Irvin: Belichick killed NFL's dynastic age

Nikolai said:

Agreed.

It's still better than sitting through Marino on CBS...think of this. Cowher is the voice of reason on that set. Bill Cowher.

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Yeah, I agree. Esiason has evolved into something of a ****, particularly when it comes to Belichick. Cris Carter, on the other hand, is someone I used to hate to watch and listen to, but I find him much more even-handed and fair to the Pats and Belichick than he used to be. On Mike and Mike he seems to me to be somewhat pro Pats these days and that's a far cry from the way I used to perceive him.

everlong said:

I'd love to see Faulk on one of his Patriot rants and have McGinist there and Willie just smiles and quotes Ricky Proehl and says tonight a dynasty is born!

Faulk might cry.

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My fantasy is at the Super Bowl Belichick walks over to the NFL both with Faulk and McGininest and says, "Willie, we are at the Super Bowl and your letting Marshall get a free release? C'mon, hit him just for old time's sake."

Irvin is definitely one of the better talking heads on NFLN. I can't recall every hearing him and then thinking it was emotion or baggage behind the comment/thought.
What he does say doesn't always compute but it's at least based on a foundation of logic (again even if an incorrect foundation). There's already too much low level thinking with talking heads to have to also put up with too much temperamental-knee jerk-hurt feeling noise.

Did someone here say Faulk is tolerable? My lord, the guy can't even complete a sentence without stuttering. Take out all the Patriot envy and he is still a bad host due to his inability to make a valid argument. He was a great football player but a analyst he is not.

Faulk, Esaison even Marino are all a blessing compared to Shannon Sharpe.

Never in my life will I forget his rant about BB after the Ravens won the AFFCG in Foxboro 2012.

Calling BB classless and bad loser because he didn't give an interview even though it was pre-arranged with CBS that no matter what happens he will not give an immediate interview on the field.

luuked said:

Faulk, Esaison even Marino are all a blessing compared to Shannon Sharpe.

Never in my life will I forget his rant about BB after the Ravens won the AFFCG in Foxboro 2012.

Calling BB classless and bad loser because he didn't give an interview even though it was pre-arranged with CBS that no matter what happens he will not give an immediate interview on the field.

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There's a complete lack of professionalism in the sports journalism business and that is the understatement of the year. Rex Ryan is a heated division rival and even he wouldn't say half the things a lot of these idiots do about the Patriots from their bully pulpit in broadcasting.

I hope we win the next three Superbowls and make everyone else absolutely #%$ing miserable.

IMO the entire sports broadcasting business is based on "oneupsmanship", not facts, but facebook likes and twitter followers... thus the effort is to appease the masses, rather than provide factual information... social media has become more of a factor than it should be.

Speaking of Dynasties... we are on the verge of a 14th consecutive winning season, believe the record is 16 by SF... 1983 to 1998... in the post salary cap era that is very impressive..

Speaking of Marshall Faulk's non-Patriot hosting abilities let me talk about an easily solvable task that was too hard for him.
I listen to podcasts. At the beginning of last year the NFL put out something called the M & M podcast where Michael Ivin and Marshall Faulk would discuss each game as a producer silently whispered in their ears stuff like "the coach of the 49er is Jim, not John, Harbaugh" (or vice-versa, whatever. It was one take.)
Apparently it used table mikes, not lapel Mikes. Irvin would start and it would be OK, the he'd throw it to Marshall. He was apparently leaning back in his chair and I had turn the volume way up to hear him.
Then the producer got in his ear about talking into the microphone and my ears hurt and I turned the volume to normal.
Problem solved for a normal human being, right?
It happened three times. My ears were practically bleeding. I stopped listening then and never went back. I mean how hard should I work to hear Marshall Faulk?
A sports radio guy in Topeka Kansas fresh out of the Kansas School of Broadcasting is more professional.

Irvin's point was (I heard the whole interview) that BB destroyed the talent based dynasty and set forth the system based style of coaching and dynasty. The idea being that BB proved that a system could beat great talent when the Pats beat the Rams in the SB. Irvin went on to say that after 2001, and especially BB's 3rd SB win, teams started focusing on hiring coaches that had 'system' as opposed to being motivators etc. Remember, even after the 3rd SB sin TB12 was still viewed as a system QB by many. Combine that with BB defensive schemes that succeeded even with dudes like Otis Smith manning the corner and you can see what Irvin is getting at. He went to list several examples of this type of hiring.

It's an interesting thought put forth by Irvin. Not really a matter of right or wrong.

BTW- Having heard several of his regular WEEI interviews lately (I hardly ever see him on TV, the NFL network stinks IMHO) my opinion of Irvin has changed. Irvin is bright and delivers well thought out positions and ideas right on the spot. He has a good sense of recent NFL history and is very adept at putting things in perspective. Maybe his mannerisms are over the top a bit but he's no stooge, far from it actually.

Tunescribe said:

Faulk is a prime example of a former NFL star who just doesn't belong in broadcasting. Cris Carter is another. I've never heard either of those guys offer insightful commentary on anything.

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99% of the time Faulk opens his mouth it's to talk about a running back that can run and catch the ball. He doesn't understand the game of football outside of his position. The other 1% is sobbing over his Rams.

Warner still hating too. Nice to see him getting bit for poking the bear. See 1:33.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000424786/Bold-Predictions-Romo-pulls-a-Big-Ben

All humor aside, that was pretty insightful.