
02:49especially when Mike Vrabel tells them, and every coach tells these guys,
02:52stay on your feet, don't get into fights, don't lose your discipline, play the snap, get back to the huddle,
03:01and keep your discipline.
03:03Don't be a jackass that hauls off and gets in stupid fights.
03:06And then he hauls off and gets into a stupid fight and comes out bloodied.
03:10Breaks his own rule.
03:11Yeah.
03:12Like, I just, I sort of think, like, there's a line there when you're a head coach that, you know,
03:19you want to tell me something happens with an assistant from time to time.
03:22It doesn't feel as bad to me.
03:23But when you're the head guy, no, no, no, no, stay out of there.
03:27In fact, your job is to discipline your guy for getting into the fight, not helping him fight and jumping in there.
03:34That's your job.
03:36So, like, I don't know, like, turn me off.
03:38I just, again, it was the kind of thing that Jeff Fisher would do for people who remember Jeff Fisher when he was with the Titans.
03:45No, it's a fair, folks, put it yourself in the days with Belichick and then Jeff Fisher or Jim Harbaugh
03:51or name another hard-o coach, Mike Tomlin maybe, I don't know, just pick the guy, Dan Campbell, before he got good.
03:58Right, right.
03:59You know, when you used to mock him.
04:01Someone like that jumped into a practice squad fight and got bloodied.
04:05What would you say?
04:06Oh, gosh.
04:06What would we be doing?
04:07Tool.
04:08Hard-o tool.
04:10I mean, it doesn't offend me, but let's just keep it real.
04:13You know, if that's what Jim Schwartz would be and Jim Harbaugh, then what's Mike Frable?
04:20No, Schwartz is a good one, too.
04:21Let's just keep it on the level here, shall we?
04:26Kind of embarrassing, really.
04:27I think he kind of lowered himself a little.
04:30Okay.
04:30Meanwhile, consensus opinion on the Patriots on day one.
04:35Successful day.
04:37Offense looked good.
04:37May looked good.
04:38Yeah.
04:39Offensive line, Drake was representative.
04:41Will Campbell was at least okay.
04:44Give me a couple of cuts here just to fill out what happened.
04:47How about Bedard?
04:48Greg Bedard weighed in on this on Boston Sports Journal.
04:51Number one, please.
04:52Successful day.
04:53I thought overall it was a very successful day for the Patriots offense.
04:58I thought Drake May was great today.
05:00He saw open receivers.
05:02He was Demario Douglas.
05:05Hunter Henry Mack Hollins was big today for both quarterbacks.
05:11pop pass to Austin Hooper, back shoulder pass to Kayshaun Booty for a touchdown.
05:17A little bit of everything.
05:20And I thought Drake May was really comfortable.
05:22I thought the pass protection was pretty good in team periods.
05:27But even there was one pass to Demario Douglas where there was a little bit of pressure.
05:32Drake May sort of slid up in the pocket, threw it off one foot to Demario Douglas, who had a big day.
05:39Josh Dobbs was even better.
05:43Matt, your thoughts?
05:43So the question is, are you buying it?
05:47I would say mostly.
05:50Okay, mostly.
05:51And I know the play he's talking about with Douglas because I think I saw it online where May stepped up and kind of flicked the ball out to his right.
05:57And it was a good play.
05:58The highlight was meant to showcase Douglas for getting open.
06:01So, by the way, we don't have many highlights from the joints.
06:03They're not allowed to film them or put them on TV.
06:05But there was something that, something showed up online of the play to Douglas.
06:08So I don't know where that came from.
06:10So I might have seen it on Twitter.
06:11Yeah.
06:12It's like someone's camera phone.
06:13I could have been a fan who took it.
06:15Absolutely.
06:16So go ahead.
06:16But in any case, when I read the reports, they were all almost universal in praise.
06:23The one thing that bugged me was, but May did have an interception late in the day.
06:29And it was a ball deflected by, what's his name, Bobby Wagner.
06:33Bobby Wagner.
06:33And I don't remember if it was Bedard or Callahan or who someone reported,
06:39they may ultimately have to work with May a little bit on his release point because that
06:44ball shouldn't really get tipped.
06:46And I thought, okay, well, wait a minute.
06:48Then how is it this great day?
06:50Like, I just felt like the interception at the end kind of got thrown out the window a
06:55little bit.
06:55And that, I just would like one crystal clear, clean day is what I would like.
07:02I'm going to take it on his face that they look good.
07:03They look like they belonged.
07:05And I'll take it absolutely on face value of what these guys are reporting.
07:09And I buy it.
07:10And I think they should be decent.
07:12And that meets my expectations of the Patriots.
07:15I think they should be at least a middle-of-the-pack offense.
07:18And they should be a middle-of-the-pack team.
07:20And if they look like that for a day, that makes perfect sense because that's what they
07:24should be as far as I'm concerned.
07:26So, I'll take it.
07:27And I'll put value into it.
07:29Do you think the commander's defense is any good?
07:31No.
07:31Me neither.
07:32But so what?
07:32They'll be facing a lot of not really good defenses.
07:34I agree.
07:35And if you can beat the not really good defenses, next thing you know, there's seven wins.
07:39And you see if you can vulture a couple more.
07:41And now you're in the playoffs.
07:42So, that part is true.
07:43That's my path.
07:44It's not like their defense sucks.
07:45But that's my path.
07:46If they're just another middling defense, they're going to play a series of middling defenses.
07:50Or worse.
07:51Yeah.
07:51Yeah, or worse.
07:53And so, the other, there was something I just lost.
07:57Okay, how about Will Campbell?
07:58What did the big boy have to say?
07:59Oh, so that's what I was going to say.
08:00Let's hear from the big boy first.
08:01Greg Bedard on Will Campbell, number two.
08:04Will Campbell.
08:05He got his first action against another NFL team.
08:10I will say I thought he did very well in team.
08:12Had a really nice block on Dietrich Wise on a big run.
08:15I didn't see him give up any pressure in team.
08:18I will say he had a couple of tough reps in one-on-ones.
08:22Those were a couple tough reps, but they weren't awful or anything like that.
08:26And like I said, I thought he did well in team.
08:29He's just going to keep learning and trying to get better.
08:32And we'll see how that goes.
08:33But if you thought, if you're of the camp where you think Will Campbell was going to be a disaster today
08:38or he's not going to work out at left tackle, I think he's going to be fine.
08:44There will be some challenging matchups just like against anybody.
08:47But I thought today was a good day for him, especially in team.
08:54Okay, so not a disaster.
08:56Good day for him in team.
08:57I'll just tell you what the Herald wrote at their camp write-up.
09:01At least it was a pretty typical day for the rookie left tackle.
09:05He was 1-1-1 and 1-on-1 drills.
09:08And I cut that out from Bedard.
09:10He went into the whole sequence.
09:11He went 1-on-1 against, what's his face?
09:14She played for the Patriots.
09:15I just blanked on it.
09:16Oh, Dietrich Wise.
09:16Dietrich Wise.
09:17And got smoked on one, neutralized him in one, and one that most guys called to draw.
09:22So, anyway, 1-1-on-1, and he allowed what likely would have been a sack during an 11-on-11 drills.
09:29But overall, there was more good than bad for the fourth overall pick.
09:32Okay.
09:32Keep going.
09:34How would you describe the tone of those overall reports?
09:38Positive.
09:38Tepid.
09:39Middling.
09:40Tepid.
09:41I don't think they were positive.
09:42Tepid.
09:42I think they were, this isn't a disaster.
09:45Yeah.
09:46And he'll be okay.
09:47Yeah.
09:48I'll take that, considering how some of the other reports have been.
09:50I guess, but I do wonder, I do wonder how, I don't know, is that what you were hoping for?
10:00No, better.
10:01No, it's early in camp, early in his career, but no, got to be better.
10:04Also, there was a report, someone had a report about how on one of the exchanges with Wise,
10:10and I don't know if it was in the one-on-ones or in the game, or the, you know, scrimmage.
10:13The 11-11.
10:14The, that Wise has really long arms, and that held him out on one, and then kind of ripped
10:21him and got by him on the inside.
10:23And I thought, well, there you go.
10:24There's a thing, again, about his short arms and his inability to handle a guy with longer
10:29arms.
10:30So, Wise does have really long arms.
10:32I mean, you remember that from when the time he was with the Patriots, and that's a good
10:36matchup for Campbell in that way to see how he could handle it.
10:39But, it sounded to me like on one of those exchanges that the length of Wise's arms was
10:45a problem.
10:47And so, I, you know, to me, that's still something to watch.
10:49So, it wasn't like one of these things where you came out of it, obviously, and they, and
10:52everyone looked at Will Campbell and went, uh-oh, this isn't good.
10:56No, no, no, no, this isn't going to work.
10:58So, I guess that's a positive.
11:00But, boy, we've kind of lowered the bar.
11:02Yeah.
11:02On that.
11:02I agree.
11:03They were tepid.
11:04They were very lukewarm.
11:05I mean, tepid by what you would want from a fourth overall pick.
11:07Correct.
11:08So, it's just like it's another reality check of, like, that draft stunk, and this
11:12is the best you could do.
11:14And if he's okay, everyone will take it.
11:16But let's just, you know, let's not now being okay is, like, some sort of reason for celebration.
11:22No, the way those reports were presented, he hung in there.
11:25Yeah.
11:26He didn't get killed.
11:27Okay, which I may, I guess that is progress for him, given some of the days that he had
11:30out there.