Wilbon at it again

[CountChocula]

Knucklehead Wilbon tries to make the case (unconvincingly) that old fart Shula's comments carry weight.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/07/AR2007110702763.html

 

[nummit]

Knucklehead Wilbon tries to make the case (unconvincingly) that old fart Shula's comments carry weight.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/07/AR2007110702763.html

I USED to like Wilbon. Now I see him as just another windbag

 

[tuckeverlasting]

I USED to like Wilbon. Now I see him as just another windbag

more like a douchebag. i just heard shula on espn radio backtracking and moonwalking like michael jackson.

 

[sieglo]

Wilbon is a baby. He has no journalistic integrity to go listing the coaches criticising BB but offering no counterpoint from the coaches who say the Spygate thing was completely blown out of proportion.

 

[hambone1818]

Funny how he failed to mention that 1) Shula himself was involved in controversy when he accepted the Miami job (costing the team a--does this sound familiar?--1st round draft pick), and 2) there might be some resentment--indirectly--because Belichick's pupil, Saban, helped to destroy what was left of the Miami team then bolted to the NCAA ranks, only to take Shula's sons job.

I'm sorry, but unless you tell the whole story you're leaving the reader with a fuzzy picture, no real perspective on the entire thing.

I can't wait until this season is over....honestly. As much as I love the 19-0 talk, the domination of this Patriots squad and the historic numbers being put up all over the place, I just can't escape the media. They simply do not allow Patriots fans to enjoy what should be the crown jewel for any franchise.

 

[bradmahn]

There's nothing terribly egregious in that article. Nothing that makes him a douchebag. It's just a bad article. Full of contradictory nonsense and cherrypickings.

The worst you can say about Shula, who has won more games than any coach in NFL history, is that his criticism of the Patriots could be interpreted as self-serving

That's a very viable reason to not take Shula's words seriously, Michael, and his stance has absolutely nothing to do with how the "coaching fraternity" feels about Belichick, it is Shula trying to degrade a threat to "his" record.

Speaking of coaching fraternity, the very concept of such a group is highly exaggerated in this piece, more specifically that many of them have a problem with what Belichick did. How many coaches can you name in the NFL who have an issue with it? Tony Dungy? Maybe Mike Tomlin? Mangini (but that's highly debatable). For every one coach that has voiced disconcert with what happened, there are others that have come out and said that it wasn't as big of a deal as it is made out to be.

I did, however, appreciate his description of Belichick outside of the realm of football. It's kind of similar to the interviews Belichick does for some members of the local media. If the national chumps were to see that side of Belichick it would ruin their image of him as a kitten-killing, baby-beating barbarian (but perspective doesn't sell).

 

[MrTibbs]

Funny how he failed to mention that 1) Shula himself was involved in controversy when he accepted the Miami job (costing the team a--does this sound familiar?--1st round draft pick), and 2) there might be some resentment--indirectly--because Belichick's pupil, Saban, helped to destroy what was left of the Miami team then bolted to the NCAA ranks, only to take Shula's sons job.

I'm sorry, but unless you tell the whole story you're leaving the reader with a fuzzy picture, no real perspective on the entire thing.

I can't wait until this season is over....honestly. As much as I love the 19-0 talk, the domination of this Patriots squad and the historic numbers being put up all over the place, I just can't escape the media. They simply do not allow Patriots fans to enjoy what should be the crown jewel for any franchise.

After the 1969 season, Joe Robbie, owner of the Miami Dolphins, signed Shula to a contract to become Miami's second head coach. As a result of Shula's signing the team was charged with tampering by the NFL, which forced the Dolphins to give their first round pick to the Colts. The decision was controversial because Shula and Robbie's negotiations and signing were conducted before and after the official NFL/AFL merger, respectively.

 

[shmessy]

Funny how he failed to mention that 1) Shula himself was involved in controversy when he accepted the Miami job (costing the team a--does this sound familiar?--1st round draft pick), and 2) there might be some resentment--indirectly--because Belichick's pupil, Saban, helped to destroy what was left of the Miami team then bolted to the NCAA ranks, only to take Shula's sons job.

I'm sorry, but unless you tell the whole story you're leaving the reader with a fuzzy picture, no real perspective on the entire thing.

Exactly.

And he did that ON PURPOSE. Wilbon isn't a neophyte. He knows all that about Shula. He is being disingenuous here by purposely leaving out half the story. It's the Skip Bayless School of Journalism and it's the only way to make money in the newspaper business today.

Today's journalism: Keep the masses stupid and we can get away with $100 per barrel oil and sell them on Britney Spears. The dumbing down of America has necessitated the trashing of journalistic values.

 

[Bella*chick]

The real embarrassment here isn't Shula's comments (I mean, could his interest in this be any more obvious and self-serving?), it's what the media has once again done in blowing it up. I bet Shula wishes he hadn't opened his big mouth.

It's our bye week and we are the number 1 story in the NFL. We've been number 1 all year long....even in the offseason. Jeez, I guess flying under the radar was never a realistic option with this team even before all this stupid "spy" stuff.

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

Shula

Actually, it really wasn't a bad article. Wilbon reported straight up and Shula is just trying to remain relevant as he fades off into the sunset.

Let's not forget (and I live in SoFla, so I remember it well) that Shula was basically forced into resigning so Wayne Huzienga could hire Jimmy Johnson.

Everyone understood, save for the old ball coach himself, that the game had passed him by. Long ago.

What makes anyone think that now, some 12 years after his de facto firing, he understands the game any better than he did when H. Wayne canned his arse?

Yes, Shula won 328 games, but he also coached for THIRTY-TWO SEASONS!

That's an average of 10.25 wins per season.

He was basically a .500 coach when it counted most (19-17 in the playoffs) and won two Super Bowls - in 1972 & 1973!

1973!

Nixon was president!

"Scarface" was still 7 years away! Al Pacino still thought "Dog Day Afternoon" was his best work!

(Did they wear leather helmets in '73?)

So, basically, Shula went 22 years without winning anything and somehow became an icon in South Florida, which goes to show you what Cubans know about football!

How did he keep his job for 22 years without winning anything?

DolFans are delusional and their owners (Joe Robbie & H. Wayne) pandered to them, to their own detriment, that's how!

Shula should have been fired many times between that last Super Bowl ring in '73, but most certainly in 1989 after he went 8-8, 8-7, 6-10 and 8-8 with teams that had Dan Marino, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, Andra Franklin, John Offerdahl and Louis Oliver!

As a talent evaluator, this is the man who gave John Bosa and Eric Kumerow a chance to play in the NFL!

Belichick, in his 8 years with New England, has won 84 games, for an average of 10.50 wins a season.

If Belichick coaches 32 years like Shula, he will shatter Shula's all-time coaching record for wins.

And in the playoffs, when it really counts, Belichick makes Shula look like an embattled high school coach, going 13-3 in the postseason and winning three Super Bowls, the last of which was as recently as 2004. Look for a fourth this season.

And that doesn't even take into account his work as a defensive coordinator in leading the Giants to two Super Bowl wins.

So, if Shula wants to rant, let him be.

Of course, he's worried. Belichick and the Pats are set to take away the only thing Don ever did well in his life, which was go 17-0 way back in 1972.

I think we should all just leave old Don Shula alone and let him enjoy his Gold Digging wife and his over-priced, s h i t t y steakhouses.

If he wants to pop off every once in awhile about a game he really knows nothing about anymore, let's give the old gum-biter his time in the spotlight. It makes him feel connected or something. Why take that away.

When Don speaks, we should nod our heads and say "Keep coming back, Don."

Shula. A name synonymous with the $18 baked potato!

 

[The Gr8est]

As much as I love the 19-0 talk, the domination of this Patriots squad and the historic numbers being put up all over the place, I just can't escape the media. They simply do not allow Patriots fans to enjoy what should be the crown jewel for any franchise.

Ain't THAT the truth!

I've never felt less joy at watching my team win a huge game, what the horrible refereeing and the constant bashing of anything and everything Patriots.

I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way.

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

I don't know Armen... He mixed a few reasonable points in but the overall tone of the article was to attempt to prop up the old fart. I thought a lot of the the counter arguements were ommitted or glossed over.

Wilbon seems to be an anti-patriot guy or is it anti-BB.

It's not just this article. I've been reading a lot of his stuff. He had one pro-patriot article... the rest were all heavily against us.

 

[patfanken]

Re: Shula

Actually, it really wasn't a bad article. Wilbon reported straight up and Shula is just trying to remain relevant as he fades off into the sunset.

Let's not forget (and I live in SoFla, so I remember it well) that Shula was basically forced into resigning so Wayne Huzienga could hire Jimmy Johnson.

Everyone understood, save for the old ball coach himself, that the game had passed him by. Long ago.

What makes anyone think that now, some 12 years after his de facto firing, he understands the game any better than he did when H. Wayne canned his arse?

Yes, Shula won 328 games, but he also coached for THIRTY-TWO SEASONS!

That's an average of 10.25 wins per season.

He was basically a .500 coach when it counted most (19-17 in the playoffs) and won two Super Bowls - in 1972 & 1973!

1973!

Nixon was president!

"Scarface" was still 7 years away! Al Pacino still thought "Dog Day Afternoon" was his best work!

(Did they wear leather helmets in '73?)

So, basically, Shula went 22 years without winning anything and somehow became an icon in South Florida, which goes to show you what Cubans know about football!

How did he keep his job for 22 years without winning anything?

DolFans are delusional and their owners (Joe Robbie & H. Wayne) pandered to them, to their own detriment, that's how!

Shula should have been fired many times between that last Super Bowl ring in '73, but most certainly in 1989 after he went 8-8, 8-7, 6-10 and 8-8 with teams that had Dan Marino, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, Andra Franklin, John Offerdahl and Louis Oliver!

As a talent evaluator, this is the man who gave John Bosa and Eric Kumerow a chance to play in the NFL!

Belichick, in his 8 years with New England, has won 84 games, for an average of 10.50 wins a season.

If Belichick coaches 32 years like Shula, he will shatter Shula's all-time coaching record for wins.

And in the playoffs, when it really counts, Belichick makes Shula look like an embattled high school coach, going 13-3 in the postseason and winning three Super Bowls, the last of which was as recently as 2004. Look for a fourth this season.

And that doesn't even take into account his work as a defensive coordinator in leading the Giants to two Super Bowl wins.

So, if Shula wants to rant, let him be.

Of course, he's worried. Belichick and the Pats are set to take away the only thing Don ever did well in his life, which was go 17-0 way back in 1972.

I think we should all just leave old Don Shula alone and let him enjoy his Gold Digging wife and his over-priced, s h i t t y steakhouses.

If he wants to pop off every once in awhile about a game he really knows nothing about anymore, let's give the old gum-biter his time in the spotlight. It makes him feel connected or something. Why take that away.

When Don speaks, we should nod our heads and say "Keep coming back, Don."

Shula. A name synonymous with the $18 baked potato!

Kudos to you Armen. that was a FIRST CLASS rant

 

[FrontSeven]

Wilbon is a baby. He has no journalistic integrity to go listing the coaches criticising BB but offering no counterpoint from the coaches who say the Spygate thing was completely blown out of proportion.

As far as your sig goes (""Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.") that is just BS.

All NFL players have fear. It may be chic and manly to deny it, but how do you think they get motivated, or "sniff" danger? What do you sniff with - happy face? Fear takes the bad rap sometimes. I'm not saying to go live in fear. That's ridiculous. I'm saying that fear is a normal human emotion and it gets the bad rap from some paranoid people.

If you don't fear walking through a bad neighborhood at night while whistling We Will Rock You then then you are too stupid to survive. Fear's messages are helping more than hurting, but we take the advantage for granted.

Admittedly, we have a president with a head made of cast iron who beats us to death with fear and loathing messages on a daily basis. We're being programmed. We had a "war on terrorism" that somehow morphed into a "war on terror", and that was done for a specific reason. You are living that reason.

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

I don't know Armen... He mixed a few reasonable points in but the overall tone of the article was to attempt to prop up the old fart. I thought a lot of the the counter arguements were ommitted or glossed over.

Wilbon seems to be an anti-patriot guy or is it anti-BB.

It's not just this article. I've been reading a lot of his stuff. He had one pro-patriot article... the rest were all heavily against us.

Well, I'll have to grant that you know better than I on his body of work as a whole because I can't say I read Wilbon much.

Whenever I see that retahdid show with him and Tony Cornholer, I just turn it off, so my exposure to him is minimal to none.

As far as Shula goes, I would not be surprised if he solicited that interview.

Lately, the guy just strikes as someone who misses the spotlight and is desperate to get his name out there again.

 

[danny88]

I don't know Armen... He mixed a few reasonable points in but the overall tone of the article was to attempt to prop up the old fart. I thought a lot of the the counter arguements were ommitted or glossed over.

Wilbon seems to be an anti-patriot guy or is it anti-BB.

It's not just this article. I've been reading a lot of his stuff. He had one pro-patriot article... the rest were all heavily against us.

Wilbon is friends with Dungy.... Wilbon is a dipstick.

 

[FirstAndGoal]

Armen Da Pats Fan,
I hope you realize that Shula coached most of those seasons with a shorter schedule. He might be irrelevant now but he was a great coach who has one of, if not the highest winning percentages coaching. BB winning 10 games does not equal Shula winning 10 games when Shula won those 10 on a shorter season.

Say what you want about his comments but he was the real deal as a coach. I'm old enough to remember those days.
​

Also, you're cherrypicking stats. If you're going to talk about his days as a Giant, you have to talk about his days as a Brown.

 

[LiveShot]

Wilbon is The Washington Post's newest version of a lawn jockey.

 

[LiveShot]

Re: Wilbon at it again, write him your opinion

Here's his address at the Post:http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/michael+wilbon/

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

Armen Da Pats Fan,
I hope you realize that Shula coached most of those seasons with a shorter schedule. He might be irrelevant now but he was a great coach who has one of, if not the highest winning percentages coaching. BB winning 10 games does not equal Shula winning 10 games when Shula won those 10 on a shorter season.

Say what you want about his comments but he was the real deal as a coach. I'm old enough to remember those days.
​

Also, you're cherrypicking stats. If you're going to talk about his days as a Giant, you have to talk about his days as a Brown.

I am not knocking Shula's greatness, but he should have backed out of the game gracefully around '86 or '87, instead of being run out in '95.

And he should also keep his mouth shut about today's game.

I like how he throws stones at Belichick, but doesn't mention how AJ Duhe once admitted in an interview (Sport magazine, I think, or Sporting News) that he and Kim Bokamper and other Dolphins' linebackers and DLineman used to spray silicone on their jerseys so offensive lineman couldn't hold them. Jake Scott used to use stick-um, ala Fred Bilitnekoff from Oakland, to help him haul in picks.

But I am sure the holier-than-thou Don Shula, chairman of the rules committee, never pushed envelopes rules to get a competitive edge!

Also, what shortened schedule are you referring to?

There was one year in the '86-'89 period ('87 I believe) when they lost a game to the strike. The rest were full cards.