Pardon me for being a little bit stunned. But the Commish says so, which means the Pats are perps. What stuns me is not that the cheating claim is true, but that it's the Pats who did it. If it had been a perennial doormat trying to gain an edge, it would make a little more "sense". But NE, and the genius, against the J E T S, Jets?
If I was a betting man. I'd have bet the house that the Pats wouldn't cheat to beat the Jets, or any other team for that matter. But they did. And now we find that it isn't the first time they've been caught. Turns out the NFL warned them already about using the same tack against the Pack.
Looks like Roger Goodell's legal experience is coming in handy because the NFL has no shortage of miscreants to offer up for ajudication. But this is a whole new ball game, when teams are now on the stand.
So what next? Can Rough-Guy Roger afford to take it light on one of the NFL's showpiece franchises? Or is he compelled to make an example of a team that (evidently) believes that merely raiding the free agent talent pool doesn't get the job done nowadays.
Well, here's what we know. What was once renowned as one of the classiest organizations deserves to be reviled as one of the cheesiest. What on earth were they thinking?
The rumor is that the Pats will be exposed to the loss of multiple draft choices. That's a good idea, it's almost standard fare for teams that violate league rules. But is that enough. I don't think so.
How can a commissioner who suspends players for entire seasons because their conduct gives the league a black eye, afford to be lenient on a team that cheats to win?
Yes, the loss of draft picks is potentially very damaging. But I have to stress the "potentially" aspect. Draft picks go bust too often. And a fine? Fines don't hurt teams like they hurt players. Teams just raise ticket prices. Fans pay fines, not teams.
So what do we do to send the message to the Pats? I say we put 'em on playoff probation. College teams get the postseason "sit-down" for infractions all the time. After all, we hit players where it hurts most, in the game check. If we can suspend Tank Williams and Pac-Man for a season and send Mike Vick to purgatory, we really ought to hit a franchise where it hurts the most too, in the post-season. Because the Pats won't miss a beat if they can't draft WR's, they'll just pour a few million on Randy and Dante and move forward. And the NFL could fine them 50 million dollars, which their loyal fans will beg to pay if they can only get tickets.
But the playoffs? Now that would hurt. And hurt it should.
"No tolerance" means "no tolerance" for everybody.
Hey something in the NFL category that's about the NFL. Go figure.
Maybe they'll take away all of those AFC title games against the Steelers. I knew it couldn't have been Kordell, they were.......ok I can't keep that up.
I always assume that teams were cheating, stealing signs happens all the time in baseball. I just didn't know they did that in football too.
What kind of punishment is draft choices? That won't hurt them, what's the percentage of late round draft choices that pan out? Ok, Tom Brady that wasn't a very good point.
Take away their victory, take away one or two home games hit them in the pocket book. That will #### off the home crowd too, hopefully ensure that it stops.
This story is way overblown. We dont even have the facts yet. Media loves to comment and tell us what we should think before the facts. RATINGS!!!Dont fall for it. Can we move on please.
How about the Pats forfeit a 2nd rounder to the J-
E-T-S.
The dude busted for the offense better get a lifetime annuity from the Pats or he'll sing.
He's out of the league.
Then again, he may have a kayaking accident in his 5th floor apartment.
Fox is doing its damndest to make sure my pieces get buried, but if you look hard enough, you'll find that one of us still actually writes about sports (on occasion).
Try Armchair GM if you want to read actual sports content. It's where clowns like Josh Q and Erma4USC started out before they decided to be about their ego's instead of the truth.
Every team does it in some form, they are just not arrogant enough to do it right out in the open. This was nothing more than gamesmanship, Mangina pushing Belichiks buttons. kudos to Eric, it worked. Preperation freak that Bill is, this is going to be a big distraction. Having to take time to meet the commish and field all the media questions cuts into valuable game planning time.
Any more than a fine and the loss of a draft pick would be a ridiculas knee jerk reaction by Godell
Lets be real even with the confiscated video tape they cannot prove intent.Still pictures are allowed. unless the video is hooked to a live feed and interpeted by someone how knows what they are looking at and immeadiatly passed on to the coaching staff it has no value in the present game. The only thing the Patriots have been proven guilty of is having a recording device on the sidline, in violation of a league wide mandate sent out by Godell just this season.
Coincidently enough, Mangina never seemed to have a problem with the alleged "cheating" when he was with the Pats two years ago. This is nothing more than the Jets getting PHYSICALLY DOMINATED in this game and trying to make an excuse for a #### poor performance. Stealing signs had nothing to do with Tom Brady having all day in the pocket or Randy Moss beating 4 Jet defeneders for a 51 yard TD
Mangina is a glorified ball boy who couldn't handle losing to his mentor and the Man responsible for everything he has accomplished in football.I hope the Jets enjoy their 4-12 season.
So much ado about nothing.
JUST WIN BABY!
Last edited by 54fulltiltfulltime on September 12th at 5:06 PM.
