Congratulations Donovan McNabb on your 2004 Super Bowl Ring.  Joey Porter, you are one of the best linebackers in the history of the NFL with your 3 Super Bowl rings earned since 2001.  Peyton Manning, I don't seem to remember you going winless in Foxboro during the playoffs.  Those were some mighty fine performances you gave us. 

With the unfolding of the newest scandal to rock professional sports, people are coming forward saying that the Patriots dynasty is the result of smoke and mirrors.  Tom Brady is a mirage that was videotaped right before our eyes.  According to Jerry Porter, the Patriots were a struggling franchise before 2001, but by using video cameras to tape signals, they transformed themselves into dynasty contenders. 

According to the AP, Sheldon Brown said that he noticed a difference in New England's playcalling in the second quarter of the Super Bowl between the Patriots and Eagles.  After the Patriots gained only 45 yards in the first quarter, they had 286 over the next three. 

In the same story, Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward said this week that he suspected the Patriots had some type of inside information on the Steelers before at least one of the teams' two AFC championship game matchups since the 2001 season.

First and foremost, what Bill Belichick did was wrong.  Every team tries to gain a competitive advantage in a game.  He clearly crossed the line.  Having an assistant watch signals from the sideline is completely different than videotaping someone's signals.  The NFL Rule's and Competition Committee outlaws this practice.  Belichick had to be aware of these rules.  The NFL should punish him for his actions.  This punishment came down in the form of a $500,000 fine against Belichick, $250,000 against the Patriots, and the loss of draft picks that will vary depending on the outcome of the Patriots season.  Surprisingly, no suspensions were given out.  Personally, I would have taken that route rather than the forfeiture of draft picks.  However, I believe that the penalty was within the realm of reason.  The punishment should serve as a deterrent for future behavior. 

Here is my issue.  I think the people that were not good enough to beat the Patriots in the playoffs or Super Bowl need to stop embarrassing themselves by opening their mouths on this subject.  The overall reaction that I have seen suggests that while Belichick was the one that was caught, he is not the first to have engaged in this practice.  The overall feeling is that while no team will admit that they engage in this type of practice, that Belichick did not invent this practice. 

Teams playing the Patriots could have taken all kinds of precautions to thwart the Patriot's attempts to steal signals.  1) The Patriot's opponent can have two people signal in the plays from the sideline as to confuse the opposition as to which signals are in fact the real ones, 2) The Patriots opponent could switch up the signals in the middle of the game.  If they thought the Patriots were on to their signals, they could have switched those signals up during the game and used that switching to their advantage, 3) They could have sent their packages in through substitute players that were entering the game. 
The fact is that if you are stupid enough to allow the other team to steal your signals, you deserve what you get.  If the Patriots were being accused of tapping into the headsets and listening to conversations or plays that the other team was calling we have a much bigger problem.  This is something that other team cannot control.  To decide not to use the headsets for fear of a tap would cause a competitive disadvantage. 

Baseball players have been stealing signs for over a hundred years.  The baseball teams have systems in place to prevent runners on second base from relaying signs to the batter.  While it is the responsibility of the Patriots to play by the rules, it is equally the responsibility of the opponent to make sure that a system is in place that will not allow signals to be compromised. 

While I am not a Patriot fan, I think that what they have accomplished in the last 6 years is pretty amazing.  They have won 3 Super Bowls.  They have appeared in 4 AFC Championship games.  They have won at least one playoff game 5 of the last 6 years.  This has been the result of a Hall of Fame Coach, a Hall of Fame Quarterback, and the best front office in football.  They have been wise in free agency, evaluated talent in the draft, not been afraid to bring in controversial personalities, and not afraid to cut people that need to be replaced.  The Patriots are the model for the rest of the NFL. 

This is a tarnish on Bill Belichick's image.  Not an atom bomb, as betting on baseball and the Reds was to Pete Rose.  I would compare it to the Sammy Sosa corked bat incident.  Clearly, we know that Sammy Sosa did not hit all of his home runs with the help of a corked bat.  However, we do know that he cheated, because he was caught in the act.  To what extent the corked bat was used during Sammy's career; no one will ever know. 

It is the same in this situation.  No one knows how many games the Patriots used the videotape.  However, we know that Bill Belichick used it.  Therefore, it is a tarnish on his resume, because we will never know how much he used this illegal practice. 

The problem is that there are so many other factors in play.  If I used a cork bat, I would hit exactly 0 homeruns.  In 100 at bats, I would strike out 100 times.  Sammy Sosa had the talent to not only hit the ball, but to hit homeruns.  To say that his 600+ homeruns were entirely the result of cork is a ridiculous position. 

It is the same in this case.  Bill Belichick is the best coach in football.  Period.  If I had videotaped those signals, it would not have turned me into a head coach, much less a Hall of Fame head coach.  If Art Shell had those signals his bed and breakfast offensive coordinator would have still scored under 200 points.  Players make plays.  Players are the ones that execute on the field.  Hall of Fame coaches have the ability to maximize the production out of the talent that they have.   Videotape or no videotape, Bill Belichick is capable of doing that.   To make the assumption that the worst head coach in the NFL could have used this videotape trick and transformed the Cardinals into perennial title contenders is absurd.   The Patriots won for more reasons than videotaping signals. 

I'll make another analogy.  Saying that Bill Belichick altered the course of NFL history by using this videotape is like saying that if I were to be caught shoplifting that I am damaging the national economy and causing the country to go into a recession.  While my act of shoplifting would be wrong and would hurt the storeowner from whom I stole, you have to keep the act itself in prospective.  Clearly unemployment, high interest rates, and high gas prices would also play a much larger role in a recession than me not paying for some merchandise. 

The sad thing in all this is that Bill Belichick didn't need to do this to be successful.  He is such a good coach to stoop himself to this type of level is unconsciousable.  However, the players that were not good enough to win championships need to keep their mouths shut and worry about playing football this season.  They need to stop taking advantage of this opportunity to repair their own legacies.  Bill Belichick being caught for this does not suddenly turn their past post seasons into success.  For these players to use this opportunity to repair their own legacies is shameful. 

This incident makes me even more certain that the Patriots will be playing in the Super Bowl.  Not only do they have the loss to the Colts in last year's AFC Championship game to motivate them.  Now they have a chip on their shoulder from all the people who doubt their past accomplishments.  The whole team has basically been transformed into Randy Moss.   Moss is a superstar that has put up every number imaginable that must now prove that he is still a legitimate threat.  Did you see what he did when put to that test?  I would expect the Patriots to be focused and ready to take the Chargers out this Sunday, and the rest of the NFL for the weeks to come.  That is a scary thought for the other 31 teams in the NFL.