- 8 minutes ago
Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran joined the show and talked about the rumblings that there are locker room issues with the team, plus they discussed Christian Gonzalez’ awful game against Green Bay, Tom Brady’s image since he left New England, the PAts chances of making the playoffs, and more.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Let's just start with something that has been a really weird thing
00:05that's been going around with the Patriots this past week,
00:07or at least since after their loss.
00:08And that is Mike Vrabel coming out and insinuating that
00:13if everybody doesn't want to be here, then that's something that we have to fix.
00:17I'm paraphrasing in the worst way.
00:19You've got Pop Douglas saying we need more energy on the sidelines.
00:23Mac Hollins is calling out some of the players as well.
00:27There's questions as to whether it's offense versus defense.
00:31Who's calling out who?
00:32Can I just get a read from you, Tom, on what you think is going on behind the scenes
00:37with all of these comments that everyone's been making lately?
00:40Sure. I think it's a little bit of an emotionally stunted team at times.
00:45I don't think they're a bad hit locker room.
00:48I don't think that they have players who are backbiting and sniping on a regular basis.
00:56I just think that their consistency and their self-image is such that
01:04they think they're a lot better than they are.
01:07And I think that as a result, when the things don't go well,
01:13there are emotional reactions to it.
01:16And I think Mike's reaction is more grounded in, you guys are not that good,
01:23and you're not preparing for these games, and we have 29 pre-snap penalties.
01:30We lead the league in turnovers.
01:32We're not that good.
01:33But we can go barely beat Miami or scrape by against Pittsburgh.
01:40You guys think we're pretty good.
01:41Then the next week we'll go out and we'll get absolutely demolished by a competent team
01:45like Jacksonville or Green Bay.
01:48So are you guys into preparing or not?
01:51So I think there's a big push-pull that goes on there.
01:54I really don't think, as we continue to say, well, who was that directed at
02:00and what did it mean, that this is a sick locker room.
02:04I just think that they're immature.
02:06Tom, I'm curious what you thought about Christian Gonzalez's post-game comments.
02:10A lot of people say it's no big deal, that that's on brand for him.
02:14But I'm just curious what you thought about his explanation for how his game went
02:19against the Packers.
02:23It is on brand for him.
02:25I think he's fairly detached and cool about things.
02:29I like to portray that he's unconcerned, unbothered, and above it.
02:34And I don't know if that's the right approach.
02:37It is on brand.
02:38I just don't think it's a great approach to portray when you are the most highly paid
02:45cornerback in the league and you just played like a practice squad player who's going to
02:49be cut on Monday when somebody comes back from injury.
02:53That's, that's, it's one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a so-called elite player.
02:59I've never, that would be, and I said this on my, that would be the equivalent of an all-pro
03:04quarterback going eight for 31 with six picks.
03:08And then just walking out and going, yeah, not my day.
03:10You know, you know, you know, me.
03:13Well, you said something after the game that it's kind of hit home.
03:16You said if that guy wasn't somebody making 30 something million dollars, he'd be cut the
03:21next day.
03:22Yeah.
03:23Yeah.
03:23It's just so to me, the detachment from the result of the game was, was distressing.
03:29And, you know, the larger conversation that has existed this week is, well, is he miscast
03:35in zone?
03:36And is that traceable to the kind of performance he had?
03:41There are worse players than Christian Gonzalez who've been able to, to play in zone and they
03:48haven't been caught for 187 yards.
03:50So I'm interested to see how that goes, honestly, because if he was trying to prove a point because
03:59he didn't like the defense that was being called and submitted one of the worst performances
04:04I've ever seen in my life, that's a much bigger problem.
04:09I'm not saying that that's the case, but my God, there's very few explanations for a healthy
04:16player to perform like that.
04:18When you were saying that, like, your hope he wasn't trying to prove a point, do you even,
04:22do you have any kind of, like, inkling that maybe he was dogging it?
04:29No, that's why I'm saying I need to continue to see how he plays in zones because there is
04:37no explanation for a player of his ilk to be as inept as he was and as much on cruise
04:46control
04:47during some of those touchdowns as they were unfolding as he was.
04:52So, I mean, it's a lot to say.
04:54It would be an unfair leap for me to say, Christian Gonzalez didn't want to play zone, so he didn't
05:01try.
05:03Well, Tom, what's your...
05:04But a lot gets put on the table when you have a performance like that and then a detached
05:09response afterwards.
05:11A.J. Brown and Ramondre both spotted at the media portion of practice out in Munich, Tom.
05:16What's your level of surprise there and optimism that they might be out there Sunday?
05:22I honestly can't get...
05:23I mean, it's a level of optimism if you're a Patriots fan.
05:27I couldn't even begin, honestly, to guess whether or not they're going to be able to play,
05:33given that it's Thursday.
05:34It's a great sign.
05:37How much contribution can they make?
05:39That will be interesting to see.
05:43What's interesting for the Patriots to have to weigh is using these players in this game,
05:48especially with A.J. Brown.
05:50Say he goes out there, is he going to have the kind of game where he goes, you know,
05:53eight catches, 97 yards, two touchdowns, wins you the football game?
05:57Or is he going to be out there as kind of a decoy and still at less than 100%?
06:03So do you weigh, go slow with him this week in week 10, maybe end up with a loss in
06:09your five and five,
06:11and have him ready for the final seven games of the season because you've given him an extended period off?
06:17Or do you feel like he's healthy enough to go out there, won't set himself back,
06:22and won't land in the same situation he was?
06:24And that's something they have to weigh because they certainly waited in the opposite direction
06:30two weeks ago when they played him on five days rest, and he ended up with a knee as well.
06:34So with Travion out, and let's say Ramondre is out, let's just for a moment pretend he's not going to
06:40play.
06:41What does that look like to you, the running game?
06:44Like how successful or unsuccessful do you think they can be against the Lions?
06:49Lions have some really talented defensive linemen.
06:54McClain on the interior is very good, one of the better players in the league.
06:59They have Aiden Hutchinson, obviously.
07:01They're not a great defense, but they do have talent on the defensive side of the ball.
07:05So if you're walking out there with Corey Kiner and Lane Larrison, it's not ideal,
07:10especially when your wide receiver core is not going to include A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs.
07:14So it's hard to envision the Patriots going out there this week.
07:18I mean, Detroit's a much more talented team with what they're going to put on the field this week.
07:24Amon Ross, St. Brown, Gibbs, LaPorta, Penae Sewell, Jared Goff, Jamison Williams.
07:30Defensively, they've got Hutchinson.
07:32They've got Chuck Clark, who's a really good safety.
07:35The guys I mentioned on the defensive line, they're a more talented football team.
07:39And the Patriots are going out there with a banged-up team that is given to making stupid mistakes
07:46like turnovers, penalties, and false starts.
07:49You know, Tom, I'm just curious.
07:51You look at this offense for the Lions, and it's pretty impressive, man.
07:54And then you think of the two other NFC North opponents that the Patriots have already played,
08:00the Bears and the Packers, and you go, man, it seems like these offenses in the NFC North are just
08:06loaded up.
08:06But what do you think of the two teams they've already played and the Lions,
08:10what do you think has the best offense, the Lions and Bears or the Packers?
08:15That's a great question.
08:16I think Jared Goff is pretty underrated.
08:20So I would say – I'm going to say I think the Lions probably have the best offense.
08:27You know, I would take Gibbs.
08:28I would take LaPorta.
08:30But each one of those offenses has a really – we didn't even see Tucker Craft last week play at
08:35a high level
08:36for the Packers as their tight end.
08:39But I think that Goff gets undersold as to how effective and efficient he is.
08:43His arm is outstanding.
08:45I don't know if it's because he's skinny and drawn-looking and pale that people don't take him very seriously,
08:52but his arm is a frigging weapon.
08:55So I think that Jared Goff is better than people really give him credit for it.
09:00So I would say that this is probably the most difficult offense to face.
09:03I just cannot get out of my head how badly they got lit up last week.
09:06I know, man.
09:07Yeah, I know.
09:07There's something.
09:08So how's that not going to happen again?
09:09If you're waving a – I mean, it's almost more damning if you walk out there this week
09:13and you're a shutdown corner in secondary.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Well, a quick aside to that.
09:18So we had Zach Corr on yesterday, and he mentioned, Tom, that you can't play zone –
09:22you can't play man all the time.
09:23You've got to give your guys a break.
09:24And I wonder if – do you read into that that maybe Gonzalez is not in the best shape?
09:28Maybe, like, the contract stuff played into that, and they're trying to play more zone
09:32to not have him run all over the place?
09:34I don't know.
09:35I'm just spitballing here.
09:36No, honestly.
09:37And, you know, I probably already insinuated too much.
09:41As I'm sitting here, I'm like, ah, shh.
09:42Now we're going to have – Tom Curran says Gonzalez didn't try to prove a play.
09:47So please don't social media that.
09:49It's just inexplicable.
09:51Glenn, you know what to do.
09:52Too late?
09:53That's already up?
09:53Nope.
09:54I got your back, Tom.
09:56So – but, I mean, it's inexplicable.
09:59I don't understand – if you're a $33 or $4 million corner who is really insistent on
10:05being the most highly paid corner in the league at this juncture, it doesn't matter if they
10:10ask you to go out there and play corner in a scuba suit, you should be able to do it
10:14at a fairly competent level.
10:16All right.
10:17Now, Tom, I know Patriots players and coaches don't like when you ask them about what other
10:21guys said, but I'd like to ask you about another columnist wrote in the Globe, if that's
10:25legal.
10:26Ben Volan writing,
10:27It's painfully obvious that Tom Brady no longer cares about Boston, New England, or Patriots
10:32fans.
10:33I don't know if you read the piece, but either way, did you come away from the weekend thinking
10:38more or less about Brady after his performance and his visit?
10:43It's funny.
10:45I have let my – after being a multiple-decades-long Globe subscriber, I've let that lapse.
10:53So I almost saw the first three – I've always saw the first three paragraphs.
10:58I mean, I was probably one of the last home delivery people they had.
11:01But I did see the first three paragraphs, and I clipped that and said, I've got to use
11:05that on quick slants to react to today, because neediness is not very becoming.
11:14Love us, Tom.
11:15I mean, one of the quotes that he says is, Tom Brady didn't give anybody anything on Sunday.
11:23That's what the wins were for.
11:26That's what all the Super Bowls were for.
11:28Stop being so needy.
11:30I mean, it just indicates, to me, a fandom – and I'm not accusing that – but a perception,
11:37if a journalist is going to write this, a perception that a fandom needs this constant
11:43validation of its place in the player's life.
11:46Set it out.
11:48Everybody's not that needy.
11:50People do understand that they're just guys in uniforms.
11:53He gave you everything he needed to.
11:55Does he have to just stand there and wave?
11:57Last time he stood there and said, I'm a patriot for life, people spent the next eight
12:02to ten months interrogating whether he really meant it or not and came to the conclusion
12:06that he didn't.
12:06So why bother?
12:07I don't know, Tommy.
12:08It's like the, I don't have a dog in this fight, like him saying that.
12:12I agree.
12:12Who gives a crap?
12:14Whatever.
12:14That's what the wins were for.
12:16No, no, but the question is whether –
12:19You're talking about Mad Men, right?
12:20What's that?
12:21No, no, no.
12:22Listen, I just think – first of all, I think he's weird.
12:24That's the main thing.
12:25I think he has a hard time being a normal human being because he's never been one.
12:28He's a superhuman football player, and there has to be a deficiency when you're that good
12:32at one thing.
12:33And I think his deficiency was just being a normal human being.
12:38Just like, I know how to speak like one, how to act like one.
12:41He's cloning dogs.
12:42But the one thing you could say is that he hasn't done what, like what Gronk has done.
12:47Like, Gronk is somebody who has, you know, got the Gronk Park.
12:50He continues to come back.
12:51He continues to give back.
12:52You know, Brady's just like – it seems like he loved winning here, but the region itself,
12:59he could give or take.
13:00He doesn't really even care as much.
13:03I don't know what people need.
13:04I really don't know what people need.
13:06I don't know what you need, Rich.
13:07I mean, what do you need?
13:08Do you need him showing up every Wednesday on the Common?
13:11I mean –
13:12Yeah!
13:12I need a back rub.
13:14Come on.
13:15How needy are we?
13:16I don't think it's a need.
13:18I just think it's interesting that for a region that loves him so much, he just –
13:22But here's the thing.
13:23If he doesn't do the things that Gronk did or Edelman does or, you know, Andre Tippett
13:28or somebody else, then you call into question whether or not he is invested in the place.
13:34I mean, they kind of asked him to leave.
13:36Here's what I want, Tom.
13:37That's a good point.
13:38Here's what I want.
13:39I don't want him to help another team beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
13:44That's what I want.
13:45That's a job.
13:45And by the way, that is what Mike Vrabel believes Tom Brady did.
13:49That's all I want.
13:51I mean, Mike might believe that, but –
13:57I mean, now we're going to say that Mike is bulletproof and everything that he perceives
14:02is exactly correct?
14:03I mean, come on.
14:03I mean, this is such seventh-grade study hall stuff.
14:08Who's talking to who and who's doing what?
14:11Can we go –
14:12Oh, stop it.
14:14And yet you have it on Quicksilence tonight.
14:16That's right.
14:16And yet you took it and said, I'm talking about this.
14:18Oh, okay.
14:19Who makes fun of the neediness.
14:21We're adults.
14:22This is like the Jalen Brown-Jason Tatum thing.
14:25I mean, Jalen Brown is acting like somebody, you know, didn't invite him to a sleepover.
14:33All right.
14:34Let me just ask you one last question, then I'll let you go and create the genius that
14:37you do for Quicksilence.
14:38Is this team making the playoffs?
14:41Yeah, probably.
14:43You think so?
14:44Yeah.
14:45But as I said earlier, the identity of this team right now is that they are a sloppy,
14:52injury-riddled, kind of immature team, thinks more of itself than it does, has a handful,
14:58maybe three Pro Bowl-level players, and it's Milton Williams, Drake May, and Christian Gonzalez.
15:06It has a handful of stable veterans.
15:08It has a handful of young players who will turn into stable veterans, and then it has a
15:12bunch of guys who are replacement level.
15:14They're not that great.
15:16They're not as good as a lot of the teams they play, and if they're not going to play
15:19with cutthroat preparation and intensity, they're going to be really average.
15:23So that's what they are.
15:25At least they're making it interesting, man.
15:27Oh, no doubt.
15:28Oh, yeah.
15:29Yeah, yeah.
15:29I mean, this game is really important because we were talking about it.
15:33After this game, you basically have three, I don't want to say gimme's because nothing's
15:37a gimme in the NFL, but you've got the Jets, you've got Miami, and you've got the
15:42winless Chargers, which for some reason, Vegas still thinks the Chargers have a pretty good
15:45chance against the Patriots, even in the futures looking ahead.
15:49So that right there, if they win this game, that's nine wins, which nine wins feels like
15:55a nice little cushion to potentially get you into the playoffs.
15:57If they lose this one, man, I'm telling you, you are really going to be having to beat,
16:03you're going to have to beat like the Broncos who can't seem like, they can't lose to anybody
16:07right now, despite their quarterback not being that great.
16:09Why do you think the Patriots, but that's, why would you be confident that the Patriots
16:14would beat Detroit?
16:15I mean, you can think that they might.
16:16Oh, no, no, no.
16:17I'm not confident at all that they're going to beat Detroit.
16:20That's why I think that this is a really important game, because if they can get into the
16:24bye with a win, and they're six and four, and then you can just basically just chalk
16:28it off to at least nine wins for the season, that makes you feel a little bit better about
16:32making the playoffs.
16:33It's going to be tight, man.
16:35It's going to be real tight.
16:36It is.
16:37It is.
16:38That was a fun conversation.
16:39Yeah, you bet your ass.
16:40Always is.
16:41That's what you get when you come on the show, fun, with a capital P-H.
16:44All right.
16:46I appreciate it.
16:47Well, listen, Tommy Curry, great stuff.
16:48Love having you on, and have a good time on Quick Slants tonight, all right?
16:51Okay.
16:51See you guys.