Round-By-Round Review, Pats Draft 2016

116 thoughts on “Round-By-Round Review, Pats Draft 2016”

1. Collins over Gronk?

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   1. I think he’s picking Collins over Gronk because of injuries…but that’s kinda dumb since when he’s out there he’s the best player on the field not named Brady.

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2. “(Plus, Gostkowski missed that extra point.)

   He did miss that XP but it was Stork’s head-bobbing that was allowing the Denver D to get into the backfield untouched. That contributed more to the loss that a missed XP.

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3. Chris – Good read, as these draft preview/reviews typically are. And I am very proud of you for dumping Dobson. It must have been difficult for you but now we can all move on.

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4. I don’t do Twitter, so I will validate you here, Chris.

   I think He Who Shall Not Be Named technically counts as a successful pick, as he definitely outperformed his draft level when he was not in jail….

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   1. Dave I don’t think it is a good argument. He was a sociopath in Miami and they missed it in their evaluation. He shot someone when he was in college. he got into the fights. He as a bad dude then. Had they really looked they would have seen it. They wanted to believe their organization could keep him on the straight and narrow. Their bad evaluation might have gotten 3 people killed. If they do not draft him he is not in NE to kill 3 people. I think no matter how you look at it he was a bad pick. He did not out perform his draft position…he ended up costing them $8 mill against the cap.

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5. Anyone listen to Kirk Minihane’s new podcast yet? I did. I thought it was pretty good. He had Dave Portnoy on. Kirk really is great at interviewing people. I’ll check out some future episodes, depending on the guest.

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   1. I think we might have different definitions of the word “great”.

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   2. It’s ‘typical’ Minihane. If you’re a fan of him, his style, D+C, you’ll love it. These who don’t will hate it, him and say it sucks/he sucks.

      Link for those in the former: http://media.weei.com/a/113099681/ep-1-david-portnoy.htm

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6. I love when sports media get on fans for being, you know, fans and talking up or defending their teams against perceived slights. However, when their alma mater win a football or basketball game of any import (or in some cases, even against some sister of the poor) they turn into 100% fan boys on social media. Bert Breer does this, but he’s far from the only one. The hypocrisy is amusing to me.

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   1. He’s one of the worst there, but not alone, as you said.

      The worst thing he and Crapsheet do is Tweet every single thing in their lives, as if it matters or they really “struggle”

      The hardships they experience when on all-expenses-paid trips, usually 1st class, upgraded suites, dining out at 4 and 5 star places..

      Sadly, those types are what’s coming out of J-schools and still left now.

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7. Wasn’t lying about being top on iTunes, ahead of M+M and DP:

   

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8. That turd Adam Jones filled in for Beatle yesterday. Has anybody, anywhere ever tried so hard to be Michael Felger than Adam Jones? But he never mixes in his “troll-bait” with a coherent, intelligent thought. This guy is the f**king WORST. My god. He sounds like he reads the Felger & Mazz transcripts and then just re-reads whatever Felger says on his show (or as a fill-in).

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   1. I found it hilarious the other day when during the 6:00pm crossover Felger asked Jones what he would be talking about and Jones responded, “we’re going to continue talking about the topics you guys covered in your show….” I started laughing in my car. The same thoughts you had instantly ran through my head. I can’t recall the topic, but it wasn’t a major headline grabbing day where anyone and everyone is talking about the same subject. Instead of coming up with an agenda of unique talking points for his show, he just listened to F+M and was going to parrot back whatever they said.

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   2. Some time ago, a person on here aptly titled it, “The F&M Wrap-up Show.”

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   3. Adam Jones has zero personality. He’s vanilla ice cream, hold the hot fudge and whipped cream. I’ll bet his parents can’t listen to his show, preferring WOF and Jeopardy. I picture him, when he’s not filibustering, just pontificating to the poor walls that surround him. His favorite color is brown. Guarantee he drives a Toyota Camry. Lives on Main Street somewhere. Catch phrase should be, “Jones is in. Let the yawning and time checks begin!” Total sports wonk with zero life experience. Catchphrase is, “I feel”. Makes Jim “Human Orange Safety Cone” Murray sound like an interesting person.

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9. Peyton is a terrible person according to NY Daily News:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-peyton-manning-squeaky-clean-image-built-lies-article-1.2530395

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   1. Took all day but it looks like the NFL has given the media their marching orders. First up, Bert Breer defending the Manning’s.

      “It’s only one side of the story.”
      “This is an old story”
      “The author is looking for attention.”

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      1. Summed it up perfectly:

         

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         1. Not much balance? A freakin judge said he was lying. U of Tenn settled to the tune of $300K no small sum 15 years ago. I am not sure what more Breer needs…other than a video of Manning actually sticking his junk in her face. I mean that is what it took for Breer to believe Ray Rice was a scum bag and not just a victim of a railroading.

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            1. It will be hard for him to see the video, though, with Urban Meyer’s junk in Bert’s face.

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            2. My vote for post of the year…of course it is just Feb so I reserve the right to change my mind…but as of right now…post of the year.

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            3. How dare you reserve the right to change your mind! This is sports media; we only accept #HOTTAKEZ right here, right now.

               I’m offended and will be complaining to the TwitterMafia.

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            4. I think that would probably bother me more if I had a Twitter account. So bring it on.

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            5. BOOM

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         2. The lengths some of these Manning media lickspittles are willing to go to in order to shield him from these negative stories is astonishing. These are some of the same azzhats who convicted the Patriots and smeared them, with zero evidence, over the footballs-thing, taking the NYJFL’s word over anyone else’s — including big-time, real scientists. Many of them, to this day, while now acknowledging that the science in the Wells/Pash Report might be “shaky,” still make a point to say, “but, I still think something was done to those footballs.” Oh, and there’s the whole, “they taped the Rams walkthrough before SB 36” stuff, which still is reported as “fact” by some media outlets; or, it gets retracted as not really being a fact at 12:30 a.m., when two-thirds of the normal viewing audience is asleep. I’m not going to go all dramatic and say “journalism is dead in this country,” because I’ve always felt it never really existed in the first place–any “profession” that would give Stalin’s cover-up artist, Walter Duranty, a Pulitzer, likely had very little integrity in the first place (oops, I dropped the “I” word; I think I owe Goodell $25 for infringing on his copyright). However, an already rather untrustworthy profession has only gotten much, much worse in the 24/7 cable/news cycle/internet/Twitter era. It’s just really, really bad out there. And the good ones are very, very rare and hard to find, unfortunately.

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      2. Someone ask old Albert if the same rules apply to Bill Cosby? Yes I know we’re talking about two potentially different types of assault but still. It is weird to me that a comedian makes a comment in his act about someone who was once considered an “Icon” and slowly but surely his career and reputation are gone. The NY Daily news reports about actual testimony and nobody seems to give a crap. This is truly one on the craziest things I have ever seen in my life.

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         1. Give it time. It took the Cosby allegations 25 years to matriculate and finally be believed. It has taken 20 years for people to open their eyes about what Bill Clinton did and how it was NOT right.

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            1. It has begun. But still it feels like I’m living in a fantasy world. Ray Rice drills his wife, life over. Bill Cosby turns out to be a huge scum bag, his life is over. Manning IMO has now lied about what he did to a woman, and taking illegal drugs in order to continue his career and according to SI, (see tweet below) 4 networks are competing for his services in the fall. I mean WTF?

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   2. I’ll point out the double standard with Manning vs Brady all day, but I think it has to do with who they picked as their sacred cow a long time ago; moreover, we’ve discussed it here but I think it also has to do with Brady being associated with BB. This itself is a fascinating topic.

      Internet wasn’t the internet 20 years ago but I think it’d be covered the same way as the HGH/Manning stuff was, which I’d argue is all about my first paragraph.

      So, this article is white guy, who is using race to compare
      something Manning did 20 years ago with how Cam Newton is treated now.
      Sorry, but this is a tired PC, race-baiting garbage approach, that, sadly, seems to get you a job at ESPN.

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      1. This is beyond double standard territory. This is a concerted effort to control PR and media. For this info to be in a court document and for the judge to have reacted like he did…and for Tennessee to settle for $300,000 says that there is a lot of merit to this case.

         People who do not tell the truth have a pattern of it. Manning denied he used HGH. Well there is not an on the record pattern of him lying. These guys don’t understand…there is always a paper trail. He will retire this offseason because he does not want to be suspended next season. He goes out having won a SB and with his dignity in tact. He will then spend the rest of his life watching his reputation and accomplishments be diminished and impugned. Ah such is the life of the pampered elite.

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         1. Now this is kinda a double standard on our Part. What would you say if Brady beat, Shawn King binky Cam Newton. Then King writes a rehash of Deflategate / Wells Report from the NFL point of view and making a big deal out of how Brady treats Mcnally and Straminski that they feared him, we would be blasting this hit piece for the trash it is. Was there really any thing new in this piece, other than it filled a few more biased details, but essentially all the cliff notes has already been known like the most damming part the fellow athlete was against Peyton in the case but was already known.

            And by the way if you say this is different cause Manning settled, Robert Kraft settle so there merit to deflate gate too. Berman only tossed out the Brady punishment cause of procedures not followed by the NFL.

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            1. I am saying it is different because putting your junk in a woman’s face and then avoiding all consequences is significantly different than not deflating any air out of footballs.

               However that would also be tangental to my argument. My argument is the rehashing of the old case establishes a pattern of behavior and lying that should be taken into account when looking at the HGH case.

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            2. Well of course one a criminal case and one wasn’t but Peyton was never found guilty of the criminal. IF you have a problem with that take it up with the court system. Would you say Brady selling snake oil that cures concussions isn’t close?
               Manning accuser has been/taken more things into court than he has http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/11/12/31788.htm.
               Someone who shows willingness to go to court isn’t necessarily someone I would Trust as saying the whole truth more like someone looking for cash.

               Now the fellow athlete who is the best case for the woman never says anything about the physical contact, just that he dropped his drawers and that manning was being petty with this woman. Then there the physical description,
               “Manning allegedly then proceeded to scoot down the training table while
               Naughright examined his foot. At that point, she said, he forcefully
               maneuvered his naked testicles and rectum directly on her face with his
               penis on top of her head”
               Which reading that sounds like Manning is on his back and she examining his feet, I am having trouble with how he could make physical contact in such position and have any force, pushing his behind past the front of his feet or even past his legs? Now on all fours or hands and knees he can do almost a sitting position I can understand but descriptions of the penis on top of her head doesn’t fit that narrative.

               Now linking back to HGH and the lying was not Kings augment. King went into hyperbole
               “This document says, in essence, that it’s all a facade, an act, a
               well-designed for-profit creation, maintained and manicured at all cost.
               For me, it was like reading proof that the first Apollo moon landing
               was really a fictional tale filmed in a Hollywood studio designed to
               dupe us all. That flag, planted in the moon, seemingly blowing in the
               wind, was a ruse after all. Maybe B.o.B. was right on this one fact.”
               The NY daily article is pure race baiting making sure to bring up any racial overtones. Really shouldn’t be point at as above the board about the fact article to prove anything it a opinion piece based on a advocacy piece.

               I agree with you the whole business surrounding the Tennessean incident and the HGH cover up points to a pattern and I have brought this up else where on the internet when people brought up Peyton as a “Class Act”, several days before the Daily New muck rucking article. But this article could of equally been about Tom Brady and we would be decrying it. That Tom Brady is fake he not the genuine nice guy image we have, he mean to equipment guys, his texts to his friends that Peyton career is over, and Brady has more years left , directly contradicts the tripe that Brady was saying he doesn’t consider himself GOAT.

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         2. This is a concerted effort to control PR and media.

            Someone called up Villani on WEEI today as I was driving and, I think, said it best, “Archie Manning is the Chris Jenner (Kartrashian) of the NFL.”

            Speaking of reputation, I think it’s interesting on this “next move” front. I’m sure everyone saw the (D+C) Chris Curtis tweet that ESPN was issued a stand-down order. No surprise here.

            If it were to, “go bigger”–which, I’d use the yardstick of agenda via the LCD-news shows tomorrow morning–I’d wonder if any of the Nationwide and Papa Johns sponsorships are in jeopardy.

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   3. It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.

      The Mannings broke a gag order not once but twice to continue to slander this woman. That’s not conjecture or “slanted,” it’s a fact.

      They make me sick, both Peyton and his enabling father.

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      1. That and what happened in 1994 are the most interesting things out of all of this.

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10. Well we might have a new leader in the clubhouse for stupidest sports reporter on the planet…ladies and gentlemen I present Clay Travis of Foxsports.com:

    http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/peyton-manning-newest-target-of-fake-internet-outrage-brigade-021316

    Read through the comments…he gets ripped to shreds…but the funny thing to me is most miss the point. The issue that has now come to light is not whether Peyton is squeaky clean, nor is it whether sexually assaulting a female trainer is forgivable after X amount of dollars and NDAs. The issue is whether Peyton is a serial liar. If he is then the HGH story has legs.

    If you go back and look at the HGH story Deborah Davies let’s Charles Sly talk at great lengths (27 hours of tape) and unprovoked he makes the comments about Ashley and Peyton Manning. Manning is so worried about the fallout he hires Ari Fleisher (no sports PR experience) and several “investigators” to look into the story. If he knew he was innocent…he would have done neither act. He knows there is a smoking gun out there somewhere. However he lies about being involved. He emphatically states “wasn’t me…didn’t do it…nope…nuh, uh”. It is the exact same pattern as this case. Exactly the same. He lies. he makes the himself into a victim. He discredits the accuser. The only difference right now in the Tennessee story players came forward and did the right thing. They told the truth. In this story so far people are changing their stories to absolve Peyton. Give it time…it will implode on Peyton.

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    1. I’ve followed him for years for CFB. He wrote that after the initial King article, not the subsequent publications on Saturday and stuff yesterday. I don’t know if its been updated to reflect this. He’s staunchly defending Manning because they’re both Vols. No clue if that changed since there is new stuff out there.

       He’s a bit like Portnoy, just not from around here (they’re apparently friends). He started like Simmons, wound up with a radio gig in Nashville, grew his OTC site and Fox co-opted him. So, similar approach to, “let me write stuff to get clicks.” He trolls the BIG10/FSU/etc, since he’s a big SEC guy.

       Not defending him here but some context.

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       1. Great…he is still a moron…his college football fixation cements my point. I am sure he has some NASCAR up his keister as well. Regardless of the reason why he chose to defend Manning, anytime someone says “tea bagging and just a joke” to defend sticking ones genitalia in the face of a professional medical staffer in the same sentence…that person is a potential Darwin award candidate.

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          1. Trolling and being huge fanbois.. that’s the world of CFB.

             Paul Finebam, probably the most famous, is Exhibit A.

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             1. and you wonder why I have absolutely no respect for or interest in college football.

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             2. It’s a different beast, I’ll say that. I grew up with it because of my dad, and my wife is a Gator, so I can’t ignore it. It’s also not part of the DNA here, unlike the South or any big “college sports” town/state/area. I doubt it’ll ever be big here for a # of reasons but the younger generation, thanks to ESPN, definitely pays much more attention to it.

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             3. I have the same issue with college sports I have with ESPN’s coverage of little league baseball. In the end the players are quasi unpaid kids who did not ask to have the hopes dreams and expectations of all the current students, alumni and those who think college athletics deserves adoration foisted on them. But my biggest issue is with the media coverage of these kids. Its one thing to complain that a paid professional is dogging it. It is quite another when you do that to a kid who may or may not have the talent and it trading playing for an education. I hate college sports for that reason. So those who adore it…I have no time for because I do not think they have thought things through.

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11. McCann summarizes and links to all the Manning stuff that will be dominating the radio waves today:

    http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/02/14/peyton-manning-lawsuit-sexual-harassment-documents-tennessee

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12. Peter King with his defense of Peyton Manning in today's MMQB. https://t.co/gbIBk32KKz pic.twitter.com/zKYQxzkyfu

    — Kirk and Callahan (@KirkAndCallahan) February 15, 2016

    Like what happened with Brady, Pete?

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13. Can’t help but laugh:

    

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14. Gentlemen, start your engines!

    The NFL paid Roger Goodell $34.1 million last year, . . . that should go over well https://t.co/RGESMUlVEt

    — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 16, 2016

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    1. He earned every cent. He managed to keep the league in the press every day of the year. He managed to piss off the fans in St Louis. He rocks.

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       1. Last year we’ll get to ever know about it w/o it being “leaked”

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15. Red Sox Spring Training media coverage is already hilarious.

    I hear the same three storylines being repeated every day.

    1. The vultures counting down the days until JF gets fired and they can tear apart his cancer ridden carcass.

    2. How Fat is Sandoval going to be when he shows up in Florida?

    3. How terrible a first basemen will Hanley be and when does Destroyia murder him in the dugout for failing to complete a play?

    Can anyone explain to me what it is that Torey Lovullo did differently from JF? (motivational tactics, in-game strategy) that wasn’t directly related to roster changes dictated by Dombrowski, luck and injuries (i.e. JBJ’s great defense, JBJ’s ridiculous August hitting, Victorino injuries and trade, Travis Shaw, Sandoval injury, Hanley injury/benching, Porcello improvement after stint on the DL, Cherington’s god awful bullpen, etc.)?

    I am not a JF backer, I am a backer of the theory that field managers, especially in the American League, are given far too much credit and blame.

    I can’t be the only person to have noticed that the exact same mediots and fans that downplay the late season performances of some players, because the Red Sox were out of the playoff race and hence, under no pressure, want to give Lovullo all of the credit in the world, because the Red Sox played pretty well in August and September…

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    1. The Sox seem to building the narrative in the media that Lovullo is much better at “communicating” with younger players than Farrell. That way, if the young players struggle out of the gate (likely some will) they have a good excuse to can him. I have no idea whether it’s true and am dubious that it has a big impact on performance but the Sox are at least pretending both are true.

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    2. I think JF is arrogant, abrasive, but most importantly insecure. I think these traits come across to his players and as such they end up playing indecisively and unsure the boss will make the right decision at the right time. Lovullo by all press reports has a better grasp of the game and for that reason the players trusted him more. I do think managers are given way too much credit for success but I think a bad manager…like Farrell (look at his 2 years in Toronto and 3 of his 4 years in Boston) costs the team confidence and eventually the clubhouse becomes poisoned. I am not sure that Luvullo can fix the clubhouse. I know Farrell can’t.

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       1. You have to be talking about Valentine here. Farrell is the exact opposite of arrogant, abrasive and insecure.

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          1. I disagree completely. As a pitching coach Farrell made his bones by supposedly putting fear into his pitchers while teaching them to strut arrogantly. His behind the scenes demeanor is different than the duffus he plays in front of the camera. Valentine was all about proving he was the smartest guy in the room. Farrell is all about proving his is the cockiest/toughest. His loyalty to veterans, his inability to understand basic in game strategy, his lack of young player development all point to an arrogance and insecurity that is actually greater than Valentines…and no I did not think the Sox could find two of these guys in a row…but they did.

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             1. Correction: Cherington’s loyalty to underperforming veterans.

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             2. We will see this year. It was Farrell not Cherrington who condescendingly dismissed the idea that Shane Victorino could lose his job because of an injury or for that matter in Spring Training. Perhaps Dombrowski has different ideas.

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16. How bad has the Celtics and NBA talk been the last couple of weeks on Boston radio? It is painfully obvious that the majority of radio hosts don’t follow the league. They don’t know anything about players, rosters, potential draft picks… nothing. It’s embarrassingly bad to listen to. They try to fake it and sound like they know what they’re talking about, but there is ZERO credibility to their opinions. I know you can jokingly say that about any topic they babble about for four hours each day, but since the football season ended a spotlight has been shined on the ineptitude of the local radio media to discuss the NBA. It reminds me of ten years ago when WEEI was the only station in town and they had to do their annual hour of hockey talk.

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    1. I’m taking a guess here, as a “Pink Hat” fan: it does not drive ratings. If you want to do the Russillo-youth-hoophead thing, most people tune out, unless the Celtics are good. They’ve become a true “only care when good” team in the town. I know it has the best casual interest next to Football (by a LONG shot) on the national scene, but I don’t know of anyone but hoopheads who care about the league. I don’t have data to back any of this up but have to imagine there is some research or intel they’re going on here.

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       1. I agree that NBA and Celtics talk probably doesn’t drive ratings locally, but at a minimum during this time of year or during the playoffs they could have co-hosts on or guests that stick around more than a single segment – a la the way they do with other sports and Greg Bedard, Paul Perillo, Jackie MacMullan, Billy Jaffe, Bert Breer, Andy Hart, etc. I’m not saying those folks are always great to listen to, but they at least know their sport and the pieces involved.

          As a side-note, I can’t count how many times in the past week I’ve heard players’ names mispronounced or said flat-out wrong by local show hosts. That is the number one signal to me that either a host or caller has no idea what they are talking about. Brooks Lopez… Michael Westbrook… Danello Gallinari… and on and on. If you don’t know a guys name, you obviously don’t know anything about him.

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          1. I turned in for a little of Johnson and Flynn today and was shocked at how woefully unprepared they were to discuss the trade deadline. I like Flynn a bit during football season, but wow his basketball information is dreadful. And Johnson was not better.

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       2. I have made this argument before but let me try again…

          Basketball is the game you follow before you grow up and learn terms like…strategy, effort, hard work, craftsmanship, practice and cohesiveness. Basketball is unlike any other major sport in that the better team cannot always or even usually overcome another team if the other team has sheer talent. The fact that there are no playoff upsets kind of cements this point. So when people grow up, they switch from basketball to baseball football or hockey (or even Lx or futbol). So no one really cares about basketball unless their team is winning…it is way to stupid otherwise.

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          1. I would agree with that on the NBA level. The Best-of-Seven playoff format as well as the, ahem, “curious” officiating in big games that almost always seems to produce the league office’s (and the network’s) desired result pretty much negates a good “underdog” story from taking shape. It’s the ultimate players’ league, as evidenced by the fact that Erik Spoelstra will forever be known as a “Two-Time NBA Championship Coach,” even though he was on the hotseat and his coaching skills were in serious question after the Heat faltered in their first Finals series against Dallas the year after they went on their free agent shopping spree for Bosh and LeBron. At the collegiate level, of course, with the short three-point line and the “one and done” NCAA Tourney format, the best talent doesn’t always win — witness undefeated Kentucky pretty much being manhandled by a less-talented, but much-better-prepared Wisconsin team in last year’s Final Four (ditto for Duke knocking off undefeated UNLV in ’91, though that proved to be a great Duke team given that it went back-to-back the following year). In the NBA, though, you’re right. If your team isn’t one of the most talented ones, then you’ve got to be a true hoops fanatic to follow them all season long, knowing full well that any playoff stint is likely to be short. I’m finding this current Celtics team entertaining to watch, and the fact that they’re young and loaded with future high draft capital (not just the Nets’ picks either) also is helping to stir fan interest, I believe. If they were a 44-38, 7th-seed type of team every year, though, with no hope of getting better through acquired lottery picks, I think fan interest would be as mediocre as the team on the floor.

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          2. I think the stat you’re looking for is that in 8 v 1 “rounds” there’s been one upset, since the format began, in around 140 or so matches.

             It’s so predictable. #’s for everything but a 4v5 run somewhere up there, too.

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17. It’s Tanguay Week, people!! Today’s great controversy is Tom Brady skiing! And skiing with Ben Affleck on top of that! Lasted 6 minutes. That’s the “reaction” that WEEI execs don’t seem to understand happens when they (and the on air talent) constantly say “Gary generates a reaction from listeners.” Yeah….turning the f**king channel!

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    1. Not that I don’t hate when Tanguay is on already, but nails on the chalkboard for me is when Gerry calls him “Tango”. It drives me nuts and he does it more often than Phil Simms says, “We talked about….”

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    2. I wish they’d have Arcand/Picard/Villani on. There has to be palpable data having him on the air drives ratings.

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    3. His desperation for attention is pathetic. It’s clear at this point that he’s willing to say any outrageous thing in the hopes of getting some kind of a reaction, whether positive or negative.

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       1. To his credit: He was the guy floating all the “Manning sleeps around” stuff before the whole UT incident resurfaced last Saturday. Kravitz confirmed when he wrote his apologist article over the weekend. He’s a gossip-y guy, so he asks and inquires. Some people always talk, and it’s easy to locate which ones eat it up like he does. You never know but usually when enough stuff leaks out there, there is something behind it.

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          1. Its still Tanguay. So I would rather turn the channel…and cut my ears off…than listen to him.

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             1. Love to know the #’s someday. They track this stuff and there must be a bump from the auditory rubbernecking.

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18. Our pal, GregggggggggggggggggGg DOyYel, weighs in on the Manning/UT, with the usual, “we just don’t know” that was rather lacking during the rage a year ago:

    Basically, same as Kravitz and your usual tools at NFLPR like Breer.

    Meanwhile, Manning’s humanity is being discussed nationally thanks to a one-sided story that was rehashed 13 years after the facts of the story were originally – and widely – disseminated.

    There’s a lot of ugliness here, alleged and otherwise.

    Actually, most people are on his side, since they liked him and he’s never faced the “cheating” stuff like before.

    It’s a usual case of the previous perception of whomever the base/fan area is. People are just being ‘reasonable’ here and asking folks to wait. Sadly, the NFL can’t face perjury charges, though.

    I think if the tables were turned, we’d be doing the same thing, as we were last year. And, without leaks or reporters doing actual journalism and investigating, nothing else comes out. It’s sad this entire thing stemmed from a race-baiter.

    On Peyton Manning and Jamie Whited, 1996 and 2003, Shaun King and today. Column – https://t.co/yrolmpoBb3

    — Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) February 18, 2016

    Apparently, the woman involved made a series of cryptic Facebook posts, earlier this week, implying there’s more and others out there. UT’s PR-effort (via Clay Travis) has been quite active on the other side. It’ll be interesting to see if anything else comes out of this.

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    1. So far nothing that has been reported in either the UT case or the HGH has been refuted. It has all been denied but no credible alternative narrative has been put forth that fits all the facts and explains either case…and yet…the media wants to defend him. The issue is that it is becoming more and more difficult to do it. So now the hope seems to be that he retires and goes away with some of his dignity intact. As I postulated a few days ago…as more and more comes out…over time Manning, his accomplishments and his reputation will become more tarnished and history will not look at him positively. Its already starting. For Doyle to say “wait and see ” rather than to emphatically state…”Not Peyton he is definitely innocent” is a huge step.

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    2. I just find it hilarious that Doyel — putting his histrionics over Deflategate aside — is the same guy that actually had a problem with the Patriots running plays out of LEGAL formations against the Ravens in the 2014 Divisional game at Foxboro, calling it “winning without honor,” because Harbaugh whined that “nobody” had ever seen those formations before. Of course, as we later found out. NFL teams had used those formations before, as had college teams. Doyel is the poster child for everything that is wrong with journalism in 2016 America: his binkies get a free pass and the people he doesn’t like get skewered, facts be damned.

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       1. He was on D/C this morning. Continued his narrative about Brady is the devil and Peyton needs mountains of evidence against him to have his image tarnished. What a despicable excuse for a “sports writer.” And of course as bad as Greggggg is/was, Gary found a way to be worse. I want that 20 minutes of my life back.

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          1. I just don’t understand where this “Brady is a bad guy” mantra came from. It was out there long before the NFL decided to make up the Deflategate nonsense out of thin air. The false accusations of “dumping his pregnant girlfriend for the supermodel” was perhaps the first crack in his public image, but I really don’t know how a guy like that gets painted as an complete SOB. Sixth-round draft pick. Overlooked by most college recruiters. Had to fight to get on the field at Michigan even after he’d proven he was the best QB on the squad. Fierce competitor willing to take less money to help the team win. How is THAT guy become the NFL’s, the media’s, and the public’s whipping boy? I think someone here said it before, and I believe they’re right: this is really all about Belichick. Brady is just the collateral damage of the league’s and the media’s War on BB. I told a buddy of mine last night that once BB decides to ride off into the sunset (hopefully with a couple more Super Bowl rings in tow), even if Brady plays another 10 years, all of this goes away. The Goodell/Kensil Axis backs off, the other 31 start to calm down, and the media puts the knives away. Sad, but true.

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             1. The “Get back at Belichick” theory makes as much sense as anything else. In terms of how Brady and Manning are treated differently by the media, we all saw how scandals involving the two of them were handled.

                Even before that, when Brady yells at a lineman or receiver, the reaction is how Brady is a jerk, shows up his teammates, blames others instead of taking responsibility, etc. With Manning, it’s different. I remember his first year in Denver and he was yelling at Julius Thomas after an incompletion. The media reaction to that was how he was showing leadership and the Broncos will benefit from his intensity.

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       2. On the topic of those “dishonorable,” deceptive formations, Harbaugh and the Ravens used them in several games this season and no one made a big deal about it. Even though his team was burned for a TD on one of those plays, Jack Del Rio said his team was prepared for those plays, but someone missed an assignment. Not surprisingly, no one in the media asked Harbaugh how he could run plays like that after he had such a big problem with them less than a year before.

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          1. Even more ironic: Harbaugh’s team found a way around the Competition Committee’s 2015 edict, in the wake of the “dishonorable behavior” by the Pats in last year’s playoffs, which “outlawed” those types of formations. Somehow, the Ravens’ coaching staff found a way to run plays that were “legal” out of formations that were not exactly the same, but pretty dang close to the ones the Patriots used in the Divisional game last year. Crickets…….

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19. Merloni will have to find a new hot take to scream about for two straight hours. Yesterday he couldn’t shut up about how it was crazy that a decision on this alignment hadn’t been made, that there would be a competition in camp, etc. etc. The art of being a talk radio nitwit: Pre-emptive whining and screaming about an action, before that action is actually taken. Radio Gold.

    “Mookie Betts has been taking fly balls in right field and will likely remain there while Jackie Bradley Jr. is expected to be the everyday center fielder, Farrell said. . . .”

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20. I am nostalgic this morning. I am sitting drinking my coffee, looking out a window at a bright sunny warm (for RI in Feb) day…no snow on the ground…and thinking…remember when I used to get all excited when pitchers and catchers reported. Remember when the start of spring training meant digging the sticks out because early (read that as wet) season golf was approaching. Remember when hope sprung eternal. I miss getting excited about reading and following this battle in camp, or that player’s development.

    Instead I missed truck day all together, I heard a passing note that pitchers and catchers reported. But worse of all…I did not care. Complete apathy. I have no faith that John Farrell has any clue about managing this team. I have no driving interest to see if Bogarts will develop, Pedroia will finally return to form, or if Hanley can field first base. As exciting as it is to watch an outfield of Betts, Bradley and Castillo run down flies they do not feel like Rice, Lynn and Evans to me. Nor do I have any desire to see the mental masterbation that will accompany the David Ortiz farewell tour. I don’t want marketing. I want old fashioned solid fundamental baseball devoid of clubhouse drama.

    So as I sit here I think John Henry and company have done what I thought was completely impossible…they turned me into a completely apathetic, fair weather, fan. Congratulations Sox ownership you lost a fan whose family held season tickets from the 60’s through the 90’s. Through your hubris and insensitivity you lost a fan who clearly remembers as a 6 year old attending his first game at Fenway in Sept of 1973 a game where Yaz hit a grand slam. I spent a week asking my dad to help me remember how to pronounce Yastrzemski correctly after. A fan who spent the night his first daughter was born rocking her in the hospital nursery while my wife slept and recovered watching a rebroadcast of the 2nd game of the 1998 season (my daughter was born on April 3) while I explained to her the rules of the game and why she would like her dad, be a life long Sox fan. She wore a Sox onesie much to her St. Louis Cardinal loving mother’s chagrin the next day…her first full day.

    Yet today, as I look out the window at a glorious day, there is no excitement, no anticipation, no James Earl Jones whispering about the one constant throughout all the years “Baseball”. I am sad. I hope Dave Dombrovsky can fix things…I really do. But so far his decision to keep Farrell does not give me great hope. His inability to trade Sandoval or Ramirez unfortunately tells me we are in for more of the same. I hope I am wrong…I would love to get excited for baseball again. I am just not optimistic.

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    1. So you miss the Yawkey (and Yawkey Trust) days? TFF!

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       1. That’s the funny thing. I don’t. I hated them also. What I miss is caring about baseball.

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          1. LTD, I honestly think the problem is just the oversaturation of media in ALL sports, and more importantly, the development of the NFL as a league that captures the media’s and fan’s attention year-round. Seriously, when we were going to our first baseball games back in the 70s, who ever even had heard of the “scouting combine,” and whoever would have imagined that the workouts of every single draft prospect would be filmed and broadcast for public consumption? The NFL season, in the 70s and even the 80s, was always over by the third week of January, and that was it….no football talk until April when the draft came around, and after the draft was over, football once again faded into obscurity until July when training camps opened. There was no free agency and no high-profile salary cap-related cuts a week after the Super Bowl; there was nothing, and from mid-January through mid-February, unless you were a Bruins or Celtics fan, we were left counting down the days until spring training. Now, baseball is also in the news just about every day. Every sports-related internet site in the country has a “baseball” tab to click on that gives you the latest news and views, and cable companies offer the 24/7 “MLB Network” with their sports packages. I agree that Henry and Co. are guilty of over-marketing, but I think they’re just a symptom of the larger disease, which is oversaturation of sports media in general.

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             1. Tony…I have been thinking about this all night since I made my snappy comment to James. I don’t think this is over saturation. Nor do I wish the Yankees were still in charge. This is the feelings I had when hope sprung eternal. Instead today it is difficult bordering on impossible for me to get excited because a guy who is being paid $80 mill is coming to camp in shape or that a pitcher who has only made more than 16 starts in 3 of his 8 seasons can seriously be in line for $150 mill. Taking the money out of the conversation…I do not want to waste a season watching David Ortiz make a swan song retirement tour. Either play and be a pro or don’t play…there is no room for sentimentality.

                My conclusion is this…somewhere along the line the Sox and baseball became an enterprise, a business driven by events and stopped being a past time. The Sox keeping Jerry Remy alienated me. Sabrmetrics annoy me. (as an aside when was the last time you saw someone scoring a game by hand in the stands) The end of day baseball cemented this for me. It all has led to the first time I am not excited about an upcoming baseball season.

                I am officially an old bastard.

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             2. I certainly can’t disagree with you about the money, and the fact that day baseball has nearly become a thing of the past. I remember “back in the old days,” when the Sox wouldn’t even schedule a night game at Fenway until the last week of April — every single one of their home games for the first three weeks of the season was played during the daytime, and most of them were just broadcast over the radio (no TV). The fact that there’s opening day, and then they go straight into night baseball the very next game, regardless of the fact that evening temps in Boston during most of April are still often cold enough to produce frost on windshields, is another example of how times have changed, and not for the better. And as for scoring by hand — I have occasionally seen an “old-timer” doing that when I’ve gone to Fenway, but hey, now everyone’s got a mini-personal computer in their pocket that can do that for them, right? The “game presentation” stuff — which is much worse at NBA games but has begun to encroach into every live sporting event — is another turn off; so are the 3:30 long games (some are even longer). Still, despite all of this, I still like coming home from work and turning on the Sox game once the season starts. The personal battles between a guy like Price and a hitter like Cabrera with the game on the line are still what make baseball worth watching to me — that 2013 ALCS, when Tazawa seemingly got EVERY big Tigers’ hitter out in every single key situation in Boston’s two wins at Detroit was a classic case of how baseball remains unique. Those one-on-one battles like that just don’t happen in any other sport, and when a battle like that takes place, the money those guys are making fades into the background and I do tend to get caught up in the moment.

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             3. Man, we park our cars in the same garage when it comes to the Sox. The ownership group while successful has put me in an awkward spot.It is truly hard to root for a team when you simply don’t like the owner. I imagine this is what it has been like for die hard Bruins fans for years.
                I tapped out after the Tito fiasco and haven’t really followed the team closely since. I watched the 13 series and all but that series win is very different for me as opposed to 04 and 07 when I hung on every pitch. 13 was like OK, cool.
                But, the departure of Larry has brought me new hope and I am jumping back on the bandwagon this year. It just feels like the right amount of time has gone by. At least for me.
                Looking around at what this team could be this year it could be fun. I grew up Pats, Sox, Celts, Briuns. The last few years have seen the Sox fall to 4th. I am far too invested in the Celtics to put them up to number 2 again, but would love for them to be a 2B this season. Let’s do this LTD. We’re too old to let what could be a fun season go by, just because our owners are the two least likely guys you would ever want on your side in a bar fight. 🙂

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             4. Trip…I want to be there with you…I really do. Maybe once they start playing some games in the spring I will get excited. We will see. In the mean time I cynically think we will spend June and July discussing a new Bruins coach and the Pats chances rather than baseball. I hope I am wrong.

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             5. I’ll check in with you on Opening Day. If you can’t get a little fired up for that, well then maybe the ship has sailed for you. I was off for some reason last year and even I watched a bit of the game.

                I just thought it was funny that we had been sharing very similar feelings towards the team. I have decided to give it a go. I decision I may regret, but f**k it, I’m in.

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             6. If the alienation and disenchantment of the ardent Red Sox fan could be captured in one image, I think this would be it …

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             7. Hey, at least “Tessie” (as far as we know) is female and not Wally’s transgendered former brother who went by the name of “Tommy” when they were growing up together. Now THAT would be some serious modern-day pandering, even for the Henry/Werner ownership group 🙂

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21. Danny Picaaaaaaahd was pretty funny yesterday afternoon having a complete nuclear meltdown over Sandoval and Ramirez not caring enough (in his eyes) in Spring training. It was hilarious and fascinating. Anyone else catch it?

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    1. I did not but heard he was on a roll. I know a lot of people can’t deal with Danny’s accent, but I got to tell you he is quickly rising up in my book. I would like to see him get a real shot. On my way home at night when D&H&T go to commercial or their show just isn’t doing it for me I click over to Danny’s podcast for the day. Then just kind of toggle between the two for the rest of the ride. Good way to break up both shows.

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       1. That’s his accent. We “mock” it (Piccahhhd), but that’s him. He does the rants from time-to-time, but only when he’s on an issue. I recall first hearing it during the beginning of the DG mess, since he’s on weekends when I’m in the shop and the radio is always on.

          Between Villani, Picard and Arcand, I think all have chances to get shots at shows on some station here for the future. I think there’s a reason why they rotate these guys to close out Mikey’s show evenings.

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          1. It doesn’t bother me, but I know it does for others. And yes I have heard others say it’s fake which I don’t think it is. Nobody from Southie fakes an accent.

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             1. “Local sports talk personality fabricates Southie accent to get radio gig”

                There’s a headline you never thought would happen, right?

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          2. I dunno. I think he exaggerates his naturally strong accent for effect. Kind of like Gilbert Gottfried. His normal speaking voice is really like it is when he’s on stage but much less so. He ramps it up for effect.

             Still, I’ve never heard anyone say “Jon Les-TUH” the way he says it on the air. I don’t think anyone would unless they were doing it on purpose.

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22. Day 1 of Spring Training and the Titanic is already taking on water. Between Pablo and Hanley and the suddenly spineless John Farrell (remember how it was said that players used to be scared to even look him in the eye?) this season already has the makings of another last place, epic disaster.

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23. Do we really need another day of ripping Pablo Sandoval’s weight? There’s nothing else going on in Fort Myers? Or the Celtics or Bruins (trade deadline approaching)?
    I’ll give the media a pass for yesterday since it was a Monday after the eye-opening pictures surfaced when Pablo joined the team over the weekend, but a second day of non-stop Pablo talk by DCM this morning. Really? And by talk I mean shouting into the microphone about how terrible it is that a guy who’s always been fat, still looks fat. Not to mention the endless corny buffet line jokes.

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    1. 

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    2. We don’t, Rick, but a lot of people do apparently.

       As much as I like the new Big O show, I can’t listen to 4 hours, or even 20 more minutes of Pablo/JF/Dombrowski bashing or “THE ENTIRE SEASON HINGES ON PABLO AND HANLEY” doom and gloom.

       Most sports talk radio is simply not enjoyable if you just are a fan that wants to enjoy the games and hot-stove talk. If you’re not miserable, almost all the time, they’re not doing their jobs.

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       1. What games? Hot-stove is over. NBA trade deadline has passed. This is the A topic. I’m sure ESPN Radio is doing a 30-team review of potential wins and losses if that’s your thing. I’m sure some ESPN or FOX baseball guy is making his #HotSportzTake opinion of who will play in the WS, who will win MVP or CY Young.

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          1. There are 23 other players that will make the opening day roster.

             And there are NBA games, NHL games, the NHL trade deadline.

             You really want to listen to the same storyline every day? That doesn’t bore you? It’s the Jon Lester contract talks, every day all day, all season long, scenario all over again.

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    3. Your second sentence explains it.

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    4. What do you want? 3 hours of pitchers covering 1st base? Shagging fly balls? Long toss? There might not be anything in sports more BORING than baseball spring training. Talking about the headcase Ramierez and potential disaster Panda moves the needle. The story IS Pablo and his beach ball stomach and the team making excuses for him, especially after they said in the off-season he was gonna get in shape.

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       1. StoJa I’m not looking for riveting fourth and fifth starter talk, but my problem is that when these topics come up the conversation never goes anywhere. Granted, that’s a slightly different point than what I wrote earlier, but personally I’m not interested in another four hours of fat Pablo jokes just because some photographer got a new picture with his gut hanging out of his shirt. TSH has been doing a better job today of moving on. DCM have a tendency to beat a dead horse more than other programs. It reminds of the recent Alex Guerrero story. Everyone talked about it for a couple days but DCM kept going for three days past the story’s lifespan. We get it, Pablo’s fat. Move on. I laughed out loud in my car last Friday when Minihane did a tongue-in-cheek show promo for this week when he said they’d be live in Fort Myers talking about everything but the performance of the team on the field.

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24. Funny how now that it’s convenient, thanks to Peter King, to flip on DG, that it’s en vogue for the “opinion makers” (media losers) to now do so.

    We knew what PK had an epiphany, while walking his favorite Central Park path, did 8 months ago. So, now that he floats this, everyone else can pile on or join in?

    Just think about that for a second. Ordway was playing some PTI segment with them and they’re reacting as if it’s a “smart opinion”.

    Nothing changed.

    Now they change because Peter King changes?

    That’s scary.

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    1. What I found fascinating about the King piece yesterday was how passive/aggressive it was. On the one hand, he says the draft picks should be returned. On the other hand, he says the Pats should still be fined, because……..”deflator” text and the 90-second pee break provide enough “circumstantial evidence” that something illicit took place — even though he also basically admits that Ideal Gas Law pretty much explains everything. But, see, the punishment is now “excessive” in his eyes, and needs to be reduced. Good Lord, he’s such a mediocrity and a shill. Even when he’s “taking on” the league chieftains, he still manages to kowtow to them, at least peripherally.

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       1. “The six phone calls, once the NFL announced it would investigate whether the balls were deflated, from Brady to Jastremski when they rarely ever spoke on the phone doesn’t quite stink, but it’s got an odor to it.”

          I still don’t understand how this is a talking point in the league’s favor. It’s more plausible that they were “getting their stories straight” than that Brady was trying to figure out wtf happened, seeing if Jastremski was dealing with the accusations and public mud-dragging ok, and making sure they had a plan to get 100 footballs ready for the Super Bowl?

          At least he didn’t bring up the tapes of the Rams’ walkthrough.

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          1. Hilarious considering that Brady’s initial reaction (on the D&C show) to the Kravitz story the morning after the AFCCG was to laugh and say, “Oh man, now I’ve heard everything.” In other words, he was saying, “Are you effing kidding me? Someone is accusing us of WHAT?” If it were me, the first thing I’d do upon hearing such a cockamamie accusation would be to reach out to the guys in charge of handling the footballs to see WTF, if anything, happened. To find that behavior “suspicious” on Brady’s part says more about the thought processes of persons (King, Wells, Pash, Goodell, Kensil, et al) who started off with the assumption that something illicit had actually taken place, than it does about Brady’s alleged “shady” behavior.

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    2. Pete King is in high dudgeon (and really is there any other kind of dudgeon) b/c at the beginning of the season he recommended that the league test from every game throughout the year.and suggested that they suspend the sentence until that was done. Doubtless when he saw that not only had they not only ignored his advice but that they made no attempt at validation he was butt-hurt and lashed out.

       From there it is a natural segment filler on any show with cohosts who can take sides – other than of course FnM where they will explain that “SOMETHING happened!!!!” and that as such the Pats had it coming. This of course serves there end by making the lines light up.

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    3. Just trying to milk clicks out of it during a slow part of the year, DG is/was a big win for the media.

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25. Listening to baseball players, front office personnel, or media talk about the sport really makes me hate baseball. The god damn excuses for EVERYTHING! The players are soft, the media covering them baby the hell out of them, and the managers and GMs just make up such BS that they expect people to swallow. I’ll watch a couple innings of a game here and there but overall I’m so sour on baseball. Not sure when that happened exactly, it used to be football/baseball 1-2 for me but the last 10 years or so, I just don’t have time for the nonsense that seems to accompany it. Don’t tell me a guy is going on the DL with a “sore shoulder” from playing Guitar Hero or a pitcher is going to miss a start because of a badly clipped fingernail when NFL and NHL guys spend 70% of their season barely able to get out of bed in the morning. I’d much rather listen to Belichick give a 10 minute, 10 answer press conference than Farrell or Dombrowski talk out their ass with excuse after excuse with a side helping of BS. Ugh, baseball hasn’t even started yet….

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    1. These are the tough days. There are no games so there’s not a lot to talk about so they end up going down these different rabbit holes and it all sounds like crap. I say tune out until the games start and then at least there will be some measure to discuss.

       Man am I trying to keep people interested in the team this year. I have no idea why either. Wait yes I do, I’m back on the bandwagon and don’t want to be alone. D’oh.

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26. Been loosely following the local sports media lately, but all I’ve heard is Sandoval talk. It is impossible to listen to.

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    1. It is telling though that the biggest question mark/problems that the Sox seem to have going into the season is the corner positions for which they already may have capable back ups and what will the 3rd through 5th pitchers give you. But that doesn’t move the needle so they harp on Panda’s weight. Wihch I agree with you makes for less than compelling radio.

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