Allen: Runupthescoregate exposes further media idiocy

This season, the Patriots are on a mission. There’s no doubt about it. After having every two-bit analyst this side of Thailand proclaim the franchise’s previous Super Bowl victories “tainted” by the dramatically overblown “spygate” scandal, Bill Belichick and the Patriots are sending a message to the NFL. The scoreboard each week reflects it.

Predictably, these analysts and media types have a problem with it. They point to the lopsided scores as sure signs of poor sportsmanship on the part of the Patriots. They condemn the fact the starters are being left in games late and the fact points are still being put on the board in the fourth quarter. They point to this as just another example of the arrogance of the Patriots, and how the rest of the league is waiting for them to get theirs. At least a few media types are placing the nation’s hopes in the Colts this weekend to stop this reign of terror and teach the Patriots a lesson.

I have a few problems with this latest tempest in a (media) teapot. First of all, you’re hearing very little criticism of the Patriots from active players and coaches. Even analysts who played or coached the game, for the most part, have very little problem with how the Patriots are conducting their business. Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcells and Keyshawn Johnson have all stated that they have no problems with what the Patriots are doing. The exceptions — people such as Steve Young and Mark Schlereth of ESPN — have proven themselves to be hypocrites of the highest order with their indignation over runupthescoregate.

What do I mean by that? Consider these numbers: 52-14, 56-17, 55-17 and 50-14. These are scores of games won by the San Francisco 49ers between 1991 and 1994. There are plenty more games with similar margins of victories, but I only picked the ones that went over 50 points for the 49ers. The quarterback for these games? Steve Young. In the 52-14 win over the Bears in 1991, Young actually came into the game and relieved Steve Bono and threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another. San Francisco scored 28 points in the fourth quarter of that game. In 1993, the 49ers led the Lions 45-10 heading into the fourth, and added 10 more points in the final frame to the total. In the 1994 50-14 win over the Falcons, the 49ers were leading 34-14 heading into the fourth, and tacked on another 16 points in the last quarter. At the end of the 1994 season, the 49ers advanced to Super Bowl XXIX, where they faced the Chargers. In that game, in the fourth quarter, with the score already 42-18, Young threw his sixth TD pass of the game — a Super Bowl record — to push the score to 49-18. Was the game really in doubt at that point? Was Young’s quest for the (individual) record any different than “running it up” on the clearly outmatched Chargers?

Schlereth played for Joe Gibbs in Washington, which might explain his outrage over the Patriots running roughshod over his former coach. Schlereth played on some very good teams in his career, including the 1991 Redskins, who beat the Falcons 56-17. They also beat the Lions 45-0. In the 56-17 win over the Falcons, the Redskins scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. I’m wondering at what point did Schlereth amble over to Gibbs and suggest that the coach was “out of line” for letting the score get to that point?

Beyond the hypocrisy of analysts such as Young, we have logic and reason to consider. At what point is a lead safe? The Patriots lead 21-3 at the half in the AFC title game last year, only to see the Colts come roaring back. There have been plenty of fourth quarter comebacks in recent years as well. Who can forget that Jets/Dolphins Monday night game a few years back, or the Colts coming back to beat the Bucs after trailing 35-14 with four minutes left in a game in 2003?

When did the NFL become Pop Warner or Little League? There’s now a “mercy rule” in the NFL? Since when is it Bill Belichick’s job to tell his own offense not to score any more? If the opposing defense lays down and the offense continues on, which action constitutes poor sportsmanship? People are saying the Patriots need to show some “dignity” to their opponents. Again, this is the National Football League. These men are getting paid millions of dollars to do their jobs. Wounded egos are part of the game. Teams in the past would routinely ring up high scores on opponents, and it would be seen as a sign of their offense dominance, not any poor sportsmanship.

Other analysts (or some of the same ones) are openly advocating the approach that if the Patriots keep Tom Brady in the game late into a blowout that the opposing defense should go all out in an effort to take out Brady in the knees. Classy. Somehow the act of adding points to the scoreboard and “playing until the final whistle” — a notion that is held in high esteem in the sporting world, should be punished with physical violence and injury.