An Absolutely Horrific Patriots Loss, the Rams-49ers Travel Bowl, and Hottest Takes With Craig Horlbeck, Danny Heifetz, and Danny Kelly

The Bill Simmons Podcast

Bill Simmons and guests Craig Horlbeck, Danny Heifetz, and Danny Kelly react to the Patriots' disastrous season-opening loss to the Seahawks

Key takeaways

• Drake May's three interceptions were a result of poor mechanics, lack of composure, and forced throws, especially late in the game.
• The Patriots' conservative play-calling and failure to capitalize on early leads allowed the Seahawks to stay competitive despite being outmatched.

Main topics

• Patriots-Seahawks NFL opener reaction
• Drake May's performance and mechanics breakdown

Notable quotes

"I feel like my season is over, guys. I don't know." – Bill Simmons after the Patriots' loss.

"He looked like Ricky Bobby in his underwear running around." – Craig Horlbeck on Drake May's performance.

Conclusion

The episode ends with a mix of humor and genuine concern over the Patr

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) The Bill Simmons Podcast is presented by FanDuel. The NFL is here and it's the most rewarding season ever on FanDuel with the all-time FanDuel Rewards Club. Every eligible bet can earn you points. Win or lose, you still get points. The more points, the bigger the rewards you can unlock. Head to FanDuel.com slash BS to Speaker 1 (0:27) start earning with FanDuel Rewards Club. Speaker 2 (0:30) 21 plus select states are 18 plus DC, Kentucky, Wyoming. Game problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. Speaker 2 (1:07) The Bill Simmons podcast. We are live here on Netflix with three guys who did the rewatchables this week. This seemed like such a great idea. Pat Seahawks opening night. Sam Darnold gets hurt in the first series, which kind of sucked. And it felt like the season parted for the New England Patriots. A.J. Brown goes down. Drake May has three turnovers down the stretch. The Patriots blow the game. I feel like my season is over, guys. I don't know. Craig, you want to start? I just feel like we're going 6-11 now. I'm so depressed. We just did Talladega Speaker 4 (1:42) Nights, and Drake May did kind of look like Ricky Bobby in his underwear running around. Speaker 2 (1:46) Help me, Tom Cruise! I just, they played like, they played scared, and like they thought 10 points was going to win the game for two solid hours, including right before halftime. when it felt like they could have gone for the jugular and they just kind of left the door open for everything that happened. Danny, you're Speaker 3 (2:05) a Speaker 2 (2:05) Seahawks fan, Danny Kelly. Yeah. Well, as you're watching that, are you surprised the Patriots are letting them hang around like that? What are you thinking? Speaker 3 (2:13) I was a little shocked at the lack of aggressiveness on third downs in particular. I feel like there was like the one that you're mentioning. I believe they just ran like a draw on third and five settled for Speaker 2 (2:21) midfield. Yeah. Speaker 3 (2:23) Settled to punt. They thought they were in control of Speaker 2 (2:25) the Speaker 3 (2:25) game. And I mean, for a little while they were. And then this is what happens when you let teams hang around with a really good defense and they've got some turnovers. I thought, yeah, I thought, and I thought for. I don't really have a lot of confidence in Drew Locke as like a quarterback long-term, but I thought that Brian Fleury, the Seahawks new offensive coordinator, did a pretty good job of managing it for him in this game. So that was encouraging. I thought he finished 16 to 22. So he was... No picks, Speaker 2 (2:50) right? No turnovers, nothing. Speaker 3 (2:52) One touchdown, no picks. I think that play call to do the play action on fourth down, give it to JSN where he scored that touchdown, I thought that was a ballsy play call. But yeah, I mean, this is what happens when you let, you know, teams with really good defenses hang around. The CX defense, I think I was texting the guys, like, CX defense needs to get a big play. And then immediately after that, they got that pick. And they just kind of got rolling. Speaker 2 (3:14) Hi, Fitz. We didn't know each other when the helmet catch happened. This is like 40 % of what I looked like. Speaker 1 (3:20) I've never been happier to be on this show. I've always wanted to be here after an absolute Patriots meltdown. Yeah, well, it happened. It's the worst Patriots loss I've seen in seven, eight months. There it is. First of all, in honor of Cousin Sal, who couldn't be here tonight, Drake maybe for Drew Locke, who says no, Bill. Speaker 2 (3:40) The Drake maybe. I did have Sal in my head. This really could, if the Cowboys are good and Drake maybe just completely goes into a tailspin this year. Speaker 4 (3:49) Just take a Speaker 2 (3:49) year Speaker 4 (3:49) off. Just skip a year. Come back next year. Speaker 2 (3:52) Who else could I get to guest host a Sunday? Like Kimmel goes away for the summers. Maybe I just have to do that. Maybe I get Rosie O'Donnell to host every Sunday with Sal. Maybe that'll be my way I torture Sal back. Speaker 1 (4:03) In all seriousness, this is pretty terrible. You literally had eight months to prepare for this humiliating Super Bowl loss. Sam Darlene goes out on the fifth snap of the Seahawks offense of the entire season. You get Drew Locke for 99 % of this game. All Drake May has to do is not throw three interceptions and you're going to win this game. You never go full Stroud. He went full Speaker 3 (4:24) Stroud in this one. It's tough because Speaker 4 (4:26) a lot of the mistakes that May made, I feel like the thing about Drake May last year is he was so good with the deep ball. And every deep ball he threw tonight was underthrown. Like he got lucky with the PI to AJ Brown. The other one was to Dobbs is underthrown, turned into a pick. And then the last pick to end the game was the most, that was the worst throw he's thrown in his entire career. I don't know why he didn't throw the ball away. He completely forced it. It was totally underthrown. They were forcing the ball to Matt Collins. I was shocked at how nervous he looked in this game. Speaker 2 (4:55) Well, the flea flicker was a really bad throw. That should have just been an easy touchdown. All three of those interceptions happened because it didn't feel like his feet was set and it felt like he was arm throwing. Danny, wasn't this, Danny Kelly, wasn't this what, this was the rap on him in college, right? The mechanics were a little shaky, but his mechanics last year were fantastic. Like he maybe had that last, that third interception, which was obviously his worst play of the game. He might've had five of those for the entire year last year. And I don't even know if five of them became interceptions, but that was. And the other thing is he took the sack on first down before that interception, which was also stupid because they had first down on the, you know, on the 20 with 35 seconds left at the very least, like you figure you need a field goal, go to overtime. But I just felt like he self-combusted DK. Speaker 3 (5:44) Yeah, I think in that you're right. That was kind of the knock on him coming in is just his feet get a little happy when he's throwing. He doesn't really get set. And then the ball kind of sails on him or whatever. Craig, to your point about the deep passes. I saw this from NextGenStats. He had one interception on deep passes last year. He had two in this game. That was his whole thing. He was almost perfect Speaker 4 (6:01) as a deep ball passer last year. Speaker 3 (6:03) So, you know, I think also you do have to give credit to the Seahawks defense. I mean, this is one of the best defenses in the NFL. They were really doing a good job of bringing the heat from different areas and kind of like forcing them off the spot. Late in the game, especially, I thought the Seahawks defensive line took over. Byron Murphy, Leonard Williams. They were really just, and then Derek Hall late in the game, they were just really getting after him. I think that made him really uncomfortable. Obviously, that decision late in the game, the final pick was, you know, just pretty much on May. But overall, I thought the Seahawks defense really stepped up too. Speaker 2 (6:35) Yeah, either you're throwing it out of bounds, which he didn't accomplish, or you're trying to do a jump off for Matt Collins, who's covered by two guys. I don't like that decision either. You could take the field goal and take it to overtime, but... I watch, obviously I watch every Pats game. Like he was lights out the entire year last year and really starting with the playoffs when I didn't think he was healthy. He looked healthy in this game. That's the thing. There's no excuses this time. He was scrambling around. He looked like the Drake May from the first four months of last season. They were third and ones like controlled draw, you know, draw sweeps for him and stuff like that, that that's what they did last year. And he still sucked. What were you going to say, Heffetz? Speaker 1 (7:15) Well, it's just concerning because he beat so many backup quarterbacks last year that now, you know, it's concerning he couldn't beat the backup quarterback to start the year. Well, Speaker 2 (7:25) I had, I mean, I had notes and I was always doing hypothetical notes for the Pats one about how they passed the Super Bowl curse, the hangover curse right to the Seahawks. Like it follows the horror movie. And, and the, just like the, the, the Darnold going out. What a break that was to start out 1-0 with a game that seemed like such an obvious loss. Then you look at the next five games of the schedule, like they could have been 5-1 after six. Now they're 0-1. Now this is even worse because it's a Wednesday. They don't play again until a week from Sunday. So this is 10, 11 days of what's going on with Drake May. So we're just going to get that over and over again. And A.J. Brown Speaker 3 (8:07) is hurt as well. Well, yeah, that's the nice Speaker 2 (8:09) thing. Speaker 3 (8:09) And A.J. Speaker 2 (8:09) Brown. And the Speaker 1 (8:10) depression of losing the Super Bowl arising, which I don't think can be understated because all these guys spent two weeks before the Super Bowl just trying to keep in the back of their mind that you're going to achieve this lifelong goal. And then you're embarrassed in front of 100 million people. And then it just gets like all of it just comes flooding back after you spent the six months burying it in your head. Speaker 2 (8:28) Yeah, and those are the stakes of a game like that because you could have flipped the narrative on that last drive. You have 40 seconds left. You have two timeouts. You're on the 20. You have a Seahawks secondary. That was another break they got in this game. Other than Drew Locke, the Seahawks secondary, missing two guys from last year, plus Aminor is out. And this is like, this should have been set up for some sort of great moment. And instead... I mean, yeah, Speaker 3 (8:54) that pick, the second pick that May had, it was ironic because it was Rodney Thomas, who I've barely even heard of, coming up off the practice squad. Right. Knocking it into the air and then Nehemiah Pritchett made the interception. He was the, I guess, sort of surprise, or not surprise, but third corner because that was a competition in training camp and everything. So that just is like another just nod to the Seahawks defense. They found guys to step up in this game and these two random guys that, you know, you didn't really hear much about, certainly not last year, making the play. Speaker 1 (9:25) That to me is the coaching of Mike McDonald. Just like Josh Jobe got that pick. He got a contract extension. That was Josh Jobe last year. They found him off the Eagles practice squad. Like the ability to get these guys, they find cornerbacks who can tackle. and learn the system. Speaker 3 (9:37) Oh, that Speaker 1 (9:37) was big. The Speaker 4 (9:38) Pop Douglas tackle on that short pass to the left, I easily thought Pop was going to get that. Everyone was flying around in the Seattle secondary tonight, even though it was backups. I thought McDonald was incredible. I mean, he had Drake May on his heels the entire game. They would send an all-out blitz. Patriots are having to call timeouts. I thought McDonald completely cemented himself. This was such a... Bill, you've been talking about this all offseason, that even though Seattle won the Super Bowl, they almost feel like a... like a fluke or a nobody believes in his team. And this felt like McDonald was like, I'm the best coach in the league. Speaker 2 (10:09) Yeah. And I think he is. I mean, I certainly watched with the stuff they did today and how they kind of undressed the Pats as, as the game went along. And yet on that last drive, Pats had a fourth and two, like, what was it on their own 32, which I thought was really ballsy. Cause there was still enough time left to punt. You had three timeouts and they just said, fuck it. And they get it. Then they have third and 19 because Will Campbell. I think it was Will Campbell. Back-to-back drives with huge penalties by Will Campbell. Speaker 1 (10:37) Locking the back, yeah. Speaker 2 (10:37) Not awesome. Speaker 1 (10:38) Right after Collinsworth talked him up. Speaker 2 (10:39) Yeah. Third and 19, they cut it to fourth and nine. They go for it at midfield, and they get it on that Matt Collins play, which Collinsworth... Collinsworth did a great job today. He called, like, seven plays. Like, he was calling it out. He called out the JSN play on the fourth and one. But... They it's they're putting together this drive of like, holy shit, they're doing this in Seattle. This is the toughest place to play in the league. They're converting these crazy fourth downs, even though they don't have AJ Brown. And then it all falls apart because Drake just just loses it. I got to say, guys, there was about an hour there with AJ Brown, especially that one. What was it like a third and 10? And he just had that slant for the easy 15. And it was like, oh, man, it was like. Putting down the top Speaker 4 (11:24) on the highway, just like, let's Speaker 2 (11:26) fucking go. Speaker 4 (11:27) That's the A.J. Brown experience. For one player, like, wow, this guy looks like a Ferrari. Oh, my Lord. And then what happens with a Ferrari, like, blows a gasket. You're like, well, all right, I guess I'll try it again in Speaker 2 (11:38) two months. Right. And he gets more hype than JSN, who, you know, just had a typically awesome game. Somehow it was left uncovered on a fourth and one runs for 40 plus yards. Speaker 2 (11:50) All right. There's, there's a lot to discuss on this. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to come back. We're going to go through some angles. We also, I think this is one of the random craziest fantasy days we've ever had. And I want to talk about that too. And then I'm going to drink some cyanide to end the podcast. So that's all, that's all coming up next right after the break. The Bill Simmons podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. Thursday Night Football is back. FanDuel is giving you a reason to celebrate with every single touchdown. That's right. Niners versus Rams. Every touchdown pays. Here's how it works. Opt in. Use your token on an eligible bet. Then sit back and watch the touchdowns add up. Stribling, the rookie receiver on the Niners. If you think he's going to score in this game because the Niners are more rested, well, knock yourself out. He's plus 360, I think, for any time TD, plus 380, somewhere in that range. Every time either team finds the end zone, though, you'll get bonus bets. It doesn't matter which team scores. Every touchdown can mean more bonus bets coming your way. So stay tuned. Pay attention. Download the FanDuel app to get started. 21 plus select states are 18 plus DC, Kentucky, Wyoming. Opt-in required. Must apply bonus token to eligible wager. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets, which expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply, including... minimum wager requirement. See terms at sportsbook.fandu.com. Game problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. This episode is brought to you by one of my best friends in life, NFL Sunday Ticket. Man, I missed it. Kickoff's coming. Yeah, we're getting close. We're within a month. With NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV, you get every game every Sunday. all in one place and it's magnificent. And there's no other way to follow the NFL season. I'm so mad I didn't get YouTube TV until a couple of years ago because it's the best. New users that might include you can get NFL Sunday ticket for eight payments of just $30 a month. You heard me correctly. New users pay $240 or eight, eight non-cancelable payments of $30 a month. First charge at purchase. Availability varies with NFL sending ticket for out-of-market games and YouTube TV for local and national games. YouTube TV required. Terms, restrictions, and embargoes apply. Commercial use excluded. No refunds. I just complained about the Keyshawn booty trade for the entire break. Didn't need that guy. Who needs insurance for a guy who caught like 15 huge deep balls last year and A.J. Brown lasted an hour. I don't want to talk about the Pats all the time. We can circle back later. So Sam Darnold. What are we thinking? Out of the three of you guys, who's the number one amateur injury expert? Who is the Dr. David Chow of this group? Craig, probably. I would give it to myself, Speaker 4 (14:38) but to be honest, I thought it was a knee, and then I thought it was an ankle, and then when I found out it was a hip, I mean, I have no idea what's going on in there. Hip injuries can go in any direction, so I feel like we have no idea if Darnold, I thought he was going to tough it out and come back in the second half when I saw the injury, and now it looks like we have no idea. Speaker 3 (14:53) Schefter just tweeted. Do you want me to read his report here? So from Adam Schefter, he's been at Harborview Medical Center, which is a big hospital in Seattle. CT scan on his hip. The initial test was encouraging, but inconclusive. And Darnold is now scheduled to undergo an MRI. So at least it's not the worst news imaginable. I don't know. To me, I'm like, my gut just tells me he's probably going to be back this year. I don't think this is a season-ending injury, but who knows? Speaker 2 (15:21) Drew Locke. I never thought, like, if you're talking, if we're doing a backup power rankings, I don't think he's in the bottom half of those rankings. I would probably put him in the top 10, right? Is that crazy, Heifetz? Speaker 1 (15:34) I think Drew Locke is ironically a lot of what we criticized Sam Darnold for a year ago when we were not sure how Sam Darnold would be, which is Drew Locke is, I mean, self-described a gunslinger. who never really, I mean, he came to the NFL. He told Peter King, like, I never really saw receivers open. I kind of just trusted my arm and let it rip. He's kind of like how Brett Favre was. I don't know how much he's reading defenses and stuff, but he's had to learn all that. I think he's not necessarily the kind of quarterback you would pair with like an elite defense. No. Like, it's not, you know, it's not like a Teron Taylor game management style thing. Neither is Darnold, though. He's more like a Jameis. Yeah. Speaker 4 (16:11) Locke kind of, he's kind of like a mini Baker. He's white Jameis, yeah. He's got a little James, little Baker to him. James. I feel James get rid of the eye is James Winston. I just feel like, like drew lock with a lead is almost a disaster, but drew lock down 10. You're like, you know what? He needs a little adversity. He needed to feel something. I think Speaker 1 (16:31) you saw that tonight because him losing is almost more to his style where he ripped a couple of passes in there. I mean the third and 22 where he got like 21 and a half yards. I think Jason got that first down. That was a pivot point in the game too, because I, I think Jason got the first. I think that honestly, AJ Barner probably would have got the tish push, but they, you know, kind of called that like ticky tack penalty. But I thought you're like, actually had a bunch of moments where he looked good, but I don't know if I want him protecting the lead. So it's a huge loss for any game time. Darn. This is, it Speaker 2 (17:00) is funny how many of these quarterbacks that you would just never trust as your full-time starter, but they can have these flashes. Like true luck had that rollout on the drive that ended up being a football, but it's just like, This guy runs like a gazelle. Were we missing out on Drew Locke? Was this in here the whole time? He put Speaker 1 (17:19) Spillane into the grave right there. Speaker 2 (17:22) Yeah. Speaker 3 (17:23) My whole thing with Locke is, have you ever watched his college basketball highlights or high school basketball highlights? I'm like, I still believe somehow because he's really good at basketball. But I would say the one, like, look, Locke, don't forget, he also threw that touchdown at Cooper Cup that got called back on the procedural thing. Yeah. That was kind of the big thing here is, and I was saying to these guys during the game, like you kind of forget how, just how hard it is to run an offense during an NFL game. There's so many procedural things that Locke screwed up. Yeah. He had to delay Speaker 2 (17:54) a game at a terrible point. The shift was Speaker 1 (17:57) his fault. Speaker 4 (17:58) I mean, the whole game was messy. I mean, especially the first half. It was very, they always talk about how week one is really just an extension of the preseason. I forget it every year. And then you watch week one and you're like, this is barely football. These guys don't know what they're doing. There's like a million timeouts and offsides and false starts. It was messy for two and Speaker 1 (18:15) a half quarters. That's the other thing worth saying. I don't Speaker 4 (18:17) want Speaker 1 (18:17) to pile on. Well, that's not true. I actually really do want to