00:08We saw some action this weekend in Minnesota.
00:11Not a lot of extended run for the starters.
00:15I know you've been limited as well.
00:17How are you feeling getting ready to go into week one just a couple of weeks away?
00:21Feeling good, man.
00:22Feeling good.
00:23Taking it day by day.
00:24And, you know, we're just trying to go out there, execute, get better every day.
00:27And I feel like we're coming together.
00:30And so it's been good.
00:31You know, you've been here for a few years now.
00:34And it's now three different head coaches.
00:37It's – I think I've lost track of the offensive coordinators that you've had.
00:40So how is everything coming together at this point?
00:43A lot of new faces in the building, not just in the huddle with you,
00:46but also just the guys in charge.
00:49Yeah, it's been good.
00:51Yeah, I mean, obviously there is a lot of turnover, a lot of new guys,
00:54not new faces, but that's what you get every year in a way in this league.
00:58I mean, every year is its own year.
01:01And, you know, Braves has brought a great energy.
01:03Josh obviously brings a great energy in our room.
01:05And I feel like guys are thriving off that.
01:08We're getting better.
01:08We're coming together.
01:10Drake's doing a great job.
01:11Taking it day by day.
01:12And like I said, it's been good.
01:15It's been fun.
01:15I think last week was good for us.
01:17Joint practices, the last three have been really, really good for us.
01:20And it's challenging, but also getting us better.
01:23So it makes me excited.
01:25You mentioned the energy that Vrabel brings.
01:28Aside from that, what differences have you seen with the new coaching staff this year
01:32compared to Mayo and the Belichick staff previously?
01:36Yeah, I'm not going to compare anybody.
01:39You know, I'm just – Braves has been great.
01:42He's been, you know, a joy to be around.
01:44Brings a lot of energy, accountability.
01:46Obviously, he was a player at a high level in this league.
01:50And so it's cool to be able to talk about things with him in that aspect too.
01:54And, you know, just have a ton of respect for him and what he's been able to do so far.
01:58I'm excited to go out there and compete and fight for him.
02:01Is there a right number of preseason games in your mind?
02:04Obviously, it was four for such a long time.
02:06That's been trimmed down to three.
02:08And yet you still see around the league, you know, both of your opponents really didn't play anybody.
02:13Starters, I should say, in the first couple of weeks.
02:15Would you like to see it even go down to two or do you think this is the right number?
02:22I don't know, man.
02:23I don't have all the answers on that, man.
02:24I'm just, you know, going out there trying to get better every day.
02:27I don't – I don't know.
02:28I think we're probably at a good spot with three.
02:31You know, you wouldn't want to diminish too much just for the guys that are obviously going out there.
02:36And really, I mean, there's a lot of guys fighting for jobs, man.
02:40Obviously, practice is still very, very important because, you know, you've got to show it every single day.
02:44But these games are huge, man, because every team is watching.
02:49So I feel like I wouldn't want to diminish the opportunity that guys get to, you know, really make a team with that film.
02:57Patriots tight end Hunter Henry joining us here on Jones and Keefe live on day one of the Jimmy Funn Telethon here on WEI.
03:04Hunter, what have you seen thus far through camp?
03:07We haven't got to see him yet in a preseason game.
03:10We saw him a little bit in a joint practice setting when we were at the joint practice against the Commanders.
03:16What have you seen out of Steph Diggs thus far in year one in New England?
03:21Just, man, obviously a guy that's played a long time in this league and had a lot of success at a high level.
03:27You know, won a lot of football games, had a lot of, you know, big-time plays in this league.
03:33It brings a lot of energy to the, you know, that receiver room and to our offense.
03:37So it's been fun to go out there and just kind of compete with them on the, you know, on the practice field.
03:42I feel like really gelling, coming together.
03:45I mean, that's what it's about.
03:46You can't turn down those reps that we get to have when we go out there on the field.
03:49So he's been a joy to be around, man.
03:51It's been a lot of fun to pick his brain in a lot of ways.
03:54Just, you know, he's seen a lot of football at a high level.
03:58What's been your early impression of Will Campbell?
04:00Obviously coming in as the number four pick, there's going to be a lot of high expectations on him.
04:04How do you think he's done so far?
04:08Yeah, Will's doing a good job, you know.
04:11He's come in and work every single day.
04:13Dude's got a locker next to me.
04:14So we get to spend a lot of time together, man.
04:17He's a good kid, and, you know, I love competing with him.
04:22You know, he brings the energy of fire to the game that you've got to love.
04:26And, you know, excited to continue to watch him improve.
04:29You know, he's only going to continue to get better.
04:32How about off the field?
04:33What's his personality like?
04:35Because I saw a video right after he was drafted where he came up here to New England.
04:39He's like, man, I didn't know you guys were even going to have trees here around the stadium.
04:43So what's his personality like kind of away from the field?
04:47Yeah, he's pretty laid back, pretty easygoing guy, obviously from the south.
04:52So he's got that southern draw, that deep southern draw from Louisiana.
04:57So, you know, it's funny.
04:59He kind of takes me back to my roots a little bit.
05:02It brings me back to kind of, I mean, pretty similar situation.
05:05I mean, he's 21 years old.
05:07What I got in, though, you get 21 years old, you know, a high pick and, you know, a long way from home.
05:15Just a lot of change in your life, you know, off the field.
05:18So it can be a lot.
05:20And so it's been cool to just be able to, you know, be there for him, build a relationship with him.
05:24He's a lot of fun to be around and just he's a good guy.
05:30You know, with the return of Josh McDaniels, have you found yourself also having like a lot of guys sort of come to you as somebody who was in the offense back in 2021?
05:38I don't know.
05:41There's a lot of guys coming to me, but not put my input where I can, but also let the coaches kind of do what they got to do.
05:48But just try to, you know, talk through it with guys and just how you can add flair to different things and, you know, how you got to see certain things in the offense.
05:58Maybe definitely, you know, playing in it for your kind of definitely has helped me just, you know, it's kind of like riding a bike, you know, obviously picking it back up again.
06:08But you got to, you know, go out there and execute it and kind of get the reps.
06:11And you got to get the reps with Drake, too.
06:13I mean, you know, Drake's asked me some things.
06:15Just how I might see it, just how we've done in the past or how Josh might see it.
06:20Just trying to help different guys in that aspect.
06:22You know, it seemed like at least during the training camp practices that we had a chance to go down to, Mike Vrabel was with the offense a lot.
06:29And obviously he's splitting his time, you know, amongst everybody.
06:31But it seemed like the majority of his time was spent with the offense.
06:33What kind of input did he have there?
06:36Or was it more just sort of observing what Josh was installing with everybody?
06:41Well, I mean, he's head coach.
06:43I mean, he's over everything, man.
06:45So, you know, he's going to be involved with us.
06:47He's going to be involved with the defense.
06:49So, I mean, I don't know.
06:50Maybe you all see it that way.
06:52But, I mean, he's pretty balanced in that aspect.
06:54But, you know, he brings a great energy to our room and offense.
06:57I think the same energy he brings to the defense.
06:59So, you know, he also can give a defensive perspective to us in a way to see what a defense is maybe going to do against certain looks or different things so that we can be ready for that.
07:12You mentioned Drake is coming along in year two.
07:15You said he's sort of reached out to see some things, or to you rather, to see how you're seeing some things.
07:21In what way, in your mind, has he made some strides here in year two?
07:26Oh, man.
07:27I just think he's obviously a lot of confidence.
07:32Not that he never had that.
07:34But just a very confident individual.
07:36He's always been very confident.
07:37I think it's in the leadership, stepping up in that aspect and just leading the guys, kind of keeping guys accountable.
07:43You know, telling guys how he sees things, how he, you know, wants things in a way on the field.
07:49So, you know, I think he steps up in a big way like that.
07:52It's been fun to see.
07:53Are you guys already focusing your attention on the Raiders, or do you take time first to go over, you know, the last preseason game and what the Giants are going to do?
08:03Yeah, we've still got a game to play, man.
08:05So, we're going to play that game, and we've got to wait for the game, first game still.
08:10Are you breaking news?
08:11Are you playing in that game?
08:11You're going to play in that one?
08:13Who is going to play in that game?
08:14Yeah.
08:16I mean, yeah, if I'm healthy, we'll see.
08:19Okay.
08:20Our Patriots tight end, Hunter Henry, joins us here on Mondays throughout football season on Patriots Mondays.
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