FIRST TAKE | Drake Maye is a generational talent! – Stephen A. on Patriots stub Giants 33-15 on MNF

FIRST TAKE | Drake Maye is a generational talent! – Stephen A. on Patriots stub Giants 33-15 on MNF

Yeah, it was a tale of two teams last night. That’s for certain. Good morning everyone. Welcome into First Take. I am Shay Cornet. He is Jeff Saturday. Chris Ky and that is Stephen A. Smith. How’s everyone doing today? Fantastic. Outstanding. I I just I go ahead. No, no. Go ahead, CC. Go ahead. No, I’m just saying Jeff Saturday and Stephen A with the Blazer game. They They gonna have to make me reconsider my wardrobe. Jeff over here with the red pinstripe with the red lining on the inside of the jacket, the red pocket. It is dapper. It is dapper. He looks like a politician. If it wasn’t for his curly hair, he would look like a politician. Yeah, I’m just If it wasn’t for his curly hair, he’d look like a politician. Hey, I approve. I approve that message. I approve that message. I approve that message. I approve that message. And other than other other than listen, before we start with the show, I have something very very important to say. I’m in Atlanta for a a a business conference. I’m I’m a panelist. I got to handle this stuff. All right. Cam Newton, I’m in town. My bad, bro. I didn’t get here till midnight. Okay. Don’t come on national TV attacking me later this week cuz I didn’t call you when I got to to to to the ATL. Cam Newton, I didn’t get here until midnight. That’s why you didn’t hear from me. Cuz you know this brother has seen me on TV from Atlanta and he’ll attack me. You know how that is. So, I just wanted to make sure I cover. I mean, hey, ain’t even till midnight. So you hit him with that midnight. It going to bother Cam. That’s more on you than Cam. Cam just starting at midnight. Come on now. Stephen A has traveled both. I got the first take of the boys. That’s right. All right. Let’s go to last night and what happened in Foxboro. The Patriots have now won 10 straight. They are the first team to reach 11 wins this season after last night’s just stomping over the Giants. My goodness. The Patriots led 30-7 at the break. Drake May threw for 282 yards, two touchdowns, an easy New England win. So Monday marked Drake May’s sixth game this season, completing at least 75% of his passes while throwing two or more touchdowns. Wow. May is now tied with Matt Ryan in 2016 for the third most such games in a season in NFL history. May also is now the MVP favorite at minus 135. That’s according to DraftKings Sportsbook. So as we zoom in a little bit more now on the Patriots and after what we saw last night, do we think that they have the best chance of winning at all? What do you think, DC? Yeah, I I’ve I’ve seen all I need to see from the New England Patriots. This has gone from being a good story to a team that has to be considered as a championship contender. And the reason why I have the most trust in this team is based on what I’m getting from the quarterback and the head coach. Drake May impressed me last night, as he has all season long. He’s had six games this season where he’s completed 75% of his passes north of 200 yards passing and two touchdowns. The only two quarterback to log that many games in a season in NFL history are Matt Ryan and Tom Brady. And oh, by the way, both of those guys did it in an MVP season. Yeah, Drake May is playing at an MVP level. He’s got the highest QBR against the Bliss. This guy is great in situational football. And then if you look at the touchdown throws that he had to Kan Bouty and then the one to Kyle Williams. I mean, that is incredible. You talk about shaping a shot on a golf course, he did that on a football field. Unbelievable. So, I know the quarterback can see eye to eye with the best in the business. And then, of course, you got a head coach and Mike Rael that’s going to make sure that you’re always situationally aware. Some of the things that we’ve seen throughout the course of the season, you can go back to the Tampa Bay Bucks game last night. Those guys being able to cash in in the two-minute drill, having two possessions in that two-minute drill, and of course, that last one, five plays, 67 yards that led into a field goal. I was impressed by that. They scored in two of the three phases of their football team. This is a complete team. Maybe not the best individual talent team, but the best players don’t always make the best team. The best team always wins. The Patriots have the record to prove it. Well, first of all, we ain’t trying to hear mayies from Chris Ky. We ain’t trying to hear maybe. Maybe. No, no, no. We ain’t trying to hear that. Okay, that’s number one. Number two, sorry to inter to to imitate doggy mad dog Russo with this, but take it easy. Take it easy. All right, listen. Here’s the deal. Here’s the here’s the deal. CC a and Sergeant Friday. Listen, the Patriots have been very very impressive and Drake May is something special. Definitely an MVP candidate. 10 straight wins. 23 points or more, 10 straight games. 23 points or less points allowed 10 straight games. NFL record. Never happened before. Major major props to Vel. Major major props to the whole team collectively. No doubt they’re a Super Bowl contender. Give them their props and their respect where it’s due. I certainly will. But I want to say this, we can’t ignore the schedule. It ain’t their fault who they’re playing, but we can’t ignore the schedule. I know you didn’t want to be reminded about that. I heard you talking about the Patriots in that saliloquy you just gave CC. You just it it’s amazing how somebody as astute and as brilliant as you are at football. Just forgot to mention they were playing the New York Giants like that. Just forgot that. Just forgot that. Loses the seven straight. Three straight since firing Brian Dable. We I’m just saying you you were saying it but you never said against the Giants. I understand why. I mean, it hurts you. It hurt you to see this happening to them. I get it. I get it. I get it. And by the way, while you talking about Blazers, your suit is pretty dapper. I got to give you credit for that, CeCe. You ain’t slipping. You You’re a part of the mix. I’ll give you credit for that. But let’s look let’s look at some of these games here. Okay. So, you got a victory against the Miami Dolphins. Carolina, we we’ve now learned that they they’re better than we than we thought. and Buffalo, of course, New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Atlanta, injured, Tampa Bay team, New York Jets, Bengals, Giants. Okay, I just gave you eight games there. All I’m saying is that as the season wanes and you start getting into playoff competition, I’m going to be real interested in seeing how the New England Patriots look then. No doubt they deserve all the props in the world, especially the turnaround. They are definitely a Super Bowl contender. No doubt about it. I’m just saying, you know, the the level of enthusiasm, it just needs to be, you know, harnessed to some degree. That’s all because of some of the victories that they’ve had. I’m I’m going to say this. I’m going to side with CC here because I I will say this as when we talk about teams like he just said, the Bucks injured team. The Patriots were injured last night, right? That like their whole left side of their offensive line didn’t play last night. Part of their defensive front that we talk about has which has been electric this season didn’t play last night. It’s not the fact that they beat the Giants, which I totally understand. Two and 10 team, all that kind of nonsense. It’s how they’re beating these teams and they have beaten the they have they have left no doubt. Like there’s a saying in the NFL, leave no doubt. When they have walked off the field, you have thought that’s the best team. Whether if we were full strength, not foot, this is the best team that’s walked off the field. And I don’t think we’re giving Josh McDaniels nearly enough credit for what he’s done with Drake May, but also their entire offense. You have receivers that nobody I mean Diggs is their highlight who was been a castoff a couple years ago, right? And so you’re talking about what and Hunter Henry he had another touchdown to Henry last night. May did that got called back otherwise he has three touchdowns but it’s it’s by committee and even their run game which you would go it it’s okay. I mean, I wouldn’t write home about the run. But guess what? Josh McDaniels finds a way to make all of these things efficient and he finds ways to put May in a successful opportunity. And May is taking advantage. And I think a lot of times we go by this thing and don’t understand how important it is to go beat the teams like they beat him last night. Leave no doubt the confidence that comes from that. They got two big weeks coming up after the buy. They need to go win those games, right? But as I look at this team, there’s nobody in the AFC that I would go, I’m scared of them any more than I would be of the Patriots. So I would say, could the Patriots win at all? Yeah, because everybody that you keep putting in front of them, they keep winning. Just to respond to what Stephen A said about the strength of schedule, SAS, they only play one team above 500 currently the rest of the way. And they already beat that team. That’s the Buffalo Bills coming off of their by-week in their place. The Bengals could be above 500 at the Well, we’ll see. I’m just saying. That’s the that’s the re the strength of schedule is irrelevant sir. I mean they have a 57% chance right now according to our FBI of having a number one seed in the conference that goes up to 72 if they beat the Bills. You brought up the Giants in terms of wanting to diminish what we saw last night. To me that impressed me more right before your by-week a two- win team rolling into your building. Well let me say this that would have been a spot to come out flat and they didn’t do that. They showed a maturity beyond their years and that impresses me. Well, listen, I know that you think you’re the king of the mornings because at six o’clock, you know, I don’t know if you noticed this Jeff Saturday when he doing his radio show, you got two cats on the side, you know, you know, the wonderful uh uh you know co co-host that he has with him, but he’s sitting at the head of the table like you know he’s King Ky. You know what I’m saying? I mean, you see how it’s placed. Okay, so I understand that. But let me tell you something about First Take, my brother. Okay. You know, when you sit up there and you talk about it doesn’t matter. Well, that’s the beauty of first take, baby. We decide what matters. This is what I’m saying. We we the ones talking about it. We’re going to decide what matters, not them. They they got the play. But in terms of the bantering back and forth about what’s relevant and not No, we determine that, not them. And here’s the point that I’m making. When you’re looking at it, it’s the level of competition as we fantasize looking forward about matchups. For example, the Texans are not the best team, right? They’re not in first place in the AFC South, but look at look at their trajectory. Look at how they’re looking right now compared to how Jacksonville and obviously the Indianapolis Colts are looking. All of a sudden, you got your eyebrows raised. And a team that started out 0 and2, 0 and3 is now 7 and five. And you’re like, what the hell’s going on here? Look at this defense. You start fantasizing about that. We looked at Baltimore and Pittsburgh and we said, whatever. because of what we’re seeing. Even though one of them could end up making the playoffs, we find ourselves fantasizing about Cincinnati at 4 and8 catching them because we know what Cincinnati brings to the table offensively with Jamar Chase with T. Higgins and a Joe Burrow and we’re saying, damn, what if they make the plays? It could be very interesting. We’re looking at Kansas City coming up, right? And just tipping at you, you know, you know, tugging at your heels and all of this other stuff. You’re wondering about the Chargers. You’re wondering about how legit and real Denver is going to be as the season wanes. I’m saying all of those are like fantasy situations where you’re hopeful that these confrontations come up so you can really really see whether or not your prognostications are legitimized or not. That’s what we’re talking about here when we’re looking at the New England Patriots. We know they’re going to the postseason. They’ll likely have the number one seed. The road to the Super Bowl likely comes through Foxboro, but we still find ourselves looking at them compared to others and say, “Hey, what if they go against this team or that team?” And that’s what’s making it interesting because they have a weaker strength of schedule.

FIRST TAKE | Drake Maye is a generational talent! – Stephen A. on Patriots stub Giants 33-15 on MNF