Morning Sports Update
“We love you, Drake. It’s early in the season, but you’ve got to make better decisions, especially in crunch time.”
Ty Law’s take on the Patriots: Like every other Patriots fan, Ty Law was understandably disappointed by the team’s 13-10 Week 1 loss to the Seahawks.
Unlike almost every other Patriots fan, however, Law has direct experience with slow starts in New England (and then still winning the Super Bowl by season’s end).
Law isn’t ready to predict the Patriots will bounce back in the way that his teams did in New England in 2001 and 2003, but he’s certainly not giving up on Drake Maye and the current iteration of the team.
“We fell a little short,” he said of the Patriots’ opening day effort in Seattle during a Tuesday morning interview with WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”
“You see some good things in there,” Law continued. “They fought hard. But it’s the little things. It’s being accountable in situations.”
The comments echoed head coach Mike Vrabel (a former teammate of Law’s) who also focused on turnovers and mistakes costing the team.
“Drake Maye, come on, bro,” Law said. “We love you, Drake. It’s early in the season, but you’ve got to make better decisions, especially in crunch time. You didn’t have to throw that ball to try to make a play in the end zone. Let’s kick the field goal, go into overtime and see what happens.”
Should more blame fall on the player or the coach in that sequence?
“It’s a combination of both. The coach has to remind you, but we’ve all got to understand that when you’re out there playing, things are going very fast. You have to make split decisions,” said Law.
“At the end of the day, the onus falls on the player. Drake, you know I don’t give a damn if Josh McDaniels said throw the ball. You know not to do it, you know what I mean?
Law concluded with a fairly standard Patriots way of looking at a Week 1 loss.
“It’s early, it’s the first game, you learn from it, and you move on.”
Trivia: Before Payton Tolle, who was the most recent Red Sox pitcher to throw an immaculate inning?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He did so in 2021, becoming just the third pitcher in MLB history (along with Sandy Koufax and Max Scherzer) to achieve the feat three times.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox begin a three-game series tonight against the Rangers in Texas at 8:05 p.m.
The Revolution face Orlando City at Gillette Stadium Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The Patriots’ home opener gets underway on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Steelers.
Also on Sunday, Legacy FC will face the Houston Dash at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket on Sunday at 2 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
It’s being called the most Boston sports talk radio take ever: Tony Massarotti of 98.5 The Sports Hub, iconically unimpressed with Payton Tolle’s immaculate inning.
An absolute moonshot: Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a home run literally out of the ballpark.
On this day: In 1996, the Patriots opened the season with a 31-0 win over the Cardinals. Curtis Martin starred, scoring three touchdowns (two in the air, one on the ground) and totaling 125 yards from scrimmage.
Daily highlight: The Angels pulled off a great relay from the outfield, culminating with Zach Neto nailing the runner at the plate after a great throw.
Trivia answer: Chris Sale
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