Wow.... just wow (Wilbon piece on Pats' dominance)

[Lloyd_Christmas]

I can't believe this article in the WashingtonPost.

"Suddenly, the Patriots are not simply great; they're compelling, fascinating, appearing to be almighty and a touch lawless."

"They'll cheat if possible, or beat your brains out strictly by the rules; it hardly matters. The Patriots didn't bother with swagger to start this NFL season; they went straight to defiant. Either you're one of them or you're about to get crushed."

"The Patriots beat the good teams and embarrass knucklehead teams like the Bengals."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/01/AR2007100102023.html

He doesn't appear to be a Pats homer if you look at some of his previous articles: (Like 'Crime deserves more punishment')
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032400073.html

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

Re: Wow.... just wow

"The Patriots didn't bother with swagger to start this NFL season; they went straight to defiant. Either you're one of them or you're about to get crushed."

That's a sig line waiting to happen right there.

 

[Bella*chick]

Re: Wow.... just wow

He is not a Pats homer....I'm really surprised by that article.

But he's right about defiance...it's the only thing worth feeling after the stupid video thing. For players AND fans.

btw, he picked the Eagles to win in the SB against our 2004 team. He's a huge McNabb fan, if anything.

 

[reflexblue]

Re: Wow.... just wow

When it comes down to it most if not all sports writers became sports writers because they loved sports. And the 07 Pats are a compelling story on many levels. They've rissin from the ashes of a scandal by proving they didn't need a "competative advantage," and have set the NFL on its ear by just how good they are. So good the whole "spygate" story is starting to fad rapidly. I think that even the sports pundits realized that what BB did was not actual game day cheating,how could it be. You need to tape the whole game then look at it afterwards. So they, the writers are getting caught up in the story of this team. Can it be beaten,can Brady and Moss keep it up. Now one can see what Brady can do with top flight receivers, The Randy Moss resurrection story. etc.

 

[Irish Hooligan]

Re: Wow.... just wow

That's a sig line waiting to happen right there.

I agree, but I went with this sig...

 

[borg]

Re: Wow.... just wow

That's a sig line waiting to happen right there.

Locked and loaded

 

[JJDChE]

Re: Wow.... just wow

"The Patriots beat the good teams and embarrass knucklehead teams like the Bengals."

Hey, did I miss something? When did we play a good team?

 

[patchick]

Re: Wow.... just wow

When it comes down to it most if not all sports writers became sports writers because they loved sports. And the 07 Pats are a compelling story. They've risin from the ashes of a scandal by proving they didn't need a "competative advantage," and have set the NFL on its ear by just how good they are.

...which is a HUGE development because the sportswriting fraternity had developed a serious case of Patriots Fatigue Syndrome (PFS). It's understandable, really. Take a team that guards information like gold, a coach who gives the least quotable press conferences in league history, and a bunch of players who toe the line with weekly statements of "there's a lot we could be doing better, we're just focused on [insert pitiful opponent here]." Now send that team deep into the playoffs year after year. I love these Patriots dearly, but I'm sure if I had to piece together daily stories on them I'd be suffering from PFS too.

But no more. Scandals, feuds, Randy Moss, scorched-earth wins...all sure-fire cures for PFS. This team is compelling on every level, and sportswriters are rightly singing hallelujah.

 

[Wildo7]

Re: Wow.... just wow

Hey, did I miss something? When did we play a good team?

The Chargers will finish the season as a good team. But they're also knuckleheads.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Wilbon has never really liked the Pats, and he has exhibited some wishful thinking about teams that he prefers (like most sportwriters), but I always got the sense that at least he was smart enough to recognize what the Pats were good at, even if wishful thinking got in the way more often than not. He didn't often go out of his way to praise the Pats but he didn't dog them either.

Anyway, this article is an accurate depiction of what BB and the Pats have always been about, win at any cost, just win the game. And to me that is fine. I didn't like spygate, but I realize that BB is going to do what he can to get an advantage. He always has. I love the footage of him stepping in the way of Marvin Harrison on the sidelines in one of our playoff games, so Marvin couldn't chase down an intercepted pass. That is the real BB, the angry guy that swears too much. That is the guy that I get a kick out of.

I also realize that BB picks mean and nasty football players on his team. Which I like. It is politically correct to view our players as the good guys and yada yada yada, but the fact is that BB has always preferred players with a mean streak.

So this article was meant to be glamourized to a degree, like everything Wilbon writes, but it actually is very accurate. Which I like.

 

[Fogbuster]

Re: Wow.... just wow

...which is a HUGE development because the sportswriting fraternity had developed a serious case of Patriots Fatigue Syndrome (PFS). It's understandable, really. Take a team that guards information like gold, a coach who gives the least quotable press conferences in league history, and a bunch of players who toe the line with weekly statements of "there's a lot we could be doing better, we're just focused on [insert pitiful opponent here]." Now send that team deep into the playoffs year after year. I love these Patriots dearly, but I'm sure if I had to piece together daily stories on them I'd be suffering from PFS too.

But no more. Scandals, feuds, Randy Moss, scorched-earth wins...all sure-fire cures for PFS. This team is compelling on every level, and sportswriters are rightly singing hallelujah.

Nice poetry. And you're right: being an entertainer.... oops, I mean, a "journalist" these days is a lot harder than one would think!! " ... Hm-m, how can I keep 'em coming back for more?.... "



//

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

He is not a Pats homer....I'm really surprised by that article.

But he's right about defiance...it's the only thing worth feeling after the stupid video thing. For players AND fans.

btw, he picked the Eagles to win in the SB against our 2004 team. He's a huge McNabb fan, if anything.

You know, it's very funny you say that. Living here in enemy Bills territory, whenever it came up with Bills fans, I've always just kinda shrugged off our past wins with a sheepish grin and a "hey, it is what it is guys".

Not this year, I actually feel comelled to give the disscussion some finality with an emphatic F-YOU at the end. I'm so GD sick of the cheater talk from these pathetic slobs, and this is Western NY too. If I lived in JETS territory, I swear, I'd already killed a few people by now

I'm usually not like this iether, but just embarassing the rest of this pathetic ****ing league on the way to #4 seems to be a legitimate and reasonable goal as well.

Does that make me a bad person?

 

[The Gr8est]

Re: Wow.... just wow

...which is a HUGE development because the sportswriting fraternity had developed a serious case of Patriots Fatigue Syndrome (PFS). It's understandable, really. Take a team that guards information like gold, a coach who gives the least quotable press conferences in league history, and a bunch of players who toe the line with weekly statements of "there's a lot we could be doing better, we're just focused on [insert pitiful opponent here]." Now send that team deep into the playoffs year after year. I love these Patriots dearly, but I'm sure if I had to piece together daily stories on them I'd be suffering from PFS too.

But no more. Scandals, feuds, Randy Moss, scorched-earth wins...all sure-fire cures for PFS. This team is compelling on every level, and sportswriters are rightly singing hallelujah.

But one of the reasons the Pats weren't embraced was because they were relatively "Boring". They were a strong defensive teams that won by paying attention to details and doing what was necessary to win. They only put up as many points as was needed to win.

Now, they are lighting up the scoreboard in a Colts-like manner that even the most superficial observer can appreciate, and that is something that the NFL likes, hell even Bill Polian fought to get the rules against defenses to benefit offense-first teams, like the Colts, re-emphasized.

Pats used to win ugly, now they win spectacular, and with a bad boy edge with the pretty-boy QB, and that is very compelling.

 

[reflexblue]

Re: Wow.... just wow

...which is a HUGE development because the sportswriting fraternity had developed a serious case of Patriots Fatigue Syndrome (PFS). It's understandable, really. Take a team that guards information like gold, a coach who gives the least quotable press conferences in league history, and a bunch of players who toe the line with weekly statements of "there's a lot we could be doing better, we're just focused on [insert pitiful opponent here]." Now send that team deep into the playoffs year after year. I love these Patriots dearly, but I'm sure if I had to piece together daily stories on them I'd be suffering from PFS too.

But no more. Scandals, feuds, Randy Moss, scorched-earth wins...all sure-fire cures for PFS. This team is compelling on every level, and sportswriters are rightly singing hallelujah.

Your right. If the Pats were flashy,or had a flashy player(s). Or a quotable coach (Parcells) I 'm sure the press would love this team. Like the Cowboys of the J Johnson era. That team was perfect for the media Quotable coach,flashy players (Irvin,Smith) and all American boy Aikman and they got into trouble too. It was EASY to write about a team like that,unlike the machine like Patriots,with their boring coach.

 

[PlattsFan]

I think a lot of sports fans and writers like the truly dominant team. I know I do. There's just an aesthetic beauty to a team that is historically good. They do things in ways that are just amazing to watch. It's the same appreciation a wine-lover gets for a great vintage, or a film buff gets from watching a truly wonderful film.

You can't help but marvel at the way the Patriots are playing. To a certain extent, we all watch sports to see how well people can do and how far they can push themselves to succeed. And the Patriots, from the front office and coaches to the players, are looking like they might reach heights of achievement that few teams in any sport ever do. How can you not be amazed?

 

[TruthSeeker]

Re: Wow.... just wow

Hey, did I miss something? When did we play a good team?

Indeed, it is a bit of a problem. There is no "good team" after we play them. You just need to listen to the hype before we play them.

 

[The Gr8est]

Re: Wow.... just wow

Indeed, it is a bit of a problem. There is no "good team" after we play them. You just need to listen to the hype before we play them.

Absolutely, and that is just the point I tried to make in another thread. No one would have wanted to play the Chargers in Week #2, now they are just one more bad team that we have beaten.

For people who like to point out the W-L records of opponents as a measuring stick for how strong a team is, consider that after week #1 there are no good teams by definition. Half of the teams are winless, while the other half have only beaten winless teams.

 

[patchick]

Re: Wow.... just wow

For people who like to point out the W-L records of opponents as a measuring stick for how strong a team is, consider that after week #1 there are no good teams by definition. Half of the teams are winless, while the other half have only beaten winless teams.

Oohhh, nice.

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

"almighty and a touch lawless"

Isn't it funny how we suddenly went from Arrogant No-good Cheaters to compelling, fascinating, Almighty Bad A_S_S_E_S that will simply pound your pathetic team into the turf just to drive home the point that hey, "This team is for real".

 

[AzPatsFan]

Re: Wow.... just wow

Hey, did I miss something? When did we play a good team?

The Jets were fresh from a WC appearance. they thought they had a Mangenius as Coach; the Next Belichick. The team was getting better and would soon challenge for the AFCE title. After a thorough and total humiliation, in every phase of the Game; the resultant questions concerned whether Chad Pennington was a major league QB. The gilt was off the ManGenius. After the taping fiasco, the Coach is viewed as a ManJudas, a total Rat Fink. He may even find it hard to get another job after getting fired by the Jets. What Coach wants to constantly watch his back, all the time? Tangini promises are now viewed and ridiculous and untrustworthy after the Pete Kendall betrayal, and the Bill Belichick affair.
A Team not only beaten but DESTROYED.

Look at the situation in Charger land after Game 1. They came off of an error filled but victory over the NFC super bowl representative. Their Defense held that Super bowl club to a lousy three points. They were a great NFL power on their way to claim the title denied to them, last year.

Enter the Patriots. Sixty minutes later after having a mind numbing, total undressing by the Patriots, the Teams was fighting amongst themselves. The GM was no longer a Genius. The Coach was a Ne'er-do-well Bum. The Season was ruined; the team was in total disarray.
A Team not only beaten but DESTROYED.

Look at the Bengals. A preseason pick to win the AFCN. After a couple of upsets, Enter the Patriots. By halftime the All-Pro WR is yelling at the All-Pro QB; and the All-Prop QB is barking back at the All-Pro WR.