http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../mailbag/1.html MY TOWN CHECKS IN WITH A LOGICAL QUESTION. From Michael Dunn of Montclair, N.J.: "Fellow Montclairian: Why is it that no one will ask Bill Belichick the simple direct questions to get to the bottom of the whole Mangini affair? 'Bill, why are you failing to even acknowledge Eric Mangini, when a year ago you did nothing but praise Nick Saban in Miami and wished him well except when he played the Patriots? Why would you not wish the exact same for Mangini, one of your most loyal foot soldiers for 11 years, who's been nothing but highly complimentary of you since he's taken the job with the Jets?' Why hasn't one journalist asked this very simple question?'' I can't answer that. It's a good question. Want my guess? Here it is: Belichick and Saban have been friends for a long time. They met in the offseason for something like 15 years, except for when they weren't on the same staff, to talk football strategy and, I'm guessing, life. Belichick and Mangini were not friends like that. They were co-workers. Belichick was the boss, Mangini the employee. They didn't do much socializing. It was a business relationship. And now the Patriots think the Jets tampered with Deion Branch. There is nothing surprising here, really. Neither man is warm and fuzzy. Neither man would logically pick up the phone to say, "How's the family?'' Not in their makeup. In addition, Belichick and Mangini didn't always see eye to eye on how the defense should be called last year with the Patriots. I always felt that when they parted they wouldn't form any kind of personal relationship at all. That's been exacerbated by the tampering allegations. So that's why you saw what you saw last week.
It simply doesn't matter. Mangini is his own man, he's worked his way up to head coach in the NFL with hard work. He's an extremely driven, smart individual with a strong desire to succeed at this level. He doesn't need Bellichicks approval, or kind words to be successful or feel good about himself. I don't understand why everyone is so concerned about BB being nice to Mangini.
It mystifies me too. I couldn't believe how the idiotic reporters couldn't stop asking EM questions about BB during the postgame press conference. He's trying to talk about the game, and I want to hear him talk about the game, but it's all "what about Bill?" and "Talk about Bill." It's so overrated and retarded.
Who cares really. But I would be much happier if Mangini just said BB is the enemy now. I hate him. I want to destroy him. He needs to be thinking that way if he is ever going to beat him.
Even though I don't care whether Mangini and Belichick are friends I have to admit that I find it kind of odd that they are so cold towards eachother.
Peter King is a great writer, and is far from clueless. Yes, he's a Patsie worshipper, but that doesn't detract (much) from his articles or information. I read everything he writes, and enjoy almost all of it.
Mangini's not the type to pick up the phone? When Dave Hutchinson (one of the beat writers) was in the hospital, Mangini called him and asked him how we was doing and wished him well. Keep in mind, Hutchinson KILLED Mangini prior to this all of training camp about not announcing a starter. Mangini is a nice guy...a normal guy. Belichick is a cold scumbag who really needs to grow up.
Bellichick didn't see eye-to-eye with Mangini explains it. BB turned the defense over to Mangini while he concentrated on offense because he felt Charlie Weiss was a bigger loss than Romeo Crennel. Mangini with full control led the Patriots to a 26th ranking, the worst Patriot defensive showing since before Parcells. BB does not tolerate incompentence from an employee. Mangini has no credentials other than hype and I thought it was a disastrous move to turn the team over to Tannenbaum and Mangini. Without Pennington this team would be a laughing stock. I will stick to my opinion until Woody Johnson sees the light and brings in an experienced successful team to take over the Jets.
Without Brady do the Pats win 3 Super Bowls? No, but people don't bring that up because they had Brady....much the same way the Jets currently have Pennington. Why do you bring stupid things into it to try and support your argument? Lets talk Basketball. Ya know, without Michael Jordan, I don't think the 90's Bulls would be as good. Agree?
I thought BB and EM used to hang out at Mangini's house back in the day. I could have sworn I read that somewhere.
Yeah, that explains why BB told Mangini that he shouldn't take the job with the Jets - because he thought he was incompetent and didn't want him around. Dozens of people have reported this, but since it doesn't fit your world view, it didn't happen. If there was even the slightest validity to your point BB would have jumped at the chance of sending the incompetent to a division rival - the rival he despises, in fact. As someone else noted, without Brady the Patriots would be a laughing stock, without Manning the Colts would be a laughing stock, without Palmer the Bengals would be a laughing stock, without Tomlinson the Chargers would be a laughing stock, etc., etc. Your last sentence exposes the truth. Notice that you didn't say that you would stick to your opinion until the Jets are successful - what you said was that you will stick to your opinion until these people are replaced. For whatever reason, you have a blind hatred for Mangini and Tannenbaum, and there is absolutely nothing they can do that will change that, including, apparently, a Super Bowl! That makes your posts pointless.
Exactly. Who gives a hoot whether one of these puppet masters praises the other? Time to grow up, media boys. This is a cut-throat business and it is full of tough, no-nonsense guys. These writers are still reeling from the Herman Era.
There is absolutely no way in HELL that Peter King would EVER say anything negative about Bill. He's spinnning it in a way that makes it seem like it's ok what Bill did and it's not. It was a classless move to not even acknowledge the guy and the situation was just as bad before the Branch thing happened...so that's just a bunch of BS on his part.
