Pat McAfee Is Not a 'Liquored Up' Kicker
by Brad Wells on Oct 8, 2010 11:33 AM EDT
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PrintSo, unless you've been living under a rock for three days, or you haven't heard of this snazzy new invention called 'Twitter,' you've probably heard about the little dust up that occurred two day ago between Pat McAfee and this blog. If you want details, and some colorful (and humorous) comments directed at yours truly, please read the article. For a short synopsis, we wrote an article highlighting a Tweet Pat made which commented on the Patriots trading Randy Moss for only a third round pick. Like many people, Pat seemed to be scratching his head about the value given back for Moss. Pat's intent was to compliment Moss.
We agreed with Pat.
So, the element of Pat's Tweet which we highlighted in our article was, for us, the sense that Pat was questioning the judgment of Patriots overlord Bill Belichick. It certainly wasn't unreasonable to do so, as many others were scratching their heads over this odd trade while also questioning the general sanity of Belichick for pulling the trigger on it. On PTI on Wednesday, Tony Kornheiser called the compensation the Patriots got back for Moss 'garbage,' and stated that if anyone else in the league other than Belichick made this kind of trade, they'd be, essentially, roasted alive.
So, like many people, we thought the trade was dumb. We also thought that Pat thought that the trade was dumb. We wrote an article about it, and as is custom with all our articles, a Tweet was sent out to our followers in the Twitterverse. The Tweet read, 'Pat McAfee Kinda Sorta Thinks That Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb.'
At that point, the Internet equivalent of Russell Crowe in Gladiator galloped up in front of my face and screamed: Upon my signal, UNLEASH HELL!
All kinds of silliness was then set loose into the wide world of Internet media. It seems as if all kinds of people, from NFL execs to other players to major media outlets, started believing that Pat McAfee was QUOTED as calling Bill Belichick 'dumb.' It was a facepalm moment for me; the kind of thing when I sit back in my chair, shake my head, scratch my newly grown beard, and wonder if people have anything better to do with their time than to take Tweets from me THAT literally.
Anyway, for a brief moment, people thought we had another Mike Vanderjagt situation. The parallels were too obvious. Both are kickers. Both went to West Virginia. Both are known to have goofy, fun-loving attitudes about life and football. So, if Pat were quoted as calling Bill Belichick 'dumb,' the 'circle would be complete,' as they say.
Back in 2003, Mike Vanderjagt famously went on Canadian TV and called out Peyton Manning and then-head coach Tony Dungy following Indy's 41-0 playoff loss to the New York Jets. This was followed by Peyton Manning saying, in an interview at the Pro Bowl, that Vanderjagt got 'liquored up' before doing his interview and shot his mouth off. Peyton then called Vanderjagt an 'idiot kicker.' Three years later, in 2005, prior to a playoff game against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, Vanderjagt ran his mouth again, saying the injuries the Patriots had sustained prior to the game made them 'ripe for the pickin'.' The Colts lost 21-3.
So, here we are, five years later, and (for many) it seems the Colts had another loud-mouthed kicker from West Virginia making bold claims about Bill Belichick and the Patriots. I got numerous calls, emails, texts, and Tweets from people asking me 'Did Pat really say that?'
/facepalm
For those of you out there who are white hot, seething mad because you think Stampede Blue has pissed off Pat McAfee and made him hate our blog, relax. I've chatted with Pat privately, and all is good. Obviously, I'm not going to publish what our dialogue was, but I feel comfortable in saying that he enjoys what we do here (as many Colts players do), and he is not angry. Naturally, Pat probably freaked out when he saw that maybe someone was putting words in his mouth about Bill Belichick and the Patriots, and needed to respond. I'm not mad at him for what he said on Twitter, and in the end it could spell a better overall relationship between Colts players and this blog.
Lots of players and NFL people read this blog, and I have always gotten the strong sense that this little fact really annoys Colts management. Personally, I consider that a badge of honor.
Regarding Pat, I do not write articles, and create Tweets, with the intention of getting players I like into trouble or putting them in bad situations. I'm critical of players, like many of you are. I'm a fan, first and foremost. But, I don't go out and write stuff hoping to get people burned. Having met Pat, interviewed him, and spoken to him recently, I can say without question he is NOT Mike Vanderjagt. If anyone stated or wrote that we quoted Pat as calling Belichick 'dumb,' they're wrong. Pat never said that, and just as my Tweet was not intended to get Pat into any type of silly situation, Pat's Tweet wasn't intended to call out Belichick. I, personally, saw that angle in his Tweet, but that wasn't what Pat intended, in my opinion.
Pat McAfee is most certainly not Indy's 'liquored up' kicker, and if any of this silliness got him into any trouble, or put him in the uncomfortable position of having to answer for something he did not say, I am sorry. Pat knows this because I've told him privately. I write it publicly now so people can finally relax, chill, and move on with more important things... like kicking the crap out of the Chiefs on Sunday.
After the jump, a message to our readers and commenters...
Folks, I love you all. I really do. Many of you hate me and want to see me skinned alive before being dunked in salt water, and that's fine. However, one of the reasons I do things like lock comments, delete comments, and delete FanPosts that attack and insult me is because, in the end, it serves no purpose. Venting in comments is fine, and in this case it was probably justified because the whole thing got blown WAY out of proportion. But, in general, insulting me isn't going to get you anywhere, and when I lock an article about a specific discussion, that means continued chatting about that discussion ends there. If I start seeing FanPosts or FanShots popping up trying to circumvent that, those things will get deleted. It's how we roll here.
As some of you know, we have a policy here that insulting or attacking writers (or 'starting something' with them) is a bannable offense. This is often a general 'unwritten' rule of thumb for any site: Don't piss off the site admin because he or she can ban your ass.
I banned a few people yesterday (which is never fun) and I deleted some comments and FanPosts (which is even less fun) because, at the end of the day, I'm responsible for the content on this blog. And unlike Mike Florio or A.J. Daulerio, I would prefer my comments section not turn into a cesspool of 'I HATE BBS' venting. That said, another general rule of thumb around here is that anyone who gets banned can contact me and ask to be unbanned. I've done this many times before, and if folks who were banned over this (or anything else) want to return and contribute, just contact me and we'll chat.
The final thing I'd like to mention is that, as exampled by this and events which were truly news worthy (2009's Week Sixteen, the Super Bowl, etc.), our blog is no longer something that just reports news.
We make it. Sometimes unintentionally.
We've grown so big, and our profile is so visible, that people literally freak out when I Tweet something, let along write an article. I was told yesterday by a very well respected TV person (who I'm not going to mention because I'm sure he doesn't want to have to deal with people asking about me) that more than just a few Colts players and coaches read this blog.
This means that what you write, they read.
In many ways, this is what I have always wanted: A direct link between fans and the team that does not involve other media entities, like the Indianapolis Star, ESPN, etc. Because of this, it's forced me to rethink how we cover the team. This is why you've seen more articles that are, shall we say, a bit more edgy in their tone. It's also why you've seen some personnel changes around here the last year or so. With more eyes and more people locked in here on an hourly basis (again, forget daily, we're talking hourly) it means more content needs to get produced. More. More. More. It needs to be consistent, on time, of good quality, and frequent.
So much of our focus (Matt, Laura, mine, and the behind the scenes folks you never hear from) is to get you as much key information and commentary about the Colts as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, you'll love the news and cheer like maniacs.
Other times, you'll hate the news and shoot the messenger.
In general, we work our tails off to give you something unique and (in my opinion) important. We don't do it just to manufacture fireworks. Some people suggest that we approach everything as an opportunity to sensationalize things. Quite simply, these people are pathetically jealous of our blog's media profile, and we generally don't fret what they think about us. However, I do fret over commenters and readers like you. Like with Pat McAfee, I don't go writing article looking to piss off you readers.
If that Pat McAfee article pissed you off, I am very sorry.
Please know that, even when I am an angry ogre raging through an article's comments section, I do care what you write. What you say affects me. I've got a thick hide, don't get me wrong. Just know that, whatever you write, I do not dismiss it. I may delete it because, for me, it's not helping move the conversation forward. But, I do take it to heart. And if articles I write that, like the Pat McAfee one, really get you red-faced mad, I am indeed sorry. I don't write stuff solely to piss you off. I write stuff because, in my opinion, it's important. Often, I'm wrong in my assessments and people are 100% encouraged to disagree. But I do not go into situations thinking, 'How can I piss off my entire readership today!'
I hope you take that to heart as I often take your comments to heart.
As always, thank you for your continued involvement in Stampede Blue. Go Colts.
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No need to apologize
This is both your passion and your job. You are supposed to write things to get people hitting this site, reading the articles, seeing the ads…
Do I always agree with your viewpoint? No, I do not. I love the way you try to keep things realistic and call people out for what you feel…. That is something missing in today’s media. Too much PC, not enough grit.
Something people forget is that once you put any words out there, you are open to interpretation and opinion based comments. That’s pretty much what you did. I thought Belichump was stupid, but hell, I ain’t an NFL player.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion….and people all too often forget that. Thanks for giving us a place to do that.
Lastly, for all the BBS bashers and people who have issues….. if you don’t like the place, there’s other places to go. If you really want to hurt this place, simply leave. I don’t show up at your job and blast you like a high school kid because of your opinion. Even when BBS is in the wrong, we as adults should do better than acting like children…
Yeah, but when he's wrong more than he's right
What do we do then? I like the community of this blog, but the head writer does stuff like this all the time. Hell, he’ll probably delete this comment because it’s contradicting him.
Go Blue!
by LaserRocketArm on Oct 8, 2010 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
That's the beauty of a blog
He doesn’t have to be right…
by DevilsReject on Oct 8, 2010 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Add-on
First off, let’s hold off on the ‘retarded’ comments, OK? Please. Pretty please.
Second, what DR is suggesting (I think) is that my opinions and assessments do not have to be ‘right.’ This is, first and foremost, an opinion blog. Not a news site. However, when we report news, it is important to get the information ‘right.’ And, like all things, there are varying degrees of that. If I mess up a stat, or get a player’s name wrong, it’s not good but it’s no big deal. If I misquote someone (which was not done in this case because no one was quoted) or I state something that is simply not true (like, that the Colts WON last weekend), then that’s a problem.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
So maybe it wasn't a quote
But saying something like “Pat McAfee thinks Belicheck is retarded” is like quoting their thoughts. So it was a mis-thought-quote…uhhhh
Okay I don’t know where I was going with that. You were wrong though.
Go Blue!
by LaserRocketArm on Oct 8, 2010 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
I knew where you were going. It’s all good.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
This isn't a normal blog
It has been in the media several times. And it DOES NOT belong to BBS, it’s part of a bigger infrastructure. He needs to be more responsible.
Go Blue!
by LaserRocketArm on Oct 8, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I completely agree
This blog is consistently ranked high in circles that matter. With that exposure, there is a responsibility to write things that represent professional actions. I have no problem with opinion but facts are stated as fact and opinions are stated as fact. This is frustrating. I don’t have a solution (that would be given a second thought), but this will be frustrating and embarrassing for all commenters, bloggers, viewers, ect.
by TrueColtsFan on Oct 8, 2010 1:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think some people need to learn how to discern opinion from fact.
If you read the article, BBS clearly stated what Pat’s tweet actually was. It’s generally not tough to tell what BBS’s opinions are and what the facts are.
Peyton Manning= Better.
While I am not illiterate,
I am annoyed with having to sort through articles for the facts that BBS and the other writers work so hard and quickly to provide for us. The opinions are exactly what they are, personal opinions. I have no problem reading some and skipping some. But I am turned off that my favorite news source that is able to provide nearly every single colts related and noteworthy facts is becoming hard to read. I’m not pissed, just sad.
by TrueColtsFan on Oct 8, 2010 2:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Be sad about
the situation in Afghanistan, world hunger, or something more important than this. Sheesh.
Really?!?
I did not compare this blog to war! That is outrageous. I am sad about this blog, when I pout a bowl of cereal but forget I have no milk, and I’m sad when I just missed mcdonalds breakfast. I am devastated about death, racism, when people make unfathomable personal attacks. That comment should be deleted and you should think before you comment about something like that
by TrueColtsFan on Oct 8, 2010 7:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
For the grammar police, that is *pour
by TrueColtsFan on Oct 8, 2010 7:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
But at the same time, why is it that the reader must read beyond the title to see what the difference is between what the author thinks and what Pat's word actually are?
After all, the title of the post McAfee took exception to was “Colts Punter Pat McAfee Thinks Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb”. And the Tweet was “Colts Punter Pat McAfee Kinda Sorta Tweets That Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb”. Given that, why is it that Pat needs to read the article? The misrepresentation occurred in both the Tweet, and the thread headline.
A misrepresentation in one spot is still a misrepresentation. The fact that the direct quote is available later in the article is not a mitigating factor; on the contrary, it makes the problem even worse because the accurate information was there to begin with. It was simply wrapped up in an inaccuracy itself.
That’s why the act was so wrong.
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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
And then that misleading title was changed to...
“Colts Punter Pat McAfee Thinks Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb: UPDATE Pat McAfee Doesn’t Like The Title”
Not – “Pat McAfee was misquoted”. Not – “mea culpa, Pat McAfee”. But that he doesn’t like it. That’s not saying “The title was wrong” it’s suggesting “The title was right, but the Punter doesn’t like it”.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 8, 2010 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Tabloid journalism
Not defending it, but it’s done a lot by schlocky rags (New York Post, I am looking at you….). I’d like to think it’s beneath me and people I associate with….
(Famous Post headline during NYC’s budget crisis in the late 70’s: “Prez to NY: Drop Dead.” Did the president actually say “drop dead” to an entire city? No. Sure was implied, though. And both funny and memorable!)
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
Saying "(h)e doesn't have to be right" is badly missing the point
Making honest mistakes is one thing. Putting words into people’s mouths – even if it’s their internally speaking mouth i.e. their mind’s voice – is something completely different. At the point the writer does that, he’s much less making an honest mistake and instead is actively choosing to be wrong. He’s presuming to speak for another person, regardless of what that other person’s actual opinion is. And that was the crux of this specific issue: BBS was posting his own interpretation as if it was Pat’s own thought. Reminder: The title was “Colts Punter Pat McAfee Thinks Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb”; why is it that the title asserts one thing that’s actually not found in the original text of the Tweet, as well as contradicted later by the one who Tweeted?
This was an actively committed error that should’ve been temptered with discretion and forethought. It was entirely possible to actively state the opinion that Bellichickis dumb, that even Pat McAfee questions the decision, and yet, not make it out as though Pat was the one who held that thought. But Brad made Pat the “holder” of that opinion by proxy, and therein lies the problem. That’s obviously why Pat was upset.
To make matters worse, the followup Tweets exacerbated the problem ("However, he Pat needs to calm down. We doubt he even read the article from where the title got it’s inspiration."; "Dear Pat McAfee, don’t quit Twitter. If you quit Twitter because of someone like me, I’m going to question your toughness.“). The first suggests that he had a responsibility to read the article, when the reality is that McAfee’s reaction to it indicates a problem exists to begin with; the second is nothing but bluster, and a backhanded insult besides (”… I’m going to question your toughness."). Not until today did we see any acceptance of accountability, nor any admission of responsibility for instigating the whole thing. And even with today’s apology, we do not see any admission that the act of misrepresenting in the headline was wrong; we merely have apologia for making people mad. That’s not the same thing; it’s the functional equivalent of “I’m sorry you’re hurt” when the standard should be “I’m sorry I distorted things by conflating what I thought with what Pat said”. Even now, we see none of that. On the contrary, we have Brad attempting to paint the entire issue as a huge misunderstanding on other people’s part (“I sit back in my chair, shake my head, scratch my newly grown beard, and wonder if people have anything better to do with their time than to take Tweets from me THAT literally”) instead of an issue that stems from a deliberate choice he made, that was driven by a title he wrote.
I hate to say it, but the apology is less an acceptance of responsibility, and more a shifting of the topic and an attempt to deflect blame. I really hate saying this because I’m very happy he reached out to Pat (or accepted when Pat reached out to him) to straighten things out. That’s a very laudable act, and one that deserves much kudos. It’s genuinely a good thing to do. But it only addresses part of the issue.
I understand that too many choose nonconstructive – or deliberately destructive – ways to raise awareness of the problem. It’s totally unproductive to throw insults and retail a litany of blue language. The problem is, when you turn around and state that he “doesn’t have to be right”, you completely diminish all legitimate, honest criticism aimed not at ripping Brad, but at bringing his attention to problems and hoping that it gets corrected. I, too, am aggravated and irritated that people confuse f-you bombs for constructive dialogue, but at the same time I’m worried that deflection of criticism enables Brad to continue firing off posts in the most provocative manner he can. What I’m trying to accomplish here is a frank discussion of a problem many of us readers see in the hope that it leads to a better site. So saying that BBS “doesn’t have to be right” is problematic. It diminishes the problem. And it sets the stage for such problems to continue.
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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
by E.M.H. on Oct 8, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 10 recs
Actually
No, it’s not missing the point at all. This is a blog, not a legitimate news site. It’s not a sporting news site. It’s a blog. It’s all about opinion based reporting and opinions based on the teams they follow.
Does it allow for factual reporting? Yes.
Does it have a responsibility to it’s readers to try and post correct information? Yes.
However, it doesn’t mean that he has to be right about things….and that is simply the beauty of a blog….
You took a comment and went way out in left field with it. I didn’t say he was free to be an idiot. I also didn’t say he doesn’t have any responsibility to his blog/readers. However, it also doesn’t give anyone a free pass to act like a complete jackass because they don’t like what he says or how he says it.
And as I stated in another post earlier today, perhaps if people were more honest about what they think rather than worry about being PC, crap like this would not happen. To be honest, I wish McAfee had said just that…..because that’s what most of us think anyways….
I'm sorry, but: In trying to say you didn't miss the point, you again missed the point.
It’s not whether this is opinion writing. It’s not whether we like what or how he writes up something. It’s whether he was justified in substituting his own opinion for what Pat actually wrote, and did it without clarification from Pat himself. And it’s also that he continued in that vein even after Pat objected. McAfee’s objection should’ve been an indication that the title was misleading; instead, blame was put on Pat for not reading the article, and furthermore, an insult was delivered for him making a completely legitimate protest to what he saw as a misrepresentation to what he tweeted.
You continue to cast this as “opinion” and like vs. dislike of style. It’s none of that. It’s “what’s the right thing to have done?”. Casting this in terms of opinion based reporting and whether people like his style or not very clearly demonstrates that you’ve missed my point. I’m sorry to be so adamant about this, but I feel like accuracy and clarity is badly needed in this issue. And casting my or any other criticism as an objection to opinion writing is indeed misunderstanding and misrepresenting the criticism. We don’t expect non-opinion based writing here. What we are objecting to is the mischaracterization of Pat’s Tweet, and on a more general level the insistence of deliberately choosing the most provocative way of portraying things. It is the tendency to choose provocative over illuminating that led to the clash with Pat to begin with, and nowhere in that is any indictment of opinion writing.
I’m not saying all this to pick a fight with you. Rather, I hope that it clarifies my stance. It’s hardly from way out in left field; on the contrary, I worked to keep this very much centered on the act itself and the problems associated with it. That cannot be dismissed as simple objection to BBS’s opinion.
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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
by E.M.H. on Oct 8, 2010 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
No, it’s not missing the point at all. This is a blog, not a legitimate news site.
Defamation laws in most first-world nations don’t make distinctions between print media and bloggers. If you cast aspersions on someone that aren’t true, you’re prima facie guilty. Guess what? Pat McAfee didn’t call Belichick an idiot. But that’s not what the title suggests.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 8, 2010 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
They make exceptions for public figures.....
That are allowed as long as they can’t be proven as being demonstrably false. This is utterly borderline, legally. Sadly, it is not fan-like.
53% of statistics are made up on the spot.
It can't be proven as demonstrably false?
I’m paraphrasing, but “Randy Moss for a 3rd? There has to be more going on” doesn’t in any way imply that the Punter thought Belichick is an idiot.
And I made the note that it’s that way in most countries – the US is a little out on a limb because of constitutional more-or-less unfettered freedom of speech protections. Doesn’t make it any less defamatory in the sense of the word, just means the US constitution turns what would likely otherwise have been not allowed under the inherited UK law, into something that’s protected by US law.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
BBS
I didn’t feel like reading this entire article because the main point of it is that your antics made an ass out of everyone who posts on this blog.
Go Blue!
So let's really get to the 'meat and potatoes' of this issue.
How cool is Pat McAfee? I’m infinitely jealous that you got to talk to him. At this point in time I’d say he’s the Colt I’d most like to hang out with. He just seems like a fun dude. Plus he’s not making a bajillion dollars like some guys in the NFL so he’s probably still pretty down to Earth. I also think he’d make a stellar wingman. Pat, if you read this (as BBS said you might) then I just have one thing to ask you: Will you be my wingman?
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Oct 8, 2010 11:57 AM EDT reply actions
All is well, BBS, but while on the subject of head-scratching about trade value . . .
Didn’t Bill Polian, in 1999, trade Marshall Faulk to the Rams for two draft picks (2nd and 5th round)? As I recall, they resulted in LB Mike Peterson and DE Brad Scioli. Not terrible, but dare I say not quite equitable value for a future Hall of Fame running back. Granted, there may have been unseen considerations in play from Polian’s viewpoint that caused that trade to make sense, but from a fan’s unenlightened perspective not so much. The arrival of Edgerrin James helped take away the bad taste from that trade, but when compared to the Moss trade, and the fact he is about 10 years older than Faulk was at the time, a 3rd rounder looks pretty darn good.
One other thing. . .it’s just my opinion, but I for one would enjoy this site far more if there was more pure football give and take and a bit less of the more personnel stuff. Just my opinion . . .not trying to start up another ruckus.
Actually
The difference is that the Colts grabbed two picks from a team while getting rid of what at the time was viewed as a “malcontent”. Add in the fact that Peterson went on to be a starter who we all did not want to leave when he did….and Scioli was servicable, it wasn’t a bad trade. The Colts were able to snag Edge who went on to win back to back rushing titles and played like he wanted to be here….
Here’s the other thing…. Marshall Faulk was the only real superstar the Colts had…. they had just drafted Manning….and Harrison was in year 2…..
Add in that Moss was traded to the Vikings for a 3rd round pick and the Patriots also sent a 7th round pick as well to the Vikings. That makes zero sense considering they are in a tough division and the team is in a good way health wise…. In essence, it was a dumb trade….
Hmm...
…and Moss hasn’t been viewed as a “malcontent?” Even as he yells at his coordinator over halftime? Even as he’s violated team code and taken internal issues to the media? He went against Belichick main media rule (“don’t talk to the media about team issues”) numerous times. He became a malcontent when he didn’t receive another contract extension over this off-season.
And who knows what Belichick can do with that 3rd rounder. For all we know, he’s going to flip it for a 2013 1st rounder.
by Richard Hill on Oct 8, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The point
is that the Patriots aren’t relying solely on Moss, so they can afford to be choosy about they get…..the fact that they didnt even get a player back for him is indicative of the trade itself….
People questioned Belichick for cutting Lawyer Milloy in the preseason...
And they were baying for blood when the Bills – led by Milloy – thumped the Pats 31-0 in the first game. Know how that season turned out?
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Which is exactly
Why things don’t add up…unless the Patriots are lying about the reason they booted him…
Belichick knows when to cut the strings of players in athletic positions
In 2007, Randy Moss’s first four games:
Week 1 – 9 rec, 183 yards, 20.3ypr, long 51, 1 TD
Week 2 – 8 rec, 105 yards, 13.1ypr, long 24, 2 TD
Week 3 – 5 rec, 115 yards, 23.0ypr, long 45, 2 TD
Week 4 – 9 rec, 102 yards, 11.3ypr, long 20, 2 TD
First four games in 2010 – total of 9 receptions, 139 yards, 3 TDs. Add in 5 drops, 2 of which were in the End Zone, and that third-round draft pick is looking pretty good. Sure, he draws double coverage – but he drew double coverage and still made catches in previous seasons. He’s too well-paid to be a mere decoy, and if they kept him as such, they’d only get a 5th or 6th rounder as a compensatory pick in two years time.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Lying???
Belichick said this about the trade in his Press Conference:
It was done in the best interests of the football team. It’s a combination of things. As I said, I don’t think I can answer every single question for you. I’m not going to try to.
How are the Patriots lying?
Keep the faith!
I never said they were
Merely point out that they said one thing about Moss, and we get reports of issues and so forth from other sources….
Add in the fact that they are considering picking up Vincent Jackson…..and yeah, its a bit fishy…
However, if thats what they wanted to do….that’s fine with me….
by DevilsReject on Oct 8, 2010 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Those reports seemed bogus
Wilfork shot down any idea that people in the locker room were unhappy with Moss (contrary to Bruschi’s reports), and Belichick explicitly denied that he and Moss had words on the way back to the Razor (although, he didn’t deny that Moss had words with other coaches – maybe he did yell at Bill O’Brien, the Pats OC-by-default).
So far, so average NFL wideout. Yelling at an OC during a game where he was targeted once doesn’t make him TO; hell, it doesn’t even make him Marvin Harrison. Harrison was constantly in Peyton Manning’s ear about Manning not throwing to him enough; Manning didn’t even like the guy that much, and I can’t help but think the constant assault of ‘throw to me’ was part of it.
I don’t think the Pats are too worried about Jackson, although I think it’s more about having the rights to Logan Mankins, having an impending trade deadline, and wanting to get value from those rights via trade.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 8, 2010 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
huh?
Harrison was constantly in Peyton Manning’s ear about Manning not throwing to him enough
Maybe I honestly don’t remember this, but most of what I saw of Harrison was at the end of a bench being Cool Joe, win or lose. I never saw him “in anyone’s ear.”
Manning didn’t even like the guy that much
I’ve never heard this either. In fact didn’t Manning visit Harrison in Philly during the offseason?
I’ve never heard this either. In fact didn’t Manning visit Harrison in Philly during the offseason?
He did, yes. But that in itself made the whole situation seem odd – in an ESPN article:
Before Super Bowl XLI, reporters asked Peyton Manning about his receiver’s reticence. The QB said he didn’t know Harrison well until he visited him in Philly one off-season. “There’s a Marvin in Philly and a Marvin in Indianapolis,” he said. Even around his teammates, the Indy Marvin barely says a word.
I distinctly remember someone from the Colts organisation saying that one of the reasons the Colts hadn’t wanted to keep Harrison in his final year was that he felt threatened by the emergence of Reggie Wayne and demanded throws his way. That was fine the years he was clearly the best WR on the team – and he has the reception records to show for it – but when Wayne was more physically gifted, it rubbed Manning and the organisation the wrong way. And Wayne and Harrison, despite being a great WR tandem and having side-by-side lockers, “rarely talked”:
“He’s to himself,” Wayne said at the Colts’ Super Bowl hotel. “He has a lonely soul. He’s anti-social. To see him all of a sudden talking to media, that’s an imposter. That’s not him.”
Even if it was just a measure of his shyness, Randy Moss was a great team-mate in comparison to Marvin Harrison – he was keen to impart all his wisdom to the rest of the young Pats’ wideouts, and he was a team locker-room leader – after the Bengals win, it was Moss who grabbed the guys into a huddle and called out chants.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 8, 2010 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions
How about you quote the subjective parts of your post....
That make the rest questionable. Like Marvin being worried about Reggie. That’d be nice.
Also, Randy Moss comparison vs. Marvin Harrison as a leader…. Who has been traded for 3rd and 4th round draft picks twice in his career? He was so valuable as a leader that no one he mentored mattered on either the Vikings or Raiders. Oh, his value was also so great to the Pats wide-outs that they didn’t win a single Super Bowl with him leading Tommy Terrific’s offense to the promised land.
This is subjective bullshit that absolutely no place in arguing fact. It is sheer opinion, and don’t try to play it off as anything else.
53% of statistics are made up on the spot.
He was so valuable as a leader that no one he mentored mattered on either the Vikings or Raiders.
Vikings of the ‘sex boat’ era, and the Raiders? ‘Nuff said, really.
This is subjective bullshit that absolutely no place in arguing fact. It is sheer opinion, and don’t try to play it off as anything else.
I never said it was ’fact’. Not once. And I gave my sources when asked; you’re really going to call me out for being non-factual when I could copy-paste the very sources I drew that from?
Marvin Harrison barely talked to his locker room; Randy Moss was a leader in his. “Everybody in here, coaches included…. one clap, one clap, one clap”. Marvin Harrison do that?
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
it is still a dumb article that is still posted... at least a kinda, sorta, hacked up version
your blog article on his tweet is a joke.. i mean look at it now.. it is hacked up mess of edits.. i am embarrassed for you
using your ’doesn’t add up’ logic to post the title of the article someone could have posted one on how you think Bill Polian is dumb…
“Giving $37 million to Bob Sanders, but being cheap with Reggie Wayne, also ’doesn’t add up.’”
Just a thought
I hate to jump in being from Arrowheadpride but Joel has this thing down pat. Articles aren’t written on tweets. He simply posts relevant tweets on the front page and gives a short one sentence half-opinion to spark conversation. It seems like the right intent is there, but done quite poorly. And deleting posts, locking conversations, and banning anyone from a public blog is insane. I respect you BBS but lay off the power trips. Everyone has an opinion and they are all valid. The right to decide who’s opinion should be viewed and who’s shouldn’t is not up to you. Just report the news that you are privi to and let the fans do our thing. That’s why we are here in the first place. To converse with other educated fans about the teams we love.
One day we'll all watch as the clock strikes zero and the Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions. Heaven on Earth.
by Godlovetheredman14 on Oct 8, 2010 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
"The right to decide who’s opinion should be viewed and who’s shouldn’t is not up to you."
Actually, it is up to me. My blog. My rules. Also, we’re not here just to report news. We’re here to post opinions first, new second. The opinions often drive the discussions, not the news. AP is more news driven because that is the track Joel and Chris choose to go, which is fine. We do things different here, and it’s been successful for us.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
What if the majority of the readers of this site request otherwise?
by strootster on Oct 8, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Then
They probably wouldn’t be reading the site at that point.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
You're wrong.
And you’ve been proven wrong by the two “most popular” Fan Posts (including one that you deleted recently) that clearly show readers are requesting otherwise AND they don’t stop reading posts once they disagree with something. When the most popular post of all time is an explanation of why you’re unsuited for your position and the second most popular post (which you deleted) questions your handling of Pat’s Tweet and your qualifications for Editor-In-Chief in general, I think ‘the people have spoken’. Apparently you don’t care. In the end, that’s your problem (and the site suffers, unfortunately), but don’t try and say people who ‘request otherwise’ don’t care enough to keep reading. That’s clearly untrue.
Now if you excuse me, I’m going to turn a few more comments green…
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!!!" ~ 2009 quote of the year, Yale Book of Quotations
"I'm all lost in the supermarket/ I can no longer shop happily/ I came in here for the special offer/ A guaranteed personaility."
by Via_Chicago on Oct 9, 2010 7:51 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
But, when the opinions that you post to drive discussions
are moronic and only bring turmoil to the site, and the following of this site is clearly diminishing, we should consider a change.
Go Blue!
by LaserRocketArm on Oct 8, 2010 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, it is up to me. My blog. My rules.
Isn’t it SB Nation’s blog? You’re head blogger, but at the end of the day, you’re an employee, not the owner.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 8, 2010 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
but stupid or misleading posts drive the discussions the wrong way
there’s plenty of vim an vigor from us Colts fans to keep it hoppin. We’re counting on you to keep it professional. This blog is your baby, and it can be anything you want it to be. It can be a personal bailiwick or it can be the kick ass community phenomenon we all want. That’s way more to be proud of, and that’s what we’re grateful for. Thanks for trying to bring resolution with the apology.
Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game and dumb enough to think it's important. -- Eugene J. McCarthy
Bottomline
At the end of the day we are all still worse off for Pat McAfee not tweeting anymore.
by burc on Oct 8, 2010 12:09 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
A small request
I’ve been a fan of this site for a few years now. I typically refer my fellow Colts friends here and/or reference this site because it is one of the few places I can get quick, in-depth information about the Colts. I also am willing to forgive the opinion articles that now seem to make up a majority of the content because, well, it’s a fan blog. It’s your blog, your prerogative. Along with that, you sometimes need to filter the comments/commentators in order to present a site that appeals to a wide audience. Understandable as well. What does seem to be creeping in, however, is a strong sense of blogger vs. readers. In some cases this is warranted as I have seen a number of strongly worded fanposts/comments that take a more personal tone with the blogger, but I have also noted an overall tone in your writing that almost seems to invite conflict, even with those, like myself, who do not comment as much as others. For example, there has been a rash of news-related posts recently that begin as updates but quickly dissolve into soapbox boastings about your “rightness” on an issue, even when no one was arguing with you. That in and of itself can put off even the most stalwart of readers, which is something that I imagine you don’t truly want.
All that said, it is again your choice on how you wish to present yourself and the blog, and those of us who wish to keep reading must respect that.
A word of caution, however, when it comes to the particular issue which invited this article. You had posted a Tweet from a Colts player and added your own interpretation to his words. You are of course fully in your right to do this, but as a fellow fan of the Colts, I personally would like to see more caution used when re-posting and interpreting the words of players. It doesn’t take much in this league for something to be considered “bulletin board material”, and as you’ve claimed before, players read this blog. In this particular case, the consequences seem pretty slim, but I worry that a misreading of someone’s twitter account could lead to division in the locker room, or perhaps a rival team “headhunting” a Colts player. I am sure you will argue that what those players put into the public forum is free game, and I couldn’t agree with you more. But I would hope that you would, in the future, consider your loyalty to the team as first priority before adding your own interpretation for this site.
Happy to be a fan of both the Colts and Stampede Blue!
by EddieDean on Oct 8, 2010 12:10 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I did not need an article like this, but I am glad you were willing to write it.
I hope this will allow us to focus on the reason for the blog, the Best Organization in Football, instead of middle school politics. I am glad you got to chat with Pat and will not share that with us. It is always better to address the center of any issue as opposed to responding to attacks. I total agree about trying to keep conversations moving forward. That is the point of a conversation.
Go Big Blue!
Bleedin' Blue for as long as I can remember. Can you believe we get to be fans while our team has the greatest QB of all time?!?!?!
great article and explaination
keep on doing your thing, I enjoy reading your articles and you also turned me on to ADTHE.net and if people don’t like this blog there are at least 25 other web sites they can go to GO COLTS ,, and tweeting is way overrated
poor judgment
really writing it was just poor judgment on your part. You think this is a blog for colts fans but your blog is probably one of the more popular blogs. So guess what, it is followed by people and sports fan all over the internet and tweet world. Everything you post is tweeted on multiple colts news feeds on twitter and rss feeds. I saw this article picked up on two other sites that were not Indy sites.
By becoming one of the more popular Colts blogs you have taken on a responsibility whether you wanted it or not, to not blow things like this into something they really were not and make a Colts player feel uncomfortable about sharing information and thoughts with his loyal followers. Be as critical as you want, I am fine with that… but this was beyond that and crossed over that line imo
HOW DO WE REALLY KNOW PAT MCAFEE IS NOT MIKE VANDERJAGT???
Oh yeah, his kickoffs go past the 30, for starters….
(because it’s never too late to knee Vandy in the ’nads)
Pat, if you’re out there, we really love you. You may have no idea how much. And this coming from a big Hunter Smith fan.
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
Other times, you’ll hate the news and shoot the messenger.
Not if it’s news that is being reported. If it’s opinion or incorrect interpretation - yes, we will shoot the messenger.
And, Patty Mac, if you’re reading this – we ALL love you! Almost as much as Peyton… =-)
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
LOL
I know, huh. Kid’s got a GREAT sense of humor and is tough as nails. Most awesome attitude as well.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Oct 8, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions
This May Be An Odd Request...
…but could you write about football please?
This shit is uber gay.
by I'm Not Alone, I'm Just Blue on Oct 8, 2010 12:38 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'
This isn’t news. Or a story. Or relevant. Its manufactured crap.
by I'm Not Alone, I'm Just Blue on Oct 8, 2010 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Go Colts
Let’s get back to basics folks.
Defense needs to shut down the run on Sunday and ST needs to be sure they don’t break one. Bring on the Chefs!
by GoHorse88 on Oct 8, 2010 12:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Yes, can we please just moved on and focus on what is more important!! How are we going to stop KC run offense????
by Sebo13 on Oct 8, 2010 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And Manning needs to kneel six times--three times in each half--to guarantee a win
Kneel to win, baby. I promise, Manning kneels six times, we have the W in the bag.
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
Thank you
for posting this article…I am sure the majority of people, including myself with the who fiasco that went down, but apologies were made and things were cleared up in this instance…yes, lets move on to football cuz our Colts need to get back to winning ball games and putting a streak together! It starts this Sunday….we are going to hit KC in the mouth…except for Wheeler, he’ll probably miss. :)
"I’m very fast. I’m like Forest Gump except... I am not an idiot." - Michael Scott
by Z.Pain on Oct 8, 2010 1:26 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
BBS
I think is ok when you write articles that reflect your opinion on a subject, I personally can deal with that even if i don’t agree with it. But like you said news reporting and articles that are based on the “he said/ he meant” require certain responsibility.
My opinion is that focusing on “twitter” to get the meat of your articles is not good.. there are a bunch of topics to pick one with a 2-2 Colts team, no need to base every single article on a “somebody tweeted this..” . Colts are 2-2 for crying out loud..
I want to read opinions about this defense and why is this bad, coaching and why there is not a single interview that I know of Larry Coyer I want to know what’ he thinking… why not trade when you need to? is not that your draft picks are gold recently..
Twitter should be fanshots with the correct, clear ,not misguiding title .. after that an opinion on the subject is fine .. use comments more often to spice up the discussion ..
Tha’s my 2 cents .. maybe worthless but I hope this blog gets readable again.. Thnks
"We just sucked." - Tom Brady 9/19/2010
by thebossuzzi on Oct 8, 2010 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I agree with this.
It’s not so much his article that bothered me… just the fact that there was one at all when there’s lots of other things to talk about then Moss and Belicheck.
Peyton Manning= Better.
by JesusNinja13 on Oct 9, 2010 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Still missing something...
I still think you’re missing the point, BBS. People didn’t get mad from your initial article. They were mad because you refused to admit that you were wrong. It’s easy for people to say hypocrisy when you lambaste others for not admitting their errors, while you yourself are guilty of the same.
by MileHighHoosier on Oct 8, 2010 1:46 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Ahhh . . .football stuff! @DevilsReject
Hey DevilsReject, good points. And I didn’t know about the 7th going back to Minnesota. But, when Herschel Walker commands the boatload of picks he did, and then an as yet undrafted Ricky Williams having Ditka trade an entire draft for him, those two picks still were a bit light in the value department. I will, however, grant that the fact Faulk was a potential morale problem had a lot to do with it.
Hmmm ...
Sorry folks … I screwed up. I put words in McAfee’s mouth which he never said.
Sorry!
That is what the angry mob wanted.
Instead of this you write an article about:
- misinterpreted tweets
- lecturing us how and what to post
- a justification why you delete fan posts and ban people
- a tirade about the importance of this blog
And what pissed me off mostly:
… a general ‘unwritten’ rule of thumb for any site: Don’t piss off the site admin because he or she can ban your ass.This is a rule of thumb for THIS site only.
In a normal world if you make people upset, you face the consequences.
Apparently you strongly believe that this is not a normal world and this isn’t a Democracy .
Do you want only loyal servants here?
Do you want that people write comments here guided by fear from the banhammer?
by Macy_Blue on Oct 8, 2010 2:22 PM EDT reply actions 14 recs
This blog
This blog is not a democracy, and it is run in a similar way to many other sites. At the end of the day, all site admins run their ‘domains’ as they see fit. For me, I believe in things like free speech, which is why I feel nothing should stop you from creating your own site and trashing me 24/7. But here, on my blog, I run it as I see fit, and in most cases I work with other writers to see if what I’m doing is on par with what they are doing. More often than not, it’s consistent.
I know of one blog on this network that if you write anything negative about the team, ANYTHING, they flag you as a troll and ban you outright. Personally, I think that is too much, but it’s their site; their rules.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
I got your point
However my thoughts are much more deeper than this.
And they are also long.
I’ll email them to you.
Cool
Happy to read and respond to it.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
Macy Blue
Having been a site admin on a few automotive and gaming sites, I can tell you that yes, what BBS stated and you quoted is true. Most admin will give you enough rope to hang yourself with….
Read the article, he quoted Pat’s tweet EXACTLY, and then gave an opinion based on what he felt/thought Pat was saying. The title of the story was designed to attract ATTENTION!!!! Could he have done a better job? Absolutely! The irony here is that established media does this every SINGLE day! I don’t see you or anyone else out picketing the Star for someones job…
No one makes any one of us come here and read. No one makes any of us stay here. We come here because of a wide variety of reasons: friendship, news, to b.s. with fellow fans, to learn more about our favorite teams, and in some cases, to escape the ho hum of every day.
Look, I get the frustration and I get the disappointment. The sad part here is that I sound like I’m defending BBS but in reality I’m not. He made a decision to post something the way he did. It wasn’t the best way, but it wasn’t the worst way either. The most ironic part about all of this is had Pat McAfee came out and said, “Great article, Stampede Blue!” There would have been almost NO outcry about this…
So if you take everything we say to heart
Why don’t you adjust your writing style? We’ve all had enough of the “well if you think this then you’re a schmuck” bit, it’s old and doesn’t add anything of value to the article. On more times then i can count people tell you what they dislike and how you can fix it. I even remember a specific fanpost telling you in detail what people’s main complaints against you are and how you can make your writing more enjoyable for everyone.
The bottom line to me is that we all come here for a reason; it’s a good source of Colts news and opinions. It’s convenient and the commenting system is unparalleled. We want this blog to be the best one on the internet. But it’s not going to be unless you do something about it.
Writing style
Reading, understanding, and listening to your comments is one thing. Applying them is different. I’m not going to adjust my writing style just because people tell me too. That’s pandering. I don’t pander. Now, if people start telling me that all the articles about Polian this and Polian that are giving them headaches, I’m sympathetic to that, and I cool off a bit (unless, of course, something news worthy happens and it demands I write something, like with Polian’s 18-game season comments).
There is an old rule in writing: If people aren’t bitchin’ about you, you aren’t relevant. For as many people who complain about my writing, there are equal numbers who like it. Complainers tend to be more vocal. That doesn’t mean I dismiss their opinions or anything, but if this site changes based on complaints from certain vocal readers, that’s pandering to a small minority. I’m not going to do that.
However, that doesn’t mean I don’t listen. Most writers outside SB Nation, in my opinion, could give two craps what their commenters think or say.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
by Brad Wells on Oct 8, 2010 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Brad, I'm honestly pained to say this, but:
“For as many people who complain about my writing, there are equal numbers who like it.”
… that misses the point. It’s not a matter of whether people like or dislike the Tweet and the post. It’s whether mischaracterization is right or wrong. You mischaracterized McAfee’s post, then made it out as if it was his fault for not understanding you. And then further went on to shift blame to others for taking “… Tweets from me THAT literally”. I really don’t see how anyone can really take it any other way when you write “Colts Punter Pat McAfee Kinda Sorta Tweets That Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb” and “Colts Punter Pat McAfee Thinks Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Is Dumb”. Yes, that’s not quoting Pat directly, but where in either of those is it made clear that Pat never said that, never used the word “dumb”, or never even mentioned Bellichick to begin with?
It was stated in the article? Yes, I know. And that simply underlines my point: The headline and Tweet were misleading. The fact that a reader had to go to the article itself to see what Pat actually said is the entire problem; the misrepresentation occurs before they get that far.
My point is, your choice of phrasing is misrepresentative of what Pat actually said. McAfee himself came out and stated this in his response Tweets. And your further reaction to act as though it’s other people who misunderstand you is honestly mind-boggling. What you wrote naturally leads to the conclusion that it’s Pat’s thought, even if it’s not his actual wording. There’s no fault to be had on other readers for taking it that way; the fault lies with you for putting things that way.
Please take this all as constructive criticism made to illuminate a problem that I see and that I hope you understand is honestly troubling. But the problem lies with your action, and your decision to provoke instead of illuminate. As I’ve said before, you could’ve very strongly stated your opinion about Bellichick and even included Pat’s Tweet without making it out as though Pat was the one saying he thought Bellichick was “dumb”. You didn’t. And that’s the crux of the problem.
I sound off not because I want to rip on you – if I didn’t care about this site and this community, I wouldn’t post. I’d simply leave. But rather, I sound off in the hope that you can see past all the other frankly non-constructive criticism and outright insults and note that there’s a legitimate problem there that many have identified, and it doesn’t disappear because people like it. People like the site in general, and many like your opinion writing in particular, but a misrepresentation is a misrepresentation regardless of how many people like it. And I’m hoping you can become better than resorting to the easy way out and just finding ways to provoke. That’s why I write this. And I do hope you realize that not all the criticism is merely hot anger; some of us take the trouble to be coherent, informative, sober, and constructive in our posts. And I hope you see those criticisms for what they are: Honest attempts to help you make the site even better.
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
by E.M.H. on Oct 8, 2010 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce
I never realized that Burger King was just “pandering” to its customers, not giving them what they wanted.
Who knew?
You know all those options you got on your last car? They’re not REALLY what you wanted nor are they about the car company providing you with a product better suited to your needs. It was mere pandering. When the waiter asked you last time how you wanted your steak cooked, or what kind of wine you wanted—pandering. A real restaurant serves it the way they want and if you don’t like it, go elsewhere.
Two years at b-school down the drain. I think I want my money back.
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
by Bobman on Oct 9, 2010 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Well BBS....
Looks like you can’t win for losing! lol
"If that Pat McAfee article pissed you off, I am very sorry."
That’s one of the worst apologies I’ve ever read. “If it pissed you off” How about you just actually take blame instead of shifting it upon the people that didn’t like it.
by thejoshbaker on Oct 8, 2010 2:52 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
And yet
You overlook the group of people who actually enjoyed it… hell to be perfectly honest I actually wish people would say that crap more often…
I’m sick of listening to these people b.s. us with how they feel about things and back track immediately when they say something even partially controversial.
If people spent more time being HONEST instead of bullshitting people about how they feel, think, and do…. this world would be a far better place….
Apologies
BBS, thanks for straightening this matter out. A bunch of us still believe an apology for the “Peyton is hurt” rumor is still in order. I enjoy coming to this site and contributing my opinion. Now on to this Sunday!
18>12
by metallicolts on Oct 8, 2010 3:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Ridiculous
Hope you have a copy of this, hate to think you’ll have to type it all over again when the inevitable happens. If the past is any indication, it’s only a matter of time.
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!!!" ~ 2009 quote of the year, Yale Book of Quotations
"I'm all lost in the supermarket/ I can no longer shop happily/ I came in here for the special offer/ A guaranteed personaility."
Too little too late...
Once upon a time… this was a GREAT source for INDIANAPOLIS COLTS knowledge!
No longer.
This site has regressed to the point that readers have to spend more time translating the content and seperating fact from fiction than they spend contributing thoughts and opinions.
Which is it again? Blogger, Press, Media, Journalist, Editorial…
Personally… I’m over it..
I would wager to say that SB has lost quite a few readers over the last few months..
What’s one more lost reader?
Going straight to the source
was the right thing to do. Thanks for doing what you could to smooth things over with Mac. Every member of this community appreciates that, I’m sure. My lingering concern: If you did transcribe your private conversation would anyone believe you? You damage your own credibility with stuff like this. It’s much easier to lose than it is to win back.
"We ARE going to our own private island, Chris: it's called the State Fucking Fair!"
apparently you don't need credibility if you're just a blogger
…and not a “journalist”. They teach that in Blogging 101.
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!!!" ~ 2009 quote of the year, Yale Book of Quotations
"I'm all lost in the supermarket/ I can no longer shop happily/ I came in here for the special offer/ A guaranteed personaility."
I'm creating a fanpost
to put BBS’s comments to the test.
“There is an old rule in writing: If people aren’t bitchin’ about you, you aren’t relevant. For as many people who complain about my writing, there are equal numbers who like it.”
Feel free to vote your opinion before it gets deleted :P
Go Blue!
Robert Matthis is not happy with you now BBS
Attention my #NFL comrades,block @Stampedeblue from your follower list, He takes harmless tweets and tries to stir up conflict. #ThanxFellas
Wow
Maybe things aren’t cleared up with MacAfee. I’m thinking this has spread through the locker room. Either that or Mathis just saw what was going on. Maybe the apology came too late. So much for this site having a good standing relationship with the Colts orginazation.
18>12
by metallicolts on Oct 8, 2010 6:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Or his reply to you
@Sandtiger Doesnt stop the negative press my lil bro Pat is getting for something he didn’t say.
"Cat in the wall, eh? Ok, now you're talking my language. I know this game."
-Charlie
Join the other Stamped Blue Exiles at BRB.
by Addai Another Aday on Oct 8, 2010 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ok, now the whole team
hates this place.
I don’t know, this wasn’t a post I expected. I mean it’s a nice gesture, but it seems that it won’t be enough to clean the reputation of this place.
Sorry BBS, but having the players against this blog is simply embarrassing. I’m really, really sorry about it, this used to be such a nice place.
"We’re only going to score 17 points? haha...OK" - Tom Brady
Last piece of Colts merch added to my collection: Riddell Authentic Revolution Helmet!.
Agreed
There’s only one way to make this place better but it’s not a democracy so our input on the matter is worthless.
18>12
by metallicolts on Oct 8, 2010 7:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Worthless and to be deleted
18>12
by metallicolts on Oct 8, 2010 7:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Too bad
it was for a loss of 25 yards huh?
Our heads may be bloody, but they are unbowed. We will be back next year better than ever!
Indianapolis Colts News and Updates
Looks like he recovered it
while being down by 3 tds and with 00:03 remaining in the 4th quarter.
"We’re only going to score 17 points? haha...OK" - Tom Brady
Last piece of Colts merch added to my collection: Riddell Authentic Revolution Helmet!.
by BlueMark1821 on Oct 8, 2010 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
What if??
Coach Caldwell calls a timeout?
by IsThisNameTaken on Oct 8, 2010 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Admirable move BBS
But I hope this makes you understand why so many on here are getting fed up with a lot of your rants. I myself have been commenting very little outside of game threads and game recap threads. You clearly screwed up by doing an incredibly off base post based on Pat McAfee’s twitter comment. Pat clearly meant no disrespect to Belichick, and to make it seem like Pat called him “dumb” was unprofessional by you and disrespectuf to him. With Mathis’ comment, itis pretty clear you now not only frustrate the fan base, but the team as well. And fyi, to call belichick dumb is ridiculous. Was it strange to trade one of the best WRs in football and the man who made Tom Brady’s career year for a 3rd rounder? Yes. Will it hurt their postseason chance? Yes. But this one move doesn’t overshadow his success one little bit.
But it is stupid posts like the McAfee one that make people take shots at you. Despite calling out writers and bloggers who try and stir up rumors, that is something YOU love to do. There was the post about Manning last year where you took something he said and turned it into “Manning calls Brady a coward” or something like that. There is the RIDCULOUS one this year about Mannings “hidden” injury. There was the Bill Polian walk out one. Then there was your posts on Bob Sanders saying he was not a good football player. Not valuable, yes, but saying he isn’t good was just wrong. And you wouldn’t let up, nor interact with the commenters who disagreed with you.
And most importantly, closing off comments where people express their anger with you is just completely weak. You bash Bill Polian for walking out on his radio show (in your opinion) but you seem to think it’s fine to do the equivaent of that on here? It’s not. Look, for those that got banned, they probably deserved it, and good riddance. I remember when that fool came on a few years ago calling Dungy a bad father and blamed him form what happened to Jamie, and you banned his moronic disrespectful butt in a heartbeat. So I know you don’t just ban people for anything. But running and hiding from critcism is something you should not be doing. Maybe now that actual players are calling you out for the same crap we have been doing for some time will wake you up.
This is nothing personal, as I think you actually are very talented at what you do, and I realize you are a very passionate Colts fans. Just remember who your audience is. We are also passionate Colts fans and you shouldn’t take it so hard when someone says your wront. That is all.
"A lot of times, Kenny, we have no idea what we're doing. But the DEFENSE doesn't know that we don't know what we're doing.....and that's next level." -Peyton Manning
by npb1985 on Oct 8, 2010 7:04 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
We all now have heard
How the Colts players feel about this site. It’s sad. I’m sure it’s a matter of time until this thread gets locked.
18>12
by metallicolts on Oct 8, 2010 7:28 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Controversial First Amendment case of Snyder v. Phelps,
I am listening to the Snyder v. Phelps audio from today’s supreme court case argument concerning the right to free speech. I suggest everyone here including you Mr. Wells listen to this audio and read the writings surrounding this case. Blogging vs journalism. One’s right to express opinion and when it becomes offensive to another. These seem to be the underlying themes of banter that have consumed Stampede Blue and its followers over the last few months. There are many parallels to what is occurring here at this blog and the arguments from the Snyder v. Phelps case. Different context but it hits the core of one’s right to express themselves.
http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-10-08/audio_snyder_v_phelps
I hope I embedded the link correctly. thanks, Julie
I hate to keep beating this drum, but people are making a mistake by casting this issue with McAfee as objections and offfensiveness
There was a misrepresentation made in the Tweet and the thread headline. That’s the crux of the issue.
Yes, there’s value to be had in drawing parallels with more important issues regarding free speech and offensiveness. And I wouldn’t mind having that discussion in general; it’s a worthy topic, and can be applied to other posts, threads, and blogs in the NFL-verse. Problem is, that in and of itself is a mischaracterization of the very issue people are taking exception to here. Regarding the Supreme Court Case: Phelps’s Westboro Church gang is being offensive, no question at all about that, but at no point are they putting words in Snyder’s mouths. Whereas that’s the crux of the issue here.
____That said, in terms of free speech in general, that is a damn interesting case. It brings to the fore the question of where the line between a tort and free speech is, and when is one overridden by the other. I honestly cannot predict which direction this case will go in; it’s more complicated than simply stating that even hideously offensive speech is protected. That’s actually taken for granted; the issue is about defining where the border between rights and injury occurs. But that’s hashed out elsewhere, and by better minds than mine.
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
by E.M.H. on Oct 8, 2010 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
but at no point are they putting words in Snyder’s mouths. Whereas that’s the crux of the issue here.
Agreed.
What’s perhaps a little irksome is that the whole thing could’ve been avoided with the judicious use of a single character – “?”. Pat McAfee Kinda Sorta Thinks Bill Belichick Is A Three-Headed Monster? No misquotation, no offensiveness, no misrepresentation, and clearly a statement of what the blogger interprets Pat McAfee as having said, and not a statement that McAfee said x.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 8, 2010 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This is a good point.
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
ah, see now we're back to the 'journalism' issue
because at Blogger School there’s apparently no lesson on “judicious use”. Of anything.
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!!!" ~ 2009 quote of the year, Yale Book of Quotations
"I'm all lost in the supermarket/ I can no longer shop happily/ I came in here for the special offer/ A guaranteed personaility."
Considering I'm a writer at PatsPulpit, go figure.
I see no problems in quoting someone verbatim, and subsequently editorializing with: “I believe that, in my sole interpretation of what person ‘A’ said, they meant x, y and z things” and then wax lyrical about that. That’s not misrepresentation, and gives the writer clear scope for commentary and analysis.
That’s very, very different from saying “X player said Y”, when they didn’t. And that’s exacerbated when the headline is changed to “X player said Y; But X Player Doesn’t Like That I Reported It” – it implies truth behind the Y statement that isn’t justified.
It’s not limited in scope to ‘journalism’ – a first-year college student is expected to show their sources and accurately analyse them without going way outside the ambit of the source. Readers can’t expect the same basic level of accuracy from bloggers?
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Oct 9, 2010 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Thanks for posting this.
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!!!" ~ 2009 quote of the year, Yale Book of Quotations
"I'm all lost in the supermarket/ I can no longer shop happily/ I came in here for the special offer/ A guaranteed personaility."
McAfee is back on Twitter...
Gotta love the fan’s tweet that McAfee retweeted. It includes a link to this article.
I’m glad that BBS finally came around to his senses and realized that an apology to McAfee was in order. Quite honestly, I was surprised that BBS wrote this article. The apology to the readers was a nice added effect.
If nothing else, at least BBS now knows now that if he posts crazy/unfounded things like he did the other day-readers of this blog will vehemently call him out on it. If we wanted to read stories fit for tabloids we would read TMZ…
What is his new twitter name?
18>12
by metallicolts on Oct 8, 2010 8:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No change
It’s the same as it always was, @Pat1McAfee .
It’s good to see that he didn’t leave Twitter because of BBS’s article.
And once again
I love BBS. Classy thing right here.
Dallas Clark: Some tight ends catch. Some block. Clark just owns.
I love ya, baby
When a blogger (or a politician or a used car salesman) writes this:
Folks, I love you all. I really do.
get out the tall boots, because it’s going to get deep. Thanks, Daddy, coming from you, that means a lot.
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!!!" ~ 2009 quote of the year, Yale Book of Quotations
"I'm all lost in the supermarket/ I can no longer shop happily/ I came in here for the special offer/ A guaranteed personaility."
Via Twitter
“BBS Has Passionate Love for SB Women! ……(and men)…”
Hang in there folks…plenty of good stuff in this blog. Great place to vent after miserable losses. Smart posts by BBS and others.
Oh please Colts, make a mockery of the Chiefs.
All I would do is sue you for libel
Fascist-psuedo-hack-journalist-problem solved!
At least you apologized (sorta) BBS.
You have the opportunity to do great (positive) things here. Don’t lose your focus, and don’t resort to yellow journalism. You can do better.
"Doesn't today's journalism involve any actual research?" -- Excerpt from an ironic spiel by Gonzo
Well done, BBS
It takes a man to make an apology for doing something so stupid. Good work.
With that said, it took over two days to put together (why so long? beats the hell out of me), which was enough time for the rest of the Colts organization to catch wind of your little screwup and form their opinions. When other prominent players like Robert Mathis are encouraging all of his followers to stop following you — and I’d bet it’s just a matter of time before other players echo the same sentiments — then I believe this is your cue to throw in the towel. Your carelessness just alienated yourself from the organization about which you’re paid to write. When the Colts players are encouraging all of their fans to block your tweets (and I interpret that as saying, by extension, your website), how can you still argue that you’re the best person to run the Colts SBNation blog?
You could do the classy thing and step down in the midst of all of the turmoil, but I get the impression you’ll hold onto your authority until SBNation management pries it from your cold, dead fingers. Like hundreds (thousands?) of others, I just want a respectable news source for Colts information, with an active community of fans to debate recent Colts-related events and the upcoming schedule. Instead, this site has devolved into a BBS hate-fest. Is it annoying? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Absolutely. We’re trying to hint at something here. We love this site. We love the commenting system. We love the community. We love Laura and Matt. You, not so much.
It’s getting bothersome keeping up with Cass, AJforAZ, TheAngelsColts, ColtsHomer, and the other exiles. But you know what? I’ll continue to do so, because they provide thoughtful, respectful, and insightful ideas – the stuff I come to SBNation to read and discuss. I would do a freaking backflip if all of them would come back here — imagine an pre-game open thread with shake, mgrex, LovinBlue, AJforAZ, Cass, ColtsHomer, TheAngelsColts, EMH, npb1985, 18to87, Nate Dunleavy, KingRichard, DevilsReject, bobman, and all of the other former/current ‘regulars’ of this site. The discussions would be insanely informative, thought-provoking, and entertaining. But, with you being the sole reason from this happening, we’ll be forced to do most of this on BattleRedBlog, ArrowheadPride (great group of guys, by the way), HogsHaven next week, and wherever else everyone is welcome. By the way, isn’t it it a little ironic that virtually every other blog the exiles have visited, is extremely welcoming and enjoys our company whenever Colts fans visit? It’s almost like the problem isn’t them … it’s — wait for it, wait for it — you!
You’ve alienated the Colts players. You’ve pissed off many of your most passionate readers/contributors. You’ve made yourself look like even more of a self-absorbed “schmuck” that you pride yourself as being. Do the right thing, and step down from your position on StampedeBlue. Leave the Colts blog to real Colts fans.
Sincerely,
Tony
by strootster on Oct 9, 2010 11:53 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Let's look past the current situation
What makes you any more a “real” fan than BBS? Or for that matter, any one else on this blog site?
I’ve been a Colts fan since I can remember, which for me, is when they moved here. Despite living half way around the world until I was 17, I have rooted for my Colts. Argued and fought with countless fans who were either fair weather or bandwagon fans.
I am a real fan. I get angry and pissed off at the Colts and the organization from time to time…..such as Polian’s moron comments about the O-line or the Colts talking about moving etc….
As for all the old members who have left, you have ONE side of the story….you do not know what has transpired behind the scenes or in person that has caused them to leave. It could be BBS’s fault… it could be their faults….. instead of taking the easy way out of blaming BBS….perhaps you should get BOTH sides of the story…
Again, that’s not a defense of BBS, because I know he’s screwed up…. but you can not always blame him for everything that goes bad here…
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