The Media Continues To Pile On With Their Irrational Hatred Toward Belichick
As El Pres pointed out yesterday, career media grenade throwers Ron Borges and Dan Shaughnessy wasted no time launching an attack against their favorite target Bill Belchick in the wake of 4th Downgate. But Copy & Paste and the CHB were just the recon mission, probing Belichick’s defenses for weakness. The rest of the media has launched the all out Blitzkrieg. Just a few random samples:
“Fourth-and-jackass. That’s our name of a now-infamous play in New England Patriots history. Move over, Tuck Rule. You have company.” – Pete Prisco, CBSSportsline.com
“it smacked of I’m-smarter-than-they-are hubris” – Peter King, SI.com
“Maybe his headset was too tight and it squeezed the blood from his brain.” – Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com
“He was trying to run up his reputation as a man without fear, without apprehension, without any concern for conventional wisdom… There is no other coach in the NFL — indeed, probably not another coach in college, high school, Pop Warner or Madden 2010 — who goes for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28-yard line with two minutes to play. It just doesn’t happen, and there are good reasons for that: It’s insane. It’s inexcusable. It’s just plain nuts.” - Gerry Callahan, The Herald
Obviously The Call has been hashed over enough over the last 36 hours. So I won’t introduce Callahan to Kevin Kelley of Pulaski (Ark.) Academy who’s been featured in just about every national publication and is doing pioneering work in the field of never, ever punting. Or point out that Belichick’s supposed lack of faith in his defense that the press, Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi find so disturbing, is something that Leigh Bodden says he takes as a vote of confidence because it proves the coach believed they could stop Indy on a short field. But I won’t because arguing The Call isn’t the point of this blog.
The point, and I have one, is that the insane, hysterical, over-the-top reaction by the press over this goes way beyond simple “that was a bad choice” sports talk. 4th Downgate has pulled the pop top on the pure, unabashed hatred the media has for Bill Belichick. With any other successful coach, they’d merely be questioning the move. With Belichick, it could only be a reflection of his hubris, his ego and his jackassery. Cold, Hard Football Facts has a great piece today comparing the angry, vindictive screeds of the mainstream media and contrasts them with the things being written by bloggers, which are by and large way more balanced and cerebral. Even though some of the bloggers in question come from pro-Colts fan sites. But Belichick has that effect on the old media; and that move Sunday night has exposed their irrational hatred toward him to an extent that we’ve never seen directed at a coach in any sport before. Not ever. And it goes beyond just these few quotes. The Boston press feels like they’ve got him on the run and they’re launching an offensive. Friends of Barstool Toucher & Rich have been carpet bombing him. The usually pro-Belichick Dale & Holley have been softening him up with artillery. Other Stool friends Felger & Masseroti have been emptying a magazine of past Belichick “mistakes” they’ve been hoarding for just such an occasion. And on and on it goes. Really, its unprecedented in the annals of Boston sports warfare. But let’s stop kidding ourselves that it’s about the merits of what he did or did not do at Lucas Oil. The anger and bitterness on this issue all stems from the fact that His Hoodedness doesn’t play grabass with these guys, period. All he cares about is doing that which is going to put his team in a position to win, not curry favor with the toner-stained wretches in the press. It’s not successful all the time, but it’s the reason his players… past and present… admire the guy and the media detest him. And why the fans continue to have his back, the press be damned.
without a doubt people saying Belichick’s hubris or attitude is why he went for it is so unbelievably stupid it’s beyond comprehension.
It’s basically same exact way of saying. “It was the wrong call because I hate him”
hear hear.
Note that none of them actually weigh the probabilities. None of them actually look at pioneering work done in the statistical analysis of the decision. They just fall back on the tired old “its never been done before, so it is wrong”. and, my personal favorite, when faced with actual numbers and reasons why it was the right move, the “I don’t care what numbers say”. So – we should feel good that you can’t reason and think? Why should I read your opinion if you can’t understand and argue with the logic of going for it?
But it makes perfect sense 95% of people in the world are dumb – so there is a huge market for idiots who want to read the opinions of other idiots. At least the Internet exists so that the 5% can easily and cheaply read the bloggers out there who can actually think.
I give credit to Gregg Easterbrook – who spent 1+ years hammering the Pats on spygate incessantly and stupidly. At least he sees the reasoning for the move.
I don’t give a shit what all of those people say. None have a moment of coaching experience-highschool, college, or pro. Wins, Superbowls, and on and on and on. Fuck ‘em. It was obviously a gamble and obviously a first down, no question and the game was over. I liked the call-the Colts had just gone the length of the field in three plays for a touchdown with a nice gift from the refs on the pass interference included. If they had called it correctly, Polian would push the NFL for, and get, new rules. Colts were ending up with a better record regardless.
Pats will have to go back, IF they even get that far. I like how it is still a big argument. For Belichick and the crew, it’s history. ESPN, newspaper people and radio geniuses hype anything into a story to sell advertising. They will ride the controversy as long as possible. Moron bloggers are just…..moron bloggers. Any intelligent fan knows the real story. Like the fact that beating the Jets ain’t gonna be a walk in the park–especially with tiny rex crying a river.
Interesting read from TMQ about the call too: http://bit.ly/thecall
Callahan is the worst, I despise that guy. Every time someone disagrees with him and tries to have a rational discussion, he insults them and hangs up. I wish a monkey would rip that dudes face off.
JT-
Your pats coverage has been solid lately. Keep up the good work. That said, your unabashed rumpswabbing for anything BB/Pats related is kind of tiresome. People want to hear your unbiased take on the Pats, not a homer writing about how the franchise is god’s gift to humanity and all its detractors are fucking morons. I honestly think you are one of the best Pats writers (can we officially call you that?) in Boston, but sometimes I’d like to hear you throw in some negatives too. Also no more Shank/Boston Globe articles. You’re better than that.
Those who can coach win Superbowls. Those that can’t coach sharp shoot those that can.
I love this call. It basically weeds out every sports media figure who is a fraud. Simmons calling it a disgrace and having the gall to say “the percentages say you punt”, when he didn’t look at any percentages at all. (seriously, you don’t even need to look at percentages here, you bet the game on brady getting you two yards over absolutely anything else) Peter King, Wilbon, etc…You never really cared about their analysis anyway but this just puts whatever they say in the realm of opinions coming from a little kid. Just sad how these people are supposedly educated professionals when they can’t even think for themselves.
100% accurate. Even if you don’t agree with the call it’s not worth any of this over the top bullshit. Callahan is blowhard asshole who is making a nice living angrily stirring the pot and unfortunately there’s too many of them out there following his lead.
who cares, pats lost.
It’s very simple. The media like people that help them do their job easier. If Bill would play ball he wouldn’t have as much hatred out there. but he wants to be all secrative and grumpy and the media isn’t going to do him any favors.
Less Belichick more smokeshow!
what a day for the comments section. el pres made possibly the best point he’s ever made and pantsman made his long awaited return.
Jesus Christ. ESPN radio simply cannot stop talking about this. At least on satellite radio there are some smarter talking heads–Bruce Murray for one–who understand that it’s only one god damn game, and that Belichick put the game into the hands of his best players and it didn’t work out. Big fucking deal. FOLKS THIS ISN’T THE DAMN SUPER BOWL. It’s a largely irrelevant game in NOVEMBER. Let’s face it, the Pats were never going to catch Indy for home field all the way through the playoffs, and their chance of securing a first round bye is still good (the Bengals ARE the Bengals, after all, and likely to tank a few games down the stretch).
too bad Eric Mangini isnt our coach…. he woulda punted
When I was watching it happen I thought I was losing my mind or Belichick was having a nervous breakdown. Burke’s analysis in the NYT the next day showed that I was wrong and the call was not insane. Tweak Burke’s assumptions if you disagree with them and the worst you get is it was slightly better to punt than go for it. But it all just supports your excellent point, Jerry: the crazy pig pile has another agenda behind it.
It’s too bad because we’re all shameless homers and knuckle-draggers here and no one will take anything we say seriously, but the call was not crazy and it’s good to try to out the real motivation behind the media attacks. Right on that internet bloggers are way better sources of information than traditional media. Keep up the good work.
Weren’t these the same douche bags who said that BB was an idiot in ’03 for cutting Milloy? Then when they lost 31-0 they all patted themselves on the back and jerked each other off and thought how great they were….Then the Patriots won 14 of their next 15 regular season games and won the Super Bowl..This wasn’t the Super Bowl you dumb motherfuckers. And Indy was going to score anyway. You see how easily they ran over them from the 30? You think it would have been any different from Indy’s own 30? I doubt it. The bottom line is the refs blew the fucking call on Faulk’s reception. He had it, secured it, then got hit and driven back. That equals first down. Every time. Except when it’s NE in Indy and Indy is undefeated. So fuck you if you don’t like the call. You aren’t going to the Hall of Fame. BB is.
Sorry to belabor it, but Peter King is such a douche I had to point this out.
His Tuesday article:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/11/17/mail/index.html?eref=sihp
1) On Monday King cited some stats about why going for it was just plain dumb. “Reeks of hubris,” I believe King said.
2) On Tuesday he had to admit that he misunderstood those very stats which actually make it clear that going for it was statistically the right thing to do. Whoops.
3) He subsequently reached out to Gruden and Payton, one of whom clearly says he would do what BB did; one who basically says he would. Gruden points out how Gruden was once up 35-14 with 5 min to go and the Colts still beat Tampa, a team with a great D.
4) However, Peter now says while the mathematical “theory” supports BB, really it all comes down to the “feeling” you have on the sidelines, and that Peter’s “feeling” says you punt
Well, Peter, you *weren’t* on the sidelines, and forgive us if we go w/ BB’s “feeling” over yours. As an analogy, reading lots of answers to Jeopardy! doesn’t make Alex Trebeck a genius. You, Peter, are just a reporter.
BrettFavre reeks of hubris. Peter King’s MMQB reeks of hubris. BB is an awesome coach. Get over it.
^^^pretty much summarizes all the national analysts…..they say things and when theyre right they point it out and when theyre wrong it never gets mentioned……colin cowherd (who gives a shit about the guy but just an example) said that the dolphins were over 3 tds better than tampa and that he would bet his bank on a -17 to 20 given to miami in a heartbeat (they were -10)….they won by 2…theyre all idiots and i feel like any of us or anyone anywehre who could watch sports as their only means of pay could do as good of a job or better than 90% of the analysts out there.
although i did learn that chris collinsworth (who i always just assumed i should hate) is actually a reallyyyy intelligent guy…i mean he knows his shit..he was pickin up on shit during the play and pointing it out in the ensuing replay that merril hodge would never notice watching the game 10 times
It’s about leadership. You assess the situation and make a decision based upon not just the evidence at hand, but the desired outcome.
You can like or dislike his analysis that they had the opportunity to put their foot on the throat of the Colts, and break their neck.
Don’t forget, a real coach wants to put his team in positions that stretch their ability under pressure. Now he has something to coach: execution under pressure.
Jerry thanks for linking to that CHFF article. It’s one of the best examples of pointing out that big media is a bunch of fucking morons.
Funny how this 4th down analysis has been available for over a year yet no one on this board has ever brought it up till now. I wonder why that is? Oh thats right, most people are a bunch of Pats blow hards who only look for examples to support their theory after they blow the game on 4th down.
You guys keep getting your “football analysis” from kids who were given wedgies in high school, Ill stick to current coaches, players and former coaches and players for my analysis.
It was the wrong move, get over it. BB was wrong for once. Its okay to admit it.
The thing is, you have to realize that nobody gives a fuck about the media. BB doesn’t give a fuck what the media thinks of him and that’s why he never throws them a bone. So when they rip him it’s no big deal. Real Pats fans know the deal and they know to trust that BB will do everything possible and more to get you a W every Sunday. The only people who do listen to the media are the ones who can’t think for themselves. So let them fall in to the media bashing of BB, Im sure he could care less and I won’t lose sleep over a couple of pink hats.
Pres
Get off your knees. It was a boneheaded call. The wrong call plain and simple.
hubris= arrogance resulting from excessive pride or passion.
BB and all Sox/celts/Pats fans suffer from the above.
Its ironic that today is the anniversary of the jim jones kool-aid tradedy. Keep drinking New England, the decade of dominance is ending soon enough
I can’t believe all you people support this decision . Bottom line is it failed, hence, at the time, it was wrong. All these “probablilities” and “stats” are missing key components like timeouts left. The only people supporting this argument are media douchbags who have nothing else to talk about. The only NFL guy I seen support it was Merril Hodge. It was tried once and failed. Will Belichik go for it for it every time on 4th and 2 from the his own 30, regardless of the situation. If the probabilities are so good, will this now become common practice. The thought was never, what happens if we don’t get the first down. Make Manning earn it, not give it to him wrapped w/ a bow. So many things can happen, bad snaps, fumble, sacks, int and so on. They only had one TO for christ sake and they needed a TD, not a field goal. Maybe if the Pats were up 7, I might be able to see some justification, cause it’s not a lose/lose situation.
Amadeus21 – have you watched any Pats games over the last few years? Do you know that they go for it more often than not in fourth and short situations? Did you see the Falcons game this year – where they went for it deep in their own territory and made it? Why should anyone discuss it or support it when it is a known part of their strategy and it has worked? that generally means that fans agree with the decisions….when they do it multiple times and noone says anything about it.
So it works for them when they go for it on fourth down quite a bit….and noone says anything other than a brief mention when it works (e.g. the Atlanta game). So as soon as it doesn’t work – the one time – everyone is jumping in with recriminations. yet nevermind the stat geeks who have proven it is pretty defensible move…these “experts” don’t even analyze how often the Pats have actually made this same exact call and it has worked!
Because if they did, they would see that they are wrong.
badgermit – what you fail to point out is that they have never gone for it in the 4th Quarter up by 6 on their own 28 yard line when one of the greatest QBs of all time would be getting the ball.
That is what is missing from all of this. Statistics can say anything. They do not account for when it happens in the game or who they are playing or what the score is.
It was the wrong call. Get over it. Just admit it like a man. You guys love to taste of BB’s cum so much you have to argue for him even though you know you are wrong. They lost, it was wrong. End of discussion.
Mozart – what odds do you think of Peyton winning the game if he has to go 70 yards? how do those odds change if he has to go 30 yards?
The odds of him driving 70 yards is a lot less than 30. Remember the Colts punting more in this game more than they have in any other game this year. Don’t just bring up the 4th Q. The Colt WR were dropping passes all game.
Again why are you guys discovering this amazing go for it on 4th down statistic now? Its been around for at least a year now. Why all of a sudden talking about it? Oh thats right because it just happened that the Pats lost a game because of it.
And you wonder why no one likes Pats fans. Because you wait till after a game to talk about what you think is right and wrong. Again because you just love the taste of his cum you will say anything to defend him. It was wrong, end of story.
…mozart – the answer is roughly 50% chance to score a TD inside 2 mins from the 30yard line. roughly 25% chance to score a TD inside 2 mins from their own 30 yard line.
so – you roughly double your chance of winning if you punt….but it is still roughly a coin flip that you win.
Now ask yourself – a team that has been getting yards all night…goes for it on 4th and 2….do you think the chances were more than a coinflip that they would get it? really, honestly – you think the Colts had a great chance to stop them from gaining 2 yards? more than 50%?
They did (with a tip of the cap to the ref)….so hindsight is 20/20. But you can’t honestly look at these odds and say it was the wrong decision – unless you know nothing about playing the odds.
The reason we are talking about it now is because there are so many dummies that can’t honestly weigh all 3 choices and figure out that what they did was right.
The reason I give Belichick credit is because 99% of all coaches would punt in that situation, and increase their teams chances of losing the game – BUT IT IS THE EASY DECISION – because it removes all blame from the coach. If they lose – it is the players fault. The coach gets to keep his job….everyone blames the players. and that is what happens all to often in the NFL…coaches are risk averse because if they are wrong – they get the blame. Here, if you honestly look at the odds – you can see the coach was right…and you can predictably see that it took HUGE BALLS to do it – because the idiots wouldn’t understand it if it didn’t work.
he improved his teams chances of winning from a coinflip to about 80-90% with that decision. It didn’t work out. nothing in life is guaranteed. all you can do is play the odds and listen to the innumerate idiots if it doesn’t work out. You say it was wrong because it didn’t work….smart people know the odds – even if it didn’t work out this time.
e.g. I love that Brady kinda called out Bruschi who said that he should have given the defense a chance by punting….then Brady points out the Brushi was part of the defense that let Peyton march down the field and score after punting in the AFC champ. game in 2006. So Belichick punted in the same situation…and LOST…but noone blamed him there, even though it was the WRONG decision back then. Eat that one, Bruschi.
(pls include an honest discussion of the odds in any response) You think the odds of Peyton going 30 yards in 2 mins is greater than the odds of the Pats picking up 2 yards on 1 play? If so – then you are demonstrably wrong.
Thanks you proved my point. All that dribble you just wrote means nothing. Your chances of winning that game doubles if you punt.
Im NOT saying BB is a bad coach. For some reason you guys think because some people say he was wrong that all of a sudden he is a bad coach. NOT TRUE. He screwed up.
The point I cant stand is that you guys are actually looking for reasons to support him. If this never happened would you guys be defending a statistitians analysis of 4th down plays??? Nope
And yes I would agree that converted on 4th and 2 and driving 30 yards is roughly the same but that doesn’t matter. You punt, you punt you punt. Too many things can go wrong on that 4th and 2 and too many things can go right for your defense making them go 70 yards instead of 30. Case closed.
how about this….he was WRONG when he punted in 2006. Am I defending him now?
2006 was slightly different in that a FG would tie the game….so he might have actually been right then too. But – damn – I disagree with a lot of what he did in that game Sunday. passing on the 3rd down near the end of the game, stopping the clock and settling for a FG…that could have been wrong. Keep the clock running!
But you literally cannot argue with the probabilities of what happened at the end of the game. and people like you can’t separate what actually happened from what was likely to happen.
you refuse to discuss probabilities – ones that have been compiled with years of actual data. so you are innumerate. so I can’t argue with you. you think you are right – the actual data disagrees. Now THAT is the end of the story. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
…If he kicked and they won – I would have been happy, as I am a fan – but I still would have considered the decision wrong based on probabilities.
If he kicked and they lost – I would have been killing him. But noone in the media would be. That is why the guy has huge balls. He cares about being right…not about shifting blame.
Ah, Amadouche. Your point is that we shouldn’t be defending a decision because… it happened?
It was a controversial decision. There are lots of facts supporting it, which most of the media have ignored in their zeal to take a swipe at Belichick. But don’t let facts or opinions from other SB-winning coaches like Jon Gruden get in your way.
Your own attempt at logic is too stupid to argue. The odds are about the same, but punting is a no brainer? It is now clear why the arguments above do not resonate with you.