Local Pundits Talk... Football?

Seriously, aren't there more important things for OP-ED pages than to talk about football? Apparently, the Patriots are ebil because they went out and got a wide receiver who can actually catch balls. They're not allowed to be talented; they have to win on guts and luck alone. Hey, I have an idea - they should sign me! I have lots of guts and only a little talent, I must be Vennochi's ideal player.

Moss may be the best known player the Pats have pursued, but he's certainly not the only superstar. I guess we never should have gone out and nabbed Corey Dillon years ago either, because we just can't have superstars on our football teams. Teddy Bruschi, Tom Brady, Rodney Harrison, Curtis Martin, Willie McGinist.... none of them were ever superstars, ever. After all, they were Patriots and the Patriots aren't allowed to have anyone that's good. Furthermore, resigning these non-superstars is totally different from trading for them, right?

To address the main critique of all these pundits-turned-football experts: heaven forbid the Patriots, like every other team in the NFL, NCAA and even little old High School Football, use videotapes of the opposing team. Even if those tapes were focused on the coaches and not the players, with 80,000 screaming fans wielding cell phone video cameras, does anyone in their right mind think the NFL can stop teams from doing what the Patriots (and probably dozens of other teams) do? That's why coaches have signs in the first place; if a team can't guard their secrets, sucks to be them. They're not going to win many games. Maybe that's not the way things should be, but it's the way things are - so we may as well get used to it.