Things appear back to normal on the written side, I’m still on the sports radio blackout, and will likely be all week…
Be sure to check out the latest Dan Snapp column on Patriots Daily: Beholden to None.
Albert R. Breer has a look at the Patriots continued struggles in the red zone, where they sit 25th in the league, behind such stalwarts as Detroit, Jacksonville, and Washington. Robert Lee says that those issues need to be corrected for this Sunday’s game with the Jets. Ian R. Rapoport has Matt Light looking to get back out on the field as quickly as he can.
Mark Farinella feels that Bill Belichick and the Patriots braintrust have lost their way, and that Sunday was perhaps an indicator of what is ahead for this franchise. Kerry Byrne separates fact from myth when it comes to the Patriots.
In the Midweek report, Breer looks at the struggles that the Jets have had since beating the Patriots in week two. Ron Borges says that the tears that Rex Ryan shed in his locker room on Monday show the difference between he and Bill Belichick. Glen Farley has the Jets coming in for a “Super Bowl” rematch.
Mike Reiss and Christopher Price have their weekly mailbags.
Joe Fitzgerald says that the fans are wrong to criticize Belichick for Sunday night.
The Globe notebook has the Patriots looking to keep their streak of games without consecutive losses alive this weekend. Rapoport’s notebook has Belichick ready to move on from the Indy game. Lee’s Patriots journal has Belichick getting back to business as usual.
Celtics
Gary Washburn has Kendrick Perkins not impressed with the Celtics practices this week as the team tries to bounce back from three losses in five games. Mark Murphy has the Celtics needing to get back into defensive mode. A. Sherrod Blakely says that defense is the key for the Celtics.
Jim Fenton has Paul Pierce returning to practice yesterday after sitting out on Monday. Blakely has a C’s vs. Warriors preview. Mike Fine has Warriors coach Don Nelson approaching more coaching records.
The Globe notebook has Andres Nocioni’s name being floated in possible trades to the Celtics. Murphy’s notebook has Piece back at practice.
Misc
Rich Thompson reports that Marc Savard could be back on the ice for the Bruins as early as tomorrow night. Brendan Hall has Milan Lucic returning to practice yesterday.
Michael Silverman has Mike Lowell once again in wait and see mode this offseason. Brian MacPherson has the Red Sox looking to make some noise in the Hot Stove league this winter.
Julian Benbow has a feature on BU mens basketball coach Pat Chambers, who set out on a new path in life after a brush with death in 2002.
Popularity: 7% [?]
I’ve been on a FULL sports media blackout since Sunday nights game….even from this site…..I didn’t even want to know what the “knights of the keybord” were writing about….I mean, I knew what they were writing about but well ya know…..
remember the game earlier this year when the Pats went for it on 4th down from like their OWN 30 yard line and MADE IT?…and then they went down and scored?….I remember thinking, not many other coaches would try that. This is going to generate some big headline tomorrow…..well IT DIDN’T…because they MADE IT…..of course when they DON’t make it….the second guessing, know-it -all types go wild…….they make me sick to my stomach..
ditto. No local microphone tough guy applauded (or commented) on the earlier 4th down attempt. They’d rather be thought of as imbeciles than fan-boys.
I’m disgusted at the chicken little fans – they know nothing about football and don’t know it. God, I hate this town sometimes.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090928/NEWS/909280393/1009/SPORTS
As I recall, people did talk about it after the Atlanta game beyond even the linked article. Difference was that it was in the third quarter so there would be time to cover it up if things went wrong.
And it was 4th and 1 not 4th and 2.
What kills me about the media “coverage” of this situation is that the words “arrogant”, “ego”, and “hubris” appear all over the place.
What in God’s name does Belichick’s ego or hubris have to do with the decision?
Could there have been some legitimate FOOTBALL-RELATED reasons behind his decision?
Nope, I guess not, because the assclowns in the media–people who literally are the walking embodiment of hubris, arrogance and egomania–have decided that it was Darth Hoodie’s “ego” and “arrogance” that made up his mind in this case.
What morons.
Right on Tony. I was thinking to myself, What is the endgame to all of this? And you nailed it. The media asshats and chicken-little fans dislike BB because of his “arrogance” and will only be happy if BB prostrates himself in front of the media and apologizes a thousand times.
As we all know, the electronic (TV, radio/talk show, web) and print media hacks relish colorful and quotable “characters” — players, coaches, managers, team execs, etc. — as it makes their jobs very easy and somewhat more enjoyable. So, when they encounter someone who refuses to “play the game,” which means they have to actually work, they take it as a personal insult (“Don’t you know who I am??”) and — surprise! — out come the sharp knives and cheap shots as payback. It’s pathetic and so transparent.
BB gives these jackels just the bare minimum of information, particulary regarding injuries, and delivers it in a monotone fashion and it drives them crazy.
I always thought it was pathetic the way these ass clowns would giggle like star-struck little girls at a Parcells press conference, all simply because Bill gave them “good quotes.”
exactly…..Brady,Faulk, Welker,Moss and one of the best short passing offences in the league….Think that’s one of the reasons Belichick thought they might be able to pick up 2 yards?…..OK, so it didn’t work….people can talk about it until the cows come home, it’s not going to change the outcome.
guess that’s the great thing about the second guess……your NEVER wrong and ALLWAYS right. Great work if you can find it.
BB could have put this all to bed, when asked why he didn’t trust his D, by saying “Actually it’s the complete opposite. I was confident that if we couldn’t gain 2 yards our D would have stopped Manning from 30 yards out.”
The end. The fact that he didn’t doesn’t mean a thing. Enough already.