Sports Hub Underground: Surviving the dead of summer in New England
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Not gonna lie: Ty Anderson and I are tired. We’re hot. We’re sweaty. We’re ready to get the hell out of summer.
And that’s not just because of the heat and humidity. Ty actually likes Boston-level heat & humidity, like a lunatic. We’re just ready to get out of what is now the actual dead point in the sports calendar, and certainly in Boston.
The Patriots just finished up the training camp marathon and are on to the preseason, with real football games still a month away. The Bruins’ off-season is done and their training camp isn’t for a month. Ditto the Celtics. The Red Sox didn’t do anything at the trade deadline and so they’re barely worth talking about at all, let alone for two guys who aren’t all that into baseball at the moment.
So, what the hell did we talk about on this week’s episode of the Sports Hub Underground? Well first off, you can find out by hitting the ol’ play button on the podcast above. But I’ll give you some quick-hitters on the primary topics we hit on…
— Preseason football games might be meaningless, but there will still be plenty of Patriots players worth watching on Thursday night against the Houston Texans, because plenty of guys who play are still going to make the team. So, they’re worth knowing about for Patriot die-hards.

Tyquan Thornton at New England Patriots training camp. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
— As it tends to be, the takes have gotten out of hand on Patriots second-year receiver Tyquan Thornton. It’s far too early to label him a “bust” after two bad weeks of camp in his second professional season, which by the way is like a second rookie year after throwing last season’s debacle entirely into the garbage.
Yes, it’s bad for Thornton right now, but let’s not write off his career just yet. Are we TRYING to be wrong??
— Mac Jones is in need of a good year as just about anyone across all the Boston sports teams right now. And it’s not impossible that he makes a year-3 jump, which is exactly what happened with Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien head to the practice fields for 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Mac may not be the athlete those guys are, but he can still be a very good NFL quarterback. He just needs to do it a little differently, and he needs to show it.
— Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins recently met in the middle on his contract via arbitration. Ty goes into detail on how and why it got to this point, and why it’s not necessarily a bad sign for him or his standing with the team, or the Bruins’ overall philosophy when it comes to goaltending.
We also try to end things on a fun note with a new “Big 3,” picking our top ice cream flavors. It’s all in there. Have a listen.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.