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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

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We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

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In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

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If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

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Title of the Article
Author's Name
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We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

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  • #1

    Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

    http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/f...ts#articleFull
    Sterling Sharpe’s words for Matt Cassel defended
    By Karen Guregian

    FOXBORO - On Monday, Tom Brady [stats] lashed out at the NFL Network crew that came down hard on backup Matt Cassel during Sunday night’s broadcast of the Patriots [team stats]’ preseason game against Tampa Bay.

    Yesterday, Cassel chimed in with his two cents.

    Neither quarterback was pleased with how analysts Sterling Sharpe and Marshall Faulk were overly critical of Cassel’s performance in the 27-10 loss.

    Yesterday, Sharpe defended his harsh commentary, in which he said Cassel was “in the battle of his life” and that the Patriots couldn’t be “too comfortable” with their backup QB situation.

    “I didn’t mean anything negatively, or maliciously, but from my point of view, here’s a guy who’s been in the system four years, and he’s in a quarterback battle,” said Sharpe, the former Green Bay Packers receiver. “You just thought things would look a little differently. I think that performance said something. I don’t know if my criticism was that harsh, except I just expected him to play better, especially when you’ve been around as long as he has and you’re in a battle for your job.”

    Brady, who missed Sunday’s game with an injured foot, went to bat for Cassel during an interview with WEEI on Monday.

    “Watching Matt (Sunday) night, hearing all the criticism, I don’t even know where that was coming from,” he said. “That was so far from what I was watching. The quarterback has a lot of responsibility out there. I thought Matt was making good decisions. He was really decisive with his throws. Was every throw perfect? No. But that doesn’t happen so often anyway.

    “I see Matt every day in practice and the improvement he makes. I love what I see in Matt. I have a lot of confidence in Matt . . . for the three guys sitting in the booth, I thought it was unfair to criticize the way they were criticizing, because I don’t think they really knew what was happening.”

    Sharpe wasn’t surprised at the arrows Brady slung his way and understood the QB’s defense of a teammate.

    Yet that didn’t change his feelings on the in-game analysis.

    “I’m not going to disagree with Tom’s assessment of Matt Cassel. I can’t. I’m not there every day,” Sharpe said when reached by phone yesterday. “But I would still say my criticism of Matt Cassel in that football game was based on the offense not having any shape or form. I’m putting all that on him. I’m not looking at the offensive line being out. I’m not looking at the running backs. I’m just looking at a guy who’s in a quarterback battle and looks this dull from where we were in the booth. That was an opportunity for him to distance himself a little bit. And he didn’t.”

    Cassel, meanwhile, claimed he hasn’t heard the broadcast. However, he still had a message for Sharpe and Faulk.

    “I don’t know why they are particularly harsh,” he said. “A lot of those guys are ex-players, and they understand how difficult this game is and how hard you prepare week in and week out, and so when they’re so critical, it’s interesting to me because those guys were in the same shoes at one point in their career, and they should understand how hard it is to go out there and perform each and every week.”

    As a player, Sharpe said he didn’t speak with the media because of some of the criticisms that were aimed at him. Yet as an analyst, he’s being paid to provide commentary the way he sees it.

    “My criticisms were based on the fact the offense hasn’t flowed in the two (preseason) games Matt has been in. And based on the injuries, there’s a chance, if Tom were to go down, there’s a chance Matt’s going to be (the) quarterback, and I think all of us watching are curious to see what that offense would look like without Tom,” Sharpe said. “Sure, he had a few drops in there, but when the offense struggles like that, I gave a lot of the criticism to Matt.”

    Sharpe was surprised to see the Pats’ largely a vertical offense resort to safe, short passes after Cassel was nearly picked off on his first passing attempt.

    “It looked as though the passing offense made a change, as a confidence-building thing with some of the throws for Matt,” Sharpe said. “I could be way off on that. Maybe I missed the boat, and if so, I apologize. But from a player’s perspective, I’m looking at it like, he’s already been in the situation for three years now and he’s in a quarterback battle with a rookie and a guy without much experience? If he’s in a battle, you’d expect him to win it. . . . This was his opportunity to separate himself from the other guys. He has to show why he is the No. 2 guy in New England. So I put more pressure on Matt to perform than I did (Kevin) O’Connell. You bet I did.”
    Last edited by Basketball Fan; 08-20-2008, 11:23 PM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

    If you watched any of the telecast, you would know that Sharpe and Faulk were overly negative about everything,

    starting with talking about Brady not playing while showing clip after clip of him taking shots in the Super Bowl and the AFC championship, implying that his current injury was the lingering effect of his injury suffered int he playoffs last postseason. It was not, and Brady had to correct that misrepresentation on Monday morning. I'm sure that ticked him off that he had to do that, so he remarked about the other aspects of the coverage.

    I didn't really feel that Cassell did much that was impressive, though, so I wasn't bothered by that criticism.

    Brady has a history of standing up and defending teammates who are criticized, though, an attribute that seems to help team chemistry.
    The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

      I personally don't care either way I just found it rather amusing. I mean I'm sure there are Pats fans that think Cassel sucks regardless. So they were probably not nearly as offended as the Pats appear.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

        Good for Tom. Going out of your way to criticize the QB who backs up freaking Tom Brady seems unnecessary.
        You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

          I didn't want to start a new thread on it, but the Patriots offensive line injury situation could become a serious issue to watch, and is why I wouldn't mind seeing TB miss the entire preseason.

          -Neal and Ross have been on the PUP list since training camp began.
          -Yates, Light, O'Callaghan, and Hochstein have suffered injuries in camp and none are apparently practicing yet. Because the Patriots are so tight-lipped about injuries, it's hard to say who will be back and when.
          -Four replacements, Clement, Stokes, Bauta, and McMahon, were signed, either got injured and were lost for the year or were so ineffective that they got cut.
          -Kaczur has the legal issue and might even face a suspension.
          -Two new guys have recently been signed: Welbourn, and Flynn, who were starters elsewhere last year but are a little old.

          This bears watching, but could certainly put a kink in the expected plan to run the football more often this year. I could see a return to a dink and dunk offense to keep TB healthy unless the OL gains cohesiveness quickly.
          The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

            Originally posted by Basketball Fan View Post
            I personally don't care either way I just found it rather amusing. I mean I'm sure there are Pats fans that think Cassel sucks regardless. So they were probably not nearly as offended as the Pats appear.
            He does suck. It is funny because his stature in the pocket makes him look just like Brady..til you see him throw the ball. Both of our backup QBs are pretty bad but at least O'Connell is a rookie. Cassel doesn't really have an excuse other then that he just lacks the talent and poise to be a good NFL QB.

            And I am worried more about our defense than our OLine. Defense has looked incredibly flat so far in the preseason. I know its the preseason, but we had alot of our starters out there and they were getting ran on and thrown on by Brian Griese and Scrubs McGee. I have no problem returning to the dink and dump offense + a good running game as I think that is what will win you games...but you definitely need your defense to step up if that is the case.
            Last edited by Moses; 08-21-2008, 11:34 PM.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

              Boo hoo. I will not sympathize for the Patriots not one bit.

              They deserve all the negative media that comes at them. The Pacers didn't go as far as cheat, but we could never escape bad press.

              I say with all the injuries plauging that team, its a sign not to mess with the football gods.

              In that case, screw the Patriots. They are getting their just desserts.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                Yeah... the Pacers just punched fans out. Doesn't seem a whole lot better.
                You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                  Originally posted by duke dynamite View Post
                  Boo hoo. I will not sympathize for the Patriots not one bit.. screw the Patriots. They are getting their just desserts.
                  Personally I hope that good things happen to teams known for

                  top-to-bottom commitment to excellence
                  teamwork
                  lack of self-promotion
                  steely-eyed focus
                  demand for player intelligence and responsibility
                  team fiscal responsibility
                  community involvement

                  This quote from a Cowboy team leader about how their team might compare to the Patriots team philosophy is revealing:

                  Originally posted by Dallas linebacker Bradie James, to NBCSports.com's Tom Curran

                  "We can't be the Patriots. The Patriots, they epitomize the whole team concept. Those guys are all about team and that's it. We're not them. We are a team that has a bunch of names, a bunch of personalities and a bunch of youth.
                  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200.../august/1.html

                  Later asked to clarify his comments, which seemed to knock his own team he added:

                  "We can't be those guys. We have to be ourselves. We have to find a way to make it work and embody the whole team concept, being the Dallas Cowboys and not how they did it out there in New England.

                  As long as we kick the egos out the door and come together as a team, we'll be fine. We have enough names to really do whatever it is we need to do, but there's a flip side to that. You've got enough names to take us to the next level, and you've got enough names to tear this thing down."
                  The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                    Originally posted by pacertom View Post
                    Personally I hope that good things happen to teams known for

                    top-to-bottom commitment to excellence
                    teamwork
                    lack of self-promotion
                    steely-eyed focus
                    demand for player intelligence and responsibility
                    team fiscal responsibility
                    community involvement
                    Media driven statement. This is the aim of every NFL team. The Patriots just were better than everyone else. These types of comments embody the identity of the Patriots during their first Brady Super Bowl, because they had no runaway stars, but cohesively as a team everyone was solid. The truth is this is a dirty team. I'm with Duke, I'm tried of people licking Patriot ***. Screw the Patriots, god please let another truly deserving team stomp their ***, so broken record media, repeater guy can think for himself again.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                      Seems to me that someone saying a backup quarterback sucks is about as ordinary and everyday as saying the sky is blue.


                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                        Originally posted by pacertom View Post
                        Personally I hope that good things happen to teams known for

                        top-to-bottom commitment to excellence
                        teamwork
                        lack of self-promotion
                        steely-eyed focus
                        demand for player intelligence and responsibility
                        team fiscal responsibility
                        community involvement
                        I hear ya. Those are also typically traits of a Rooney team. (Except for the occasional mouthy/ self promoting Allpro linebacker that keeps things interesting...) My beloved Steelers would likely have three Super Bowl rings this decase if not for the Patriots demonstrating all of that - and more - during two AFC Title games in Pittsburgh.

                        As much as I would like to find something legitamately wrong with the Patriots, their teamwork, focus, preparation, and clutch play all decade long has been damn impressive. (And that makes the Giants' Super Bowl performance even more impressive, IMO.)
                        Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                        Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                        Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                        Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                        And life itself, rushing over me
                        Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                        Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                          Is anyone else as annoyed as I am by the media's constant over-use of hyperbole in their headlines? "Lashes out," yeah right.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                            Those seem to be traits of a Jim Irsay owned team as well.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Tom Brady lashes out at NFL Network crew for comments about Matt Cassel

                              Originally posted by ChicagoJ View Post
                              I hear ya. Those are also typically traits of a Rooney team. (Except for the occasional mouthy/ self promoting Allpro linebacker that keeps things interesting...) My beloved Steelers would likely have three Super Bowl rings this decase if not for the Patriots demonstrating all of that - and more - during two AFC Title games in Pittsburgh.

                              As much as I would like to find something legitamately wrong with the Patriots, their teamwork, focus, preparation, and clutch play all decade long has been damn impressive. (And that makes the Giants' Super Bowl performance even more impressive, IMO.)
                              Are those hardy characteristics going to continue under a Druckenmiller ownership?

                              Comment

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