In Case You’ve Been Under a Rock: Peter Barrett is a UFC Fighter

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“Dana White is my boss.”

I only got off the phone with our friend Slippery Pete a few minutes ago, but that line is what is sticking in my brain. He survived a rough first round and pulled off a textbook escape from an arm-bar to drag Sang Hoon Yoo into deep waters, grinding the South Korean down while tagging him with straight punches and spinning back fists.

He sounded a mixture of tired, contemplative, yet completely at easy in the five minutes we spoke. He spoke in the same manner in which he emoted in the cage: this is where he is meant to be. So take a second and enjoy my catch up with the UFC’s newest practitioner of highly calculated violence.

Joey B. and Mattes Chop It Up About the Patriots’ Chopping Block

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Joey B: Ok Mattes, here we are.

To kick this off. Who do you see, Good performance or not, off the Pats roster after this game?

Mattes: Brian Hoyer. While a lot of people may be averse to placing so much confidence in the preseason play of a rookie QB, the fact is that Jarrett Stidham has looked pretty sharp. This is also a kid who was once viewed as a first- or second-round pick before a “down” season at Auburn last year. And above all, there are too many other depth questions at other positions throughout the roster to keep three QBs – something, by the way, that Belichick has done only TWICE in the past decade. It would just be straight foolish. I’d much rather keep an extra WR or DL than keep a mediocre-at-best backup QB who may never even need to see the field. I’d actually be pretty pissed if they do keep Hoyer. There’s no reason for him to be here anymore.

Joey B:  Agreed 100% on Hoyer. My only caveat would be I could see them keeping until after final cuts, which gives him less of a chance of getting snatched up right away and us a better chance of resigning him should something to Stidham or….I’m not saying his name.

I personally think it’s curtains for Duke Dawson. Despite his size and balls skills he just never has been able to actually cover anyone. Much like your stance on Hoyer, why keep an extra player here when we could use depth somewhere else.

You mentioned the WR group. Give me your 5 and 6 man versions of our corps after this week. Who stays and who goes?

Mattes: I agree; I don’t expect them to cut Hoyer tomorrow. In fact, I could see them trying to trade him to someone first. (Maybe the Colts?? I mean, they already have one former Pats backup QB, so why not another?) And I totally agree on Dawson, too. He was a real talented kid coming out of Florida, but injuries set him back pretty far, and there is just too much talent and depth at the corner position otherwise. Especially with guys like Jonathan Jones and Keion Crossen (one of my guys I said to watch in camp this year) playing so well – not to mention rookie JoeJuan Williams – I just don’t see how Dawson makes the final cut.

My prediction for the final group at wide receiver is as follows: Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers, and Demaryius Thomas. Some may be surprised to see Thomas, who just got back onto the field this week, make the roster, but apparently the team loves him. He’s a great veteran influence in a very young/inexperienced group outside of Jules, and I think they want to see if the former perennial Pro Bowler still has something left in the tank before cutting bait. Also, people might be shocked to see Berrios not make the cut. To be honest, though, he really hasn’t done much to stand out this summer, and there are even reports that he’s struggled mightily in terms of getting past coverage and muscling through defenders in practice. He’s displayed some solid punt-return ability, but to this point he’s not really proven why he’s any more special than any other “slot guy with potential” throughout the league. Hopefully the Pats get lucky and can slide him to the practice squad, because there’s some potential there. But I don’t think he’s quite NFL ready yet.

Joey B: No arguments here, I don’t think Berrios makes it either. He just hasn’t panned out plain and simple. Also, am I wrong in remembering he has actually muffed a punt or two aside from his decent returning resume so far?

The only threat to Thomas might be Gunner Olszewski. the team seems high on the kid and he has that “scrappiness” they like. If they don’t keep him then definitely expect them to try and stash him on the practice squad.

The other overload of players I see us having is on the D-Line. Any surprising stayers or goers there?

Mattes: I just can’t see Olszewski making the cut. He’s a cool story, but he’s a flash in the pan. Maybe he’s another one who can sneak onto the P-squad or something.

And there aren’t really any big surprise cuts that I’m expecting. I would’ve said Duron Harmon, because while he has been a solid role player in the secondary for years, I think he’s hit his ceiling and perhaps the staff might’ve been willing to try and get some more young talent on the roster. Further, I think newcomer Terrence Brooks has already won the staff over, and he’s a special teams stud. However, with the whole Pat Chung situation, I think Harmon is pretty much a lock to make the team now.

One surprise roster “make,” though, is DT Byron Cowart. Cowart is a former five-star recruit who the team drafted in the fifth round out of Maryland this year. Due to being misused by the coaching staff and other “issues,” he slipped a bit in the draft, but he has been a monster this summer. He really broke out against the Titans in the second preseason game, and scouts around the league are saying the Pats might have nabbed one of the biggest steals of the draft with him. Especially after the team cut bait with Mike Pennel last week, I’m excited to see what this Cowart kid could do with this opportunity.

Joey B: Hmm Harmon would be a surprise. He’s just always been rock solid and I think between him and the snaps J.McCourty has seen at Safety the Pats have any Chung absence covered. I can’t see them entrusting a newcomer like Brooks with the magnitude of Chung’s role.

Cowart has indeed been a stud. He might take Derek Rivers spot which is kind of a shame considering his promise coming out.

I kicked this thought around with Friend Of The Blog, Patty B., but I think Phillip Dorsett could be a surprise cut. I have no tangible evidence to support this, but Dorsett has always been a “one or two big plays” guy rather than a steady presence and so I wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Pats lets him go in favor of one of the young guns. I hope not though.

Either way things are going to get interesting over the next week. Hold onto ya butts.

 

 

 

 

What Would Your Walk Out Music Be?

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There is nothing cooler in sports than the walk out music for a defending champ as the lights are off or when the music blasts as a closer jogs in from the pen to save the game. Whether its something grave diggers would listen to like Mariano Rivera’s “Enter Sandman” that ruined so many nights of my childhood or an A+ inside joke like Christian Yelich using “Roxanne.”

So the question I posed to The 300s staff was what would your walk out/walk up music be?

Dom: Walk up song is “Electric Avenue,” no doubt. Been my ring tone since senior year of college and still haven’t gotten sick of it. It’s one of the catchiest tunes of all time.

Big Z: Payphone – Maroon 5

“All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I’ll be sick”

Perfect song for an unexpected hero who saves the day in the bottom of the 14th. I know if I’m in the big leagues I’m probably coming off the bench in an emergency situation. It’s not the movies. I’m a dirtdog who doesn’t get all the opportunities, but delivers in the clutch when it matters most.

Papa Giorgio: It’s a toss up between The Used – Pretty Handsome Awkward and The J Geils Band – Love Stinks if I was on any of the 29 teams that aren’t the Mets. If I was on the Mets it’d be the Somebody Kill Me please song from the Wedding Singer.

Lippa: I have always thought “Eminence Front” by The Who would be a great entrance for a closer. That song has such a great intro that keeps ramping up as the pitcher reaches the mound.

Joey B: I’m giving you three because Abraham Lincoln didn’t swoop down onto the battlefield on the back of a bald eagle and turn away the Mongolian hoards just for me to keep quiet.

1.) 2pac – “Hail Mary”
Just a true blue pump up song with an always riveting biblical reference. “I aint a killer but don’t push me/revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin pussy” might be the best opening line in terms of introducing yourself to an opponent.

2.) Lynyrd Skynyrd/Shinedown – “Simple Man”
Either version works and will make the hairs on everyone’s necks stand up.A moving explanation of the fact that the violence that you are about to inflict isn’t personal, just a basic instinct of a simple person.

3.) Thrice – “To Awake And Avenge The Dead”
This one is kind of out of left field. I can’t really categorize Thrice as a band. Sort of a melodic metal/punk/hardcore fusion. But the second that first chord rips you’ll be ready to run through a fucking wall.

Red: You can see the clear line of demarcation between the baseball guys and the UFC guys here as Joe and I are the only ones to pick music that makes you want to get suspended from high school. I went back and forth on this one with classics like “Til I Collapse,” and almost had to go with “Shook Ones Pt. 2,” but I had to go with one of the few songs from Eminem’s most recent album thats taken off; “Lucky You.” The subtle bells open the track followed by some bars from Joyer Lucas before that beat comes in HARD. Let me walk into that and get the hell out of my way.

Rob Gronkowski Launches a CBD Company

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WBZ – Rob Gronkowski’s “next chapter” involves a campaign to get professional sports leagues to loosen their restrictions on CBD products.

The retired former Patriots tight end announced at a press conference in New York City on Tuesday that he has partnered with Abacus Health to launch a line of CBD products, after Gronkowski said the products changed his life.

“I immediately made CBDMedic part of my recovery,” Gronkowski said of his post-retirement treatment. “And now for the first time in more than a decade, I am pain-free. And that is a big deal.”

Citing his countless injuries and his nine surgeries during his playing career, Gronkowski said he had no choice but to retire.

CBD is a tricky thing because it only became federally legalized in 2018 after the passing of the Farm Bill. Theres not a whole lot of government funded research to analyze and back up (or dispute) all of the claims of CBD benefits, which at this point in time are mostly anecdotal. Gronk is all in on CBD though and wants to make you a believer.

Right now there are two types of people in this country; CBD fanatics and people who think CBD is snake oil.

I wouldn’t blame people for thinking CBD is a bunch of bullshit because there are claims that it can help for everything from reducing pain and inflammation to improving sleep, reducing stress and anxiety etc. etc. Without a ton of studies available on CBD its easy to disbelieve if you aren’t a fan of it. However anyone that I’ve talked to who takes CBD swears by it. I’m personally a huge proponent of it. Could we all look back in 5 years and see it was basically a giant placebo effect? Sure, but if people at least believe its helping them then why not embrace it?

So we have a product that helps athletes with pain and recovery, is non-habit forming, and doesn’t get you high, yet its still banned by the NFL. Gronk is looking to change that.

CBD comes from cannabis which is derived from hemp, just without the THC, so its easy for people to circulate the “reefer madness” party line as to why you shouldn’t mess with it. But with more and more recreational marijuana shops opening up every day (seriously theres one right around the corner from my house that I didn’t even know about), its quickly becoming the norm.

Research and studies are coming and its not out of the goodness of their heart that the government will start funding it. No, its once they realize how much money there is to be made regulating it. CBD is in just about everything right now: oil, vapes, gummie bears, cookies, soda, coffee etc. So with regulation will come restrictions, but it will also weed out the people selling actual snake oil.

If you think this is just an athlete cashing an endorsement check then you need to watch the video below. Gronk nearly breaks down into tears discussing the pain he was in and how this product helped him get right.

Gronk did leave open the possibility for a return to football, but it sounds like he was so beat up that he couldn’t even enjoy winning the goddamn Super Bowl so I think a comeback is unlikely.

“I was in tears in my bed after a Super Bowl victory. … It didn’t make much sense to me,” Gronkowski said. “I couldn’t sleep for more than 20 minutes a night, after a Super Bowl win. And I was like damn, this sucks. It didn’t feel right.”

So heres to Gronk and the next chapter in his life. You gave us 9 seasons, 115 games, 79 touchdowns, 2 Super Bowls, and became arguably the greatest Tight End the NFL has ever seen all while beating the hell out of your body. Build a CBD empire, push for the NFL to legalize it, partner with Brady down the line on a TB12 CBD brand that will put GNC out of business. Sky’s the limit.

Patriots Center David Andrews Hospitalized in a Scary Situation

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ProFootballTalk – Patriots center David Andrews is dealing with a major health scare.

Andrews has been hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs his season is in jeopardy, according to Jeff Howe of TheAthletic.com.

Scary, scary shit man. I feel bad even addressing the football piece when it would appear Andrews’ health is so compromised. Needless to say, he has been instrumental to the Patriots success in the latest chapter in the Brady-Belichick era. He has quietly and dare I say, humbly locked down the Center position providing a steady hand for Brady to handle snaps from and identify defenses

Now he has blood clots in his lungs, which just sounds terrifying. Guy is just 27 years old and he’s dealing with something so daunting. I think I speak for everyone when I say the hell with the football part of things. Who cares if ever plays another snap. Let’s just hope he gets healthy.

Heal up big fella. We’re rooting for ya.

-Joey B.

From the South Shore to the Octagon: “Slippery” Peter Barrett Gets His Shot at the UFC On #DWTCS

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LETTT’S GOOOO. Fans of the site will remember Peter Barrett, who was nice enough to give us some of his time just before his last fight at Cage Titans XLIV. Well it turned out he gave us more time than Cage Titans because he knocked his opponent the fuck out in what felt like 2 minutes.

That performance was good enough to get Barrett a shot on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. He fights Sang Hoon Yoo tomorrow night for a shot in the big time. A couple weeks back as “Slippery” made his final prep, your boy Joey B got to hop in the cage with the man himself to talk a thing or two and chop it with him about his start in MMA, his career so far, and the biggest fight of his life. Enjoy.

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

What’d Barrett give Joey B for a grade after their training session?

More Thoughts on the Retirement of Andrew Luck

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When I saw this tweet Saturday night, I checked it five times to make sure it wasn’t from Adarn Schefter. I was just as shocked as everyone else when I saw the news. I knew Andrew Luck had battled injuries for most of his professional career, but he was coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. After missing all of 2017, Luck threw for 39 touchdowns and almost 4600 yards in 2018. But now that I’ve had a day to process the news, here are a few of my thoughts on the matter.

  • Anyone who questions why Luck is retiring instead of trying to battle through his injuries is a jackass. Here’s just the most blatant example of jackassery:

    That lazy millennial jab won’t go over too well with most of the people on this site either.

    Andrew Luck should not sacrifice one bit of his post-football quality of life for our entertainment. The people out there who think he owes it to the fans or his teammates to take a beating again this year should tell us how much fun they have at work the next time their job makes them     piss blood.

  • There seems to be a stark difference between the reaction to Luck’s retirement and the reaction to Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, and I’m not sure why. Both guys decided to hang ’em up at age 29 to avoid further wear and tear on their bodies. A lot of the scorn directed at Luck is likely due to the sheer surprise of his announcement. With three Super Bowl rings, fans probably believe Gronk had less left to prove. Still, Luck doesn’t doesn’t deserve any of the grief he is getting. No one should question either player’s decision to retire, but especially not people who didn’t question Gronk’s decision.
  • Again, Luck doesn’t deserve any of the grief he is getting but I can’t get too mad at fans booing. Luck said hearing the boos hurt and I believe him, but as Reggie Jackson once said, fans don’t boo nobodies. The fans that booed had to sit through a full preseason football game and likely hadn’t heard most of the details yet. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. Unless fans are booing a player getting carted off with an ACL injury, I try not to get too worked up over the appropriateness of booing.
  • Hindsight is 20/20, but do you think anyone in the Colts organization today regrets moving on from Peyton Manning when they did? Should they? Luck was supposed to be the future, the guy who would run the show for the next 13 years. Instead, they only got seven years and six seasons out of him. Peyton played four seasons in Denver, three at a very high level (including the best season of his career in 2013 at age 37), took the Broncos to two Super Bowls, and won them a Super Bowl in his final season at age 39. Imagine if the Patriots had decided to move on from Tom Brady after the season he missed due to injury. That of course seems laughable. Will people look back on the Colts decision to move on from the second-greatest quarterback of all time and find it almost as laughable?

Whatever’s next for you, Andrew…

Doug Gottlieb Blames Millennials for Andrew Luck Retiring, Torrey Smith Dunks on Him

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So as you are probably aware, Andrew Luck has indeed retired at the age of 29. The guy has dealt with a ton of injuries over the years and Luck himself inferred that he just couldn’t live his life the way he wanted to with the constant injuries, pain, and subsequent rehab so he decided to call it a career. No shame in that at all. Unless you’re Doug Gouttlieb and oh what a glorious dickhead Gottlieb is here.

You don’t even want to know how many stolen credit card jokes people were able to shoehorn into Gottlieb’s mentions, but Torrey Smith one shot KO’d him here.

The Twitter equivalent of the Conor McGregor Jose Aldo fight; over in 10 seconds.

Then Troy Aikman came in to straight up eviscerate Dougie.

Its bad enough to rag on a clearly broken down and conflicted Andrew Luck for retiring from the only thing he’s ever done because of things beyond his control. But then to lay it at the feet of millennials because its another thing we ruined? What a moron. Thats what Gottlieb does though, stirs the pot and just drops outlandish takes to generate some buzz. Rob Parker, Gottlieb, Max Kellerman, and Chris Simms must all get together once a month to drink wine coolers and drunk dial Skip Bayless asking for guidance.

The tweet is in bad taste, but its also just ill informed as more players retire younger and younger rather than continue to give themselves brain damage. Luck was been sacked 174 times in his career and has suffered injuries ranging from a concussion to lacerated kidney, partially torn abdominal muscle, torn rib cartilage, not to mention all the shoulder injuries that had him unable to THROW. Andrew Luck isn’t a dummy, the guy graduated from Stanford. So he knows how many NFL athletes play until their body gives out on them and deal with the consequences for the rest of their lives. Just like I said when Gronk retired, if you want to retire early with your health in tact then good for you.

Take a seat, Gottlieb.

Andrew Luck is Retiring

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TheScore – Quarterback Andrew Luck has informed tbd Indiapolis Colts he intends to retire.

Uhhhh what?

According to headlines Andrew Luck has told the Colts he’s done. And you know what? I don’t blame him.

He’s one of the most talented players of our time. But he’s always hurt. I guess he just didn’t want to do it anymore.

So farewell Andrew. You fucked our drafts.

 

-Joey B.

#RushHourRap – Logic – Homicide ft. Eminem (video)

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I don’t know what kind of obscure demographic/psychographic research you have to cross into as a fan of watching YouTube music videos, Rap, Logic, and The Sandlot…but shit thats me. Either way, the song is fire flames, but this music video shouldn’t work. It looks like a drunk MadLib on paper. So we’re going to have a music video that features zero artists performing with Squints from the Sandlot rapping and Eminem being played by Chris D’Elia while he raps in a murder cabin. 

That sounds like someone watched Em’s 3 AM video while high and then tried to recreate it for a student film with C list actors, but IT WORKS. Doesn’t hurt that the song bangs and oh ya Squints is a dead fucking ringer for Logic. Like Bobby might want to keep Squints on retainer for mall autograph sessions or to be his fall guy.