2016 Belichick Thread: Cheater de Force

Dec 21, 2015
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The 2016 campaign by BB is already underway on the "alienate dumb media types" front. Yesterday, he got mildly passive-aggressive about microphones on his desk, and ESPN acted like he had punted a kitten.


And the backlash has started up too, with this obnoxious article that ends:

This is the coach who stressed to players throughout a 15-1 regular season the importance of “keeping your personality, keeping who you are, be true to yourself."

This is the coach who slides recorders toward him instead of pushing them away.

This is the anti-Belichick.
Now, I like Ron Rivera. I don't even think he was tweaking Belichick. But that's the most butthurt I've seen any member of the sports media since Dickie V last covered a Duke loss.

Never change, Bill.
 

crystalline

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The "anti-Belichick"? So he has -6 Super Bowl rings? Interesting.
When they play each other there is a risk of ring and anti ring annihilation at the post-game handshake. This is serious stuff.

Don't even ask about the mass of the anti Super Bowl ring.
 

KingChre

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There is one part of the dumpster fire of an article that I do find rather ironic. The quote from Rivera "keeping your personality..." essentially describes Bill Belichick and yet the author seems to gloss over that fact. Consider this quote as well:
Rivera gets it. He understands reporters and their readers/viewers want to hear full, honest answers. He understands they want the raw emotion in interviews that they see on the field.
I would argue that Belichick does get it. He gets that reporters want sound bites and video clips that will lead Sportscenter and generate page views. Unfortunately for most media types, he doesn't give even the slightest of fucks about helping them achieve their goals and they hate him for it.

Additionally, I have a really hard time believing that there is a whole subsection of fans that are dying to get "full, honest" answers from a ridiculous coaches breakfast in the middle of March. It's a stupid event, with stupid questions, and I don't blame Belichick at all for not treating this idiocy with any semblance of gravitas.
 

ifmanis5

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When media types say that this person "gets it" it roughly means that the person they are talking about are sympathetic to the media, its needs, will give emotional soundbites and is willing/able to play ball when necessary. BB will never "get it" because he doesn't care about that aspect of his job. You could argue it has hurt BB in the PR department quite a bit but at this point it is what it is. He'll never be labeled as a person who "gets it."
 

KingChre

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When media types say that this person "gets it" it roughly means that the person they are talking about are sympathetic to the media, its needs, will give emotional soundbites and is willing/able to play ball when necessary. BB will never "get it" because he doesn't care about that aspect of his job. You could argue it has hurt BB in the PR department quite a bit but at this point it is what it is. He'll never be labeled as a person who "gets it."
I don't think we are necessarily disagreeing here, but I'll respond anyway. I completely agree that he will never be labeled as someone that "gets it," but I think the tone of the article paints Bill as unaware of what reporters are trying to accomplish. My point is that he is very well aware, and simply doesn't care most of the time.

His willingness to work with NFL films has shown that he is not simply morally opposed to media duties, or unaware of his role in promoting and growing the sport. He also does not suffer fools easily, so answering repetitive questions, or responding to questions that both he and the questioner know he won't answer leads to his visible frustration.

All that being said, he's a big jerk. But he's my big jerk and I'll go to the mattresses for him any day.
 

pappymojo

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It takes quite a leap to argue that someone who gives the media the soundbytes that the media wants is someone who is being true to himself.
 

santadevil

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The 2016 campaign by BB is already underway on the "alienate dumb media types" front. Yesterday, he got mildly passive-aggressive about microphones on his desk, and ESPN acted like he had punted a kitten.
Do you hope people here hate ESPN so much (and I know they do), that they won't click on the link?

Here's the relevant part of the article you posted (bolded emphasis, mine):
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- And from the lighter side ...

It was a tough day for microphones and recorders at Bill Belichick's table during the AFC coaches breakfast Tuesday at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Belichick, who didn't hide the fact it wasn't a place he wanted to be, arrived at his table and promptly created space in front of him. That meant pushing back the microphones and devices that had been positioned in front of him to record his comments.
 

cornwalls@6

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I don't think his attitude\personality has damaged him in a PR sense at all, because I don't think gives any kind of a fuck about PR. He's pretty clearly not interested in developing a brand or a persona for endorsements, or for any kind of post-coaching career in media. He wants to build and coach football teams. And win. That seems to be about it. I guess the argument could made that his attitude might have contributed to the harsh penalties handed down for both spygate and deflate gate. Make no friends, get no benefit of the doubt. But even that theory seems hard to quantify, and therefore speculative at best.
 
Dec 21, 2015
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You really should ignore media spin.
Belichick has his quarks all right, but his real strength is in his ability to not get charged up over everybody in his orbit. He's got strong forces inside of him that help him stay positive, so he can be the gluon that holds the team together.

And Coach Rivera, you better be careful, or he'll use his evil powers and turn you into a newt, Ron!
 

soxfan121

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Rivera gets it. He understands reporters and their readers/viewers want to hear full, honest answers. He understands they want the raw emotion in interviews that they see on the field.
Oh FFS. Who gives a shit what reporters want? Entitlement is stinky cologne and no group wears it with such odious pride as the ink-stained wretches who think they hold some special place in society, but are less consequential to the process than a selfie-stick. Seriously... fuck this guy, and fuck this bullshit.

And yeah, I'm sorta, technically, a member of the "media". I agree - what does it matter what *I* want? What readers/viewers want is the STORY, not "raw emotion" or some nebulous bullshit about what reporters want. I want to punch this fucking guy in his fucking smug face. He ain't better than his readers/viewers, who would KILL A HOBO to cover their favorite team. The only job of "reporter" is right there - to report. Not to translate the hopes and dreams of a fan base into a press conference puff piece. Gimme a fucking break.

This is perpetuation of the stereotype of a dim-witted, hard-charging football coach who brings "raw emotion" to a job that is better performed with the cold detachment of a professional who is working hard, not showing emotion. In what other profession is "raw emotion" in a press conference desirable? Maybe, MAYBE in the guy who announces monster truck shows. In every other context, "raw emotion" gets in the way of DOING YOUR JOB.

Good lord, this dummy.
 

rmaher

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Belichick has his quarks all right, but his real strength is in his ability to not get charged up over everybody in his orbit. He's got strong forces inside of him that help him stay positive, so he can be the gluon that holds the team together.

And Coach Rivera, you better be careful, or he'll use his evil powers and turn you into a newt, Ron!
I want to know about his quasars.
 

TheoShmeo

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The notion that Rivera "gets it" because he understands what fans want to hear is laughable. I mean, yeah, it's true, every manager/HC's job includes media relations on some level.

But the primary job, of course, is to put his team in the best possible chance to win. It's obvious from years of watching Bill, and it's spelled out in detail in Holley's Patriot Reign, that BB has made a determination that there is no upside and possible downside in being forthcoming with the media. Whether he's right, wrong or something in between, that's his view and given his enormous success, who gives a crap if he gives media members/fans what they want to hear? No one could be more open and personable with the media than Rex Ryan and there's no sane football fan alive who would want Ryan over Belichick.

He may have been a little saltier than in prior years given his understandable post-DG disgust with the NFL and many in the media. But it wasn't a departure from his standard modus operandi.

I get it, if you have a keyboard, you are in a position to criticize anyone and anything. After BB is gone and the Pats have fallen back to the pack, the notion that people contrasted Belichick with the likes of Ron Rivera because the former was a meany to the media is going to be even more preposterous.

Last, the annual, or periodic, bitching you read and hear about Bill's behavior reinforces the idea that many in the media believe that either they are an important part of the story or that fans give a damn about how athletes and coaches treat them. I like Curran and Giardi but hearing them dissect this (Giardi much more passionately than Curran) for several minutes to lead off Comcast's nightly sports news show was a good example of that warped perspective.
 

BroodsSexton

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Classic Belichick, beginning with the questioning around 2:15, and heating up around the 4:00 mark.

http://www.patriots.com/video/2016/09/20/bill-belichick-920-lot-challenges-week

"uhhh, well, he's been looked at. He's been treated. Just like every other player."

"Football decisions are based on what's best for the football team. That's what we've always done around here. That's what we'll always do as long as I'm here. That will never change. We'll always do what's best for the football team. That's what it's all driven by."
 
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ehaz

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"They don't call plays, I don't do surgery. We have a great deal there, works out good."

Cracked a grin with the last line. Honestly think he enjoys this.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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From ESPN's "30 Days w/o Tom Brady" featured piece, the ongoing crusade to salvage some goodwill from NEP fans:

"It is a signature win that perfectly describes their program, and that is, 'Just play,'" a coach from another team said at the time. "They travel 2,500 miles with no Gronk and no Brady to play in prime time against a team that returned intact from the NFC Championship Game. They find a way because that is the culture that Bill has instilled. People talk about next man up; they enact it."

"Just a masterful coaching job," one of them said. "They ran low-risk college plays -- the option, jet sweep, QB keepers -- while peppering the defense with short passes. That's how they slowed J.J. Watt and that pass rush. Almost no matter their lineup, under Bill they play error-free ball and win as a result."

Next up, Rex.
 

BrazilianSoxFan

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Can anyone imagine the reaction if this had happened in a Patriots -Ravens game? It's a shame we've been denied a Harbaugh press conference.

Ty Montgomery made a 37-yard play for the Green Bay Packers not because of his athleticism, but because of this: On the kickoff, the Detroit Lions sprung the ball to the three-yard line. Montgomery stepped out of bounds and dove on top of the ball while his feet were out of bounds. The Lions were then penalized for kicking the ball out of bounds, and instead of starting on the 3-yard line, the Packers got the ball on the 40.
http://www.ruleoftree.com/2016/9/25/13051554/ty-montgomery-exploits-football-loophole-to-begin-packers-scoring

 

Dollar

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I've been wondering why nobody's tried that before ever since the unconscious David Patten play in 2001. I mean, I never imagined something quite that blatant, but at least picking up the ball with one foot out of bounds to give your team an extra 30-35 yards on the return. The problem with Montgomery's play is that if he was a second slower, the Lions player was coming in pretty fast and may have been able to pick it up and score.
edit: dammit loshjott ;)
 

Hoodie Sleeves

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I've been wondering why nobody's tried that before ever since the unconscious David Patten play in 2001. I mean, I never imagined something quite that blatant, but at least picking up the ball with one foot out of bounds to give your team an extra 30-35 yards on the return. The problem with Montgomery's play is that if he was a second slower, the Lions player was coming in pretty fast and may have been able to pick it up and score.
edit: dammit loshjott ;)
I've seen a couple of times where guys have received a kick with one foot intentionally out of bounds, but nothing as obvious as the Ty Montgomery play
 

NortheasternPJ

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That's a great play. My first thought is that'd be illegal touching on GB, but that only applies to forward passes or a kicking team not letting the ball travel 10 yards on a kick.

Here's Randall Cobb doing the same thing a few years ago (although not to the extent of lying down)

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000115426/Cobb-s-smart-play

The most surprising thing to me in this situation is the NFL ref actually knew the rule.
 

Ed Hillel

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I've always wondered why more teams don't do that on fumbles. Of course it would only work for the fumbling team, who last possessed the ball, but a nice little gator roll along the sidelines and touching the ball seems like a pretty good strategy in those circumstances, rather than trying to jump on the ball.

My only regret with that play yesterday is that it didn't happen to a Harbaugh.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Bill like the new kickoff rules, not surprisingly. Seems like he got on a roll talking about it.:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/the_blitz/2016/09/bill_belichick_seems_to_like_nfls_new_touchback_rule_because_its

I liked this stat (SSS and all):

Just check the numbers across the NFL through nearly three full regular-season weeks.

Drives that start at exactly the 20-yard line: 58

Touchdowns: 8 (13.8 percent)
Field goals: 4 (6.9 percent)
Scores: 12 (20.7 percent)

Drives that start at exactly the 25-yard line: 303

Touchdowns: 66 (21.8 percent)
Field goals: 49 (16.2 percent)
Scores: 115 (38.0 percent)
 

Zedia

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Stitch01

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Thats happened multiple times before. Never seen it done quite like that, and a heads up play, but been exploited before.
 

Pxer

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Bill talked at length on the conference call that he likes the "return" of kickoffs because it adds value to ST players. As we know, the Pats are on the higher end of teams prioritizing specialists.

He seemed to imply that it gave the Pats an advantage due to their roster construction.
 

lexrageorge

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My favorite quotes in that article:

They weren’t punished because they were taping Jets’ coaches; they were punished because they were taping them from the wrong place.
The Patriots did face severe sanctions as a result of Spygate –– Bill Belichick was docked $500,000 and the organization lost a first-round draft pick in addition to being handed $250,000 fine –– but that likely stemmed from the fact they ignored a league memo that prohibited taping from the sidelines.
Two basic facts that are not in dispute. But two basic facts that nearly everyone gets wrong all the time when talking about Spygate.
 

Gorton Fisherman

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It has never made sense to me that the NFL rules regarding videotaping are so weirdly concerned with where the videotape is being taken from. Why does this matter? If the league feels that taping signals is wrong, why not simply make a rule that says "videotaping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals is prohibited." Full stop. (Of course, this would still be a dumb rule, given that the signals in question are being made in public in clear view of a stadium full of people, TV cameras, etc...)
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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It's not about the taping. It's about the public perception of seeing team officials on the sidelines pointed at the opposing team. It's all about optics.
 

Norm loves Vera

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Tonight 9pm (EST)

Bill Belichick was mic’d up for last Thursday’s win over the Texans, and the results will air Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Showtime’s “Inside The NFL.”

Belichick has a longstanding appreciation for “NFL Films” — when he’s collaborated with them in the past, it has produced many memorable moments. With New England’s dramatic 27-0 shutout of the Texans, along with the fact that it was the first game back at Gillette for veteran defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and the first career start for rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett, it promises to be an entertaining show.

http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2016/09/27/bill-belichick-was-micd-up-for-texans-game-and-results-will-air-tuesday-night-on-showtime/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 

Norm loves Vera

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