Patriots Football Weekly Blog

Kirsch Kronicles: The rest of 2/3, 2/4 & Game Day!

Went to the Commissioner’s Party Friday night. It was held at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds. For me the highlight was visiting Hook’s Drug Store Museum. It was right across the street from the entrance of the party and while everyone else was well-heeling it in to hobnob at the party, my wife and I checked it out. It was really cool. Remember those TV shows that depicted the early 1900′s? They always had that drug store/general store with all the bottles lined up in those wooden shelves with the drawers underneath. That’s what Hook’s was with everything authentic. In those shows there was always the older pharmacist and the young apprentice who had bigger dreams. The moment I walked into Hook’s my mind fell into one of those scenes. I could hear the pharmacist calling out, “Bobby, get me a bottle of cod liver and witch hazel for Mrs. Wilson.” Bobby, a hard worker but distracted by his ambitions, mixes up the witch hazel with some sort of other potion and trouble ensues!

The party was meh. I know that sounds like a spoiled reaction but it is what it is. When we walked in there was someone wailing away at a Journey song. I said in all seriousness that this better be karaoke. It was that bad and way too loud. Unfortunately it wasn’t karaoke.

Mercifully, whoever it was singing ended the set and a DJ took over, still too loud. I literally could not hear anything anyone was saying which kind of spoils a party in my view. The food was good, though, so there’s that. I didn’t see Commissioner Goodell. He didn’t say hello to us when we arrived so I didn’t feel compelled to find him and say thank you to our host when we decided to leave early.

Saturday was a special edition of PFW in Progress. I thought it was our best show of the week. We had the type of energy kids have the day before Christmas: joyful expectation of the perfect gift. A Patriots win today would be that gift. A loss would be a sweater and a pair of socks.

Afterwards I hoofed it into town to meet with a friend from Apple who is in for the game. I love talking with him. Just knowing that he’s an insider at a place that produces such wonderful products is cool. He’s a great guy too. We made plans for that night to eat at a place called Oakley’s Bistro but I had to bag out due to exhaustion. As it turns out, I was up with the Patriots.com and Kraft Sports Production crew until midnight going over plans for game day.

Prior to meeting up with my Apple guy, I made a point to stop anyone walking around the city in Patriots gear and give them an MHK pin. A lot of fans already had them but those who didn’t were over the top appreciative. I had fun doing it; made me feel as good as the people I was handing them out to.

Game day couldn’t have come soon enough. Eight days after touching down in Indy it’s finally here. I’m sitting in my press box perch as I write, high above the Lucas Oil Stadium field with around three hours to go. One of our PR guys, Aaron Salkin loves coming up with stats and he just fed me a couple: In four Super Bowls, Jerry Rice has 33 catches, Andre Reed has 27 in the same number of games. In only two games, Deion Branch has 21 receptions. Impressive. The other is a Tom Brady one. Brady has 1001 passing yards in four Super Bowls. If he gets 156 yards today, he’ll be No. 1 in that category passing Kurt Warner who has 1,157.

Here's the view from my press box seat in Indy

Fans are starting to trickle in, just as anxious to get this going as I am. Honestly, I don’t have a clue as to how this one will turn out. I am pretty certain it won’t be like that other game that shall not be mentioned when Tom Brady spent much too much time on his back. That won’t happen today. But beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.

See you on the other side.

Kirsch Kronicles VI: 2/2 and a little 2/3

Thursday was the final day of team media access and the game ball goes to Brian Lowe. During the media session, Brian took a live wireless camera around to all the tables, doing interviews and giving fans worldwide an inside look. I thought it was much more exciting that a static podium shot. It was also a great opportunity to see some of the players and coaches who don’t get their own podiums. If we’re ever lucky enough to be in this position again I’m going to add in a feature that will allow viewers to send in their questions and have them answered right there on the spot. Too late smart I guess.

We went incident-free on PFW in Progress today. No players or coaches walking by just at the wrong moment. Good thing too because once again I tried my best to get Paul Perillo to explode on the whole no respect subject. In all honesty I do think Patriots fans are being a bit hyper-sensitive but there is no question that when it comes to talking heads on national TV and radio, they are siding with the Giants by a lopsided margin. Our unofficial poll taken during the show was something like 24-6 in favor of the Giants. That’s way too one-sided for a game as evenly-matched as this one. Here is my list of reasons why I think “experts” are leaning Giants:

1. NY bias in general

2. Patriots aren’t as media-friendly

3. Giants are the hotter team right now

4. Giants have beaten tougher teams down the stretch

5. Infatuation with the Giants front 4

6. Disrespect for the Patriots defense and in particular defensive backfield vs. Giants receivers

7. Finally, Eli Manning is the reason his team is winning games

8. Gronk won’t be 100%

Of course, all these reasons, aside from 1 and 2, can be countered by something of  equal or greater significance for the Patriots but images of XLII clouds the picture. I just can’t believe we’re going to see the same scenario. I would be shocked in fact.

Pete Sheppard did his best to defend the Patriots honor on his Patriots.com Radio show Thursday. He had NFL Network’s Steve Wyche as a guest and Pete was throwing haymakers about the network’s coverage. Pete claimed it was totally one-sided towards the Giants and Wyche did his best to defend his station. You can listen to it on www.Patriots.com.

If you’re in Indy for the game and you see a Patriots employee, ask for an MHK pin. We received a huge shipment and staff will be more than happy to give you one. Wouldn’t it be cool if every Patriots fan in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday wore one? PFW’s circulation manager, Carrol Hardy, is also driving around town looking for Patriots bars. She’ll be dropping off this week’s edition of Patriots Football Weekly and more MHK pins. If you know of a place she should hit up, leave it in the comment section.

Shameless plug time. I’ll be heading over to the NFL Media Center around 3pm today to be a guest on the Dave Dameshek Show on NFL.com. He’s set up on Radio Row. I think it should be live around 3:15. Should be fun. I’ll see what he thinks about the NY bias.

Kirsch Kronicles VI: 2/1

The annual Super Bowl Media Party was held Tuesday night at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Quite the place in terms of sheer size. For the biggest racing events like the 500, it seats over 287,000 people. That’s over four times as many people who attend a Patriots game. Imagine Route 1 with that crowd. I suppose when there are 20 people to a Winnebago that alleviates some of the crush, but still!

The Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The biggest structure on the property is called the Pagoda for its Japanese-style look. It’s where the VIPs and officials watch the races and one of the places we were allowed to venture for various apps and drinks. It was a little crowded and proved that media people are just as pushy trying to position for a beer as they are to get a spot for an interview. Other features of the night were the famous bricks by the finish line which apparently are a privilege to kiss, tall women in costumes and funny hats and Indy cars in all 32 teams’ colors. Oh, and beer mugs made out of ice that required gloves to hold.

Wednesday was another full day of media access back at the team hotel. Patriots.com did its multicast again and then it was time for PFW in Progress at noon.

The PFW in Progress set-up in Indy

If you read yesterday’s Kronicle you know how our radio location could possibly cause an awkward moment if the right person walked by at the wrong time. Well, it happened again. We were in the middle of a Chad Ochocinco discussion based on some emails from listeners who thought this could be the game in which he finally emerges and who walked by? You guessed it. What makes this so incredible is how rare it is to see Ocho at a time other than when he is required to be somewhere. It’s like those fisher cats that are supposedly all over New England. Have you ever seen one? Maybe once, right? That’s what Ocho is like around here. In fact, he was the ONLY player we saw during the show. The odds are staggering. Paul Perillo was so flustered it took him a good 10 minutes before he could get back on track and that’s saying something for someone who does more media hits than a politician on the campaign trail.

Throughout the show I did my best to bait Paul and Andy Hart into the, “No one respects the Patriots” debate. I have to admit I haven’t watched a lot of TV since I’ve been down here so I don’t know if the claims by fans on the message boards are true about the bias towards the Giants. But it’s more fun to go with it and that’s what I’m doing. They all hate us!

As you can tell, I haven’t left the hotel all day but I will tonight. Mr. Kraft is taking the staff out to dinner which prompted a fashion debate. Whether or not to dress up was the topic which then morphed into if there’s a difference between dark jeans or light jeans in terms of one being more formal. Paul and I insisted that jeans are jeans with everyone else saying dark jeans are more dressy. I blame Calvin Klein in the 1970s for all of this nonsense. Before he came around jeans truly were jeans. Now the price tag dictates how fashionable they are.  I’m going to show up in a tank top and say it’s an Armani.

Kirsch Kronicles VI: 1/31

Media Day madness. Actually, media day is more of a cliche than anything else with the usual assortment of ex-players-as reporters, crazy people in costumes promoting TV networks and South American hotties. Oh yeah, a couple thousand legit media members as well.

Media Day reporters come in all shapes and sizes

There was a wrinkle this year. For the first time fans were allowed in, with a ticket. I’d say around 7000 people took advantage and each received a goody bag that included a small radio and headphones. The little device allowed fans to tune into the podium of their choice and listen to the proceedings. Very clever and I can see a smartphone app in the future adding to the available features.

Besides Tom Brady, the biggest crowd was easily gathered around Rob Gronkowski’s podium. He eventually ambled in, sans walking boot, and held court. In the end nothing of import came out of the day in terms of quotes but do look for a Peter King piece on his interview with Ross Ventrone. Lots of poetry talk. Hey, it’s Media Day.

I caught up with Gil Brandt who is known as the Godfather of the NFL Draft. Brandt has literally seen it all when it comes to Super Bowls and the NFL, having served as the Dallas Cowboys chief scout from 1960 to 1989. He’s now a senior analyst for NFL.com. I asked him what he remembers about the first “Media Days.”

“I was at the first and second Super Bowl and we never had a media day like this.” said Brandt. “When we played in Miami against Baltimore, we were at the Pier 66 Hotel and reporters were around the pool and guys would say, ‘I want Chuck Howley,’ and our PR guy would look at his list and say, ‘Oh, Chuck’s in room 716. Someone call Chuck and tell him to come down here they want to interview him.’ I don’t know if we had 15 [reporters] doing interviews.

“Now we have fans here and I heard they were scalping tickets to get in.”

Fans at Media Day was a first in 2012

Brandt certainly wasn’t complaining. He compared the NFL to any huge corporation that must adapt or die. “Companies like Montgomery Ward went out of business but the NFL keeps innovating. That’s why it’s so successful.”

We did our first Indy episode of Patriots.com Radio today. We’re set up behind a registration desk looking out to a hallway that players use to get to some of their meetings. If you’ve ever heard our show, PFW in Progress, you can imagine that such a location could create some awkward moments. Sure enough, just as I was reading an email from a listener who was predicting Bill Belichick would step down if the Patriots won on Sunday, the team’s Director of Football/Head Coach Administration, Berj Najarian, walked by shaking his head. I’m just the messenger! Be sure to listen Wednesday at noon for more uncomfortable moments.

We’re back to media access at the team hotel tomorrow. That means Patriots.com will once again be able to do its multicast on the home page. If you didn’t see it Sunday evening I think you’ll like how you can watch all the press conferences in action and then choose the one you want to listen in on. Sort of like what the fans at Media Day could do but in the comfort of your home (or office as the case may be). Get your coffee ready though, because it all starts at 8:00AM ET. See you then!

Kirsch Kronicles VI: 1/30

In their first full day in Indy, the team is in full swing. A padded practice at the Colts facility (you can see an exclusive look at it on Patriots Today with Brian Lowe) followed by more pressers and team meetings.

Today’s media session took place at the NFL Media Center where earlier, I made a trip to check out what was going on. Radio Row is always an interesting take. This is where radio stations from across the country set up shop and broadcast for the week. It’s literally rows of tables with microphones and banners bearing call letters. Said hello to the local guys from the Patriots flagship station, 98.5 The SportsHub. Scott Zolak was doing his midday show. He recommended the Reuben sandwiches being served to the media. Unfortunately I had just eaten.

Scott Zolak on 98.5 The SportsHub

It’s always been fascinating for me to contrast the radio and TV cultures. Radio guys (and gals) are much more brash and in your face. Maybe it’s the caffeine. Or maybe it’s the fact that it’s all about their voice and what they have to say and nothing about how they look or what they can show on the screen. No prompters, no scripts. It really is more of a jungle as Jim Rome would say. And it’s definitely more real. Radio people are who you would meet in a sports bar (or a bachelor party). There are some personalities who can thrive in both cultures but making it in radio requires a certain amount of spunk.

The story of the day, besides the future of Peyton Manning (more in a bit on that), is Bill Belichick. There is something going on with him. Yesterday I mentioned how this season’s locker room has a different feel about it. Well, Coach Belichick of the past few days does as well. If you haven’t already watched today’s press conference, please do. Apart from the occasional  Friday when reminiscing of days gone by, I have never witnessed him so willing to answer — at length — every question posed. Maybe the strategy is longer answers equals fewer questions, but it was different. I was particularly surprised when Belichick chose to talk about how he explained to Josh McDaniels when he returned to New England that their relationship would be a little different now that McDaniels has experienced being a head coach. I’m telling you, watch today’s presser and see what you think.

I mentioned Peyton Manning above. Talk about his situation dominates. I asked our driver from the airport on Saturday what people are thinking and he said it’s about 50/50, stay/go. To me that says fans out here are starting to move on and realize Manning isn’t the future and the future is now as long as the Colts hold the winning ticket in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. That plus saving $28 million to be used elsewhere has saved Colts owner Jim Irsay from a PR nightmare. There’s no need for the media to build up this story. Just go with it.

Next up is filming the PFW TV show here at the hotel. We’re going to be winging it. I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. Kind of like Manning’s future … and the game coming up on Sunday!

Kirsch Kronicles VI: 1/29 cont.

The team arrived at the hotel around 5:30PM and that’s when the real fun began. Those players who had media obligations headed into the press conferences and by 6:20, Patriots.com had five simultaneous pressers running on its home page. It was a pretty cool experience and we’ll do it again for sure on Wednesday and Thursday at 8:00AM ET both days. There’s a slight chance we might be able to do it tomorrow (Monday) when Coach Belichick and other speak from the NFL Media Center at 3:30PM. We’ll have the main podium live and if we can get some of the feeds from NFL Network, we’ll bring some of the other speakers live as well.

Two players who had to be told to leave their podiums because they were up against the clock were Brian Waters and Logan Mankins. Waters, the consummate pro, is relishing this experience. He’s had great success in this league but never the team type he’s enjoying now. Mankins, on the other hand, has been in this position but we all know what that experience was like. I can bet he’s ready to make things right.

We’ve been hearing it for a while now and I heard it again tonight from an insider, this locker room is different.  There’s a focus and comaraderie that is clearly palpable to those who have been around long enough to compare. I have no idea what the Giants locker room is like, but there’s something special going on with the Patriots.

An annual ritual of the media during Super Bowl week is to immediately start ripping the host city, whether  it’s about proximity to key locations, traffic, weather, food … you name it. Not so this time, at least so far. All I’ve heard or read have been positive reviews. Good job Indy! I had a feeling Indy would be a fine place for a Super Bowl as long as the weather held up and it looks like it will. It’s a nice downtown with everything within walking distance. Always has been a favorite destination among the PFW crew. Now if I can just get a table at St. Elmo’s at some point this week, life will be perfect.

Catch any of that Pro Bowl?

Kirsch Kronicles VI: 1/29

Since the Patriots went to their second Super Bowl in 1996, I’ve been tagging along. And with that 1996 trip, I started doing the Kirsch Kronicles. Back then it was sort of a running journal. Now I guess it would be called a blog. Who knew?

The Patriots.com digital team arrived in Indy on Saturday and started prepping for the team’s arrival on Sunday. They’ll get off the plane and head right into press conferences so we’ve got to be ready.

We’ll be presenting Sunday’s access and other days in a unique format on the home page of Patriots.com. You’ll be able to see up to five press conferences at the same time and select the one you want to listen to. It should be pretty cool.

Went downtown last night and it was packed. My sense is it was a lot of locals getting their chance to experience what was going on before all the out-of-towners descend. Lots of food and souvenir stands, stages for live music, and decorations galore. One of the highlights is a huge XLVI monument right in front of Indy’s Monument Circle with each letter being a video screen. Traditional NFL music plays through huge speakers while the screen shows adrenaline-pumping NFL video. This scene has 33 Indy race cars in its foreground, one car for each of the 32 NFL teams and one for the league as a whole.

The other highlight would be the NFL experience which takes up the entire Indy Convention Center, a huge building. More food, souvenirs but also tons of interactive skill exhibits. I was tempted to try kicking the 32-yard field goal that Billy Cundiff missed but the line was too long and I was too cool (read, too old) to stand in it. I know I could have made it.

This came across my desk. It’s from the largest Arabic newspaper in Bahrain. Even there the Super Bowl gets at least some attention.

Kirsch Words: Patriots vs. Ravens

Patriots Football Weekly’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Fred Kirsch will offer his Kirsch Words blog which features in-game commentary during the Patriots AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, January 22. Kirsch Words begins at 2:45pm ET.

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Kirsch Words: Patriots vs. Broncos

Patriots Football Weekly’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Fred Kirsch will offer his Kirsch Words blog which features in-game commentary during the Patriots AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, January 14. Kirsch Words begins at 8pm ET.

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Kirsch Words: Patriots vs. Bills

Patriots Football Weekly’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Fred Kirsch will offer his Kirsch Words blog which features in-game commentary during the Patriots game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, January 1, 2012. Kirsch Words begins at 12:45pm ET.

Jump to Kirsch Words Now >>