Borges Rips his Own Top Rated Free Agent

[Bostonian1962]

Sorry about pulling two other posts into one location, but I'm steaming right now....

Wrong Borges rates Adalius Thomas as the best free agent available on MSNBC saying:

"Best values
1. Adalius Thomas, LB: He wants a $18 million signing bonus and will probably get it, likely from the 49ers. Wherever he goes, the 270-pound Thomas appears headed toward making an impact."

Then, when it's BB and the Patriots who sign him he blasts them in an article in the Sunday Globe:

"Past history does not guarantee future success or failure, but the question that suitors of this year's Raven in flight had to consider was whether Thomas would prove to be the exception to the rule or just another former Raven about whom his new employer ends up saying a year or two later, "Nevermore"?

Yeah, it's an entire article with his normal unnamed sources, but casting doubt on Thomas as a player, questions whether the system made him, and stressing past Ravens poor performances with other teams.

Yep, his best value free agent who is sure to make the biggest impact, turns into this huge question mark and bad move after his favorite coach signs him.

Borges should be fired!

 

[stinkypete]

I was not aware that former Raven players automatically turn into busts.

Sam Adams was a pro bowl defensive tackle after the Ravens let him walk.

Brandon Stokley had a 1000 yard recieving year, he's a former Raven too.

The Ravens had some backup running back, forgot his name...oh yeah, Priest Holmes...yeah, he sucked after leaving Baltimore.

Casey Rabach has been a fine center for the Redskins...also a former Raven.

In fact, the only former Ravens I can think of who were busts on on their new teams were cornerbacks; Gary Baxter (who suffered a rash of injuries) and Duane "slow down man, I'm almost there" Starks.

So, if only Raven corners are busts with new teams, could it be postulated that the reason these players were so good in Baltimore was because they were playing behind an all-world front 7?

If yes, consider that we just snatched a member of that all-world front 7.

 

[amazinPats]

Or how about Chester Taylor?

 

[patsgo]

dont let the a hole get to you thats why hes doing it the guys a idiot and everyone knows it

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Ron Borges is on my personal ignore list....

 

[mtbykr]

Do we really expect anything less from Bogus? I wonder how he still has a job

 

[sieglo]

If it pisses you off, write a letter to the Globe. At least alert the Cold Hard Football Facts.

 

[tombonneau]

Disagree. That was a valid piece by Borges. He was specifically mentioning that a lot of their defensive players who leave as FA fail to match or exceed their previous production in Baltimore's defensive scheme. Tough to argue that. I can't think of anyone defensive FA who went on to much success.

That said, previous teams were simply blinded by the Raven Mystique and were just making a landgrab for those players.

A.D., on the other hand, is a perfect fit for the Pats system. Its not like he is just going to the Lions and being plugged into some defense. He is coming into a defense that plays to his strengths and versatility.

If you haven't, I highly recommend reading Felger's piece on A.D. in the Herald. He has a great take on AD and how he fits the Pats. Probably the best work Felger has done in awhile.

 

[spacecrime]

Disagree. That was a valid piece by Borges.

Which piece? The MSN piece where he said that Thomas was the best FA out there and would make an impact wherever he went? Or the piece where he said that Thomas was a product of the system and would have the Patriots saying "Nevermore" after one year?

 

[newton_tom_cat]

I was not aware that former Raven players automatically turn into busts.

Sam Adams was a pro bowl defensive tackle after the Ravens let him walk.

Brandon Stokley had a 1000 yard recieving year, he's a former Raven too.

The Ravens had some backup running back, forgot his name...oh yeah, Priest Holmes...yeah, he sucked after leaving Baltimore.

Casey Rabach has been a fine center for the Redskins...also a former Raven.

In fact, the only former Ravens I can think of who were busts on on their new teams were cornerbacks; Gary Baxter (who suffered a rash of injuries) and Duane "slow down man, I'm almost there" Starks.

So, if only Raven corners are busts with new teams, could it be postulated that the reason these players were so good in Baltimore was because they were playing behind an all-world front 7?

If yes, consider that we just snatched a member of that all-world front 7.

he's talking about ravens defensive FAs and yes they have been disappointments. their FA history proves ravens are great at assessing defensive talent and miserable at assessing offensive talent. most of their defensive FAs have disappointed with other teams while many of their offensive FAs went on to bigger and better things

 

[tombonneau]

Which piece? The MSN piece where he said that Thomas was the best FA out there and would make an impact wherever he went? Or the piece where he said that Thomas was a product of the system and would have the Patriots saying "Nevermore" after one year?

The latter.

Borges never outright declared Thomas would be a bust. He said based on past history, there is a chance. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, the most negative criticism of A.D. is voiced by a rival exec, not even by Borges.

And that exec (cough, Polian, cough) is most likely sour grapes.

 

[zippo59]

The latter.

Borges never outright declared Thomas would be a bust. He said based on past history, there is a chance. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, the most negative criticism of A.D. is voiced by a rival exec, not even by Borges.

And that exec (cough, Polian, cough) is most likely sour grapes.

The issue is not that Borges is saying Thomas might be a product of the system. It's that Borges hails Thomas as being the best free agent available before he had signed with a team, but then when he signs with the Patriots he becomes a question mark.

The question mark is how Borges can show such utter anti-Patriots bias and still have a job.

 

[tombonneau]

Ron Borges has a job. It is to write articles about the Patriots. He has to write articles that you will read. You read his article.

He is going his job.

As a fan, I don't want a writer to just sit there and praise every FA signing as the second coming. I want them to paint, what in my view, is an impartial view of the signing. IMO, that is exactly what he did with the A.D. piece.

His previous FA rankings were just that: FA rankings done in a vacuum with no other context. For that piece, readers just want to know about players. That's what he provided.

Borges writes plenty of egregiously biased anti-Pats pieces that are simply mind-boggling in their hatred. This is not one of them.

 

[zippo59]

Ron Borges has a job. It is to write articles about the Patriots. He has to write articles that you will read. You read his article.

He is going his job.

As a fan, I don't want a writer to just sit there and praise every FA signing as the second coming. I want them to paint, what in my view, is an impartial view of the signing. IMO, that is exactly what he did with the A.D. piece.

His previous FA rankings were just that: FA rankings done in a vacuum with no other context. For that piece, readers just want to know about players. That's what he provided.

Borges writes plenty of egregiously biased anti-Pats pieces that are simply mind-boggling in their hatred. This is not one of them.

If Thomas truly has a chance of disappointing because of the team he came from, then it doesn't matter which team he signs with. Borges should have mentioned when he was doing his original rankings. Obviously that would affect his value as a free agent, which was the entire purpose of the piece. But no, he doesn't mention it until he signs with the team he notoriously hates.

 

[tombonneau]

If Thomas truly has a chance of disappointing because of the team he came from, then it doesn't matter which team he signs with. Borges should have mentioned when he was doing his original rankings. Obviously that would affect his value as a free agent, which was the entire purpose of the piece. But no, he doesn't mention it until he signs with the team he notoriously hates.

Preface: I can't believe I'm actually defending Borges.

But....

In his defense, I'm sure for that MSNBC piece, he had an intern cobble together a bunch of different FA ranking reports, then just threw a lot of the player descriptions together, gave the rankings his own personal spin, and slapped the thing together.

I'm sure 90% of Borges' time is spent on the Globe and 10% his internet gig. i.e. he simply does not devote as much time or thought into it, hence some of his Globe pieces seem contradictory.

This is nothing new, it happens with major media analysts all the time, where they have conflicting outlooks on certain things. I'm sure a lot of the minor internet pieces that a big name person has their name on are ghost-written by someone else and they sign off on them.

 

[zippo59]

Preface: I can't believe I'm actually defending Borges.

But....

In his defense, I'm sure for that MSNBC piece, he had an intern cobble together a bunch of different FA ranking reports, then just threw a lot of the player descriptions together, gave the rankings his own personal spin, and slapped the thing together.

I'm sure 90% of Borges' time is spent on the Globe and 10% his internet gig. i.e. he simply does not devote as much time or thought into it, hence some of his Globe pieces seem contradictory.

This is nothing new, it happens with major media analysts all the time, where they have conflicting outlooks on certain things. I'm sure a lot of the minor internet pieces that a big name person has their name on are ghost-written by someone else and they sign off on them.

I can't imagine Reiss or Tomase doing that.

 

[BelichickFan]

In his defense, I'm sure for that MSNBC piece, he had an intern cobble together a bunch of different FA ranking reports, then just threw a lot of the player descriptions together, gave the rankings his own personal spin, and slapped the thing together.

I'm sure 90% of Borges' time is spent on the Globe and 10% his internet gig. i.e. he simply does not devote as much time or thought into it, hence some of his Globe pieces seem contradictory.

His name is on it - it is his.

 

[tombonneau]

I can't imagine Reiss or Tomase doing that.

Reiss or Tomase don't write as many intensive pieces as Borges. Plus, they only have one job.

Say what you want about his agenda, Borges is an infinitely better writer than either of those two.

 

[drpatriot]

Disagree. That was a valid piece by Borges. He was specifically mentioning that a lot of their defensive players who leave as FA fail to match or exceed their previous production in Baltimore's defensive scheme. Tough to argue that. I can't think of anyone defensive FA who went on to much success.

It would have been valid (though still unpopular) had he not contradicted himself by saying he was the best FA on the market. As a reporter, he can't go and change his mind and say that Thomas might not be the best FA anymore now that he is a Patriot.

 

[Vern]

Ron Borges has a job. It is to write articles about the Patriots. He has to write articles that you will read. You read his article.

Considering the only other story on the entire Free Agency mad weekend in the NFL was a summary bit by Reiss, who the hell else were we supposed to read?

Borges gets read because there's no other print football in the Globe.