Bell: free at last

Who said that?

 

That they do, in my opinion because they cheat year in and year out and because they have the NFL backing them up. That, however is a debate for another time. What I don't think can be debated is the overwhelming bias in the sports media for the Patriots. This extends from the major national outlets like ESPN on down to the local media in various markets. It is so overwhelming that one has to wonder if they are all being told what the narrative must be. No one cares that the Pats cheat because the media wont cover it fairly. Sure, they cover it and they cover it a lot, but it is mostly to run cover for them. How many analysts on ESPN for example have ever condemned the two cheating scandals? It can't be many if any at all. No, they all start defending them. It's either "Everybody does it" or "It didn't help them". As to the last one I'd ask if it didn't help them then then why would they do it knowing it was illegal? After that it is back to just pure praise and promoting the narrative that everyone loves the Pats and Brady. Heck ESPN has anchors (not opinion analysts) calling Brady the "The Greatest Living American". No wonder no one cares if they cheat. Most people are sheep and believe that they are told, never using their common sense.

 

So the NFL and the national and local media are all in on a grand conspiracy to help the Patriots cheat and win championships? And apparently this has been going on since 2001? So there has been a massive conspiracy through multiple commissioners, massive turnover in the league office and media outlets and nobody has ever exposed this? I guess Deflategate was a cover and they were all acting?

I get the hatred for the Patriots. I really do, but you truly have lost all logic and reason to it.

 

It seems like the NFL (whoever that is exactly) aiding one team's success would hinder the league more than help it. I don't doubt an official or two could be persuaded to make calls that benefit a certain team within a certain scenario, but on a league wide scale, I don't see it.

 

You can't see it because it makes absolutely no sense.

 

Really? Honestly your act is getting tired.

 

I hope you are right about that, but after this year I am not sure what to believe. After this year's conference championships I started to research a bit. You have Bob Kraft on video praising Goodell at one point for his ability to create exciting and compelling match-ups. That sounded weird to me. How could Goodell do that? How would he know what the teams were going be like or how exciting the games would be? Then I read about the Jets fan who sued the league and was told that fans only pay for a seat, whether or not they see a fair game is not part of the bargain. The NFL is structured as an entertainment group, thus the NFL can rig games if they want to. With all the money at stake is it really that far out of the realm of possibility that the league is fixing games to make them more exciting and to try and create narratives that the public will be interested in enough to buy tickets or tune in? The Saints and Chiefs were both screwed this year on officiating calls that benefited two larger market teams which means a larger audience for their Super Bowl. I am not saying that this definitely happens, but we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn't entertain the possibility.

 

The Saints' fan base is dramatically larger than that of the Rams. The Saints would have drawn more viewers. That's just one of the many ways your logic is tragically flawed on this one.

 

NFL games are bet on. They would be in serious trouble if they were fixing games.
Games aren’t fixed. That B.S. is just sour grapes. The Refs are just under a bigger microscope with all the technology and replays available plus some really confusing rules.

 

Well... go root for them! I mean, you do admire their success right?!

 

Those 2 seasons though

 

I think B.S. isn't quite a fair assumption. Also, as to sour grapes, that's not true either because I never thought my team was going to make the playoffs or make any noise in them even if they did. Am I upset that cheating teams are glorified and defended? Yes, I am. As to the refs being under a microscope. The only people the refs have to please are their bosses in the league. The league polices their performance. A player or a coach isn't even allowed to say anything about officiating without being fined. That says a lot right there. If the league is fixing games the refs have nothing to be concerned about no matter what they do...at least until the league itself is under scrutiny which will probably never happen.

 

Who said they have no problems?

 

How many times have we heard people here say stuff like "You don't see these type of things happen with the Patriots"
"The Patriots rune a tight ship"

 

Correct. These type of things as in the LOCKER ROOM PROBLEMS. Players pointing fingers at eachother PUBLICLY. They of course have problems but there are DIFFERENT types of problems.

 

I could go back and search, but I'm not going to.

 

Yes, our owner doesn’t solicite prostitutes that may be part of a human trafficking ring. Yep, that’s better. Try twisting this one around.

 

I don't care about what people do outside of football. I'm strictly talking football. What effect do the prostitutes have at all on the game? It's wrong but let the law handle those things. I'm talking strictly about things within the confines of football.

 

None that have been scientifically proven in a randomised control trial.

Although it reminds me of legendary soccer player George Best, who was notorious for his constant bedroom activities. He was asked once after he retired how close to a match he would indulge. He replied that at least once he did it during half-time. Fairly sure he didn't pay for it, though.

Anyways, I take your point that Kraft's activities have little to do with the game, but there have been a number of posts/threads recently about the Steelers being a disaster that go well beyond what happens in the game, and the Patriots held up as the model to end all models of what a franchise should be. Like how the Pats don't allow players on social media (except they clearly do). Etc. This is the kind of thing, I believe, that Glenn is referring to.

 

I don’t understand why he could put himself on Jagoff Reserve List for the season and not owe a year on his contract. What he did should not be rewarded with free agency.

 

He lost $14.5 mm that he will never get back. I’m not considering that as rewarded.

 

Point well made. Does Pgh get any kind of comp pick when someone signs him?

 

Not until 2020, a third round pick is possible.

 

He wasn't under contract.

 

I think his new nickname should be Heavyon Bell.