True but how often do Packers reporter "tow the company line"? They normally give what they see or what the coaches said and give their own opinion of it.
As for fans, it really depends on the person as some fans seem to know a ton and other fans it like, 'have you watched any games lately' or as that article the other day, just buying into the hype without confirming that the player should have the hype around them.
Originally Posted by: beast
I can say without a doubt that teams can and do heavily influence what gets written or more aptly stated...what isn't. There are a lot of things these reporters have heard that they'll never report due to concern with how it will affect the team. Same goes for what players say. Ever notice JSO and Packersnews.com have very similar stories all the time?
There are some fans I really trust more than I do a beat guy. Michael Rodney is one guy I like...don't always agree with him, but I think he's sound. Bob McGinn is probably the single best Packer read for me of the media guys because he doesn't do the beat. He's not worried about having to get in a locker room and interview anyone. He gets his yearly sitdown with TT. He rips this team at times where you'll find nobody else in the mainstream Packers media who will.
Some guys here are worthy reads...I noted some of them earlier. There are some forums out there who have some bright guys. I don't visit other forums much anymore but I did the other day and found a poster I think a lot of is still active. If he did a blog, I would read it. There are some guys who I can't stand like some of you can't stand me...I enjoy reading those guys, too, because they are smart but they are counter to my thinking. Always interesting seeing how another bright mind looking through another lens sees the same thing I do.
With all the sincerity I can muster, I think it's wrong to post links from Packerstalk to this forum. Wrong in the sense it's embarrassing. That site is a joke. I've read some of the stuff linked here and I almost always ask myself WHY when I'm done reading. There hasn't been a single piece I've ever read from that site where I thought I learned something other than they don't know what they're talking about. I'm not even sure who that site would be catering to. Maybe, a new fan, or a young kid. If I was in 7th grade, I might think those guys were something.
We should start a thread to see who people here admire and the places they go for NFL news. I'd be curious to see who everyone is valuing. I have a feeling on some here already who they're reading.
Ted Thompson sits on his hands per former GM: "because they’ve had 25 fricking years of great quarterbacks. Of course it works. Try it without a special quarterback."