Willie55 said:
After hearing Ted tonight, it came to my mind also that the Pats let him gracefully bow out before he was cut.
I don't buy that. I think Tedy's situation scared the bejesus out of TJ. I think he decided to get out before something happened to him - possibly in part because he didn't feel he was being paid (= appreciated = respected) nearly enough to continue sustaining the risk. I recall he was not the most positive person when it came to Tedy's ability to return to football at all, let alone this season - let alone productively. He likely thought BB would not give Tedy back his job anyway (sorry, couldn't resist).
I think it was easy for Ted to watch the early season struggles and have the guys backs as they floundered. After all they were floundering without him, and his name was mentioned almost as much Tedy's as Biesel and Johnson got run over, around and through. He talked about how the coaches were facing dumbing down the system because replacements throughout the defense weren't getting it and basically weren't executing. That was his subtle knock on the BB can plug in any player theory. And he also slipped in a little criticism regarding BB's stubborness relative to the 3-4 vs. 4-3, letting it be known players preferences weren't being accounted for.
Then all of a sudden Tedy came back. And Richard returned. And gradually things started to improve. First they stopped the run. Then they started pressuring QB's. When that improvement - and some personnel changes - trickled into the secondary and reached the point where his peers in the media began typically overstating the improvement (they're back....), I think it annoyed him to the point that he felt obligated to throw a little cold water on any renewed happy talk about a threepeat. I just sense a hint of bruised ego in that talk beyond his trying to sound like an impartial analyst. I believe he admires BB on some level, but I also think the genius coaching talk aggravates him almost as much as Flutie talk aggravates Felger.
I also think the way Lobel and Co. fawned all over him from the get go got into Ted's head a little. And don't kid yourself - they saw a way to keep an existing inside source inside that locker room - with a press pass.
Early guest shots aside, we'll see how far his analyst career goes. There are very few who maintain an income without developing an edge or an act - football analysis is entertainment for the most part nationally. DeOssie used to be great on WBZ radio's Sunday Sportspage program. Then he moved up to WEEI and CBS-4 (which netted him other gigs and endorsement deals and lucrative business ventures). Even Jaws, who used to be so insightful on ESPN, is now morphing into one of those staccato delivery buffoons who throw around opinions they couldn't possibly justify when they were breaking down actual game tape as the basis of their opinion.
If he knows what's good for him, and his career, TJ better start praying the boys get back to the dance without him. Otherwise somebody else's retired LB will be getting all the guest analyst air time come Detroit.
And thank God at least one genius in that locker room knew that we wouldn't have won with Drew.
