http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/02/goodell-too-soft-punishing-cheating-broncos/ Some of these NFL cheating stories are ready for quaffing and noshing right away. One is the recent Denver Broncos scandal, which for some reason has just been lightly sipped and nibbled by Commissioner Roger Goodell. In this case, Goodell, who usually swings his gavel like a sledge, slammed down a Hostess cupcake. But some of these NFL cheating tales apparently can be like fine Bordeaux and must be laid down for a few years before they’re ready to drink. We just opened this one, and it’s more like champagne. Tickles your nose. Background: On Sept. 13, 2007, the Patriots were nailed for cheating, videotaping Jets defensive signals during a game. Goodell fined Pats coach Bill Belichick $500,000, the team was hit for $250,000 and lost a first-round draft choice. Stiff, although Belichick should have been suspended. Switch to Jan. 19, 2008, different year, same season. The Chargers were in Massachusetts to play the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers had knee surgery earlier in the week but took part in the team’s walkthrough practice in Gillette Stadium. Here’s what I’m told by an eyewitness: The Chargers removed themselves from their buses Saturday and were heading to the stadium tunnel for their closed practice when they were greeted by a camera crew A Chargers spokesman asked: “What are you guys doing here?” “We’re with Kraft TV.” When asked what that was, a guy mumbled something about an “internal broadcast organization.” With that, I’m told, the man with the camera lowered it to the level of Rivers’ knee and walked toward the tunnel alongside the quarterback before the crew was shooed away by Chargers gendarmes. Now Robert Kraft may own the Patriots, but he doesn’t own a television network. And it’s doubtful that person was referring to Kraft Television Theater, which was removed from the tube in 1958. There is no such thing as Kraft TV. Was there yet another Belichick game afoot? Was he still trying to get an edge? The U-T’s Kevin Acee had reported the day before that Rivers had undergone surgery and the Chargers (of course) denied it. We’ll never know, of course, if these were more Patriots shenanigans. The Chargers losing that game had nothing to do with Kraft TV, but more with injured LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates being nonfactors and gimpy Rivers trying to make his best of a bad situation — and the fact that New England played better than they did. Now I’m normally not one to hop onto the bus with conspiracy theorists, and I don’t think there is widespread cheating in the NFL. But some cheating? Obviously. In this latest case, is it a coincidence Denver’s head coach is Josh McDaniels, who happened to be Belichick’s offensive coordinator in 2007? Is it a coincidence that accused Steve Scarnecchia was employed by both organizations ? Scarnecchia, according to the NFL, was one of the Patriots employees who filmed opponents’ practices, including a walk-through session by the Rams prior to the 2002 Super Bowl. After Pats assistant Eric Mangini moved on to become the Jets’ head coach, he hired Scarnecchia before New England’s videotaping of New York’s signals. When McDaniels went to Denver, he hired Scarnecchia as video operations director, and Scarnecchia has since admitted filming a 49ers’ practice Oct. 31 in London’s Wembley Stadium. He’s now seeking employment, and the way the NFL is going, he’ll probably end up working in the league office. Supposedly, Scarnecchia offered McDaniels the six-minute London tape and the coach refused (he says). So Goodell fined the coach and team $50,000 apiece for not promptly reporting the problem. There are a many Denverites finding it difficult to believe anything McDaniels says these days. And his team stinks. If he’s cheating and losing, then he’s really off the rails. Denver’s cadre doesn’t consider this a fireable offense, which is too bad for Broncos faithful and good for every other team in the AFC West. My problem is with Goodell. I like Goodell, but he has to get his priorities in order. He’s cracked down on violent hits in his league, fining players up to $75,000, and not all of the incidents have been intentional. But cheating affects the integrity of the game, not only with fans, but with the bookies and gamblers. I don’t believe Goodell has an out-of-control problem, but like it or not, if the bookies — who police Goodell’s game for him — lose confidence in his product, he’s going to have far deeper issues than violent hits. The NFL is so popular because players — hard, soft and fantasy — bet billions on games and watch TV for action. Once the game’s integrity goes, so goes the sport. Goodell didn’t come down hard enough on Denver. If he believes everything McDaniels told him, he’s among the minority who do. I don’t know that Denver’s fans, among the best in the country, trust the guy anymore. If he’s going to be throwing $100,000 fines at NFL franchises for this stuff, he may as well be lobbing gummy bears. The Broncos got off easy. And they shouldn’t have.
Video taping practices IS worse for the game than incidental head to head collisions..... GGoodell should stop ignoring these rumours and check it out.
belicheat is a great football coach. just wonderful. oh wait, how many 'busts' do they have? i blame those sorts of things on the coach, because well, the coach needs to find something for the player to do. vernon gholston sucked, what did rex do? hes got him on the line attempting to get his career back on track. hes not just gonna get traded away for some old guy
I think it just shows how brazen the Pats are. They were fined and lost draft picks and told not to even think about filming practice....so they basically filmed a guy WALKING to practice to see how he was. Brazen, just brazen.
Although I've hated the Pats, before getting caught in spygate, I had the utmost respect for them. They were a classy organization willing to put together a team of overachievers and classy guys. Belicheck seemed to be a genius who could take any 22 guys and put together a dangerous team. After getting caught though, I have no respect for them, those pussies. All they are are this team that gets in our way, the villain of the sport. Of course the media thinks Rex and the Jets are the villains for speaking out about their confidence that they can win a superbowl and the Cheatriots are all loved by everyone.
How many busts does he have? How many great choices does he also have? In the past 3 drafts you can include McCourty, Gronk, Hernandez, Vollmer, Mayo... and 2007 & 2008 were generally considered weak draft classes. If the jets have any fewer busts than the pats, you can probably attribute that to the fact that practically your entire starting lineup is composed of first rounders where busts are far less likely to occur. The difference is that you guys have traded away future picks for a flickering chance of getting a championship, while the pats have made smart decisions trading for more picks, and taken advantage of many late-draft players, and have thus sustained a competitive team for a full-decade with the future looking brighter than ever. And you can do whatever you want to justify the decisions regarding gholston; the fact is that you guys are simply trying to rectify a mistake that has been labeled a glaring misstep by the jet's organization in the public's eye. How much has he contributed this season? If ryan were simply trying to put gholston in "a position to succeed" because that is what good coaches do, how come he doesn't do the same with all those other players who didn't come at the price of enormous contracts and 1st round picks? Also, if you're judging coaches purely on their draft success, you will quickly come to the conclusion that mangini was a far better coach for you guys than rex ryan has been. For some reason I don't think you truly believe that to be true though do you? You prefer Ryan because he has found ways to get you guys wins... which Belichick has been doing better than anyone for the past 10 years... yeah not a good coach at all...
Sanchez, Greene, Holmes, Edwards, Keller, Ferguson, Mangold, Slauson (improving, solid starter for sure), Conner, Revis, Cromartie, Wilson, Harris is the young core of this team that were all acquired using draft picks. There's some more veterans who have solid years left in them (Pace, Scott, Leonhard, Thomas, Ellis, Pouha, Tomlinson, Cotchery). You're right, the Jets do package draft picks to move up the draft but I trust their judgement in getting a contributor. How is packing a 3rd and 4th together to acquire a 2nd different than getting a contributor with the 3rd round pick and striking out on the 4th round pick (which is very possbile, the strikeout rate increases with each round)? It's different strategies that have worked out. Flickering? I think not. I'm not gonna let one awful game affect my judgement regarding the future of this team.
I'll say, don't you guys have what 3 players total still on the roster from those two drafts combined? considering you have about a dozen picks every year, the fact that 3 are still around, thats just terrible. rex has two classes, neither of which have been around long enough to properly judge (need 3 years to decide on players) But Sanchez Greene and Slauson are all starting (last years class) and look to be future key cogs to the team. This years class is certainly not having an immediate impact, but that doesnt mean they won't develop. Gholston wasnt rex's mistake, he was mangini's. Sure we should have drafted mayo, but we were desperate for an OLB, and so we took the guy Mangini deemed the best available. He was as wrong as wrong can be about it. But don't fault rex for trying to do something with the guy since he is so expensive to cut, its easier to keep him through the season and dump him after the season ends.
The Pats got Welker for a 2nd and 7th and Moss for a 4th in 2007. The took Merriweather in the 1st, they had no picks in the 2nd or 3rd round. Kareem Brown was a bust in the 4th. All the picks in the 5th to 7th round had little or no chance of sticking on a loaded team. 2007- Merriweather, Welker, Moss, not too bad. 2008- Still have Mayo, Wilhite, and Slater. Wheatley got pushed out by the other CBs, Crable couldn't stay healthy (tho Rex likes him), and O'Connell got beat out. Not great, but Mayo makes the draft pretty good. 2006 was the only really bad draft the pats have had. BTW, the Pats have the Panthers 2nd round pick, which will likely be the first pick of the 2nd night of the draft. Think they'll get some offers for that one?
I think anyone who knows anything about football would agree that the Jets have done a really nice job of drafting and putting together this team. As far as the Pats, they are drafting for need now and doing a great job of it the last couple of year. I think people need to understand that in 2004 through 2007, the Pats had very few spots available on their roster, any rookie was gonna have a hard time finding a spot.
Which is a pretty shitty reason to draft a guy, isn't that the same reason Sperm went gaga after Robertson and passed on Wilfork?
makes sense, so then why the hell did the Pats trade down 10,000 times to acquire more picks if the players didnt stand a chance of making the team? why not trade up to acquire better players that were not only going to make the team, but make an impact? that way you have less picks, so you arent cutting 10 guys post TC from a draft, and you are actually get something out of the 12 dps.
Because by aquiring more players it increases the chances of finding a good player. Just because you trade up to draft a guy in the 2nd round doesn't increase the chance of him being a great player. However by drafting 12 guys as opposed to 4 you have a better shot at finding that guy even if he isn't highly touted. Guys like Tully Banta-Cain and David Givens were both 7 round picks and were or are contributers.
They turned alot of the 2nd and 3rd round picks into 1st and 2nd round picks the following year, while accumulating more picks. Alot of their trdes involved getting picks for future years. That way when they overhauled the aging defense (2009, 2010), they had alot of picks to do it with. So far, they seem to have been homeruns draftwise, and 2011 looks promising. I just don't see how anyone can say the Pats drafted badly. When you're team is loaded with vets, 5th rounders and below have very little chance of making your team. 2006 is probably their worst year, because their top two picks were busts (Maroney and Jackson), but even then they got Gostkowski and David Thomas in the 3rd and 4th rounds, and O'Callaghan (Chiefs) and Stevenson (Texans) late in the draft, who are still playing in the league. In 2005 they got Mankins, Hobbs, Kacsur, Cassel, and Sanders....
