Ok now that Matt Walsh has agreed to show the NFL his collection of Patriots memorabielia it's time to let the mind wander and try and decifer the advantages to taping your opponent. Also, lets not be crazy and think that the Patriots would have lost every game they played without the "tapes". They are still a good team, a very good team. I am not sold that they would have won a Super Bowl without that knowledge or "video enhancements" but they would have still been a great team... now with that being said, here is why the tapes were so important, to the development of Tom Brady from a inexperienced QB to a World Class QB.

 (IF THE Tapes are tapes of opposing defenses in practise and signals during a game)

1. the time in which Matt Walsh was employed 1997-2003 was the time period where Brady was inexpereinced young QB and the extra video of the defenses practise would allow him the oppurtunity to see exactly what he was going to see in a game, slowed down. Also the chance for the coaching staff to put him through similated circumstances in practise, and use this to incorporate the blocking schemes to protect him the best.

2. Watching video is key for a young QB, in high school, college, arena, canada and the NFL, but that's tape of game photage against a different team. Practise tapes would help that much more because thats the plan that team plans on implicating that week against you. It's one thing to go and watch game tape, and slow it down to see the nuances of each play, it's completely different to watch a tape of the team slowed down to learn the nuances of each play. If your watching them learn, it's usually easier to learn and decifer the differences.

3. If the taped the signals during a game, at halftime the signals would already have been disected thru the tapes and the actual game photage. It would not be hard to:
a see the signal
b relay to off coordinator
c call play and tell Brady what formation the defense will be in.
in that a young QB, would already know for certain what the team was gonna do. With that confidence and knowledge he shouldnt have had much problem learning to use his abilitys to find the weaknesses in th defense.

4. having the videotape of the weeks practise will almost always reveal any tricks or secret plays the opposition is thinking about running that week.  Therefore eliminating the element of suprise and wonder for a young Qb.

("love the hat, tom")

Now to brign this all together, the two most important things for a young QB are the gameplan and his confidence. Almost every QB who makes the NFL can throw the ball, but it takes the decision making you learn in your gameplan and the confidence in yourself, your abilitys and the play call to make it work on the field. His confidence was heightened through "video enhancements" therefore allowing him to concentrate on the other fascets of Quarterbacking in the National Football League.

The world knew that New England would have a good defense when Belicheck was hired, Belicheck is a defensive genius he has been his whole career (if you dont believe me watch the tape of Super Bowl 25) their offense however was a question mark. With these advantages as a young QB Brady's oppurtunity to truly understand the postition and reach the highest level of sucess were greatly increased, almost made simple. But his growth as a Qb can not soley be placed on "enhancements" he still had to do it every week, and take these advantages and in combination with his own abilitys still craft that into becoming a world class QB, because that is what he is a world class QB. He may go down as the greatest QB ever... but does he go down as with an asterisk or not is the question.

two things to note before responding...

1. I still believe Tom Brady would have been a good QB in this league, i thought so when he was at Michigan i couldnt believe that Drew Henson kept gettting snaps over him.

2. THIS is all being said IF the Patriots are guilty of taping practises, and signals.

(if it comes out that the didnt do this the, to quote HHH then "he's that damn good")