Derek Havens and Steve Balestrieri talk to CLNS Media writer Taylor Kyles about the New England Patriots offseason, along with his thoughts heading into this 2024 Patriots season.
Taylor is a great guest! Good show. I'm concerned with the LT situation. Wallace seems like a nice enough prospect if a bit naive. Okorafor has been competent as a RT but seems to be much more realistic to the challenge of flipping to the LT position. I do think it will work out for both but it will take at least a third of the season. I do not want Maye going in until Oko or Wallace get reasonably comfortable with their new position. Better to put in Zappe or Milton in if he does.
One thing that I think will play a huge role is that a fumble punishment shouldn't be as severe. It seemed like alot of people played to not make mistakes rather than to make plays. If players know that they won't go into a 4 game doghouse I think it will allow them to more care free, so to speak.
Definitely agree. Obviously ball security is important, but for a player to miss extended time, at least based on what we’ve seen previously, felt a little excessive. Guys need the opportunity to try and redeem themselves, and there are situations where their absence due to the punishment ended up hurting the team. At the same time, guys who repeatedly can’t hold onto the football would certainly be a different story and would need to be dealt with accordingly. But definitely agree, and it’s hard not to be curious to see how that ultimately plays out under this new coaching staff.
