Scott Zolak: I wouldn’t trade up for Jayden Daniels

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February 29th 1:37 PM

On Thursday’s edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Scott Zolak made it clear he wouldn’t trade up for Jayden Daniels if he was the Patriots.

You can move off the #3 pick…

Marc Bertrand: Should they have concerns about those two players (Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye)? And why is Caleb Williams not on that list?

Scott Zolak: Well, I think you should have concerns about every one of the top three. And, you know, Orlovsky even said it now to that the Bears should take Jayden Daniels and like that tide is starting to turn. The question for me is, and we’ve been saying it here on the show, is which guy do you fall in love with. I think that’s the guy you got to get. If it is Jayden Daniels. I mean, I don’t know what you do. I wouldn’t trade up to 1 or 2. I wouldn’t do that because you need players and it’s back to how many players do you need. The fact they interview (Bo) Nix, the fact they interviewed these guys on the second tier. J.J. McCarthy, we talked about this yesterday, him climbing up the board possibly a top ten pick now. You got to put it out that you’re interested in all of them because I think you have the ability to move now and that’s a big thing. You can move off the pick. The more and more we get closer to this, I think Daniels is going to be off the board, whether it’s 1 or 2, and I’m not in love with the other two guys.

Marc Bertrand: As (Jeff) Howe writes, “The Pats will likely question May, a league source said about why his stats dipped in the final year as North Carolina starter, when his completion percentage and touchdown numbers dropped while his interceptions increased.” Now, there are plenty of reasons from the outside that you point to an offensive coordinator change, offensive line issues, things like that that have been brought up. But I don’t think that’s what How is necessarily talking about. I think what he’s mentioning is they want to know how he answers that question.

Scott Zolak: Right.

Marc Bertrand: They want to hear from him why he thinks that happened. Is he willing to pin the blame on somebody else, or is he going to say, well, let me tell you why I wasn’t as good last year, and he’s going to sort of take the blame, shoulder the blame for his stats dipping.

Scott Zolak: Is he a why guy. You know, like the previous guy here who’s still here.

Marc Bertrand: They can look at the tape and figure it out.

Scott Zolak: Well, I think they already know that, right.

Marc Bertrand: But they want to hear from him. It’s right about knowing. It’s about knowing how he would answer the question. Which are two different things.

Scott Zolak: And that’s the scariest thing about these meetings. It’s like the whole N’Keal Harry thing. You fell in love with N’Keal Harry because of the damn meeting you had. When these 30 visits start where you bring the guy actually in your building and you could get more personal with him. I think it’s sort of generalities now at the combine, where you’re asking him more broad questions. When you get him in your building, that’s when you put him up on a whiteboard. That’s when you start showing the tape. What would you do here differently, and how does he react to the new.

Listen to the full segment!

Tyler Milliken started out at the Sports Hub as an intern in 2020 for the Zolak & Bertrand program before eventually becoming the associate producer in late 2021. He often joins the baseball conversation on Zolak & Bertrand and is a contributor to The Baseball Hour throughout the season. Along with that, he has been a co-host on DraftKings Name Redacted Podcast with Jared Carrabis for the last two years, where they cover everything going on with the Red Sox. Born and raised in Brockton, he reps the city proudly.

Patriots graded among league's worst teams on annual NFLPA report card

The grades are in for the New England Patriots in 2023, and they’re not great. On Wednesday the NFLPA released the results of the second annual Player Team Report Cards, and the Patriots’ report card should leave the team with a lot to think about.

For the second year in a row, the NFLPA surveyed players from each NFL team over the course of the season, in order to get an understanding of how teams are handling different elements of their operation. Here’s the methodology from the NFLPA website…

“In 2023, the NFLPA worked with Statler Nagle and research experts at Artemis Strategy Group to further enhance the survey process and provide third-party perspective.

The survey was administered from August 26 to November 16, 2023. Artemis Strategy Group conducted the census survey online and provided access to every player on a 2023 NFL roster at the time of the survey. A total of 1,706 players completed the survey this year.

Answers were collected anonymously, and players evaluated their current workplace based on their club experience. The survey included both closed-ended and optional open-ended questions. Grades are calculated based on player responses to a series of survey rating questions in 11 categories. Each category grade is based primarily on scores from scaled rating questions. Grades also reflect additional details about workplace conditions, such as the quality of club offerings. Teams are ranked within each category and overall on the basis of their scores. Each team’s overall score is based on a weighted combination of grades for each of the 11 categories.

The overview section for each club’s “report card” and commentary accompanying each category ranking reflects player respondents’ opinions about the state of each club’s workplace. We note that the information collected from this survey reflects only the opinions of the 2023 players on each club roster who completed the survey.”

The Patriots finished ranked 29th of 32 teams on this year’s report cards. That’s down from ranking 24th last year.

“The New England Patriots finish the year ranked 29th in the team surveys,” the NFLPA’s overview of the Patriots’ results reads. “The results point to club management that has not been keeping up with changing times; as in most categories, the player responses highlight outdated facilities and stale services.”

In what areas in particular did the Patriots struggle? Here’s a look at the breakdown of the Patriots report card. The full report can be found here.

Treatment of families: F- (T-29th of 32 teams)

Oct 2, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The survey notes that the Patriots are one of 12 teams that do not provide a family room during games, one of seven teams that do not provide daycare support for players’ children on gameday, and one of only four teams that do not offer either a family room or daycare.
Food/cafeteria: B- (T-14th)

Sep 13, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; A detailed view of the Gillette Stadium sign before a game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

According to the survey, the Patriots ranked 16th in overall food taste and freshness. They are one of 30 teams to provide three meals a day throughout the week.
Nutritionist/dietician: B- (T-18th)

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 24: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots stands in the huddle in the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

According to the survey, 80 percent of Patriots players feel like they get an individualized nutrition plan. That ranks 21st in the NFL.
Locker room: C- (T-20th)

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 10: Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the New England Patriots walks through the tunnel before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The survey showed that while 93 percent of Patriots players feel like they have enough space in their individual lockers, only 77 percent believe the locker room itself is big enough. The Patriots’ current locker room was done as a rebuild ahead of the 2018 season.
Training room: C (T-22)

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 10: A view outside of Gillette Stadium between the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Based on the survey, 80 percent of the team’s players felt the team had enough full-time trainers (that percentage ranked 26th overall in the league) and physical therapist (22nd). The reported added that “a number of players report outdated treatment options and that the training room lacks the equipment that players feel should be standard across the league” and that “some players suggest additional staff, more tables and updates to the room would help meet the team’s needs for training services.”
Training staff: B- (T-21st)

Dec 3, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) is helped off the field as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

83 percent of players responding to the survey said they felt like they got enough one-on-one treatment. That ranked 23rd in the NFL. The Patriots ranked 15th in the league in players who felt the training staff contributed to their success.
Weight room: F (T-31st)

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 11: A view of New England Patriots helmets on the bench 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)

The Patriots ranked at the bottom of the league for their weight room, with players saying the quality and size of the room are both unsatisfactory. In fact, the Patriots were the only team in the NFL where a majority of players said they feel that their team’s facility is worse than places they could train offsite. The Patriots reportedly in the process of redoing their current weight room.
Strength coaches: C- (31st)

Moses Cabrera of the New England Patriots poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)

65 percent of Patriots players aid they feel as though they get an individualized strength plan, which ranked 31st in the NFL. The Patriots will have a new head strength and conditioning coach in 2024, with Deron Mayo (who was an assistant S&C coach last year) replacing Moses Cabrera.
Team travel: D (T-23rd)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 02: The New England Patriots plane on April 02, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

73 percent of Patriots players felt like they had enough personal space when traveling. The Patriots are one of 25 teams that don’t make players have roommates when staying at hotels.
Head coach: B- (T-26th)

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 12: Bill Belichick, Head Coach of the New England Patriots, looks on during the NFL match between Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park on November 12, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Bill Belichick ranked 26th overall, but 31st in players saying they felt he was efficient with their time (55 percent) and willing to listen to the locker room. Only Josh McDaniels of the Raiders ranked lower in those categories.
Owner: D+ (27th)

Jan 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft holds a press conference at Gillette Stadium to answer questions about former head coach Bill Belichick’s (not pictured) exit from the team. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Kraft received a 6.9 out of 10 from Patriots players when players were asked to grade his willingness to invest in the team facilities. Given some of the other facility grades (locker room, childcare), this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.