Patriots insider Mark Daniels from MassLive weighs in on the Patriots preseason win || Jones & Mego

and Mark we were just talking about Joe Milton theii and so I think we just have to like it feels like the elephant in the room coming off of the game last night what's your evaluation of of what he was able to do and thank you for joining us what's your evaluation of what he was able to do against the threes and fours on maybe the worst team in the NFL and anything that you would take away from that in a smart beat writer fashion well I I'd say he made the most out of his opportunity and and made what was otherwise a horrible night of football watchable um I was really grateful that he came in because at that point guys it was it was rough I was like oh man like you get all excited for the preseason football's almost back and then you watch it and you remember like oh yeah preseason football stinks like it's not that fun but what is fun is when these under the radar players sort of pop off and that's what Joe did and you're right it it really deserves context he played two drives against fourth team defense of the worst team in the NFL and you know he had some fun out there I think he um I'll say this he surprised me um he has an absolute Cannon for an arm that's been well reported and that's what we've seen in training camp but he's really struggled in Camp on these shorter throws so every time he hit like Terrell Jennings with a pass like Hey Hey Joe Milton showed some uh touch because he hadn't been you know so you know my my evaluation of Joe Milton has really changed he's a 24y old rookie he has an awesome arm he's an awesome person people really like him he's kind of a showman but I think for the best case scenario is that you know the Patriots are going to develop him into a quality backup for Drake May who has much much much higher potential and Mark speaking of Drake may he only got one Series last night two-p parted question were you surprised he only got the one series and what did you make of the action that he had in there yeah I'd say I was a little surprised probably more disappointed I think like everyone else I want to see Drake May against another team and you know see some of these we've seen these spurts from him in training camp and it's just been when it goes right it's a lot of fun I mean he's 21 years old he's super young he's green you know he needs to develop so you know I I thought he performed you know I'd say well right I mean he was fine he picked up a third down conversion the pass protection wasn't great on that last you know third down was he when he hit Kevin Harrison the flats like you know it's like what I loved to see Drake may go out and go three for three for 70 yards in a touchdown yeah but I mean for what we saw it was fine and I think really why they only played May one series is it boils down to the offensive line and the Patriots are having just a world of problems right now we've seen it all summer that's why even evaluating him in training C is tough because he's working behind this second team offensive line that's bad and there are just some plays that are getting blown up and the timing's off because a lot of times he was getting snaap to from Antonio Mafi was a guard and the snaps were bad it was just it's been really just rough and and I think that's what last night's quarterback cors were all about it was about hey Bailey zappy unfortunately you're the sacrificial lamb we're going to put you behind the bad offensive line and we don't want to get Drake or you know Jobe brassette hurt mark it seems like it's I like it feels in one sense very early to try to make a prediction about when Drake May will start in this season based off one preseason game but they only have a joint practice in two more preseason games so if you had to guess or speculate where do you think you see him in the regular season coming off of the pace that they're putting him through in training camp and now preseason yeah I mean you think about it like your time to develop a backup quarterback is in the summer because come the regular season it's all about the game plan and every practice will be focused on jacobe brassette getting ready for like the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks like really Joe Milton and Drake May's time to develop is now what I would love to see is not the last four games but the last five games and my rationale would be this get them in week 13 at home against the Colts but then you have the buy so you give them sort of a week to digest what happened and then on the backstretch you have it's it's a tough backstretch it's at Arizona at Buffalo and then home against the Chargers and again Buffalo who knows week 18 the bills could be playing for nothing and that could be an easy game but I would love to see him in those last five games I mean I guess a lot of people the popular answer is probably week 15 coming out of the buy but I say if you're going to do that why not just give him the game before the buy and give him the buy week to sort of just go over what he did and what what he can sort of GLE from that markk I want to ask you about the young wide receivers you saw Jaylen PK have a nice catch for a first down Javin Baker had several nice reps in there but still some things to work on what did you make of the young receivers specifically those two but if there's anyone else you want to mention as well yeah Jaylen Jaylen pokes as as advertised um he's really reliable and what I've seen from him in training camp is just consistency he honestly reminds me of jacobe Myers he comes up in these bigger moments on third down and in the Red Zone from both Kobe brassette and Drake May and that's what we saw yesterday it was what two catches but one of them was a six-yard catch on Third and five that's exactly what he's doing in Camp I I really like them I think he's just he's solid I don't know if that'll be a popular answer but I think like I look at Jaylen poke and I say yeah I could see him if everything goes right developing into a solid number two who's just that reliable third down guy J Javon Baker's a bit different he's more of a home run hitting deep ball threat who's batting in the low 200 so you could kind of tell like he has to work on his route running his intermediate catches he's not as polished as Jaylen poke but he does make more highlights because when he makes the catch it's kind of a big one so I like the two rookies I think they have something going there a little too early to say though is they're going to have like a number one or like a world beater in terms of any everyone else you know taon thoron has been one of the most consistent receivers all off season including in pads which has not been the case in the past Jaylen rhaegar to me looks like um you know the team's starting kickoff returner and he's also had a good camp so saying all those names I mean Booty's been okay I I I view him more as a practice squad guy but because of what I've seen from the five players I just mentioned is why I'm not surprised what happened today with Juju Smith Schuster we're talking to Mark Daniels of massive a Patriots beat writer so Mark we got the news before we came on air today from Ian Rapaport that the Patriots cut Juju Smith Sher I'm curious about this it is not a surprise to us who are following the team and I'm sure not that big of a surprise to you either but ju guu was brought in as kind of a deao replacement for jacobe Meyers who they let Bill balich let Walkin free agency a couple years back do you have any sense of how much the current front office be it Elliot wolf or Matt grow were involved in the decision to let jacobe Meers walk out the door and bring in Juju Smith Shuster yeah I mean at the time it was a Bill bich decision um you know the Patriots thought I say this jacobe Myers thought he was close and the Patriots just wouldn't I think they were like a million dollars or two I think they were a million dollars off you know of what the Raiders were offering him and he wanted to return and for me that it was all Bill bellich he's he's the button Pusher guys when he was here he was the deao GM and if Bill bich wanted jacobe Myers jacobe Meers would be here right now and not Juju Smith Shuster and I'll say this I I know even last year with Bill running the show the Patriots would have traded Juju Smith Shuster um if they had any takers and the deadline and even this offseason and no one was willing to take on the contract so yeah at the end of the day it was a bill bich call you know I don't want to like be hyperbolic but like probably one of the worst decisions under Bill bich was to let jacobe Myers go and sign Jud SM Shuster it just blew up in his face it made things harder for M Jones in the offense it just it was such a terrible terrible move especially because he was coming off a season he had an knee injury that gave the Kansas City Chiefs pause about resigning him and really that's what we've seen the last two years was a player who you know once was very solid in the NFL but just didn't have it anymore even this summer it was so obvious Juju could not separate he had issues with drops he was struggling to separate against the third and fourth team defense so no I I wasn't surprised at all and Mark this year they have a new offense and with Alex vanel jacobe brassett Drake may just kind of the whole thing what did you make of the offensive operation last night they had some penalties early they had some issues in the third quarter but we talked earlier about the fun with Joe Milton do you think they're kind of on the right track do they have a lot to work on where are you at on just the operation of their offense under Alex vanel they they have a lot to work on I I was talking to a source on the team this offseason who just sort of admitted to me that he thought the offensive development was going to continue through training camp and into the regular season and that's definitely holding true right now it is it's it's a sloppy operation everything's new you know it's a new offensive coordinator a new offensive staff a new playbook I mean other than jacobe Brett there are not a lot of guys who have you know a background in what Alex velt is trying to do and and I think we're sort of seeing that unfold I mean the hope is that things will be better come September but I don't know I'm not I'm not holding my breath on this season I think this is more about this right now they're they're in the early stages of a rebuild and it's about developing their younger players and trying to keep the team afloat with jacobe Brett and he's a great mentor for Drake may but you know if you come out of this season with Drake being better than he was right now you know and Prime to start next year this year is a win even if you only win four games so I yeah I I just think they have a long way to go last question for me Mark you said before that this is really the time of year for guys like Drake May and Joe Milton to develop and get their reps in before this season starts and you're doing um install and game planning do you how how important do you think it is for Drake May to get more reps than we saw to get more snaps than we saw in the one series that we saw last night in the next two preseason games it's so important it it really is I mean the T Practice coming up this week against the Eagles is is important and you know the Pats have given him a ton of reps this Camp um which is good but yeah these last two preseason games I want to see him I mean I'd love to see him go a half or you know the very least like give him four drives it just you need to give give him more game experience before he's about to stand on the sideline and back up chopi Brett so I I think it's just vital to his development um you know gerod Mayo keeps saying they have a very what he keep saying he they have a developmental plan for Drake May in place and I know for a fact from just my reporting this offseason that the Patriots do want to take their time and they want to do it right and they don't want to rush them that's that's all good and well but play them against the Eagles and play them against the commanders you know I think I think that would be the best thing if if I was running the show I would pay play Drake May a half to almost the entire game you know come that third preseason game okay he's Mark Daniels of mass life Mark thanks so much for joining us thank you