FSNE’s New England Sports Tonight aired from the first day of Patriots training camp. Greg Dickerson was joined by the Patriots beat boys, Michael Felger, Tom Curran and Nick Cafardo. Focus was on the adulation given to the team. About 5000 people were there to watch today, They had to turn people away. Cafardo worries it might go the teams’ (and Brady in particular) heads. Felger said to watch for complacency, he cited Antowain Smith failing the conditioning run (for the second year in a row) as a bad sign. He said Smith did not come to camp in shape. Cafardo thinks Smith, and Patrick Pass failing the conditioning along with Charlie Weis being out, will be good for the team, as they do well with distractions. Felger and Dickerson worry about Smith, that he has no backup. They don’t think J.R. Redmond can compete, Curran has a little more confidence in Redmond. Cafardo sides with Felger and Dickerson. Perfect example of the Boston Sports Media mentality….Felger says his comments about Smith are premature as it is day one, but they need to fill a half hour, Dickerson chimes in “We have to find something negative about this team.” Donald Hayes lined up with the first team. Curran and Cafardo didn’t seem too impressed with him. Cafardo doesn’t think he can get away from anyone speedwise. Cafardo calls Charlie Weis’ absence “a tremendous problem”. He also mentioned not having Drew Bledsoe around to mentor Brady. Willie McGinest was excused today for personal reasons. Talk turned to Bledsoe, Curran kidded Cafardo, asking if he missed him, and was sad not seeing him. Cafardo said he did miss Drew. Brady’s contract situation shouldn’t really affect him or the team, feel Felger, but he wonders if they can get it done, as they don’t give out these big contracts any more. Curran and Cafardo agree that the Patriots have to get it done. They’ve married themselves to Brady. Felger says though, that if Brady goes out and stinks or isn’t doing what it takes to win, Belichick won’t hesitate to bring Damon Huard in. The team is bigger than the quarterback. Curran and Cafardo disagree, Brady is Belichick’s guy, he groomed him, he traded Bledsoe, he skills that won’t erode. May be a “system quarterback” but he also won a Super Bowl. Cafardo has a book coming out next month based on last year’s team; “The impossible team.” Dickerson did get a good laugh by “announcing” that “Michael Felger has said that Tom Brady is out as Patriots Quarterback.”
Strange marriage..flipping through the channels this evening, and MSNBC had Mike Barnicle on with Jerry Springer…perhaps that isn’t so strange after all…
Boston Sports Media Watch 