LIVE Patriots Beat: Cole Strange injury + Q&A

LIVE Patriots Beat: Cole Strange injury + Q&A

all right everyone welcome back into another LIVE edition of the Patriots beat podcast here on the clns media Network it is Brian Hines back as always with Alex bar uh first day of OTAs is in the rearview mirror we were down there at Foxboro on Monday we Rec recap that whole practice in whole with Taylor kyes uh so if you missed that make sure you go uh check out that video it is right on the Patriots press pass YouTube channel so today uh we have a little Q&A coming at you guys and we have a little bit of Patriots news because we got an update on Cole strange so we will start there uh but in the meantime if you guys want to start putting some questions in the chat about OTAs mini camp is coming up training camp is two months away or any other Patriots thoughts on your mind you can start uh asking some questions in the chat we will get to but we will start with Cole strange because uh we heard from Gerard Mayo on Monday he was asked about and he said um you know he’s week to week or you can even call it month by month if you want so you knew the news probably wasn’t going to be good and then on Tuesday morning we heard from Ian Rapaport NFL Network and he said starting guard Cole strange who is still dealing with a significant knee injury suffered late last season is expected to miss the start of the 2024 season it may be out until the middle of the season so again kind of expected with the timing of it in December I think it was week 14 last year and then Mayo’s comments uh but it is looking like Cole strange probably going to start the year on the physically unable to perform list it might not even be back uh until midseason here with that knee injury yeah and it it adds a lot of context to what this offseason has been you know we’ve talked about this a little bit Brian trying to read the Tea Leaves of of moves they’ve made and things that have been said and we’ve kind of at times settled on hey maybe they just don’t believe in cold strange as much you know this new coaching staff as much as the old offensive coaching staff do did is his job in trouble uh it it seems like it in they’re just outright he’s not going to be able to play regardless of of ability so it add some context to what they’ve done and it that does now become one of the the bigger position battles to focus on especially if you know we think City so is going to be at left guard so it’ll probably be at Right Guard but now you have two spots on the offensive line that you have unsettled heading into the season that’s not great and it’s the left side protecting maybe your number three overall pick or the veteran jacobe set so probably not a great side to have those issues on and we’ve talked so much about the the left tackle position and what that’s going to look like with either chuk a COR for or or Kaden Wallace so uh it’s not a great ideal setup to have there on the left side but it was cityo on OTAs uh Nick Leverett and leaden Robinson were on the right guard position which you know so held last year but he’s back to left guard where he naturally played in college so I guess they seem to know they obviously knew that strange was gonna miss some time right we heard like even Elliot wolf talked talked about it before the draft we asked him about the offensive line and he kind of left Cole Strange’s name out of the equation so now kind of looking back at this you know maybe the leaden Robinson pick makes more sense but do you wish they put more resources into maybe the guard position maybe in free agency you know you have so much cap space maybe you know I know a ton of guys sign big money but maybe getting a guy who’s maybe a little safer than Nick Nick lever right or maybe you know tough to say go go a higher guard in the draft but do you wish maybe they approach the guard position a little differently now that you know they knew kind of this whole time that strange was gonna miss a lot of time not necessarily just because they they addressed it so heavily last year and they have the bodies they have the guys that they can bring in and to at that position that there were other needs on the roster and I think overdoing it at guard look they signed you know not household names but two guys who have started multiple games in this league and Nick Leverett and Michael Jordan and then they you know Le robs is 100 third pick Fringe top 100 pick on a guard so I I feel like the the assets are there plus the top three uh or the three top50 interior offensive line last year they spent a ton of capital at that position so I’m okay that they didn’t now you know with strange being where he is do they maybe because all these guys are unknown so that’s the thing like you still don’t have a clear answer and maybe the fact that that strange will be back this year is why they didn’t overly invest because they feel like they have a starter for down the road but you know would I like to see them bring in a veteran just in case you know I look at Justin pews a free agent he played for uh Ben McAdoo in New York or a guy like Mike Lewinsky or Trey Turner maybe bringing in a guy like now if nothing else just for competition would make sense in Camp but I I don’t know how much further they need to go than that they’ve invested a lot a lot a lot at guarding yep yeah and you have you know Mafi Jake Andrews were the picks last year obviously they weren’t great in their rookie Seasons but you know Gerard Mayo was talking about you hope those guys can kind of put that year in the past learn grow have a year two jump so uh it looks like you know City so is a hit and now you have kind of three other guys you drafted in the third fourth fifth round there and you know a guy with experience as you said with Nick lever so you hope you know drafting all those guys at at the guard position you hope you can produce more than one starter in city so so if you can get one other starter that’s probably good business and a good way to uh kind of go about that guard position but um I guess just like what’s your confidence level and and let’s start like confidence in Scott Peters say this new offensive line coach he’s got Robert cougler Mike McCarthy helping them what what’s what’s your confidence level in in that group to kind of you know maybe have two new offensive linemen in here you know we talked so much about the left tackle uh position just what’s your kind of confidence with how that front’s gonna shake out I I think they’ll do you know they did a decent job in Cleveland and I I don’t think they’re bad offensive line coaches but now it just becomes a Manpower issue there’s so many different players that need to be devel I don’t doubt this coaching staff’s ability to develop offensive lineman in a bubble but you’ve got two tackles you’re working on moving from left to right you’ve now got to figure out your starter at Right Guard you’re taking a guy who yes did play uh left guard in college but was primarily a Right Guard last year you’re moving him over to the other side you’re taking Mike onwenu who’s never really had a full off season at right tackle and you’re you’re fully drilling him at right tackle for the first time that’s a lot that’s a lot so if it was one or two of those things I’d feel pretty good about it I know they have like three offensive line coaches so they they definitely set themselves up for this but they are asking a lot of Scott Peters in that coaching group they really are they have put a ton on their plate yeah yeah well the players say Scott Peters loves uh preaching positionist players so they’re certainly taking that to a Max with everyone but David Andrews basically playing a new position than they did last year fulltime so uh yeah it’s certainly G to be a big thing to watch throughout you know we have a few more spring practices but then you know offensive line really comes under the microscope in the summer when you can get the pads on obviously and they start hitting each other one-on ones and preseason games so uh that’s big number three quarterback you have your future and Drake may even if he doesn’t start the year you don’t want jacobe Bret back there running for his life so the offensive line as always is going to be a big big part of this seeing how that comes together but uh any other last thoughts there from from Cole strange that how that that offensive line shake out it’s just there’s going to be a lot to watch come training camp that’s where I’m at with there’s going to be a lot to watch because there we just kind of laid it out there just kind of laid it out there a lot of moving pieces here a lot of moving pieces is this the uh is this the end of Cole strange I mean the fact that they didn’t add somebody that significant makes me think they’re going to give him one more shot when he comes back I I think the idea that he’s injury-prone is maybe a little overblown he played the full season his rookie year last year he had the knee injury in Camp came back played and then got hurt again so it’s been two big things it’s not a I mean I guess two big things in two years but um I just think last year not having Camp really hurt him and now this year not having Camp’s gonna really hurt him he was already an older Prospect his development window is already shorter I I think he’ll hang around in the league but you know I I don’t think that he’s ever GNA justify that first round pick yep all right well yep Co strange again expected to miss the start of the regular season maybe be out until middle of the Season expectation should be he starts the year on the pup list so uh we will take a quick break here from our friends over at prize picks and we’ll come back and do a little Q&A so again if you guys have questions about anything all things Patriots make sure to put that in the chat and we will get to them right after prize picks very quickly uh let’s talk about our wonderful friends over at prize picks which is America’s number one fantasy sports app with more than three 3 million members it is the easiest and most exciting way to get in on the action while you watch your favorite sports and players you just pick more or less on two or more player stats and watch the winnings roll in you can get in on the playoff action and win up to 100 times your money over on prize picks yet again as you and the world’s best players take on the game to a new level during the postseason Playoffs begin tomorrow for our Boston Bruins and Sunday for the Boston Celtics at the Garden but the play-ins I believe there’s one more playin game tonight with the bows and the heat so you can get into the action early on that there’s something for every sports fan from basketball and hockey to League of Legends and everything in between just pick your athletes pick LeBron he’s still in there or you can focus on the uh local guys Jason Tatum Jason Brown Bruins goalies I’m excited to pick more or less saves on the Bruins goalies we’ll see which ones are in net uh throughout the playoffs there still rotating I believe so head over to prize picks download the app today and use code clns for a first deposit match up to $100 that is clns for a first deposit match up to $100 over on price picks all right let’s get into some questions here start in that wide receiver room is Jaylen pul going to move around in Alex veld scheme or stay at at what do you think I think he’s I think he’s going to move around especially if they move on from juj Smith Shuster because they’re going to have multiple roles that that need filled um I think he’s mostly gonna play Z not X I think that’ll be either Jayvon Baker if tawon Thord makes the team he’ll factor in there but I P’s pretty versatile I expect them to to take advantage of that yeah looking at uh you know Cleveland the last few years they put their like their best run blocker at at the Z they like getting that guy involved at the point of the attack you know pulk has some pretty impressive uh run tape from Washington he’s not afraid to kind of get his hands dirty in that area so I think he’s gonna be a really good fit in that kind of Z role he can play some X you know they can get versatile with it but I think uh Z is kind of the the main point for him but uh where do you think pop Douglas fits in all this in that in that wide receiver room I think he’s just the slot receiver I think that’s what he is and and look obviously he should be on the field a good amount he’s a good player but at the same time he’s not the most durable guy so I think even though you want him to be involved I think keeping him heavily involved when he’s on the field but using him as the third receiver and 11 and maybe not him being as much of a part of 12 or 21 Personnel makes some sense yeah probably more you know third down work obvious pass work you probably don’t want him on the field a ton when you’re you know you know you’re you’re running the ball but yeah definitely he should still have a role in those past situations but um staying in in that room uh DJ is dreaming of next year with May spreading it out five wide with pulk pul Baker pop Jem Bell and Marcus Jones giving defensive backs fits uh Marcus Jones was asked about playing offense the other day he said he’s strictly defense do what the coaches want but uh who’s your ideal five wide set coming into this season um yeah and I wouldn’t count on Marcus Jones playing much much offense this year I think you’re you’re looking at um pulk at the uh sorry Baker at The X pker at the Z Popp in the slot Henry is your tight end Gibson is your running back if you’re just going to like go and throw the ball I whether they’re in five wide or not I think that’s your best grouping if you’re gonna like put Drake May in the shotgun and and throw and throw and throw like they used to do with Brady yep I like getting Antonio Gibson in there I was gonna sneak him in so I meant to say him did I say him no you said him yeah okay yeah um we talked about this you know a bit if sa is left guard Right Guard probably looking at you know Nick Leverett free agent from Tampa Bay leaden Robinson they added Michael Jordan in the offseason early in the offseason and then you know SA or not sa Mafi and Jake Andrews uh if you just had a guess right now do you have a leader in the clubhouse you know Nick Leverett opened on Monday in OTA so maybe it’s him but if you had a week one guess who would you go with I mean I think it’s gonna be Nick Leverett but I I think it’s gonna be Nick lever L Robinson I think the battle ultimately comes down to those two we just haven’t seen enough of Robinson yet so really know um and and they’ve been deferring to Veterans early but I Antonio mafew struggled last year I still think Jake Andrews is a true Center I just don’t know that he has the size or the power to play guard so yeah um I’m I’m sticking with I think it’s between lever if there’s a sleeper honestly it’s probably Michael Jordan back Patriots back 30 um yeah and ma we can just say he was playing Center too so maybe that maybe he takes him out of the Right Guard how they view him there but that to me felt more like we need you to do as much possible so you can make the team kind of thing yeah yep um we need a five minute Celtics minute we will get to that at the end uh how do we feel about the running back room and would you give ra Andre Stevenson an extension he’s probably I mean maybe Matt judon is next on the contract list but ra Andre is probably up there he’s a free agent next year uh running back room would you like another body like it feels like they have aandre they have Gibson I like the one two but after that is there like a proven third back there like maybe it’s Kevin Harris maybe one of the udfas they liked one of one of them uh was it Terrell Jennings they signed off a tryy out so they obviously like him and then they had deshun Fenwick so maybe one of those guys takes that job but are you comfortable with kind of the top two and then a question mark at that third spot right now um yeah you can get a running back in August like they got Zeke lash I still want to see like said like what can Fenwick give you um you know can Kevin Harris kind of make that jump I’m not super worried about where they’re at a running back at this point that’s more of like a wait and see let the young guys have the preseason and if it doesn’t then Matt breed is going to be sitting there late in August you can you can sign him or yeah I don’t know who else is out there Kareem Hunt’s out there he worked with the staff but don’t think the off field no but there’s Al like I mean guys get cut somebody will be available they’ll be able to get a running back I’m not super worried about that you can always find it back but yeah uh this is obviously the big one we’ll probably get this every show we do do you think May will start week one do you think he will perform well he was third in the quarterback reps on Monday it was you know jacobe it was Bailey zappy it was May that was true like all positions though veterans were leading the away uh so nothing really changed too much although when they did split at the end um it was one field was Jobe and Drake May the other field was zappy and Joe Milton so uh any change in your kind of timeline there for for Drake May and just do you think he’ll perform well I I I mean until they give me a reason believe otherwise it seems like that they’re they’re going to be really patient with him and him being the third quarterback like you said on uh on Monday I still use Halloween is kind of that Benchmark like I’d like to see him starting by then and we’ll see you know the offensive line is going to be a big question are they going to give him the kind of protection that will allow him to play well because we just went through earlier Brian the issues that they have up front and I I I’m worried about that group I’m worried about that group undoing any other progress they make offensively because they’re just unable to get anything done in terms of protection or unblocking you have legitimate questions now at essentially three spots and one of the spots you feel good about is a guy playing that position for the first time fulltime so I that I I in terms of like will so and so will this player play well will Drake may play well in the regular season it’s it’s way too early to say because I think the offensive line is is too much of a question mark right now to really be able to forecast that yeah I mean my whole thing after he got drafted was they stressed competition and I still think you know Drake May is the most talented guy so if he’s out there slaying the ball in training camp are you going to go away from that but he’s got to get the Reps first of all to prove he’s the talented guy which he wasn’t getting right that much on Monday now you know it seems like they want to kind of cut that room from four to three by the time training camp comes so maybe that that swings things but um I’m not kind of ruling it out that he starts week one but I also do think they want to play this thing safe especially with the offensive line uh troubles up front but uh defense what do you thinks happens to judon he wasn’t there uh Monday’s practice D Mayo says he’s been in and out of the facility all offseason which is kind of status quo for him during his time in in New England but you know 6.5 million left on his deal no million guaranteed last year of his deal he shouldn’t play under that he he’s better player than what that that contract is so uh do you think he’s kind of next up on the on the Elliot wolf to-do list to say we’ll see he’s going to be an interesting one because he’s an older player I think he does have some value uh we we’ve talked about this I hate the idea of something happening with him like happened with Gilmore where they just basically never got anything done and they had to trade him during the season for nothing um at the same time I wouldn’t commit to him long term he’s in his 30s he’s probably not going to be an elite player by the time you’re in your contention window again but there is value in him as a leader and you know keeping the team competitive in the meantime I wouldn’t they have all this cap space right now I wouldn’t pay him Beyond 2025 you can pay a little more money I think to get a shorter term deal done that’s what they should do but I wonder if they just get a one-year deal done for this year and then this they part ways after that yep agree with that but um another guy who wasn’t out there different reason though Kendrick Bourne he is not participating in these spring practices as he comes back from that ACL injury uh so Dexter asks if he makes it back for the beginning of the Season how much can we really expect coming off that knee injury it’s always tough to tell with these guys usually with the ACL it’s a year REM moved before you can really see where they’re at um but I I think that the thing about Kendrick bourner he’s a competitor he plays hard and that’s going to kind of help him bridge the gap and they don’t need a ton from him like I think you can get from KJ Osborne similar to what you can get from him hopefully Jaylen pul gives them some of that so they’re in position to ease him back in I think it’s incredibly valuable he’s still there he’s in the room all of that but I they don’t like last year they needed him to be their best receiver they needed him to be a 100 catch guy he was on that pace but it was the only way the offense was going to function in theory if they hit on their draft picks you shouldn’t need him to have to shoulder as much of a workload that doesn’t mean that the expectations are nothing you still want to see him contribute but he shouldn’t be the number one receiver in this offense frankly if he’s a leading receiver in this offense I think it means that they’ve made a mistake somewhere yep yeah you have you bolstered the top of that depth chart so you don’t need career year Kendrick Bourne especially off the knee injury you can kind of ease him uh into things there with with the room how it is now if you know those draft picks kind of develop as as you hope they do but uh another one offensively is there a possibility that Jem Bell takes second tight end from Austin Hooper uh didn’t see too much I don’t know did you have any takeaways from Bell on OTA Monday’s it wasn’t much he didn’t do a ton yeah like most of the rookies to be fair yeah um I the the thing about he’s not like a real he’s not going to do the same things Austin Hooper does it’s not he’s not te2 right he’s not the backup to Hunter Henry he has a very unique skill set he’s going to be his own thing it’s going to be you know proving he can fit his own role in the offense and so it’s it’s not him against super it’s just him as when we get to Camp we’ll talk about the at large roster spots the spots that are just going regardless of positioning the best player he’s got to prove that that in a unique role he can be an impact player and make the team I I still think Hooper’s here I still think Hooper is essentially the backup tight end uh but that doesn’t mean he’s going to play necessarily more than jaheem Bell I just think you need to think of jahe bell outside of the the construct of the rest of the dep chart yeah definitely gonna be kind of a unique role for him there not just your traditional tight end like Austin Hooper um any candidates for breakout player this season I don’t know if Christian Gonzalez yeah does Gonzalez count I mean I think Gibson could be a really fun surprise I think Antonio Gibson could actually come out and and be a real impact player for them and hopefully they do a better job this year of taking some of the workload off of ver Andre Stevenson because we’ve seen him now get banged up late in the year two years in a row uh yeah I I I I’d go Gibson actually I think he could end up having a very solid season maybe not you know I know people want to hear breakout like oh you know could tawon Thorton turn into something or maybe this is Keon white or whatever I’ve talked about Keon white I think he has a role as well but I think if we’re gonna go with like the player people are the most surprised by maybe doesn’t have the biggest season but I really think people are sleeping on Antonio Gibson and I I I think he’s gonna be a factor yeah I’ve always had a soft spot for him from his rookie year fantasy football so I’ve always been Antonio Gibson fan but he was he was uh yeah was pretty impressive on Monday obviously the speed stands out in a no contact setting but how they kind of used him moved him around uh I think he could be a good fit especially in kind of the zone offense or wide Zone run offense with that uh with that speed so I think that’s a that’s kind of a good pick there um let’s see what else we got here in the chat again keep asking questions uh we talked about wide receiver room how many wide receivers how many corners do you think the Patriots will carry starting with receivers I think where you at five locked in five with KJ Osborne obviously if if we’re considering KJ Osborne a lock which I have been yeah pulk Baker Kendrick Bourne if he’s healthy Demario Douglas and KJ Osborne so that’s five and then with all the guys they have they’re probably going to keep six if one of them can separate themselves between taon gu guu Kon booty and jayen rager are you on the same page there and then what do you think for corners um so yeah I think it ends up being I think they could end up keeping six receivers I think there’s a real chance that if it’s rager I think that six receiver is going to be have have to be somebody who plays on special teams um corner you know you’re gonna have Gonzalez Jon Jones Marcus Jones right so those three I think are locks I probably five unless somebody like Isaiah Balden makes a push and can also play special teams and can also play some safety um it’s it’s tough to say because we also don’t know what corner like what the setup’s going to be where’s Jon Jones is he the slot corner is he the boundary Corner if he’s not is it Marcus Jones and Shawn Wade I don’t think Shawn Wade makes the team as like a reserve boundary corner he can make it if they need that depth at slot corner but if Jon Jones is gonna start at corner and then at slot and then Marcus Jones you’re not going to really need a third slot Corner in Shawn Wade but you know depending on how they arrange it he could be the guy that’s in there so uh I I wide receiver I think is probably five unless you want to count ra rager and might get to the point where it’s like a Matthew Slater kind of thing just as a returner rather than a coverage player I think they could carry six true Corners that wouldn’t surprise me yep yeah I could definitely see that uh especially because you’ll have less another thing like you have less pure Specialists you don’t have the Chris boards you don’t have the um Cody Davis’s this year so that those could be two positions they they look to add right keep some extra bodies on but um what’s your biggest worry on defense my biggest worry on room it’s it’s that they’re gonna put I I hate that they don’t have a free safety I hate that you’re not going to be able to maximize both jabril peppers and Kyle Dugger and maybe I’ve seen some people say Marte Mau can be the Deep safety he doesn’t have speed for that he doesn’t maybe it’s Jaylen Hawkins maybe he comes in and saves the day but I just I I really hate that they have these two great safeties and it just turns into well we don’t need a deep safety because we’ll just rotate them like that’s not maximizing your players ability I don’t know if you saw and I don’t think they’ll go to this extreme did you see the picture Brian that was going around Twitter over the weekend of um it was a screenshot from jail Peppers his rookie year in Cleveland and how they were playing him like it looked like a punt returner I don’t think the Patriots are G to play him that deep but he brought up a good point how do you watch his tape in college and now how do you watch his tape with the Patriots and think that the best idea is to put him on the back he’s he seeking missile and it just bugs me they’re going to do that somebody the comments said Justin Simmons did he sign I don’t he sign think so no he’s not maybe had a meeting with somebody um oh I think he was like linked to the Titans I think he had like a meeting or a visit or something with the Titans but um that still bugs me the most is that they they don’t have a true plan at free safety this defense is at its best when it uses a free safety and I just wish they’d be a little more aggressive there yeah I mean I’d love Justin Simmons still I feel like we’ve been saying that since March 13th or whatever free agency began but uh he he’d be a great fit so um let’s see what else we got here Patrick thinks breakout player will be Kon booty any hope boy there still had a nice dive and catch uh on Monday from Drake May deep downfield but I don’t know a lot of ground to make up in that wide receiver room with 11 guys there yeah I I I don’t know uh I I don’t know about kaan booty there’s so much depth ahead of him he struggled to get on the field last year you have the whole legal thing pending um there’s I think there’s just too many roadblocks I think there’s just too many roadblocks for him truly making that push to a raw spot they’ve talked about dependability and all that and moving on from one of these receivers who you know was brought brought in to kind of lead this program and be a part of this program uh for a guy like Quan booty where that thing could blow up in your face I just don’t see them doing that yep uh he’s also making the push for Marcus Jones at free safety and then you GNA have Jonathan Jones back in the slot and Alex Austin or you know Marco Wilson Isaiah Balden one of those guys takes the second spot across from Gonzo yeah I don’t entirely hate that but like you you really got to be a good tackler to be back there and Marcus Jones just because of his size you worry about his tackling ability because you’re you’re the you’re the last guy right you’re the last line of defense literally and this is something I know like with Devon mccordi the biggest adjustment for him when he started playing back there was you have to be a really good tackler and I I just wonder about Marcus Jones in that regard just again because of his size yeah yeah I mean he’s obviously small so that’s you got you got to tackle well Jaylen Hawkins though could be kind of intriguing he seemed pretty involved to me if it’s somebody it’s going to be Jaylen Hawkins yeah wearing that old 32 Jersey back there looked looked familiar but yeah he was pretty involved he has that free safety backround maybe that that becomes something but uh still plenty of of time to work through this um speaking of Marcus Jones I guess this is kind of an interesting one because he was hurt last year do you think all these injuries are a problem I know you know they changed up some stuff with their strength and conditioning staff this year um donon Mayo d br’s Brothers in charge now but he was here last year do you think that’s something that was an issue I feel like this team’s been pretty good years past but last year’s kind of an outlier and it was mostly like some big names so is that something that worries you at all going forward not really I think last year was a lot of freak football plays you know like you said they’ve done a a very good job managing uh Health you know Hunter Henry was kind of the shiny example of that uh I also think there may be some guys last year that I I I don’t want to say guys tapped out but like you’re not rushing guys back when you were a three- win team in December you’re letting guys heal up so there wasn’t that necessarily urgency in bringing guys back last year as much as there maybe was in the past yep uh we’ll do a few more here when get on some Boston Sports uh predictions on Josh uch do you think they’ll let him loose sounds like it they keep preaching this more aggressive you know defense uh more turnovers you know more aggressive up front Christian bar said more for man fronts so do you think that’ll help uch and does he need judon opposite of him to reach that ceiling certainly helps having judon over there but yeah what do you think about uch coming this year if they’re if they’re really preaching more aggressive defense which is what they’ve talked about Josh uch is that kind of player I mean he’s forget contain peny rear back go after the quarterback that’s how he plays that is an aggressive style if it really is going to be a more aggressive defense there there certainly should be excuse me a a bigger role for him I think having Matthew judon opposite him certainly helps because judah’s going to draw attention but now you wonder if teams are going to test judon coming off the injury at his older age um but I I I think you should see a bigger role for Josh J he may not play that many more snaps but I think you’re going to see him be more impactful in the snaps he plays yeah he’s not I last year it seemed like he really focused on trying to play more in the structure of the defense right like setting the edge being better run Defender where kind of two years ago when he posted the big sacks it was more like pin your ears back and go so hopefully you can kind of get back to that and then that leads to the sack totals and more importantly like the pressure totals that’s that’s the one thing you’re really looking for there so he might still be like a 30 35% snap player but if he’s being able to play to his strengths and getting those pressures that that’s uh that’s what you’re hoping for out of uch this year but uh we’ll say last one here staying on that defensive end room we key on Play De in 43 or will he play behind our defensive tackle and Devon Goda he’s playing more standup on Monday but they were down like every single off ball linebacker on their roster Monday so uh what do you think about Keon White’s role in this defense I still think he looks bigger I still think he’s going to play hand down I think uh on Monday was just kind of a you know we need the bodies let’s give you a shot here see how it feels and and I I think he’ll do some of both but you know with his play strength with his physicality I think his his best is is his a hand down 4 three defensive end I think it you know the path for him ideally is ending up as the the replacement for Dietrich wise when the time comes yeah could definitely see that all right let’s take one last Quick break we’ll hear from our friends over at game time and then we will wrap up with a quick Boston Sports minute Celtics are advancing and if you want to go to a game game time is an authorized ticket Marketplace of the NBA which makes getting playoff tickets even faster and easier prices on the game time app actually go down the closer you get to kickoff they or tip off kickoff I’m getting ahead of myself here they have Flash Deals Zone deals last minute deals save up to 60% off buying last minute for sports you can also use concerts comedy theater I love you know if you’re in Boston you can go get a slice at halftime or go to The Harp for a drink and then right before tip off you can log on game time get your tickets get a really good deal go see the Celtics in the playoffs there so take all the guess workk out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code clns for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code clns for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest prices guaranteed game time all right Celtics squeaked out a game one win Five Points OT seemed like a good Garden crowd on game time they all used their game time tck to game time app to get tickets except for the fans who uh left early and had a watch across the street who had a watch like through the window at the bars across the street but um you were there so what was what what what’s your game one Celtics takeaway uh that was as Celtics of a game as there is it it really was where you know they they come out hot and then you think that oh yeah this is the team that’s going to win the title they completely fall apart and then they they snatch uh uh a win from the Jaws a loss right and I think the big thing you look at is Jason Tatum and he was having a really good game up until that fourth quarter completely falls apart in the fourth quarter I mean if if Brown doesn’t hit the corner three all the conversation today is about Jason Tatum choking and Jason Tatum not being a a clutch and not being up for the moment not being ready to be a superstar uh but Jaylen Brown hits the three so Jason Tatum gets this extra chance and then he he goes off and he opens it up in overtime right so there’s this debate of does he deserve the credit for overtime or not because he wasn’t guaranteed overtime it was Jaylen Brown who got them there he’s just a very frustrating player I still think he’s one of the best players in the league one of the best five 10 players in the league but he does need help sometimes he does need help and that’s what Jaylen Brown is there for and look that’s why the Celtics are a great team because they have two of these guys but I I there I don’t know how many of those are going to be able to sur survive from Jason Tatum like he’s got to be more of a finisher that being said I still think he had a great game last night yeah I called it you know I I called it a roar shark test game you know what a roar shark test is it’s like you can see it however you kind of want to yeah it’s the the ink plots like you see them do in the movies right the psychologist like what do what do you see here right so to me whatever you wanted to see from Jason Tatum you saw the people who are Tatum supporters will point to you know the overall numbers in his performance in overtime the people who are out on Tatum will point to what he did in the fourth quarter everybody got a little bit of what they want to see from him and so you know we just kind of move on from there yeah yeah it was great to see you know him and overtime Jaylen Brown uh right in front of Drake May and Guy Fier Big Shot nice like huge to see them step up I I just want to shout out Drew holiday that was an amazing game from from Drew holiday it felt like um you know that defensive play in overtime where he basically just clamped Tyrese Halton like made him break his own ankles that kind of seemed like the dagger in a way on on defense so he was awesome but uh probably need more out of Sam Hower and Payton Pritchard and the bench guys moving forward like they weren’t great but uh your stars showed up and and they they kind of stole you a game there at the end so you know especially in playoffs especially in the C Conference Finals you’ll you’ll you’ll take them any way they come honestly yeah and and that’s what it comes down to like at the end of the day they a wins a win in the playoffs when you get to this point I think you have to to view it that way Drew holiday certainly lifted them his best game of the year um but they got to be better than that they if if that’s how they’re GNA play this could be a long series yep the pton prit TJ McConnell matchup that’s fun even though TJ McConnell TJ McConnell had his way in game one that is that is a fun matchup that those two guys are fun to watch going at each other oh yeah um anything Bruins had their end of season takeaways today I don’t know did you pay attention to that at all yeah I I saw so they said that they want to try to add multiple you know secondary scores which is great but how about adding some primary scoring on top of that you know I think you need a second primary score with David pook Brad maron’s not getting any younger um Center you know I think it’s got to come at Center there has to be a marquee Edition at Center and it sounds like Lena Sark wants to stay and they’re open to keeping him but I don’t know man for the money and all of that I would try to move him and and they got a of good goal he’s in the pipeline I would try to move him either for a player or even just to you know get a prospect and open up the money to go get somebody in free agency yeah yeah you need that money you got to put that money into you know hopefully a top six top six winner or or Center you just really a center they’re okay on the wing like if if you can get an elite scoring Wing I’m not going to say no the issue is there there’s not many it’s not a great Center free agent Market outside of Elias lolm who might get like like extremely overpaid because he is the only top like Center on the market but um yeah you got to use that money up top or like maybe trade him for a draft pick and then you know flip that draft pick for a player that can help you like you got to get creative you can’t have uh you know uh don don Sweeney was yelling at Ty Anderson for negotiating for sway you can’t have the 12 to 14 million logged up on on the goalie position uh this year um yeah Montgomery he said he’ll he’ll he’ll be back too so I think this is the last year of his deal so yeah that’s going to be interesting uh because they’ve obviously underperformed late in the season I I feel like he’s got to really prove something this year obviously you know he’s in the last year of his contract but lame duck coach is always a little bit risky yep and that’s gonna be an interesting storyline when the season starts next year if they remodel this roster like in a way they feel really confident about and it like it’s it’s visible on the and they still can’t get out of you know the first or second round then you might seriously have a conversation there I think you have to have a good hard look at that point yeah yeah especially if it’s like the two things with him it always seems to be he’ll make a weird Personnel move that’s not necessarily he he did it this year um after I think it was game one in Florida and then like he did it last year in the Florida series and then like the overall got no feel yeah the and then the overall like message to the team about like the pucks on net well that was a big thing this year like we’re not a volume shooting team while every player says we got to get more pucks on net so uh I don’t know that that’s that could be kind of an interesting watch with him if he doesn’t get an extension beforehand but um also seems like Jake de Brusque is gone which kind of too bad dep unless he gets like extremely overpaid on the open market doesn’t seem like he’s gonna be back which I I’d bring him back if the price was right but um doesn’t look like it’s headed that way but we’ll see there um Jonathan Maro he’s a bruin from Vegas he’s taking his spot get ready for it I mean I wouldn’t be mad about that yeah K Smite winner that wouldn’t be a bad replacement but uh any Red Sox thoughts or we can wrap this one up I mean so the the Red Sox this year have been they they beat the teams that are over under 500 they lose the teams that are under 500 they’ve got a 13 game stretch here start well they’re off uh tomorrow they wrap up against Tampa tonight so I think it’s 13 games including tonight where 10 of the 13 are against teams over 500 and then we’ll see with Detroit they’re right around 500 right now but they play them as well and that all leads up to a series with the Yankees in early June and the Red Sox are going to prove that they’re going to hang around and they’re going to make some noise and they’re going to give us a real baseball summer I think you don’t have to sweep the next 13 games but making a push can they win seven of the 13 something like that I I think would go a long way in in proving that they are you know when I say for real I don’t mean you you know a true World Series Contender but they’re a team to be taken seriously y you’re contending for a wild card spot in late August that’s what that’s what we want out of our baseball team right now that’s what we’re looking for um all right yep we’ll wrap it up there um we’ll be back next week we have OTAs Wednesday so we’ll probably have a show before and then our OTA recap show at some point next week so make sure you are locked on to the channel make sure you subscribe to the channel and turn your notifications on so you do know when we go live in the meantime you can follow Alex on Twitter real alexar head over to 995d sportsub tocom to read his written Boston coverage over there and you can follow me on Twitter at am Brian Hines and head over to patspulpit.com to read my written Patriots coverage on there as well thank you everyone for tuning in with us today have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend La weekend Memorial Day weekend and we will see you guys next week bye

Don’t miss the latest episode of Patriots Beat, where Alex Barth from 98.5 The Sports Hub and Brian Hines of Pat’s Pulpit react to Cole Strange’s latest injury and answer some LIVE questions from the chat!

Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS

Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.

Visit https://Linkedin.com/BEAT to post your first job for free! LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Did you know every week, nearly 40 million job seekers visit LinkedIn.

#Patriots #NFL #NewEnglandPatriots