The Rise Up, See Red podcast
2024 Cardinals opponent preview: New England Patriots with Jordy McElroy
This is show No. 13 of the 14 shows in 14 days about the Arizona Cardinals' 14 2024 opponents. It is about the New England Patriots, whom the Cardinals face at home in Week 15. Jess is joined by Patriots Wire managing editor Jordy McElroy. They discuss the Patriots' 2023 season, their offseason and what they expect in 2024.
- Duration:
- 43m
- Broadcast on:
- 21 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
- Hi, I'm Dalvet Quince. One way to help manage type two diabetes is to regularly exercise. My exercise program can help get you into a routine that works for you. Keep in mind, managing butte sugar also takes the right. - Diet, hi, I'm celebrity chef Franklin Becker. Ever since I was diagnosed with type two diabetes, I've adapted my cooking style without sacrificing flavor. If you wanna learn more tips about diet and exercise, visit mytype2transformation.com. An official message from Medicare. - A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's extra help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or a married couple who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. - Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp. - Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. - One, two, three, four! - One, two, three, four! (upbeat music) - This is the Rise Up Sea Red podcast. All about the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL. Featuring insider and outsider perspectives. Enjoy the best hour of Cardinals Talk on the web. Now here are your hosts, Jess Root and Seth Cox. - Hello Arizona Cardinals fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Rise Up Sea Red podcast. The best hour of Cardinals Talk on the web on your host, Jess Root from cardswire.com. The USA Today NFL Wiresight. And we are in the middle of our yearly series of shows, our opponent preview series, where we take a look at, I try to get on a show, record with an opposing a writer for the Cardinals opposing teams. Generally speaking, I try to hit all of them from the NFL wire so that we're all in the same network. But this edition of the show is focused on the New England Patriots. And so I've got, not for the first time. So this is not the first time for him on the show, although he was covering a different team at the time. This is Jordy McElroy, the site editor for Patriots Wire, our sister's site on the NFL wire network, Jordy. Welcome to the show again. Thanks for coming on, I'm very, very gracious that you're taking some time out of your day to talk Patriots with the guy over here, baking in the Arizona Sun. And I hear that you are baking in the Tennessee Sun these days. - Yeah, man, I'm baking in the Tennessee Sun. You know what, though, Jess, I'm hoping to be baking in some hot dogs and good old fashioned hamburgers here tomorrow for the law, man, so, you know, it's always a good, always a good time talking with you and catching up and everything. So we went from, we're from covering the Vikings to now the AFC with the New England Patriots, definitely two teams on different trajectories right now. So yeah. - For sure, for sure. - Let's get into it. - Absolutely. So we're gonna take a look at, we're gonna look back at the Patriots rough 2023 season. We'll look at the off season. Obviously they had a coaching change, free agency and the draft, they have a new quarterback, they had some trades. And then we'll look ahead to what their hopes are for the 2024 season. So let's turn it back. Let's turn back the clock to 2023 a rough year. I would have to say for the Patriots, they go four and 13. They are second to last in scoring offense. Matt Jones play after that rookie season of showing a little bit of promise. He sort of just didn't make any improvements. They lost their first two games. They went one and five, got to two and 10 and then one, two of their final five games was it wasn't enough as they finished the season four and 13 end up with the third overall pick in the draft. Oh, what happened last season, Jordy? - Oh man, what didn't happen last season, man? It was obviously a rough year for the Patriots. And you know, like you started off to say, and Matt Jones, he had an incredible rookie season, Provo quarterback. You know, he kind of looked like he had that special stuff where he would be the next franchise quarterback after Tom Brady. And most of that was to do with Josh McDaniel's being the offensive coordinator there. But then you know, you're the Patriots, you lose Josh McDaniel's to the Las Vegas Raiders at the point. And now, you know, Matt Jones is coming in here, left out through five with Matt Patricia, a defensive guy coming in to be his two offensive coordinators. Now, I don't know what in the head of the Belichick was thinking that how that could possibly work, but he tried, man. He tried, and it was an absolute failure, like we all expected it to be. And Matt Jones, it's like he kind of crumbled mentally there. You know, the offensive line wasn't good. He didn't have many great skilled position guys. It was a complete mess on the offensive side of the ball. And then at that point, after the Matt Patricia mess, you bring in Billy O'Brien to try to clean things up. He's the new offensive coordinator. Billy O'Brien has a great reputation. Familiar with the Patriots. He's coached there before. Familiar with Coach Belichick. But by that time, Jesse, it was just, it was too little, too late. And he couldn't fix things. The offense still stunk, you know, the Patriots didn't have a great 2023 draft outside of a few guys. You get a Christian Gonzalez or the cornerback. He's looking like he's going to be really good. And obviously, the Mario Douglas and wide receiver, but for the most part, it was a big mess in that platform. He just continued to focus on defensive side of the ball. You don't pay attention to your quarterback. You're not working really hard on developing the guy. What do you expect to happen? It implodes and now you look at it. Matt Jones is out of New England and we have Drake May. - Yes. They finished 30th in yards, 31st and points. Defensively, though, it was a different story. Top 10, they were seventh in yards alone. So in terms of total defense, they were a top 10 defense, 15th and points allowed. But as we've seen with other teams, if you have a good defense and a dreadful offense, it feels hopeless. Like you go into games and if you like, if an opponent gets up by a score or maybe 10 points, you feel like the game is over, right? - Yep, yep. I mean, you really do. And then it's even worse when, you know, the field goal kicking isn't there either. You know, the Patriots, they had moved up to draft, Chad Ryland in the fourth round. They actually traded up to get Chad Ryland, who was shaky at best, kicking field goals. And the defense, they were able to keep them in some really tight games. And Ryland would get out there and you couldn't really trust what he was going to do out there. So the Patriots, they didn't have a whole lot of ways to score a lot of points. And you had this monstrous top 10 defense over there, pulling all the weight, doing everything they're supposed to be doing. And you still can't win football games. So it was a really frustrating year. - Were there, obviously, most of the disappointments were on offense and if you look at, again, to look at the, across the board, there's not much statistically. You're leading Russia's Ezekiel Elliott with 642 yards. Your leading receiver has, doesn't even reach 600 yards. That's, that's not good. Were there any highlights to the season though? Were there any, was there anything positive out of the season, not about the results, but like individually. Were there any positives just to take away? - Yeah, yeah, there were definitely positives. You know, you can look at the entire defensive side of the ball and the Patriots, they were able to bring a lot of those guys back in the all season. So the Patriots, they're going to be really good defensively still. And sticking to the defense, I look at a guy like Christian Gonzalez, the rookie that came out of Oregon last year, first round pick at number 17. You know, that's a guy that looks like he's going to be a stud in a defensive back fund. I'm talking superstar level good. And, you know, first four games, he's going out here and he's, he's holding his own and kind of locking up Tyree kill and CD lamb and some of these other big names, Jalen Wattle, it's pretty impressive. Tyree kills had even come out and said, you know, hey, that young corner back there, that boy's good. So to be able to get that, get that kind of compliment from a guy, Tyree kill stature, it's impressive. And then on the offensive side of the ball, obviously you look at like a DiMario Douglas. That's the receive right of liberty. Six round pick, that was the total steal. He's going to be really good. You know, he's showing a lot of promise. So, you know, we'll see, we'll see what he can do on that side of the ball as well. Another guy, another guy people aren't talking about, especially on a defensive side of the ball, you know, Jelani Tavai, he was a guy that had over 100 tackles. He just signed an extension with the Patriots linebacker. He's really good. So the Patriots, they have some pieces there. It's just, how long does it take them to get to the point where they can start winning football games? And my concern is more on the offensive side of the ball, obviously, than on the defensive side. - Coming in next on the Rise Up Series podcast, Mr. Colonel's Talk on the Web, let's move on to the offseason, talk about the coaching change and more that's coming in next on Rise Up Series. - An official message from Medicare. - A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. Maybe you can save too. With Medicare's Extra Help Program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp. - Paid for by the US Department of Health and Human Services. - This summer, saddle up with the only sports book where you can bet on horse racing, FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get a no-sweat first bet up to $500. 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For coverage, consult your health insurance company. Visit the pharmacy or our site for details. - We're back on the rise this year at podcast. Best our Cardinals talk on the web. Talking with Jory McElroy of Patriots where I decided over there as we look ahead to the off season. We'll look back at what's happened this off season. Obviously the first big thing that happens is that they make a coaching change. No more Bill Belichick. It's now Gerard Mayo. Was this something that was always going to happen or how amicable was this divorce? Was this divorce with Bill Belichick after the season? - Yeah, so it was one of those things where you can kind of see the riding on the wall when the Patriots started losing a lot of games of this past season. And Bill Belichick, he went in there and he, obviously, he pitched his efforts to stay. It wasn't a situation where he's actually wanting to leave. So obviously those two all sat together talking about, talking about, you know, it's a mutual agreement, a splitting of the ways. Look, man, it's never mutual. No, don't break up, don't break up every mutual. There's always one party that's wanting to stay in the thing and one party that's ready to get out. And Robert Kraft, they were ready to change. And it's just situations that Tom already left. This Patriots team, they've just gone downhill. Belichick's, he's been exposed in terms of like, his drafting decisions. They're not making the best drafting decisions. They're so focused on defense that they're just kind of ignoring offense. We're not getting big time playmakers. We're not helping. We're not helping or developing our offense players. It was obviously a struggle. And you kind of reached a point where you're the New England Patriots, a six-time Super Bowl winning franchise. One of the greatest, not one of the greatest dynasty in NFL history. And fans are getting upset. You should go four and 13 last season. Something had to give and something did give and Belichick found his way out of the way. - He did, he did, and then they moved to John Mayo. Was this a case where Mayo was sort of the coach in waiting or did the Patriots ultimately find that they liked what he had to offer more than the other potential candidates that were? - So for sure, Robert Kraft, he had a really good relationship with John Mayo. I think he saw something Mayo early on, where he could potentially see him as being the eventual replacement for Bill Belichick. A lot of people, they kind of glossed up the fact that John Mayo, he had coaching interviews, had opportunities that he had turned down one with the Carolina Panthers, you know? He didn't want to go there. So something along those lines kind of makes you scratch your head a little bit and you're wondering like, okay, he must have something bigger in waiting here with New England. And I think it mayo's mind, Mayo loved New England and he wanted this opportunity and he eventually got it and he had the right guy for the job. And if you look at it, you know, obviously right now Bill Belichick is probably a little saltiness in the way that everything ended. But if you kind of step back, you know, Mayo's the guy that Bill Belichick drafted. He's the guy that's learned under Bill Belichick. So it's almost a full circle moment. This is a Bill Belichick guy taking over this football team. And it's pretty cool when you look at it from that perspective. - Oh, for sure, for sure. Now, what, based on having gone through the coaching change here in Arizona last off season, we couldn't tell anything until they took the field. But everything about Jonathan Gannon while outside of Arizona took some heat, kind of a dork, but he's been everything he said made sense. And in fact, when I, my comments about Gannon last off season is that the way his philosophy goes is he's as competitive. Like he's like a less abrasive Jim Harbaugh where they talk compete, compete, compete, team, team, team, team, team. And the Cardinals literally with, with money Austin for his general manager are trying to build their team, kind of the same way the Patriots always have and that it's trying to take me out completely. What has been, what's been the feeling in the building? What are the vibes that you get from Gerard Mayo? And with, he hasn't like, 'cause all we've done is what he's said so far. - Yeah. And I mean, it's, it's a completely different feel. I mean, you look, you look at the social media, you see Patriots player shooting basketball in the locker rooms and Ryan Bison with the locker rooms. I mean, this stuff isn't happening if Bill Belichick is still the head coach. So obviously the players are having a lot more fun now. They're, they're a lot more loose. They're saying more things. You know, in the media, Gerard Mayo saying more things. So it's just, yeah, it's not, it's not, not as robotic feeling as it always was. Obviously, Bill Belichick was like a drill sergeant there. And you know, it's kind of, it's, it's harder to connect with the younger generation with that type of coaching mentality in mindset. But to be honest, I mean, I can't sit here and say that it doesn't work because the guy wants to be super bold. So I think there's something to be said about that. But, you know, I feel like after, I could do it for so long and it's not working anymore to get a guy that comes in here a little bit more lighthearted, you know, a little bit closer to team, you know, to the players and stuff like that. More of a relationship with the players. He's not too far from playing himself, you know, 'cause I like to, it's not like he played 20 years or something like that. So, you know, I think he can play to the players a little bit better. And it's just, it makes for a better atmosphere, a happier atmosphere and a more loose atmosphere. And hopefully, at least then winning more football games. - I will say this here locally, we've got one of our radio hosts is a formal, or we played with the Cardinals Ron Wolfley, but he played for the Browns when Belichick was coached there. And so they sometimes have brought Belichick on the air. And what's interesting to note as he tells us, like the way Belichick is in the media is complete, it's a complete bit because when you're not talking, X is a nose, when you're not talking football, when you're not, when he's not coach Belichick, he's completely different. Like he's hilarious, he's funny. But then as soon as the recording goes on, it turns into, man, we're moving on to the next game. And it's a bit, it's a bit for him that he's bought into, but so you've got the new head coach, you've trained Mac Jones, free agency. Who are the big losses and who were the big additions in free agency and trades? Obviously, you traded away Mac Jones, you got Jacobi Brissette back in the building. What were the biggest moves that happened on both sides of the ball both in losses and in games? - So to be fair, the Patriots didn't have a really big free agency in terms of outside free agents. I mean, KJ Osborne, a wide receiver from the Minnesota Vikings, I'm very familiar with him covering him when I worked for Vikings wire. And you could probably look at that guy and say, that's probably their biggest free agent acquisition. And he's the number three receiver for the Minnesota Vikings behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. So that just kind of shows you the Patriots. They didn't have a big splash in free agency. This free agency was more about the Patriots keeping their in-house players. Signing Christian Barmore to the big deal, keeping Anthony Jennings. Signing the offensive lineman, Michael Winnie, who's going to be very important if you're going to throw a rookie quarterback and Drake May out there. So it was more about them keeping their guys in-house. As far as people that have left, Trent Brown leaving, Trent Brown's kind of up and down. Kind of, it depends on how he's feeling. It's just, you never know what that guy, man. But here's the thing, when he's balled in and he's, when he's balled in and he's playing, well, Trent Brown's still a very good player. And he's a left tackle for the Patriots. And that's the position, that's probably their biggest weakness right now heading into this season. You know, they brought in Chuk Sakura for, who was a right tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And they're trying to convert him to left tackle just to see if it works. And we don't know if it's going to work. - That's always, it's always comforting. Like, we're going to see if it works. - Yeah, yeah, we're just, we're just going to see if this works. You know, yeah, right tackle, left tackle, same thing, right? And then also too, you know, you go out and they, they drafted Caden Wallace, who was, who was with Penn State, well, obviously playing side-by-side with Aldi Fashanvue and he's right tackle. And, you know, maybe he gets reps at left tackle. We don't know what's going to happen at that left tackle position. He might go unaddressed this season. So that's losing Trent Brown, I feel like was probably the biggest loss for the Patriots on that offensive line, which could still be a major problem heading to this season. - Just as a side note, 'cause we've, one of the guys that you guys lost, wasn't a big player for you guys, but appears to be slated for starting job here, Mac Wilson. Give us a little insight. This is kind of a side, 'cause this is supposed to be a Patriots, but tell me about Mac Wilson. What is he at? I know he, he mostly special teams with you guys. He's super physical, even got a little bit of work on the edge. I don't think he's going to be playing side-by-side with with Kaiser White. What do you think he adds to Arizona's defense? - Yeah, Mac Wilson, super versatile. You know, he's fast and he can come off the edge some as well. There was a point where the Patriots, they started trending more towards athletic, you know, slimmer linebackers. And you know, they just, the Patriots they built up their, that reputation of having just the kind of the, the tank linebackers, the big slow-plodding guys that can make tackles, but you know, you start, start getting some of these running backs to stuff out in space. These guys can't come, you know. And it's just to have a more versatile guy that can move side-by side-by side-by side-by side-by side. He's one of these guys. And obviously, like you just said, he contributed to some special teams as well. So he's a guy I think the Patriots would have liked to have kept, but you know, they, they, they go out and they get a Cione talking, talking to you. They're hoping you can kind of replace that with Mac Wilson. But Mac Wilson was an emerging player. You know, he's getting better. So it'd be, it'd be interesting to see what he does in the Cardinals defense, oral special teams. Going to the draft then. We go to, we go to what they did obviously. First round pick, they go a third overall. There was a lot of question. Pick number three was, what are they going to do? We thought Drake made, but there was always the question, well, what if they don't believe in May? And for Cardinals fans at number four, there was always the possibility of, well, they get Jacoby Percet. Maybe they're not sold on Drake May and they'll, they'll punt the quarterback till next year and just get the big time receiver, Marvin Harrison. Thank you. Thank you, Patriots for taking Drake May. He's the guy. You add Jalen Polk in round two. You get Kate and Wallace. Who are the guys? Well, first of all, how, how excited are you? Are you for Drake May? Do you think he can be the guy? I mean, let's be fair here. I just, we, we dealt with a revolving door, Matt Jones and Bailey Zappys. I'm pretty damn excited about Drake May to come in here, save us Drake May. We'll see, we'll see what he's able to do, but me and you had to go with the quarterback, you know? And I've, actually, I talked to Vince Wilfort before the draft and even, and even he was saying he's like, you know, you got it, you got to get the quarterback. And it's just, it's one of those situations where, it wasn't working with Matt Jones. And Jess, you can't, you can't win in the NFL unless you have the right guy under center. You just can't. I mean, you know, the defense is great. Maybe, maybe they're good enough to stumble into the playoffs, which I don't, which I wouldn't think so. And this hellacious AFC East division that they're playing in right now, but even if they were, you're not winning a Super Bowl or competing for one without the right guy under center. Drake May is a completely different type of quarterback than the Patriots have ever had, you know? During the, during the spring practices, you know, there's, Drake May is rolling out and doing sidearm throws and stuff like that and no look passes. You can see this type of stuff from Tom Brady. And I'm not saying Drake, Drake May is obviously not Tom Brady. So let's, let's stop right there. But you know, in terms of what he's able to do for the team, and he's one of these new age quarterbacks that can move around in the pocket, make plays on his legs with his legs. And he's just, it'll, it'll be real interesting seeing what he does. He has a hell of an arm too. The guy has a, the guy has a candidate for an arm. So he'll help with some of those big plays downfield. And, and you're hoping they develop for the Patriots. You brought up Jalen Polk, Jalen Polk. I really like, I really like Jalen Polk out of Washington. You know, he's not, not the most explosive guy downfield or anything like that, but he's Mr. Consistent. He's, he's one of those tough guys is going to go up and he's going to make those hard, those hard to get catches. You know, he can make catches in traffic. Good, good, really good route runner. You know, tough guy. He's been making plays throughout practice. Um, I just want to leave your listeners with this. There was, there was one practice session at the end of Benny Camp. It was Drake May at quarterback and, and this was the last play and they were playing against this Patriots defense. And Drake May, you know, he, he cuts out and he's able to deliver a past completion to end mini camp in the back of the end zone. Nice catch there by Jalen Polk. So those guys are already starting to make plays and they're starting to come together and we'll see what happens. Javon Baker's the guy, another guy. Um, I don't, I don't know if you, did you catch his viral moment after the draft? I didn't see the, that, you know, doing all the stuff, but I, I have heard the, I know, but Baker was one of the, you know, later round guys that, that, that was, that was really liked. Kind of universally. Yeah. So he is. So after the draft, you know, his whole thing was, you know, his whole thing was, you, you took too long. I got to make the rest of the league pay for this. And, you know, he, he did an interview and he said, and he, and he told Patriots fans. He said, bring your popcorn. I make people in wheelchair stand up. So, uh, so we'll see, we'll see, man. We'll, we'll see if anybody standing, you know, at the end of the season with Javon Baker here, but he's an explosive guy who, who could turn into the outside of the numbers type of guys the Patriots are looking for. So we'll kind of see there with, with the two, the two rookies there, Javon Baker. And obviously, and obviously Polk and DiMario Douglas, he should be even better this year. So let's, let's see what the Patriots can come up with. Caden Wallace tackled the third round. You mentioned laden Robinson guard out of Texas A&M. Do either of those guys figure into plans for this year? So Caden Wallace, he, I figure, I, I think he will be on the field this year. He'll get his opportunities. You know, the tackle situations. It's a big issue for the Patriots right now. They had Michael and Winnie, who was originally a guard and probably a Pro Bowl level guard. One of the best guards in the league when he was at that position, you know, they kicked him to right tackle for a little while because the Patriots, they just didn't have anybody. So now you bring in a Caden Wallace, a young guy who's used to playing right tackle. You know, they, they've been trying him out at right tackle during the spring practices. So, and then obviously troops the core for, it's been, been at left tackle. So you could probably kick Michael and Winnie back in at guard. So I expect Caden Wallace to factor in in some form or fashion. laden Robinson could get some reps this year. Coach Strange is out right now. He's still dealing with that knee injury and he might not be better until halfway into the season. So that kind of opens up opportunities for laden Robinson to get involved. You know, city soul was a rookie taken by Bill Belichick last year in the draft. So he's been playing, he's been playing at guard and they've also been playing the veteran from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nick Levery at the other guard spots. So these young guys, they will have an opportunity to play considering how bad the offensive line play has been. We'll just have to see if they can take advantage of those opportunities when they get them. You get a couple of defensive backs in the, in the six and seven, in the six and seven th round in Marcellus dial and Jheim has been able to do that. So he's been able to do that. So it's been able to do that. And then add another quarterback in Joe Milton, electric, electric player. Was that kind of just a, I mean, I, I believe six and seven th round picks are basically, we'll see what happens. But with Drake May with Jacobi Brissette, what's the hope with Joe Milton? It's just kind of like what we'll see what he's got. Yeah. So actually, and this is funny, well, hold up before, before I get to Joe Milton, I have to, I have to say, Jheim Bell is the guy to keep an eye on the tight end. If the Patriots drafted, he is extremely versatile and he has a very awesome and so I was very excited about that pick. His wide receivers coach said, I think the first time he saw him and he's like, he said, he said that this is a debos Samuel like pick. I'm not going to go that far. I don't know. I mean, I don't have eyes on him like that, but he's just someone to keep an eye on. Jheim Bell out of Florida State for the New England Patriots, but Joe Milton, man. So this is actually kind of funny. And you know this, Jess, we do a ton of mock drafts leading up. It's exciting. It's fun. It's kind of figure out who the teams are going to pick. And multiple times I projected the Patriots pick and Joe Milton at 193 exactly. Exactly. And to have them do that, I felt so validated. And it's just, it's one of those situations, like you said, you know, it's almost like a throwaway pick. It's like, hey, dude, this guy, this guy's incredibly talented. I mean, he's athletically gifted. If you've seen this, I swear to throw a football to the moon. It's, it's unbelievable. Now, if you want to argue accuracy and stuff, I will gladly sit my butt in the corner. I'm not going to argue back. But he can throw really hard. And he's the guy that you want in camp and he's the guy you want to develop and kind of see what maybe you can, maybe you can get out of that great athlete, can run, can make plays with his legs. You know, he's a fun project player. It should be extremely fun to watching training camp. Something funny here. I, I, I, I made a mistake, but it's not because of something I did. I'm looking at Patriots.com. They said you're, he builds listed, like, on the picks as a defensive back. But you know, it's a tight end. I'm like, yeah, I'm like, and like he was a tight end. What is the Patriots side doing? This is Patriots.com. Seventh overall, 2 31st overall. DB. James Bell. What? You know, you know what? Jesse probably could play DB. That's how versatile that guy. Awesome. Awesome. All right. So that, that's exciting. They're coming to next on the rise of your podcast. This is our Cardinals talk on the level. Let's look ahead to the 2024 season. What do the Patriots hope to accomplish in their first year of what? Maybe it's a. Is it? It's a. Rebuild? Let's come to next and rise up to your edit. An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. Maybe you can save too. With Medicare's extra help program, my premium is zero. And my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year. Or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp. Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We're back on the rise. It's here at podcast. It's our Cardinals talk on the way back for the last segment. Talking about the 2024 Patriots. New regime. Would you call this a rebuild? What Cardinals had to do? We had to tear down the roster. Is this just trying some, just basically rebuilding the offense while maintaining the same defense? Is that kind of like the philosophy of what you're trying to do? Yeah. And that's exactly how I've viewed, obviously. So you have to take into consideration. Their defense is pretty young. You know, you have a guy like Matthew Judon, obviously, isn't a younger guy out there. Jonathan Jones, you know, some of these pieces. They're kind of older, more experienced guys. But, you know, it's not the wrong with having a couple of guys like that to kind of lead, you know, a mostly younger group, which is what this defense is. The pillars of this new Patriots defense is obviously up front. You got Christian Barmore. And then, you know, you just signed Jelani to buy and line back. And then in the back field, you got Christian Gonzalez and Calla Dugger and some of these guys. So it's a young defense coming. And they're going to be great. So, yeah, you know, on the offensive side of the ball, obviously, yeah, it is, it is pretty much a rebuild. You're getting a new quarterback in here. Jacobi Brissette was brought in to be the bridge to the starter, the eventual starter, which will be Drake May at some point. You're not, you're not spending a number three overall pickle. This guy and watching him ride the bench for the entire season. Do you anticipate May is starting in week one? Or do you think they'll ease into him with McChacoby starting over, starting at the season? So I'm thinking they're going to ease into him. I could see Jacobi Brissette getting the early start. You know, Alex Van Pelt, the Patriots offensive coordinator, he's already come out and said, basically, if the season started today, Jacobi Brissette's the starter. So, but, you know, when you get in a training camp, I mean, we'll see, man, if Drake May is out here at training camp and he's looking a little far, I don't see why you went through him in here. But at the same point, we shouldn't rush this because you don't have to. You're not, you're not going to the playoffs this year more than likely, you know, take your time with the young guy and maybe, maybe get Jacobi in there. He's more than capable. We look ahead, the Cardinals, well, you've got a pretty, the way the schedule lines up. The Cardinals have a few games in a row, but you, you have three of the first four games on the road. So they're not doing any favors. You're good. And you're facing the Bengals and 49ers on the road in the first four games. You face the Dolphins after that. So you face the Bengals, 49ers and Dolphins and Texans. - The Bears get the first four, but for the six weeks, I mean, Seattle is, is, will dealt with four. And the Jets, if Aaron Rodgers is healthy past the first game, they're going to be interesting. What are you looking at for this schedule? That's going to be a brutal schedule to start. What are kind of your hopes and expectations for what this team can accomplish in 2024? - I mean, yeah, like you said, the schedule is absolutely brutal. I mean, you look off right off the top. Going to Cincinnati against a returning Joe Burrow. That's probably not going to be pretty. I mean, it's some, it's some tough games on the schedule. So we'll see. I expected defense to keep them in games and the offense can come out and they can make some plays. The Patriots could be a surprise team in some games. So, you know, it's not a situation where I see this being a total disaster to see them looking like a rebuilding team, a team that could possibly maybe win five or six games. And that's probably wishful thinking. You know, if you can come away with five or six wins, I think that would be great for them. You know, it's just the, it's all about the offense coming together. It's all about, you know, how quickly Drake make and get in there and get up to speed and what he's able to do with the pieces that are around him. And, you know, and I'll also say this as well. Jacobi Brissette is a way better quarterback right now. Right now than Matt Jones or Bailey Zappi, you know, he's a, he's a good middle of a road quarterback here that there's really underrated and doesn't get a lot of respect. But, you know, he's a guy that they won't necessarily lose the Patriots game. So, you know, some of those games that they, that they lost last season because of a Mac Jones interception or ill advice pass, you might not have that this year with Jacobi Brissette and the Patriots. So are you, are you saying that best case on air? They might win five, six games. So you're probably looking somewhere between three and six games this season. That's, that's sort of, that's sort of what I'm looking at because it's just so hard. You know, you look at that schedule. It's brilliant. Yeah. The AFC East. Yeah. Your, your, your vision is tough to begin with. The Cardinals are going to play every one of the AFC East this year because you've got two legitimate contenders in, in Buffalo and Miami. Yeah. You've got the Jets who, if Aaron Rodgers is healthy and their guys stay healthy, they, they very much could be in the mix too. And then you've got the Patriots and that's, yeah, that's, and you've got six games against those teams. And so, yeah, winning any of those games, honestly, winning any of those games in the division will be, will be a task for sure. Yeah. It'd be tough. And I mean, you know, the, the Jets are a team and I, and I've said this and it, oh, it pains me to my stomach to say this, but it's, you know, it is what it is, dude. If, if Aaron Rodgers is healthy, I think the Jets are a super ball team. If he's healthy, if, if he had felt, and that's a big if obviously at his age, and we'll see, but if he's healthy, that team has all of the makings with that defense and some of the pieces they've put around him, that could be a special run for that team. And then you kind of wonder what the bills are going to do out here, you know, chow us off the pieces, but still Josh out, you know, and then obviously Miami, they have weapons all over the board. So yeah, dude, it's going to be tough. And you guys have to suffer with us. It looks like. Yeah. You guys take on the Cardinals in Arizona in a week 15 coming off your bi-week. How do you, how do you view that game against the Cardinals? Is that, is that one of the games you're like, maybe we can sneak a win in? How is that? Is that a maybe win, a should win or I'm not sure if we can win? So, you know, that the Cardinals probably just, that's, that's one of our hopeful games. All right. That's probably, that's probably one of our hopeful games. So that's a game that I'll look at on the schedule and I think, you know, that that's a possibility. There isn't one game that I'm going to look at on the schedule and say the Patriots absolutely should win these games. You know, it's more of like, okay, they're. The Chargers maybe. You can look at the Chargers that way. Maybe. Yeah. That's true. Like I'm looking at the schedule up and down. They're not favored in any games this year, are they? They're not. They're not. And they shouldn't be. I mean, they really shouldn't be. You're coming off from before and 13 season. You weren't really good last year. You have a first year head coach, you know, new offensive coaches. So much has changed, but I do expect, I do expect a defense to give them opportunities. You know, I think a lot of people underestimate how good this defense is. The defense very ferocious and they've held their own against really good teams last season despite how bad the offense was. So if the defense can play well, the offense can kind of limit turnovers, play smart, run to football, which is something Alex Van Pelt loved to do in Cleveland and had a lot of success doing. So the Patriots, they could. They could surprise some teams and be in some games and maybe even win some games that people people aren't expecting them to. That that makes sense. Um. Yeah. I just hope just this time when the Patriots come to Arizona. Don't. Don't be the reason why that. Columnary Terrace is ACL. I know nobody did it. That was that was all. I was in the stadium that game. That was such a disaster of a season in 2022. Yeah. And the only saving hope, the only hope was okay. Like when he went down, everyone in the state, everyone in the state, everyone in the stadium knew what it was. It was an ACL and we're like, this, this season, that's the, that's the only thing that we didn't want to happen. That's the only thing that would have ruined a terrible, like an even worse season. That was the worst thing. Collar morning down with the torn ACL. That was, that was gut wrenching and to have it happen. He's just making a cut in the open field and boom. Gone. And what was it? Was it Judon? It was on. It was, it was like, Judon knew immediately. Yeah. Of course. He touched him down and was signaling to the cardinal sideline immediately. I'm like, let's not have that happen again. Yeah. That's, that's a terrible feeling. You know, to see your quarterback go down like that. And obviously I always look back to that to the two, to the 2008 season. You're coming off of that, the, the, the perfect 16 and no regular season from the Patriots in 2007. And, you know, Tom Brady, he drops back and he gets hit in the knee, the very first game of that season and torn ACL. And it's just a gut wrenching fill and, you know, to lose your quarterback. But at least he was able to come back, you know, the next season. Yeah. Well, and it was dumb because like you had Matt Castle and still one double digit games, even though the playoffs, that was, that's dumb. Come on. That's, you know what? That's, that's, that's Bill Belichick and his best back then. That was Bill Belichick and his best and we got to see him then. And then obviously now, well, not anymore. We were seeing Bill Belichick at his worst. Hopefully. Hopefully good. Thanks from here. All right. That'll wrap up this edition of the Rise of Sea Red Podcasts. Our Cardinals talk on the web. Our opponent preview with Jordy McElroy from the Patriots wire. You can find his work at the Patriots wire. Jordy, is there anywhere else social media anywhere else that Cardinals fans can find your work? Yeah. Yeah. You guys can follow me at Jordy McElroy on Twitter, our X, whatever you call it, Twitter slash X. I'm always going to call it Twitter. Always. I think I am too. I am too. Yeah. You guys can find me on there, but yeah, we're, we're always, we're always cooking up stuff on Patriots wire. Looking forward to training camp. Should be a lot of fun, man. Real football is right around the corner. Here we go. Can't wait. Thanks Jordy for the time. That wraps up this edition of the show. We'll be back again soon. Probably with another opponent preview show. That's Jordy McElroy. I'm Jess Root. Thanks for listening. As always. An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. Maybe you can save too. With Medicare's extra help program, my premium is zero. And my out of pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year. Or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp. Paid for by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Thanks for listening to the latest edition of the Rise Up C-Red Podcast. Listen to previous episodes and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Audio Boom, or many other podcast platforms so shows are delivered directly to your mobile device. Please give the show a five star rating and always support the sponsors who support the show. We'll be back soon for the best hour of Cardinal's talk on the web. Rise Up Red Sea, B Red Sea Red, and of course Rise Up C Red. [Music] A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. Maybe you can save too. With Medicare's Extra Help Program, my premium is zero and my out of pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year. Or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov/extrahelp. Paid for by the US Department of Health and Human Services.