Ok, so, obviously Belichick thinks there's some competitive advantage to keeping everyone completely in the dark about injuries, or else he wouldn't do it.
But then again, if there's one area where BB hasn't always shown the best judgement, it's deciding what methods of acquiring a competitive edge are worth the possible consequences. (You know, like taping the opposing defense's hand signals.)
So, in the case of Belichick's policy of total secrecy regarding injuries, is the juice worth the squeeze? Here are the pros and cons as I see them -- feel free to point out more.
Pros: Opposing coaches have a harder time figuring out who's going to play, and who's going to sit. Opposing players know less about how to take advantage of, or re-aggravate, the injury. Players who do not wish to talk about their injuries can deflect inquiries to BB.
Cons: The fans are kept in the dark as well, even in situations like this one where there's no hiding the nature of the injury from opposing players, and coaches will get an idea of when Mayo will be back in games by when he starts practicing again. It makes the media's job more difficult, and allows bad sources, like the one who gave Curran the line about Brady's knee, to spread their disinformation. It can also mean more of an invasion of privacy into the players' lives, as the press isn't getting information through proper channels. Lastly, when the fans and press don't know that a struggling player is playing through injury, it can irrevocably damage the relationship between the player and the town & organization.
