So once again, the screamers are proven to be morons. Losses, rare as they are, are treated with insanity by radio hosts and columnists.

While the usual suspects have been screaming about how the Patriots were being “cheap” and not wanting to pay Brian Waters after his Pro Bowl season in 2011, others were reporting something quite different. Last night and this morning, Shalise Manza Young got the scoop that the Patriots offered Brian Waters $4 million to return this season.

What’s more, this offer was not one made here in recent days as a reaction to the struggles of the offensive line, but was made during training camp.

The screamers *cough*FELGER*cough* will likely somehow dismiss this  (lies fed by the team to their media mouthpieces) and move without breaking stride onto the current great Patriots travesty, the team’s disgraceful treatment of Wes Welker. On Monday, Felger’s yes-man Tony Massarotti wondered when the Patriots would stop screwing around with the line and just “PAY THE GUY.”

The Patriots also continue to offend the sensibilities of the older media around town. Dan Shaughnessy trotted out his tired “Amos Alonzo Kraft” tagline in today’s column, somehow pushing for the Patriots owner to end the referees lockout.

Does anyone think Shaughnessy has an inkling of a clue as to what the NFL/Referee labor dispute is really all about? Most seem to want the NFL to just give the officials whatever they want. It’s about pension plans. For part-time employees. For employees who have full-time jobs elsewhere, many of them very lucrative. But sure, the NFL should just cave and give them whatever they want.

Jackie MacMullan, who only seems to write after losses, had a doozy of a column this week – “We used to be able to count on the Patriots. But now, maybe not.” (That’s the actual slug being used to promote the column.) After ONE loss. Granted, they may well lose this week as well, which might prompt Jackie to trot out her line she used last year about the impending “darkest days of the Brady/Belichick era.”

The recently retired Bob Ryan is on a crusade to prove that Tom Brady is a poor downfield thrower, citing stats on long passes. I really wish Bob would compare Brady’s stats in that area with those of the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning (prior to 2011).

This Wes Welker week has been INSANE. Multiple reporters have said that Edelman had a better camp than Welker, (something those on the outside absolutely cannot fathom) and that for the first two games, the game plan required more from Edelman and his blocking than Welker. Yet, somehow this has been declared just another example of the Patriots screwing over a player.

Even Boomer Esiason is in on the act. Both on WEEI this week, and in his CBS Sports Minute on 98.5 he advanced the theory that the Patriots were screwing Welker (while admitting on WEEI that he didn’t have the facts.) On the CBS bit, his theory was that Belichick was either punishing Welker for a) his foot comments at Rex Ryan (from TWO SEASONS AGO) or b)  for his drop in the Super Bowl, or c) because he wouldn’t take their lowball contract offer. I used to like Boomer, but he lost me there.

How about some good links after all that? Here are your must-reads for today:

Patriots offense couldn’t click on third down –  Greg A Bedard’s post-film session column.

Pats, Ravens switch strengths – Jonathan Comey’s mid-week NFL notes has the Patriots defense and Ravens offense each looking good in the early going.

The scouting adventure that led Red Sox to Junichi Tazawa – Alex Speier looks at how the Red Sox found the player who has turned out to be their most dominating pitcher as of late, but who wasn’t even well-known in his home country of Japan.

Who Is The Blurry Guy In This Photo, And Why Did Manny Ramirez Steal His Pants? The Long Baseball Life Of “The Machete” – I don’t care how many old ladies he pushed down, I miss watching Manny Ramirez.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

23 thoughts on “Patriots Loss Always Equals Week Of Screaming, Panic”

  1. I can understandm why Jackie Mac writes negative articles on Bill and the pats. It’s been said that Bill often doesn’t respect female reporters and I believe it’s been mentioned a few times over the years that bill has been condescending towards jackie.

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      1. As far as BB don’t know it that’s true or not, but I’m condescending towards Jackie’s writing when it come to Patriots. We all know she has Basketball/Celtics on the brain….only time she writes about Pats is when she’s forced to and it shows in her writing/lack of football knowledge….she should just stick to the NBA

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      2. I can vouch for that, but it wasn’t a few years ago. More recent. He even did a nice sendoff. And I know he respects the hell out of Shalise.

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      3. I remember Belichick making a semi-offensive offhand remark to Kristine Leahy during a press conference a season or two ago after she asked a question he wasn’t fond of. Called her a “dumb blonde” or something of that nature.

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        1. John, that is not a true statement. He never called Leahy any names. He did jump on the fact that Leahy assumed a victory for the Patriots over a then winless Colts team in one of her questions during a press conference. Belichick, went up and down the Colts roster talking who were still elite. He never once called her a name.

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          1. LMAO….are you kidding? if Belichick called a female member of THE MEDIA a “dumb blond”. (or any kind of derogatory name) . It would have made HUGE national headlines and would have been talked about on ESPN for at least a month straight….please JonB

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          2. If Belichick had actually said that, Gregggggggggggggggggggggg Easterbrook would have been so incensed that he’d be releasing his second book about it by now.

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        2. That’s completely 100% false. He never said anything like that in answering her. The person who made the blonde reference to Leahy was actually another member of the media when writing about the story. Something like “Belichick was mean to the cute blonde” or something along those lines. And he wasn’t “mean” he would’ve answered that question the same way no matter who asked it.

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    2. A few years ago BB wished Monique Walker good luck on her new job in DC and let her ask the first question of the press conference, as it was her last days on the Pats beat. BB doesn’t respect stupid people. It has nothing to do with gender.

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  2. Bruce, I have almost detoxified myself from Pats media living in DC and just watch the games and avoid commentary other than this site. If this site just links to rational commentary and blocks off the Felder/CHB we can actually live in the real world.

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  4. I disagree about the refs Bruce. The NFL is the richest sports league in the country yet they have by far the most team friendly labor deals. They squeeze their workers and put their product second behind getting every last dollar they can. For the majority of the owners, owning a team is their second or third business. The refs are part of the game and there are physical risks associated with their jobs. What are pensions going to cost the owners in the long run? Not as much as having amatures disgrace their game with terrible calls. It’s a bad business move.

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  5. damn Bruce, I know I’ll probably be labeled a Bruce Allen/Patriots “fanboy” but that was terrific. You summed up this whole week of insanity in a nice neat package. Only when it comes to the Pats is rational thought “wrong” and panicked hysterical opinion “right”

    It might get worse next week. Afterall the Ravens are a pretty good team. It’s actually possible they might lose Sunday night (Oh the HORRORS of being 1-2) …I’m sure if they do lose though it will have NOTHING to do with the Ravens, It will be cause’ the Patriots screwed up, Belichick and Kraft are CHEAP, Tom Brady is OLD, Josh McDaniels is an idiot, they haven’t brought Jabbar “Jerry Rice” Gaffney back. Kellen Winslow Jr. has ruined team chemistry etc…etc…etc..

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  6. If the Pats don’t win another game, we as fans have gotten far more excellence from the Brady/Belichick era than we could ever imagine. This will end, and if the Pats are like the 49ers, it could be a while before they reach the level they have achieved, if ever. Am I an outlier as a fan in just appreciating this for as long as possible, until they become just another team like they were before 2001?

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  7. This just came out on PFT:

    “Horton saw a “tell” in Pats’ offense”

    Horton has shared with the Doug & Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 620 that the Pats and Belichick had a tell in Week Two. Before tight end Aaron Hernandez
    was injured, the Patriots ran the ball whenever Hernandez lined up
    tight to the offensive line. After Hernandez was injured, it became
    more simple — the Pats ran the ball whenever quarterback Tom Brady lined up under center, and they passed the ball whenever Brady lined up in shotgun formation.

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/19/horton-saw-a-tell-in-pats-offense/

    I wonder if Reiss or Bedard might look into this further.. or someone with a DVR/all-22

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    1. Bedard has been tweeting his opinion (and others) on this all day. don’t think he was impressed >>>

      Greg A. Bedard ‏@GregABedard Horton next sees the sun rising tomorrow, tides to continue.

      Greg A. Bedard ‏@GregABedard Lol RT @BobFuton: Horton said when he saw Gostkowski come out- he knew the Patriots were going to kick a field goal #HortonSeesAWho

      Greg A. Bedard ‏@GregABedard Patriots ran some out of shotgun, threw some play action from under center, ran smoke plays because of coverage #regulargame

      Greg A. Bedard ‏@GregABedard Lol RT @ProFootballTalk: Ray Horton spotted a clear & basic “tell” in NE offens

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      1. And, of course, Mike Reiss also did some great follow-up:

        @MikeReiss Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton says Patriots were tipping plays, but the numbers don’t support his belief.
        http://es.pn/RxzRkL

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    2. Horton spotted a huge tell in the Pats offense: every time Tom Brady was on the field, the Pats were on offense.

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  8. “The screamers *cough*FELGER*cough* will likely somehow dismiss this (lies fed by the team to their media mouthpieces) and move without breaking stride onto the current great Patriots travesty, the team’s disgraceful treatment of Wes Welker. On Monday, Felger’s yes-man Tony Massarotti wondered when the Patriots would stop screwing around with the line and just “PAY THE GUY.”
    Spot on Bruce.
    Felger’s yes man thinks it’s BullCrap and Mike thinks it’s a “team friendly” story.
    The team is manipulating the media.
    When Marc Bertrand is the voice of reason, you’ve got issues.

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