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Coming off an unexpected Super Bowl and an eventful offseason, the Patriots kick off training camp this Saturday in Foxboro. Rich and Ted discuss what to expect during camp and their outlook for the season.
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00:00But you know what makes it even better when you find out you've got a man by the name of
00:04Drake May about to take things over in this town.
00:07There is a poll after poll after poll that shows that America's sport is indeed the NFL.
00:12The ratings obviously through the roof.
00:14And this year, the very first game of the season, you are going to once again have, man, it is
00:20going to be such a strange moment when you finally,
00:23after all the talk of Mike Vrabel, Diana Rossini, A.J. Brown is Drake May disrespected.
00:30It doesn't matter.
00:31They actually get on the field and you get to see just how good this team is against the defending
00:36champions.
00:38And Ted, I want to play this for you first just to kind of whet your appetite to get you
00:43ready for your take on what you think this season is going to be like
00:47and how you think people should or what you should look for here in the preseason.
00:52This is a rare person on ESPN actually going to bat for Drake May, but some of the people on
01:00there don't like it at all.
01:02Let's let it roll there, Stiz.
01:03Give me the quarterbacks you think are better.
01:05Okay, so if we're coming into 2026, the quarterbacks that I have ahead of Joe Burrell, well, my top five
01:11quarterbacks, let me say it differently.
01:12Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford, and Drake May.
01:17Drake May.
01:17You think Drake May is better than Joe Burrell?
01:19You are on drugs.
01:22You got Drake May up there.
01:25You are something wrong with you.
01:26You got to be kidding me.
01:28You should get drug tested right now.
01:31This should be HR with some kind of bottle or blood test or something to test you.
01:37Drake May ahead of Joe Burrell right now?
01:41Just because of last season?
01:43Oh, there's something wrong with you.
01:45Well, Drake May has only been in the league two years.
01:47He's only been in the NFL two years.
01:49And first of all, here's the other thing.
01:50I'm just saying.
01:51I'm just saying he's still on the list.
01:53Stephen A.
01:53Stephen A.
01:54Oh, my God.
01:55Drake May and Joe Burrell both have gone to Super Bowls and lost.
01:58Drake May was second in MVP voting and got an all-pro second team.
02:04Joe Burrell has never made an all-pro team.
02:06Never.
02:06We argued it was the easiest path to the Super Bowl we had ever seen.
02:10Okay, he still had to get there, Shane.
02:12He still had to win the game.
02:13And what happened when he got there?
02:15What happened when he got there?
02:17I'm a bottom feeder.
02:21Was that last part edited?
02:23No.
02:24That was him saying that, huh?
02:25He actually said, I'm a bottom feeder.
02:27Well, he can't.
02:27Then he said, I love asses.
02:29No, he cannot.
02:30But, Ted, Chris Canty is speaking a little sense there, huh?
02:33Dude, Chris Canty, my man.
02:35You know what?
02:36That is a guy that knows football.
02:38You know, if you just watch the playoffs, okay, you're going to look at Drake May and you're going to
02:43go, what's so special?
02:45But if you watched him for the entire regular season, the 17 games, you know, and even the playoffs, he
02:52outplayed up until the Super Bowl.
02:54He outplayed the quarterbacks he was going against.
02:56And people just always refused and glossed over the fact that the conditions during those playoff games were some of
03:04the toughest conditions you could play in.
03:06I mean, against some of the toughest defense.
03:08So, having said that, Chris Canty, one of my favorite new guys on TV because he knows what he's talking
03:15about.
03:16And it's true.
03:17Can you believe, let's see, Joe Burrow, one, two, three, four, five, six years in the league, never has made
03:23an all-pro team?
03:24That's shocking.
03:25Like, when he said that, I didn't realize that.
03:27That's a shock.
03:28Three pole rolls.
03:29Okay, but you would think as much as people type up Joe Burrow, he's had the best wide receiver combo
03:38for the last five years.
03:40They haven't even made the playoffs in the last three years.
03:42I know they have a terrible defense, but still, if he's supposed to be so great, you overcome that.
03:48And he hasn't.
03:50So, I think Chris Canty is right in saying what he did.
03:54I mean, I think I'm a big fan of Drake, as you know.
03:57And if you watch Drake in the regular season, when he wasn't on prime time, he was making some throws
04:03that were special throws, okay?
04:04That you would say, oh, Joe Burrow can make the – Joe Burrow is a pocket passer.
04:08He's a brilliant pocket passer.
04:10There's a more dynamic piece to Drake May.
04:12It's not the craziest thing to say that Drake May is a better quarterback than Joe Burrow.
04:17So, I've seen Burrow ranked as high as three.
04:19I mean, you know, there's – obviously, you've got – Allen is always first.
04:24But then, like, you'll see Stafford most of the time at two.
04:26But Burrow, man, that guy, he might get the most unearned credit of any player in the NFL right now.
04:34I agree.
04:34And, you know, because he had a great career at LSU.
04:38He came in – you know, he was – it was a phenomenal, you know, last year at LSU.
04:42And then he comes in and he gets – he goes to the Super Bowl in his second year, second
04:47or third year.
04:48And, you know, he is brilliant.
04:50But, I mean, so I think Drake May is too.
04:54I really do.
04:55So – and I just – I think he's a little bit overhyped, Joe Burrow.
04:58I do.
04:58All right.
04:59So, what is the number one question for you going into this season?
05:02When you – you know, when camp starts and you're looking for something, what are you looking for?
05:07You know, it's not going to be sexy.
05:08I mean, the sexy stuff is A.J. Brown and what does Drake May look like?
05:13To me, it's what does the defense look like?
05:15I'm worried about the defense.
05:16I have more concerns on that side of the ball.
05:18I think the offense is going to take care of itself.
05:20I do like, you know, kind of the additions they made.
05:24You know, the tight end they brought in.
05:26He's – I mean, he's served, but they brought in a fullback who's going to be –
05:29Gilliam is going to be – I know it doesn't sound sexy, but that's a big pickup, having that fullback.
05:35It's going to help improve the run game.
05:37Elijah Vera Tucker playing guard.
05:39I think the offensive line is going to be much improved.
05:42I think guys are slotted.
05:45You know, Wilson – excuse me, Jared Wilson is now going to be a center as opposed to a guard.
05:49That's his natural position.
05:50I think the offensive line is going to be much better.
05:52The run blocking is going to be much better.
05:54That's going to open up things for the pass.
05:56Oh, did I mention they got A.J. Brown who brings it all together.
06:00A.J. Brown, 1,300 yards plus.
06:03Plus, we're talking 12 touchdowns plus to go along with, I think, a solid receiving core.
06:12But he's the straw that stirs the drink, A.J. Brown.
06:16This is a top-five offense, if not top-three offense.
06:20And so I have no concerns about the offense.
06:22It's the defense that I worry about, Rich.
06:24That is where my biggest concern was.
06:26They were last in the league in sacks.
06:28I don't feel like they really have upgraded the edge position much.
06:34I worry about them against the run.
06:36They played – last year they played a lot of just lousy offenses.
06:41They played a lot of good defenses, a lot of lousy offenses.
06:44So the defense, I think, was shown to be better than it really was.
06:48So I do worry about the depth at linebacker, the edge rushers.
06:53And then obviously on defense, what's Christian Gonzalez going to do?
06:56How does that look?
06:57Is he doing a hold-in?
06:59Are the Patriots willing to pony up?
07:02How do they settle that contract this summer?
07:06What does that look like?
07:07Is Christian Gonzalez – is he willing to play without a new contract?
07:12And if he's not, what does that look like?
07:14Can I tell you what I'm not worried about?
07:16What's that?
07:17Mike Vrabel.
07:18No, me either.
07:19I have no worries about him.
07:21I don't think that any of the Diana Rossini thing is going to affect him in any way.
07:25If anything, I believe it has forced Robert Kraft to come out and confirm that Mike Vrabel is not only
07:34his guy,
07:35but he's his guy for a long time.
07:36He said that over there on First Take the other day when he was asked.
07:40I like how Stephen A. Smith, after he was done talking about asses, said, you know,
07:44you are the owner of the team.
07:45You actually get to make the decision here.
07:47And he's like, absolutely.
07:48I think he actually went, oh, that's right.
07:50I believe, actually, Robert Kraft said, sweetheart.
07:52He did.
07:53He gave him a sweetheart.
07:54I know, sweetheart.
07:55I know.
07:56I'm with you.
07:57Rich, what is the story about Mike?
07:58I mean, can me?
07:59Yeah.
08:00How's he responded to what I thought was kind of a bludgeoning and just, you know,
08:05it's a highly embarrassing story that never went away.
08:09And Mike, I mean, he's still standing tall, man.
08:12And Mike's just, he's a tough SOB, and I'm not surprised that he's been able to navigate
08:18this in a way that I really don't think when football starts on Saturday, it's going to
08:23have an impact.
08:24It's not going to register much at all, man.
08:26How the fuck did you get it?
08:28Is there something that, you know, because I'm thinking about quarterbacks who have been
08:32in similar positions as Drake May, but I mean, Drake May, the one benefit that he had is
08:36the expectations have never been massive on him, but now he's a guy who's been to a Super
08:42Bowl, and they just gave him A.J. Brown.
08:44So he's in a different position than he's ever been in before, where, you know, dude,
08:49you just were second in the voting for MVP.
08:52There's a lot of people who are looking at you and saying, this needs to be the year
08:57that you ascend, because that happened with Josh Allen, I believe, in year three, and
09:00it happens with a lot of quarterbacks, especially when you've been given the keys to the kingdom
09:04and they gave you, you know, a great weapon over there on wide receiver with A.J.
09:09Brown.
09:09Do you think that there are certain quarterbacks who mentally that can be a lot for them to
09:15take in, and do you believe that Drake May has the type of makeup where that's not going
09:19to be an issue?
09:19I don't think that's an issue one bit.
09:21I think Drake has kind of been conditioned, his upbringing, you know, with three older brothers.
09:26I just think he's used to pressure.
09:28I think he's used to expectations.
09:30I think he's used to having the spotlight put on him and having to deliver.
09:34You know, his dad was a quarterback back in the day, at least in college.
09:37I just think that he's very comfortable with that pressure, and so, you know, I'm not worried
09:45about that.
09:46I mean, I don't feel like there's a ton of pressure on him.
09:49I don't, because I just think he's going to have a lot of help.
09:52He's second year in the system with Josh McDaniels for the first time, even if it's going all
09:57the way back to his college career and his pro career, to ever have the same offensive
10:01coordinator two years in a row, and it's not just any offensive coordinator.
10:04It's Josh McDaniels who, when you're in his system longer, the more you're in it, the
10:09more kind of advanced you get as far as reading defenses.
10:14He's going to know where to go with the football before the ball is snapped, which is the key
10:19to what made Tom Brady great, which is scary to think about because of how athletic and
10:26talented Drake May is, just skill-wise.
10:29And I just, I don't sense that there's a ton of pressure on him.
10:32I mean, he's still making rookie money.
10:34Even though they got to the Super Bowl, a lot of people are going to say, no one's expecting
10:39them to have 14 wins this year and do the same thing they did last year.
10:43So I think there's a little bit of pressure taken off in that regard.
10:46And he's got a lot of help, and he's got two really good running backs.
10:50If the offensive line plays up to what we think they can do, it'll be fine.
10:53And they got a great, a receiving core that was rated at the bottom third of the league
10:58last year that is maybe top third now.
11:01And so he's got all the help he needs, and it should be easier sledding for him this year
11:08than it was last year.
11:09Teddy, I agree with you.
11:10I think he proved a lot last year.
11:12So I don't think he has as much to prove this year.
11:14I think he did it last year.
11:15But speaking of the pressure, you talk about the pressure and how he's used to it.
11:19But why did he crumble in the Super Bowl like that when the light was the brightest?
11:24You know what?
11:24I think that was, I think the injury, the shoulder was a big part of it, bud.
11:28I really do.
11:29I think that was a big part of it.
11:31And I think they just ran out of steam.
11:33I mean, think about it.
11:34You know, the season before he played 10 games.
11:37Exactly, yeah.
11:37He played, what, 23 games?
11:39Well, and remember there was that famous thing when he was on the sideline with Josh,
11:43Josh, and he had it, and he goes, this is hard.
11:44This is hard.
11:46That was a long season.
11:47And I just think he just ran out of steam.
11:49It was a lot on his plate.
11:51And we consider what he had to work with as far as offensive line.
11:56And you're sitting there terrified.
11:58I mean, Seattle has one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL, Stiz.
12:02And you've got a Will Campbell who's, honestly, he was like a pig on ice out there on the left
12:07side.
12:08So, he's worrying about that.
12:10The season, playing 23 games, considering he only played 10 the year before.
12:14That is a massive, massive amount of work and workload put on the kid.
12:18And I think he just ran out of steam, man.
12:21It's going to be nice.
12:21I just can't believe it's almost here.
12:23It's funny.
12:23I know.
12:24I had forgotten when it starts.
12:25And then, you know, Mike sent us that video that, you know, about the camp starting and the WEI is
12:31all over.
12:32And I'm like, oh, yeah.
12:33Hell, yeah, baby.
12:34Here we go.
12:35It was so hype this time last year just because it was all new and fresh.
12:38And I think it will get there again.
12:40I think the Red Sox are taking some of that in the World Cup.
12:43But once camp breaks on Saturday, it's going to be, I mean, all attention to the Patriots, man.
12:50Yeah, well, I think this is the reason it's a little bit different is it feels more like there's, like,
12:53a lot of questions.
12:54Like, instead of it being like, here we go, can't wait to see the team, it's the Christian Gonzalez thing.
13:00It's the whole Diana Rossini thing, which has been strange.
13:02You know, Will Campbell, the whole that position, how's that going to work out?
13:06To me, it's how are they going to bounce back after being embarrassed as bad as they were in the
13:11Super Bowl?
13:11You know what I mean?
13:12It's like it's more questions than it is.
13:14Here we go, guys.
13:16Can't wait to see what Drake May does this year.
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