00:00All right, time for 3 Up, 3 Down, our first of the year with Greg Vigard,
00:03the big boy Boston Sports Journal here on a big boy Tuesday.
00:083 Up, 3 Down, as always, has been and continues to be presented by Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey.
00:13Enjoy the game with the original triple distilled, triple blended, and triple cast matured
00:17Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey because when it's game time, it's Tully time.
00:20Please drink responsibly. I like to do these quickly.
00:22Greg, give me 3 Up, 3 Down. We'll offer brief comments, and then I do want to go to some calls.
00:27So give me a 3 Up from last Friday's preseason win over the Commanders.
00:30So Travion Henderson, obvious. The speed was real.
00:34I did think Elijah Ponder held on that kickoff return, but the explosiveness,
00:40him catching that ball, breaking a tackle, and then concussing a dude,
00:43I didn't know he had that in him. That was great to see.
00:46Milton Williams, a guy who has kind of been under the radar, not that impressive in camp,
00:53showed up in that game a lot. I was impressed with, you know, he penetrated the gaps a couple times,
01:01really powerful bull rushes. Now, well, that's against backups.
01:07Is he going to be able to do it in Minnesota? You know, we'll see.
01:09And then Truman Jones, outside linebacker, number 54, he had a crazy amount of impactful plays.
01:19I think, like, 7 led the team. He also showed up in the kicking game with, like, you know, 4 tackles.
01:24So that dude's on his way to making the team.
01:273 Down, Jared Wilson at left guard.
01:31I was, for a guy that has really impressed me in camp, I did not think he had a very good game.
01:37Had some, you know, good reps. I had him for, I think he played 14 plays.
01:42I had him for 5 minus plays. And a lot of it, though, is, it's not like he's being overwhelmed.
01:47Like, he doesn't look like he can't play. It's just like, you know, he hasn't played guard in a while.
01:52You could just tell there's some technique stuff on, you know, duo blocks, getting out on the screen,
01:57things like that, where it's just not there right now.
02:00But this is good teach tape for him.
02:03Drake May, I did not think he was very good in this game.
02:05I don't care about him running.
02:08I asked Vrabel about this because I thought both quarterbacks, Dobbs and May, when they ran,
02:15I thought they had opportunities down the field that I would rather see them take.
02:19Vrabel disagreed with me, but I still would rather see Drake throw those passes.
02:27I'm trying to think if there was anything else.
02:29Third down.
02:29Yeah. Kyle Duggar.
02:32He's sliding down the depth chart.
02:34He had a play where, and I didn't notice it on the TV copy, but I did on film.
02:39Sam Hartman scrambled, and he sort of left up the middle.
02:44And then Duggar ended up making the tackle near the sideline.
02:47But Duggar comes up from the secondary, and there's two guys chasing Hartman.
02:52Like, they're like four feet behind him.
02:55And Duggar, instead of cutting him off and forcing him back to his teammates, goes inside.
03:01Hartman runs around him.
03:02Like, he looked really bad.
03:04He looked slow on that play.
03:06And, you know, since then, he's been basically solely second team in practice.
03:11Okay.
03:12Do any follow-ups on any of those?
03:14A three up, a three down?
03:16Just really quickly.
03:17Henderson, I was trying to come up with this, Felger.
03:20You tell me if this is a fair comparison.
03:23Travion Henderson, probably the most explosive back the Patriots have had since Lawrence Maroney, his first year.
03:30Remember the first year, though?
03:32Remember the first year?
03:33Oh, yeah, because he was on a committee with Corey Dillon.
03:36Dillon was starting to lose it.
03:38The rookie, Maroney, comes in, gave him a home run hitter.
03:40Like, that name is like a pejorative now, Lawrence Maroney.
03:43But when he first started, he was – remember, he was exciting.
03:48It was thunder and lightning.
03:49But the point is, it's been 15 – probably like 15 years since they had a back who you could give the ball to,
03:57not scheme him up, just put it in his belly, and that guy can hit a home run.
04:01Think about it.
04:02I mean, like, Ridley really, really wasn't that.
04:04Garrett Blunt wasn't that.
04:06He was against the Colts in the playoffs.
04:07But he wasn't – that wasn't his DNA.
04:10It's been a long time since they had a back like that.
04:12That's true.
04:13And I will just add, because, you know, because of the way Henderson flashed,
04:17Stevenson had the fumble in the in-stadium scrimmage.
04:21You know, you hear a lot of people who, like, you know, want to move on from Stevenson
04:24or, like, Henderson's going to be the starter.
04:26I would slow everybody down on that.
04:29I mean, not that he doesn't have the talent and he could get there.
04:32But, you know, look the way – the Lions had David Montgomery and Jameer Gibbs, the way that works.
04:36He'd be an awesome committee guy.
04:38Yes.
04:38Because, like, the way he was used last year with Judkins.
04:41Yep.
04:42It really spun him.
04:43I mean, a guy averaged, like, seven yards a carry.
04:45And he gets hurt.
04:46That's why they went to that committee where, you know, they wanted to keep him for the whole season,
04:51have him healthy.
04:52They did.
04:53And that's because they had somebody else get a majority of the carries.
04:58Okay.
04:58Let's go to the phones here.
04:59As promised, Dave, in the car on last or first.
05:02Go ahead, Dave.
05:04Hey, what's going on, guys?
05:06Michael Hawley, back in 2013, the Kansas City Chiefs had the very first overall pick.
05:11I think they took Eric Fisher, offensive lineman.
05:14That was their first year under coach Andy Reid.
05:17They had Alex Smith, who they got from the 49ers.
05:20And they ended up going to the wild card that year where they lost to the Colts in the playoffs.
05:24Good call.
05:24Yeah, I'm going to stop you.
05:25I've gotten a lot of suggestions for you, Mike.
05:28The 2013.
05:29That's a good one.
05:302012-2013 Kansas City Chiefs went from 2-14, worst in the league.
05:34Next year, 11-5, made the playoffs after Andy Reid and Alex Smith took over.
05:38That's one that I got a lot.
05:40I have another one because I just happened.
05:43The two Bills, 30 and 30, was on the other night.
05:45And I ended up watching the whole thing.
05:47It had been a while since I've seen it.
05:49You know, Parcells, when he went to the Jets, they were 1-15 under Rich Cotite the year before.
05:549-7 under Bill Parcells.
05:56But they missed the playoffs, though.
05:58Oh, they did.
05:59Well, that was when there was one fuel wild card.
06:01Kevin in the car.
06:02Go ahead, Kevin.
06:04Yeah, the year before that, Chiefs, I believe, Colts took Andrew Luck.
06:08They went to the playoffs.
06:10And pivoting to another point about coaching, I think it's not easy to compare it to other sports.
06:17You know, it's play calling.
06:18Every play, it's game planning.
06:20You have to have a quarterback to sustain offensive prowess.
06:24But there is another side of it where you need that 50% of coaching to keep you stable for sustained success.
06:30That's my thoughts.
06:31By the way, the Colts thing was fake because they basically threw that season before.
06:36They did.
06:36I'm fake.
06:36It sucked for Luck.
06:37Yeah.
06:37So, you know, it's not just your quarterback has to be representative.
06:42If you've got complete trash, you've got Danny DeVito.
06:45Tommy DeVito?
06:46Whatever.
06:47You know what I mean.
06:48If that's your quarterback, then I don't know what coaching can do for you.
06:52So, we're assuming Drake May is good.
06:55Even if it's small g good.
06:57But here's one where I don't think quarterbacking was a play, if this one's right.
07:01The 07-08 Miami Dolphins.
07:03In 07, they were 1-15 worst in the league.
07:06In 08, they went to 11-5.
07:08Oh, yes.
07:09Made the playoffs.
07:10Won the AFCs.
07:11That was the Tony Sperano Wildcat year.
07:13Yeah, yeah.
07:13That's right.
07:14That was it.
07:14You know what?
07:15That year?
07:15That year, that was the Patriots.
07:18That was, they were 11-5.
07:20They tied with the Dolphins.
07:21But they lost on tie break.
07:23It was Matt Castles.
07:24So, here's another one.
07:25The old San Diego Chargers in 0-3 to 0-4.
07:28In 0-3, they were 4-12.
07:30Tied for the worst record in the league.
07:31In 0-4, they went 12-4.
07:34Won the AFC West.
07:35Drew Brees.
07:36That was the Drew Brees year.
07:37So, good quarterback.
07:39I don't know if they changed coaches that year.
07:41But it happens.
07:42It happens.
07:43Teams go from really bad to at least middle of the pack, I feel like, fairly routinely.
07:50And sometimes it's luck.
07:51I would never say Tony Sperano was a good coach, or that was the reason.
07:55But it happens a lot of times, though.
07:57It is.
07:58So, the most recent.
07:59A lot of times, coaching is a big part of it.
08:00Go ahead, Mike.
08:01So, I was going to say, I say, Fogger.
08:02So, the most recent example, and it sounds like you got some, there's some really good
08:05ones coming in I had forgotten about, honestly.
08:08But the most recent one was 12 years ago.
08:10So, it's been a dozen years.
08:12Sure.
08:12Yep.
08:13Since the last, like a last place.
08:15Well, I've just started to read my emails.
08:16We've just begun the workshopping, Michael.
08:18So, we'll find you some more recent examples.
08:21This is a problem when you throw it out to the audience, you get it, you know, you get
08:24the answers.
08:25And you find out how wrong you were.
08:27That's, believe me, it's a daily experience here.
