- 17 minutes ago
Joe DiBiase is joined by Justin Turpin, host and digital content producer at WEEI in Boston to discuss the Patriots' struggles ahead of their matchup with the Bills in week 4. The guys start off by discussing the apparent rift between QB Drake Maye and HC Mike Vrabel, and Turpin explains why he doesn’t totally buy the shoulder injury story from Drake Maye. The guys also discuss the issues with the roster as a whole and how big a game this is for them.
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00:00He heard from who?
00:02That's one of my favorites.
00:05Unnamed sources?
00:06Yep, unnamed sources.
00:08Okay, let me just tell you why I'm here.
00:10I'm here because Drake was the quarterback.
00:12Believe it or not, I had choices to where I wanted to coach.
00:14I wanted to coach here because Drake was the quarterback.
00:17So, you know, I don't have really much other to add to that about, you know,
00:24a comment from an unnamed source.
00:28Things are not going well in New England.
00:30Jeremy and Joe, everybody, good morning.
00:31Justin Turpin joins us.
00:33He covers Boston sports for WEEI.
00:36We had him on a couple weeks ago to talk about the Patriots ahead of the season.
00:39Justin, good morning.
00:41How ugly is it right now in New England?
00:43It's only three games, but things look pretty rough.
00:47It's not exactly where you'd want to be on October 1st.
00:50I'll tell you that much for sure.
00:51And I don't know, you know, the report about the rift there.
00:54I'm not doubting where that person got their information,
00:56but it doesn't seem like it's accurate when you hear what Mike Vrabel had to say
01:00about Drake May and what Drake May has to say about Mike Vrabel.
01:03But you're sitting here going into week four against the Bills,
01:07who have obviously been playing really well this year,
01:09except for the first half of last week.
01:11And you're talking about your quarterback single-handedly losing you two games,
01:15which is not something you'd think you'd be saying going into the season.
01:19Yeah, could it be possible the riff is, like, not even, like, about, you know,
01:23the two individuals, but about, like, a specific thing?
01:26Because what I've noticed is it feels like Vrabel and May,
01:31when they're asked about the shoulder thing, are giving off very different tones.
01:34So I don't know if maybe that could be the source of it.
01:37But also, do you agree with that, that Vrabel feels very dismissive about it
01:41and May is more wishy-washy?
01:44I do agree with that.
01:45And I think Drake May's comments on it yesterday were pretty interesting as well,
01:48because he was asked point-blank whether or not it was hindering his ability
01:51to throw the football, and he said, no, it's not.
01:53It's more a decision-making thing.
01:55And that's the way I look at it.
01:56To me, it seems like it is a problem with this decision-making.
02:00And I think the interception that he threw in the red zone on Sunday
02:03against the Jaguars when he's throwing an Efton Chisholm,
02:05who he couldn't even see.
02:06He's covered up by Travis Hunter, who turns around and makes the interception.
02:10That's a bad interception.
02:11That's a bad decision.
02:12I don't think that was hindered by his ability to throw the football
02:15because of the shoulder.
02:16And I think even going back to week one against Seattle,
02:18when they have a chance to tie the game,
02:20instead he tries to make a throw in the end zone, gets intercepted,
02:24and they end up taking the ball off, and they lose the game.
02:26So I think it is more of a decision-making thing
02:29rather than a physical limitation with the shoulder.
02:31But it is interesting that they keep bringing it up.
02:33He did pop up at the injury report yesterday as a full participant.
02:36Maybe that's because they brought it up and it's been a talking point
02:39and kind of have to address it.
02:41But I don't know.
02:42I don't really buy this whole shoulder thing.
02:45How much heat for Josh McDaniels in all this?
02:48A lot.
02:49When you score two offensive touchdowns through three games,
02:52it's very much warranted.
02:53A lot of people are going to look at the quarterback, and rightfully so.
02:56Going into the year, you're talking about a guy who was the runner-up for MVP last year.
03:01No matter what you want to say about the schedule,
03:03he looked like one of those elite quarterbacks.
03:05He was kind of ascending towards that level,
03:07and obviously it was a different story in the postseason.
03:09You were kind of hoping that was with the health or whatever it may have been,
03:14with all the mitigating circumstances in the postseason.
03:16But you're coming into now going into October
03:19and talking about a guy who leads the league in interceptions,
03:22has another fumbled loss,
03:24and the offense just doesn't look like it's clicking.
03:26And I think a lot of that is on Drake May.
03:28Josh McDaniels is getting his blame, rightfully so.
03:32But when you're looking around,
03:33the A.J. Brown injury is a key part of this as well.
03:36Matt Collins, you guys know Matt Collins.
03:38Good player, does a lot of things well, versatile player.
03:41But if he's your best receiver on the roster, you have a problem.
03:44And that's where they're at right now,
03:45with Matt Collins being their only go-to guy.
03:48The tight ends really haven't been there.
03:49Eli Redden's been good, but didn't play last week.
03:52So there's a lot that goes on.
03:54The run game as well.
03:55The run game hasn't gotten anything going.
03:57And they had a couple of explosive plays in Week 2
03:59against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
04:00But other than that, it's been kind of non-existent.
04:04And that would go a long way in helping a young quarterback
04:06figure it out if the pieces around him can help elevate him.
04:09And they haven't been able to do that.
04:11Yeah.
04:11And how much, I guess, to that point,
04:13the A.J. Brown injury happening so early on.
04:16Because now you look back at what they had last year
04:19when they played the Bills.
04:20And watching that game back,
04:21what Diggs did here in Buffalo,
04:23what Booty was able to do in some of those games.
04:26And they're obviously gone.
04:28But with Brown out,
04:30it just feels like everybody might be one notch ahead
04:32of where they really should be on the depth chart.
04:35Oh, for sure.
04:35And you're seeing how important A.J. Brown was
04:38even in the first half that he played.
04:40He only had three catches,
04:41but two of them came on third down.
04:42Like, those gotta-have-it-downs,
04:44Drake May was looking towards A.J. Brown.
04:46And now, like you said,
04:47you're kind of putting guys up a step
04:49where maybe they weren't ready for.
04:51Like, Romeo Dobbs, right now,
04:53you're kind of looking at him and it's like,
04:54well, you paid him all this money for what?
04:56Like, there really isn't much there.
04:57He's not getting open.
04:58There's no chemistry with Drake May.
04:59And I think that's the kind of-
05:01It's a cautionary tale, I guess,
05:03for when you're evaluating preseason and training camp.
05:06I know the starters didn't play in the preseason,
05:08but when you're looking at training camp,
05:09I think we see the connection of Drake May
05:11and Romeo Dobbs kind of taking off.
05:13And you're like, whoa, you know,
05:14they might have 2,000-yard receivers.
05:16Look what A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs are doing.
05:18And obviously, that hasn't been the case yet.
05:19So, I think it's all just an offense
05:21that's still figuring itself out,
05:23finding its identity.
05:24A lot of people talk around here
05:25is it has to do with not playing
05:27the starters in the preseason,
05:29which I don't necessarily subscribe to
05:30because the teams that they played
05:32didn't play their starters either.
05:33So, I'm not sure how 10 to 12 plays
05:36against the Colts or the Eagles backups
05:38would have really helped them gel
05:39all that much more than they would have
05:40in training camp.
05:41So, they're definitely still a work in progress.
05:43And now going into Buffalo
05:44when you really haven't been able
05:46to score points is pretty scary.
05:48Is there any desire to see
05:50Travion Henderson get more involved
05:52in that offense?
05:53Because I would feel like
05:54if my offense looks like it's stuck in the mud
05:57and I'm missing my top playmaker,
05:59I got a back there that has elite speed,
06:02like figuring out ways to get him the football,
06:04I feel like would be an area
06:06that I'd want to be exploring.
06:08He's just so boom or bust.
06:10He's forced one missed tackle this year,
06:12which is kind of hard to believe.
06:13And obviously, he missed week one,
06:14so that is only a two-game sample,
06:16so a smaller sample size.
06:17But Ramondre Stevenson, I think,
06:19is clearly the better back out of the two.
06:21Travion Henderson also struggles
06:22in pass protection,
06:23something that Ramondre Stevenson
06:25is pretty good at.
06:26So, I think there is,
06:27you look at Travion Henderson
06:29and that home run ability
06:30where you saw it in week two
06:31against the Steelers
06:32where he busts that long 39-yard run
06:35for a touchdown.
06:36Like, that kind of stuff he can do,
06:37but it's just not there consistently.
06:40And that could be a drive killer
06:41when you're trying to get him going
06:42and he's just getting swallowed up
06:44right at the line of scrimmage
06:45and gaining a yard or going backwards.
06:47A lot of his plays,
06:48if you look at his touchdowns
06:50that he's scored
06:50and the yards that he has
06:52racked up in the NFL at the NFL level,
06:54a lot of them is coming off
06:55just these long runs.
06:57He had a 70-yard run last year,
06:59had a couple north of 40.
07:01Like, a lot of it is
07:02just on those home runs
07:03that he's been able to get through.
07:05So, I think they need more consistency
07:07from Travion Henderson
07:08before they can really trust him
07:10to take on a bigger role like that.
07:11Justin Turpin, WEEI, on the Patriots.
07:15Is the season on the brink
07:17or do you feel like this might just be,
07:20they're kind of battling without Brown.
07:22Early schedule is difficult.
07:24Is there space to save it
07:27if they do lose to the Bills
07:28and go 1-3 to start?
07:30I think there's certainly space to save it.
07:32I think when you're looking at the schedule
07:34that they played,
07:35it's night and day.
07:36I mean, every time we talk about the Patriots,
07:38the word schedule comes up.
07:39People are probably so sick of hearing that word.
07:41But the first four opponents
07:43are four teams that were in the playoffs last year,
07:45three divisional opponents.
07:46And I know 1-3 is not where you'd want to be
07:49if that is to happen on Sunday,
07:51but especially with the way they've been losing,
07:53when you're talking about the quarterback
07:54being the number one problem.
07:55But the schedule definitely lightens up after this.
07:58You'll have the Jets and the Raiders
07:59or vice versa, the Raiders and the Jets
08:01both at home after the Buffalo game this week.
08:04So I think there is still room to save it.
08:06And they started off slow last year.
08:07They were 1-2 going into week four last year as well.
08:11So this is a place they have been before,
08:13and I think they can turn it around.
08:14But it's not somewhere you want to be,
08:16especially if the quarterback continues to struggle
08:18the way he has.
08:19It's very, very concerning.
08:22Justin Turpin on the Western Hotline.
08:24Justin, thanks very much.
08:25We'll chat again.
08:27Awesome.
08:27Thanks, guys.
08:291-3.
08:29Could they be 1-3?
08:30After that, it is the Raiders, Jets, Bears, Dolphins, Packers.
08:37So some stuff in there.
08:39Their schedule is, I heard Chopin Bulldog on this.
08:42Was it yesterday?
08:43That the differences in the Bills
08:45and the Patriots' schedules have already happened.
08:49So they play from here on out, I believe,
08:51all the same opponents.
08:52Oh, okay.
08:54Right?
08:54Because the Bills didn't play Seattle.
08:55They played the Rams.
08:57They don't play Pittsburgh.
08:58They play Baltimore.
08:59And they don't play Jacksonville
09:01because they played Houston.
09:03I think I have that right?
09:04Yeah, but the Bills haven't played the Rams yet.
09:07Okay, so maybe that's...
09:09Maybe it's on only the Patriots' end?
09:11No, that wouldn't make sense either.
09:12And they play the Steelers and the Bills play Baltimore.
09:14So the Patriots' three are out.
09:16Yeah, that might be what it is.
09:17Yeah, Steelers, Jaguars, Seahawks.
09:20Yeah, okay.
09:21So every team the Patriots play,
09:23the Bills will play from here on out.
09:24Right.
09:25Gotcha.
09:26Get a break in 803-0550.
09:28Aaron Portsline on the Blue Jackets
09:29and shots of audio.
09:30Both of those coming up at 9 o'clock,
09:33including Peek Welly joined News Radio 930 WBEN
09:37this morning to talk about some Sabres things
09:39ahead of the season, including the, I guess,
09:43deletion, the change of the odd club.
09:45We'll get to that in the 9 o'clock hour.
09:46We also should probably put a parlay together
09:48at some point here in the 9 o'clock hour.
09:51For Steelers-Browns and Sabres.
09:55A little extra juice to pay attention to Steelers-Browns
09:57once the Sabres' win is already in the bag.
10:00I like it.
10:00I like it.
10:01We'll do that.
10:02And the Sabres are bringing in food today, too.
10:04So we'll give you a review.
10:06I think it's like 930.
10:07Can't wait.
10:08930.
10:09803-0550 to pop in with us on the Sabres'
10:12start of the season on the Bills and Patriots here on WGR.
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