With the Goodell ruling on Spy-gate, he affirmed that the evidence provided by NFL security proved, beyond any doubt, that the Patriots cheated. The loss of pick/picks and fines of almost $750K against Belichicken and the Patriots only set a precedent and a deterrent to any potential future violators. Lets be honest, with a team that makes that much money and uses their draft picks as well as the Patriots (only a 1 and 2 made the team this year due to their depth) this punishment doesn't really hurt them. What it is more damning is that it ESTABLISHES that the Belichicken and the Patriots CHEATED. This more than anything else is the most damning indictment of Belichicken and the Patriots as a team. For an organization that has prided itself by collecting team-first players, establishing a team-first mentality, with supposed "good guys" that play the game the way it is supposed to be played, the only thing you can really due to hurt them is in their legacy. Whether you like Bob Kraft or not, everyone will agree that he is brillant businessman. Whether you like Belichicken or not, everyone will agree that he is a brillant coach. It is unrealistic to expect the NFL to void victories or Super Bowl wins. Vegas has paid out and it is in no ones interest to start digging up skeletons. Nothing the NFL could do, even if it could take away all the Patriots draft picks or fine them $10 million would really make a difference. The team is stacked player wise and they would simply pass that fine off to the fans in increased ticket prices. However, by determining them guilty of cheating this SYMBOLICALLY destroys everything that Kraft and Belichicken and the Patriots have built. "PATRIOT NATION" as we know it no longer exists. For a VAIN man like Kraft and an ARROGANT bastard like Belichicken, this ruling lays waste to everything they have done. For Kraft, the embarassment alone will drive him mad and could likely result in Belichicken not returning next year. For Belichicken, whose ARROGANCE knows now bounds, this is a blow to his coaching legacy and place in NFL history. BELICHICKEN AND THE PATRIOTS HAVE NOW BEEN RELEGATED TO A PUNCH LINE ON LATE NIGHT TV. For what? Stealing signs from the lowly Jets, a team they would have beaten badly anyway despite missing 2 of their best defenders? That is akin to stealing candy from a retarded kid in a schoolyard. Everything that team supposedly "won" - division titles, conference championships, Super Bowls and 21 game win streaks - that is all in question now. Is it realistic to assume they were cheating all the time? Is it realistic to assume they the cheating helped them all the time? Probably no on both counts. But what I can tell you is that everytime the Patriots or Belichicken or their band-wagon fans start boasting about their accomplishments those in earshot will listen intently. Because no matter what they say or do in the future, the past will always be questioned with a "but..." followed by a * after every accomplishment. And that my friends is the real beauty of this ruling.
I think this is an important point. Wait till you see the highlights of the booing in San Diego next year, all the little plastic fake video cameras in the stands, etc, etc. This team will get raked over the coals in every city they travel to. Their mystique has taken a huge kick in the ass...
I'm more interested in seeing how the Patriots play over the next few weeks now that they can't cheat.
Now that they would be really really psychotic to continue to cheat in that same manner.Who knows what they are doing that no-one noticed yet.. being able to flat out and deservedly say things like this is what really damages the organization.
Agreed. Whatever Goodell decided to do, force them to forfeit the game, drop a couple draft picks, lose a few bucks...the most damning punishment was the very fact they got punished. It means they were indeed cheating...caught red-handed. Patsy fans can do their best to ignore the facts and claim that "everyone is doing it", that "knowing what the other team is going to do isn't a big deal", "that they would've beaten the Jets anyway"...but it's still nothing more than them closing their eyes and ears, yelling "lalalalala" over and over again. Every time they bring their arrogant, smug faces around, boasting their Superbowl wins, anybody can basically reply with a simple '*'. The fact that it was Mangini himself who burned down their legacy makes it all the sweeter. Bellichicken should've thought twice about trying his douchebaggery on his former protege. I love it.
