Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog

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Trading Places 1983

Today will be the final game of the season for the New England Patriots as they will either finish 3-14 and hold the #1 draft pick next season or they will somehow manage to beat the Buffalo Bills who are resting their key starters to get ready for the playoffs (although Josh Allen will start and play at least a few series to preserve his consecutive start record) finish 4-13 and have to settle for something in the top 8. (A tie will put them somewhere between the 2nd & 4th pick).

If you listen to sports talk radio in Massachusetts there is a lot of debate on the Patriots keep the #1 pick or trade down for multiple picks as they clearly have their QB with Drake Maye and there is some mild debate on if you sit Maye who took a nasty hit last week and start your #3 guy to see if he can do the job (and assure the pick) or play him because in theory you are trying to win a game.

But there is apparently NO debate on one thing. Every single sports station is INSISTING that Jerod Mayo must go due to the Patriots pathetic 3-14 season, in fact if he wins this game they would really call for his head for blowing the #1 pick in the draft.

While he is a rookie coach who has in fact made some rookie mistakes I want to point out two factors that the real drivers for the Dump Mayo movement can be explained by this quote from Baseball Owner Bill Veeck who famously said:

“You can draw more people with a losing team plus bread and circuses than with a losing team and a long, still silence.”

People often forget that primary job is not for a sports talk radio station to help the team win or to keep you informed. The primary job of a sports radio station is to get you to listen. So being consistent or making a proper case or not being an ass isn’t what counts, what counts is how many people can you get interested enough in what your talking about and who you’re talking with to turn the dial to your station or livestream.

So when you have an audience who got used to championship parades over the last 20 years and now have a 3-4 win team, you have a better chance of getting people to listen by creating a controversy and finding scapegoats for the mob to be set upon then you know, just talking about how much your players suck.

This is what this entire controversy is, simply talk radio trying to gin up interest and the primary evidence of this assertion I’m making was broadcast live by these very same stations a mere 18 weeks ago.

Eighteen weeks ago before the season started there was some debate on if the team should

• start the rookie QB Drake Maye right at the start (Baptism by fire)
• Sit Maye for the season (Watch and learn)
• Bring him in mid way (learn a bit then see what you have)

It was a good topic with valid points for all three of these opinions and made for not only good radio but a lot of varied opinions and arguments among hosts, guests and listeners.

There was however one topic that everybody, hosts, guests and fans seemed to agree on from day 1.

The Patriots were a 4 win team.

There was the odd guy who thought they might squeak out a fifth and there was one who said if they got all the breaks they may even manage 7 wins but 4 was the number that was constantly repeated. People looked at the schedule and saw this disaster coming.

By an odd coincidence these same Patriots coached by Bill Belichick the previous season finished with a 4-13 record. This was the same Bill Belichick that all of these same hosts insisted on air:

1. Was the greatest NFL coach of all time
2. Had to go
3. Should have been hired by the Cowboys or the Falcons this year.

Now maybe it’s just me but if you have the greatest coach of all time or at least a contender for the title and one who developed the greatest quarterback of all time it just might have been a good idea to keep him around to develop this new one but that’s a whole different argument. The real point I want to make is this:

If you take a team that was 4-13 the previous season under the greatest coach of all time, a team that you projected to win 4 games in the new season with the rookie coach and staff that you have, how is it credible to call for said rookie coach’s head because he finishes one game worse than the greatest coach of all time did with a similar or worse roster?

I’m sorry if Bill couldn’t take this batch of misfit toys beyond four wins you certainly can’t be screaming bloody murder if Jerod only manages three in his first year coaching them. Was it really realistic to expect him to so any better when you yourselves didn’t expect him to do so.

And given that your last first round quarterback development was hindered by three difference offensive coordinators in three years is it a really smart thing to play the same game with this QB?

Now if your goal is to create a winning team, then these points are relevant and should be made, but if instead your goal is to get people’s attention to your show when the team is a disaster area, then these point of logic go out the window, you want those fans in the stands with pitchforks and torches ready to storm the castle.

Rest assured if Mayo & company flub the upcoming draft and fail to manage to pick up and develop the offensive linemen Maye needs and do not acquire a solid 1 to 2 target for Maye to throw to and thus blow a season when you will have the easiest schedule in the league, then I might consider joining the mob storming the castle (or would if it was something important like baseball) but until then I see this coaching staff prove they can’t win with a better roster and a good young QB with a year under their belt I’ll stand pat.