'Around the league'? Really? Because I lurk a lot of boards and have only seen that notion on Paste fan boards. Perhaps you could provide some links to illustrate this league-wide perception?
And throughout the league, there is the perception that the Pats, and not the Jets, are the beneficiaries of Goodell's grace and favor.
THIS IS WHAT PETER KING HAD TO SAY. 1. I think Greg Bedard made a very strong point in his Boston Globe piece Sunday about the efficacy of the commissioner helping a coach play-act to build a good relationship with a player. That's what Jets coach Rex Ryan claims Goodell helped him do with Santonio Holmes before the season last year. In his new book, Ryan wrote about getting Roger Goodell to come to the Jets' facility in New Jersey. Ryan said he told Goodell he wanted him to "rip my a-- in front of Santonio ... Then I asked if he would turn and give both barrels to Holmes ... He chewed us out, and I think it actually brought Holmes and me closer.'' As Bedard asks, what business is it of Goodell's to help a coach get closer to a player? Goodell told Bedard he was simply trying to help Holmes stay on the straight and narrow, and maybe that's his view of what happened. But it's certainly not how Ryan portrayed it. Two other points: By Ryan writing about this the way he did, he's clearly not going to make the commissioner happy, because the way he writes about the nudge-nudge/wink-wink incident is going to draw the ire of teams around the league who think Goodell favors the New York franchises anyway. And when Holmes reads about this -- if he does -- how will he feel about his coach wrangling the commissioner into the building to play-act a scene to make Holmes feel closer to his coach? 2. I think it's one thing for Ryan to have done this, but to write about it totally compromises the effect of it with his player, and it certainly won't endear Ryan to him. Imagine Goodell doing a favor for a coach like that, and then Ryan crowing about what a great idea it was in his book
No wonder pats fans are seen as whiny little sore loosers. Look at what their sports writers feed them. It must be a hard job if that is all the reporter could find that he considered newsworthy.
Another non story... it's in the best interest of the league for Roger to do things like this. It gives the league a bad image when guys get busted for illegal actions. Is Bedard trying to say that Roger wouldn't do something like this for the Patriots? I'd say destroying any evidence of a team cheating would be a pretty big favor by Goodell. Then you add King's nonsnese to the mix and it makes my head want to explode. I'm sure old Pete knows exactly how Santonio feels about it, I'm sure he went as far as to contact him and ask him his opinion of the matter.... oh wait that likely would have debunked his "story"
Of course, that's just the way it works. I'm sure Pats fans would be defending the actions of the coach and praising how "It's the Patriot Way" and what a genius old Bill is for having Goodell do this.
Anyone who has bothered to read any of my posts on GG knows I'm a straight shooter on these things and don't make excuses for Brady's ever-increasing gayness or BS stuff involving the Patriots. With that said... I haven't heard a single football fan in NE breathe one word about this story. There's more whining in this thread about us supposedly whining than there is actual whining going on! Which is kind of funny. If anything, it's a brilliant move by Ryan that clearly worked with Holmes. Props to Rex for using Goodell as his bitch. Don't take the opinion of one media person and assume that it's how everyone in six states feels. If we did that with, say, Francesca, you guys would just laugh at us. I also may have gotten my new signature from one of the book excerpts later in the article: "Every man in America hates Tom Brady, and he should be proud of that." LOL... couldn't have said it better myself.
Finished the book last night. Have to say it was full of things that would be awesome if Rex told them to you over a beer, but as a book it was pretty disappointing. Credit to the guy for overcoming dyslexia and writing a book, there's definitely stuff in there that some Jets fans will love, but there's not much for anyone else. Definitely got me in the mood for football though.
I wouldn't be thrilled that he wrote about it in a book while both the Comish and player involved were both still around. It could bite him in the ass.
A rival fan can only hope that it bites Ryan, and causes turmoil in the ranks... since the notion of actually beating the Jets in the playoffs is somewhat less realistic nowadays.
