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If this kid was let go strictly as a "business" decision then this would have been one of the coldest things in Super Bowl history. They cut the guy the day before the Super Bowl with no explanation. Basically walked up to him and said, "you're off the team. See ya."
Belichick might be gruff but he is anything but a cold-hearted jackass. Even if he didn't want to break the news to the kid he would have had a coach do it. He would have had someone explain that we "needed" to do this.
He wasn't cut because of any "need." It was done because he broke the single biggest "rule" of being a New England Patriot - It's about the "team" and not about "you." We had two of the biggest "spotlight hogs" in the NFL come here in the last few years, Ochocinco & Moss, and you barely heard a peep out of them. They KNEW the Pats didn't put up with that crap. If you want it to be about YOU, then find another team.
When the kid came in with his "hey look at me" haircut and got his picture plastered all over the Web, and in newspapers and magazines, that did not sit well. With Belichick, with Brady, or with any true Patriots player who puts the team before themselves. I don't have to be a "psychic" to know that. I just had to be a Patriots fan with an IQ above 3.
For two weeks all the players have gone out of their way to downplay everything going on. Everyone except for a 24-year-old bit player who clearly never "got the memo." HE became the story because he decided to go out and get a crazy haircut solely because it would get him noticed. There was NO other reason for that haircut. It served no other purpose. He could have come in with a Patriots face tattoo or wearing a Patriots cheerleading outfit and the ONLY difference would have been the size of the "stir" it caused. Nothing else.
There is NO WAY that went over well with most of his coaches and teammates. Maybe nobody said a word to him, but I find that hard to believe. Even if not, there was no way he could have missed that certain people weren't too happy about it. Belichick & Brady are just two of the guys who wouldn't hesitate to let a young bit player know how well that went over. They wouldn't hesitate to let ANY player know. Neither one is shy about letting Patriots players know what they are feeling regarding upcoming games.
And if they made it clear they weren't happy that he had turned himself into a dog & pony show when the entire team was busting their tails to low-key everything, and he still kept the haircut (hard to chop it off when it got him a ton of attention on the biggest stage in sports when he wasn't even going to get to dress for the game), then he was "gone" as soon as a day or two passed. More likely, he was gone the second they saw it.
There was no way they were going to cut him right away. Not only because NY would probably pick him up, but because HE would then become an even bigger story. All we'd be hearing about is how "mean" Belichick was, and how he cut a kid and cost him the dream of a lifetime because he didn't "dig his haircut. The last thing Bill wanted, after going out of his way to be cheerful and "relaxed" and to not cause any commotion, was to have every sports page in the country and every "media mouth" as well, talking about what a mean and heartless "haircut hater" Bill Belichick was.
That kid was likely "gone" the second he showed up sporting that haircut, but he wan't told to "get lost" until the day before the game. Too late for him to get picked up by NY and with very little time for it to turn into a "spotlight sucking" story. They canned him without saying a word because they wanted to make it clear to him exactly why he was no longer a New England Patriot (and I doubt he will ever be again). They had no intention of making this any easier for him. He kicked the Patriots in the teeth and they kicked back. He put himself above the team. even Tom Brady doesn't do that, and some "kid" is going to waltz in here and scream, "hey, look at me?" I don't think so.
Cutting him on "Super Bowl Eve" was cruel as hell. It was meant to be. It not only sent a message to Underwood, more importantly it sent a message to the entire team that the 2 weeks pf "fun and games" was over and now it's time to do what we came here to do. Kick the Giants butt. And anyone who doesn't buy into that single-minded idea, don't let the door smack you on the way out.
These boys play rough. And tomorrow the NY Giants are going to find out just how rough that is.
.
If this kid was let go strictly as a "business" decision then this would have been one of the coldest things in Super Bowl history. They cut the guy the day before the Super Bowl with no explanation. Basically walked up to him and said, "you're off the team. See ya."
Belichick might be gruff but he is anything but a cold-hearted jackass. Even if he didn't want to break the news to the kid he would have had a coach do it. He would have had someone explain that we "needed" to do this.
He wasn't cut because of any "need." It was done because he broke the single biggest "rule" of being a New England Patriot - It's about the "team" and not about "you." We had two of the biggest "spotlight hogs" in the NFL come here in the last few years, Ochocinco & Moss, and you barely heard a peep out of them. They KNEW the Pats didn't put up with that crap. If you want it to be about YOU, then find another team.
When the kid came in with his "hey look at me" haircut and got his picture plastered all over the Web, and in newspapers and magazines, that did not sit well. With Belichick, with Brady, or with any true Patriots player who puts the team before themselves. I don't have to be a "psychic" to know that. I just had to be a Patriots fan with an IQ above 3.
For two weeks all the players have gone out of their way to downplay everything going on. Everyone except for a 24-year-old bit player who clearly never "got the memo." HE became the story because he decided to go out and get a crazy haircut solely because it would get him noticed. There was NO other reason for that haircut. It served no other purpose. He could have come in with a Patriots face tattoo or wearing a Patriots cheerleading outfit and the ONLY difference would have been the size of the "stir" it caused. Nothing else.
There is NO WAY that went over well with most of his coaches and teammates. Maybe nobody said a word to him, but I find that hard to believe. Even if not, there was no way he could have missed that certain people weren't too happy about it. Belichick & Brady are just two of the guys who wouldn't hesitate to let a young bit player know how well that went over. They wouldn't hesitate to let ANY player know. Neither one is shy about letting Patriots players know what they are feeling regarding upcoming games.
And if they made it clear they weren't happy that he had turned himself into a dog & pony show when the entire team was busting their tails to low-key everything, and he still kept the haircut (hard to chop it off when it got him a ton of attention on the biggest stage in sports when he wasn't even going to get to dress for the game), then he was "gone" as soon as a day or two passed. More likely, he was gone the second they saw it.
There was no way they were going to cut him right away. Not only because NY would probably pick him up, but because HE would then become an even bigger story. All we'd be hearing about is how "mean" Belichick was, and how he cut a kid and cost him the dream of a lifetime because he didn't "dig his haircut. The last thing Bill wanted, after going out of his way to be cheerful and "relaxed" and to not cause any commotion, was to have every sports page in the country and every "media mouth" as well, talking about what a mean and heartless "haircut hater" Bill Belichick was.
That kid was likely "gone" the second he showed up sporting that haircut, but he wan't told to "get lost" until the day before the game. Too late for him to get picked up by NY and with very little time for it to turn into a "spotlight sucking" story. They canned him without saying a word because they wanted to make it clear to him exactly why he was no longer a New England Patriot (and I doubt he will ever be again). They had no intention of making this any easier for him. He kicked the Patriots in the teeth and they kicked back. He put himself above the team. Even a superstar like Tom Brady doesn't do that, and some "kid" is going to waltz in here and scream, "hey, look at me?" I don't think so.
Cutting him on "Super Bowl Eve" was cruel as hell. It was meant to be. It not only sent a message to Underwood, more importantly it sent a message to the entire team that the 2 weeks pf "fun and games" was over and now it's time to do what we came here to do. Kick the Giants' butt. And anyone who doesn't buy into that single-minded idea, don't let the door smack you on the way out.
These boys play rough. And tomorrow the NY Giants are going to find out just how rough that is.
.
The Giants cannot claim Underwood and put him on their roster because the transaction was made on a Saturday.
Tiquan Underwood cut on eve of Bowl - BostonHerald.com
With all respect Gator, I think you may be seriously overanalyzing the situation. I doubt that Tiquan Underwood has been in the spotlight too much, and I am guessing that his haircut had nothing to do with it, lol
Underwood was cut b/c this team has made personnel moves many times on the day before the game, and this game should be no different.
The 2nd reason is due to Gronk's ankle and his inability to play ST's tomorrow. We promoted Silvestro as a wedge setter and to possibly provide rotation in a 'long' game which will be played indoors. Keeping the front seven fresh will also be a big priority when considering the circumstances, and we all know how the Indy dome can drain you with heat etc.
This is one of the stupidest things I've read here, and I've lurked here long enough to read some pretty stupid things.
The glaring problem is that Google News already has 230+ stories about this and how incredibly "cold" and "bizarre" it was. And none of them that I looked at even mentioned the fact that not a single staff member even cared enough to tell this kid why "we had to do this."
Everyone knew what a big deal this was to the kid. The world knew. So how come the Patriots staff had no idea? Why couldn't some, say the person who went to the trouble of telling him he was off the team, just mention "we needed another D lineman" or whatever other "reason" all the experts here are claiming.
That's just common courtesy. The kid busted his tail for this team. He didn't deserve the "simple explanation" everyone here seems to believe there was. Dogs get treated better than that.
He was thrown off the team and it was done in as cold and heartless a manor as possible. Belichick isn't an idiot despite what many of you want to believe. He has very specific reasons for every single move he makes, and the way in which he makes them.
The kid wasn't told why. That didn't happen by "accident." If they told him "why" then it would become the huge story they were trying to avoid, and 24 hours before kickoff.
If you all think Belichick is that much of an idiot, and that he's so cold and heartless he wouldn't even bother to explain why he needed to do this instead of letting the kid walk away with no idea, then you also must thing all the other coaches are just as pathetic.
You guys paint a wonderful picture of our coaches.
We'll see if he gets re-signed in a couple days.
1. They wanted him in practice for those two weeks.
2. They decided sometime in the past few days that they needed a spot.
3. They didn't want to give away that they would be adding a practice squader to the roster.
4. They don't want the Giants to claim him so they can sign him again on Monday.
5. They didn't know how ready Ochocinco would be.
At least ONE of those should be enough to make you drop this.
No one has any idea if Underwood was given an explanation or not.
Underwood's agent, Ethan Lock, told NESN.com's Jeff Howe that New England didn't provide an explanation as to why his client was cut
This is one of the stupidest things I've read here, and I've lurked here long enough to read some pretty stupid things.
The media is insanely desparate for their "one last gasp story" on the eve of the SB...this is what they have to work with.
No one has any idea if Underwood was given an explanation or not. I am certainly guessing that they don't normally divulge such explanations regarding their thoughts or gameplanning moves, especially pertaining to personnel.
I think what they did was great, and the polar opposite of 'cold-hearted.' They made a move on a Saturday (which they've done a million times, so that the opposing team cannot put in a claim for him), and he also was able to enjoy the whole SB atmosphere all week long too.
I am almost certain that they'll pick him back up on Monday regardless of the outcome of the game.
This is honestly a non-story on every level, but the media will portray "the evil and heartless Patriots" anyway they possibly can.
In "Education of a Coach", Belichick says he felt he did a crappy job in the SB against the Panthers. The reason for this is he felt he didn't bring enough Defensive linemen into the game, and this eventually came back to bite him as his defense got worn out in the 4th quarter.
While I agree that the Media is eager to continue its portrayal of the BB's Patriots as heartless/evil/unlikable, I actually don't think the media is going to have to put any effort into framing this story. The dry, accurate headline 'Patriot Player cut less than 24 hours before the Super Bowl' is all that is needed. Most of the the general public, in general, does not delve into the nuances of a story. They'll read that headline, a visceral reaction will take place, the public's sentiment regarding BB's move is now forever decided. Whether there is or isn't sound reasoning behind BB's move is now largely inconsequential.
Winning will make this a largely forgotten story (winning cures many ills). Losing will make this story a symptom of a deservedly unlikable coach/team.
That was the entire basis of my post.
It was the ONLY thing I quoted before I went into my theory.
here it is again:
While I agree that the Media is eager to continue its portrayal of the BB's Patriots as heartless/evil/unlikable, I actually don't think the media is going to have to put any effort into framing this story. The dry, accurate headline 'Patriot Player cut less than 24 hours before the Super Bowl' is all that is needed. Most of the the general public, in general, does not delve into the nuances of a story. They'll read that headline, a visceral reaction will take place, the public's sentiment regarding BB's move is now forever decided. Whether there is or isn't sound reasoning behind BB's move is now largely inconsequential.
Winning will make this a largely forgotten story (winning cures many ills). Losing will make this story a symptom of a deservedly unlikable coach/team.
Settle down there buddy, we're all on the same team.
All I am saying is that I doubt his haircut had anything to do with it.
As you said, we don't know for sure one way or another IF there was any kind of explanation given or not; so I won't buy into the whole 'media hype' thing one way or another.
If there wasn't one given (which there probably wasn't), it's for good reason(s). Those reasons are:
1. He's freaking Tiquan Underwood. A reserve player who anyone hardly even knows, and someone who didn't receive many snaps or targets all year.
2. BB does not normally go out of his way to send messages down through the guys that cut the players. It's not like he called him into his office and failed to give him an explanation. He sent word through an employee.
3. No explanation is needed, when you make the same kind of personnel move on a Saturday that you've made all year.
4. When you're a member of this team, you trust what they tell you to do is the best decision.