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Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. T minus just four days till the beginning of the 2024 New England Patriots football season. The tides of anticipation are swelling. Can you feel it, Pat's 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 in 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, thanks. 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 for E 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... Andy talks with our old pal, Mike Giadi from... Do 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, et cetera. We have so many different ways, so many wonderful ways to consume the program. Giardis with Boston Sports Journal, but do we say, like, from the Rich Shirt Leap Show, do we say from ZLX? For now? He's all over the place. Well, everything in the... Geez, 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 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. 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 WEEI and WEEI.com and a special bonus this season for all road games. Fitsy and Heart will come to you with a live, uncensored halftime show. That's right. We have a couple of 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 WEEI and all of our socials. All right. All right, first question right out of the shoot. Nicholas Kalito, he's watching on Facebook. Are we making a Pat Suck IPA this year? Andy, are we? 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 we should also wait until Drake may finally takes over as QB1 of the NEP, because maybe we'll want to release two, like a sour for the start, but maybe something sweeter for the finish. I like a sweet finish. That's well. So what he said, and that is a perfect segue into segment one of today's sex rings in football things. 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, et cetera, et cetera. Here's a left tackle. I hope he's a left 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. Right. And also Drake. Yes. And when Drake may take over. Okay. So let's begin, Andy, with the Patriots record on the 2024 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 @Sharp Football has done an updated NFL strength of schedule. The five easiest schedules so far, Andy, as we kick off the season Thursday night and this coming Sunday. Falcons, Chargers, Bengals, Jets, Bears. I believe for 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. Good. Seven. The five hardest schedule. And I don't think. Yeah. I didn't say that with the joke has taken me out seven. Nope. Or like, like the Joker, like seven. You should be able to watch that one back. That's okay. The 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. Now, I don't necessarily qualify for that, but this is the time where the fans everywhere should be like, why not us? Why not now? 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. Tap. Bold. That's 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. 28 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 Perali used to always say that 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 has 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 WEEI'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 until 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, uh, 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. Um, I'm going to say two and fifteen. And then I'm going to duck as something comes through the computer to hit me. Um, 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. Um, 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. Um, so three and fourteen Jeff Stenberg. I think that's in play. Oh, and seventeen is in play. But I'll go two and fifteen as the official Andy Hart schedule prediction. Okay. Uh, friend Jeff Stenberg, a regular here on the six rings live. Three and fourteen. 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 fifteen from Andy Hart. Okay. Let's go, Mr. Optimism. Let's go. All right. You guys ready? Ladies and gentlemen, the New England Patriots will be the best darn five and twelve 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. Pop luck 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 away their cleats or their shoulder pads. Corey Dillon style. Taking off their entire outfit and pulled an Antonio Brown and run through the end zone of the Meadowlands. Waving goodbye to everyone. 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 fifteen or the five and twelve? 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, Demario Douglas, Jalen Polk. I'll even throw in Leiden 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 wind 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 Onwenu. Now, all of a sudden you're like, wait a minute. Do we have like ten or twelve 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 districts 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. Yeah, pretend 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 do that. Let's focus on the Patriots. Throw in 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. 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 Sincata 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, 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 Barmore, 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. Jess Dogg watching live on YouTube. She's got him at five and twelve. All right, so Andy goes two and fifteen. I go five and twelve. Let's get now to your prediction for offensive MVP Andy. I think the offensive MVP has to be. Ramondre 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 Ramondre 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 Ramondre 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 Ramondre 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. Mr. Henry, he is a serviceable mid-level waiver wire fantasy tight end. I love this team. And if Ramondre 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 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 pick, Los. No, I would say if you went most MIP, most important player, David Andrews would be the guy. I just think, A, it's hard if we're using like real-world logic. When was the last time I sent her one MVP award for a team? Probably definitely. 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. 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. No, that's a tradition. But people still get their jokes in. However, if your center is your MVP like, look, the Corey Lindsleys 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. 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 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 Jibrill 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. That interception he had last year, I think Jibrill 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, Jibrill 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. He has 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. When he hits somebody, it's called, "All right, I'll be muting Andy for 10 seconds." 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 a hex gear. Oh, that's awful. That was super terrible. But that's okay. 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 the tone and tempo for this team." And I couldn't agree more. 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 20-23 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 every time. We named it that. We didn't have any concerns. Exactly. We knew we'd be able to hold onto 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 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, 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 Javan Baker, and I don't want to pile on the rookie, but let's just say- He did something extremely sweet, like I'm, as the leader of the Javan 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? 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, 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, it's today going to be watchable," and I have to try to like say something to keep a smile on there, but they're, you'll 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 Peppers, I mean, Jabril Peppers had to be pulled off of Javan 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. Don't look for him to be the new Judon. He's gonna be Dietrich Wise Plus. Let him be who he's gonna be. I'm not sure. He's 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 Dugger remind me of the meme where the boyfriend looks back at the girl that walked by. Dugger 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 gonna 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 Eddie Rades. All right. Taught 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 gonna pick-- Where's Chew? Marcel Dial. Marcel. Marcel. What about the-- what about the Ximenez? That was a pick from Jonathan Jones yesterday as like a under a guy who could-- wow people, sort of an under the radar guy. But no, I'm gonna go offense. I think chalk here. I think Jalen Polk is basically a starter. I think he's gonna 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 gonna 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 gonna be the best rookie you have. Mm-hmm. 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 gonna be your offensive MVP. I'm gonna throw it to somebody else just because that's a little too easy. So I'm actually gonna go with, if some say that David Andrews should be in consideration for your offensive MVP, I'm gonna say that I think your rookie of the year on this team is gonna be Layden 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 Layden Robinson strong. This kid is big enough. He's gonna 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, I think, absolutely there is reason to believe that Layden 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-esque play, then that's gonna be a massive plus for one of the most troubled spots on this Patriots roster in. Sure. And I think he's gonna 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 gonna make us say, "Wait, I'm sorry, what?" All right. So this is where I'm gonna 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 gonna make the mistakes that a lot of people are projecting when he gets in there in week five. I like it and I like it a lot. I agree. I don't think he's gonna 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. He's gonna look the part and he's gonna be pro ready. This is not a homer pick. This is more a belief that the Patriots are gonna 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. Not says this team sucks and it sucks out loud. They are going to funnel and channel all of that into their gameplay 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 to stay in the game or not lose by 10? San Francisco. Jeff Santh for the San Francisco. And now I think there's three of them, quite honestly, I think it's 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. 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, surprise, it's a, you know, wow, wow, how about that? Geez, 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 Jevon 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 that 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 Jevon 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 look like it's reflective. But I just don't think it's going to go very well with him there because I 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 your biggest. So I see it, but I just can't yes, and 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. It's like it's again, he's not going to be a bust. I agree. It's just too much hype around him. Like you don't 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 still rugged. But you know, 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, folks, let's pump the brakes on putting them in a freakin 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 mean, what do you have any expectation? 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's such here on six rings, when will Drake May start? And 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 Iuch or CD Lamb will pull a hamstring this season. 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, three, 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. It's 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 Dre, a few big hits from Pep. Yeah. And there's a chance. I mean, the line and we'll get, we'll do our official game preview tomorrow, or rather by weeks and 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. That'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 May's 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 May 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 anytime at six rings pod at Jumbo Heart and of course, at Bitsy GFI, don't go anywhere. We've got a quick Pat's 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 football things midweek, getting ready for week one in the NFL. Let's just tie the up a couple of 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 Izzy in charge as he making the decisions himself, he said when announcing Jacobi Versett 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 value, but as a head coach, you know, I have the final say saying with the quarterback, like from the time we find Jacobi and draft a 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, you know, what's being said on the outside, like we're going to stick to the plan in it, you know, if it may not be the most popular plan, but it's the plan that I think is best for for the team. Okay, 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's Stadium, his first big Wednesday press conference of a game week leading into bangles. 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 barberry on a south part 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. 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 to 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 Calla hands, are these got even Dan Quinn in Washington? I mean, he's named his starter. He's going with Jaden 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 offseason 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. That's really not an ad, but I, 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? Resigned. 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 of 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 Vise an extension. Doug was a transition player in Josh Huchey. The guy that's not on that list of course is Matt Judon. Matt. Hmm. 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. Um, 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 consulting their helpers. Wait, he cannot have another job. Okay. The pecking order, Bill Belichick has to be, tell me, 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. You know, 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, proud to you 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. He's telling me he's also going to add consulting to the 30 third team to, 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 Donny, he thought that was funny. Huh? 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 Devonta Parker who Matt you wanted to trade for. You told me to trade for him from the golf and 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, 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 statler 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. That's a great point that no one's paying attention to. Pop that on the screen if you can, Fitzy, 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 a, 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, 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 pro football 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, 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 run 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 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 J. Von Baker thing, Oh, captains, my captains, the Patriots announced their captains. Uh, I believe it was, uh, it was, uh, it was, uh, let's see, he had, uh, Dietrich Wise, once again, David Andrews, uh, Jacobi Brissette, uh, Julius, uh, excuse me, Gabriel Peppers, any sort of, 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, Dugger was a captain or, um, Jonathan Jones was a captain or a, but, you know, that you also, Joe Cardona is the special teams captain. Of course. He's 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. Um, I, I was, we're not saying that you can, you can read it people, but we're not saying 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. Um, so that could, we kind of covered a little bit of everything in the most, uh, the most relevant points with the previous coach and of course the current coach as well. Like I promised you, uh, 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 heart. 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 of 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. My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big row as man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laughing me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to linkedin.com/results to claim your credit. That's linkedin.com/results. Terms and conditions apply linkedin, the place to be, to be. America's favorite place to watch football is stadium swim, located at Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Catch all the biggest games and a viewing experience built for sports fans. Chill in one of their six pools on three different levels for a perfect view of their massive screen. Plenty of seating options from cozy daybeds to private, temperature controlled cabanas. Stadium swim. Book your spot today at circleosvegas.com. Six rings in football things back at Gillette Stadium. Training camp is over. This is not a practice recap. This is a season preview. Each and that ooh you heard was Mike Giardi, friend of the podcast. The first guy in the hot seat here as we begin, hopefully season long as long as I stick to it. Because I do have another gig now of Wednesdays. Very popular, congratulations. I don't know if I'm going to get popular. But thank you. Wednesdays, I expect to come to Gillette Stadium, talk to a different beat reporter who is around the team on a daily basis. Today, we're going to do a little preview of the Patriots season, a little preview of the NFL season. With Mike, we're going to start right out the gates. The Patriots record in 2024 will be... Five and 12. Five. Where are you getting those five from and how the hell do you see that happening? So I just don't think they're going to be as horrifically, offensively as we think. I think they're going to be able to establish some sort of run game at some point, whether it's right out of the shoot or whether it's into the season a little bit. And quite frankly, even though we've seen the flaws of Jacobi Brissette over the last two, two and a half weeks, sort of come to roost again, he's not going to be Mac, he's not going to be Bailey. Sure about that? Yes. Should I throw? I feel confident about that. I forced it to Hooper. What was up? Hooper's fault. You see the other throws? One to four. Look. I left the one to Hooper for the third down that he just flat out missed him. It's not perfect. Okay. He's... No, I don't want to be a pessimist. You got five wins? No, I would think the five wins is actually not exactly being high on the football team. No, but it's over the Vegas. Vegas four and a half. You get the over. I saw one of those random emails you get from these random casinos that want you to promote their stuff. I'm not going to. I'm just going to say the number. I believe the Patriots were the third most bet in terms of money under this offseason. So most money is on the Patriots winning four games or fewer. That's where my money lies. People who were listening earlier in today's podcast heard me predict two and fifteen. I didn't actually predict O in seventeen because it is hard to go O in seventeen. So I'm giving them a little bit of a buffer there with two wins. And do I think they could squeeze out or maybe if all things go right? Yes. Just like I think they could squeeze out a big zero turd and go winless on the season. Well said. Do you feel better, worse or the same as you expected to feel about this team now that we are in week one of the regular season as maybe you did when Mayo took over, when they drafted May, when they started the process, do you feel better, worse or the same right now? Slightly worse. I think in the spring, I thought when they assembled their roster after the draft and free agency, I was like, I think it's a six win team. Which I think you also mocked me for that. I did. I'm still mocking. And then I think there was a point during camp, probably right around the joint practice against Philadelphia where I was like, this is a four win team, Max. And then I sort of came back around a little bit just, again, I think the defense, well, they're not going to be a top ten defense. I think it's going to be impossible without bar more and we don't expect them to play this year. You know what? We don't have any official work on that. And obviously trading Jude on. I think people have placed unreal expectations on Christian Gonzalez to be this, they already think he's this elite number one corner that should be talked about with sauce gardener and Patrick Sertane and whoever else you want to put in that conversation. He's not that yet. So, but I still think they're going to be, call them a top 12, top 14 defense, which I think if they can be semi competent offensively, I'm not even looking for competent at this point. I think that's where you squeeze up the five points. So obviously, the biggest talking point heading into the regular season is no longer the quarterback in a weird way because I actually thought Gerard Mayo after he forgot to include Jacobi Bursett among the captains a day later on the Greg Hill show and WEI. I thought had his best meeting of the year with the media answered questions pretty definitively. I didn't think there were many brush fires. I have one. Okay. You got a brush fire. Let me guess. Actually, no, go ahead. We talked about we don't want Jacobi to feel like someone's nipping at his heels. Yeah, that's the one. But. And I was like, what would no, no, stop, just stop right there and look, I, we've made a lot about how he has approached his media duties. I think he has been at times honest to a fault and it's got him in trouble and he's had to, you know, reel it back in a couple of times. Yeah, I said it was, I didn't really mean we're going to spend a ton of cash. All those sorts of things that he's done. And I think that was another one where as soon as he said that he should have just stopped. We're going to talk about Drake and I'm going to do it in a different part of this, this, this press conference. But right there, right now, a Jacobi, don't worry. We got your back. You don't have to worry about anyone nipping in your heels. Even though we all know that absolutely Drake made nipping in his heels. The only thing I, and I would agree, that was the one thing which pales in comparison to prior mistakes he's made. But also I thought if my memory serves me right, he kind of generalized it and said healthy stress. And that's really for all players, he kind of Bella checked it and said, everybody, yeah, is fighting for their jobs or everybody has to prove it and keep their jobs. So that would the one out that I would give him there. But I think the biggest question now we turn our focus to, we know Jacobi Brissette is starting. I think the biggest question now is like, so who's playing on the offensive line? We've reached a world where Bradarian Lo not being out there is a problem. And we're just getting lots of tackles in the background here. So we gave a live six rings podcast here to let Stadium, that the offensive line remains the biggest question, concern, you know, if the line can perform, as I think they are hoping Jacobi Brissette performs that level, this will probably be a better football team than maybe many of us expect. Where are you on the offensive line? What are you expecting at left tackle? I know the depth chart was put out the unofficial, all caps, underlying, bold, unofficial. They want you to make sure it's unofficial was put out. They had chukes of core for, so we just returned to pre draft weekend where Elliot Wolf said chukes is the left tackle. What do you expect at left tackle? What is the bar for the line? And could it be one of those cases where we expect so little that they overachieve? So some of the parts are like decent pieces, like in one it was not an all pro level player as some people have made the claim. But he's a good guard. We do that a lot. Yeah, we really do. That guy's a pro bowler. He never made one. He never was. And also the pro ball means absolutely Jack squat because Mac Jones made the pro ball and he was like the 12th quarterback except Julian Edelman never did. Well, you know, look, although they'll tell you he was a 17th injury replacement one year where he didn't play was replaced later, but he would have been could have been should have been. Solid podcast. So I like. So I think in when I was a good guard, I think he is passable as a tackle. I think some people feel like he was a good tackle last year. No, he was just better than what you had. And if you have to put him out there, you'll get okay play, but don't expect anything great. He says he says he's 350. I think he is brought. I think the claim of him being 80 pounds overweight was typical Mike Lombardi hyperbole. And obviously we know Mike has an accident because his best friend resource, though Bella check was coop can by the Patriots. So there's that. I think David Andrews is still a good football player now. How much more does he have left in the tank? I don't know. I wouldn't bet against David. He's just a tough dude. City. So is a decent run blocker who needs to improve a lot as a pass blocker, but obviously they felt like he's in it, barring health, obviously, which is a problem. I thought laden Robinson probably might have been their best offensive lineman for the better part of training can. So that gives him another piece. And then it really is about figuring out what left tackle is all about. And if look, if you feel like your average to above average at four of the five spots, which I think you could probably I could probably get there, can't you block around a bad left tackle? I mean, it will impact it'll impact your often some, but it's different than having two problems like they did last year. They had right tackle left tackle was an issue, right? Like even, you know, for all the PFF grades on city. So took city so a long time before city so was a, to me, a passable guard in the league, like we're talking like late November, December. So I think it's not ideal, but I never thought they would fix the entire, the three big needs, right? Quarterback, wide receiver and left tackle. I didn't think they were going to be able to fix them all in one off. Right. I had a dream, but it was impossible. Yeah. And, and, and especially when you looked at the free agent class of left tackle. So like it wasn't even like you could throw your money there. They tried to throw money at Ridley to a certain degree and we know what happened there. Then the question becomes, did the resources they put into the wide receiver position in the draft? Are those guys going to be worth it in the long run? Right. So, okay. So a lot of questions there. Things to touch on. Just the left tackle spot. I've come to believe that maybe L.A. Wolf's biggest, biggest mistake. Forget the name because there's not a lot of options and names out there. I think the run in the draft affected some things at the left tackle position before they were able to swing back around, potentially Jonah Williams. I do think if you had Jonah Williams, you'd be better off right now. I would have done it. I would have done it. That was the one I would have done. I don't know how I missed this. I didn't realize he signed basically a two year, $30 million contract for a team that has a boatload of cap space, short term deal. You could have had him here for one year as a starter and then hell and overpaid backup for a year. Exactly. So that contract, but to me, just the bigger issue was not getting a left tackle. This idea that a right tackle can be a left tackle, whether he's a college right tackle, chukes of core for right tackle. But to me, if you're going to criticize Elliott Wolf, maybe it's not the specific names. It's just get a left tackle. Don't get project, project, project because projects generally don't work out well. Yeah, I wrote about that at the time, that they, you know, I talk to people, Peter King or Mike Geordi were talking about, as I wrote today. Well, they got, there are people around the league that felt like they got caught with their pants around their ankles when the, when the tackle started to run in the 50s, right? So there are people in the media core that have the pants around their ankles when they go to the bathroom. Let's not touch that. You know, Kingsley Suamathea, I can't pronounce his name. Yep. He's like someone I, like, and they sort of like waited too long and then all of a sudden it was like, okay, well, the best tackle on the board left is Caden Wallace. And even though he's a right tackle, maybe some of the footwork would play a left tackle. And that's how you end up with a situation where, hey, look, he might be a really good right tackle, but that's not what you tried to sell us on. Okay, so you sold me on a positive there, because in a previous podcast, I used sort of the analogy of a car where you're like, yeah, the four, fish of the offensive line is good. And I'm like, yeah, a car with three wheels doesn't go anywhere. But you just maybe sold me that they have that little donut spare. You can't go far and you can't go fast, but you can move. You can get home, you can go pick your kids up and then you call AAA. Not complete disaster. Right. You didn't crash. You didn't flip or, you know, six times and end up in the ditch on the side of the road. Okay. And that, so the Patriots, I feel like you're a little more optimistic than I am at two wins. You got five wins. Let's go into the entirety of the NFL, because I do think this is our little preview podcast. We got Thursday night football, we got Friday night football, we got a full slate of games. So I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to throw some teams at you of the, of the teams that I include San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, the Jets, Houston, I think all teams that a lot of people believe are pretty good football teams, throw Baltimore in there that a lot of people think are pretty good football teams, that core group of not, and Kansas City, obviously I put kind of in their own because to me, I don't, I'm never going to call for them to come up short because I don't think they're going to come up short. They're the Patriots. They are. They're a group of wannabe contenders, if you want to throw since in there, whatever that group of handful, half dozen teams is, give me one of those teams that you think is every bit going to live up to the hype and is going to be a legit final four team, and give me one of those teams that you think, maybe the hype has gotten ahead of the reality a little bit. So I would put Detroit in that mix. I just think the way they built in which mix in the, they're going to be every bit as good as the hype. Okay. I think I know. I know. That's the one. So 15 of their 17 games in the regular season are being played in domes this year. That's good for golf. Yes. So like that's just something I can't overlook. You prepping for the season. I mean, even tell them we're doing this. So that is to me, like, you know, one of his biggest concerns when you talk about Jared Goff is him playing outside, playing outside in the cold, I could have to do that very often. And I think with the kind of team he has around him that they're probably going to end up battling if not the one seed, the two seeds. So that means your home until at least the NFC Championship game, I actually have them as I did the projections as the home team in the NFC Championship game. So you're playing indoors the entire time. And I just think they're sort of built to win now. They've done a great job. You're holding the Drupal. Drew Brees. Peyton Manning passed the success 100, 100%. So I just think there's enough pieces there and Campbell coach of the year DJ reader was a really under the radar signing. And I know he just came off the PUP like a week ago, but he's like, I just, I mean, ask anybody who tried to block him in Cincinnati when he's on the field. He's hard to block. So they just add him to the middle of that deep sign. Buy into the Lions. Danny Ventura will be very happy. I do. And I also buy into Baltimore because I am a huge believer in Lamar's talent. And even though he has come up short in the postseason, which is the narrative, right? He's got to, he's got to defeat that. And last year, they should have beaten the Chiefs had he played a representative game had Zay, Zay Flowers not fumbled the football and he not thrown the interception in the end zone. I just feel like his talent's so good and Harbaugh is a good enough coach that eventually he's going to break through. Right. So I put them in that same mix of like, I have Baltimore versus Detroit and the Super Bowl just for those. Okay, credibility purposes. I do want to throw in there because I think physically speaking, the mesh point of Lamar and Derek Henry on like a read option zone read, something like that might be the most challenging in the history of the game. And I'm not exaggerating. Can I just tell you? So we did on my podcast, we did our preview yesterday and I brought up that point and I said, I remember the Patriots team that went in there eight, no, right and got smacked on. I think it was a Sunday night. Yep. One of the things that jumped out to me about that game in particular was Patriots defenders were so locked into Lamar and Lamar keeping the ball that there and the way he handled the ball that there were many times where he put the ball in the belly of Mark Ingram and Mark Ingram was at the linebacker level before the linebackers and the one else realized he had the football. So Mark Ingram was a really good football player. Derek Henry might be on the back nine of his career, but like at six foot four 240 pounds it keeps himself in phenomenal shape. He might have some wide ass open running lanes and like, okay, good luck to the nickel corner or the safety who has to come up and try to tackle him when now he has the full head of seat. Yeah, I really do think that right there because you're right. Is he as good as he once was? No, but he might be in the best place to not be as good as he once was working with Lamar and the opportunities that's going to afford him other than Mike for able just handing it to him and saying run up the middle. He still had over a thousand yards and people say, well, he wasn't the same player. There are offensive line the last two years, he's been absolute dog crap. This is not a dog crap line. So let's flip it. Now go the other way. One of those core contending teams that you're not necessarily buying into or believing. So I'm having a little bit of a problem right now with Cincinnati because I just think it's been a it's been a upset alert. Well, it's been a an odd off season for them, right? They're best defensive players. Trey Hendrickson, he hates his contract. He sat out for a while. He came back because they basically told him we're not doing anything about it and he can't afford to miss game checks. But how happy are you going to be T Higgins is playing in a franchise deal. Everyone expects he won't be there next year that they won't pay him. He'll be here. And Jamar. Well, perhaps part of the indie heart plan you can read about it. And so then I wonder about a guy like that who has a history of like soft tissue stuff man. You know what? My hammy's a little sore today. My quad's a little sore. I don't want to go out there and be 65% or 70% against a good corner. Look bad. And then that cost me dollars in the end. Then of course, Jamar. Hey, oh, no, he's going to play. And then he shows up the next day back in shorts and a t-shirt and it's like, I never said that. That didn't come out of my mouth. Zach Taylor pulled a Jerrod Mae when he traversed it a little bit. Yeah. I mean, he did. He said, I got ahead of myself there. So, you know, like, does he play this week? Does he sit out? I mean, it's crazy now that after three years, he's already demanding an extension which can't kick him until two years from now. But like, that's where we're at. If he wants more money than Justin Jefferson, I don't know. Okay. So I have this little theme I've been thinking about that I believe this could be the year of the running back in the National Football League. Maybe as much as ever. We saw the off season of a little bit of value brought back to those guys. We saw some carousel of -- we just talked about Derek Henry, Josh Jacobs goes to the Packers, Saquon goes to the Eagles, which I still think a lot of people don't realize he's on the Eagles. And that's why he's my pick for offensive player of the year because I think in that offense, potentially there's opportunities for him because I also think you just referenced Jamar Chase and T Higgins in weird spots. CD Lam sat out most of the summer. Brandon Iyuk sat out most of the summer. I believe all of those guys, at least one of them will pull a hammy and miss six weeks. Maybe more than one of them because I still think it's hard to just show up and play NFL football. And I think if you look at history, there's a lot of examples of those guys having down years after off seasons like this. Is -- do you think there is a chance -- and here even, I'd say Romandre Stevenson is different level but in the mix to be the best player on this football team, Bijon Robinson in Atlanta now has a quarterback to pair with the weapons. I feel like he could be a breakout candidate. These guys that -- you know, Christian McCaffery, if he doesn't get hurt, is still living the life of the centerpiece of that great offense. Is that a theme you think? Because we all fixate on quarterbacks and that's for good reason. It's the hardest, most important position. Anything to my idea that the year of the running back 2024. Well, because it's funny and you mentioned the contract part of it, we got to a point where the money got so dumb on them that it was like, "Wait a minute. He's -- Sequin Barkley's too good of a player to not pay him $12 million a year or whatever the guarantee was there. Paying receivers 36 and I can't pay him. Yeah, for three years I can't give him $26 million guaranteed or whatever it was." Right. Yeah, I like that idea and especially for Sequin and Philly, just because of -- Yeah, everybody's got a client here. Quiet. That was Andrew Callahan of the Boston County. Oh, no, no. His podcast sucks. Yeah, so I could see him having a massive year in that system, you know, with hurts, with the idea of the run pass option and obviously having the two weapons that they have outside, like, that's a scary team offensively when they click it. Now you added a real game-breaking type running back, so yeah, I can totally see that they're running back. I mean, clearly here they want to be a run first football team, which should mean a heavy dose of Ramandra. I mean, I look at -- was it Chubb, I think, had in his last season before getting hurt last year. I think he had 320 carries, so I don't know if they'll go that high with Ramandra, but I think -- No chance he lasts that. I mean, I'll tell you what, I'm feeding him the ball that much. Yeah, he won't make it. It'll be Antonio Gibson, and Frickin, Jermichael, and my guy, Harris, will be coming off the practice squad. Okay, we'll end with some optimism. So we know you have them with five wins, which in this day and age is semi-optimistic, actually, as to what's going on out there. Give me a couple guys that you think -- and beyond the obvious ones, like obviously the hope is Drake May plays and Drake May's exciting. Jalen Polk plays. Jalen Polk's exciting. Gonzales answers some of the questions, and he heads into year three as a legit reason to believe he's a number one corner. Give me a couple optimistic names for Patriots players that fans will be like, "Huh, I kind of like him." He's added himself to the core mix. Do I dare try to pronounce Ox's name? Just call him Ox. That's what Jonathan Jones called him. He's a fan now. Everybody's getting -- I mean, fan favorite. I've talked to a few people who -- in the organization, he was like, "You know, there's a little something there, and obviously with Judon not being a part of the equation, someone's got to eat some of those snaps, and maybe he's the guy who gets to eat some of those third down snaps." And Keyon White is something we've talked about. I'm just kind of excited to see him get a -- I think he's going to get a ton of snaps, and I want to see if he can just unleash that inner demon that he has. Yeah, he's -- he's the bad man. He spent all summer working on sort of like some finesse moves because he knows his power works. So it was all about trying to finesse stuff, we'll see if that plays, so I'm excited to see him. Look, he's one of my favorite guys on the team. He's talked to him, and he's just -- he doesn't pull any punches. Very direct, very open, and I appreciate that. And I'll give you one that I have major questions about, but I'm going to be watching them because he's getting treated as if he's done a lot in this league already, and that's Marcus Jones. Marcus Jones is like unquestioned the nickel corner when we last saw Marcus Jones playing corner back for the football team two summers ago, and into the preseason, and then into the regular scene before he got hurt quickly, he wasn't good, correct? Not like -- I'm talking bad, but they invested this pick in him, and they think we have loticism, and I feel like we've had sort of the same summer where it wasn't bad, but he's hurt a lot. I have no idea what kind of player he is. He might just be a punt returner/kick returner, and maybe someone that you design something for him on offense to get him a bump screen or two, but like, as a corner, I don't know, but they're clearly counting on him, so he gets -- I get a lot of my focus. And finally, real quick, prediction for week one score. I hate week one games. I think they're the hardest thing to predict. You can't have week two without week one. You understand? I will take Cincinnati, but I say it's close. I say they cover. Closer than the experts think. Yeah, how about 23-17? 23-17, five wins. That's a semi-optimistic Mike Giardi. This is six-rings and football things beginning our weekly beat-writer chats here at Gillette Stadium. It's game week. The season is underway. Thursday night, football, football's back, baby, six-rings and football things. For it all. 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Fitzy and Hart go through their predictions for the 2024 Patriots season, including their picks for the record, MVPs, Rookie of the Year (for both offense and defense), and their biggest surprises. Plus, Hart chats with Mike Giardi from the Boston Sports Journal about what to expect from the Patriots this season.
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