Kremlinology -- Foxborough Style

[Mike the Brit]

Does anyone else remember the old days of Kremlinology? When there would be a big public occasion (May Day parade or funeral of a comrade) the leadership would be photographed together and all the Western experts would interpret what was happening behind the scenes from who was standing where (and who wasn't in the photo!)

It seems that Patriots' commentators have to do the same kind of thing from the locker room. What does it all mean?

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

May 12, 2007
Locker room look

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots coach Bill Belichick held a press conference (11:30 a.m.-noon) and the media had access to the locker room after that (noon-12:45 p.m.).

A few observations:


In the locker room, receiver Randy Moss has a locker to the right of quarterback Tom Brady. The locker to Moss's right is Vinny Testaverde's (he remains a free agent).
Adalius Thomas will wear No. 96, but his locker is in the 50s section, with Mike Vrabel (50) to his left and Eric Alexander (52) to his right.


All of the rookies had temporary blue lockers which were placed in the middle of the room.

Troy Brown, who remains a free agent, also has a locker in place.

 

[Krugman]

Yea,I do remember those days,thats an interesting (and amusing )take on that.

 

[DarrylS]

Good point, that is a very interesting interpretation and take on this sitz.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Does anyone else remember the old days of Kremlinology? When there would be a big public occasion (May Day parade or funeral of a comrade) the leadership would be photographed together and all the Western experts would interpret what was happening behind the scenes from who was standing where (and who wasn't in the photo!)

In the locker room, receiver Randy Moss has a locker to the right of quarterback Tom Brady. The locker to Moss's right is Vinny Testaverde's (he remains a free agent).

Intriguing. By placing Brady to the left of Moss, the Patriots are clearly signalling that TB's politics are on the liberal side and that he will indeed run for Ted Kennedy's seat as a Democrat when the Senator retires...

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Let's not get too carried away Mike, this is a simple logistics equation. Brady=press magnet, Moss=press magnet, put them together and you make the PR department and media mavens happy, while disrupting the fewest number of fellow players.

The true Kremlinology comes from Bam Childress' move alongside Troy Brown. I still think Bam's style is closest to Troy's, and when you factor in Bam's time at CB and the fact that he and Troy were the only two WRs who lined up as RBs in the Jacksonville game...the heir to the three-way player throne is named. We'll know better when he's a third year player on the Practice Squad drawing down a full salary and waiting for the one year rehab guys to get their bling and move on.

 

[PatsMyBoyz!]

I love the analogy!
I like Moss right next to Brady-they can hang out,work on the chemistry thing, plus TB can keep him in line
* Yesterday ESPN did a short seg on Moss' locker location,too lol.

AD's in a good spot,right between Vrabel and Alexander.

 

[patchick]

Great analogy! Breer's blog yesterday took locker Kremlinology even deeper by reading the contents like tea leaves:

"Moss’ locker looks like it hasn’t been used quite yet, with a team-issued sweatshirt, sweatpants and workout shirt sitting in an otherwise-barren setting.

– Brown’s locker appears to be in use, with shower shoes and sneakers, plus an arsenal of bathroom supplies, inside.

– Adalius Thomas‘ locker is next to Mike Vrabel’s, and is piled high with stuff. The only one that looked more full than his was Wes Welker’s."

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/patriots/

 

[PATSNUTme]

I see no merit in Mike's comparison.

Just because the players address each other as "comrade" only means that they are buying into BB team concept.

 

[PatsRI]

ummm, maybe it's just me but can we keep the comparisons to an empire that collapsed from within away from our current dynasty. (especially when talking about Moss)

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Okay just for the record I don't think Brady is any Stalin Colinet, but he might not exactly be Lincoln Kennedy either.

Anyway, if the Kremlin is any guide, we have about 70 more years to worry about dropping from contention (and actually, I hear they're in a rebuilding year themselves...)

Or, as Marx put it,

"The struggle to drive inexorably to the end zone of the oppressor capitalist dogs and impose the will of the heroic representatives of the proletariat (the Patriots) is an athletic struggle."

PFnV

 

[psychoPat]

Okay just for the record I don't think Brady is any Stalin Colinet, but he might not exactly be Lincoln Kennedy either.

....
Or, as Marx put it,

"The struggle to drive inexorably to the end zone of the oppressor capitalist dogs and impose the will of the heroic representatives of the proletariat (the Patriots) is an athletic struggle."

PFnV

Capital, PFnV !

You surely are aware, however, that other authorities question the authenticity of this quotation.
Marx was speaking in Budapest, you recall, before an audience of workmen few of whom spoke German.
Karl's own efforts to relate to them in Magyar therefore were processed by men who were laughing and snickering.
Although Marx's prescience in seeing the inevitable triumph of pro football is remarkable
... Noam Chomsky believes that "end zone" should be rendered as "goalline".

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Capital, PFnV !

You surely are aware, however, that other authorities question the authenticity of this quotation.
Marx was speaking in Budapest, you recall, before an audience of workmen few of whom spoke German.
Karl's own efforts to relate to them in Magyar therefore were processed by men who were laughing and snickering.
Although Marx's prescience in seeing the inevitable triumph of pro football is remarkable
... Noam Chomsky believes that "end zone" should be rendered as "goalline".

It has been remarked more than once -- and not only by Chomsky -- that another reading could be employed that substitutes "goalline" for "end zone", but that reading also substitutes "sheetmetal workers" for "Patriots," and so loses relevance in the current context.

As to the Trotskyite protestation that the Patriots' grip on NFL hegemony is but the exchange of new order capitalist league hegemony for a pre-salary cap/free-agency hegemony of thinly veiled gold-standard monetarists (the so-called "49ers",) and adventurist militarists modeling themselves after violent seminomadic herdsmen (the "cowboys,") interspersed with moments of faux proletarian ideal socialist triumph in the form of the municipally owned Packers: Hey Trotsky, who axed you?

Marx himself, on seeing forerunners of American football played in the 1880s, spoke convincingly in favor of an unwritten future as regards the game. Using the most commonly accepted translation of his remarks after the Berlin/Alsace game of 1882:

"We did some things, you know, we had to do, to instantiate, you know, the supremacy of the advanced German proletariat over the primitive romantic instincts of the Francoized Alsatian proletariat, and you know, you do some things, and some of those things work for you. And they have a world-class organization, and you know, on the stage of history we did some things today, and next time in the dialectic materialist struggle, they might do them, and they might come out ahead. They're a great club, a well coached club, it just happened we were fortunate enough to do some things when it really mattered and we came out with a win, but you know, any time you come out with a win, you take it, but that just defines the thesis against the antithesis of the next dialectic struggle, you know, particularly this time of year."

PFnV

 

[PatsSteve1]

There were rumors that Brady had something to do with the Patriots getting Moss. Maybe this is BB's way of saying, 'you wanted him, you got him' -

 

[patchick]

"We did some things, you know, we had to do, to instantiate, you know, the supremacy of the advanced German proletariat over the primitive romantic instincts of the Francoized Alsatian proletariat, and you know, you do some things, and some of those things work for you. And they have a world-class organization, and you know, on the stage of history we did some things today, and next time in the dialectic materialist struggle, they might do them, and they might come out ahead. They're a great club, a well coached club, it just happened we were fortunate enough to do some things when it really mattered and we came out with a win, but you know, any time you come out with a win, you take it, but that just defines the thesis against the antithesis of the next dialectic struggle, you know, particularly this time of year."

 

[Patriotic]

It has been remarked more than once -- and not only by Chomsky -- that another reading could be employed that substitutes "goalline" for "end zone", but that reading also substitutes "sheetmetal workers" for "Patriots," and so loses relevance in the current context.

As to the Trotskyite protestation that the Patriots' grip on NFL hegemony is but the exchange of new order capitalist league hegemony for a pre-salary cap/free-agency hegemony of thinly veiled gold-standard monetarists (the so-called "49ers",) and adventurist militarists modeling themselves after violent seminomadic herdsmen (the "cowboys,") interspersed with moments of faux proletarian ideal socialist triumph in the form of the municipally owned Packers: Hey Trotsky, who axed you?

Marx himself, on seeing forerunners of American football played in the 1880s, spoke convincingly in favor of an unwritten future as regards the game. Using the most commonly accepted translation of his remarks after the Berlin/Alsace game of 1882:

"We did some things, you know, we had to do, to instantiate, you know, the supremacy of the advanced German proletariat over the primitive romantic instincts of the Francoized Alsatian proletariat, and you know, you do some things, and some of those things work for you. And they have a world-class organization, and you know, on the stage of history we did some things today, and next time in the dialectic materialist struggle, they might do them, and they might come out ahead. They're a great club, a well coached club, it just happened we were fortunate enough to do some things when it really mattered and we came out with a win, but you know, any time you come out with a win, you take it, but that just defines the thesis against the antithesis of the next dialectic struggle, you know, particularly this time of year."

PFnV

On the other hand, this might only mean we'll be doing more Russian in the red zone. And thank God we're staying clear of China.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

"That's why you'll never be a head totalitarian dictator, Stalin..."

 

[gomezcat]

You, who are critical of Comrade Belichick, are the true running and lap dogs of the Imperialist Zionist oppressors. You are all liable for re-education, being sent to watch game tape breakdowns with Commissars Box and Pats1.

The Imperialist oppressors, ruled by Chief Poodle Borges, try unsuccessfully to crush the glorious struggle for workers' signing bonuses and SB rings, sorry, socialist paradise.

 

[Mike the Brit]

On the other hand, this might only mean we'll be doing more Russian in the red zone.

Comrade, this joke shows that you require urgent re-education!

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Comrade, this joke shows that you require urgent re-education!

Just look what you've done! This is the type of radical behavior that comes of your attempts to pierce the secrecy of the razor curtain. The death of a million papercuts in the lemonade factory is too good for you!

Moderators, I believe this thread should be moved to the Draft forum for a proper interactive mock trial.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Kool-aid factory, thank you very much. And it's a mock show trial. Don't get me wrong, nobody like a good purge as much as I do, unless it's a contestant on America's Next Top Model. But we have to get our terms right here!