The reason for the Witchhunt: BB's press conference a prime example

[VJCPatriot]

Well I just watched BB's press conference on the official patriots website. And I have to say this, I can see why a lot of the media out there hate him.
He repeatedly stonewalled their questions, using the broken record technique to respond and I can definitely see how he can come off as unfriendly or prickish in that respect.
Although I'm not sure there's much more he can say than what he did, but he could have done it in a different manner.
The pluses of his approach is he avoids the pitfalls of saying too much and hanging himself, so to speak.

But he is not going to win any sympathy by the way he responded.
And I suppose BB is not looking for sympathy, but this does not come off well in front of the cameras.
This is an embarrassing episode in BB's career, but he should try to come off as more humbled or contrite imo.
He should have made his apology himself, speaking it, instead of leaving a dry written statement.

When you cannot elicit a sympathetic response from those who might be on your side given the right choice of words, its no wonder that his enemies all stood up to crucify him. And who can or would leap to his defense when all they see is the cold exterior that BB will allow the world to see?

In other words, I think that BB needs a public relations expert to coach him on how to speak with the media. I hope Bob Kraft realizes this and insists that BB take some lessons. This is one of the most publicized scandals in recent franchise history and all you can respond with is "I'm moving on"? In particular I thought his last response to the reporter asking the question on what he would say to the kids that look up to him, well it was lacking. BB had the chance to do some serious damage control today, and much as I like him as a COACH, as the face of the franchise he dropped the ball. Just my opinion.

Does anyone agree? If BB just learned to handle the media in a better, more friendly manner, his road would become that less rocky and difficult, and the Patriots as a franchise would benefit. When the image of the franchise is tarnished, you need to respond with a heartfelt apology that gives people reason to think that you have learned from what you have done wrong and that you have been humbled and that you have changed. A dry writen statement like the one BB issued will move no hearts and change no opinions.

In this case BB's media unfriendly demeanor has been his weakness. BB is a smart guy. I think he should start to realize the importance of how you come off in front of the public. It can be the difference between getting burned to the stake or getting a repreive. Like it or not, the court of public opinion counts in this country.

 

[bolts_fan]

Very well written. I couldn't agree more.

 

[deeds]

I would feel better if he gave his side of the story but, that wouldn't help his team win on Sunday.

I think at this point the best thing for him to do is move on. This will pass. I'm sure he has addressed this situation in detail with the team, that is what is most important.

The media is a double edge sword, you are damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Bottom line is that he is doing what is best for HIS team! Period. Anything else doesn't matter.

Now lets get on with the season and kick some *****!!!!

 

[Bella*chick]

You know, when he first came here, I think things were pretty good, weren't they? With the press, I mean. They were downright warm and fuzzy when we started to win. This is just my recall, I could be wrong though.

THings have been going badly for BB media-wise since sometime last year. Maybe handshake-gate? Or perhaps earlier with the Branch situation. I don't really know. There's no denying that it seems it has been one PR nightmare after another since then.

This one is by far the worst though. I know what you're saying, bt I think BB thinks if he comes off as contrite then he will be admitting to being a cheater. I don't think he believes he did that and he is not going to admit it. All that stuff about the children and all that....on the fly, I wouldn't know how to answer that either. He needed to be prepped for this, bigtime. But I bet he wouldn't go for that because it wold take away from game prepping.

I wonder when we will hear from the Krafts about all this.

 

[Ring 6]

I think he could care less. I dont think he feels it is a weakness, but a strength.
The less he can say the better for his team.
I think he clearly sees the media as a necessary evil, and would prefer to avoid them altogether.
I think he would be coaching football if there were absolutely no publicity and he was unknown to the public. And probably enjoy it more.

Personally, I don't think he has any obligation to maintain any type of "public image", and I think really could care less what people think of him, outside of his team.

 

[NEPat]

His apology, the press conference...well, not his best moments to say the least.

This is Belichick though. It's too bad, but he's not going to change.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

I think he could care less. I dont think he feels it is a weakness, but a strength.
The less he can say the better for his team.
I think he clearly sees the media as a necessary evil, and would prefer to avoid them altogether.
I think he would be coaching football if there were absolutely no publicity and he was unknown to the public. And probably enjoy it more.

Personally, I don't think he has any obligation to maintain any type of "public image", and I think really could care less what people think of him, outside of his team.

Exactly, the only reason BB is out there is because the league forces him. Otherwise, he'd be shelled up in a film room and be perfectly happy not caring one iota what anyone thinks of him and not expecting anything from anyone other than those he chooses to seek out on his own accord.

 

[Patstopia]

Personally, I loved it. He's there to talk football not to wring his hands and beg forgiveness. Crying about how he will never get over it. Sorry, if thats what you wanted, then I can see why you are disappointed.

For me, it looks like this. He did something wrong, he got caught, paid his penalty and now he is trying to get on with business. He doesn't have to share his feeling about anything with those blood thirsty vultures.

In BB we trust! The media... not so much!

 

[Seymour93]

In other words, I think that BB needs a public relations expert to coach him on how to speak with the media.

I remember reading somewhere that he prepares for press conferences by going over notes with a PR person right before he goes up to the podium. So basically it's all a conscious effort. And why should he care if his answers aren't broad enough for the likes of Mark Schlareth, John Clayton, or Marshall Faulk. There's a reason why those hags are in the media and not coaching teams to SBs.

 

[PATSNUTme]

If anyone thinks "the media " will be your friend when the smell blood in the water, you are kidding yourselves. You want to talk about a business that is highly competitive and where cheating, lying, and just making things up is rampant, it's the media.

BB did exactly what he should have. No sense giving those blood suckers any more statements that they can twist around and take out of context.

All he has to do is lead the Patriots to another SB and they will be kissing his ass again.

 

[Pujo]

He really only had two options in that press conference: talk in depth about the situation, or continue to repeat that he had no comment. He wasn't going to talk about it, so he had no other choice but to keep saying the same thing over and over. I'm amazed he didn't lose his cool more and say, "The next person to ask a Cameragate related question will not have any questions answered for the rest of the season."

At this point it's the Pats vs. the world, there's nothing that can be done about it, so just hunker down, win games, and don't try to make friends.

 

[loofasisgeek]

I think AndyJohnson got it right.

Why the hell should Belichick change?

He doesn't give info unless it helps his team. He's a football coach.
It doesn't matter what the media wants.


Beyond that, if Belichick did give a rat's rear about his Q score THIS is what will drive it. He's a freak. He's an icon. He's an enigma and his legend grows every day. Bad pub is better than no pub at all. Genius. But I really don't think that's anywhere near the front of his mind... maybe it's in Kraft's though.

 

[dtbrks]

He can't win either way, so why change?

People are arguing over this but the pats and their fans can't win this fight right now. The more they win in the future, the more this becomes irrelevant.

 

[AirForcePatFan]

You know what I took out of his interview? What vultures the media are... Did they not get the point after the first 2 questions when they asked about the incident? He's made his statement, he's not talking about it anymore... Frankly, I HAD hoped they had asked him more questions about how they are going to prepare for the Chargers- that's what I care about.... Everyone cheats in the NFL, if you don't think they do, you are gullible and ignorant...

 

[VJCPatriot]

Exactly, the only reason BB is out there is because the league forces him. Otherwise, he'd be shelled up in a film room and be perfectly happy not caring one iota what anyone thinks of him and not expecting anything from anyone other than those he chooses to seek out on his own accord.

But that's exactly the problem. I have no qualms with BB the COACH, but from a public relations standpoint he makes the team look bad. And this compounds the issue when he takes that same cold unsympathetic approach on one of the most highly publicized scandals in recent franchise history.

I think the image of the franchise is important too. That image has taken a serious hit, and BB did little to improve that situation. I'm not saying he needs to do a 180, but he needs to handle himself better in these situations.
That press conference might have made things even worse. I'm just saying I can understand why BB is only making enemies and no friends with his current approach to the media.

The Patriots CAN survive losing a 1st round pick this year, but what happens in a future scandal? The PR debacles add up, and stack up against you as time goes on. Unless BB can repair his image, his damaged reputation affects the franchise too imo. I'm not speaking againt BB, I just think he needs to shore up his weaknesses. Because they will eventually bite him in the ass, and it has already bitten the franchise in the ass with the loss of that 1st round pick.

Beyond that, if Belichick did give a rat's rear about his Q score THIS is what will drive it. He's a freak. He's an icon. He's an enigma and his legend grows every day. Bad pub is better than no pub at all. Genius. But I really don't think that's anywhere near the front of his mind... maybe it's in Kraft's though.

But I think Kraft DOES care. And that makes it an issue. What happens when the time to negotiate BB's extension comes up. Will Kraft think about 'cameragate' in the back of his mind? Will he think about how BB handled the press conference after the commissioner's ruling came down? How will Myra Kraft react? These kinds of things have the potential to build up and they could affect the owner's decisionmaking down the road, especially if he values how his franchise will be PERCEIVED.

 

[upstater1]

I completely disagree with the original post. The reason Belichick didn't deliver his so-called apology is that he wrote a non-apology apology. He said he didn't cheat, he said the commissioner agreed he didn't cheat, he said he had a different definition of the rule, he said the commish is the head honcho who ultimately makes those distinctions, and he only apologized for causing a distraction.

In other words, you want him to appear contrite before the media. But that would be lying, wouldn't it? After all, he's not contrite in the least bit. He doesn't think he's done anything wrong.

So why would you want him to lie and be dishonest in front of the media?

 

[VJ11]

After watching and reading about the the whole "Camera/Spygate" scandal from the different media, I think there is one conclusion to draw: We're back to the pre-2000 era, where the Patriots don't get respect whatever they do. Any scheme Belichick might have thought of to circle the wagons around the team, and get the whole "us vs the world" mentality back, couldn't have worked out better. Now the players do have a reason to mistrust not only the media, but also other teams players, other teams fans and officials. I can already imagine BB using the "I already took a bullet for you, because I'm your HC, just look how everyone is misjudging you now" card in his understated manner.
I fear the worst for the Chargers. If LDT was having a nervous breakdown about a few dance steps last season, he won't make it through the game without a heart attack, after what the Pats D is going to do to him and the rest of their offense.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I completely disagree with the original post. The Boston media in particular and as expected is in attack mode. Why throw them ammunition? You've (BB) said your piece on the situation, apologizing as you should to the owner and organization.

The media, CHB, Felger and their ilk in this town want it to be all about them. It used to be that way. It isn't now. They hate it.

A Fitzy 3 word salute to them all.

 

[marty]

Belichick is nothing if not consistent, unlike the Media (see Mr FlipFlop King), so why should he change?
This is at the core of what really drives the media crazy- From the beginning, BB shut down media access to the team, identified the moles(Drew and Ty) that Borges and others had and generally got the team to see the media as the evil empire. I can just see BB addressing the team re the Media...."Why should they be trusted? What do they contribute to the team? Wouldn't any one of the media sell you out for a story that could make a name for themselves and potentially give valued information to our opponents?" So it's been a hellish job covering the Pats these past 8yrs and now the media is just loving this situation.
They are the arrogant ones, thinking that they should have any influence over him or his team.

 

[letekro]

Well I just watched BB's press conference on the official patriots website. And I have to say this, I can see why a lot of the media out there hate him.
He repeatedly stonewalled their questions, using the broken record technique to respond and I can definitely see how he can come off as unfriendly or prickish in that respect.
Although I'm not sure there's much more he can say than what he did, but he could have done it in a different manner.
The pluses of his approach is he avoids the pitfalls of saying too much and hanging himself, so to speak.

But he is not going to win any sympathy by the way he responded.
And I suppose BB is not looking for sympathy, but this does not come off well in front of the cameras.
This is an embarrassing episode in BB's career, but he should try to come off as more humbled or contrite imo.
He should have made his apology himself, speaking it, instead of leaving a dry written statement.

When you cannot elicit a sympathetic response from those who might be on your side given the right choice of words, its no wonder that his enemies all stood up to crucify him. And who can or would leap to his defense when all they see is the cold exterior that BB will allow the world to see?

In other words, I think that BB needs a public relations expert to coach him on how to speak with the media. I hope Bob Kraft realizes this and insists that BB take some lessons. This is one of the most publicized scandals in recent franchise history and all you can respond with is "I'm moving on"? In particular I thought his last response to the reporter asking the question on what he would say to the kids that look up to him, well it was lacking. BB had the chance to do some serious damage control today, and much as I like him as a COACH, as the face of the franchise he dropped the ball. Just my opinion.

Does anyone agree? If BB just learned to handle the media in a better, more friendly manner, his road would become that less rocky and difficult, and the Patriots as a franchise would benefit. When the image of the franchise is tarnished, you need to respond with a heartfelt apology that gives people reason to think that you have learned from what you have done wrong and that you have been humbled and that you have changed. A dry writen statement like the one BB issued will move no hearts and change no opinions.

In this case BB's media unfriendly demeanor has been his weakness. BB is a smart guy. I think he should start to realize the importance of how you come off in front of the public. It can be the difference between getting burned to the stake or getting a repreive. Like it or not, the court of public opinion counts in this country.

I agree. I think he sees his job to be to prepare the team on Sundays, exclusively. He doesn't see himself as an ambassador, or a teacher, or a mentor, or a friend. Therefore, by focusing on football, he believes he is doing the right thing. From a public relations standpoint, however, he is shooting himself and the team and the foot. I just don't think he cares.