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So you can drive with up to 315 miles of range. So you can listen in 3D with up to 25 speakers and bowers and welcome surround sound. And you can seamlessly stay connected with Google built in. The entire time you're driving. All to make the time you spend behind the wheel of Polestar III. The best time of your day. Book your test drive at Polestar.com. T minus just four days till the beginning of the 2024 New England Patriots football season. The tides of participation are swelling. Can you feel it past people? See that was the part where you guys were all supposed to be like, hell yeah. And then like it feels like the headphones are going to pop out of my ears and Andy Hart's like, oh my God, I can't believe it. We're doing it. We're finally doing it. And today we're doing it live. Well, sort of. You'll see. Hey, folks. Welcome back to the latest and always greatest edition of. That's right. Six rings in football things brought to you by your friends at Odyssey. W E E I and 2400 sports. We got a jam packed midweek spectacular for you as you should and would come to expect with Fitzy and Hart live on the mics today. We have a our predictions for the upcoming 2024 season record. rookies of the year MVPs, bus disappointments, and everything you would come to expect and need to hear from your old pals Fitzy and Hart. We'll do a quick pass per eat to tidy up and do a nice little clean up and aisle Patriots on all the other news notes, nuggets and rumblings that are going on in Pat's nation. And then at the end of the pod today, Andy sits down. Maybe he stands up. I don't know. It depends on how they feel like doing it. And you tell the difference. So. And he talks with our old pal Mike G. Hattie from what do you want? Do we say we say Boston Sports Journal, but do we also say hi, Mike. We miss you, pal. You can also chime in if you're watching live on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. We have so many different ways. So many wonderful ways to consume the program. Geardies with Boston Sports Journal. But do we say like from the rich shirt leave show, do we say from ZLX? For now. He's all over the place. Well, everything in the cheese shots fired this early in the pod. Hey, listen, I now live the uncertainty of the radio world. So, you know, we're all standing on eggshells or, you know, lily pads that are about to sink under the water. Who knows? That's all right. Listen, you, you know, no fate, but your own. You decide how this should go today and every day and in the afternoon. It's a lot of talking you got to do, my guy. If you thought you were sick and tired of the Patriots and the Boston media market audience at large before, we welcome you. And don't forget folks Sunday live right after Patriots versus Bengals. The six rings and football things live post game show on W E E I W E I dot com and a special bonus this season for all road games. Fifteen heart will come to you with a live uncensored halftime show. That's right. 10 minutes of infuriated frustration filled F bomb lit. Well, it depends on how the game goes. Whatever you guys want to say, we'll be there for you with a live halftime show. And of course, the best post game show in town live on W E E I and all of our socials. All right. All right. First question right out of the shoot. Nicholas Calito. He's watching on Facebook. Are we making a path suck IPA this year? And yes, we probably should. I have not collaborated with any of our fabulous local breweries on a beer for this upcoming season, depending on how it starts and knowing how long it takes for IPAs to mature in the tank. If the Patriots are as bad as we think they might be or struggle the way we think. How about a sour? Oh, one of those like a double puckerer. Yes. Oh, yeah. A double puck. This is going to be a double puck in season. Well, maybe maybe maybe we should also wait until Drake may finally takes over as QB one of the NEP because maybe we'll want to release to like a sour for the start, but maybe something sweeter for the finish. Hmm. I like a sweet finish. That's that's what also what he said. And that is a perfect segue into segment one of today's sex rings and football things. Tom to Tom. The 2024 New England Patriots season predictions awards. And as it says on my show, run down. ETC period. I didn't know if he plays for the Patriots. Etcetera, etcetera. Here's a lot of tackle. I hope he's a lot of tackle. Honestly, I'll give him a try at this point. Sure. All right, let's go with. So right now we're just going to do our predictions for the record of the Patriots, who we think will be the offensive and defensive MVPs. The biggest bust, the biggest surprise. And also let's get it officially and finally on the record when we think Drake may takes over. In the record. Yeah, in the record. The record on the record. The record on the record. Right. And also Drake. Yes. And when Drake may takes over. Okay. So let's begin Andy with the Patriots record on the 2020 for season now. I don't know if anyone needs us to run through the schedule. You guys have probably already looked over it time and time again. I would just like to remind everybody. Warren Sharp from at Sharp football has done an updated NFL strength of schedule. The five easiest schedule so far, Andy, as we kick off the season Thursday night and this coming Sunday. Falcons, Chargers, Bengals, Jets, Bears. I believe four, if not all five of those teams are going to be playoff teams. However, I also believe there we go. We have got more predictions right there. Nicholas Calito, seven wins, 10 losses. All right. Good to have you on the record kid. Seven. The five hardest schedule. And I don't think. Yeah. Notice you didn't say that with the joke a stately out. Seven. Nope. Or like, like the Joker, like seven. You should be able to watch that one back guy. That's okay. It's internet. Now is the time to believe. Now, right now, as of Sunday, when you get, if you get kicked in the balls by Joe Barrow and company, it's going to be harder to argue seven. Now is the time I would, you know, I say this every year. Now is the time when you're supposed to be overly optimistic and have hope. Not I don't necessarily qualify for that, but this is the time where fans everywhere should be like, why not us? Why not now? Ooh, five and 12. We're dropping fast. Marcus Hannah watching live right now on YouTube. I better hear seven wins or else you'll be in my notebook. I don't want to make the list. Marcus, geez, I'm already on enough shit. Put me on the list. In bold. So why we love you, kid? You're not afraid to make the list. The five hardest schedules in Warren Sharp's recalibrated 2024 NFL strength and schedule based on his Vegas forecasted win totals, eight Titans, 29 Browns, 30 Vikings, 31 Steelers, and coming in dead last with the hardest schedule in the NFL, you're New England Patriots. Andy, to what do we owe the fate of the New England Patriots? The team that probably has the least talented roster also having the most difficult schedule. Is this retribution and payback for how great and grand it was in Pat's nation? Or is this just the way the cookie crumbles the dice rolls and, you know, shit hits the fan? Well, my old pal, Paul Peraly used to always say that the for significant periods of time, the Patriots as an organization had a horseshoe, a lucky horseshoe up their ass, their collective ass. I think the horseshoe has been pooped out and gone. The lucky horseshoe was gone because when you get last place games on your schedule, that include Joe Barrows' Bengals and Justin Herbert's Chargers, it's just unlucky. And you happen to get the Bears who have, you know, the best chance maybe at a Houston-like turnaround. Worst to first kind of thing, best quarterback. So that's three games right there that sway the schedule in a more difficult direction than probably would be expected of a team that had the third overall pick in the draft. So yeah, there's a little bad luck right there. But if we're going to be honest, like, they're not very good. So, you know, almost regardless of who they play, it's a tough schedule. Like unless they played Carolina 17 straight weeks, they have a tough schedule. Would you rather New England Patriots fans watch the Patriots play this schedule or the Carolina Panthers 17 straight weeks, 617, 779s? Not a terrible question. Might have to pull it out late in a Thursday afternoon. I was going to say you might be hearing this tomorrow on WEI's afternoon program. Baltimore Fats watching live on YouTube. My motto since 1980s has always been they're winning them all till they ain't. You may want to adjust that one till they're winning them all in my mind because they probably ain't. But hey, tweet his own. That's why we watch and they play the game. They're losing them all because they're taint. It's actually a pretty good. That's a pretty good spin of phrase right there. Man, you got some market 10 talent right there, fella. All right, the predictions are coming in live on the Facebook and YouTube for everyone who's watching live as we record this, of course, for our friends on the Six Rings podcast. Andy, let's just get it out right now. Each of us are prediction for the record of your 2024 New England Patriots. I know you have flirted with six wins most. Zero wins has been on the table. We have called it the Harto meter here on the Six Rings pod. But now I'm going to hold you to it. Feet to the fire kid. What do you got? Okay. So I do believe that zero wins is in play as much as people want to tell me. I'm a moron for thinking zero wins are in play. Although the group supporting me has grown in recent weeks. I'm going to say two and 15. And then I'm going to duck as something comes through the computer to hit me. It is what it is. I think they're a bad football team with a tough schedule. And there's nothing. I think we went through it in a previous podcast where I, when I really stretched, I saw seven quote unquote winnable games. That feels strong to me. And I just think in the end, they're a team with very limited talent that will probably have more limited talent as the season rolls on because injuries happen. So three and 14, Jeff Stenberg, I think that's in play. Oh, and 17 is in play, but I'll go to and 15 as the official Andy Hart schedule prediction. Okay, friend Jeff Stenberg, a regular here on the six rings live, three and 14. Congratulations. Will Campbell, you're a New England patriot. Listen, I'll tell you after the college. I know that's been Andy's pick the left tackle of the future. There are some other tackles, linebackers, edge rushers that could enter the equation. Haven't heard a lot of quarterback talk for next year, which concerns me. Because I want, if the Patriots are going to suck out loud and be a top three pick, I'm going to want them to trade it more likely than not so they can get more capital and it concerns me on a daily basis with Drake May not starting. It's like, well, the Giants wanted to give you a brand new roster overall period. And you said, no, only so we could start Jacobi Brissette. Let's hope that plan makes sense, Mr. Mayo. All right. So we've got two and 15 from Andy Hart. Okay. No, Mr. Optimism. Let's go. All right. You guys ready? Ladies and gentlemen, the New England Patriots. Will be the best darn five and 12 team in town this year. They will finish just over the Vegas win prediction total of four and a half. I'll see five wins on the season. I think they come out of September one and three. And then all they got to do is get four wins between the start of October and early into 2025. Which games those wins will come in? I'm not entirely sure. I think they can win the Colts game. Maybe they can go two and four in their own division. Potluck later on. And if Drake May and some of the rookies are able to A, stay healthy. B, catch a little bit of fire. And C, play behind something that resembles a semi consistent offensive line. I think five wins as possible. More importantly though, as we've talked about time and again, we need to exit this season. A, with our quarterback in the future. B, some actual gosh darn playmakers on offense. And C, a football team overall that has not sold the farm. You know, tossed, tossed away their cleats or their shoulder pads, Corey Dillon style, taken off their entire outfit and pulled an Antonio Brown and run through the end zone of the Meadowlands, waving goodbye to everyone. Come November. We need to see that this football team thanks to the guidance and coaching of Mayo, AVP, Covington and all is actually ready to compete with reinforcements next season Andy. Do you think that more importantly than the two and 15 or the five and 12? Do you think that is possible or on the table? A hundred percent. I firmly believe we could be raving about Drake may, Christian Gonzalez, DiMario Douglas, Jalen Polk. I think I'll even throw in laden Robinson and Caden Wallace for people that are lusting maybe for a little offensive line hope. I think that is very possible that in a two through five win season, wherever it lands there. Warren Ladd, I see two to three hammer the under at four and a half. All of these things in the midst of that, I do think we could come up. And if you add that group to a Kyle Duggar, a Jabril peppers, some of, you know, Ramondre Stevenson, Mike Onwennu, now all of a sudden you're like, wait a minute. Do we have like 10 or 12 starters that I really like? Are we cutting into the hole of talent on this roster and heading into a draft with a high pick? So yes, I think that is way more possible than winning seven games. All right, guys, come on. Let's be nice in the comments live. Mr. Stenberg, we cannot be saying that we wish injury or ill upon other people, no matter how much ayahuasca they consume, how many darkness retreats they take, or how many bizarre McAfee conversations and politically critical diatribes they go on. Let's just focus on our team and wishing no ill will on other teams. Propend you're a parent because they always sell parents like you should only really cheer specifically about your own kid, like good or bad, like just otherwise it's like good job boys, good job team. Let's go. Whatever your team is. Let's let's do that. Let's focus on the Patriots pro and con. I'm fine. You want to shred the hell out of your team. They are your child. You are invested. You are tied to the Patriots. But let's just let the Jets jets and the Steelers steal and the Colts Colts and all those other teams do whatever they do and be whatever they be. Jeff Sinkata watching live on the book of face three and fourteen is the reality, but at best six to six and eleven perhaps with some lucky games. Look, I when John Lyons filled in for you earlier in the summer right here on six rings, we discussed how, you know, a lot of times guys like the Bill Barnwells and your Warren Sharps, people that, you know, adhere to the data, I think a little bit more than us. You know, believe in the idea that like every year when you win a bunch of those games, no matter even the roster talent, sometimes there is a little bit of a pendulum swing. And last year, the Patriots lost how many games by one score or less like they were involved, like seven or eight games were games where they lost by a field goal to six points. So if they if they get if a couple of those go back their way. Now, I know you have, you know, there's no June on last year. There was only Gonzalez for three games. You did have far more, which I think is still probably the most frustrating of all the losses roster wise. Maybe just maybe a couple of them come back their way. All right, another prediction. Just dog watching live on YouTube. She's got him at five and 12. All right. So Andy goes two and 15. I go five and 12. Let's get now to your prediction for offensive MVP, Andy. I think the offensive MVP has to be Romandre Stevenson. I think he's going to be the centerpiece of the offense. They have said early and often they want to lean on the running game, run the ball, play defense. They paid Romandre Stevenson, gave him the extension early. I think all those signs point to him being a critical factor on this team now. Obviously, the offensive line has some say in it. If they are absolute horse crap on the offensive line, it's going to be tough for Romandre Stevenson to do his thing. But if they're horse crap from start to finish on the offensive line, well, quite honestly, it's going to be hard for anybody on offense to do their job. So I'll go Romandre Stevenson winning your offensive MVP. Believe it or not, I'm going to go chalk on this one because you guys have turned me around and made me such a believer in the kid. I'm going to go with Drake May. Yes. I think Drake May by the time he gets into this game, by the time he gets in there, is he going to take his knocks? Yep. Is he going to have at least a handful? Maybe not a bushel, but a handful of terrible interceptions and pick sixes where he scores points for the other team? Sure will. But is he going to show you some of those up the gut runs, some of those sidearm throws, some of those flashy laser guided darts down the field, making you guys feel alive, giving you those touchdown tingles once again. Look at Jalen Polk's hands. Oh my God, Baker actually caught that one. Hunter Henry. He is a serviceable mid-level waiver wire fantasy tight end. I love this team. And if Romandre can stay healthy and you factor Antonio Gibson into the passing game, like I have so desperately wanted them to for ages, I've already seen a little chemistry with Drake May and all of these cats. So I think he gets in there long enough, early enough to actually make enough of an impact where you say, this is my quarterback, but also this is my current MVP. So I'm, I believe, I'm going chalk for you on that one, Andy. And that's just not because you are maniac number one. This is my quarterback and sadly, this is my offensive line too. Actually, you know what? Our pal Los from Los Talks Pats on Twitter probably the finest of all the aggregators and curators of Patriots news. He says your offensive MVP, Andy, is somebody I thought you may have gone with David Andrews. If he holds the line down and can play a whole healthy season, that's not a bad pic, Los. No, I would say if you went most MIP, most important player, David Andrews would be the guy. I just think, hey, it's hard. If we're using like real world logic, when's the last time a center won an MVP award for a team? Probably the outdoor, is there a word? I know they do this to start every preseason game. The first preseason game, it's a tradition that they put a special teams player, either the punter or the place kicker on the cover of the game day program. Now people always rush to social media and go, Jesus, look how hard times have fallen on Foxborough. They put the friggin punter on the program. Now that's a tradition, but people still get their jokes in. However, if your center is your MVP, like, look, the Corey Lindsey's of the world in prior days. Now it's a powers Jackson or whoever the new awesome center is. Jason Kelsey, you could possibly argue that maybe Jason Kelsey was the MVP all those years. He was the tush in the tush push. Yeah, that's a good point. Here we go. Oh, we're not doing Bryce Baringer. Don't put that on the screen. We're not voting the punter. Yep, nope. There it is. I have to. Nope. Nope. He's a regular. He's one of our fabulous and finest viewers. He's helping us grow the greatest legion of Patriots talk analysis and nonsense in all of New England and beyond. We already have our first MVP for James for Bryce Baringer. I love it. All right, let's go defensive MVP Andy, you're up first. I'm going to go with the newly minted captain. I'm going to go with Jabril Peppers. You son of a bitch. I like that he's healthy. I like the style he brings. I like that he's now a captain. I like his honesty. I like his physicality. I like everything about him. And I think he can be a factor. I know we talk about him as a box safety, but like that interception he had against. Who the hell was that where he drifted off into coverage? I don't know. But that interception he had last year, I think Jabril Peppers can be an impact guy in the run game in the pass rush and in the pass coverage and in hurting people. And I like that. So if you're rooting for somebody to hurt Aaron Rodgers, I'm not saying we're allowed to do that. I'm just saying if you're rooting for somebody to hurt Aaron Rodgers, Jabril Peppers might be my guy. If you remember last week, if you guys didn't get a chance to listen to it, I highly recommend you go back into the archives via the Odyssey app, Spotify, Apple pods, however you consume your awesome football talk. Listen to the DMACC podcast because he loves him some PEP. They all call him PEP. A little PEP in his step to say the least. You know what he does pregame? What's that? He gives PEP talks. All right. And once he hits somebody, it's called. All right, I'll be muting Andy for 10 seconds on. He's so mad. He's in black and white on my screen. Now I got to say it again. When he hits somebody, it's. Oh, that's awful. That was super terrible. But that's OK. No one's listening. So yeah, Devin McCarty talked about how also in the absence of players like himself, Matthew Slater retiring the void of leadership or rather, there is a deficit of Super Bowl winners and people that were around that were contributors or that wear rings from the double dynastic run. He said, guys like PEP are the ones that you go to in the locker room that you look to on the field that are going to carry the water that are going to carry the aggression that are going to carry your tone and tempo for this team. And I couldn't agree more. I think it's the, I think this is the easiest pick because he does everything. He hits as hard as any of the defensive linemen. He's better in coverage than anticipated. Like I always like to say, he wakes up every morning and has a bowl of violence with whole milk for breakfast. And then he just gets out there and it looks like Andy. Here's the thing. Even like he gave us the sound bite of the 2023 season last year. You lucky we asked also working title for the podcast because six rings. I'm tired of hearing the jokes about. Yeah, it's not going to be seven rings anytime soon. Yeah, no shit ever true. It is true. We named it that we didn't have any concerns. Exactly. We knew we'd be able to hold on to this IP for a while. He looks like he cares. Like he loves football so much. He takes such pride in individual plays, in every tackle, enforcing the issue on a regular basis that you need guys like that. So I'm a big fan. Mark Woods, he's going with Gonzo. I like the pick and if that would be probably best case scenario. What you did, if you get Drake May as your offensive MVP and you get Christian Gonzalez as your defensive MVP at the end of this season, it was a great season. It was a developmental long term home run win season. And I just want to see more from Gonzo. I just have my doubts. I think he's been anointed something that he might not really deserve just yet. And whereas peppers, I love the evolution of peppers coming off the injury. Then last year, now leadership. I think peppers is ready to peak in this team, in this defense. My one concern about peppers is if it goes really bad and the internal vibe is bad, I think he could lose his crap on somebody. Like if somebody's not taking it seriously, like if Javon Baker, and I don't want to pile on the rookie, but let's just say. He did something extremely stupid. Like I'm, as the leader of the Javon Baker stand up in your wheelchair fan club, I was extremely disappointed that he was immature enough to go on freaking Instagram live and criticize the mass state police. Side note, they're the ones that make sure you get in and out of the stadium first, okay? - You think? - And they take, yeah, they do a real good job. They're super, like, I've always been complimentary to them. Andy, few things I love more than when I'm crossing the, talking to people in the lots, crossing the crosswalk when they let the mass of us through. And I hear a couple of them yell out, "Fitzy, how are we going to do this season? Fitzy, is today going to be watchable?" And I have to try to, like, say something to keep a smile on there. But they're, you'd be good to them. They'll be good to you. And for Baker to do that, it's a wrong way to start your freaking season, kid. - Dumbass move, dumbass move. But if others make dumbass moves behind the scenes, I think peppers is a guy that could blow his top and have to, you know, all of a sudden you're hearing, like Julius Pepp, I mean, Gabriel Peppers had to be pulled off of Javon Baker in the postgame locker room, because the rookie was on Instagram live or joking about the loss or something like that. - Andrew Pollack says, "Gonzo becomes defensive MVP. I like Jeff Stenberg's pick. I like Keon White. I miss when this team had guys that played angry. He's a-- - Hello, Peppers, hello. - Keon White has resting Belichick face. Like, he's always angry, but he's composed. Just don't look for him to be the new Javon. He's going to be Dietrich Wise Plus. Let him be who he's going to be. - Dietrich Plus, I think he needs to earn the right to be Dietrich Wise Plus. Right now, he's Dietrich Wise back up. - Loast talks, Pat. Peppers and Duggar remind me of the meme where the boyfriend looks back at the girl that walked by. Duggar is being neglected and not being talked about enough as their best defender. Agree or disagree, Andy? - I disagree. I still think he's a liability in coverage, and other teams are going to be throwing the ball a lot, and that liability could be picked on by other teams. - And yet, sometimes he comes through with that sweet pick six, like he did against Derek Carr in Vegas against Ed Air Ages. - All right, caught the ball that was thrown right to him, and not exactly making a play. - All right, your pick Andrew Hart for Patriots, rookie of the year. That covers both offense and defense. This just in, there's only one rookie on defense. - Well, I'm not going to pick Marcel Dial. - Marcel, what about the Ximenez? - That was a pick from Jonathan Jones yesterday, as like a guy who could wow people, sort of an under the radar guy. But no, I'm going to go offense. I think chalk here. I think Jalen Polk is basically a starter. I think he's going to get a lot of opportunities. If he stays healthy, I don't think it's crazy to think he could catch 50 balls, 50 plus balls in this offense. I think they're going to give him those chances, and he seems like he gets it. Now, I don't know where his career goes in terms of, oh, number one receiver, is he worth the pick? Is he explosive? Blah, blah, blah. Does he score touchdowns? But I think for this year, Jalen Polk is going to be the best rookie you have. - I love that pick as well. Now, I went, so I should probably say rookie of the year for Drake May, because I believe eventually, Drake May starts, makes enough of an impact that he's also going to be your offensive MVP. I'm going to throw it to somebody else, just because that's a little too easy. So, I'm actually going to go with, if some say that David Andrews should be in consideration for your offensive MVP, I'm going to say that I think your rookie of the year on this team is going to be Leiden Robinson. - I love him. - I'm a big enough believer in how much they loved him, how strong he is, like there are players that have said, they have seen him use his strength, and they said there's football strong, and then there's Leiden Robinson strong. This kid is big enough, he's going to need a little time, he needs City So to run into him a little bit less, he needs continuity on the line. But I think absolutely there is reason to believe that Leiden Robinson could be your rookie of the year, because if you get a mean nasty guard, don't call him mankins like let him be who he is, if we get Shaq Mason ask play, then that's going to be a massive plus for one of the most troubled spots on this Patriots roster. - Sure, no, and I think he's going to get the opportunity to play a lot, and he almost may benefit if there's crappy play around him, and people be like, "Huh, the rookie's not that bad, "he's doing a great job as a rookie, "I'm looking forward to the future." He may benefit from low expectations and low performances around him. - All right, your biggest surprise overall Andy, it could be anything resembling the record, a player, an outcome, a game, just throw something at me and the Pat's audience at large that's going to make us say, "Wait, I'm sorry, what?" - So this is where I'm going to go with my guy, I think in week five, when Drake May takes over the starting job, against the Miami Dolphins, I think Drake May is going to be more cautious with the football or more aware of mistakes than people are expecting. Will there be a pick six, maybe? But I see a guy that is improved in that area and will continue to improve in that area, watching Jacobi Brissette for the first month. So I think the biggest surprise is going to be all these people that said, "Drake May is the biggest project of anybody in the draft, and he needs to sit for two years, Dan Orlovski, and you can't put him out there until X, Y and Z." I think Drake May is going to look like a truly competent, capable, professional quarterback with a two-to-one touchdown interception ratio right out the gates despite a crappy offensive line, despite all the questions around him. Drake May is going to stun people, not with just his playmaking, because I think people have come to see that and accept that he can make some plays. He's not going to make the mistakes that a lot of people are projecting when he gets in there in Week 5. I like it and I like it a lot. I agree. I don't think he's going to go out there and look like he's scared. I'm scared and he doesn't belong and that the moment is too big for him and the Patriots whiffed and they should have taken the capital offered by the Giants. I agree. I think he's going to look, he'll look the part and he's going to be pro-ready. This is not a homer pick. This is more a belief that the Patriots are going to read every clipping like the one at NFL.com where they had all the possible division winners, playoff teams. Only three teams got zero mentions for all of those variables and permutations. The Colts, the Giants and the Patriots. No playoff whiff, no chance to win a division, nothing. The rest of the world is picking them as having the top pick in the draft next year. Everyone says this team sucks and it sucks out loud. They are going to funnel and channel all of that into their game play over at least the first half of the season or at least until Drake. They'll do the best they can emotionally and physically until May comes in and brings in, I'll call it the emotional reinforcements Andy. My biggest surprise is that the Patriots do not get blown out in any game in September. I think they'll be at least in and they'll hold their ground in all these games. More than 10 points. I think the Patriots will be in you. You will be watching all of these games. Now what's the game? I have them. They pay me. What's the game? I know, same here. And sometimes I even have to talk about it in front of the people and tell them funny things. That doesn't work out very well. So to Andy, which game do you believe is the one where they have the least amount of chance to stay in the game or not lose by 10? San Francisco, Jeff Smith for the San Francisco. And now I think there's three of them, quite honestly. I think there's a chance they get blown out in Sensi. There's a chance they get blown out by Aaron Rodgers Jets. But the best chance they get blown out is in San Francisco. That's why you'll see Drake May in the fourth quarter as he rolls right into his first start the next week. All right, TD watching live on YouTube. The biggest surprise is AVP. Numerous times fired and gets hired by Wolf instead of Mayo and will not last a year. What, you're going to fire the offensive coordinator? In season? I don't think that is. I don't think there's any shot of that happening. But it's a good, like, I mean, it's a surprise. It's a, you know, wow. Wow, how about that? Jeez, AVP fired in season. Like I just need him to groom the quarterback. I'm not worried about having the greatest show on turf. I don't think the Patriots are anything near or resembling that right now. But all right, Andy, your biggest bust. I think it's going to be Javon Baker. I think he's going down bust Boulevard. I think he's put his blinker on. He hasn't really turned down there. I think you're seeing some of the questions that surrounded him coming out of college are going to follow him. He just, he clearly has some emotional maturity issues, let's just say. And not to mention the drop. You know, the Drake May, like the hands aren't great. From what I've seen, he doesn't necessarily have that step up to the moment even on the practice field ability. And I think a lot of people have high hopes you included for Javon Baker to maybe be like a future number one receiver or like this crazy, maybe you got something. Maybe you got a diamond in the mid-round rough. I don't think it's a diamond. I think it's like a piece of poop that kind of. Oh, come on. Look like it's reflective. I just don't think it's going to go very well with him. There, because it's not contractual, but I feel like I committed to being so excited for him and about them selecting him way back in April that I can't quite say it, but I'm not going to disagree out loud or put up the biggest stink because he's doing a number of things to already be set and hurt his chances. I think you're biggest. So I see it, but I just can't yes-end it. That said, I think there's a chance that the biggest bust on this team is not actually a bust. It's just that there's too much hype that he can't live up to in his second season, because really it's an extended rookie season for him. I can't see them finishing the season with Christian Gonzalez being a top three corner back in the NFL. Let the kid just be who he is. Again, he's not going to be a bust. It's just too much hype around him. Like somebody just mentioned in the comments like, "Whoa, Patrick's retained the second, just got paid." Yeah, because guess what? He's been healthy every season. Unlike the JC Horns and other cornerbacks that came out in his draft, he is really good. And he has ascended into top five corner back in the league. Thus, he deserves to be paid like one. Christian Gonzalez, I would almost rather see him hold his ground, not stereo, but if he has a tough season, but we see that he took his nicks and dings and stayed in for a whole season. And then he's really awesome next year. I'm okay with that, but folks, let's pump the brakes on putting them in a freaking yellow jacket and having a bronze bust of his beautiful face already in Canton, all right? Yeah, I think he's going to be a perceived bust. You're right. And it's not his fault. He's going to have a decent season. It's that everybody put the expectation, set the bar way too high for a guy who's played three and a half games in the NFL uniform. Yeah. Oh, see, here's a good pick. I don't even know if he's done enough to merit it. Jay Miller watching live on YouTube, KJ Osborne. I just, I mean, what do you have any expectations? Yeah, he's kind of just a middling journeyman receiver. I mean, I know they gave him a little bit of money, but truly a little bit of money. He's a veteran guy. I think he'll probably play enough to not be a bust and but won't make enough plays to wow anybody. And finally, Andy, before we wrap up our predictions awards and what such here on Six Rings, when will Drake May start? Get his first start as an NFL quarterback in the National Football League for your New England Patriots. Week five against the Dolphins at home. I've circled that since basically May and I continue to circle that. I'm a little worried that it could go further than that and be delayed a little bit from sort of rumblings and things I've kind of heard, but I'm not giving up on that. I am still hopeful that week five. I mean, still kind of hopeful that week two is in play, but I don't think that's as likely at this point. So I think week five. Will we see him in the fourth quarter this Sunday? For what they call a little MUD, mop up duty? No, because I don't think the Bengals without Jamar Chase or even with Jamar Chase. I told you earlier, my bet of the year is if you could find this on any weird sports book anywhere that either Jamar Chase, Brandon Ayuk or CD Lamb will pull a hamstring this season. To me, it's a lock of all locks, likely in the first month, maybe in the first two weeks. But Jamar Chase's situation, the Joe Barrow wrist situation, I just don't think the Bengals are ready in week one to necessarily just absolutely obliterate you. So you might be down like, I don't know, 27, 3, 27, 10, 31. And I just feel like they'll be like, yeah, Jacobi's doing fine and he needs the reps. He's the starting quarterback. We're not starting the Drake May train just yet. I don't want that to be our reality this Sunday. I want that to be a reasonably competitive game. I don't even need Brissette to play that well. I just want to see the line hold their ground. A couple of nice runs from Ramon Drey. Few big hits from Pep. Yeah, and there's a chance. I mean, the line, and we'll do our official game preview tomorrow, or rather by weeks end, you'll hear six rings, Patriots versus Bengals prediction as well in preview, as well as I'm going to hop on and do an appearance with our friends on. It's always game day in Cincinnati and we'll hear what the Bengals fans are saying about the Patriots and what's going on out in the Queen City. All right, that wraps up our awards, our predictions, the Drake Mayes and everything else that goes into the 2024 season. What do you guys say? Who's going to be your MVP? When do you think Drake Mayes is going to start? And what do you have for a record? You guys have been great as we've been doing this live. Fire your comments at us any time at Six Rings Pod at Jumbo Heart and of course, @fitzygfy. Don't go anywhere. We've got a quick pants perry. And of course, Andy's conversation with Mike Giardi from Gillette Stadium coming up. All right, Andy, let's move into segment two here on the Sex Ring the Football Things midweek, getting ready for week one in the NFL. Let's just tie the up a couple things that have been going on recently in Pat's Nation. I want you to react to this. So there's been so much made of Gerard Mayo and Is he in charge? Is he making the decisions himself? He said when announcing Jacobi Brissette that they were sticking to the plan, not the competition. We know I have decided like it's been a mixed muddled mess. There have been so many mixed messages. So I just want to share this clip of Mayo on the Greg Hill show earlier this week talking about who's in charge and trying to set the record straight as to exactly how much control he has. I have the final say with all of that stuff. I do value the opinions of others and, you know, at least the pain is definitely valued. But as a head coach, you know, I have the final say. I came with the quarterback. From the time we signed Jacobi and drafted Drake, we've had a plan on how to best develop Drake. And we're going to stick to that no matter what happens. No matter what's being said on the outside, we're going to stick to the plan in it. You know, it may not be the most popular plan, but it's the plan that I think is best for the team. OK, wouldn't that have been nice to have heard six days, six weeks or six months ago? Yeah, I thought Gerard Mayo's meeting with the Greg Hill show this week was his best meeting with any media since he took the job. I think if he had said those types of things for the bulk of the off season from January through now, we would have had a lot less to talk about. It would have been a much smoother off season. He would have had to clean up less messes and little brush fires. I thought he was phenomenal on Monday, Mayo Monday on the Greg Hill show. And yeah, like you don't have to like it or even agree with it, but there was a certain credibility in his comments this week. Credibility in the plan, we're sticking with it. It doesn't have to be popular. You don't have to like it, but it's what we think is best. I make the decision. I thought he nailed the hell out of that Monday. And maybe he's learning. Maybe that's a sign of things to come and how he's going to handle himself, even at Gillette Stadium, his first big Wednesday press conference of a game week, leading into Bengals. Now, to be fair, this came one day after a terrible hiccup in which he forgot to name Jacobi Bursett a captain when he was listing off the captain. So I'm not willing to say everything is perfect here. Nothing to see here kind of chef, Barbara on South Park kind of thing. But he had one really good one. So let's build, you know, they say, you know, stack them stack days together in the practice field. He needs to stack meetings with the media together because this was a good one. And he can learn from his mistakes and be better moving forward. Exactly. I just want some consistency in the messaging. That's all I just want. I just want now we have established Jacobi as your starter. We know who the captains are. They have the most difficult schedule in the NFL, according to most analytics. I just want, I just want straight messaging now. It's going to be so hard though, for a rookie head coach who's taking over for the greatest head coach of all time, who is forced to do things differently, from probably from ownership and many edicts in the building, has to try to maintain more positive vibes and do things in a drastic difference from Bill Belichick who we'll get to in just a moment. Because man, that guy is everywhere and he just won't stop talking all of a sudden. You know, it's not fair for a rookie head coach in a lot of ways to now have to not only just try and establish himself, but also answer constant questions about who's starting. Why is this guy starting? When will we see the other kid like, are the other rookie head coaches, the Mike McDonald's, the Callahan's, are these guys even Dan Quinn in Washington? I mean, he's named his starter. He's going with Jayden Daniels. So I guess no one's going to be like, why don't we got to see Marcus Mariota? Nobody cares about that stuff as much. I mean, this is a lot on, it's a lot on Mayo's plate. And I think you're right that that appearance on the Greg Hill show and E.E.I. was a big deal for him. Yeah, now he just needs to be consistent moving forward. Because we can forget easily about the off season. If he does a good job moving forward and hell if they're competitive and maybe even win a game or something in the first four or five. Speaking of Bill Belichick, Andy, holy smokes. I mean, is there anywhere that you can't hear? All of a sudden, you couldn't get shit out of him about anything even and or including regular praise for the greatest football player of all time. I mean, we're not talking about open heart surgery is Tom Brady's thumb was practically falling off in the AFC Championship against the Jaguars. And he led one of the greatest fourth quarter comebacks in franchise history. Wouldn't give you anything. Yeah, just snots and sneers for decades. And now all of a sudden he's everywhere. But tell me your level of surprise when you saw this first snippet from the new coach series on underdog fantasy, full disclosure, hashtag partner, hashtag ad. Well, that's really not an ad, but I help promote them. Anyway, when you saw the new coach series on underdog fantasy, what did you say when you saw who his new co-host was? We signed a lot of the players that we had, you know, brought there and had there as they obviously liked those guys. And then, you know, a couple of players that they didn't re-sign. Well, born re-signing on way new re-signing. Stevenson had a year to go. They extended him. Henry was a re-signing. He's been a solid leader for him. Gotcha. They did, you know, during training camp. Barmore was the, was an extension in the off season. He does look like he's going to play very much this year to vibes and extension. Doug was a transition player in Josh Uche. The guy that's not on that list, of course, is Matt Judon. Yeah, I was stunned. It was like, I said this on the radio yesterday, like a movie where you don't expect a cameo or a certain curtain. You're like, Oh my God, that's like tremendous. Yeah, but should we be surprised? I mean, he's Belichick's right-hand man. He's out of the NFL. He's unemployed. It's probably not surprising that Bill found a role for him. And it's not just this underdog thing. He's apparently doing some stuff with the 30 third team, both of them. Patricia and Belichick as consultant for helpers. He cannot have another job. Okay, the pecking order, Bill Belichick has to be, tell them, I mean, everyone's like, he's the goat coach. Is he the goat of guys picking up jobs after their coaching career? Or when they have had to hit pause in coaching and they're looking for reputation, rehabilitation? A preacher's daughter. He didn't get to bang anybody. Now he's banging everything. He's on the breakdown on ESPN on Fridays with Peyton Manning, where they preview Monday at football. Then he, on Mondays, he's on the McAfee show. Then he does the Manning cast. All 11 games they're going to do regular season. He's the new co-host of the Let's Go podcast with Max Crosby and Jim Grey. Brad's here by Macy's. Now he's doing the coach thing. And he's also on inside the NFL on Friday nights with Chris Long, Ocho Cinco, and Ryan Clark. And now you're telling me he's also going to add consulting to the 30 third team. To, uh, what's his name? The 32 teams don't want them. So he said the 32 third team will take me. Ladies and gentlemen, Andy Hart, even Greg Donahue, thought that was funny. Huh, uh, good one. My, my flip of this is everywhere. I really don't care. Like, if we're going to get what we saw from that clip that you played, he read the transaction sheet and not even in an entertaining way. He didn't even take a shot at himself. They tried to take a victory lap. Something they couldn't do together as coaches recently is take victory laps. They're like, you know, they, they resigned a lot of players that we brought in here. So clearly they liked those players like, all right, Matt, you did a great job collecting talent. That's why this team won four games last year and is going to win less than that this year. And not even like a self-deprecating, like, well, you know, they cut Devontay Parker, who Matt you wanted to trade for. You told me to trade for him from the Dolphins. They're like, now that if there was any of that, I'm, I'm glued to it. I'm watching it. I'm doing it so far from what I've seen. It's just, it's dry as that free cornbread you get at some restaurants. And you're like, this is, oh, now I need a beer. Give me my beer. I'm going to, I'm choking on dry cornbread. I want the mini cornbread loaves that are like moist, have a little honey on top or, and they go great with an ice cold beer. And they come with the honey butter that's salty and it's like, that's what I want. I want back and forth. Give me Stattler and Waldorf pissing and moaning about the NFL and busting each other's chops. I don't need to hear Bill Belichick just, you know, analyzing stuff and saying the same thing. You probably hear me say in 17 other portals and outlets like I've, I can't believe this. The season kicks off Thursday night in Kansas City. And for Patriots fans Sunday at one o'clock Eastern in the Queen City, I think I've already reached peak analytical Belichick and it's not even football time. Carlos, this is a great point that no one's paying attention to pop that on the screen. If you can fit see the Carlos comment. I don't know if people are aware the Hall of Fame selection committee and the Hall of Fame have changed their rules. Coaches no longer have to sit out five years to go in the Hall of Fame. So Bill Belichick will be assuming he doesn't return to the sideline this year. He will be a candidate for Canton next August. He could be, and I mean, if he's a candidate on the ballot, I think he has to be, if he hasn't taken a head coaching job by then, I think he's a lock to go in on the first ballot. So yes. And then if he goes in, if he returns, he could be an active Hall of Fame coach. But yeah, I don't know if people are aware that next summer, if Bill wants to be, he could be in the profile Hall of Fame. Now, see, that raises the question. Will Bill Belichick like the money that comes with this, the schedule he maintains in this new, more relaxed life where people idolize him for his intellect, to acumen and experience. But he doesn't have to grind out 18 hour days. And then he gets sent to the Hall of Fame next year. Could that prohibit him from wanting to rush back to the sidelines anytime soon? I think that would be very interesting. Yeah, I do. And some of that is just, does he like it? If he likes this and enjoys the freedom, and we all know the certain freedoms he's taken full advantage of in his private life, and I'm talking about fires and, and tuck it and things of that nature, nothing, anything, anything else might be talking about. He might just enjoy it. The relaxation. I watched Josh McDaniel's on the Edelman podcast. He's skinnier, youthful looking. It's like, Oh, yeah, you get away from coaching. It really does help your overall help. Yeah, he looked fantastic and sounded terrific. Well, listen, we've covered just about all the ground we need to. You heard about the Jayvon Baker thing. Oh, captains, my captains, the Patriots announced their captains. I believe it was. It was, it was, let's see, had Dietrich Wise once again, David Andrews, Jacobi Brissette, Julius, excuse me, Gabriel Peppers, and he said, no surprises in there, right? No, I mean, there's other guys that could have been candidates. Like it wouldn't have surprised me if, say, Duggar was a captain or Jonathan Jones was a captain or, but you know, that you also, Joe Cardona is the special teams captain, of course, that could have been schooler if you wanted to go in a different direction and just sort of fill the role held by Matthew Slater for so long. We're not saying that. You can, you can read it, people, but we're not saying we're not. I also believe she's 24. Let's get it right. Okay. Yep. She's literally one third of his age, but he has to pay to rent the car. So that could, we kind of covered a little bit everything in the most, the most relevant points with the previous coach and, of course, the current coach as well. Like I promised you, we're going to have a quick conversation between Andy and Mike Jardi to wrap up this fabulous midweek edition of six rings and football things. The next time you hear us, we will give you our official Cincinnati prediction and preview, as well as chat with our friends in Cincinnati on our Odyssey sister podcast. It's always game day in Cincinnati. And hey, you never know, there could be some other bonuses leading up to Sunday. Once again, we'll have a live halftime show and we want you guys to be a part of it. It's BYOB as always and unfiltered. So that'll make it extra fun. And then live on WEI after the game, the six rings in football things post game show with Fitzy and Hart. Great job. Andy is always make sure you guys tune in each and every day to the WEI afternoon show where our guy is making us proud four hours a time. He and our can doing work and doing it well. And hey, if you need to find me, there's a good chance I'll be at a brewery somewhere in the afternoon, your old pal, Nick Fitzy Stevens at Fitzy GFY. Good day. God bless everyone. Thanks for tuning in, watching live and being a part of the best Patriots fan community in the land. And now to wrap up this fabulous podcast, we throw it to Andy and Mike Giardi. Time is luxury which is why Polestar spent so much time designing and refining every aspect of Polestar 3, their luxury electric performance SUV. So you can drive with up to 315 miles of range. So you can listen in 3D with up to 25 speakers and Bowers and Wilkins surround sound. And you can seamlessly stay connected with Google built in the entire time you're driving, all to make the time you spend behind the wheel of Polestar 3. The best time of your day, book your test drive at Polestar.com.
Fitzy and Hart go over their predictions for the 2024 Patriots season. The guys give their record predictions and picks for MVP, Rookie of the Year (on both sides of the ball), biggest surprise, and more!
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