Super Bowl week gets into high gear with local radio stations beginning their radio row broadcasts and media day this morning.

Just because they’re saying it about Super Bowl XLVI doesn’t mean it’s true – Jonathan Comey looks at a few myths being perpetrated this week, including the oft-repeated statements about the Patriots awful defense.

Dispatches from Indy: Introspective Bill – Chad Finn looks at a very pleasant Bill Belichick yesterday. Mike Reiss says Belichick is smiling because he likes his team.

The Tuna bites, talks about coaches – Dan Shaughnessy talks to Bill Parcells about his two former assistants. Good piece from Shaughnessy, likely because of the 1149 words, he only wrote 436 of them. The rest is all Parcells quotes.

Similarities run deep with Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin – Ron Borges looks at the similarities and respect between the two coaches.

Veterans thrilled to reach pinnacle at last – Ian Rapoport has grizzled veterans like Shaun Ellis, Brian Waters and Gerard Warren thrilled to be going their their first Super Bowl.

Man in motion – John Powers has a feature on Aaron Hernandez, who is much more than just another tight end.

The Death of Spygate – Kirk Minihane wonders why the likes of Michael Felger and Bob Ryan feel the need to bring back Spygate this week.

For N.Y. headline writers, the game is on – Jim Donaldson has the New York newspapers going all out in supporting the Giants, even making things up. Tom E Curran has Victor Cruz’s win guarantee, with a shout out to BSMW.

Venting on media bashing, nutso fans and other things – Ron Chimelis is in a rotten mood.  

Some happy to fly under the radar – Mark Farinella’s notebook has some lesser-known Patriots seeing the spotlight. The Globe notebook from Shalise Manza Young has the Patriots with a business-like practice yesterday. The Herald notebook from Ian R. Rapoport has BenJarvus Green-Ellis testing a new chinstrap.

In the non-Super Bowl arena, Jessica Camerato has a feature on Celtics rookie Greg Stiemsma and his battle with depression.

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Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

17 thoughts on “Patriots Settling Into Indy”

  3. Bruce…quick question. Could BSMW have gotten media credentials for media day and the SB? I think it might have been fascinating to send someone out (i know BSMW has a shoe string budget…maybe someone would have paid their own way knowing they had credentials) to media day to watch how the media interacts with the players and coaches. Maybe next time the Pats make it back?

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  4. Shaughnessey and Buckley use the same easy-way-out format by contacting famous ex-superstar/coach and having the bulk of the column be their quotes rather than any original thought or opinion of their own. They both did it last June with Harry Sinden and Bobby Orr during the Cup finals, and with the Celtics back in '08.

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    1. Shaughnessy picked it up from Will McDonough. Willie would shape a column around quotes directly from ownership all the time, even announce at the top that that was what he was doing.

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  5. Actually, Minihane's argument is ridiculous because he seems to be validating all of the "Spygate was a big deal" stuff by relying solely on the severity Goodell's penalty. It's clear to me, however, that Goodell's penalty was excessive and driven purely by his anger over the memo being ignored. Hey, BB deserved to be punished for that–but for videotaping? Surely you jest. Despite what Minihane might think, it was a very common practice and no fewer than four Super Bowl winning coaches have since admitted to doing similar and seeing similar (or worse) things (Shanahan, Johnson, Cowher and Vermeil). To base your assessment of the severity of the "crime" on the ludicrous harshness of the penalty–which was driven by pure emotion and NY media pressure–is dumb.

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    1. Yeah, I agree. Minihane is off-base. The severity of the punishment was because Gooodell was trying do the whole new-sheriff-in-town thing and he was, understandably, pissed that BB tried to get cute by "misinterpreting" the memo.

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    3. "Goodell was flexing his muscles at the time and decided to make an example of the Patriots. Funny, considering he owed his job to Kraft"

      George — that's EXACTLY why he handed down such a ridiculously over-the-top penalty. He felt (and probably with some justification) that if he was seen as going light on the guy who was a key part of him getting the job, that he'd be viewed as in Kraft's pocket and would be hamstrung going forward. I bet if "Spygate" had happened 5 years into Goodell's tenure it would have been a fine and loss of a 3rd-round pick, or maybe even just a fine.

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      1. All you need to know is that videotaping signals was NOT illegal. Videotaping them from the sideline was.
        Really, that is what cost them a first round pick? It is unbelievable, and someday historians will look back and wonder how the hell that happened.

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        1. And here is the kicker that no one talks about. They were caught at field level which is a violation of the rule. Had the camera been in the stands say 2 rows up (maybe 10 feet away)…then no rule is violated. The dumbness of the whole situation to this day is mind boggling.

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        2. I'm also hopeful that someday historians will look back on Tagliabue docking the 49ers and Broncos just a 3rd round pick for violating the salary cap–a much worse offense against the "competitive balance" of the game–and say….."salary cap cheating was worth just a 3rd round pick, and yet Tagliabue's successor slammed Belichick with a 1st rounder for that misdemeanor taping offense? What was Goodell thinking?" It amazes me that the media never brings that up: the salary cap, which is the Holy Grail that makes the NFL so much more competitive than the rest of pro sports, gets trampled on by a two-time Super Bowl winning team from Denver and yet they only get docked a 3rd round pick–but the media still squealed that the enormously outsized penalty that BB and the Pats got for violating an obscure taping rule wasn't enough. Incredible.

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      2. "I bet if "Spygate" had happened 5 years into Goodell's tenure it would have been a fine and loss of a 3rd-round pick, or maybe even just a fine. "

        Or it would have been quietly swept under the rug, like how the allegations of Josh McDaniels as coach of the Broncos ordering someone to videotape a 49ers walkthrough were.

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  7. Yo, Bro, chillax. Romey iz dah homeboy and mahn. Uhnly ting wang wif him iz dat his couches r cuvuhed in syphilis.

    Gotta love being 46 and acting like you're 19 and just pledged for Alpha Delta Phi. Word up.

    On the Rome/Felger comparison, I'm sure many would love this to happen with Felger:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uczUKTwgqeY

    Rumor has it that MAWWWSSHHMAWNT wanted to do that.

    I am out.

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  8. George, I have to disagree with you. Minihane actually came off sounding just like Felger. He questions Felger and Ryan for bringing up Spygate then spends half of his article reminding us how bad Spygate was and how it leaves a blight on Belichick. It's like when Felger and Maz spend three hours telling you how great the Giants are while telling us all the weaknesses of the Patriots then telling us the Pats will win for five minutes.

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