Scott Cordischi On Sports: Criticism of Patriots Just?
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
The haters have come out of the woodwork. They are laughing at the so-called "Patriot Way." They have a point.
In the wake of the Aaron Hernandez arrest, those who dislike the New England Patriots franchise seem to be taking great pleasure in the team's misfortune. That's understandable. Fans will be fans. And they have a point.
It has been written here that the "Patriot Way" is more of a myth than reality. And it may be more of a media or fan concoction than anything else.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTI suppose the Patriots organization started us down this road when Myra Kraft objected to the checkered past of 1996 fifth round draft choice Christian Peter out of Nebraska. The defensive tackle had 8 run-ins with law enforcement while in college and was convicted four times. The team relinquished their rights to him just one week after the draft essentially sending a message that they would not employ people of such questionable character.
But that has changed in recent years. Whether it was Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Albert Haynesworth, Aquib Talib, Alfonzo Dennard or Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots have rolled the dice on players of questionable character essentially viewing them as low risk, potential high reward propositions.
So if you're going to criticize the Patriots franchise for no longer staying away from such players, go right ahead. They are guilty as charged.
However, in fairness to Bob Kraft and the organization, no one could have predicted the types of charges Aaron Hernandez is facing at the moment. And to somehow suggest that they should have known that this was possible is absurd.
Did anyone criticize the Carolina Panthers when Rae Carruth conspired to murder the mother of his unborn child? Of course not! That would be silly!
Like Carruth, if Hernandez is found guilty of the charges he faces, only he is to blame. Not Bob Kraft, not Bill Belichick, not the Patriots organization.
So hate all you want, anti-Pats fans. But you're only making fools of yourselves.
-And while we're on the subject, those same Patriots haters seem to be connecting the dots and suggesting that because Tom Brady will start the season without his top four receivers from last season (Welker, Lloyd, Hernandez, Gronkowski) that the decline of the franchise will begin immediately. My question to those naysayers would be: who's going to overtake them in the AFC East? The Miami Dolphins seem to be the trendy pick given the money they spent in free agency this offseason. However, in case you haven't noticed, free agency isn't always the panacea one thinks in the NFL. Just ask the Washington Redskins. Plus, in all due respect to Ryan Tennehill, I'll need to see him win some big games before I annoint them the heir apparrent in the division. As for the Jets and Bills? Well, they're still the Jets and Bills. 'Nuff said!
-How about the comments of Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli on Tyler Seguin this past week? "He needs to focus all his mind and energy on hockey. He needs to be a better pro," Chiarelli said at the NHL Draft this weekend in New Jersey. Ouch! It would appear that the B's GM is trying to light a fire under Seguin's rear end. Let's hope it works.
-Speaking of the B's, good luck to Nathan Horton. He was a solid Bruin who had a knack for coming up big come playoff time and will be missed.
-Thank God for the Bruins because it's going to be a long winter for those following the Boston Celtics.
-Because of the Bruins run to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Boston Red Sox have been operating in relative anonymity. At 51-34, they have the best record in the American League. Can they keep it up? Who knows. But they are a refreshing change of pace from the 2012 version.
-Back to the Aaron Hernandez case. Things continue to get even stranger as the days go on with the latest story in the Hartford Courant giving details about a man police wanted to interview in conjunction with the case was killed in a high-speed auto accident. You can read the entire story right here. Bizzarre!
-He may have only been a Celtic for 6 years, but I would like nothing more than to see Kevin Garnett's #5 hung in the rafters of the TD Garden someday. In all due respect to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, without KG, there is no championship. His work ethic, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, forced others around him to work that much harder. He was a pleasure to watch. What's better is that you have never heard a single bad thing about him off the floor. He was my favorite Celtic since Larry Bird.
-John Lackey hasn't just been pitching good this season. He's been pretty close to great. While his (6-5) record is nothing to look at, his ERA is 2.81 and he has walked just 18 batters while striking out 79 in 86.1 innings of work.
-Believe it or not, Patriots Training Camp opens in just over 3 weeks! (July 26th)
