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Not. Getting. It.

August 8, 2011 By

This seems to apply to Shalise Manza Young in the Globe, who I usually like. She tweeted the following last night after Andre Carter announced that he was coming to the Patriots.

[blackbirdpie id="100379713192722432"]

This snarky comment just seems to indicate that Young either wasn’t listening when Bill Belichick expanded on his media fabrication comments, or she still just doesn’t get what he was talking about.

Belichick did not say that it was a media fabrication that the Patriots would moving to a 4-3 this season, as Young’s tweet implies. He explained in some detail, that 4-3 fronts have always been a big part of his defenses, but that in the end, it doesn’t really matter how many defensive lineman/linebackers line up and where they line up as much as what they do after the snap. He said that the 3-4, 4-3 emphasis is overrated.

Yes, with the recent signings of veteran pass rushers, it does seem like the Patriots may use more defensive linemen and fewer linebackers this season.  It doesn’t mean Belichick was being untruthful when he called the pigeonholing of his defense as a media fabrication.

Not a hard concept to grasp, but it seems that Young took exception to the shot at the media instead of trying to understand the real issue being discussed.

Filed Under: Boston Globe
  • CBK

    Every time Bruce complains about media coverage of the Patriots, I'm reminded of this:
    http://xkcd.com/386/

    • Scott B.

      Yeah. After all, its not like we'll ever hear "media fabrication" again. And you'd have to be a tin foil wearing freak to think that anyone would be so obtuse as to eventually "report" that Bill Belichick said the 4-3 was a "media fabrication" just moments before switching to a 4-3 defense. Which is typical of him, and by that I mean to say that sort of lying is typical of him. No, we'll never hear that.

      Really, REALLY good input CBK.

  • Jason_Coyote

    I bet Shalise also thinks she’s in the clear spelling ‘theyre’ correctly even though she omitted the apostrophe. Cannot believe how many journalists botch up the proper spelling and use of there/their/they’re.

    Word of warning to all sports radio listeners regarding this topic – you might not want to listen to Felger’s show as he returns from vacation today. The first time he talks Patriots today he’ll be trying to convince us that Belichick’s ’02 Pats were definitely playing in a base 4-3 while he bludgeons said topic to death. He brought this up on his Sports Sunday show last night, which I believe Mikey thinks counts as actual prep work for his Monday radio show.

  • jamiefolk

    Is this honestly a suprise at all Bruce. All they see is the precieved shot, add that with BB's precieved dislike of the media and this is what you get. Sad that a reporter can't dig deeper into their own stories but how is that different from the world of politics etc. No one wants rational reality, they want emotional drama that fits their world view or in this case, view of how the pats play defense. So sad yet so not suprising.

  • latetodinner

    I am trying to figure out what about her you usually like. Since coming to the globe she has become less of a reporter and more of a Globe hack. The Globe arrogance now fills her work…you know the Globe is owed access from the Patriots because they are the "Globe". I think she seldom tells me something I don't know. THe last few times i have heard her on the radio she has giggled like a school girl (yes I know she is married with children). I don't really see what she brings to the table so I am trying to figure out why you would be surprised someone from the Globe with no appreciable knowledge of football would take a shot at BB.

  • Lance_

    Shalise whines more about the Patriots than any other beat reporter. I don't trust her at all. Occassionally she'll write something useful then follow it up with ten brain dead things that makes one wonder how much she truly hates her job.

    • Winning_

      Don't forget Greg Bedard!

  • Beached Whale

    BB said 4-3 3-4 is less important than the technigue they play which stays the same. The questions they should be asking is if we will still play a two-gap technique. The recent DL arrivals seem to suggest we are moving away from that

    • http://twitter.com/awesomeneil @awesomeneil

      Don't confuse us with facts or analysis.

  • NutCracker

    SMY is like all the other reporters who cover the Patriots in that she was disappointed that the hot breaking newsflash about the Patriots changing over to a 4-3 D was not a new hot story after all. So because reporters can never be wrong; it must be BB who doesn't know what he's talking about. If she went back and watched 20 minutes of old film; she could see what BB said was correct. The Patriots have always used different looks, formations and schemes as he explained. Where is Albert Breer when you need him? (Just kidding) With all these new DL signings, NE will be able to rotate and really pin their ears back. Can't wait!

    • latetodinner

      How about one of our intrepid beat writers look at the actual personnel and numbers rather than a defensive alignment name. Last year I think the Pats broke camp with 6 DL and 9 LB's. This year I could see them flopping those numbers especially if several of the DL's can play in space….Eric Moore for example…is he a DL, LB, Hybrid…or just a cut. I keep wondering if Haynesworth will make this team. He has looked great in the parts of the practices he has been in but if he is not in shape they won't carry him. I doubt Ron Brace makes the team and I am starting to wonder about Deaderick who they were mighty pissed at last year. It is going to be interesting to see how the roster shakes out. With Warren, Haynesworth, Ellis, Carter,Anderson, Wilfork, and Wright they could potentially be devastating up front…the issue as I see it is they have no young legs in that group…so someone like Deaderick, Pryor, Love or Cohen are going to have to be carried.

  • tl;dr

    More like Shalise "MENSA"-Young

    • tl;dr

      I mean that sarcastically, of course.

  • Classless

    Shalise gets no access from Belichick, nor does she have acute football mind like Mike Reiss, Ian Rappaport, and Karen Guregian (sometimes) do. She obviously stopped listening to Belichick as soon as she heard "Media Fabrication" and began tweeting like a scorned Facebook girlfriend.

  • Tony

    What's with the "certain coach" crack? She can't mention BB by name? Is that part of the contempt factor at play there? She can't refer to him by name because " a certain coach" is much more effective at conveying her disdain for him? Classic thin-skinned, know-it-all media nonsense. Of course, if this "reporter" was interested in doing her job rather than taking shots at the head coach, she'd realize that about half the time the Pats were in 4-man line (and more) sub-packages last year anyway…and, as BB said last week, they were basically a 4-3 team during the stretch run in 2001 when they won the Super Bowl. I think the Super Bowl itself, when they decided to play "coverage" against the Rams rather than bring pressure on Warner, was the only time in the last 10 weeks of the season that they showed a 3-man front for most of the game.

  • mandb97

    Young has become a notorious Twitterer. I actually do not mind her when she is just reporting on the Patriots. When Young was at the Pro Jo she was the one who broke the story that former Patriots defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, was let go by the Pats. Originally it was said a medical reason was why Pees was gone. She was chastised for her piece by other media members but it looks like she was right. Any good work Manza does gets put on the back burner in 140 characters or less when she whines about perceived lies by the Patriots or her constant complaining of how hard her job is. We do not want to see or hear it.

  • Frank

    If covering the Pats sucks so much, then go home and play with your dolls little girl. Nobody cares that you're stomping your feet and pouting.

  • Nopointe

    OK who had 'immediately' in the 'When is the first mediot whine about the media fabrication crack'

    That's right we all did

  • Pete

    She's the perfect Globe hire, fulfilling two quotas — quality of writing or reporting be damned.

  • Rehab

    Time for a Shaughnessy A1 story about the Patriots, the team (and sport) he knows better than anyone.

  • Jason_Coyote

    Why does it mean so much to the media whether Belichick goes 4-3 or 3-4 anyway? It’s like most of them only care about trying to show up Bill during his press conferences, instead of just reporting how the team is lined up out on the practice field. As fans we just want to be informed and could care less about these petty grudge matches.

  • Classless

    I tweeted her a general disagreement to her media fabrication comment and she immediately re-tweeted me to her followers, presumably as an example i guess. Even Jarvis Green chimed in. It just reinforces that she's a b-list writer for the Pats.

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