Posted on 09/11/2015 6:12:09 AM PDT by Red Badger
As he detailed problems his coaching staff had with the headset communications on Thursday night, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of coming right out and accusing the Patriots of cheating. But the Steelers’ website makes clear that the team believes the Patriots were in control of the audio problems the Steelers’ coaches were having.
An article on the Steelers’ website says that the audio communications problems started and stopped repeatedly — always stopping when a league official came down to the sideline to deal with the matter, then starting up again when the league official left the sideline area.
“This is the kind of stuff that happens to the visiting team in Gillette Stadium all the time,” the article said. “From the start of the game through the opening 14 minutes of the first quarter, the Steelers’ coaches’ headsets were receiving the Patriots Radio Network broadcast of the game. The broadcast was so loud that the Steelers coaches were unable to communicate, and the NFL rule is that if one team’s headsets are not working the other team is supposed to be forced to take their headsets off. It’s what the NFL calls the Equity Rule. Strangely enough, whenever an NFL representative proceeded to the New England sideline to shut down their headsets, the Steelers headsets cleared. Then as the representative walked away from the New England sideline, the Steelers’ headsets again started to receive the Patriots game broadcast.”
It’s impossible to read that as anything other than the Steelers accusing the Patriots of cheating. The allegation is published under the byline of Bob Labriola and is not presented as an official statement from the Steelers, but you can bet that a Steelers website writer wouldn’t write that if he thought the higher-ups in the organization disagreed with it.
The NFL says the headsets are provided by the league and the problems on Thursday night were a technical issue that got fixed early in the game. But that won’t stop those who are inclined to believe the Patriots are cheaters from thinking that the “technical issue” was caused by someone who works for the Patriots. That’s clearly what the Steelers think.
Timely post, thanks.
Two missed field goals? What? The Pats are moving the goalposts?
The NFL is skrewed..
The Patriots have a Judge on their bench.
Tom’s Babe (or soon to be ex-Babe) could run nekkid on the field to distract the opponents and the opponents would get flagged for looking.
All I want is the rules to be followed.. something the Patriots have had an issue with for quite some time.
Go VIKES!!! beat Da 9ers!!
Once is an accident
Twice is coincidence
Three times (and more!) = enemy action.
Bingo!
That was then, this is now. It’s a vastly different league. When Lombardi was in the game plan consisted of 12 running and 12 passing plays plus their audible variation. Now that’s not even enough plays for the opening script.
The NFL needs to take better control of the headset situation. There’s really no reason with modern technology to ever have headset problems. Throw some money at it, install permanent triple redundant system in each stadium that are totally under control of the league and just make it happen. Or if that’s too complicated for the league make the TV network that’s broadcasting the game be in charge, they seem to be able to get constant uninterrupted signals from all over the stadium, I’m sure they can handle 4 more.
Vince Lombardi didn’t coach at a time when defensive lineups changed by down and distance.
Your starters went in and played until the ball was turned over by score or downs.
Lombardi also thought of the forward pass as an necessary evil where 3 things could happen, and 2 of them were bad.
1984 Superbowl, LA Raiders vs Skins.
The game was still close and the Skins had the ball.
Some assistant assistant coach upstairs had the notes the Raider staff had made from game film.
This assistant noticed that on 3rd and long in their own end of the field, the Skins would throw to a certain reciever to the left.
He gives this information to the coaches on the field.
Coach Flores pulled his starting right linebacker and subbed Jack Youngblood, who played the pass better.
Sho’nuff, Theisman drops back and throws to his left.
Youngblood intercepts and scores the TD.
The steam leaves the Skins machine and the Raiders go on to win 38-9.
Lombardi was a great coach, but the game has changed.
I don’t say for the better, but it has changed.
I know - he also ain't with the Pats any more and his "legacy" still haunts them.....
Tom Brady is 130 games over .500 - he’s absurdly, devastatingly, excellent. Sour grapes. He’d take whatever team you root for and win 12 games a season.
I don't care how good he is - a cheater is a cheater is a cheater. The Patriots organization is rightfully under a cloud of suspicion for cheating, because of the number of times they have been caught and the pattern of behavior surrounding the club.
It's even worse when the really good ones cheat to get that extra edge, as they can't trust their own extraordinary talent to get the job done.
They didn’t lay a glove on Tom Brady and you are full of sh$t. The Cato Institute and countless others have shown that. The judge even asked the NFL - you are saying he did what exactly? Further, the only thing the Patriots were caught doing was filming the signal caller in front of 80,000 other people but not doing it in the space allotted for such filming but from another vantage point. Some spy operation out in front of 80,000 people. It’s nothing but sour grapes and you should get over your delusions. I believe you should give your address so Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison and Willie McGinest can come over your house and discuss your slander of these great, great players. So full of sh$t. The only team to handle the Pats were the Giants and their magnificent defensive lineman. That is how you beat the Pats. IT’s not cheating it’s not anything. It’s defensive linemen.
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