2019 BB: Always in Playoff Form

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
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Sorry, Dana, but your sensible statement will be drowned out by the self-righteous indignation of the clowns all around you
 

Jim Ed Rice in HOF

Red-headed Skrub child
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I don't really follow the NBA but isn't Popovich a bigger dick than Belichick like 85% of the time? I think that 15% of the time when Popovich acts like a human being is the only reason he gets the "Oh there goes Pops again, ha ha ha" vs. the criticism that Bill gets.
 

Leather

given himself a skunk spot
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Jul 18, 2005
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Belichick understands that uniformity-of-response is the best way to deal with the media as a mass-entity. The moment he starts acting differently toward different reporters asking the same question, he opens himself up to having to clarify, recant, explain, etc... It's unfortunate, I suppose, that coming across as a hardass is the best way to go about this, but you have to understand reporters are acting out of self interest here, as well. They are, as Dana says, doing their jobs. They aren't kids asking for an autograph. By being a hardass to everyone, all the time, Belichick is, in his way, being respectful to all reporters by not giving any individual one special treatment.

Yeah, he could do it in a nicer way. But it would also end up making his job harder in the long run.
 

SeoulSoxFan

I Want to Hit the World with Rocket Punch
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LOL, f*cking boo-hoo-la-doo:

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/media_must_stand_firm_against_patriots_culture_of_intimidation_under_bill_belichick/s1_13132_30073838
"The culture of media bullying by a head coach is perhaps most popularized in the NFL by Belichick’s mentor, Bill Parcells. It’s been carried down the coaching tree to Belichick and some of his associates, most notably Nick Saban, who served as defensive coordinator for Belichick’s Cleveland Browns teams in the early 1990s. Saban had his own brusque dismissal of a reporter’s question on-camera last fall when he rudely rebuffed ESPN’s Maria Taylor when she inquired about Alabama’s quarterback situation."

Ah, yes... "culture of intimidation" that's been spawned in dark basements and dingy motels like mob interrogations.

"The culture of football is slow to change in a number of ways, but reporters should still insist on pressing these coaches, whether they feel they are above it or not. And if the NFL cared so much about media availability, the league would crack down on its most celebrated coach the way it often threatens to do with players."

So to fight the "culture of intimidation", the NFL should "crack down" on Belichick with his employer's blessing.

The meek shall inherit the earth with a press pass and a laptop.
 
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Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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BB staring, muttering, and refusing to respond to stupid-ass questions is supposed to be intimidation and bullying? His temperament hasn’t exactly impacted the flow of stupid-ass questions being asked by lazy sports media types.

IMO, it’s all about the on-field success. This team has been the greatest ever when it shouldn’t have been possible and people continue to look for ways to take them down off he field because of it.
 

djbayko

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Writers need something to write about.

It’s not just us. If you browse forums such as r/NFL, even outsiders love how Belichick handles the media.
 

lexrageorge

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Both Volin and Reiss have written (sorry, no links handy) that Belichick is different in press conferences and sideline interviews than he is in less formal interactions, where they have said he is actually quite friendly to the press. But it is indeed laughable that his pre-game interview is becoming a national story.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Bill was excellent today in his press conference - highlighted by a deep dive into the NFC East back in the 80s.

https://www.patriots.com/video/bill-belichick-10-4-stephen-gostkowski-is-one-of-the-greatest-kickers-of-all-tim
Man, I really enjoyed that. The encyclo-photographic memory this man has in football history is just astounding. If I win the PowerBall, I'm sparing no expense in getting BB to do a Ken Burns-like documentary series on everything he knows about football.
 

mwonow

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Bill was excellent today in his press conference - highlighted by a deep dive into the NFC East back in the 80s.

https://www.patriots.com/video/bill-belichick-10-4-stephen-gostkowski-is-one-of-the-greatest-kickers-of-all-tim
Man, I really enjoyed that. The encyclo-photographic memory this man has in football history is just astounding. If I win the PowerBall, I'm sparing no expense in getting BB to do a Ken Burns-like documentary series on everything he knows about football.
Ditto. What a great diversion into old NYG/Redskins/NFC East. The press corps should definitely get together and pick a series of history-focused questions - the answers are fascinating, certainly better than the "what can you tell us about the health of [player]/death stare" combo...
 

Jimbodandy

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Ditto. What a great diversion into old NYG/Redskins/NFC East. The press corps should definitely get together and pick a series of history-focused questions - the answers are fascinating, certainly better than the "what can you tell us about the health of [player]/death stare" combo...
Football coach loves talking about football. Go figure.
 

Reverend

for king and country
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Man, I really enjoyed that. The encyclo-photographic memory this man has in football history is just astounding. If I win the PowerBall, I'm sparing no expense in getting BB to do a Ken Burns-like documentary series on everything he knows about football.
Really, he should write a book on organizational structure and leadership. And I kinda hate leadership studies.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Really, he should write a book on organizational structure and leadership. And I kinda hate leadership studies.
Oh absolutely. The PowerBall money can also pay him millions to do a 4-hour break-down show on every game with Chris Berman as the host.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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From today's conference call:

Q: He’s [Edeman] often overlooked in the scope of great wide receivers around the league because of his play style, but I can’t think of another wide receiver who would have been able to do what he did yesterday.
BB: Yeah, Troy Brown.

This is a really surprising answer to me. Other than in the immediate period following a big win or when discussing a specific performance, Bill is pretty restrained when he talks about current players. The thing that I find so surprising about this answer is how specific it is. Bill loves to give laundry lists of players. Earlier in the conference call when he was asked some of his reflections of the Giants, he threw out a ton of names in his usual fashion. He started with Lawrence Taylor, but by the end he had named everyone from Landeta to Simms.

It's hard to know whether he's responding to the "overlooked" or "another wide receiver who would have been able to do what he did yesterday" part of the question. It would have been easy to deflect this question. Or maybe to give a list of players in a "there have been a lot of great ones" answer. My sense is that in terms of what Belichick values, Troy Brown occupies rarefied space in Belichick's head. Maybe he's compared the two before. But I think that when Jules quits we're going to hear an awful lot about him from Belichick.
 

Van Everyman

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From today's conference call:

Q: He’s [Edeman] often overlooked in the scope of great wide receivers around the league because of his play style, but I can’t think of another wide receiver who would have been able to do what he did yesterday.
BB: Yeah, Troy Brown.

This is a really surprising answer to me. Other than in the immediate period following a big win or when discussing a specific performance, Bill is pretty restrained when he talks about current players. The thing that I find so surprising about this answer is how specific it is. Bill loves to give laundry lists of players. Earlier in the conference call when he was asked some of his reflections of the Giants, he threw out a ton of names in his usual fashion. He started with Lawrence Taylor, but by the end he had named everyone from Landeta to Simms.

It's hard to know whether he's responding to the "overlooked" or "another wide receiver who would have been able to do what he did yesterday" part of the question. It would have been easy to deflect this question. Or maybe to give a list of players in a "there have been a lot of great ones" answer. My sense is that in terms of what Belichick values, Troy Brown occupies rarefied space in Belichick's head. Maybe he's compared the two before. But I think that when Jules quits we're going to hear an awful lot about him from Belichick.
Not sure if it factors into the equation, but Brown is also working for the team now.
 

Jim Ed Rice in HOF

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A nice shot at Lane Johnson in last night's postgame as well:

Phil Perry

@PhilAPerry


Bill Belichick’s final sentence of his postgame press conference’s opening statement: “It looked like everyone had fun out there today...”