The 300s Preview the Patriots (Part 6): Final Questions, Decisions, and Quick Hits Before Roster Cuts

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The Patriots beat the New York Giants 17-12 in last night’s preseason finale, and that means the preseason is finally over. We are now just over a week away from real, meaningful Patriots football!

It also means that we’re just a day away from final roster cuts, which need to be decided upon by this Saturday. But rather than bog you down with yet another “Patriots 53-Man Final Roster Projection” – seriously, there are already a million and one out there from pretty much every Boston-based sports website or blog – I’m instead going to highlight three of the top remaining questions/issues that need to be resolved either before the end of the weekend or before the team squares off with Houston on September 9.

Who Has the Final Running Back Spot?

(OK, so maybe we’re going to start off with a subject related to the final roster projection. But it’s an important one!)

Even with the news breaking yesterday that Sony Michel is likely to miss the start of the regular season, you know he’s obviously got a spot on the team. You can also lock in Rex Burkhead, James White, and Brandon Bolden. (Some may be surprised to see Bolden as a “lock,” but the fact of the matter is Bill LOVES him and always has. Not only is he a special teams superstar, but you know you can always rely on him to come in and get it done in times of desperation. Entering his seventh year with the team, he’s not going anywhere.)

Four running backs may be enough for some teams, but the Pats usually carry at least five, and they will especially need to carry extra bodies this year with the injury concerns at the position.

At this point, it comes down to two guys: Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee, both of whom are similar big-bodied, goal-line-type backs who would likely be expected share most of the ball-carrying duties with Burkhead until Michel is ready to go. Most expected to see the two battle it out in last night’s preseason finale, but, for some reason, neither of them played, which leads me to believe the decision has already been made.

They have both played somewhat well so far this preseason, but Hill has looked slightly better. Not only is he averaging over a yard more per carry, but it also just seems like he’s passed the eyeball test more than Gillislee. And above all, Gillislee lost his grip on the starting job last season before being benched entirely for the rest of the year, and he’s really done nothing to prove he deserves it back.

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Verdict: Hill gets the final spot. (However, I do think Gillislee will catch on with another team in quick fashion.)

Will The Pats Make a Trade for a Receiver?

We here at The 300s, along with pretty much everyone else in the world, have made no secret of the Pats dearth of options at wide receiver.

It’s not for lack of effort on Bill’s part: Jordan Matthews was signed and then released due to injury; Eric Decker was signed and retired because he’s not good at football anymore; Kenny Britt, who was signed toward the end of last season, was cut this week after never overcoming a hamstring injury from June; Malcolm Mitchell was expected to be a key part of the group after an impressive rookie year in 2016 but couldn’t get over previous injuries and was released as well. Guys like Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson have looked solid, and we know Chris Hogan will be the team’s leader at the position this year until Julian Edelman returns. But TB12 still needs some help.

Last Saturday, ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss floated out a possible trade scenario on his personal Word Press account, wherein the Pats would trade defensive tackle Malcolm Brown and linebacker Elandon Roberts – two players at positions in which the team has at least some depth – in exchange for Golden Tate, who has had four-straight 90-plus-catch seasons out in Detroit. Why? The Lions are currently stacked at wide receiver AND Tate is in the final year of his contract. This is also the time of year where teams try to trade away assets they know they won’t be able to keep long term as they try to make room for others on the upcoming season’s squad. Again, this is just speculation by one sports writer, but sign me up!

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Seriously, Bill, make it happen!

There were also rumblings that Denver could be interested in moving perennial 1,000-yard receiver Demaryius Thomas as well, even though long-time Broncos insider Mike Klis of 9News pretty much shut that idea down yesterday:

“I heard about the speculation of Demaryius Thomas and New England and ran it by some folks. I was told there’s nothing to it.”

Well then.

There are also still some free agents the team could look at, but at this point if they’ve yet to be brought in for a workout I highly doubt the team is interested. (Dez isn’t happening, people! And it’s a good thing!) But unless the Pats really like someone such as Tate or another perfect fit some team may be willing to trade, they’re likely rolling into the season with what they currently have.

Will Team Chemistry Actually Be an Issue This Year?

This one doesn’t have to do with any particular position on the field, but anyone with a pulse can tell that things haven’t been quite so cheery over at Patriot Place since the end of last season – and it’s not because of the team’s heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl.

Leading up to training camp, most of the chatter surrounding the Pats sounded like it was coming straight from TMZ. From Brady still being upset about his trainer/best buddy Alex Guerrero’s banishment from team activities to Gronk just not “having fun” anymore and how “mean” Bill is, it was all anyone seemed to talk about.

Initially, I disregarded it as nonsense, but oftentimes when there’s smoke there’s fire. It really does seem as though there’s a palpable tension in the air with everyone in Foxborough this season, and we could be seeing the breakup of the Brady Bunch sooner than we think. The team also looked very lackluster in the preseason dress rehearsal against Carolina. Brady has also shown visible signs of frustration throughout the offseason, and all summer it’s been reported by various sources that he does not seem to be as in sync with his team as in years past.

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Tommy Boy doesn’t seem too happy lately.

After my “sky is falling” article about Michel yesterday, a lot of people might think I’m being a bit too negative about the team’s prospects for 2018. I get it. But, look, I’m not saying the Pats are going to fall off a cliff this year; they’re still loaded and likely will be one of the top teams in the entire league, let alone the AFC. There’s a very good chance they could still win the next Lombardi Trophy. But things could get dicey at times this year, and the flawless execution we’re used to seeing from this team may not be as apparent this time around. Only time will tell.

So there you have it: our final Patriots preview piece of the season. Now it’s time for the real deal!

(If you like what you read and want some more, be sure to check out previous editions of “The 300s Previews the Patriots” series here. Also be sure to stay on the lookout for this weekend’s podcast for a more in-depth season preview from myself and Red.)

Who Should Host SNL?

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As much as college football and pumpkin spice lattes, the Saturday Night Live season premiere is a sure sign that summer is over and fall has arrived. SNL’s 44th season will kick off less than a month from now on September 29. No hosts or musical guests for the upcoming season have been announced yet but since they asked, here are the three guys I’d most like to see host SNL.

  1. Bill Burr A comedian’s comedian and a regular on the late night talk show circuit, Burr would kill on SNL. Burr did some work on Chappelle’s Show back in the day and would bring an edge to Saturday night that SNL hasn’t had in quite a while.
  2. Bob Odenkirk Well before he took on the role of Saul Goodman, Odenkirk wrote for SNL back in the late 80s and early 90s. While he didn’t find the success at SNL that other writers did, he did find sketch comedy success on HBO in the mid-90s with Tobia Funke David Cross on Mr. Show. Currently on one of the best shows on television, Odenkirk going back to 30 Rock to host SNL would be a great story of comedic redemption.
  3. John Krasinski He interned on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in the same building back in 2000 and was a key player on The Office, one of the most important shows on NBC for nearly a decade. It’s hard to believe that this guy has never been invited to host in Studio 8H. With Jack Ryan dropping on Amazon Prime today, now seems like the perfect time for Krasinski to head back to 30 Rock.

And special mention goes to Christopher Walken, who tops my returning hosts list. Walken was a mainstay during my prime SNL viewing years, hosting seven times in the 90s and 2000s. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t appeared on SNL in more than a decade. Definitely need to see him walken through the doors at 8H this fall.

 

Who’d I miss? Let me know on Twitter @The300sBigZ

#RushHourRap – Eminem Just Dropped a New Album Called Kamikaze From the Clouds

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I went to bed last night after another victory on the battlefield that is beer league softball only to wake up this morning to see Eminem released a new album, Kamikaze.

No warning. No hints. No viral marketing campaign as he tends to do. Nope. Just a brand new album to close out the summer. I haven’t listened to it yet so we’ll be in this together, but the Spotify link is embedded below to put some flava in ya ear.

https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3HNnxK7NgLXbDoxRZxNWiR

The only heads up was a tweet from Em featuring a sample of a song he made for the new Venom movie. Dope, but did not prepare me for 13 new tracks from Marshall.

I thought Em’s last album, Revival, was pretty good, nothing amazing. It was enjoyable, but it didn’t have the unforgettable raps that you’ll save to your memory bank. A tall task for a guy with so many classics over the years for sure. The surprising collab with Ed Sheeran on “River” was my favorite track of the album and the one I revisit the most. There was the anti-Trump anthem “Like Home,” the Cranberries’s Zombie sample “In Your Head,” the tributes to his struggle with addictions and his relationship with his daughter on “Castle” and “Arose” back to back, the Pink feature “Need Me” and of course the opening track “Walk on Water” featuring Beyonce.

All pretty good, but nothing to get people buzzing as critical reception of the album was lukewarm. I think Em took that to heart too. Rather than go on the campaign trail promoting the new album, he dropped it in the middle of the night with a brief and seemingly unburdened tweet.

Here’s to hoping this album is a smash and it inspires Em to go back on another world tour. I saw Marshall at Boston Calling, which was an amazing experience watching the GOAT rapping under steady rainfall.

It was his first time performing in Boston in nearly 20 years with the only other time I’ve seen Eminem live being at MetLife after a 5 hour drive back in 2013.

Do the right thing people, buy the album and force Marshall’s hand.

Life Is Meaningless – Emmy Rossum Leaving “Shameless”

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First Date Fiona. The Eldest Sister/Matriarch cum temporary fuck-up cum ultimate redemption story and entrepreneur. in real life, one of my ultimate Hollywood crushes is leaving my favorite show effective after this season. Announced just a few days before the beginning of next season, no less.

I mean what the fuck man. I haven’t even read the actual post. I can’t bare to. Thinking like I do about sports when I’m being the GM On The Couch, if this was about her equal-pay dispute, I kind of get it. The show is only a few seasons from shutting the books, that isn’t really up for debate. My friend who watches the show and I have talked about it at length. We finally became full-fledged adults when we acknowledge we’d rather one of our favorite thing – be it a player, a show, etc. – retire on top then limp to a hubris-hewed but humiliating finish. So if she was demanding primo cash for an expiring career, I get the hesitance of the Showtime. Why bother?

The words aren’t really coming at this point folks. I mean what the fuck. I keep hearing that AWESOME quote from “Gone Baby Gone” regarding the forced-into-retirement Captain Morgan Freeman played. “It was an ignominious end to an illustrious career”. Except this isn’t embarrassing as much as it is frustratingly sudden and feels unfair. But I hate telling other adults, like people sometimes do with other folks in pop culture, what is fair and unfair to do with their lives. She has reasons I know. It just sucks. This show led me out of college. It has made me laugh and cry, both hysterically. And now it’s lynchpin (a brilliant William H. Macy is given a lot of credit but it’s Emmy Rossum that fuels this ship) is leaving out of the clouds.

Goddammit Fiona.

****Bloggers note as the adrenaline wears off: The money part I’m wrong on. Most shows end while cashing out their actors. It’s how they get them to stay. “Friends” notably was the first to pay their cast $1,000,000.00 at the end. Fuck.

BREAKING: Sony Michel Could Miss Start of Regular Season

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As relayed by Rotoworld around midday on Thursday, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that the “sense” around Pats camp right now is that rookie Sony Michel, who just returned to the practice field this week after missing most of the summer with a “minor” knee issue, isn’t as likely to be ready for the start of the regular season as Rex Burkhead, another Pats running back who is supposedly recovering from a mysterious knee injury.

COOL. At this point, with pretty much the entire offense being injured or in injury purgatory, I think I might be able to persuade Bill and Josh to at least bring me in for a workout. Right??!! (All 5’7″, 150 pounds of me, with a solid 6.0-plus-second 40-time to boot. WATCH OUT.)

But no in all seriousness, this isn’t good.

First and foremost, while I’ll admit that I was pretty amped when we initially took Michel this past May, I presented his 2018 stat projections with cautious optimism (which now might not even be cautious enough) during my initial Pats running back preview at the end of July.

My reasoning: Not only do the Pats already have a solid stable of backs, each of whom was already set to get their fair share of touches in 2018, but the team also knew full well about his deteriorating knee issues, which date back to high school, before drafting him in the first round. Lo and behold, here we go again.

So what does this mean?

It means that Rex Burkhead better friggin’ be healthy. It also means my boy James White could get more burn, and either Jeremy Hill or Mike Gillislee – whichever of the two win the final spot in the rotation – are going to need to step up as well. (It also means you should probably knock Michel down a few pegs on your fantasy draft board.)

As I said in my Patriots fantasy preview last week – another article in which I expressed concern with Michel – knee issues do not just go away, especially chronic ones that don’t result from a one-off injury. So while he certainly could be ready to play again at some point within the next month, it’s probably not likely; also, even if he is, you know we’ll eventually be right back in this boat once again in the not so distant future.

I hope I’m wrong, Pats Nation, and I’m hoping for the best. But we’re not off to a good start here, and there’s a chance it could get even worse.

Congratulations to My Good Friend Rusney Castillo On Making His Second Straight Triple-A All-Star Team

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Rusney Castillo, now 31-years-old, is sneaky having one of the best seasons a Pawtucket Worcester Red Sox player has ever had. He just earned his second straight All-Star nod down in Triple-A and is batting a league leading .323 and if he keeps that up he’d be the first PawSox player to win a batting title since Wade Boggs did it in 1981. May he rest in peace.

This is just another stark reminder of how badly the Red Sox have bungled their roster and their payroll over the past several years. It’s not even all payroll luxury taxes the Sox are afraid of either, its just old fashioned money that John Henry is probably sick of spending. According to Spotrac the Sox currently have $164 million in salaries on the Active Payroll, $36 million in salaries on the Disabled List, and $42 million in RETAINED Salary. Thats $1 million to Allen Craig, $22 million to Hanley Ramirez, and $18 million to Pablo Sandoval. All of whom are obviously no longer on the Red Sox. Woof.

Oh and Manny Ramirez is making $2 million from the Sox this year in Deferred Salary as well.

While Rusney is only a career .262 hitter in 337 plate appearances at the major league level, it’s a goddamn shame the Sox can’t won’t call up a guy hitting the cover off the ball in Triple-A solely because of his salary.

The contract they gave him based off an out of context And 1 Mixtape was absurd, which is why he currently makes $11 million to play at McCoy Stadium. BUT to refuse to bring up a guy who is challenging for the Batting Title in Triple-A because of money is an unthinkable move from a franchise as rich as the Boston Red Sox. He could bat .400 and they wouldn’t call him up because they don’t want to go into the luxury tax.

Yup, I would much rather have Tzu-Wei Lin (career .230 hitter), Tony Renda (career .183 hitter), and Sam Travis (career .250 hitter) coming off the bench in September and October.

Oh well, here’s to you Rusney Castillo, friend of The 300s, Triple-A All-Star, and the highest paid person in the history of Rhode Island.

Counterpoint: All Yeezy Clothes Are Trash

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The300s (somehow) – Despite that, Yeezy sneakers are actually fire flames. At least the Yeezy Boosts…some of the other Yeezy sneakers look like they came out of the Steph Curry “Dad has to mow the Lawn 7’s” batch.

Editor’s note: I disagree. 

I am going to make this so simple that whether you walk the catwalk at fashion week or you are a hillbilly with 3 pairs of overalls you are going to understand.

First and foremost: Style and fashion are 2 different things.

Style is how you choose to dress and present yourself. Fashion is when some chick who hasn’t eaten in 3 weeks wears a wedding cake in Paris and people call it “emotional” or “evoking early 1900’s Romanticism”.

Secondly: I understand I am a known Kanye West hater and therefore this position is going to be looked at as biased. However I am also so practical and  pragmatic it bothers even me sometimes. If it’s hot, it’s hot, if it’s cold, it’s cold and if it sucks, it sucks. I am unable to shake my own brain from the roots of common sense.

When it comes to the #1 case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder in rap and his clothing line Yeezy’s piss-yellow, road-rashed clothes and piss-yellow, retiree-approved shoes Suck.Out.Loud. Horrendous. Disgusting. If you put that shit on your body you are a lesser human being. That is Said Narcissict’s “fashion”. That is not, in any way, shape, or form, “style”. Style is clothes that don’t look like they were the victim of a vindictive house cat and a distracted Caitlyn Jenner and shoes that aren’t from the closet of a nursing home resident whomsts’ Depends failed.

Don’t be one of those people. Don’t be someone who says, “well all of the cool kids have a hoarder for a mom and no washing machine.” You look like a dipshit now. You’ll look like a GIGANTIC dipshit in a few years.

Don’t be that guy. Don’t be a tREnD.

Mychal “The Wolf of Broadstreet” Kendricks Is Going Down For Insider Trading

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NFL.Com – Cleveland Browns linebacker and former Philadelphia Eagle Mychal Kendricks has been charged with insider trading, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday morning.

First of all, I’m completely shoving this shovel of shit down the throat of Philly and its fans as a.) Kendricks is their guy. b.) He hasn’t played for the Browns yet. c.) He was charged in PA.

So with that said:

WHAT AN IDIOT. WHAT A FUCKING MORON.

Financial gurus, Wizards of Wall Street, Stock Market mavens, cannot commit insider trading and get away with it. Yet this NFL linebacker thought he could? Ok bud, how’d that go?

It would seem like Kendricks “entrusted a friend” to “help him cheat the stock market” and “really regrets he got caught”. The best part is he is so up shits creek with the Feds that he is blatantly and fully admitting it. Full on “ya got me”. Which means between this, again, NFL linebacker and a Harvard MBA/Goldmans employee they couldn’t commit insider trading good enough to even leave a smidge of reasonable doubt. I mean it’s borderline impressive.

So Mychal Kendricks joins the Burress-Vick club of former NFL players to take a vacation at Club Fed. Or pay a steep fine wiping out his net-worth which he’ll probably regain some of because he’ll only have an 8 second suspension. It’s not like he may have deflated footballs after all.

Delta Air Lines to Connect Worcester and Detroit

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Boston Herald – Delta Air Lines will begin a nonstop flight between Worcester and Detroit next year in a move that officials say will offer MetroWest travelers convenience and boost the city’s economy.

The flight between Worcester Regional Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines and will give passengers more than 100 connecting opportunities, both domestic and international, according to the airline and the Massachusetts Port Authority.

 

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I’m shocked to hear that Delta Air Lines will be operating this flight. A direct flight between Worcester and Detroit had Southwest written all over it. Want to fly from Boston to Tampa? Have fun connecting in Chicago. Want to fly from one second-rate city to another, like Milwaukee to Cleveland, nonstop? You’re in luck with Southwest!

Look, I’m all for regional airports offering travelers more options. Let the free market do its thing. I fly a lot and more options means lower prices for everybody. Looking at the Worcester Regional Airport flight board today, it looks like JetBlue has two flights going to Florida from there today. If I were going to Disney I would take a hard look at Worcester. I just can’t imagine many folks were clamoring for more options to get to the Motor City.

“People will be able to fly to Detroit and, from there, to San Francisco, Las Vegas, China, Japan,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “It’s a good option for people in MetroWest.”

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That’s where you lose me, Tommy. If Detroit’s not my final destination, no way I am flying out of Worcester to get there via Motown. I’ll gladly pay the toll and sit in hours of traffic on the Mass Pike if it means not having to spend twenty minutes at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Subway.

At least the people on the flights from Worcester to Detroit will have rows to themselves. No chance these flights will be more than half full. So we’ll see how long this lasts. Hopefully it’s part of a bigger plan to eventually attract airlines with more enticing destinations. Let me know when know I can fly from Worcester to San Diego, Phoenix or Vegas in the middle of winter and then I’ll start making plans.

In the meantime, I’ll bet Larry Lucchino is a happy man today.

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Blockbuster to Honor Last Remaining Store With Its Very Own Craft Beer

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Yahoo – Remember the excitement you felt as a child when your parents brought you to Blockbuster to rent all of your favorite movies? Well, now you can tap into that feeling as an adult with a Blockbuster beer.

While the video-rental company is now down to its last store in Bend, Ore., it seems like people aren’t ready to completely let it go extinct. Instead, those behind the company have teamed up with 10 Barrel Brewing Co. to create a craft beer in its name — quite literally — dubbed the Last Blockbuster. And according to the brewing company’s co-founder Chris Cox, it’s made to pair well with your favorite movie theater snacks. “The Last Blockbuster beer pairs perfectly with buttery theater popcorn and your favorite movie-size chocolate, with a light body, smooth finish, and hints of nostalgia,” Cox told Business Insider.

Well if this isn’t the greatest marketing promotion of 2018 then I don’t know what is. Apparently, the only Blockbuster left in the country is in Bend, Oregon. They must be falling like dominoes because we actually wrote about one of the other last remaining Blockbusters recently. How this store stays in business is beyond me. After kicking it around with Big Z the only explanation we could come up with is that internet is shit out there so streaming Netflix isn’t a viable option.

Either way, a nearby brewery, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., is honoring the last samurai of VHS rentals by brewing up a custom beer.

As a fan of all things obscure, nostalgic, and limited edition promotions, I am sitting at my desk just going back and forth between browsers looking at prices of flights to Oregon.

But, since we’re in the trust tree here I’ll just say it; Blockbuster is dead. They went from THE place to be on a Friday/Saturday night for everyone that grew up in the 90s to an afterthought. Netflix took them out behind the shed and put a bullet in them after Blockbuster failed to innovate and got passed by. In fact the Blockbuster CEO actually passed on the opportunity to buy Netflix for a measly $50 million when Reed Hastings approached him. Netflix is valued at over $150 BILLION today. Woof.

Its always risky to buy/sell a company in its infancy, but I am forever hesitant to ever sell any company I have any stake in solely because of the Justin Timberlake speech as Sean Parker in The Social Network.

ANYWAYS

The greatest thing about marketing is branding and Blockbuster seems to be throwing up a couple of Hail Marys with promos like this. They’ll obviously never be a billion dollar business renting out VHS tapes ever again, BUT if they can play on nostalgia and keep that BRAND alive then they could rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

I don’t know what that move is, but its been done before. Hell, Sears’ stock just went through the roof earlier this week after it was announced they had signed a deal with Amazon to offer a ship-to-store tire service. This is after we’ve heard nothing but bad news and how Sears is shuttering more and more locations. Its called pivoting and call me crazy, but I think Blockbuster could do it. Thats the power of branding. I haven’t been in a Blockbuster in 15 years, but goddamnit do I remember walking those blue and yellow aisles vividly to this day.

It’s too bad this is happening all the way out in Oregon because if it weren’t 2,900 miles away from Boston I would consider making the trek to the lone remaining Blockbuster to taste this fine brew. Its reasons like this we need to invest in a company credit card for The 300s.