Ron Borges is at it again. In his Report Card column in the Boston Herald, specifically in the Defensive Line segment, he stated the following: "...Jermaine Cunningham, now mysteriously bulked up, doubled his career sack total with one and at times slid inside to DT, providing a distinct speed advantage...":
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view/20220911patriots_report_card/

     Hey  Ron...isn't it possible that Cunningham being bulked up isn't so mysterious? I mean, don't you think that it's possible that hard work and loads of time in the weight room could be the not so mysterious cause? Apparently, BB does:   

     "...Belichick noted that Cunningham’s improvement began late last season and continued into the offseason, when he won one of the team awards for his dedication to workouts.

     “I think one of the things that affected Jermaine, like it did a lot of players, is not really having the offseason that he had this year,” Belichick said. “He didn’t have that opportunity prior to the 2011 season, and after the ’10 season. At the end of the season, he had surgery on his shoulder, and that limited his offseason that year.

     “One of the things that’s really helped Jermaine this year was right from the beginning, leaving at the end of last year when he was on IR, he trained very hard, he worked hard on all the aspects of his physical conditioning — strength, explosion, flexibility — all that. He had a real good offseason, had a good spring, that offseason led into a good spring, a good spring led into a good training camp, good training camp led into some production in the preseason and the first regular-season game,” the coach said.

     “I think it’s just a combination of a lot of days of hard work, a lot of sweat, a lot of work in the weight room, a lot of technique work on the field,” Belichick said of Cunningham’s improvement. “All that has made him a better football player in a lot of different areas. I don’t know if it was any one thing or just waving a magic wand; it was just day after day of hard work, and he’s just at a higher level than where he has been.”: http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/patriots/content/20120911-cunninghams-third-year-looking-like-a-charm.ece

     Just another hatchet job by the plagiarizer Borges...who apparently doesn't believe that one can get ahead on his own merits, through perseverance and hard work.

I agree Borges is a D-bag, but it is tough not to notice the transformation. This guy looks like a different human being imo. He dominated pre season and looks to continue it after week 1 where he registered the sack and drew a holding penalty in limited reps.

I'm not mad at him, but he must of been seriously dedicated to put on this kind of muscle. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. Imo who cares? To some degree I would say most of todays athletes have used.

Well, you know, scandal sells . . .   and if there isn't an actual scandal lying about for guys like Ronnie to take advantage of, what's the harm in making one up (or at least dropping some heavy insinuation)?


The fact is that these guys are not in the information business anymore (if they ever were), they're in the entertainment business . . .  and here we are talking about it. So I guess Borges is getting what he wants, in a roundabout way.

I'm with True. Cunningham is bigger and faster then his first 2 years hear. Now he could have added bulk and strength in weight room but speed is a hard thing to gain. I'm not going to say roids because there is zero proof but in todays sports arena it wouldn't shock me

It's not like this guy was tiny before, he was probably 20 pounds heavier last year. It looks like he dropped the weight and resembles the guy they drafted two years ago...what's the big deal here? Yeah he may look a little stronger than the guy they drafted, but not a huge difference.

Cunningham hasn't bulked up that much, they have him officially listed at 6'3," 255 pounds which is the same weight he came in at.  Could it be more lean muscle and less baby fat? Possibly, but I think BB placed him at DT on a passing down to create a speed mismatch, not because Cunningham has suddenly exploded in weight and muscle mass.

 

 

In response to wozzy's comment:

As an out of towner that Borges guy seems to be pretty negative when it comes to the Patriots.  Belichick said on a couple of occasions that Cunningham was hitting it hard in the offseason conditioning. I think he was one of the award winners too..  Its possible that Cunningham didn't work very hard before and was able to get away with it because of his natural size and athletic ability. Now he's in the NFL and has found that he has to bust it to even make the team in his case.  With his new training routine and hard work he could easily put on size and strength, especially at his young age. 

I've been down on him in the past but he looks really good so far this year.  If he continues and is an impact player this year, that's going to be a huge boost for the already improved defense. 

Borges is a Jerk.

He and Tomasse are two reasons why till this day I rarely read the Herald.

 

How can this be? Cunningham is a bust! I read it right here on this board.

In response to TrueChamp's comment:
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In response to wozzy's comment:
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Idk Wozzy, they still list Wilfork at like 320 as opposed to the 360 he looks like. I'm pretty sure JC is looking more like 270 then 250, and I have to disagree, he has at least exploded muscle mass. He looks jacked up! I think he is gonna have a big year for us, and from what I saw he might start to steal some of Ninks reps.

     It's really unfair to cast a pall on what Cunningham has accomplished, based on the sole fact that he's improved. Unlike in years past, the NFL has a strong drug testing policy in place. Why couldn't his improvement be due to hard work and weight lifting...especially when BB has singled out Cunningham for his efforts? We all know that BB throws out compliments like their were man-hole covers. This young man should be celebrated for what he's accomplished thus far...not slandered.  

 

It was really unprofessional to insinuate that Cunningham is using roids in his report card. What a jerk! I just find it hard to believe that people can make these type of accusations and not be held responsible for what they print. The NFL currently has one of the toughest drug tests going. The test picks up stupid things that are in ADD and ADHD drugs which the players have to submit for approval before they take them. Not saying that it's impossible for them not to cheat but it's highly unlikely. Besides they changed when they can test the players and how many times. It's up to 6 times in the off season.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6848134/nfl-adds-game-day-tests-performance-enhancers

Who was the last Patriot to flunk a test? Rodney? I just think the players know BB won't put up with anything that will hurt the team.

I really liked Cunningham and Spikes coming out of college when the Patriots drafted them. I thought that Cunningham had more potential than Spikes. He didn't fit in the 3 4 defense but this one obviously suits him well. I do think injures the past few years and putting on weight never allow him to show his true potential. I'm sure he had to look at his situation on the Patriots this past off season and he knew he was going to have to make changes or he would be a roster casualty which was talked about a lot until the last preseason game. So good for him for sticking to it his work outs.

In response to GO47's comment:

     Amen, brother. Cunningham knew that if he didn't step it up, that he would be gone. BB has vouched for how hard he's worked. Until there's evidence to the contrary, it is what it is...and Borges is just being Borges.

 

In response to TexasPat's comment:

The NFL has a strong drug testing policy? I mean I'm sure they have one, but what it actually consists of I don't know. I'm not saying Cunningham is on the sauce, but it wouldn't surprise me if he and 100% of that league knew how to beat an NFL drug test (knew when the test was, etc.) You ever stand next to one of these players? It's hard to get that big/fast/strong, naturally.

I hear the drug testing procedure is much more difficult AFTER these guys fail a test..the ramdom testing...standing behind them...checking the temperature of the urine..etc.

 

 

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So anybody who has struggled before, worked hard in the offseason and is finally producing is on roids?

 

Damn, that must mean half the league is on roids.

 

Nice try Borges, nice try...

Isn't he a free agent next year? Maybe that is why is finally stepping it up!  lol

In response to Rocky's comment:

That's a depressing thought.

I don't see why any one still takes any thing that HATER says as legit. He lives off of negetive publicity. Do not give him the hits. Ignore, as you would any troll.

In response to patsbandwagonsince76's comment:

By the way i seriously hate this new setup. GIVE US AN EDIT BUTTON BDC!!!!

In response to xXR3S1NXx's comment:

I second that!

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In response to TexasPat's comment:

Fair point Tex. I think the steroid era has unfortunately cast a shadow of doubt over all players who suddenly improve their abilities. You are right we shouldn't be judging him when we have no idea about what he's been doing. He did win the off season conditioning award and has had 2 years to learn under BB. Borges is obviously using age old tactics to get us fans to deliberate.

 

With all that said the guy looks like Kenny Lattimore.

it is sad when bad writers have to resort to slander to keep their careers alive.