00:00Let's go to Kevin on line one. Kevin, what is going on, man? How are you doing?
00:04Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my call.
00:05You got it, bud.
00:07So, I don't know the answer to this question. I'm hoping you guys can help me out with it,
00:11because I know you pay more attention to this stuff than I do. I watch the games on Sunday.
00:15Drake didn't play in the preseason at all. There's nothing to be gained there for me,
00:19and I don't really watch the practices. But I'm really concerned about this guy's arm strength.
00:24You know, we were told last year he throws the best deep ball in the league.
00:27We saw it multiple times. He throws the best deep ball in the league.
00:30He did not throw the best deep ball in the league against Seattle.
00:35He had a bunch of underthrown footballs.
00:38Depending on whether or not you believe he was throwing that last ball out of bounds
00:42or just made a horrible decision, if you think he was trying to throw that ball out of bounds,
00:46that is a terribly underthrown ball.
00:48He underthrew the ball to A.J. Brown that, you know, luckily enough,
00:53A.J. Brown is a veteran and he's savvy and he knows how to use defenders' position against them.
00:58But that ball was terribly underthrown.
01:01And if the cornerback had gotten his head around, he would have intercepted the ball very easily.
01:05So, you know, with the shoulder injury at the end of last year,
01:10and we heard a lot of his struggles in the playoffs were attributed to that injury,
01:14whether you believe that or not, that's what a lot of people were pushing.
01:17So, I'm concerned, you guys, watching more of the practice and stuff,
01:21have you seen a lack of arm strength or a diminution in the arm strength?
01:26And my last thing I want to say here, does BB still stand for Bill Belichick
01:30or does it stand for Billy Boobs?
01:33Billy Boobs.
01:33Billy Boobs.
01:34That's where, you know, double B, double D.
01:37B, B, D, D.
01:38I will tell you, I was shocked to see how the ball came out of his hands in that Seattle
01:42game.
01:43Shocked.
01:43He didn't skip and rip.
01:44He didn't get the legs buttered.
01:45He didn't.
01:46No zip, you know?
01:48No zip at all.
01:49Yeah.
01:50Almost is like, you know, when you play golf, you kind of try and steer your driver
01:55as opposed to just swinging.
01:56I feel like he was trying to just steer the ball into the ball that Dobbs dropped.
02:03Yeah.
02:04It's almost like it was a perfect lead thrown ball, but he put a lot of air on it
02:08and he kind of finessed it.
02:09He didn't just rip it.
02:10It's like a knuckleball almost.
02:11He was confused by that helmet.
02:13Do you know what I mean?
02:14Yeah, maybe that's what it was.
02:14But, dude, last year he was airmailing balls.
02:18It was arm strength wasn't an issue last year.
02:20And now the caller's right, man.
02:22He was underthrown a lot of balls.
02:24I don't have any explanation for that because I didn't see any of that when I was training.
02:27Correct me if I'm wrong.
02:28When he came out, his arm was graded good but not elite.
02:31He was obviously elite mobility, but when he was compared to Josh Allen, he didn't have
02:37Josh Allen's arm necessarily.
02:38Good but not 10 out of 10.
02:41Yeah.
02:41I just can't.
02:42I mean, I've seen him the last two years.
02:44He's never had thrown the ball short like he did in the first game.
02:49So, I can't imagine that it's anything that he's dropped off.
02:53I can't imagine that.
02:54He's 24 years old, guys.
02:55Yeah.
02:56I mean, he's only going to get stronger.
02:57I know.
02:58He just didn't have any big-time throws.
02:59You know, Drake's known for that.
03:01His calling card was nowhere to be found.
03:03Because defenses are playing him different.
03:04They know that he wants to throw deep, and so they're playing two and four guys deep,
03:08and they're making him check it down, and that's not what he wants to do.
03:11I mean, that is kind of the curse of becoming a more well-known quarterback.
03:15You know, your rookie year, your second year, it's like you've got the advantage of a little
03:18bit of surprise.
03:19They still don't know who you are.
03:20And I hope that's not the case with Drake.
03:22I've got to give you one quick stat.
03:23So, average yards per throw, right?
03:26So, he averaged 8.9 yards per every pass attempt last regular season.
03:31In the last four preseason games, or postseason games for last year, and then the first one
03:37here, so the last five games, he's averaging 5.7 yards.
03:41So, he's got to, they're taking away the deep ball.
03:44He's throwing three yards less in the last five games than he did all of the last regular
03:48season.
03:48That's a big drop-off.
03:50So, teams are starting to figure him out on the deep ball.
03:52Just watching that Steelers game, they rushed, to your point, a lot of zone, maybe exclusively
03:57zone.
03:57They just rushed four.
03:58But just the watt off the edge, off the right tackle side, he is so quick.
04:02And then Cam Hayward, even though he's old, he and Highsmith just do these games on the
04:07left side.
04:07Yep.
04:08And that's it.
04:08Just four-man rush most of the game.
04:10So, that, you just worry about Drake in the foot.
04:12I guess he's got to run.
04:13Would you expect a big running game from him, like, if there are lanes, escape?
04:17You know, that's his default.
04:20If the ball isn't, if he doesn't like what he sees in the first, you know, two seconds,
04:24then he's taking it and he's running.
04:26And, plus, with that kind of pressure, if they get beat early in the down, and he's flushed
04:31out, he's going to take off.
04:34He's not leaving the pocket to throw.
04:36Patrick Mahomes does that.
04:38Right.
04:38Look at that.
04:38Josh Allen does that.
04:40Drake leaves the pocket, he's gone.
04:42But that's not a bad thing, necessarily.
04:43It's not, but I would rather you not chance getting your head knocked off.
04:49Because he's, you run too many times in the open field, you will get your, I mean, look
04:53at Joe Burrow.
04:53Joe Burrow got lit up in that last week's game.
04:58And I'm telling you, he's going to feel that.
05:00Those shits add up.
05:01Here's why I'm a tiny bit worried, and it's because at the end of last season, I was thinking
05:06to myself, it's physical.
05:07Like, it's physical.
05:08That's the reason he's not performing.
05:10He's not the Drake May that we used to see.
05:11And if you're seeing Seattle, I started to worry.
05:15What if it's mental?
05:17Like, what if it's in his head?
05:18Oh, I think Seattle is a mental hurdle for him.
05:21I feel better about this week.
05:22Dude, I'm starting to think the same thing, is I put in my notes, how does he handle pressure?
05:27I feel like there is pressure right now.
05:29Pressure in, so you go, well, he was running for MVP, but now there's pressure to live up
05:34to the MVP stuff.
05:35So it's a different kind of pressure that I wonder, can he handle?
05:39Well, remember that clip of him and McDaniel saying, it's hard, him on the sideline during
05:42the playoffs last year, so you could see the mental side of it, and that one little clip.
05:46I know.
05:47I mean, he's 24 years old, so it's like, but that's, sorry, kid, that comes with it, man.
05:51And the Steelers sacked him five times last year, so you better.
05:55He's going to have his hands full.
05:56All right, 617-777-979-3937.
05:58We'll be back in two.
05:59By the way, Tommy Curran is going to join us here in about 30 minutes.
06:02We got, listen, everyone's talking about Drake May right now.
06:05And to be quite honest, listening to Mike Vrabel and listening to Josh McDaniels talk
06:10about it, they all know.
06:11They all understand what happened.
06:14They all know that it was on Drake.
06:15No one's making excuses.
06:17And I like that.
06:18At least there's that.
06:19But does it mean anything in the end if it's the same old Drake May in week two?
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