Most Pat's fans are well aware, if they live in the area and have access to Felger on radio and TV, that the guy who used to be the best beat writer covering the team morphed into something else on his way the a radio talk show host gig with ESPN. When he first appeared on WEEI if was as a guest football insider and his behavior was that of a voice of intelligence and reason. But he wanted to expand his horizens and was eventually tapped as a part time fill in and co-host. During one of those stints he went off on Pedro Martinez after word leaked out that he was being scratched from a start against the dreaded Yankees. Less than an hour after his insult riddled rant began word came out that Pedro was at St Elizabeth's on IV's and had been there for a few hours. There was massive fallout from that appearance that reverberated all the way to the FO at Yawkey Way. Felger the guest was MIA for a while after that on WEEI though he was mentioned frequently thereafter thus becoming for the first time in his career the story himself (better known as becoming Shaughnessied).
When the dust settled Felger apparently made a choice based on the old adage that there is no such thing as bad PR when the point after all is to generate attention to oneself. He bristled seeing his peers at the Globe courted by the likes of ESPN and one even landing the gig of a lifetime writing a best seller based on 2 years of unheard of insider access to the Patriots. (Felger had written a book of his own that came out about the same time about the pre-Belichick/Brady Pats that didn't make any sellers list.)
For a time Felger was able to keep his split personalities seperate but over the last year (when we now know he was negotiating a new Boston based ESPN radio talk show hosting gig) the personalities have merged so the guy you see on TV and hear on radio is basically the guy you read in print. Too bad for us.
We are now subject on all fronts to the arrogant, axe grinding, and often irrational persona who forms an opinion he will even admit is more often based on nothing more than pesonal agenda (as a BU grad he has always hated Flutie although he admits as a reporter he has had almost no interaction with him, and he went on record vehemently opposing the Dillon signing because while never having met him he was convinved he was a clubhouse cancer and not a Patriots guy).
He spent most of 2004 scraping 1600 yards egg off his face, but in 2005 he saw a shot to redeem himself by predicting that giving Dillon an extension was a mistake and with one ring in hand he would tank. He predicted this in camp inspite of evidence to the contrary (hence the contrararian tag). It was Corey's misfortune to be running against tough run defenses and in front of a line that was strugglling to do anything right through the first month of the season, and to suffer a high ankle sprain and have to continue attempting to run behind a paste and patch line for the rest of the season. Felger had also predicted that if the going got tough, Corey would become a malcontent once again. When he didn't, and when his teamates and coaches continued to praise his effort, Felger temporarily shifted his attention to the popular whipping boys Beisel and Starks.
This year Felger is splitting his attention three ways between Beisel, whom he tried to bait this week in a thinly veiled insulting interview, Sullivan whom he has stooped to name calling a tub of goo, and Corey whom he senses he can goad into at least having to acknowledge his critics as he did yesterday if not eventually implode for him on camera so he can say I told you's so. And that is basically Felger spinning his wheels to prove he's smarter that Belioli, which in itself is a laughable premise.
Felger is like the streaker at a ballgame, the one they always say they are not going to show because they don't want to give him the attention he so obviously craves. The only way to make that kind of idiot stop is to ignore him. His peers won't because they can't help themselves - he is now after all part of the story. Bad form for a sports journalist but great fodder for a talk show hosts ratings. The only thing that would make him stop now would be if his radio ratings tank, and that is not likely since controvery fuels sports talk ratings in this market. On the air today I guarantee you Felger will be positively giddy. Because not only are folks talking about Dillon, they are talking about Felger and Dillon.
)
