Posted by James in Wales on Apr 23, 2009 in
PFW in Progress Latest Show 
A “pumped and jacked” Fred opened the show today with props to Toyota Tacoma for getting today’s lunch order, provided by “Paul’s favourite emailer” William Berry. Fred’s excitement was due to the upcoming NFL draft which brought up the news that Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry would take the same money as 2008 #1 draft pick Jake Long if the Lions picked him at #1.
Erik brought up Bill Belichick’s pre-draft press conference in which he commented that they had the ammunition to move into the top 10. The guys discussed this and how there is a lot of depth in this year’s draft so the Patriots are in a better position staying where they are.
Mike in Sharon called in to discuss about Patriots Chairman/CEO Robert Kraft’s comments that the Patriots’ season-ticket renewal rate was in the mid 90 percent range. He also complimented the guys on the latest Patriots Football Weekly cover and reiterated the guys’ comments that there wasn’t a consensus number one pick this year.
Fred read an email, from Andy Hart himself, that took shots at Boston Globe reporter Tony Massarotti who, himself, took shots at Andy in his latest column for asking Bill Belichick if there was anyone he regarded as a “can’t-miss” player only to see him fail. Andy expressed his displeasure at Massarotti’s column and likened himself to a player who gets misquoted or taken out of context in the press.
Andy spoke about bumping into Andre Tippett who he discussed the best draft classes in Patriots history with before Paul brought up a fact about draft classes. John in Palm Bay, not John in LA as Fred announced, called in to talk about rumours that the Patriots would trade their #34 draft pick for Dallas’ first round pick next year.
The guys brought up the Jaguars and Lions new uniforms and the Lions new logo before Andy noted that Pro Football Weekly’s Draft Guide had Matthew Stafford and Jason White ranked at 6.6 which put them on a scale that fell below that of a Pro Bowl caliber player. Erik then mentioned the recent rumours about several draft prospects failing drug tests following a Fox report that Harvin and Tate are the only high-profile players to have positive drug tests at the combine.
Fred read out an email from lunch buyer William Berry concerning Erik’s supposed fetish photography before Anthony in Naples called in to talk about USC LB Clay Matthews and how him being a ‘walk on’ has been overblown in the media. Anthony also brought up James Laurinaitis who has been slipping down the various mock drafts of late and wondered if he could slip into the second round for the Patriots to take.
Andy pointed out that Boston Globe reporter Mike Reiss picked Tennessee DE/OLB Robert Ayers in an ESPN Sports Center mock draft at #23 that the guys all disagreed with. Paul offered a new study for Fred to research concerning the falling stock of draft prospects who stay in college for all four years.
Andrew from the Ukraine called in via Skype to comment on the schedule and asked the guys who they would take if Vontae Davis and Aaron Maybin fell to the #23 spot as they have been recently projected to. Andrew also initiated a discussion about the Patriots potential draft trades before the guys talked about several WR prospects and we heard a “preeemium” mp3 question from Mikey Vandalism about draft prospects.
A humorous email from Dan in Fairfax offered a ficticious top ten reasons that Fred allowed PFW listener John in LA to write Friday Out Takes on Patriots.com before “big time” Paul Perillo left for the Big Show.
An either/or game about draft prospects and an over/under game provided the guys with some fun before Fred, who’d been teasing it all show, broached the subject, from Tuesday’s show, of Erik being credited for taking artistic photographs of nude models. Erik offered a full explanation behind the photographs and how he was offered advice by artists at Rhode Island School of Art & Design to expand his artwork and use nudes. Erik got angry from the poking and prodding from Fred and Andy and said it was nobody’s “F-ing business”.
Following a break Fred brought up PFW in Progress’ draft weekend schedule and the excellent coverage over at Patriots.com before talking about Everett Brown as being a candidate for the Patriots to trade up and select at the draft. Fred played an hilarious mp3 from Chris with a tian that asked about the falling stock of linebackers James Laurinaitis and Rey Maualuga.
Several emailers brought up Rey Maualuga which the guys discussed with Andy bringing up his reported drinking problem, on-field freelancing and compared him to Jerod Mayo. Jim in Texas called in to continue the Maualuga discussion and brought up Torry Holt signing for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jim also brought up the recent article in the Boston Globe about Vince Wilfork who said that he would like to re-sign with the Patriots.
Fred read out several emails that brought up discussions about a German draft prospect in OT Sebastian Vollmer, South Carolina ILB Jasper Brinkley, Todd McShay’s latest mock draft and trading up to get Brian Orakpo who Andy loves and called him a “freak”. Erik brought up two films that he has seen recently in The Wrestler and Frost/Nixon before the guys talked about a potential draft day deal for Julius Peppers.
The show came to a close following some talk about adding a more aggressive streak to the Patriots game.
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Today’s team: Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino
Lunch provided by: William Berry
Callers in: Mike in Sharon, John in Palm Bay, Anthony in Naples, Jim in Texas
Tags: Andy Hart, Caller: Anthony in Naples, Caller: Jim in Texas, Caller: John in Palm Bay, Caller: Mike in Sharon, Erik Scalavino, Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo
Posted by James in Wales on Apr 21, 2009 in
PFW in Progress Latest Show 
Fred opened today’s show before going live to Head Coach of the New England Patriots Bill Belichick’s pre-draft press conference where Erik and Andy were both heard answering questions.
Following a break the guys returned to the show from the press conference with digs from Fred about not having their questions fully answered. They then discussed what Belichick said, including how there wasn’t any consensus #1 pick and the amount of times he mentioned Matt Cassel.
Fred then stated that Mark Sanchez will be a better NFL QB than Matthew Stafford before Fred talked about the nominees for this year’s Hall of Fame Class. He let slip the names of three players that make up this year’s class being Jon Morris, Jim Nance and Houston Antwine.
The guys then went back to Bill Belichick’s press conference before (finally) getting to John in LA’s call who talked about Erik’s question to Bill and some of Bill’s comments. Fred read an email from lunch buyer Cormac about what proportion of the Patriots previous draft picks they had worked out and if private workouts are smokescreens.
Craig from South Carolina called in (welcome back Craig - it’s been a while) to talk about Julius Peppers dropping hints about becoming a Patriot and asked the guys who will be calling the offensive plays this year. Craig then offered his draft picks before Fred continued with Cormac’s email which brought up a question on how the draft works behind the scenes.
Mike from San Francisco called in, to the requisite Singletary joke, to talk about the grey area in Bill Belichick’s answers before asking the guys some over/under questions and brought up a debate about Pat White and Percy Harvin.
An email from xx in the Vineyard, calling Paul ‘the moral majority’, gave the guys another game of over/under to play and following some talk about fish sticks and a Haveline commercial Jim in Texas called in to talk about the draft. He ended the call to talk about Paul’s anger and how the word ’synergy’ summed up PFW in Progress.
An email from Cedric brought up potential Patriots’ LB draft prospects Rey Maualuga, Larry English and Clay Matthews, the possibility of trading for Julius Peppers on draft day and what Tight End prospects were available in this year’s draft.
An email about the availability of the Patriots throwback jerseys was brought up to which Fred announced that the ProShop will be taking orders online and in stock from tomorrow (04/22/09). John in Dallas called in to talk about the draft and offered his thoughts on some prospects including Connor Barwin, Clay Matthews and Jarron Gilbert.
The guys played an in/out game about Patriots players who will make the NFL Hall of Fame before discussing some recent talk in the PFWinProgress.com forums about Erik being credited on an artistic nude model’s website. Erik denied all knowledge of Daisy May until he saw her picture and “mysteriously” admitted knowing her. The guys then grilled Erik about it without getting very far apart from getting him to admit he took photographs of her before Fred returned to the emails.
Strippers emailed in a quiz which reminded Andy about ESPN.com’s ‘all-time’ draft before an email from Salt asked about Chad Johnson’s trade situation and unpro-rated contracts. An email from Matt in Oregon asked for the return of Swig and talked about the pass protection situation with the return of Tom Brady under center.
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Today’s team: Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino
Lunch provided by: Cormac
Callers in: John in LA, Craig from South Carolina, Mike from San Francisco, Jim in Texas
Tags: Andy Hart, Caller: Craig from South Carolina, Caller: Jim in Texas, Caller: John in Dallas, Caller: John in LA, Caller: Mike from San Francisco, Erik Scalavino, Fred Kirsch, Lunch: Cormac, Paul Perillo
Posted by James in Wales on Apr 16, 2009 in
PFW in Progress Latest Show 
Fred opened the show with the news that it was the birthday of Bill Belichick, Head Coach of the New England Patriots, announced that PFW in Progress had learnt that John Madden had retired and that NFL Network/NFL.com’s Adam Schefter would be leaving and joining ESPN. The guys then engaged in a lengthy discussion about the current spat between NFL Network and Comcast over viewer access that Fred compared to a “pissing contest” with each party apparently “whipping ‘em out and measuring them”.
John in LA then called in, during a “tough day”, to talk about Robert Ayers who Mike Mayock is pretty but Andy and Erik weren’t too keen. The guys then brought up the throwback jerseys that Fred Taylor had been modelling to which Andy asked what number/player Fred would choose. Fred decided on J. Steele and #25 rather than a player.
The guys then discussed the trade talks surrounding WRs Anquan Boldin and Braylon Edwards before John in Dallas called in to “talk about the draft” and whether the guys would trade a 1st and a 3rd for Boldin. The guys said they’d prefer to trade for Julius Peppers because the need is on defense and not offense. John argued his case very well saying that the Patriots could get English, Laurinaitis or Sintim with one of their other second round picks but the guys stuck to their guns. Andy called John’s call “the second best call in the history of the show”.
Michael in Puerto Rico called in with a Spanish lesson for Andy and to talk about NFL Draft Countdown’s latest mock draft which sees the Patriots take Rey Maualuga, Connor Barwin and Louis Delmus. The guys thought that would be a great draft but would like to swap Connor Barwin for Larry English who they see as a better impact player in year one. Michael then signed off by telling the guys that he was in the military in order for Fred to say “Thankyou for your sevice”.
Following a break Fred read an email from lunch buyer Jacob from Denmark which asked the guys some questions about the draft including one about “Ziggy” Hood and his fit for the Patriots. Jacob brought up the Wembley game and said that they should just hand the Patriots the [Lombardi] trophy now.
Andy brought up the new Star Trek movie before Fred revealed why he was having a bad day which included basketball uniforms and mulch before Jim in Texas called in to ask Fred some draft questions. The guys said Fred couldn’t name ten draft prospects and following a good effort Jim asked Paul if he had beaten up Tugender before talking about Vontae Davis. Following some more digs about his draft research Fred said that he “worked every day to keep you guys in a job”. The guys promptly got “off his back” and agreed with him.
After some brief talk about Malcolm Jenkins and cornerbacks Danny in Orlando called in to talk about the toughness of the Patriots schedule which the guys discussed in depth. Mike from San Francisco called in to talk about Fred’s draft value article which led to a discussion about an academic paper by Cade Massey and Richard Thale and the supposed “toxic top five”.
Following an email about the Patriots schedule and how it could coincide with a stay in Alabama Paul brought up his ‘dream’ about getting an RV and going to watch SEC college football games. Andy thought that Diet Pepsi and Miller Lite could sponsor it to which Erik reminded Paul that he shouldn’t drink and drive.
An email from Jamie in Houston offered the guys BBQ and brews when they go to Houston before Swig called in to tell the guys it was his birthday (Happy Birthday man) and to congratulate Andy on his little S Hart. Swig then told a story about Heath Evans’ recent fundraiser in Florida where Vince Wilfork ate a 1/2 lb Kobe beef burger as an appetiser.
An email from Strippers quizzed the guys about Petros Papadakis before an email from Paul in London asked why the PFW mock draft didn’t have Rey Maualuga before Erik called Paul a stalker because of a Facebook ‘interview’ with Connor Barwin. The guys talked briefly about Slingbox before Shahzad from Manchester enquired about the guys thoughts on Bill Belichick’s draft technique of looking ahead to future drafts.
An email on the strength of the Patriots schedule inspired a future classic Fred S. Kirsch quote of “Judging your schedule at the end of the season always comes out more accurate”. An email reignited the Pat White discussion before it became quizzing Erik’s vocabulary time with the words callipygian and callimastian which he went 1-1 but he couldn’t get William Berry’s word of the day which was susurrus.
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Today’s team: Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino
Lunch provided by: Jacob from Denmark
Callers in: John in LA, John in Dallas, Michael in Puerto Rico, Jim in Texas, Danny in Orlando, Mike from San Francisco
Tags: Andy Hart, Caller: Danny in Orlando, Caller: Jim in Texas, Caller: John in Dallas, Caller: John in LA, Caller: Michael in Puerto Rico, Caller: Mike from San Francisco, Erik Scalavino, Fred Kirsch, Lunch: Jacob from Denmark, Paul Perillo
Posted by James in Wales on Apr 14, 2009 in
PFW in Progress Latest Show 
Fred opened the show with the news that Andy bought lunch from Tavolino Pizza Gourmet and introduced “Toyota Tacoma” who will be replacing Dan Tugender behind the glass. Fred also spoke about the announcement of the 2009 NFL schedule that takes place 7PM ET at CBS Scene, Patriots Place.
Regular opening caller John in LA called in to pose some potential Patriots draft combinations, talk about the crop of Cornerbacks and USF LB Tyrone McKenzie who is scheduled to visit the Patriots. Andy brought up the recent Debate Friday on Patriots.com that saw Andy and Fred go head-to-head over Pat White and the Wildcat offence.
Fred brought up his recent hypothesis about the payment of the top ten draft picks and come up with a theory that Peyton Manning’s rookie contract was to blame for the increased rookie salaries. This led to a discussion on incentive laden contracts in rookie contracts before the guys announced the sad news that NFL Films’ Harry Kalas had passed away.
Jim in Texas called in to talk about ‘Debate Friday’ and to discuss the Wildcat and previous offenses like the Run and Shoot. Jim also agreed with Andy that the Patriots should take Northern Illinois DE Larry English in the first round and if he’s not there maybe Everett Brown will be. The guys agreed that Everett Brown was one of the top prospects available and would be great value at #23. Jim then brought up Mel Kiper’s draft bible that had Boston College DT Ron Brace as the Patriots third round pick. Jim ended his call by offering some advice for the Gostkowski kicking challenge with an “inspiring” tale about a sparring match with a bigger guy and telling Erik that he shouldn’t be “afraid to fail” .
The guys then talked about recent news stories including “idiot” 911 calls, the rise in gun shootings and the Somalian Pirates before talking about the announcement of the 2009 NFL schedule.
Following a break Fred read an email from Sean McLoughlin containing some negative thoughts about the Pat White “experiment” before Fred got worked up over an infomercial. Andy brought up the recent signing of Steelers LB James Harrison with a nod to the potential contract that Julius Peppers would command. After a discussion about the economy the guys discussed other draft prospects that could play multiple positions in the NFL.
An email brought up a discussion about Bill Belichick’s draft theory and whether he looks to future drafts when choosing positions he’d like to draft. Al in Dayton called in, and after some kind words from the guys about his radio voice, to talk about his “favourite time of the year” with tracking the various mock drafts.
Following a game of over/under from an emailer and a brief Percy Harvin/Pat White comparison the guys talked about the distribution of Patriots Football Weekly which led to Fred explaining his phobia of grocery stores. Erik was then forced into divulging a story about when he hit on a checkout attendant several years ago.
The guys brought up a baseball video game commercial starring Dustin Pedroia, talked some baseball, Republican tea-bagging before reading some emails. The guys talked some more about lowering the rookie salary pool before coming up with some pun headlines around the Patriots drafting Larry English.
After Hot Amy challenged Erik with the meaning of an extremely long word Mike from San Francisco called in to discuss the rookie salary pool and offer some facts about it.
The show came to a close with an email from William Berry that offered some words to stump Erik of which he went 1-1.
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Today’s team: Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino
Lunch provided by: Andy Hart
Callers in: John in LA, Jim in Texas, Al in Dayton, Mike from San Francisco
Tags: Andy Hart, Caller: Jim in Texas, Caller: John in LA, Caller: Mike from San Francisco, Erik Scalavino, Fred Kirsch, Lunch: Andy Hart, Paul Perillo
Posted by James in Wales on Apr 9, 2009 in
PFW in Progress Latest Show 
Following the ‘Rudy’ opening, which Erik decreed his “favourite opening”, the guys talked about Mel Kiper’s recent four round draft which saw the Patriots take RB Donald Brown at #23, DE/LB Connor Barwin at #34, CB/S Sean Smith at #47, QB/WR Pat White at #58, TE Cornelius Ingram, at #89, Andy’s boy, “the white guy”, LB Scott McKillop at #97 and “Erik’s guy” OT Dan Gay at #124.
The guys discussed the rest of Kiper’s mock draft before talking in depth about the “intrigue” of Pat White and how Bill Belichick has previously used the spread offence and how he could use White. Fred expressed his doubt about picking an unconventional player in the first two rounds which quickly led to a chat about the advertising of ‘Guitar Hero’.
John from Dallas called in to talk about the draft and if the Patriots would trade up to get Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry who Andy compared to Titans LB Keith Bullock who is a solid player but isn’t an “impact player”. Fred announced the PFW in Progress draft weekend schedule before Erik noted that the draft is exactly six months away from the Patriots game against the Buccaneers in the UK.
Following a break, Paul’s “favourite caller”, Jim in Texas called in to talk about the Cutler deal and draft prospect Larry English. The passionate Jim in Texas ended his call by saying he had questioned Fred’s passion recently but judged him to still be the ‘ultimate homer’. Bryan from Brighton called in to give Paul props for comparing Cassel to Orton on his recent WEEI appearance and wondered if anyone in the AFC East would have “half a brain” to hire Bill Belichick’s “nemesis” Mike Shanahan.
An email from TG in NJ reignited the ‘Wildcat’ discussion before the guys talked about the status of the Jason Taylor situation. James in New Hampshire called in to talk about the gunfire at Brady’s wedding and Alabama Safety Rashad Johnson. An email from Cormac, Happy Birthday man, brought up the Wembley game and the pronunciation of Andy’s wife’s name.
An email from William Berry brought about a new game that will test Erik’s vocabulary before another “preeeeemium question” from Mikey Vandalism that brought up Vince Wilfork’s contract and when, and if, the Patriots will offer him a contract extension. Fred read a humorous email from Kieran in Ireland that offered Paul advice for his love of NorthEastern sports (and for his general fitness).
Chris with a tian called in, from the basement, to tell Erik about his recent trip to Providence and to offer his thoughts on the ‘Wildcat’ and Pat White. The guys then discussed how the entire Patriots roster would be drafted in order of the 2009 NFL draft following an email from Pat in Chicago. The guys chose Brady - Lions, Moss - Rams, Wilfork - Chiefs, Mayo - Seahawks, Seymour/Warren - Browns, Welker - Bengals, Watson - Raiders, Seymour/Warren - Jaguars.
An mp3 email, in the voice of Stephen Hawkings, from James Pettigrew brought about a lengthy discussion on the implications of an uncapped year. The guys went back to the last show’s discussion of man boobs whilst discussing various draft prospects before talking about the Patriots’ 09 schedule and who they thought would be the toughest opponents.
Following some political talk the guys discussed the value of Vince Wilfork, whether he could be a three down player and if his diabetes would come into consideration. The guys then played along with an emailer’s percentage game before the show ended following some talk about the Mayan prophecy that the world will ended in 2012 and that this weekend brings the birthday celebrations of Andy’s son Jackson and Paul’s son T.J. Happy birthday both.
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Today’s team: Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino
Lunch provided by: Pizzeria Grande
Callers in: John in Dallas, Jim in Texas, Bryan from Brighton, James in New Hampshire, Chris with a tian
Special guests:
Urban dictionary word of the day:
Tags: Andy Hart, Caller: Bryan from Brighton, Caller: Chris with a tian, Caller: James in New Hampshire, Caller: Jim in Texas, Caller: John in Dallas, Erik Scalavino, Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo
Posted by James in Wales on Apr 7, 2009 in
PFW in Progress Latest Show 
Fred opened the show today with a welcome back to Andy from his paternity leave and discussed the story about the paparazzi being shot at Tom Brady’s ’second’ wedding.
The guys then talked about the recent trade between Josh McDaniel’s Broncos and the Bears that saw the disgruntled QB Jay Cutler sent to Chicago in exchange for multiple picks and Kyle Orton.
The guys talked briefly about the obvious comparisons between the Cutler and Cassel deals before talking about the latest issue of Patriots Football Weekly. Fred brought up his latest project/idea/theory which is a hypothesis about the devaluation of the top five NFL draft picks and how the money the top picks receive could affect the production of the players.
Fred gave a shout out to “victuals” (lunch) provider Jim in Texas before Jim called in to offer his congratulations to Andy and talk about the arrest of Reggie Williams and the additions of WRs Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis. Andy thought Lewis would catch 50 balls this season and Fred would buy a Lewis jersey.
Fred talked about Jerod Mayo’s upcoming appearance at GameStop at Patriots Place (presented by Raytheon) before Andy talked about almost passing out during the recent birth of his daughter.
Fred then brought up Andre Smith with his shirt off at the NFL combine before the guys talked about various football players bodies they have seen (”not in a gay way of course”) including Brandon Gorin, Joe Andruzzi and Chad Scott.
A few emails brought up the Cutler trade including one from Kimani that, surprisingly, didn’t mention Erik before Michael in Puerto Rico to praise the show’s switch to Flash and the mock drafts on Patriots.com. The guys then discussed the rumours about the draft prospects that have failed drug test including Boston College’s DT B.J. Raji.
Following a break Fred read an email from Tammy who offered to buy the guys as long as they didn’t share with Andy because he called her a “lesbo”. Paul helped Andy get up to speed on Erik’s kicking training ahead of his field goal challenge against Stephen Gostkowski. This led to a discussion about Erik’s diet and cholestorol level.
The guys then talked about draft prospects and likened Rey Maualuga, who was described as a “thumper”, to former Patriots LB Ted Johnson as being a three down player. An email revisited the conversation about Brady’s wedding incident and whether it should be a NFL disciplinary issue.
Fred read an email from former regular emailer Craig in Boxborough about Clay Matthews brought about a discussion about previous USC draft prospects and which ones were busts. The guys talked about Larry English and whether the Patriots would draft an ILB in the first round if Maualuga doesn’t fall to them before an email from Strippers asked the guys their thoughts on the Oklahoma prospects.
Following talk about the off-field characteristic of draft prospects, such as last year’s Vernon Gholston and this year’s Brian Orakpo, Andy offered Virginia LT Eugene Monroe as his ultimate draft pick. The show ended following an email from former show producer Gary Grodecki comparing Urban Dictionary entries and the name of Andy’s newborn daughter.
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Today’s team: Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino
Lunch provided by: Jim in Texas
Callers in: Jim in Texas
Special guests:
Urban dictionary word of the day:
Tags: Andy Hart, Caller: Jim in Texas, Caller: Michael in Puerto Rico, Erik Scalavino, Fred Kirsch, Paul Perillo
