The Sports Rumors

One For the Ages

There may be no other venue of entertainment in which we witness as many bittersweet moments, as many David vs. Goliath scenarios play out, or more outcomes filled with irony.  Most of us are familiar with the Godfather trilogy, or at least Godfather I and II.  In Godfather I, Michael Coreleone convinces his wife that he will never be like his father, the mob leader at that time.  By the end of the movie and into Godfather II, we see that Michael is not only just like his father, but gone beyond his father’s peak of power and arrogance.  The New England Patriots upset of the St.Louis Rams in the Super Bowl years back was one of the biggest upsets in championship history.  One of the key motivating tools that Coach Belichick used was the fact that the Rams had already planned their Super Bowl parade, days before the game even took place.  Fast forward a few years and it’s those same Patriots, the once underdogs with the “nobody gave us a chance” mentality, who planned a Super Bowl victory parade in downtown Boston days before the game.  It’s the Patriots who have trademarked the “19-0” term, before ever reaching their 19^th victory.  It’s the Patriots sportswriters who already began selling books about their perfect season on amazon.com, a full week before the players even took the field.  So it is clear that sometimes, everything you try not to be and the very things you looked down upon in the past, are the very things that you can one day become. 

The Giants may not go on to be a dominant team that wins two more Super Bowls like New England did after beating the Rams.  The Giants may very well not even make the playoffs next year for all we know.  But for one night, on the biggest stage of them all, the Giants were the best football team in the world.  They were more intense, more physical, and played with more passion.  They never let up on their intensity.  Even in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were putting together a long drive and Giants defenders were visibly gassed, substitutes kept coming in and keeping the fort together.  When the Giants defense gave up what seemed to be the back breaking touchdown with 2:42 left in the game, the team stuck together.  Michael Strahan didn’t go sit on the sideline to mope.  He immediately got infront of the offensive linemen and gave them a pep talk.  Who knows what was said?  Whatever it was, it worked.  Eli Manning didn’t hang his head knowing that he had the daunting task that only the likes of John Elway, Joe Montana, or oddly enough, Tom Brady could pull off.  He got ready for a drive; a drive that will live in Super Bowl infamy. 

Perhaps the most symbolic play of the Giants season and the game against the Patriots occurred on third down near midfield with less than 1:20 to play.  Eli Manning dropped back for a pass and was blitzed.  He stepped up into the pocket, only to find himself in the grasp of two Patriot linemen, with a third approaching to bring him down.  Anyone watching that game knew that he was about to be sacked for a loss.  Even the referee came running in, ready to blow his whistle.  Somehow, Eli escaped the clutch of 300 pounders and broke free.  He lobbed a pass down the middle of the field to David Tyree, who was surrounded by three Patriots.  Tyree caught the ball using his hand and his helmet, held on to it, and gave the Giants new life inside the 25 yard line with less than a minute to go.  Had to be one of the most spectacular catches I’ve ever seen.  Fittingly enough, the game winning touchdown pass came moments later to Plaxico Burress of all people, who took a lot of heat for guaranteeing a win. 

As a fan of the game, I don’t think I could have asked for a better Super Bowl.  Unlike so many other Super Bowls, this one had the feeling of a real playoff type of game.  You could feel the intensity and pressure through the television screen.  By the fourth quarter, I was cheering for the Giants so hard, I had forgotten that they are an arch rival of my Washington Redskins.  But that’s what I mean when I say that the game completely drew me in and there’s not much more you can ask for.  The only other time I saw a Super Bowl filled with this much anxiety and suspense was the Patriots upsetting the Rams. 

Ironic.

Random Thoughts

*Quote of the Night:  “18-1.  They can go trademark that!” – Osi Umenyora in reference to the Patriots trademarking “19-0”. 

*It was great to see Peyton cheering so hard for Eli.  Sibling rivalries are nice but it’s even better to see the bond between them in moments of triumph; as cheesy as that is. 

*A lot is being made about Belichick walking off the field with 1 second left.  I don’t think it was a big deal.  He had already met with Coughlin at midfield and that one second was put back on the clock after it initially said zero. 

*Here is where Belichick deserves to get railed on.  Up 7-3 in range for a 48 yard field goal, and he goes for it on 4^th and 13?  That makes absolutely no sense to me at all.  It would be one thing if the Patriots offense was clicking, but even then, it’s a stretch.  If you don’t have confidence in your kicker, punt it down inside the 15 and let your defense do their job because they had only given up 3 points up to that point.  Bizarre decision by Belichick. 

*Eli Manning got the MVP award but Justin Tuck deserves a mention.  He was a monster in the first half and continued to play at a high level in the second half. I believe he had six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the first half alone!  He was pivotal in the Giants winning that game. 

NFL Divisional Playoff Previews

Seattle @ Green Bay (-7.5)

Lambeu Field.  January 12^th.  30 degrees with snow showers.  Playoff game.  Brett Favre. 

I should conclude my preview of this game by just pasting those 5 statements over and over, but I will elaborate for those who are not familiar with the point I’m trying to make.  Seattle is not going to go into Lambeu field with their non existent run offense and beat Brett Favre in a playoff game, especially while it is snowing.  You think Matt Hasslebeck is going to be able to throw all over that Green Bay secondary that features Charles Woodson and Al Harris?  I don’t.  You think Shaun Alexander and Co. will be able to muster up much of a run game at Green Bay, after they couldn’t do it against Washington in Seattle?  I don’t. 

There is no question that Seattle’s front four is impressive.  Patrick Kerney is a monster.  I’ll be honest; I didn’t think he was AS good as he looked against Washington last Saturday.  But let’s not forget that disrupting the game of Brett Favre is not the same thing as disrupting the game of Todd Collins, with all due respect.  Throw in the fact that Green Bay running back, Ryan Grant, has been as good as anyone in the league as of late, and you’re looking at a pretty big problem.  He has amassed 770 yards on 141 carries over the past eight games.  That comes to a 5.4 yards per carry average. 

I’ll put it as simple as I can.  Green Bay’s young defense (youngest in the league) will outplay Seattle’s old and talent lacking offense.  Seattle’s young defense will play well against Green Bay’s offense, but not well enough to hold them under 20 points.  I foresee Green Bay feeding off of the Packer faithful early, jumping ahead in the first quarter, and never looking back.

Final Score

Seattle 13

Green bay 24

Jacksonville @ New England (-13.5)

All week long, I have heard nothing but praise for Jacksonville and how they are the team that has what it takes to knock off the big bad wolf.  They have the dual running threat.  They have the quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes.  They have the front four that can put pressure on Brady and leave 7 others to congest the passing lanes.  People.  There is a reason Vegas has set them as 14 point underdogs. 

Everything that we have heard about how good Jacksonville is, the Patriots heard too.  Everything that we, in our coaching genius minds, have come up with to beat the Pats; the Patriots heard too.  All this water cooler talk, “Yeah Jim to beat the Patriots, the Jags will keep Brady and Moss off the field by running Taylor and Jones-Drew effectively and the Jax defense will get enough stops because that front four is going to harass Tom Brady.  Yep, this is the week the Pats fall.”

Bull.

The Patriots are going to win and they will win big; here’s why.  They will have an answer for the two headed monster that is Taylor & Jones-Drew just like Pittsburgh did.  Do you know how many yards the two of them got combined on the ground?  77.  Do you know WHY Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh on the road?  It wasn’t because of their formula for success.  It was because of a 96 yard kick return by Jones-Drew and two interceptions by Mathis.  THAT is why they won.  All of the things people have said the Jaguars will do against the Patriots is the same stuff they failed to do against the Steelers.  David Garrard, the mistake free quarterback, made mistakes.  He didn’t even complete 10 passes.  Think about that for a moment.  9 completions in 4 quarters means slightly more than 2 per 15 minutes.  The passing game failed.  The running game failed.  So now what makes you think that they will suddenly hit on all cylinders against New England?  Oh, and that front four of the Jaguars.  Yeah, they are pretty good.  But that defense gave up 29 points to Pittsburgh, most of them in the second half.  You know who is really good in the second half?  Tom F’ing Brady. 

All the angles we take and the studying we do as fans still fails to give us insight on what Belichick is going to do.  I couldn’t tell you with certainty if the Patriots are going to come out and run the ball 30 times with Maroney or if they’re going to pass 30 times in the first half with Brady.  You just, don’t, know.  What we do know is that Tom Brady can beat you in two styles of football.  He can beat you with the clock management, run the ball with a pass here and there type of game (see previous Patriot championships), or he can beat you with 5 guys spread out like it’s a video game. 

You know what element people forget to add to their formulas for beating the Patriots?  Luck.  You need to play your best game of the year on offense, your best game of the year on defense, avoid any mistakes on special teams, and then hope for some luck.  You need to hope that a ball slips out of Brady’s hands inside his own 20.  You need to hope that Randy Moss drops a wide open pass on 3^rd and 10.  You need to hope that one of your corners gets hold of a tipped ball and runs it back for a touchdown.  Basically, if you are Jacksonville, you need the 96 yard return of Jones-Drew and the two interceptions of Mathis, PLUS a great game from Garrard and the rest of the team to have an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter.

Problem is, Jacksonville might have spent all of their luck in the last game. 

Final Score

Jacksonville 17

New England 41

Perfect Pats, Red Hot Redskins, and Slumping Cowboys

What many believed could never happen in a 16 game season…happened. The New England Patriots went undefeated by holding off the pesky Giants in a 38-35 win, giving them their 19^th straight victory (one of their many NFL records) dating back to last season. Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown record with a touchdown pass to Randy Moss, who also broke an NFL record held by Jerry Rice for most touchdown catches in a season. The Patriots also broke the NFL record for most points scored in a season.

All the stats and records aside, it’s time for everyone to stop and recognize what the Patriots accomplished. For the next week at the very least, we shouldn’t talk about the “formula” for beating the Patriots. I heard week after week, people talking about how you can beat the Patriots and what works against them and so forth. Yes, Einstein, we know that if you sack Tom Brady and make him throw interceptions, you’re going to win the game. Yes, we understand that if you shut down Randy Moss, run and pass on the Pats effectively, and play well on special teams, you are going to win the game. It’s not a matter of “how” you can beat the Patriots. It’s a matter of IF. The Patriots have had the red bulls eye on their back since game one and nobody has brought them down. Give them their props. Stop with your scheming (unless you’re a playoff team). If you are a Baltimore fan, stop talking about how you almost beat the Pats. Almost doesn’t matter. If you are an Eagles fan, yes you had a great effort but great efforts don’t always translate to victories. Final scores do. So congratulations to New England and their fans. You accomplished a great feat and should be commended for it. I still hate you though and will continue to pray for your demise. Happy New Year.

I don’t want to brag… who am I kidding. I love to brag. Ask anyone that knows me. Back on a wintry December 18^th, I wrote an article. The article was titled “Overrated Vikings and NFC Playoff Predictions”. This was the week before the Redskins had to travel into Minnesota and play the red hot Vikings, who EVERYONE was penciling in for the sixth and final seed in the playoffs. “You definitely do not want to play Minnesota if you’re Seattle or Tampa Bay because this team is playing great right now and Tavaris Jackson is getting it done” said Mike Golic, repeating the sentiments of many others. I scoffed at the notion of Tavaris Jackson being anything better than a third string quarterback. He sucks, is basically what I believed.

Why is everyone suddenly hopping on Minnesota’s bandwagon? Because they’ve won 5 straight games, 4 of which are against teams with losing records? Tavaris Jackson is playing good? Really? 5 touchdown and 5 interceptions is good? Wow. I guess NFL quarterbacks really are that bad if Tavaris Jackson is suddenly considered “good”.

I’m sure there were many people who felt I was just being a Redskins fan and putting down the other team. I wasn’t. Tavaris Jackson really does suck. I also said the Vikings and Saints were overrated, overhyped, and on their way to missing the playoffs. I said the Skins would make it and even my closest friends laughed at my foolish predictions. In case you forgot, here’s what I said:

Here’s what’s going to happen. Minnesota is going to get beat at home by Washington, then go on the road and lose to Denver, putting them at 8-8. The Giants will go into Buffalo and win, then lose to New England, putting them at 10-6 and secure 5^th place in the playoffs. New Orleans is going to lose to Philadelphia, and then win at Chicago, putting them at 8-8. Washington will beat Minnesota and then beat Dallas in Washington, putting them at 9-7 and the final spot of the playoffs.

Okay so I thought New Orleans would beat Chicago. I was wrong on one of my seven predictions. Needless to say, I told you so. I went on to talk about how I thought the Skins would lose to the Seahawks in round one of the playoffs. Well, I definitely don’t feel that way anymore and will go into more detail about that later this week. I’ll leave you with one stat that you need to know. Seattle has beaten only one team all season with a record above .500. One team. And that was in week 1. We’ll talk Washington-Seattle, as well as the other matchups later this week though.

Dallas is in trouble. I’m telling you right now, Dallas is in trouble. You cannot go into the playoffs playing as badly as they are playing. They were supposed to play their starters a quarter against the Skins, with the hope that they’d score a touchdown and maybe a field goal, feel good about themselves and rest up for the playoffs. Well guess what. They got spanked. Their starters played well into the third quarter and got SPANKED. They came away with 1 rushing yard…for the entire game. They converted zero third downs. They had 27 points scored on them. Tony Romo had his third bad game in a row.

“Okay take it easy Shaun. You’re overplaying the Dallas Cowboys struggles a bit. They won 13 games for a reason. They’ll be fine in the playoffs.”

That might be so, but you can’t be feeling very confident if you have lost 2 out of your last 3 games after losing only one out of the first thirteen. You can’t be feeling very good if you’ve averaged 8 points a game for the past three weeks. You can’t be feeling very good if your superstar quarterback has thrown one touchdown and five interceptions in his last three outings. I’m not saying that the Cowboys are toast; I’m just saying that if the Redskins beat Seattle and come into Dallas riding a 5 game winning streak and the most confidence of anyone in the NFC, watch out. Watch out.

Patriots Should Have Asterisk?

Big news of the day was Miami Dolphins hall of fame coach Don Shula making comments suggesting that if the Patriots go 16-0, they should have an asterisk placed by their record due to the events of “Spygate”.

“The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished. You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it,” Shula told the Daily News yesterday. “Belichick was fined $500,000, the team was fined $250,00 and they lost a first-round draft choice. That tells you the seriousness or significance of what they found.

“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.”

When I first heard of this story and these comments, I dismissed it as someone who is just jealous that his record is probably going to be tied and he is bitter because of it. Then I thought some more about what he was saying and I came to realize that Shula had some very valid points. The Patriots were not accused, but convicted of cheating. They were penalized a first round draft choice and fined thousands of dollars. That is a significant verdict/punishment. That isn’t something you can just forget. If we can say that Barry Bonds should have an asterisk next to his homerun record mark, even though he has never been caught cheating, why should we give the Patriots a free pass?

There should not be double standards, ever.

I understand that they are a great team who are absolutely dominating and destroying anyone in their path. I understand that they probably never needed to cheat to be great anyway. But cheating is cheating, and they were caught. By the way, read my last three sentences again and see if it sounds familiar. Barry Bonds was also a dominating force who probably never needed to cheat either to be great. Yet we have convicted him in the court of public opinion so the Pats should be treated the same.

I’m not sure if the asterisk is the best way to go because I haven’t thought about other possibilities yet. However, Don Shula is right when he says that it should be noted, in one way or another, that the Patriots were caught cheating during their “perfect” season.

The Dolphins visit the Patriots in week 15 of the season and could, seriously, be 0-14 vs the 14-0 Pats.  We could be witnesses to irony, karma, whatever you want to call it at its absolute finest.

NFL Power Rankings Week 9

I wanted to write about a number of things that I noticed over the NFL weekend but working 12 hour days at the office kind of takes away time to do so. Now we’re at the midpoint of the week and it’s somewhat irrelevant to go back into what happened over the weekend, especially when we have an enormous matchup approaching with the Pats visiting Indianapolis to settle who’s the real #1 team in the NFL. But before I dive into that matchup with tomorrow’s article, I want to bring up something that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots Have No Class

I’m a diehard Washington Redskins fan; have been, always will be. When I am watching the games, I am like any other fan and am fairly biased. However, there are certain things that I can look back on, with my Redskins jersey and hat off, and view from a neutral standpoint. One of those things being the manner in which Bill Belichick stuck it to the Redskins at the end of the game.

If you have not heard by now, the Patriots were up 38-0 with less than ten minutes to go in the ballgame. They were once again driving down the field, much as they had done all game. The ball was somewhere inside the 10 yard line and they were facing a 4^th down and 1. Again, the score was 38-0. They opted to go for it rather than take the 3 points and kick the field goal. I can understand this. Somewhat of a mercy rule, an unsaid thing in sports. I was anticipating a rushing attempt, and if they pick up the first down, they would continue to just run the ball. The Redskins would know that they are going to continue to run the ball and hopefully stop them, causing a turnover on downs. That’s how things usually work. Rewind a couple of weeks back when the Patriots were at Dallas and the week was highlighted by Wade Phillips popping off about how Belichick’s titles are now tainted and how TO was talking about being the “original 81” and so forth. In THAT particular situation, though unclassy, I can understand the Pats running up the score to send a message to Phillips and other coaches around the league; “If you’re going to verbally take shots at us, be ready to get beat up mercilessly come Sunday.”

I understand that. I don’t mind that.

Back to the Redskins-Pats game. 4^th down and 1 yard to go. On the other sideline is one of the most respected, well-liked, hall of fame coaches in Joe Gibbs. Bill Belichick picks up the first down. That’s fine. 1^st and goal, Bill Belichick goes shotgun. Not fine. Second down, they pass again and get a touchdown. Gibbs looks stunned. Troy Aikman points out, “I don’t know how Joe is going to take this.” Now it should be pointed out that later in the game, with the substitutes in, the Pats again went for fourth down and scored another touchdown making the score 52-0, but I don’t care as much about the second touchdown as I do the first, because the first one was with the starters in and the game without a doubt over.

I don’t understand the reasoning or the mindset that Belichick has to unnecessarily rub Joe Gibbs’ nose in the dirt. People have been saying, “Oh, well if you don’t want them to score more, stop them.” That’s not the point. The point is the game was over and they could have shown some class and respect towards a legendary coach who has done nothing controversial in all his years in the business.

Furthermore, I really wish that Sean Taylor had gone after Tom Brady in retaliation for Belichick’s games and driven the pretty boy quarterback into the dirt and banged him up. I don’t care if he gets the 15 yard penalty or even a 1 game suspension. This is how things were settled in the old days; not through the media. I would have LOVED to see Belichick’s reaction as Brady rolled around in pain because of his coach’s decision to be a hotshot badass. And why did I choose Brady and not Moss or someone else? Because Brady is to blame in this situation as well. He HAS the power to say “No” to Belichick and switch to a run play if he deems appropriate. He has the authority because he is just as valuable to the team’s success and reputation as Belichick is.

The Redskins aren’t going to see the Patriots again and Belichick will continue his classless style in the future. I really hope that it comes back to haunt him later, just like his legacy is already tarnished courtesy of Spygate. I will never write a respectful column or piece about the coach of the Patriots and won’t even refer to him by his name from this point forward. He is below the game of football and he is a disrespectful, arrogant cheater. Go Colts.

NFL Power Rankings Week 7

I think it is safe to say that we learned quite a few things this past NFL weekend, starting with the Patriots.

Rule #1: Do not talk trash, direct or indirect, to Bill Belichick. He will bring you down, bring you down to Chinatown.

Just ask Dallas head coach Wade Phillips. Phillips thought it’d be a good idea and mouth off, saying that he feels the Patriots championships are tainted because of Spygate. Come Sunday, what did Belichick do with less than 30 seconds left in a 14 point game, 4^th and goal from the Dallas one yard line?

a) Kneel and end the game

b) Throw the ball out of the endzone to get a turnover on downs, and end the game

c) Send in a different package of players, call a running play, score another touchdown and make it a 48-27 game instead of 41-27 and teach Wade Phillips not to talk about your superiors.

The correct answer is “C”

Rule #2: Do not try to be funny and put up a sign referring to one of the most talented wide receivers ever as the “Other 81”.

You know that Tom Brady is his quarterback. You know that Tom Brady makes the big plays in big games. You know that Randy Moss has always SCORCHED the Cowboys. Why would you try to light any unnecessary fire under an already dominant team? Don’t tell me Terrell Owens was trying to add hype to the game like a boxer does. No. He wasn’t. Terrell Owens has an inferiority complex and thinks that Moss is better than him, which he is. He was trying to upstage him while the spotlight was on, and guess what. He got shut up. It was funny how Owens took a cue from his agent Drew Rosenhaus in the postgame interview by answering any Moss questions with “No Comment”. Wasn’t this supposed to be the time where he DID answer the “Other 81” questions?

Here’s a question for you Terrell Owens. What’s 6’4”, 210lbs, doesn’t drop balls that hits him in the hands, and has twice as many touchdowns as you? What.. what’s that? That’s right. It’s the best receiver in the game and his name is RANDY MOSS.

Rule #3: If you cannot win more than one out of your first five games with Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmanzadeh, Rudi Johnson, and Carson Palmer, you should be fired immediately and sent to Tajikistan to herd sheep and goats with a broken ruler.

Rule #4: If you lose to a 43 year old quarterback who was sitting on his couch until Tuesday evening, and practiced for the first time on Wednesday, you should be penalized a first round draft pick, one game, and part of your equipment (preferably your cup, because you obviously don’t need one)

Rule #5: Don’t disrespect the defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts by dismissing them while prematurely crowning the Patriots as the best team ever. We’re not even half way there yet and last I checked, the Colts haven’t lost a game either.

Never get tired of this pic.

Today’s Rundown 9/17

*Well if there was any question about whether the Chargers were a threat to the Patriots, it has been answered with an exclamation point. The Patriots dominated, absolutely wrecked, the San Diego Chargers last night 38-14. They played with a ticked off attitude the whole game and I would be very intimidated if I were any other team in their path to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady showed his emotions the entire game pumping his fists and tossing around expletives after big plays and scores.

*The Pats game capped off a wild week two in which football fans saw the Browns drop 51 points on their way to beating the stunned Bengals. The Raiders got jipped at the end and lost in overtime to the Broncos, who aren’t looking very good at this point. The Saints got thumped courtesy of the Bucs and the Packers look like they are a little more than just a playoff contender with a defense like that. I’ll have a full recap of the week tomorrow, after Monday Night’s game which showcases the Skins and the Eagles.

*As far as my picks are concerned: I picked 10 out 15 correct (after getting 13 out of 15 last Sunday), which is terrible and I got two right against the spread out of four, one wrong, and one tied. I’ll have my pick for the Skins-Eagles (versus the spread) later today.

*The Yankees took two out of three this weekend in Boston against the much-hated Red Sox. Last night’s 4-3 victory came courtesy of Mr. Clutch, Derek Jeter. Jeter belted a 3 run homer in the top of the eighth with two outs and the score tied at one apiece. The Yankees have a shot at taking the division if the Sox drop a few games between now and the end of the season. It is clear however that the Yankees have the psychological edge on the Sox again, and Boston fans know it.  See Buster Olney Column.

*College Football also had an exciting weekend with another top ten team getting dropped courtesy of an unranked squad. The Louisville Cardinals, who were ranked 9^th going into the game, lost in a shootout to instate rivals Kentucky. UCLA dropped from their 11 spot after getting drubbed by Utah and Nick Saban’s Alabama boys are back in the top 20 for the first time since 2005 after a thrilling upset over 16^th ranked Arkansas. Other noteable games were Florida defeating Tennessee, USC knocking off Nebraska, and of course my favorite; Notre Dame losing 38-0 to Michigan and dropping to an 0-3 record. A full recap of the college week, in addition to my updated power rankings will be up this afternoon.

Until then, enjoy your Monday morning.

Shame on New England + Photo of Cameraman In The Act

When I first heard the story break about how the Pats had allegedly used cameras to steal signals given out by the Jets defensive coordinators, I didn’t read into it much. I actually thought it was silly that the immensely talented Pats would find it necessary to do so. But after getting over my initial excitement of the first week of the NFL, I started reading into it more and found that the story was a lot more serious than I had first thought.

I was not familiar with the rule that you can’t use cameras to steal signals because I am just not that knowledgeable when it comes to rules such as these. I did more reading and research and I came to find that the Patriots had been suspected, and accused of doing this in the past. However, they had never been outright caught. I also came upon an article that said Commissioner Roger Goodell had sternly warned the Patriots organization about this in the offseason. I don’t know how many other teams do this in the NFL. I know a lot of people thought Miami did it last year when they, ironically enough, beat the Patriots 9-0. Zach Thomas hinted after the game that they had figured out the Patriots audibles courtesy of “Network Television.” Again, I don’t know how many teams do this but an infraction of the rules is an infraction of the rules. Just like a lot of people did steroids but only a certain amount got caught; just like more people are involved in dogfighting but only one individual (of note) got caught; and just like a lot of people get in fights at strip clubs but only one idiot got caught (repeatedly).

The Patriots got caught.

And let me clarify something because a friend of mine brought this point up. I don’t want to hear “Oh, the Pats didn’t need to steal signs with Randy Moss catching touchdowns and Ellis Hobbs running back kickoffs.” No, that is besides the point. If I rob a bank and give the money to charity, or if I rob a bank and spend it on expensive cars, guess what? I’m still guilty of robbing a bank.

The Patriots got caught.

Now what to do about the punishment? I’ve heard people say that they should erase the win they had versus the Jets. I don’t agree with that because that will lead to much more confusion down the road in the season. For example, do you give the Jets the win even though they were clearly dominated? If they don’t get the win, and the Pats don’t get the win, do we have two teams emerge 0-1 from the same game? That’s just not going to be feasible.

The other option I heard was to take away a third and a fifth round draft pick, or a second and a fourth, and many other combinations. To be frank, that’s not going to affect the Patriots one bit. They have tons of picks and they always manage to trade players for more picks; players that they probably would have cut anyway.

I also don’t agree with suspending Belichick for one game because honestly, do you really think that he won’t dictate the entire script of the game beforehand? He could tell a monkey exactly what he wants done on gameday in every situation and it would get done. So him not being at the game really doesn’t change much. Realize that Belichick isn’t the great coach he is because of his in-game decisions; Tom Brady makes most of those. Belichick is a star coach because of his preparations and game planning throughout the week.

So how do I suggest the league punish the Patriots? To be honest, I really don’t know at this point. I’d like to learn more about the case and hopefully find out if other teams have been accused or suspected of doing the same. I don’t think it’d be accurate or credible for me to dish out my suggested punishment without having more familiarity. However, I will say this. Goodell had better come down very hard on New England. If you’re going to come down hard on three players (Pacman, Tank, and Vick) who were wrong in their own right, but had nothing to do with the sanctity of the game, then you had better come down hard as can be on a team that has been found guilty of cheating.

Look at the top right of the picture. There is a circle around the cameraman who was stealing the Jets defensive signals.