Tom Curran’s Patriots Talk Podcast

2:35 - Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry rank the Patriots offensive concerns after another unimpressive performance from that side of the ball against the Giants. They begin with tight end. Next up is the running game (6:25). And finally, the wide receiver corps (12:24).22:11 - With the trade deadline on October 29, the Patriots need to determine what they need and what they have to offer. Phil and Tom discuss the picks Bill Belichick could trade away and the players at tight end and wide receiver he could target.26:52 - Tom wonders if Michael Bennet will be traded or if he'll end up as a key member of the defense. He continues by explaining how the historic tear the Patriots defense is on is actually sustainable.32:26 - Rob Gronkowski or Tyler Eifert: Which player will be on the Patriots roster by Thanksgiving? WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1:52 - Tom Curran explains why he thinks the Patriots cut tight end Benjamin Watson. He believes that Bill Belichick is willing to make sacrifices on offense because of how good the defense is.12:11 - Matt Cassel jumps on the pod and gives his take on the disparity between the Patriots offense and defense.22:57 - Plenty of Patriots fans were criticizing Tom Brady's throw that resulted in a interception in the end zone on Sunday vs. the Redskins. Matt breaks down the play and explains how the play (minus the result) was by design.32:45 - Matt brings us back to the Patriots 2007 regular season finale vs. the New York Giants and how Tom Brady refused to leave the game with a perfect season on the line.You can leave a question or comment for Tom or Phil on Twitter (@tomecurran - @PhilAPerry), by leaving us a review on Apple podcasts, or by leaving us a voice mail to use in the show by calling 781-214-0753. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2:23 - Tom Curran and Phil Perry discuss the rumors surrounding Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs wanting to leave Minnesota. How would bringing in Diggs affect the Patriots cap, what picks would they lose and how often have other star receivers been moved midseason?20:11 - Phil breaks down the Patriots running game up to this point in the season and the inefficiency of Sony Michel in the zone run. Will this limit Tom Brady as one of the best play-action passers in the league?29:21 - The Patriots have brought in kicker Ted Nugent after Stephen Gostkowski was sent to the IR. Does the team's dominant defense mean they can settle for more field goals or will they have trouble trusting the new kicker in big spots?39:40 - Tom wonders if the Patriots have too many players that play strictly on special teams and if the organization should better allocate their roster spots. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2:51 - Tom Curran is joined by Matt Cassel to talk about his concerns with the depth at the wide receiver position and how it has affected Tom Brady's decision making.10:08 - Is this Patriots defense one of the best in NFL history? Despite New England facing four terrible offensive teams so far, Matt supports the claim.15:51 - The hit Jonathan Jones put on Josh Allen in Week 4 caused an uproar, but should it have?19:19 - Looking ahead to Week 5, Tom and Matt discuss how the Patriots will approach the Redskins' three-quarterback system as well as what to do with Stephen Gostkowski.29:41 - Tom is joined by Bills writer for the Athletic Tim Graham to discuss Sean McDermott's lack of poise following the Bills loss last Sunday. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3:00: Brady has struggled in Buffalo in the past. With an improved Bills defense, should we be concerned?(6:00) What strategy will the Patriots have on offense? Is this the perfect opportunity to depend on the run game? (10:30) Who is to blame for the Patriots run game not being successful so far?(15:00) Is the Patriots offense better this season than they were last year?(18:00) Are there any free agent WR’s the Patriots can bring in? Will the Patriots regret losing Demaryius Thomas? (24:00) Breaking down the challenges the Patriots will have when they face the Bills(27:00) Week 4 NFL Picks, who ya got?! WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

0:55 - To start off the podcast, Tom takes us step by step through happened in Foxboro after Antonio Brown's threatening text messages came to light. Tom also discusses how Tom Brady feels about Brown being released as well as Brady's most recent comments to Jim Gray about being an "employee" of the Patriots. 7:31 - Tom addresses the report from Ryen Russillo on if Bill Belichick acted alone in the signing of Antonio Brown9:00 - Matt Cassel joins Tom to talk about a variety of topics: (10:28) What it's like to be on the broadcast side of football this season, (11:52) Brady's comments to Jim Gray & having a different relationship inside a locker room with a teammate who has a troubled past, (17:07) Losing Julian Edelman to injury and how that affects the offense heading into Buffalo (21:27) What is the issue with the Patriots run game right now? (25:11) Is this Patriots defense everything it looks like it is? (29:46) Matt Cassel explains why he always enjoyed playing in Buffalo and talks his favorite and least favorite opponent stadiums to play in. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tom Curran and Phil Perry open up by talking about the recent run made by the Patriots defense, dating back to the tail end of last season.6:18 - Tom wonders if there even is a part of this defense that doesn't have enough depth or should worry fans.10:39 - Looking ahead to the lineup of opposing quarterbacks for the Patriots, it's hard to imagine their defensive won't continue on its historic pace. Tom and Phil discuss the easy path ahead for New England.15:19 - Tom compares the current defense to that of the 2004 Super Bowl Champion Patriots, looking at that team's first two games of the season and where they ended up. Phil analyzes the construction of each team's defense and how different times call for different strategies.27:14 - Tom riffs on the rules on quarterback protection after Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan was told by a referee in Week 2 to be careful with Tom Brady.33:23 - Tom is joined by stadium DJ for the Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins TJ Connelly to talk about adding color commentary at games through music. He also gets a peek into what Connelly has in store for the Gillette crowd for a tribute to the late Ric Ocasek. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1:36 - Tom Curran starts off by asking a simple question: 'What keeps Antonio Brown on this team?' As of now, it's the fact that he's valuable enough on the gridiron, but when will that not be enough?7:09 - Matt Cassel joins Tom to talk about a variety of topics: Antonio Brown's explosiveness making the Patriots offense look like that of the 2007 team; (14:38) How the offense attacks man vs. zone coverage; (21:41) How to approach Greg Williams' defense next week against the Jets; (27:25) and a pair of Hall of Fame debates.32:26 - Tom catches up with Kyle Van Noy after his season debut in Miami, talking about the linebacker's newborn son, the dominance of the Patriots defense and how Josh Gordon is getting more comfortable in New England. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

0:53 - Matt Cassel joins Tom Curran to talk about the Patriots beatdown of the Steelers in Week 1, how to approach the Dolphins in Week 2 and finally, what kind of impact Antonio Brown could have on the field if he plays in Miami.17:32 - Next up, Tom welcomes on Senior NFL Writer at Yahoo Charles Robinson to get into the details of the Antonio Brown situation. How much information did Drew Rosenhaus divulge to the Patriots and how could the league proceed?30:01 - Tom and Phil Perry go through their keys to victory for the Patriots vs. the Dolphins, including consistency in the offensive line, getting Sony Michel going and making sure Brown makes some sort of impact on the field. WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

0:43 - Tom Curran quickly reacts to the breaking news of Demaryius Thomas being traded to the Jets before getting into Antonio Brown discussion.2:05 - Bill Belichick compared the media's reaction to the addition of Antonio Brown to that of Randy Moss's arrival in Foxboro. Tom explains how the two star receivers are different and the Patriots offensive approaches regarding them both.11:11 - A handful of Pittsburgh writers including Ron Cook and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler give their impressions of Antonio Brown from when he was with the Steelers.22:45 - Tom talks about the Patriots dominant win over the Steelers in Week 1 of the season, explaining Josh McDaniels' brilliance and breaking down who stood out on defense.29:08 - Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald joins Tom to talk about how after being crushed in Week 1 by the Ravens, a handful of Dolphins players are trying to leave the team. Does Brian Flores have everything under control with the Patriots coming to town in Week 2? WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.