The extended WEEI family lost a fan favorite, familiar voice and longtime contributor this week as Larry Johnson, he of the legendary “Mustard and Johnson” weekend show that ran for ages on our station, passed away at the age of 75.
A talented cartoonist and jolly soul of great wit, Johnson was a fixture both on the radio station where he and Craig Mustard formed the weekend duo known as “The Teacher and The Preacher,” as well as the Boston media print scene where his satirical drawings and artwork ran for decades. Upon learning of his passing one and many personalities who shared those same airwaves and spent time with Johnson extended their generous sympathies, including his co-host.
His, like Glenn Ordway and Eddie Andelman and Ted Sarandis, was a name you grew up with as a Boston sports radio addict. I had the pleasure of meeting Johnson several times and he was always extremely pleasant, making you feel like chatting with you was a highlight of his day. These encounters were on the heels of having listened to the “Mustard and Johnson” program for decades. Long before I had the chance to ever connect with fans about the sports in Boston they love he blazed the weekend trail in such a jovial, passionate capacity. I even called in a couple decades back a few times because I was enjoying the show so much and wanted to be a part of it. Now it’s an honor to try to continue that tradition he and Mustard established for so many. Thanks for the memories, Larry. Rest in peace.
1 - THE MAYETRIOTS - At this point it feels like every week, especially on offense, it’s “Drake Maye, and…” as the game plan for the Pats. Or at least that’s how it feels, as Maye continues to generate the yards, the points and the buzz around the team, while no other player not named Hunter Henry really distinguishes himself. It was nice to see Kendrick Bourne step up with a big game last week (5-70, 1 TD), though we'll stop short of declaring him as “back” until we see it done a few games in a row.
Maye’s uncanny ability to extend plays, decipher defenses, deliver the ball from a multitude of arm angles, throw with outrageous accuracy and remain calm all whilst his pocket caves in around him regularly is what is leading analyst after coach after former player to offer him his flowers.
While Maye has done well within the play designs and calls from offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, it’s when his line loses ground, or his receivers don’t get open, or both, that he truly flourishes.
Being lumped in with studs like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, the top two MVP candidates, as far as EPA out of structure? Not even Maye’s biggest fan would have told you there was a chance we’d see that in his rookie year, let alone after just six starts.
What’s truly remarkable is that while he seems to flourish in the chaos of the moment on field, his posture and composure are equally remarkable. He's not prone to on-field histrionics or complaining to referees. You don’t see him tearing into teammates or showing up coaches, all of which could almost be excused away. Instead we see someone with control, a well mannered natural athlete who is processing well beyond his years, with a football intelligence beyond his “Aww shucks” country-bred image.
We know teammates, like the aforementioned Hunter Henry, who comped 2024 Maye to 2020 Justin Herbert this week, love the 22-year-old. You can now add the coach Maye will go up against for the first time this week, Miami’s Mike McDaniel, to the growing list of people impressed by the rookie’s limited body of work as well.
As we seem to do every week in the Drake Maye Appreciation Society gathering, aka The Sunday 7, we see his trajectory is upward, the needle pointing the right way, his growth almost literally off the charts. Now it’s time for someone else to join him in their own offensive growth spurt, if you will. Sadly, we’re hard pressed to figure who it will be.
For the record that should read 34th, not 32nd. I think the trauma of seeing the Pats trade out of a spot where they could have selected my favorite player in the 2024 draft and someone who would have been an instant star in New England still lingers. Be that as it Maye, even with the Pats basically getting two receivers for the price of one, neither has distinguished themselves while McConkey has flourished in Los Angeles. And we’re not going to play the “Better coach and/or better talent around them” game. Polk and Baker have been their own worst enemies with drops, penalties, bad sound bites, off field nonsense. One or both need to make a commitment to maturity and focus their efforts on becoming part of the solution, not the problem with this team’s offense. The Pats are up almost a TD more with Maye than when Jacoby Brissett was the starter, and still it’s no thanks to the twin rookie receivers.
Kayshon Boutte is having a good if unspectacular sophomore season, still plagued by the dropsies on occasion. And second year receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas looks to be the dynamic slot machine the team has desperately needed since the days of Edelman, but when the team needs him most he and his QB aren’t on the same page.
No need to lament the state of the offensive line here, or at all. We understand the talent and injuries. This group, if any, deserves a hug followed by, “It’s not your fault.”
Again, this season is about the development and growth of Drake Maye. And while he would be the first to tell you he has so much more work to do, we can see clearly that he’s further along than expected. So it’s a success, right? Sadly, the team is not developing, in any aspect, at the same rate, and subsequently winnable games are turning into losses, money being left on the table. Is it a talent issue? Draft evaluation issue? Coaching issue? Combination therein? We’ll see going forward. Safe to say the team has a stud under center, and a stud in the secondary (more on Gonzo in a moment), and after that just about everyone on the field and the sidelines needs to make strides and show improvement if the team is to be on the level it looks like Maye will be next year. This is a talent you don’t want to waste any of the precious five years in his rookie contract trying to be competitive.
2 - COACHES CORNER(ED) - Last Sunday’s 28-22 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams was a competitive game for 59 minutes. Considering what appeared to be a major talent disparity between the two teams perhaps some would say it was a moral win for the Pats to keep pace with a possible NFC playoff team with such elite offensive playmakers in Matt Stafford, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Yet still the game could have been had by the Pats, and if history is any indicator it’s a game they should have won.
Drake Maye’s late INT on a pass intended for Pop Douglas is as far from the reason why the Pats didn’t win as Foxboro is from Santa Monica. Sure, players play and that’s who should ultimately decide the outcomes of these games. Upon further review it seems the coaching is another element of the team not living up to the elevated standard being established week by week by rookie QB Drake Maye.
Tough week for coach Jerod Mayo, who had many of his decisions and the decisions of his staff called into question. First, the call to have cornerback Christian Gonzlaez not cover either Nacua or Kupp one-on-one but instead use him as a boundary corner, shutting down one side of the field, turned out to burn them once LA adjusted. The two LA stars combined for over 240 yards receiving and three TDs. Not great, Bob.
There was also the choice not to attempt a long field goal early when the Pats were up 7-0, electing to punt instead (though not automatic Joey Slye can make a 54 yarder with relative ease.) Later there would be curious choices as to when to take field goals and not go for it on 4th down, when to send a zero blitz vs the savvy signal caller of Stafford, some penalties along the way (Vederian Lowe and Ja’Lynn Polk each had one that still stings), and other head scratching calls that helped lead to the defeat. And while the entire coaching and executive operation is learning, many in their inaugural seasons like Mayo as HC and DeMarcus Covington as DC are having a tough stretch. Covington’s unit had a banner week previously in Chicago, though that may have had as much to do with Chicago’s offensive struggles as it did the Pats D bringing their A+ game to the Windy City.
Mayo, who does a solid job speaking to his learning curve as a coach, needs to firm up his posture and identity as a coach so his team can develop an identity in lockstep with him. That’s why we titled this edition of Sunday 7 as The Mayetriots because absent what he’s bringing to the field the team has no identity. That’s not to say your team should always have the identity of your coach like the previous 24 versions did (alongside the handsome face of the greatest QB of all-time.) Perhaps the team not having Belichick’s stern, grumpy identity is refreshing to some. But they certainly seem to miss the legendary defensive prowess and game-scheming intelligence he possessed for Sundays. But it seems Mayo’s collaborative operation is a step behind where we all thought they might be at this point.
A few weeks back the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed reported on some internal discussions that the team was behind due to inexperience (expected), and that had ownership wandering is they needed to let them figure it out and experience the kinds of growing pains we’ve seen, or if intervention (or calling around to see if others liked the rookie QB’s development track) would be necessary. Here we are several weeks after that report and still we see more growing pains. And this week’s Alex Van Pelt / Marcus Jones imbroglio didn’t help coaching and communication matters in the least.
With all due respect to the idea of Marcus Jones (who had to text AVP to get a play on offense) being most valuable on defense and special teams, when your defensive coordinator calls your slot cornerback Travis Hunter then maybe you’d like to find ways to engage and utilize his dynamic talents on offense, especially when as we mentioned you can't seem to get any receivers going? From here this seems like the definition of coaches meaning well but not being in the same zip code, let alone on the same page.
The in-game decisions. Coordinating affairs and playcalls and personnel with coaches. Managing the media. Getting your struggling players going. These are some of the many areas Mayo needs to button up soon as he continues to learn on the job. If they can eliminate mistakes and communicate more clearly internally, as opposed to always walking things back in the media, then perhaps the team’s play will turn for the better with it and a true identity will emerge. An identity not of a rookie QB who might be the best of the 2024 draft and then coaches making mistakes, rather a tough football team with a stud under center that goes four quarters the right way every week.
Of course if the Krafts elect to keep this braintrust of Mayo, Wolf, AVP and Covington together for a second stint, other teams could choose to tweak that as DeMarcus Covington’s name has been floated as possible up-and-coming head coach candidate himself. We’l see if the 2024 Pats results affect his potential candidacy outside the building…but just another nugget to keep an eye on for Mayo’s Patriots.
3. WOLF OF BALL STREET - The definition of NFL standing for “Not For Long” has come to the fore again recently with the turnover and turmoil with the New York Jets and Giants (Daniel Jones deserved better). The Jets went all in for Aaron Rodgers as their savior and in turn he basically got everyone from head coach Robert Saleh to general manager Joe Douglas fired. Douglas, who many think did a fine job during his tenure as the man with the plan for the Jets, was dismissed by owner Woody Johnson, who has had an unpredictable trigger finger when it comes to results and employment. Now the team seems rudderless, with an interim coach and GM and a 41 year old QB who got everything he wanted and has delivered none of the promises. As a Pats fan you hate to see it.
While this doesn’t affect the Patriots beyond the likelihood that the Jets will be competing with them for a draft slot in April 2025, it does serve as a reminder for the likes of Pats Executive VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf that even if it appears that you’ve done your job you still well could be out of it before you realize it. While many of us believe Jerod Mayo will remain head coach for a while, and both coordinators are likely to be brought back for team continuity (especially AVP), Wolf, who’s been with the team since 2020, might feel the most heat of all if the team struggles.
Sure, as we highlighted previously, he nailed the Maye pick at third overall and gets a plus nod for that, but it also was a borderline no-brainer. Also of note, Wolf did not pick the coach, rather Mayo was the personal selection of owner Robert Kraft. Any future struggles of the HC should not reflect on the team’s de facto GM. But, and this is a very big but, none of Wolf’s other draft picks outside of Maye have done anything to distinguish themselves positively. From Ja’ynn Polk all the way to Jaheim Bell, there’s not a major contributor to be found yet. Also, the free agency class of 2024 for New England was lackluster, to say the least, with their own offensive lineman Mike Onwenu the “prize” of the lot. Onwenu has had a down year as the O-line on the whole has been an issue from Training Camp to present.
The team has had draft issues aplenty for years, a major reason why Bill Belichick was let go, certainly not for his game planning and coaching. Who knows to what extent an Eliot Wolf was involved with the selection of a Tyquan Thornton, released recently after two-plus fruitless years on a team desperate for wide receiver productivity. Thinking here is…so long as Drake Maye stays upright, is healthy and continues to evolve positively as he’s done through his first half dozen games then Wolf likely is back with the rest of the coordinators and coaches. If something happens to Maye, and the rest of the 2024 class continues to struggle, the heat will get turned up on Wolf to find a way to produce immediately. The Pats have a hefty war chest of picks and especially salary cap space with which to attack 2025. Will Wolf get to be part of that collaborative effort? Our guess is yes, but make no mistake…the leash will get shorter as the team looks to avoid going down the Jets route of turnover and dismissals and dysfunction, angling more to return to past glory, or at least a .500 record.
4 - HALL OF FAME - It was both a good and bad week as far as the New England Patriots go with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Good: Three Patriots of the dynastic run from 2001-2019 found out they are semi-finalists for the PFHoF: Rodney Harrison, Vince Wilfork and Adam Vinatieri. This represents the fourth time for both Harrison and Wilfork, each of whom are enshrined in the Patriots Hall of Fame, while it’s the first time for Vinatieri.
In a perfect world both Harrison and Wilfork would be in, but between the two our vote would go to Harrison (not to say Wilfork didn’t have an amazing career himself). He was as dominant as they get from the safety position for the nine years he spent in San Diego, an almost Hall-worthy run there before being released and signed in New England, taking the spot of beloved safety Lawyer Milloy. Harrison experienced a resurgence in New England, playing some of his best football to date, helping the Pats reach the playoffs all six seasons he was in New England and winning two Super Bowls. His career ended with a leg injury in 2008, giving him 15 seasons at strong safety, an awesome run. Popular thinking is he has yet to be voted in not due to being an outspoken media member, or because of a certain play in Super Bowl 42, but rather his intense style of play that earned him the reputation of being a “dirty” player. Ask Harrison and he’ll tell you he was just competing as hard as he could. Ask the teams that played him and they’ll tell you they didn’t like him. Ask Bill Belichick why Harrison should be in the PFHoF and he’ll tell you he was “The best safety I ever coached.”
All that being said, among the three, the most deserving as far as Hall of Fame players goes, is Vinatieri. Who made bigger plays when it counted most than Vinatieri, arguably the GOAT of placekickers? There may not even be a dynasty or six rings without his Snow Bowl kick, considered by many the most clutch kick in NFL history. Vinatieri kicked professionally for 24 years in the NFL, which is amazing (we prefer the New England years over the Indy ones, personally.) Problem is, on the bias front, the Hall doesn’t put many kickers or specialists in, which could hinder his campaign. There are only four kickers - Jan Stenerud, Morten Andersen, George Blanda and Lou Groza - in Canton, and one punter, Ray Guy, who the collegiate award for best punter is named after. In our humble opinion there should be five kickers, and the best among them all, Vinatieri, should be first ballot.
Now, the bad: Patriots owner Robert Kraft was denied entry as a specialist/contributor to the game of football for a 13th straight season. The PFHoF is mostly for players and coaches, but owners and other contributors are honored every year as well. Kraft was a semi-finalist again in 2024 for the 2025 class among other owners, coaches, broadcasters and a whole crop of known NFL names. Yet again he was denied entry.
Could the Hall committee be holding admission for Kraft because of the scandals of the Patriots double dynastic era? Hard to believe any off-field issues would be the reason he was left out of a place Jerry Jones is a member of. Popular thinking of late has been that Kraft has made it known openly and campaigned for ages to gain admission. His zeal for acceptance, coupled with the reception of “The Dynasty” miniseries this past year, may have hurt his chances as opposed to helping them.
There’s no denying that his resume is beyond worthy of a bronze bust and yellow jacket, from the Super Bowls to his labor work for the league and more. Here’s hoping he is granted this wish during his living days and finally gets to check this last item off of his incredible football wish list that so many others would dream of owning but a fraction of.
5 - NEW & FAMILIAR FACES - With players coming and going, being signed and released, rehabbing and returning so frequently, it’s always helpful to keep track of who’s here, who’s not and for how long.
This week the Patriots signed linebacker Titus Leo, a second-year player out of Wagner, off of the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. The Pats likely hope Leo, who is highly athletic despite never having appeared in a regular season game, can help their depth and pass rush from the edge spot. To make room for Leo the Pats released Ochuan Mathis, himself a second year linebacker, originally drafted by the LA Rams in 2023. Mathis was thought to be a replacement for Josh Uche who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks back. Obviously the team didn’t see it as a fit, so out goes Mathis, in comes Leo. However, Mathis was unemployed not for long as he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.
The Pats did get good news along the offensive line this week as Cole Strange, out since November of 2023 with a knee injury, was cleared to return and even back at practice on Wednesday. Strange, a guard taken in the first round of the 2022 draft (no need to legislate that choice again), could certainly bolster depth along a line that could set an NFL record for most players used in a season. However, Strange is working on perhaps finding a new position, as he’s been taking reps at center and not just guard. Center has been a trouble spot since David Andrews went down for the year, with Nick Leverett (no longer with the team) and now Ben Brown (signed off the Raiders PS) snapping the ball. It’s an area where the team could use stability, better play and possibly a long-term answer since Andrews is in his 10th season and will have missed the season twice in that time. He’s been banged up a good deal, and while Strange himself is coming back from reconstructive knee surgery he does have two more years available on his rookie deal. If he can mark an improvement over Brown, who has struggled a good deal this season, then perhaps the jesting over his being overdrafted will draw to a close.
Christian Barmore, last week’s big return from IR, was back at practice this week on Thursday with no limit or injury designation. He didn’t provide much beyond an emotional lift in his return vs the Rams, but as he works his way back to full health after his blood clot scare then that too could be a boost for a struggling defense that desperately needs presence along the D-line.
6 - CAN’T SPELL PAST WITHOUT PATS - Speaking of familiar faces, it’s always fun to catch up with some of our stars of Patriots past who continue to make almost as much news away from Gillette Stadium as when they were winning games in it.
Gronk was all over this week. He was ringside with Shaq last Friday night in Las Vegas for the Tyson vs. Paul “fight,” joking around about more exhibition fights with athletes…
And he was honored this week at TD Garden by The Sports Museum at their annual Legends celebration, alongside Terry Francona and others.
Gronk’s teammate and podcast/broadcast partner Julian Edelman joined with his buddy whilst on FOX NFL and joined in the Drake Maye lovefest last Sunday.
Plus, Edelman had none other than Steve “Ice up, son!” Smith Jr. on his podcast this week, and Smith shared a great story about almost becoming a Patriot years ago.
A receiver that Edelman shared the slot, and lots of celebratory hugs, with not long ago, is Danny Amendola, who continues his excellent run on ABC’s “Dancing With The Star” all the way now to the show’s semifinals.
And of course we can’t not check in with The GOAT, who checked in from his amazing new $17 million bachelor pad in Miami this week (T’s & P’s, Tommy.) Brady, who’s in year one of his 10 year $375 million deal as the top color analyst for FOX NFL coverage, found out he may soon face more restrictions from the NFL, now that he is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, when it comes to his press access for FOX. This arrives on the heels of an interview he did recently with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. Count us in on those who think Brady will soon have to pick a lane and won’t be able to be an owner and broadcaster at the same time much longer.
7 - NTKs - As always we close shop with
ALL-TIME: With 118 games between them, including three postseason affairs, the Miami Dolphins lead the all-time series against the Patriots 63-55. However, the tables tilt heavily in favor of the Fins when the games are played in southeastern Florida, with Miami holding a whopping 42-16 advantage. Many houses of horror for the Pats in the Miami vicinity over the years.
SPREAD: The Dolphins are a seven point home favorite over the Pats, with a 45.5 Over/Under. On the season New England is 2-4 on the road, and 2-4 ATS the spread on the road as well.
WEATHER: Sunny and pleasant with a high of 78 degrees (real feel of 80) in the Miami Gardens area by 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Not the hottest or most humid of conditions they’ve faced, as many players of Patriots past would gladly detail.
BROADCAST: The game will be broadcast on CBS (Ch 4 locally), 1 p.m. kickoff, with Spero Dedes and Adam Archuletta on the call, Aditi Kinkhabwala covering the sidelines. This is the second Pats game of the season for Dedes and Archuletta.