Jim Donaldson drinks the same kool aid as does Borges...

[DarrylS]

What an absolute fool, while some of his arguments are interesting... not to understand how BB handles the press makes this codger look like an idiot..

Why does the press love the underachievers, Pete Carroll, comes to mind and ignore the way BB handles himself in public forum.. the author seems to feel that this is a new behavior.. or at least he is entitled to some private BB jokes..

Also interesting that he invokes David Halberstam, that even he could not find out what makes BB "tick".. suspect that he did not read the same book that I did..

Jim Donaldson: On the breakfast menu with Belichick — dry toast | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

In comparison, breakfast conversation with Bill Belichick is dry toast.

The AFC coaches had breakfast with the media Tuesday morning at the NFL owners annual meeting, and Belichick’s table attracted a standing-room only crowd.

That was attributable to his won-lost record, not his one-liners.

The man has a brilliant football mind. If he has a personality, he has chosen not to display it in front of the media.

 

[Sicilian]

Re: Jim Donaldson drinks the same kool aid as does Borges..

"The man has a brilliant football mind. If he has a personality, he has chosen not to display it in front of the media."

Yup. As anyone who has spoken with him candidly will tell you.

 

[pats1]

Funny, he seems to be enjoying himself in this picture. He's in the top left:

realpatriots | TweetPhoto

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Funny, he seems to be enjoying himself in this picture. He's in the top left:

realpatriots | TweetPhoto

We all laugh at Tom Curran, especially since bruschifan1 got to belt him for that Training Camp video he made.

 

[BSR]

I didn't really see anything with the article. He wasn't condeming Belichick for his attitude just explaining that the coach doesn't give much. I guess the only thing you can criticize him for would be not leading with the latter part of his article which had some interesting tid bits about the new draft format.

 

[capetide]

I didn't really see anything with the article. He wasn't condeming Belichick for his attitude just explaining that the coach doesn't give much. I guess the only thing you can criticize him for would be not leading with the latter part of his article which had some interesting tid bits about the new draft format.

The point is that every football fan in New England, if not nationally, knows what BB is like with the media and Donaldson spends the majority of the article telling us that BB is just like he always has been ( and seemingly being surprised at his finding). If I was the editor of ProJo, I would demand that Donaldson start working for his money or come home from his junket in Florida.

 

[The Dynasty]

That article had nothing in it, everybody already knows BB's attitide towards the media and quite frankly most fans dont have an issue with it. BB has media members that he respects and he will reveal more information to, I think this comes with a bit of a comfort level he has with them. I think BB is very comfortable with Reiss, he even had a one on one with him Monday night, I would say BB is comfortable around the Big Show guys, he reveals a good amount with them Mondays during the years. I would also say that hes close with Tom E. Curran, seemed like Curran wasnt afraid to ask tough questions and also could joke with the coach. Other media members asked cupcake questions or ones that really had no relevance to the discussion.

I dont know what Donaldson expected to get from yesterdays breakfast? Did he want BB to name the players that he would like to draft? the players he'd like to sign in free agency? Lets be realistic no coaches in the league really reveal much in their press conferences

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

The point is that every football fan in New England, if not nationally, knows what BB is like with the media and Donaldson spends the majority of the article telling us that BB is just like he always has been ( and seemingly being surprised at his finding). If I was the editor of ProJo, I would demand that Donaldson start working for his money or come home from his junket in Florida.

That should have happened twenty years ago.

 

[dhamz]

Why does the press love the underachievers, Pete Carroll, comes to mind

The press doesn't love underachievers, they don't love successful people. They don't hate underachievers, they don't hate successful people. Much like everyone else on earth, the press like people who make their life easier, they don't like people who don't.

Pete Carroll is friendly with them, fills their notebook with quotes, returns their calls, probably sits down and has a beer with them, etc. It is why they like him. They also love Brett Favre for the same reasons.

The main difference with the press and the guy in the cube next to you is their job is to impartially inform the public and for the most part they are not even close to impartial. They also tend to write articles like these complaining about the people they cover not making their job easier for them when none of their readers care about that.

 

[DarrylS]

The press doesn't love underachievers, they don't love successful people. They don't hate underachievers, they don't hate successful people. Much like everyone else on earth, the press like people who make their life easier, they don't like people who don't.

Pete Carroll is friendly with them, fills their notebook with quotes, returns their calls, probably sits down and has a beer with them, etc. It is why they like him. They also love Brett Favre for the same reasons.

The main difference with the press and the guy in the cube next to you is their job is to impartially inform the public and for the most part they are not even close to impartial. They also tend to write articles like these complaining about the people they cover not making their job easier for them when none of their readers care about that.

Yea, but aren't somethings better not said.. better to keep your mouth shut, than open it and remove all doubt.. if he did not get a feel for BB after reading the Halberstam book, he has 0 reading comprehension..

I suspect the Donaldson will be put on the Pats Beat temporarily as SMZ is moving to the globe.. he has always gotten under my skin, and tries to be the SNE resident contrarian.. what does he want a private audience with BB???

 

[pats1]

We all laugh at Tom Curran, especially since bruschifan1 got to belt him for that Training Camp video he made.

Ha, I do remember that.

 

[TheComeback]

Re: Jim Donaldson drinks the same kool aid as does Borges..

"The man has a brilliant football mind. If he has a personality, he has chosen not to display it in front of the media."

Yup. As anyone who has spoken with him candidly will tell you.

Exactly. BB doesn't get buddy-buddy with journalists unless they do an honest job. 90% of them don't.

 

[jefmblrd]

I don't even bother reading Donaldson-he brings nothing to the table except his contrarian views. The earlier comparison to Borges is fitting and Felger to for that matter. I don't read or listen to them either.

 

[jmt57]

I don't know that I would say Donaldson is just like Borges. For starters Donaldson wrote the column himself. And while the column was not worth reading nor being published, it was for the most part true. Borges' columns about Belichick are often wild speculation masquerading as fact, bordering on libelous slander.

The newspaper sent Donaldson to the meetings in Orlando, probably with orders to write X number of columns with at least one of them being about Belichick's thoughts on the upcoming season. Both Donaldson and his editor should have known that would be an impossible task since he is not one of the few members of the media that Belichick will open up to. Who knows, maybe this was Donaldson's way of saying to his editor 'see, I told you he wouldn't give me anything.'

My question is if he already knew that Kraft will give him something to write about and Belichick won't, then why didn't he just interview Kraft?