Bailey Zappe Draft Profile

Bailey Zappe quarterback Westen Kentucky 6'1" 215 pounds. Started 50 of 51 games (2017-2021). Completed 61.6 of his 2163 attempts for 15953 yards, with 140 touchdowns and 50 interceptions. Sack total unknown. 292 carries for a 1 yard average with 6 touchdowns. 1 catch for 21 yards. 2 fumbles in 2021.

The good:

Depending on who's report you look at, Zappe is either a field general or a game manager. He's extremely intelligent and makes reads both pretty and post snap. He has a good pocket presence and awareness and moves like a chess piece in the pocket. He has impeccable accuracy especially on the deep ball and throws a catchable ball with a tight spiral. He's able to fool and move defenders to get guys open. And while he's not a running back, he can move and will go get a fee yards if given a lane.

The Bad:

Arm strength is not the strongest. Throwing under pressure gets sloppy with mechanics. Lacks of DI experience and only 1 year of elite DI production. Is only 6'1" and for some reason after Drew Brees's career, being under 6'4" is still an issue. Occasionally high risk throw that will lead to a turnover but otherwise pretty secure with the ball.

His NFL comparisons are Chase Dainels, Case Keenum, Tim Rattay, and Chad Pennington. He was projected to go in the 4th. His biggest knock is that he played in D2 for a few years and is a sleeper. The good thing is one of his comps is Chad Pennington who was also a comp for Mac Jones.

Jack Jones Scouting Report

Jack Jones corner Arizona State 5'11" 170 pounds. Started 23 of 52 games (2016-2022), spent a year in the portal. 10 interceptions, 26 passes defended, 145 tackles, 1 sack, 5 forced fumbles, 1 recovery. 6 Kickoff returns for a 12.67 yard average. 7.10 yard average on 10 punt returns.

The Good:

Ball skills knows where it's at and attacks it

Play speed only runs a 4.5 but stays within the play and on his target. Intelligence can diagnose plays well. Awareness knows what's going on and when to make adjustments. Good Press man coverage and above average zone coverage ability. Physicality bullies receivers down field. Hips and agility, can stay with receivers in their breaks, isn't going to get lost. Vertical Jump, can go up and swat those high balls. Versatility, can be shuffled around the secondary.

The Bad:

Undersized being under six foor and well below weight. Aggressiveness, he tries to jump balls too often and can surrender the big play. Grabby when he gets beat. Eyes lock into the backfield too often. 50-50 balls are not one enough. He's got that jumping ability but surrenders too many catches. Block shredding is not there. He tries to tackle runners but he cannot get off receivers to get to the backs.

There were some that said if on talent alone, he was a first round pick. The question is what about him made him fall? He did have some off field issues but I think it was more to the fact that he never fully played up to his five star prospect ability in college. He's still developmental and that's why he fell.

He was an early to mid day three projection depending on the board. And his NFL comparisons are Chris Harris and Darney Holmes. To the Patriots fans saying they just got the next J.C. Jackson, media members are saying he's closer to Butler's ability than Jackson. The Patriots needed to get corner one and corner two and they got corner two. Malcolm Butler will be corner one in 2022 but they still need a corner one. In that aspect, they got their J.C. Jackson role replacement.

A Slim Possibility is Still A Possibility.

The college interpersonal speech communication course teaches that people tend to deal in garentees and impossiblilities. The course trains people to open their mind. To look for other possibilities. And to understand that just because somethings improbable doesn't mean it's improbable. People win the lottery all the time with odds of like a million in 1 chance. That brings me to Bill Belichick.

Bill Belichick said he believed that Cole Strange would not be available at pick 54. And people are calling bullshit and saying that Patriots general Bill Belichick did what he wanted and took the guy he wanted. Belichick does have a history of making decisions that fans initially disagreed without a second thought and has a history of surrounding himself with yes men. So can we say with certainty that what happened when it came to their draft pick, or are there other possibilities?

Well first majority of the people that are upset with the selection are claiming that everyone had Strange as a 3rd or forth rounder. However, that is fraudulent. For proof, I turn to the USA Today.

Natilie Miller of USA Today projected Strange as "an early day 2 (2nd round) pick."

So much for the arguement that everyone had Strange as a 3rd round pick or later. I could share more but one quote is all I need.

Now Belichick said he believed that Strange would not be there at 54. We also know that teams put out feelers to get information. Can we guarantee that no other team was interested in Strange and that no one was willing to take him before pick 54? The answer no, we can not guarantee that. 

Is there any reason to think a team might view Strange as an early second round pick? USA Today and Pride of Detroit sports writer Erik Schlitt may have something to say on it.

Erik Schlitt wrote the following after the combine workout, "The only question surrounding him is: do teams think he is ready to start now? If they think he is, he could also go earlier than expected."

Again, I could go on but one is enough. So I have shown there were people who viewed Strange as a second round pick and people who thought he was worth taking earlier than projected. If people had him as a late second round pick, I moved it up just now to a possible early second. But was he that much better than the guards taken after him.

Uriel Klien of Belly up Sports wrote, "I think he deserves consideration even in the top half of the 1st round, even if he won’t be drafted until Day 2."

And Tyler Sullivan of CBS ranked Strange an 84.31 and said "He should be a long term starter," comparing him to Mark Glowinski.

So we have Klien being suggested as a possible first round consideration and being labeled a long term starter by Sullivan. That's all I need to show that he was better then the next guard.

Now one more thing we know is that Belichick views and treats later first round draft picks as a second round. Dean Blundell Network's Ray Rauth during his draft party on Thursday said the same exact thing. 

So now that I have shown that Strange was not only considered a second round draft pick but was also said that he should be considered to be taken in the first. And that he should be taken early if a team thinks he'll start immediately. I also have someone saying Bill treats that pick like a second round pick. What is the big deal for Bill Belichick to take the guy where he did, especially if he had first round consideration?

And to the question of did Bill Belichick take the guy he wanted regardless of what people thought, with everything I have laid out, in this case the only reason one would have an issue over which prospect with first round consideration was taken is because of personal bias. Furthermore, Bill passed on some of those prospects multiple times, meaning the Patriots didn't view those guys as high as everyone else. 

Marcus Jones draft profile

Marcus Jones defensive back Houston 5'8" 185 pounds.

Started 28 of 43 games (2017-2021). Had 154 tackles, 31 passes defended and 10 interceptions with a touchdown. Hr had 4 carries for 9 yards. Caught 15 of 16 targets with 4 first downs and a touchdown. 28.42 average on 73 kickoff returns with 6 touchdowns. Averaged 14.21 on 62 punt returns with 3 touchdowns. Fumbled 6 times only recovering 4 of back. Forced one fumble and recovered one fumble.

The Good:

Jones is a versatile defensive back who should play the slot but can play anywhere in the secondary. True defensive coverage back, is good in both zone and man. Quick, fast, and agile with smooth hips. Ballhawk, Intelligent and aware for his position. Plays bigger than his size. Does a good job with his hands for the at attacking the ball. Good tackler who's not afraid to take on bigger bodies. Can play all three phases and has the desired hands of a slot or possession receiver. Is a good red zone defender and excells in nickle and dime packages.

The Bad:

Jones can be occasionally grabby. Although he plays bigger, he needs to get more physical. He needs to improve tackling technique. Undersized and occasionally struggles against bigger pass catchers over 6'1". Small wing span could be a problem against taller receivers. Not A block shredder and will need his blitzes schemed and the path to the runner cleared. Has a history of fumbling as a returner. Overthinker, needs to trust instincts more. Coming off shoulder surgery after this past season. Is 24 years old.

I had Jones as the 16th best corner fit for the Patriots. A projected mid day three guy, who most agree would be a a top 50 pick if he was a few inches taller. His NFL comparisons are D.J. Reed, Devin Hester, Darney Holmes, and Gunner Olszewski. Jones may end up being a depth piece but if he can get his fumbles under control should be the favorite to be the team's long term Return man for the next few years.

Tyquan Thornton Scouting Report

Tyquan Thornton receiver Baylor 6'2" 180 pounds.

Started 32 of 47 games (2018-2021). Caught 143 of 210 targets (68% catch rate) for 2242 yards with 77 first downs and 19 touchdowns. Has thrown 1 career pass that went for a touchdown. Has 3 career rushes for -9 yards. 15.86 average on 7 kickoff returns. 

The good:

X receiver (deep ball guy) for a spread offense that can play the deep slot. He's fast with a second gear, ran a 4.28 at the combine. Has a large catch radius and capable of making jump ball catches. Limited Route that he excells in. Run blocking is comparable to N'keal Harry's. Does a good job getting seperation on deeper routes. It's a track meet after the catch once. Gunner and coverage team ability along with kickoff return man abilities.

The bad:

Undersized for an X receiver. Has small hands for a receiver. Not quick enough to run underneath routes or for the quick game. Gets knocked off routes easy. Hips allows defenders to catch up when changing angles or making turns. Not a contested catch guy with a past history of drops. Struggles with ball control in traffic. Is too worried about taking hits and getting injured. Struggles when a safety is put over the top. 

He will need schemed touches in the short passing game. Is better suited ability wise to play the Z and will need development at the next level to get there. Projected as a number three or four receiver. Struggles versus man coverage and allows corners to play him and not having to worry about focusing on the ball. Average intelligence for thr position. Knack of using his chest and pads to catch the ball too often. Runs a 7.25 three cone, slow for a Patriots receiver.

Was expected to be a mid day three developmental pick. Who has been compared to Robbie Anderson, Ashley Lelie, Tijuana Underwood, Mike Wallace and John Ross.

Pipe Down If You're Not A Professional Scout Working For An NFL Team, When It Comes To Cole Strange And How The Patriots Scouted Him.

People forget that draft boards are different. They forget that people scouts have different things they look for. They forget that people have biases that effect how they see things. While there are some boards that had Cole Strange as a day two pick, some boards had him as a day three pick. However, those who had him going on day two could not agree as to where on day two. 

A quick Google search gave me eight writers, who thought he was a day two pick including people who work for CBS, USA Today, and Patspalpit. Someone who makes a living off writing for sports wrote that it was possible for Strange to go in round one but everyone thought he was drafted too high right? Not according to Uriel Klien. 

Uriel Klien wrote, "I think he deserves consideration even in the top half of the 1st round, even if he won’t be drafted until Day 2."

So why did I bring this up? Because people are knocking what Bill Belichick had to say. Bill got asked if Strange would've been his pick at 21 if they had not traded down. 

Belichick replied, “Probably a good chance it would have been him. Glad Cole was there when we picked and I feel like we made the best decision that we could at 21.”

Of course because of Strange being from a smaller school people had the small school biases against Strange, keeping him as a late day two to a mid day three prospect. So someone asked Bill if he really thought Strange would not of been there when the Patriots picked at 54 (And I am sure there were some who would've said saturday night if allowed).

Belichick replied, “He wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”

The rest of Belichick's interview after day one was a bunch of walking in circles. 

I'm going to share one top 200 board from April 5th done on the Draft Network's website. This is just to show that not every board is the same. Remember, Cole Strange is at least a day three pick according to many, so keep an eye out for him. Also look to see if anyone else is missing.

Receivers

Tackles

Edge Rushers

Corners

Quarterbacks (only 2? Where's Willis and Pickett?)

Tight Ends

Interior Defensive Line

Interior Offensive Linemen

Running Back

Linebackers

Safeties and 6 Long Snappers (last six)

Punter

This board has only two quarterbacks and they're not Pickett or Strong. It has Wan'Dale Robinson, Justyn Ross, and Romeo Doubs ahead of Skyy Moore. It had Roger McCreary as the third best corner in the draft. And it didn't even have Cole Strange listed as a prospect. And I can assure you it wasn't because he's not good but instead because the person who made the board never heard of Strange until last night.

The point of this is not everyone's boards are the same. A friend of mine had Booth better than McCreary. Another thought Booth was light years ahead of Elam. When Buffalo picked Elam over Booth, I was like good pick and got told it was a "reach." Why? Personal bias and if that's what they think, it's fine.

The comments from almost everyone over that pick are insane. Why are people upset that Cole Strange went at 29? Personal bias. People as a group made up their minds that their rankings were correct, looked for people who agreed with them and used those people as vindication for their reactions. The funny thing is the same people are bitching about Belichick being surrounded by yes men. Now, I'm not trying to call out my friends but Pats nation and the media because of all the toxicity.

Hell, I remember watching some of the mock drafts and people including Evan Lazar (when looking at fan boards) didn't want to look at other mock draft sites due to how they ranked players. Idk how many times I heard people say other draft simulators don't rank people correctly. What they were really saying is, "they don't place the same value on guys as I do, so they're wrong and I'm right. So I'm not using them" People surrounded themselves with mock drafts that were "yes men". The Patriots don't care about consensus picks, they rarely do.

Here is a mock draft from the simulator almost everyone was relying on (PFF) because it was the most realistic according to pretty much everyone.

When this simulators trade system got called out as broken or unrealistic. Locked on Patriots supported the trade part of the simulator claiming there was truth to its trade system due to it's algorithm and inferring that the trades were realistic. Nothing in the mock draft above was forced, so if this mock draft was possible it had to be less than a 1% chance. I mean it has the league giving Belichick 11 top 100 picks and all the Pats basically did was trade down from 21.

If people want they can come up with reasons why it makes sense for the Patriots to draft Strange at 29. Here's a few:

1) He was mis-scouted by those outside of the team and is that good.

2) The Patriots are planning to run an spread zone scheme RPOs 

3) Ball control offense - The longer the Patriots have the ball, the less time Josh Allen has to hurt them.

I am sure people can come up with more. Now let's run off the he was mis-scouted. Let's say he's as good as Zion Johnson, Kenyon Green, or Tyler Lindenbaum, would people be upset if one of those three were drafted at 29? It was a question I heard last night, If you wouldn't be upset about one of those guys, then there's no reason to be upset about Cole Strange going at 29.

The Best Defense Is A Good Offense

Josh Allen, Josh Allen, Josh Allen... A guard isn't going to stop Josh Allen. Cole Strange doesn't make the Patriots any better. Bill's losing it. Ever heard of "the best defense is a good offense?" That old quote works both ways before someone says I have it backwards.

At first I thought this selection was because of the last five picks basically being second round picks. Someone did ask Bill if he thought Strange wouldn't be there in the second and Bill said "yes." Bill could've probably traded down a few spots but people would probably be just as outraged.

Mario from hashtag sports will tell you that if a team that runs the E.P. offense only gets three yards on a play, that's probably by design. The Patriots run an E.P. system. We also know Belichick likes to play ball control offense. With Strange it seems like they're going back to a spread offense using the RPO to achieve their death by 1,000 paper cuts. Regardless if it's a run or pass causing the cut.

How much time can the Patriots run off the clock if they run double digit play drives? Eight minutes? Ten minutes? Twelve minutes or more? How effective is Josh Allen and the Bills offense gone be if they're getting fewer positions because the Patriots are playing slow methodical football? How bad does it hurt their rhythm if they're barely on the field?

I heard the past few weeks how Parker was a number one. How good Bourne was. How good Meyers is and how good Agholor will be in year two. I've heard about how good Henry, Harris, and Stevenson are. And I've heard White is back. So after spending weeks praising this offense, especially after the Parker trade, Don't start telling me now that y'all been full of shit about the offense the past few weeks.

So unless people been lying about what the Patriots have on offense, there's no reason the Patriots cannot play ball control offense and keep their own defense off the field. I get that when Allen finally gets the ball that they have to stop him but the Patriots still have a large amount of draft picks to use. So they can still get better.

Let's be real about the Strange pick. Y'all wanted a lambo and daddy Belichick went out and got you a Volvo wagon (Strange) and it's not something you can show off to your friends. However, you're not gonna be as reckless with your Volvo and it should last you longer because of. And let's face it most lambos are built for show and not performance. Meaning one of those names that was available at 29 that everyone wanted, may have been as productive as N'keal Harry. 

We spent so much time talking about how good Harry was going to be but when it came go time, Harry has basically been there to say he's been there. Y'all know it's true. We got a little more out of Chase Winovich but still, he was just another flashy toy that was worthless after his rookie season. Y'all know what I'm saying. Just be thankful Goodell let the Patriots have a first round pick.

Patriots First Round Pick Is A Little Strange But Understandable.

Before I talk about this selection of the 2022 draft, I want to talk about this pick itself. The 29th pick my friend Ray Rauth of the Dean Blendell Network said tonight prior to the Patriots selection that, "The Patriots look at the 29th pick like a second round pick." On top of that Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, someone who works for the league, in his draft profile projected the 2022 Patriots first round selection as a second round pick. Zierlein works for the NFL, not PFF or The Draft Network. So he's probably on the same page as NFL scouts. 

The Patriots had fans on the edge of their seat tonight waiting with anticipation for whom would be their 2022 first round draft pick. They made things worse or more interesting by trading down with Kansas acquiring the 29th, 94th. And 121st picks. So when the Patriots time came to pick and they had several popular names to choose from, fans thought that the Patriots got lucky. However, The Patriots selected guard and people are losing it.

Every media mock draft I saw had the Patriots taking sexy names or trading down. Especially if the best player available was a guard. Now I rely on the internet for Patriots news, so I don't know what all the talking heads were all saying but I blame the media for the outrage over this pick. NFL.com asked people to vote on the pick and here's how fans voted.

Looking at this poll. It was evenly split between the people who thought it was okay or better, from those who thought it was a bad pick. The results from A, B, and C aren't negative. It just goes to show Patriots nation is just found one more thing to be split on. And with that, let's get to the Patriots 2022 first round selection.

With the 29th overall pick, the Patriots drafted Cole Strange, guard from Tennessee-Chattanooga. He stands 6'5", weights 307 pounds, and NFL.com has him as an eventual starter. With his NFL comparisons being "J.C. Trotter."

Forty plus game starter who had his best year in 2021. A tough mauler with good balance and bend who plays at ideal pad level. Exceptional quickness for a guard. Has a strong anchor with good pop. Good length with can opener strength to create holes for his backs. Sloppy hand movement and developed footwork.

Extremely intelligent, multiple scheme blocker who played primarily zone. Should be a left guard with left tackle and center versatility but has played every position on the line. Ideal agility and can pull if need be. Knows how to get into the second level. Underweight for a guard. Needs to work on defending the bull rush and swim moves. Occasionally lunges and needs to work on setting the edge. And is 24 years old and who took advantage of the extra year of covid eligibility.

So there were people upset about Strange being taken. Some referring to him as a day three pick. So I looked to see if there were other sports writers who agreed with NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. Here's quotes from eight writers about the Patriots 2022 first round selection. Keep in mind what Dear Patriots Nation's Ray Rauth said about Belichick and the 29th pick.

Dylan Chappine compared Strange to Joe Thuney and said the following, "He is an ideal fit in a zone blocking scheme and has a strong case to be taken in round 2."

Uriel Klien wrote, "I think he deserves consideration even in the top half of the 1st round, even if he won’t be drafted until Day 2."

Andrew Freeman wrote, "I currently have a second-round grade on Strange and have him pegged as one of the ideal targets for the Bears to pursue on day two of the 2022 NFL Draft."

Tyler Sullivan ranked Strange an 84.31 and said "He should be a long term starter," comparing him to Mark Glowinski.

Natilie Miller of USA today projected Strange as "an early day 2 (2nd round) pick."

Tom Mead said, "He would need a year of learning and ten pounds before starting." Mead went on to compare him to both Maurkice Pouncey in terms of build and Alex Cappa in terms of play style.

Keegan Stiefel of Pats Palpit basically compared Strange to a tight end playing guard and projected him as "a 2nd-3rd round pick."

Erik Schlitt wrote the following after the combine workout, "The only question surrounding him is: do teams think he is ready to start now? If they think he is, he could also go earlier than expected."

Why I think the Patriots drafted Strange is so they could implement more of the RPOs that Mac Jones ran at Alabama. I think his athletism along with Onwenu give the Patriots a lot of flexibility in the interior of their line. The Patriots got away from the full back and it appears either Smith or Keane will play the H-back. That allows the Patriots to spread things out more. And they can change the offense to a one cut zone blocking scheme on the ground, which should make the Patriots more efficient. 

Overall, the Patriots needed a guard and drafting that late in round one, I'm okay with it. Several of the players people wanted the Patriots to draft are still available. At the moment while he wasn't one of my offensive line prospect, I'm trusting the Patriots. There's a reason I'm a blogger and not an NFL scout.

Everyone Assumes But We Know Nothing About The Patriots Needs Or Draft Strategy.

When people talk about the Patriots's needs, they act as if the Patriots still play a base 3-4. If the Patriots are going to play that as a base scheme, they have a lot of holes on their defense then people realize. And fans should be concerned. 

For starters they need either a true nose tackle or a hybrid tackle that can play end. Either a Wilfork or a Barmore. They need an outside linebacker that can set the edge while being able to cover. They need a middle linebacker. A safety and a corner. That's five players minimum they need for a 3-4 scheme.

If the Patriots stay in a base Nickle they have less holes. The Patriots play a 3-3-5 or a 4-2-5 and have a defensive back assist in front seven duty, typically a safety. For this formation, the Patriots need a linebacker that can play both in and outside. They need a nose tackle, a safety. And at least one cornerback. They need at least four defensive players for this formation to work.

If the Patriots decide to play a three down dime and go with six defensive backs, the minimum number they need drops. In order to make this scheme work they need an athletic hybrid defensive tackle, a box safety with coverage ability, and at least one corner back.

After Peppers signed, he talked about the Patriots running three or more tight end sets. That's not a traditional 3-4 or 4-3 defense. And people need to remember the Patriots base scheme for the longest time has been nickle. On top of that, the team has guys returning from the injured reserve. The edge and linebacker positions must be re-evaluated.

The Patriots may very well believe they are only three players away on defense. Having nine draft picks that changes team building and draft strategy. It doesn't matter what outsiders think. We know they have needs on offense but it doesn't matter what we think. It doesn't matter what the media thinks either. The Patriots may believe they have the cushion to go after low risk high reward project players. We just don't know. And the only position that should be a certainty in this draft on defense is corner.

So relax, take a breathe and just wait to see what the team does. That's all we can do. Understand that the media has a job to do and getting fans worked up is part of it. Especially when there is nothing really going on in football at the moment until the draft on Thursday. The more anxious the media makes us, the more likely we will be to turn into the draft. And the more likely we will be to turn into them for insight. It's basic sports entertainment 101.

The Patriots Trade Back And Some People Are Confused.

The Patriots made a trade. Just hearing that should have fans chirping in a positive way. Instead people are confused. The Patriots traded one of their two 5th round picks for a 6th and a seventh but why? Some are acting like Belichick doesn't know that he's gonna have a harder time getting a top 100 pick that falls past the third round. This is Bill Belichick we're talking about. He's like the king of day three talent.

Every year Bill Belichick finds at least one UDFA to make the roster. From J.C. Jackson to Jakobi Meyers, from Malcolm Butler to David Andrews, Bill Belichick can spot UDFA talent. That's great right but we're talking about trading down in the draft on day three. He's missing our on valuable talent. Bill cannot find anyone good in those rounds, right? There's no way Bill can find anyone useful that late. I hear you but that's just not true. 

Here's a few names that Belichick got production from in the 6th and 7th rounds: 2020 Mike Onwenu 6th round, Ryan Izzo 6th round 2018, Elandon Roberts and Ted Karras 6th round 2018, Nate Ebner 6th round 2012, Julian Edelman 7th round 2009, Matt Cassel 7th round 2005, David Givens 7th round 2002, Tom Brady 6th round 2000, Patrick Pass 7th round 2000. 

Belichick has found production in the 6th or 7th round in one third of his Patriots drafts. That is exluding his history of signing UDFAs, one must think Belichick sees a guy that won't be affordable as a UDFA. Remeber at one point the draft went when Bill Belichick started coaching there were 17 rounds. Bill Belichick learned how to scout late round picks because it didn't drop to single digit rounds until 1993.

There are a few guys that are low risk High reward, Western Kentucky has at least two guys, Zappe and Sterns. And there are others with some positions being better loaded. There are special teamers that will not be available come the UDFA period and the team just lost Brandon Bolden. On top of that, this is a deep receiving back class, so getting a guy that can truly replace Bolden is huge. And don't forget they also lost King to Indianapolis. Keep an eye on receiving back and special teamer Calvin Turner Jr. 

Look trust Belichick. This is a good late round draft class. I fully get that people ignore that there's over two hundred draft picks and that they only focus on the top 100, even though this year's third round has 105 draft picks. Every year Bill finds a good player that people are like "who the hell is that." So trust in Bill as we always have. There's obviously a plan and a plan cannot come to fruition if it's never acted upon. Please, don't criticized this trade until after the draft. And I dare say until he finalizes the 53 man roster for week one.

The 2022 Draft Is Stacked With Special Team Talent.

Special teams are an important part of football. Coach Belichick often refers to the three parts of the game when most only refer to offense or defense. He also keeps players on the roster solely for their special teams abilities. Matthew Slater is listed as a wide receiver but his true role on the team is gunner, he barely sees the field as a receiver. In fact Slater was on the field less than 1 percent of offensive snaps in 2021 but is a team captain. So let's take a look at some of the special teams prospects.

Let's start with the leg. I've only focused on one leg in the draft, Matt Araiza. We're talking bout a guy who kicks 80 yard punts and 50 to 60 yard field goals. And from the reports I read, everything wrong with him is coachable. Araiza is quite possible a third round pick and I have read at least one article asking how early is too early to draft a punter.

Joe Cardona has already played longer than the average long snapper career. He's done well and it's hard to find guys who can play a long time at the position. There are six guys in the draft, all listed as safeties but are long snappers that are worth aquiring. Cal Adomitis, Damone Johnson, John Taylor, Keegan Markgraf, Jordan Silver, and Cameron Kane. I don't know if any of these guys are worth a draft pick but they these six guys should find an NFL roster in 2022.

Then there are two other guys I like for their contributions. One guy would replace Brandon Bolden on the Patriots and do a little returning when not helping the punt coverage team. That's Zonovan Knight. Knight can contribute on offense just like Bolden but it's his special teams abilities that would coveted. Knight is a utility player and with the loss of Bolden, he's the perfect replacement.

The other name is Calvin Turner Jr from Hawaii. If James White returned kicks, you'd have Turner. Turner averaged over 22 yards a kickoff and over 7 yards a punt return. Turner is a former defensive player and can also help on the coverage teams. On top of that Turner is a receiving back that averaged 5.92 yards per carry and like 300 receiving yards a season on 20 catches. He's not a great passer but he's route running benefits from being a former quarterback. He's just a true football player. More versatile than Gunner. In fact he's Gunner's replacement if there was one. He's a receiving back but he can line up on offense the way Gunner was used, and play defensive back if needed.

Every year I typically include a few special teams players on my big board for the Patriots. And typically my fellow Patriots fans laugh because they have zero value for special teams. Many of the receivers I have on my big board often double as returners and the linebacker I have listed also have value on special teams. This year is no exception. Take a look at superbowl 53. If not for Ryan Allen and that punt team, the Patriots defense would've had a longer night and might not of only held the Rams to three points. The Patriots are in a rebuild and they have to address this part of their team. This year is stacked with special team talent.

Fans Sleeping On Meyers The Way They Slept On Edelman.

In 2021 the Patriots brought in four guys. Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, and Jonnu Smith. Agholor was immediately projected to be receiver one and although I disagreed, Jonnu Smith was projected to be tight end one. By the end of the preseason there was a divide among fans over who was receiver one. Most thought it was Meyers but others were split between Bourne and Agholor. As for the tight ends, Henry was the clear number one (Duh).

In 2020 the Patriots pass catchers weren't that great. Although Meyers had improved the rest of the staff was abysmal. So they brought in Agholor in 2021. Agholor was coming off a season where he caught 48 of 82 targets for 896 yards and 8 touchdowns. The main gripe with Agholor was the Patriots seemed to have him running sprints and the Patriots didn't seem to trust Mac's arm to get Agholor the ball.

In 2021 Agholor caught 37 of 64 passes for 473 yards and 3 touchdowns but Meyers improved with another 40 targets. So they brought in Parker who's likely to play across from Agholor and to be used the same way. In 2021 Parker caught 40 of 73 passes for 515 yards and 2 touchdowns. Parker did miss 5 games but Agholor missed 2. Hunter Henry finally played a full year. He caught 50 of 75 passes for 603 yards and 9 touchdowns. 

While Parker and Agholor are stretching the outside, Agholor will be stretching the middle down the seam. This is going to open up the underneath stuff. Regardless if who the pass catchers are. 

Kendrick Bourne maybe a better athlete than Jakobi Meyers but he only had 70 targets compared to Meyers's 126. Meyers in his first year with Mac Jones, was his security blanket. I'm not knocking Bourne, he's a good player but there are those knocking Meyers. People saying Meyers on any other team is a number two or three. That's the arguement that was made about Julian Edelman and Jules stayed with the Patriots and was their number one receiver.

Bring that up to people who are against Meyers being the number one and they'll point out how Edelman had Gronkowski. Well in 2021 Meyers had Henry and Agholor. On top of that Meyers now has Parkers. In 2021 it was clear that Meyers was trusted over Bourne. That's not going to change unless the Patriots keep Meyers off the field. Possible but I don't see it happening. Mac Jones will spread the ball around and everyone will get their touches, however when Mac needs to be saved, odds are the ball is going to Meyers first, and Henry second.

The great thing about football is we can have difference of opinion because unlike politics, morals don't come into play. All we can do is wait and see. If Bourne has a better spot in the progression this season than Meyers, I won't be mad and I don't think many will be. However, as seen with Cam Newton in 2020 and Jonnu Smith in 2021, fans will be mad if Meyers has a better spot in the progression. They'll have excuses. We just have to accept things as they are, not how we think they should be. In football things don't always make sense and that's what makes the game exciting. As long as the Patriots are winning, who cares who has the better positioning.

The Patriots Have Players They Could Move During The Draft.

I have used different simulators but for some reason based off the draft board ranking, PFF is considered the best simulator. I have pointed out that I think it's just as flawed due to the trade system and that using different draft simulators may allow for the idea of reaches or people falling. However, people with in the media disagree, so I have been playing around looking to see what I could get for three individual Patriots players.

Now there is no guarantee that the Patriots will move on from any of these three guys prior to the completion of the 2022 season but I do believe that all three guys should net a sixth or seventh round pick if traded because teams know the Patriots are looking to dump the players. And with all three being in final years, teams could always wait until free agency 2023 to attempt to acquire them. Those players are Jarrett Stidham, N'keal Harry, and Jake Bailey.

Jarrett Stidham has been kept around. It would make sense for the Patriots to take a quarterback in 2022. Stidham knows the playbook and had beat Hoyer out at least once. Hoyer is a quarterback coach and should be evolved in game planning but if the Patriots really viewed Hoyer as the true backup, Stidham would be gone. So if the Patriots do not take a quarterback in this draft, watch for Stidham to get a two year contract extension.

N'Keal Harry knows his time is up. A trade request was made in 2021 but Harry is still with the team. Harry appears to block better than Asiasi and Keene. Although I believe that it's past the time for the Patriots to convert Harry, If The 2020 tight end duo does not show improvement, Harry may finally see the conversion fans have been asking for. I expect to see Harry in camp come August. Whether or not he makes the fifty three man roster is still TBD but he's someone to watch.

Jake Bailey, the all pro punter. The only way I see the Patriots moving on from him is if they acquire Matt Araiza. Being an all pro punter,, I think the Patriots may have a hard time finding a trade partner and will have to settle on a late round pick or the team will have to set Araiza if they draft him if they want a compensation pick.  Typically Bailey's salary would be too high but with the weakness of the Patriots defense, extending Bailey if they fail to acquire a punter makes sense. Special teams can make up for a lesser defense. 

Since PFF is being considered the simulator to use, I will show the last first round draft I did. I do expect the Patriots to trade down in to the first or early second and do think it's entirely possible that they make three trades down depending on how the board falls. I do think these three guys could be traded but again not for less than a sixth or seventh round pick.  I want to say the draft I am about to share in no way do I believe will happen but want to make a point that one simulator cannot or should not be relied on exclusively. 

I do think the saints would more likely be a trade candidate for Harry than the Ravens and the Steelers for Stidham with the passing of Haskins over the Saints. Bailey to the Rams makes sense as that's the only team I saw anything saying they need a punter. Again the draft simulator's trade system is broken so take the trades with a grain of salt.

Samuel wants out of San Fran because he wants to get paid. Murray wants to get paid early in Arizona also.

Receiver Deebo Samuel was drafted in the second round of 2019. He signed a rookie contract of just under five million dollars. Quarterback Kyler Murray was drafted first over all that same year. He signed a rookie contract of just under thirty-six million dollars. Neither man has completed their rookie deal and both men want new contracts.

It's not unusual for players to extend their contract during their final year after they played a few games. However, players are starting to ask for money before their final year if their rookie contract is up. On top of that players are asking for more and more money. And we are seeing twenty to twenty-five percent of a team's salary cap go to individual players. 

There are fifty three players on a roster, not including practice squad guys. The NFL Salary cap is two hundred eight million dollars. Sixteen out of the top twenty-one players are quarterbacks. The top twenty-one players make a minimum of twenty-five million dollars a season. With the top six guys making twenty to twenty-five percent of the salary cap.

Aaron Rodgers, the guy who was against the bottom tiered players in the league getting a raise in the last CBA, is making fifty million dollars a season after a contract negotiation. The money both Murray and Samuel are making is chunp change compared to the names on the list, however neither Murray or Samuel has accomplished anything.

Teams want to win but it's hard to sign good players when one player is making so much money. For some teams, they're paying two people up to half the team's salary cap. Meaning the team needs those two players to carry lesser players. If a player is eating all the salary cap, one cannot argue who's the team putting around them.

When players are demanding their payday before their rookie contract expires, it's bad for business. And it's bad for the sport. The NFL has to crack down on this and on the over priced salaries before the salary cap is tossed. There are baseball teams that without a salary cap, will never make the playoffs and in football, team's like Jacksonville will never reach the playoffs without a salary cap. It's time for the rules committee to act 

Drafting A Thumper And Running Three Or More Safety Sets Doesn't Fully Make Sense.

People are talking about the Patriots possibly playing with three or more safeties. However, people also think the Patriots are going to get a big 270 pound thumping linebacker. It doesn't quite make sense with how the team is built. If the Patriots want to run a 3-2-5 nickle maybe they can do it on early downs and keep the big body guy in the middle for first down. 

The Patriots running with three or more safeties in my opinion means the true linebackers are going to be jacks or edge rushers. Now I like Darrian Beavers and Leo Chanel. If the Patriots take a guy in the draft, they won't be larger than these two. If the Patriots take a larger linebacker, the front three must be able to stop the run. The Patriots do not have that talent on their roster. I do not think the Patriots have the personell to play a 3-3-5 nickle set properly.

Safeties that play middle linebacker are the direction the league is going. The 3-2-6 or 5-6, whatever variation of the three down dime they like. Two corners, a free Safety, and three hybrid safeties. With the front five being a nose tackle, two tackle end hybrids, and two jacks/edge rushers. That's the future or defense. 

Unless the Patriots are getting Jordan Davis and using him as a thumping linebacker instead of an interior  defensive linemen, it just doesn't make sense. 

If the Patriots wanted another big body guy, they're better off converting to a quarter defense. Either a 3-1-7 quarter with a nose tackle and two hybrid tackles that can play edge and an athletic thumper plus four or more safeties, or run a 4-0-7 quarter with four heavier tackle hybrids and running with five safeties.

I don't know, it's just a thought. If anyone can make it work, It's Bill Belichick.

The Patriots Don't Need A Number One Receiver In The Draft

How many times this offseason have we heard "the Patriots need a receiver" ? It didn't stop once the Patriots acquired DeVante Parker. Which is funny because majority of the people still saying the Patriots need a number one receiver are pretty strong with their opinion of Parker. DeVante Parker is supposedly a number one receiver. So why do the Patriots need another number one?

Nelson Agholor is supposed to a number two. Kendrick Bourne is supposed to be a number three according to many. And Meyers is either a number two or three, depending on who one asks. Then the Patriots have Henry who is a number two pass catcher. And Smith who is either better than Henry or less than Burkhead as a pass catcher, depending on who's asked.

On paper, the Patriots theoretically don't need a top tiered pass catcher from the draft. However, the game is not played on paper. With that, the team does not need to invest a top 100 pick on a wideout. However, if one becomes available where the Patriots are comfortable, probably in round three, than the Patriots should take one if they fall.

Taking a developmental round six or seven slot guy still makes sense. I know there are those who want a guy who can't seperate so that Mac Jones has to throw into coverage a.k.a. throw 50-50 balls. It's funny we as fans have bitched about receivers not getting open. We have bitched about N'keal Harry not getting open. At the same time, we will still call Harry a 50-50 guy and say he wasn't used right. Why do we do this? Because as fans, we cannot admit that 50-50 is just another way to say a guy who's covered.

The Patriots don't need another Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon, or Brandon LaFell. They need another Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, or, Malcolm Mitchell. That doesn’t mean we will not welcome a guy who can't get seperation from this draft class. We all know if they get one, we will put Randy Moss expectations on him. It's just being real in saying the Patriots don't need a guy they have to force the ball to or to create special plays taking everyone else out of the play, just so one guy might pick up 3 to 5 yards through the air.

Running backs have plays just for them because a handoff only has one option typically. On passing plays there should be four options. There is no reason to design a play that takes all but one pass catcher out of the play. If the defense guesses right and takes the guy out of the play, all that's left is for the quarterback to scramble or throw it away. Thanks but no thanks. 

Lawrence Owens once said that a number one should be the team's third or fourth target. And I agree with that. I also like how Nelson Agholor drew coverage away from everyone else in 2021. He didn't get the same amount of targets as Meyers but defenses treated him like a number one. If Parker is a number one, the Patriots should have two guys putting up Agholor production in 2022. That means there should be two guys that have inflated seasons in 2022, and I think that's gonna be Meyers and Bourne. And fans will fail to realize it until one or both of Parker and Agholor are gone. 

Matt Groh Spoke To The Media And Said A Lot Without Saying Anything.

People have questions about the Patriots offseason approach this year and what to expect in the draft. Media members had the chance to ask Matt Groh, the director of players personnel for the Patriots on April 15th some of these questions in hopes of getting clarity.

Matt Groh said teams cannot rely on the draft get quality receivers. This was in reference to their offseason approach to acquiring a receiver. His response seemed like something that would be true for every position. However, receiver was an important need this season.

Groh admitted to relying on experience from other staff members including Matt Patricia and Elliot Wolf. The Patriots sent Wolf to scout record breaking prospects Jerreth Sterns and Bailey Zappe. Groh is still young and learning the ins and outs. Groh admits he's still learning his job. And how much he values the rest of the staff.

Matt Patricia who Groh mentioned, was the reason the Patriots traded for DeVante Parker. Groh said "Patricia was all in and on the trade early " Matt Patricia was a former head coach and just like there are still players that want to play for the Patriots. There were players who wanted to play for Patricia prior to losing the lions job.

As far as college scouting, Groh said they "do their best scouting with college teams that they're friendly with the staff of." Obviously he acknowledged they have an 'In' at Alabama but he implied that if the staff has connections at other schools, they would have an advantage in those locations also. Everyone knows about the Belichick Saben connection but has anyone really looked into any other possible connections between the Patriots and colleges?

Groh admitted that the college game was changing but also implied that at least when it comes to linebacker, that if college isn't producing the type of player they want, then they have to manufacture that player if need be. Talking about the bigger linebackers. Do not be surprised if they sign or draft a bigger athletic defensive linemen and convert them to linebacker 

Groh also said "guys have to fit schematically." That's should rule out the thought of BPA (best player available) for the most part. The Patriots are going to look for guys who fit what they do before looking at how good they are overall. This is basically how it seems they have always worked things but it had to be made clear, it was still the Patriots way.

When Groh talked about speed, he mentioned about how guys were used and how people define positions. Like a safety and a linebacker. "Guys can be put all over the place and that's a way to increase the speed of a defense."

With Groh's other comments about linebacker, expect the Patriots to possibly draft outside the box at the position. Keep an eye on Jordan Davis from Georgia, the defensive talked has linebacker speed and athletism and would be the type of player Ghor was referring to.

When asked about offensive line Groh stressed the importance of acquiring guys that can play multiple positions. Groh was mainly talking about the draft but it goes to show that guys who are not versatility with their position are going to have a harder time becoming a Patriots player.

After hearing Groh talk about linebacker and offensive line, it's clear that one trick ponys are not what the Patriots want. Even if the Patriots take a receiver, expect them to either be a returner, move tight end capable, or just a true receiver and not limited to just one role or package. It looks like Groh has a strong desire to acquire hybrid players. Typically prototype players may become a thing of the past under Groh.

Groh acknowledged that the team was going to build around Mac Jones's contract but also implied that quarterbacks were getting overpaid. Expect the Patriots to do their best to keep Mac Jones's contract as low as possible for as long as possible. Other teams are struggling because they're paying their quarterback around 25% of the team's salary cap.

The Patriots have a plan for this free agency, that's clear. The question which we won't know, is how well are they doing and executing their plan. People may not be happy with their approach but it's a calculated approach. That approach might not be the approach fans want but it may just be the approach the team needs. 

The Patriots Employ Three Percent Of Players, That Doesn't Mean The Other Ninty Seven Percent Want To Play For The Patriots.

The offseason before the Eagles won the superbowl, former Patriots Blount and Long left the Patriots to play for the Eagles. An Eagle's  lineman then came out and said nobody wants to play for the Patriots. He had to get that from somewhere, where does anyone think he got that from? The former Patriots on his team when he made the comments.

Cole Beasley chose the Buffalo Bills over the Patriots because Tom Brady was too old. Former Patriots's linebacker Marsh said he didn't want to play for the Patriots because he didn't have fun. OBJ chose the Rams over the Patriots in 2021, saying it would've been different if Brady was still with them. Tom Brady chose to go to Tampa and lastly, Rob Gronkowski retired and then unretired to go play in Tampa. Five players we know who chose to play elsewhere instead of in New England.

Then there are players like Kendrick Bourne and Jabrill Peppers who wanted to play for the Patriots. Everytime one of the near 1700 players in the NFL signs with the Patriots, Patriots nation starts talking, joking about how nobody wants to play for the Patriots. At most the Patriots can have on their roster is 90 players but they have to lower it to 53 men. They never have more than 3.15% of the players on under contract.

Granted some players salaries cost to much to be able to sign with the team but I really do have to say that just because there are some players who come out after signing and say that they wanted to play for the Patriots, that we're to believe there isn't an anti Patriots base among the players union? There are a lot of players who think the Patriots are too strick, or too dirty to want to play for them. New England has a bad reputation over the Belichick era.

However that doesn't mean I think nobody wants to play for the Patriots. Also players want to get paid, we know that. A player is going to not only sign with the highest bidder normally but with whom's offering. NFL salaries a better then most careers. We are almost never going to hear a player who just signed a contract with a team say, "I didn't want to sign here, I didn't want to play here." And the reason why we're not likely to hear that is because it's a quick way to never see the field or to get cut. 

When players came out in support of Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham in 2020, what was said by the fanbase? "Well, what else were they going to say?" It's no different when a player says they wanted to play for the Patriots after they signed. There will always be speculation on if comments are legit. And with how often contracts are manipulated to sign players, there will always be speculation that any player that signs elsewhere didn't want to play for the Patriots.

We need to accept that there are players that don't want to play for the Patriots and that's okay. The only time we need as a fanbase to throw it back in people's faces is when there are people in our faces saying nobody wants to play for our team. Otherwise all we're doing is giving ourselves and the team a bad name.

Our fanbase has such a bad reputation and it's warranted enough that we cannot stand ourselves, no wonder other fans can't. And the team doesn't need us doing anymore damage to it's reputation. So rise above the haters instead of lowering yourself because when you lower yourself, you lower all of us.

Better than Elway was at this point of his career with more rings and more comebacks than Rodgers has over his career with the same amount of rings? It must be Russell Wilson.

One player typically doesn't make a team in football but can push a team to the next level. The only position given credit for wins however is the quarterback. So if a team doesn't make the superbowl, that's the player who must be at fault. Sometimes a quarterback can hold a team back and other times the player is unfairly criticized for a team effort. One of the top quarterbacks in the league are currently facing unfair criticism. 

In his first ten seasons in the NFL, John Elway went 89-52-1. He also went 7-5 over that span with 3 superbowl losses. Over that span there wasn't really any talk of if Elway was truly a franchise quarterback or if he was an elite quarterback. Flash forward two decades and a quarterback with similar a career path is being questioned. 

There's a quarterback whom over ten seasons has a record of 104-53-1. Going 9-7 in the playoffs, appearing in two superbowls and winning one. Maybe it's a touchdown thing, let me go look but one ring is better than three losses.

Over his first ten seasons Elway had a combined 188 touchdowns and a combined 241 fumbles and interceptions. In the playoffs he had 20 combined touchdowns and 8 combined fumbles and interceptions.

The current quarterback I also mentioned had a combined 315 regular season touchdowns and a combined 169 interceptions and fumbles. In the play offs those numbers are 28 touchdowns and 19. 

Maybe it's fourth quarter comebacks. Elway had 21 regular season comebacks and 3 more in the playoffs. The modern quarterback has 24 regular season comebacks and 4 more in the playoffs.

So why is Elway held in higher regard than this new age quarterback? Especially when over both of their first 10 seasons, this new age quarterback has beat out Elway in every area that matters except superbowl appearances but since Elway lost, most fans would knock Elway for all three of his appearances when the other quarterback I'm talking about has at least won one.

The thing I hear is this younger guy has turned the corner. He's not carrying the team. Yet he's already better than a hall of fame quarterback. In New England we have a debate, was it Belichick or was it Brady. We say Brady cannot be given credit for all the success and Belichick the blame for all the failure. The Belichick side is quick to bring up defensive players to support the case that it takes more than a quarterback to win. 

Yet it's some of the same fans I hear putting all the blame of Russell Wilson's lack of success solely on him. If We're not giving Pete Carroll any blame for what Wilson has not been able to do, then Bill Belichick cannot get credit for anything Tom Brady did do. See how that works? If people are going to say the credit for the Patriots success and failure must be divided, then its true for every team.

I want to remind everyone that if Pete Carroll runs the ball, Russell Wilson is a two time superbowl winner because Lynch was picking up too many yards per carry not to score. Patriots nation blames Welker, we blame Samuel, we blame Gronk, and we blame Belichick for the Patriots superbowl losses. Until the Brady versus Belichick debate started, Brady was given sole responsibility for the success. 

I used the Patriots but it's not just New England, it's league wide. NFL fans are hypocritical. We're as bad as Boston media. We'll build someone up one minute talking about how great they are and then the next minute we're talking about how they're a bum. Over the next four seasons, Russell Wilson needs 1 ring to tie John Elway for rings. 

The Montana crowd has said Joe didn't need to go to the superbowl as many times as Brady because everytime he went, he won. We'll the same is true for Russell Wilson. If he only appears in 1 more superbowl and wins, he's just as good if not better than John Elway since it took Elway five tries to win two.

And since superbowl losses are discredit, all Wilson needs to tie Rodgers in wins is 9 regular season wins and 1 playoff win over the next 4 seasons. Wilson already has more comebacks and game winning drives playing 4 years less than Rodgers, making him more clutch.

For the record, I do count superbowl appearances as an achievement. Five superbowl appearances by Elway, or four by Kelly is still impressive but like I said earlier, a ring is worth more than 3 or more losses. When Brady won his fourth, it was his two losses that put him above Montana. Montana couldn't get to five.

Every conference champion quarterback has that over every quarterback who never won one,  And there are some pretty good quarterbacks who never won or made a conference championship. Since winning is all that matters to fans, think about this, Trent Dilfer has won more superbowl rings then Dan Marino, Warren Moon, and Phillip Rivers.

So What If He Is A Game Managing System Quarterback.

Mac Jones was considered to be the most NFL ready quarterback in the draft. His "ceiling" was said to be low because he was NFL developed at Alabama. Of course respected people in the football world called Mac Jones the best passer in the 2021 draft. I'm talking about a Charlie Weiss and June Jones but the rest of the sports world seems to think Mac will be or is a middle of the pack quarterback.

Middle of the pack quarterback is funny because many are comparing Mac to Tom Brady. Now I get the early similarities but some are comparing Mac to the 44 year old goat. And nobody refers to Brady as middle of the pack. However, there are some who refer to Brady as a system quarterback or game manager. Those are terms people use as a negative to describe Mac Jones. 

Now as for the system quarterback comments. Referring to Mac, let's look at two guys who were also referred to as system quarterbacks.

Joe Montana was referred to as a system quarterback throughout his career playing in a west coast offense. He had a record of 117-47  regular season win loss record. He also went 16-7 in the playoffs and won 4 superbowls.

Tom Brady has been referred to as a system quarterback playing in an E.P. offense. Brady has a regular season record of 243-73, with a playoff record of 35-12. Brady has been in 10 superbowls, winning 7.

Okay maybe looking at the goat and the former goat isn't fair. Mac Jones is also referred to as a game manager. There are two quarterbacks that comes to mind when I think of game managers. That's Chad Pennington and Alex Smith 

Pennington never won a superbowl but he did have a regular season record of 44-37 and a playoff record of 2-4. Pennington only played in 1 full season over his 11 years, missing 55 games as a starter and yet is still a name known around the sports world.

Alex Smith also never won a superbowl but came close as a backup the year he lost his job to Kaepernick. Smith had a regular season record of 99-67-1, with a playoff record of 2-5. 

Now there is one other label that Mac Jones has been called. That's a dunk and dunk quarterback. Something all the other guys were called. What people really are saying when they use the term dink and dunk is safe and conservative. They don't put the ball at risk and try to avoid throwing into coverage. Which means less 50-50 balls, something fans who use the term as a negative hate because they like quarterbacks who force the ball into tight windows and triple coverage.

Alex Smith completed 66.7% of his passes, throwing an interception 3.2% of his career regular passes.

Chad Pennington completed 66% of his passes, throwing an interception on 2.6% of his career regular passes.

Joe Montana completed 63.2% of his passes, throwing an interception on 2.6% of his career regular passes.

Tom Brady has completed 64.2% of his regular season passes so far over his career, throwing an interception only on 1.8% of his passes.

Mac Jones in his rookie year went 10-7 while going on to lose his only playoff game. He completed 67.6% of his passes with only 2.5% of his passes being intercepted. That puts Mac Jones in some pretty good company for categories people try to place him in to make him not appear so good.

And as far as the low ceiling goes. Quarterbacks with low ceilings have at the least won 7 superbowls and appeared in 10. We know that much because Tom Brady's scouting report was worse than Mac Jones's. So there isn't really anything being said about Mac Jones that's all that bad. I get Brady is a rarity but he's still part of that low ceiling group. And with that If Mac Jones is a game managing system quarterback with a low ceiling, he's in a place where he'll have one of the best careers he could possibly have as long as Bill Belichick is his coach. And he doesn't even need to win a ring.

It's Never Been Easier For The Patriots To Switch To A Variation Of The Three Down Dime.

Jabrill Peppers spoke to the media and some of the media made a big deal about him mentioning three safety looks. The Patriots like to run the big nickle and there's nothing saying that they have to run with three corners in the nickle. However, let's say the media is right and a change is coming. I've said that the 5-6 which is a variation of the 3-2-6 with five linemen, is the future of football. So what do the Patriots need to operate it?

Obviously the Patriots need to get themselves a premium outside corner in this draft. The Patriots had injuries last season but without Gilmore, the hole in the Patriots secondary was largely visible and now they no longer have Jackson. Belichick knows how to find corners, so I'm not too worried about this position. Unlike in 2021, expect a corner udfa to make the 53 man roster.

Linebacker has been on my board for the Patriots but they're set at linebacker if they wanna run a three down dime of some form. Safety however becomes of need. Devon McCourty is to be considered year to year at this point. So the Patriots need not only make sure they have his replacement on the roster but another linebacker strong safety hybrid as well.

With Perkins, McGrone, and the rest of the guys coming off of Injury, I believe the Patriots have enough edge guys to cover the 'Jack' position on both sides of the line. Which leaves interior defensive line. I get they drafted one last year but they don't have the rest of what they need behind him.

The Patriots have Barmore. He's a hybrid end tackle. He requires double teams. The Patriots need to acquire another hybrid from the Barmore mold. He doesn't have to be as elite. The Patriots also need to acquire a true nose guard. They need a Vince Wolfork, a Danny Shelton. A big guy who isn't as athletic as Barmore but pushes the pocket and stops the run.  If the Patriots can acquire one of each interior guy, they'd have six to seven blockers accounted for, leaving whomever the Patriots want to send at the quarterback pretty much free to go get at him.

This is all hypothetical. There's no guarantee that this is the direction the Patriots want to go in but if they want to, it's very doable with this draft class. With the way teams are building their offenses, this would give the Patriots a huge advantage in being able to stop teams like Baltimore, Buffalo, and K.C. but teams like Tennessee would be an issue. 

The biggest mistake the NFL could do is let Jordan Davis fall to the Patriots at pick 21. In the defense I discussed, he's more valuable than any first round corner prospect. He's the ultimate combination of Barmore and Wilfork and requires triple teams. Some teams had to triple team Barmore last season. So if they got their hands on Davis, Godchaux or Guy could be all they need in the middle of that line. And the Patriots would have a top front seven unit.

It's fun to think about but honestly and I'd love to be right, however I do not believe Belichick is ready to abandon the nickle formation for the dime. He values having that thumper linebacker on the field for teams that run. Bill could find a way to get a thumper on the field in the dime but at the expense of speed at the edge which is why he won't.

Last season Bill showed how even in the modern NFL, an offense built right doesn't need to throw the ball every game to win. And with that Bill will always be worried about the running game, even if the league is predominantly setup for big passing attacks. And that's why I do not believe Belichick is willing to go to the dime. He's old school and knows the importance of a good run defense and being old school, Bill believes he needs linebackers to stop the run.

Spring Practice Shows Hawaii Is In Rebuild Mode.

Coach Chang has spring ball practice under way. Things are still not set in stone and it sounds like a chaotic mess on the islands. However it's to be expected when a team goes through a coaching change. Hawaii is no different from Boston College or Texas in that aspect.

Espn Honolulu's Hawaii Football Now said, "The defense looks good..." "The offense looks sloppy..." There's a transition going from Todd Graham's offense to Chang's modified run and shoot. It's kinda like a team going from the Jets and trying to learn the Patriots offense. 

Hawaii still has no starting quarterback. Supposedly there’s a quarterback competition but from reports, nobody is showing they want the job. They have a game on the 16th and hopefully they'll have someone showing the leadership and ability to take the helm of the offenses. Otherwise coach Chang is going to need to lay into his passers.

Coaches are reportedly taking Hawaii culture classes to avoid the errors and problems created or exposed by the Todd Graham era. This is the university or at least coach Chang taking accountability for what happened under the previous coaching regime. If a coach doesn't try to assimilate and instead has a colonizing attitude, they won't be accepted. Chang and the university knows that.

Hawaii Football Now talked about the program not just being about the Hawaii but all the Polynesian islands in the pacific and how they need to do a better job of including everyone. Polynesians have some good athletes and It's easier for those players to get to Hawaii. The university needs to do a better job at getting quality athletes from all the pacific islands and even Asia itself. 

Hawaii is still recruiting players do both be surprised if they have names on the roster that weren't added until June or July. Hawaii will be getting a 3 star pass rusher from Oregon over the summer. The thing with Hawaii is they need to remember there's more athletes outside the pacific ocean and to not focus soley on islanders or they can set themselves up for failure.

The thing with this season is to understand it's a building process. A bowl game in coach Chang's first year is not to be expected at the moment. We don't know how things are going to look for fall kickoff but for now keep expectations to a minimum. And keep the faith in the program. Coach Chang's vision may not start to take shape until the 2024 season. To steal a line from the Patriots, "In Chang we trust!" #Braddahood

There Over 1,000 Draft Prospects, Stop Getting Mad At People Who Look Outside The Top 100.

Prior to the 2020 nfl draft, the Patriots typically drafted between picks 29 and 32 most years. So I have been focusing on bottom end top 100 guys and day three guys for over a decade. Because I don't spend my time soley focused on big school guys or the top 100, people think I don't know anything about the draft and then are surprised when the Patriots draft a guy like Kyle Dugger. 

I am a Hawaii Rainbow Warrior fan. Sometimes I see more than there is but I'm also a New England Patriots Fan. So although I can be a homer just like the rest of Patriots nation, I also get to see what good talent looks like and can compare to what I see coming from Hawaii to the pro game. And the Patriots also, have a linebacker from the university of Hawaii on their roster. And have had players from Hawaii in the past.

The Patriots have the following draft picks in the up coming nfl draft.

Round 1 | Pick 21

Round 2 | Pick 54

Round 3 | Pick 85

Round 4 | Pick 126

Round 5 | Pick 158 (from MIA)

Round 5 | Pick 175

Round 6 | Pick 200 (from TB)

Round 6 | Pick 209

That's five picks outside of the top 100. Do anyone really think that many top 100 prospects are going to fall that far? How about falling to UDFAs? And where does Belichick do his most damage? Rounds 3-5 and in the UDFA period. The people who focus solely on the top 100 are the same fans that focus on big names in free agency and then scream fire Belichick because he doesn't spend three years of salary on one name.

They're also the people who get mad when Alex Barth and Evan Lazar do a mock draft and the draft Simulator has every big name fans want, go in the first 20 picks. Other teams aren't that bad at drafting just because they cannot figure out how to stay at the top of the mountain. Good players are going to go early. There are 105 picks in the first three rounds and 85% to 87% of the top 100 players will be gone after pick 105. Does anyone think the remaining 13 to 15 picks are going to slide to pick 158? I don't think so. So please get off my back for looking at day three prospects.

Understand there are more guys of value then who played at Michigan, Alabama, LSU, or Notre Dame. And remember college scouts get it wrong just as often as NFL scouts do. You don't have to care about the draft after round three but no one can deny that prospects 101 to 320 go largely unknown to most fans by choice and lack of media coverage. Emory Hunt Jr. scouted 1000 draft prospects for this draft. 1000! I bet many didn't know there were that many eligible players for this draft.

Parker Will Not Be Extremely Productive With The Patriots. Expect Agholor's 2021 Nunbers At Best.

The Patriots traded for DeVante Parker and every and their grandaddy is talking about how Parker is their number one. However, if anyonr has listened to Evan Lazar over on Patriots Press Pass, then the breaks maybe getting pumped. And quickly I might add.

Lazar today said that Parker wasn't a burner and doesn't get seperation. I'll leave a link so that y'all can hear his exact word. Lazar also said that Parker is a guy who's going to be covered and the quarterback will have to throw into coverage for him to be successful.

Early this off season, I compared Parker to two of the Patriots receivers. Jakobi Meyers hands with N'keal Harry's legs. Meaning he can catch the ball but he's never open. He's always gonna have a guy on him, exactly what Lazar has just said today in so many words. Production wise I said Bourne was the best case scenario and Agholor was the worst, Agholor is the best case scenario and Harry is the worst.

The Patriots offense is about avoiding those throws when possible. Mac Jones is a quarterback who doesn't like throwing into coverage because he values ball security. There were comparisons to Fitzpatrick and either Barth or Lazar called Fitzpatrick a "Yolo" quarterback. Meaning Fitzpatrick is aggressive and doesn't care if 11 guys are on a receiver. If that's where Fitzpatrick wants to throw the ball, he's going to go there. 

Mac Jones is not that type of quarterback. If what Lazar said is true, Parker will not have a great deal of productivity in New England. In fact his production maybe closer to Agholor than what people orginally expected. The difference is Agholor was getting double covered due to speed. Parker will be covered because the opposing team has a decent coverage corner. 

In 2019 and in 2020 fans bitched that the Patriots receivers couldn't get seperation. Fans bitched that Harry wasn't being used right because he was a contested catch guy that wasn't getting 50-50 throws. They bitched because Cam was an aggressive passer and wasn't being allowed to make those aggressive downfield throws into double and triple coverage that they became accustomed to with him. That's never been Belichick's Patriots offense. And we all know that.

The Patriots like intelligence and ball security at the quarterback position. Which is why they pass on gunslingers. It's why Tyrod Taylor as much as people hate him for not throwing 50 downfield interceptions a season, would do better with his safe dink and dunk style of mobile quarterback then what the Patriots got from Cam Newton. It's why the Patriots went with a Mac Jones over Justin Fields. 

If the Patriots wanted Fields they could've traded up a few spots. And I They didn't. They value accuracy and ball security too much. With all that, there are going to be a lot of fans disappointed with Parker. The lack of O.C. may get the blame but anyone who pays attention to how the Patriots do things, now knows to expect a less productive season from Parker if they didn't already. 

Have hope for production but keep expectations low. You maybe consider a hater but it's better to live in reality, then to set yourself up for disappointment. Contested catch guys that cannot get seperation, will not have a lot of success in New England. 

Here's the link to the Patriots press pass podcast. https://youtu.be/3Vh9WEt2jwo