Indy festival
Page 5 of 28 -- -- Justin Ober, Foxboro, MA
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A: Awesome, Justin.
I think you went too far in your response to reader Patrick Murray from Chelmsford's submission, a submission that criticized your early season take on the impact of Bledsoe and Milloy with the Bills and the plight of the Pats in Philadelphia. Ordinarily you respond to criticism with responses such as "You're entitled to your opinion." This is the appropriate stand to take against readers such as Murray. You're above all of that sarcasm and nonsense that appeared in your response. You evidently feel some need to stand up for yourself against critics, but a lot of that is accomplished with your credentials. YOU are working for the globe and covering sports, not Murray nor your other critics. Let your work speak for itself, and if people can't respect that then they are not deserving of your time. Simple as that. Keep up the professionalism for which you've grown accustomed.
-- Matt Englander, Boston, MA
A: You're right Matt.
Like most of us without lives, I love your mailbag. I spend hours at work poring through the vitriolistic anti-Bledsoe, anti-Parcells, anti-Glenn, anti-anything...and think to myself, "America, she is great."
How we have such short memories, right Nick? I remember watching Bledsoe open up the '94 season - his second - against Miami and seriously scare the hell out of Marino in a 38-35 loss. He threw for something like 400 yards and 4 Td's. I remember Bledsoe leading a team that was in the Arizona league out of hell and into the "tournament". I remember Bledsoe ripping apart the Vikings defense after being behind 20-3 at halftime and winning the game. I remember Bledsoe flat out destroying the Steelers in the AFC playoff match in 96, and I remember Bledsoe coming tantalizingly close to ripping apart the packers in the Super Bowl. If not for one runback, that game is a different story. I remember the coach that drafted him, and I remember the enthusiasm around NE. I remember a player who threw for 10,000 yards faster than any player in the history of the game, who year after year went into the season knowing that his offensive line was indeed offensive and that he would have to absorb 40-50 sacks per year. This bum, Bledsoe, was sensation for us for many years. Your colleague, Dan Shaughnessy, compared him to Larry Bird and Roger Clemens, in terms of how important he was to the community. If not for Bledsoe, or Parcells, there wouldn't a Belichick coaching in NE, no Lombardy trophy, no 8-2 team in mid-November in 2003. You can be sure of that. In my heart of hearts, the one thing that did Bledsoe in was Parcells leaving the team. It was the matter in which he did it, and to be sure, Kraft is to blame for that. It didn't have to come to that. But it did, and Pete Carrol just wasn't what Bledsoe needed. Continued...
