I don't know....I read this article last night and I just shook my head. Pointing out the mismatch is one thing. Declaring Richard the defensive MVP based on his stirring the drink in a 4 game stretch against less than the iron of the league, apparently discounting a number of other things that changed during that time period including Bruschi returning, Vrabel moving inside, deadwood being sent to the bench or IR, players executing better and gradually developing cohesion to the point coaching could expand on scheme....
This article to me read more like an attempt by Felger to become Richard's new media suckup/agent. Given the arrogant tone Felgie chose, I hope he did this on his own. I didn't see any quotes, which is encouraging in that respect.
Contrary to prevailing opinion that this may in fact be BB's finest coaching season, Felger has gone on record lately saying BB did not do a good job this season. It wasn't the players fault they sucked, it was coaching handcuffing them. I'm not sure if he's just determined to present a contrarian view for self promotion purposes, or if he is trying to carve out a niche in the locker room similar to the one Cafardo held in the Bledsoe era - champion of the players who think coaching is over rated. It's really odd because that would go against much of what Felger has articulated as his view for a number of years.
Felger isn't a reporter anymore. His new title is scary: "Beat Columnist". That means he doesn't need to know anything anymore, nor does he even need to believe it. He is now free write what he wants to inflame or shape opinion. Combined with his desperate need to drive ratings on his ESPN radio show before the next ratings period ends, I think we're in for a hefty dose of drink stirring melodrama from Felger from here on out. He used to hate the melodrama that surrounded the Sox and the time his baseball peers wasted on it as opposed to the actual game. That was one of the things he preferred about football and reporting on it.
The tone of these excerpts on the eve of the playoffs just seemed out of character - especially coming from a voice who preached last summer that Seymour's behavior and contract demands - which Felger characterized as a determination to be the highest paid in the league - was threatening the core leadership philosophy and could not be tolerated.
I guess Felger's attitude these days could best be described as fluid - depending on his ratings position.
"From the beginning this year, Richard Seymour cut a wide swath.
He walked the walk, talked the talk and commanded respect at every turn. He began the season by demanding to be paid like the best defensive lineman in football, and then he went out and played like it. He was the Patriots’ defensive MVP, and only one other player, linebacker Mike Vrabel, even belonged in the conversation...
As usual, Seymour’s individual stats were underwhelming. He was sixth on the team in tackles (69) and fourth in sacks (four). But numbers never told the story with Seymour in the past and they don’t now. When healthy, Seymour provided relentless pressure in 2005, whether he got to the quarterback or not. He consistently created room for players around him, most notably outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin. He almost never got run on.
Above it all, Seymour was the straw that stirred the drink. He wasn’t afraid to challenge management in August with his mini-holdout. He wasn’t afraid in early December to express his displeasure with the conservative defensive play-calling of the coaches. He was never afraid to put himself “out there.â€
Tonight should offer a good case study between Seymour and Stroud, his former University of Georgia teammate who was drafted two years later and seven slots (No. 13 overall) behind him in the first round, yet was given a five-year $30 million extension (with $13 million in up-front/guaranteed money) by the Jags last offseason. Seymour is still waiting for his payday.
According to sources, Seymour turned down Stroud-type money from the Patriots. He feels he’s better and should be paid accordingly.
It’s the kind of stance everyone has come to expect from the prideful, strong-willed Seymour. And it’s never been a problem in the past because he’s always backed it up."
