Tag: Super Bowl 53

Matthew Slater and Julian Edelman Used to Be Roommates and the Modern Day Odd Couple

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ESPN – Edelman was so worried about saving money early in his career that he and teammate Matthew Slater rented a house in Foxborough together and lived like college kids, sharing expenses and household chores. “He was a terrible roommate,” Slater joked Sunday night. “Didn’t take the trash out, always leaving dishes around.”

But Slater didn’t mind, in the long run, because of the conversations they often ended up having late into the night, sharing their doubts and fears about living on the margins of an NFL roster. In 2011, when the Patriots asked Edelman and Slater to shift to the defensive side of the ball, they figured it was a bad sign for their career prospects.

“That was a pretty low point,” Slater said. “We just kept telling each to keep working hard, keep believing we can do this, and maybe one day it will work out for us. … To see us go from a couple of California kids living together to try and save a buck to him being the Super Bowl MVP is pretty special.”

Edelman liked living with Slater so much that, after four years, when Slater got married and decided to move out, Edelman told him to ask his wife if he could have a room in their new place.

“My wife was like, ‘No way are we living with Julian,'” Slater said. “And Julian was like, ‘No, tell her we can make this work.’ But seriously, I love him like a brother, man. My wife loves him. My kids love him. He’s been there for so many big moments in my life. I’m so appreciative for our friendship.”

I don’t know how I never knew this, but the visual of Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater living together in a Foxboro apartment is laugh out loud funny.

Can you imagine these two living together? They just seem like polar opposites, especially earlier in their careers. Slater has always seemed to be like the dad of the group, even as a young guy. Just a really nice, clean cut, wholesome, professional, polite, do your job kind of guy.

Whereas Edelman has always been the bearded bad boy, packing lips on the sidelines:

Laughing in the face of (probable) concussions

And let us never forget the Fabio situation Edelman had going on with some wicked lettuce.

I know the two are absolute gluttons for anything football so they probably stayed up late talking about game tape every night, but I’m just picturing Slater trying to make a nice quiche while Jules has empty Skoal cans laying all around the apartment. Does not seem like a match made in heaven, but hey its what makes us different that makes us great.

Roommate bonds are forever though. For better or for worse. After living with another dude it’s like you went to war together. War on exorbitant rent prices, hellacious commutes, getting too drunk on a school night, all those experiences are the ties that bind us. Just look at Slater when he learns his former roomie in Jules is going to be the Super Bowl MVP.

Odd Couple? Most definitely, but still just a couple of best buds that have reached the pinnacle of their profession winning three Lombardy trophies together.

PS – Years later, I still refuse to believe this Hannibal Burress GIF isn’t actually Matthew Slater on a bye week.

The 300s Live Super Bowl Sunday Podcast Now on iTunes

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The 300s Podcast was LIVE at Oak Square Liquors in Brighton on Super Bowl Sunday previewing the game, the prop bets, fan predictions, and we even diverged into some NBA Super Team talk, and MLB Hot Stove (or lack thereof) discussions. Lets GO!

Listen to The 300s Podcast on:

ALL the Highlights from the Patriots Super Bowl Parade

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Considering I dutifully honored the national holiday that is the day after Super Bowl Sunday, I was not in a great position to go to the Pats parade. BUT thankfully the internet is here to live stream every second of the damn thing, so below are some of the highlights if you too were stuck in the cubes yesterday.

Tomorrows. The. Day. The 300s Podcast LIVE….Oh and the Super Bowl Too

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I know you’ve all been waiting months and months for this. The Patriots. The Rams. Tom Brady. Jared Goff. Bill Belichick. Sean McVay. Red. Big Z. Mattes. Joey B. The 300s Podcast LIVE on Super Bowl Sunday might be the most ambitious crossover event in entertainment history. Come stop by Oak Square Liquors in Brighton from 1-3 pm to see the boys chopping it up, make your predictions, and win some free stuff. Or if you’ll already be glued to your couch, no worries because you can catch us on Facebook LIVE as well.

So keep an eye on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for all the updates and behind the scenes of The 300s Podcast live event!

PS – Rumor has it the person that predicts the final score of the game will even win a 30 rack (or just a gift card if thats frowned upon by the ABC).

SUPER BOWL WEEK DISTRACTION BLOG – Let’s Talk Some 2019 NFL Draft (Senior Bowl)

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So I am not sure if I’ve mentioned this on the blog before but I am a recovered NFL Draft nerd. I guess I just like the research/analysis part and then getting to take a guess based on it. It started when I was a Sr. in high school and had a ton of time on my hands to be honest. I’m no longer into it even close as much as I used to be, but I still like to pop in and out this time of year, learn the big names and those of a couple of sleepers, and have some talking points should such a conversation arise at a bar or function.

One overlooked and sort of not as recognized part of the draft process is what is referred to very unofficially as “pre-draft” activities. The combine is the most well known part but I almost consider that as a beast of its own. There are actually a couple of additional “all star” games that take place. Leading up to these games are about a week of practices which are arguably even more important than the games as scouts can really view a players skill-set in a competitive setting but out of the chaos of a football game. Both of these games (there may be more, I don’t know them), the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game, are open to those who are four years removed from H.S, Seniors and redshirt Juniors. The East-West Game also actually allows Canadian college players to come play as well, which is cool. These games are designed for players who think that some extra burn in front of scouts can really elevate their “draft stock” or get them drafted in general. Therefore, you’ll see a lot of players from smaller schools attend to get some eyes on them.

The Senior Bowl occurred last week so let’s break down some names that stood out, for better or for worse……

THE GOOD

Daniel Jones, QB, Duke – Now that Justin Hebert has decided to go back to school like an IDIOT, WHAT AN IDIOT, there is a battle to be the top QB in this draft. While a lot of folks anointed Dwayne Haskins after he declared. Jones Senior Bowl performance may have put him over. He has ideal size and arm strength and seems like he’ll translate into a “pro’s pro” when it comes to preparation.

Montez Sweat, Pass Rusher, Mississippi St. – He has a beast first step to go with size, length, and agility. He probably broke into the top 20 with this performance as he was already a 1st rounder before this.

Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina – Samuel is a brick shithouse of a WR who is now being looked at as having solid complimentary receiver potential in the NFL. In a passing league that requires more than one option, Samuel will be an appetizing 3rd-5th round pick. His build should often help him block in the running game, something a lot of teams are now leaning on their receivers to do more as they deploy 4 at a time.

The Bad

Will Grier, QB, West Virginia – This is the only one I got for this. Will Grier just looked like shit, which sucks. I loved watching him in college but he has a Pennington-esque noodle arm.

So that’s it. I hope it distracts you from nothing important happening this weekend. Stay calm my friends.

-Joey B.

 

Win or Lose Super Bowl LIII, Tom Brady Will Be Back Next Season

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With a tumultuous offseason that saw Tom Brady skipping OTAs and going on a world tour to promote TB12, coupled with the reports of tension between him and Bill Belichick, there was plenty of speculation that 2018 could be Brady’s last season. Don’t get it twisted, Tom Brady is my favorite athlete of all-time, but it would be a gigantic dick move to retire a year after essentially forcing the Patriots to trade away his young replacement in Jimmy Garoppolo. Brady was incredible last season; he was the MVP of the league and brought the Pats to the brink of another Super Bowl title in 2017, but it would be fair for fans, not to mention Robert Kraft, to be a little pissed if Brady left the team high and dry like that with no succession plan in place.

I never thought I’d see the day I wrote this, but it looks like Devin McCourty may retire before Tom Brady does. The GOAT seems to have outlasted yet another teammate a decade plus younger than him. Incredible.

Now, Brady has long said he wanted to play into his mid 40s, but he then released the mini-series Tom vs Time that literally ends with him openly questioning his love of the game and why he’s still doing it.

Soo it was naive at best, disingenuous at worst, for Tom Brady to wonder why people would question his commitment to the Patriots now. However, Brady put that to bed and triple stamped a double stamp this week when he told ESPN that there is a 0% chance he’ll retire after Super Bowl LIII. I don’t know about you, but I breathed a sigh of relief and I’m a guy that thinks Brady will play until he’s collecting social security. It’s just nice to know that when Sunday night comes and I am screaming and resisting the urge to kick a hole through my TV in what will undoubtedly be another stress filled game, it’s nice to know that I won’t also have to be worrying if this is the last time I ever see No. 12 on the field.

Will Tom play play until he’s 45? He’ll be 42 when next season starts, which means he’d have to play another 3+ seasons to hit that mark so I don’t know about that. But, he still looks better than the majority of quarterbacks in the NFL over longer stretches and is still the best in the NFL in clutch, gotta have it situations. So he should be in no rush to retire.

TB12 will always be there. Tony Robbins will always be there. But the NFL won’t.

So for now Tom Brady is still the King in the North and is my quarterback from this day until my last day.

SUPER BOWL WEEK DISTRACTION – Breaking Down Gronk’s Senior Basketball Profile

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Blogger’s Note: I meant to start these yesterday as we lead up to the game on Sunday. This is the most stressful week of (almost) every year and we could all use a distraction or 7. This one is Pats-related but  I promise the remaining three will be absolute nonsense and will take your mind off things….

To leverage one of the most prolifically used, intoxicating television quotes of all time, “He is a loathsome, offensive brute. Yet I can’t look away.”

That line, first used to describe not just a painting, but a perfect encapsulation of the essence of Cosmo Kramer, also applies seamlessly to this Portrait of a Young Gronk. From the head to the answers to the rest of the pose, this would give an alien who randomly landed on earth this very day an accurate representation of what the greatest TE of all time was and grew to be.

To start with the picture, I’d like to first point out that Gronk barely ages. If you look at this picture and then a picture of him now, his shaven head, which is a choice, is really the only difference. I’m sure people would point to other features of his face, but what I see is a kid still half asleep at probably 8:00am, dragged into a gym and told to put his uniform on for team pictures. The Gronk abides. Then we get to the hair. I have no doubt Gronk’s hair looked exactly like this all through high school. Papa G would agree this is known as the “Mark Hoppus circa 2004”. In Gronk’s case however, he isn’t a pop punk God who just tapped into his love for the Cure, he’s a 17 year old man-child pre-programmed to dominate varsity athletics and who doesn’t care what his hair looks like because it will either be smashed inside a helmet or matted with sweat at some point in the day any way. Probably multiple times.

Then there is the pose. HO MAN the pose. Can you imagine the energy that radiated through Robert James Gronkowski when he found out that he was invited to give everyone a sneak peek to the gun show on an otherwise unremarkable week day morning? He probably found some small dumb bells, or some resistance bands, or a freshman and got a few quick sets in to give himself some pump and tone. He through on that jersey and flexed, giving his best Blue Steel for the camera. Amazing.

Finally we have his answers. His “parents’ names” are, I suppose, not noteworthy if it wasn’t for the fact that they weren’t a bit out place. In 2019 that would be called a majjjjjor info sec breach. For “college choice” not only does Gronk peacock that he is leaving the dreary Northeast for the University of Arizona, but he is doing it on a full athletic scholarship. I can imagine he actually told the person asking him these questions (0% chance he wrote them out himself) something like “full boat for football” and the transcriber cleaned the answer up a bit. No harm no foul. Then comes the last question. The piece de resistance. Rob Gronkowski’s “hobbies”. I mentioned he was a pre-programmed sports machine and indeed he mentions sports as his #2 hobby.  That is, of course, only because #1 is working out, i.e preparing to dominate in said sports more efficiently. Then comes #3. The last but certainly not least. Chicks. Nothing in particular. Just chicks. Gronk like to talk about them. Gronk likes to talk to them. Gronk likes to do un-Christian things with them in back seats. It is and always will be his passion, his calling. If Belichick ever got him to take a vow of celibacy he’d probably go off for 120/1800/25 every year. He was close as it is.

So that is it folks. Your daily distraction in the form of breaking down a hoops profile of a young Gronk. Yo soy fiesta indeed.

-Joey B.