The Answer That You Want

Is In The Question That You State

No one knows anything.

That’s the takeaway I got from Welkahpalooza. Moreover, I doubt we ever will. Of course, that didn’t stop the loudest voices Out There from speculating what transpired as talks unfolded. And that’s fine, speculation is a pillar embedded into entertaining sports commentary.

Slander, however, is not.

Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti, who, believe it or not, used to practice the field of journalism, have embraced their perceived positions as “truth seekers,” among a town filled with media members that, according to them, are compromised — using the Wes Welker contract negotiations as a polemic to launch a diatribe against how the Patriots conduct their affairs.

Agenda much?

(Side Note: When this is extraordinary run is over, we’ll wax poetic about the Tom Brady-era. But there’s no getting around it at this point. You would think the Patriots are the Detroit Lions, Bill Belichick is Rod Marinelli, and Nick Caserio is Matt Millen in the aftermath of Welker’s departure to Denver. Has there ever been a franchise that has sparked more media to have their trembling hands hovering over the “THE DYNASTY IS OVER” button?)

There is a watchdog mentality brewing here (which is weird typing from a website that, essentially, is a watchdog itself). No one asked for this, but we’re getting spoon fed the rhetoric anyway. Felger had no problem calling into question Tom E. Curran‘s report that Danny Amendola was signed the first day of free agency; and Tony Massarotti, as he’s wont to do, effusively agreed. Meanwhile, the two have incessantly claimed Mike Reiss is in bed with the Krafts. Do Felger or Mazz have sources telling them information contrary to what’s been reported, or are they just blindly shooting from the hip? Methinks the latter is a strong possibility.

Anyway, eventually, this prompted Reiss to call into “Felger & Mazz” Friday afternoon in a wildly entertaining segment, in which he reminded Felger about his journalistic roots, quipping, “That’s called reporting, Mike.”

Immediately after Reiss hopped off the line, Mazz retorted that he didn’t agree with a lot of what Reiss was reporting. Felger then said, “AT THEIR PRICE! I HATE THAT …. when you want a player, you get him!” At this point, we all were just hate-listening, but thinking about that asinine statement leads me to believe Michael Felger does not understand valuation, economics, or free agency in general. Though, I suppose “if you want the player, you do whatever it takes” works when you’re concurrently espousing the idea that the “cap is crap.”

This week, we’ll hear how the Patriots read the market right and tactfully signed Aqib Talib to a one-year deal on short money. Everyone will agree on this. What’s curious is that they used the same model to evaluate Welker, and are somehow considered frugal. This doesn’t align with any sort of consistency in analysis. And that’s because analysis has relented its position to (baseless) salacious accusations of other reporters’ coverage, I guess. Felger and Mazz continually upbraid the BBWAA; openly loathe the Celtics; and now this.

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I have a friend who loves sports; probably more than I do in some ways. He can tell you where Brandon Tate went to school, rip off statistics off the top of his head from a few box scores from big games, all of that. A few weeks ago, I talked to him about a the Patriots’ run that is nearing the end. He told me he thought we were playing with house money and that he believed the Jets and Marc Sanchez were going to take the reigns back in 2010. We both chuckled, but I cut my laugh short when he cited Felger’s influence as a cause for this impression. People, even knowledgeable sports fans, believe in this nonsense. They take it as gospel. That’s why I didn’t have a problem last week when Felger claimed he had more influence than ESPN in the Boston market during his media review on “Sports Tonight” with Glenn Ordway. 

It’s the gratuitous pot shots, heightened blurriness between entertainment and reporting, and, ultimately, how they recklessly use their influence that worries me most.

Celtics (54-18) vs. New York (36-37)
March 15, 1980
Madison Square Garden

Larry Bird scored 29 points at the World’s Most Famous Arena, leading the Celtics to a victory, 123-120, over defeating Red Holzman’s Knicks.  The win gave the Celtics a 4-1 record against New York for the season and, coupled with a loss by the 76ers (53-19), also gave the C’s a two-and-a-half game lead in the division.

The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan, duly impressed with the game, reported his analysis in the following day’s paper:

Hey, listen up.  Here’s a great idea for a basketball game.  It will have drama, suspense, a torrid pace, fierce rebounding, spectacular individual brilliance, team dedication and a controversial ending involving a call made about once a decade.  We’ll call it a Knicks-Celtics game and we’ll bang out Madison Square Garden.

We’ll have Larry Bird running around in the Superman cape again, giving the Celtics a 117-116 lead with 1:46 left when he refuses to quit after having two inside tries blocked and calmly banks in a third-effort, lefty, overhead invention, and then putting them ahead by a 119-116 score 37 seconds later with a baseline jumper on which he attracts more attention than a naked Bo Derek strolling down Wall street on a Friday afternoon.  But for a really juicy twist, we’ll have Gerald Henderson sink the final basket with 33 seconds left to put the Celtics ahead at 121-118.

In addition to the 29 points, Bird also finished with a dozen rebounds and five assists.  Dave Cowens, returning to his role as starting center, also submitted a gem with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.  The move back to the bench didn’t seem to adversely affect Rick Robey, who scored 23 points in 30 minutes.  Nate Archibald also returned to form with eight assists, 11 points, and just one turnover.

The controversial call which Ryan referred to occurred with the Knicks trailing, 121-120.  Before the Knicks could inbound the basketball, New York’s Larry Demic committed a foul with his screen on Dave Cowens in the backcourt.  Cowens then knocked down both free throws and NY’s Michael Ray Richardson missed a desperation three as time expired.

As terrific as Bird played, Ryan wondered in his Sunday Notes column whether the Celtics were becoming too dependent on the rookie out of Indiana State:

The Celtics have become subtly dependent on Larry Bird to bail them out of tight situations, and when he isn’t in the game, the offense is noticeably sluggish.  The situation is not unlike that of six or eight years ago when the Celtics of the time were often helpless when John Havlicek was out of the game, however briefly.

In other Celtics news, Ryan noted two other interesting developments for the Celtics.  The first was the ongoing battle between the Boston Garden and the Boston Celtics, who were making it abundantly clear that they were looking elsewhere — East Boston, Revere, and beyond — and were very giving the impression they genuinely wanted to relocate.

Still think the Celtics aren’t serious about building their own arena?  Then be advised that owner Harry Mangurian has hired former Red Sox general manager Dick O’Connell to quarterback the project.  O’Connell’s title will be “Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Board,” and he will act as liaison among the Celtics, Ogden Leisure Corp. – owners of Suffolk Downs – the various city and state government agencies and the financial community.

“Dick knows the city and the people,” explains Red Auerbach, “and he has the time to devote exclusively to this project.  As we’ve been such good friends over the years, it will make for a good relationship.  But he’ll be working more with Harry than with me.  I’ve always had a lot of respect for him.  He’s got a lot on the ball.”

Also, with the immense popularity of Larry Bird, the team planned to begin selling playoff ticket packages.  Ryan reported:

Twelve-game strips of playoff tickets will go on sale to the general public at the Boston Garden on March 20.  But potential buyers hoping to purchase single-game seats for any playoff game should be aware that they’re likely to wind up with obstructed views.  Due to the dramatic rise in season-ticket holders (over 6000), each of whom is entitled to buy an additional strip for each seat held, the demand for the 15,320 available seats will be unprecedented.  It’s not like, say, 1966, when you could hang around and buy a single ticket for the seventh LA game.

The Celtics finished up the three-game road trip on Monday in New Jersey.

Celtics (54-17) vs. Hawks (44-28)
March 14, 1980
Omni Coliseum

A difficult stretch continued for the Boston Celtics.  With the season nearly 90 percent complete, the Celtics struggled to hold onto the lead in the Atlantic Division, dropping three of the past four games, including this affair in Atlanta, 88-87.

Indiana did a favor for the Celtics, knocking off Philadelphia, so the Green Team remained one game in front of the 76ers.  The C’s lost this non-televised game (heard locally on WBZ) despite 23 points from Larry Bird, a 14/16 night from Cedric Maxwell, and a 13/11 performance from Rick Robey.  As well as the frontline played, the Celtic guards struggled to find any consistency, and that included the return of Nate Archibald.  The Celtics committed 20 turnovers to just 12 assists, a ratio they rarely encountered throughout the season.  Dave Cowens, rounding into post-season form, finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds, but Gerald Henderson — coming off his most impressive game as a professional with 14 points and 10 assists — struggled to produce, shooting 1-6 with one assist.  The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan looked for some positives in a disheartening loss:

On the surface, the evening could be viewed in a totally negative light, since the Celtics seemingly wasted a strong defensive game.  But with the 76ers dropping a 104-94 decision to the Pacers, no real harm was done.  And there were two significant developments coming out of this defensively oriented game.

The first was a strong performance by Dave Cowens, who put his offense (13 points on 6-for-11 shooting), his rebounding (8 power retrieves) and his defense together for the first time since his return to the lineup on Feb. 26.  The second positive note was the spectacular late-game heroics of Bird, whose jumper with 1:02 remaining pulled the struggling Celtics close at 84-83; whose tremendous pass resulted in a Cowens layup with 26 seconds left that gave Boston an 85-84 lead, the first Celtic advantage since 57-56; and whose clever cut-and-fake drew the two free throws with nine seconds left.  Then there was the matter of sinking both in a non-bonus situation.

In addition to soundly beating the Celtics in the assists battle (24-12) as well as in limiting turnovers (five less for Atlanta), Hubie Brown’s Hawks received 11 offensive rebounds and 12 defensive rebounds in a career high night for Wayne “Tree” Rollins.  Though the Celtics guards suffered through an off-night, Rollins highlighted Boston’s biggest issue: defending the paint.  Premiere post players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone had their way with the Celtics, and though the interior defense had improved from October to March, it still served as a fatal flaw looming for the Celtics.

The victory put the Hawks in the driver’s seat for a first-round bye as Atlanta had basically secured the Central Division title.  Ryan noted the significance of the Hawks winning the division:

Speaking of the playoffs, here is the latest update on tiebreaking procedures should Boston and Philadelphia wind up tied for the Atlantic Division lead and are also 3-3 in their season’s series.  The first criterion will be conference record, and going into last night’s action, the teams were tied [at 38-12].  Next would be Atlantic Division record, and there Philly had the edge with 14-3 as opposed to Boston’s 13-5.  Step four is record against conference playoff opponents, and then the edge would swing back to Boston, thanks to Philly’s 1-4 record with Atlanta.

The C’s returned to action for a back-to-back with a Saturday battle against the Knickerbockers at Madison Square Garden.

Celtics (53-16) vs. Indiana (31-40)
March 11, 1980
Market Square Arena

The Celtics dropped a second straight game to a team below the .500 mark, as well as picked up their second defeat of the season in Larry Bird’s home state, in a 114-108 loss to the Pacers.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, a three-game cushion over the Philadelphia 76ers had now dwindled down to just one game in the Atlantic Division. [Read more...]

So if you wondered what the state of, and future of sports talk was, Glenn Ordway and Michael Felger discussed it last night on CSNNE. Ordway thinks internet radio is the next big thing (“They’re putting it in cars!”) while Felger dismissed the power of ESPN, arguing that local sports radio hosts (like himself) have much more influence.

I’d agree for a certain that Felger has more influence in Boston than ESPN does, but I find his criticisms of ESPN to be disturbing. He says the problem with ESPN is that they “don’t throw enough crap” against the wall. Like he does.

Um, Mike, Skip Bayless is on line one…

Here’s the segment, if you missed it:

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Elsewhere, the WEEI morning show today was Dale Arnold and Kirk Minihane alongside Gerry Callahan, and what I heard of it was a pretty good show. The John Dennis influence really is amazing. As noted in the comment sections here, and elsewhere, Dennis really seems to bring out the worst in whomever he’s with.

The next few weeks are going to be really interesting at WEEI.

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There are a number of personalities at the NFL Network who have admitted openly (Kurt Warner) or not so openly, but still obviously (Marshall Faulk) that they intensely hate the New England Patriots and openly root for them to lose. We can safely add Warren Sapp to the list, if you hadn’t already.

Warren Sapp drops F-bomb on a hot mic

In a way, you can sort of see Sapp’s larger point, Scott Pioli’s main attraction is his history with Bill Belichick and the Patriots, and his intimate understanding of their operation. He’s there to share insight on that operation. Mike Lombardi, before he took the job with the Browns, was there for much the same reason.

I’m sure some people are tired of that angle, much as they are tired of seeing the Patriots year after year. But how many times is Sapp going to embarrass the NFL Network before he is let go? It is becoming routine. Greg Bedard had him as good as fired a year ago, yet he still appears on their airwaves.

The Bruins picked up a shootout victory in Ottawa last night, coming back from an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game and then win on a David Krejci goal in the shootout to win 3-2. The Bruins now sit at 17-3-3 on the season.

The Krejci goal came after Ottawa’s Kaspars Daugavins unsuccessfully attempted a spin-around shot with the puck pinned to the point of the blade of his stick. This move has generated plenty of talk about the shootout, and whether an NHL game should be decided on a such a play.

Bruins complete comeback over Sens in shootout, 3-2 – Joe Haggerty has the particulars from last night.

B’s will take the two – Shootout or no, Steve Conroy says the Bruins will take the two points from the win.

NFL free agency begins in earnest this afternoon at 4:00pm, when teams can officially sign players. This whole “legal tampering” period the few days has seemed silly, especially given the memo Sheriff Goodell sent out last Friday.

The “legal tampering” period almost seemed like a concession to the endless complaints of people like Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com who had a huge bee in his bonnet over the topic. The NFL decides to allow teams to contact prospective free agents, but then puts huge restrictions on the process, with threats of huge punishments if any specific numbers are agreed to, or even exchanged.

What will the Patriots do? They still have their own guys to take care of, but given the sheer number of defensive backs that have hit the market, it seems likely they will at least attempt to add some depth there.

Patriots’ shopping list for free agency – Greg Bedard says that the Patriots have 14 holes to fill on their roster. Some are these are positions like “third pass-rushing end” and “fourth cornerback” and “backup flex tight end.”

Free-agency primer from Pats’ perspective – Field Yates also ranks the areas of need for the Patriots.

WEEI morning show co-horts Gerry Callahan and Kirk Minihane  both have columns saying that that the Patriots absolutely need to get a deal done with Wes Welker.

Is WEEI trying out a Callahan/Minihane combo by sending John Dennis off the rest of the week on a “surprise birthday trip?” Dale Arnold is expected to join Callahan and Minihane the rest of the week, which could be an interesting show.

Glenn Ordway makes his first CSNNE appearance since getting fired by WEEI tonight, as he co-hosts Sports Tonight with Michael Felger following the Celtics game.

WEEI’s pairing of Michael Holley with Bob Ryan yesterday was entertaining, as Ryan still has that passion and energy, he was fun to listen to even if he was driving me nuts with the Rajon Rondo stuff. Today, Jackie MacMullan will be alongside Holley.

A couple last links:

Closer behind the plate: The making of Christian Vazquez, catching prospect – Alex Speier on the minor league catcher with the big league arm.

Basketball analyst, former BC hoops star and Bristol native Malcolm Huckaby grew up in ESPN’s backyard - Cool piece on the former Boston College guard talking about growing up near ESPN.

Nice Celtics win last night, huh?

Down nine in the 4th quarter on the road to a team that is second in the East, and which has beaten them physically all night, the Celtics go on an 11-0 run to close the game and win on a Jeff Green layup with 0.5 seconds on the clock.

While most who cover the game had last night in perspective, there are always those who insist on doing all they can to suck any enjoyment out of the game.

During the Celtics postgame on CSNNE last night, they had their tease for the Uno Sports Tonight and admitted Celtics-hater Mike Felger looked like a beaten man. He recovered in time for the show, in which he dismissed the win as just a win against an “Eastern Conference” team. When Jeff Green’s basket and night were brought up, his reaction, and I quote, was “meh.” When Green’s 7 rebounds were brought up, his reaction was “meh.”

He managed to even get a dig in a Rajon Rondo, when he stated that the team would not be enjoying this run of success if Rondo was playing. Maybe that’s true, (I don’t agree) but that’s what you say after a win like this?

Speaking of takeaways from last night, we’ve got this:

How frustrating is it to watch Jeff Green play? You just know that inside that uniform is a potential star. #bestwinoftheyear

— Glenn Ordway (@GlennDOrdway) March 7, 2013

THAT’s what he took away from that game last night? How frustrating Jeff Green is?

Look, I get that it’s no longer Glenn’s job to watch and keep up with sports, but is he even aware that since February 1st, Green is averaging over 15 points a game? That’s a 15-game stretch. He had an uneven start to the season, but – and this might be crazy – perhaps he was still finding his way after extensive open heart surgery? Like I said, maybe that’s crazy talk.

Glenn, as is well-documented, was bitterly against the Kendrick Perkins/Jeff Green. I loved Perk, but the same day of the trade, I outlined Why Danny Ainge Made The Right Move.

There has been this huge myth built up around Perkins, like he was the missing piece that kept the Celtics from beating Miami the last two years in the playoffs. That’s nonsense. (Let’s not forget, he likely would’ve been gone as a free agent after that season anyway.) Perkins is averaging 4.5 points and 5.9 rebounds this season, and his name has been suggested as a possible amnesty candidate for the Thunder.

Anyone want to debate that Ainge made the right move? You simply can’t, yet people continue with this revisionist history.

In addition, we’ve got those out there who were screaming that the Celtics needed to “blow it up” at the trade deadline this year. Last night shows why the team was right not to. They’re likely not going to win a championship this year, but this team is still incredibly enjoyable to watch, and there is something to be said for that.

Why can’t we just enjoy a team without  some people consistently trying to be the turd in the punchbowl?

GET INVOLVED, GUYS: Due to popular demand, I’ll be running a Media Musings Mailbag soon. To contribute to the fun and games, either shoot me an email at [email protected], hit me up on Twitter @Hadfield__, or leave a response in the comments section of any one of my columns.

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Lots of media notes to get to today, but before we do it appears Wes Welker is deciding to test the free agent market. This would seemingly refute Mike Giardi‘s report Tuesday that the Patriots and Welker are “close” to a deal. Although, “close” is relative … maybe the two sides are nearing an agreement and going to the market is part of the negotiation process; then again, maybe they aren’t. To Giardi’s credit, he’s sticking by his report:

In case you were wondering, I stand by my source & story that Welker & Pats are as close to a deal as they’ve been in 2 years. #PatriotsTalk

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) March 6, 2013

I wrote about Welker betting on himself today for Metro Boston.

From my column:

Consider this: Per Pro Football Reference, no other player has caught a 110 passes in a season more than twice in his career; Wes Welker has accomplished the feat in five of his six seasons as a Patriot. In fact, he holds three of the top seven spots in the all-time single-season most receptions list. And despite being a slot guy who doesn’t typically stretch the field, Welker racks up yards, compiling 8,580 in his nine seasons in the league. For perspective, assuming he signs a three-year deal and racks up over 1,000 yards during that time (totally doable), he’ll land somewhere in the top-20 all-time for most receiving yards.

It’s more than that, though. When Tom Brady needed it most, he looked to Welker. We’re constantly told about the importance of moving the chains, and Welker has ranked somewhere in the top-10 of players who have the most receptions that converted a first down in all but one season as a Patriot (the lone season he didn’t crack the top-10 was in 2010. Again, the comeback season).

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NBC Sports Radio 1510 is making moves to better position itself in the local radio wars, adding an hour to Danny Picard‘s show, “I’m Just Sayin.’” Picard will now be live 8:00 am – 10:00 am every weekday morning.

Also, BSMW hasn’t corroborated anything, but this feels worth mentioning:

Calling All Sports : Bob Ryan and Marty Tirrell on 1510 from 10a to Noon Starting Monday. DieHards shift to Noon to 2.

— Boston Radio Watch (@bostonradio) March 5, 2013

Again, absolute conjecture at this point: But someone who can actually talk NBA? On the radio???? Color me excited.

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Your must read piece this week comes from Don Van Natta Jr., “His Game, His Rules.” It takes a look at Roger Goodell‘s suspect decision making during his tenure as NFL Commissioner thus far. Van Natta Jr., who covered the White House and CIA (post 9/11) for the New York Times, went on Bill Simmons‘s podcast to discuss the piece, stating his prior high-profile beats helped prepare him for this story. (Pretty jarring comparison.)

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Journalists write for exposure bucks all the time. I’ve done it. Quite often, actually. But here’s a hilarious exchange between longtime journalist Nate Thayer and The Atlantic. 14 million page views a month and they can’t pay more than $100 for freelance work? Yeesh.

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With the launch of Fox Sports 1, ESPN PR guru (and former BSMW media guy), David Scott, put together a post showing how much of a stranglehold ESPN has on the market.

ESPN is no stranger to competition, just like Fox, NBC and CBS both have 24/7 sports networks as well. Neither has posed much of a threat to the four-letter network. And frankly, I don’t see this being much different. ABC Sports reluctantly relented most of its live sporting coverage to ESPN, bringing the network to new heights. NBC Sports does the same with much of its hockey coverage; and CBS has, um, Jim Rome?

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[UPDATE]:

The Big Lead is reporting that ESPN executive John Skipper wants Keith Olbermann back:

But after poking around at ESPN, sources tell me this wasn’t a give-me-a-job plea from Olbermann. ESPN President John Skipper wants the cantankerous Olbermann back, multiple sources say, and they’re very likely going to get him – as early as late-May.

[END UPDATE]

Speaking of the WorldWide leader, Keith Olbermann wants a second chance to shine in Bristol. Although, it appears very unlikely.

From James Andrew Miller‘s story (Yes. The same guy who wrote the oral history of ESPN, “Those Guys Have All The Fun”):

“After the dinner, at that point, there was no real appropriate place for Keith to come back, nor did I feel like I was prepared to bring him back,” Skipper said.

“We don’t have a policy that says we won’t bring somebody back. We’re running a great business, and when we think we can get quality content, there’s no such thing as a condemned list. That said, this is not an easy place to get back into. There are not that many successful examples of people who have come back, in part because it’s like water filling a vacuum. When somebody leaves, somebody else fills their place.”

The general reaction Out There is that Olbermann’s combustible relationship with any entity he works with (See: MSNBC and, ahh, ESPN) validates him being blacklisted. The other prevailing thought is that too much has changed over in Bristol for Olbermann to work there.

My take? I know it’s not going to happen, but I’m not sure why. You’re telling me Chris Berman and Hank Goldberg  are still collecting paychecks and “change” is really a barricade to a guy like Olbermann to adapt to? Those guys have been doing the same thing since the early ’90s.

Olbermann made “SportsCenter” what it was, not is. Sure, in “Those Guys,” he comes off as a mercurial prick, but Olbermann also is described as a genius, who could cut great copy in an hour’s time. Basically, he gave us reason to watch. And I’d rather watch him rip off Bob Costas-like essays instead of Rick Reilly.

While ESPN notoriously steers away from network “stars,” I find no real reason to tune into “SportsCenter” anymore. What no one realizes is that just like the Internet (more specifically the blogosphere) crippled the newspaper industry, YouTube has hurt bland shows like “SportsCenter.” If there is a killer highlight, I’ll probably see it on YouTube, or a blog. And no, throwing it over to Stephen A. Smith‘s hyperbolic soliloquy is not impetus to stay tuned after a commercial break.

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Co-founder of Bleacher Report, Bryan Goldberg, gave a response in the form of an open letter to Will Leitch‘s Sports On Earth column killing the aggregator publication.

From Goldberg:

Finally, you point out that the company was “founded by business people trying to game the system.” Yes, I am a business person. I am an equally strong writer. But as for your suggestion that I “gamed the system” somehow? That would imply that the system was good enough to be gamed. Far from it. The system was so broken, that it really did not deserve the honor of being called a “system” at all. The smoldering wreckage of debris known as “the publishing business” is unfit to be called a “system,” because a system is assumed to be — at a minimum — self-sustaining.

I don’t think Leitch was arguing to save the newspaper industry, or traditional mainstream media for that matter. This was the guy who started Deadspin for crying out loud. I think he was insinuating that B/R’s reliance on superior SEO skill, rather than producing quality work, “gamed” the Internet system, and that the site’s actual work (mostly) is garbage.

Quick Informercial

Using Tom Brady and LeBron James as case studies, I wrote about the horrible epidemic facing all athletes in 2013 for Metro Boston today.

From my column:

The athletes can’t win. Say anything beyond the usual platitudes and you’re bound to be picked apart. Say nothing and you “lack charisma.” If the treatment of James and Brady, two of the greatest players of all time in their respective sports, has proved anything, it’s that greatness is simply a footnote, and never has the term, “Take it out on the field,” had so little meaning.

You can check out the rest of the piece here. 

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The media has been counting down the days to the end of the Patriots’ reign ever since Tom Jackson, truly a pioneer in this regard, said, “They hate their coach” in 2002. Over a decade and four Super Bowl appearances later, everyone is still waiting. Now, there has been plenty of hilarious reaction to the Tom Brady contract extension. Gregggggg Doyel led the way saying if Brady were truly unselfish, he’d play at the veteran’s minimum. The local media took the ball and ran with it, eventually causing a firestorm of media on media crime that wreaked of ineptitude, self-importance, and (best of all) high comedy. Just a stellar week from my point of view. Bravo.

Jeffri Chadiha is a Senior Writer at ESPN.com. Like Greggggg, Jeffri’s name is spelled differently than the classic way. And because of this oozing synergy, he wanted to get in on the action. Take it away, Jeffri. 

When the good times end in the very near future, New England Patriots fans will remember this week as a turning point.

Ominous. Tell me more.

They also will see that AFC Championship Game loss to Baltimore as additional evidence of an overrated franchise.

You know what is overrated? New Years Eve, Tim Tebow, the 2012-13 NBA Trade Deadline, Paulina Gretzky, Taylor Swift, and the HBO show “Girls.” Hold on a second, I’m confirming with the committee as I type, and yes, it appears Super Bowl appearances and winning 13 games a season is, in fact, not overrated. It’s properly rated. That’s OK, keep going.

Worst of all, they will see that their team’s real dominance ended about five years ago. Everything since that point has been misleading.

BUT I THOUGHT GOOD TIMES WERE ENDING IN THE “VERY NEAR FUTURE.” Now you’re telling me they ended five years ago???

You could see the frustration in Brady’s eyes as the Ravens whipped New England in the second half of that conference title game. This wasn’t the team he was used to leading. It didn’t even look as if it deserved to be within one game of another Super Bowl.

Hmph. But they were really a half away from THE BIG GAME. The record shows the Patriots were winning after 30 minutes of action. Were the Ravens playing possum??? Interesting theory. I mean, don’t worry about the whole “winning at halftime thing.” Those are just facts. Don’t let the details deter you! KEEP GOING!

Brady seemed to acknowledge that when he reworked his contract into a more cap-friendly deal (even though he guaranteed himself a nice windfall over the lifetime of that extension). The surefire Hall of Fame quarterback realized he had to create opportunities for Belichick to add more playmakers to the roster. New England had gone far too long relying on Brady to carry an offense filled with largely marginal talent.

Parenthetical salient point, guys! Remember, Brady isn’t playing for free. Also, the offense is full of marginally talented players. Hernandez, Gronk, and Welker are worthless. Needs more DUSTIN KELLER and Brian Hartline.

Sure, the Patriots’ offense has been dazzling when at its best. But the team’s inability to snare another Vince Lombardi Trophy has been just as noteworthy during that time.

Wait, I thought New England was only marginally talented on offense? Now they can dazzle! You’re doing that thing where you say one thing then write the opposite a few sentences later, Jeffriii. It’s awfully confusing.

 No true deep threats have emerged since Randy Moss left town in 2010, and slot receiver Wes Welker also isn’t as clutch as he used to be (see: loss to New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI).

It’s true. Welker had a 91 Clutch Rating in the 2010 version of Madden. He’s only going to be, like, an 89 next season. That is, if Clutch Rating actually existed in real life, of course. Though, I’m getting the sense that Chadiha doesn’t believe in statistics anyway.

It was obvious in that loss how different the offense is without Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Call me crazy, but this felt like it was worth mentioning a little before seven paragraphs into the column. That’s just me.

 But let’s also be honest here — that defense isn’t one great player from being dominant. It was compromised the moment Talib left the AFC title game with a hamstring injury suffered in the first quarter.

I’ve read these two sentences 27 times. It’s hilarious: ” … defense isn’t one great player from being dominant.” OK, fine. But then he came back saying it was compromised when Talib — who is just one player, I think — left. WHAAAAAAA –

At some point, all great players can see whether they’re playing on a team that has the goods to win a championship or are merely on a respectable contender. It wasn’t until this past year that the Patriots proved they’re actually in the latter category these days. That’s a tough place to be when you’ve been used to dominating for so long. Unfortunately for New England fans, it’s hard to see anything more than that before Brady eventually calls it a career.

Smoke and mirrors, The Patriot Way. (According to Chadiha.)

As always, thanks for reading, give me a shout on Twitter: @Hadfield__