It is so tiresome, but it has become so predictable.
Right on schedule, hours after word broke that the Patriots were trading Jamie Collins, out came the character smears.
IYER: Patriots' call to trade Collins was tough but correct
There were more than a few coming from various unnamed sources and accompanied by narrowly-prescribed, specifically singled-out video examples. But the one that made the rounds fastest came from Michael Lombardi, longtime broadcast analyst, former Browns general manager and former Patriots coaching assistant. (His position on the trade in light of those last two employers is probably a coincidence.