Boston Exile

[TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome to Breaking Brad, cooking up only the hottest of takes this fine evening.

Going to start with some Los Angeles Lakers talk. According to ESPN, the Lakers finalized a deal to bring Utah Jazz guard Patrick Beverley to LA, in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.

Calling Patrick Beverley a Utah Jazz guard is a little misleading, since he finished last year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and spent quite a bit of time before that with the LA Clippers. But Beverley was in Utah because he was acquired in the Rudy Gobert trade.

GM Danny Ainge, who built today’s Celtics young corps along with the KG, Pierce, Allen Big 3 in Boston, is now with Utah and clearly wants to clean house. Will be interesting to see what happens with Donovan Mitchell.

But what’s even more interesting is the direction the Lakers seem to be moving with this trade. Like the Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers - lot of offensive talent, not enough defensive talent.

The Beverley addition adds a physical, get in your head, defensive presence that’s been missing from the Lakers for quite some time. And boy, he will make up for a lot. In the last five seasons, Beverley has held opponents to just shy of 42 percent shooting, the second best in the NBA among players who’ve defended at least 2,000 shots.

More importantly, Beverly is on an expiring contract next season for $13 million. That means after this season, the Lakers will have nobody on the books other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both with max contracts.

So, they could potentially bring Beverley back, if all works out, but the Lakers will have more than ample room to build whatever they’d like around LeBron and AD.

Now, the real question is, are the Lakers going for it all right now, or will the 2022-23 season be a bridge year. Well, that answer depends on what happens with Russell Westbrook (who by the way has a history of not getting along with Beverley, like many ball-heavy point guards).

I’ve been criticized on Twitter many times over the years for not being in the Russell Westbrook camp. Triple-doubles are fun, but point guard rebounds don’t win games in the NBA. They never have, and they never will. When the shot goes up, I want my point guard running to the hash mark so he can call for the outlet pass and spark the transition offense.

I also don’t want my point guard, the field general of the roster, to burn out their legs by the 3rd quarter, so they’re useless heaving up shots, turning the ball over and making poor decisions during the most important part of the game.

More people are realizing this, and I’ve noticed, those people chirping in my ear saying Russ is the best player in the NBA, have gone noticeably silent over the last few years.

Sure, he’s fun to watch play, no doubt about that. But he still can’t shoot, particularly from three, his usage is too high, he has two game modes: 110% and too tired to play well, and he’s not a great defender.

The Lakers, you have your point guard now. Look, Beverley is not going to jump off the page on the offensive side, but he’s not going to hurt you either. Sure, the Lakers still need a shooter, but that was never Russell Westbrook.

LA can’t win with Russ, he’s a liability, and they should do everything they can to trade him. The problem is, who is going to take him at his enormous salary?

LeBron James defended Russ, perhaps for morale reasons, saying he “can’t wait for him to go off this season!” But LeBron knows who Russ is, and he knows he’s stuck with him for another season.

Look, I like Russell Westbrook as a person. He’s a good guy, has had an enormous impact on the game of basketball, on the OKC community. But most people have accepted at this point, he’s a liability for their team. 

There may always be that 10% who put Westbrook up with Jordan, Russell, Kareem, Oscar Robertson. But as time goes on, those people look more and more ridiculous.

Alright, moving on.

The NFL season is just around the corner, and I’m a firm believer it’s never too early to make predictions. I won’t get into Super Bowl talk just yet, but here are my predictions for Week 1 of the NFL season, starting with . . .

The Bills vs. Rams: What a start to the season - you have the defending Super Bowl champs going up against the NFL’s best up-and-coming team, arguably the favorite to win it all this season. Because of that, I’m picking the Bills to win a close one, 27-23. Josh Allen rushes for two touchdowns, throws for 300 yards, and outduels Matt Stafford who may have health issues, and has a new offensive line in front of him that isn’t quite ready for that Bills defense.

Buccaneers vs. Cowboys: The Sunday night game on NBC. This will be Todd Bowles first game as head coach of the Bucs. I do think the Dallas defense will have some success getting to Brady, but I think Tampa’s defense will completely stop Ezekiel Elliott and at least contain Dak Prescott. The Bucs win 17-14 in a defense-heavy battle.

Patriots vs. Dolphins: As much as I would love to pick my Patriots, and shut up all the critics who say the Pats have no idea what they’re doing on offense, this is a tough one to make that argument. Even when the Pats are good and the Dolphins bad, they don’t win in Miami, especially early in the season when it’s 90+ and humid. New England’s defense looks a lot better, but I think they’ll struggle to keep up with Tyreek Hill, who will catch at least one deep bomb from Tua, and Mac Jones will be sacked at least three times due to an offensive line still learning the communication of a new offense. Dolphins win 24-17.

49ers vs. Bears: Although I’m skeptical about Trey Lance, I’m even more skeptical by the amount of talent, both players and coaches, being placed around Justin Fields. The Niners pummell the Bears 30-10 in a game that’s over midway through the first quarter.

Saints vs. Falcons: Despite the (maybe) retirement of Sean Payton, I’m expecting some continuity in New Orleans since that organization tends to be well run. Michael Thomas will be back, Chris Olave was picked up in the first round, Jameis Winston has something to prove. I’m not sold on Marcus Mariota on the Atlanta side, although I like Kyle Pitts and Drake London. 24-14 Saints, who run away with it in the 4th quarter.

Vikings vs. Packers: The Minnesota Vikings are one of the more underrated teams heading into the season. I think Kevin O’Connell is a great hire. They still have Justin Jefferson, they still have Dalvin Cook, and Kirk Cousins is still a competent quarterback. I think it may take some time for the Packers to get going, particularly with the loss of Davante Adams. That Aaron Rodgers contract is big, they don’t have a lot of room to bring talent around him. Vikings win 27-21 in an upset (that’s not really an upset in my opinion).

Browns vs. Panthers: Unless Cleveland pulls the trigger and trades for Jimmy Garoppolo, I’m just not sold on Jacoby Brissett. This should be an easy win for the Browns, but I think Baker Mayfield, who was recently named the starting QB for Carolina, is going to have something to prove against his former team. He’s really stepped into a leadership role, according to many reports. Baker keeps it together, only throws one pick, Christian McCaffrey goes off and the Panthers surprise the Browns with a 17-14 victory.

Steelers vs. Bengals: I really like the new offensive line the Bengals have managed to build around Joe Burrow this offseason. Cincy is a really good team, considering they nearly won the Super Bowl without a real o-line last year. I like what Pittsburgh is doing. I hope Kenny Pickett starts, I think he’s already earned it. George Pickens is another steal at the wide receiver position for the Steelers. But it’s too early, particularly against the defending conference champs. Bengals win 27-20.

Eagles vs. Lions: I know everyone has fallen in love with Detroit because of Hard Knocks. I think this will be a close game, but in the NFC East there’s the Eagles and there’s everyone else (sorry Cowboys fans). Philly now has A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts will have a solid game in the air and on the ground. Eagles win 20-17.

Colts vs. Texans: Last year, all Indy needed was a consistent, competent quarterback. They got that in acquiring Matt Ryan. Houston is still rebuilding, and they were outscored by the Colts 62-3 in their two games last season. Colts win fairly easily, 27-10.

Ravens vs. Jets: I think this will be a close game, not because I think the Jets are that much better, but because I think Baltimore is one of the more overrated teams heading into the season. Lamar Jackson went from MVP, to a top 10 quarterback. What do we get this year? Joe Flacco will likely start for the injured Zach Wilson, and he’s certainly out for revenge against his former team. But ultimately, the Jets come up short, 21-20 Ravens.

Jaguars vs. Commanders: There is a lot of buzz after the Jags acquired Doug Pederson to replace Urban Meyer’s hilarious lone season as head coach. Trevor Lawrence looks better, but so does Carson Wentz on the other side being coached by Ron Rivera. I’m expecting a very low-scoring game, with Washington ultimately taking the victory on a last-second field goal, 10-7.

Giants vs. Titans: Tennessee is in a weird limbo situation. I think fans expected more out of them last year after making a run the year before. Luckily, they’re playing the Giants in Week 1, in the beginning of the end for Daniel Jones’ time as a starter in the NFL. Titans win 27-14.

Chiefs vs. Cardinals: This is a tough start to the season for Arizona, who started so hot last year. Unfortunately, vibes are not great in Phoenix, after it was revealed their $230 million quarterback Kyler Murray has discipline problems, so much that studying had to be written into his contract. That was later removed, but at the end of the day, Kansas City is still Kansas City, they lost Tyreek Hill but added Juju Smith-Schuster. Chiefs win 34-24.

Raiders vs. Chargers: Many are expecting great things out of Las Vegas after adding Davante Adams and Josh McDaniels as their new head coach, and somehow Derek Carr went from underrated to overrated in a single offseason (I don’t really understand that). The Chargers, however, bring back a more experienced Justin Herbert (a potential MVP), and they’ve added Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson to that defense. I think the Vegas o-line really struggles, and the Chargers take the victory 24-21.

Last but not least, the Broncos vs. Seahawks: Russell Wilson returns to Seattle for one final show for the fans, against a rebuilding franchise. I’m not buying the Broncos just yet, but I am buying them for this game. Denver wins 24-13, in a game that was never really that close.

So, that’s it for my Week 1 predictions. Let me know if you agree or disagree

Now, before we leave, I want to end with this:

[VIDEO OF TERRELL OWENS RUNNING 40-YARD DASH]

That was Terrell Owens, who looks like he can still play, running a 4.38 40-yard dash. Mind you, he’s 48 years old. Tyquan Thornton, drafted by the Patriots this year, set a record at the Combine running 4.28, only a tenth of a second faster than Owens, who is 26 years older. Incredible.

That’s it for tonight’s episode. Will be back next week. Until then, this is Breaking Brad.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com

[TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome to Breaking Brad, cooking up only the hottest of takes this evening. Going to start off as usual with some football.

The New England Patriots had a much improved performance in their second day of joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the offense couldn’t do a damn thing, particularly the running game, as the offensive line is still having troubles adjusting to the new zone run offense, which is supposed to make things a lot easier, especially for new players coming in (Cole Strange, for instance, seems to be picking things up nicely), but there’s a lot of different communication elements we’ve never seen a Bill Belichick team deploy.

Once again, the Patriots offense seems to play at their best when running the hurry-up, two-minute offense. During the first two-minute period, Mac Jones hit DeVante Parker on screen, followed by completions to Jonnu Smith and Ty Montgomery (a very underrated pickup this offseason), before Nick Folk kicked a 47-yard field goal.

Then in the final two-minute drill, Hunter Henry caught a couple of balls, one on a deep seam route, and the other in the end zone. There were team celebrations, and it was a real bounce back from yesterday, although the two-minute period was really their only success in the first practice with the Raiders.

In other 11-on-11 drills, Jakobi Meyers made the catch of the day with an over-the-shoulder catch in the back of the end zone from Mac Jones. Meyers had a second touchdown later, and Ty Montgomery also added a TD of his own.

The defense, who were up and down on Tuesday (but still played much better than the offense), also had an improved performance in the second day of joint practices with the Raiders. Matt Judon, for instance, picked up a sack, a pass breakup and a run stuff, while Josh Uche and Christian Barmore added constant pressure.

Perhaps more importantly, Davante Adams, who single handedly tore up the Patriots defense on Tuesday, particularly corner Jalen Mills, looked like a normal human being. Mills broke up a pass to Adams, and forced incompletions guarding Keelan Cole and Tyron Johnson.

Myles Bryant, however, continued to struggle guarding Hunter Renfrow, but Jack Jones and Terrance Mitchell looked strong in one-on-ones. So, mostly positive news to report about the DBs.

Some other news, Isaiah Wynn worked with the athletic staff for most of practice, while Justin Herron filled his spot on the o-line. This is a bit different, it was Yodney Cajuste at right tackle, so the offense is mixing things up a little. Some are speculating whether or not Wynn is on the trade block, considering he’s in the last year of his contract and was basically downgraded from left tackle (the most important o-line position for protecting right-handed QBs), to right tackle. 

The Wynn stuff has been interesting - is he hurt, disgruntled, adjusting to a new role? We should find out more over the next couple of weeks.

Overall, a solid day of practice from the Patriots against a pretty good team, the Las Vegas Raiders (certainly better than Carolina last week). The energy was high, Mac Jones played well, the running game was able to do stuff, and Ty Montgomery really looks to be a solid running back/receiver that Belichick will be able to use in a number of ways.

The defense also continues to be the biggest bright spot for the Patriots this Training Camp, particularly their speed, depth and versatility. This is a pleasant surprise considering what happened in the Wild Card Playoffs against the Buffalo Bills in January, when they didn’t punt the football a single time all game.

[TGL GOLF VIDEO PROMO]

So, last week we reported that Tiger Woods was getting together with some of the top PGA golfers to find new ways to revamp the PGA, in a response to the Saudi-backed LIV Tour plucking players away and doubling their net worth in a single paycheck.

Well, Tiger works quickly. Either that, or the PGA had this up their sleeve for quite some time.

On Tuesday, Tiger and Rory McIlroy announced the launch of a new high-tech golf league in partnership with the PGA, called the TGL.

The TGL is basically a team competition that will take place each Monday night, over the course of 15 weeks, with a semifinal and championship round at the end of the season. This new competition will “showcase matches fusing advanced tech and live action from a custom-built venue.”

Each team will have three players, and there will be a grand total of six teams in the first season, so 18 golfers total. As of today, only Tiger and Rory have committed to the TGL.

Tiger said in a statement, “Embracing technology to create this unique environment gives us the ability to move our sport into primetime on a consistent basis alongside so many of sports’ biggest events.”

The TGL will not kick off until January of 2024, presumably providing LIV Golf enough time to move their sport into the Tron Legacy Universe.

Well, see if this works out. The PGA is also reportedly growing the tour championship purse, prize money and field.

It’s still too early to tell how successful LIV Golf will be, but they seemingly have an endless supply of money and are yet to acquire a television deal.

Either way, today’s announcements from the PGA prove one thing: competition is good. There’s no way the tour would have considered significantly growing prize money and adding a high-tech golf league if it weren’t for the LIV Tour.

At the end of the day, most people find golf to be very boring. This is a real opportunity to change that and bring in new fans to the sport.

Now, I know there are golf fans that won’t like this. If you think baseball fans are rigid when it comes to rule changes, think of how bad fans of the PGA are, likely with an average age of 72. Luckily, the PGA had the guts to try and grow their brand, instead of preserving their brand while LIV Golf has all the fun.

This is great news in my opinion. I hope it works out. More importantly, I want to see John Daly perform on a cyber golf course. That would be fun.

Okay, so last story of the day.

Major League Baseball has already released their regular season schedule for 2023, which I truly find to be hilarious. The NFL schedule release is like a major event. People are sifting through Twitter looking for leaks, trying to find out who the Cowboys are playing on Thanksgiving a day early. Meanwhile, baseball just releases their schedule in the middle of the night before the previous season is even over.

But like the PGA, baseball hasn’t been afraid to make significant changes, and next season’s schedule is certainly one of them.

All 30 teams are set to play, well, all 30 teams.

This will be part of a new balanced schedule that will provide fans more opportunities to see opponents they wouldn’t normally see - similar to what the NBA does.

Now, this will change the way division games are played. Instead of 19 games against each team within their division, teams will now only play 13 games against each team. And as a Red Sox fan, looking at the American League East this year, I couldn’t be happier to hear that.

Now, unlike the NBA, these changes won’t mean that every team will visit every city each year, but they will be guaranteed one series against each team from the other league.

Overall, each team will play 52 games against divisional opponents, 64 games against teams in the same league (the American League or National League), outside of their division, and 46 total games against interleague opponents.

Now, I understand baseball purists will not be happy about this. They’re still pissed they don’t get to see pitchers strikeout every nine batters, but ultimately this is the right move for a sport that’s been slowly dying since the heydey of the steroid era (when baseball was most fun).

While this is great news, I don’t exactly think it will bring baseball back. What we need to see is Major League Baseball put an emphasis on marketing their stars, not the teams.

Right now, there are two stars in baseball: Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Bryce Harper maybe. That’s insane. There has never been more elite talent. Baseball needs to learn that fans want to see the personality and foibles of some of the best players.

For example, Kyle Schwarber is having an incredible season. He’s second in the league in home runs, has a funny personality, and nobody outside of Philadelphia gives a damn. That needs to change.

But ultimately, this is a strong step in the right direction for America’s pastime.

Alright, that’s it for tonight. Be sure to click the subscribe button, like this video and hit the notification bell. Until next time, this is Breaking Brad.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com

For the second day in a row, the Patriots and Panthers fight at joint practice, this time leading to an injury. Plus, LeBron James signs an extension with the Lakers, and a review of some of the key games on the Celtics schedule just released.

The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers brawl it out at Training Camp, Tiger Woods organizes a "protest" against the LIV Tour, and EA Sports has a big announcement regarding the future of NCAA Football.

The New York Jets reveal the timeline for QB Zach Wilson to return. An update from Patriots Training Camp, NBA schedule leaks, and we talk Lamar Jackson's contract situation. Will he stay, or will he go?

With the first Patriots preseason game in the books, Brad reacts to what happened. Then, Kevin Durant names the Celtics as a preferred destination. Can Aaron Judge catch Roger Maris, or even Barry Bonds? And ominous Tom Brady news.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com

Kevin Durant gives Nets ownership an ultimatum. Will it work? 5 Fantasy Football mistakes to avoid this season. Roger Goodell appeals Deshaun Watson's suspension asking for more. And, the latest update from Patriots Training Camp.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bostonexile.substack.com