Felger & Mazz: Thoughts on the Patriots trading for J.C. Jackson
The New England Patriots acquired cornerback J.C. Jackson from the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday morning in an trade that also saw swaps of late-round draft picks. J.C. Jackson was a member of the Patriots 2018-2021 and signed with the Chargers during free agency in 2022. On Wednesday’s Felger and Mazz, the guys reacted to the trade!
Thoughts on the J.C. Jackson trade…
Felger: You have a thought on this trade, Mazz?
Mazz: Yeah. Bringing back the trash man? Is that what it is? Is that what Bill Belichick called him? Bringing back the trash man.
Felger: That’s right. I forgot about that.
Mazz: Something like that. Is that what he referred to him as?
Felger: Well that was back before he got a contract. So you see his interceptions were trash.
Mazz: Correct!
Felger: They weren’t valuable.
Mazz: Correct.
Felger: We’re not going to pay for those.
Mazz: Right!
Felger: It’s just trash.
Mazz: That’s right. Just trash.
Felger: He’s there collecting trash.
Sep 10, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson (27) intercepts a pass intended for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios (0) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mazz: Picking up someone else’s trash. Now what they’re bringing him in to do now is to clean up a mess. A similar kind of thing. Or to try to clean up a mess. And when I say clean up a mess, obviously it speaks ill of the injury to Christian Gonzalez, which we already had some idea about, maybe even Jack Jones. On some level they have a crisis in the secondary.
So look, again, it’s your sort of typical Belichick move. Let me go and sleep in the bed I’ve slept in before. It’s the same kind of thing. A known commodity knows what the guy is, knows how he’ll fit into his system and they don’t have to pay him. So for them, it’s perfect. Now, again, like, do I think it’s horrible? No. Do I think it’s going to fix all their ills and problems? No. So I mean, we know the name, but I don’t think it’s any sort of, like, season altering move.
Jim Murray: No, because he’s been one of the worst cornerbacks by all statistics over the last two seasons since he’s left here. So it’s a guy that knows your system that’s cost-efficient. Yay, woo! And know what bugs me about it, too? I know you’ll hate this, Mike, it goes to show you they’re still not going to tank. They have an opportunity to really tank here. Two best players = hurt. Quarterback = sucks. Schedule = tough. Team = not that good. Tank. Tank. Tank, Tank.
Instead, they’re going to bring in this, like, stopgap piece that’ll still keep them afloat, and they’ll finish with, like, eight wins. Yay! We get to do this all again next year. Wee! Yay! Great!
Felger: It’s so them on so many levels. It’s “chess, checkers”. It’s, “Hey, we’re not going to pay the guy. He’s not worth the money. We’ll, let some other idiot pay him his salary, and then we’ll come back and get him after he’s been paid by somebody else. So, we’re still getting the same player but didn’t have to pay for him. Some other stupid team has done it”. So let some other stupid team pay him and we’ll still get the services of the player while some other idiot team is paying his salary.
And there was a time not too long ago when you and we thought that’s why you won Super Bowls. “Oh, don’t you see this? This is why they win Super Bowls. Because they’re smart and everyone else is stupid. And you let some other stupid team pay the salary that’s not worth it. Then you get them for free and you get value. That’s why Bill Belichick wins Super Bowls! Oh, for 20 years we carried on like that. And we deluded ourselves.
You deluded yourself into thinking that’s why you won Super Bowls. That that was the Patriot way. And over the last three plus years that’s been exposed. That whole maneuver has been exposed for what it is. Cheap. It’s just being cheap.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
Greg Bedard: 10 questions from around the NFL after week 4
Greg Bedard of BostonSportsJournal.com joined the Felger and Mazz program on Tuesday following the New England Patriots 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. While on, Greg Bedard did his weekly “10 Questions” segment on the program following week 4 of the 2023 NFL season.
The 10 Questions
10. What did you make of Zach Wilson’s performance the other night?
Greg Bedard: I mean, I thought they did like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” or something like that. I was like, it was amazing. It was. I was glued to my seat. I’ve never seen anything like it.
9. Pick one quarterback going forward – you have no other options: Zach Wilson or Daniel Jones?
Greg Bedard: Zach Wilson. I’m going with the talent. I mean, even after the week before, I wasn’t ready to give up on him. I just would get a really good coach in and if I have to sit him for half a year then I sit him for a half a year. But he’s so freakin’ talented and Daniel Jones sucks. He’s horrible.
Sep 17, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) throws a pass in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
8. Who is a key player across the league who is destined to get hurt?
Greg Bedard: Travis Kelce. I’ve been there for a couple of years, especially coming into this year. I think I mentioned before the season opener, I said, Kelce’s bound to get hurt at some point. And now the Taylor Swift thing, he’s definitely getting hurt.
7. What do you remember about the late Russ Francis?
Greg Bedard: Not a ton because of how young I was, but I just remember him being the first in my lifetime being a really good two way tight end. He could do everything well.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 23: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones interacts with fans during warmups before the Cowboys take on the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
6. If Dallas is run by an medlesome owner, who put his kid in charge of personnel, why does it seem they’re able to draft so much talent?
Greg Bedard: So Stephen is pretty good. Stephen Jones is pretty levelheaded and he lets those guys do the work and, you know, Will McClay is really good. He’s he’s in charge of their personnel and well-respected around the league. And I think, if I’m not mistaken they pay those guys really well. So they don’t really want to go anywhere. They’re they’re content with doing what they’re doing.
5. Toolbag question: List the top toolbag quarterback rooms (depth charts) and stop when you get to Derek Carr/Jameis Winston.
Greg Bedard: Jets, Broncos, and then the Saints.
Felger: Who’s the Broncos backup?
Greg Bedard: It is Jarrett Stidham.
Felger: Is he a toolbag?
Greg Bedard: Yeah.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 01: (L-R) Singer Taylor Swift and Actor Blake Lively cheer prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
4. Sunday night football saw a big ratings increase for NBC. Second highest rated SNF game so far after the opener, much higher than last year’s Week 4 between Chiefs-Bucs (Brady). A big uptick in women and a 53% increase in teen women. Do you know anyone who tuned into the game just because of Swift?
Greg Bedard: I do not, but I’m interested in hearing about the Felger household.
Mazz: Yes, my wife. Yeah, she was much more interested in the game because of Swifty. Absolutely. 100%. Which, by the way, proves my theory that this whole thing is a sham. It’s a business decision. But go ahead.
Felger: I mean, my daughter for sure. Absolutely. She’s now knows who Travis Kelce is and she understands Taylor Swift’s going to football games. That would never have been on her radar previously.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 01: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots looks on prior to a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
3. Do you believe in tanking in sports?
Greg Bedard: I do not. Only if you’re firing the coach after the season, because then you can make a clean break. But if you’re starting a program and incorporating losing into your program, especially in football, these guys are putting their lives on the line every Sunday for you, and if they think they’re just being used, forget it. You’re never going to have those guys fully ever again.
2. If the Pats move on from Mac Jones and he needs to find a new team, where would be the best landing spot?
Greg Bedard: Vegas and Josh McDaniels.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 11: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the preseason game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 11, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
1. If the Pats move on from Bill Belichick and he needs to find a new team, where would be the best landing spot?
Greg Bedard: Washington. New owner, maybe he’s got deep pockets and will let him do whatever he wants. And they’ve got pretty good pieces on defense to get his program going.
