00:00Two sleeps away now from a New England Patriots playoff game
00:03for the first time in years, and especially at Gillette,
00:06it's the first time since, what, 2019 was that last time
00:09we had a home playoff game in which we lost to Mike Vrabel.
00:12But this time, it's better because we have Mike Vrabel,
00:15and I think this is going to be the first truly career-defining moment
00:20for Drake May.
00:21Like, this is the first game where he can actually establish himself
00:27on one side or another.
00:28Where the guy on the other side has been established as a loser
00:32in the playoffs.
00:33He could be really good in the regular season, but has not won a playoff game.
00:36And if Drake May finds himself on the wrong side of this game,
00:40which I don't think any of us expect to happen, but if he does,
00:43that moniker can stick, and it sticks for a long time.
00:46You look at Lamar Jackson, you look at Justin Herbert,
00:49you look at a lot of these guys, so it is imperative that he goes out,
00:53wins his first career playoff game, and begins his career
00:56on the correct foot.
00:58Shine, thank you.
01:00I mean, there are high expectations, I think, among the fans.
01:04We have talked a lot about the way maybe your expectation has changed
01:09on this show.
01:10Are you – where were you at the beginning of the season?
01:14Like, was –
01:15With Drake May or with the team?
01:16No, just with this football team.
01:17Like, what was – for you, what was going to be a good season?
01:20You double your win total.
01:21You end up being a playoff team.
01:23Like, where were you at the start of the season?
01:25Like a lot of people, I thought, hey, maybe like eight, nine wins.
01:28I thought maybe you would be a wild card team.
01:30Yes.
01:31So, obviously.
01:32I think that they've outplayed, outperformed most expectations,
01:36but I was kind of right in the middle there of those expectations.
01:38So, do they have to win this game on Sunday for the season to be considered
01:45a legit success?
01:47Yes.
01:47Yes.
01:48Yes, because here's the thing.
01:49Those are my expectations at the end of training camp.
01:52Your expectations should change as the season goes along.
01:56And when you have a 10-game win streak and you have been clapping back
02:00about the schedule being soft, the schedule is easy.
02:03You also have this, I believe, the second biggest point differential of any team
02:09in the league, at least, that was the case going into Week 18.
02:12So, like, yeah, you've been hammering these bad teams that you're playing.
02:16Right.
02:16But it's all about the playoffs.
02:18Everybody would give up three of those regular season wins if it means you get
02:21to another round in the playoffs.
02:23You can't get a better playoff path than what you potentially have in front of you.
02:27So, the expectations for me even go up higher when I see that.
02:31If you have, like, Lamar Jackson and then if you beat Lamar Jackson,
02:34you had to face, you know, Patrick Mahomes or Patrick Mahomes
02:37and then had to face Josh Allen, you'd be like, wow.
02:40Listen, Monday morning is going to be so interesting because we're either going
02:44to be at Gillette Stadium doing a victory shot with Mike Rabel
02:48or we're going to be in here talking about how disappointing the end
02:53of the season was.
02:54But Monday morning there, like, you know, you win this game and we're talking,
03:00you know, maybe not with Rabel, but we're talking Super Bowl.
03:03Like, I mean, the Wiggies, right?
03:05The path is there.
03:06Yeah.
03:06Sorry, Curtis.
03:06No, no.
03:07I was just going to say the only thing we'll be talking about with the Patriots
03:09if they lose Sunday is upcoming arraignments.
03:11I mean, that's a fact.
03:14That's true.
03:15Yes.
03:15Right before the AFC Championship.
03:16That is true.
03:17That is something on the calendar.
03:18Yes, it is.
03:19All right, Sean.
03:20Curtis, good morning.
03:21Good morning, Greg.
03:22I was going to do the state payroll that was released to the highest earners,
03:26but I don't want to start a Friday on a bad note.
03:28So I'm just going to say, very simply, we spent a billion dollars on the T
03:31and boy, did that work?
03:32And number two, this is such an opportunity to capitalize on a gift season.
03:41And should Drake May and Mike Rabel and Steph Diggs win Sunday night,
03:47everything else will be easier.
03:49Think about Peyton Manning.
03:52Think about John Elway.
03:54Think about great quarterbacks that didn't win a championship early.
03:58It follows you around.
04:00Think of Alex Rodriguez versus Derek Jeter.
04:02The way in which you're talked about the entire offseason.
04:06Nobody's going to say Drake May isn't the guy if they lose Sunday, correct?
04:09We all believe he's a great quarterback.
04:11His best days lie ahead.
04:12But the conversation surrounding him will be entirely based on what he didn't do,
04:20not what he did.
04:21And if you win Sunday night against the Chargers, then no matter what happens,
04:25the rest of the playoffs, you've won a playoff game,
04:27and you don't have that bugaboo where everybody's talking about this one thing you can't do.
04:32Winning early is the key to everything.
04:34Obviously, you need to win a lot if you're the best player in a certain sport,
04:38but nothing makes the rest of your career less difficult quite like winning playoff games in your first or second year.
04:46Curtis, thank you.
04:47Courtney is off.
04:49First flex day of the year for her baby moon,
04:53which is a little trip away apparently before you have the baby.
04:57It wasn't a thing when I was having babies.
05:01Meggo is filling in.
05:02Meggo, good morning and hello, and thank you for being here.
05:05Good morning.
05:05Thank you for having me.
05:06So my lead is specifically about Stefan Diggs.
05:10It's just this.
05:11This playoff game is why you went out and signed Stefan Diggs.
05:15Because if you remember in the first half of the season,
05:18this is where it's going to get a little smirsy analytically.
05:22You were seeing a lot of these zone defenses in coverage,
05:25and Stefan Diggs eats those up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
05:29He understands that space so well in those zone coverages.
05:34It's three meals a day too.
05:35And he sits right in the right space,
05:38especially if you remember when this offense was figuring out getting going on third downs.
05:43Like, that is where he makes his money.
05:47And this Chargers defense, according to Sharp Analytics,
05:5183% of the time in zone defense.
05:53Oh, okay.
05:54So this should be served up on a platter for Stefan Diggs.
05:59Not only that, Matt Collins obviously hurt.
06:02He's not going to be playing.
06:03The only receiver who has playoff experience.
06:07So this is a huge spot for him.
06:09I'm expecting big things from Stefan Diggs on the field on Sunday night.
06:13That's my lead.
06:14There you go.
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