Why Do I Continue to Read Peter King?

[joe dokes]

 
Yeah, he is also saying that the NFL shouldn't be expected to be hugely exacting in judgement if the judicial system isn't. But he is also saying that the judicial system is broken on this issue.
 
The real shitty moment is in tying the too together. But that's how he is with the league.

 
Aside from his imperiousness, his occasionally-to-frequent awkward/ambiguous writing, his Shield-Sucking and his cultural-illiteracy-poorly-disguised-as-everyman-ness, I just don't think he's a particularly intelligent guy.
 
I can accept the 'grinder' stuff.  It appears he works hard -- or at least puts in long hours -- on football.  And it *is* hard to generate a column like he does, more than half of which is on a fairly tight deadline.  Buuuuuuut, he regularly says a lot of things that intelligent people just don't say.  He's a bit Schilling-esque in that regard.
 
And I'm with Leather.  I'm not convinvced he's saying the judicial system is broken. Even for his writing, that's a generous stretch of an interpretation.  He's such an authority-hound that he probably doesn't think it's right to question *either* the NJ authorities OR the Commish.
 
 
(edited to avoid King-like awkwardness)

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

I don't disagree with the 'grinder' stuff.  I won't argue that he doesn't work hard -- or at least puts in long hours on football.

 
It's not all that early, but I just can't follow all the negatives here.
 
Is it that hard to just make a positive statement?

 

[Average Reds]

 
It's not all that early, but I just can't follow all the negatives here.
 
Is it that hard to just make a positive statement?

 
He's saying that King works hard.  Of course, I don't think that's accurate. 
 
King puts in long hours.  He's also incredibly lazy from an intellectual standpoint, in the sense that he refuses to seriously consider ideas that rock his worldview. 

 

[joe dokes]

 
 
 
Is it that hard to just make a positive statement?

 
About Peter King?
 
 
(point taken. but you split your infinitive [/ducking])
 

He's also incredibly lazy from an intellectual standpoint, in the sense that he refuses to seriously consider ideas that rock his worldview.
 

 
I suppose it's a thin line between intellectual laziness and lack of intelligence.

 

[Leather]

 
He's saying that King works hard.  Of course, I don't think that's accurate. 
 
King puts in long hours.  He's also incredibly lazy from an intellectual standpoint, in the sense that he refuses to seriously consider ideas that rock his worldview. 

 
He puts in long hours, but from his own mouth, he usually writing while he's doing something else; on a train, on a plane, in a hotel room after a game (in the rain, ain't it a pain...).  King's job now is basically to be an official observer of NFL activities, and from time to time he writes about it.  And when he writes about it, only about 60% of what he writes pertains to football.
 
He's not a reporter, he's not out there chasing down stories and fact checking.  He's way past the point where he was busting his ass.  And, hey, good for him, but his past successes don't excuse the dog shit he's been putting out for a decade.

 

[Late Yclept Chanticleer]

 
And I'm with Leather.

 
Is that you, Chris Berman?

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

 
He's saying that King works hard.  Of course, I don't think that's accurate. 
 
King puts in long hours.  He's also incredibly lazy from an intellectual standpoint, in the sense that he refuses to seriously consider ideas that rock his worldview. 

 
Not to mention how often this thread diagrams the errors in reporting, fact-checking, contorted syntax, grammar, etc. 
 
Maybe he's a grinder that puts in long hours but then 1) he has no true editor because no one's going to redline Peter King at this stage in his career, and/or 2) he has an editor that doesn't see the piece until a hour before it's supposed to be published, making it impossible for a clean read or edit. 
 
If he's okay with first drafts, first thoughts, then he has to deal with the criticism. 

 

[pappymojo]

Can we really say that a writer works hard when a good portion of his output is mindless non-sense - what beer he had with dinner, what his day in Manhattan was like, how the coffee was in the hotel where he stayed,....

 

[Reverend]

And I'm with Leather.  I'm not convinvced he's saying the judicial system is broken. Even for his writing, that's a generous stretch of an interpretation.  He's such an authority-hound that he probably doesn't think it's right to question *either* the NJ authorities OR the Commish.
 

 
To quote:

I think it says something about our court system, and not something good, that Ray Rice knocks his wife out cold in an elevator (captured on video) and Jonathan Dwyer assaults his wife in their home, allegedly head-butting her violently and breaking her nose, and neither man was sentenced to any jail time.

 
As for working hard... I mean, I guess he works a tough deadline once a week. I don't think that's terribly hard. I mean, it appears he doesn't even watch the games he covers very well given his references to the Red Zone Channel. And it's only a hard deadline if you have to hand in something good. And he writes some of it before hand...

 

[JohntheBaptist]

I think the "he's a grinder" thing may just be people in his profession seeing him running around like a chicken with his head cut off and assuming he's "working hard." Which, maybe in that narrow sense he does. But I'm with everyone else--when you consider the actual output there is very little tangible evidence of "hard work" on the craft, understanding the stories he's writing, staying objective, being a minimally empathetic human toward people not working for the NFL, yada yada.

 

[Reverend]

I think the "he's a grinder" thing may just be people in his profession seeing him running around like a chicken with his head cut off and assuming he's "working hard." Which, maybe in that narrow sense he does. But I'm with everyone else--when you consider the actual output there is very little tangible evidence of "hard work" on the craft, understanding the stories he's writing, staying objective, being a minimally empathetic human toward people not working for the NFL, yada yada.

 
I think maybe he was a grinder at one time. I mean, his Rolodex kicks ass.
 
That said, he probably really still does have a Rolodex. Which is to say that he's a dinosaur because I could care less about access to the personalities or breaking stories which he doesn't do anymore in the age of twitter and infinite access.
 
You guys ever hear Dan Bern's "Children of the Cold War"?

 

[Vandalman]

Hangin' with the Ivy Leaguers:
 

 

[E5 Yaz]

I was walking my daughter Mary Beth’s 11-year-old shepherd/lab mix Lucy on the East Side of Manhattan early Friday morning ...

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

In the regular season, Brady was among the most deliberate quarterbacks in the league in getting rid of the ball, at 2.39 seconds per pass drop, according to Pro Football Focus. On second down he took 1.01 seconds to dump a slip-screen to Brandon LaFell on the right side. Gain of four. Third and 14.

Doesn't "deliberate" mean slow? What is he saying here?

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

It may have been talked about in SoSH somewhere, but it took PK's play-by-play breakdown in this week's MMQB for me to find out who Brady was pointing to after he threw the game-winning TD to Edelman.

 

[Leather]

King's breakdown with Brady and McD was pretty good. 
 
I'm still not sure what he means by this, though:
 

I’m not one to indict the entire business for the acts of a few. I am also not one to dismiss rule-breakers, even if those in the game say everyone’s doing something or other. Goodell needs to be sure there are teeth in all his sanctions, preferably involving draft picks, to be sure teams aren’t tempted to cheat in any way in the future.
And one more thing: Rice should tell us which cheating is allowable and which is reprehensible, since he knows so well.
 

 
Is he earnestly saying that Rice should have input, give opinions, on what "cheating" is "ok" and what isn't?  That's insane.
 
If he's trying to zing Rice, it seems really...mild and unclear.  Like he thought about it and then decided at the last second that he didn't want to piss off Rice.

 

[Granite Sox]

In the section titled The End, where Brady and King are discussing the aftermath of the game, I drew the conclusion that TB12 described giving G a Gronking to Remember and it went completely over King's head as he asked Brady what he said to her about the game. 
 
Has Gronk completely corrupted me, or did anyone else draw that inference?
 
In addition to that, I thought the McDaniels/Brady recounting was excellent.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

King's breakdown with Brady and McD was pretty good. 
 
I'm still not sure what he means by this, though:
 
 
Is he earnestly saying that Rice should have input, give opinions, on what "cheating" is "ok" and what isn't?  That's insane.
 
If he's trying to zing Rice, it seems really...mild and unclear.  Like he thought about it and then decided at the last second that he didn't want to piss off Rice.

 
Yeah, I think that's King's version of biting sarcasm. Read it like he's a 12yo, sneering: "since he knows so well."

 

[Leather]

g. Beernerdness: Say it ain’t so, Anheuser Busch. Nine years after buying Rolling Rock and taking the brewing out of Latrobe, you’re taking Rolling Rock out of the classic green bottle at the Newark brewery and making it available only in cans? Best green bottle in brewing! Best bottle in brewing! No! I’m glad it’ll still be obtainable in bottles at its other three breweries, but I fear my local establishments, 10 miles from the Newark brewery, will have Rolling Rock only in cans now. Just another bit of my youth, in the dustbin of history. 
 

 
2 Things:
 
1) I think he meant to use a question mark after "Best green bottle in brewing", because it stands he's refuting the notion that it's the best green bottle in brewing.
2) And he'd be right to say that opinion is wrong, because it is.  I know this because Rolling Rock is piss.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

I don't think that's what Brady was insinuating at all. He was simply recounting how special it was to share that moment with his wife after having been on the wrong side of things twice before (Super Bowl wins were prior to them being married). Brady talking about screwing his wife to Peter King would be like the least Tom Brady thing ever.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Better green bottles in brewing:
 

 

[Silverdude2167]

 
 
I think Marshawn Lynch is probably playing football in 2015.

Going out on a limb there Peter...

 

[Leather]

I don't think that's what Brady was insinuating at all. He was simply recounting how special it was to share that moment with his wife after having been on the wrong side of things twice before (Super Bowl wins were prior to them being married). Brady talking about screwing his wife to Peter King would be like the least Tom Brady thing ever.

 
Exactly. 
 
Hell, my wife has been engaged/married to me for those two SB losses, and even she commented that it would be so nice to not have me tossing and turning all night after the game, for once.  So I can only imagine how intense that must be for someone who actually played in the games.

 

[Corsi]

Hangin' with the Ivy Leaguers:
 

 
They do say after a while you begin to resemble your pets.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

I am very much looking forward to the emails tomorrow lambasting him for his Sharper HOF stuff. Especially to the cherry picked email that supports his "integrity" for the rules of the voting process.

 

[MarcSullivaFan]

I took the Rice thing as a clear rebuke. It was a refreshing change from his typical fence-sitting.

One nugget that really suprised me was his endorsement of the Incognito signing. He thinks Incognito deserves a second chance after "one bad incident." Ridiculous. The Martin thing itself was multiple "bad incidents." And then there's the racial harassment of the Japanese trainer, the alleged sexual assault of the golf course employee, and the multiple disciplinary issues with his former teams.

 

[joe dokes]

Asshole "reads Lynch's mind" based on a snippet of NFL Films; yet Lynch, who the high-waisters have ripped all month for not kissing their asses, isn't the guy who *publicly* ripped his head coach for his play-calling.

 

[PBDWake]

Doesn't "deliberate" mean slow? What is he saying here?

 
I'm pretty sure what he's saying is that Brady was breaking from his normal routine and getting the ball out early to prevent sacks.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

 
I'm pretty sure what he's saying is that Brady was breaking from his normal routine and getting the ball out early to prevent sacks.

 
Right. That's what it sounds like he's saying. But that's crazy talk. Brady is constantly either 1 or 2 in the league in getting the ball out quickly. He's never been deliberate. At all. It's kind of his hallmark. I think he's just using the wrong word. 

 

[DJnVa]

Well, can anyone post the numbers? I can't find it at PFF, which is where he's getting it. Brady was 2.39 per King. Last season, Manning led league at 2.36.
 
 
So, again, he's a writer, who either cannot clearly convey what he means, or doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[joe dokes]

King's head's gonna 'splode.
 
http://deadspin.com/domestic-abuse-charges-against-greg-hardy-dismissed-1684666032
 

Former Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy's domestic abuse trial was supposed to start this morning, but the case was dismissed when Hardy's accuser, Nicole Holder, did not show up to testify.
 

 

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

I think those are premium numbers, but here's an article from 2013 about how Brady-Manning are traditionally the fastest to release. I don't think there's any way Brady somehow fell down the list. 
 
I think he means for "deliberate" to mean "focused on getting the ball out quickly," but that's just not what that word means in that context. 
 
But it's also possible that he saw the 2.39 number and thought it was a lot slower than the 1 second on Lafell and just made up that Brady threw the ball much faster than he usually does because, well, King doesn't really understand stats and averages very well and probably is too dim to realize that 2.39 is very quick and takes into account all the times Brady was throwing the ball deep, had to scramble in the pocket, etc.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Going out on a limb there Peter...

 
That's out of context. The note before started the same way about Peyton Manning. King's employing a pretty standard columnist's trope there

 

[Silverdude2167]

 
That's out of context. The note before started the same way about Peyton Manning. King's employing a pretty standard columnist's trope there

But it is only put in context four sentences into the paragraph. The first three sentences could mean for any team. It is a terrible sentence that should have been rewritten to mention the Seahawks. 
 

 
 
4. I think Marshawn Lynch is probably playing football in 2015. But that means he’ll have to be happy with the money he’ll make this year. And that is going to be a tricky process. 

 
The Peyton Manning sentence makes no mention of the Broncos and there is a question of him returning.
 

 
 
3. I think Peyton Manning’s playing football in 2015. Of course, by now, every one does. That’s assuming his arm, neck and legs pass muster in a team physical a month from now.

 

[E5 Yaz]

So, you've moved the goalposts of your objection from the general comment, to something specific. There's plenty to bash PK about, without pulling a groin in an attempt to fabricate something

 

[Silverdude2167]

So, you've moved the goalposts of your objection from the general comment, to something specific. There's plenty to bash PK about, without pulling a groin in an attempt to fabricate something

Sorry, next time I will be more clear with my criticism. 

 

[pappymojo]

It's a shitty sentence regardless.  Does anyone anywhere think that Marshawn Lynch will not be playing football next year?  That he has to qualify his opinion with the word 'probably' is only more braind dead.

 

[bankshot1]

In the section titled The End, where Brady and King are discussing the aftermath of the game, I drew the conclusion that TB12 described giving G a Gronking to Remember and it went completely over King's head as he asked Brady what he said to her about the game. 
 
Has Gronk completely corrupted me, or did anyone else draw that inference?
 
In addition to that, I thought the McDaniels/Brady recounting was excellent.

From the tone of the article, I inferred that TB12 took what was there.
 
On a more serious note, there was clearly a sexual overtone, but I assume TB12 may have shared a very special intimate  non-sexual moment with G.
 
Lucky SOB either way

 

[Reverend]

It may have been talked about in SoSH somewhere, but it took PK's play-by-play breakdown in this week's MMQB for me to find out who Brady was pointing to after he threw the game-winning TD to Edelman.

Is it a secret or can you share with the group?

 

[TomTerrific]

My head nearly rolled off my neck when I read this nugget near the end of King's story:
 
"For about the 33rd time in my life, or maybe the 433rd, I stopped what I was doing when I came across “Casablanca” on TV Saturday and watched the final 40 minutes. Everyone in that is so good, not just Bogart. Sidney Greenstreet: very underrated character actor."
 
Really, Peter? Really? What a fucking implicit strawman, as though Peter King is the first person to ever notice Casablanca or Sydney Greenstreet. And to think someone actually pays him to do this.

 

[loshjott]

Is it a secret or can you share with the group?

 
McDaniels.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Josh

 

[Bergs]

My head nearly rolled off my neck when I read this nugget near the end of King's story:
 
"For about the 33rd time in my life, or maybe the 433rd, I stopped what I was doing when I came across “Casablanca” on TV Saturday and watched the final 40 minutes. Everyone in that is so good, not just Bogart. Sidney Greenstreet: very underrated character actor."
 
Really, Peter? Really? What a fucking implicit strawman, as though Peter King is the first person to ever notice Casablanca or Sydney Greenstreet. And to think someone actually pays him to do this.

 
I came here to post that. Yes, Peter Sydney Greenstreet is very underrated...by exactly nobody...and spell his name right, fuckhead.

 

[TomTerrific]

 
I came here to post that. Yes, Peter Sydney Greenstreet is very underrated...by exactly nobody...and spell his name right, fuckhead.

 
Ha, I didn't even notice that one. What a maroon.

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

Is it a secret or can you share with the group?

 
Ha. I figured everyone went and read that piece, sorry.
 
After that 1st drive's misfire by Brady to Edelman with Simon covering (which worked out when Amendola caught the subsequent TD):
 

Brady: “After the last drive, I went to the sidelines and told Josh, ‘Josh, come back to that call. Please come back to that call.’ I knew even before the call came in what it was going to be. I knew how it was going to play out. Earl in same place. Simon in same spot. Only this time, they ended up blitzing, really a max blitz, creating one-on-one with Jules. He ran a great route. It’s a tough route to cover. The cornerback has no help. Looks like a slant. How do you not respect the coverage on the slant?’’
 
Edelman pushed off Simon, mildly, on the slant, then pirouetted again, just like last time. Only this time the throw wasn’t 115 miles an hour, and it wasn’t high. It was thrown medium speed, and right to Edelman.
 
Touchdown. New England 28, Seattle 24.
 
Immediately, McDaniels pointed at Brady. The NFL Films cameras captured Brady pointing at McDaniels. The message from each man was simple.
 
McDaniels: You executed the play exactly how it should have been done.
Brady: You trusted me on the same play again—and this time I didn’t let you down!

 

[DJnVa]

That "message" from Brady sounds like it was written about a 8 year old.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

That "message" from Brady sounds like it was written about a 8 year old.

It read like a sequel to the "I learned it from watching you dad" PSA, presuming the dad laid off the weed and the kid followed suit.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

From PKs first mailbag response today:

But as I asked in my column on Monday, what crime is so objectionable that will make a player not qualify for the Hall of Fame?

Given the subject at hand, why don't we start at serial rape and go from there Petey.

 

[joe dokes]

THE “KNOW IT WHEN WE SEE IT” THEORY. I understand the concern over “slippery slopes.” However, couldn’t voters simply develop a test like our courts use for obscenity? That test is simply, I know it when I see it. An individual will typically know something should rise to the level of warranting a player’s exclusion. Serial rape seems like one of those things, no?
—Foster
 
It does. No question about it. But my point Monday was very simple: Everyone will believe that serial rape—if proven—is incredibly serious and reprehensible. But the 46 people on the committee will have different standards for crimes. We should not make decisions about whether a football player is a Hall of Fame football player while considering what happened off the field.
 

 
Its OK for 46 committee members to have "different standards" for touchdowns, receptions, yards, leadership, tackles, sacks, interceptions and SuperBowl wins, but not for crimes?

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Its OK for 46 committee members to have "different standards" for touchdowns, receptions, yards, leadership, tackles, sacks, interceptions and SuperBowl wins, but not for crimes?

Crimes, criminal acts, criminal behaviors. He mentions those terms many times as if getting popped for a DUI or possession of blow is the same as serial rape. Some crimes are because of stupid decisions, some crimes are just evil. Try not to vote in the evil people yeah? Seems reasonable.

I'm just going to assume at this point that King is a huge Cosby fan.