Comments on: Tomase Fesses Up, Massarotti Covers Up

By: Bent

Bent — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:36:57 +0000

You may say that both could have benefitted from the cheating of the Pats organisation, but if this is the case, since both have forged their reputations on their time in New England when they had an unfair advantage, if it proves that without that advantage they are inept, then considering the money and responsibility invested in these guys in good faith by the Jets it would be an absolute disgrace that the Jets franchise received no compensation whatsoever from the scandal.

And yet the Jets are often portrayed as the bad guys…

Let’s hope for the sake of both franchises and justice itself that Mangini and Daboll’s credentials are proven to be worthy in the fullness of time.

By: Eric and Daboll cheated too

Eric and Daboll cheated too — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:19:13 +0000

So you think it was all Belichick by himself?

Eric had no impact since being BB’s ball boy in Cleveland? Daboll also had no influence on the Offensive side of the ball?

If it really was a team effort to be Patricheats then you have the reasons why Manigi is failing now.

By: pat d

pat d — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:51:07 +0000

I just went to patriotsblog to see what they are saying. Almost every story had no comments. I guess they are all on thejetsblog.

The Patriots Super Bowls will always have a cloud over them.

Now lets see what happens.
I think the Jets will split with the Pats in 08.

By: sjfalcon2001

sjfalcon2001 — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:20:11 +0000

that should be *sports journalism*

By: sjfalcon2001

sjfalcon2001 — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:19:32 +0000

Besides, Massaroti’s point is more about the media in Boston than it is the fans. Sports journialism is a little different than regular journalism, but many of the Boston Sports media are mouthpieces for the Patriots rather than honest critics of them. WEEI’s staff are the ones who are the chief mouthpieces. Several of them (mostly the guys on the Big Show with Glenn Ordway) are seen on television sporting Patriots jackets and shirts and few like Dale Arnold and Michael Holley have had access to the Patriots behind the scenes in ways most reporters don’t. Holley was actually following the team as more than a beat writer when he was working on his book and given access that noone else in the media had. If you read the article it wasn’t about all Pats fans, it was about WEEI & its listeners primarily.

By: Topher D.

Topher D. — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:12:51 +0000

fair enough,bent

By: Bent

Bent — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:31:24 +0000

Actually, Jets fans often get chastised (sic) by the local and national media. (Nobody is going to call us front runners or bandwagon jumpers though!) If you were to believe the media, every Jets fan boos his own players, cheers when they get injured and objectifies / harrasses women, when obviously those assertions were based on the minority.

I didn’t comment on the article, but I actually think it’s terrible to insinuate that all fans of a certain team are a certain type of person. I’m sure there are Pats fans who fit the description, but there are also those who are just loyal and knowledgeable fans of their team. If anything, this discussion (and other interaction we’ve had with Pats fans) is testament to that. I don’t blame genuine Pats fans for having a problem with it.

If they said it about Giants fans, we would agree with them. Giants fans are idiots (just kidding).

By: Topher D.

Topher D. — Sat, 17 May 2008 11:36:33 +0000

What if a New York columnist had written an article in the Post or the Times saying the same things about Jets or Giant fans?I wonder what kind of backlash he would be recieving on this site.

By: Bent

Bent — Sat, 17 May 2008 07:54:14 +0000

Mike -

If the Pats did (or even attempted to do) something that gave them a competitive advantage and no other team was allowed to do (in a sport where the slightest competitive advantage can make all the difference), then in my opinion it is cheating, but I won’t argue with you over it.

I agree Walsh lacks credibility and Arlen Specter is even worse, plus I think there was probably many more teams doing the same thing before 2007, so the Walsh revelations were never going to increase the punishment, which probably assumed they had been doing it for years and took that into account.

We should all just move on and look forward to the Pats and Jets meeting up next year (and the year after that and the year after that) on a level playing field and hopefully with the Jets making things more competitive now they have retooled a bit.

Thanks for not resorting to calling us Jets fans losers and tearing into the Jets like every other Pats fan who has chimed in here.

By: Mike Daly

Mike Daly — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:55:19 +0000

The bottom line is Goodell is the one in the wrong here – he should have accepted Belichick’s interpretation of the bylaw and told all the other teams to just shut up and play. As it is, between his clumsy and arrogant handling of Videogate, his clumsy handling of the Michael Vick and Pacman Jones issues, and the suddenly-real potential of a lost 2011 season and shattered economic stability in the league, Goodell looks more and more like someone totally out of it as far as ability to lead the NFL.