If you had any smidgen of doubt that ESPN is involved in a high-level effort to smear the New England Patriots, this should clear things up for you.

Mike Reiss, as a solid and principled a reporter as there is, had his worked censored by ESPN yesterday (sorry, they say they applied a “tighter edit”) because Reiss dared to inject a bit of common sense and sanity into the ridiculous NFL-sanctioned hitjob that the network published Tuesday morning.

This is how Reiss’ article originally appeared:

espn-reiss

And after ESPN’s censor, I mean “edit” this is how it appeared:

espn-reiss-after

Original points four and seven were completely removed from the article.

Mike Reiss has a conscience, does his job incredibly well, and is truly objective in his reporting, (the notion that he is the “fifth Kraft son” is beyond moronic) and has already been subjected to having his work diluted by the addition of anything Patriots-related, no matter how silly, from the ESPN information stream to his blog.

The network already tried to attach Reiss’ byline to a blurb that painted Tom Brady’s statement last week as an apology to the NFL for deflategate.

With all of this going on, it makes me wonder whether we’ll be seeing Reiss move on at some point in the not-to-distant future (pure speculation by me) and take his considerable audience with him.

Which would be a shame. ESPN would’ve driven off the man who essentially created the art of blogging the NFL beat, and who brought methods and post styles that have been imitated all across ESPN, not just in the NFL beat, but on others as well.

What’s worse is that ESPN is openly showing that it will not tolerate any criticism from within itself (there is no more ombudsman at the network) and is willing to do the bidding of the NFL.

Chris Mortensen’s tweet never received a “tighter edit.” Nor did that Tuesday Outside The Lines report, despite plenty of areas where it could’ve been.

I’ve heard rumblings this summer that Tedy Bruschi has been furious at ESPN, and his noticeable absence from the airwaves during the Federal Court case was no coincidence. Either he refused to come on the air and spout the company lines, or they didn’t want to put him on because they knew he’d be critical of the league. Even when Bruschi returned last week, Bob Ley kept openly questioning Bruschi’s ability to be objective when talking about Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Yes, ESPN was worried about objectivity.

On a similar vein, I even wonder about the future of Adam Schefter on ESPN, after Roger Goodell, Troy Vincent and the NFL have repeatedly lied about Schefter’s continued and unwavering reports that the NFL is behind the suspensions of John Jastremski and Jim McNally.

Earlier this year, Schefter called into an Outside the Lines show and blew up an on-air story by Kelly Naqi who was attempting to report the storyline that the Patriots tried to introduce an illegal kicking ball in the game. Schefter broke in to report that an NFL employee had actually stolen a football from the game with the intention of selling it and replaced it with another football which was the one that was attempted to be put into the game. Funny how that story has completely gone away, huh?

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

177 thoughts on “Corrupt ESPN Censors @MikeReiss For Criticizing Patriots Hitjob”

    1. “How many times do you want me to answer this?” Well, Sal, ONCE would be nice. The 6 time she said were after 6 different questions that had nothing to do with one another.

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  3. Today’s headlines. Tomato ass writing about Brady. Reiss being shipped to a gulag by the KGB sports network. The Herald and the villain story lineup. I don’t check on the globe. Do they have the story that it was Bill who killed Jimmy Hoffa or is the the lead on the evening broadcast news tonight. Bill was on the lions staff in the mid 70s

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    2. He sounded so delusional w/ D&C about his fandom here in New England. Is anybody legitimately going to have their book signed by this tool?

      I’m with Kirk too. I can’t believe the Patriots are letting him in the fortress. Sal called Tom a cheater. Brady remembers that. SO does Bill. I think this is Robert playing nice. I don’t think Jonathan would be so accommodating.

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      1. Really. NE should order all ESPN personnel off the property and refuse to issue press credentials, except for when ESPN is televising a home game.

        In addition, the players should say nothing to any ESPN employee other than “On to [next opponent].”

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        1. Much as I would cheer such a move, it would just give the Jets/Sith Overlords on Park Avenue another reason to bring the hammer down on the organization. Marshawn Lynch sat at the podium on Media Day last February in Glendale and repeatedly said: “I’m just here so that I don’t get fined.” With the Pats, the NYJFL won’t just stop at fining them if they shut off ESPN’s access. We all know by now that there is one set of rules for the Pats and another set of rules for the other 31 teams.

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          1. I wish it were that simple. NFL teams cannot deny a media outlet coverage.
            From http://www.profootballwriters.org/nfl-media-access-policy/

            From the Players section

            “Star players, or other players with unusually heavy media demands, must be available to the media that regularly cover their teams at least once during the practice week…”

            At minimum I would like to see the Patriots designate someone other than Brady as the “star player”. After all he was declared washed up by ESPN and others a year ago.

            11. EQUAL ACCESS – Under the equal-access principle of this policy, all accredited media must be given access to the designated player and coach interview times during the practice week, following games, and during training camp and minicamp. When a club allows media to attend daily practice, all members of the media who regularly cover the team must be admitted. Barring individual members of the regularly accredited media from any of the above sessions for what is perceived as “unfair coverage” or any similar reason is not permitted.

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          2. Exactly, and if they did try to do it, the NYJFL would throw the book at them. Forget a first and a fourth…they’d lose an entire draft, at least, and get whacked with $2 million-plus in fines. Goodell and his minions have made it very clear this past spring and summer that the Patriots are their enemy.

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          4. Some guy called up D+H on Tuesday–I think.

            Every time this happens, the Patriots should setup and update something like what they did for wellsreportincontext.

            I know they can’t criticize the NFL but I have to think there isn’t something direct on criticizing media partners (sure you’d be able to stretch something but what if its patently false?) in the charter.

            He also added, from a media background (which sounded legit), that each time this stuff happens, they need to hold an actual press conference. Releasing statements do absolutely nothing.

            If ESPN’s–or, whatever other outlet gets the leak–wants to defend their garbage, let them defend it.

            Fire back. I thought Kraft understood this after the suspension when he seemed to come back on our side.

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  5. Minor gripe: Since you’re referring to the author Mike Reiss in a blog post title do you have to do the “@MikeRiess” thing? It’s not Twitter…

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  6. This really is pretty low, even for NFLESPN. Reiss obviously can’t just up and quit without planning ahead first, but he has to be thinking about it at this point. What a despicable display by NFLESPN this week. Clearly, they just don’t care anymore. Viewers in 44.5 of the 50 states support what they’re doing, and so that’s all that matters, apparently.

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  7. Any journalist with any self-respect should be blasting ESPN to kingdom come for this. Censorship is an insidious beast. And that “tighter edit” canard is the final insult.

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  8. Wonder what the O/U will be on media criticizing ESPN on this. I figure about 5 at most. They all want to be on ESPN some day.

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  9. Schefter repeated what he reported months ago about the NFL v. him/ESPN on the “who suspended JJ/McNally.” Goodell reiterated the same thing that the Patriots suspended them Tuesday when he got his slobjob w/M+M. Schefter, again, reiterated what he said, making Goodell a liar.

    Wonder what will happen there?

    I heard this in the morning and wish I could find audio. They haven’t updated the page here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2445552

    Ryan Hannable wrote about it:

    http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2015/09/10/adam-schefter-contrary-to-what-roger-goodell-says-john-jastremski-jim-mcnally-were-asked-to-be-suspended-by-nfl/

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  10. Just when you think this can’t get any sillier, journalism schools all across America were handed a perfect topic for the fall semester. I can see it now…do editors edit or do they censor. Is it censoring when you fix an article after it has been published by changing content? Is it editing when you correct spelling or a name or reference? Where do you draw the line? Let’s look at a major TV/Print/Radio/Online “news” company and see where they draw the line…ESPN…

    Nothing really is surprising me any more…but what I do not understand is why ESPN is willing to carry the NFL’s water like this. ESPN is the customer. They pay for the content. They should not be put in the position to devalue a franchise on a regular basis because the NFL wants them to. It seems to me there is more at play here. Are the suits at ESPN still upset at the way the Pats treated them after the Jackson comments? Are they all this petty. I can’t tell.

    What I do know is that there is a game in Foxboro tonight. Normally I would have the wings come out of the oven around 7:50 as I settle in to watch the game. I think ESPN’s coverage today starts at 4:00…the wings will be done no later than 5:00 and I will be watching as I cook. I am going to be fascinated with how they attempt to cover the Pats today…I know a train wreck when I see one about to happen…and there is going to be one tonight.

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    1. ESPN is sucking up the League because they gave them a crappy slate of Monday Night matchups because of criticism by former employees like Keith Olbermann.

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      1. That is a better theory than any other I have heard. I would like to hear it expanded more as I don’t quite see all the connections and how the moving parts are fitting together. But it is a good theory.

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    2. Besides what arch said (which sounds pretty true to me), don’t forget that ESPN has hours and hours and hours of programming time to fill, which they’d like to fill with material about/promoting the NFL that is now their most signficant rights investment. And that requires access. If the NFL thinks ESPN is making them look bad, they’ll shut down the access and the flow of news and shunt it right off to the NFL Network.

      ESPN also needs to have access because it needs “scoops” about player injuries/status/etc. to feed one of its major audience cohorts — fantasy football players. Hardcore FF types will watch whatever outlet has the news first, to gain maximum competitive advantage. ESPN wants to be, and stay, that outlet. And again, if ESPN doesn’t play ball, suddenly everything’s on NFLN first.

      So from a business standpoint, it makes sense to play ball with the NFL to whatever extent is necessary. Nobody’s watching ESPN because they view them as the sports 60 Minutes. Selling out journalistic ethics is an easy financial call for Disney.

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      1. The NFL can’t do anything about the programming. Disney/ESPN paid them north of $2 bill a year for the next 5 years for the rights to the games, clips and content. The NFL isn’t going to just cut ESPN off because they decide to be neutral rather than biased against the Pats. In 5 years when the TV contract comes up again…if Disney/ESPN offers the most money…regardless of their editorial bent on the deflate gate/Patriots they will get the rights again. Let me reword that…because Disney can out bid anyone on the planet except for Apple…for the rights…if they want them they have enough money to make it happen regardless of what slant their news team takes when covering the Patriots. The NFLN while not a failure is not the money making machine originally envisioned. They have problems being taken seriously precisely because they are not independent. Their in game productions have been so bad they had to outsource the first 8 of the year to CBS. Moving more “content” to the NFLN does not help the NFL…if anything that hurts them as people will start to look at the NFL like it is the WWE.

        So to me there is something more at play here. I think the NFL needs ESPN as much as ESPN needs the NFL if only to give it credibility. There is a reason CBS, NBC, Fox and ESPN guys wear blazers that say CBS, NBC, FOX and ESPN and not NFL. When it says NFL it looks like it is the WWE. Look at the preseason broadcast put on by Kraft Productions it is difficult to watch not because it is bad quality (which it is) but because they are selling something the whole time.

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        1. Putting aside whether or not the NFL is commanding ESPN to do its bidding vis a vis the Patriots (and you make a good argument above that they may not be), here are some alternate theories: 1) “They hate their coach.” BB was completely pissed off about this, especially since it was baseless and untrue, and word has it he told Jackson “eff you” on the field after Super Bowl 38 a few months later — this could have had a carry-on effect on both sides of the ledger (the Patriots’ and ESPN’s); 2) Spygate (2007 – 2008). ESPN and its internet outlet (Greggggggg Easterbrook and Mike Fish, Investigative Reporter, in particular), were by far the most over-the-top and outrageous in their Spygate coverage 8 years ago. Even after Matt Walsh’s nothing testimony in May 2008 squashed the media’s hopes for a “smoking gun” tape’s existence, Trey Wingo, Mark Schlereth (that would be former Bronco/salary cap- circumventor and Vasoline-on-his-uniform “cheater” Mark Schlereth, by the way), and the other guy who was in the ESPN studio that day were acting as if BB had just assassinated the President on live TV. It was shameful and, again, “word” has it that BB and the organization regarded ESPN as “persona non grata” after that. As with the Tom Jackson incident, this could have had a carry-on effect. The Patriots and ESPN simply may not like each other, and maybe that is why ESPN pisses all over the Pats any chance it gets. 3) Deflategate — see Spygate. Mark Brunell crying on the air because “Brady lied to us”; other ex-players simply assuming the NFL’s b.s. story was true; Mortenson’s tweet; and the list goes on and on. Even if the first two incidents I mentioned above didn’t cause the BB and the Pats to regard ESPN as untrustworthy scum, Deflategate had to be the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as their relationship with ESPN was concerned (though my guess is that the relationship fractured at some point between “They hate their coach” and “Spygate”.

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  11. Ah, even before the season we are reminded of how big of a joke Phil Simms is:

    That’s your observation?

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  12. I find D&C&M totally and completely unlistenable when they fall back on their lazy racist/sexist/angry-old-white-man takes. Just my personal taste.

    But in the interest of fairness, when D&C&M step up as the truth-seekers where they hold people accountable for their BS? It’s pretty much the best thing on the air.

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    1. or, to put it another, thank goodness for Sat. radio between 6 and 10, hard to believe we’ve gone this long without a quality morning sports show. BUT, it IS better on WEEI without met-p

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          1. Typical self-important media tripe. Those people really believe the world will stop turning and be plunged into 1,000 years of darkness if they weren’t around. Nauseating. And, by the way…..journalism degree holder here: it ain’t that hard a job, it really isn’t. They’re not inventing the Saturn V rocket or the microwave oven for Chrissakes!

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  14. ESPN is the monkey to the NFL’s organ grinder and has become increasingly like gum stuck to the shoe of anyone with a cable subscription. Increasingly the ‘talent’ on ESPN reads like a job-entitlement program, with Bob Ley certainly not wondering where his next nine meals today will come from. And many of the other on-screen hacks are cemented in place…and act like it. While ESPN loves the profit that the NFL brings them, the network certainly lusts for a day when ‘football’ is more about Man United v. Chelsea than it will be about the Dolphins v. the Patriots.

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  15. We interrupt this well-deserved ESPN bashing to bring you the brilliant analysis of Little Berty Breer, another of BB’s scorned media pursuers who never lets us forget just how much he doesn’t like BB (in subtle ways of course). Here is Berty’s take on “Do Your Job” last night (on Twitter). First Tweet: “One thing I did find interesting about Do Your Job and America’s Game … Seemed to downplay Revis’ impact.” Next Tweet (in response to someone, I’m sure, but I can’t see the response, just Breer’s next post): “See, this is just flat out wrong. Revis completely changed the way the Patriots played defense.”
    There you have it, folks. Out of everything that was revealed in that show last night, Breer chose to focus on BB and crew apparently disrespecting Revis, because he always has to remind us what a big meanie BB is. He’s a five-year old child, and always will be.

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    1. And by the way, Breer is full of crap with regard to Revis and the “America’s Game” special the other night. The film dedicated a couple of minutes to the actual media reports of Revis signing with the Pats as a free agent the previous spring and mentioned how the expectations for the 2014 team ramped up after Revis was added to the mix.

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      1. to take that one further, I believe their was coach saying something like “these corners are tough as hell” and just loving way they play. Not sure how a report didn’t DVR and watch a few times before tweeting that crap.

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  16. I’m not seeing the usual pregame reports from Mike Reiss I’m wondering does the KGB sports network have him in a reeducation program?

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    1. Yeah! I picture something like out of the the REAL version of Red Dawn. Where the Russians have that “re-education” camp and the captures are forced to listen to anti-american propaganda. Patrick Swayze represents Patriots fans and his father represents Reiss…AVENGE ME!!! 🙂

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  20. So it took all of a 5 second google search to confirm that the NFL and not the Patriots runs the coach to player and coach to coach communications systems in all 32 stadiums:

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d809f61c6/article/nfl-installs-new-coachtodefense-communications-system

    Relevant section:

    “» The secured storage trunk or container will be of exact and identical specifications and will be provided by the league to all 32 clubs. The backup “live” helmet for the primary player and the single “live” helmet for the secondary player, along with two spare battery packs, will be secured in the trunk. The trunks will be positioned behind the benches near the Motorola communication centers and will be designated as off-limits areas to players, coaches, and club personnel. The trunks will be clearly marked, and access will be controlled and monitored by NFL personnel or designees throughout the game.”

    So thank god Mike Tomlin complained that headset issues only happen in NE. God forbid he take responsibility for the fact that his teams are 2-8 against the Pats as long as he has been HC of the PBS. Thank you again Roger Goodell for allowing this nonsense to continue because god forbid you take responsibility for your leagues faults.

    *Edit* At 12:15am after discussing this topic for 15 minutes Mike Felger reported on the CSSNE postgame show that the NFL and not the Patriots were responsible for the electronics in Gillette. Thank god they set that record straight in such a low key non demonstrative way after casting aspersions at the Pats for the previous 15 minutes.

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    1. BB said the Pats had problems with their headsets all night, too, so logic would dictate that they’re so wily, and so devious, that they deliberately sabotage themselves in order to throw the NFL’s and media’s bloodhounds off their trail. The minute I heard the broadcasters talking about the issues tonight, the first words out of my mouth were, “Oh, that’s just freakin’ perfect; tonight, of all nights, and this week, of all weeks, that crap has to happen. There’s tomorrow morning’s headline.”

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      1. It’s hilarious that a team whose 4 Super Bowls in the 70s was built on a foundation of loaded steroid needles is one of the biggest whiners about the Pats’ alleged chicanery (yes, ‘Roids were “legal” at the time, but it still gave them a competitive edge). Oh, and there’s that story about the former team doctor having an ocean of HGH in his possession when he left the Steelers in 2006…..but that’s different because it’s not the Patriots. As Pats fans, we all have to know that this is how it’s going to be all year long; may as well just watch the games, enjoy them, and as BB says, “ignore the noise,” because it’s going to be deafening.

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      2. You are surprised about this coming from the same team that employed Kordell “We Basically Were The AFC Champions” Stewart?

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        1. I’ve stated this before, but it’s worth repeating: in their two AFCCG losses to the Patriots, if you count the 4th and 1 stop of Bettis and his subsequent fumble (near midfield) in the first quarter of the 2004 game, and the blocked FG returned for a TD in the 2001 game as turnovers, then the Steelers TURNED THE BALL OVER A TOTAL OF 8 TIMES in those two games…..5 of the 8 turnovers were interceptions (2 by Kordell, 3 by Ben), one of which was returned for a back-breaking TD (Rodney Harrison, 2004 game). That has nothing to do with filming defensive signals. It has everything to do with poor execution on offense, the QBs making costly mistakes, and the Patriots of that era having some pretty freakin’ awesome, and clutch, defensive players. For God’s sake, the Pats’ offense did practically nothing in the 2001 game. The one “long” TD drive was the one during which Brady was hurt and Bledsoe came in to throw a couple of howitzers against a Steelers’ defense that wasn’t ready and hadn’t prepared for Drew’s downfield passing style. After that, they did practically nothing, so how did they win THAT game by filming defensive signals? In 2004, the offense played very well, but those who want to hang base their “cheaters” argument on the Halloween game that Pittsburgh won during the regular season should realize that Dillon and Branch were both out that day, and Law got hurt in the first quarter. AND, the Patriots’ offense actually adjusted and played a pretty good second half that day, after playing like crap in the first 30 minutes and falling behind by three touchdowns (I believe they were down 21-3 at the half, but lost the game 31-20, so NE actually “won” the second half). By January, Dillon and Branch had returned and the secondary had had 12 weeks to adjust to Law’s absence. The Patriots also, the following season, despite being decimated by key injuries on both sides of the ball, walked into Heinz Field in October and beat Pittsburgh again — that was the year the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl, in fact. They simply cannot accept the fact that NE has had Pittsburgh’s number since 2001, and that, by and large, they’ve always been the better team. It is what it is, and such laments are nothing new. Case in point, lots of those former Cowboys players from the mid/late 70s still can’t admit that the Steelers team that beat them in two close Super Bowls were just a little better than they were. The difference this time, of course, is that the NFL, through its moronic commissioner, and the media, through its sensationalism driven in large part by hatred of Belichick, has handed the Steelers fans and players a convenient excuse for their constant failures against the Pats…..”they’re cheaters!!! They’re not better, they cheated us.” It’s easier to say that than to admit you weren’t good enough.

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  22. Roger? Roger?

    Roger’s at home rolling around in his money vault.

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    1. Strangely enough, whenever the Steelers were on defense, Ben Roethlisberger was raping a co-ed in a restroom stall. Then, as the Patriots scored or punted, he’d be back on the field in pads and helmet.

      Hey, this journalism stuff is easy!!!!!

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      1. Dave,

        Joe Sullivan, my homeboy, wants to know if you can fill in SMY’s spot at the Globe covering the Patriots and football.

        Want to interview for the spot?

        THX!

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  27. Apparently, the Steelers must have cheated in the 2010 AFC title game. Normally, I’d stoop to their level and scream about tainted Super Bowl appearances, et al; however, since they beat Rex and the Jets that day and spared us the agony of having to watch them go to the Super Bowl, I will, in the words of Lt. Col. Nathan Jessup, simply say “thank you,” and be on my way.
    http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/headsets-have-malfunctioned-in-pittsburgh-too

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  29. Isn’t this head set issue all about the nfl being cheap not upgrading. . I think because they don’t have a official sponsor of the nfl attached to it. Paying the bill cheap cheap cheap

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    1. I think Bose is their sponsor but they can only control so much. If someone accidentally uses the same frequency as the offense or defenses headsets it doesn’t matter what headset you have on you will be interfered with.

      All NFL teams are supposed to report to the NFL frequency coordinators and let them know all the frequencies stadium employees use so that they don’t use the same one. You can tell that happens when a coach says he was hearing the concession employees talking.

      Someone could interfere with the headsets from the parking lots if they wanted to.

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  30. The lack of self awareness of these haters ( not putting any names on this you know who they are ) is amazing. They are now making fun of the Steelers for whining about BS issues after another loss to the Patriots but also saying the Patriots have brought this on by doing this stuff for years. What stuff? There is nothing but innuendo that the other whiners ( Shula Harbaugh Polian etc ) have been bringing up for years after yet another loss to the Patriots. I’m glad to see Belichick finally speaking out about it. I enjoy good football talk but there is less and less legitimate football talk to be found on the local stations.

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  31. I interrupt the latest Patriots “gate” talk to congratulate David Ortiz on hitting his 500th hr this year, during a completely irrelevant September. Thank You David for making sure this milestone did not last through the winter giving the FSG marketing people something inane to beat us over the head with all hot stove season long. But most importantly due to Jason Mastrodonato’s fine… nee brilliant… dear I say supremely observant reporting we know:

    (Ortiz reflected *adjective mine*) “I don’t play defense. I don’t call pitches. I don’t put plays on. So, this is teamwork that everybody has to do a little bit of something for us to win ballgames. Me being one of the older players on the team, I’m a huge believer of knowing that the more comfortable you make the young players feel around you, the better their performance is going to be.”

    (Mastrodonato opined) “It was one of the biggest moments of his career, and David Ortiz handled it with class”

    One of Ortiz’s biggest moments…ignoring the 3 championships and all of the clutch hits he had in the run ups to all three…Ortiz handled the moment he had been waiting for…maybe even hanging on for, the personal achievement that had nothing to do with team, teamwork or the Red Sox chance to win this year… with “class”. He was worried about how the chase would affect the young team around him. The man who is aware of each and every officially scored hit and RBI to the point he interrupts press conferences, handled the situation with “class” Thank god we have intrepid reporters like Mastrodonato ball washing Ortiz for his “class” when faced with handling a personal milestone. Would not want to make Ortiz’s selfishness, divaness, alleged PED use at 39 years old and prior, or his garbage time production under any type of investigative mirror. Nope let’s call it what it is…”class” and leave it at that…because when i think of David Ortiz I think “class”. The BBWAA should be proud as papa they have a stellar stalwart like Mastrodonato manning the barricade.

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    1. Yeah, the bursting into the press conference thing wasn’t a shining moment. But let it go. It was a long time ago and he hasn’t done anything like that since. It’s almost as bad as people bringing up Spygate.

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      1. I was all set to let it go until he not so subtly questioned playing in the field earlier this year. I know that he has been instrumental in 3 championships. I know that he has put up HOF numbers and will go down as the best DH of all time. Yet there is so much about him that does not endear him to me…maybe I am just tired of getting played by the public persona of players. From the PED incriminations, to the non explanation, to the whining about personal stats, to the contract issues the idea that he is some classy player in the mold of Derrick Jeter is just laughable. The idea that his silence was somehow indicative of his great compassion for his teammates and their accomplishments is just laughable.

        I am sure the merchants will sell gobs of 500 t-shirts. I am sure Ortiz will profit from it and his rep improved. I am just not conned by his image. I want the BBWAA to look at his actions with less of a fan boy attitude. Its not going to happen so I mocked Mastrodonato.

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        1. To state skepticism about players’ public persona but then seemingly swallow gullibly the myth of St Jeter doesn’t match up – especially after his hypocrisy-filled farewell tour.

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          1. I am not gullible when it comes to Jeter. He broke up with Minka Kelly for god’s sake. The only differences between the two as I see it is Jeter did not hold out for contracts, he was never accused of PEDs (although he was certainly around players who used them) and he never publicly bitched about stats. Ortiz rubs me the wrong way. He does wonderful volunteer work which i hope is heartfelt and not a cynical PR manipulation. But the other stuff goes up my ass sideways.

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          4. Everyone look at Len..uh, Latefordinner! Over here! Contrarian, hot take alert! RIGHT HERE! C’mon, PLEASE look at Len!

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        2. Do we really know the true personality of any of these guys? Do we care? We all rush to defend Belicheck and Brady from the idiotic media but then go along with it when it’s Ortiz? Makes no sense to me….

          Bottom line is Ortiz is winding down one of the greatest careers in Red Sox history…Is it really such a big deal if he complains about his contract (who doesn’t??) or cares about stats.? He was a crucial and clutch component to three WS titles..I think he deserves the accolades.

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          1. Yes…it is a big deal he whines about contracts, complains about personal stats and did not try when the team was struggling. I am sorry but the lilt is way off that rose for me.

            We rush to defend Belichick and Brady because they are being unfairly targeted. Ortiz is the opposite…a prima donna given no scrutiny and a free pass. It makes perfect sense to me.

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          2. He’s been given plenty of scrutiny…by the likes of Shaughnessy, Felger, etc. Do you really want to be on the same side as those guys?

            In terms of not trying, really? So he wasn’t trying early in the season, then he started to try all of a sudden a couple of months ago? Why?

            I admit the contract stuff doesn’t bother me…I’ve seen the greatest athletes do it for years (Bird, Magic, Etc Etc) and it never effected Ortiz on field so never mattered to me

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        3. Derrick (Derek) Jeter refused to move to 3rd when he was absolutely shot as a shortstop. Ortiz made a stink about 1B mainly because Napoli was one of his friends and favorite teammates (that’s why he’s been playing with the shirt unbuttoned). Not to mention the problems Ortiz has had with his heels the last few years.

          Why does it always come down to Ortiz having to take the hit and change positions? He’s basically been on a 1-year deal for 6 years, outperforming his salary (it is hilarious that you refer to 35 HR/Year as “hanging on”). It’s not his fault these clowns sign a career infielder and career cancer to a $22mil/year deal to play a position that he can’t play.

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          1. I think your criticism of Jeter is correct. Far be it from me to defend the Yankees organization. My point about him being revered as “classy” had to do with his reputation in NY and the way he handled A Rod.

            Ortiz takes the hit precisely because of what you wrote…that he refused to play 1B because he perceived it to be his friend’s position. It was not his call. Regardless of what the Sox did with Ramirez or Sandoval, Ortiz job was/is to play where the coach tells him to play. When he whines about it or doesn’t do it he opens himself up to criticism.

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          2. Ortiz has spent the last 6 seasons on (basically) one-year contracts. Each negotiation has been contentious mainly because the FO has taken a hard-line stance with him due to his position (DH). The same FO that has spent hundreds of millions on players from outside the organization who have not been nearly as productive as Ortiz. They want him to play 1B to cover their ass and he should just say “Yes sir.”
            We’ll agree to disagree

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          3. And in reality, the contract negotiations haven’t been all that contentious. Every so often, he will make some annoying public comment about his contract. It rightly gets forgotten soon after, and when push comes to shove, the Sox and him agree on a contract. And then he goes out there and hits.

            A few annoying public comments about his contact every 2 years is not something that comes even close to outweighing all the good things over 13 years. I don’t follow sports because I care about athletes’ public speaking skills or because I’m interested in some B.S. purity standard for their contract negotiations.

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          4. The dynamics at play are a problem when it comes to Ortiz’s negotiations with management. As you’ve stated, management is loathe to overpay for or to give out long-term deals to a full-time DH, because the rest of the MLB owners and GM’s have drifted away from the notion that there must be a DH-only guy in their lineups, and have moved to more of a platoon-DH system over the past several seasons. Ortiz, really, is one of the last full-time DH’s left in the game, and that puts him at a disadvantage when it comes time to negotiate a new deal. To Ortiz, that fact should be irrelevant to the negotiations based on his production. There are good points to be made on both sides of the argument, and I have no trouble seeing things from both sides’ perspective….but I do understand Ortiz’s occasional voicing of his frustrations, as he continues to be one of the most productive hitters in the game just about every year, and the Sox, in his mind, won’t pay him like the other highly productive hitters. But I also agree with NN below — the negotiations, aside from the occasional outburst, haven’t really been all that contentious, and public sniping during contract situations is very common, and has been for years. I mean, I remember Larry Bird, after the Bulls signed Jordan to a new deal in ’88 that made him the highest-paid player in the NBA, saying (on camera), “I would hope they (the Celtics) noticed that Michael’s now the highest-paid player in the league”….his meaning was very clear: this guy hasn’t won a damn thing yet, and now he’s making a sh*tload more money than me — a three-time MVP and three-time champion — so what are you going to do about that?

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        1. Dude, you sound like my wife. Immediately going to absolutes when there’s a critical comment made.

          Take a look at his April-June numbers. April: .236 with 4 HR. May: .214 with 2 HR. I mean, COME ON.

          By the end of June, we were 6 games back in a mediocre division.

          Nobody is saying Ortiz is worthless, but the Sox need to forget about marketing personalities and start fielding a respectable team. And it starts by giving this guy his walking papers.

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    3. Seriously, the obsession of some people with Ortiz’s interruption of Tito’s press conference (once) is borderline pathological. And also somehow his production now is meaningless since the Sox are out of it is somehow selfish and they sox would be in it if he were hitting like this in April-July. The sox had a terrible run differential (-65 in early August) for the first half of the year mainly because of pitching, the dramatic improvement of which has caused this great recent run. And Ortiz wasn’t the only one not hitting (see Napoli, Sandoval, etc).
      Here’s a guy who is one of the most important and productive players in Red Sox history; is beloved by his teammates and across the league despite his alleged “divaness,” (“In my day, the best players were dicks, just like Ted Williams!”); is the overwhelming fan favorite, especially among kids; is great in the community; and has never had a whiff of a personal scandal. They wouldn’t have won in 2004 and 2013 without him as he carried the team offensively for various stretches, not to mention numerous, iconic clutch moments; maybe they would have won without him in 2007 but you never know. He was connected to PEDs once, by apparently failing a 2003 test – before there was any MLB penalty for steroid use. He has been tested dozens of times since then and has always passed, while many others have failed. He also hasn’t had anyone narc him out for steroids like Bonds, Clemens and ARod.
      There is good news though: he will retire fairly soon. Maybe the Sox will get lucky and Ryan Lavarnway and his career .579 OPS will be available then for a triumphant return to Fenway.

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      1. Nick…I understand why you think he is great. I think his numbers are great. I think he has been clutch and without him this teams does not win any championship. All that said…I look at him and don’t think Tom Brady (although according to his performance I should). Ortiz never knocked up an ex girl friend. There has been no whiff of marriage trouble. He is a pillar of the Dominican community and the a mainstay on the Boston charity circuit. He donates time and significant money to worthy causes. I should revere the guy…and yet I don’t. It all seems to me to be a put on. That when things are not going his way his true colors come out. He becomes as you put it Williamslike in his prickliness. He always seems to be trying too hard.

        I know you foo foo the barging in on Tito’s presser all those years ago as an exception…but to me that was very telling. We don’t get to see behind the curtain that often. So if he was this incensed over something this stupid…what type of a person is he behind closed doors. Innuendo is dangerous but the PED thing that you dismiss bothers me…not because he was on the list but because of the two things he said about it publicly…1) Who knows what they put in their bodies growing up in the Dominican. 2) He would find out why he was on the list and get back to the fans with an explanation. It is 20 years later and I am still angry at Shaughnessy for making war on the Pats over not being invited to a beat writers breakfast when he was a columnist. As a fan…I don’t forget. Maybe I should…but I don’t.

        So when Mastrodonato said he dealt with the case for 500 with class…I called Mastrodonato on it. I don’t think he has. I think he is just another in a long line of narcissistic ball athletes who think that because they won the genetic lottery the rules do not apply to them. Maybe I am too critical on Ortiz….maybe I am not…what I do know is his being silent about the chase to 500 was not about the other players on the team, not about being a distraction and not about being classy…instead it was Ortiz realizing that if he made a big deal out of a personal accomplishment he would get killed int he media…so he kept silent. Nothing more, nothing less.

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        1. I understand why you still have anger toward Shaughnessy. That breakfast “snub” has affected the tone and tenor of his coverage of the Pats for two decades, which, in some way, makes following the Pats slightly less enjoyable for all of us who hear his BS takes parroted around New England (and beyond).
          I guess our difference is that a don’t fully agree with your assessment of Ortiz as a prima donna or self-centered athlete, but more importantly i don’t really care. He seems to be a positive force in the clubhouse and is well liked and respected by teammates. And more to the point: he has consistently produced in specific big moments and over the course of a season and his Red Sox career. So busting in on Tito’s presser, while inappropriate and unnecessary, to me was a very minor blip on an incredible career and worthy public life.
          Not that it really matters but I believe Ortiz is now divorced. I don’t care about that, or Brady’s family planning or the thousands of post-coital signed photos and thank you fruit baskets Jeter has provided to the women of America.

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  32. Damn, first Darryl Dawkins and now Moses Malone, all in the span of a few weeks. My youth as an NBA fan is passing away right before my eyes. Hang in there, Dr. J, Larry, Magic, Chief, and even you, Kareem, you whiny (bleep).

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      1. Like, uhm, like.. that’s a really good question!!!!!!!!!!

        (Plus the fact that the NFL banked on 99.9% of the US not reading a single damn thing and just following its narrative they put out there.)

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        1. It’s the best way to get out of jury duty without pretending you’re a horrible racist. Just tell the judge that you believe that anyone the police arrest has to be guilty of something or else they would have arrested the suspect.

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  34. So, Tim Benz apparently thinks the Rooney Family put “The Shield” ahead of the team by not protesting the headset thing in Foxboro last week. OK Tim, whatever you say. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the Patriots had nothing to do with the headsets, or the frequencies used last Thursday night. Nope, you nailed it Tim. They cheated again, and the Rooney’s know it, but “The Shield” triumphs over all. Oh, and apparently Jay Glazer’s contacts inside the Steelers organization thinks they lost because of the headset thing, too. In all honesty, the Steelers, their fans, and their media lackeys should all be incredibly ashamed of the whining they’ve been doing about that situation. It happens in every stadium. It’s happened in Pittsburgh during a conference championship game. The NFL controls EVERYTHING inside the stadium when it comes to wireless communications. There is absolutely nothing to this “story”, and yet here we are four days later, still having to hear about it — “No, but what happens in Foxboro with the headsets is DIFFERENT!” — so said someone connected to the Steelers according to some media asshat whose name I can’t remember. Maybe the Pats should volunteer to play the remaining 15 games on the road. That might (and I stress the word, “might”) put an end to this b.s., at least for the 2015 season. Incredible. The NFL has become a complete joke. Whoever cries the loudest gets the biggest forum and even gets to have the league run secret sting operations on their behalf.

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    1. When the NFL also came out and said it wasn’t their fault..

      Given what’s gone on (f-cking air pressure), the league office wouldn’t jump on the opportunity to do another stupid sting? Patriots-Thorton Nation-Toadie-Conspiracy: For all we know, they would intentionally do something to screw with the radio just to try and renail the team, no?

      Also, the weather was pretty nasty that night. Yup, the weather, again. Of course, everyone became amateur radio engineers and said it has nothing to do with it. (Shouldn’t.. but it can.. but when @ Foxboro, this goes out the window)

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      1. I saw Florio on Curran’s show last night. He definitely stated that there were, in fact, headset issues at a number of games on Sunday. But with regard to Silver, someone really needs to Tweet back to him the following question: Which part of the factual phrase, “The NFL controls the in-stadium communication systems,” do you not understand? Pathetic, smarmy mediot troll.

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          1. I know. When dealing with the media, I’m reminded of my history classes from back in the day when they taught us about “the infallibility of the Pope”. It was considered heresy to question anything the Pope said or decreed. Most mediots pretty much have that same attitude—how DARE any of you ignorant serfs among the great unwashed masses question me, the almighty, all knowing journalist? I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: until these asshats are held accountable for their b.s., it’s going to continue. Someone has to find a way to make them more accountable for abusing their significant power to influence public opinion.

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      2. I saw the same. Good follow-up. That was out there but obviously not too big. I think Florio shined a light on it more.

        If you search back, he was pretty anti-Patriots from the beginning. I have no clue why.

        When he worked for Yahoo, he gained fame for being one of the guys trashing the NFL during the ref lockout. His background is still the picture taken by a Getty person of where he’s asking Aaron Rodgers “What the hell?” after the “failmary” week 3. I recall that was when his popularity was at his highest. I don’t how how soon after but it is one of the things that gave him more spotlight and have to think it’s part of the reason NFLN hired him.

        I don’t know his motivation but I guess once the hand that feeds you changes…

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        1. He’s long been a “Tuck Rule Truther” as well. I remember after the Pats won SB 36, he was still working for S.I., and he either wrote the actual game story, or he wrote a sidebar piece, and he basically said the championship will always be questioned, or tainted — not sure what language he used — because of the Tuck Rule. I mean, seriously? The league explained the rule over and over and over in the wake of Walt Coleman’s call, never mind the fact that Woodson got away with a whopper of an illegal head slap against Brady on the very same play. So Silver has always had a Patriots bug up his ass, going all the way back to the beginning of their run in 2001.

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  37. Shame I have to read an article like this from the Washington Post (thanks to Barstool Sports) instead of being written by a local writer.

    All football, Bill Belichick leaves his narrative to his friends and enemies

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/all-football-bill-belichick-leaves-his-narrative-to-his-friends-and-enemies/2015/09/09/ad68398a-566b-11e5-8bb1-b488d231bba2_story.html

    **I go a subscription page. To read the article I just hit the back button on the browser.**

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    1. I thought the same thing couldn’t a local hack called around with a tiny bit of effort wrote this piece. .. answer , nope they are to busy trolling.

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        1. I loved some of the comments from the anti-BB trolls in the comments section. One of them was still complaining about the ineligible receiver formations in the playoffs last year and said the league changed the rule in the offseason “because the league doesn’t want the games played that way…Belichick is a cheater…blah, blah, blah.” My only response to that would be: Yeah, that Competition Committee NEVER acts in a self-serving manner, does it? Shula, when he practically ran it for 20-odd years, NEVER got certain rules manipulated to benefit the Dolphins. Polian, when he imposed his will on the CC for years and years, NEVER got certain rules manipulated to benefit the Colts, did he? So, the latest group of butt-hurt, jealous fools that make up the current CC membership decided they were going to make sure that BB never embarrassed them again by knowing the rulebook far, far better than they do, so they decided to just remove the possibility that he’d be able to use those formations against them again. And, quite frankly, if I were in charge of the NFL, I would take away the CC’s ability to influence the rulebook. It’s a small cabal of agenda-driven coaches and GMs who, if they so choose, can simply decide to gang up on another team with their “rules clarifications,” which do not require the approval of the entire league membership. It just so happens that the team they’ve ganged up on in the last 10 to 15 years is the Pats, but this stuff goes all the way back to the 70s, really, when Shula rammed through the “five-yard chuck” rule in order to slow down the Steelers’ defense, which was pulverizing everyone, including Shula’s post-dynasty Dolphins. The CC should be able to make recommendations, only, and those recommendations should be put to a vote of the 32 teams, like every other major rules change. It has too much power to influence how the game is played and officiated IMO, especially since so many CC members have displayed a clear willingness to abuse that power in the past.

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          1. Since the fuss started about the Patriots using the eligible/ineligible receiver plays in the divisional playoff game against the Ravens, I’ve seen highlights of the Lions, Titans, 49ers, and Bengals all using similar plays over the last 2 seasons. I’m sure there are more if you look back further. No one had an issue with these plays until the Patriots used them, I believe for 3 plays on one drive in one game. Only then did the competition committee get involved.

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    2. I’ve had that on some WaPo articles before. Delete cookies, like the Globe, and it goes away. They track how many articles you read and try to throw you into a Paywall if you go over a specific amount.

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  38. Does Gary Tanguay just beg Zachary to be put on air?

    Is it any different than whatever he rolls out at 6:30 on his show?

    I haven’t watched it in 2+ years, and lack cable now, but he must do something right/wrong since the Early Addition does well in the ratings.

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    1. It was laugh out loud funny when he try’s bragging to Dino and Gerry about all the “tough questions’ HE would have asked Brady last week. He sure asked some real zingers with Gronk two weeks ago. “Hey, Gronk, talk to me about your sex life.” -Gary

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  39. So Peter King (AKA Roger’s Water boy) released his first “Fine 15”. Apparently Denver’s win on Sunday was just tremendous and Peyton will always find a way to win. Yet the Patriots win, where they were in control for most of the night and gave up a ton of yards in garbage time when up 2 scores, was just so so. I love how he said, “Giving up 400+ yards to the Steelers is ok, I suppose, but…”

    What about Peyton not being able to throw. At all. Think Denver can win like that all year? Their undersized defense will be flattened by physical teams with big backs and powerful lines. Teams will play him straight up, not in sub packages, and the run won’t be as easy to come by.

    This guy is supposed to be one of the pre-eminent writers on football…

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  40. Things that infurate me: stupid people being stupid.

    So the Steelers say that every time the NFL guys came over to fix their headsets (and turn off the Patriot ones while the Steelers headsets weren’t working), the headsets were fixed and worked fine. Then when the NFL guys left (and the Pats headsets were turned back on), they had trouble again.

    So of course it means the Patriots were jamming signals somehow.

    Or, you know, MAYBE THE F——-ING FREQUENCIES WERE CONFLICTING WITH EACH OTHER.

    Which you’d know about, if you knew what you were talking about. Which nobody does.

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    1. Ah don’t forgot they haven’t put the missing piece in place yet.To show that BB was at the Navy Academy . Big radio buff. That’s were he learned to jam signals at the academy signals corp. I’m just saying

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    2. Well, when it’s an issue with the Patriots, everyone has a Ph.D. from CMU/Cal in radio/wireless, you know?

      Or, as we know via Michael Rosenburg, it’s Belicheat’s secretly installed radio jammer in the Gillette Lighthouse. He got the old Radio Free Europe setup off a gov surplus auction decades ago, as the SI article suggested.

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    1. Ah yes I agree with the annual fall traditions Tomato Can Dan and the crazy uncle at thanksgiving. Now it feels like a football season has started Tomato Can Dan is out on the loose

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    2. Has he attributed their “tomato can” schedule to Kraft’s relationship with Goodell yet? That’s usually the next thing to come out of his mouth or drip from his poison pen, because he refuses to do his homework and learn that the NFL, in fact, has a scheduling formula based on the previous year’s results (and based on a rotational inter-divisional and inter-conference formula for 8 of the 16 games; this year the Pats play the AFC South and the NFC East; next year it will be the AFC North and the NFC West). Every team’s schedule is determined (even the home and away games) based on those formulae. Shank either does know this and doesn’t want to know, or he knows it but simply ignores it in order to get in his annual digs at Kraft and the Pats.

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      1. I meant to say he either doesn’t know it and doesn’t want to know, or he knows it but simply ignores it……..made a typo above.

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  42. Tanguay is now GUARANTEEING that Trump is going to win the 2016 election.

    This is not a comment about the election.

    I would love it if people in the media had the balls to actually back up their predictions and guarantees. For example, Gary should retire from all of the airwaves if this prediction fails to come to fruition.

    Going back to last season, the people that guaranteed that the Patriots would not win the Super Bowl and/or that the ‘Brady window’ had been slammed shut, should also owe us a pound of flesh. I.e. Minihane and Guergian.

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    1. They mostly said this after the disaster in KC. And I don’t blame them. Go back and look at the lowlights of that game. Brady did look done after that one and that was after three less-than stellar performances in the previous three games. It’s not like these people were basing their opinions on nothing.

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      1. I couldn’t disagree with you more on Brady. The offensive line went through major changes last year and it was a concern going into the season. Brady had trouble in 2 of the first 3 games (remember Miami hammered him the entire 2nd half on the first game) and then their play hit the bottom. KC was easily the offensive lines worst game of the year.

        I felt it was wrong at that time to criticize Brady and for proclaiming he he was done because of those line issues. No one could have done better under those conditions. Once the offensive line stabilized Brady was Brady again. Even when the line played better and Brady was himself the media still criticized him. I remember Tanguay going off on Brady and the Patriots after the Jets game (the infamous 16 PSI football game). This kept up right until November.

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        1. They did play poorly the first three weeks before KC, you’re absolutely right about that. Still, I thought it was ridiculous how quick people “closed the window,” did their victory laps, and buried the team. I listened to a lot of F&M that week and one thing in particular that bothered me was they started to discuss whether the game had begun to pass Belichick by. Nevermind that the guy he lost to, Andy Reid, has been a HC just as long as BB. There is never any perspective relative to the rest of the league.

          On the plus side, Cincinnati giving points at Gillette on Sunday Night Football was one of the best nights of my life.

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      2. That’s true in terms of the timing, but at the time, I thought it was more about the offensive line than Brady. Stork didn’t start until the week 4 game against KC. Wendell didn’t start until week 5 (@ CIN) and didn’t play at all in week 2 (@MIN) and 3 (vs OAK). Marcus Cannon and the Tuba player were on the field way too much during the first four games.

        Which isn’t to say that I was sitting there prognosticating a Super Bowl appearance. However, contrast Brady’s performance in that stretch with Manning’s during his putrid stretch over the last 6 games. It’s not as if Brady himself was moving more slowly or had lost the ability to throw any deeper than 5 yards.

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    2. BB and Brady saw that b.s. and then lapped the competition and that was the ultimate f.u. to the national and boston media. People have been bein against them a long time. Until they quit that’s a bad bet.

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    3. Last season the Pats had a stretch of around 6 games or so mid-season that everyone considered the toughest stretch of their schedule. I think they played, among others, Green Bay, Denver, Detroit, Indy, Chicago and one other team during that stretch. Tanguay proclaimed, in definitive terms, on the post game show, that the Pats were going to go 1-5 or 2-4 during that stretch, getting even further into his prediction after the Pats absolutely demolished Chicago.

      How’d that stretch end up? Oh yes, 5-1 for the Pats. Shows you all you need to know about Tanguay.

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    4. Can this level of accountability also be held toward those who post that Kirk will be done at EEI within the next X Months or that Felger’s drive time dominance is coming to an end? Can we make those blowhards go away too?

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    1. BB is also in CONTROL of stadium excavations by the fourth quarter. Line up nicely BUFFALO fans with heads down mumbling to yourselves as you leave the stadium

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        1. Oops spell check got me lol. I’m just saying he was on the lions staff when Jimmy disappeared. Prime suspect. I’m just saying what they are saying lol

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    1. What. Exactly. Is. On. Videotape.? What the hell is he talking about? Love his snarky little: “I don’t hate the Patriots. I hate cheating”. He must hate all 32 teams then, because according to the definition of “cheating” by the media as it’s applied to the Patriots, then all other 31 teams are equally guilty of something.

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      1. Someone asked him what he was insinuating and he blocked the questioner. Really good job Mike. I used to refer to him as “The Silver Yahoo” in his days at the .com site. Still apropos. I have since unfollowed, just can’t stand his game any more.

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        1. I have been thinking about this for the last half hour and the only thing that comes to mind is that he’s describing McNally’s pee break with the bag of balls as “stealing” the Colts’ balls, because I believe all 24 game balls (12 and 12) were in that bag; and, that’s the ONLY thing the Wells report had “on videotape” — Dorito Dink going into the hallway bathroom to take a leak. So, in other words, the smarmy little douche is serving up a bunch of entrails and snouts to his hungry, Pats-hating readers, and calling it Filet Mignon. Not surprised that he’s too cowardly to engage his questioners in a back-and-forth either. God, I hate the media, so, so much.

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        2. He was a great writer when at Yahoo. He really became the star after the replacement ref-year and trashing the NFL on the debacle W3 with the Packers/Seahawks on the “FailMary”. I don’t recall how long but NFL.com scooped him up right after.

          Kinda explains parts of his hate. Still gotta toe that company line so there’s a signed check in your box every two weeks.

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          1. He kind of lost me when he went overboard the Raiders for canning Hue Jackson, who was an obvious friend/source of his. He also picked the Raiders to make the AFCCG that season, lol.

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          2. He’s a Tuck Rule Truther as well, which I’ve mentioned before. Clearly, he’s a Raiders fan, which perhaps explains why he’s such a smarmy, miserable pr*ck all the time, since his favorite team has been irrelevant for the better part of 25 years, save for the brief Gruden era.

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      2. I just wonder if he reacted the same way, like Butthurt Hubbuch. Did he throw a hissy fit when the Falcons were pumping in noise? Vikings warming footballs on the sidelines? I am just gonna guess that he had to retweet some NFL.com article from another writer but didn’t go to these lengths.

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    2. I tried to follow the twitter tree but I feel I am dumber for it. No one and I mean no one denies that McNally took the footballs into the bathroom and disappeared for 94 seconds. The issue has been threefold.
      1) What did he do in the bathroom?
      2) Did he tamper with the footballs
      3) Did Tom Brady order him to or know of his actions prior.

      So Silver who clearly is a potential Darwin award recipient waiting to happen believes that because McNally disappeared with 24 footballs for 94 seconds he:
      A) STOLE the footballs
      B) Tampered with said stolen footballs before giving them back to the ref
      C) Was part of a conspiracy to deflate the footballs to less than 1/4 PSI under the legal limit as defined by the NFL.

      I get the Patriots hate…I really do. I have a similar visceral hatred for all things Yankees and all things Canadian (it comes from the war of 1812). WHat I don’t understand is the complete and utter lack of the concept of cheating. Silver is a moron.

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      1. Gonna be a fun year to be a Pats fan! The South Park guys just did a number on Brady in their season premiere tonight. Of course, they’re Broncos fans — those would the twice-punished-for-salary-cap-cheating-in-the-late-90s/Super Bowl Champion Broncos, by the way — and they’ve ripped both BB and Brady on the show before. Oh well, at least there was some humor involved and the b.s. came out of Cartman’s mouth, not the mouth of some sanctimonious, cowardly, dishonest media gas bag like Silver.

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    1. Of course. If they exonerated them, then they would have absolutely no reason to keep the severe penalties against the Patriots in place. The other owners would NEVER go for having those penalties reduced or rescinded. Parity WILL be achieved by any means possible, even if it means stealing as many first round draft picks from the Pats as humanly possible.

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  47. Something is wrong here. It’s been a week since Bruce’s last post and we are over due for a random and previously unknown user to post here telling Bruce to get off his arse and post more content.

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  48. Like him or hate but rex has brought fun to this week’s game and finally it’s only about football. Oops but here comes tomato ass with drivel to put the focus on him. I saw the headline on eei and that’s all I needed to know.. listening to the omf . Come rex say something and put the focus back on you

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    1. Kraft has to do something about this. He really does. I know he can’t sue them for defamation, because such a suit would have no chance in court. But he at least should allow BB to “unleash the fury” and speak out about things he knows other teams have done…..and are still doing. Let the yellow journalist scumbags at BSPN chase down those leads for a while.

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        1. I hope Pats fans are ready for that one. I’m sure the signs and anti-ESPN chants won’t make it on the air, but they should at least get their message across to the Ministry of Propaganda’s employees scattered throughout the stadium that night.

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