We could have seen this coming. The Hall of Fame game on August 10, the NFL’s preseason opener between the Steelers and Vikings that featured neither Ben Roethlisberger nor Adrian Peterson, had a 6.9 rating, (according to CBS Sports) better than Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals and both the American League Championship and National League Championship openers.

This all seems incredible based on how the NFL has presented itself as a tone-deaf botch-fest this year. We have witnessed many events that would weaken most corporations. Yet pro football keeps gobbling up brains.

So what, if anything, could possibly derail the NFL’s popularity? We asked a number of journalists their thoughts on the topic and categorized their answers.

NOTHING

Most seem to have joined this camp (well, less “joined” than “acquiesced to”). Even those who posited potential problems with the league included disclaimers. Nothing, it seems, shall damage the allure of the shield.

BSMW head Bruce Allen laid out the bullet points: “Well, what hasn’t derailed the NFL’s popularity? An active player arrested and convicted for murder. Numerous drug arrests and suspensions. Concussion and brain damage studies. Numerous domestic violence incidents. An inept boob of a commissioner who has been proven a liar on more than one occasion. Made up scandals (Bountygate and Deflategate) which the WWE wouldn’t even attempt…

If those things haven’t – I don’t know what will.”

Tanya Ray Fox, writer for SportsGrid, had a similar outlook, including a few specifics and a New England perspective.

“Let me put it this way,” Fox said. “In a league where a superstar QB has been substantially accused of rape, a superstar RB was videotaped beating his wife, a Hall of Fame LB was arrested for rape, a former TE is in jail for murder, a former DB and NFL Network employee is in jail for serial rape, and Pacman Jones is still playing (Note: a rundown of Jones’ arrests here), you know who the fans hate the most? Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who they believe have been in six of the last fourteen Super Bowls because they cheat.

“Think about that. Fans still watch loyally, despite the fact that they think the most successful team in the NFL are cheaters and the rest of the teams that they hate far less are peppered with violent criminals. If that’s not enough to take away even a fraction of the fan base, I don’t know what is.”

Dan Duggan, NJ.com Rutgers football beat writer, agreed. “I really don’t think anything (can derail it), at least in the short-term. We all get outraged about the off-field issues, and then we dedicate all day Sunday, Thursday night and Monday night to watching the NFL.”

Duggan did hint at a possible pitfall. “Maybe there will be an effect down the road as parents shy away from allowing their kids to play football due to concerns about concussions. But I can’t see the popularity of the NFL diminishing any time soon.”

CONCUSSIONS

The greatest trouble for the NFL lurks within this issue. Just a few years ago, we would hear about a player from a past era dealing with what was then an alleged – and seemingly rare – brain injury. Now, in real time, we’re witnessing the decline of recent retirees whom we followed into the new millennium; meanwhile, young players have decided to hang up their cleats early. The most recent report from the Department of Veteran Affairs and Boston University study on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) puts the rate at 96 percent of NFL football players tested.

The study comes with caveats, of course. The brains that have been tested came from players who showed symptoms and/or had concerns. Still, we could see these occurrences increase. We have to ask: will more and more of our favorite players live out their post-NFL lives in constant physical and mental pain? That’s tough to consider, and even harder for the league to spin.

“The only thing that could remotely threaten the league’s popularity is the concussion issue, and even that is probably not enough to stop it.” said Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re just scratching the surface on the staggering amount of brain injuries players have suffered in the past, and I wonder if eventually we get to the point where players are forced to sign waivers, absolving the league of any legal responsibilities and the financial burden that can come with it.

“That’s obviously a slippery slope, but unless there are some dramatic rule changes – say no helmets – then this will continue to be an ongoing issue. But by and large, I think the average fan doesn’t care. They want points, they want big hits and they enjoy the potential that you can rebuild your team from year to year if needed.”

Mark Daniels, football writer for The Providence Journal, said, “I think it would come down to the concussion issue. I still think we’re a long ways away from that, but it would have to get to a point where parents didn’t want their children playing because they were fearful of head injuries. If people stopped playing, then you might see a diminished product on the field. But so many people love this sport and it’s so popular, I don’t know if I see that happening in my lifetime.”

Mike Reiss, ESPN Boston writer, and Shalise Manza Young, writer for Yahoo! Shutdown Corner, saw both the concussion problem and a leadership problem plaguing the league in the future.

Reiss said, “Head trauma and concussions remain issues worthy of further exploration. As we learn more about it, perhaps there is a possibility that the game becomes more challenging for the general public to support. Admittedly, that seems like a reach right now.”

“You know, at this point I’m not sure if anything could (derail the NFL’s popularity).” Young said, adding, “Parents are rightfully concerned about their own kids playing, but that doesn’t mean they won’t watch someone else’s kids play. Maybe if we start seeing an increase in former players committing suicide (i.e., more Junior Seaus), that could affect it.”

The concussion/CTE issue puts the NFL in a tough spot. They have to admit their product can cause irreparable damage to its employees, yet the scheduling of Thursday night games reveals players’ health remains a minor concern. If former Patriot guard Stephen Neal can allude to NFL games as “car crashes every week” and few people bat an eye, it will take more time – and more exposure of damaging effects – for health issues to make a difference in fans’ minds.

While most respondents considered the long-term, chronic effects of playing football, Christopher Price of WEEI.com brought up another, more immediate danger. What if, he asked, a player died because of an on-field injury?

“I think that would cause the rest of the world to take a hard look at player safety and and the level of violence associated with the game. You’d likely get Congress involved, and there would be hearings, which would (inevitably) lead to other revelations, most of which would probably come down to money. I think the fallout from something like that would be incredibly severe, and making a sizable impact on how the game is viewed and played going forward.”

In 2005, Al Lucas of the Arena Football League’s Los Angeles Avengers died of blunt force trauma to the spinal cord. A write-up of the incident from 2013 can be seen here on Grantland. A high school player from New Jersey died last Friday night, cause as yet unknown.

These deaths happen rarely enough that they can be viewed as aberrations, but if an NFL player were to get killed in front of tens of thousands of spectators and millions of TV-watching fans, how would the league handle that? Is leadership prepared for this?

Which brings us to another potential issue…

LEADERSHIP

In talking about the leaders of the NFL, I am reminded of a slogan from 30 years ago: Certs have Retsyn.

Sounds like an Eastern European language? Let me explain: the Certs breath mint company created an additive (basically cottonseed oil, sugar and flavor) specifically so they could mention it and set themselves apart from competitors (as does this vintage commercial).

“The NFL has integrity.” Right? They use words like “integrity” and “shield” as if they mean anything, as if they give the NFL something that other professional leagues can only long for but never attain.

We’re talking about a league with a commissioner that has – on the record – mischaracterized the testimony of two different players. Roger Goodell said Ray Rice lied to him; a judge disagreed. Goodell said Tom Brady did not mention speaking of the football scandal with his equipment manager. Brady’s appeal transcript showed that was not true.

“And maybe,” Young said, “if Goodell keeps making such stupid decisions, that could affect interest.”

Maybe. It seems probable the commissioner will make more mistakes; therefore, it must be possible he makes one or two big enough to actually make an impact. But how big do those gaffes have to get?

COMPETITION

We know they’ve busied themselves with keeping the shield clean, but have the heads of the NFL stayed in touch with fans’ interests? As Reiss said, “Any time you are No. 1, there is always the possibility of resting on one’s laurels and not pushing harder to continue to improve and be proactive against competitive threats. Resisting against that is critical.”

This topic provides fascinating hypotheticals. What could possibly draw viewers away from the NFL?

We look past baseball, basketball, and hockey because, frankly, they’ve had their chances. Soccer? Too many teams, too many leagues, too many countries. And too floppy for the taste of many.

Maybe we’ll see a non-traditional sport like “American Ninja Warrior” grow, where we root for the contestants (rife with human interest stories) and root against the obstacle course. At some point, there could be a kind of live-action single-shooter video game, a choose-your-own adventure where viewers would text an actual human being where to go in a game of laser tag.

Mixed martial arts has gotten popular. But then we go back to the health/concussion issue.

I dunno. Is dodgeball still viable?

Well. Maybe something can take viewers away from football, but hell if I can predict it.

GAMBLING

If you watch television for more than two minutes on a Sunday afternoon, you will see an ad for a fantasy sports website. On these sites, visitors pay money to participate in a fantasy league. According to DraftKings.com, “Daily fantasy sports is a skill game and is not considered gambling.”

Hey, remember when Pete Rose gambled and got banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame for life? Bet he wishes he’d had the Internet.

This angle seemed to intrigue Matt Chatham, founder of footballbyfootball.com, writer for Fox Sports “Game of the Week” breakdown, analyst for NESN and ESPN, and volunteer Super Bowl 38 security guard. Chatham sees the NFL’s potential downfall in the money that exchanges hands outside of NFL arenas.

“Reversal of some law regarding fantasy sports and some government overreaching would be the biggest potential blow,” he said. “Stripping away a huge new part of the audience that likely otherwise wouldn’t watch. TV revenue projections and ad values are based (I believe) on the assumption that that audience will be there and continue to grow. If for some reason it was gone overnight and there were a competing product that could accept that audience, that’s probably the most plausible scenario.

“But I don’t think that’s happening. Very unlikely. The wagering (legal, fantasy and otherwise), the league, and the communities that have these teams are symbiotic at this point. They both need each other. There would be holy hell to pay if it was ever disrupted, for politicians, whatever. So in the absence of choice, everything will be done to maintain the status quo.”

Young said the NFL could also get hurt “if some major scandal like finding out games are fixed is uncovered. But really, at this point I don’t think anything could have a major impact on numbers and interest, and fantasy plays a huge role in that.”

OFFICIATING

Related to Young’s point, let’s look at officials not for what they do or how well they do it, but for their role in upholding the (dare I say it) integrity of the game.

As Price said, “If there was some sort of overarching scandal involving officiating and/or gambling regarding major games, like the conference championship and/or the Super Bowl. I’m not just talking about Donaghy-esque style issues with regular season contests between the Bucs and Jags. If there were marquee games that were found to be not on the level, the fallout would be massive. The ripple of suggestion that games might not be on the level would in turn create sizable waves throughout the sports world – namely distrust among the NFL’s fanbase.”

Fans don’t trust the NFL front office or its players. They do trust the game itself and the effort put into each one. Taking those elements away could deal the biggest blow of all.

Concussions/Injuries, Leadership, Competition, Gambling, Officiating. All possible traps for the NFL. But, for now at least, it looks like they shield is safe.

Chris Warner has email (chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com) and tweets: @cwarn89

We could have seen this coming. The Hall of Fame game on August 10, the NFL’s preseason opener between the Steelers and Vikings that featured neither Ben Roethlisberger nor Adrian Peterson, had a 6.9 rating, (according to CBS Sports) better than Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals and both the American League Championship and National League Championship openers.

This all seems incredible based on how the NFL has presented itself as a tone-deaf botch-fest this year. We have witnessed many events that would weaken most corporations. Yet pro football keeps gobbling up brains.

So what, if anything, could possibly derail the NFL’s popularity? We asked a number of journalists their thoughts on the topic and categorized their answers.

NOTHING

Most seem to have joined this camp (well, less “joined” than “acquiesced to”). Even those who posited potential problems with the league included disclaimers. Nothing, it seems, shall damage the allure of the shield.

BSMW head Bruce Allen laid out the bullet points: “Well, what hasn’t derailed the NFL’s popularity? An active player arrested and convicted for murder. Numerous drug arrests and suspensions. Concussion and brain damage studies. Numerous domestic violence incidents. An inept boob of a commissioner who has been proven a liar on more than one occasion. Made up scandals (Bountygate and Deflategate) which the WWE wouldn’t even attempt…

If those things haven’t – I don’t know what will.”

Tanya Ray Fox, writer for SportsGrid, had a similar outlook, including a few specifics and a New England perspective.

“Let me put it this way,” Fox said. “In a league where a superstar QB has been substantially accused of rape, a superstar RB was videotaped beating his wife, a Hall of Fame LB was arrested for rape, a former TE is in jail for murder, a former DB and NFL Network employee is in jail for serial rape, and Pacman Jones is still playing (Note: a rundown of Jones’ arrests here), you know who the fans hate the most? Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who they believe have been in six of the last fourteen Super Bowls because they cheat.

“Think about that. Fans still watch loyally, despite the fact that they think the most successful team in the NFL are cheaters and the rest of the teams that they hate far less are peppered with violent criminals. If that’s not enough to take away even a fraction of the fan base, I don’t know what is.”

Dan Duggan, NJ.com Rutgers football beat writer, agreed. “I really don’t think anything (can derail it), at least in the short-term. We all get outraged about the off-field issues, and then we dedicate all day Sunday, Thursday night and Monday night to watching the NFL.”

Duggan did hint at a possible pitfall. “Maybe there will be an effect down the road as parents shy away from allowing their kids to play football due to concerns about concussions. But I can’t see the popularity of the NFL diminishing any time soon.”

CONCUSSIONS

The greatest trouble for the NFL lurks within this issue. Just a few years ago, we would hear about a player from a past era dealing with what was then an alleged – and seemingly rare – brain injury. Now, in real time, we’re witnessing the decline of recent retirees whom we followed into the new millennium; meanwhile, young players have decided to hang up their cleats early. The most recent report from the Department of Veteran Affairs and Boston University study on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) puts the rate at 96 percent of NFL football players tested.

The study comes with caveats, of course. The brains that have been tested came from players who showed symptoms and/or had concerns. Still, we could see these occurrences increase. We have to ask: will more and more of our favorite players live out their post-NFL lives in constant physical and mental pain? That’s tough to consider, and even harder for the league to spin.

“The only thing that could remotely threaten the league’s popularity is the concussion issue, and even that is probably not enough to stop it.” said Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re just scratching the surface on the staggering amount of brain injuries players have suffered in the past, and I wonder if eventually we get to the point where players are forced to sign waivers, absolving the league of any legal responsibilities and the financial burden that can come with it.

“That’s obviously a slippery slope, but unless there are some dramatic rule changes – say no helmets – then this will continue to be an ongoing issue. But by and large, I think the average fan doesn’t care. They want points, they want big hits and they enjoy the potential that you can rebuild your team from year to year if needed.”

Mark Daniels, football writer for The Providence Journal, said, “I think it would come down to the concussion issue. I still think we’re a long ways away from that, but it would have to get to a point where parents didn’t want their children playing because they were fearful of head injuries. If people stopped playing, then you might see a diminished product on the field. But so many people love this sport and it’s so popular, I don’t know if I see that happening in my lifetime.”

Mike Reiss, ESPN Boston writer, and Shalise Manza Young, writer for Yahoo! Shutdown Corner, saw both the concussion problem and a leadership problem plaguing the league in the future.

Reiss said, “Head trauma and concussions remain issues worthy of further exploration. As we learn more about it, perhaps there is a possibility that the game becomes more challenging for the general public to support. Admittedly, that seems like a reach right now.”

“You know, at this point I’m not sure if anything could (derail the NFL’s popularity).” Young said, adding, “Parents are rightfully concerned about their own kids playing, but that doesn’t mean they won’t watch someone else’s kids play. Maybe if we start seeing an increase in former players committing suicide (i.e., more Junior Seaus), that could affect it.”

The concussion/CTE issue puts the NFL in a tough spot. They have to admit their product can cause irreparable damage to its employees, yet the scheduling of Thursday night games reveals players’ health remains a minor concern. If former Patriot guard Stephen Neal can allude to NFL games as “car crashes every week” and few people bat an eye, it will take more time – and more exposure of damaging effects – for health issues to make a difference in fans’ minds.

While most respondents considered the long-term, chronic effects of playing football, Christopher Price of WEEI.com brought up another, more immediate danger. What if, he asked, a player died because of an on-field injury?

“I think that would cause the rest of the world to take a hard look at player safety and and the level of violence associated with the game. You’d likely get Congress involved, and there would be hearings, which would (inevitably) lead to other revelations, most of which would probably come down to money. I think the fallout from something like that would be incredibly severe, and making a sizable impact on how the game is viewed and played going forward.”

In 2005, Al Lucas of the Arena Football League’s Los Angeles Avengers died of blunt force trauma to the spinal cord. A write-up of the incident from 2013 can be seen here on Grantland. A high school player from New Jersey died last Friday night, cause as yet unknown.

These deaths happen rarely enough that they can be viewed as aberrations, but if an NFL player were to get killed in front of tens of thousands of spectators and millions of TV-watching fans, how would the league handle that? Is leadership prepared for this?

Which brings us to another potential issue…

LEADERSHIP

In talking about the leaders of the NFL, I am reminded of a slogan from 30 years ago: Certs have Retsyn.

Sounds like an Eastern European language? Let me explain: the Certs breath mint company created an additive (basically cottonseed oil, sugar and flavor) specifically so they could mention it and set themselves apart from competitors (as does this vintage commercial).

“The NFL has integrity.” Right? They use words like “integrity” and “shield” as if they mean anything, as if they give the NFL something that other professional leagues can only long for but never attain.

We’re talking about a league with a commissioner that has – on the record – mischaracterized the testimony of two different players. Roger Goodell said Ray Rice lied to him; a judge disagreed. Goodell said Tom Brady did not mention speaking of the football scandal with his equipment manager. Brady’s appeal transcript showed that was not true.

“And maybe,” Young said, “if Goodell keeps making such stupid decisions, that could affect interest.”

Maybe. It seems probable the commissioner will make more mistakes; therefore, it must be possible he makes one or two big enough to actually make an impact. But how big do those gaffes have to get?

COMPETITION

We know they’ve busied themselves with keeping the shield clean, but have the heads of the NFL stayed in touch with fans’ interests? As Reiss said, “Any time you are No. 1, there is always the possibility of resting on one’s laurels and not pushing harder to continue to improve and be proactive against competitive threats. Resisting against that is critical.”

This topic provides fascinating hypotheticals. What could possibly draw viewers away from the NFL?

We look past baseball, basketball, and hockey because, frankly, they’ve had their chances. Soccer? Too many teams, too many leagues, too many countries. And too floppy for the taste of many.

Maybe we’ll see a non-traditional sport like “American Ninja Warrior” grow, where we root for the contestants (rife with human interest stories) and root against the obstacle course. At some point, there could be a kind of live-action single-shooter video game, a choose-your-own adventure where viewers would text an actual human being where to go in a game of laser tag.

Mixed martial arts has gotten popular. But then we go back to the health/concussion issue.

I dunno. Is dodgeball still viable?

Well. Maybe something can take viewers away from football, but hell if I can predict it.

GAMBLING

If you watch television for more than two minutes on a Sunday afternoon, you will see an ad for a fantasy sports website. On these sites, visitors pay money to participate in a fantasy league. According to DraftKings.com, “Daily fantasy sports is a skill game and is not considered gambling.”

Hey, remember when Pete Rose gambled and got banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame for life? Bet he wishes he’d had the Internet.

This angle seemed to intrigue Matt Chatham, founder of footballbyfootball.com, writer for Fox Sports “Game of the Week” breakdown, analyst for NESN and ESPN, and volunteer Super Bowl 38 security guard. Chatham sees the NFL’s potential downfall in the money that exchanges hands outside of NFL arenas.

“Reversal of some law regarding fantasy sports and some government overreaching would be the biggest potential blow,” he said. “Stripping away a huge new part of the audience that likely otherwise wouldn’t watch. TV revenue projections and ad values are based (I believe) on the assumption that that audience will be there and continue to grow. If for some reason it was gone overnight and there were a competing product that could accept that audience, that’s probably the most plausible scenario.

“But I don’t think that’s happening. Very unlikely. The wagering (legal, fantasy and otherwise), the league, and the communities that have these teams are symbiotic at this point. They both need each other. There would be holy hell to pay if it was ever disrupted, for politicians, whatever. So in the absence of choice, everything will be done to maintain the status quo.”

Young said the NFL could also get hurt “if some major scandal like finding out games are fixed is uncovered. But really, at this point I don’t think anything could have a major impact on numbers and interest, and fantasy plays a huge role in that.”

OFFICIATING

Related to Young’s point, let’s look at officials not for what they do or how well they do it, but for their role in upholding the (dare I say it) integrity of the game.

As Price said, “If there was some sort of overarching scandal involving officiating and/or gambling regarding major games, like the conference championship and/or the Super Bowl. I’m not just talking about Donaghy-esque style issues with regular season contests between the Bucs and Jags. If there were marquee games that were found to be not on the level, the fallout would be massive. The ripple of suggestion that games might not be on the level would in turn create sizable waves throughout the sports world – namely distrust among the NFL’s fanbase.”

Fans don’t trust the NFL front office or its players. They do trust the game itself and the effort put into each one. Taking those elements away could deal the biggest blow of all.

Concussions/Injuries, Leadership, Competition, Gambling, Officiating. All possible traps for the NFL. But, for now at least, it looks like they shield is safe.

Chris Warner has email (chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com) and tweets: @cwarn89

We could have seen this coming. The Hall of Fame game on August 10, the NFL’s preseason opener between the Steelers and Vikings that featured neither Ben Roethlisberger nor Adrian Peterson, had a 6.9 rating, (according to CBS Sports) better than Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals and both the American League Championship and National League Championship openers.

This all seems incredible based on how the NFL has presented itself as a tone-deaf botch-fest this year. We have witnessed many events that would weaken most corporations. Yet pro football keeps gobbling up brains.

So what, if anything, could possibly derail the NFL’s popularity? We asked a number of journalists their thoughts on the topic and categorized their answers.

NOTHING

Most seem to have joined this camp (well, less “joined” than “acquiesced to”). Even those who posited potential problems with the league included disclaimers. Nothing, it seems, shall damage the allure of the shield.

BSMW head Bruce Allen laid out the bullet points: “Well, what hasn’t derailed the NFL’s popularity? An active player arrested and convicted for murder. Numerous drug arrests and suspensions. Concussion and brain damage studies. Numerous domestic violence incidents. An inept boob of a commissioner who has been proven a liar on more than one occasion. Made up scandals (Bountygate and Deflategate) which the WWE wouldn’t even attempt…

If those things haven’t – I don’t know what will.”

Tanya Ray Fox, writer for SportsGrid, had a similar outlook, including a few specifics and a New England perspective.

“Let me put it this way,” Fox said. “In a league where a superstar QB has been substantially accused of rape, a superstar RB was videotaped beating his wife, a Hall of Fame LB was arrested for rape, a former TE is in jail for murder, a former DB and NFL Network employee is in jail for serial rape, and Pacman Jones is still playing (Note: a rundown of Jones’ arrests here), you know who the fans hate the most? Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who they believe have been in six of the last fourteen Super Bowls because they cheat.

“Think about that. Fans still watch loyally, despite the fact that they think the most successful team in the NFL are cheaters and the rest of the teams that they hate far less are peppered with violent criminals. If that’s not enough to take away even a fraction of the fan base, I don’t know what is.”

Dan Duggan, NJ.com Rutgers football beat writer, agreed. “I really don’t think anything (can derail it), at least in the short-term. We all get outraged about the off-field issues, and then we dedicate all day Sunday, Thursday night and Monday night to watching the NFL.”

Duggan did hint at a possible pitfall. “Maybe there will be an effect down the road as parents shy away from allowing their kids to play football due to concerns about concussions. But I can’t see the popularity of the NFL diminishing any time soon.”

CONCUSSIONS

The greatest trouble for the NFL lurks within this issue. Just a few years ago, we would hear about a player from a past era dealing with what was then an alleged – and seemingly rare – brain injury. Now, in real time, we’re witnessing the decline of recent retirees whom we followed into the new millennium; meanwhile, young players have decided to hang up their cleats early. The most recent report from the Department of Veteran Affairs and Boston University study on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) puts the rate at 96 percent of NFL football players tested.

The study comes with caveats, of course. The brains that have been tested came from players who showed symptoms and/or had concerns. Still, we could see these occurrences increase. We have to ask: will more and more of our favorite players live out their post-NFL lives in constant physical and mental pain? That’s tough to consider, and even harder for the league to spin.

“The only thing that could remotely threaten the league’s popularity is the concussion issue, and even that is probably not enough to stop it.” said Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re just scratching the surface on the staggering amount of brain injuries players have suffered in the past, and I wonder if eventually we get to the point where players are forced to sign waivers, absolving the league of any legal responsibilities and the financial burden that can come with it.

“That’s obviously a slippery slope, but unless there are some dramatic rule changes – say no helmets – then this will continue to be an ongoing issue. But by and large, I think the average fan doesn’t care. They want points, they want big hits and they enjoy the potential that you can rebuild your team from year to year if needed.”

Mark Daniels, football writer for The Providence Journal, said, “I think it would come down to the concussion issue. I still think we’re a long ways away from that, but it would have to get to a point where parents didn’t want their children playing because they were fearful of head injuries. If people stopped playing, then you might see a diminished product on the field. But so many people love this sport and it’s so popular, I don’t know if I see that happening in my lifetime.”

Mike Reiss, ESPN Boston writer, and Shalise Manza Young, writer for Yahoo! Shutdown Corner, saw both the concussion problem and a leadership problem plaguing the league in the future.

Reiss said, “Head trauma and concussions remain issues worthy of further exploration. As we learn more about it, perhaps there is a possibility that the game becomes more challenging for the general public to support. Admittedly, that seems like a reach right now.”

“You know, at this point I’m not sure if anything could (derail the NFL’s popularity).” Young said, adding, “Parents are rightfully concerned about their own kids playing, but that doesn’t mean they won’t watch someone else’s kids play. Maybe if we start seeing an increase in former players committing suicide (i.e., more Junior Seaus), that could affect it.”

The concussion/CTE issue puts the NFL in a tough spot. They have to admit their product can cause irreparable damage to its employees, yet the scheduling of Thursday night games reveals players’ health remains a minor concern. If former Patriot guard Stephen Neal can allude to NFL games as “car crashes every week” and few people bat an eye, it will take more time – and more exposure of damaging effects – for health issues to make a difference in fans’ minds.

While most respondents considered the long-term, chronic effects of playing football, Christopher Price of WEEI.com brought up another, more immediate danger. What if, he asked, a player died because of an on-field injury?

“I think that would cause the rest of the world to take a hard look at player safety and and the level of violence associated with the game. You’d likely get Congress involved, and there would be hearings, which would (inevitably) lead to other revelations, most of which would probably come down to money. I think the fallout from something like that would be incredibly severe, and making a sizable impact on how the game is viewed and played going forward.”

In 2005, Al Lucas of the Arena Football League’s Los Angeles Avengers died of blunt force trauma to the spinal cord. A write-up of the incident from 2013 can be seen here on Grantland. A high school player from New Jersey died last Friday night, cause as yet unknown.

These deaths happen rarely enough that they can be viewed as aberrations, but if an NFL player were to get killed in front of tens of thousands of spectators and millions of TV-watching fans, how would the league handle that? Is leadership prepared for this?

Which brings us to another potential issue…

LEADERSHIP

In talking about the leaders of the NFL, I am reminded of a slogan from 30 years ago: Certs have Retsyn.

Sounds like an Eastern European language? Let me explain: the Certs breath mint company created an additive (basically cottonseed oil, sugar and flavor) specifically so they could mention it and set themselves apart from competitors (as does this vintage commercial).

“The NFL has integrity.” Right? They use words like “integrity” and “shield” as if they mean anything, as if they give the NFL something that other professional leagues can only long for but never attain.

We’re talking about a league with a commissioner that has – on the record – mischaracterized the testimony of two different players. Roger Goodell said Ray Rice lied to him; a judge disagreed. Goodell said Tom Brady did not mention speaking of the football scandal with his equipment manager. Brady’s appeal transcript showed that was not true.

“And maybe,” Young said, “if Goodell keeps making such stupid decisions, that could affect interest.”

Maybe. It seems probable the commissioner will make more mistakes; therefore, it must be possible he makes one or two big enough to actually make an impact. But how big do those gaffes have to get?

COMPETITION

We know they’ve busied themselves with keeping the shield clean, but have the heads of the NFL stayed in touch with fans’ interests? As Reiss said, “Any time you are No. 1, there is always the possibility of resting on one’s laurels and not pushing harder to continue to improve and be proactive against competitive threats. Resisting against that is critical.”

This topic provides fascinating hypotheticals. What could possibly draw viewers away from the NFL?

We look past baseball, basketball, and hockey because, frankly, they’ve had their chances. Soccer? Too many teams, too many leagues, too many countries. And too floppy for the taste of many.

Maybe we’ll see a non-traditional sport like “American Ninja Warrior” grow, where we root for the contestants (rife with human interest stories) and root against the obstacle course. At some point, there could be a kind of live-action single-shooter video game, a choose-your-own adventure where viewers would text an actual human being where to go in a game of laser tag.

Mixed martial arts has gotten popular. But then we go back to the health/concussion issue.

I dunno. Is dodgeball still viable?

Well. Maybe something can take viewers away from football, but hell if I can predict it.

GAMBLING

If you watch television for more than two minutes on a Sunday afternoon, you will see an ad for a fantasy sports website. On these sites, visitors pay money to participate in a fantasy league. According to DraftKings.com, “Daily fantasy sports is a skill game and is not considered gambling.”

Hey, remember when Pete Rose gambled and got banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame for life? Bet he wishes he’d had the Internet.

This angle seemed to intrigue Matt Chatham, founder of footballbyfootball.com, writer for Fox Sports “Game of the Week” breakdown, analyst for NESN and ESPN, and volunteer Super Bowl 38 security guard. Chatham sees the NFL’s potential downfall in the money that exchanges hands outside of NFL arenas.

“Reversal of some law regarding fantasy sports and some government overreaching would be the biggest potential blow,” he said. “Stripping away a huge new part of the audience that likely otherwise wouldn’t watch. TV revenue projections and ad values are based (I believe) on the assumption that that audience will be there and continue to grow. If for some reason it was gone overnight and there were a competing product that could accept that audience, that’s probably the most plausible scenario.

“But I don’t think that’s happening. Very unlikely. The wagering (legal, fantasy and otherwise), the league, and the communities that have these teams are symbiotic at this point. They both need each other. There would be holy hell to pay if it was ever disrupted, for politicians, whatever. So in the absence of choice, everything will be done to maintain the status quo.”

Young said the NFL could also get hurt “if some major scandal like finding out games are fixed is uncovered. But really, at this point I don’t think anything could have a major impact on numbers and interest, and fantasy plays a huge role in that.”

OFFICIATING

Related to Young’s point, let’s look at officials not for what they do or how well they do it, but for their role in upholding the (dare I say it) integrity of the game.

As Price said, “If there was some sort of overarching scandal involving officiating and/or gambling regarding major games, like the conference championship and/or the Super Bowl. I’m not just talking about Donaghy-esque style issues with regular season contests between the Bucs and Jags. If there were marquee games that were found to be not on the level, the fallout would be massive. The ripple of suggestion that games might not be on the level would in turn create sizable waves throughout the sports world – namely distrust among the NFL’s fanbase.”

Fans don’t trust the NFL front office or its players. They do trust the game itself and the effort put into each one. Taking those elements away could deal the biggest blow of all.

Concussions/Injuries, Leadership, Competition, Gambling, Officiating. All possible traps for the NFL. But, for now at least, it looks like they shield is safe.

Chris Warner has email (chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com) and tweets: @cwarn89

We could have seen this coming. The Hall of Fame game on August 10, the NFL’s preseason opener between the Steelers and Vikings that featured neither Ben Roethlisberger nor Adrian Peterson, had a 6.9 rating, (according to CBS Sports) better than Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals and both the American League Championship and National League Championship openers.

This all seems incredible based on how the NFL has presented itself as a tone-deaf botch-fest this year. We have witnessed many events that would weaken most corporations. Yet pro football keeps gobbling up brains.

So what, if anything, could possibly derail the NFL’s popularity? We asked a number of journalists their thoughts on the topic and categorized their answers.

NOTHING

Most seem to have joined this camp (well, less “joined” than “acquiesced to”). Even those who posited potential problems with the league included disclaimers. Nothing, it seems, shall damage the allure of the shield.

BSMW head Bruce Allen laid out the bullet points: “Well, what hasn’t derailed the NFL’s popularity? An active player arrested and convicted for murder. Numerous drug arrests and suspensions. Concussion and brain damage studies. Numerous domestic violence incidents. An inept boob of a commissioner who has been proven a liar on more than one occasion. Made up scandals (Bountygate and Deflategate) which the WWE wouldn’t even attempt…

If those things haven’t – I don’t know what will.”

Tanya Ray Fox, writer for SportsGrid, had a similar outlook, including a few specifics and a New England perspective.

“Let me put it this way,” Fox said. “In a league where a superstar QB has been substantially accused of rape, a superstar RB was videotaped beating his wife, a Hall of Fame LB was arrested for rape, a former TE is in jail for murder, a former DB and NFL Network employee is in jail for serial rape, and Pacman Jones is still playing (Note: a rundown of Jones’ arrests here), you know who the fans hate the most? Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who they believe have been in six of the last fourteen Super Bowls because they cheat.

“Think about that. Fans still watch loyally, despite the fact that they think the most successful team in the NFL are cheaters and the rest of the teams that they hate far less are peppered with violent criminals. If that’s not enough to take away even a fraction of the fan base, I don’t know what is.”

Dan Duggan, NJ.com Rutgers football beat writer, agreed. “I really don’t think anything (can derail it), at least in the short-term. We all get outraged about the off-field issues, and then we dedicate all day Sunday, Thursday night and Monday night to watching the NFL.”

Duggan did hint at a possible pitfall. “Maybe there will be an effect down the road as parents shy away from allowing their kids to play football due to concerns about concussions. But I can’t see the popularity of the NFL diminishing any time soon.”

CONCUSSIONS

The greatest trouble for the NFL lurks within this issue. Just a few years ago, we would hear about a player from a past era dealing with what was then an alleged – and seemingly rare – brain injury. Now, in real time, we’re witnessing the decline of recent retirees whom we followed into the new millennium; meanwhile, young players have decided to hang up their cleats early. The most recent report from the Department of Veteran Affairs and Boston University study on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) puts the rate at 96 percent of NFL football players tested.

The study comes with caveats, of course. The brains that have been tested came from players who showed symptoms and/or had concerns. Still, we could see these occurrences increase. We have to ask: will more and more of our favorite players live out their post-NFL lives in constant physical and mental pain? That’s tough to consider, and even harder for the league to spin.

“The only thing that could remotely threaten the league’s popularity is the concussion issue, and even that is probably not enough to stop it.” said Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re just scratching the surface on the staggering amount of brain injuries players have suffered in the past, and I wonder if eventually we get to the point where players are forced to sign waivers, absolving the league of any legal responsibilities and the financial burden that can come with it.

“That’s obviously a slippery slope, but unless there are some dramatic rule changes – say no helmets – then this will continue to be an ongoing issue. But by and large, I think the average fan doesn’t care. They want points, they want big hits and they enjoy the potential that you can rebuild your team from year to year if needed.”

Mark Daniels, football writer for The Providence Journal, said, “I think it would come down to the concussion issue. I still think we’re a long ways away from that, but it would have to get to a point where parents didn’t want their children playing because they were fearful of head injuries. If people stopped playing, then you might see a diminished product on the field. But so many people love this sport and it’s so popular, I don’t know if I see that happening in my lifetime.”

Mike Reiss, ESPN Boston writer, and Shalise Manza Young, writer for Yahoo! Shutdown Corner, saw both the concussion problem and a leadership problem plaguing the league in the future.

Reiss said, “Head trauma and concussions remain issues worthy of further exploration. As we learn more about it, perhaps there is a possibility that the game becomes more challenging for the general public to support. Admittedly, that seems like a reach right now.”

“You know, at this point I’m not sure if anything could (derail the NFL’s popularity).” Young said, adding, “Parents are rightfully concerned about their own kids playing, but that doesn’t mean they won’t watch someone else’s kids play. Maybe if we start seeing an increase in former players committing suicide (i.e., more Junior Seaus), that could affect it.”

The concussion/CTE issue puts the NFL in a tough spot. They have to admit their product can cause irreparable damage to its employees, yet the scheduling of Thursday night games reveals players’ health remains a minor concern. If former Patriot guard Stephen Neal can allude to NFL games as “car crashes every week” and few people bat an eye, it will take more time – and more exposure of damaging effects – for health issues to make a difference in fans’ minds.

While most respondents considered the long-term, chronic effects of playing football, Christopher Price of WEEI.com brought up another, more immediate danger. What if, he asked, a player died because of an on-field injury?

“I think that would cause the rest of the world to take a hard look at player safety and and the level of violence associated with the game. You’d likely get Congress involved, and there would be hearings, which would (inevitably) lead to other revelations, most of which would probably come down to money. I think the fallout from something like that would be incredibly severe, and making a sizable impact on how the game is viewed and played going forward.”

In 2005, Al Lucas of the Arena Football League’s Los Angeles Avengers died of blunt force trauma to the spinal cord. A write-up of the incident from 2013 can be seen here on Grantland. A high school player from New Jersey died last Friday night, cause as yet unknown.

These deaths happen rarely enough that they can be viewed as aberrations, but if an NFL player were to get killed in front of tens of thousands of spectators and millions of TV-watching fans, how would the league handle that? Is leadership prepared for this?

Which brings us to another potential issue…

LEADERSHIP

In talking about the leaders of the NFL, I am reminded of a slogan from 30 years ago: Certs have Retsyn.

Sounds like an Eastern European language? Let me explain: the Certs breath mint company created an additive (basically cottonseed oil, sugar and flavor) specifically so they could mention it and set themselves apart from competitors (as does this vintage commercial).

“The NFL has integrity.” Right? They use words like “integrity” and “shield” as if they mean anything, as if they give the NFL something that other professional leagues can only long for but never attain.

We’re talking about a league with a commissioner that has – on the record – mischaracterized the testimony of two different players. Roger Goodell said Ray Rice lied to him; a judge disagreed. Goodell said Tom Brady did not mention speaking of the football scandal with his equipment manager. Brady’s appeal transcript showed that was not true.

“And maybe,” Young said, “if Goodell keeps making such stupid decisions, that could affect interest.”

Maybe. It seems probable the commissioner will make more mistakes; therefore, it must be possible he makes one or two big enough to actually make an impact. But how big do those gaffes have to get?

COMPETITION

We know they’ve busied themselves with keeping the shield clean, but have the heads of the NFL stayed in touch with fans’ interests? As Reiss said, “Any time you are No. 1, there is always the possibility of resting on one’s laurels and not pushing harder to continue to improve and be proactive against competitive threats. Resisting against that is critical.”

This topic provides fascinating hypotheticals. What could possibly draw viewers away from the NFL?

We look past baseball, basketball, and hockey because, frankly, they’ve had their chances. Soccer? Too many teams, too many leagues, too many countries. And too floppy for the taste of many.

Maybe we’ll see a non-traditional sport like “American Ninja Warrior” grow, where we root for the contestants (rife with human interest stories) and root against the obstacle course. At some point, there could be a kind of live-action single-shooter video game, a choose-your-own adventure where viewers would text an actual human being where to go in a game of laser tag.

Mixed martial arts has gotten popular. But then we go back to the health/concussion issue.

I dunno. Is dodgeball still viable?

Well. Maybe something can take viewers away from football, but hell if I can predict it.

GAMBLING

If you watch television for more than two minutes on a Sunday afternoon, you will see an ad for a fantasy sports website. On these sites, visitors pay money to participate in a fantasy league. According to DraftKings.com, “Daily fantasy sports is a skill game and is not considered gambling.”

Hey, remember when Pete Rose gambled and got banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame for life? Bet he wishes he’d had the Internet.

This angle seemed to intrigue Matt Chatham, founder of footballbyfootball.com, writer for Fox Sports “Game of the Week” breakdown, analyst for NESN and ESPN, and volunteer Super Bowl 38 security guard. Chatham sees the NFL’s potential downfall in the money that exchanges hands outside of NFL arenas.

“Reversal of some law regarding fantasy sports and some government overreaching would be the biggest potential blow,” he said. “Stripping away a huge new part of the audience that likely otherwise wouldn’t watch. TV revenue projections and ad values are based (I believe) on the assumption that that audience will be there and continue to grow. If for some reason it was gone overnight and there were a competing product that could accept that audience, that’s probably the most plausible scenario.

“But I don’t think that’s happening. Very unlikely. The wagering (legal, fantasy and otherwise), the league, and the communities that have these teams are symbiotic at this point. They both need each other. There would be holy hell to pay if it was ever disrupted, for politicians, whatever. So in the absence of choice, everything will be done to maintain the status quo.”

Young said the NFL could also get hurt “if some major scandal like finding out games are fixed is uncovered. But really, at this point I don’t think anything could have a major impact on numbers and interest, and fantasy plays a huge role in that.”

OFFICIATING

Related to Young’s point, let’s look at officials not for what they do or how well they do it, but for their role in upholding the (dare I say it) integrity of the game.

As Price said, “If there was some sort of overarching scandal involving officiating and/or gambling regarding major games, like the conference championship and/or the Super Bowl. I’m not just talking about Donaghy-esque style issues with regular season contests between the Bucs and Jags. If there were marquee games that were found to be not on the level, the fallout would be massive. The ripple of suggestion that games might not be on the level would in turn create sizable waves throughout the sports world – namely distrust among the NFL’s fanbase.”

Fans don’t trust the NFL front office or its players. They do trust the game itself and the effort put into each one. Taking those elements away could deal the biggest blow of all.

Concussions/Injuries, Leadership, Competition, Gambling, Officiating. All possible traps for the NFL. But, for now at least, it looks like they shield is safe.

Chris Warner has email (chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com) and tweets: @cwarn89

BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL ON COMCAST SPORTSNET RETURNS

NEXT WEEK WITH PRE-SEASON OPENER OCTOBER 6^TH FROM MILAN, ITALY

AND OCTOBER 8^TH FROM MADRID, SPAIN 

Broadcast Duo Mike Gorman & Tommy Heinsohn Return for 35^th Season of Celtics on Comcast SportsNet, along with Brian Scalabrine; Abby Chin Returns as Sideline Reporter; and Kyle Draper as Studio Host with contributions from Chris Mannix & Sherrod Blakely

 Insider Look During Telecasts including “Announcer-Cam”, Mic’ed Players, Advanced Analytics, and More 

CSNNE.com to Provide Robust Digital & Social Media Experience for Celtics Fans, including live Periscope Features of CSNNE talent behind-the-scenes throughout the season

BURLINGTON, MA, September 30, 2015 – The NBA season is upon us andComcast SportsNet — television home of the Boston Celtics — will televise 80 regular season Boston Celtics games during the 2015-16 season, as well as 7 Pre-Season games.  The Celtics pre-season tips off on Comcast SportsNet on Tuesday, October 6^thfrom Milan, Italy where they will take on Olympia Milano, followed by another European pre-season game against Real Madrid on Thursday, October 8^th from Madrid, Spain. The Celtics regular season tips off with Opening Night on Wednesday, October 28^th as they face the Philadelphia 76ers at The TD Garden with coverage beginning at 7:00PM.

Comcast SportsNet’s 2015-16 Celtics broadcast schedule features several exclusive and highly anticipated games, including the following:

• All three re-matches against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers – the Celtics’ 2015 Playoff opponent (December 15^th, February 5^th and March 5^th)
• Two games against MVP Stephen Curry and the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors (December 11^th and April 1^st)
• Several exclusive “reunion” games, including:

o   Two L.A. Clippers matchups featuring former Celtics Coach Doc Rivers and former teammate Paul Pierce (February 10^th and March 28^th)

o   Two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and former Celtic Kevin Garnett (December 21^st and February 22^nd)

o   Two games against Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings (December 3^rd in Mexico City and February 7^th)

In addition to a full game schedule, Comcast SportsNet will returnthis season with broadcast duo Mike Gorman (@celticsvoice) and Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) calling games for their 35^th season as Comcast SportsNet’s primary telecast team on all home games.  Fan-favorite Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) joins the broadcast team full-time, contributing on every Celtics game night; Scalabrine will be the color analyst for all roadgames and primary studio analyst for all home games on CelticsPre/Post-GameLive, in addition to making weekly appearances on Celtics Insider presented by Lahey Health and other Comcast SportsNet programming. Kyle Draper (@KylerDraperTV) and Abby Chin (@TVAbby) will return to the Comcast SportsNet telecasts this season as studio host and courtside reporter, respectively.

Comcast SportsNet will be the go-to television source before and after each game with live pre and post-game coverage of every game this season, including national network games. Draper will host Celtics Pre-game Livepresented by Ace Ticket 30-minutes prior to each game; Halftime Live presented by McDonald’s; and Celtics Post-game Live presented by New England Ford immediately following each game. Joining Draper in-studio will be a rotating roster of experts including Heinsohn,Scalabrine, CSNNE.com Celtics Insider Sherrod Blakely and NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

New this season will be the “AnnouncerCam” on all game telecasts, giving viewers an inside, up-close look of Mike, Tommy and Scal as they call the games.  Viewers will also get special insider access with mic’ed Celtics players during select regular season games. In collaboration with the Celtics, this season’s telecasts will introduce and feature advanced analyticsthroughout the night, integrating modern game metrics like points per possession, effective field goal percentage, rebounding percentage, pace ofplayers, and more. Also, Comcast SportsNet continues its Emmy Award winning“Deep Green” vignettes featuring Celtics players and storylines off-the-court, with special emphasis on the 30^th anniversary of the legendary 1986 Celtics championship team.  

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of the Celtics games, as well as the pregame and postgame shows, will be streamed live on CSNNE.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra app for tablets and mobile devices. The ‘TV Everywhere’ service allows authenticated Comcast SportsNet subscribers to watch from anywhere in the U.S. via participating distributors.  This is the second season Celtics games will be available to stream live for authenticated subscribers.  Viewership for these streams grew by 130% from November to April last season, peaking with 232,000 combined minutes watched during Comcast SportsNet’s two Playoff games in 2015. The Celtics live streamed games are presented by DraftKings. 

CSNNE.com (@CSNNE) will provide 24/7 coverage of all the Celtics action all season long with up-to-the-minute stats, scores, analysis and on-demand clips throughout the season. The site will once again feature Celtics Pulse, which is the best way to track all the in-game social media chatter on the Celtics, including Tweets from Blakely (@SherrodbCSN), @CSNTommy, Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) and all Comcast SportsNet talent. Celtics fans can share their comments on Celtics Pulse by using #CelticsTalk. New this season will be live interactive Periscope commentary from the studio during the 4^th quarter of home games from Draper and Scalabrine, who will field fan questions and share their late game enthusiasm as they prep for Post-game Live.  In addition, the network will be bringing fans closer than ever to Celtics basketball and CSNNE talent via social media channels Periscope, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more.

# # #

BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL ON COMCAST SPORTSNET RETURNS

NEXT WEEK WITH PRE-SEASON OPENER OCTOBER 6^TH FROM MILAN, ITALY

AND OCTOBER 8^TH FROM MADRID, SPAIN 

Broadcast Duo Mike Gorman & Tommy Heinsohn Return for 35^th Season of Celtics on Comcast SportsNet, along with Brian Scalabrine; Abby Chin Returns as Sideline Reporter; and Kyle Draper as Studio Host with contributions from Chris Mannix & Sherrod Blakely

 Insider Look During Telecasts including “Announcer-Cam”, Mic’ed Players, Advanced Analytics, and More 

CSNNE.com to Provide Robust Digital & Social Media Experience for Celtics Fans, including live Periscope Features of CSNNE talent behind-the-scenes throughout the season

BURLINGTON, MA, September 30, 2015 – The NBA season is upon us andComcast SportsNet — television home of the Boston Celtics — will televise 80 regular season Boston Celtics games during the 2015-16 season, as well as 7 Pre-Season games.  The Celtics pre-season tips off on Comcast SportsNet on Tuesday, October 6^thfrom Milan, Italy where they will take on Olympia Milano, followed by another European pre-season game against Real Madrid on Thursday, October 8^th from Madrid, Spain. The Celtics regular season tips off with Opening Night on Wednesday, October 28^th as they face the Philadelphia 76ers at The TD Garden with coverage beginning at 7:00PM.

Comcast SportsNet’s 2015-16 Celtics broadcast schedule features several exclusive and highly anticipated games, including the following:

• All three re-matches against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers – the Celtics’ 2015 Playoff opponent (December 15^th, February 5^th and March 5^th)
• Two games against MVP Stephen Curry and the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors (December 11^th and April 1^st)
• Several exclusive “reunion” games, including:

o   Two L.A. Clippers matchups featuring former Celtics Coach Doc Rivers and former teammate Paul Pierce (February 10^th and March 28^th)

o   Two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and former Celtic Kevin Garnett (December 21^st and February 22^nd)

o   Two games against Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings (December 3^rd in Mexico City and February 7^th)

In addition to a full game schedule, Comcast SportsNet will returnthis season with broadcast duo Mike Gorman (@celticsvoice) and Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) calling games for their 35^th season as Comcast SportsNet’s primary telecast team on all home games.  Fan-favorite Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) joins the broadcast team full-time, contributing on every Celtics game night; Scalabrine will be the color analyst for all roadgames and primary studio analyst for all home games on CelticsPre/Post-GameLive, in addition to making weekly appearances on Celtics Insider presented by Lahey Health and other Comcast SportsNet programming. Kyle Draper (@KylerDraperTV) and Abby Chin (@TVAbby) will return to the Comcast SportsNet telecasts this season as studio host and courtside reporter, respectively.

Comcast SportsNet will be the go-to television source before and after each game with live pre and post-game coverage of every game this season, including national network games. Draper will host Celtics Pre-game Livepresented by Ace Ticket 30-minutes prior to each game; Halftime Live presented by McDonald’s; and Celtics Post-game Live presented by New England Ford immediately following each game. Joining Draper in-studio will be a rotating roster of experts including Heinsohn,Scalabrine, CSNNE.com Celtics Insider Sherrod Blakely and NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

New this season will be the “AnnouncerCam” on all game telecasts, giving viewers an inside, up-close look of Mike, Tommy and Scal as they call the games.  Viewers will also get special insider access with mic’ed Celtics players during select regular season games. In collaboration with the Celtics, this season’s telecasts will introduce and feature advanced analyticsthroughout the night, integrating modern game metrics like points per possession, effective field goal percentage, rebounding percentage, pace ofplayers, and more. Also, Comcast SportsNet continues its Emmy Award winning“Deep Green” vignettes featuring Celtics players and storylines off-the-court, with special emphasis on the 30^th anniversary of the legendary 1986 Celtics championship team.  

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of the Celtics games, as well as the pregame and postgame shows, will be streamed live on CSNNE.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra app for tablets and mobile devices. The ‘TV Everywhere’ service allows authenticated Comcast SportsNet subscribers to watch from anywhere in the U.S. via participating distributors.  This is the second season Celtics games will be available to stream live for authenticated subscribers.  Viewership for these streams grew by 130% from November to April last season, peaking with 232,000 combined minutes watched during Comcast SportsNet’s two Playoff games in 2015. The Celtics live streamed games are presented by DraftKings. 

CSNNE.com (@CSNNE) will provide 24/7 coverage of all the Celtics action all season long with up-to-the-minute stats, scores, analysis and on-demand clips throughout the season. The site will once again feature Celtics Pulse, which is the best way to track all the in-game social media chatter on the Celtics, including Tweets from Blakely (@SherrodbCSN), @CSNTommy, Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) and all Comcast SportsNet talent. Celtics fans can share their comments on Celtics Pulse by using #CelticsTalk. New this season will be live interactive Periscope commentary from the studio during the 4^th quarter of home games from Draper and Scalabrine, who will field fan questions and share their late game enthusiasm as they prep for Post-game Live.  In addition, the network will be bringing fans closer than ever to Celtics basketball and CSNNE talent via social media channels Periscope, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more.

# # #

BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL ON COMCAST SPORTSNET RETURNS

NEXT WEEK WITH PRE-SEASON OPENER OCTOBER 6^TH FROM MILAN, ITALY

AND OCTOBER 8^TH FROM MADRID, SPAIN 

Broadcast Duo Mike Gorman & Tommy Heinsohn Return for 35^th Season of Celtics on Comcast SportsNet, along with Brian Scalabrine; Abby Chin Returns as Sideline Reporter; and Kyle Draper as Studio Host with contributions from Chris Mannix & Sherrod Blakely

 Insider Look During Telecasts including “Announcer-Cam”, Mic’ed Players, Advanced Analytics, and More 

CSNNE.com to Provide Robust Digital & Social Media Experience for Celtics Fans, including live Periscope Features of CSNNE talent behind-the-scenes throughout the season

BURLINGTON, MA, September 30, 2015 – The NBA season is upon us andComcast SportsNet — television home of the Boston Celtics — will televise 80 regular season Boston Celtics games during the 2015-16 season, as well as 7 Pre-Season games.  The Celtics pre-season tips off on Comcast SportsNet on Tuesday, October 6^thfrom Milan, Italy where they will take on Olympia Milano, followed by another European pre-season game against Real Madrid on Thursday, October 8^th from Madrid, Spain. The Celtics regular season tips off with Opening Night on Wednesday, October 28^th as they face the Philadelphia 76ers at The TD Garden with coverage beginning at 7:00PM.

Comcast SportsNet’s 2015-16 Celtics broadcast schedule features several exclusive and highly anticipated games, including the following:

• All three re-matches against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers – the Celtics’ 2015 Playoff opponent (December 15^th, February 5^th and March 5^th)
• Two games against MVP Stephen Curry and the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors (December 11^th and April 1^st)
• Several exclusive “reunion” games, including:

o   Two L.A. Clippers matchups featuring former Celtics Coach Doc Rivers and former teammate Paul Pierce (February 10^th and March 28^th)

o   Two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and former Celtic Kevin Garnett (December 21^st and February 22^nd)

o   Two games against Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings (December 3^rd in Mexico City and February 7^th)

In addition to a full game schedule, Comcast SportsNet will returnthis season with broadcast duo Mike Gorman (@celticsvoice) and Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) calling games for their 35^th season as Comcast SportsNet’s primary telecast team on all home games.  Fan-favorite Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) joins the broadcast team full-time, contributing on every Celtics game night; Scalabrine will be the color analyst for all roadgames and primary studio analyst for all home games on CelticsPre/Post-GameLive, in addition to making weekly appearances on Celtics Insider presented by Lahey Health and other Comcast SportsNet programming. Kyle Draper (@KylerDraperTV) and Abby Chin (@TVAbby) will return to the Comcast SportsNet telecasts this season as studio host and courtside reporter, respectively.

Comcast SportsNet will be the go-to television source before and after each game with live pre and post-game coverage of every game this season, including national network games. Draper will host Celtics Pre-game Livepresented by Ace Ticket 30-minutes prior to each game; Halftime Live presented by McDonald’s; and Celtics Post-game Live presented by New England Ford immediately following each game. Joining Draper in-studio will be a rotating roster of experts including Heinsohn,Scalabrine, CSNNE.com Celtics Insider Sherrod Blakely and NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

New this season will be the “AnnouncerCam” on all game telecasts, giving viewers an inside, up-close look of Mike, Tommy and Scal as they call the games.  Viewers will also get special insider access with mic’ed Celtics players during select regular season games. In collaboration with the Celtics, this season’s telecasts will introduce and feature advanced analyticsthroughout the night, integrating modern game metrics like points per possession, effective field goal percentage, rebounding percentage, pace ofplayers, and more. Also, Comcast SportsNet continues its Emmy Award winning“Deep Green” vignettes featuring Celtics players and storylines off-the-court, with special emphasis on the 30^th anniversary of the legendary 1986 Celtics championship team.  

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of the Celtics games, as well as the pregame and postgame shows, will be streamed live on CSNNE.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra app for tablets and mobile devices. The ‘TV Everywhere’ service allows authenticated Comcast SportsNet subscribers to watch from anywhere in the U.S. via participating distributors.  This is the second season Celtics games will be available to stream live for authenticated subscribers.  Viewership for these streams grew by 130% from November to April last season, peaking with 232,000 combined minutes watched during Comcast SportsNet’s two Playoff games in 2015. The Celtics live streamed games are presented by DraftKings. 

CSNNE.com (@CSNNE) will provide 24/7 coverage of all the Celtics action all season long with up-to-the-minute stats, scores, analysis and on-demand clips throughout the season. The site will once again feature Celtics Pulse, which is the best way to track all the in-game social media chatter on the Celtics, including Tweets from Blakely (@SherrodbCSN), @CSNTommy, Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) and all Comcast SportsNet talent. Celtics fans can share their comments on Celtics Pulse by using #CelticsTalk. New this season will be live interactive Periscope commentary from the studio during the 4^th quarter of home games from Draper and Scalabrine, who will field fan questions and share their late game enthusiasm as they prep for Post-game Live.  In addition, the network will be bringing fans closer than ever to Celtics basketball and CSNNE talent via social media channels Periscope, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more.

# # #

BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL ON COMCAST SPORTSNET RETURNS

NEXT WEEK WITH PRE-SEASON OPENER OCTOBER 6^TH FROM MILAN, ITALY

AND OCTOBER 8^TH FROM MADRID, SPAIN 

Broadcast Duo Mike Gorman & Tommy Heinsohn Return for 35^th Season of Celtics on Comcast SportsNet, along with Brian Scalabrine; Abby Chin Returns as Sideline Reporter; and Kyle Draper as Studio Host with contributions from Chris Mannix & Sherrod Blakely

 Insider Look During Telecasts including “Announcer-Cam”, Mic’ed Players, Advanced Analytics, and More 

CSNNE.com to Provide Robust Digital & Social Media Experience for Celtics Fans, including live Periscope Features of CSNNE talent behind-the-scenes throughout the season

BURLINGTON, MA, September 30, 2015 – The NBA season is upon us andComcast SportsNet — television home of the Boston Celtics — will televise 80 regular season Boston Celtics games during the 2015-16 season, as well as 7 Pre-Season games.  The Celtics pre-season tips off on Comcast SportsNet on Tuesday, October 6^thfrom Milan, Italy where they will take on Olympia Milano, followed by another European pre-season game against Real Madrid on Thursday, October 8^th from Madrid, Spain. The Celtics regular season tips off with Opening Night on Wednesday, October 28^th as they face the Philadelphia 76ers at The TD Garden with coverage beginning at 7:00PM.

Comcast SportsNet’s 2015-16 Celtics broadcast schedule features several exclusive and highly anticipated games, including the following:

• All three re-matches against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers – the Celtics’ 2015 Playoff opponent (December 15^th, February 5^th and March 5^th)
• Two games against MVP Stephen Curry and the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors (December 11^th and April 1^st)
• Several exclusive “reunion” games, including:

o   Two L.A. Clippers matchups featuring former Celtics Coach Doc Rivers and former teammate Paul Pierce (February 10^th and March 28^th)

o   Two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and former Celtic Kevin Garnett (December 21^st and February 22^nd)

o   Two games against Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings (December 3^rd in Mexico City and February 7^th)

In addition to a full game schedule, Comcast SportsNet will returnthis season with broadcast duo Mike Gorman (@celticsvoice) and Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) calling games for their 35^th season as Comcast SportsNet’s primary telecast team on all home games.  Fan-favorite Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) joins the broadcast team full-time, contributing on every Celtics game night; Scalabrine will be the color analyst for all roadgames and primary studio analyst for all home games on CelticsPre/Post-GameLive, in addition to making weekly appearances on Celtics Insider presented by Lahey Health and other Comcast SportsNet programming. Kyle Draper (@KylerDraperTV) and Abby Chin (@TVAbby) will return to the Comcast SportsNet telecasts this season as studio host and courtside reporter, respectively.

Comcast SportsNet will be the go-to television source before and after each game with live pre and post-game coverage of every game this season, including national network games. Draper will host Celtics Pre-game Livepresented by Ace Ticket 30-minutes prior to each game; Halftime Live presented by McDonald’s; and Celtics Post-game Live presented by New England Ford immediately following each game. Joining Draper in-studio will be a rotating roster of experts including Heinsohn,Scalabrine, CSNNE.com Celtics Insider Sherrod Blakely and NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

New this season will be the “AnnouncerCam” on all game telecasts, giving viewers an inside, up-close look of Mike, Tommy and Scal as they call the games.  Viewers will also get special insider access with mic’ed Celtics players during select regular season games. In collaboration with the Celtics, this season’s telecasts will introduce and feature advanced analyticsthroughout the night, integrating modern game metrics like points per possession, effective field goal percentage, rebounding percentage, pace ofplayers, and more. Also, Comcast SportsNet continues its Emmy Award winning“Deep Green” vignettes featuring Celtics players and storylines off-the-court, with special emphasis on the 30^th anniversary of the legendary 1986 Celtics championship team.  

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of the Celtics games, as well as the pregame and postgame shows, will be streamed live on CSNNE.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra app for tablets and mobile devices. The ‘TV Everywhere’ service allows authenticated Comcast SportsNet subscribers to watch from anywhere in the U.S. via participating distributors.  This is the second season Celtics games will be available to stream live for authenticated subscribers.  Viewership for these streams grew by 130% from November to April last season, peaking with 232,000 combined minutes watched during Comcast SportsNet’s two Playoff games in 2015. The Celtics live streamed games are presented by DraftKings. 

CSNNE.com (@CSNNE) will provide 24/7 coverage of all the Celtics action all season long with up-to-the-minute stats, scores, analysis and on-demand clips throughout the season. The site will once again feature Celtics Pulse, which is the best way to track all the in-game social media chatter on the Celtics, including Tweets from Blakely (@SherrodbCSN), @CSNTommy, Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) and all Comcast SportsNet talent. Celtics fans can share their comments on Celtics Pulse by using #CelticsTalk. New this season will be live interactive Periscope commentary from the studio during the 4^th quarter of home games from Draper and Scalabrine, who will field fan questions and share their late game enthusiasm as they prep for Post-game Live.  In addition, the network will be bringing fans closer than ever to Celtics basketball and CSNNE talent via social media channels Periscope, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more.

# # #

Last Fenway Day! Thank u for letting me be a part of your family. I heard you all and will never forget #Donatangelo https://t.co/soC52jYQ10

— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) September 27, 2015

Don Orsillo, who has called Red Sox games for NESN since 2001, was in the Fenway Park booth for the final time as Red Sox play-by-play man yesterday afternoon.

His departure sparked a number of supportive columns from colleagues, who are as baffled by NESN’s decision to cut ties as most viewers are.

For Red Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo, a moving goodbye – Gordon Edes looks at an incredibly emotional day at Fenway, which included chants of “Don Or-sil-lo” from the crowd.

Don Orsillo hides hurt in classy way – Michael Silverman lauds the way that Orsillo has handled this incredibly awkward period after NESN made the decision to part ways. Silverman reveals two interesting nuggets – NESN head Tom Werner never spoke to Orsillo about the decision, and that Orsillo received an offer from WEEI and the Red Sox Radio Network, but for about a third of what he was making at NESN.

Don Orsillo keeps taking high road, and NESN keeps insulting him – J*hn T*m@s& notes that NESN refused to show the video tribute played at Fenway Park in honor of Orsillo.

Don Orsillo deeply moved by fans’ tribute at Fenway Park – Nick Cafardo has more on Orsillo’s reactions to the fan acknowledgements yesterday.

On Friday, Chad Finn had written Don Orsillo being pursued by Padres for job and that has been proven true, as Orsillo expected to succeed Enberg as Padres’ voice.

Catch up on the coverage of the Patriots stomping of the Jacksonville Jaguars at PatriotsLinks.com.

Last Fenway Day! Thank u for letting me be a part of your family. I heard you all and will never forget #Donatangelo https://t.co/soC52jYQ10

— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) September 27, 2015

Don Orsillo, who has called Red Sox games for NESN since 2001, was in the Fenway Park booth for the final time as Red Sox play-by-play man yesterday afternoon.

His departure sparked a number of supportive columns from colleagues, who are as baffled by NESN’s decision to cut ties as most viewers are.

For Red Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo, a moving goodbye – Gordon Edes looks at an incredibly emotional day at Fenway, which included chants of “Don Or-sil-lo” from the crowd.

Don Orsillo hides hurt in classy way – Michael Silverman lauds the way that Orsillo has handled this incredibly awkward period after NESN made the decision to part ways. Silverman reveals two interesting nuggets – NESN head Tom Werner never spoke to Orsillo about the decision, and that Orsillo received an offer from WEEI and the Red Sox Radio Network, but for about a third of what he was making at NESN.

Don Orsillo keeps taking high road, and NESN keeps insulting him – J*hn T*m@s& notes that NESN refused to show the video tribute played at Fenway Park in honor of Orsillo.

Don Orsillo deeply moved by fans’ tribute at Fenway Park – Nick Cafardo has more on Orsillo’s reactions to the fan acknowledgements yesterday.

On Friday, Chad Finn had written Don Orsillo being pursued by Padres for job and that has been proven true, as Orsillo expected to succeed Enberg as Padres’ voice.

Catch up on the coverage of the Patriots stomping of the Jacksonville Jaguars at PatriotsLinks.com.

Last Fenway Day! Thank u for letting me be a part of your family. I heard you all and will never forget #Donatangelo https://t.co/soC52jYQ10

— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) September 27, 2015

Don Orsillo, who has called Red Sox games for NESN since 2001, was in the Fenway Park booth for the final time as Red Sox play-by-play man yesterday afternoon.

His departure sparked a number of supportive columns from colleagues, who are as baffled by NESN’s decision to cut ties as most viewers are.

For Red Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo, a moving goodbye – Gordon Edes looks at an incredibly emotional day at Fenway, which included chants of “Don Or-sil-lo” from the crowd.

Don Orsillo hides hurt in classy way – Michael Silverman lauds the way that Orsillo has handled this incredibly awkward period after NESN made the decision to part ways. Silverman reveals two interesting nuggets – NESN head Tom Werner never spoke to Orsillo about the decision, and that Orsillo received an offer from WEEI and the Red Sox Radio Network, but for about a third of what he was making at NESN.

Don Orsillo keeps taking high road, and NESN keeps insulting him – J*hn T*m@s& notes that NESN refused to show the video tribute played at Fenway Park in honor of Orsillo.

Don Orsillo deeply moved by fans’ tribute at Fenway Park – Nick Cafardo has more on Orsillo’s reactions to the fan acknowledgements yesterday.

On Friday, Chad Finn had written Don Orsillo being pursued by Padres for job and that has been proven true, as Orsillo expected to succeed Enberg as Padres’ voice.

Catch up on the coverage of the Patriots stomping of the Jacksonville Jaguars at PatriotsLinks.com.

Last Fenway Day! Thank u for letting me be a part of your family. I heard you all and will never forget #Donatangelo https://t.co/soC52jYQ10

— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) September 27, 2015

Don Orsillo, who has called Red Sox games for NESN since 2001, was in the Fenway Park booth for the final time as Red Sox play-by-play man yesterday afternoon.

His departure sparked a number of supportive columns from colleagues, who are as baffled by NESN’s decision to cut ties as most viewers are.

For Red Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo, a moving goodbye – Gordon Edes looks at an incredibly emotional day at Fenway, which included chants of “Don Or-sil-lo” from the crowd.

Don Orsillo hides hurt in classy way – Michael Silverman lauds the way that Orsillo has handled this incredibly awkward period after NESN made the decision to part ways. Silverman reveals two interesting nuggets – NESN head Tom Werner never spoke to Orsillo about the decision, and that Orsillo received an offer from WEEI and the Red Sox Radio Network, but for about a third of what he was making at NESN.

Don Orsillo keeps taking high road, and NESN keeps insulting him – J*hn T*m@s& notes that NESN refused to show the video tribute played at Fenway Park in honor of Orsillo.

Don Orsillo deeply moved by fans’ tribute at Fenway Park – Nick Cafardo has more on Orsillo’s reactions to the fan acknowledgements yesterday.

On Friday, Chad Finn had written Don Orsillo being pursued by Padres for job and that has been proven true, as Orsillo expected to succeed Enberg as Padres’ voice.

Catch up on the coverage of the Patriots stomping of the Jacksonville Jaguars at PatriotsLinks.com.

*As far as satisfying wins goes, the win in Buffalo on Sunday was up there. It really was the full Rex Ryan experience. He spent all week talking big, getting his players to talk big, getting the Buffalo fans frothed up and with high expectations, and then the game came. Rex made curious calls – even if it was within the rules to challenge that play in the first half, why would he? That was the moment I knew the Patriots would win the game. The Bills were overhyped and took dumb penalty after dumb penalty, and got blown out before a 4th quarter garbage-time rally made the score somewhat respectable. Then Rex continued his arrogance in the post game, still defiant, still refusing to acknowledge Dion Lewis, and taking his usual shots.

*The hype for the game was reflected in CBS’s broadcast numbers of the game, which earned 34.2 HH rating and a 72 share in the Boston market. That 72 share is the second highest for a regular season game, after the 2007 finale, (a 75) which you’ll recall was broadcast on multiple networks.

*The production by CBS was awful. They listed Ryan Wendell as a starter, he was inactive, they missed plays, Butler’s interception wasn’t even on the screen, they cut away from action too quickly, they came back late from commercial breaks, one time not even bothering to explain that another Bills penalty had changed the spot from where the Patriots were snapping the ball, and a number of other snafus. We get the same broadcast team this Sunday for the Jacksonville game.

*If you missed it, the Ravens ran a formation Sunday in Oakland which looked almost identical to the one they complained about the Patriots using in January. You remember that play, where John Harbaugh angrily talked about “deception” and how no one has done that before, and how the competition committee would get together and change that up – which they did. Sunday, the Ravens scored a TD on a play very similar. The difference being that it was an offensive lineman (already ineligible) who lined up off the line, and jump back at the snap, and a tight end (already eligible) who lined up in the spot of the offensive lineman and took off down the seam for the pass.

If Harbaugh’s big issue was that the Patriots play was deceptive – why was he using an equally deceptive play? It was actually more deceptive because on the Patriots play, they had to declare someone ineligible and the ref announced it, thus giving a tip to the defense. In the Ravens play, no such announcement was needed. It just speaks to the hypocrisy of Harbaugh, the Ravens and the NFL.

*We’re in the final days of the Don Orsillo era, and he continues to be the ultimate pro. He is going to land a better job somewhere else. Be assured of that.

*The Red Sox have been surprisingly fun to watch over the last month or so, and Xander Bogaerts is probably going to finish second in the league in hitting. If there is a positive to take from this season, he is it, and is showing that he is the future of this team.

*I’m ridiculously excited for the Celtics to being training camp. I know they’re not a title contender, but they will be fun to watch, and you know they get the most out of what they have. They will take a step forward this year, and in the Eastern Conference, I don’t think 45-50 wins is unreasonable. The offseason additions, while not the “fireworks” that have been talked about for several years now, were solid. Defensively, I think this team has a chance to be really effective, well, except when David Lee is on the floor, but he’s going to contribute on the other end and on the boards. Jordan Mickey is already my new binky.

*The John Tomase perpetration of fraud continues, as yesterday morning on WEEI, guest Tony Boselli stated that the Patriots were punished during spygate for recording a Rams practice.

Don’t bother mentioning this on Twitter to John though, as you will be blocked.

*The general thin-skinnedness of sports media is always a source of wonder to me. From Bob Kravtiz, to Bart Hubbuch to Don Van Natta Jr to Michael Silver, to almost anyone, if you dare to criticise them in any way shape or form, or question their work or integrity or sources you are blocked. These people make serious, inflammatory, many times outright false statements, but when called on it, they will not respond, but rather shut out the person calling them out. Nice, insulated gigs.

In a way, I respect a guy like Albert Breer, who says plenty of stuff that many people find annoying and respond back to him, but he doesn’t block anyone.

*Dan Shaughnessy today sarcastically ran down the list of those teams/players/entities that had been against the Patriots during Deflategate and how they’re suffering now. The Ravens, Colts, Texans, Giants and Eagles are all 0-2, the Cowboys lost Dez Bryant and Tony Romo (who had made fun of the Patriots earlier in the summer) and then Shaughnessy worries about the media.

I worry for the Worldwide Leader and other media outlets/members who covered the coverup with a cynical eye. What’s going to happen to poor Bob Kravitz, Chris Mortensen, Don Van Natta, and my man, Gary Tanguay? Bill Polian? Lester Munson? Mark Brunell? Felgie? Mazz? Ben Volin? . . . (gulp) me?

We can hope Dan. Meanwhile, things will start with this:

Layoffs Are Coming to ESPN

Multiple sources inside and outside of ESPN tell The Big Lead that the network will be laying off “200 to 300” employees in the coming months.

Shaughnessy is a pathetic, predictable, vengeful, bitter old hack. Let’s hope he continues to be right about his “worries” in this case though.

*As far as satisfying wins goes, the win in Buffalo on Sunday was up there. It really was the full Rex Ryan experience. He spent all week talking big, getting his players to talk big, getting the Buffalo fans frothed up and with high expectations, and then the game came. Rex made curious calls – even if it was within the rules to challenge that play in the first half, why would he? That was the moment I knew the Patriots would win the game. The Bills were overhyped and took dumb penalty after dumb penalty, and got blown out before a 4th quarter garbage-time rally made the score somewhat respectable. Then Rex continued his arrogance in the post game, still defiant, still refusing to acknowledge Dion Lewis, and taking his usual shots.

*The hype for the game was reflected in CBS’s broadcast numbers of the game, which earned 34.2 HH rating and a 72 share in the Boston market. That 72 share is the second highest for a regular season game, after the 2007 finale, (a 75) which you’ll recall was broadcast on multiple networks.

*The production by CBS was awful. They listed Ryan Wendell as a starter, he was inactive, they missed plays, Butler’s interception wasn’t even on the screen, they cut away from action too quickly, they came back late from commercial breaks, one time not even bothering to explain that another Bills penalty had changed the spot from where the Patriots were snapping the ball, and a number of other snafus. We get the same broadcast team this Sunday for the Jacksonville game.

*If you missed it, the Ravens ran a formation Sunday in Oakland which looked almost identical to the one they complained about the Patriots using in January. You remember that play, where John Harbaugh angrily talked about “deception” and how no one has done that before, and how the competition committee would get together and change that up – which they did. Sunday, the Ravens scored a TD on a play very similar. The difference being that it was an offensive lineman (already ineligible) who lined up off the line, and jump back at the snap, and a tight end (already eligible) who lined up in the spot of the offensive lineman and took off down the seam for the pass.

If Harbaugh’s big issue was that the Patriots play was deceptive – why was he using an equally deceptive play? It was actually more deceptive because on the Patriots play, they had to declare someone ineligible and the ref announced it, thus giving a tip to the defense. In the Ravens play, no such announcement was needed. It just speaks to the hypocrisy of Harbaugh, the Ravens and the NFL.

*We’re in the final days of the Don Orsillo era, and he continues to be the ultimate pro. He is going to land a better job somewhere else. Be assured of that.

*The Red Sox have been surprisingly fun to watch over the last month or so, and Xander Bogaerts is probably going to finish second in the league in hitting. If there is a positive to take from this season, he is it, and is showing that he is the future of this team.

*I’m ridiculously excited for the Celtics to being training camp. I know they’re not a title contender, but they will be fun to watch, and you know they get the most out of what they have. They will take a step forward this year, and in the Eastern Conference, I don’t think 45-50 wins is unreasonable. The offseason additions, while not the “fireworks” that have been talked about for several years now, were solid. Defensively, I think this team has a chance to be really effective, well, except when David Lee is on the floor, but he’s going to contribute on the other end and on the boards. Jordan Mickey is already my new binky.

*The John Tomase perpetration of fraud continues, as yesterday morning on WEEI, guest Tony Boselli stated that the Patriots were punished during spygate for recording a Rams practice.

Don’t bother mentioning this on Twitter to John though, as you will be blocked.

*The general thin-skinnedness of sports media is always a source of wonder to me. From Bob Kravtiz, to Bart Hubbuch to Don Van Natta Jr to Michael Silver, to almost anyone, if you dare to criticise them in any way shape or form, or question their work or integrity or sources you are blocked. These people make serious, inflammatory, many times outright false statements, but when called on it, they will not respond, but rather shut out the person calling them out. Nice, insulated gigs.

In a way, I respect a guy like Albert Breer, who says plenty of stuff that many people find annoying and respond back to him, but he doesn’t block anyone.

*Dan Shaughnessy today sarcastically ran down the list of those teams/players/entities that had been against the Patriots during Deflategate and how they’re suffering now. The Ravens, Colts, Texans, Giants and Eagles are all 0-2, the Cowboys lost Dez Bryant and Tony Romo (who had made fun of the Patriots earlier in the summer) and then Shaughnessy worries about the media.

I worry for the Worldwide Leader and other media outlets/members who covered the coverup with a cynical eye. What’s going to happen to poor Bob Kravitz, Chris Mortensen, Don Van Natta, and my man, Gary Tanguay? Bill Polian? Lester Munson? Mark Brunell? Felgie? Mazz? Ben Volin? . . . (gulp) me?

We can hope Dan. Meanwhile, things will start with this:

Layoffs Are Coming to ESPN

Multiple sources inside and outside of ESPN tell The Big Lead that the network will be laying off “200 to 300” employees in the coming months.

Shaughnessy is a pathetic, predictable, vengeful, bitter old hack. Let’s hope he continues to be right about his “worries” in this case though.

*As far as satisfying wins goes, the win in Buffalo on Sunday was up there. It really was the full Rex Ryan experience. He spent all week talking big, getting his players to talk big, getting the Buffalo fans frothed up and with high expectations, and then the game came. Rex made curious calls – even if it was within the rules to challenge that play in the first half, why would he? That was the moment I knew the Patriots would win the game. The Bills were overhyped and took dumb penalty after dumb penalty, and got blown out before a 4th quarter garbage-time rally made the score somewhat respectable. Then Rex continued his arrogance in the post game, still defiant, still refusing to acknowledge Dion Lewis, and taking his usual shots.

*The hype for the game was reflected in CBS’s broadcast numbers of the game, which earned 34.2 HH rating and a 72 share in the Boston market. That 72 share is the second highest for a regular season game, after the 2007 finale, (a 75) which you’ll recall was broadcast on multiple networks.

*The production by CBS was awful. They listed Ryan Wendell as a starter, he was inactive, they missed plays, Butler’s interception wasn’t even on the screen, they cut away from action too quickly, they came back late from commercial breaks, one time not even bothering to explain that another Bills penalty had changed the spot from where the Patriots were snapping the ball, and a number of other snafus. We get the same broadcast team this Sunday for the Jacksonville game.

*If you missed it, the Ravens ran a formation Sunday in Oakland which looked almost identical to the one they complained about the Patriots using in January. You remember that play, where John Harbaugh angrily talked about “deception” and how no one has done that before, and how the competition committee would get together and change that up – which they did. Sunday, the Ravens scored a TD on a play very similar. The difference being that it was an offensive lineman (already ineligible) who lined up off the line, and jump back at the snap, and a tight end (already eligible) who lined up in the spot of the offensive lineman and took off down the seam for the pass.

If Harbaugh’s big issue was that the Patriots play was deceptive – why was he using an equally deceptive play? It was actually more deceptive because on the Patriots play, they had to declare someone ineligible and the ref announced it, thus giving a tip to the defense. In the Ravens play, no such announcement was needed. It just speaks to the hypocrisy of Harbaugh, the Ravens and the NFL.

*We’re in the final days of the Don Orsillo era, and he continues to be the ultimate pro. He is going to land a better job somewhere else. Be assured of that.

*The Red Sox have been surprisingly fun to watch over the last month or so, and Xander Bogaerts is probably going to finish second in the league in hitting. If there is a positive to take from this season, he is it, and is showing that he is the future of this team.

*I’m ridiculously excited for the Celtics to being training camp. I know they’re not a title contender, but they will be fun to watch, and you know they get the most out of what they have. They will take a step forward this year, and in the Eastern Conference, I don’t think 45-50 wins is unreasonable. The offseason additions, while not the “fireworks” that have been talked about for several years now, were solid. Defensively, I think this team has a chance to be really effective, well, except when David Lee is on the floor, but he’s going to contribute on the other end and on the boards. Jordan Mickey is already my new binky.

*The John Tomase perpetration of fraud continues, as yesterday morning on WEEI, guest Tony Boselli stated that the Patriots were punished during spygate for recording a Rams practice.

Don’t bother mentioning this on Twitter to John though, as you will be blocked.

*The general thin-skinnedness of sports media is always a source of wonder to me. From Bob Kravtiz, to Bart Hubbuch to Don Van Natta Jr to Michael Silver, to almost anyone, if you dare to criticise them in any way shape or form, or question their work or integrity or sources you are blocked. These people make serious, inflammatory, many times outright false statements, but when called on it, they will not respond, but rather shut out the person calling them out. Nice, insulated gigs.

In a way, I respect a guy like Albert Breer, who says plenty of stuff that many people find annoying and respond back to him, but he doesn’t block anyone.

*Dan Shaughnessy today sarcastically ran down the list of those teams/players/entities that had been against the Patriots during Deflategate and how they’re suffering now. The Ravens, Colts, Texans, Giants and Eagles are all 0-2, the Cowboys lost Dez Bryant and Tony Romo (who had made fun of the Patriots earlier in the summer) and then Shaughnessy worries about the media.

I worry for the Worldwide Leader and other media outlets/members who covered the coverup with a cynical eye. What’s going to happen to poor Bob Kravitz, Chris Mortensen, Don Van Natta, and my man, Gary Tanguay? Bill Polian? Lester Munson? Mark Brunell? Felgie? Mazz? Ben Volin? . . . (gulp) me?

We can hope Dan. Meanwhile, things will start with this:

Layoffs Are Coming to ESPN

Multiple sources inside and outside of ESPN tell The Big Lead that the network will be laying off “200 to 300” employees in the coming months.

Shaughnessy is a pathetic, predictable, vengeful, bitter old hack. Let’s hope he continues to be right about his “worries” in this case though.

*As far as satisfying wins goes, the win in Buffalo on Sunday was up there. It really was the full Rex Ryan experience. He spent all week talking big, getting his players to talk big, getting the Buffalo fans frothed up and with high expectations, and then the game came. Rex made curious calls – even if it was within the rules to challenge that play in the first half, why would he? That was the moment I knew the Patriots would win the game. The Bills were overhyped and took dumb penalty after dumb penalty, and got blown out before a 4th quarter garbage-time rally made the score somewhat respectable. Then Rex continued his arrogance in the post game, still defiant, still refusing to acknowledge Dion Lewis, and taking his usual shots.

*The hype for the game was reflected in CBS’s broadcast numbers of the game, which earned 34.2 HH rating and a 72 share in the Boston market. That 72 share is the second highest for a regular season game, after the 2007 finale, (a 75) which you’ll recall was broadcast on multiple networks.

*The production by CBS was awful. They listed Ryan Wendell as a starter, he was inactive, they missed plays, Butler’s interception wasn’t even on the screen, they cut away from action too quickly, they came back late from commercial breaks, one time not even bothering to explain that another Bills penalty had changed the spot from where the Patriots were snapping the ball, and a number of other snafus. We get the same broadcast team this Sunday for the Jacksonville game.

*If you missed it, the Ravens ran a formation Sunday in Oakland which looked almost identical to the one they complained about the Patriots using in January. You remember that play, where John Harbaugh angrily talked about “deception” and how no one has done that before, and how the competition committee would get together and change that up – which they did. Sunday, the Ravens scored a TD on a play very similar. The difference being that it was an offensive lineman (already ineligible) who lined up off the line, and jump back at the snap, and a tight end (already eligible) who lined up in the spot of the offensive lineman and took off down the seam for the pass.

If Harbaugh’s big issue was that the Patriots play was deceptive – why was he using an equally deceptive play? It was actually more deceptive because on the Patriots play, they had to declare someone ineligible and the ref announced it, thus giving a tip to the defense. In the Ravens play, no such announcement was needed. It just speaks to the hypocrisy of Harbaugh, the Ravens and the NFL.

*We’re in the final days of the Don Orsillo era, and he continues to be the ultimate pro. He is going to land a better job somewhere else. Be assured of that.

*The Red Sox have been surprisingly fun to watch over the last month or so, and Xander Bogaerts is probably going to finish second in the league in hitting. If there is a positive to take from this season, he is it, and is showing that he is the future of this team.

*I’m ridiculously excited for the Celtics to being training camp. I know they’re not a title contender, but they will be fun to watch, and you know they get the most out of what they have. They will take a step forward this year, and in the Eastern Conference, I don’t think 45-50 wins is unreasonable. The offseason additions, while not the “fireworks” that have been talked about for several years now, were solid. Defensively, I think this team has a chance to be really effective, well, except when David Lee is on the floor, but he’s going to contribute on the other end and on the boards. Jordan Mickey is already my new binky.

*The John Tomase perpetration of fraud continues, as yesterday morning on WEEI, guest Tony Boselli stated that the Patriots were punished during spygate for recording a Rams practice.

Don’t bother mentioning this on Twitter to John though, as you will be blocked.

*The general thin-skinnedness of sports media is always a source of wonder to me. From Bob Kravtiz, to Bart Hubbuch to Don Van Natta Jr to Michael Silver, to almost anyone, if you dare to criticise them in any way shape or form, or question their work or integrity or sources you are blocked. These people make serious, inflammatory, many times outright false statements, but when called on it, they will not respond, but rather shut out the person calling them out. Nice, insulated gigs.

In a way, I respect a guy like Albert Breer, who says plenty of stuff that many people find annoying and respond back to him, but he doesn’t block anyone.

*Dan Shaughnessy today sarcastically ran down the list of those teams/players/entities that had been against the Patriots during Deflategate and how they’re suffering now. The Ravens, Colts, Texans, Giants and Eagles are all 0-2, the Cowboys lost Dez Bryant and Tony Romo (who had made fun of the Patriots earlier in the summer) and then Shaughnessy worries about the media.

I worry for the Worldwide Leader and other media outlets/members who covered the coverup with a cynical eye. What’s going to happen to poor Bob Kravitz, Chris Mortensen, Don Van Natta, and my man, Gary Tanguay? Bill Polian? Lester Munson? Mark Brunell? Felgie? Mazz? Ben Volin? . . . (gulp) me?

We can hope Dan. Meanwhile, things will start with this:

Layoffs Are Coming to ESPN

Multiple sources inside and outside of ESPN tell The Big Lead that the network will be laying off “200 to 300” employees in the coming months.

Shaughnessy is a pathetic, predictable, vengeful, bitter old hack. Let’s hope he continues to be right about his “worries” in this case though.

Not done yet: ESPN’s Van Natta says follow-ups likely after takeout on Patriots

Van Natta, who co-wrote the story with Seth Wickersham, says they have received more than a dozen calls from various league sources since the story was released.

“When you do a story like this, you shake the tree and very ripe fruit falls into your lap,” Van Natta said. “There are some interesting leads that Seth and I are going to address. I don’t think we’re done with this just yet.

Translation: Other NFL people who saw that they could anonymously gripe about the Patriots and get it published in an “investigative report” want to get in on the action.

“Every piece of information has to be bullet-proof,” Van Natta said. “On these kinds of stories, when you rely on a mix of on-the-record, documents and a vast majority of anonymous sources, you’ve got to get it right. I am not aware of one single fact in our story that wasn’t correct.”

Well, it’s easy to not get any facts incorrect when you don’t state any.

The latest story refueled some persistent speculation that ESPN is assisting the NFL, its biggest TV partner, in this dispute with New England. The chatter ignores the fact that Goodell and the NFL come off as poorly as the Patriots in the piece. It also is ridiculous to think that Van Natta, a Pulitzer Prize winner, could be told what to report, much less carry an agenda.

If the NFL comes off as poorly as the Patriots, why is all the attention been on the Patriots?

After the Chris Mortensen “11 of 12” tweet/story and everything that has followed that, how ridiculous is it really ridiculous to question anything that comes from any ESPN outlet?

As for specifically questioning Van Natta, well, after his NY Times magazine piece following a six-month investigation into a Rupert Murdoch publication, The Public Editor of the New York Times, in response to criticism about the article from Murdoch’s publication, generally supported what Van Natta and his colleagues wrote, but added these two caveats:

The story, in my view, did rely heavily on unnamed sources. Roughly two-thirds of the attributions relating to The News of the World were to anonymous individuals or groups. And in the thread of the story dealing with the Scotland Yard investigation, more than 80 percent of the attributions were anonymous.

He defends the usage, saying that they provided “strong evidence.” He then adds:

So, on substance, I believe The Times’s account stood on solid ground. It went beyond a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment. The larger question of whether the story was colored by the rivalry with Mr. Murdoch is more a matter of appearances. Here, the ground gets squishy.

I think you could say that the Patriots piece was nothing more than “a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment.”

Mr Brisbane, The Public Editor, concludes:

“This passage seems gratuitous,” Mr. Giles said, “casting Murdoch in an unfavorable light without adding fresh information that advanced readers’ understanding of the story.”

Mr. Giles’s example illustrates a larger point I subscribe to: that The Times, or any news organization covering a rival so prominently, needs to do it as straightforwardly as possible. Incorporating politics, and dressing the piece in a mock tabloid art treatment, leave room for some to perceive a hidden agenda, and perhaps even quiet glee.

Wait, what? Some could perceive that Van Natta had a hidden agenda? No, I thought it would be ridiculous to suggest that!

Not done yet: ESPN’s Van Natta says follow-ups likely after takeout on Patriots

Van Natta, who co-wrote the story with Seth Wickersham, says they have received more than a dozen calls from various league sources since the story was released.

“When you do a story like this, you shake the tree and very ripe fruit falls into your lap,” Van Natta said. “There are some interesting leads that Seth and I are going to address. I don’t think we’re done with this just yet.

Translation: Other NFL people who saw that they could anonymously gripe about the Patriots and get it published in an “investigative report” want to get in on the action.

“Every piece of information has to be bullet-proof,” Van Natta said. “On these kinds of stories, when you rely on a mix of on-the-record, documents and a vast majority of anonymous sources, you’ve got to get it right. I am not aware of one single fact in our story that wasn’t correct.”

Well, it’s easy to not get any facts incorrect when you don’t state any.

The latest story refueled some persistent speculation that ESPN is assisting the NFL, its biggest TV partner, in this dispute with New England. The chatter ignores the fact that Goodell and the NFL come off as poorly as the Patriots in the piece. It also is ridiculous to think that Van Natta, a Pulitzer Prize winner, could be told what to report, much less carry an agenda.

If the NFL comes off as poorly as the Patriots, why is all the attention been on the Patriots?

After the Chris Mortensen “11 of 12” tweet/story and everything that has followed that, how ridiculous is it really ridiculous to question anything that comes from any ESPN outlet?

As for specifically questioning Van Natta, well, after his NY Times magazine piece following a six-month investigation into a Rupert Murdoch publication, The Public Editor of the New York Times, in response to criticism about the article from Murdoch’s publication, generally supported what Van Natta and his colleagues wrote, but added these two caveats:

The story, in my view, did rely heavily on unnamed sources. Roughly two-thirds of the attributions relating to The News of the World were to anonymous individuals or groups. And in the thread of the story dealing with the Scotland Yard investigation, more than 80 percent of the attributions were anonymous.

He defends the usage, saying that they provided “strong evidence.” He then adds:

So, on substance, I believe The Times’s account stood on solid ground. It went beyond a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment. The larger question of whether the story was colored by the rivalry with Mr. Murdoch is more a matter of appearances. Here, the ground gets squishy.

I think you could say that the Patriots piece was nothing more than “a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment.”

Mr Brisbane, The Public Editor, concludes:

“This passage seems gratuitous,” Mr. Giles said, “casting Murdoch in an unfavorable light without adding fresh information that advanced readers’ understanding of the story.”

Mr. Giles’s example illustrates a larger point I subscribe to: that The Times, or any news organization covering a rival so prominently, needs to do it as straightforwardly as possible. Incorporating politics, and dressing the piece in a mock tabloid art treatment, leave room for some to perceive a hidden agenda, and perhaps even quiet glee.

Wait, what? Some could perceive that Van Natta had a hidden agenda? No, I thought it would be ridiculous to suggest that!

Not done yet: ESPN’s Van Natta says follow-ups likely after takeout on Patriots

Van Natta, who co-wrote the story with Seth Wickersham, says they have received more than a dozen calls from various league sources since the story was released.

“When you do a story like this, you shake the tree and very ripe fruit falls into your lap,” Van Natta said. “There are some interesting leads that Seth and I are going to address. I don’t think we’re done with this just yet.

Translation: Other NFL people who saw that they could anonymously gripe about the Patriots and get it published in an “investigative report” want to get in on the action.

“Every piece of information has to be bullet-proof,” Van Natta said. “On these kinds of stories, when you rely on a mix of on-the-record, documents and a vast majority of anonymous sources, you’ve got to get it right. I am not aware of one single fact in our story that wasn’t correct.”

Well, it’s easy to not get any facts incorrect when you don’t state any.

The latest story refueled some persistent speculation that ESPN is assisting the NFL, its biggest TV partner, in this dispute with New England. The chatter ignores the fact that Goodell and the NFL come off as poorly as the Patriots in the piece. It also is ridiculous to think that Van Natta, a Pulitzer Prize winner, could be told what to report, much less carry an agenda.

If the NFL comes off as poorly as the Patriots, why is all the attention been on the Patriots?

After the Chris Mortensen “11 of 12” tweet/story and everything that has followed that, how ridiculous is it really ridiculous to question anything that comes from any ESPN outlet?

As for specifically questioning Van Natta, well, after his NY Times magazine piece following a six-month investigation into a Rupert Murdoch publication, The Public Editor of the New York Times, in response to criticism about the article from Murdoch’s publication, generally supported what Van Natta and his colleagues wrote, but added these two caveats:

The story, in my view, did rely heavily on unnamed sources. Roughly two-thirds of the attributions relating to The News of the World were to anonymous individuals or groups. And in the thread of the story dealing with the Scotland Yard investigation, more than 80 percent of the attributions were anonymous.

He defends the usage, saying that they provided “strong evidence.” He then adds:

So, on substance, I believe The Times’s account stood on solid ground. It went beyond a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment. The larger question of whether the story was colored by the rivalry with Mr. Murdoch is more a matter of appearances. Here, the ground gets squishy.

I think you could say that the Patriots piece was nothing more than “a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment.”

Mr Brisbane, The Public Editor, concludes:

“This passage seems gratuitous,” Mr. Giles said, “casting Murdoch in an unfavorable light without adding fresh information that advanced readers’ understanding of the story.”

Mr. Giles’s example illustrates a larger point I subscribe to: that The Times, or any news organization covering a rival so prominently, needs to do it as straightforwardly as possible. Incorporating politics, and dressing the piece in a mock tabloid art treatment, leave room for some to perceive a hidden agenda, and perhaps even quiet glee.

Wait, what? Some could perceive that Van Natta had a hidden agenda? No, I thought it would be ridiculous to suggest that!

Not done yet: ESPN’s Van Natta says follow-ups likely after takeout on Patriots

Van Natta, who co-wrote the story with Seth Wickersham, says they have received more than a dozen calls from various league sources since the story was released.

“When you do a story like this, you shake the tree and very ripe fruit falls into your lap,” Van Natta said. “There are some interesting leads that Seth and I are going to address. I don’t think we’re done with this just yet.

Translation: Other NFL people who saw that they could anonymously gripe about the Patriots and get it published in an “investigative report” want to get in on the action.

“Every piece of information has to be bullet-proof,” Van Natta said. “On these kinds of stories, when you rely on a mix of on-the-record, documents and a vast majority of anonymous sources, you’ve got to get it right. I am not aware of one single fact in our story that wasn’t correct.”

Well, it’s easy to not get any facts incorrect when you don’t state any.

The latest story refueled some persistent speculation that ESPN is assisting the NFL, its biggest TV partner, in this dispute with New England. The chatter ignores the fact that Goodell and the NFL come off as poorly as the Patriots in the piece. It also is ridiculous to think that Van Natta, a Pulitzer Prize winner, could be told what to report, much less carry an agenda.

If the NFL comes off as poorly as the Patriots, why is all the attention been on the Patriots?

After the Chris Mortensen “11 of 12” tweet/story and everything that has followed that, how ridiculous is it really ridiculous to question anything that comes from any ESPN outlet?

As for specifically questioning Van Natta, well, after his NY Times magazine piece following a six-month investigation into a Rupert Murdoch publication, The Public Editor of the New York Times, in response to criticism about the article from Murdoch’s publication, generally supported what Van Natta and his colleagues wrote, but added these two caveats:

The story, in my view, did rely heavily on unnamed sources. Roughly two-thirds of the attributions relating to The News of the World were to anonymous individuals or groups. And in the thread of the story dealing with the Scotland Yard investigation, more than 80 percent of the attributions were anonymous.

He defends the usage, saying that they provided “strong evidence.” He then adds:

So, on substance, I believe The Times’s account stood on solid ground. It went beyond a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment. The larger question of whether the story was colored by the rivalry with Mr. Murdoch is more a matter of appearances. Here, the ground gets squishy.

I think you could say that the Patriots piece was nothing more than “a rehash with new sources and a comprehensive treatment.”

Mr Brisbane, The Public Editor, concludes:

“This passage seems gratuitous,” Mr. Giles said, “casting Murdoch in an unfavorable light without adding fresh information that advanced readers’ understanding of the story.”

Mr. Giles’s example illustrates a larger point I subscribe to: that The Times, or any news organization covering a rival so prominently, needs to do it as straightforwardly as possible. Incorporating politics, and dressing the piece in a mock tabloid art treatment, leave room for some to perceive a hidden agenda, and perhaps even quiet glee.

Wait, what? Some could perceive that Van Natta had a hidden agenda? No, I thought it would be ridiculous to suggest that!

Mike Reiss, as a solid and principled a reporter as there is, had his worked censored by ESPN yesterday (sorry, they say they applied a “tighter edit”) because Reiss dared to inject a bit of common sense and sanity into the ridiculous NFL-sanctioned hitjob that the network published Tuesday morning.

This is how Reiss’ article originally appeared:

And after ESPN’s censor, I mean “edit” this is how it appeared:

Original points four and seven were completely removed from the article.

Mike Reiss has a conscience, does his job incredibly well, and is truly objective in his reporting, (the notion that he is the “fifth Kraft son” is beyond moronic) and has already been subjected to having his work diluted by the addition of anything Patriots-related, no matter how silly, from the ESPN information stream to his blog.

The network already tried to attach Reiss’ byline to a blurb that painted Tom Brady’s statement last week as an apology to the NFL for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

With all of this going on, it makes me wonder whether we’ll be seeing Reiss move on at some point in the not-to-distant future (pure speculation by me) and take his considerable audience with him.

Which would be a shame. ESPN would’ve driven off the man who essentially created the art of blogging the NFL beat, and who brought methods and post styles that have been imitated all across ESPN, not just in the NFL beat, but on others as well.

What’s worse is that ESPN is openly showing that it will not tolerate any criticism from within itself (there is no more ombudsman at the network) and is willing to do the bidding of the NFL.

Chris Mortensen’s tweet never received a “tighter edit.” Nor did that Tuesday Outside The Lines report, despite plenty of areas where it could’ve been.

I’ve heard rumblings this summer that Tedy Bruschi has been furious at ESPN, and his noticeable absence from the airwaves during the Federal Court case was no coincidence. Either he refused to come on the air and spout the company lines, or they didn’t want to put him on because they knew he’d be critical of the league. Even when Bruschi returned last week, Bob Ley kept openly questioning Bruschi’s ability to be objective when talking about Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Yes, ESPN was worried about objectivity.

On a similar vein, I even wonder about the future of Adam Schefter on ESPN, after Roger Goodell, Troy Vincent and the NFL have repeatedly lied about Schefter’s continued and unwavering reports that the NFL is behind the suspensions of John Jastremski and Jim McNally.

Earlier this year, Schefter called into an Outside the Lines show and blew up an on-air story by Kelly Naqi who was attempting to report the storyline that the Patriots tried to introduce an illegal kicking ball in the game. Schefter broke in to report that an NFL employee had actually stolen a football from the game with the intention of selling it and replaced it with another football which was the one that was attempted to be put into the game. Funny how that story has completely gone away, huh?

Mike Reiss, as a solid and principled a reporter as there is, had his worked censored by ESPN yesterday (sorry, they say they applied a “tighter edit”) because Reiss dared to inject a bit of common sense and sanity into the ridiculous NFL-sanctioned hitjob that the network published Tuesday morning.

This is how Reiss’ article originally appeared:

And after ESPN’s censor, I mean “edit” this is how it appeared:

Original points four and seven were completely removed from the article.

Mike Reiss has a conscience, does his job incredibly well, and is truly objective in his reporting, (the notion that he is the “fifth Kraft son” is beyond moronic) and has already been subjected to having his work diluted by the addition of anything Patriots-related, no matter how silly, from the ESPN information stream to his blog.

The network already tried to attach Reiss’ byline to a blurb that painted Tom Brady’s statement last week as an apology to the NFL for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

With all of this going on, it makes me wonder whether we’ll be seeing Reiss move on at some point in the not-to-distant future (pure speculation by me) and take his considerable audience with him.

Which would be a shame. ESPN would’ve driven off the man who essentially created the art of blogging the NFL beat, and who brought methods and post styles that have been imitated all across ESPN, not just in the NFL beat, but on others as well.

What’s worse is that ESPN is openly showing that it will not tolerate any criticism from within itself (there is no more ombudsman at the network) and is willing to do the bidding of the NFL.

Chris Mortensen’s tweet never received a “tighter edit.” Nor did that Tuesday Outside The Lines report, despite plenty of areas where it could’ve been.

I’ve heard rumblings this summer that Tedy Bruschi has been furious at ESPN, and his noticeable absence from the airwaves during the Federal Court case was no coincidence. Either he refused to come on the air and spout the company lines, or they didn’t want to put him on because they knew he’d be critical of the league. Even when Bruschi returned last week, Bob Ley kept openly questioning Bruschi’s ability to be objective when talking about Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Yes, ESPN was worried about objectivity.

On a similar vein, I even wonder about the future of Adam Schefter on ESPN, after Roger Goodell, Troy Vincent and the NFL have repeatedly lied about Schefter’s continued and unwavering reports that the NFL is behind the suspensions of John Jastremski and Jim McNally.

Earlier this year, Schefter called into an Outside the Lines show and blew up an on-air story by Kelly Naqi who was attempting to report the storyline that the Patriots tried to introduce an illegal kicking ball in the game. Schefter broke in to report that an NFL employee had actually stolen a football from the game with the intention of selling it and replaced it with another football which was the one that was attempted to be put into the game. Funny how that story has completely gone away, huh?

Mike Reiss, as a solid and principled a reporter as there is, had his worked censored by ESPN yesterday (sorry, they say they applied a “tighter edit”) because Reiss dared to inject a bit of common sense and sanity into the ridiculous NFL-sanctioned hitjob that the network published Tuesday morning.

This is how Reiss’ article originally appeared:

And after ESPN’s censor, I mean “edit” this is how it appeared:

Original points four and seven were completely removed from the article.

Mike Reiss has a conscience, does his job incredibly well, and is truly objective in his reporting, (the notion that he is the “fifth Kraft son” is beyond moronic) and has already been subjected to having his work diluted by the addition of anything Patriots-related, no matter how silly, from the ESPN information stream to his blog.

The network already tried to attach Reiss’ byline to a blurb that painted Tom Brady’s statement last week as an apology to the NFL for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

With all of this going on, it makes me wonder whether we’ll be seeing Reiss move on at some point in the not-to-distant future (pure speculation by me) and take his considerable audience with him.

Which would be a shame. ESPN would’ve driven off the man who essentially created the art of blogging the NFL beat, and who brought methods and post styles that have been imitated all across ESPN, not just in the NFL beat, but on others as well.

What’s worse is that ESPN is openly showing that it will not tolerate any criticism from within itself (there is no more ombudsman at the network) and is willing to do the bidding of the NFL.

Chris Mortensen’s tweet never received a “tighter edit.” Nor did that Tuesday Outside The Lines report, despite plenty of areas where it could’ve been.

I’ve heard rumblings this summer that Tedy Bruschi has been furious at ESPN, and his noticeable absence from the airwaves during the Federal Court case was no coincidence. Either he refused to come on the air and spout the company lines, or they didn’t want to put him on because they knew he’d be critical of the league. Even when Bruschi returned last week, Bob Ley kept openly questioning Bruschi’s ability to be objective when talking about Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Yes, ESPN was worried about objectivity.

On a similar vein, I even wonder about the future of Adam Schefter on ESPN, after Roger Goodell, Troy Vincent and the NFL have repeatedly lied about Schefter’s continued and unwavering reports that the NFL is behind the suspensions of John Jastremski and Jim McNally.

Earlier this year, Schefter called into an Outside the Lines show and blew up an on-air story by Kelly Naqi who was attempting to report the storyline that the Patriots tried to introduce an illegal kicking ball in the game. Schefter broke in to report that an NFL employee had actually stolen a football from the game with the intention of selling it and replaced it with another football which was the one that was attempted to be put into the game. Funny how that story has completely gone away, huh?

Mike Reiss, as a solid and principled a reporter as there is, had his worked censored by ESPN yesterday (sorry, they say they applied a “tighter edit”) because Reiss dared to inject a bit of common sense and sanity into the ridiculous NFL-sanctioned hitjob that the network published Tuesday morning.

This is how Reiss’ article originally appeared:

And after ESPN’s censor, I mean “edit” this is how it appeared:

Original points four and seven were completely removed from the article.

Mike Reiss has a conscience, does his job incredibly well, and is truly objective in his reporting, (the notion that he is the “fifth Kraft son” is beyond moronic) and has already been subjected to having his work diluted by the addition of anything Patriots-related, no matter how silly, from the ESPN information stream to his blog.

The network already tried to attach Reiss’ byline to a blurb that painted Tom Brady’s statement last week as an apology to the NFL for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

With all of this going on, it makes me wonder whether we’ll be seeing Reiss move on at some point in the not-to-distant future (pure speculation by me) and take his considerable audience with him.

Which would be a shame. ESPN would’ve driven off the man who essentially created the art of blogging the NFL beat, and who brought methods and post styles that have been imitated all across ESPN, not just in the NFL beat, but on others as well.

What’s worse is that ESPN is openly showing that it will not tolerate any criticism from within itself (there is no more ombudsman at the network) and is willing to do the bidding of the NFL.

Chris Mortensen’s tweet never received a “tighter edit.” Nor did that Tuesday Outside The Lines report, despite plenty of areas where it could’ve been.

I’ve heard rumblings this summer that Tedy Bruschi has been furious at ESPN, and his noticeable absence from the airwaves during the Federal Court case was no coincidence. Either he refused to come on the air and spout the company lines, or they didn’t want to put him on because they knew he’d be critical of the league. Even when Bruschi returned last week, Bob Ley kept openly questioning Bruschi’s ability to be objective when talking about Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Yes, ESPN was worried about objectivity.

On a similar vein, I even wonder about the future of Adam Schefter on ESPN, after Roger Goodell, Troy Vincent and the NFL have repeatedly lied about Schefter’s continued and unwavering reports that the NFL is behind the suspensions of John Jastremski and Jim McNally.

Earlier this year, Schefter called into an Outside the Lines show and blew up an on-air story by Kelly Naqi who was attempting to report the storyline that the Patriots tried to introduce an illegal kicking ball in the game. Schefter broke in to report that an NFL employee had actually stolen a football from the game with the intention of selling it and replaced it with another football which was the one that was attempted to be put into the game. Funny how that story has completely gone away, huh?

Hahaha!

Timeline: 

Thursday, September 3rd, Judge Richard Berman rules against the NFL in the Tom Brady case, a decision called nothing less than a scathing rebuke of Roger Goodell and the NFL.

Tuesday, September 8th, within an hour, the following happened:

• ESPN’s alleged last bastion of journalistic integrity, Outside The Lines, released Spygate to Deflategate a re-look at events from eight years ago.
• Roger Goodell, who claims to be available to the media everyday, made his first radio appearance in recent memory. On ESPN, fielding softball questions. He told lies.
• Sports Illustrated also releases an extensive article on events from eight years ago – Suspicions of Bill Belichick’s Patriots regime persist among opponents.

In Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel, Goldfinger, the title character makes the following statement:

Goldfinger said, ‘Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: “Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action.”‘

Mr Fleming was a wise man.

We’re supposed to believe those three events are unrelated? We’re supposed to believe that both ESPN and SI.com both decided, out of the blue, to release articles of similar slant within an hour of each other on the same day – two days before the Patriots open the season against the Steelers?

OK.

A few thoughts from me.

90 sources. All anonymous? How does that equal a shred of credibility?

With all of these allegations, ESPN couldn’t be bothered to check in with their own reporter who has covered the team on a daily basis since 1997?

Hey Mike, do you have any thoughts on these scandalous allegations we’re about to run with about the team you cover?

They had no problem attributing to Mike Reiss that Tom Brady “apologized” for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

I posted this yesterday – I can’t take credit for it though, it was BSMW member Dan Snapp who tracked this down – but one of the authors of the ESPN piece directly contradicted something he said in December.

In Dec @DVNJr told @BillSimmons that owners agreed spygate tapes should be destroyed. Today writes they couldn't believe Goodell did it.

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is @DVNJr From B.S. Report in December: http://t.co/osQKnI0U4o (about 44min in) pic.twitter.com/y0FQ43bt2k

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is today: pic.twitter.com/zOOzDcxw8O

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

That’s quite a different shift. So did Goodell preside over a closed-door meeting where all owners decided to destroy the tapes, or did Goodell conspire with Kraft and Belichick to destroy the tapes?

Van Natta wouldn’t come on WEEI to talk:

Nothing worse than someone afraid to debate. Van Natta has rejected all requests from us to discuss smear job. https://t.co/dfeCGFpc7h

— Kirk Minihane (@kirkmin) September 9, 2015

But he’s been making the rounds of ESPN Radio shows.

Another point from BSMW member Greg Doyle (Not to be confused with Gregg Doyel):

I was intrigued by this line of the ESPN thing

In 2005, for instance, they signed a defensive player from a team they were going to play in the upcoming season. Before that game, the player was led to a room where Adams was waiting. They closed the door, and Adams played a compilation tape that matched the signals to the plays from the player’s former team, and asked how many were accurate. “He had about 50 percent of them right,” the player says now.

I looked over all their transactions prior to that season in the media guide from that year. The only two potential signings that could have any relevance are Monty Beisel and Chad Scott. They also signed Chad Brown but they weren’t going to play Seattle in 2005 and he had been with them in 2004. Beisel was with Kansas City in 2004. The Pats played them in 2005. The DC was Gunther Cunningham. Scott had been with Pittsburgh. Their DC was of course Dick LeBeau who supposedly the Pats knew well. I went to that game out in KC in 2005. The Pats got stomped and did little on offense, so if it was Beisel he was about as helpful doing this as he was on defense.

ProFootballTalk has debunked two more of the allegations from Tuesday.

Martz’s 2008 statement hasn’t changed

SI.com story on Pats has compelling, but inaccurate, anecdote.

Looking at some of the other information, specifically the notes from the late Arlen Specter, at one point he connects John Tomase to MW (Matt Walsh) in September of 2007.

It would seem that Matt Walsh was likely Tomase’s source, the note above mentions the team picture, that MW had taken tapes of walk through. This was from Tomase’s story:

According to a source close to the team during the 2001 season, here’s what happened. On Feb. 2, 2002, one day before the Patriots’ Super Bowl game against heavily favored St. Louis in New Orleans, the Patriots visited the Superdome for their final walkthrough.

After completing the walkthrough, they had their team picture taken and the Rams then took the field. According to the source, a member of the team’s video staff stayed behind after attending the team’s walkthrough and filmed St. Louis’ walkthrough.

At no point was he asked to identify himself or produce a press pass, the source said. The cameraman rode the media shuttle back to the hotel with news photographers when the Rams walkthrough was completed, the source said.

It was suspected that Walsh was Tomase’s source, this adds to that.

Finally, let’s not forget: THE SPORTS DRINKS WERE TOO WARM!!!

ANTI-PATRIOTS PARANOIA REACHES NEW HEIGHTS – Jerry Thornton has more on the silliness.

But you Patriots fanboys are the ones with the agenda!

Hahaha!

Timeline: 

Thursday, September 3rd, Judge Richard Berman rules against the NFL in the Tom Brady case, a decision called nothing less than a scathing rebuke of Roger Goodell and the NFL.

Tuesday, September 8th, within an hour, the following happened:

• ESPN’s alleged last bastion of journalistic integrity, Outside The Lines, released Spygate to Deflategate a re-look at events from eight years ago.
• Roger Goodell, who claims to be available to the media everyday, made his first radio appearance in recent memory. On ESPN, fielding softball questions. He told lies.
• Sports Illustrated also releases an extensive article on events from eight years ago – Suspicions of Bill Belichick’s Patriots regime persist among opponents.

In Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel, Goldfinger, the title character makes the following statement:

Goldfinger said, ‘Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: “Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action.”‘

Mr Fleming was a wise man.

We’re supposed to believe those three events are unrelated? We’re supposed to believe that both ESPN and SI.com both decided, out of the blue, to release articles of similar slant within an hour of each other on the same day – two days before the Patriots open the season against the Steelers?

OK.

A few thoughts from me.

90 sources. All anonymous? How does that equal a shred of credibility?

With all of these allegations, ESPN couldn’t be bothered to check in with their own reporter who has covered the team on a daily basis since 1997?

Hey Mike, do you have any thoughts on these scandalous allegations we’re about to run with about the team you cover?

They had no problem attributing to Mike Reiss that Tom Brady “apologized” for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

I posted this yesterday – I can’t take credit for it though, it was BSMW member Dan Snapp who tracked this down – but one of the authors of the ESPN piece directly contradicted something he said in December.

In Dec @DVNJr told @BillSimmons that owners agreed spygate tapes should be destroyed. Today writes they couldn't believe Goodell did it.

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is @DVNJr From B.S. Report in December: http://t.co/osQKnI0U4o (about 44min in) pic.twitter.com/y0FQ43bt2k

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is today: pic.twitter.com/zOOzDcxw8O

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

That’s quite a different shift. So did Goodell preside over a closed-door meeting where all owners decided to destroy the tapes, or did Goodell conspire with Kraft and Belichick to destroy the tapes?

Van Natta wouldn’t come on WEEI to talk:

Nothing worse than someone afraid to debate. Van Natta has rejected all requests from us to discuss smear job. https://t.co/dfeCGFpc7h

— Kirk Minihane (@kirkmin) September 9, 2015

But he’s been making the rounds of ESPN Radio shows.

Another point from BSMW member Greg Doyle (Not to be confused with Gregg Doyel):

I was intrigued by this line of the ESPN thing

In 2005, for instance, they signed a defensive player from a team they were going to play in the upcoming season. Before that game, the player was led to a room where Adams was waiting. They closed the door, and Adams played a compilation tape that matched the signals to the plays from the player’s former team, and asked how many were accurate. “He had about 50 percent of them right,” the player says now.

I looked over all their transactions prior to that season in the media guide from that year. The only two potential signings that could have any relevance are Monty Beisel and Chad Scott. They also signed Chad Brown but they weren’t going to play Seattle in 2005 and he had been with them in 2004. Beisel was with Kansas City in 2004. The Pats played them in 2005. The DC was Gunther Cunningham. Scott had been with Pittsburgh. Their DC was of course Dick LeBeau who supposedly the Pats knew well. I went to that game out in KC in 2005. The Pats got stomped and did little on offense, so if it was Beisel he was about as helpful doing this as he was on defense.

ProFootballTalk has debunked two more of the allegations from Tuesday.

Martz’s 2008 statement hasn’t changed

SI.com story on Pats has compelling, but inaccurate, anecdote.

Looking at some of the other information, specifically the notes from the late Arlen Specter, at one point he connects John Tomase to MW (Matt Walsh) in September of 2007.

It would seem that Matt Walsh was likely Tomase’s source, the note above mentions the team picture, that MW had taken tapes of walk through. This was from Tomase’s story:

According to a source close to the team during the 2001 season, here’s what happened. On Feb. 2, 2002, one day before the Patriots’ Super Bowl game against heavily favored St. Louis in New Orleans, the Patriots visited the Superdome for their final walkthrough.

After completing the walkthrough, they had their team picture taken and the Rams then took the field. According to the source, a member of the team’s video staff stayed behind after attending the team’s walkthrough and filmed St. Louis’ walkthrough.

At no point was he asked to identify himself or produce a press pass, the source said. The cameraman rode the media shuttle back to the hotel with news photographers when the Rams walkthrough was completed, the source said.

It was suspected that Walsh was Tomase’s source, this adds to that.

Finally, let’s not forget: THE SPORTS DRINKS WERE TOO WARM!!!

ANTI-PATRIOTS PARANOIA REACHES NEW HEIGHTS – Jerry Thornton has more on the silliness.

But you Patriots fanboys are the ones with the agenda!

Hahaha!

Timeline: 

Thursday, September 3rd, Judge Richard Berman rules against the NFL in the Tom Brady case, a decision called nothing less than a scathing rebuke of Roger Goodell and the NFL.

Tuesday, September 8th, within an hour, the following happened:

• ESPN’s alleged last bastion of journalistic integrity, Outside The Lines, released Spygate to Deflategate a re-look at events from eight years ago.
• Roger Goodell, who claims to be available to the media everyday, made his first radio appearance in recent memory. On ESPN, fielding softball questions. He told lies.
• Sports Illustrated also releases an extensive article on events from eight years ago – Suspicions of Bill Belichick’s Patriots regime persist among opponents.

In Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel, Goldfinger, the title character makes the following statement:

Goldfinger said, ‘Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: “Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action.”‘

Mr Fleming was a wise man.

We’re supposed to believe those three events are unrelated? We’re supposed to believe that both ESPN and SI.com both decided, out of the blue, to release articles of similar slant within an hour of each other on the same day – two days before the Patriots open the season against the Steelers?

OK.

A few thoughts from me.

90 sources. All anonymous? How does that equal a shred of credibility?

With all of these allegations, ESPN couldn’t be bothered to check in with their own reporter who has covered the team on a daily basis since 1997?

Hey Mike, do you have any thoughts on these scandalous allegations we’re about to run with about the team you cover?

They had no problem attributing to Mike Reiss that Tom Brady “apologized” for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

I posted this yesterday – I can’t take credit for it though, it was BSMW member Dan Snapp who tracked this down – but one of the authors of the ESPN piece directly contradicted something he said in December.

In Dec @DVNJr told @BillSimmons that owners agreed spygate tapes should be destroyed. Today writes they couldn't believe Goodell did it.

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is @DVNJr From B.S. Report in December: http://t.co/osQKnI0U4o (about 44min in) pic.twitter.com/y0FQ43bt2k

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is today: pic.twitter.com/zOOzDcxw8O

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

That’s quite a different shift. So did Goodell preside over a closed-door meeting where all owners decided to destroy the tapes, or did Goodell conspire with Kraft and Belichick to destroy the tapes?

Van Natta wouldn’t come on WEEI to talk:

Nothing worse than someone afraid to debate. Van Natta has rejected all requests from us to discuss smear job. https://t.co/dfeCGFpc7h

— Kirk Minihane (@kirkmin) September 9, 2015

But he’s been making the rounds of ESPN Radio shows.

Another point from BSMW member Greg Doyle (Not to be confused with Gregg Doyel):

I was intrigued by this line of the ESPN thing

In 2005, for instance, they signed a defensive player from a team they were going to play in the upcoming season. Before that game, the player was led to a room where Adams was waiting. They closed the door, and Adams played a compilation tape that matched the signals to the plays from the player’s former team, and asked how many were accurate. “He had about 50 percent of them right,” the player says now.

I looked over all their transactions prior to that season in the media guide from that year. The only two potential signings that could have any relevance are Monty Beisel and Chad Scott. They also signed Chad Brown but they weren’t going to play Seattle in 2005 and he had been with them in 2004. Beisel was with Kansas City in 2004. The Pats played them in 2005. The DC was Gunther Cunningham. Scott had been with Pittsburgh. Their DC was of course Dick LeBeau who supposedly the Pats knew well. I went to that game out in KC in 2005. The Pats got stomped and did little on offense, so if it was Beisel he was about as helpful doing this as he was on defense.

ProFootballTalk has debunked two more of the allegations from Tuesday.

Martz’s 2008 statement hasn’t changed

SI.com story on Pats has compelling, but inaccurate, anecdote.

Looking at some of the other information, specifically the notes from the late Arlen Specter, at one point he connects John Tomase to MW (Matt Walsh) in September of 2007.

It would seem that Matt Walsh was likely Tomase’s source, the note above mentions the team picture, that MW had taken tapes of walk through. This was from Tomase’s story:

According to a source close to the team during the 2001 season, here’s what happened. On Feb. 2, 2002, one day before the Patriots’ Super Bowl game against heavily favored St. Louis in New Orleans, the Patriots visited the Superdome for their final walkthrough.

After completing the walkthrough, they had their team picture taken and the Rams then took the field. According to the source, a member of the team’s video staff stayed behind after attending the team’s walkthrough and filmed St. Louis’ walkthrough.

At no point was he asked to identify himself or produce a press pass, the source said. The cameraman rode the media shuttle back to the hotel with news photographers when the Rams walkthrough was completed, the source said.

It was suspected that Walsh was Tomase’s source, this adds to that.

Finally, let’s not forget: THE SPORTS DRINKS WERE TOO WARM!!!

ANTI-PATRIOTS PARANOIA REACHES NEW HEIGHTS – Jerry Thornton has more on the silliness.

But you Patriots fanboys are the ones with the agenda!

Hahaha!

Timeline: 

Thursday, September 3rd, Judge Richard Berman rules against the NFL in the Tom Brady case, a decision called nothing less than a scathing rebuke of Roger Goodell and the NFL.

Tuesday, September 8th, within an hour, the following happened:

• ESPN’s alleged last bastion of journalistic integrity, Outside The Lines, released Spygate to Deflategate a re-look at events from eight years ago.
• Roger Goodell, who claims to be available to the media everyday, made his first radio appearance in recent memory. On ESPN, fielding softball questions. He told lies.
• Sports Illustrated also releases an extensive article on events from eight years ago – Suspicions of Bill Belichick’s Patriots regime persist among opponents.

In Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel, Goldfinger, the title character makes the following statement:

Goldfinger said, ‘Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: “Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action.”‘

Mr Fleming was a wise man.

We’re supposed to believe those three events are unrelated? We’re supposed to believe that both ESPN and SI.com both decided, out of the blue, to release articles of similar slant within an hour of each other on the same day – two days before the Patriots open the season against the Steelers?

OK.

A few thoughts from me.

90 sources. All anonymous? How does that equal a shred of credibility?

With all of these allegations, ESPN couldn’t be bothered to check in with their own reporter who has covered the team on a daily basis since 1997?

Hey Mike, do you have any thoughts on these scandalous allegations we’re about to run with about the team you cover?

They had no problem attributing to Mike Reiss that Tom Brady “apologized” for deflategate.

ESPN also misreported a Tom Brady apology and wrongly attributed it to an ESPN Boston writer http://t.co/gtA4h6zFFN pic.twitter.com/ttA0X7UnxO

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2015

I posted this yesterday – I can’t take credit for it though, it was BSMW member Dan Snapp who tracked this down – but one of the authors of the ESPN piece directly contradicted something he said in December.

In Dec @DVNJr told @BillSimmons that owners agreed spygate tapes should be destroyed. Today writes they couldn't believe Goodell did it.

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is @DVNJr From B.S. Report in December: http://t.co/osQKnI0U4o (about 44min in) pic.twitter.com/y0FQ43bt2k

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

This is today: pic.twitter.com/zOOzDcxw8O

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) September 8, 2015

That’s quite a different shift. So did Goodell preside over a closed-door meeting where all owners decided to destroy the tapes, or did Goodell conspire with Kraft and Belichick to destroy the tapes?

Van Natta wouldn’t come on WEEI to talk:

Nothing worse than someone afraid to debate. Van Natta has rejected all requests from us to discuss smear job. https://t.co/dfeCGFpc7h

— Kirk Minihane (@kirkmin) September 9, 2015

But he’s been making the rounds of ESPN Radio shows.

Another point from BSMW member Greg Doyle (Not to be confused with Gregg Doyel):

I was intrigued by this line of the ESPN thing

In 2005, for instance, they signed a defensive player from a team they were going to play in the upcoming season. Before that game, the player was led to a room where Adams was waiting. They closed the door, and Adams played a compilation tape that matched the signals to the plays from the player’s former team, and asked how many were accurate. “He had about 50 percent of them right,” the player says now.

I looked over all their transactions prior to that season in the media guide from that year. The only two potential signings that could have any relevance are Monty Beisel and Chad Scott. They also signed Chad Brown but they weren’t going to play Seattle in 2005 and he had been with them in 2004. Beisel was with Kansas City in 2004. The Pats played them in 2005. The DC was Gunther Cunningham. Scott had been with Pittsburgh. Their DC was of course Dick LeBeau who supposedly the Pats knew well. I went to that game out in KC in 2005. The Pats got stomped and did little on offense, so if it was Beisel he was about as helpful doing this as he was on defense.

ProFootballTalk has debunked two more of the allegations from Tuesday.

Martz’s 2008 statement hasn’t changed

SI.com story on Pats has compelling, but inaccurate, anecdote.

Looking at some of the other information, specifically the notes from the late Arlen Specter, at one point he connects John Tomase to MW (Matt Walsh) in September of 2007.

It would seem that Matt Walsh was likely Tomase’s source, the note above mentions the team picture, that MW had taken tapes of walk through. This was from Tomase’s story:

According to a source close to the team during the 2001 season, here’s what happened. On Feb. 2, 2002, one day before the Patriots’ Super Bowl game against heavily favored St. Louis in New Orleans, the Patriots visited the Superdome for their final walkthrough.

After completing the walkthrough, they had their team picture taken and the Rams then took the field. According to the source, a member of the team’s video staff stayed behind after attending the team’s walkthrough and filmed St. Louis’ walkthrough.

At no point was he asked to identify himself or produce a press pass, the source said. The cameraman rode the media shuttle back to the hotel with news photographers when the Rams walkthrough was completed, the source said.

It was suspected that Walsh was Tomase’s source, this adds to that.

Finally, let’s not forget: THE SPORTS DRINKS WERE TOO WARM!!!

ANTI-PATRIOTS PARANOIA REACHES NEW HEIGHTS – Jerry Thornton has more on the silliness.

But you Patriots fanboys are the ones with the agenda!

After a weekend where New England witnessed more transactions than Ted Wells’ credit card at a Village People costume convention, the team seems to have more or less settled on their 53 for the 2015 season opener. You can check out a current depth chart on Patriots.com.

Some thoughts on who’s around, and why, below.

Every Silver Lining’s Got A Touch Of Grey: Wow. Let’s consider Jonas Gray’s meteoric Patriots career for a second or two. In 2014, he had 33 rushing attempts leading up to his breakout game at Indianapolis, where he carried the ball 37 times for 201 yards (5.4 avg) and four touchdowns. The next week, after he slept late, New England signed LaGarrette Blount. Gray had 20 carries for the rest of the season (not including his lone tote vs. the Colts in the playoffs, for four yards). What a weird, difficult turnaround, especially considering Blount’s suspension for Thursday’s game.

Looks like the Pats feel content with James White, Dion Lewis, and Brandon Bolden, who have shined during the preseason. Not bad to have Tavaris Cadet aboard as well, as he can catch the ball out of the backfield or the slot.

In terms of personnel, perhaps the rushing game was most affected by…

Between The Develin The Deep Blue Sea: Some difficult decisions left in the wake of fullback James Develin’s season-ending leg injury.

Develin (6-3, 255 pounds), a former defensive lineman at Brown, makes us hearken back to the traditional New England fullback days of Marc Edwards. Edwards (6-0, 245) played in all 32 games in his two years in Foxboro (2001-2002), carrying the ball 82 times for 237 yards and catching 48 passes for 362 yards. More importantly, he blocked for Antowain Smith, who averaged 1,000 yards per season in those two years. After Edwards left, the Pats signed Fred McCrary, who got hurt during the 2003 season.

McCrary’s injury may have led Coach Bill Belichick to believe that he could survive without a traditional fullback, as the next year Corey Dillon ran for 1,635 yards (4.7 avg) with none other than 217-pound Patrick Pass taking on lead-blocking duties. In ensuing years, defensive ends like Richard Seymour, offensive linemen like Dan Connolly, and linebackers like Junior Seau would take turns as backfield blockers. It’s a testament to how much Belichick appreciated Develin that he revisited the role 10 years later. Now, maybe the tight ends will take some reps in the backfield.

Get well soon, Develin. In the meantime, we’ll watch this run against the Texans.

Safety Dance: Ah, a reference to the days when music really meant something. In any case, maybe we shouldn’t feel surprised at the Patriots holding on to six safeties. It seems like they have been looking for larger, run-supporting defensive backs. They did, after all, draft linebacker/safety hybrid Matthew Wells in the sixth round (then traded him to the Bears for lineman Ryan Groy). They also brought on undrafted rookie safety Brandon King (before cutting him Saturday). It seems they’ve gotten newfound appreciation for Tavon Wilson’s abilities recently. Now in his fourth year, Wilson had 15 tackles in four preseason games and showed consistent field awareness that he seemed to lack in his first two seasons.

New England added rookie Jordan Richards and still have Devin McCourty, their best overall defensive back. Safety doesn’t look like it will be a problem.

Logan’s Run: Well, despite our uncertainties stated in a previous post, it looks like Logan Ryan will continue his career in Foxboro. Not that he’s bad; he’s just inconsistent. After cutting Robert McClain – not a huge surprise after a disappointing performance in the fourth preseason game – New England’s down to four cornerbacks. (As of Sunday, Daxton Swanson had made the practice squad). Look for the Patriots to address this position via free agency over the next week; or, possibly, over the course of the season.

Move … Get Out The Way, Get Out The Way: After letting go of Tim Wright, it looks like the Patriots weren’t looking to hold onto the “move” tight end position this season. We had some hope for rookie Jimmay Mundine, but he got waived before final cutdowns. New England traded for Asante Cleveland, who ended up on the practice squad. Cleveland looks like a decent pass-catcher; his blocking, however, has seemed ineffective (we’ve nicknamed him SPF Zero). Plenty of moves to come over the course of the season, but gaining a smaller, quicker tight end doesn’t seem to make the list.

The Aaron Of The Grievances: Time for receiver Aaron Dobson to step up and become the player the Foxboro front office hoped they’d get in 2013’s second round. Maybe Dobson can still contribute – he did have 37 catches his rookie year. Heaven knows the Pats could use the help, but additions haven’t come easily in the wake of Brandon LaFell’s injury. Reggie Wayne felt about as comfortable here as a Colt quarterback during the playoffs. Josh Boyce can now add his name to receiving draftees who never fully fit in Foxboro. It’s not just about learning the offense, it’s about learning how Tom Brady wants you to learn the offense. That familiarity and comfort had to be the main reasons for the return of current practice squad receiver (and past Patriots hero – Unicorns! Show ponies!) Kenbrell Thompkins.

Speaking of undrafted rookies who figure it out, how about this Chris Harper kid? Fifteen receptions for 150 yards and a TD over four preseason games, showing precise routes and consistent hands. He also returned punts. You can’t predict a career over the preseason, but he seems like the multi-faceted type of player who has the potential to stick.

So, what’s the secret? What makes guys like Harper seem smooth after a few months, while Boyce has a three-year rough patch? Why Kent State’s Julian Edelman in the seventh over Florida’s Chad Jackson in the second? If you figure it out, tell me. And only me. And together, we shall be rich.

The Rufus, The Rufus, The Rufus On Fire, We Don’t Need No Water (Etc.): Well, congratulations to Rufus Johnson, a 2013 pick of the Saints who flashed enough to warrant making the opening day roster. He deserves extra kudos considering the pass-rushing position at Gillette got as crowded as the pro shop during a Goodell Dartboard giveaway. The Tarleton State alum adds more youth along with rookies Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom. The numbers bumped seventh-rounder Xzavier Dickson off the roster, which disappointed us because we kinda-sorta predicted the Pats would draft him (see: “Alabama Guy”). Glad that he made it to the practice squad.

This season, New England has added Jabaal Sheard and the above youngsters to their pass-rushing crew. Could get interesting in opponents’ backfields.

The Ghost Is The Machine: Just a little reminder that kicker Stephen Gostkowski has remained awesome. That’s it.

Enjoy your Thursday, people. Should be a banner night.

Chris Warner can be tweeted: @cwarn89

After a weekend where New England witnessed more transactions than Ted Wells’ credit card at a Village People costume convention, the team seems to have more or less settled on their 53 for the 2015 season opener. You can check out a current depth chart on Patriots.com.

Some thoughts on who’s around, and why, below.

Every Silver Lining’s Got A Touch Of Grey: Wow. Let’s consider Jonas Gray’s meteoric Patriots career for a second or two. In 2014, he had 33 rushing attempts leading up to his breakout game at Indianapolis, where he carried the ball 37 times for 201 yards (5.4 avg) and four touchdowns. The next week, after he slept late, New England signed LaGarrette Blount. Gray had 20 carries for the rest of the season (not including his lone tote vs. the Colts in the playoffs, for four yards). What a weird, difficult turnaround, especially considering Blount’s suspension for Thursday’s game.

Looks like the Pats feel content with James White, Dion Lewis, and Brandon Bolden, who have shined during the preseason. Not bad to have Tavaris Cadet aboard as well, as he can catch the ball out of the backfield or the slot.

In terms of personnel, perhaps the rushing game was most affected by…

Between The Develin The Deep Blue Sea: Some difficult decisions left in the wake of fullback James Develin’s season-ending leg injury.

Develin (6-3, 255 pounds), a former defensive lineman at Brown, makes us hearken back to the traditional New England fullback days of Marc Edwards. Edwards (6-0, 245) played in all 32 games in his two years in Foxboro (2001-2002), carrying the ball 82 times for 237 yards and catching 48 passes for 362 yards. More importantly, he blocked for Antowain Smith, who averaged 1,000 yards per season in those two years. After Edwards left, the Pats signed Fred McCrary, who got hurt during the 2003 season.

McCrary’s injury may have led Coach Bill Belichick to believe that he could survive without a traditional fullback, as the next year Corey Dillon ran for 1,635 yards (4.7 avg) with none other than 217-pound Patrick Pass taking on lead-blocking duties. In ensuing years, defensive ends like Richard Seymour, offensive linemen like Dan Connolly, and linebackers like Junior Seau would take turns as backfield blockers. It’s a testament to how much Belichick appreciated Develin that he revisited the role 10 years later. Now, maybe the tight ends will take some reps in the backfield.

Get well soon, Develin. In the meantime, we’ll watch this run against the Texans.

Safety Dance: Ah, a reference to the days when music really meant something. In any case, maybe we shouldn’t feel surprised at the Patriots holding on to six safeties. It seems like they have been looking for larger, run-supporting defensive backs. They did, after all, draft linebacker/safety hybrid Matthew Wells in the sixth round (then traded him to the Bears for lineman Ryan Groy). They also brought on undrafted rookie safety Brandon King (before cutting him Saturday). It seems they’ve gotten newfound appreciation for Tavon Wilson’s abilities recently. Now in his fourth year, Wilson had 15 tackles in four preseason games and showed consistent field awareness that he seemed to lack in his first two seasons.

New England added rookie Jordan Richards and still have Devin McCourty, their best overall defensive back. Safety doesn’t look like it will be a problem.

Logan’s Run: Well, despite our uncertainties stated in a previous post, it looks like Logan Ryan will continue his career in Foxboro. Not that he’s bad; he’s just inconsistent. After cutting Robert McClain – not a huge surprise after a disappointing performance in the fourth preseason game – New England’s down to four cornerbacks. (As of Sunday, Daxton Swanson had made the practice squad). Look for the Patriots to address this position via free agency over the next week; or, possibly, over the course of the season.

Move … Get Out The Way, Get Out The Way: After letting go of Tim Wright, it looks like the Patriots weren’t looking to hold onto the “move” tight end position this season. We had some hope for rookie Jimmay Mundine, but he got waived before final cutdowns. New England traded for Asante Cleveland, who ended up on the practice squad. Cleveland looks like a decent pass-catcher; his blocking, however, has seemed ineffective (we’ve nicknamed him SPF Zero). Plenty of moves to come over the course of the season, but gaining a smaller, quicker tight end doesn’t seem to make the list.

The Aaron Of The Grievances: Time for receiver Aaron Dobson to step up and become the player the Foxboro front office hoped they’d get in 2013’s second round. Maybe Dobson can still contribute – he did have 37 catches his rookie year. Heaven knows the Pats could use the help, but additions haven’t come easily in the wake of Brandon LaFell’s injury. Reggie Wayne felt about as comfortable here as a Colt quarterback during the playoffs. Josh Boyce can now add his name to receiving draftees who never fully fit in Foxboro. It’s not just about learning the offense, it’s about learning how Tom Brady wants you to learn the offense. That familiarity and comfort had to be the main reasons for the return of current practice squad receiver (and past Patriots hero – Unicorns! Show ponies!) Kenbrell Thompkins.

Speaking of undrafted rookies who figure it out, how about this Chris Harper kid? Fifteen receptions for 150 yards and a TD over four preseason games, showing precise routes and consistent hands. He also returned punts. You can’t predict a career over the preseason, but he seems like the multi-faceted type of player who has the potential to stick.

So, what’s the secret? What makes guys like Harper seem smooth after a few months, while Boyce has a three-year rough patch? Why Kent State’s Julian Edelman in the seventh over Florida’s Chad Jackson in the second? If you figure it out, tell me. And only me. And together, we shall be rich.

The Rufus, The Rufus, The Rufus On Fire, We Don’t Need No Water (Etc.): Well, congratulations to Rufus Johnson, a 2013 pick of the Saints who flashed enough to warrant making the opening day roster. He deserves extra kudos considering the pass-rushing position at Gillette got as crowded as the pro shop during a Goodell Dartboard giveaway. The Tarleton State alum adds more youth along with rookies Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom. The numbers bumped seventh-rounder Xzavier Dickson off the roster, which disappointed us because we kinda-sorta predicted the Pats would draft him (see: “Alabama Guy”). Glad that he made it to the practice squad.

This season, New England has added Jabaal Sheard and the above youngsters to their pass-rushing crew. Could get interesting in opponents’ backfields.

The Ghost Is The Machine: Just a little reminder that kicker Stephen Gostkowski has remained awesome. That’s it.

Enjoy your Thursday, people. Should be a banner night.

Chris Warner can be tweeted: @cwarn89

After a weekend where New England witnessed more transactions than Ted Wells’ credit card at a Village People costume convention, the team seems to have more or less settled on their 53 for the 2015 season opener. You can check out a current depth chart on Patriots.com.

Some thoughts on who’s around, and why, below.

Every Silver Lining’s Got A Touch Of Grey: Wow. Let’s consider Jonas Gray’s meteoric Patriots career for a second or two. In 2014, he had 33 rushing attempts leading up to his breakout game at Indianapolis, where he carried the ball 37 times for 201 yards (5.4 avg) and four touchdowns. The next week, after he slept late, New England signed LaGarrette Blount. Gray had 20 carries for the rest of the season (not including his lone tote vs. the Colts in the playoffs, for four yards). What a weird, difficult turnaround, especially considering Blount’s suspension for Thursday’s game.

Looks like the Pats feel content with James White, Dion Lewis, and Brandon Bolden, who have shined during the preseason. Not bad to have Tavaris Cadet aboard as well, as he can catch the ball out of the backfield or the slot.

In terms of personnel, perhaps the rushing game was most affected by…

Between The Develin The Deep Blue Sea: Some difficult decisions left in the wake of fullback James Develin’s season-ending leg injury.

Develin (6-3, 255 pounds), a former defensive lineman at Brown, makes us hearken back to the traditional New England fullback days of Marc Edwards. Edwards (6-0, 245) played in all 32 games in his two years in Foxboro (2001-2002), carrying the ball 82 times for 237 yards and catching 48 passes for 362 yards. More importantly, he blocked for Antowain Smith, who averaged 1,000 yards per season in those two years. After Edwards left, the Pats signed Fred McCrary, who got hurt during the 2003 season.

McCrary’s injury may have led Coach Bill Belichick to believe that he could survive without a traditional fullback, as the next year Corey Dillon ran for 1,635 yards (4.7 avg) with none other than 217-pound Patrick Pass taking on lead-blocking duties. In ensuing years, defensive ends like Richard Seymour, offensive linemen like Dan Connolly, and linebackers like Junior Seau would take turns as backfield blockers. It’s a testament to how much Belichick appreciated Develin that he revisited the role 10 years later. Now, maybe the tight ends will take some reps in the backfield.

Get well soon, Develin. In the meantime, we’ll watch this run against the Texans.

Safety Dance: Ah, a reference to the days when music really meant something. In any case, maybe we shouldn’t feel surprised at the Patriots holding on to six safeties. It seems like they have been looking for larger, run-supporting defensive backs. They did, after all, draft linebacker/safety hybrid Matthew Wells in the sixth round (then traded him to the Bears for lineman Ryan Groy). They also brought on undrafted rookie safety Brandon King (before cutting him Saturday). It seems they’ve gotten newfound appreciation for Tavon Wilson’s abilities recently. Now in his fourth year, Wilson had 15 tackles in four preseason games and showed consistent field awareness that he seemed to lack in his first two seasons.

New England added rookie Jordan Richards and still have Devin McCourty, their best overall defensive back. Safety doesn’t look like it will be a problem.

Logan’s Run: Well, despite our uncertainties stated in a previous post, it looks like Logan Ryan will continue his career in Foxboro. Not that he’s bad; he’s just inconsistent. After cutting Robert McClain – not a huge surprise after a disappointing performance in the fourth preseason game – New England’s down to four cornerbacks. (As of Sunday, Daxton Swanson had made the practice squad). Look for the Patriots to address this position via free agency over the next week; or, possibly, over the course of the season.

Move … Get Out The Way, Get Out The Way: After letting go of Tim Wright, it looks like the Patriots weren’t looking to hold onto the “move” tight end position this season. We had some hope for rookie Jimmay Mundine, but he got waived before final cutdowns. New England traded for Asante Cleveland, who ended up on the practice squad. Cleveland looks like a decent pass-catcher; his blocking, however, has seemed ineffective (we’ve nicknamed him SPF Zero). Plenty of moves to come over the course of the season, but gaining a smaller, quicker tight end doesn’t seem to make the list.

The Aaron Of The Grievances: Time for receiver Aaron Dobson to step up and become the player the Foxboro front office hoped they’d get in 2013’s second round. Maybe Dobson can still contribute – he did have 37 catches his rookie year. Heaven knows the Pats could use the help, but additions haven’t come easily in the wake of Brandon LaFell’s injury. Reggie Wayne felt about as comfortable here as a Colt quarterback during the playoffs. Josh Boyce can now add his name to receiving draftees who never fully fit in Foxboro. It’s not just about learning the offense, it’s about learning how Tom Brady wants you to learn the offense. That familiarity and comfort had to be the main reasons for the return of current practice squad receiver (and past Patriots hero – Unicorns! Show ponies!) Kenbrell Thompkins.

Speaking of undrafted rookies who figure it out, how about this Chris Harper kid? Fifteen receptions for 150 yards and a TD over four preseason games, showing precise routes and consistent hands. He also returned punts. You can’t predict a career over the preseason, but he seems like the multi-faceted type of player who has the potential to stick.

So, what’s the secret? What makes guys like Harper seem smooth after a few months, while Boyce has a three-year rough patch? Why Kent State’s Julian Edelman in the seventh over Florida’s Chad Jackson in the second? If you figure it out, tell me. And only me. And together, we shall be rich.

The Rufus, The Rufus, The Rufus On Fire, We Don’t Need No Water (Etc.): Well, congratulations to Rufus Johnson, a 2013 pick of the Saints who flashed enough to warrant making the opening day roster. He deserves extra kudos considering the pass-rushing position at Gillette got as crowded as the pro shop during a Goodell Dartboard giveaway. The Tarleton State alum adds more youth along with rookies Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom. The numbers bumped seventh-rounder Xzavier Dickson off the roster, which disappointed us because we kinda-sorta predicted the Pats would draft him (see: “Alabama Guy”). Glad that he made it to the practice squad.

This season, New England has added Jabaal Sheard and the above youngsters to their pass-rushing crew. Could get interesting in opponents’ backfields.

The Ghost Is The Machine: Just a little reminder that kicker Stephen Gostkowski has remained awesome. That’s it.

Enjoy your Thursday, people. Should be a banner night.

Chris Warner can be tweeted: @cwarn89

After a weekend where New England witnessed more transactions than Ted Wells’ credit card at a Village People costume convention, the team seems to have more or less settled on their 53 for the 2015 season opener. You can check out a current depth chart on Patriots.com.

Some thoughts on who’s around, and why, below.

Every Silver Lining’s Got A Touch Of Grey: Wow. Let’s consider Jonas Gray’s meteoric Patriots career for a second or two. In 2014, he had 33 rushing attempts leading up to his breakout game at Indianapolis, where he carried the ball 37 times for 201 yards (5.4 avg) and four touchdowns. The next week, after he slept late, New England signed LaGarrette Blount. Gray had 20 carries for the rest of the season (not including his lone tote vs. the Colts in the playoffs, for four yards). What a weird, difficult turnaround, especially considering Blount’s suspension for Thursday’s game.

Looks like the Pats feel content with James White, Dion Lewis, and Brandon Bolden, who have shined during the preseason. Not bad to have Tavaris Cadet aboard as well, as he can catch the ball out of the backfield or the slot.

In terms of personnel, perhaps the rushing game was most affected by…

Between The Develin The Deep Blue Sea: Some difficult decisions left in the wake of fullback James Develin’s season-ending leg injury.

Develin (6-3, 255 pounds), a former defensive lineman at Brown, makes us hearken back to the traditional New England fullback days of Marc Edwards. Edwards (6-0, 245) played in all 32 games in his two years in Foxboro (2001-2002), carrying the ball 82 times for 237 yards and catching 48 passes for 362 yards. More importantly, he blocked for Antowain Smith, who averaged 1,000 yards per season in those two years. After Edwards left, the Pats signed Fred McCrary, who got hurt during the 2003 season.

McCrary’s injury may have led Coach Bill Belichick to believe that he could survive without a traditional fullback, as the next year Corey Dillon ran for 1,635 yards (4.7 avg) with none other than 217-pound Patrick Pass taking on lead-blocking duties. In ensuing years, defensive ends like Richard Seymour, offensive linemen like Dan Connolly, and linebackers like Junior Seau would take turns as backfield blockers. It’s a testament to how much Belichick appreciated Develin that he revisited the role 10 years later. Now, maybe the tight ends will take some reps in the backfield.

Get well soon, Develin. In the meantime, we’ll watch this run against the Texans.

Safety Dance: Ah, a reference to the days when music really meant something. In any case, maybe we shouldn’t feel surprised at the Patriots holding on to six safeties. It seems like they have been looking for larger, run-supporting defensive backs. They did, after all, draft linebacker/safety hybrid Matthew Wells in the sixth round (then traded him to the Bears for lineman Ryan Groy). They also brought on undrafted rookie safety Brandon King (before cutting him Saturday). It seems they’ve gotten newfound appreciation for Tavon Wilson’s abilities recently. Now in his fourth year, Wilson had 15 tackles in four preseason games and showed consistent field awareness that he seemed to lack in his first two seasons.

New England added rookie Jordan Richards and still have Devin McCourty, their best overall defensive back. Safety doesn’t look like it will be a problem.

Logan’s Run: Well, despite our uncertainties stated in a previous post, it looks like Logan Ryan will continue his career in Foxboro. Not that he’s bad; he’s just inconsistent. After cutting Robert McClain – not a huge surprise after a disappointing performance in the fourth preseason game – New England’s down to four cornerbacks. (As of Sunday, Daxton Swanson had made the practice squad). Look for the Patriots to address this position via free agency over the next week; or, possibly, over the course of the season.

Move … Get Out The Way, Get Out The Way: After letting go of Tim Wright, it looks like the Patriots weren’t looking to hold onto the “move” tight end position this season. We had some hope for rookie Jimmay Mundine, but he got waived before final cutdowns. New England traded for Asante Cleveland, who ended up on the practice squad. Cleveland looks like a decent pass-catcher; his blocking, however, has seemed ineffective (we’ve nicknamed him SPF Zero). Plenty of moves to come over the course of the season, but gaining a smaller, quicker tight end doesn’t seem to make the list.

The Aaron Of The Grievances: Time for receiver Aaron Dobson to step up and become the player the Foxboro front office hoped they’d get in 2013’s second round. Maybe Dobson can still contribute – he did have 37 catches his rookie year. Heaven knows the Pats could use the help, but additions haven’t come easily in the wake of Brandon LaFell’s injury. Reggie Wayne felt about as comfortable here as a Colt quarterback during the playoffs. Josh Boyce can now add his name to receiving draftees who never fully fit in Foxboro. It’s not just about learning the offense, it’s about learning how Tom Brady wants you to learn the offense. That familiarity and comfort had to be the main reasons for the return of current practice squad receiver (and past Patriots hero – Unicorns! Show ponies!) Kenbrell Thompkins.

Speaking of undrafted rookies who figure it out, how about this Chris Harper kid? Fifteen receptions for 150 yards and a TD over four preseason games, showing precise routes and consistent hands. He also returned punts. You can’t predict a career over the preseason, but he seems like the multi-faceted type of player who has the potential to stick.

So, what’s the secret? What makes guys like Harper seem smooth after a few months, while Boyce has a three-year rough patch? Why Kent State’s Julian Edelman in the seventh over Florida’s Chad Jackson in the second? If you figure it out, tell me. And only me. And together, we shall be rich.

The Rufus, The Rufus, The Rufus On Fire, We Don’t Need No Water (Etc.): Well, congratulations to Rufus Johnson, a 2013 pick of the Saints who flashed enough to warrant making the opening day roster. He deserves extra kudos considering the pass-rushing position at Gillette got as crowded as the pro shop during a Goodell Dartboard giveaway. The Tarleton State alum adds more youth along with rookies Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom. The numbers bumped seventh-rounder Xzavier Dickson off the roster, which disappointed us because we kinda-sorta predicted the Pats would draft him (see: “Alabama Guy”). Glad that he made it to the practice squad.

This season, New England has added Jabaal Sheard and the above youngsters to their pass-rushing crew. Could get interesting in opponents’ backfields.

The Ghost Is The Machine: Just a little reminder that kicker Stephen Gostkowski has remained awesome. That’s it.

Enjoy your Thursday, people. Should be a banner night.

Chris Warner can be tweeted: @cwarn89

At the center of it is Boston’s favorite columnist, (oh wait, he didn’t even make the list) Dan Shaughnessy!

An important line was dropped from his column about Orsillo earlier in the week:

The Globe deleted the line about the Red Sox confiscating Don Orsillo signs, but screenshots are a thing. pic.twitter.com/IRiBbrxheb

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 1, 2015

Dan Kennedy has written extensively about the incident, and has great coverage here:

Dan Shaughnessy Defends Boston Globe Over Deleted Sentence In Don Orsillo Column

The Globe attempted to explain the original charges thusly:

Story was published early, sourcing was weak so the line was removed. Our coverage on this speaks for itself. https://t.co/ITPLaqrl9d

— David Skok (@dskok) September 1, 2015

“Sourcing was weak.”

Shaughnessy’s original line was:

Two Sox employees told the Globe that workers at Fenway turnstiles were ordered to confiscate any signs supporting Orsillo as fans entered Fenway.

I’m interested to know what the Globe considers strong sourcing and weak sourcing. Shaughnessy writes a lot of things, many seem single sourced. Why the edit on this?

Of course it isn’t because Shaughnessy’s boss, the owner of the Globe, also owns the Red Sox. It isn’t. Trust them. Their coverage speaks for itself. Just ask them!

Kennedy adds a good followup on the topic:

Boston Globe Adds Clarification To Dan Shaughnessy’s Column About Red Sox Announcer Don Orsillo

As Kennedy notes, the online and print versions of the corrections were even different.

Are we supposed to give them the benefit of the doubt on this?

At the center of it is Boston’s favorite columnist, (oh wait, he didn’t even make the list) Dan Shaughnessy!

An important line was dropped from his column about Orsillo earlier in the week:

The Globe deleted the line about the Red Sox confiscating Don Orsillo signs, but screenshots are a thing. pic.twitter.com/IRiBbrxheb

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 1, 2015

Dan Kennedy has written extensively about the incident, and has great coverage here:

Dan Shaughnessy Defends Boston Globe Over Deleted Sentence In Don Orsillo Column

The Globe attempted to explain the original charges thusly:

Story was published early, sourcing was weak so the line was removed. Our coverage on this speaks for itself. https://t.co/ITPLaqrl9d

— David Skok (@dskok) September 1, 2015

“Sourcing was weak.”

Shaughnessy’s original line was:

Two Sox employees told the Globe that workers at Fenway turnstiles were ordered to confiscate any signs supporting Orsillo as fans entered Fenway.

I’m interested to know what the Globe considers strong sourcing and weak sourcing. Shaughnessy writes a lot of things, many seem single sourced. Why the edit on this?

Of course it isn’t because Shaughnessy’s boss, the owner of the Globe, also owns the Red Sox. It isn’t. Trust them. Their coverage speaks for itself. Just ask them!

Kennedy adds a good followup on the topic:

Boston Globe Adds Clarification To Dan Shaughnessy’s Column About Red Sox Announcer Don Orsillo

As Kennedy notes, the online and print versions of the corrections were even different.

Are we supposed to give them the benefit of the doubt on this?

At the center of it is Boston’s favorite columnist, (oh wait, he didn’t even make the list) Dan Shaughnessy!

An important line was dropped from his column about Orsillo earlier in the week:

The Globe deleted the line about the Red Sox confiscating Don Orsillo signs, but screenshots are a thing. pic.twitter.com/IRiBbrxheb

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 1, 2015

Dan Kennedy has written extensively about the incident, and has great coverage here:

Dan Shaughnessy Defends Boston Globe Over Deleted Sentence In Don Orsillo Column

The Globe attempted to explain the original charges thusly:

Story was published early, sourcing was weak so the line was removed. Our coverage on this speaks for itself. https://t.co/ITPLaqrl9d

— David Skok (@dskok) September 1, 2015

“Sourcing was weak.”

Shaughnessy’s original line was:

Two Sox employees told the Globe that workers at Fenway turnstiles were ordered to confiscate any signs supporting Orsillo as fans entered Fenway.

I’m interested to know what the Globe considers strong sourcing and weak sourcing. Shaughnessy writes a lot of things, many seem single sourced. Why the edit on this?

Of course it isn’t because Shaughnessy’s boss, the owner of the Globe, also owns the Red Sox. It isn’t. Trust them. Their coverage speaks for itself. Just ask them!

Kennedy adds a good followup on the topic:

Boston Globe Adds Clarification To Dan Shaughnessy’s Column About Red Sox Announcer Don Orsillo

As Kennedy notes, the online and print versions of the corrections were even different.

Are we supposed to give them the benefit of the doubt on this?

At the center of it is Boston’s favorite columnist, (oh wait, he didn’t even make the list) Dan Shaughnessy!

An important line was dropped from his column about Orsillo earlier in the week:

The Globe deleted the line about the Red Sox confiscating Don Orsillo signs, but screenshots are a thing. pic.twitter.com/IRiBbrxheb

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 1, 2015

Dan Kennedy has written extensively about the incident, and has great coverage here:

Dan Shaughnessy Defends Boston Globe Over Deleted Sentence In Don Orsillo Column

The Globe attempted to explain the original charges thusly:

Story was published early, sourcing was weak so the line was removed. Our coverage on this speaks for itself. https://t.co/ITPLaqrl9d

— David Skok (@dskok) September 1, 2015

“Sourcing was weak.”

Shaughnessy’s original line was:

Two Sox employees told the Globe that workers at Fenway turnstiles were ordered to confiscate any signs supporting Orsillo as fans entered Fenway.

I’m interested to know what the Globe considers strong sourcing and weak sourcing. Shaughnessy writes a lot of things, many seem single sourced. Why the edit on this?

Of course it isn’t because Shaughnessy’s boss, the owner of the Globe, also owns the Red Sox. It isn’t. Trust them. Their coverage speaks for itself. Just ask them!

Kennedy adds a good followup on the topic:

Boston Globe Adds Clarification To Dan Shaughnessy’s Column About Red Sox Announcer Don Orsillo

As Kennedy notes, the online and print versions of the corrections were even different.

Are we supposed to give them the benefit of the doubt on this?

In addition to questions about each of the local professional sports franchises, there is also a media section.

Guess which is the first entry in that section?

A few others from the media section:

So at least NESN is replacing the most popular TV announcer with the most popular radio announcer. The next slide is where I begin to lose faith in my fellow man.

From the top two names in that list, you can probably guess the next slide.

Now we’re onto the writing portion.

I’m heartened to see no Shaughnessy on the list. And good for Chad Finn.

Elsewhere:

Favorite Local TV Sports Personality

Both Tom Caron and Mike Felger received 20%.

Favorite Local TV Sports Reporter

Steve Burton won this with 22%

Favorite Local TV Sports Show

Sports Tonight (CSNNE) won with 23%

The Felger and Mazz Simulcast was second with 16%

Favorite Local TV Pre/Post Game Show

Patriots 5th Quarter at 27%

Red Sox Extra Innings 24%

In addition to questions about each of the local professional sports franchises, there is also a media section.

Guess which is the first entry in that section?

A few others from the media section:

So at least NESN is replacing the most popular TV announcer with the most popular radio announcer. The next slide is where I begin to lose faith in my fellow man.

From the top two names in that list, you can probably guess the next slide.

Now we’re onto the writing portion.

I’m heartened to see no Shaughnessy on the list. And good for Chad Finn.

Elsewhere:

Favorite Local TV Sports Personality

Both Tom Caron and Mike Felger received 20%.

Favorite Local TV Sports Reporter

Steve Burton won this with 22%

Favorite Local TV Sports Show

Sports Tonight (CSNNE) won with 23%

The Felger and Mazz Simulcast was second with 16%

Favorite Local TV Pre/Post Game Show

Patriots 5th Quarter at 27%

Red Sox Extra Innings 24%

In addition to questions about each of the local professional sports franchises, there is also a media section.

Guess which is the first entry in that section?

A few others from the media section:

So at least NESN is replacing the most popular TV announcer with the most popular radio announcer. The next slide is where I begin to lose faith in my fellow man.

From the top two names in that list, you can probably guess the next slide.

Now we’re onto the writing portion.

I’m heartened to see no Shaughnessy on the list. And good for Chad Finn.

Elsewhere:

Favorite Local TV Sports Personality

Both Tom Caron and Mike Felger received 20%.

Favorite Local TV Sports Reporter

Steve Burton won this with 22%

Favorite Local TV Sports Show

Sports Tonight (CSNNE) won with 23%

The Felger and Mazz Simulcast was second with 16%

Favorite Local TV Pre/Post Game Show

Patriots 5th Quarter at 27%

Red Sox Extra Innings 24%

In addition to questions about each of the local professional sports franchises, there is also a media section.

Guess which is the first entry in that section?

A few others from the media section:

So at least NESN is replacing the most popular TV announcer with the most popular radio announcer. The next slide is where I begin to lose faith in my fellow man.

From the top two names in that list, you can probably guess the next slide.

Now we’re onto the writing portion.

I’m heartened to see no Shaughnessy on the list. And good for Chad Finn.

Elsewhere:

Favorite Local TV Sports Personality

Both Tom Caron and Mike Felger received 20%.

Favorite Local TV Sports Reporter

Steve Burton won this with 22%

Favorite Local TV Sports Show

Sports Tonight (CSNNE) won with 23%

The Felger and Mazz Simulcast was second with 16%

Favorite Local TV Pre/Post Game Show

Patriots 5th Quarter at 27%

Red Sox Extra Innings 24%