Now Bob Ryan is piling on BB...

[MoLewisrocks]

Most of what has been said in this thread is true, but I do agree with one thing that Ryan said: Pats fans WILL be on the defensive for the rest of their lives.

Simply witness the number of posts on this site about "the incident" since the story first broke last September. 99% of them are defending the Pats. That's being on the defensive, my friends.

Not to sermonize (on this Sunday morning), but I think the life lesson is that the appearance of impropriety can be as bad as impropriety itself.

Do me a favor, call me when the media and our politicians learn this lesson and apply that standard to the assessment of their own lives and performances. Then I will demand that the employees of our sporting franchises immediately follow suit. Until then, however, I will simply muddle alone embracing the same basic reality that Bill espoused the other night - you can't control what other people think. All you can do is tell the truth and hope eventually it carries the day.

 

[Jackson 2]

Not to stir any feathers, if someone can list an insightful Pats story please list it b/c I don't recall any from the guy. That's why I think it was rather elitist and out of touch when he writes about the opinion of an owner of a sport that he doesn't cover. That said, I'm still respectful of the amount time he had covering basketball. Ryan's goes back to the Russell era (when he was player/coach), he told stories about how Russell would play mind games with him when he was a young beat writer. IMO, he was an excellent beat writer.

Actually, about a year ago, or so, he wrote a glowing piece about the Patriots. He referred to them as the "gold standard" franchise that everyone in sports should emulate, etc. I remember it distinctly because it was the only other time I wrote an e-mail to him and I did so to thank him. He actually mailed me back a brief "thank you." Doubt I'll get one this time.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Well Bob Ryan has pretty much shut himself out from any future Patriot press conferences.

He never attended any of those anyway. Too busy multi-tasking like most of the multi-mediots in this town. He relied on his peers to shape his opinion, 'cause if you can't trust your peers in the media to shape your opinion...

Really, at the end of the day this all goes back to Cleveland. This is the media vindication of their much maligned brothers in arms in Cleveland and NY who told them a decade ago that this guy was an unmitigated loser, not to mention thoroughly unbalanced. Eight years, three Lombardi's and four trips to the big dance later, they finally think they have convincingly proved it. And if we don't get it it's because we're just morons anyway.

 

[Pats726]

Could the media please stop comparing McNamee, a person who was compelled to tell the truth or face prosecution to Walsh, a person who wasn't.

I haven't read of this comparison..I DO think Walsh was compelled to tell the truth (with Goodelll) but I find it interesting that since Walsh has talked to Goodell that he's back to his delusions of grandeaur... Not sure what and how the media is using the comparison to bash the Pats.. (tried to avoid as much as I can from the media..although Mazz and Ryan have been exceptions..)

 

[belichickaholic]

It's almost as if the ESPN editors just pulled the Easterbrook column from yesterday and e-mailed it to Ryan. Just despicable. And sad that a handful of these idiots are giving sports journalists a bad name.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Belichick continues to insist that he had "misinterpreted" the rule in question. He alone of the 32 coaches was confused. Amazing. The commissioner didn't buy it, and neither should anyone else.

So Bob Ryan thinks that because anyone else wasn't caught it wasn't happening?

Add him to the list of reporters who purposefully will not ask Matt Walsh who the other team he caught "cheating" was.

What we've got here is a situation on what was stretching the rules pre-2006 was breaking the rules post 2006... a situation where a coach who's forte is tape analysis continued that practice after it was prohibited.

It's not like he spiked the other team's gatorade or cheated on the Salary Cap - the reaction of so many to this is rediculous.

 

[marty]

Re: Now Bob Ryan is piling on BB..

Guys and gals you must understand just how upset the media is.
Despite their best efforts to destroy him Bill Belichick is still standing and still continues to thumb his nose at and ignore our corrupt
agenda driven local/national media.
This is upsetting to the mediots! This is hilarious to me! ...and should be to you.
I have no more trust in the media (sports or otherwise) than Belichick or 99.9% of the people who must deal with them have.
The collective media is not trustworthy or honest yet they sit in judgement of others?? Simply hilarious!
I really don't think mediots have any idea how little respect they garner with any segment of the population.

Very well said! The media here is seeing how their influence has been affected and will continue to be so. They are extremely upset at how this has all played out.

 

[nelly57]

Actually, about a year ago, or so, he wrote a glowing piece about the Patriots. He referred to them as the "gold standard" franchise that everyone in sports should emulate, etc. I remember it distinctly because it was the only other time I wrote an e-mail to him and I did so to thank him. He actually mailed me back a brief "thank you." Doubt I'll get one this time.

Again, I don't mean to stir the pot, I remember glancing over it. I apologize for being harsh but that article didn't provide any insight. The national talking heads mentioned that maybe a year or two before that. It's copy cat league, everybody team is looking at them to see how that can improve their own situation, given the pats was one of the teams to beat.

IIRC, he also mentions that the pats had players with high characters. I have alway interpret that as players who feel football is very important to them and not interpret character as the choir boys that Ryan hopes they turn out to be.

 

[captain stone]

Not to sermonize (on this Sunday morning), but I think the life lesson is that the appearance of impropriety can be as bad as impropriety itself.

Only if the appearance of impropriety reveals impropriety. Otherwise, it's only as bad because someone says it is, based on opinion and conjecture.

Nobody should be surprised by the venom from "The Sports Reporter". Ryan's a long-time member in good standing of the She-Man's Belichick-Haters Club. The NY Crimes-owned Glob has been given a free ride, mostly because the Herald's conduct has been so deplorable. But except for Reiss (and Gasper, who I'm sure doesn't want to make waves at this early stage in his career), the bow-tied bum-kissers at Morrissey Blvd. despise BB just as much as their counterparts at Albany St.

Face it, folks: when it comes to national coverage of the NEP, the tone will be almost unanimously negative; local (NE-area) coverage will be less negative, but still more negative than positive. And absolutely nothing save BB's resignation/retirement is going to change that tone.

If Ryan is looking for historical analogies, then he should consider the Third Reich, in which espn is Hitler, Lupica is Heinrich Himmler, Peter Queen is Hermann Goering, and the rest of the mediots are the SA, SS and Gestapo. Because Watergate and Clemens/McNamee aren't even close.

 

[captain stone]

It's almost as if the ESPN editors just pulled the Easterbrook column from yesterday and e-mailed it to Ryan. Just despicable. And sad that a handful of these idiots are giving sports journalists a bad name.

A handful? Only if those hands belonged to Atlas himself.

 

[SVN]

Never read much of him, but thought he was considered the dean of sportswriters in the Boston Area.. without regard, just another lemming piling on BB.. it seems as though the Globe has gotten favorable publicity with the Reiss stuff, but now wants to be cast in the negative limelight.. maybe he is jealous of Maserotti..

http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...ith_belichick_the_cover_up_is_most_revealing/

Here is what Bill Belichick has done: He has placed Patriots fans on the defensive for the rest of their lives.

more stories like this
Patriots' Belichick says Walsh isn't credible
Patriots' Belichick fires back at Walsh
Walsh talks about Belichick in HBO interview
Sen. Specter wants independent investigation into Spygate
Walsh talks about Spygate, Belichick in HBO interview
He has been exposed as being monumentally disingenuous at best and utterly duplicitous at worst. There can no longer be any doubt that he engaged in a practice he knew was against the rules.

.

i always get ticked off when the reporters claim to write on behalf of the fans. Have them come to this forum and then find out how they actually think of what BB has or has not done to them.

 

[flasox27]

I don't know what is worse for Ryan. Either he has sold his credibility to his ESPN masters or he is that out of touch with the feelings of the Pats fans in New England.
In either case he has given up his soul to join the ESPN lynch mob and good riddance to him.

 

[jmt57]

The ingrown hairs of Ryan's unibrow have infiltrated his cerebral cortex, rendering him into yet another land of the living dead mediot under the influence of the world wide leader.

 

[PatriotsReign]

I don't know what is worse for Ryan. Either he has sold his credibility to his ESPN masters or he is that out of touch with the feelings of the Pats fans in New England.
In either case he has given up his soul to join the ESPN lynch mob and good riddance to him.

Should we start a poll on Mr Ryan?

 

[flasox27]

Sounds like a plan.

 

[since67]

Talk about 'selling your soul'...Whatever amount of respect that Mr. Ryan may have garnered in past years has been instantly thrown into negative numbers with this defamatory smut. It's hard to believe that a member of the once local press can't do the following:

1. feel the pulse of Patriot Nation, query the Pats organization the proper way, peruse the boards, talk to somebody other that his networked contacts.

2. derive why we stand where we do based on FACTS. Investigate the easily obtainable and checkable facts and make an honest self assessment.

3. use logical based intellect...decipher the truths from the non truths based on evidence.

 

[flasox27]

It wouldn't be prudent for an ESPN talking head to go against the party line.

 

[aluminum seats]

I'm disappointed in him, honestly, although he's been in decline for a couple of years now. I'm actually getting exhausted by the whole thing.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I'm disappointed in him, honestly, although he's been in decline for a couple of years now. I'm actually getting exhausted by the whole thing.

Ya think ... too many years of being a lush has caught up to him. He can't drink like he used to so he's become a b!tch and a hater.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Re: Now Bob Ryan is piling on BB..

I doubt it will do any good, but here's my email to Mr Ryan;

Bobby, Bobby...Bobby,

I'll get right to the point, what "cover up" are you referring to. Bill Belichik has admitted right from the day they were caught what they were doing. Please explain this cover up specifically. Are you referring to Matt Walsh's statement that the Patriots efforts were covert?

So, did you actually assume that the Patriots were doing everything out in the open prior to Walsh's statement? Did you think Belichik was claiming he thought taping signals was ok? See Robert, it's like a tax loophole a friend tells you about that his tax guy told him about. You take the same exemptions even if you think they're shady because your buddy's tax guy said it was ok...but at the same time, you hope he's right if you get audited. After all, 6 or 7 of his buddies are doing the same thing.

Cover up?? Are you serious? That is not the issue nor has it ever been an issue. We've all known what Belichik's rationale was from the get-go and he hasn't wavered.

Watergate?? Wow Bobby!!...Wow! You've actually stooped that low!

Here's the deal, like it or not. Sports reporters aren't that important to the average fan. They don't influence the sport in any meaningful way. Reporters come & go and fans really don't notice...you're not part of sports.

Now some reporters (thankfully not you) even believe they have the power to run a coach out of town. I know you agree that's laughable, but some do believe it. Other reporters even "watch their fellow reporter's back" and write defaming articles in response to fans objections.

As you know, the day of reporters having that kind of power are over. The power is in the hands of the fans. Take Tomasse for example. If we want him out of town, he'll be gone. It's not even a question of "if", it's "when".

You have joined the national media forces who "were hoping for Matt Walsh to have something". Now that we know he had nothing, reporters are still writing articles as if something new was revealed...EVEN YOU! What should have taken focus off spygate has actually added to it due to the lies from guys like you & Easterbrooks.

I never thought I'd put you in Easterbrooks' class, but congratulations, you're there!

PatriotsReign
Raynham