Friday Four-Pack 4.26.24

Belichick great on TV. Pats get their QB. WEEI layoffs. Friday Notes!

I did not expect to start here with today’s Four-Pack, but it needs to be stated off the rip:

Bill Belichick was GREAT on the ESPN+/Pat McAfee NFL Draft coverage.

Maybe it was because my expectations were so low. After all, Belichick was mostly terrible in media appearances here in New England. There were times on a conference call when you could hear him chewing food while answering questions. Or typing away on his keyboard. DNGAF.

This was not that Belichick. He was engaged. He was laughing along with the McAfee Crew jokes. He was into it! So much so that instead of flipping around to one of the other half-dozen NFL Draft broadcasts, I stuck with McAfee and Belichick on ESPN+.

What stood out most was his willingness to be critical. These draft shows spend way too much time talking about the player's positives, especially at the top of the draft.

Not Belichick. He ‘hosted’ a video package that pointed out flaws in all the top quarterbacks drafted right as the draft started.

There was Bill saying Caleb Williams freelanced too much. And saying Jayden Daniels needs better call control, pointing to the almost-fumble at the end of the Missouri game. He was all over Drake Maye for his bad footwork. He focused on the things the player would need to work on, not just all the things they did well. And he had the video to back all of it up.

It was a nice change of pace from the ‘everything is awesome’ approach that most of these draft shows have. It seemed authentic, not just being negative to be negative.

And most importantly, it was coming from the best coach in football history.

His work with video clips - showing a drafted player or old highlights of Brady/Manning tape - was excellent. That’s where he was at his best.

And it’s a safe bet that Commanders GM Adam Peters, who worked for Belichick in New England, joined the broadcast because his old boss was on it. Good get.

Credit to McAfee for making Belichick the star of the show.

Based on his media interactions in New England, I thought Belichick would stink on TV. But he was great on Thursday night. Reports have him close to a deal with Manning’s Omaha Productions, potentially being a regular guest on the ManningCast, in addition to another football show with the company.

At the end of Thursday night’s broadcast, Belichick agreed to be a regular Monday guest on McAfee’s ESPN show.

If he’s willing to be as critical of current NFL teams and players as he was of draft picks, it will be must-see-TV.

Meanwhile, Drake Maye is a Patriot. There are layoffs at WEEI. And there’s going to be a strong favorite in the Kentucky Debry.

All part of today’s Four-Pack.

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On the Patriots chance at redemption with Drake Maye…

We’ll start with the pick and the player himself.

There were rumors late Thursday that the Patriots were talking with the Giants about swapping picks, dropping back to No. 6, and taking J.J. McCarthy. It was a scenario some fans and media had been pushing for - to trade out of the spot to acquire more picks and still get a quarterback in the first round.

Turns out that might have been a disaster. The Atlanta Falcons shocked the world by taking Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8. The Vikings traded up a spot to take McCarthy at No. 10. And then the Broncos took Bo Nix at No. 12, making it SIX quarterbacks taken in the first dozen picks. Trading back opened the door, even slightly, to not getting any of these guys. It was not worth the risk and it appears new GM Elliot Wolf got that right.

Is Drake Maye the right quarterback? How the hell do I know? I liked Mac Jones, how did that work out?

There are things to like, namely a huge arm and the ability to run with the football. The comps to both Josh Allen and Justin Herbert are exciting. Brian Dabol and Kevin O’Connell are considered two of the better offensive minds in the NFL and they reportedly both coveted Maye. That can’t be a bad thing for the Patriots.

There’s also the fact that, unlike Daniels and Penix Jr., Maye was not surrounded by a roster of NFL talent this past season. He had to do much of it by himself at North Carolina this season.

He’ll turn 22 in August and started just 26 games in college. ‘Upside’ and ‘potential’ are overused words around the draft, but they are part of the package with Maye.

The negatives? Well, Bill Belichick pointed those out Thursday night.

“His footwork needs a lot of work. Too much hopping around…just step up and throw,” Belichick said over highlights of Maye.

Belichick also noted Maye will need some work in reading defenses and coverages in the NFL. And that he was too quick to come off of reads, something other analysts have attributed to his lack of confidence in his offensive line at UNC.

So he’s a big talent who’ll need to be coached up in the NFL to reach his full potential. And that’s the concern: will the Patriots learn from their mistakes with Mac Jones and do right by Maye?

Because they effed Mac up. He might suck, I get it, but the team is a big reason why he failed here.

A lot of pressure on this guy, Alex Van Pelt, to develop Maye. Aaron Rodgers, Baker Mayfield, Andy Dalton, Josh Freeman and Ryan Fitzpatrick are a few of the quarterbacks on the record with good things to say about him as a coach.

I’ll assume he’s a better offensive mind than Matt Patricia.

You also stuck Mac with a below-average group of receiver talent around him. Wolf has promised to ‘weaponize the offense.’ I don’t consider K.J. Osborn, Austin Hooper and Antonio Gibson real “weapons.”

Jerod Mayo told season ticket holders at the team’s draft party to stick around because the team might jump back into the first round to draft a second player. Didn’t happen. So if you want to do right by Drake Maye, you draft a receiver at No. 34 tonight. Or you package that pick in a deal for Brandon Aiyuk.

When you’re a team lacking high-end offensive talent, you don’t trade out of the chance to get one of the better receivers in the draft. Or use that pick as a chip to get a receiver. I’m fine with either.

The Bears are doing it the right way. On Day 1, Caleb Williams has DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D'Andre Swift, Gerald Everett and Cole Kmet to work with. That’s setting your franchise quarterback up for success.

The Patriots need to take note. Get some players for your franchise quarterback.

Is Maye the guy? I don’t know. But the team needs to learn from their mistakes so they don’t botch it with him like they did with Mac.

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On your Boston Sports Radio additions and subtractions…

And so it begins.

WEEI.com Patriots reporter Mike Kadlick posted this on X.com Wednesday and for sure some brutal timing to happen to an NFL guy so close to the NFL Draft.

WEEI parent company Audacy filed for bankruptcy and is in the process of having new ownership - led by billionaire George Soros - take control of the company.

An Audacy spokesperson told the Boston Herald that this round of layoffs involved less than 2% of the Audacy workforce. I’m told a popular production and voiceover professional was also part of the WEEI/Audacy Boston cuts this week.

There is an industry-wide expectation there will be more cuts for Audacy. Billboard reports around 100 employees across the country were affected by the cuts.

Will these cuts affect the on-air WEEI product?

People seem to care. Like, really care. The Herald story on the Mike Kadlick news was the most-read story on the website Wednesday, “by a wide margin.”

I have no news on these cuts involving anyone on-air in a full-time role at WEEI. Kadlick was a frequent co-host on various shows and part of the station’s NFL Sunday show. And I don’t know if any additional cuts are imminent.

What do I think?

I think there are some people on the management side of things at WEEI that would like like to, potentially, move some of their current pieces around: same voices but different combinations and different shows. I have heard this a few different times now.

We’ll see if it plays out that way as we get into the summer.

I have no clue if the new Audacy Sports brand will have any impact on WEEI or its programming.

Over at 98.5 The Sports Hub, Tim McKone has been named the full-time third voice on Zolak and Bertrand. That spot had been vacant since Rob “Hardy” Poole left for the morning show.

McKone has been part-time at The Hub since 2013. And he’s the safe choice for a show that has held a commanding lead over WEEI in the ratings for years.

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On the Celtics bad loss in Game 2…

Full disclosure here: when I mapped out the draft for today’s Four-Pack, I had this section earmarked to talk about the ugly Game 2 loss and what it means going forward.

But it means nothing. The Heat shot lights-out from three. The Celtics didn’t defend very well. They’ll make adjustments in Game 3. They’re a much better team than Miami. I can’t imagine the Celtics losing this series.

Even with this loss, their NBA title odds have actually gone down: +145 a week ago and now +130 Friday morning. They’re -195 to win the East. I’d be lying if I said I was worried.

So I’ll write about something I am actually worried about - how critical to be as a parent of young athletes.

I have thought about his much more than the Celtics loss this week.

Maybe it started when I caught myself breaking down my son’s play like I was Mike Francesa breaking down a Yankee game.

When you’re the coach, it’s easy. It’s your “job” to help the kids improve, so you point out mistakes.

As a parent, where is that line? There’s this weird balance between support and wanting to help them get better. At least for me.

It’s also easier when they’re younger. As they’re getting older and the games and teams are more competitive, it changes.

I guess I’m admitting to you, the trusted MutStack reader, that I’m trying to get better at just being there for the boys’ games and supporting them rather than spending the whole car ride home hosting a postgame show about a little league or lacrosse or soccer game. More dad. Less Francesa.

Also Celtics in 5. Maybe 6.

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On your Friday MutStack notes…

• It was probably the years of my mom yelling at me about it, but I didn’t love Drake Maye not wearing a belt with his suit Thursday night. Pulling your pants up multiple times on the way to the podium was not an awesome look.

• If Belichick was thoughtful with his criticism of some of the top quarterbacks drafted Thursday, the exact opposite was former Patriot Ted Johnson ripping Drake Maye and the Patriots on NBC Sports Boston. It came across as comically forced and at times nonsensical.

• Michael Penix Jr. to the Falcons at No. 8 - after they just committed $100 million guaranteed to Kirk Cousins - is the wildest NFL Draft pick of my lifetime.

• Got crushed betting the NFL Draft. Hope you did better.

• We’re a few years away from the NBA and NHL taking the night off rather than putting playoff games up against the NFL Draft.

• It appears the Derby favorite had a good workout this morning.

  

  And this will be the big question for the betting public - what to do with Fierceness. We wrote about that and other Derby thoughts last week.

We’ll have full coverage of the Derby starting Monday, with an appearance on the Going in Circles Podcast.

It’s a big week and since Churchill is drawing the race tomorrow, extra time to handicap and find the winner. Hopefully.

Good luck with all your NFL Draft, NBA and NHL playoff bets. Comments open below if you want to share your winners. I need them after round one of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

And as always thanks for reading.

Good weekend.