More Patriots spying?
Today's Boston Globe has a feature on former video department employee Matt Walsh.
Though the piece seems well researched, I'm amazed at how many things Walsh says that are directly contradicted by the Patriots organization (and vice-versa). Walsh says he was hamstrung by a confidentiality agreement; the Patriots say there is no agreement. Patriots say he was fired for secretly taping conversations with his boss; Walsh says the whole thing is made up. Walsh implies he has a tape of the Rams' walkthrough; the Patriots say there's no way he could have one. What a headache.
On a more football-related note, some are calling the Patriots one of the losers of free agency. Setting aside the fact that losing free agency is probably a good thing, I don't see how they've really lost. They resigned Moss and Gaffney, meaning that the record-setting offense of 2007 pretty much returns intact (since Donte Stallworth had basically lost his starting job to Gaffney in the second half of the season). The defense lost Asante Samuel, Randall Gay, Junior Seau, and Eugene Wilson. Samuel was a virtual certainty to be gone, while Wilson didn't even see the field for most of the playoffs. So the defense regresses, but ultimately the Pats still should be heavily favored to win the AFC East.
I thought Asante Samuel would be overpaid by a crappy team and ultimately prove to be a disappointment. Now I'm not so sure he will disappoint--the Eagles are a really good fit for him due to their excellent pass rush. Randall Gay, however, is likely to struggle for the Saints next year.
So now there's not much to follow as a football fan, unless you're into the NFL draft (which I'm sooo not). NFL Network has gotten smart and decided to re-air 2007 football games all throughout the offseason. I might actually do that on occasion. I watched a few of the Brett Favre games they aired over the past week. Two things stood out to me:
1) The media's obsession with Brett Favre was ridiculous. They aired the game he played a few days after his father died, and all the announcers could talk about was how amazing it was that Favre could play such a great game in honor of his father. Ignoring the fact that the Oakland Raiders were the second worst team in football that year (and that nearly 100 yards came from throwing into double coverage), it seems silly to anoint Favre for this. Would we then say that the following Sunday was not played with the same heavy heart? And if he had lost the game, it would not have been as special for him to have taken the field? Just silly.
2) Man, the turnover in the NFL is fast. In a game just 3 years ago, there were few players on either the Raiders or the Packers who are still playing for them now. Jerry Rice was unstoppable in that game, Charlie Garner was lightning quick, Ahman Green was a beast of a runner, Mike Sherman was coaching the Packers, and Bill Callahan was coaching (sort of) the Raiders. Now Rice is retired, Garner washed out of the league, Green is a backup in Houston, Sherman is a coaching assistant somewhere, and Callahan has been fired twice (once as a college coach). Yet sadly, I still remember who the good fantasy football performers were that year...
Though the piece seems well researched, I'm amazed at how many things Walsh says that are directly contradicted by the Patriots organization (and vice-versa). Walsh says he was hamstrung by a confidentiality agreement; the Patriots say there is no agreement. Patriots say he was fired for secretly taping conversations with his boss; Walsh says the whole thing is made up. Walsh implies he has a tape of the Rams' walkthrough; the Patriots say there's no way he could have one. What a headache.
On a more football-related note, some are calling the Patriots one of the losers of free agency. Setting aside the fact that losing free agency is probably a good thing, I don't see how they've really lost. They resigned Moss and Gaffney, meaning that the record-setting offense of 2007 pretty much returns intact (since Donte Stallworth had basically lost his starting job to Gaffney in the second half of the season). The defense lost Asante Samuel, Randall Gay, Junior Seau, and Eugene Wilson. Samuel was a virtual certainty to be gone, while Wilson didn't even see the field for most of the playoffs. So the defense regresses, but ultimately the Pats still should be heavily favored to win the AFC East.
I thought Asante Samuel would be overpaid by a crappy team and ultimately prove to be a disappointment. Now I'm not so sure he will disappoint--the Eagles are a really good fit for him due to their excellent pass rush. Randall Gay, however, is likely to struggle for the Saints next year.
So now there's not much to follow as a football fan, unless you're into the NFL draft (which I'm sooo not). NFL Network has gotten smart and decided to re-air 2007 football games all throughout the offseason. I might actually do that on occasion. I watched a few of the Brett Favre games they aired over the past week. Two things stood out to me:
1) The media's obsession with Brett Favre was ridiculous. They aired the game he played a few days after his father died, and all the announcers could talk about was how amazing it was that Favre could play such a great game in honor of his father. Ignoring the fact that the Oakland Raiders were the second worst team in football that year (and that nearly 100 yards came from throwing into double coverage), it seems silly to anoint Favre for this. Would we then say that the following Sunday was not played with the same heavy heart? And if he had lost the game, it would not have been as special for him to have taken the field? Just silly.
2) Man, the turnover in the NFL is fast. In a game just 3 years ago, there were few players on either the Raiders or the Packers who are still playing for them now. Jerry Rice was unstoppable in that game, Charlie Garner was lightning quick, Ahman Green was a beast of a runner, Mike Sherman was coaching the Packers, and Bill Callahan was coaching (sort of) the Raiders. Now Rice is retired, Garner washed out of the league, Green is a backup in Houston, Sherman is a coaching assistant somewhere, and Callahan has been fired twice (once as a college coach). Yet sadly, I still remember who the good fantasy football performers were that year...
