ESPN hitpiece on Patriots (Rift with Brady/Belichick/Kraft) - Merged

[AtomicDawg]

The article was kind of hilarious. Any Harry Potter fans will recognize a distinct Rita Skeeter quality to it.

I love how the blow up to McDaniels is presented as a telling culmination of all the behind the scenes drama as if Brady didn’t have a much worse meltdown at Bill O’Brien years ago.

Garoppolo being locked out of the building at TB12 cracks me up. It’s inserted almost as an aside that he eventually did get treatment there. It’s all presented with an air of nefariousness, as if there was no other explanation other than TB was secretly pulling the strings and not letting JG sit at the cool kids lunch table.

The most disappointing part is that B.B. has become “good friends” with Roger Goodell? Barf.

This bit is the best.

"If we trade Jimmy, we're the Cleveland Browns, with no succession plan," one person inside the building said earlier in the year."

One of the best quotes from the article imo

 

[Mark.]

Decided to skip the article. Busy crocheting doilies. Whatever happened to real journalism? Articles like this would never have been published in the past. And whatever happened to libel? Brady and Belichick have repeatedly has their reputations smeared without consequence. Although, I don't want Belichick to retire, I eagerly await his tell all book about the NFL and what goes on behind the scenes.

 

[SVN]

There are times when you can only get anonymous sources, and I can accept that, as long as due diligence was done, the difficulties are acknowledged, and admissions of possible problems are made. However, using anonymous sources to do things like coming to the conclusion that a talk and hug on one day is the reason for happiness days later, when you've got nothing remotely concrete to support that claim, is journalistic malpractice. As for this:



Building up the sinister angle of a guy who can't get into a building, without reporting on whether or not others could still get in, or getting any relevant comment (or "no comment") about that specific incident from one of the parties involved, and with only a late mention of the fact that he got in later, is lazy reporting at best.

Yeah , the whole Jimmy G being not let into TB12 facility stuff sounds nidicolous.

 

[PP2]

You’re the real MVP.

Eh- I just see the whole thing as a last, desperate attempt by this sleazy outfit to create a clickbait cash cow, probably to pay for the upcoming sexual harrassment suits against ex-president Skipper who lied about resigning because of "substance abuse":

Former ESPN President John Skipper Allegedly Out Drinking With Dan LeBatard In North Carolina

They're the movie villain hanging onto the cliff by their fingertips and I'm gladly stomping on their fingers.

 

[FrodoBagginz]

Whenever I come across ESPN on TV....

 

[AtomicDawg]

Seriously ?
"At the same time, as his age has increased, Brady has become an advocate of positive thinking. Belichick's negativity and cynicism have gotten old, Brady has told other Patriots players and staff. He feels he has accomplished enough that he shouldn't have to endure so much grief. Patriots staffers have noticed that, this year more than ever, he seems to volley between unwavering confidence and driving insecurity. Brady has noted to staff a few times this year that, no matter how many game-changing throws he makes, Belichick hasn't awarded him Patriot of the Week all year."

I never believe brady can be like this.

What in **** is "Patriot of the Week"? And BB Giving that out? WTF believes this????

 

[Deus Irae]

Yeah , the whole Jimmy G being not let into TB12 facility stuff sounds nidicolous.

I can't speak for JAG. I can, however, speak for myself. If I had an appointment for physical therapy and arrived at the location only to find it closed, it wouldn't take me two weeks to get an appointment, and I wouldn't be relying on some staffer to get it done. I'd be airing people out the next morning, and either being seen at MY earliest convenience or being seen by another therapist.

And, if I were JAG in this case, airing people out would have included me publicly, and loudly, telling Tom about the poor service being provided by his business partner.

 

[Anteros]

Jeezus, what a crock of **** this article is...a self-serving pat on the back, trying to corroborate their own endless barrage of ********. I stopped when it got to the whole bit about how these "staffers" believed the Defamegate accusations. There was no point to it anymore, and that was the last straw.

No one has this level of access to the Pats to know these things, especially not anyone at BSPN.

That right there is what did it for me also. This is a complete sham.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Surely itll be loaded w unnamed sources, people familiar with kraft, with Brady, or belichick...just like everything else we see in NYT, Wapo, Newsweek etc.... All fake news

Be careful there.

The Washington Post, especially Sally Jenkins, was more loyal to Brady and the Patriots than the CHB and others at the Globule during Deflategate. Gary Myers of the NY Daily News has morphed into Brady's biggest defender and Goodell's most vocal critic, while still keeping his distance from Belichick.

You're right about the NYTimes, whose Sports Page is hack city. Not so sure I care what Newsweek thinks of the Patriots in particular or Sports in general, but I'll take your word for it.

 

[AtomicDawg]

There are two things that I totally believe in this "article" though.

1. Belichick grinding harder than ever this year. Of course he is, and why would he not? He’s about to lose much of the coaching staff to other franchises.

2. The owner being more spineless over Deflategate than even we previously thought.

 

[TomPatriot]

Gettleman would not be the new Giants GM if BB intended to leave.

 

[Clonamery]

Eh- I just see the whole thing as a last, desperate attempt by this sleazy outfit to create a clickbait cash cow, probably to pay for the upcoming sexual harrassment suits against ex-president Skipper who lied about resigning because of "substance abuse":

Former ESPN President John Skipper Allegedly Out Drinking With Dan LeBatard In North Carolina

They're the movie villain hanging onto the cliff by their fingertips and I'm gladly stomping on their fingers.

An unnamed Patsfan poster thought that this insight was particularly insightful.

Also, an unnamed ESPN staffer would not comment.

 

[PP2]

What in **** is "Patriot of the Week"? And BB Giving that out? WTF believes this????

Ding! Ding! Ding! You are the winner of the grand prize!

There's no such thing as "Patriot of the week."

 

[SVN]

. "If we trade Jimmy, we're the Cleveland Browns, with no succession plan," one person inside the organization said earlier in the year.
Really ??

 

[zoostation]

I have no problem believing that Brady and Belichick are at loggerheads over several issues behind the scenes but are also professional enough to not have it effect their performance during games. Even the best marriages have periods of time where the two can't stand each other.

The problem is games are won during the week. The game makes up about 15% of the time the team spends working.

 

[CutiePie]

I can't speak for JAG. I can, however, speak for myself.

deus

his name is jimmy richard garoppolo

aka jimmy g aka jimmy gq

and he's 7-0 and looks like the future of the NFL

 

[nabwong]

It could be true, it could not. Even if events are 100% true, it’s the past and no one knows what the future intentions are or whether all 3 are still on the same page. It’s normal for any organization to have obstacles. But all good organizations work them out.

I mean, who knew veteran linebackers were walking out of Patricia’s meetings. That they didn’t feel the need to learn his game plan. That’s so anti-patriots way. But those issues were worked out.

But I’m already prepared for stuff like this since deflate gate. You saw Kraft flip flop so many times. I never knew what to expect of him. He made the worst decisions then. It’s not improbable that he’s making bad decisions now.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

What in **** is "Patriot of the Week"? And BB Giving that out? WTF believes this????

Does he mean "practice player of the week"? I thought that was given to players who help prepare for then next opponent, mostly practice squad players or backups who would act as a scout team. It wouldn't usually be a starter though there are exceptions. I don't think Gronk or Gilmore or Amendola ever won it either...
Earlier winners this year ( though RBs all of them won it one week)
Patriots name eight practice players of the week following win over Steelers

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I can't speak for JAG. I can, however, speak for myself. If I had an appointment for physical therapy and arrived at the location only to find it closed, it wouldn't take me two weeks to get an appointment, and I wouldn't be relying on some staffer to get it done. I'd be airing people out the next morning, and either being seen at MY earliest convenience or being seen by another therapist.

And, if I were JAG in this case, airing people out would have included me publicly, and loudly, telling Tom about the poor service being provided by his business partner.

Absolutely and we, the public would have found out about it in a nanosecond......

 

[archstanton543]

And whatever happened to libel?

They changed the law a while back saying that you have to prove that the article was written with specific intent to harm the parties being reported on. And then, if you're one of the parties, you have to show the court specific examples of how you lost money based on the publishing of the article.

It's virtually impossible to prove.