Should the Patriots get *asterisked in the record books?
posted at 9:20 pm on November 7, 2007 by Bryan
It’s time for a little football blogging. Everyone knows that the Patriots were caught in sideline shenanigans during the season opener against the Jets. The Pats won that one easily, 38-14. It turned out to be one of their closer games this season so far.
But since they were caught cheating, should there be a mark of shame put in the record book on this season if they go undefeated?
I don’t think so. Say what you want about their “eff you” TDs at the ends of games, but the Patriots aren’t leaving any doubt at all that they’re the best team in the NFL right now. They’re making a very strong case that they’re the best team ever. They were caught cheating, sure, but in the first week of the season in a game that wasn’t even close (and not because of the cheating–they were caught before the game started). Does anyone out there want to make a case that they had to cheat to beat the Redskins 52-7 or the Colts in the Colts’ own house? Of the Cowboy game, we shall not speak.
But Don Shula, coach of the only NFL team to complete an undefeated season, says the asterisk may be appropriate in the Pats’ case this year.
“I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds’ home run record. I guess it will be noted that the Patriots were fined and a No.1 draft choice was taken away during that year of accomplishment. The sad thing is Tom Brady looks so good, it doesn’t look like he needs any help.”
A lot has been written about Bill Belichick’s elaborate videotaping of other team’s defensive signals since the Patriots were caught with an employee on the sidelines during the first game of the season, filming the defensive signals from the Jets’ coaching staff.
But for what it’s worth, the Patriots were never able to gain any advantage from that tape, because it was confiscated at halftime. And given that the team was severely disciplined for its behavior, it’s a relatively safe assumption that Belichick hasn’t resumed the most controversial taping program outside of the Bush administration. Which means — for those of you keeping track — the Patriots didn’t gain an unfair advantage during any of their nine wins so far this season.
Now whether Belichick and his staff may have benefited from similar tactics during New England’s three Super Bowl runs is certainly open to debate, but what the team may have done in past seasons has no bearing on what he and his players are accomplishing this season.
If this year’s Patriots go undefeated, an asterisk won’t be added to their record and it shouldn’t be. They’ll go undefeated because they were good enough to do it, week in and week out.
I respect Shula, but he sounds like a sourpuss on this.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Shula’s bitter because he’s not gonna have any excuse to drink champaign.
crazy_legs on November 7, 2007 at 9:22 PM
The Pats deal would be much more palatable if Belichick had a likable bone in his body.
Go COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!
mimi1220 on November 7, 2007 at 9:25 PM
We are witnessing a new strain of BDS. Bellichick Derangement Syndrome.
Patrap on November 7, 2007 at 9:27 PM
Yeah, Shula is a sourpuss. When Shula was active in coaching he was on the Competition Commmittee and wielded a lot of power that he was not afraid to use. He is far from disinterested in this. Someone looked at the Dolphins competition in their perfect year and found that it was largely toothless. Shula will always hate NE and we will always hate Shula.
thegreatbeast on November 7, 2007 at 9:28 PM
Shula’s sour grapes. There’s still allot of season left but what an irony if the Pats go 16/0 in the same year Miami ends up 0/16.
repvoter on November 7, 2007 at 9:31 PM
I still repect Shula, even though I’m a Pats fan.
He’s still mad about the “Snow Bowl”
I think a lot is being made on his comments, I think he was pressed for a soundbite by the interviewer and he delivered. He also said this at the end:
On the plus side, I’m sure the Patriots just put up a giant asterisk in the locker room.
I’m sure Cam Cameron isn’t too happy at the comments. Heh. Nothing will compare to the beating the Jets are going to take, though.
reaganaut on November 7, 2007 at 9:32 PM
And the Pats fans will “excuse” this away, claiming that “everyone does it” etc, etc…
I got a kick out of the NY Post Line …they ran the astrisk in it for a while.
Good team this year or not…the Patriots committed a flagrant violation, were punished, and the whole investigation isn’t over with yet. Who knows to what extent they went with crud like videotaping their opponents signals.
I say let the asterisk stay. Boldly.
JetBoy on November 7, 2007 at 9:37 PM
To be honest the NFL isn’t that far from the WWE.
deadbackpacker on November 7, 2007 at 9:38 PM
I would compare the Pats situation to that of the cheating girlfriend. Sure it was only once, sure it didn’t mean anything, sure, it won’t happen again, sure you forgive her, but you never really completely trust her again do ya??
commonsensehoosier on November 7, 2007 at 9:41 PM
I won’t try to guess Shula’s motives. I will say that if the Patriots win out, it will be a more impressive accomplishment than the undefeated Dolphin season. Today’s NFL is more competitive, not to mention the longer season. The Patriots were tested against the Colts. Can they win out? I think so, but they dodged a bullet Sunday.
Ordinary1 on November 7, 2007 at 9:41 PM
Nutri System has left Shula with a bitter taste in his mouth.
SouthernGent on November 7, 2007 at 9:42 PM
Yes, let it stay. As bold as can be. The asterisk can stand for going undefeated in a 16 game season, post salary-cap.
I really can understand some of the other teams pain, and their desire to search for any chance to try and bring the Patriots down. However, it’s not New England’s fault that there are so many horrible teams, with horrible owners, horrible management and horrible coaches.
People can either sit there and whine, coaches and gms can make comments to detract from their own incompetence, or they can look at how Bob Kraft turned a franchise into a winner.
reaganaut on November 7, 2007 at 9:44 PM
Yes, NE was caught cheating, but it didn’t affect any outcomes of any games. Using the Barry Bonds analogy, it’s pretty obvious that performance enhancing drugs enhance performance. The Patriots were caught before they could gain any actual advantage. No asterisk if the Pats win out. They paid their debt to society!
Ordinary1 on November 7, 2007 at 9:45 PM
Should they have just put an * on Nixon’s presidency instead of impeaching him?
Drtuddle on November 7, 2007 at 9:47 PM
Bring the Patriots down? They brought the cheating scandal on themselves. Kraft and Beli-cheat. If certain teams can’t uphold integrity, then the whole NFL looks bad.
JetBoy on November 7, 2007 at 9:50 PM
Did the players cheat? No. So why punish them. The Coach doesnt play on the field nor does all the knowledge of the others team’s signal help. The players still have to execute. Take the OK Sooners under Barry Switzer. You know they were going to run the option every play, yet they still won games. Go figure!
Claimsratt on November 7, 2007 at 9:52 PM
Shula’s definitely engaging in a wee bit of revisionist history because his storied Dolphins got hit by the NFL prior to the dream season and lost a draft pick for their troubles because of tampering that led to Shula leaving Baltimore and going to the ‘Fins.
If Shula believes that the Patriots deserve an asterisk, then he ought to negotiate a two-fer and paste the other asterisk next to his own undefeated team.
Asterisk that!
lawhawk on November 7, 2007 at 9:56 PM
Sad to see Shula reduced to being a bitter old man.
doufree on November 7, 2007 at 9:59 PM
Go Pack!!
Claimsratt on November 7, 2007 at 10:03 PM
No!!! And Cowboys, Redskins, Colts, Dolphins, etc. fans should just take the beating that the Patriots gave you a little better than you are. They got caught cheating BEFORE the season started. They beat everyone else after that fair and square. Move on. Please. I’m a Bears fan and I can still enjoy what the Patriots are doing this year.
Ballistic on November 7, 2007 at 10:04 PM
Cheating is cheating…
how long DID they cheat? Last year, the year before?
I just hate cheaters, great or not.
I really do not know about the *, but possibly/probably we wont have to worry about it.
When the Broncos were unstoppable, the winless Giants beat em in week 13 or so.
shooter on November 7, 2007 at 10:07 PM
Whatever Shula.
Vizzini on November 7, 2007 at 10:13 PM
yo…jetboy!
Stop ya silly as$ whining…. you and Hillary have alot in common… Change your handle to PROP-PRUNES! The Jets crashed a long time ago….!!!!
dmann on November 7, 2007 at 10:20 PM
If you are caught cheating, don’t whine about…man up. An asterisk for cheating. It was obvious, it was blatant, and it was wrong.
The greatest runner in the world would be disqualified if he was caught cheating, even if he could out run every one on the field.
The fastest swimmer would be disqualified from the Olympics if they were caught cheating. And gold medals have been taken back for cheating.
Gold medals in sailing have been returned for cheating.
Now boxing is on the same level as football, you can cheat and the fans think its okay.
Wrestling, boxing, and football…they all are embracing cheating.
Football is the only “legitimate” sport where you can cheat, and they reward you. In fact the Pats fans relish it, they are proud of it…if they were true sportsmen they would disavow and hold them in disgrace. But instead they raise their beer mugs and toast the cheaters.
Even Bryan thinks it is okay to cheat…no wait he says it is wrong, but don’t punish them with an asterisk, that’s too harsh.
This isn’t the first time they have been charged with cheating. And it won’t be the last, why would they stop, their fans support it.
right2bright on November 7, 2007 at 10:22 PM
You really are pretty naive about what goes on in the NFL.
reaganaut on November 7, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Spot-on, R2B…but I don’t expect Beli-cheat’s supporters to “man up”…they’ll keep making excuses and calling anyone who despises cheating “whiners”.
JetBoy on November 7, 2007 at 10:33 PM
Shula said that the Pats’ forfeiture of a first-round draft pick was evidence of the severity of the infraction.
Thing is, when Joe Robbie signed him away from the Baltimore Colts in 1969, the Colts complained to the NFL which eventually penalized the Miami Dolphins a first-round draft pick because of their actions.
Not too many people mentioning this, however.
GO PATS!
Corky on November 7, 2007 at 10:35 PM
Sour grapes? How about: Moss acts like a pre-teen, Brady is a whoremonger, & Bill is a cheatin’ jerk.
jgapinoy on November 7, 2007 at 10:50 PM
Hardly, just when you get caught you pay. You are naive if you think the money that is gambled on football takes cheating lightly.
You see, if the NFL really punishes the Pats, then Las Vegas goes berserk, but if they allow it to go on, Las Vegas goes berserk.
The NFL has a lot bigger problems with this then the public understands. They are trying to suppress it, put on a happy face, but bigger interests wants this resolved.
If money (gambling kind) were not involved, Pats would be put on ice, or mandatory forfeit of games or the post season.
right2bright on November 7, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Here’s an article about another patriot with an asterisk next to the name…
Rugged Individual on November 7, 2007 at 10:52 PM
If they want to talk asterisks, they should be talking about them with regards to every game in the Belichick era PRIOR to getting caught. Since that is when the cheating would have ocurred. But, after Week 1 of this season, all their videos they recorded were confiscate and destroyed. So everything they have been doing from Week 1 of this season on has been “clean”.
Also, I read an article about this which stated that video-taping an opposing team’s signals is not against NFL rules. What is against the rules is video-taping them from the sidelines.
And, just like the steroids issue, if people think that the Patriots are the only team in the NFL to cheat like this, they are sadly naive. They are simply the only ones to have been caught (so far). What I find interesting is that Bill Belichick has not turned around and ratted out other teams in the league. Instead, he is telling his team to give a nice big “eff you” to the league by clobbering every opponent every week.
Michael in MI on November 7, 2007 at 10:54 PM
The Giants will beat New England – at home – on Dec. 29th.
T J Green on November 7, 2007 at 10:55 PM
Actually, a fitting punishment for the Patriots…for the time being anyway….would be to have that big asterisk as their logo on their helmets for a season.
JetBoy on November 7, 2007 at 10:56 PM
I think all that Nutri-Systems chow has left Shula’s brain a bit mushy.
No asterisk needed for the Patriots. For one thing, they haven’t gone undefeated yet (although I’d love to see it happen). And besides… they are dominating from all directions, and a single videotape episode is hardly the cause of it.
D2Boston on November 7, 2007 at 11:07 PM
No asterisk. The pats are freakin great this year, they were already punished for their cheating and it didn’t help them get any wins anyhow.
Man I hope they lose at least one game this year though. Belichick strikes me as a serious jerk.
BadgerHawk on November 8, 2007 at 12:03 AM
You know what the Jet’s were able to do? Make people like Jetboy take out their anger and frustration of having one of the worst teams in the entire NFL on another franchise. The all must be Dems at the Jets because they know how deflect criticism and project their failings upon others just like them.
Like I said Jetboy get used to losing. This Dynasty shows no signs of slowing down. And, to rub salt in the wound, as it stands right now, the Patriots are looking at the 4th overall pick in the Draft next year…bwahaha!
TheBigOldDog on November 8, 2007 at 12:03 AM
Actually, he’s a pretty nice guy. He just hates the media (and who could blame him). The next time you hear BB speak ill of another team or player will be the first time you ever hear it because he doesn’t do it. He’s nothing but complimentary, even of teams like the Dolphins. After listening to him discuss an upcoming opponent you’d think they were Super Bowl bound filled with pro bowlers no matter who it is and his team reflects that as well. You never hear the Pats be anything but complimentary of every other team and player. Unfortunately there are people in the League who don’t follow that same rule.
Because he rarely talks to the media(which goes back to his experience in Cleveland and what Tom Jackson did to him on ESPN many years ago – flat out lying about him) the media has a vested interest in taking him down. Problem is, he’s as close to untouchable here in New England as a human being can be so there is nothing they can say or do that would remotely dent his faithful support.
TheBigOldDog on November 8, 2007 at 12:12 AM
I have a challenge for you. Tell me how they cheated. And by cheated I mean gained an unfair competitive advantage that influenced the outcome of game.
I have to warn you, nobody, and I mean nobody, not even the great Don Shula can answer that. You know why? Because what they are really guilty of is being cheap and perhaps lazy and breaking a rule of where you can film from and where you can’t.
Recording the oppositions isn’t against the rules. It’s done in the open. That’s why teams have dummy signals and dummy signal callers. That’s why signals are coded. That’s why teams change signals regularly.
Most teams either film from an allowed location (per the book a covered location) or have an assistant coach simply observe and write them down.
The Pats, being cheap, had a student do it with a video camera from the sideline. That’s what they are guilty of. Doing it from the wrong location, plain and simple.
Last year the Dolphins admitted to buying tape of Brady’s line calls which they used to near perfection in a shutout victory. The players talked about it openly. Was that cheating? No. That’s why they weren’t punished. Put aside your partisan feeling for a second and ask yourself why you’ve probably never heard what I just told you.
TheBigOldDog on November 8, 2007 at 12:25 AM
Yes.
Clark1 on November 8, 2007 at 12:29 AM
The Pats are going to come off of their ‘By’ week with the big head and the Bills are going to take them down.
Helloyawl on November 8, 2007 at 12:34 AM
Steelers will take care of the Pats. No worries.
Zach on November 8, 2007 at 12:42 AM
Oh please Zach…
Brady will surgically destroy the Steelers.
Shula needs to pull that stick out of his ass.
Brady destroys teams because he is that good. And this coming from a Bronco fanatic!
msipes on November 8, 2007 at 12:51 AM
How do you not add an asterisk?
Let me be clear: there is no question that they are an outstanding team. They have been since the millennium began. Arguably, this is the best season in that remarkable streak. (Although the Cowboys deserve full credit for leading them in the second half …)
They play like machines. They don’t have to cheat to win. If they aren’t in the AFC championship game, I’ll vote for Hillary next year. I’d put the odds of both as being about equally unlikely. They’re that good.
But – and it’s an awfully big but – the simple fact is that they did get caught cheating. More to the point, it was deemed significant enough to take away a first-round draft pick.
So, please, somebody, approach it objectively and logically … and explain to me how you put an undefeated record in the record books and don’t point out the curious fact that they lost a first-round pick while they did it?
These are the facts. And that’s a big ol’ big fact. I have no idea how you could leave that fact out of the equation.
And for what its worth, even if they go undefeated (they won’t) – whether there is an official asterisk or not won’t matter.
Your grandchildren’s grandchildren will be pointing out the same thing I just did. The 2007 Pats were good … but they had a first-round pick taken away because they got caught cheating.
The asterisk is already there. Forever. And ever.
Professor Blather on November 8, 2007 at 1:24 AM
I’m sure Mark McGwire hit a lot of legitimate home runs, too. I have no doubt Marion Jones won a lot of races without the steroids.
But that’s one of the big problems with cheating. After you get caught once, nobody really knows what’s legitimate and what’s not.
You’re a fool if you claim the Patriots aren’t an excellent team, or that they have to cheat to win. But they got caught and that’s always going to put the rest in doubt to some degree. It’s not fair. It’s especially not fair to the players and coaches not involved.
But for a lot of people, there are now questions. And 50 years from now, when people argue this, the questions will be what’s remembered.
Not many people remember the batting averages in the 1919 world series. They remember the rest, though, don’t they?
The moral is: don’t cheat. It ain’t worth it. Ever. Especially if you’re as good as the Patriots.
If anybody really wants to mock Belichick, that’s what you should be mocking: his judgment. He had almost nothing to gain and no need to cheat, and he cheated anyway. If he was coaching the St. Louis Rams, at least it would make sense.
Professor Blather on November 8, 2007 at 1:35 AM
I issue you the same challenge as I did above. Tell me how they cheated. And by cheated I mean gained an unfair competitive advantage that influenced the outcome of game.
Same as steroid use?
That’s the problem. Most people have no idea WTF they are talking about.
TheBigOldDog on November 8, 2007 at 2:16 AM
5 years from now people aren’t even going to mention it, never mind 50, because time will put it into perspective. People don’t tarnish the 49 dynasty now because they violated the salary cap and had to give up draft picks. You think 50 years from now they are going to care that a coach used a student with a camera rather than a coach with binoculars or filmed it from the a both in the stadium? Please…
TheBigOldDog on November 8, 2007 at 2:23 AM
You still bitter that the Broncs got run over by the Steeler express train in 2005-06? Denver is a fine town though, gotta say.
Zach on November 8, 2007 at 5:54 AM
Eh…it’s pretty easy to look like the ‘best team in the NFL’ if you cheat.
James on November 8, 2007 at 6:34 AM
They didn’t cheat, they broke a rule. you cannot videotape the sideline and WITHIN THE GAME use that tape to suddenly decode the signs. the nfl agrees. it was for future use and every team changes signs and the signal giver, usually within the game. the advantage is in trying to detect patterns and behaviors and to scout the assistants who may one day be coordinators or head coaches.
you have to be insanely ignorant to believe you can use the video with in the game and even more ignorant to believe it somehow is more effective than the binoculars and real live experts in play calling sitting in the press box and trying to figure it out on the fly.
Shula has changed his tune since the story broke and it’s clear he is worried they are going to bump off his perfect season.
the HATEriots among you are like BDS sufferers mixed with truthers.
coondawg on November 8, 2007 at 6:54 AM
Full disclosure: I have been a Pats fan since… Jim Plunket was the QB… and everyone in the media called them the Patsies…
That said, I don’t think the Pats will go undefeated – the season is longer, the gap from best to worst is much narrower than it was when Miami ran the table…
Besides, the Dolphin community is still ticked off by the Great Snowblower Caper of 1982… Game winning field goal made easier by a worker (a convict on work release, if memory serves) clearing the spot for John Smith’s field goal. Maestro Shula was not happy.
darkpixel on November 8, 2007 at 7:48 AM
Truth is, the patriots were made a public example. They are not the only team that was guilty of such tactics and everyone knows it. The NFL brass wanted to rattle its saber. It picked an upper eschelon team to make its statement. With those stiff penalties, it should put an end to it across the league.
leavenedbread on November 8, 2007 at 7:49 AM
no… THE PATRIOTS – MY PATRIOTS – have completed their season so far with honor. The incident that Don Shula references happened in the first game against the Jets and nobody profitted from it… Shula simply wants to protect his record here and he is being an ignoramus about it by questioning the Patriots….
The Patriots, like George Bush, have performed magnificently, defending this nation against other unworthy NFL teams and totally dominating the opposition. They deserve all glory and your vote.
Like the 300 who welcomed the morning with “Spartans: Prepare for Glory,” the Patriots must prepare for glory in each game and through their hard work they achieve it….
What I am getting at is this – and I am not bashful about saying it -
TOM BRADY FOR PRESIDENT
Don Shula can jump in a lake with the Democrats…
IntheNet on November 8, 2007 at 7:53 AM
I dont read Shula’s comments as sour grapes at all. To me, judging just by the quote that Bryan posted and the additional qoute in the link, it seems that Shula thinks it’s too bad that in the Patriots’ “year of accomplishment” their feat may be diminished by the “spygate” and the fines. He says it’s like an asterisk is attached to their season, not that he thinks an asterisk should be appended to their season. In some respects it’s like Nixon and Watergate. Nixon had the ’72 election wrapped up in a landslide and didn’t need the break-in. Nonetheless, deserved or undeserved, no one remembers the landslide, they only remember the break-in.
ncc770 on November 8, 2007 at 7:55 AM
Imagined hatred…I don’t hate the Patriots. But anyone simply ‘breaking a rule’ while playing football is penalized downs, yards, a combination of both, etc. You don’t get your organization fined after the game or lose a first-round draft pick for the next season for breaking the rules. Those penalties are reserved for cheating.
James on November 8, 2007 at 8:13 AM
Yeah, the asterisk should say they cheated the moment they signed Randy Moss for a 4th round pick. That deal sealed the fate of the rest of the NFL.
Of course they shouldn’t get an ‘asterisk’. That’s stupid. Even if you KNOW what defense they are playing, you still have to execute. It may give you some advantage, but it’s like getting the advantage of seeing someone getting ready to blitz before the snap (fake sometimes), or sending someone in motion to see if it is man-to-man or zone coverage (is that cheating too?)
I think the whole ‘cheating’ thing is stupid. The Patriots are making a mockery of the entire league because they are better than everyone else.
I think it would be more appropriate to put an asterisk next to Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR championship this season. JJ’s crew chief was SUSPENDED for cheating the first two races of the season. But who cares about NASCAR anymore except the multimillion dollar corporations who want to protect their commercials?
ThackerAgency on November 8, 2007 at 8:20 AM
The NFL made an example of the Patriots who cheated by hiring a student to videotape the signals from the sidelines.
They would not have cheated if they told the student to do it from the stands.
Shula is just pissed because if his team hasn’t already been stomped, he knows it will be. He wants to put an asterisk there because he knows the Patriots are head-and-shoulders above the rest of them this year.
The only worrying game this season will be Patriots vs. Colts the sequel, and everyone knows it.
BKennedy on November 8, 2007 at 8:22 AM
The Pats are the strongest or second strongest team this year, no doubt. The Colts are close and I am sure they will meet in the AFC title game.
BUT
Once a cheater always a cheater. That is just the way it is.
Some other comments stated that the violating the slary cap by the 49ers didn’t tarnish their legacy. Well, it did in my book. Throw in the Broncos as well.
Ultimately, besides the chiding the Pats deserve, the NFL deserves a fair amount of blame for things like back-end penalizing of teams that used unfair advantages to get ahead. Violating the cap helped earn the Niners and the Broncos several Super Bowls between them. They might have won anyway, but like the Pats, we will never know the degree that the cheating hasd on the ultimate outcome.
About Shula? I didn’t even know he was still alive.
awake on November 8, 2007 at 8:36 AM
Don’t worry, Jetboy, the Football GINTS will take care of everything, * or not.
flipflopper on November 8, 2007 at 8:58 AM
flipflopper…somehow that just doesn’t take the pain away…:-)
JetBoy on November 8, 2007 at 9:06 AM
They should have made them forfeit the game. Then there would be no need for an asterisk.
roux on November 8, 2007 at 9:17 AM
Whatever. When the Jets beat the Patriots in their second meeting this year, all this deification will stop. All they gotta do is play dirtier than the Pats. >:> Yeah, I know about 30 kajillion people say it won’t happen, but when it does — you heard it here first. :D
fiatboomer on November 8, 2007 at 9:28 AM
“the Patriots didn’t gain an unfair advantage during any of their nine wins so far this season.”
That may be true about taping signals of opponents, but what other dirty tricks may Belichick have used to take an unfair advantage. He is a classless slob and has no respect for the game, so anything is possible.
drewas on November 8, 2007 at 9:47 AM
They should have an asterisk as long as every other team who’s had a yellow flag dropped on them gets one too. They only throw those things when you break the rules.
If certain teams can’t play football worth a damn, then the whole NFL looks bad.
Pablo on November 8, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Ah, yes. Surely there’s something WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT that’s making them crush everyone they play by approximately 20 points on average, scoring an average of 40 or so points in the process. I suspect that Karl Rove is involved.
Yeah, that’s why he never says a bad word about anyone in public and has a team full of highly paid athletes following his program almost flawlessly and collecting Lombardi trophies like they were part of a dishware promotion at the supermarket. Because he’s a slob with no respect for the game.
Belichick Derangement Syndrome much, drewas?
Pablo on November 8, 2007 at 10:10 AM
I’m a baseball guy. If the other team is reading your signs, it’s because you’re not being careful enough. Why should the Pats be singled out for something that is routine in the NFL?
Why do you think coaches cover their mouth when they call in plays?
budorob on November 8, 2007 at 10:21 AM
Should there be an asterisk placed on the Jets accomplishments in 1997 because of their tampering with the Patriots coach that cost them 4 draft picks which Paul Tagliabue ordered sent to the Patriots?
Oh, wait. 9-7, 3rd place in the AFC East. The Patriots took the division that season.
Nevermind.
Pablo on November 8, 2007 at 10:25 AM
No.
Casey W. on November 8, 2007 at 10:48 AM
This is just the beginning of the Jets losing again and again to the Pats, get used to it and learn to be humble, LOL Mancini has had his days and he is toast, ha, ha, ha. I love to see you whine jet boy, you sound like hillary being piled on by the big boys, lol
bones47 on November 8, 2007 at 11:04 AM
Good challenge.
First of all, it is illegal to tape the oppositions for the purpose of stealing signals, just as it is against tapping into the electronic conversations. It is specifically spelled out, no tapping from the sidelines. And if you look at the videos, they tape the signals, then pan up to the scoreboard for the play, time, and down. They now have a game plan and understand the signals of the opposing team. After assembling a book, they can take that into the games. BTW, this is not the first time, it is the first time of being actually caught. Last year there were complaints of signal stealing by them. They were forewarned this may be happening and they (NFL) deliberately began watching for it. Catching them in this one game does not prove it was just one game, after they had been doing this for the past seasons? Can’t prove it…Oh yeah, and every shoplifter and thief when caught always says this is the first time.
So now they start the season with a book of plays, their signals, and when they use those signals. And the other teams now have to adjust to the theivery of the PATS.
You may call it “part of the game”, but it is outlawed, just like filming the other teams practices is outlawed.
Like I said, the NFL can’t make a big deal out of this. The money spent on gambling and advertising is so huge they have to bury (and that means the other coaches and owners) this as no big deal. I assure you it is a big deal. Point spreads are determined sometimes by one play. Forget the outcome, one play can mean the loss of millions of dollars to the wrong people, or gain of million to the right people.
Without these rules, might as well be watching wrestling.
right2bright on November 8, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Boy you guys are naive. The NFL steps in and says “Zip it”. No discussion, it will be taken care of. It isn’t the win or loss, most gambling is done on point spreads.
The commish. hates to wake up to a horses head in his bed.
(point made by the NBA refs who “missed” some calls, heard about that for a week, then buried)
SSSSSHHHH, don’t kill the goose.
right2bright on November 8, 2007 at 12:31 PM
Coach Belichek has one answer to all his detractors: “I have Randy Moss and you don’t”. Case closed.
Larraby on November 8, 2007 at 12:33 PM
What’s “being the best” have to do with the matter of getting caught cheating? F-em.
BrunoMitchell on November 8, 2007 at 1:44 PM
The official call was that it was some sort of cheating, but when analyzed the following day during the Monday Night Game, it was quite a stretch to call it cheating.
Besides, the game was such a mismatch and such a bore, it needed something to add a little excitement…
stacman on November 8, 2007 at 5:02 PM