So once again, the screamers are proven to be morons. Losses, rare as they are, are treated with insanity by radio hosts and columnists.
While the usual suspects have been screaming about how the Patriots were being “cheap” and not wanting to pay Brian Waters after his Pro Bowl season in 2011, others were reporting something quite different. Last night and this morning, Shalise Manza Young got the scoop that the Patriots offered Brian Waters $4 million to return this season.
What’s more, this offer was not one made here in recent days as a reaction to the struggles of the offensive line, but was made during training camp.
The screamers *cough*FELGER*cough* will likely somehow dismiss this (lies fed by the team to their media mouthpieces) and move without breaking stride onto the current great Patriots travesty, the team’s disgraceful treatment of Wes Welker. On Monday, Felger’s yes-man Tony Massarotti wondered when the Patriots would stop screwing around with the line and just “PAY THE GUY.”
The Patriots also continue to offend the sensibilities of the older media around town. Dan Shaughnessy trotted out his tired “Amos Alonzo Kraft” tagline in today’s column, somehow pushing for the Patriots owner to end the referees lockout.
Does anyone think Shaughnessy has an inkling of a clue as to what the NFL/Referee labor dispute is really all about? Most seem to want the NFL to just give the officials whatever they want. It’s about pension plans. For part-time employees. For employees who have full-time jobs elsewhere, many of them very lucrative. But sure, the NFL should just cave and give them whatever they want.
Jackie MacMullan, who only seems to write after losses, had a doozy of a column this week – “We used to be able to count on the Patriots. But now, maybe not.” (That’s the actual slug being used to promote the column.) After ONE loss. Granted, they may well lose this week as well, which might prompt Jackie to trot out her line she used last year about the impending “darkest days of the Brady/Belichick era.”
The recently retired Bob Ryan is on a crusade to prove that Tom Brady is a poor downfield thrower, citing stats on long passes. I really wish Bob would compare Brady’s stats in that area with those of the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning (prior to 2011).
This Wes Welker week has been INSANE. Multiple reporters have said that Edelman had a better camp than Welker, (something those on the outside absolutely cannot fathom) and that for the first two games, the game plan required more from Edelman and his blocking than Welker. Yet, somehow this has been declared just another example of the Patriots screwing over a player.
Even Boomer Esiason is in on the act. Both on WEEI this week, and in his CBS Sports Minute on 98.5 he advanced the theory that the Patriots were screwing Welker (while admitting on WEEI that he didn’t have the facts.) On the CBS bit, his theory was that Belichick was either punishing Welker for a) his foot comments at Rex Ryan (from TWO SEASONS AGO) or b) for his drop in the Super Bowl, or c) because he wouldn’t take their lowball contract offer. I used to like Boomer, but he lost me there.
How about some good links after all that? Here are your must-reads for today:
Patriots offense couldn’t click on third down - Greg A Bedard’s post-film session column.
Pats, Ravens switch strengths – Jonathan Comey’s mid-week NFL notes has the Patriots defense and Ravens offense each looking good in the early going.
The scouting adventure that led Red Sox to Junichi Tazawa – Alex Speier looks at how the Red Sox found the player who has turned out to be their most dominating pitcher as of late, but who wasn’t even well-known in his home country of Japan.
Who Is The Blurry Guy In This Photo, And Why Did Manny Ramirez Steal His Pants? The Long Baseball Life Of “The Machete” – I don’t care how many old ladies he pushed down, I miss watching Manny Ramirez.
