00:00Ted, you had an interesting point when it came to this Patriots team.
00:04I think this was brought up.
00:05God, it's a hot take.
00:06I know.
00:08It's getting hot on the left side over here.
00:11Because I think the way this was brought up was the other day we were talking about how,
00:15for some reason, for a team that just made the Super Bowl,
00:18there seems to be a lot of flack that the Patriots, not flack,
00:21there's a lot of slack, rather, that the Patriots are being given this year
00:24as far as expectations are concerned.
00:26Many people are saying, you know, nine and a half wins is what the—
00:30Many people are saying.
00:31Well, yes, many people are saying that this is a team that could potentially not make the playoffs.
00:37And if they made the playoffs, that's probably, you know, what's to be expected with this schedule.
00:43And my whole thing is, all right, if they had a great offseason
00:46and they were in the Super Bowl, the expectations should be higher for this team.
00:50And that got Ted thinking.
00:53Ted is of the—and Ted, I don't want to put words in your mouth, so stop me here,
00:57if I'm incorrectly saying what you're saying.
00:59But you believe that this is a team that is on the fringe of the playoffs, right, right now?
01:03Yeah, fringy. Fringy with this schedule.
01:05Okay.
01:05And the layout of the schedule.
01:07So it's not only the teams are playing, but it's when they're playing them in the season.
01:11Yeah.
01:11It makes me think it's going to be a much more difficult task.
01:15One quick note on that, Curtis had this lead this morning.
01:18Volan, I guess, had pointed out that the Patriots play no teams coming off a bye week, which is rare.
01:23There's only four teams in the NFL that have that, so that's good.
01:26By history, teams coming off a bye week have 20% greater chance to win,
01:30so you don't get anybody coming off a super long break.
01:33So that's—
01:33Oh, well, now that you say that, let me rethink my—
01:35Give me two more wins.
01:38That's good.
01:39Come on.
01:39No, that is good.
01:41I got another—I could come back at you with something.
01:44No, no, go ahead.
01:45Go ahead.
01:45Go ahead.
01:45Okay.
01:46All right.
01:46Go ahead, Rich.
01:47Advantage player.
01:47But that got Ted to take a look at it, because it seemed kind of strange when you look at
01:52this team
01:52and you think, nine and a half wins, how can that be for a team that just made the Super
01:56Bowl?
01:57And that got Ted looking at the actual roster and saying, all right,
02:02how good is this roster outside the quarterback, outside Christian Gonzalez?
02:07And your assessment was essentially what, Ted?
02:10That this roster overall is an average roster.
02:16You take the quarterback.
02:18You take Christian Gonzalez.
02:21You take, you know, maybe the tight ends.
02:25And then Milton Williams, who are above—clearly above average.
02:31Which, even with the rest of the starters, I think it equates to, at the end of the day, an
02:37average roster.
02:38And it sounds bad when I say it, but it's a much improved roster when you consider where they were
02:45a year ago at this time,
02:46which was some people considered it maybe the third, fourth, fifth worst roster in the NFL.
02:52So it's a massive improvement just to say that they're an average roster.
02:56Yep, and that's a great point.
02:58And also, you know, there have been teams that have had an average roster but had their specialty positions,
03:02like quarterback and receiver and corner, be excellent, and they've gone on to win.
03:06So, I mean, or they've at least gotten close to winning.
03:09They've been successful.
03:11So, Ken, however, is over here saying that he believes that—what were you telling us?
03:15Well, outside of Drake May, who we all agree is above average, probably elite,
03:20I think I counted 16 above average players, which I think is the Patriots' strength.
03:24This is why they made a Super Bowl last year.
03:26They don't have, like, star power everywhere, but they're pretty good in a lot of places.
03:29It wasn't because they had its softest poo schedule?
03:32No.
03:32Because they beat the best three defenses in the AFC on the way to the Super Bowl.
03:35With terrible quarterbacks in those games.
03:36But, yeah, okay.
03:37Yeah, keep going.
03:38Okay.
03:38So, I have eight on offense and eight on defense.
03:41You have 16 players that—
03:42I have 16 starters that I would call above average.
03:44They are above average.
03:45Okay, let's start on D.
03:46Now, you just said Milt and Gonzo.
03:48Check, check.
03:49Yeah.
03:49So, that's two.
03:49Yeah, above—well, definitely above average.
03:51Okay.
03:51Now, they just signed Draymond Jones to a $40 million contract.
03:55He had seven and a half sacks last year.
03:58That's an above average pass rusher, right?
03:59I mean, otherwise, you wouldn't pay him $40 million.
04:02Oof.
04:02That's more projections.
04:03I think he's—I think he's a tad below average.
04:07I'll just say that.
04:08Below average?
04:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:09Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:09Don't give me that one.
04:10Okay.
04:11On the D line, you're kind of down on Barmore.
04:14I am.
04:14But Durden was really good.
04:16That's why they let Tonga go.
04:17So, I'm Durden above average.
04:18Tonga was their number one rush defensive lineman last year.
04:22Yeah, so he's got big shoes to fill.
04:23I would say he's below average, yeah.
04:26Below average?
04:27Yep.
04:28Okay.
04:29Linebacker—
04:29So, you're not even going average, Ted.
04:30His takes them above average.
04:32You're like, no, below average.
04:33What about your man, Robert Splane?
04:35He's a tick above average.
04:37Okay.
04:37Check mark.
04:38Bayard, who they signed?
04:40That he is definitely a tick above average.
04:43Above average.
04:43Carlton Davis, spent a lot of money on him.
04:46Average.
04:47Average.
04:48I mean, like, he's—so if there's, I don't know, 30 corners in the NFL, or, you know,
04:5334, he's right in the middle.
04:55Right in the middle.
04:55Okay, that's good.
04:56That's good.
04:56Now, how about—would you give me Marcus Jones as a nickel corner?
04:59Just nickel corners, above average nickel corner.
05:01I would say he's right above average.
05:03He's about average.
05:04Did you see Drake London in the Atlanta game, how they did against him?
05:08Okay, so you only gave me four.
05:10Yeah, but he also did negative on two of them.
05:12So, you're only at plus two right now.
05:14We're doing golf rules.
05:15All right, let's go over to the offensive side.
05:16You gave me Hunter Henry, so that's one.
05:18Yep, he's above average.
05:19Dobbs, who they just signed?
05:20He is an average player, yep.
05:23Average?
05:23Yeah.
05:24Yeah.
05:25Yeah.
05:25Okay.
05:25He was—well, okay.
05:26PFF had him 27th.
05:27That's probably his average.
05:29A.J. Brown, if they sign him—
05:31That's very average.
05:31Well above.
05:32Yeah, elite.
05:33Okay, Ramondre.
05:35Ramondre, I put—I think he's an above average player, but the results did not dictate that.
05:42I mean, he's kind of an average result guy.
05:45You also have to consider he's a running back, and you've got another year under his belt.
05:49That doesn't matter.
05:50I won.
05:50He gave you that one.
05:52On when you?
05:53I would say he is a tick above average.
05:57Okay.
05:57Morgan Moses.
05:58He is a tick above average.
06:01Collecting him here.
06:02And then my last two are just Mack Hollins and Pop.
06:05Yeah.
06:06Now, Pop's a slot guy, so you'd have to put those both guys in there.
06:09So maybe I don't get those.
06:10And unfortunately, both are below average.
06:12So you gave me six, I believe, on offense and four on defense.
06:16So they have ten.
06:16Outside of Drake May, you have ten above average starters.
06:19Yeah.
06:20Ticks above.
06:20Yep.
06:21Okay.
06:21So Ted's a little more—he's a little more stingy than I expected.
06:25Okay.
06:25That seems like a good team to me.
06:26I mean—
06:27Although, once you've kind of talked this through, Ted, do you feel a little bit better about the roster?
06:31Because it sounds like you're giving them a little more credit than you were before.
06:35You know, I guess—I don't—you didn't mention left tackle and left guard.
06:39No, I left that.
06:40Oh, okay.
06:40I think that's pretty obvious.
06:41I'm not above average.
06:42Well, it counts in our argument.
06:44You know, I just think—I think it's—I think the quarterback, the cornerback, and the wide receiver, A.J. Brown, if
06:52he comes, is going to make it a better, much better roster.
06:55But I just think the roster as a whole, a lot of these guys are just kind of—I mean, Spolane
07:01is a good linebacker, but he's not a great linebacker.
07:04You know, Morgan Mose is a good right tackle, but he's not a great right tackle.
07:07So, just compared to where the roster was this time last year to where it is now, it's a much
07:13improved roster.
07:14To say it's average, you—I mean, if they have a above average, well above average roster and an elite quarterback,
07:22then you should be, you know, playing for Super Bowls every single year.
07:26And a coach.
07:26They're not there.
07:27And a coach, yeah.
07:27Which matters, right, in this league.
07:28I just think the roster is a much improved roster from last year, so it sounds like I'm downgrading them
07:33for having an average—that's a massive improvement.
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