Sorry, But I'm Not Sorry

I received this text from a friend of mine midway through the third quarter of today's Patriots' game, if you could call it "game."

It's truly out of line for a Philly fan to lecture anyone about "class," but I'll save me "you booed Santa Claus" argument for another day, because it's neither here nor there.

The bottom line is that today in the NFL the New England Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans 59-0.

And, I'm sorry if you think me arrogant, but, as a Patriots fan, I have absolutely no sympathy nor apologies and fully support my team.

This the National Football League!

Let's take a minute to think about that: this isn't high school or college, where a team like Michigan invites an inferior Delaware State team to the Big House and pummels them 63-6. This is the premier professional football league in the world!

If you get beat 59-0 in the NFL, it's your own fault!

This is a profession for these men. If your working on Wall Street but lose money on the Stock Market; if you broadcast on TV but can't read a teleprompter; if you build houses but can't cut a straight 2-by-4, you best seek a new profession, yet come Monday, these same 53 men will return to work for the Tennessee Titans.

Far too many Americans feel compassion in inappropriate instances. For example, lots of people would feel bad if they saw a puppy hurt its paw in a cartoon movie, yet they have no emotion when they see on the news that 35 Palestinian children died when their school was bombed.

The NFL minimum salary is $860,000, which means that per game, every player makes at least $53,750. So, please! Don't feel any remorse for the Titan players, who in one day made $20,000 more than the average American makes in a year. Today, the Tennessee Titans got paid to put up the worst performance in pro football in over 30 years.

Don't blame the Patriots for winning 59-0.

Blame the Titans for giving up 426 passing yards in a blizzard! Blame the Titans for turning the ball over three times in a sequence of five offensive players! Blame the Titans for amassing negative seven yards in the passing game! Blame the Titans!

--Originally posted on the JTStally Blog --

CheezerAll-Star

32 days ago

Score 5

If the Titans didn't want to give up 59 points, they needed to stop them. That being said, having your quarterback with a reconstructed knee out there during a blowout is tempting fate.

I also think that there was no need to be calling timeouts and passing the ball with 1:16 left in the first half half and leading 38-0. If you think they did it so Brady could work on the two minute offense, I refer you to a couple of Super Bowl victories.

The second half started and the starters were still on the field, leading 45-0. Playcalling: pass, run, pass, pass, pass, run, run, pass, pass. (pass-run ratio: 6-3) The next drive, Brady was finally benched.

I do not pity the Titans. However, that does not mean that it was smart to have the starters in the game as long as the Patriots did. There was no way the Titans were ever going to threaten. Treat it like a preseason game and let the back-ups play.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 0

Except it's not a preseason game. Belichick sent out Brady for a drive in the 2nd half, and if you think anything beyond "what's best for the team," was on Belichick's mind, you haven't watched much football in the last 10 years.

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CheezerAll-Star

32 days ago

Score 0

Didn't need to be passing. Seriously, what do you learn by passing the ball against the Titans...in the snow?

Doesn't matter. You think Belichick is godlike (as every NE fan should), I don't like him. We won't agree on this. So I'm willing to agree to disagree.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 1

Well you seem to think you can run a football team better than him. Take care of a quarterback better than him. Call plays better than him.

You talk about Belichick risking Brady's health. What happens when you coddle a guy so much that his body isn't used to playing 4 full quarters of football? What happens then?

You say it was a preseason game, so why not give Brady as much practice as you can? After all, he just came back from an injury. And if the Pats have a nice playoff win in conditions like this, maybe we can thank the Titans for providing the scrimmage.

Why was Tennessee still passing the ball?

I'm not trying to convince you to like Bill Belichick. I'm just pointing out that he isn't evil. He doesn't scheme. He doesn't rub other team's noses in it.

I know it is next to impossible to lose a game when you're up 45-0 at halftime. But if you put up 45 in a half, what's so impossible that Tennessee couldn't put up 46 in the 2nd half? That's a strong word: impossible. I know Tennessee sucks, but maybe Belichick respects them more than you do, and knows that anything is possible, and your chances of winning never go down because you've scored.

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CheezerAll-Star

32 days ago

Score 0

Hypothetical. Would you be taking the same position if Brady had been injured on that first drive of the second half? Maybe lost for the season? Would you still consider it to be the right decision? My opinion, FWIW, is that it was an unnecessary risk.

Personally, I don't care if Brady gets hurt or not. Actually that's wrong. I never want to see a person injured whilst doing something for the amusement of others. From the perspective of a football fan, I wonder what the Patriots were doing. I am trying to understand the strategy. I don't get it. Do you? Don't you ever question Belichick? Or do you blindly feel that anything he does is the right decision simply because he's Belichick. (Perhaps he has earned that right)

For the record, I never said I was a better coach than Belichick. He's a Super Bowl champion for Pete's sake. Don't put words in my mouth (or my keyboard). I am just trying to understand the justification for endangering your starters unnecessarily. Perhaps Belichick felt it was necessary. I just don't see it.

My question is still out there. What can you learn against the JV squad secondary from Tennessee? Especially given the weather conditions?

I never said Belichick was evil. If he were my coach (or if I cared to research the guy even the slightest) I would know more of him than I do. All I know is that he is a liar, a cheater, and an alleged home wrecker. I also know he is a brilliant strategist and a Super Bowl champion. In my mind, the latter does not excuse the former. Apparently to you, it does.

We are each entitled to our own opinion. We have been having this discussion since, what...2007? I think the horse is dead.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 1

Tom Brady's an NFL player. He can handle another drive of football. I think the risk is out there, but Belichick has had success because of his aggression, not his caution.

"In my mind, the latter does not excuse the former. Apparently to you, it does."

I like Bill Belichick the football coach, not Bill Belichick the man. I don't know Bill Belichick the man. And frankly, I don't care about knowing him or not. Football isn't a morality play, it's a game.

I occasionally question his play-calling, but overall what's there to really question. He typically knows what he's doing. Had he benched Brady at halftime, I'm sure he would've had a good and logical reason to do it. I don't think he's always right, but it's a good bet to bet on Belichick.

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JTStallyWaterboy

30 days ago

Score 1

Cheezer, you seem to know your sports pretty well. So, you've probably noticed that the Patriots could go an entire game without a running play. Seriously, if you play fantasy football, when was the last time someone coveted a New England running back!? I'm not saying that your point that they ran more pass plays coming out of halftime isn't a valid point. I'm just saying that it's NOT like the Pats came out passing more than usual or anything, that's just how New England runs the offense.

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CheezerAll-Star

29 days ago

Score 1

Valid point JT. But one could argue that blowout provides the perfect opportunity to work on such a weakness.

I'll agree with Rawb that the Pats left a lot of points on the field. As did the Saints and the Packers in their respective victories.

I'll leave it at that as I see no need to continue to rehash the same arguments.

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JuTMSY4Legend

32 days ago

Score 0

I don't really think the pats game was classless but I love the defacto "well, Philly fans have no class because they threw snow balls at Santa once!"

You buddy probably wasn't even a thought in 1968...

Anyway, they took Brady out in the 4th quarter and if he gets injured earlier...well, who's fault is that really? NMP

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 2

That's an excellent attitude to have as an outside observer of this game. It's amazing how worried Patriot haters are about Tom Brady getting hurt. So much so that they criticize Belichick for leaving him in too long.

"I wish Brady would've gotten hurt."

Speaking of classless...

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Cheez WhizWaterboy

32 days ago

Score 0

It is their profession but if someone loses money on the Stock Market one day... Do they look for a new job; if you broadcast on TV but can't read a teleprompter one day... do you quit your job; if you build houses but can't cut a straight 2-by-4... would you quit? Football is their profession and they had a bad day. One bad day in the season. It happens. The Patriots didn't have to run up the score at all. I wish Brady would've gotten hurt. The Packers were up on the Lions 23-0 at halftime. What was the final score... 26-0. No running it up there. Thats class.

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JuTMSY4Legend

32 days ago

Score -1

Maybe Bob Kraft plays fairy-tale football?

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 1

So if you were a head coach and up by 3 scores with 30 minutes of football, you think the best thing to do is to not try to score?

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CheezerAll-Star

32 days ago

Score 0

Green Bay desperately needs to improve their running game. That is what they worked on in the second half. Detroit didn't convert a third down until the fourth quarter. they were never a threat. Neither was Tennessee. Those are a couple of bad football teams.

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 1

Seriously, I mean, you think Kraft had Brady on his fantasy team...I know I had Brady on mine. Sorry Steel Town

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

31 days ago

Score 0

51 points, ftw

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

31 days ago

Score 0

And when teams run the ball with the lead, take 35 seconds each play, they're not doing it to save the other team from embarrassment. They're doing it to reduce the time left in the game, which increases their chances of winning the game.

Coaches don't tell their offenses "We've scored enough today, so let's run the ball." They'll say "Let's drain the clock and win the game."

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Steel TownDraft Pick

32 days ago

Score 3

I just can't figure out why everyone seems to hate the Patriots. Maybe it is because they have time and again run up the score on opponents (professional or not that is not good sportsmanship). But, my guess would be that it is because when it does happen fans like you go out of your way to justify it.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 0

I don't think it needs any justifying. I also don't think Patriot fans would "go out of their way" to justify it if Patriot haters didn't go out of their way to criticize it.

It's football. The final score was 59-0. Get over it.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

32 days ago

Score 4

I am sure they are out there, but I am yet to see an article knocking the Pats for running up the score yesterday. Maybe that chip isn't really there on your shoulder after all. Just for the record, I enjoyed the hell out of watching Tennessee get stomped.

BTW, if you didn't like my comment, that's blogging get over it.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 1

I was actually surprised to see articles about it. I was also equally surprised to see SportsCenter and all the other national media making a big deal of Brady's big game. It was against a crap team in weather that makes a crap team feel like going home, not playing football.

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JuTMSY4Legend

32 days ago

Score 0

Who the poor Boston fan who ran about minusing people who disagreed?

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JuTMSY4Legend

32 days ago

Score 0

who is*

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CmdrporterWaterboy

32 days ago

Score 0

No class and big deal beating Tenn 59-0. Go kick a dog or something. I have seen high school rivals that hate one another show more class and respect than yesterdays' game. The Pats new name for both the team and coach should be No Class New England or NCNW/cheater/liar/can't win without illegal help. A very good team that has been taken down the road to no class operation and illegal operations to win games and championships and that is something he the coach will never be able to live down. A question will always be asked, "could he have done it without the outside illegal help?" It will never be answered because it has already passed and he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. So big deal for slamming a team 59-0 and still passing with the first team in the second half with a 38 point lead. This game isn't war and rules do apply. Also sportsmanship/respect/desire and something the coach has none of CLASS....

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 0

Deal with it.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

32 days ago

Score 8

If only I could learn to deal with it.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 0

Damn... my time machine is broken...

Maybe if the RED SOX won something m,eaningful... I could FIX IT!!!!

HA HA!!!

Fuck Boston!!!

Yeh! I don't care if I EVER visit Massachusetts again!!! Bunch of Losers!!!!

Woo!@!!!!

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TrizzAll-American

31 days ago

Score 0

touche Steel town

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 3

If the Patriots were really, truly running up the score, they would have put 80 to 90 points on the board. That's no exaggeration or boast. Tennessee was completely demoralized, a combination of the score, their record, and the weather.

If you don't like the Patriots, fine. And to JTSalty, there's no need to defend what the Patriots do and don't do. Some haters will ALWAYS see the Patriots as classless and cheaters. Don't waste the words on them. They want to justify their hate by turning the game of football into a moral, apocalyptic struggle against evil, personified by Bill Belichick.

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JuTMSY4Legend

32 days ago

Score 2

Heh, I watched pieces of this game. Brady didn't even throw a TD pass till the 2nd quarter...and yeah, they could have definitely gotten 2 or 3 more with him in there...possibly more if they weren't in a relative run down situation. Pulling your QB in the 2nd half seems awfully early for any NFL team...so who knows. But that's BB's gamble and not my problem.

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JuTMSY4Legend

32 days ago

Score 4

Nothing like a good ole New England bashing to get this place moving

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 1

GIVE the guys some plusses PEOPLE!!!

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score -1

In all honesty - Fuck boston.

That being said...

poor Jeff Fisher.. he should have been canned years ago and THIS will be his undoing... a bunch of safeties that suck.

Sure, the Patriots aren't as good as a team that could score 39 points in normal weather against a "regular" NFL team but - whatever...

---

I reiterate...

---

Whatever...

[edit] =

The moral of the story - as always - FUCK Boston!

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 0

The Patriots play in Foxborough.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

25 days ago

Score 1

Fuck Foxboro

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 2

All this Boston hating aside...

I REALLY wish the Pats would have gone triple digits.

1. 694 forever!!!!

No Lie...

I LOVE triple digits!!!

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

32 days ago

Score 2

^Running up the comments.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

30 days ago

Score -1

^licking my balls again... (perhaps a guy with 17 comments on a single thread should not make a comment to someone who made four about running up comments?)

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

30 days ago

Score 0

See, my comments are about sports. Yours are about how much you hate a city. Mine are discussions with other members of this community. Yours are about how much you hate a city. Each one of my comments has a different thought and idea in it. Yours are about how much you hate a city.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

25 days ago

Score 0

"^Running up the comments." was a comment about track and field, right - because your comments are about sports...

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XinophDraft Pick

31 days ago

Score 0

Isn't it interesting this conversation didn't take place when the Tribe beat the Yanks 22-0 a couple years ago? Nobody complained about Cleveland "running up the score".

Oh wait, that's right, nobody hates Cleveland. If the Yankees had done it we'd have had this same conversation. It's just an excuse to complain about a team you don't like, let's be real. I totally understand that - I harp on every bad thing the Lakers and Yankees do - but anyone who pretends it's anything more than that is being ridiculous.

If, say, the Texans had beat someone 59-0, nobody would mind.

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 2

You're an idiot...

I love the baseball comparison. Should the Indians have pulled their starter (at the time, a cruising Jake Westrbrook?). Or put in 3 bench players?

What do you do, tell them to take strike outs? Be patient and get walks (nine total in the game, btw).

That isn't comparable at all. Try again!

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 1

heh, and welcome back!

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

31 days ago

Score 1

Well let's say you're up 20-0 in the 4th, do you pull your starting pitcher? Why risk an injury?

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 2

Because you could injure your reliever...

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 2

Basketball or Hockey...you could do this (everyone has scrubs...you guys have Scalabrine!). But Baseball is such a shitty comparison, its "rediculous" (btw, y can no won spel rediculous)

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RomiezzoLegend

31 days ago

Score 1

I have no idea why we're comparing football to baseball now... because... well... they're two different sports.

If Brady didn't play in the third quarter, he would have played half the game.

Why did Charlie Manuel decide to pull out Cliff Lee after eighth innings? Because he pitched phucking phenomenally phor the Phillies. Manuel could've pulled him out when the Phils [just about] had it sealed at 8-0 in the 5th inning. Better yet... pull out Lee in the second inning. They were up 6-0 by the end of the second inning...

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

31 days ago

Score 0

"Because you could injure your reliever"

So starters are as important as relievers? I'm not trying to fully compare a baseball blowout to a football blowout, just trying to point out how reed-ick-you-lush the notion of "Brady could get hurt" is.

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Cheez WhizWaterboy

31 days ago

Score 2

Patriots were up 45 to nothing at halftime. The Titans threw a total of 14 passes, completing 2 of them for a total of -7 passing yards. The Titans weren't even trying to pass in the game. But for some reason Tom Brady kept on passing and passing until the third quarter when he was taking out of the game.

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Cheez WhizWaterboy

31 days ago

Score 1

I just dont get it.

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 1

Like I said Rawb, I don't think its a big deal. Brady could get hurt, but I don't really care (NMP = not my problem). If the Eagles were up 45-0, I'd expect Donovan McNabb to be pulled immediately though. And yeah relievers can be important as starters...maybe we should ask Jonathan Broxton, Huston Street, Ryan Franklin, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon and Brian Fuentes?

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

31 days ago

Score 1

Would you use Papelbon or Nathan in a 20 run game?

Cheez Whiz, I bet there are a lot of things Belichick does that you don't get. This morning he cut Tully Banta-Cain, only to re-sign him in the afternoon. Why? The Pats extended Banta-Cain's contract, but reduced his salary, therefore reducing his cap hit.

My theory is that Belichick doesn't want Brady to become accustomed to playing 30 minutes of football. With a weak Tampa Bay team next, then a bye week, then a really tough stretch of games, it's likely Belichick wanted his QB to get in more reps.

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JuTMSY4Legend

31 days ago

Score 1

No...would you use Tom Brady in a 45-0 game?

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

31 days ago

Score 2

I would for the first drive of the 3rd quarter.

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Cheez WhizWaterboy

30 days ago

Score 1

Rawbeezeitz: Give the man a cookie. Congrats. He is a NFL football coach. Good job. He took advantage of the salary cap system. Lets talk footballand not front office crap. You are up by 45 points at halftime. Your starting quarterback was injured all of last year. Why dont you take him out at halftime? Kepp him for when you do play those tough teams. It doesn't matter if they have their bye week approaching. If he retears his ligament then hes done for the season. Put the backup in.

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Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer

30 days ago

Score 2

I hate Cleveland....

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

30 days ago

Score 0

Brady tore that ligament after not playing a single preseason snap. Maybe, just maybe, Belichick doesn't want to underuse Brady, so that when he has to play 60 tough minutes of football, he'll be better accustomed to it.

And again, it is strange how worried non-Patriot fans are about Tom Brady's health. If you disagree with Belichick's decision to play him for a series in the 3rd, then fine. But if you think Belichick made the decision with anything other than winning (both the game, and the season) first and foremost on his mind, you don't know anything about Bill Belichick.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

30 days ago

Score 1

I hate Cleveland too.

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Cheez WhizWaterboy

30 days ago

Score 0

I dont know Belichick but you must. What that Spygate thing about???

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Cheez WhizWaterboy

30 days ago

Score 0

*what was

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

29 days ago

Score -2

I'll take that for a white flag.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

6 days ago

Score 0

just gotta say, the Patriots don't have a running game to practice. without their top 2 running backs, the stupidest thing they could do is run. bellichick isn't stupid.

if you look at the tennesse game as a practice, which bellichick probably did, the best thing to "practice" is a hurry up passing offense which would help them against teams like the colts and saints. also, it would help against the steelers. teams that seriously matter.

no sane coach would have a player or team slack off, even for a practice game.

that being said, bellichick probably enjoyed smacking down jeff fisher, who was one of the coaches with bunched panties during the spygate silliness. bellichick at the time said some day he's going to write a book on the NFL. i doubt he will. he's too smart to do that. he's going to retire with his fist full of rings.

if he ever wrote a book on the NFL it would be a must read. he has the largest collection of football books, which he has donated to the navy.

you don't pay players and coaches millions to win, give no job security, and expect boy scout behavior. i think bellichick could slam the league with an interesting book. however. he knows how to win. and winning doesn't include wasting energy on b.s.

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