This has got to end!
 

Allright I am getting real tired of this crap! I have spent most of my day today defending the Pats! Why? Cause 95% of the people I work with have the opinion that Pats were "classless" in the mocking of T.O. Now I come home and I am watching Around the Horn and PTI and they are talking about it. My god folks it was a big joke! Am I not missing something here?

TO mocked Ray Lewis and nobody cared. So whats the big deal.

They mocked TO? Damn, how did I miss that?

I thought they were mocking Angels in the Outfield? :confused:

Umm ... huh?

I pretty much thought that the Pats were one of the classiest teams in the NFL. Then they went down to his level.....

I thought it was below the standard that the Patriots usually carry themselves in. Usually, they don't do any of that taunting or celebrating. Least I don't remember that soort of thing in the their last two Super Bowls. That being said, I don't think they did anything worse than what most teams do. However, they didn't carry themselves in the usual lofty manner that the media paints them.

Oh, just the arm flapping thing? Whatever...

Amen, brother.

I thought it was pretty funny the first time. The flapping arms and the flexing. Good stuff. Sure they kept on with it, but whatever... It was small time. TO can give it and he can take it. I certainly didn't think it was all that classless and worth no more mention than a slight chuckle when it happened and that's it.

The way they are talking about it, you'd think they were doing it after every single pass reception. They only did it a couple of times. Yeah, it was "lower" than we're used to seeing the Patriots, but "classless"? Not even close.

Weren't T.O. and Lewis in the media for a week after T.O. did some Lewis dance or something? I don't think any of these are big deals, but considering the way the Pats usually act... you can expect this sort of thing.

I thought it was kind of funny. Mocking a guy who is playing with screws in his ankle and still burnt them for 9 catches and over 100 yards, imagine what he would have done if he was healthy.

oh man

and imagine what would have happened if the eagles hadn't turned the ball over 4 times

Not sure what that has to do with the thread, but... whatever

The Patriots were missing two starting CBs and a Safety for much of the game. :rolleyes:

Hines Ward mocked T.O. back in early November. I thought it was lame and unoriginal when the first Pat did it. Then the rest of the 52 players followed by doing the same thing after every play they made, ok I'm exaggerating, but it was pretty retarded. You think they could have came up with something better, the more it was done, the dumber it got and the dumber they looked.

as long as you're in the lead i wouldn't find mocking anyone on the other team classless. if you're getting blown out, then yeah, you look stupid.

I thought the Pats actually were worse at the taunting against Pittsburgh. That late TD they scored (was it Branch) he taunted the crowd pretty badly. Then, as the clock was winding down, it appeared that the Pats were taunting the Steeler fans on the sideline. I say appeared because the camera didn't show the stands, so it's plausible that they weren't taunting the Pittsburgh fans, but celebrating with the Pats fans. Truthfully, I didn't like either (if indeed the latter was taunting).

I didn't have much problem with the SB stuff - if there's ANY time I can handle taunting, it's by a team winning the championship making fun of a notorious taunter.

I think Teddy Bruschi is one of the more unlikeable guys in the NFL...up there with T.O. He seems to be the one member of the Patriots that acts really cocky. I'm sure the home fans love him, but some of the interviews and on field displays I have seen from him in this postseason annoy me.

I'll probably get baisted by fellow Patriots fans for this one.. but...

While I wouldn't use the word "classless", the Patriots have been one of the biggest *in-game* trash talkers the past few seasons. This year worse than most, but its been pretty bad for a while. I've always been surprised nothing has ever been mentioned about it before.

Yes, they say all the right things to the media/outside the actual game, but I doubt they go more than a play or two without someone talking alot of shit. Its just usually not a showboat/for the camera type thing.

I figured the over the top arm-flapping was just a response to the fact the two week media build-up was such a heavy dose of T.O. that you could almost forget there was actually a football game going on and we were all waiting for the T.O. show. Given the Pats tendency to turn anything they can into bulletin board material, especially the "disrespect" card. They probably just played on the world disrespecting them and focusing on Owens. It had probably been worked up to the point of the the team being in the mindset Owens had done the equivilent of going around and bitch slapping all their mothers or something...

Dola-

They were most definetly taunting the Steelers fans, which I don't really mind. Just wished they came up with something new. They pretty much used the same taunts/actions they did in the 2001 AFC title win.

Yeah they were taunting the fans...again, in Pittsburgh. They also did some taunting during the game too, especially at the end on the last TD.

also, it might have been a response to the arm flapping BY T.O. earlier in the game.

Yeah, T.O. did the flapping first. I say if you win, you can do some arm flapping. If you lose, then you get it back. As long as it isn't over the top, it should be ok. I only saw the Pats do it after the two TD catches and Harrison's final pick.

Eilim is right. They are regarded as some of the biggest on-field trash talkers in the league. Just watch Harrison or Branch after every play. I see as part of the game, although I didn't like watching the fake towel waving or the eagle wings flapping. A small thing though I think.

"It's not bragging if you can back it up." I love Harrison and Bruschi (Branch's first-down signal every 1st-down catch is a little lame after 2 years), and I'm sure opponents and their fans hate them. In the end, on field the Pats aren't more classy than other teams, they just don't talk in the media (or get arrested for drug busts.)

The flapping thing is nothing, just typical sportswriters looking for some "new" angle and controversy - except everyone does it. Maybe I'm not the best judge though, since I pull that stuff all the time when playing with friends and love it when pro athletes do it too - just make sure you can back what they say (*cough*Freddie Mitchell*cough*). I even like TO, and thought his quote about 'Why's everyone focusing on me being the bad guy when he (Ray Lewis) just got off trial for double murder?' was one of the funniest moments of the 2004 season.

I don't think they were taunting TO. I think they were taunting the pro Philly crowd. It was like a freaking road game. 80% of the stadium was Philly and it was a loud support. I really think that's what got them going.

They used TO's move but I doubt it was directed solely at him. From what I've heard the guys all respect his game.

I commented about that to my dad and brother in law. Everytime the Pats would get on offense, the crowd would get much louder. Thought I was imagining stuff...

FM

Football is over. Time to squeeze out whatever football poop is left, including this non-story. TO deserves to be mocked, because he is a cartoon. An excellent players, but a cartoon nonetheless.