Aaron Hernandez charged with murder

[kirksnosehair]

The big difference there is, Dallas is known for getting players over the year with character issues, so it is not a big story cause it's the same old, same old with them. 

Meanwhile, the Patriots have this rep for being smart when it comes to getting players with issues, and considering they gave such a massive contract extension to a guy with the background and problems Hernandez had, the criticism in that regard is more than justified.  No, they couldn't possibly know that he would eventually be accused of killing someone in cold blood, but his gang background has come out now, and there is no way they didn't know about that, plus way more stuff than we the fans do.  In short, they gave big money to a major risk, and it backfired.

Oh, I understand the difference. I'm just bemused that people are so happy to see the Patriots take one. Seems somewhat petty.

As for the backfiring, who did it hurt? People act like this was bad for football, or bad for the league. Frankly, the Patriots demonstrated some class that's quite honestly lacking amongst the rest of the league. They take a pretty hefty cap hit, but that was their choice to get away from him. They could have kept him on the roster while the legal aspect plays out and saved a bundle; likely what the Cowboys are doing. Instead they're opting to eat 7 million to get him off the team and out of the league. I have a hard time finding anything to fault them over.

Also, as King pointed out, there are plenty of troubled players coming out of college. Some straighten out and fly right and some don't. I think most of them deserve that chance. The Patriots waited two years to see if he was working out, and unfortunately guessed wrong. It's not like they just dumped money all over him and hoped for the best.

It's the Patriots and for some reason that a lot of us from the area don't really understand, everyone seems to love hating on them.  But they DO run a very classy organization. 


They're even allowing fans to bring their Hernandez shirts in to the pro shop and exchange them for another one, no questions asked.  I live about 4 miles from the stadium and my wife and I went to the pro shop the other night to trade in her nephew's shirt.  Pretty cool of the organization to do that.

[KevShmev]

Well, for one, people get tired of the same team always winning (call it envy, if you want), and after they won three Super Bowls in four years, people had had enough of them. Add in Bill Belichick being a dick and a poor sport, which doesn't come across well as the face of the franchise, plus Spygate, and it is easy to see why a lot of people dislike the Patriots.

It is cool that they did the jersey trade thing, but let's not kid ourselves: a large part of it was selfish, as they don't want their organization associated with a possible murderer anymore, and they don't want fans showing up to games wearing their Patriots Hernandez jerseys, so offering a new one for his old one is a way of vastly decreasing the number of Hernandez jerseys that will be seen at future Patriots home games.  Still a nice gesture, for sure, but it wasn't totally selfless.

[El Barto]

Well, for one, people get tired of the same team always winning (call it envy, if you want), and after they won three Super Bowls in four years, people had had enough of them. Add in Bill Belichick being a dick and a poor sport, which doesn't come across well as the face of the franchise, plus Spygate, and it is easy to see why a lot of people dislike the Patriots.

Of course there are some of us who are fans largely because of Bill Belichick. I've always had a thing for people who can cop whatever attitude they please, but are talented enough to still be respected.

[King Postwhore]

As El Barto said, it's really about the hate for Bill Belichick.  I understand that.  But I think the team is run very well.  To have so many coaches and players come through and to be competitive for 12 years is such a hard thing to do.

[CrimsonSunrise]

The big difference there is, Dallas is known for getting players over the year with character issues, so it is not a big story cause it's the same old, same old with them. 

Meanwhile, the Patriots have this rep for being smart when it comes to getting players with issues, and considering they gave such a massive contract extension to a guy with the background and problems Hernandez had, the criticism in that regard is more than justified.  No, they couldn't possibly know that he would eventually be accused of killing someone in cold blood, but his gang background has come out now, and there is no way they didn't know about that, plus way more stuff than we the fans do.  In short, they gave big money to a major risk, and it backfired.

Oh, I understand the difference. I'm just bemused that people are so happy to see the Patriots take one. Seems somewhat petty.

As for the backfiring, who did it hurt? People act like this was bad for football, or bad for the league. Frankly, the Patriots demonstrated some class that's quite honestly lacking amongst the rest of the league. They take a pretty hefty cap hit, but that was their choice to get away from him. They could have kept him on the roster while the legal aspect plays out and saved a bundle; likely what the Cowboys are doing. Instead they're opting to eat 7 million to get him off the team and out of the league. I have a hard time finding anything to fault them over.

Also, as King pointed out, there are plenty of troubled players coming out of college. Some straighten out and fly right and some don't. I think most of them deserve that chance. The Patriots waited two years to see if he was working out, and unfortunately guessed wrong. It's not like they just dumped money all over him and hoped for the best.

It's the Patriots and for some reason that a lot of us from the area don't really understand, everyone seems to love hating on them.   

Well..... I'm a Ram's fan, plus Spygate.....  guess that about sums it up for my reasons 

[KevShmev]

As El Barto said, it's really about the hate for Bill Belichick.  I understand that.  But I think the team is run very well.  To have so many coaches and players come through and to be competitive for 12 years is such a hard thing to do.

Agreed.  I would never say Belichick is not a great coach; he certainly is.  I just hope he keeps coaching after Tom Brady is done, as I'd like to see how well he does as a coach now (he was well under .500 as a head coach before Brady took over for Bledsoe) without an all-time great QB.  To me, Brady is like Manning or Rodgers in that are all so awesome that their teams are almost guaranteed to be in the playoffs nearly every year because of how awesome they all are.   

Well..... I'm a Ram's fan, plus Spygate.....  guess that about sums it up for my reasons 

I always root for the Rams because I am from St. Louis (although the Broncos will always be my favorite, as they have been since 1985), and trust me, Rams fans everywhere will never get over that Super Bowl loss, especially since the officials let the Patriots get away with nearly everything in that game from a holding and roughing standpoint.  I still remember Jim Mora Jr. (whom I think was the SF DC at the time) saying months later, while watching a replay of that Super Bowl, "I didn't know we were allowed to hold them like that?" 

[El Barto]

I still remember Jim Mora Jr. (whom I think was the SF DC at the time) saying months later, while watching a replay of that Super Bowl, "I didn't know we were allowed to hold them like that?"

Well whose fault is that? 

[King Postwhore]

I still remember Jim Mora Jr. (whom I think was the SF DC at the time) saying months later, while watching a replay of that Super Bowl, "I didn't know we were allowed to hold them like that?"

Well whose fault is that? 

Yeah that's the real reason for the loss.  the pats were allowed to bully the high powered offense.  Funny now, that's what is happening to us now. We've become an unbalanced team.  Stop the offense and you'll get a win.  We've become the Colts of the early 2000's that I made fun of.

[hefdaddy42]

Well, for one, people get tired of the same team always winning (call it envy, if you want), and after they won three Super Bowls in four years, people had had enough of them. Add in Bill Belichick being a dick and a poor sport, which doesn't come across well as the face of the franchise, plus Spygate, and it is easy to see why a lot of people dislike the Patriots.

This.  Same thing happened with the Cowboys in the 90s.  Interestingly, however, the same thing did not happen with the 49ers in the 80s/90s or even the Steelers in the 70s, probably because they didn't come across as dicks.