Why the fans are hurt the most

[PromisedLand]

Since I've been on this board I have thought of you as a good and loyal Patriot fan.

But I must say that sentence that I bolded smacks of blantant disloyalty. I don't know how you can rush to judgement that way. You,like I, know so very little of the facts right now.

Yet you ready to dump the man who built this dynasty down the toilet on the basis of what? Media fenzy? Patriot haters distorting things?

If you read my thread you will see that I said that BB did violate NFL rules. I said that there should be penalties.

But IMO, you go way too far. I cannot for the life of me figure out how some fans can be so disloyal.

Read the sentence AFTER the one you highlighted. I specifically said, "I still want him to be our coach and I will still support him."

But I don't think this is an issue of loyalty to Bill Belichick. He is not my family. He is not the Patriots, any more than Richard Nixon was the United States. Both were entrusted with a responsibility. Those who called for Nixon's resignation were just as patriotic as those who supported him. Please don't impugn my loyalty to the institution that is the Patriots because I think Belichick did something wrong.

In another thread someone compared this to the way you feel when a child does something wrong. You don't stop loving the child, but you do feel disappointed in their behavior. I don't know if that's a perfectly valid comparision, because you NEVER stop loving a child (at least most people don't) no matter what they do. My support for Bill Belichick is NOT absolute - nor do I think it is appropriate for it to be. There are certainly things he could hypothetically do which would make me wish he was gone. For me, videogate doesn't rise to that level. But again, there is no reason for you to question my loyalty just because I disapprove of what he did, or is alleged to have done.

And here's another thing: he is a very smart man, and he should realize that in his position, even the APPEARANCE of impropriety can be as damaging as actual impropriety. If he didn't know that before he should have learned it from his well-publicized involvement with that woman who used to work for the Giants. When you are in a position like his, you need to be concerned that what you do may APPEAR inappropriate, even if it isn't. He may have some perfectly valid explanation of the video (although with what we know right now it is hard to imagine what it might be), but given the previous suspicions about the taping and the league's memo, if there was any doubt at all that the taping might be seen as improper, maybe he should have asked the commissioner about his "interpretation" first.

You do raise one valid point, but it applies to everyone discussing this issue here and on TV and the internet as much as it does to me, and that is that we don't know all the facts yet. So I will add this: all of what I have said is predicated on the assumption that BB did in fact knowingly violate league policy. I don't know why he would issue an apology if he didn't think he had so done, but until we know all the facts none of us are sure of that. But that won't stop everyone from talking about it, and it won't stop lots of people, including Shawn Alexander, from questioning whether we were cheating when we won all our Super Bowls.

 

[Ring 6]

No, no...dont try to backpedal. You said what if there was no tape? I didnt mention anything about what's ON the tape, just that there was one. And for god's sake, now it's "maybe it could have been a DVD." Are you people for real? And if you dont believe ANYTHING in the media, then why are you even posting about this topic? You wouldnt have know about this if not for the media. I dont believe the pundits (grain of salt), but Im pretty sure when we're talking about the basics (like a tape was taken), it's probably credible. Here's a quote from ESPN...

"NFL security confiscated a video camera and tape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on Sunday when he was working on the New York Jets' sideline during New England's 38-14 victory. The league has confirmed that it is investigating whether the Patriots were taping the Jets' defensive coaches as they signaled to players on the field.


However, league sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Goodell has already determined that the Patriots have violated league rules when they videotaped defensive signals by the Jets' coaches."

Oh, you mean the exact report that the NFL said was incorrect?

 

[jetheelz]

This is totally off topic but Promised Land, I see you are from Raleigh. Is there a Pats hangout or bar you watch the games at?

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Guys, I don't get what's still in doubt. The Commish and Belichick talked, Belichick has apologized to the players and organization. He'll have more to say next week, etc. A tape was in the camera, it was examined, and the Commish says it seems like BB is guilty as charged.

I don't like it, but that's what it is. Of course, BB will "make our case" by Friday. I don't get the impression that "our case" pertains to much more than the sentencing phase.

Anyway, for you guys that think the fans are hurt the most, think again.

Think about being Ellis Hobbs, and instead of at least a week of glory for a record-breaking return, you have to spend the week hearing this crap. Think about being any of the players on this very good football team, being told outright by some talking heads -- and players they've defeated -- that they never were any good, and pretty much having to clam up and take it.

Hey, they get paid a lot to toe that line, sure. But the irritation level has to be orders of magnitude higher than we the fans experience.

PFnV

 

[PromisedLand]

This is totally off topic but Promised Land, I see you are from Raleigh. Is there a Pats hangout or bar you watch the games at?

PM me.
......

 

[ChoWZa]

I have been greatly disturbed by the incident earlier this week, and have been struggling to understand my feelings and sort out the reactions of others, fans and foes alike, being expressed on this web site and in the media. I think I have made some progress.

...

Sure, I still want him to be our coach and I will still support him, but I will always wonder, "Why, Bill, did you have to do this to us, your long-suffering fans, to your team, and most of all to yourself?"

Theres something you don't understand. Its nothing that an NFL analyst or sportswriter can tell you. Theres an evolution that revolves around success. Its success that has spewed the media frenzy, not the video taping.

In 2001 everyone was cheering on the Patriots who rose up against all odds and were part of a Super Bowl no one believed they had a chance of reaching.

Everything was great then. It was a good football year, a "no-name" team won it all. Time to get back to reality and the real juggernaut teams could get back to business.

...but something happened...(exclude 2002)... The Patriots kept winning...slowly the media got sick of writing about and covering the Patriots...envy and jealousy slowly begins to set in... the 21 game win streak... winning the AFC east over and over.. 3 super bowls...

I've been competitive enough in life to know that on your way up to the top everyone supports you and cheers you on, and when you get there...if you stay there too long people will turn against you...

Thats all this is...

They will mock and challenge and discredit the Patriots as long as they are on top...and they will laugh when its over...

..but the film and the history books will speak for themselves.

Look... they're still here


Being a fan of the team thats winning is a roller coaster, this incident is not the end of it. You just have to understand this is a byproduct of success and is not going away. Get used to the ride or get off.