except the entire league will wonder if they just found another way to cheat... face it... it's a dark cloud that will hover over the Pats for as long as this group is together
And if they continue their winning ways, i'l assume you'll be willing to man up and say the Pats would have won the other rings regardless, right?
1) The fact is the Commish gave the highest allowable fine he could to Belichick. That's the rules and you can't do anything about it. 2) You could argue that he should have been suspended, but he didn't. Me I would have liked to have seen a 2-4 game suspension. 3) The first round pick is a big deterrent and I believe big enough to stop other teams to try and do this (if indeed the Pats aren't the only ones trying it). Teams will not try this again even in a championship game. IMHO losing first round picks have a bigger effect (long term) than a game forfeit. 4) The fact that the Pats have two first round picks this year is irrevalent. The punishment should be based on the action and not the Pats current status of picks. That being said, it could be argued that a penalty of two first round picks (one in 2008 and one in 2009) would have been a more appropriate penalty. 5) Still don't understand the penalty change with regards to their playoff status this year. I'd like to know Goodell's rationale in linking these together. It's like being caught cheating in an English test in an English test in the beginning of the year. Then waiting to punish you based on the results of the rest of the English tests that you took that semester. Therefore, a "B" student who cheats would theoretically get greater punishment than an "C" student. If the Raiders were caught doing the same thing there penalty would be less? This is just a very strage ruling IMHO. 6) I think that the Pats image has been seriously tarnished and it will be a long while before this is lived down. Like it or not Pats fans the "model" franchise arguements are all down the drain. 7) I would have waited longer rather than rush to punishment. If there were other offenses of this type that could have been "proven" they should have been investigated thoroughly.
no, i dont know what they have done over the years. all these stories coming out. when teams are having good drives in NE, their headsets fuck up.. Detroit catching this guy not once but twice in the same game..The more evidence that comes out, the worse it gets pal
So if they win it this year, it was their talent? Is that what you are saying? Sounds like you trying to have it both ways. If they lose this year, then their wins from years past were from cheating, but it they win this year, what are you willing to say?
lets get real. Even if they suspended Belicheat, do you guys honestly think he wouldnt find a way to have an affect on the game. He would sit at home on a radio with the coaching booth. He would pretend to be the guy who parachutes into the stadium
They're screwed either way... they've been caught cheating... so if they win people will wonder if they just found a new way to cheat...
Originally Posted by gmfidelity agreed....Money is expendable to them, the draft pick or picks however the season goes may hurt a touch but when u get Randy Moss for a 4th rounder your in pretty good shape. Lets just see throughout the season if they start losing some games to average teams how much this really affects them Not really. What happens in the future is no bearing in what they have done in the past and how it "might" have affected games. It just means that in 2007 you were good enough to win the SB with the current team and players without an extra edge. It doesn't say anything about what happened in the past years.
Well, losing a first round pick is a blow but not especially severe given it will be the 30th pick or so. I don't know if the punishment fits the crime, as I don't know how much the cheating helped to win any games, but losing the 30th (approximately) best player coming from college seems about right.
I think we are making progress with you ganngreen's. At least your admitting now that if they win it this year, it means they were good enough team to win it, no asterik needed.
I wish Belly had been suspended, but at least its over with. Now back to talking football and not CIA spy tactics.
I would rather have the HC suspended than lose a 1st rd draft pick. the coach can always game plan from home as well as have coaches meetings
Get real Pats aren't winning any SBs this year. Your HC doesn't think they are good enough to beat the lowly Jets without cheating. What does that tell you about your team?
thing is, Pats were probably good enough to win the SB's in the past too...but the victories are now tainted nonetheless because of that jackass of a coach you have
Again - no aterisk this year assuming that they don't get caught doing other nefarious acts. And you can betthe rest of the NFL will be looking out for anything suspicious that happens with communications, etc. and will report it to the NFL (and possibly other teams and the press) immediately.
I love how all the haters keep throwing around the word "cheat", even ESPN and Prisco, and the other dummies. If that makes you all feel better fine, but the fact is, you can use cameras with zoom lenses, fast photo cameras to snap a series of pictures, or whatever. There is nothing wrong with that. Having a video camera is ones tep up from this, and that's what the fine was about. ANY TEAM CAN PHOTOGRAPH THE OTHER TEAMS SIGNS! EVERYONE DOES! So, if the Pats are "cheating" by stealing the other teams' signs, so is everyone else. This is about the use of video to do it INSTEAD OF a camera. But keep telling yourselves that the only way the Pats can win is by cheating, because you, me, and everyone else knows that the Patriots were a better team then, are a better team now, and will continue to be a better team. You can talk about "stealing signs", "questioning wins", and "asterisks" all you want. That doesn't make your own team any better, or anyone elses.....and until your own team is as good or better than the Patriots on the field, the dynasty will continue. If you want to end the dynasty, you have to do it yourselves by BUILDING A QUALITY TEAM!
AGAIN YOUR DEFLECTING!!! THE ISSUE IS GOODELL SENT OUT A MESAAGE TO EVERYONE TELLING THEM NOT TO DO THIS. NO VIDEOTAPING ON THE SIDELINES...dumb muthafuckas
or hire Matt Estrella and fuck with opposing teams headsets and secretly illegallly videotape Pats coaches
