Does the local media downplay injury reports during the regular season?

[JoeSixPat]

I noted on another post where Curran is reporting that Dillon looks to be able to comfortably cut to his left, after suffering the high ankle sprain there last year.

He goes on to say how Dillon, even after returning from the DL last year, was never able to cut in that direction.

None of that was ever really brought up during the season, and during some of our late season and off season debates about whether Dillon had hit the wall, was washed up, etc., I would often point out that he appeared to be playing injured and wasn't able to cut left.

That seemed like "new" news to most fans, who just seemed to thihk that Corey was just simply washed up, and certainly, no members of the media I was aware of were promoting the fact during the season that he couldn't cut left.

I guess my question is whether, or to what extend, member of the Media who know those things choose NOT to report them as they don't want to provide detailed scouting reports for other teams.

At least one scout I heard mentioned it once so it wasn't a state secret, but the fact that Dillon could only cut in one direction did not appear to be common knowledge during the season and even in the offseason given the heated debates about whethere Dillon played injured or was just washed up.

 

[pats1]

I do remember hearing about that during the season. From what I've watched on tape, it does look to be somewhat true.

 

[Pats726]

I think it is a good question..but I also think a lot of the media is in the dark just as much as the fans. I remember hearing about ANOTHER Dillon injury after the season was over..(late Jan-Mar) sometime..and that he basically had multiple injuries. It seemed to me, he had other injuries during the season..but one knows how the Patriots say little...so??? It happens...but I really don't think the media knows more.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I think the anti-Pats wolves in the media having been feasting on Corey for a while. He was a flat stud in 2004, and we would not have come close to the superbowl without him, I think. Just like Rodney and Ted Washington put us over the top in 2003, and Brady and team defense and Adam being clutch in 2001. So his reward for coming to training camp in the best shape of his life? Articles about 30 year old backs being over the hill. And then he is injuried all year, but according to the media he is just washed up. I really dug what he said to the media at the end of last year about 'You guys don't sign my paychecks, and when I'm done with football, you ain't gonna give me nothing!'

Corey's reward for working out like a caged animal this offseason? He is being called fat by all the fat f-cks he told off last year! I saw a picture of him on the Herald website. They clearly tried to make him look as tired and out of shape as possible, thru the timing of the photo, and the angle he was standing at. But it didn't work. He looks fine.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I think it is a good question..but I also think a lot of the media is in the dark just as much as the fans. I remember hearing about ANOTHER Dillon injury after the season was over..(late Jan-Mar) sometime..and that he basically had multiple injuries. It seemed to me, he had other injuries during the season..but one knows how the Patriots say little...so??? It happens...but I really don't think the media knows more.

That could be that they just don't know.

If I hadn't heard an obscure mention by another team scout about Dillon on Satellite radio I never would have known about the "cannot cut to the left" tendency... but when I watched, sure enough he was right.... and that continued through the end of the season.

But if they did know it wouldn't surprise me to have the team assemble all the beat writers and say... "guys - do us a favor... in case they don't know, don't write a story telling other teams they only need to be concerned about one side of the field when Dillon runs"

The guy who broke any such agreement could be sure he'd be blacklisted from scoops in the future.... and indeed, really don't recall it being mentioned, and certainly wasn't acknowledged by most here, many of whom were assuming Corey was all done.

Of course, time will tell to see what Dillon truly has left in the tank, and how he deals with competition for reps - but I'm pretty confident that if healthy, Dillon can still run well.

 

[patchick]

At least one scout I heard mentioned it once so it wasn't a state secret, but the fact that Dillon could only cut in one direction did not appear to be common knowledge during the season and even in the offseason given the heated debates about whethere Dillon played injured or was just washed up.

In this case, we're talking about something Curran saw on the field, and that any scout could/would have seen equally. So I don't think there's any competitive advantage issue here. It would be different if, say, you had some inside info from an assistant trainer that normally wouldn't be heard outside of the lockerroom, but nothing in Curran's article suggested that to me.

Still though, this thread is a refreshing change from the many complaining that the media is biased negative! (They're all haters, except when they're hushing up information to give the Pats a leg up. )

 

[JoeSixPat]

In this case, we're talking about something Curran saw on the field, and that any scout could/would have seen equally. So I don't think there's any competitive advantage issue here. It would be different if, say, you had some inside info from an assistant trainer that normally wouldn't be heard outside of the lockerroom, but nothing in Curran's article suggested that to me.

Still though, this thread is a refreshing change from the many complaining that the media is biased negative! (They're all haters, except when they're hushing up information to give the Pats a leg up. )

Well, though in a way its not necessarilly placing the Media in a good light - especially if they were NOT trying to help the team by downplaying his injury.

When Corey returned from injury and wasn't playing up to par, all the media reports and fan reactions - in the season and off season - were that Dillon was washed up.

There was very little saying that Dillon was playing injured and in fact still couldn't cut to his left - it was much more negative that he's off the DL but can't get the job done.

So either they didn't know and lambasted him, or they did know and didn't want to hurt the team by promoting his injury, or they did know and lambasted him. Two out of those three options make the Media look pretty bad in the way they reported on Dillon.

Curran's talking now like he knew Dillon was playing injured all along but if that were the case, it seems to me that should have been a common article theme when everyone was saying Dillon was washed up - and clearly it wasn't.

Part of this thread is also my chest thumping as I spent a lot of time beating my head against a wall trying to convince people that Dillon was playing injured last season and shouldn't be written off given his inability to cut left - and now for the first time that I've seen there's a published report that confirms this.

 

[patchick]

When Corey returned from injury and wasn't playing up to par, all the media reports and fan reactions - in the season and off season - were that Dillon was washed up.

There was very little saying that Dillon was playing injured and in fact still couldn't cut to his left - it was much more negative that he's off the DL but can't get the job done.

Honestly, we have different memories of this. My impression of the media and fan attitude at the time was about 60% "he's still injured," 25% "he's washed up," and 15% "our makeshift OL can't run block to save its life."

In fact, I thought there was general consensus that he was limited by injury...the debate was whether he would ever return to his 2004 form or whether this injury-plagued season marked the start of a late-career decline. And unfortunately, we won't know the real answer to that for some time. But I'm hopeful for a nasty thunder-and-lightening attack with Maroney.

 

[Pats726]

I kind of agree..I did think many thought his lack of production was due to an injury...what wasn't known was that it was multiple injuries..I know I thought that was the case..it seemed to me he was doing his all and had problems..NOT that he was washed up..far from it.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Honestly, we have different memories of this. My impression of the media and fan attitude at the time was about 60% "he's still injured," 25% "he's washed up," and 15% "our makeshift OL can't run block to save its life."

In fact, I thought there was general consensus that he was limited by injury...the debate was whether he would ever return to his 2004 form or whether this injury-plagued season marked the start of a late-career decline. And unfortunately, we won't know the real answer to that for some time. But I'm hopeful for a nasty thunder-and-lightening attack with Maroney.

Maybe my memory is influenced what seemed to be a very clear and large fan sentiment that he was "washed up" and relatively little "injured and OL more concerned about pass protection"

But even as late as pre-draft a few months ago I remember being frustrated by local media reports saying that RB would have to be the top priority because Dillon suddenly grew old and ineffective... they said nothing about injuries or the OL

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I hope you guys don't actually believe that Belichick secretly gathered Borges, Carfado, Felger and the rest of the New England journalists in a private meeting and said 'Now please don't say a word to anyone, but here is the truth about Corey'....

Maybe you should rest on this overnight and see if it makes much sense tomorrow!

 

[JoeSixPat]

I hope you guys don't actually believe that Belichick secretly gathered Borges, Carfado, Felger and the rest of the New England journalists in a private meeting and said 'Now please don't say a word to anyone, but here is the truth about Corey'....

Maybe you should rest on this overnight and see if it makes much sense tomorrow!

Why not? That's exactly what happened with Tedy Bruschi.

Do you think BB hasn't had off the record conversations with reporters?

Do you not think that BB wouldn't do EVERYTHING possible to give his team a competitive advantage?

If you don't, think about it overnight and see if it makes much sense tomorrow.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Sorry, don't think it went down like that at all with Corey last year!

 

[JoeSixPat]

Sorry, don't think it went down like that at all with Corey last year!

Yet still - with respect to patschick's memory - the talk from the media horde was always "Dillon is washed up" - which is a big reason why Dillon's attitude with the media yesterday was "F them". ... he doesn't feel they accepted the fact he was injured last season... and I think he's right.

And indeed there was a pretty significant number of members in this forum who, like the media, did not accept injury or a injured OL as an excuse from Dillon

So when Curran comes forward now and says that Dillon's cutting left now which is significant because he couldn't cut left all last season, it marks a change in the media attitude towards Dillon - at least with Curran - in writing off last year to injury.

 

[spacecrime]

But if they did know it wouldn't surprise me to have the team assemble all the beat writers and say... "guys - do us a favor... in case they don't know, don't write a story telling other teams they only need to be concerned about one side of the field when Dillon runs"

They should only say this if there is something they WANT to see in print.

The guy who broke any such agreement could be sure he'd be blacklisted from scoops in the future.

Like they care. Did you read Felger's piece on Sullivan in this morning's Herald? I don't like reproters who toady up to players. I like them to tell it like it is. But Felger acts like a second grader playing "tease the kid no one likes anyway." If I were a Pats player, I wouldn't talk to Felger ever again. But then, from the accuracy of his columns lately, maybe that is already happening.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Yet still - with respect to patschick's memory - the talk from the media horde was always "Dillon is washed up" - which is a big reason why Dillon's attitude with the media yesterday was "F them". ... he doesn't feel they accepted the fact he was injured last season... and I think he's right.

And indeed there was a pretty significant number of members in this forum who, like the media, did not accept injury or a injured OL as an excuse from Dillon

So when Curran comes forward now and says that Dillon's cutting left now which is significant because he couldn't cut left all last season, it marks a change in the media attitude towards Dillon - at least with Curran - in writing off last year to injury.

Joe I had mentioned in December that Dillon looked like he was having trouble going to his left. I had taped the games and watched him in slow mo and it also looked like he was not pushing with his foot off as stongly.

Now I'm not trying to take credit because I picked up on it from some media report that I heard.

I did post it a couple of times. Later this past spring I did hear Curran say that Corey did have a severe high ankle sprain that occured in game 3 of last year. It never healed even after he sat out several games. I posted that right after I heard Curran say it.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Joe I had mentioned in December that Dillon looked like he was having trouble going to his left. I had taped the games and watched him in slow mo and it also looked like he was not pushing with his foot off as stongly.

Now I'm not trying to take credit because I picked up on it from some media report that I heard.

I did post it a couple of times. Later this past spring I did hear Curran say that Corey did have a severe high ankle sprain that occured in game 3 of last year. It never healed even after he sat out several games. I posted that right after I heard Curran say it.

I think you may have heard the same report with the scout as me - and I remember you and I seemed to be in a minority on noticing this... it certainly wasn't a big item of discussion in the media, which is why we brought it up.

As I said, the fact that the media questioned Dillon's toughness and ability clearly PO'd him to the point where he is with them today...

Yet Curran now matter of factly says that Dillon played injured all year and could never go to his left...

Maybe Curran's trying to curry favor with Dillon now?

Its just very odd to me the way this has transpired.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I think you may have heard the same report with the scout as me - and I remember you and I seemed to be in a minority on noticing this... it certainly wasn't a big item of discussion in the media, which is why we brought it up.

As I said, the fact that the media questioned Dillon's toughness and ability clearly PO'd him to the point where he is with them today...

Yet Curran now matter of factly says that Dillon played injured all year and could never go to his left...

Maybe Curran's trying to curry favor with Dillon now?

Its just very odd to me the way this has transpired.

Today's Globe story on Dillon illustrates perfectly what we saw last season and in the off season from most of the press... they rip Dillon and don't even mention an injury...

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/06/14/school_is_in_session/?page=2

Dillon looked sharp last offseason and preseason but had one of his worst seasons as a pro with just 733 yards. A year earlier, he had his best season with a franchise-record 1,635 yards.

So I think I've answered my question .... they knew/know he was injured, but still chose/choose to rip him for having a bad season.