Montgomery: We all know Swayman makes the Bruins better

On Tuesday's Toucher & Hardy program, Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery joined the show to discuss Jeremy Swayman's contract negociations.

Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.

Fred Toucher: Alright, Jim, so Cam Neely said, and he was talking about Jeremy Swayman’s contract negotiations, he said, “I asked Swayman flat out if he wanted to play here. And he said he did.” 

Do you agree with that? Have you talked to Swayman at all? 

Jim Montgomery: I know Swayman wants to be a Bruin. 

Toucher: OK, alright, very good. And then Neely said, “I know that I'd have $64 million reasons why I'd be playing right now.” 

Now I know you're not involved in negotiations and that's all other people's business and I'm not putting that on you. How much are you thinking, honestly? Are you just thinking about it? Not that it's going to affect you or anything, but how much are you thinking about Swayman's contract as the season is about to start? 

Montgomery: You know, I’ve got to be honest when you're in training camp, it's the most demanding time for a coach. You have so many groups and you have so many bodies moving. There’s a big focus on my mental health, staying in the moment and being present.  

With that, I started to focus on who was playing well, and that included the goaltending part of our team. [Goaltending coach] Bob Essensa does such a great job. 

[Joonas] Korpisalo has been unreal, and he's looked every bit like a number-one goalie. In the two games he's played, he's been so calm and he's made some saves that he shouldn't have made. And that has allowed us in those games to either win or get to overtime.  

So, I'm really comfortable right now; this is the group I have. Does Jeremy Swayman make the Boston Bruins better? We all know that.  

But right now, my mind can't go there because I am starting to think about things I don't control. That includes the negotiation process and that's not healthy for me. It takes away from the group. 

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

X/Twitter: @ToucherandHardy | @HardyRadio | @KenGriffeyrules
Instagram: @toucherandhardyofficial | @fredtoucher | @hardy985
Facebook: Toucher & Hardy 

For the latest, Visit the show page on 985thesportshub.com. Follow 98.5 the Sports Hub on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! Visit our channel on Youtube! 

One month into the 2024 season the New England Patriots are 1-3. Issues with the offensive line are a big reason the team has that record.

Through four games, the Patriots are allowing their quarterback to be pressured on a league-high 47.4 percent of all dropbacks. Over the last couple of games the unit has also struggled to create room in the run game.

Injuries haven't helped, as multiple players have been put into the line up earlier than expected and/or are playing out of position. That's especially been a problem at left tackle where the team has used four starters in four weeks - including two players who are primarily right tackles.

With all the moving parts, it's not surprising fans have a lot of questions about the offensive line this week. We'll get to those and more in this week's Mailbag...

I've mostly been against signing a veteran tackle to this point because players still being available this time of year is generally a red flag, especially at a position like tackle where the talent is so scarce league-wide. But with the Patriots now having to turn to multiple recently-signed players with little to no NFL experience, adding a more steady veteran - even one with a low floor - suddenly looks like a more attractive option.

As for the specific player, Charles Leno and D.J. Humphries may not truly be immediately available as they recover from recent procedures (Leno had hip surgery in March, and Humphries tore his ACL in January). As for which players might be ready to go now, I covered that earlier this week here.

Is there still an argument against signing a veteran? Sure. For a 'draft and develop' team, giving those tackle snaps to younger players may be more valuable than an aging player who isn't a part of the long-term plan. However, if the Patriots want the line to be in the best shape possible to put Drake Maye in, they may have to choose between getting Maye reps versus getting their young linemen reps. If it comes down to that, there should be an obvious choice.

It's not about the personnel changing so much as it is the current players improving. Limited practice time in the summer impacts offenses more than defenses, so there's more room to grow on the offensive side of the ball. That, plus players hopefully getting healthy over time, could make it a better situation for Maye a few months into the season. How much better? That's a fair question. But the general philosophy behind waiting is internal growth. That includes Maye's own growth, as he continues to work behind the scenes.

The offense was never going to be great this season but it certainly could have been better. Finding better bridge options at tackle is the immediate second-guess. Better depth at tackle would have helped too - between their active roster and practice squad the Patriots currently have just one healthy tackle who was with them in camp, and that's Mike Onwenu who is primarily a guard. Upgrades at receiver may have helped as well, but we know the team at least tried in that regard offering big contracts to Calvin Ridley and Brandon Aiyuk.

While we don't have an official number on Will Campbell's arm length yet, Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy did report it at 32 7/8-inches, which would be just under the typical 33-inch threshold for a tackle. That's a little worrying, but the reality is the draft isn't tomorrow and the team will have that official number before it's time to make a selection. For now the best thing to do is simply evaluate his play as-is, and he's been impressive so far this season.

At the same time, Kelvin Banks has been impressive as well. I give the Texas tackle a slight edge right now given Campbell has had multiple false starts already this year. Still a lot of football left to be played though, so that's hardly a definitive take.

The Patriots are going to need to invest heavily in the offensive line in the upcoming NFL Draft. They'll need at least one tackle, and should probably look at centers too so they can be prepared if David Andrews retires in a year or two. However they do have other pressing needs they'll have to address either by selecting players or trading draft picks. Wide receiver and edge rusher stand out on that list, with linebacker, cornerback, and running back also notable needs.

If Drake Maye sits for three years, that's a major mistake by the Patriots. He should play at some point this season, and waiting a few months - while frustrating - is not the same as basically burning his entire rookie contract. The point of drafting him is he is an elite quarterback prospect, and those kinds of players aren't available often. Sometimes it's just about drafting them when possible, and building from there. He's also not 'rotting' on the bench. There are still opportunities for him to work and improve behind the scenes.

While none of that may not be what the fans want to see right now, the idea is it's what will yield the better result in the long-term. If they get to the point where Maye is playing by the end of the year, they're still on track. If he's still not playing into next season, then it's worth revisiting the selection.

Tough to say for sure, but I'd go with Eliot Wolf by nature of him holding a 'higher' position. Going one-and-done on a general manager-equivalent who was handed a roster that clearly needed a multi-year rebuild isn't going to solve much. There would be risk in doing the same with Alex Van Pelt too, giving Drake Maye his second offensive coordinator in two years, but that's not as out of the ordinary.

If he were to become available, Brian Daboll would be a great addition for the Patriots. Drake Maye has some similar prospect traits as Josh Allen, who Daboll had a lot of success working with in Buffalo. However, therein lies the problem. If the Giants do move on from Daboll, it's hard to see how the Bills don't do everything in their power to reunite Daboll and Allen, which would likely be a much more attractive option for him giving he has more recent experience with that organization.

This is a good question, and we're going to need to kind of wait and see to get the answer. Patriots edge defenders losing contain - both on quarterbacks in the passing game as well as outright in the running game - has been a big issue for the Patriots. Joshua Uche has been the biggest example of this, and really struggled against San Francisco.

Are the Patriots coaching Uche to play this way, or leaving him in the game while he goes off his assignment. Last week the team didn't have much room to bench him with injuries limiting them on the edge, and Curtis Jacobs didn't replace him until late in the game. With a full week to gameplan and Anfernee Jennings potentially returning, the Patriots should have more flexibility on the edge this week. It will be telling to see how Uche's snaps are or aren't changed after last week's performance.

The good surprise for me this season so far has been the play of Ja'Lynn Polk. He hasn't had a ton of chances to show what he can do with the overall issues of the offense, but he's made the most of the opportunities he's been given and certainly seems ready for a bigger role once things start clicking on that side of the ball. Going the other way, my biggest surprise has been the performance of Mike Onwenu. He's always been a better guard than tackle, but the disparity between the two looks bigger now than it  has in the past.