Question to all

[Tunescribe]

It just might be that BB's system is what allows certain players to excel WHILE THEY ARE PATRIOTS, and that ability alone isn't enough to carry them once they leave. Other than Law, who has left N.E. and done as well with another team? BB emphasizes smarts, dedication, and suitability for niche play as much as sheer skill. Perhaps that's the difference.

 

[Nikki]

My dad has always watched the PATS, and I really didn't start watching them until I was in high school and they were in the SB against the Packers.

I can admit to not remembering alot of the players from before the year 2000. But there are some recent players that are gone that I miss, players that I am sure alot of people on here don't like (probably even WHILE they were Patriots).........like Lawyer Milloy & Antwoine Smith.

I used to be a HUGE Ty Law fan, until he started up with the "my family's gotta eat" stuff...........NEVER liked Drew Bledsoe or Terry Glenn, and I did a dance of joy when both of them left.

 

[Bostonian1962]

One thing that bothers me on this board is how fast the opinions of players change.

In 2003 when we may have had the best pass D I have ever seen, this board was in love with Ty Law. He was a consensus as the best CB in the NFL. As people became unhappy with Law the person, all of sudden the posts started up that he wasnt really that good.
I dont remember a negative word being said about Deion Branch, until recently, and in fact, when Givens was walking he was trashed as not being in Branch's league. Now there are loads of posts saying Branch isnt really that good anyway. (I personally understand this one better because I think all WRs are overrated to begin with)

Why does this happen? Is it a case of revisionary history, or are there different people whonever spoke in the past all of sudden coming out of the wordwork saying they never thought they were that good to begin with?

I know its par for the course with any fan base that as soon as a player is gone he never was as good as when he was there, but this board typical leans toward positive, but is honest about players. (Everyone knows my opinions on Ted Johnson and Antowain Smith were at least as negative before they left as after, and many posters are similar to this) Its hard to have integrity in discussion, if in fact, people dont place any value on sticking by what they have said in the past.

Speaking for myself AJ, as well as most of the others who post here:

We are all liars!

 

[jimmyjames]

One thing that bothers me on this board is how fast the opinions of players change.

In 2003 when we may have had the best pass D I have ever seen, this board was in love with Ty Law. He was a consensus as the best CB in the NFL. As people became unhappy with Law the person, all of sudden the posts started up that he wasnt really that good.
I dont remember a negative word being said about Deion Branch, until recently, and in fact, when Givens was walking he was trashed as not being in Branch's league. Now there are loads of posts saying Branch isnt really that good anyway. (I personally understand this one better because I think all WRs are overrated to begin with)

Why does this happen? Is it a case of revisionary history, or are there different people whonever spoke in the past all of sudden coming out of the wordwork saying they never thought they were that good to begin with?

I know its par for the course with any fan base that as soon as a player is gone he never was as good as when he was there, but this board typical leans toward positive, but is honest about players. (Everyone knows my opinions on Ted Johnson and Antowain Smith were at least as negative before they left as after, and many posters are similar to this) Its hard to have integrity in discussion, if in fact, people dont place any value on sticking by what they have said in the past.

Andy,

I used to think this was a habit only endemic to Boston sprts fans, but now that I have lived in a few other cities I can safely say that it is something fans in all cities of all sports do, but maybe just a little meaner in New England.

I also think that with the rise of ESPN and 24/7 sports reporting it has become more accepted since the talking heads on the TV, radio and internet are paid to put out controvercial or titalating sound bites every day the fans emulate them. And since you will never hear Ron Borges, or Sean Salisbury say they were wrong and are allowed to change opinions daily the fans follow suit.

 

[The Next One]

I haven't read every reply in this thread so I'm not sure if this has already been brought up but I think one reason that some people criticize Branch's game has to do with who he's comparing himself too.

It has been widely reported that Deion would like to be paid on a similar scale to Reggie Wayne. When you start asking for top money then you're inevitably going to be compared to other players making similar money. If you don't stack up to those other players then it sounds a lot like criticisim.

Is Deion the best receiver on the Patriots? Absolutely. Is he in his prime and a great weapon for this offense? Anyone who tells you he isn't is ignoring the facts. Is he worth the money that he's asking for? I guess we still have until Friday to find out but it doesn't seem like anyone is biting so far...

 

[the taildragger]

If the Pats end up doing this ABOVE their INITIAL offer, I can't wait to hear from everyone who thinks DB should automatically sign for $6M, and that fair market value is determined by management's INITIAL offer.

Yeah, he should fire his agent because the Pats want him to sign their INITIAL offer. It's ok to have faith in management to ultimately deliver on this, but let's get realistic about the process.

What is all this b.s. about "counter offers"...Branch doesn't put offers on the table because he's the player! The COUNTER-offer comes from the Pats when Branch doesn't sign the first one.

folks, nobody here has thicker rose colored glasses than I do, but he's not signing here for $6M -- not with the direction the cap is going in over the next 3-4 years...I don't know how else to put it. The guy has pride. What about this so far gives anyone the impression that he'll be intimidated into signing an INITIAL offer???

You can call it caving or whatever...you can believe the Pats have all the leverage in the world on this. He will not play this year for $6M.

 

[CrazyDave]

Principle One and Two are explained very easily by the new Tightness Theory. As I understand the Tightness Theory from THEARCHIVES and apply it to explaining your two principles, it goes like this:

The Patriots uniforms are some of the tightest in the league, and by tight we mean good looking, cool looking, slick logo, emotional colors, etc. When a player looks tighter, the player feels tighter, and that feeling has a profound effect on his psyche, it inspires greater self-confidence and a desire to perform. It's not that the player leaves some of that talent in his locker, it's just that he never recaptures that feeling of supreme tightness when he puts on another uniform. Branch will just never be as tight as he is in a Flying Elvis.

Principle Three, I have no explanation for.

I hope this helps.

Post Of The Month!
(or the week anyway)

 

[CTPatsFan]

I personally don't diminish a former players abilities when they leave (that's probably a lie because I'm sure somewhere along the lines I must have said someone sucked after they left). To me it's stictly on a "personal" level. Leave for money, dead to me. Leave because not re-signed or cut, good luck against any team but the Pats. If you screw my team, screw you!

Immature? Juvenile? Simplistic? Unreasonable? Guilty!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

One thing that bothers me on this board is how fast the opinions of players change. Why does this happen?

Because we are "fans," short, by the way, for "fantatics," and we get quite emotional and go up and down on the objects of our attention. Somedays we can only see the good things. Other days, we are relentlessly focused on the shortcomings. While, in the end, we want to be "reasonable," we will not always be "rational." So, we'll change our minds about one player or another from one year to the next or even from game to game or between the beginning of a game and its end.

We might insist that we are "objective," but, in the end, we are not. In a world where we all have jobs where there is a right way and a wrong way of doing things, where bosses or markets tell us what we must do to succeed on any given day, following a sports team with passion is an outlet where we can let our exuberance, not the many rules of our day-by-day lives, drive us.

Anybody, ready for some football?

BTW, I'm furious at Deion, unless, of course, he comes back and makes a Dwight Clark-like catch and wins the SB for us...then he'll be one of my favorite players...