- 13 hours ago
Rumor is, the Pats will face off in a Super Bowl rematch with the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the season. With the Vrabel/Russini story and an AJ Brown possible move to New England dominating NFL news cycles, Rich, Ken, and Ted discuss if this is by design.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Happy schedule release day, everybody.
00:02The NFL truly is astounding how they can turn something just like the schedules being released
00:08into this day of panic, this day of must-watch television,
00:13where they just literally roll out the schedules one by one.
00:17And, Ted, what was today like for you as a player when the schedule came out?
00:22I loved it. I loved it.
00:23So, you know, you wonder, like, do players care about, I don't know, the draft?
00:27Hell, yeah, we care about the draft because we want to see who they're picking
00:30because it tells you how they think about the positions that they draft.
00:35And then another one is the schedule because you want to see, you know,
00:38how far I'm flying, how many faraway games you have, you know,
00:44certain locales where you might have family.
00:46It just, I don't know, do you have short weeks?
00:51Do you play two back-to-back really tough teams?
00:55There's all the little things that we're all going to think about
00:58that the players think about as well, Ken.
01:00But if you were a player and you found out the opener was a Super Bowl rematch,
01:05what would you and the guys be saying?
01:07I mean, maybe you'd be saying one thing and thinking something else.
01:10But to me, I think it's great.
01:12I know we talked about this yesterday, Rich.
01:13If this report is true from Schultz, I think it's awesome.
01:16I think it's an instant wake-up call for the team.
01:18It gets your focus away from Vrabel and back on Seattle, and you got embarrassed.
01:23And we're going to show these guys, and it'll be a different story this time around.
01:26Yeah, yeah.
01:27So just so people know, right, the reports are that the Patriots are going to be playing
01:31on a Wednesday.
01:32It's not official, but the list I have here are the blue checkmark reports.
01:36Yep, yep.
01:37So they're going to be, look, as a player, sure.
01:39You know what?
01:40Let's go.
01:42I have no problem.
01:42I just, I'm surprised.
01:46And I do think there is some benefit to the Patriots playing them out of the gate, because
01:53you're going to have something new.
01:54There's not going to be tape.
01:55Hopefully, you can just not be as predictable as you were.
01:59Probably soft.
02:00How much did you eat in the offseason after Super Bowls?
02:01You probably loaded up and just were on the beach and partying.
02:05There's a little bit of that, a little bit of that, a little bit of, you know.
02:07Yeah, I mean, after we won our first, you saw what happened in 0-2.
02:11You know, you kind of, we took our foot off the gas a little bit.
02:13So, yeah, there is something to that.
02:14But from an NFL standpoint, I am surprised, because that was such a dud Super Bowl.
02:19Yeah.
02:19Like, you really want to start the season with a repeat of what people's last memory
02:24was of NFL, which was a dud game?
02:27Here's why.
02:28And, I mean, we all know this.
02:29It's not just because, you know, Seattle's the champions, but because what are the number
02:33one and number two biggest stories of the NFL offseason?
02:37Well, Vrabel's become one.
02:39Vrabel-Rossini is number one, and A.J. Brown, potentially, is number two.
02:43And you are going to get both of those on opening night.
02:47And you know what?
02:48And what the Rossini-Vrabel story does is—
02:51NFL's been avoiding that story like the plague, though.
02:54They don't have to even address it.
02:56They can cover themselves in, like, integrity by saying,
02:59it's a Super Bowl rematch.
03:01Who doesn't want to see good pigskin on opening day?
03:03But they know, they know that that game is going to get female—like, a lot more female
03:09watchers because even, like, women are into this Diana Rossini story.
03:13And they're going to get a whole lot more casual NFL fans because they want to see how
03:18it all goes down.
03:19Okay.
03:19That's—I'm a little bit surprised that you say that because Kraft has a huge influence
03:25over—I don't know if maybe the schedule, but he's a big, you know, TV guy.
03:28He's always helping the NFL negotiate those deals.
03:32I would think Kraft would not want to be first game out of the gate with that story hanging
03:37over the head of the franchise.
03:40Do we have that Florio clip by any chance?
03:41Go ahead and play that for us, Diz, if you don't mind.
03:43It would happen to be Patriots-Seahawks week one Wednesday night.
03:48Would it be the sit-down tell-all with Oprah or Morley Safer or Barbara Walters?
03:55I don't know who the go-tos would be right now.
03:57But would that happen the night before?
03:59Wouldn't that be—wouldn't that be something?
04:02Okay.
04:03So this kind of proves my theory that I think that Diana Rossini might sit on the story and
04:12not speak to anyone until the first week of the season.
04:15Stay on target.
04:16Stay on target.
04:17Thank you, Mike.
04:18But you think the NFL has sanctioned that or that's just Rossini's plan?
04:22No, that's Rossini's plan.
04:23And I also think that, you know, Vrabel's going to have to say something, too, after
04:27she's done.
04:28And I think the timing is going to line up where he's going to probably—you know, it
04:31is always—especially a big game like this, they always sit down with the coaches.
04:34There's no way you can talk to Mike Vrabel and do that before-game interview and not
04:40mention the biggest story of the NFL Aussies.
04:42You don't think—you think the story's still going to have legs?
04:44There's still going to be some people interested in it?
04:46Oh, legs, arms.
04:46Okay, okay, I'm just saying, and I'm just—man, and Mike would agree to it?
04:52You know, Mike, why would you agree to sit down where they're addressing that again?
04:57That's part of his gig.
04:58Part of his gig is he has to speak to the media, or you get fined.
05:01You'll get in trouble.
05:03And sometimes the only way forward is through, right, which we've been talking about pretty
05:07much since this all happened.
05:08And you don't think, Stiz, that he doesn't have a statement prepared in his head exactly
05:13what he's going to say and how he's going to say it?
05:15Let's just hope he doesn't hire that same PR firm.
05:18Well, I was just saying, I hope it doesn't have the word laughable in it.
05:20That's the only thing.
05:21I just—I'm just—there is a fascinating storyline and this idea that they might come
05:27out with, like, their sides of the story right before the season.
05:30I just think, ooh, I would advise him to be careful with that.
05:33But real quick, Rich, do you think it's good news?
05:36Seahawks opener, if true.
05:37Good news or bad news for the Pats?
05:39I love it.
05:40I think it's great.
05:41I'm kind of coming to your side because what if the Patriots win?
05:44Right.
05:44Talk about the ultimate ego boost.
05:47Talk about all of a sudden it's not even about Vrabel anymore.
05:49It's like, holy crap, that team that got their ass embarrassed at the Super Bowl came back
05:55and won.
05:56This is a team united.
05:58They're rallying around Mike Vrabel.
06:00And they're sending a message to the NFL that everyone else is unnoticed.
06:03I think there's some truth to that.
06:05I do.
06:05I think, you know what, in a sense that, too, you have 10 days between your last preseason
06:10game and the start.
06:11So your long flight, it just—it won't be as impactful.
06:15You know, if you've got to go all the way out to the West Coast, why not get it over
06:17with
06:17early?
06:18Yeah.
06:18Love it.
06:18Absolutely.
06:19All right.
06:19So now this is where it gets interesting.
06:22So the schedule releases all come out, and I don't know when the videos—the videos come
06:26out right at 8 o'clock when everything else is right.
06:28It's almost like each one of these teams has timed on their social media their super clever
06:34way that they're going to release it via video.
06:36I know that the Patriots have had, like, Gronk and Edelman do skits, and then there's
06:39had people who have, like, interviewed—the Tennessee ones were always great.
06:42The Patriots had a bad one last year.
06:44They did.
06:44It wasn't very good.
06:45Oh, it was awful.
06:45It was not—
06:46Portnoy, just screaming up there, I think.
06:48I just remember just going, man—because I think was last year the one where Tennessee
06:52went out and asked, like, girls at, like, the bridal parties or—I'm sorry, the—
06:59All the girls?
07:00Yeah, like, out on the street in Broadway, and was just like, can you identify this logo?
07:03And none of them got it right, which was actually kind of funny.
07:05All right, but you think, with all of this going on, how many of these teams are going
07:13to mention or put something in there about Mike Vrabel and the Diana Rossini story?
07:18I mean, you could just use the NBC graphic of the two in the Titanic post.
07:21I mean, I would think it's easy, every one of them.
07:23They're basically—the NFL is saying they're not going to regulate or watch over it or kind
07:29of just have discipline, so they're leaving teams to do it at their own discretion.
07:33You say that, I think you're going to see a lot of it then.
07:36Yeah, exactly, Ted.
07:37As a matter of fact, this is the statement from Yahoo Sports.
07:39They posted this.
07:40It said,
07:40The NFL will not be reviewing teams' videos for jokes surrounding New England Patriots head
07:45coach Mike Vrabel ahead of Thursday night's annual schedule release per front office sports.
07:50The league is letting teams use their own judgment regarding potential content about Vrabel's
07:56connection with Diana Rossini.
07:57So, question is, we got a little Price is Right music, how many teams are going to mention
08:02or at least have a reference to Mike Vrabel and Diana Rossini?
08:06And the answer is, how many hate Robert Kraft?
08:10And I don't know exactly, but I would say most of the owners in the league have been—conspiracy
08:16theory—keeping him out of the Hall of Fame, working against him, so probably, I would
08:20say, 14 or 15.
08:22I'm going very high.
08:23I have a little—okay, that's high, yeah.
08:25I have it—I just—I'm thinking of Yodi, Yodi, Yodi.
08:28The guy—where do you stop?
08:29You're right, you're right.
08:30So there's 32 teams.
08:31I think the Yodi, Yodi guy stops at 23.
08:35I'm going to say two-thirds, two-thirds of the—
08:37Even if they're not on your schedule, you're just putting them in the—
08:39Oh, yeah, you're right, you're right, you're right.
08:41I'm sorry.
08:41But maybe they do that.
08:42I'm saying—
08:43I'm sorry.
08:44Two-thirds of the 17 teams they play will put—there we go.
08:48I'm going to say that there's going to be a lot of teams that chicken out because they
08:55don't want the skeletons in their closet out there.
08:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:57I think there's going to be a lot of owners that just be like, hey, guys—
09:00You're going on the lower side.
09:01I'm going—
09:01None.
09:02—three.
09:03Okay, okay.
09:04And which three?
09:05All right.
09:05Buffalo?
09:05Jets.
09:06Jets, Buffalo.
09:07I wonder if a division team—they play them twice.
09:10I almost think the division teams might stay away from it.
09:12I don't know.
09:13You see, I don't see someone like the Chiefs doing it.
09:15Like, it just seems like they're—
09:17They're above that?
09:18Maybe not.
09:20But then you're right.
09:21Kraft should get the Kraft Entertainment Group to respond and have the Scott Norwood picture
09:27or Roethlisberger in the Milledgeville bathroom or something ready to fire.
09:31I mean, the Roethlisberger can't do that anymore.
09:33Why?
09:34If they're going to bring up—
09:35It's involved a crime.
09:36Well, not.
09:36Potential crime.
09:37That was not settled out of court.
09:38Patriots are watching, though.
09:40They are watching.
09:41The Patriots will be watching.
09:42Andy Reid's kids or whatever.
09:43You want to put—you know, do something.
09:45Go low.
09:46You can't.
09:46You can't.
09:48If they're going to put Vrabel up, everything is fair game.
09:51But the thing is with Vrabel is that it's not a crime.
09:53And that's why, like, I think people feel safe to do it, even though it's embarrassing.
09:57But I do know that whatever team puts it on there, don't think there's going to be a
10:01little more pee and vinegar when the Patriots play them.
10:02Yeah, a little bit.
10:03And you know what?
10:04I'm going to make another suggestion, another guess.
10:07I bet that one of those three teams isn't going to be a team that plays the Patriots.
10:10I think they're just going to throw something.
10:12There's going to be some team that randomly throws one out there.
10:14Even though they're out of the schedule.
10:15Even though it's not in the schedule, I think it's going to be all about the NFL.
10:17There's going to be some sort of joke in there.
10:19I just have a weird feeling.
10:21One out of nowhere, you're going to be like, why the F are those guys picking a fight?
10:24It's going to be fun to watch and to see, like, who, like, basically has the, I don't
10:30want to say the guts, because I'm not trying to reward them.
10:32I'm not saying it's a good thing.
10:33But really, who's willing to get out there and just say, the Patriots are going to hate
10:39you after this?
10:39Like, they are going to play you with extra vitriol.
10:42It's interesting.
10:43There's history of this.
10:44If you look back at the Spygate, what happened in 2008, you know, when they went scorched earth
10:49on basically, you know, they have a two touchdown lead with three minutes to go.
10:53And they were still, you know, throwing the ball down the field.
10:56So, but does, does this team rally behind Mike, like those teams did for Bill, for Spygate?
11:01Absolutely.
11:02You think?
11:02Okay.
11:03All right.
11:03They're all saying it.
11:04They're already saying it right now.
11:04Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:05All right.
11:06So here's what we got so far.
11:07And once again, this is a compilation of the blue check marks who have put these out here.
11:11It could change.
11:12Obviously, even there's insiders who sometimes get this stuff wrong.
11:15But so far, what we got is opening night, Wednesday, September 9th at Seattle.
11:19Week 2, Sunday, September 20th versus Pittsburgh at 1 p.m.
11:25Aaron Rodgers there?
11:26Aaron Rodgers?
11:27Yeah, I think so.
11:28Isn't it kind of leaning that way?
11:30That's a good home opener.
11:31If it is Aaron Rodgers, that's great.
11:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:33That is a great one.
11:34That is a great one.
11:34You're right.
11:35Week 3, Sunday, September 27th at Jacksonville.
11:38A 1 p.m. game.
11:39And then we have a huge gap in what has been released.
11:42Week 7, Thursday, October 22nd at Chicago.
11:45Oh, that game's going to rule.
11:478, 15 p.m.
11:48That is a Thursday night special.
11:50And then you go week 9, Sunday, November 8th, Green Bay, 425 p.m.
11:55Another great game.
11:55Man, this is going to be a fun season.
11:57Let's see.
11:58And week 10.
12:00Sorry, you said Green Bay at home?
12:01Green Bay at home.
12:02At home, okay.
12:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:03That's going to be a great one.
12:04And then Sunday, November 15th at Detroit.
12:06That is at 9.30 a.m.
12:08Actually, it's not even at Detroit.
12:09That's in Munich.
12:10They call it at Detroit.
12:11And then you've got on week 13, December 6th versus Buffalo at home, a 425 game.
12:17Week 14 versus Minnesota at 8.15.
12:20And then December 21st at Kansas City.
12:23That's an 8.15 Monday night football game.
12:26That one I've heard conflicting because it wasn't there.
12:29It was one report that had two Thursday night games, and that was the Jets week.
12:32But you're right.
12:33I have seen Chiefs there on Monday night for week 15 as well.
12:36Yeah, the two Thursday night games I'm seeing is versus Minnesota in week 14 and at Chicago.
12:41Okay.
12:42And week 7.
12:43And then you've got week 16 at the New York Jets at 1 p.m.
12:47Okay.
12:48This is interesting.
12:49If I was a player, this is, once again, I want to get in your head, Ted.
12:52The one thing I'd be the most interested in is where's my bye week?
12:56Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:57Well, won't they give that after the Munich trip?
12:59That's pretty safe to say.
13:00That's pretty standard.
13:01Is it always after international travel now?
13:03I think they try.
13:04I think they try to do that.
13:05That would be week 11, November 22nd.
13:07Week 11 is probably a good place.
13:08Perfect.
13:08Yeah, right.
13:09Perfect.
13:10Right smack dab.
13:11And maybe I'm wrong about this, Ted, but I always kind of figured that players would
13:15like a later bye week more than an earlier one.
13:18Without question.
13:20Okay.
13:20Something at least after week 8.
13:21You just, you know, week 8 is a good time.
13:24But, you know, week 10, week 11 is kind of like, you don't want it, you know, you don't
13:28want it too far at the end.
13:29And I think, golly, I think I had a bye week one time, like two weeks with two weeks left
13:33in the season.
13:34So, which felt kind of a waste at that point.
13:37But yeah, week 10, 11, that's the sweet spot.
13:39Anywhere between week 8 and week 11.
13:42Okay.
13:42It is a shame you don't get Mahomes earlier.
13:44He's coming off the injury.
13:46There is some debate as to whether he would play early in the season, maybe miss a few
13:49weeks.
13:50But if you're going to get him that late, week 15, he should be ready, rocking and rolling.
13:53Although Ted doesn't respect him.
13:54Well, he's on the downside, you know, so you get him, you know, downside of the season,
13:58downside of career, you get him at a good time.
14:00Okay.
14:00Can he be, I mean, obviously when he was healthy past season, but like, is he going to be worse
14:04than that?
14:06I don't think he'll be worse than that.
14:07I don't think so either.
14:08I think he'll be, he won't be Patrick Mahomes, but he won't be worse than him last season.
14:11And the biggest, the biggest reason I say that is because he's getting his old offensive
14:16coordinator back.
14:16Eric Biennemi has returned.
14:18You love Eric Biennemi.
14:19Well, I mean, he's a Colorado buff, baby.
14:21Of course.
14:21That's my boy.
14:21I mean, that's EB was helped my school win a national championship, but he's, but if
14:27you look at the stats with Eric Biennemi as the offensive coordinator off the charts, insane
14:32without Eric Biennemi, a different offense.
14:36So he, I know a lot of that has to do with, you know, the cheetah was there too.
14:42While, while Eric Biennemi was there, but Eric is in, in Mahomes have a great relationship.
14:46And they got in the Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker, the third, if you think that matters.
14:49So they're going to bring, dude, I think it hugely matters.
14:52Yeah.
14:52Give, so you got, you got, Mahomes has got a great defense.
14:55Give him a running game and that makes his passing game and what he can do outside of
14:59the pocket, even more deadlier.
15:01They need to get that running game going.
15:03If the Kansas city ever committed to the run.
15:05Oh my God.
15:06They'd be so hard to stop.
15:07All right.
15:08Where is Mahomes in your ranking of quarterbacks this season?
15:1132nd.
15:12Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
15:13This season.
15:14Yeah.
15:14This season.
15:15Oh, he's probably, he's my top, top five, seven, you know, top five.
15:19Okay.
15:19Is he five or seven?
15:20Oh, he's probably like five.
15:22Okay.
15:22All right.
15:22Top five is not, I mean, that's pretty good.
15:27I mean, he was considered the best without quite him and him and Josh Allen.
15:30Right.
15:31One, two.
15:31So, I mean, going down to five is again, he's on hold 11, 12 right now.
15:35And where would you put Drake?
15:37Oh, Drake's like three.
15:38Okay.
15:39Yeah.
15:39I think that's fair.
15:40Yeah.
15:40Who do you got?
15:40Who do you got Burrow at two?
15:41I got Burrow and I got Allen.
15:43Okay.
15:43All right.
15:43So, Allen one, Burrow two, and then Drake.
15:46And then Drake.
15:47All right.
15:47Not Lamar, not Stafford.
15:49No, no, no.
15:50Lamar's going to be interesting this year.
15:52Yeah.
15:52Like, I don't think there's a team that I'm more interested to see how they pull this off.
15:55I love Lamar.
15:56You just got to stay in the pocket, my man.
15:59Stay in the pocket.
16:00But think about that.
16:01People say the schedule's tough.
16:02You don't play Burrow.
16:03You don't play Lamar.
16:04You don't play Stafford.
16:05So, yes, you get Allen twice.
16:07Yes, you get Mahomes.
16:08But the rest of you, those top quarterbacks, you get a big drop off.
16:11I know you get Herbert and you get Aaron Rodgers.
16:13You get some tough ones.
16:14But you're missing a couple of the big ones there.
16:16I don't think the schedule's as bad as people are saying.
16:19Oh, compared to, I just, you compare it to last year.
16:21Vegas has a new coach.
16:22Pittsburgh's got a new coach.
16:24You're getting those teams at home.
16:25You get Jordan Love.
16:26Minnesota has a cubic battle going on.
16:28So, Kyler Murray, J.G. McCarthy, I like that game.
16:31That's right.
16:32Kyler Murray's going there.
16:33Wow, that's going to be interesting.
16:34It's just night and day difference.
16:36I mean, the quarterbacks they're playing, the quality quarterbacks they're playing compared
16:39to last year is very, very different.
16:40But your roster's much better if you get A.J. Brown, right?
16:43I mean, it's significantly better.
16:44Correct, correct.
16:45But don't forget one other piece we overlooked, like part of the success last year, was the
16:50Patriots, far and away, were the healthiest team in the regular season.
16:54They hardly had anybody get injured all last season.
16:58So, you can't...
16:59It had Drake's shoulder cost in the Super Bowl.
17:01Well, yeah, yeah.
17:02I mean, yeah, yeah.
17:04I don't think it held.
17:05I mean, that was more of an issue that people were letting on.
17:07But look, you're right.
17:08At the end, they got screwed with injuries.
17:10But for the most part, the regular season, they were pretty much, they skated pretty free
17:16from the injury standpoint.
17:17Well, there is somebody who does not agree with you, Ted, when it comes to the ranking of
17:21quarterbacks, especially when it comes to Drake May.
17:23Hey, here's Colin Cowherd giving his ranking of this year's quarterbacks.
17:27So, here's how I would rate, currently, the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL.
17:32Number one is Josh Allen.
17:34Patrick Mahomes would be number two, despite his injury.
17:37Number three, Caleb Williams.
17:39Number four, again, not great in the playoffs, Justin Herbert.
17:42Oh, God.
17:42Number five, Matt Stafford.
17:44Number six, and I think he's honestly, on any given Sunday, the best player in the league,
17:48Joe Burrell.
17:48Number seven, Lamar Jackson.
17:50Number eight, Drake May.
17:51Number nine, the most disrespected player in the league, Jared Goff.
17:55And number 10, 35-10 in his last 45 starts, Sam Darnold.
18:00Did he have Drake at, was it eight?
18:01Eight.
18:02Eight.
18:03Dude, you know what?
18:05When Ted starts, dude, it's not good.
18:07The playoffs were not good.
18:09The playoffs were not good.
18:10But, dude, they played in, like, rainstorms.
18:12And it was, the weather was a factor in two of the four games.
18:15What is the love for Herbert?
18:17I don't get it.
18:17I don't get it, man.
18:18He's so bad in the postseason.
18:20But in his early days, there were moments where, like, oh, my God, the cannon on this
18:24kid.
18:24Yeah.
18:24Right.
18:24And then you just see him choke after choke after choke.
18:28It just doesn't, just not show up for games.
18:30Like, just be completely missing.
18:31And I don't know why people still hold him in that esteem.
18:34I mean, because, I mean, the standard he's got, it's like they give him a free pass.
18:37It's weird.
18:38And it cost Drake an MVP.
18:39That guy from Pro Football Focus put Herbert in his top five.
18:42I think number one.
18:42That's a joke.
18:43And it cost Drake an MVP award.
18:45It's unreal.
18:46Do you, when you think of Justin Herbert, do you think of him as a mobile quarterback?
18:51No.
18:52I mean, slightly.
18:52Yeah.
18:53Slightly.
18:54He's, okay.
18:55So the point I'm making is, it's not clear, but he became a, he was running more than he
19:01ever ran last year.
19:02I think he had like four or 500 yards rushing.
19:04It's like, dude, you are not a mobile quarterback.
19:07Like, and so I just think, I see panic.
19:10I see stress.
19:11I don't see a guy that gets the ball out on time.
19:13I see a guy that feels like he doesn't trust his arms.
19:16So he's got to use his legs.
19:17I just don't think he's that good of a quarterback.
Comments