Felger: Pat's glass still half-empty

[jczxohn1]

://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=134008&format=&page=2

Once again, Felger sifts his facts with a fine comb to make his point. Ranking on free agent signings Jones and Gramatica, he has nothing good to say about either. No mention at all in a 6 line paragraph about Gramatica's injury and rehab, just his 2004 record and absence last season.

Felger holds out as the only hope the weakness of the schedule and covers his bases by subliminally mentioning the possibility of 12 wins and a division title. Never knowledgeable as a football reporter, Felger now writes like radio talk show host "taking a stand" from a weak position in order to compete with a stronger opponent, which, in fact, he is.

 

[BelichickFan]

Felger has been my favorite Pats writer for a long time but he's really pissing me off.

ASAIC we need to replace McGinest and that's about it. Could we miss Vinatieri if we have a game winner in the playoffs ? Sure. But 20-25 won't be missed.

As I posted on the draft board, if we put Colvin and Vrabel outside with Bruschi inside, "all" we need to replace from 2004 (not 2005) is the TJ/Phifer rotation at the other inside spot as a now healthy Colvin replaces McGinest (in ability and position, a different skill set, pros and cons). We can replace TJ/Phifer if that's the route we choose.

Then add in that 2004/2005 were the most injury prone seasons I've ever seen, if we have league average injuries instead, I think we end up about equal now. Your choice Givens at WR and Troy Brown at #3 CB or Caldwell at WR and, say, Gay at #3 CB.

And FA isn't over yet, Michael.

 

[DarrylS]

I think Felger is trying to be devisive so he can garner some new folks for his ESPN show, I also respected him, however must be bending the elbow with Cafardo and Borges...

 

[Pats726]

I used to think he was OK, but now?? He's lacking perspective and just following the Mannix Borges line..controversial..I say dumb!! I used to listen to him when he was first on as there was good football talk, but it has gone so far downhill. He just misses things totally..to me the water should be thrown on him.

 

[scout]

I hope the Patriots roll and make them all look bad. The Patriots lost two high profile players that the media will harp on all season unless we have a really great year. The team pretty much remains intact. The players we did lose were getting up in age and in the long haul might work to our advantage if we have a couple of young players step up. What keeps popping up in my mind are the Celtic and Bruin glory years. At the time, I thought for sure the Bird and Orr regimes would win more championships. This year is crucial to get that swagger back as I'd hate to see us fall into that Brett Farve syndrome. Note: we are not close to being there yet.

 

[Don_the_patfan]

://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=134008&format=&page=2

Once again, Felger sifts his facts with a fine comb to make his point. Ranking on free agent signings Jones and Gramatica, he has nothing good to say about either. No mention at all in a 6 line paragraph about Gramatica's injury and rehab, just his 2004 record and absence last season.

I didnt read the article .. cant find it. With that said:

And you got something "good" to say about Gramatica and Jones?? Well I dont. Some of you are major homers and see everything as a good move. Fine Jones and Gramatica are 'depth' nothing wrong with that. But to be dissapointed because Felger has nothing good to say about them ... is crazy. Hell I got nothing good to say about them either. You cannot look at this offseason and say it's been great cause it hasnt. And yes this offseason up until now. If later we sign Sey and Branch then you could call it a success. Up until now though it is not. That doesnt make me less of a pat fan for saying that.

Again there is nothing wrong with being a homer however you cannot tell me with a straight face that the Gramatica and Jones signing was anything more then depth. And no there is nothing good to talk about them so Felger is right.

 

[CrazyDave]

I didnt read the article .. cant find it. With that said:



Again there is nothing wrong with being a homer however you cannot tell me with a straight face that the Gramatica and Jones signing was anything more then depth. And no there is nothing good to talk about them so Felger is right.

Well, personally, i think getting an expieienced ST gunner for Vet min. is a good signing. And i think getting a kicker who was quite good before injury, and supposedly has been rehabbing very well, for Vet min. is also a good signing. And I think "depth" is very important. To say a signing is nothing more than depth does'nt make sense to me. With all due respect.

 

[JDSal45]

Felger does some crap simply to enhance, in his mind, his ability to find a niche in radio. I've noticed he's been making political statements on his show lately. I think he wants to find a niche as a lefty sports radio personality since most are righties. Then later, he can use those bonafides to perhaps find himself on 'EEI or some competing voice to their mostly conservative voices.

But the problem is, he's too stupid to pull it off. The other day he was making a comment about Antonin Scalia (pronounced Anton-NEEN) and kept calling him Anton, he must have done it 20 times. Then he referred to him as "Judge" Scalia several times. Hey, Felger, if you're gonna make political comments, at least learn the basics so you don't sound like a friggin' moron. Learn his first name and Supreme Court Justices are just that...JUSTICES, not JUDGES.

As a lefty myself, he's an embarassment. With friends like him on my side, who needs enemies?

J D Sal

 

[p8ryts]

Don the Pat Fan????

Jones and Grammatica are good signings. Even if they never play a down. First, Tebucky will be valuable on special teams and the Pats have worked very hard the last couple years with mixed results there, so he will play downs if only on special teams.
Second, Grammatica was a very good kicker at one point and could be again. He could be a real find. If he isn't, no problem, but it was a good signing to see if he can regain his form.

I couldn't find the Felger article so I don't know what he said other than what was posted.

I don't understand all the negativity but the Pats will prove all the naysayers (if the shoe fits foot it) wrong at the end of the year.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Why can't i find this article?

It's from his Friday piece. The inflamatory comments that seem to provoke:

"First the bad news: Based on the current roster, the Patriots won’t be a better football team than the one that went 10-6 in 2005 and bowed out in the second round of the playoffs.

Now the good news: Based on the 2006 schedule, they may not have to be.

Back to the bad news. The Pats have big needs at No. 2 receiver, No. 1 corner, No. 3 safety, linebacker and kicker. Their free agent bounty at those spots so far (in order): Reche Caldwell; Eric Warfield; Tebucky Jones; nobody; and Martin Gramatica. Not exactly inspiring.

In the meantime, the Patriots didn’t get any better yesterday with the signings of Jones and Gramatica. Ideally, these are emergency/last resort-type players. If the Pats have to rely on either, they’re in trouble."

I'm not sure these comments are all that inflamatory, but lately the mere concept of criticism seems to unnerve a segment of the fanbase. Maybe Ian should shut the board down until after week 6.


http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=134008

 

[Willie55]

Personally I don't have a problem with the article. The only thing I didn't like was how he didn't mention Gramatica's injury as being the reason he was out of football and the reason he had two subpar years.

 

[jczxohn1]

It's from his Friday piece. The inflamatory comments that seem to provoke:

"First the bad news: Based on the current roster, the Patriots won’t be a better football team than the one that went 10-6 in 2005 and bowed out in the second round of the playoffs.

Now the good news: Based on the 2006 schedule, they may not have to be.

Back to the bad news. The Pats have big needs at No. 2 receiver, No. 1 corner, No. 3 safety, linebacker and kicker. Their free agent bounty at those spots so far (in order): Reche Caldwell; Eric Warfield; Tebucky Jones; nobody; and Martin Gramatica. Not exactly inspiring.

In the meantime, the Patriots didn’t get any better yesterday with the signings of Jones and Gramatica. Ideally, these are emergency/last resort-type players. If the Pats have to rely on either, they’re in trouble."

I'm not sure these comments are all that inflamatory, but lately the mere concept of criticism seems to unnerve a segment of the fanbase. Maybe Ian should shut the board down until after week 6.


http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=134008

Thanks for the link, Mo.

 

[RayClay]

It's from his Friday piece. The inflamatory comments that seem to provoke:

"First the bad news: Based on the current roster, the Patriots won’t be a better football team than the one that went 10-6 in 2005 and bowed out in the second round of the playoffs.

Now the good news: Based on the 2006 schedule, they may not have to be.

Back to the bad news. The Pats have big needs at No. 2 receiver, No. 1 corner, No. 3 safety, linebacker and kicker. Their free agent bounty at those spots so far (in order): Reche Caldwell; Eric Warfield; Tebucky Jones; nobody; and Martin Gramatica. Not exactly inspiring.

In the meantime, the Patriots didn’t get any better yesterday with the signings of Jones and Gramatica. Ideally, these are emergency/last resort-type players. If the Pats have to rely on either, they’re in trouble."

I'm not sure these comments are all that inflamatory, but lately the mere concept of criticism seems to unnerve a segment of the fanbase. Maybe Ian should shut the board down until after week 6.


http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=134008

10-6 before the draft with 20 mil to spend?

Looks like we're on pace for 16-0 then.

 

[Aldogg]

I see nothing wrong with any of the signings we made.

Jones will give us some speed on the outside on special teams, not a major aspect most of these writers think about, but combine that if the fact Grammatica returns to 2002-2004 form, we will gain 5-10 yards in field position on kickoffs.

Warfield might not be more than a nickel back, if Gay and Samuel are able to hold down the fort and be the starters. But even at that, a Warfield, Gay, Samuel trio at corner with a healthy Rodney and Wilson at safety is quite the formidable backfield, a group of 5 I would have no problem going to battle with against a lot teams.

I also think the Caldwell signing will be very underrated. Before he wrecked hin knee in 2004, he was on his way to a very good year. It usually takes a full season to get back from ACL surgery, and I think he will be able to step into the #2 wideout position, even though I won't complain if we draft a wideout in the first 3 rounds.

These talking heads just wanna find a reason to get down on the Pats I think. While we will miss guys like Adam, Willie and Givens, the same was being said after Bledsoe was traded, and Milloy was cut 3 days before opening day, and when we have lost every other player, and you know something, I still like our chances going into 2006 with our picks, signings and current roster, espically with the guys we are getting back from IR.

 

[BelichickFan]

I also think the Caldwell signing will be very underrated.

I don't understand why some (like everyone on NEST) says there's "NO WAY" Caldwell can replace Givens. When he was starting he was putting up similar 3-4 catch a game numbers. He has the size and with a 2 year contract is playing for the money in two years. He's also a touch faster than Givens, let's see if he can get it done but it's nuts to say he cannot do it.

 

[the taildragger]

the funny thing is Felger's always at the front of the line when the Pats play the disrespect card.

Felger knows "10-6" was the result of the worst rash of injuries a team has ever overcome to make the playoffs...talk about losing credibility!

I won't throw him in with Borges, because Borges is more predictable, but they're both laughable.

Even if the Pats roll next year, Felger will just write it off to the scheduling gods.

So what's the real "good news?," that we'll be underestimated all the way to the playoffs.

 

[PatsSteve1]

If all Jones was signed for is to be the gunner on ST's, fine. I agree with Felger that if he ends up getting real playing time it's not a good thing. I do thank Felger for reminding me of what ex-Saints HC Jim Haslet had to say about him:

Jones became the highest-paid safety in the game following the 2003 trade that sent him from the Patriots to New Orleans (the three draft picks the Pats got in return netted Corey Dillon, Tully Banta-Cain and Dexter Reid). It didn’t take the Saints long to realize the mistake they made. Jones wound up with two interceptions over two seasons and coach Jim Haslet publicly wondered how a player who came from such good coaches in New England could tackle so poorly in New Orleans. Jones played six games for Miami last year, then went on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.

Jones is a terrific gunner on special teams. But if he’s the insurance in case Rodney Harrison doesn’t return to health and Eugene Wilson doesn’t return to form, watch out.

* I don't have the greatest memory in teh world but I honestly don't recall Tebucky ever making a ssure tackle low on a guy. Always hits high with his shoulder and often misses the mark.
I don't understand why writers, except Borgass who obviously has an axe to grind, get dissed because they don't drink the koolaid.

 

[the taildragger]

I don't understand why writers, except Borgass who obviously has an axe to grind, get dissed because they don't drink the koolaid.

dude, just because Felger occasionally makes a good point doesn't mean you can't "diss" him for the rest of his premature sensational b.s.

How is it rational to relate the 05 record to 06, but conveniently ignore the fact that the Pats broke the freakin injury record??

How is it rational to disagree with every single signing we've made?...we can't "diss" that because we're afraid of getting koolaid-itis? I'm sorry, but he's the disser here...he's testing the water...pushing as far as he can until he gets blasted back, which it appears is finally starting to happen.

90% of the time, Felger is nauseatingly pompous and speaks down to the wisdom of actual football people. Yeah, his tirades are provocative and entertaining as is his utter hate for everything in this world, but for the last time, it's not called objectivity to be perpetually cynical. Nobody expects objectivity from Felger, but if an op-ed employs selective logic it deserves to be exposed.

Another cliche that needs to be retired: it's not called drinking the freakin' kool aid to be positive about this team. There is a deeply rooted paranoia in new england of being branded a homer (but that's another topic). We're the only fans in the country who aren't allowed to realize what everyone else does. I laugh when outsiders accuse us of being spoiled/jaded -- we probably should be, but the reality is we're largely at the other extreme: blind and masochistic (not the hardcore followers on this board -- but as a whole "we" appreciate this team far less than we should).

This offseason has been a relentless series of crappy knee-jerk journalism (evidence the NFL has become overexposed)...and of all people, Prisco broke the trend. But all I can think reading this sht is, 'man, I wonder what Cardinals' fans think about us jumping off bridges because our kicker wisely decided to cash in and move indoors?' -- if they're paying attention at all, fans outside of Patsdom are puking at the negativity coming from the Pats beat.

Suffice it to say, the Pats are STILL the gold standard in the nfl -- yes, even without AV and without winning 4 out of 5. If, like Felger, you think this has changed, go ask a GM which franchise's success they're aspring to emulate.

Felger's rule is simple: when no reason for panic exists, invent one. There are far more respectable journalists on the Pats beat -- nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism, but this guy is consistently cynical, and therefore loses credibility (a price he's willing to pay for ratings, and more power to him).

The Pats have had a virtually unprecedented run of success that the "experts" all said was impossible -- now they continue to prophesize doom and gloom -- so maybe I'm a bit skeptical of THEM; maybe I'm drinkin' the proverbial kool aid...know what?, it tastes damn sweeeet!

 

[shakadave]

Pats were best in NFL in 2005

"First the bad news: Based on the current roster, the Patriots won’t be a better football team than the one that went 10-6 in 2005 and bowed out in the second round of the playoffs.

I take a whole different tack. This is not bad news! If we're not better, but just equal to the team that went 10-6 etc., that's GOOD because by year's end the Pats were the best team in football!!! Turnovers sunk us in Denver, but it wasn't like we were big underdogs. And if we had faced Pittsburgh, we would have been favored. Ditto Seattle!

I will be happy enough if we can equal the level of last year's team. And yet, we might surpass it! A year older and better: Seymour, Wilfork, Warren, Colvin, Samuel, Gay, Hobbs, Mankins, Koppen, Neal, Kaczur, Watson, etc. Healthier: Brady.

 

[fgssand]

Where have you gone Michael Felger??

The only good thing about Felgers radio show is that it allows me to turn off WEEI's yelling show (which only gives me a headache). Actually, another plus is that Felger will talk more football on his show than any other show in Boston, especially during the off season.

That said, Felger has changed and not for the better. Since the only local guests he can get are the ones banned from WEEI, such as Wrong Borges and Nick the **** Cafarto, they have polluted his mind and he is no longer able to see things clearly.

I also think Felger resents being 100% wrong about his thinking that the Patriots had to and would be keeping AV - had he only done his job, it was clearly evident that AV decided long ago to leave for reasons none of us will ever fully understand (not even Adam IMHO).

There is no reason for him to have not reported Gramaticas injuries and given him at least a chance to return to previous form, Caldwell could be very good, but again Felger gives him no chance, finally, T/Jones is a great pick up - instantly, our special teams just got faster, harder hitting and without a doubt BETTER. Why nothing but a passing "unknown" comment from him about Mitchell (I think he is very good)? Finally, he really offered no judgement on Warfield at all. Where is the other side of the coin Michael? He used to really presnet both sides, pro and com before he offered his opinion - lately, he cannot be bothered.

I wish he would stop and realize what got him where he is and return to his old style of unbiased, informative real information. Once upon a time he was very hardworking and it used to show in his work. It seems now he works too hard on his on air persona.