The Fumblerooski Podcast - Ahead of Schedule -Ep 171 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: March 27, 2023

What's next for the Seahawks in their so-far productive rebuild? Where are the best trade destinations for DeAndre Hopkins, Austin Ekeler, and Derrick Henry? Adam Wright and CJ Medeiros discuss these topics as host special guest Chris Hetu who gives the Patriots' offseason his full analysis as well as a letter grade.

Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's a cross! It's a side-line touchdown! Unbelievable! NFL NFL free agency is finally starting to wind down with the teams like the Seattle Seahawks looking like roses and the Patriots teams like them. Jury's still out. This is the Fumble Ruski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros, and we have a great show in store for you guys tonight. So we are going to talk about the Seahawks this off season, as well as the Patriots and kind of figure out how they are doing as well. We're going to talk about some trade candidates and joining us for the second time since this past summer to cover all of these topics.

We have Chris Hitu of Fans Only Sports Network and recently employed with the Worcester Red Sox. So Chet, thanks for joining us. Why don't you introduce yourself to some of our new listeners? Yeah, absolutely, guys. My name's Chris Heitu. Obviously, I go by Chet on Unapologetic with Chet and Duffy. That's my own sports podcast that you can catch every Monday or Thursday. It's going to be Mondays primarily from now on, considering with the Worcester Red Sox, that'll be my off day.

So that'll be the day where we'll collectively come together and be able to give you content. But I've done play-by commentary with fans, only sports. I do my podcast with them, occasionally write articles here and there and just trying to take my leaps and bounds to, you know, get my feet wet in the sports media industry. And doing a show just like you, Adam and CJ do every week is definitely a big reason as to really getting your feet wet and just staying up to date with what's going on in the sports world. Yeah, man. I mean, yeah, to really get your feet wet is fans only sports network is a great way to do that. Myself and CJ being having experience with that, with that group. But without further ado, we're going to jump right into it and talk about the Seahawks and their meteoric rebuild process. Now, it was as early, it was as soon as literally this past offseason where the Seahawks, it looked like they were just entering the tunnel.

Like their rebuild, it's not just that there was any light at the end of the tunnel it looked like they hadn't even entered it yet and they had just traded their franchise their franchise quarterback there were rumors swirling whether or not they would trade their star wide receiver in dk metcalf their offensive line was in shambles and they made the playoffs the very next year and on top of that they now have two first round picks they made the playoffs the very next year. And on top of that, they now have two first round picks. And the first round of last year's draft, they not only managed to address the left tackle position, they got the right tackle as well. Find yourself a draft where your team is able to find not only one,

but two tackles. It's hard to find one nowadays but when you find two of them and on top of that so this news is fresh because they brought in they just brought back long time linebacker bobby wagner for their team they uh also this offseason they signed safety julian love to add to the secondary. They really attacked the interior defensive line need by bringing in defensive tackle Jaron Reed and also bringing in defensive end Draymond Jones. They brought in linebacker Devin Bush, center Evan Brown for the interior of that offensive line, which was low key up a weakness on that team um so all good things here and like i said still two first round picks so they have

number six and number 20 so top 20 picks here guys i mean we have been praising on this show, this Seahawks team, for the past few months. But, I mean, it's getting to a point where these two first-round picks are just added on bonuses, which says a lot. Chet, you want to start? Yeah, I mean, I was kind of wondering if i should take the lead or if you should take the lead since you know no you're really yeah take the lead take the lead all right absolutely yeah i mean definitely a good way to put it is going into the season we saw the departure of russell wilson last year everybody was going nuts being like well that that that's all said and done the seahawks they're dead to rights at this point this team is basically understood we have to rebuild we have to reorganize after a very

devastating year before with russell wilson at the helm it was time to move on and really figure things out but lord and behold geno smith steps up out of nowhere when they traded for drew lock in that trade with the denver broncos and he has himself a career year geno smith on the season with 4 282 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes both career highs i should say and 69.8 percent passing completion that's also a career high right there throughout the full season finishing the regular season at 9-8, they make the postseason. They do get blown out by the San Francisco 49ers, but this team was unbelievable. It was a team that I didn't expect to do as well as they did. The additions they made in the offseason, addressing the offensive line and even the defensive line and even the linebacking core. And very interesting to go ahead and get your

veteran back, Bobby Wagneragner after he decided to jump ship and go to la and decided hey well you know this place is actually not as good as i thought it would so at the end of the day it comes down to coaching and great front office work and i really have to hand it to pete carroll that he took what he had and really put it into something just far beyond our expectation and then not only that, the Denver Broncos had such a poor season that you get the sixth overall pick in the draft. You couldn't ask for anything better. We were looking at it literally mid-season and being like, holy crap.

The Seahawks have prime real estate for a top 10 draft pick. And then you still have 20th overall pick. That's not bad. You can still get some decent talent. You can get two great players out of this year's draft. You have some good solid additions. You did dish out some big money for a few guys. But at the end of the day, the Seahawks are in a position

to not really even just contend. I mean, they've got a good position to contend once again in the NFC this year. Yeah. And I also, quick, I messed it up. It's not pick number six. They have pick five, which is better. Even better.

Yeah, even better. I messed that up for some reason. We've been talking about the Lions all week, and I mixed those two up because the Lions are, Lions, Seahawks, five and six. But, I mean, you hit the nail right on the head with geno smith and pete carroll because you you trade away your franchise quarterback for the past decade and your backup had the exact same kind of year that russell wilson has been having year in year

out 32 touchdowns to nine interceptions that's just mind-blowing 4 000 yards like how do you how do you do that a career backup a guy who was starting games for the new york jets the last time he was he was even seeing a football field i mean that stuff that stuff is just incredible and so to the front office i mean, yeah, you're absolutely right. It does come down to the front office and how they were – and coaching and how professional a young and up-and-coming franchise like this Seahawks team has. Yeah.

So, thing is, when you look at the Seahawks roster I like what I see because you know you got not just Geno Smith who just broke out you have the second year man Kenneth Walker you've got a great receiver duo with Metcalf and Lockett you've got Noah Fant. You have a three-headed monster at tight end with Noah Fant, Will Disley, and Colby Parkinson. Your O-line you're constantly working on. Your pass rush could use a little bit of work, but I fully expect them to address that in the draft, probably a pick five.

And then in the defensive backfield, you get a late round gem in Tariq Woolen, and you also sign Julian Adams, and you have – or no, Julian Love, you also have Jamal Adams at safety too. And on top of that – You just made up a new player. Huh? Julian Adams, you made a new player.

Yeah, yeah. Go at them on your Madden team, kids. Let's go. Then you got Bobby Wagner coming back. You got Devin Bush. Maybe he could do something. You got Draymond Jones and Jaron Reed to plug up that line. You know, when you take all that into consideration,

then you look at the rest of their division. The Rams basically sold their soul for one ring, and now the Bills come due. They're falling apart. The Cardinals have a guy that takes probably playing Madden football more seriously than he does actual football. And then there's the Niners, whose QB situation is totally up in the air as Brock Purdy. Doesn't he need like Tommy John or something? Or does he have like a UCL tear?

He's this close to needing it, yeah. Yeah. And Trey Lance, won't't lie was never a fan don't didn't like what i saw from him so if you're seattle you have to jump on this especially in a very very weak nfc whereas like you have some up-and-coming teams like the lions and you know philly's good but they got gutted in free agency so so yeah if you're seattle the time is now because you gotta remember geno smith you did give him an extension but he's on the wrong side of 30 but in this day and age it really doesn't matter for quarterbacks yeah yeah i i agree with everything that was just said there because i mean like you

said cj that was a great point about the west because the seahawks they probably look like they're the ones who are going to make it out of this fire that's really going on this fallout the rams are talking about shopping matt stafford who they traded for two years ago to win that ring as you said they sold their souls for it we saw it last year the whole team collapsed some could argue sure there was an injury bug i guess but at the end of the day jaylen ramsay's gone before it yeah and then jaylen jaylen ramsay gone kyler murray i don't even know what's going on in arizona there cliff kingsbury flew off to what was it thailand and now he's gone he's gone from he's gone from north america like and he's not

even accepting coaching offers feels like at this point nobody wants to coach the Arizona Cardinals. And then for the Niners, the Niners, that was the team I absolutely loved last year. If the Patriots weren't going to be in the postseason, the Niners were my team that I wanted to see go. I love the Niners' defense. I love what they have offensively. Going out and getting Christian McCaffrey to add to George Kittle and Debo Samuel. Give me that. That's all day, but it comes down to the most important position of all in an offense, the quarterback. And that was just a spinning plate

scenario. Trey Lance gets hurt in the beginning of the year when he was the deemed starter. They bring in Jimmy G. He plays pretty solid, but then poof, same thing happens to him. He gets hurt too. Then it's down to the third man, Brock Purdy, and he was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. And people are talking like, this is the next Tom Brady. This is the next scenario that we see of a guy stepping up to the helm and winning the whole thing for his team and tears something in his elbow in the NFC Conference Championship game. And here we are. Seahawks, the time is now to step up to the plate and not only just take a run at your division,

but the NFC itself that has become so weak this past year. It really has. Yeah. So before we move on to our next topic i want to just address the their draft picks that they have here um so we don't even have to name players we could just go by position of need uh where uh where they should go with these picks that they have but you have you are the the Seattle Seahawks. You have the numbers 5 and 20 picks. But you don't really have too many needs.

So where do you go with the number 5 and 20 picks in the draft? I mean, for me, I would probably, like you said earlier, edge rush is definitely going to be something you have to address. Most NFL mock drafts right now have Tyree Wilson being drafted from Texas Tech. I feel like that would probably be a solid pick to go. He's the second best in his position in the draft. For the 20th pick, I mean, that's something that's really tough because that's where things get a little messy. It's always the mid-round picks where you never know if you're

going to get the true talent out of it. But honestly, if I'm Seattle, I'm going defensively this draft. I feel like you have to address the defense more so than the offense because it's proven with the pieces they have there, it works. They've got the O-line pieces now where it seems like even if they move it around, it's still going to be rock solid for Smith. And he's a little mobile. He can do a little dancing around in the pocket. And Kenneth Walker and DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and all those guys can get open downfield somehow. But it's the defense that's always been an issue for Seattle ever since Russell Wilson was there.

And it's something they have to rebuild because when he started there, Russell Wilson, that was the best defense in football. You could argue with Cam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, and Bobby Wagner to boost it. They want to ring with them. Now you got Bobby Wagner back, arguably going to be a future Hall of Famer at this point, but I think you need to add some more key pieces around him to really keep this team rock solid. So i'm seattle i'll probably go inside linebacker and then probably an edge rusher with my picks yeah i agree i just want to go real quick yeah i think first pick you have a number five edge rusher but i would also argue maybe you draft another corner because you really have opposite of woolen and i would expect somebody like uh

oh i forget his name the corner from maryland i want to say dionte banks is that his name i think would be there or maybe like cam smith from south carolina yeah well if you're at number five you're going to get probably the best if you're if you go corner you're probably going to bet get the best corner in the draft. Oh, yeah, or you could flip-flop it too. Yeah, you could go Christian Gonzalez. You could go Devin Witherspoon. There's a lot of ways you could go,

and honestly, none of them are the wrong ones because they just have that luxury because they have so much talent. I agree with both ideas both ideas definitely go for uh definitely go for defense um the biggest need on the offense is on the interior and you don't go interior offensive line in the on day one of the draft i want to toy with the idea just to just for argument's sake i want to toy with the idea of going wide receiver because I like their wide receiver core. It's good. DK Metcalf is a very good wide receiver. Tyler Locke, it's a solid two. But what if you did what the Cincinnati Bengals did a few years ago, where they didn't need

anything at wide receiver, but they took it anyways, and it took them to the Super Bowl? Yeah. And I mean, Marquise Goodwin, who was their third wide receiver, but they took it anyways. And it took them to the Super Bowl. Yeah. And I mean, Marquise Goodwin, who was their third wide receiver, did just get signed a few days ago by Cleveland. And that was kind of a key piece at times last season, except for my brother who played him in the postseason and he got him a goose egg in the playoffs. So I mean, other than that, Goodwin actually did have a pretty decent outing in Seattle. So, I mean, a third guy wouldn't be a problem for me, but I don't think you go first overall. I don't think so. I think you wait until later in the draft to address that depth.

Yeah. So, like, if this theoretically happens, this would mean that Tyler Lockett is pushed to the three. DK Metcalf is the two and whoever they take uh uh that jackson kid um i don't i don't know how to pronounce his last name i'm sorry oh jackson smith and jigba and jigba yeah you take somebody like that and then like so it would be like the cincinnati bengals so t higgins is a real wide receiver of one, but he's the two on that team. And Jesus, Tyler Boyd, name escaped me. He's a number two on a normal team.

He's their three. And that is their strength among facing any defense in the league that it becomes pick your poison if you're the seahawks and you do something like that then that not only makes gino smith a lot better your offense almost becomes unstoppable and the offensive line is better now for the seahawks than it was for the bengals that. You'd be unstoppable. I'm just thinking because, you know, they don't have any real legitimate dire needs. So you might as well get the big shiny object early in the first round, right?

It's just, I mean, I see the theory. It's just for me, if I'm Seattle, I'm just not taking the chance that early. I just feel like, you know, there's guaranteed talent already with the edge rushers in this year's draft. I think you just, you kind of sell for that more so than you do for the wide outs. I think that's something you just have to wait on. Yeah.

And that's a perfectly rational argument. I'm just kind of toying with the idea. I would, I'm not sure if I would even actually do that, but it's just, we're all theorizing here. So if, if, if you kind of went that direction, I could, I could see the logic if they were to do that, because I think most of the NFL world thought Cincinnati was taking Penny Sewell and they shocked everyone and decided to go with the big shiny object in Jamar chase. And it actually paid out, paid off for them and well granted joe burrow's lucky he didn't get his head knocked off that season because he was

still the most sacked quarterback in football but um i digress so we're gonna move on and we're going to talk about different trade destinations for candidates who are, were supposed to be traded this off season, but haven't yet. And we're going to talk about whether or not they even will either. Deandre Hopkins included. That's next. This and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football, they're saying it's a catch. It's in, caught, takes,! Skyline! Touchdown! Unbelievable! Swings it way down the field to Watkins!

Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power 88 Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright, CJ Medeiros, special guest Chris Heitu. All right, so free agency is kind of starting to wind down, but it's too early to really start talking about the draft legitimately. So where do we go? We talk about some trade candidates, some guys who were are supposed

to be traded this offseason and most likely will but they haven't yet and it's likely to happen at some point in the coming days coming weeks maybe months who who the hell knows but um i'm gonna lead off with the most likely uh guy to get traded in fact not even likely it's going to happen deandre hopkins now we can sit here and theorize where we think they're going to go all day long because they could he could go somewhere where we're not who we're not even talking about i want to talk about the best fits for d for deandre hopkins I've been looking around at teams. What do you guys think? I mean, for me, I guess if you look at a prime candidate for DeAndre Hopkins, you're talking about a place where you know that he's going to thrive. And I think a system that he would definitely thrive in, and it's not the Patriots, it's not the Patriots. I think it's the

Baltimore Ravens. I think the Baltimore Ravens, if they can somehow figure out a way to keep Lamar Jackson under contract, that would be their bargaining chip. Of course, that comes into salary cap space and all those details. But for me, I think that would be a great fit for him because you're talking about a quarterback who is established and somebody that this team needs. And you look at the receiving core and I've said it a million times on my show, Rashad Bateman and Devin Duvernay are not going to win you rings. I'm sorry. They are just not true. Number one guys. And sure. We haven't seen Rashad Bateman truly play in his prime because he's been injured basically more than I can remember. And Mark Andrews is the only guy that Lamar Jackson can check down to,

and he's been injured the last two seasons. So for me, I think Baltimore would be a prime destination to see him land. The question is, is if they'll follow through. Yeah, you know, I agree. And let me tell you something. You may know our other co-host, Justin Tucker, is not here tonight. But let me tell you, you've probably made a friend right now by saying DeAndre Hopkins should go to Baltimore.

I believe it. Now, for me, I have a thought, and it's also not the Patriots. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Wow, Adam, really? I forgive you, Adam, not so much. Let's hear it. So what about the New York Giants?

Now consider they have Darius Slayton back. You got Saquon Barkley on the tag. And on top of that, you got Daniel Jones on long-term deal, which I view as a gross overpay, but that's neither here nor there. And how would you help your middling quarterback with a really good head coach? You get him a true wide receiver one. And DeAndre Hopkins probably is going to cost you a first round pick. So there is no reason that the Giants shouldn't be blowing up the phone of the Arizona Cardinals because Daniel Jones is starting to come into his own.

I mean, I think he's got a ways to go, but DeAndre Hopkins would help because right now his number one option is Darius Slayton, and that inspires very little confidence. And also you've got to make sure that you don't run Saquon Barkley into the ground like you have in years past. So I truly believe that hopkins on the giants should be like a slam dunk for them yeah that would definitely be one of those places where it just it just makes sense because they've been so even at their best they've just been so one-dimensional

with that run game and we've we saw strides from daniel jones year, but I think if you were to bring him in and give him some targets, you could see a much more well-rounded offense. So given DeAndre Hopkins' age, he's 30, so he's kind of on the older side. You're at, he's at the age where a lot of, where you're, you're taking it year by year. You don't know if you're going, if he's even going to be good this year. So that's true. You're looking, so you're looking to win now. So a place that I think I have a couple of them, It's any type of place. Insert, insert the,

the destination that needs to win. Now is looking for that one key veteran on offense to get over the hump. I introduce you to the Kansas city chiefs and now they have gotten over the hump. I mean, do they really need to win though? Let's be honest. Also, there's no way unless they cough up their first,

that the Cardinals are going to trade to them. But let's hear this. I want to hear this out. Listen, the Kansas City Chiefs need a wide receiver, and they clearly did not care too much for Juju Smith-Schuster. So they're still in the market for somebody. So who do you go for? You go for a guy like DeAndre Hopkins.

And yes, the Cardinals probably would not be too inclined to trade him there, but if they give him the right package, then they're going to accept that deal. Especially since he's all the way over. The Chiefs are in a completely different conference um another team that i look at is the buffalo bills kind of the same team the same type of team except they actually have not gotten over it they are they are still uh in football purgatory if you will where they're not, they they're contending, but they are still trying to get past the Kansas city chiefs, their little brother. They're trying to get past them.

They need that extra little piece that will get them there. And I think a wide receiving core of Stefan digs, Deandre Hopkins and Gabriel Davis will help them do that. And by the way, they got rid of Ian – Jesus, McKenzie. Isaiah McKenzie. Isaiah McKenzie. Jesus, I butchered that bad. They got rid of Isaiah McKenzie. So you have three guys right there. You have Dawson Knox as your tight end.

That's a wide receiver core that is really going to help them. And I think – so I think any team, Baltimore Ravens is another one. Any team that needs to win now, that could use his help now. The Patriots cannot use his help now because they're not winning a Super Bowl in the next one to two years. I think it's kind of the same way with the Giants. I don't see them winning a Super Bowl in the next two years. He'll make them better next year, but they still have some improvements to make.

That defense isn't great. That offensive line still needs work. It's just not the giants and Patriots aren't there yet, but the chiefs and bills Ravens, they are, and they actually need Deandre Hopkins. So that is my argument. Yeah, I think the team that could definitely afford to do it more so right now. I mean, the Chiefs could theoretically, because technically they based on the information that I've been keeping up with, they could make it work with the cap space, despite the large amount of money that Mahomes' contract takes up in their cap room already. That could work for For the Bills, that's tough for them right now because you haven't even paid Josh Allen an extension,

and that's coming. I hope they did. They did. I could be wrong. I'm fairly certain they have. They might have. I could be dead wrong, but it's just with what the Bills have already.

You got Stephon Diggs. You got Von Miller on that roster and his contract's not cheap. And I mean, you just have a lot to move around here. So I mean, I do like, I think the Chiefs without a doubt, I could see it just because, hey, we know whoever Patrick Mahomes has got, you've got a chance. As long as you have this quarterback on your team, you've got yourself a chance. The chance the bills i think that's a team that if they're gonna make that move it's gonna be a desperate one because they need something they need something to get them through the postseason because time and time again we've seen them enter the dance and exit either quickly or in

heartbreaking fashion so i definitely could see it with Kansas City. I think Baltimore would be an interesting spot, but I do agree. I like the Patriots being a spot, obviously, as a fan. But is it likely, especially with the way the front office operates in New England? Probably not. Then for New York, I mean, I like what I've seen out of Daniel Jones, but I have preached about this why would you pay him a four-year deal worth 160 million he does not deserve that after one good year one amazing

year I'm sorry that's just too much money so for the Giants I think it would be a good spot for him but honestly I mean it's a weak conference but that, I just don't think can win a Super Bowl. Yeah. All right. Here. So I'm going to muddle these next two players together because they're both running backs and they're both kind of up there in age. Austin Eckler and Derrick Henry. Now, they kind of have slightly different play styles, but one's about to be 30, the other's about to be 29. And they're still playing at a high level.

And I'm not sure if either is going to be traded. They've both been shopped. They've both requested, one of them has requested a trade. So it's up in the air whether or not this will happen that's why i let off with hopkins because it's a slam dunk he's gonna get traded it's a matter of when um but it's kind of so so it's kind of the for me it's kind of the same way with these two um as deandre hopkins except make it make them run because you're taking whoever trades for them is looking for that last piece to get over the hump and this is where i believe uh the buffalo

bills match even better um for hopkin uh than hopkins because like hopkin like they already have a good wide receiving core it would have just made it that much more unstoppable but they've also had a big issue with the running game and also they are playing in cold buffalo where the op and when you're playing in cold weather the offense is not going to be as high flying as it is in warmer weather games. So when you have a Derek Henry, who's running the ball, when Josh Allen and company aren't able to throw like they usually are, that makes, that just gives you such an advantage. And I think it's the same thing with Austin Eckler, except you can, uh, Eckler is more two-dimensional as a running back and a wide receiver. He can play both.

So you can dump it off to him. I think the, I think the, um, I think the Buffalo bills are a great spot for either of these guys. Yeah, I, I do like that. I do like that. But for me, I think the team that I could see both of these guys potentially going to, and the team that has the most to give up for either one of these guys is the Chicago Bears I think the Bears are definitely a prime landing spot for either one of them because with Chicago you got Justin Fields finally coming together in the few games that he well in the games he managed to play honestly it's so funny because Duffy on my podcast at one point it was actually the week before Justin Fields went to New England played against the New England Patriots and stopped the Patriots he was saying Justin Fields has to be

without a doubt the worst quarterback in football right now he's awful it's just disgusting to watch him dude was throwing under 100 yards a game like that's incredible that's incredible to be doing that but suddenly out of nowhere he's running all over the place he's throwing the ball effectively in certain situations he's actually being given more pass he's throwing the ball effectively in certain situations he's actually being given more pass attempts you get a guy like Eckler in the backfield for him that's a dude who had more reception the most receptions by a running back in the league last year one more catch than Christian McCaffrey that's a great piece to have right there and then even Derek Henry coming to the team a nice ground and pound style run that's going back to the days

well not even just that with Eckler you got, you got the second coming of Matt Forte potentially in that regard. But for Derrick Henry, that's a nice ground and pound effective run game that you know what you're getting out of him. And he can even catch the ball and make things work. But for the Bears, I think it would be huge for them, especially after losing David Montgomery to the Detroit Lions. Give it to him. Be like, especially after losing David Montgomery to the Detroit Lions. Give it to them. Be like, all right, you want to take my mid-tier back? I'm going to go get a stud, a top-five guy that I know is going to get me the yards and the touchdowns I need for my offense.

Bears, this is a big time because the Packers are in complete disarray with Aaron Rodgers leaving. The Vikings, honestly, I don't think they're going to improve. They'll be good next year. But honestly, their only competition is the vikings and the lions and i think the lions are the ones that you really need to focus on this year so if you want to contend in the north that's really starting to fall apart get yourself a start back huh now you literally took both of mine so that's something uh i don't know have we considered the dolphins that's not a bad one i actually i never thought about that they have the running back by committee and i'm not a big fan of their running game now we all know about Hill and Waddle, and we know that Tua can't be sitting back to throw every time

because I'm pretty sure half his brain's been liquefied. Now, imagine if you had Austin Eckler, who you could just do these awesome screens to, someone you could hit out of the backfield, somebody who's small and can weasel their way between the tackles that would just add yet another level to an already dangerous miami offense i mean you thought hill and wattle were bad and then wait you've got austin eckler coming right out of the backfield so i'm not gonna take up too much time that's just a thought it would make that a scary offense a whole lot scarier yeah so listen i i like the dolphins that's a that's a good one that i actually didn't

even think about because that is a team that that's looking to i mean they're they like they're in win now mode they're at the point where they need to start winning games because they have all the talent to do it listen as for the bears real quick i'd like the fit from a talent perspective but you ever have you ever been in that one relationship where you're both in two different points in your lives and it just you just because of that it just doesn't work the the chicago bears are at are at a point where they're still kind of in their rebuild mode. Their best years are two to three years down the road, where I don't know if Derrick Henry or Austin Eckler

will be able to play at a high level anymore. So at the point where they are contending, that'll probably be past Eckler or Henry's prime, especially given their workload. So I do like the fit. I like, I like the idea and I've seen it be float around in, in a trade rumors. I just think it's not, it just, it just feels like one team is still in their rebuild. This guy, both of these guys are looking to win right now um which is why i i respectfully

disagree with the with uh the bears um but we ready to talk some patriots absolutely yeah all right so we were going to go judy and sutton but sean payton today came out and literally said we're not trading those two. As if it made any sense in the first place. Yeah. You talk about a team that's looking again, looking to win now. Actually, that's another place where Eckler should go. Yeah.

That's definitely. Oh yeah. That's never happening, but the Titans, that's a possibility. I don't know if he's getting traded though. That's the thing. that's why i didn't mention him if they know what's if they know what's good for them the titans that team's falling apart they better trade him while he's at while he's still out playing at a high level get something for him second or third round pick something like that all right well next we are going to go on to

t2's guest segment where he is going to grade the Patriots offseason. That's next. This is the Fumble Rooski podcast. Gentlemen broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Gentlemen come down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's a pass! Takes! Sideline! Touchdown! Unbelievable!

Swings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! This is the Fumble Ruski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright, CJ Medeiros, Chris Hitu. We welcome you to the guest segment of our show sponsored by Secret Weapon Consulting for business plans, secret shoppers, bar spotting, server and manager training, and so much more. Visit www.secretweaponconsulting.com. So Chris Hitu is going to give a grade and a full analysis of the Patriots so far this offseason. Chet, what do you got?

So for the Patriots, this was an offseason that we were all extremely interested in as Patriots fans because after a season last year that had some ups but a lot of downs to say the least and a very competitive AFC East, it was time to look forward to the offseason and be like, what are the Patriots going to do to address the offense? Because at the end of the day, if you look at the statistics, the Patriots had a top-five defense in football. That's crazy that this team was on the cusp of making the postseason with one of the most mediocre Patriot offenses I've probably ever seen in my lifetime.

Like I'll tell you, I was rolling my eyes at some of the play calls, but there were some shining pieces on that offense. I mean, Ramondre Stevenson, probably the one that outshined everyone else really stepping up out of the gate and putting in the work. But at the end of the day, there were some departures, Jacoby Myers heading to Las Vegas, and now Damian Harris heading to Buffalo. He might be one of their key starters next season. But for the Patriots, they made some additions that I actually kind of liked. And I mean, starting off, when you take a look at what the Patriots were able to grab, they addressed the O-line a little bit.

Getting a veteran Riley Reif and a young tackle in Calvin Anderson. Both of these guys, they're not great, but what the Patriots need is some O-line help, and I think that's something that they'll address in the draft. So I think that was a good addition there. But something I liked is keeping Jonathan Jones. Jonathan Jones to a two-year deal was something that had to be done, especially with losing a lot of key corners in recent memory with JC Jackson going to Los Angeles, Stefan Gilmore being shopped all over

the place now. Now he's with Dallas. So keeping a key piece like Jonathan Jones in that secondary is something that's extremely helpful. Jabril Peppers coming back, getting re-signed. Jalen Mills, who they did release and brought back, I thought, okay. I mean, I wasn't crazy about Mills, but he's a young guy who still has time to learn on that defense, and he was definitely a key piece last year in terms of zone and man coverage. So I like what they did there, but I think for me, my favorite signing of them all was definitely what they brought in offensively, but it'll be the last person I mentioned. James Robinson is the first.

I didn't think this was a bad signing. A lot of people forget the first three games James Robinson had this past season before Travis Etienne came and took over the backfield. He was going off. He had over 100 yards his first game and a couple of touchdowns, and then it did continue, but by week three, it was clear as day that Travis Etienne was going to be the lead guy and then they sent him to the Jets there was a game last year I remember I had him starting in my fantasy lined up and they gave him

a healthy scratch he was inactive for the game and I was like are you kidding me like this is James Robinson we're talking about this was a guy that when he was a rookie was going off. Bill does a good job at finding these young guys who were great in the past and still have that spark somewhere. So I think maturing that will be something big for this year. The second guy I kind of like is Juju. Getting Juju Smith-Schuster I think was good. Sure, you let go of Jacoby Myers and some may argue that he was better, but Juju Smith-Schuster has a resume. He nearly had 1,000 yards last year. Sure, it was under Patrick Mahomes, but he's got some talent that he can provide. He's a guy that Mac Jones really needs downfield, but my favorite signing of them all, without a doubt, this is an A-plus in my opinion, is getting Mike Gasicki. I think Mike Gasicki really, really just boosts what we've seen

from a Bill Belichick offense, which is a two-tight end set. From the days of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, we brought in Hunter Henry and Jonu Smith. And Jonu Smith, it's just like, why did we give him that contract at the end of the day, looking back on it? But at the end of the day, we did ship him off to Atlanta for a seventh round pick like okay I guess we got something back and got rid of his ludicrous contract but for me Mike Kosicki has a proven track record that not only can he be a red zone threat I feel like Hunter Henry's really going to take on that role he's a vertical threat this is a

guy who can run like a wide receiver at the tight end position miami he he's the reason why we lost some of those key games to the dolphins and at the end of the day i would give the patriots overall for an off-season grade as a solid b i think a b is a solid grade for this team i think they did some good there are some things where you kind of scratch in your head that's why i mentioned the-linemen first because they're decent guys. But Riley Reeves in the other side of 30 years old. Calvin Anderson coming from Denver didn't start a lot last year, but he does have some promise being at 26 years old. He can provide some depth at least or maybe even start a game or two.

But at the end of the day, I think the Patriots addressed some of the needs very proficiently. The defense will still be intact, probably be top 10 next year. The offense still has some work to do, but I like what they addressed here. That's why I gave them a soft lead. I don't mind that, yeah. Yeah, I definitely think so. What I would say is they definitely still need more

help at tackle i don't oh i have dug into riley reef and in recent weeks um but they'll definitely i like him as a depth piece oh that's the nice way to put it yeah um if he is there starting right tackle this season then i don't know if they will have the best offensive line but if but if they were to draft an off a guy at 14 and he start and what if there's a player who gets who gets hurt during the season reef steps in then i like that that. I like it. I just think, I just think they need, they need some more help at offensive line. Also wide receiver. I like Juju Smith Schuster. I've always praised Devante Parker.

I think he's a very underrated wide receiver. I like Kendrick Bourne. He was in a defensive coordinator's dog house this season oh god did that piss me off beyond belief but but we know what that guy is capable of so the problem is they're all wide receiver twos they need i think they need a one yeah and at that point i think that's pretty good so they they they have they still have a couple of needs um but yeah i think a b b minus around that area i think that would be the the that would be a good that's a that's a fair grade especially with that tight at two tight ends set that's going to be really fun to watch because we were waiting for it to come with johnny smith and hunter henry but johnny smith that fella's useless man yeah he was never able to get the yardage during his days in tennessee

and he only got the money he did because the season prior he got eight touchdowns and he was used a lot but clearly hunter henry's better for that use and now we have mike joseki and another he's another player undervalued why is that because he only had just over 300 yards this season but that's because he was playing behind jaylen waddle and ty Hill, who took up like 75% of the team's targets. Rightfully so, but Mike Gesicki is like, you have a perfectly good guy over here. So one man's trash is another man's treasure, and it is a beautiful piece of treasure that we are going to cherish this season.

Yeah, I definitely agree, and I wanted to throw in that you could argue that our best move of the offseason is probably getting Bill O'Brien as an offensive coordinator. That's a good point too. That's something I forgot to mention. Yeah, and, you know, he could definitely bring back the two tight ends set. Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah. Especially since he was the offensive coordinator during that time, right?

Yes, he was. Yeah. It was a big reason why that scheme was so successful. And I think Bill going out and getting kind of like reuniting with his old OC, I think that's very useful for this team, especially considering, you know, he was playing with Alabama, had working with them these past few years. I think it was huge to kind of get those reps in at the college level. Yeah. I mean, that is going to be great i think that's that's that's definitely going to help a lot just bill o'brien being back um not even because i like bill o'brien just because

we know he works here and we know the other guy matt patricia did not because he's a defensive coordinator um and i didn't even because he's a defensive coordinator. And I didn't even hate him as a defensive coordinator. Just he's an offensive guy. All right. Well, we're up against the clock here. We do have to end the show. But do we have anything else before we end the show tonight?

No. The only thing I have to say is thank you guys for having me on again. Definitely love, enjoy talking about pro football with y'all and definitely would love to come back on again sometime. Absolutely. It would be great. Well, we have all summer, man, working with the Woosocks. This is going to be awesome. I can't wait.

Yeah, I can't wait for the summer. It's going to be a good baseball season. I'm just excited. Opening day very soon. All right. Well, Chris Heetu, too everyone thanks for joining the show but that'll do it for us tonight thank you for listening to us we have new episodes out on tuesdays and fridays at 7 30 p.m eastern time be sure to subscribe to our youtube channel we also

also have all our episodes available on spotify spreaker apple podcast iheart radio google podcast and so much more also be sure to follow our Instagram at FumbleRooski underscore podcast to keep up with our podcast and latest coverage on the NFL. Otherwise, we'll see you next week. Over and out.