Gotta remember that sports journalism is no different than every other kind of journalism. It is usually manned by people who have little actual knowledge of what they're talking about, have filters through which they view the world, and so simply accept and repeat what they hear others of their profession say. This is why the media gets about a 75% unfavorability rating when all are lumped together as a general category.
There are the minority like Vinny B who seems to have actual knowledge, reports what he sees or gets from a reliable source, and doesn't try to pretend that he's a football guru. I have a lot of respect for that guy's reporting.