Greg Bedard of BostonSportsJournal.com joined the Felger and Mazz program on Tuesday following the New England Patriots 20-17 loss against the Washington Commanders on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. While on, Greg Bedard did his weekly “10 Questions” segment on the program following week 9 of the 2023 NFL season.
Some info from around the NFL according to NFL.com…
The Patriots and Indianapolis Colts will faceoff in Germany in week 10. It’ll be the fifth game in Europe this season and the second played in Germany in 2023.
The Patriots and Colts each have four losses at home this season, which is a tie for most losses on home field.
The Philadelphia Eagles have the best record in the NFL through nine weeks with an 8-1 record. The Eagles sit atop the NFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens sit atop the AFC with 7-2 records. The Chiefs are currently the top seed in the AFC due to tiebreakers.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill leads the NFL in receiving yards with 1,076 through nine games.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushing yards with 652 rushing yards through eight games.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leads all quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdown passes. Tagovailoa has thrown for 2,609 yards and 19 touchdowns through nine games in 2023.
The Las Vegas Raiders made the first “in-season” coach firing by letting go of Head Coach Josh McDaniels prior to their week 9 matchup with the the New York Giants. The Raiders would go on to win 30-6 over the New York Giants in their first game without McDaniels as Head Coach.
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick remains 28 wins behind Don Shula for the most wins all-time by an NFL Head Coach. Belichick became just the third NFL coach to ever reach 300 career wins in week 7 when the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 15: A general view of the stadium during the anthems during the NFL match between Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
10. How do you feel about a team in Europe? And if there is to be one, where should it be? How do we feel about these Europe games?
Greg Bedard: A team? There’s going to be division in Europe at some point. I mean, the long term plan for the NFL is to get a team, then a division, then a whole conference in Europe, and then you have a true world league. That’s the long term 50 year vision for the NFL. So I would start in London. London, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, you know, sort of where they had NFL Europe, that’ll be the division in, I don’t know, let’s say 30 years.
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – OCTOBER 14: Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans runs with the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 14, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
9. Big Jim Murray said he is out on Caleb Williams – meaning he wouldn’t draft him – after watching him run into the stands and cry in his mother’s lap on Saturday. Do you agree? How did you feel about that moment?
Greg Bedard: It’s not a great look, but I am not tossing aside the talent. I mean, look, I’m doing more of a deep dive on his make up, competitiveness, things like that, to determine whether I would take him number one. But just because he whipped in the stands, I’m not tossing him out.
Oct 29, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) looks for a passing option against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
8. Gardner Minshew or Mac Jones?
Greg Bedard: I love Gardner Minshew. He would be on my team. I wanted him here with Cam Newton and things like that, but Mac Jones.
7. The NFL Network is celebrating its 20th year on the air. Do you watch? What’s the best thing it does?
Greg Bedard: I don’t watch a ton during the season, but I think they really do “path to the draft” well. It helps me catch up on all the draft stuff and they do deep dives. They do good stuff on the draft.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 29: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins signals for a first down during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
6. Miami’s victories this year have been against the Chargers, Broncos, Giants, Panthers and Patriots, twice. None have a winning record. Are the Dolphins frauds?
Greg Bedard: They are not. Their three losses are against the Bills when they were healthy, the Eagles, and the Chiefs. Not exactly chopped liver. So I think they are learning lessons that I think will pay off. And their defense is getting a lot better. When they get people back their defense is going to be really good. So I really like them.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – OCTOBER 30: Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay speaks during a Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor induction ceremony during halftime of a game against the Washington Commanders at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
5. Is Jim Irsay a toolbag or a loveable character of the game?
Greg Bedard: I think he’s kind of a lovable doofus.
4. Irsay’s father, Robert, famously moved the Colts to Indianapolis from Baltimore in the dead of night in 1984. Name your least favorite franchise move of your lifetime – any team, any sport….
Greg Bedard: Sentimentally I want to say the Hartford Whalers to North Carolina. But look, a major league franchise was never going to stay in Hartford in that TV market, it just wasn’t going to happen. So I go Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City. That was a great basketball market. They had great teams and they ripped that team out of their.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – APRIL 10: Brandon Lowe #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates his home run against the Boston Red Sox with Wander Franco #5 during the eighth inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on April 10, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
3. What team SHOULD move? Any team, any sport, to any city.
Greg Bedard: The Tampa Bay Rays to Montreal.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders speaks with Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
2. What happened in Vegas with Josh McDaniels?
Greg Bedard: Bottom line is…he didn’t get enough winning plays from the quarterback position over 25 games and that cost him his job. None of this other stuff, you know, “we weren’t happy”, any stuff that’s coming out now, it wouldn’t have mattered as long as they won. It didn’t matter. They didn’t win enough and it was because of the quarterback position and he’s involved in that. And that’s the bottom line. I mean, there are a bunch of other moves and we could talk about a bunch of other stuff. But the bottom line is the quarterbacks did not make enough winning plays. Sort of like here.
1. Where is the best landing spot for McDaniels, team and role?
Greg Bedard: I would love to see him go with either Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco or Sean McVay and L.A. and just, I don’t know, be on their staff and just see how somebody else does it and pick up some new things for your offense, you know, things like that.
Felger: Do you think he’ll land back In the league as an offensive coordinator?
Greg Bedard: Yes.
