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00:00High Noon, Jones and Keefe here on WEI.
00:03It is a Tier Tuesday.
00:05If you missed our tiers last hour,
00:08horror movie franchises, they are up
00:09at Jones and Keefe on Twitter and Instagram.
00:13You can go check out at Keefe21
00:15at JonesWEI if you want to complain.
00:18It is also a Tom E. Tuesday.
00:21Tommy Curran joins us at High Noon
00:22every Tuesday from NBC Sports Boston.
00:24He's brought to you by your New England Chevy dealers.
00:27Together, let's drive.
00:28Tommy Curran, how are we doing this week?
00:31I'm afraid we're going to lose Spiro and Arch.
00:34No more Spiro and Arch games?
00:37I don't know.
00:40We're going to lose them.
00:41Don't forget about Aditi.
00:43Don't forget about Aditi.
00:44But listen, good news is they play all the trash bag teams.
00:47So even though the Patriots are playing better
00:49than Spiro and Arch, all their opponents
00:51are very much Spiro and Arch opponents.
00:53Yeah, it's true.
00:54Well, is Atlanta a Spiro and Arch team?
00:58No, that game's got a little bit more juice.
01:01I'll give you that.
01:02So you wrote yesterday, Tom,
01:04and this is some of what you're getting at, I'm sure.
01:06You said with Drake May as their front man,
01:08the Patriots are ready for the big stage.
01:10You made the analogy to like a 70s band,
01:13break it out.
01:14This is the good times where they're touring
01:16and they're getting all the positive press.
01:19And you wrote this before they were even in first place,
01:21before the Bills lost last night on national TV.
01:24So what do we think the ceiling is for a team
01:27like the Patriots in 2025?
01:30There is undetermined.
01:35I mean, it's an undetermined ceiling.
01:37We're talking about tonight,
01:38we have our email for Boston Sports tonight going around.
01:41Our guy Rob Snyder saying,
01:42is this sustainable?
01:43We talked about it on early edition.
01:45Is this sustainable?
01:46You don't have a running game?
01:47Yeah, it's all sustainable until we see them lose
01:50because they don't have it.
01:53We've seen teams with anemic running games
01:55go deep into the Super Bowl.
01:57I can't remember which team it was,
01:58but it was in recent years.
01:59I can't, who the hell was it?
02:01But...
02:01I mean, the Colts,
02:02the Colts won one year with like,
02:03I mean, this is going back a ways,
02:05but the Colts won with a real bad running attack
02:07until the postseason, right?
02:08Then I think Joseph Adai and guys like that broke out.
02:11Dominic Rose.
02:12Yeah, they couldn't stop anybody too one year.
02:14And then they got Bobby Sanders back
02:15and they stopped everybody.
02:16But the point is there's,
02:18this reminds me very much of the 2008 season
02:21when Brady got hurt.
02:23And I think the Dolphins won the division
02:27with Chad Pennington.
02:28And it was just not an impressive season.
02:31There were a lot of teams in flux
02:33as the Patriots were very much so in 2008.
02:36I think the Colts were in flux.
02:38So the Bills are in flux.
02:41The Chiefs are in flux.
02:42Obviously the Bengals are in flux.
02:43And some of the teams who have promising players
02:48and have, are not scarred up.
02:52Like the Patriots are not.
02:54The Patriots, I'm babbling here,
02:56but one interesting thing I'd love to talk about
02:58is the number of guys that they have imported this year
03:00who are making significant contributions.
03:03And I can't find anyone who I'm looking at here
03:05and saying, that was a stupid signing.
03:07It's not working out.
03:08Or can I find anybody and say,
03:11they shouldn't have let that guy go.
03:13Yeah, it seems like a couple of their leftover guys.
03:16I mean, I still maybe go back and forth on Peppers, right?
03:19Like, because the safety play is not very good.
03:22Even Bourne.
03:23Like, Bourne's had two really good games.
03:25I wasn't crying about that when he left,
03:26but he's been good since he left.
03:28Yeah, maybe Peppers.
03:29I'm not losing my mind about it.
03:30And you see why they wanted to move on from Duggar,
03:33and they didn't as he gets torched last week.
03:36But you mentioned the running game in there, Tom.
03:39From what you've seen through six games,
03:40is the ineffectiveness, is that on the backs themselves?
03:44Is it on the offensive line?
03:45Is it play calling?
03:47If it's a little bit of everything,
03:49like, who stands out in that group?
03:52Honestly, I think it's...
03:53I would start with Stevenson.
03:54His unreliability in terms of holding on to the ball
03:57I think has altered his running style
03:59to the point where he's not getting
04:01true contact and running through it.
04:03There was a play last week.
04:05They were trying to kill Clark a little bit.
04:08And he was...
04:09I don't know if you remember this.
04:10He was running to the right side.
04:13And it was either...
04:15It might have been a wide out...
04:16A corner came up and created a little bit of havoc
04:19on the right side.
04:22Not interior, but...
04:23And he ran right into that lone place
04:26where there was chaos.
04:28I'm like, can't you notice that?
04:31And just veer left a little bit
04:32and run around it.
04:34But I think that they are very pent up
04:36with insecurity about ball security.
04:40And they should be.
04:41So I think that really has a trickle-down effect
04:44to how they behave
04:45as they hit the line of scrimmage
04:47and go through it.
04:48So I think it starts with Stevenson.
04:50And then you can't rely on him.
04:51So you're caught between this area
04:54where you're trying to get him going
04:56but afraid of his results.
04:57And then Henderson is coming in
04:59and he's not getting enough reps,
05:00in my estimation,
05:01or enough time to build up
05:03his pitch repertoire.
05:08He got two carries in the first half
05:10the other day.
05:11I think he finished with nine.
05:12Just give him the ball.
05:13I really think this is a good week
05:14where they could be determined
05:17about what they're going to do
05:18with their approach in the running game.
05:20Go with the old Bill Parcells
05:21or Bill Belichick.
05:22You know what?
05:22We're going to run the ball.
05:24Get a weed,
05:24but then run the hell out of it.
05:26Yeah.
05:26I would like to see more Henderson.
05:28But in the meantime,
05:29with his struggles,
05:31with Stevenson's struggles,
05:32with Gibson being hurt,
05:33is this a spot where you think
05:35they could make a move
05:36in the next few weeks
05:37and try to acquire a running back?
05:40Undeniably.
05:40It has to be.
05:41That tight end depth,
05:43I think,
05:44is the other sneaky thing
05:45that I would look at.
05:49Offensive line has
05:50got some stable backups,
05:53it seems like,
05:54right now.
05:55But I would definitely say
05:56running back,
05:58tight end,
05:58not because those guys
05:59aren't performing,
06:00but because they're so indispensable,
06:01Hooper and Henry.
06:03And then I think
06:04I would like to see
06:05a little bit more
06:05defensive end depth
06:07and edge depth.
06:09So those are three big places.
06:11How big game hunting
06:13do you think they'd be doing
06:14at running back?
06:15Your colleagues at NBC Sports Boston
06:16put together
06:17like a trade targets list.
06:18It had the Jerome Fords
06:20of the world
06:20down at the bottom of it
06:21and then the top
06:22were Brees Hall,
06:23Alvin Kamara.
06:24Do you think they're looking
06:24that big
06:25or are they just trying
06:25to get another body in here?
06:28I think they can be
06:28open to anything,
06:29which is kind of
06:30a cop-out on my part,
06:31but what will it cost
06:34for Alvin Kamara?
06:35What will it cost
06:36for Brees Hall?
06:37Would Brees Hall
06:38even be entertained
06:39by the Jets
06:40within the division?
06:41And how about
06:42while we're there
06:43in the division?
06:44That Mike Tomlin
06:45blasting of Matthew Berry
06:47for keeping Joe Flacco
06:49in the division
06:49was unbelievable.
06:50Did you see that?
06:51Yes.
06:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:52Not Matthew Berry.
06:53Andrew Berry.
06:53Andrew Berry.
06:54I was like,
06:54wait, the fantasy guy.
06:55Sorry, I was very confused
06:56there for a second.
06:57Yeah, no, he was ripping him.
06:58Yeah, it's good.
07:00But yeah,
07:02look, any port in a storm,
07:03you cannot walk around
07:05with a running back
07:06and a half,
07:06which is basically
07:07what they are doing
07:08right now
07:08because relative
07:09to what Steven
07:10should be able to do,
07:12he's about 50,
07:1360,
07:1465% of himself
07:15because his forte,
07:18I always thought,
07:18was getting to contact
07:20and fighting through it.
07:21Now he's afraid
07:21to do it.
07:23Understandably so.
07:25But they need
07:27another running back,
07:28more running backs.
07:29Maybe Terrell Jennings
07:30can do it.
07:30I mean,
07:31they don't even have
07:31a third down back again.
07:33And I thought that
07:34Henderson was going
07:35to fit into that spot,
07:36which would have been nice,
07:36but they don't have
07:37a third down back again.
07:39It's just two guys.
07:40How do you think
07:41Mike Vrabel views Tennessee?
07:43Like,
07:43there's no way
07:43this can be just another game.
07:45I'm sure there's also
07:46a sliding scale.
07:47You know,
07:47how Bill Belichick
07:48felt about the New York Jets
07:49is probably different
07:50than how every,
07:52you know,
07:52head coach thought
07:52about their previous stop.
07:54But what do you think
07:55Mike Vrabel
07:56and how he feels
07:57about the Titans?
07:59Well,
08:00I think Mike's
08:01a little bit more,
08:03has a little more
08:04social acumen
08:04than Bill.
08:07so he's able
08:09to articulate
08:10and differentiate
08:11between every single human
08:13in the organization
08:14and the people
08:17who made the decision
08:17to move on from him.
08:19He's,
08:19I'm sure that he feels
08:21a lot of agitation
08:22towards being let go,
08:24but you have to change
08:28where you're living.
08:28You have to commute
08:29back and forth
08:30as he did
08:31to see your kids,
08:32you know,
08:33college baseball games.
08:34But obviously,
08:35as an understatement,
08:37he has landed
08:38in a much better place
08:39with a place
08:40that he probably
08:40would have preferred
08:41to have been
08:41in the first place.
08:43So it worked out great,
08:44hard for him
08:45to be too bitter
08:46about it right now.
08:48But it's a really good
08:49place for him
08:51to walk in there
08:51and say,
08:52nah,
08:52it was pretty good.
08:53But it was interesting,
08:54too,
08:55and give him credit
08:56because this is something
08:57that I don't think
08:57every coach would do.
08:59He said,
08:59look,
08:59we didn't win enough games.
09:01I mean,
09:01it's nice to see
09:02somebody once in a while
09:03have some kind
09:04of attachment
09:05to reality
09:06about what's going on,
09:09especially among
09:09head coaches.
09:10Talking to Tommy Curran,
09:12NBC Sports Boston.
09:13He joins us every Tuesday
09:14at high noon.
09:14We call it a Tommy Tuesday.
09:16Give him a follow
09:16on Twitter,
09:17at Tommy Curran.
09:19Let's get to this week's
09:20Drake Take from Tommy Curran,
09:22presented by your
09:23New England Chevy dealers.
09:24Together,
09:25let's drive.
09:26I feel like every week
09:27we come on,
09:27we ask about Drake May.
09:28We're like,
09:29is he the guy?
09:31Is he a top 15 quarterback?
09:32Is he a top 10 quarterback?
09:34The question this week,
09:35Tom,
09:36is does he deserve
09:38the MVP hype
09:39that he's getting?
09:40Yes or no?
09:42Yes,
09:42absolutely.
09:43Because MVP to me,
09:45and I was long been a voter,
09:46but I just gave it up this year.
09:48I'm like,
09:48I can't do this.
09:49It's too much pull.
09:51And I don't know
09:51who the all pros are.
09:52But anyway,
09:53every time when I voted
09:54for MVP,
09:54I used as a standard
09:56the impact that you made
09:57on your team
09:57relative to
09:58where they'd be
10:00without you.
10:00And that's why
10:01I voted for Josh Allen
10:02last year.
10:03The team was not good.
10:04That team was on his back
10:06the entire time.
10:07And you saw it
10:08in games
10:09involving the Ravens.
10:11He did more
10:12with less
10:13and was a great player.
10:14So,
10:15same thing with
10:16Drake May.
10:18I'm not saying
10:19that Baker Mayfield
10:20has a million guys,
10:21nor does Daniel Jones.
10:23But the conversation
10:24for a guy
10:26who is
10:26the quarterback
10:27for a team
10:27that won eight games
10:28the last two years
10:29and now is already
10:30at four
10:31and climbing.
10:33And statistically,
10:34what he's done,
10:36and it's not a fluke
10:37in my estimation,
10:39he's done it against
10:40good teams.
10:42He's done it against
10:43bad teams.
10:44When he plays well,
10:45they win.
10:45When he makes
10:46even a slight mistake,
10:47they lose.
10:48So,
10:49yeah,
10:50he belongs right there
10:51in that conversation.
10:52Who do you think
10:52right now
10:53should be the favorite
10:54to win the AFC?
10:55Kansas City.
10:59Yeah.
11:00No,
11:01I know.
11:01That's what we kind of
11:02defaulted to also.
11:04Because we've seen
11:06this movie
11:06so many times
11:08over the years
11:08and the Patriots
11:09were involved in it
11:10and starred in it.
11:11Two and four starts.
11:13Two and three starts.
11:15Three and three starts.
11:16And then,
11:16you know,
11:17even in 2018,
11:18the team was nine and five
11:19and
11:20they finished the season
11:22eleven and five
11:23and none of those
11:24losses came against
11:25eventual playoff teams.
11:27Every single team
11:28was a non-playoff team.
11:29Remember,
11:29they got run out
11:30of the stadium
11:31in Detroit
11:32by Matt Patricia's Lions.
11:34They lost to the Jaguars.
11:36And that team fixed it
11:37because it had
11:38a backlog of experience
11:40to draw upon.
11:41And it did.
11:42So,
11:43I will continue
11:44to err on the side
11:45of those teams.
11:47Like,
11:47who will be the upstart
11:48and how will the Patriots
11:49we used to see
11:51the Titans
11:51get to a point.
11:53And even though
11:54they had A.J. Brown,
11:56they had Ryan Tannehill
11:57a quarterback.
11:58Or,
11:58I don't know
12:00the Titans history
12:00that well,
12:01but it was Tannehill,
12:02I believe,
12:02a quarterback
12:03when they went
12:03to that AFC championship game.
12:05And he's just not
12:06sitting there
12:06and going like,
12:07watch out,
12:08he might go off.
12:11You know,
12:12you knew it was
12:12going to be a slog
12:13and if they got there
12:14it's because
12:14they did things
12:16defensively
12:16or,
12:17you know,
12:17Derrick Henry
12:18had a great day.
12:20With May,
12:21there is a,
12:22as you asked me
12:23earlier about
12:24what's the ceiling,
12:25it's kind of
12:26unestablished
12:27because no one
12:28has yet shown me
12:29something
12:29defensively
12:31to say
12:32this is something
12:33that May doesn't like
12:34and really screws them up.
12:35Can you guys think anything?
12:37No,
12:37I mean,
12:37you look at the
12:38AFC playoff picture,
12:39you mentioned
12:40Kansas City,
12:41I mean,
12:41Buffalo would still be there,
12:43texters are saying
12:43don't even sleep
12:44on Baltimore
12:44at 1-5.
12:45The AFC is that wide open
12:46that maybe you can't
12:47totally dismiss them
12:48at 1-5.
12:50I was going to ask you,
12:51Tom,
12:51about the timing
12:52of Brian Callahan
12:53getting fired.
12:54Can I say the Broncos?
12:55Oh, yeah.
12:56Add the Broncos in there.
12:57Awesome, man.
12:58They're at 4-2.
12:59You can add them in there.
13:00I'm curious if you think
13:01the Brian Callahan firing
13:03is related to
13:04Vrabel's return.
13:05And we were kind of
13:05talking this out.
13:06Keith said earlier,
13:07well,
13:07it almost makes him look worse
13:08by firing Callahan
13:09now with Vrabel coming back.
13:11I would counter with
13:12it also gives him,
13:13I think,
13:13a better chance
13:13to actually win the game
13:14since that team
13:15had quit on
13:16and tuned out
13:17Brian Callahan.
13:18Do you think
13:19the timing
13:20has anything to do
13:21with Vrabel's return?
13:23I think it could.
13:25I don't think
13:25teams are a tune-out point yet.
13:28Although the Dolphins
13:29would be evidence otherwise.
13:33I could.
13:35I do think that it,
13:37as you do,
13:37it reflects even more
13:38poorly on them
13:39to be working
13:40with an interim coach
13:41instead of a guy
13:42you decided to pick.
13:44But it does prevent them
13:46from losing 43-3
13:48to the guy
13:49that they got rid of.
13:51That's actually,
13:53you know,
13:53now you have some cover.
13:54Well,
13:54we just fired our coach.
13:56Yeah,
13:56of course we were.
13:56Yeah,
13:56it wasn't even our guy.
13:58Yeah,
13:58I guess.
13:58Yeah.
14:00I mean,
14:01that's next-level thinking.
14:03It is.
14:03It's possible.
14:05We obviously look into
14:06and overanalyze
14:07every single thing.
14:08And yesterday
14:09on the Greg Hill Show,
14:10they asked Mike Vrabel
14:12about Josh McDaniel's
14:14relationship
14:15with Drake May.
14:16And in his answer,
14:18he brought up
14:19Ashton Grant,
14:20the quarterback coach.
14:21And,
14:21you know,
14:21great little feedback
14:22there on Ashton Grant,
14:23but that wasn't the question.
14:24He sort of inserted
14:25that in there.
14:26Do you read in anything?
14:27Anytime people try
14:28to get him to
14:29compliment McDaniels
14:30or something,
14:31he kind of pivots away.
14:33I mean,
14:34now you guys
14:37have me doing it.
14:37I saw the same answer.
14:39I'm like,
14:39wait a minute,
14:39are those guys
14:40on to something?
14:41He's talking about
14:42Ashton Grant here.
14:43The question was about Josh.
14:46So,
14:47you guys have me conditioned now.
14:51Nice.
14:52Excellent.
14:53Every time he answers
14:54something about
14:54Josh McDaniels,
14:55anything short
14:57of genuflection
14:58and hosannas,
15:00I'm like,
15:01why does he hurt Josh?
15:03It is odd, though.
15:04It'd be like,
15:05hey,
15:05what do you guys
15:06think of Tom Curran?
15:06And we're like,
15:07well,
15:07Phil Perry's really great.
15:08That would be like
15:10a weird answer.
15:12It is.
15:14I don't understand.
15:16I don't.
15:17It might be worth a question.
15:19And then his answer
15:20will be,
15:21oh,
15:21do you really think
15:22Josh needs to have
15:23all these?
15:24Okay,
15:24okay.
15:25Josh is great.
15:26So,
15:27if we did ask
15:28Rabel,
15:29I was just speaking
15:30in fragments there.
15:31If we asked Rabel,
15:32he would in turn
15:33make a joke out of it,
15:34I would think.
15:35But it is weird.
15:39Undeniably.
15:40Yeah.
15:40Like Tom Brady
15:41didn't have to have
15:41heart surgery.
15:42Right.
15:43Back when he had,
15:43was it open heart surgery?
15:44It's the same kind
15:45of vein already.
15:47We can at least admit
15:48it's not nothing.
15:49Yeah.
15:51I'm going to have to.
15:52There's a little something.
15:53All right,
15:53good.
15:54We'll take that as a win.
15:55He's Tommy Curran,
15:56NBC Sports Boston.
15:57Check out his latest
15:58available there.
15:59Follow him on Twitter
16:00at Tommy Curran.
16:01Check him out on Thursdays
16:02on WEI Afternoons
16:03and every Tuesday
16:04here on Jones and Keefe.
16:05Tom,
16:06thanks so much for the time.
16:06We appreciate it.
16:08Thanks, guys.
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