Jeff Duncan's take
He sided strongly with the NFL/Goodell on bountygate.
I agree with you on the name calling. There’s no place for it. And Duncan has proven that his info can be solid (even if his opinions aren’t).
But that’s why there’s so much emotion whenever his name is brought up.
Beat me to it. It's exactly why many here don't like Duncan, especially and including me. He was unapologetically in Goodell's court during the bounty nonsense, and he opined that Mr. Benson should sell the Saints.
I took him to task for both on this forum several years ago, and I haven't changed my mind. Let's be clear: Sports journalists' opinions are not the same as sports journalism. Having an opinion doesn't make you a journalist, let alone a good one.
Writing a column is merely an attempt by the author to form an opinion. I think too often, we confuse opinions with objective game coverage or analysis. They're not the same.
But let's put the talking-head type aside for a minute. I see posters here talk quite a bit about sports journalism and what it is or what it should be.
I don't mention either here very often. But maybe I should. I've been a news journalist for 28 years, having started my career as a sports reporter covering high school and college athletics. At some publications, I was required to write weekly columns based on what I covered every day -- not just the games but athletes, coaches, athletic directors and parents.
Sometimes, those columns were my personal evaluation of what I was seeing in the sports communities in which I lived. Other times, maybe it was a feel-good piece about a player who had overcome injuries or personal issues to succeed on the court or field. But I can't remember a time, including when I covered college programs and athletes, that I approached my job with the same antagonistic attitude Duncan has toward the Saints.
To be fair, it's no sports journalist's job to be a cheerleader for the teams they cover. But it's also not their job to actively and publicly root against them. All things being equal, Duncan seems to do the latter with an almost-hatred of the organization.
And I can't stand for that. I was born in New Orleans and love this team. I think the Bensons have been incredible for and to the region and our fans, and they'll always have my respect.
As far as Duncan's legitimacy as a decent journalist, I'm not questioning that. But I'll say now as I said a few years ago when I criticized the New Orleans Times-Picayune for failing its readers and advertisers: I can walk into that building tomorrow and do a far better job of covering anything in New Orleans, including the Saints, than Duncan.