Pats are a bunch of cheaters...

[burn_baby_burn]

Here is Yahoo! Sports take on it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

[Slava]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Its obvious that teams try to steal signals. Thats why we see John Gruden holding the laminated sheet over his face when he calls a play. But to directly tape a coach on the sideline. As well as putting michrophones on the defensive linemen. Is really going over the line.

I saw an interview with Andy Reid on this (who if IIRC was the innovator of this covering your mouth with the play sheet), and he said that the stealing had nothing to do with it. The stadiums are loud and he just wanted to "funnel" his voice into the microphone a little better.

[KTown]

Being a Dolphins fan, I've allready hated the patriots now I hate them even more.

[Clever_Iggy]

Belichick is fined $500,000.

Patriots fined $250,000.

If the Patriots make the playoffs they lose a 1st round pick. If they dont make the playoffs, they lose a 2nd and 3rd round pick.

Wow. That is a serious slap. I saw a little thing on ESPN today that the players union was lobbying the NFL to take a hard line because of the hard line Goddell was taking with them recently.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3018338

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Belichick is fined $500,000.

Patriots fined $250,000.

If the Patriots make the playoffs they lose a 1st round pick. If they dont make the playoffs, they lose a 2nd and 3rd round pick.

Wow. That is a serious slap. I saw a little thing on ESPN today that the players union was lobbying the NFL to take a hard line because of the hard line Goddell was taking with them recently.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3018338

How much money does Belichick make a year?

So by taking a 1st rounder they are being fined a $20M player...yikes

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by HOOT

How much money does Belichick make a year?

So by taking a 1st rounder they are being fined a $20M player...yikes

I'm not sure that makes any sense, they are taking a draft pick away, who yes may have made 20 mil, may very well be more. But it's a capped league, so NE will just have the money to spend on UFA's or their existing players.

[Bobblehead]

The Pats never pick in the top 10 so it is never one of the super expensive rookies.

And if they were to offer more money for UFAs, that would tarnish their image of being frugal with free agents.

I think this penalty is fine, but we will only know for sure if they actually change their ways.

[I_H8_Crawford]

Don't the Pats have 2 other 1st rounders anyways??
I know they have the 49ers 1st rounder, not sure if they have another one, I thought they did.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Don't the Pats have 2 other 1st rounders anyways??
I know they have the 49ers 1st rounder, not sure if they have another one, I thought they did.

They are left with only the 49ers' pick.

[socalwingfan]

I think Bilicheck should be suspended the same length that a player gets when they are caught cheating (juicing) - i think it's 4 games but not sure.

[fredr123]

Couple questions:

1. Is it not the case that this is the maximum penalty currently available to be levied against coaches such as Belicheck?

2. The NFL Rulebook is notoriously difficult to find anywhere. Allegedly, this rule about videotaping on the sidelines is not even in the Rulebook. It's relegated to some other operations manual that also dictates the number of towels that must be provided in the visitor's locker rooms.

Okay, that last one wasn't really a question. Methinks that for an infraction that has previously been lumped in with such crucial details as towel allocation, receiving the maximum allowable punishment is probably more than sufficient for Coach Belicheck. Maybe the rules need to be re-examined and maybe stiffer punishments need to be put in place for incidents such as this, but as things stand right now this seems to be more than an adequate punishment in my books.

Disclosure: I've been a Patriots fan since I started paying attention to the NFL (same year Bledsoe came in).

[Bobblehead]

Here is an interesting viewpoint:

The Patriots and Belichick are not relatively innocent first time offenders. The Packers caught them at it last year. More important, this fall the NFL specifically reminded coaches not to do the very thing the Patriots did. Thus, it seems that the NFL did not punish the Patriots and Belichick simply for breaking a rule. Rather, the NFL punished them for thumbing their noses at the league’s authority to regulate competition.

[Mccree]

What happens to the pick. Does it go away, another team get it?

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Mccree

What happens to the pick. Does it go away, another team get it?

I am sure Jets fans will be crying for it...they will probably need it. But I would assume it will just be skipped.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Couple questions:

1. Is it not the case that this is the maximum penalty currently available to be levied against coaches such as Belicheck?

2. The NFL Rulebook is notoriously difficult to find anywhere. Allegedly, this rule about videotaping on the sidelines is not even in the Rulebook. It's relegated to some other operations manual that also dictates the number of towels that must be provided in the visitor's locker rooms.

Okay, that last one wasn't really a question. Methinks that for an infraction that has previously been lumped in with such crucial details as towel allocation, receiving the maximum allowable punishment is probably more than sufficient for Coach Belicheck. Maybe the rules need to be re-examined and maybe stiffer punishments need to be put in place for incidents such as this, but as things stand right now this seems to be more than an adequate punishment in my books.

Disclosure: I've been a Patriots fan since I started paying attention to the NFL (same year Bledsoe came in).

This is their forth infraction. Even if the rule was hard to find, they have been reminded 3 other times. Patriots = dirty cheaters. Their whole dynasty has an astrix on it.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

This is their forth infraction. Even if the rule was hard to find, they have been reminded 3 other times. Patriots = dirty cheaters. Their whole dynasty has an astrix on it.

pfft. Everyone does it, the Pats were just dumb enough to get caught.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by habernac

pfft. Everyone does it, the Pats were just dumb enough to get caught.

Everybody takes cameras to the sidelines to film coaches?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Everybody takes cameras to the sidelines to film coaches?

everybody tries to steal signals from the opposition. The Pats just got caught. Belichick got sloppy. And he's paid the price for it.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Slava

I saw an interview with Andy Reid on this (who if IIRC was the innovator of this covering your mouth with the play sheet), and he said that the stealing had nothing to do with it. The stadiums are loud and he just wanted to "funnel" his voice into the microphone a little better.

Interesting Andy Reid would say that. His former boss, Mike Holgren, said in a tv interview back in March. That he noticed when his assistants at Green Bay (Reid, Gruden, Mariucci) called the plays. Later when he watched the game he could tell exactly which plays were being called by reading their lips. He thought, if he could do it, so could anybody else. So you notice that Holgrem and his former assitants at Green Bay all cover their faces with the laminated play sheet. I'm sure it does funnel the play call into the michrophone better in a loud stadium. But apparantly that isn't the only reason.

[flames_1987]

Originally Posted by habernac

everybody tries to steal signals from the opposition. The Pats just got caught. Belichick got sloppy. And he's paid the price for it.

Everybody trys to steal plays but not everybody video tapes them. Belichick's ego once again was on display, especially after being caught so many times before.