Shank: "...cruise ship mentality took hold with the Patriots and their fans"

[goheels22002]

Taking a page out of Ron Borges' thin-skinned book, Dan Shaughnessy turns his tomato can cliche into an attack on the Patriots and us. It's stunningly lazy to duck writing a real column about football and a fascinating matchup in the playoffs by turning it into a childish assault on the team and the readers of his newspaper's sports page.

Dan Shaughnessy: Things haven’t fallen into place for the Patriots - The Boston Globe

Shaughnessy does not surprise by mentioning 2014's debacle, Andy Reid's record against Belichick, and the quality of the Chiefs defense. Instead of delving a quarter of an inch deeper into the story by looking at the schedule the Chiefs played to get to this point, or debating how the Patriots prepared for these playoffs by going conservative with injured palyers who could have played, or looking at how much adversity the Patriots have faced on and off the field to get here, Shank turns on us.

Nice work, Dan. I hear BU and Northeastern have good editorial writing classes. Take one.

 

[turkeyneck]

I won't give Shank the click. What is "cruise ship mentality"? Is that like the notorious country club mentality of the c. 1970's Red Sox? If so, where in his twisted mind does he see that?

 

[RobertWeathers]

I had to read it for fun.

He is claiming that the team and its fans are complacent, had easy rides to the Super Bowl and didn't earn their success the good ole fashion way.

Typical belittling, righteous, hack piece by a washed-up has-been of a writer who is trying to stay relevant by being a contrarian....and sucking badly at it.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Someone should point out to him that he and his fellow media members can only try to remain relevant because being contrary is the only game they have left. Because, they have long ago lost their readers believing they could be anything else but nasty, spiteful little hacks who have essentially sold their writing souls to push the agenda driven by their media overlords.

Or is he saying he understands the cruise ship mentality because he's firmly entrenched in it and thinks everyone one of use should sink to his level (pun not intended, but actually fits in nicely with his cruise ship -- sinking to the bottom with the pond scum image)

 

[50-yard-line]

Sometimes I like to read stupid things. So I did, and it was.

First off, teh idea that Cincinnati would have been a tomato can coming to the Razor shows just how little this guy knows about football. Cincy is built exactly like KC, but with better skill players and probably worse match-ups (Green can get way up there over short corners). And Cincy is healthier, particularly if Daltaon was ready to go.

Either team, Cincy or KC, is going to be a tough out.

But Shank's premise is so absurd in the first place that the above doesn't even matter. He implies that the Pats luck into the SB by playing less-than-worthy opponents. The Ravens didn't "roll over" last year. Neither did the Seahawks...and the Colts got here by beating Denver in Denver.

It's just a stupid column by a seriously flawed human being.

 

[RayClay]

please don't quote him

 

[BTTA]

He's getting what he wants, right here.

 

[Koma]

I had to read it for fun.

He is claiming that the team and its fans are complacent, had easy rides to the Super Bowl and didn't earn their success the good ole fashion way.

Typical belittling, righteous, hack piece by a washed-up has-been of a writer who is trying to stay relevant by being a contrarian....and sucking badly at it.

Thanks for the summary.

I wonder if there is a sports columnist in Seattle telling Seahawks fans that they had an easy ride to the SB last year (playing against a limited Aaron Rodgers at home and relying on the Packers to screw up - not expecting the fake FG, dropping the onside kick, the poor defense on the 2 pt. conversion, not challenging Richard Sherman after he was hurt, etc), needed a fluke to beat the Vikings last week and now have to play a team on the road who has already beaten the Seahawks in Seattle.

Or is insulting the fans, telling them their team isn't really that good, and predicting doom just a Boston sports media thing?

 

[Mike the Brit]

How to be a top Globe journalist: write your dumbest material after Thanksgiving.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

He's getting what he wants, right here.

I'd rather there be more posts/views in this thread than he gets on his site. Matter of fact, it'd be so much more preferable to let him know his relevance is in the fact that we openly despise and avoid giving him "income" clicks.

 

[archstanton543]

The only way Shank will go away is if you ignore him. The more clicks you give him by reading his drivel keeps him around longer. He hasn't had anything interesting to say in a long long time. Just pay him no mind.

 

[RobertWeathers]

He's getting what he wants, right here.

Of course he is but it's a by-product of the Boston Globe culture and brand.

For decades, the Globe has worked hard to pass themselves off as a source of high-quality journalism, culture and knowledge and in it's publications take a scholarly, thoughtful approach to dissecting and analyzing the world and passing on insight to its readership. This area has the highest concentration of intelligence and well-read people in the world. Its trying to satisfy that intellectual audience.

For those who aren't intellectuals, it's belief is that its readership aspires to these things and writes in a condescending manner.

The problem is that it's image is an ultra-liberal, elitist, parochial, holier-then-thou institution that strives to differentiate itself from the common man.

In other words, the Globe is made up of a bunch of snobs and believes it's readership lacks culture, intelligence and the ability to think for itself.

Boston sports fans are a savvy, informed group. Maybe if the Globe started to write more thought-provoking pieces and not these moronic hack-jobs, and hire credible journalists who spend more than 10 minutes thinking about a story (this means you Shank, Ryan and Trollin) and not just this run-of-the-mill, 1/2 ass contrarian, trollistic essay pieces they just might get some respect around here.

 

[IllegalContact]

telling a patriots fan he's a homer is like telling a lord of the rings fan he's too pro hobbit

every time cam newton dabs an angel loses it's wings

the real heroes are the ones who never came back from harpers muff

you think guerro does walk ins

who took the hgh? peyton his wife or peyton's forehead

I so admire Jim Nantz perfect annunciation with his tongue firmly planted up peyton's ***

 

[aluminum seats]

He sucks, who cares.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

He aint lying. I've felt like I've been on a luxury cruise ship since 2001 with this team

 

[BobDigital]

When you are the best team or right up there with the best team(s) you will usually be better than your opponent. Not the Patriots fault and it doesn't make the teams they are playing unworthy of being there.

IMO the Pats have only lucked out and played a significantly worse team in these cases .

2005 - Jax (div)
2012 - Denver (div)
2013 - Hou (div)
2014 - Indy (div)
2015 - Indy (AFCCG)

So maybe 5 times in 29 games (in the Brady/BB era) they played a team i felt like they were clearly 2 weight classes above. It is more uncommon than common for them to get an easy opponent in the final 8 or later.

Also is 5/29 overly lucky? Every year there is almost always at least 1 or 2 team in the final 8 that probably are big time underdogs that don' have the talent to justify them being there. So really I would say the Pats hit an unlucky streak early and are now getting back to par.

KC is no tomato can though. They are pretty good.

 

[RedSleevesPinkStripes]

**** the CHB and his incessant need to rain on our collective parade. His act is old and so transparent its laughable.

 

[upstater1]

The Patriots have been to 9 championship games in the Brady years.

Admit it Patriot fans, they got lucky 9 times.

And then in the Super Bowls, they played easy teams like the Rams, Panthers, Eagles and Seahawks. If only they had played tougher teams, like the Eagles in 01, or the Eagles in 03! I mean, if only the Seahawks had not upset the Packers last year, the Patriots would have had a much tougher time.

It's amazing to think that 9 straight times, the Patriots got lucky playing tomato cans, and not once have they had to face a team like the 1985 Bears. Instead, they faced easy teams like the Ravens, Broncos, Colts, Steelers and Chargers.

 

[alvinnf]

telling a patriots fan he's a homer is like telling a lord of the rings fan he's too pro hobbit

every time cam newton dabs an angel loses it's wings

the real heroes are the ones who never came back from harpers muff

you think guerro does walk ins

who took the hgh? peyton his wife or peyton's forehead

I so admire Jim Nantz perfect annunciation with his tongue firmly planted up peyton's ***

Oh My God!! That was so funny, Thank You!

 

[neuronet]

I remember literally nothing he has ever written, only have memory of that pencil drawing of his mug they include with his columns, because it was so ugly it imprinted itself in my victimized brain.

They should now include this: