Gregg Easterbrook on Felger's show

[PlattsFan]

Easterbrook is too muddled to be right or left. He first made a name for himself, afaik, as an "environmental writer" who would talk about how everything was great with the environment, so we should just all be happy and not push for any environmental legislation. He sort of lurches across the spectrum on various issues, not in any sort of admirable, "look-at-the-issue-and-decide" sort of way, but just with a total lack of actual thought or intellectual integrity. His continuing shtick is to label himself and then argue against the views usually associated with that label. So, he's an "environmentalist" who's against environmental legislation ...

It seems interesting at first until you realize he's dumber than an emoticon with just as much purpose to his bouncing around ...

 

[Caspir]

We know he's lying about Goddell not wanting to take more picks away. This guy micro manages the NFL like no other. He's even making rules about cheerleaders now. I bet there's nothing more that he'd like to do than penalize every team all kinds of picks, and just start the draft on day two.

 

[SVN]

i think carucci or someone else blew this recording theory a while back saying that SB36 was played under a backdrop of 9/11 and with security toting AK-47's how likely it would be that someone would be able to tape a team's practice. Easterbrook is stupid. SB39 BB was not happy with his own practice area because of rains. With no bye week how much time does one have for all this nonsense ??

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

Felger called him the NFL's version of Woodward and Bernstein. Huh? I think he is the league's version of those Kennedy Assassination/9-11 conspiracy theorist wackos.

Easterbrook alleges that he has heard that the tapes the league destroyed had video of walkthroughs of the all three Super Bowl opponents and the league destroyed the tapes would show evidence that could tear down the league. He also thinks that there might have been evidence of other teams cheating and Goodell didn't want to have to take away more first round picks.

Easterbrook is dubious about why the league would destroy the tapes unless they had something damning, but Felger said he heard that the Pats asked that the tapes be destroyed after the investigation so that more tapes did not get leaked to the media.

I think Easterbrook is trying to gain fame by being the league's resident nutjob. Who actually reads his column otherwise? I know there is a small group of loyal followers of this guy, but he is on ESPN Page 2 for a reason.

Ummmmm, How would we have tape of other teams cheating. Are we now taping other teams cheating. How stupid.

He's actually a REAL writer, not an ESPN douchebag

http://www.greggeasterbrook.com/books.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Easterbrook

Really douchebag, he's a senior editor at THE NEW REPUBLIC, the most intellectually dishonest news outfit in the WORLD.... BAR NONE. HERE is just some of the crap they pass as news.

 

[primetime]

i think carucci or someone else blew this recording theory a while back saying that SB36 was played under a backdrop of 9/11 and with security toting AK-47's how likely it would be that someone would be able to tape a team's practice. Easterbrook is stupid. SB39 BB was not happy with his own practice area because of rains. With no bye week how much time does one have for all this nonsense ??

It was Curran who wrote that. Of course, there was no way National Guardsmen would have been toting AKs, but rather M-16s, but that's just semantics.

 

[Bella*chick]

I would love to see He Ban Me's opinion of this hack if it was his precious Colts and Martin Luther Dungy at the center.

Something tells me this "real" writer wouldn't be so "real".

 

[BradyManny]

Who gives a crap if he's left or right, if he's made anti-semitic comments - which it looks like he has - then it's hard to take the guy seriously.

 

[upstater1]

Easterbrook is the old pervert that weekly drools over young 18 year old coeds in cheerleader outfits.

 

[shmessy]

To the posters of half this thread that I had to delete:

No Politics on this Forum.

Five words that are as easy to understand and as basic as "Don't Eat With Mouth Open" or "Be Nice to Old People".

A few of you may be new, but a few of you have had this run-in before and know better.

There is a separate and vibrant Politics Forum on this website. Over there, there are many folks just waiting to hear the political bleatings of everyone, left, right and undecided.

 

[Fixit]

The best part about Easterbrook's ramblings is that supposedly there is evidence of NE cheating in the Superbowls, as well as other teams cheating...and all of this is on the tapes that Goodell demanded, which (correct me if I'm wrong) were the tapes from the Jets game.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

Does anybody find it ironic that Easterbrook is pimping himself as the "champion of fair play and righteousness", when the the institution that he works for and has huge editorial input into (THE NEW REPUBLIC) has routinely been "busted" over the last 10 years for huge infractions that call into questions his journalistic integrity.

Since 1998, there has been THREE major incidents (Steven Glass, Ruth Shalit and Scott Thomas Beauchamp) of repeated plagiarism, out-right fabrications and incompetent and/or inadequate fact-checking. Those are the CARDINAL sins of the journalism, on par with "game-fixing" in the NFL.

1 (or possibly 2) incidents over that span might be considered "isolated", 3 cannot be considered anything but institutionalized journalistic fraud, and Easterbrook is very high in the institution.

How he gets ANY credibility or traction as the morality police is WAAAAAAY beyond me.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

It was Curran who wrote that. Of course, there was no way National Guardsmen would have been toting AKs, but rather M-16s, but that's just semantics.

for the record, NJ State Troopers were carrying M16s (or similar weapons) on opening day at the Meadowlands at the press and players entrance. It got the point across quite clearly that if you didn't have the proper credentials, you were not getting in....

 

[Grogan's neck roll]

I had been a Gregg Easterbrook fan but over the past couple of years have seen more inconsistencies and contradictions from him that made me less of a fan. His position on this topic reminds me of Pierre Salinger's claims about flight 800 that it was brought down by friendly fire, and despite all evidence to the contrary, he never let it go.

I suspect we can expect the same from GE.

 

[ClevTrev]

Simple question: Why would anyone sound of mind believe anything out of Easterbrook especially while appearing on Felger's show????

No one knows what was on those tapes except for a small contingent in the Patriots' organization, and they're not talking.

Case closed, please!!!

 

[Denzera]

The tragedy of all of this is that Gregg Easterbrook is legitimately one of the best football writers in the business. He actually loves the game of football played between the lines (as opposed to all the personality-driven melodrama off the field), and routinely has insightful commentary on what happened on particular plays. Basically, when he sticks to actual football, I actually learn something from reading his articles, something I can't say about very many writers out there.

Who gives a crap if he's left or right, if he's made anti-semitic comments - which it looks like he has - then it's hard to take the guy seriously.

Look, the guy's not antisemitic. He phrased something very very poorly in one article 4 years ago, and the alternative meaning was obvious. Basically, he was saying "Michael Eisner and Harvey Weinstein are both jewish. Given the recent european history of the jewish people, you'd think they would both be more sensitive about a movie that glorifies killing like Kill Bill". But in between those two sentences, he got into "pursuit of money" as a theme, and since he had just brought up the ethnic background of the executives, it sounded real bad.

I'm sympathetic. On another (very different) forum, I once mentioned how you have to be careful trying to meet girls in NYC, because so many of them are jewish (and thus not actually interested in my goy ass). But I phrased it poorly, and got hounded as an antisemite (despite living with two jewish roommates). People are waaaaaaay too quick to pull out the racist / antisemitic cards - and this is true everywhere.

The guy goes to a joint Christian-Jewish congregation. He's not an anti-semite. If you need to hate him, hate him for the anti-Patriots stuff that he's taking way too far. Hate him for his columns being 15,000 words. But there's no need to get on him for racist stuff.

 

[PonyExpress]

The tragedy of all of this is that Gregg Easterbrook is legitimately one of the best football writers in the business. He actually loves the game of football played between the lines (as opposed to all the personality-driven melodrama off the field), and routinely has insightful commentary on what happened on particular plays. Basically, when he sticks to actual football, I actually learn something from reading his articles, something I can't say about very many writers out there.



Look, the guy's not antisemitic. He phrased something very very poorly in one article 4 years ago, and the alternative meaning was obvious. Basically, he was saying "Michael Eisner and Harvey Weinstein are both jewish. Given the recent european history of the jewish people, you'd think they would both be more sensitive about a movie that glorifies killing like Kill Bill". But in between those two sentences, he got into "pursuit of money" as a theme, and since he had just brought up the ethnic background of the executives, it sounded real bad.

I'm sympathetic. On another (very different) forum, I once mentioned how you have to be careful trying to meet girls in NYC, because so many of them are jewish (and thus not actually interested in my goy ass). But I phrased it poorly, and got hounded as an antisemite (despite living with two jewish roommates). People are waaaaaaay too quick to pull out the racist / antisemitic cards - and this is true everywhere.

The guy goes to a joint Christian-Jewish congregation. He's not an anti-semite. If you need to hate him, hate him for the anti-Patriots stuff that he's taking way too far. Hate him for his columns being 15,000 words. But there's no need to get on him for racist stuff.

Welcome aboard Denzera. I think there is alot of wisdom in what you say. The problem with Easterbrook is he has been overzealous to the point of lunacy in pursuing this issue, and in the process is smearing many hundreds of honest people. As far as his offensive comments in the past; I believe he has apologized earnestly for those, and IMO it shows a lack of compassion to brand someone with so heinous a term after sincere contrition. I disagree about his football knowledge and his abilities as a writer.

 

[PatsFan37]

Welcome aboard Denzera. I think there is alot of wisdom in what you say. The problem with Easterbrook is he has been overzealous to the point of lunacy in pursuing this issue, and in the process is smearing many hundreds of honest people. As far as his offensive comments in the past; I believe he has apologized earnestly for those, and IMO it shows a lack of compassion to brand someone with so heinous a term after sincere contrition. I disagree about his football knowledge and his abilities as a writer.

Agreed on both points.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Seeing as how a scout with digital video recording capable binoculars in the stands can accomplish the same thing that a conspicuous team employee can achieve on the sidelines - though without anyone knowing, it seems clear to me now what BB's motivation was in the so called "spygate" scandal

Quite simply - he wants to intimidate other teams' coaches and coordinators - letting them know he's watching and causing them to second guess calls or go to great lenghts to disguise them

THAT's the competitive advantage Belichick gains - and is the only thing that explains why he would video play calls conspicously when he could easilly do so covertly.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

1) Easterbrook has not written anti-semitic pieces. Unlike so many posting here, I have read his work consistently for years. What's so ironic about the knee jerk comdemnations ( both unfounded and, even more sadly, unobserved) is many of these same posters regularly complain about politically correct writing/speaking etc. TMQ challenged the status quo, asked hard (read: politically incorrect) questions of a movie industry that so many of these same kind of posters/pundits scorn for their un-American attitudes! Thus these charges of anti-semitism become even more ironic and sad...

2) Easterbrook is not a Patriots hater. This idea is just more junk spread by the uniformed. But hey, why bother finding out what someone really has to say when they can easily be crammed into a conveniently negative pigeonhole?

3) I think the NFL over did on the penalty - a first round draft pick seems an insanely painful penalty even if the Pats did film dozens of games. Losing such a pick could affect a franchise for a decade or more. Goodell obviously is aware of the dire consequences of losing such a pick, thus it's logical to assume he found a crime commensurate with the penalty. Easterbrook (TMQ) wants more details on why the NFL would levy the most severe punishment they ever have - don't you? He proceeded on the basis that the NFL front offices can be trusted, this was based on personal experience as well as reputation. So when the NFL came down so hard on the Pats but wouldn't show the evidence he became suspicious more damaging facts were being hidden. Hardly the thought process of an idiot, or worse, that he's been called here.

4) The dude loves football and is possibly the most widely read football column in the WORLD. He didn't crawl back to ESPN, they called him back and showed him the money. And possibly the most pathetic criticism I've read here of TMQ regards his regular recognition of the NFL (or pro and college football in general) cheerleaders. Why would owners spend a dime on cheer squads unless the response by fans has been positive? Our very own Pats have a cheer squad full of beautiful women (ah, how many knew the TMQ actually takes the time to note the personal and intellectual accomplishments of the cheer babes he mentions) that are so popular the team foots the bill for a yearly photo shoot for a hot selling calendar.

5) Easterbrook is so patently self-effacing that anyone calling him self-important has managed to miss his obvious and constant playful skewering of the bombastic NFL culture including everyone from players, owners, coaches, writers, pundits, and yes, even fans.

 

[BradyManny]

I'm sympathetic. On another (very different) forum, I once mentioned how you have to be careful trying to meet girls in NYC, because so many of them are jewish (and thus not actually interested in my goy ass). But I phrased it poorly, and got hounded as an antisemite (despite living with two jewish roommates).

LOL!! Did you seriously pull the equivalent to "I'm not racist, I have plenty of black friends" thing?? Damn man. I'm honestly not calling you an anti-semite, but seriously - you might want to let that 1970s-ish cliche drop if you want to avoid future trouble from more PC crowds.

As for Easterbrook, maybe I don't know enough about the guy. As I said, until a week ago, I had no idea who this clown was. All I know is everything I've read about him since points to him being a lunatic. Things start to add up and you can get a sense of who the guy is.