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No matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week, and up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with points, so you can get big flavors and big savings, king's supers, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply. Please to be joined by one of the many excellent writers that cover football, and especially Your New England Patriots at MassLive, you may know him as @bymarkdaniels. Mr. Mark Daniels joins the evening show to talk some New England Patriots football and more. Mark, good evening. How are you? Are you surviving this season and on a scale of one to 10, would you give us your numerical level of frustration with nonstop Patriots talk this season? Oh, man, am I surviving? You know what? I'll be honest. Up to London, Nashville, Chicago, I stayed in Scottsdale during the Phoenix trip. I've been having a good time. Can't say the same about the Patriots. If anything, Drake May has made this season tolerable. Other than that, though, level of frustration actually watching games, it's up there, man. It's probably close to a 10. Yeah, I'd say 10. I'm at that level. I'm like, all right, I'm ready for this season to be over and ready to see a new team play football, for sure. Mark, I'm with you on the frustration level and one of the things that I started out the show feeling anticipating frustration about is this sense that I have that they may be making a move to move on from Alex Van Pelt. And I'm wondering if you are also sensing that if you feel that that is a likely possibility in the off season and how you think the locker room would respond to that given Hunter Henry Antonio Gibson, among other players who have advocated pretty strongly in the last couple of days about how much they like being coached by Van Pelt. Yeah. Yeah, this is really shaping up for Alex Van Pelt to be the scapegoat out of all this. And I would just say it's disappointing. I agree with you. It does appear like that's going to be something that happens, right? Like it would be surprising if the crafts gave up on Drod Mayo this soon since he was a hand-picked successor, the heads have to roll because they have three wins. But how much is point to like look at who he's coaching? I mean, Alex Van Pelt has the worst offensive line in the NFL. It's the worst offensive line I've seen in New England since I've been covering team for 10 years. It's by far one of the worst receiver groups I've covered is like, what are you expecting with this group? I mean, they have two tackles who shouldn't be starting in the NFL. One should maybe be on a practice squad. Like they can't pass block. The receivers can't beat man-to-man coverage and they want to play Alex Van Pelt for it all. You know what I mean? It's just like kind of insane to me. But not only do players like Alex Van Pelt in the locker room, and they'll be upset if that happens when it happens, but Drake May likes Alex Van Pelt. And I think that's the biggest thing he has going for him, is that like he's done a good job developing the rookie quarterback, the future of your franchise. So like the risk you run firing Alex Van Pelt is that, all right, you're going to give Drake May a second OC in his second year, but what happens if things don't improve? Everyone's getting fired next year. So if that happens, then you run the risk of giving him three OCs and we're back to that Mac Jones territory. We're like, great, three different OCs, three different playbooks and three years for rookie quarterbacks. So like I think the Patriots have to think long and hard about what's best for Mac Jones, even if that's running it back with Alex Van Pelt. But I agree with you. Drake May, you just lifted to the Mac Jones. Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, yeah, I got Mac Jones in my brain. But yeah, you know, what's what's best for Drake May? I would argue maybe running it back isn't the worst thing in the world. But yeah, it does sort of seem like heads are going to roll and maybe it's a VP, which I don't think is fair. Yeah, Mark, before the season began, and once again, we're speaking with mass lives, Mark Daniels here with Fitzy and Mego on the WEI evening show when when the season began or before it began. And we heard that candidate 12, AKA Alex Van Pelt was offered the job and took it out of nowhere. The first thing I thought was, well, the guy played the position. He's worked with quarterbacks part of the Stefanski offense, so there's going to be some familiarity with the executives and the coaching staff in New England. Guy's probably going to be great for grooming and developing the quarterback. So if he just does that this season, I don't care how pedestrian at times, how seventh grade dance his his offense looks. So long as Drake May emerges from the season A, healthy, but B, a better quarterback than when the season began and more ready for the pro game, then I'm good with that. And yes, I know there are people that want him to work on his, uh, his depth of drop when he, when he stands in the shotgun or when he steps back and he plays a little too upright at times, but he's, we don't hear about the, the hitch in the throw or the footwork anymore. So that's great. So I feel like he's done his job, whereas I don't like, because that's been, isn't that one of the big talkers, like who else has shown improvement on this team? Well, Drake may has gone. So I think Alex Van Pelt has kind of evolved a little bit, but nobody else has to mark us coming to the defense injuries aside, has regressed massively. Poor Mayo is just a one bad sound bite after a walk back after another. It would just be super unfair to scapegoat him, um, which is why I feel like, tell me if you, if this seems crazy to you, that it's either going to be everybody comes back or it's going to be a total house clean, mostly because of the benefit of what's in the best interest, not just of the team, but also Drake May. Yeah. And like compared even like Alex Van Pelt had to Marcus Covington, the Patriots defense was, you know, 15th in points a lot of last year. They're 26th. I looked it up this evening, 26th in points, you know, scoring defense. It's be worse since 1990 when Rod Rust was the defensive, I mean, the head coach at the doing the Patriots. So like, I would argue, Demark is Covington is more to blame than AVP. But I, yeah, when it comes to the options though, I think there's like three, right? Just keep everyone, run it back, um, go nuclear, fire absolutely everyone, or fire the coordinators, try to redo the coaching staff. But then it's like, if you're a coordinator, why do you come here when you know if it's a bad season, everyone's getting fired? Like it's three options aren't great. I sort of lean towards running back, but there's also a part of me logically. It's like, maybe they should just reset, but I hear what you're saying. Mark, when we get all the sprayable news and Tony Pauline had the report on Monday that rebels most desired destination is the New England Patriots, Patriots, take that as you will, um, when you hear that, does it change your perspective on whether or how willing ownership would be to make a hard pivot away from Mayo? You know, it's, it's interesting to me because like they had the option last year, right? I understand. John Mayo had the succession clause in his contract, but like they did have the microwave option a year ago and they didn't, you know, didn't do anything with that. So would seeing John Mayo slip up behind the podium and, you know, not look great, make them change their mind. If I'm the owner, I say yes, like if I, if I own the Patriots and Mark Daniels is the running the show, yeah, I probably fire everyone and I are Mike Varebel. I mean, I would also interview actually actual candidates. I just, there's a part of me that just, even though Mike Varebel is a good head coach and he has ties and he's in the Patriots Hall of Fame and it makes so much sense. He was a part of me that like wonders if the crafts don't want to look, you know, stupid and don't want to pay all this money to admit they're wrong because that's a part of it, right? A pin point of this guy a long time ago. You haven't replaced Bill Belichick and if you're going to fire him and everyone, it's a lot of contracts to pay out. So with all that, just, I don't, I don't think so. You know what I mean? I get what you're saying. I go, if it's me, yes. Mike Varebel is the new next head coach. The craft. I just, I just don't know if they're going to go there. Well, I guess Mark, I just wonder like if the, if it was a wide open landscape that ownership was looking at saying dried mayo, the devil that you know versus any other that you don't at all. But now here's Mike Varebel who not only at least according to reports is somebody who would want this job, which is, you know, debatable, whether a wide open slate of people would want to come here. It's like a very real pivot that you can make to somebody you also know. That's why I think it changes. I wonder if it changes the calculation a little bit. And honestly, I think it should because like, yeah, being wrong in firing dried mayo and everyone after one year, if you could argue fine, it's a bad look. Patriots fans are going to mind, right? Like honestly, Patriots fans will cheer next week if dried mayo is fired and Mike Varebel is hired. I mean, it's a win. Which is awful. But that's the league. It is. It is all. And honestly, like personally, dried mayo is a nice guy. And I can tell you the honest truth, like players I talked to on and off the record like dried mayo, they don't think he's the problem in New England. They think he should return like dried mayo has the locker room. He hasn't lost the locker room. Maybe it's not 100% unanimous. I'm looking at key on white there, but like players really like him and think he should be back. They don't think he's the problem in, I mean, honestly, everyone can read mass live tomorrow morning on a story. I'm going to drop a like players don't blame dried mayo. They honestly, they blame the talent. They blame the roster. And I think maybe that what is what saves mayo in the end, right? He can point to hey, yeah, I'm a first year head coach. I made a mistake. But look at what I'm working with. Look at what I'm working with. Look at some of the injuries. I it's an excuse, but like it's there's something to be said that might my same ABP argument. All right. This roster stinks. It's one of the worst rosters I've seen in 10 years covering the Patriots. Maybe give them another chance and maybe that'll be a saving grace. Yeah, that's exactly. This is once again, Mark Daniels from MassLive with Fitzy and mayo on E.I. That's exactly what Jonathan Jones said to our afternoon show the other day, Mark. He said, you know, how do you fix this mess? How do you start to turn things around? Bring more talent into the room. Plain and simple. Just we need better players. And when you hear that from the players, sort of self assessing saying it's, we just don't have enough good versions of me, us, whoever, that should, that should tell you a lot, you know, ownership probably needs to come out and say, you know, obviously the team as at large as a whole fell short this year, but we didn't bring in enough people and we need to do a better job of that. If by chance though, they were to be and I'm with you that they're going to, they don't want to write all those checks. They don't want to have the egg on their face. They don't want the giant maya culpa. I think they, I think the whole operation runs it back. I don't even think there's going to be any scapegoats, but if there were someone you've watched enough football, we all have eyes outside of 495. If there were somebody that you have seen around the rest of the NFL, who was that someone you think could exact the right kind of change for Drake May and make this program winning again? Yeah, I think you'd have to start with Ben Johnson in Detroit. His offense is a lot of fun to watch and seeing what he's done with Jared Gough over there. I just imagine him with Drake May, I mean, that would be just a fantastic system and a fantastic coach. It would probably be the type of coach who would still call offensive plates, right? Like, hey, I've got the offense and then he brings in a veteran defensive coordinator to handle the defense. Like, I think that would be phenomenal, having an offensive minded guy for, you know, your number three overall pick and then you roll into next year's draft, maybe it's the number one pick, you know? But I think Ben Johnson would be a guy you'd have to consider and that's, that's what I would do. And I understand the love for very boldness and he's a good head coach and I think you'd win more games than Mike Frable was your head coach right now. But picking up on Drake May, you know, Ben Johnson would be pretty cool. All right, Mark, thank you so much for joining us. I know it's a little later at night and you were out with your kids and everything. So it means a lot to us that you made time for us. Can you tell us where everybody can find your articles, including the one that you just teased going up tomorrow? Yeah, check out masslive.com. Tomorrow morning, check out my Twitter by Mark Daniels and thanks guys for having me. I'm glad my kids stayed quiet. No, great, great job, Mark. And also we'll look forward to reading that piece tomorrow because I think it's, mego has talked up on the show and in person about bad vibes in the locker room. And I think to hear for the audience at large, whether it's in podcast form, listening on the app or right now tuned into FM radio to hear from someone who's down there every day, you know, the notorious Patriots media cartel, like they don't hate Mayo guys. It's not all his fault. He's a good guy. I think it's important for the fans to understand that because they may need to soon embrace the idea that he's going to be their head coach for at least one more year. So sharing that knowledge and that perspective with us is great. Thanks, man. Have a great night. I'll see you this weekend. Have you two guys same time. What's better than watching your team win, winning money while you do it. I'm Jim Costa. And I'm cash the ticket Mike Villetti and I give you the edge to make every game playable at college football, NFL, we're breaking it all down game by game. Your podcast feed is going to be filled and you're going to love it. You can click on the games you care about. We do it all with our analysis. We're fighting games that other people aren't talking about. We're turning every Saturday and every Sunday in the days where you got a chance to win. Don't you sit on the sidelines, cash the ticket with us, follow cash the ticket in the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Nick "Fitzy" Stevens and Meghan Ottolini are joined by MassLive's Mark Daniels to discuss the dysfunction surrounding the Patriots, the future of Jerod Mayo, potential changes this offseason, and one speed bump that would halt Mike Vrabel from becoming head coach of the Pats.
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