The Real Thing Patriots Podcast

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his league handlers finally decided to come out from the shadows and do a public interview, this a friendly with Fox TV & radio star, Colin Cowherd, in advance of Super Bowl LI in Houston.   To put it mildly, it was beyond embarrassing for all parties.   Matt Chatham walks through the audio with his blow-by-blow take on how rare interviews with the evasive & perpetually dishonest commissioner have to be better...for the sake of the game.  And truth in media and general honesty and all that jazz... Enjoy! 

First, Brady Quinn and Matt Chatham look back at the NFL Divisional Round contests, honing in on the ultimate keys for each of the teams that advanced to the championship round.   The guys then take an off-field look at Roger Goodell continuing to play hide & seek with the New England region, plus a discussion on the effect (or lack thereof) the Antonio Brown Facebook LIVE video leak will have on the AFC Championship -- a players' perspective discussion on the importance of locker room privacy in football.    Finally, the guys are joined by Brady Poppinga for thoughts on the two championship games.  The guys zero in on their beliefs from study of the four teams on where their vulnerabilities lie, and how (or if) they can be exploited in this final pre-Super Bowl round.   Patriots, Chiefs, Falcons and Packers are on the burner as the guys help ya sort through the storylines and focus on the stuff that really matters in deciding these games...

The guys first offer their reactions to the Clemson upset of Alabama in the thrilling College Football Championship game.  Then it's onto NFL coaching changes, with the Bills, Jags and Broncos filling their vacancies.  Next the guys take a critical look at the Chargers bizarre decision to abandon their home market and play second-fiddle in LA, a market that doesn't seem to want them.   From there, the guys go deep on the four NFL Divisional Playoff matchups, offering their "deciding factor" for each contest; Seahawks at Falcons, Texans at Patriots, Steelers at Chiefs, and Packers at Cowboys.   It's a football insight-palooza.   Enjoy!    

Former players Matt Chatham, Brady Poppinga, and Brady Quinn go in-depth on the four NFL Wild Card matchups, breaking down what they believe will be the deciding factors in these games.  Which of the two offense in the Raiders-Texans contest can be counted on most to produce on the playoff stage?  Can either of the Lions or Seahawks start playing the brand of football that got them into the playoffs, but has escaped them for much of the last month?  Can the Dolphins defense possibly hold up in Pittsburgh?  Something's got to give when one of the hottest offenses in football meets another of the hottest defenses.  Giants-Packers and what will likely be the separator there... The guys also preview the CFB National Championship game featuring a rematch of Clemson and Alabama. PACKED SHOW...enjoy!  

Jam-packed show with Brady Quinn and Matt Chatham taking on the hot-topic of top college football players skipping bowl games to prepare for the NFL Draft.  The guys look at what today's bowl games really are -- and what they're not -- and how that affects any discussion of 'commitment to your team' and the like.  Christan McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette have made their decisions for personal reasons related to the NFL, but did they show a glimpse of the power college football players have to someday return some of the financial windfall of bowl games to the young men playing in the games?  Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott jumped in a Salvation Army pot and watched the NFL cave on their so-called rules integrity.  New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo cheated in the real-est way Roger Goodell's tenure has seen, but took home the prize of a mild penalty....because, ya know, NFL.  And Odell Beckham Jr got punished for honoring the recently deceased Craig Sager with a special pair of cleats.

Brady Quinn and Matt Chatham fire away on a flawed CFB Playoff system that looks particularly inadequate after a chaotic year in college football.  Conference champions with week overall resumes made the committee's job a nearly impossible one, and only strengthened the case for an eventual 8-team playoff.  The guys detail the failures and talk through a solution that should work for everyone.  With stud college running backs Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey declaring early for the NFL Draft, and Ezekiel Elliott building an MVP case in just his rookie season, does the value of can't-miss rookie running skyrocket?  Do NFL executives need to reconsider the value of 1st-contract roster assets that come at a modest price and can have such a dramatic effect on a football team -- even if they play the supposedly devalued NFL RB position?  Finally, the guys dive into all the biggest matchups of NFL Week 14, looking at their "deciding factor" in each of the games with obvious playoff implications. Enjoy!

Poppinga & Chatham examine the NFL playoff contenders for ideal matchups, team strengths, and qualities that historically endure late-season NFL play.  Does your team have what it takes?  What are their matchup vulnerabilities?  The Oakland Raiders are compiling wins and impressing behind the play of Derek Carr, but what teams would give them the most trouble in a playoff scenario?  The Dallas Cowboys with stud rookies Dak Prescott & Ezekiel Elliott have been the league's most consistent team, but where do their vulnerabilities lie...and who is best suited to exploit them?  The New England Patriots have a habit of improving throughout this final stretch, but what do they need to solidify to make a championship run?  Can the Seattle Seahawks find themselves after some inconsistent recent play?  Finally, the guys look into the multiple division battles that are far from resolved and talk odds moving forward.  Fun show...enjoy!

Matt Chatham & Brady Poppinga dissect each of NFL Week 10's matchups, looking specifically at the best thing each team has going for it heading into the weekend.  Some teams have risen to the top of the league, some are struggling.  But after 8 (or 9) games for all of the teams in the league, their best attributes have become clear.  Will that be enough this weekend?  Let's dive in... Chiefs vs Panthers Broncos vs Saints Rams vs Jets Packers vs Titans Falcons vs Eagles Vikings vs Redskins Texans vs Jaguars Bears vs Buccaneers Dolphins vs Chargers 49ers vs Cardinals Cowboys vs Steelers Seahawks vs Patriots  

The guys return to expand on the failures in the Josh Brown domestic violence case, and how reactions by the New York Giants mirror the attitudes the NFL's "No More" ad campaign had supposedly put to rest.  Will it ever stop.  Chatham explains when (and only when) the action will marry up with the marketing.  Next the guys look at the case of Aqib Talib, the star Denver Bronocs cornerback whose investigatoin by Dallas police concluded three weeks ago with a determination that he shot himself in a public place.  Why has the league treated this so differently than they did the Plaxico Burress case years ago?  And does this stark contrast add to the confusion for players on what is and isn't allowed by a seemingly arbitrary league justice system.  Finally, the guys discuss a recent MMQB piece that details the Denver Broncos' practice of studying player tells.  Is it unique in the league?  Is it "secret" as the social media headlines would lead the casual observer to believe?  The guys set the record straight..

Former NFL players Brady Quinn and Matt Chatham take a jam-packed week of terribly disappointing NFL news and rake it over the coals to get to the bottom of some very important questions: -Why can't the NFL get out of its own way when penalizing for domestic violence?  Isn't Giants kicker Josh Brown's case just another chapter for Can't Get Right NFL leadership?  -How can safety possibly be a real NFL concern -- much less a priority -- if a player formerly suspended for unsafe hits is diving through the back of knees of unsuspecting opponents with no repercussions?  Isn't Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict Exhibit A that the NFL has no clue on protecting its players from issues of real safety?  -Can the league keep allowing blown calls and goofy rules to decide the outcome of games?  Blown pas interference at the end of the Falcons vs Seahawks game gives the guys an opportunity to look more closely at how officials should be graded and reprimanded -- plus some commonsense suggestions for fixing a broken rulebook. 

Former players Brady Quinn and Matt Chatham dive right into a review of Week 5's best action, the surprises, the disappointments, and the underrated performances, then they make their way into preview-mode for a huge upcoming Week 6 slate.  Yes, Tom Brady is back with the Patriots...but the Bengals aren't the Browns.  But are they still the Bengals of a year ago...or are they about to fall off?  Can New England put some distance between themselves and this potential AFC playoff contender?  In a battle of strength-on-strength, the Cowboys and the Packers meet in Wisonsin for a classic meeting of great run offense and great run defense.  Somebody is going to surge to the front of the NFC -- there's a good chance one of these two teams is near the top when it's all said and done, with much to be learned this weekend.  The Eagles finally took a step back, but they have a chance to recover some ground in the NFC East against a Redskins team anxious not to lose ground to those surging Boys.  And then those darl

Matt Chatham & Brady Poppinga return to rummage through the mess the NFL has made of a hard-to-screw-up game like football.  The guys give an in-depth, player's perspective on a terrible Week 4 where despite all wrong, the NFL just won't admit their own foolishness.  The product on the field is increasingly choppy, and fans appear to be noticing with NFL viewship for primetime games down for the first time in a long time. The incessant game interruptions by the referees are making a great sport into a product that's harder and harder to watch.  The game isn't "better than ever." as Commissioner Roger Goodell likes to say.  Nobody but Roger believes that.  And to make matters even worse, the game interruptions are for trifling nonsense the league is gleefully allowing to change the course of games -- like the unsportsmanlike penalty on Redskins cornerback Josh Norman for pretending to shoot a bow and arrow. The league should so easily be much better than it's become under current "leadership."  The guys

Matt Chatham and Brady Poppinga return with special guest Ted Johnson, former Colorado Buffalo & longtime NFL linebacker with the New England Patriots.  Johnson, who lives in Houston, working as a radio personality covering the Texans, drops in to lend perspective on the huge loss of JJ Watt and how this will affect Houston's overall playoff chances.  The guys also go around the league trying to make sense of all the up & down play by seemingly strong teams -- from those Texans, to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Jets.  Are the Oakland Raiders now back on track?  Are the Minnesota Vikings built for the long-term to be as strong as they've shown here in September?  We've got a loaded show for you...let's dive in!

Great perspective here from former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn on the treatments, limitations, and decisions both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jay Cutler will have to make as quarterbacks in lieu of their particular injuries.  The guys then dive into the NFL injury designations and if the new language allows for more monkey business.  The big weeks of CarsonWentz and Sam Bradford go under the microscope with an in-depth back & forth on what each should expect now from upcoming opponents, and how they'll both need to adjust.  Finally, the guys unveil the defenses around the NFL that have been the biggest surprises through 2 weeks -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

We've got a jam-packed show after an insane Week 1 in the NFL, with big QB storylines galore...plenty of good, bad AND ugly from the keymasters of the game's most important position.   We break down the big night for Patriots fill-in starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, and what this positive first swing might mean for his future.  We look at Eagles QB Carson Wentz's positive first outing against the Browns, and how another bump in the road for Cleveland QB Robert Griffin III affects league-wide faith in his ability to lead an organization.  Should #1 overall pick Jared Goff be playing after the LA Rams posted a smoke ring on the scoreboard?  Brady Quinn speaks from experience on what have these two weeks of preparation have likely been like for new Vikings QB Sam Bradford.  And is two weeks enough to through him under center for Minnesota? All this and our lessons learned from NFL Week 1 and a look ahead to the most intriguing matchups of Week 2. We hope you enjoy! 

Former players Quinn, Poppinga & Chatham are back and ready to rock!  With the NFL season just around the corner, the FBF fellas dive into four big topics on a jam-packed show: 1) Top Preseason Surprises 2) Teams That Best Rehabbed their Biggest Weakness 3) Teams Most Likely to Take a Step Back from 2015 4) Week 1's Most Intriguing Matchups ...and their take on the Colin Kaepernick protest situation in San Francisco.  The guys discuss the 2016 prospects for the Patriots, Broncos, Panthers, Cardinals, Jets, Dolphins, Niners, Lions, Jaguars, Colts, Seahawks, Texans, Cowboys, Steelers, Bengals and more... Enjoy the show!

Chatham & Quinn are back to preview the top QB draft prospects in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft, as well as look at some of the darkhorse candidates that Quinn worked with as a coach at the East-West Shrine Game.  Quinn also offers takes on his unique experiences as a player going through this tenuous last couple weeks of positioning & uncertainty for a player expected to be selected in the first round.  Cal's Jared Goff, North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, Memphis' Paxton Lynch, Michigan State's Connor Cook, and others under the microscope from a players' point of view. Enjoy the show! 

Matt Chatham, Brady Quinn & Brady Poppinga return to pick through the free agency chaos and relate their experiences in the process to the challenges for the guys who've signed new contracts with new teams.  Free agency can be a life-changing experience, so the guys dive into a behind-the-scenes look at the transition for a player.  Then the guys look deeper at some of the best (and worst) new contracts, talk football "fit" for players like Olivier Vernon, Mario Williams, Lamar Miller, Chandler Jones, Brock Osweiler and more.  Overflowing insight show as the guys return to the mic... We hope you all enjoy! 

You've heard all the Carolina Panthers & Denver Broncos off-field storylines beaten to a pulp over the last two weeks.  Now it's time to get down to the real game itself.  You know, the Super Bowl.  We dig through the individual matchups and look at some of the things that are bound to be factors in the game that nobody's talking about.  We look at the chess match between Peyton Manning and Luke Kuechly, each able to put their team in position to make a play based on what the other guy does.  Does Ted Ginn add to the legacy of players making huge kick or punt returns in the Super Bowl to help their team win?  Denver's an underdog here, but what's the path look like for them to pull off the win?  All this and much more!  Enjoy! 

Former Broncos safety Nick Ferguson and former Patriots & Panthers tight end Jermaine Wiggins join Matt Chatham to dive into the two big NFL conference championship games, taking a critical look at who each of these teams really are today.  Are the Carolina Panthers built to get (and hold) a lead against the explosive and balanced Arizona Cardinals? Wiggy, who played in Super Bowls for both the Patriots and the Panthers, offers his insight on the underrated playoff atmosphere Arizona players can expect in Charlotte.  The guys then turn their attention to the AFC game out in Denver, looking closely at what's left of this Broncos offense in Peyton Manning's final stages of his career, and how they can still get the job done if you let them.  The guys then examine the Patriots and how they differ this time around than when they lost to the Broncos in November.  Do the Patriots have enough this time around for a different outcome in Denver?  Emjoy the show!