← Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills podcast
Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills podcast
DRAKE Maye vs JOSH Allen: The BILLS at PATRIOTS Preview with MIKE GIARDI
00:39:15
Loading summary
Transcript189 lines
- [00:00]
A
Sometimes I like to keep our conversations, Giardy, off the record. Sometimes it's fun to say, I'll admit I liked you more when the Patriots sucked.
- [00:10]
You were a lot more fun to talk to when the Patriots weren't any good and we had a lot of fun conversations. And that's, I think when you were a big fan on this channel, like, that's when people really liked Giardi, where he's like, oh, yeah, he's going to come in and rip this organization apart. Yeah, I think your stock's going to go down.
- [00:26]
B
I can't help it. I, you know, what do you want me to do?
- [00:36]
A
Hey, everyone, and welcome Back to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. Mike Catalana alongside Dan Fates here in the Connors and Ferris podcast studio with another edition of what they're saying in this time it is Foxborough. We will get to our guest. You see him right there. But please first be sure to like, comment and subscribe. Also before we get to maybe the Goat of Buffalo, plus guests, like, on Thursday, we got an event.
- [01:01]
C
Yeah. Live appearance will be at Hooligans in Webster that is, well, Dan's former town. It now Jenna owns Webster. We're really excited to be there. Five to seven, meet and greet the podcast live seven to eight. So that's Hooligans this week. And then in one week from Thursday, we will be back at Riverworks in Buffalo for another live podcast. So come on out. We enjoy having everybody out there, so it'll be a lot of fun.
- [01:29]
A
All right, so now that we got all the housekeeping stuff out of the way, we'd like to welcome in our guest from the Boston Sports Journal, the one, the only, the great Masshole himself, Mike Giardi. Thanks for coming back on for your 967th appearance.
- [01:46]
B
Yeah, I love it. I do feel like an honorary member sometimes. And look what an awesome game we've got on tap this weekend. This should be a lot of fun.
- [01:55]
A
Mike, start us off.
- [01:56]
C
Yeah. I gotta ask you about Drake May and what we've seen and handling moments. Like there was a lot of talk of him being like, maybe this year would be like 2019. Josh, it doesn't feel like that as much. I think he's been pretty cool the whole time. Is that fair to say?
- [02:15]
B
Yeah, I don't think there's any question. In fact, someone was asking me the other day, well, how do you compare this Drake May season, his second in the NFL, to Tom Brady's second season as a starter, third season in the league? And I'm like, there's not really a comparison. I mean, Tom already had the ring. He won the ring in his first year as a starter. But, like, all the numbers are better. I think his performance this season in terms of the elevation of teammates around him, not that Brady didn't do that, but Tom Brady didn't become truly Tom Brady until maybe 2004.
- [02:51]
So a few more seasons into his tenure, Drake's been that dude pretty much since week one this year. And it's. I still sort of marvel at it because I think we thought he was good, but we weren't sure how quickly he'd be able to put it together, especially with the new offense. And like I said, just, you know, week one was okay. Week two against Miami, he was awesome. And that's, you know, that's sort of been the sort of the level benchmark for him the rest of this year.
- [03:17]
A
All right, so I got to ask you, are you just a member of the Drake May fan club, or are you the president? Is probably the better question.
- [03:25]
B
Well, it's interesting because, you know, there are a lot of people in the aftermath because no one really wanted to claim it last year when the team wasn't winning, and he only won one game as a starter, at least one game that he went from start to finish, and he got knocked out of a couple that they won. That Jacoby Brissette actually was the reason why they won those games.
- [03:45]
So people kind of, oh, yeah, I told you all along it was Drake May. The first guy on the Drake May train was me. There's someone in the Boston market that claims that. Yet there's video of him saying in December of that faded season that led to the Drake May draft pick, where he's like, you got to get Jaden Daniels. You got to do whatever you can to get Jaden Daniels. So, yeah, I think in theory, I was the guy in. On the ground floor. I just don't like to tell everybody that. It's just. It is what it is.
- [04:12]
C
Just so, you know, we workshop that question. Exactly how to ask you about that?
- [04:18]
A
Well, when Mike's like, hey, why don't you reach out to the Drake May fan club enthusiast to see if you can come back on the pod this week? And we were already talking about coming on your pod later this week, which we'll get to at the end of this one. But, yeah, and then we kind of workshopped it, and I was like, I get to take the shot. I get to take. I get to take it now.
- [04:34]
C
Look, it's one Thing I always tell people, like, you want to know the true thought of what a fan thinks of a player on another team? Just think to yourself, would you want that guy on your team? Right. Because sometimes this guy's no good. Look, the Bills have Josh Allen. I know they don't need a quarterback, but if they needed a quarterback, the kid looks pretty good. Now I say he's been cool because when I watch him it just, I don't say it looks easy, but it has been pretty smooth for him. And I'm going to use the Italian version of this phrase. It's like pasta. You don't know what you got until you put it in the hot water. Has he been in hot water? Has he been in that spot, you know, like Josh was. Josh has been multiple times in his career. Obviously maybe the most he was was in the game against the Bills. Like, where have you seen him and how have you seen him react when it's really on him?
- [05:29]
B
Yeah, there hasn't been a lot of that this year. There's a lot of, there's been a, during this win streak, there's been a lot of one sided games or there's been little blips. You know, there was a blip in Cincinnati where especially for him, the first three series of the game he threw a pick six. Didn't look anything like the guy that we've seen for the majority of the year. And then, and this is to me where I sort of don't really have any reservations about what it's going to be like should he get in those spots. He has this ability and I think it's sort of an innate thing where.
- [06:00]
It doesn't matter, like doesn't matter what just happened. I had the short memory. I'm the best player in the field and I'm going to go rip throws and it's going to get back to what it's been. And that's what he did against Cincinnati. He's had a couple other moments that like that this year where now there may have been a couple series where you're like, this doesn't look like what we're used to. And then, you know, the next thing you know, you know, he's, he's throwing a 33 yard strike to Kyle Williams for a touchdown or he's, you know, he's running around making a big play and it's just that ability to sort of have that short memory. We say corners need short memories. Right. I think quarterbacks do too. And I think he's shown that it's.
- [06:36]
A
Adorable seeing this man.
- [06:38]
B
I will say, I want to just throw this back at you for a second because, and Mike in particular, live this with the 20 quarterbacks in 20 years or whatever the hell you guys went through. Like, Cleveland's doing it, right? 42 quarterbacks since they became. Came back in the league and in 1990, whatever it is. So, you know, like, they're just. You go through the cycle of, of a down period. And granted, in New England, it wasn't down for very long. It was one good Mac Jones season surrounded by a bunch of crap. But to have found the franchise quarterback again this quickly, or so it appears, is, Is pretty amazing. And it reminds you. And this, this is where, like, the fan part of me comes in. It just reminds you what good football looks like, because we didn't see that with the team that we cover. We were seeing it when the other teams came into town. We would see it when we went to Buffalo and watched Josh. We didn't see that in New England for really, the better part of the last five years.
- [07:33]
A
Oh, five years.
- [07:35]
C
I know, I know.
- [07:37]
A
I will say, like I said, sometimes I like to keep our conversations. Giardy, off the record. Sometimes it's fun to say. I'll admit I liked you more when the Patriots sucked.
- [07:48]
You were a lot more fun to talk to when the Patriots weren't any good. And we had a lot of fun conversations. And that's, I think, when you were a big fan on this channel, like, that's when people really liked Giardi, where he's like, oh, yeah, he's gonna come in and rip this organization apart. Yeah, I think your stock's gonna go down.
- [08:04]
B
I can't help it. I, I, you know, what do you want me to do? I guess I could, like, move to New York and I could cover the Jets.
- [08:10]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [08:11]
B
But I mean, that's like shooting fish in a barrel. Like, they've been terrible forever.
- [08:16]
A
What do you make, though, of if the criticism is like Mike was saying about the competition? Like, the schedule has been easy. You play who you play. Like, there's nothing to that. But is there any of that talk that goes around Foxborough, is there any of that apprehension or is it doesn't matter. Look at how good we are. We've won all these games in a row.
- [08:37]
B
Yeah, I think it's the latter, I think, and I think that's how they feel in the room. Like, you know, like, hey, stop. We can't change what the schedule was. We were the last place team last year. We got the last place schedule and then you know, I always say like I don't want to hear about that because things change. You go through training camp, guys get hurt, deals get made. Somebody's better than you thought they were going to be. Well, in this instance that someone who's better than you thought he was going to be was Drake May who we were saying before the year started, like, well if he can be like the 14th or 15th best quarterback in this new system, like that's a good jump for him this year. Instead he's one of the five or six best quarterbacks and some would argue the best and maybe the front run. Well, he is odds wise the front runner for mvp. So like that in and of itself sort of changed the season. Where you know, you talk to, in fact I was talking to Austin Hooper today, the tight end, backup tight end. Hooper was on the Falcons team when Matt Ryan won the MVP. They went to the Super Bowl 28 to 3 and then you know, all hell broke loose. And I was like any commonalities? I mean I know they're different players and different styles and he's like like that belief, you know, like they, they always push to get better and then when we're on the field and you see this guy in spots make that throw or make that play, bail us out of this situation or that, then it's like, oh okay, we've got one of those guys which obviously the Bills fans know and Bills players know for the last four or five years. When you have one of those guys, you're never out of anything.
- [10:07]
C
You said about him elevating his teammates and he has, is this wide receiver group good? Is he made them better? I, every time I'm, whether I'm watching the game or seeing a clip of the game, I'm seeing somebody either get downfield one handed catches. I mean like the example was the digs catch that he made on the fourth down and he gets the touchdown and then next thing you know he's going deep to Baker and then they're, they're making other plays. Like is this wide receiver group good or has it been just him elevating the guys that are around him?
- [10:40]
B
Based on where it's been, I mean it's like a light year. They were 31st or 32nd. Like you, you looked at the room, last year was a disaster. They were dysfunctional. The veteran leadership wasn't, you know, like Kendrick Bourne's a nice dude and is having a pretty nice bounce back season in San Francisco. But like he lined up wrong all the time. He ran wrong routes all the time. That's the guy you're looking to as young players and going, this guy who's been in the system can't get it right. Like, what do I care? Like, I'm just going to go do what I do. Oh, you didn't throw me the ball. I'm going to throw my hands up in the air and I'm going to gesticulate, even though I've done nothing in this league. And there is a different. First of all, it's variable. I mean, obviously there's a. You're not going to pull that crap right on. On the field for me. We'll put someone else in there. But then, like, I think Matt Collins has made a difference in terms of the leadership and sort of the work that he's put in. Like, I say it all the time, like, I know that's your guy. But like, Afton Chisholm, who's an undrafted free agent who made the team and he's run back some kicks, but he hasn't contributed as a receiver. But like, Matt Collins, like, religiously works with that kid. And that's just one of those things where, you know, I don't know if Afton Chisholm's ever going to be a player in the league, but there's this undrafted kid from a small school who's got a veteran NFL receiver who's put his arm around him and is like, kid, you want to study, I'll study with you. Kid, you want to play catch after Pratt, you want to work on routes, you want to look at film, I'll do those things. And as you guys know, even Stephen, I don't know that Steph is a.
- [12:14]
He has some leadership qualities, but obviously, yeah, he's about himself. But, like, this is a honeymoon season for him. So he's put his. Generally put his best foot forward. So I would say they're probably like league average now in that room. 16, 17, best room. But when your quarterback's dealing like this, it's no different than Josh last year or even for parts of this year where it's like you look around and you go, they don't really have a dude, but yet they're still producing at a high level. And I think it's quarterback first.
- [12:47]
C
I don't know where I got my. I said the wrong. I was going to ask about Kyle Williams, who is a guy, right, that's not sure about. Right. How he, I guess you'd say, fits in or what he is. And I see him making plays.
- [13:02]
B
Yeah, two. Two long touchdowns. One against Tampa and then one this past week.
- [13:07]
A
And I thought in the NFL that you couldn't throw the ball downfield. That's what I was. That's what I have been told by coaches.
- [13:16]
B
Yeah, well, this football team embraces it. This quarterback. It's actually funny, I go back to covering the Bills and hearing Josh and not even in the early days, but like talking about, I don't want to be a check down. Charlie, guess who said that this year. Drake May said that this year. Now, to Drake's credit, do you ever.
- [13:35]
A
Want to come back on the channel or is this it? Are you just gonna, you're just gonna go out with a blaze of glory?
- [13:43]
B
I'll go out with a blaze of glory. What the hell, you know, and love. Yeah, but then like the past game against the Giants, you know, they were, they had. The left side of the offensive line was out, so they had two backups in there. And you know, the Giants were as bad as they are. They have two really well, three really good pass rushers and. Okay, what's the plan? We're going to put two running backs in the backfield pony package and we're going to attack the flats. And instead of being stubborn and saying, no, no, no, no, that's not how I play, he just 4 yards to Rondre, 6 yards to Trayvon, 4 yards back to Ramandre, 3 yards to Trivia. Just kept doing it. And then all of a sudden Giants creep up a little bit and then boom, it's Kyle Williams over the top for a 33 yard touchdown. So like they've been able to access all parts of the field this year, which is critical. And Williams is an interesting guy because I think were this a different situation, he'd probably play more. He's probably getting like, let's say 12, 13 snaps a game. But because the guys in front of him have all produced and have all accepted their roles, he's sort of been reduced to that. Like he would probably get a bigger chunk if they were more of a middle of the road team. Instead it's like, well, you're not going in over Booty. Booty's playing well. You're not taking some of max reps because he's playing well. You're not going to take some of Steph's reps because he's playing well. So it's just like take what you get and then, you know, we will throw it to you. You just got to produce when it's. When it's been in your direction in the last, you know, whatever the last month or so, you're getting some of that.
- [15:13]
A
I was going to wait to do this. This bit because it's. It's half shtick, but I think there are some crazier things that have happened in the NFL. What team is going to give Josh McDaniels another head coach?
- [15:27]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [15:29]
C
Maybe Vegas.
- [15:29]
A
Wants Vegas, Right?
- [15:30]
B
Yeah. Bring him back.
- [15:31]
A
Yeah.
- [15:33]
B
It's interesting because I get asked that question a lot because, of course, people are, like, petrified that he would leave. Because, you see, now this is a right. Sure. About the marriage and now the kids, you know, the mvp, front runner. And like, no, please tell me that Josh is going to be there. NFL owners are stupid, so you just sort of leave the door open for it.
- [15:54]
But, God, he. He flamed out spectacularly in both places. Yeah. Denver, he didn't make it through the second year. Vegas, he didn't make it through the second year, so.
- [16:05]
A
But there will be an owner with a young qb.
- [16:08]
B
Right. That will go.
- [16:09]
A
Look at what this guy did.
- [16:12]
B
Yeah.
- [16:15]
If the commanders, I would say, wouldn't they just elevate Kingsbury? So we're going to do that. Already has the working relationship with Jaden. You know, he produced sort of an mvp, like, season as a rookie. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he got an interview, though. But, like, I just man that, like, some people are just cut out to be a coordinator. He's making really good money. He never left here. His house is. He kept his house here, so. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, like I said, stranger things have happened. But. But I just. If you have your bright mind, like, he's a coordinator and that's fine. It's. It's a good living and he's doing a hell of a job.
- [16:55]
C
You're trying.
- [16:56]
B
Is.
- [16:57]
A
Is that the dog?
- [16:58]
B
Oh, he is.
- [17:02]
A
We're trying to record a podcast here, man.
- [17:04]
B
I know. And it's the two of us, and if I let him down here in the office, he'd be in this. He'd be in my lap.
- [17:12]
C
Yeah.
- [17:12]
B
So that wouldn't be good. He'd be knocking over stuff. Yeah. The mailman probably came by and he hates everybody, so there you go.
- [17:20]
C
What's the dog's name?
- [17:22]
B
Dougie.
- [17:24]
Doug.
- [17:25]
C
Doug Marone.
- [17:27]
B
He came. He came prenamed. He was. We did our, you know, we did our good deed. He's a rescue dog from Alabama. Got him out of a kill shelter.
- [17:35]
C
Very nice.
- [17:36]
A
He's trying to get back in the good graces of the audience.
- [17:38]
B
Yeah, yeah. And I love him, but he is, he is, he's special. He is very special.
- [17:44]
C
I want to ask you about Sunday because we just saw Josh Allen get a win against Burrow. And you, you're a unique person to answer that because you've been around Josh a lot. You around the Bills a lot. It doesn't say a lot. But you know what burns him? You know that there's. He hears and sees everything. So he's beaten Burrow this year. He's beaten Baker, he's beaten Mahomes, he beaten Lamar. He hears all the Drake May stuff. How do you think Josh Allen's coming.
- [18:15]
B
Into this game.
- [18:18]
Ready to show the world once again that he's the best quarterback in the National Football League? Like, I don't think there's any question. And I think the great thing about Josh over the years is he doesn't have to throw for 300. You know, like, that's not. I mean, look, if that's what it takes to win, then that's what he'll do. But.
- [18:38]
A
Well, some quarterbacks throw for 300, some don't.
- [18:41]
B
I know, right? He hasn't needed to.
- [18:44]
Well, he also.
- [18:47]
C
You've seen his receivers too. So 300 is a lot.
- [18:50]
A
No, no, no. It's a subtle shot at May.
- [18:53]
C
Oh.
- [18:53]
B
Because still has not had a career.
- [18:57]
C
Hey, Josh Allen didn't do it until what, 20, 23.
- [19:02]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [19:03]
C
Year three.
- [19:04]
B
Yeah.
- [19:04]
A
But he wasn't talked about in the MVP conversation without throwing for 300 yards.
- [19:08]
C
Also, I just want to say this real quick. He deserves to be up there. But we all. I mean, Matthew Stafford's gonna win. Right. Narrative wise. Never won. He's having an incredible year. Don't you know the way voters.
- [19:20]
B
All right.
- [19:21]
C
I always feel there's a narrative. And that's not a shot at May. He's been great. It just feels like it's going to be stuck Stafford.
- [19:28]
B
Yeah. Well, you know, what's happened is. And I actually should have looked at the odds today because they've been kind of ping ponging back and forth. You have a good game. He, you know, Stafford had the bad game against Carolina. Drake went to minus 135 this past week. But then Stafford has a big game against Arizona. So it wouldn't surprise me if it's close that the voters will look at and go, DRAKE May's got 10, 15 years.
- [19:51]
A
Yeah.
- [19:51]
B
Football ahead of him. Stafford's never won it. In fact, I only Think he's been top five one time. Yeah. And so if he can maintain this pace, then, yeah, he probably would win.
- [20:01]
C
It, but solidifies his hall of Fame, too. Obviously. Stafford's got the numbers. He's got a Super Bowl. Sure is nice for your hall of Fame to have the mvp. So I, that's the only reason I was thinking, because it isn't a, it isn't a great year for MVP candidates.
- [20:17]
A
I don't think I got the stats.
- [20:19]
C
Oh.
- [20:19]
A
So this Dan's got him heading into week 15. Stafford minus 180. Drake May plus 200.
- [20:28]
C
Yeah.
- [20:29]
B
Wow, that's a. See, that's a big swing. He was literally 130 or 135. Minus 130 or 135 after he doesn't.
- [20:35]
C
Play for a week.
- [20:36]
A
Odds provided by DraftKings at 1:30am Monday, December 8th.
- [20:40]
C
Yeah.
- [20:40]
B
Yeah, that's, that's what it's been doing for the last month.
- [20:44]
A
Yeah.
- [20:44]
C
If he outplays Josh on Sunday, they could flip right back.
- [20:47]
A
Josh got right back in, in theory in the race with what he did against Cincinnati.
- [20:52]
C
Yeah, in the race. But, you know.
- [20:54]
B
Well, it's, it's, it's true too, because then you look at. So the Patriots and I know this a one o' clock game, but this is going to have a lot of eyes on it.
- [21:00]
C
Yeah.
- [21:01]
B
And then. And the Patriots, if they win the game, win the division. So there's that aspect of it, too. And then the following week, even though the game is, as the season has gone on, has lost importance, the Ravens, which I think is going to get flexed to Sunday night, if you look at the schedule, it seems like that's going to be the game that gets elevated because either you sell the piss out of Drake and, you know, having this MVP season, they just won the division or whatever. Patriots, if they lose to the Bills, Ravens win, then you got May Lamar, all kinds of things at stake. And so that'll be another instance of you get the national audience to yourself and they can say, hell, man, this guy's pretty awesome. You know.
- [21:43]
A
So the last game, the injury bug kind of seemed to bite New England or two weeks ago, and obviously they played the Giants. Yeah, they have those names on the defensive line, but they haven't really been wrecking games. How big is the loss of Will Campbell? And like where. I know it's one game, but how do they feel moving forward with. Because he wasn't the only one that was banged up in that game. Right. Like there's. They're Piecing that together right now.
- [22:08]
B
Yeah, the left side, the left side both went. So Will Campbell has the mcl. They put him on ir. The expectation is he will be back. He would be eligible playing the finale, the regular season finale, if it comes to that. We'll see. That's a four to six week injury, so that would be on the short end of it. Jared Wilson, the rookie left guard, he also went down in the Cincinnati game. It was reported as a high ankle. He was out of practice today. Now, I don't. We haven't got the practice designations or taping this at 2:00 clock or whatever, but that would be a surprise. That's pretty fast for a high ankle because that's another one. That's four to six.
- [22:47]
C
Yep.
- [22:47]
B
And it's sort of. NFL Network reported it as a high ankle and it kind of raised my sniff detector in that they didn't put them on ir, which you can bring eight guys back off IR now. It's not like you're playing the, the, the, the, the games with that like you used to where you can only bring three guys back. So.
- [23:02]
A
Right. And Mike, it's NFL Network.
- [23:04]
B
Fair point. Fair point. Questionable journalism.
- [23:08]
A
Yes.
- [23:10]
B
From an organizational standpoint, carrying a whole bucket of water.
- [23:15]
A
I was looking at the clip today of you when you threw the football. When we did the one and the football fell off your back.
- [23:23]
I was still laughing about that. I should put that in right here.
- [23:28]
B
Well, who we handing the keys over to? I'm not. Look at, I'm knocking stuff over. Yeah, I knocked over the, I knocked over the football that the NFL Network gave me. They can go to hell.
- [23:45]
So.
- [23:48]
Such a good clip.
- [23:50]
A
Go ahead, Mike.
- [23:51]
C
No, you see the Bills right now, this past week, obviously it was against Burrow. They did, they did a pretty good job against the run, which has not been their strength. And then he ends up throwing the ball. Will the Patriots run it and where are they now? Because in the first game, you know, we didn't really see a lot of Stevenson or of Henderson.
- [24:11]
A
Yeah.
- [24:12]
C
Where are they now in the run game?
- [24:13]
B
I'd say they're about the same. The, the one difference here is that Henderson has given him some more explosive runs. Yeah. You know, had the two long touchdowns against Tampa. He's had it. He had a 26 yarder in the second half against the Giants. He's still, they're still not good at it. They're still lacking the down to down consistency. And I would imagine at this point in the year that's really not going to change.
- [24:39]
But I think they can. I don't want to say they can live with it, but if they get the one or two chunk plays from Henderson or Stevenson, then I think they can kind of almost make it like, all right, well, look, we're never going to be great down to down, but you still have to give us the respect to it. And the one thing that is definitely. And it was after week one, because they got away from week running at all in week one, they weren't moving Vegas. I think it was something like 22 yards on 18 carries. But afterwards Frable was like, basically, we're not doing that again. You got like, I don't. I don't give a damn if it's not working. There's still stuff that can happen off of it that we have to show you, and we're going to do it. So they've been more consistent, at least in terms of the number of carries and setting up stuff off play action off that. And Drake's been really good in play action. So it's like, even if that play only goes for a one or two yard gain on the run, it's okay because we're setting up something for later. And if we hit that, then that was all worth it.
- [25:39]
A
Last time we talked, you know, heading into that Week 5 matchup, it was a lot of. You don't really know what Stefan Diggs is and how this marriage is going and all these kind of things. And he was awesome. He was awesome in that game. You could tell how much it meant to him. You could tell it after the game when he's running off the field and he's, you know, kind of talking to us as we're filming him about what it meant to him. And when we talked, you were like, I don't know how long this is going to last. Like, how has that progressed? Because at times here we've joked round about when the Bills have had their struggles, that they don't have an asshole. Like, they don't have somebody to kind of be there that guy in their face. And you hear about what Diggs, his impact has been with Levo's Henderson, when he was like, hey, like, he's pushing me every day to be great. Like, the great running backs don't get tackled. Like, how has that evolution been for him in this honeymoon phase with the leadership around this team?
- [26:35]
B
Yeah, I mean, since. Since the. Since the boat incident in the summer, he's been. From all I can gather, he has done everything they've asked him to do. He and Var both keep exchanging bouquets publicly about. I love playing for this guy. I don't know how he got me to buy him, but I'm bought in. And you see it like he's even early in the year. You watch the tape and you're like, man, he didn't want any part of that block. He didn't want to do that. He didn't sell that. And now more and more he's doing those things.
- [27:07]
A
Winning helps.
- [27:08]
B
Yeah. So that is, I keep saying it. I feel like it is a honeymoon. I think you, the longer that personality is around, the more it gets abrasive and the more it becomes a problem. You know, I suppose he could always have changed. He's 31, going on 32, whatever.
- [27:27]
But for now it's been good, it's been necessary. And you know, it's funny because they don't, you know, he had the massive game against the Bills. He had a massive game against Carolina prior to that. Like he's had some of these great games and then he's had games where he catches two balls and you know, they're still playing him around 50% of the time. He's not, you know, he's not out there all the time. And I just think they found the right balance where on third downs got to have it. He's still the guy that they want to go to, so he appreciates that part of it. But some of the other stuff where, like where are my targets? We haven't had to experience yet.
- [28:02]
C
Yeah, yeah. Where's he contract wise?
- [28:04]
B
Right. So it's a three. It's a three year, 69 million dollar deal, but really it's a one. I mean they can get out of it after this year if they want for minimal cost. So that'll be the, I think that'll be the big test. And you know, it's already, there's already debate and there's already debate too because everyone assumes that the Patriots will be in the AJ Brown market in the off season whether he gets released or Philadelphia trades him. But that obviously hasn't gone great the last year and they won a Super bowl. But he's, he's not been happy. So would they want to have two high priced receivers? You know, I don't know. They're going to have to pay Christian Gonzalez. You know, obviously May's up for a contract not this year, but next year. And you know, if this keeps up, he'll, he'll get all that too.
- [28:49]
A
So working to get made paid.
- [28:52]
B
I don't have to do anything to get May paid. His plays, doing it all by his lonesome.
- [28:57]
A
All you're writing that Boston Sports Journal, you're going to get this guy paid. Does he give you a cut?
- [29:01]
B
I get nothing. Bumpkins.
- [29:03]
C
Wow. Hey, I, I wanted to ask about the defense and I think I'm becoming the charter. One of the members of the Marcus Jones fan club. Tell me about this guy.
- [29:16]
B
So it's, it's funny because I've made the observation about him before. He plays a little bit recklessly and not in an undisciplined way, but like, he's small. He's five, eight and change. I mean, I'm taller than he is now. I'm an average sized guy, 5, 9ish. But like, he's smaller than me.
- [29:35]
A
Mike, we're all mug's friends here, man.
- [29:38]
B
I'm still five nine. I mean, I'm shrinking. It's happening. I think I'm taller. My brother's three years older than me and at Thanksgiving he looks at me and he goes, are you taller than me? I was like, it kind of appears that way, doesn't it? He was almost six feet tall. So he's really, it's like happening. Yeah. But yeah, he plays and variables. I, I swear if Rabel listens to the podcast, because I said he plays like he's 6, 3, 2, 25 and variable. The other day was like, yeah, you know, he's, he's, he plays like he thinks he's 6, 4, 2, 50. He does. He feels one of the reasons they were so good against the run and it's sort of falling off a little bit in the last few weeks, but one of the reasons they were so good and didn't allow our running back over 50 yards in a game was him. He would like, come up, he would take on guards, he would fill gaps like, and he tackles really, really well. Combine that with, you know, the freak athleticism where, I mean, you want to point to Keon Coleman's.
- [30:42]
C
I thought that play, he locked up Keon.
- [30:44]
A
How quickly did I text you after that play?
- [30:46]
B
I mean, yeah, and again, like, I know we had a couple catches.
- [30:52]
They need more from him. They didn't draft them there to get what they're getting from him. But yeah, Marcus is, has been awesome. And then, you know, the special teams, he's the best returner, certainly the best punt returner in the game. Actually had a long conversation with, about him, with that, about him, with him, about that today. There's English for you. Just like how do you do it? Like, yeah, because I'm like, you got to be a little crazy. He's like, yeah, a lot of people don't want to do it, but he's like, I've always kind of had a feel for it, and I just. I do it. And they trust him. Like, it's. He says, you know, we have conversations before games and whatnot, but it's basically like, Marcus, if you think you can run it back, I don't care. You feel the. The two fielded at the 10, do whatever you want. We trust you. And he's. He's made it work for him. Yeah.
- [31:35]
C
There's a lot of guys in the league that right hand comes up fast when they're running back once. Or you could be like Turpin with the Cowboys. It comes up and then he still tries to run.
- [31:44]
B
What happened?
- [31:45]
C
Can't do that.
- [31:47]
A
Anything else?
- [31:48]
C
No, I mean, that's. This is. This is good information. So I guess this is. You know, we're going into a game where Josh. Josh is not the favorite of Mike Giardi as a quarterback.
- [31:59]
A
Not only that, he's not the favorite in this game.
- [32:02]
B
Yeah.
- [32:02]
A
The Patriots are one and a half point favorites.
- [32:05]
B
Oh, so that flipped too, huh?
- [32:07]
A
We were looking at it yesterday. Yeah. There was one book that had the Bills at one and a minus one and a half, and then two other books had the Patriots at minus one and a half. So I don't know how much that'll move. I guess it'll. I don't think it'll get more than.
- [32:22]
C
I think both teams want to be underdogs.
- [32:24]
A
Yes. We were talking about it, like, the hat and T shirt game.
- [32:28]
C
Oh, yeah.
- [32:30]
A
There's going to be a sense of Sean not wanting that to happen on his watch. You've won that division five years in a row. They may win it, and that's fine. But I don't think the Bills will have that edge that they love to have had. The Patriots been doing that. Do they still have, like, the variable chip on their shoulder even though they're. Or did that change at any point during the year where they went from, oh, this is a cute story to now they're just a really good team.
- [32:59]
B
Yeah.
- [32:59]
A
Like, I think everybody listening here can. Can acknowledge that. But are they still saying people are doubting them? Like, how the Bills used to do that when they were, like, super bowl favorites or like, nobody. Nobody believes in us.
- [33:10]
B
Yeah. So it depends on who you talk to, but the fact is that there are plenty of players that still think like, oh, we've. We hear it all, you know, like, it doesn't change what we do on the field, but, like, we know that no one thought we were going to be 11 and 2. We, you know, like. Or that this can't keep coming. This can't keep happening for them. Or, hey, the schedule is really easy, and, like, all we keep doing is, whoever you put in front of us, we beat them. So at some point, are you going to shut up and you're just going to say, like, no, they're a good football team. Which is kind of where I got about a month ago. I was like, you know what? They're actually like, you can't. I. I can. You can look at the schedule. You can do all these things, but, like, an average football team or someone that was over their skis would have slipped up. They haven't slipped up. They. They keep winning. They keep, you know, to win 10 games in a row in this league, I mean, it says a lot about you, you know, And I don't know that I would sit there and compare them to the 04 Patriots and say, like, this is a better team than that one. But.
- [34:11]
The results are the results so far.
- [34:12]
A
Yeah, Mike, you are the best. And by now, I think everybody knows where to find you. But if not where to find you, they will also find us or some combination of the Buffalo plus team on your pod later this week.
- [34:27]
B
Yeah. So Boston Sports Journal is where I write. You find me at Mike Giardi on all the socials, and then, yes, the all 32 pot solo host, yours truly. Looking forward to having you guys back on for a. A home and home series here and having a little fun at your expense.
- [34:46]
C
Well, good news for you, Mike. Jenna's coming with me.
- [34:49]
B
Yay.
- [34:50]
C
Yes.
- [34:51]
B
So the class up the joint.
- [34:53]
C
That's exactly.
- [34:54]
A
Also not a single comment. Not a single one.
- [34:59]
B
I was gonna save that. It was funny, though. I did happen to see, you know, how the phone listens to everything you say. Yeah, he knows what you're doing. So obviously, I was watching the Bills game. I was tweeting about the Bills game, and then I, you know, I flip over to Instagram when I was working out after the game, and.
- [35:15]
A
Oh, sick, sick brag, bro.
- [35:18]
B
You know, like, you know.
- [35:21]
Just by sitting on the couch eating nachos. And who pops up on my feed?
- [35:28]
Your mug, by the way? Way too close. A little too much up the nose. I think I saw a couple bats in the cave.
- [35:40]
And I was like, it's even worse than I thought. Wow. It's not even. Like, the mustache is terrible, but it's patchy. But now, as I was looking at. Because again, you had it so close that I couldn't help but, like, no, the whole thing is patchy.
- [35:59]
A
I. It's great.
- [36:01]
B
Like, do you know how.
- [36:02]
A
Do you know how hard it was? Because a lot of people do those videos. You scroll through Instagram, you're like, how do these people have this confidence to just talk into their phone? And I was like, I'm gonna go out of my comfort zone. I'm gonna do this. These videos. We've seen our friend Matt Beauvais do them. I'm gonna do it. And I get my one friend, the typical just all over me for. You did it all wrong.
- [36:24]
B
Well, I mean, I don't want to say you did it all wrong. It's just your face. You can't change your face.
- [36:29]
C
You really did tee yourself up.
- [36:31]
B
Yeah, but, yeah, I would. I mean, again, you should have shaved this thing.
- [36:36]
A
Can you even grow facial hair, old man?
- [36:38]
B
Oh, my God. And, like, I'm. I'm like, I could do it in two days. I might just let it go. I'll have a full beard on Thursday or whenever. We're gonna do this beard for gr.
- [36:47]
C
That's it.
- [36:48]
B
Yeah, but. But I'm just saying. Not patchy. Yours patchy. So either fake, fill it in or do the right thing and shave it. Wow.
- [36:57]
A
You're the best, man. Appreciate you, as always.
- [36:59]
B
Thanks, Mike. Thank you.
- [37:01]
A
Appreciate it, as always. Make sure to follow him Thursday at Hooligans in Webster. As always. Be sure to, like, comment and subscribe. Giardi. Appreciate you. Catch you next time here on the Buffalo plus channel, located inside this video inside the Connors and Ferris podcast studio. See you next time.