Look, I'm not losing any sleep over this. I fully expect BB to stay. I didn't even start the thread. I just think the whole thing's a little peculiar.
Secrecy is not a virtue unto itself. It's only valuable insofar as it gives you a competitive advantage which outweighs any negative consequences. So far, nobody has been able to suggest any advantage whatsoever to keeping BB's contract status a secret...if he's actually under contract beyond 2007. The "public contractual brouhaha" only comes into play if he's not under contract. Which is why reasonable people suspect that he's not. Which wouldn't mean the sky is falling, but would be interesting, no? Surely a fair topic for discussion, just as we'd discuss the contract status of a player.
No, the only reason extant is because you want to know. Why is that important? It might be nice for you, restful sleeping nights notwithstanding. But does any one else out there, Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick included, really care?
You're missing the point entirely.
It's not important! If he decides to move on,
then it becomes a matter of import. Not before.
Teams don't, as a rule, reveal this stuff because they're part of the organization's management. If the league thought a benefit might accrue, to the fans or otherwise, then it would become public knowledge, in much the same way as players' contracts are.
But it's not.
And as for the idea that secrecy in this instance has no value, it does - for the very reason you stated. Competitive advantage. If opposing teams think, rightly or wrongly, there might be trouble in paradise, might this attitude affect how they approach us?
This is a totally manufactured "debate", with no basis in reality.
A waste of time, as it were.
And brought out by the worry warts right after a truly spectacular week.
Like I say - a waste of time.