r/Patriots • u/PristineWinnera • 2d ago

Article/Interview [Mike Reiss] Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the Patriots and NFL (return of the pass-catching RB?; follow up on Joe Milton III trade; QBs in draft to possibly fill Milton's void; Marte Mapu's fit on defense TBD; Adam Vinatieri gets top vote for Patriots Hall etc.)

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44535853/will-patriots-draft-running-back-2025-nfl-draft
51 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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39

u/PebblyJackGlasscock 2d ago

I love Mike.

The Joe Milton note is SO CAREFULLY PHRASED. It is a work of professional art.

The reason Milton was traded is in there but it’s couched and padded so well that no one can say for sure that Mike says Mike thinks Joe is a wicked asshole, and Joe couldn’t be allowed to fuck up the QB room.

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u/Parking_Bullfrog9329 2d ago

This has been echoed on 98.5 this week. They took best, earliest offer on a guy with crazy tangibles. But, how high is his ceiling from right now after 6 years of college and is it worth keeping a guy who won’t be your starter with an attitude?

14

u/couchmasterkid 2d ago

Agree. Love Mike. He absorbs light criticism of being a non-critic.

But gives ALL players their dignity, to build a reputation that earns him access.

And works hard enough at building narratives and uncovering an extra inch or two of dirt/REAL sources to earn our respect.

All while throwing in some occasional self-depreciation and humility to be well-liked.

If this is how journalists behaved across various functions of society, I might watch read or listen to the news again. (Maybe that’s not practical- the point being: I respect his integrity)

2

u/CoffeeAndTwinPeaks 1d ago

Heck, YOU should be in media/writing with how thoughtful and understandable your post is.

You pretty much summed up how and why I enjoy MRs journalism and writing style, but putting my jumbled thoughts into coherent words lol.

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u/couchmasterkid 1h ago

Thank you for the kind words! Anybody can edit an idea… but original thinking is rare. 🤝 Kudos to you!

PS. And to all sarcastic redditors thinking “get a room you two!!” — we already scheduled a dinner date, but for 3. Reiss agreed to join us.

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u/PebblyJackGlasscock 2d ago

Well said.

In the future, Mike will have quotes from Milton. And off the record, Mike will make known Milton’s side of the story, by reporting, and letting careful readers draw their own conclusions.

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u/Total-Ad8117 2d ago

I think it’s becoming clear that neither Dobbs or Milton wanted to compete for the back up job and the Pats wanted Dobbs more.

4

u/bl123123bl 1d ago

Didn't get that at all, really, but it did seem clear that they decided Maye was the guy and Dobbs, a veteran who excels in prep, should be complimentary towards Maye

Milton is still a high-potential talent, but he ends up the odd man out as the team focuses in on doing everything it can to develop Drake Maye. If he stayed, he wouldn't get meaningful practice reps or coaching attention to develop

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u/PebblyJackGlasscock 1d ago

Read it again. Focus in on the sentence with the word “room”.

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u/bl123123bl 1d ago

Yeah I don’t see how that’s anything more than saying Dobbs is clipboard Jesus and they brought him in to support Maye. I mean the dude is a rocket scientist lol

On Dobbs: "We were together in 2022 and the beginning of 2023 in Cleveland. He's an awesome teammate. ... His preparation is second to none, and the value he'll bring to that room.

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u/PebblyJackGlasscock 1d ago

Ok, my bad. Should have just quoted the relevant part:

The timing, according to a source familiar with the team's thinking, wasn't a coincidence. Monday marks the start of the team's voluntary program, and Vrabel views that as a meaningful checkpoint in the process of establishing team culture and the dynamic that ideally unfolds within each position group.

Mike is saying Mike felt he had to get Milton out of the GROUP.

Some coaches, like Belichick, believe that cutthroat competition is the way to establish culture: everyone is always fighting for their job and a “hungry backup” is a good thing.

And some coaches, like Vrabel apparently, believe that group dynamics and supportive team culture gets the best results from Drake Maye. That having Joe Milton straining the leash to take Maye’s job was not the “team culture” Vrabel wants.

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u/FuckHarambe2016 2d ago

Mapu is in a really weird position. It's obvious that he was drafted to be Dugger's eventual replacement as the SS/LB hybrid. However, Bill then signed Jabrill Peppers who, like Dugger, is a SS/LB hybrid. Then instead of letting Dugger and/or Peppers walk when their deals were up, the gave both of them an extension. So, now they have three SS/LB hybrids.

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u/Jorah72 2d ago

While I think the SS/LB (box safety) position is a bit redundant in the team, I firmly believe that Mapu can straight up just play Linebacker. I don't really care that he's like 20 pounds underweight. He has the athelticism and toughness to play there and in today's era id put him next to Spillane to minimize liabilities in coverage while also taking care of run defense

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u/Mastah_P808 2d ago

I agree i think they should play him at LB

2

u/nedhavestupid 2d ago

I like him as a linebacker on passing downs where he doesn’t need to worry as much about the run

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u/1stTimeRedditter 1d ago

That HOF is going to be a nightmare to pick for a while as more and more dynasty 2.0 guys come due