Posted on 09/13/2007 5:45:28 PM PDT by misterrob
Bill Belichick was hit with a $500,000 fine Thursday night -- the maximum allowable by NFL by-laws -- for violating the league's policy on videotaping the Jets defensive signs Sunday. In addition, Roger Goodell notified the Patriots that they would forfeit a 2008 first-round draft choice if they reach the playoffs, or second- and third-round picks if they do not qualify for the playoffs. The club was also fined $250,000.
There were also uncalled penalties, BFD. That does not call into question the integrity of the game.
Wow a completely lame comparison. This is football, not bank robbery, don’t over value things.
Actually the rules CAN prohibit signal stealing, it actually came up last year, but 10 owners voted against it. They already have prohibited signal stealing when the signals are going to the offense, that’s why they use radios in the helmets.
No actually there are various broadcasts, you’ve got to go international to get the other stuff, and they usually don’t have as many cameras as the big American networks, but these other broadcasts do exist.
It’s not rulebook rationalization, it’s presenting the truth. Most of the people that are aghast about this are behaving as if the signal theft itself were the crime, it isn’t. It’s the method. There’s nothing Clintonian about pointing out to those people that their objections are silly.
Maybe. he could be NFL Films.
Cap violations are cheating for an entire season, it means having more “talent” (as represented by pay) on your roster than is allowed. Don’t be a hypocrite and get your panties in a bunch about video taping while excusing cap violations, cheating is cheating and if you’re going to declare someone evil for one then somebody else has to be evil for the other.
Please list the sources you’re citing. Every indication I’ve seen, primarily on Pro Football Talk, has been that a warning was sent league-wide in 2006 due to multiple teams complaining to the league solely about the Patriots’ actions.
I’m waiting for when Pioli’s contract is up and let go from the Pats. Hopefully Oakland will get him.
Well it couldn’t get any worse for Raider Nation.
Patriots 35 Packers 0
Darren Woodson on nfl live said he didn’t think the punishmrnt was harsh enough. He thinks Belichick should be suspended several games.
>>>I think the reason they didn’t go the forfeit route is because they had the goods on the Pats cheating in the last Super Bowl.
If they had reversed the Jet’s game, the Eagle’s would have had a legitimate reason to ask that the Pat’s give back their trophy.
It would have opened a pretty big can of worms.<<<
Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
Actually, no. The Chargers dispatched security to a hill overlooking their practice field and caught a handful of spies with highly advanced video equipment. All of whom worked for the Denver Broncos.
After reviewing the report, further investigation revealed that spying on other teams during practice and games was ridiculously out of control.
That’s why the memo went out.
>>>This is b.s. folks last year Green Bay caught them with a camera on Nov. 19th<<<<
Wow, that’s a stretch. Just in case you didn’t know, every team is allowed to have up to four camera men on the sidelines.
The rules sate that they must wear a bright yellow jacket/vest and be properly credentialed.
One of the Pats camera men did not have his credentials with him when he was asked for them and the camera was taken from him before the game even started.
Now you no the rest of the story.
First of all, try to talk like a grown up.
Second, find me the part where I excused anything. I said cheating during the games and Super Bowls was several orders of magnitude worse than accounting infractions during a non-championship season. I said it because it's the truth.
The 49ers were found guilty of cap violations for the 1997 season. They didn't win a Super Bowl that year, much less three Super Bowls by a total of 9 points. Their dynasty came between 1985 and 1995, when they won four championships by a combined total of 95 points, without a whiff of impropriety (except having a mean offensive line, heaven forbid). So the comparison is wholly irrelevant. And the point is moot.
The maximum fine a coach can get is $500,000, thats the limit, If BB had some dirt, he sure as hell doesn't know how to negotiate, because on top of that, the league also fined the team $250,000. Personally, I think BB could have made a case that the league circumvented its own rules, and fined in excess by doing what it did with the fines (and on top of that took away at least one draft pick).
In other words, BB could not out anybody, he had nothing, they called him on the carpet, dressed him down, and spanked him. Suspenion for him would have been useless, there would be no point, he could sit at home, and still game plan, and be a factor in the game (not to mention, the power of the cell phone).
Forfeit would have been stupid, and would have gotten the league sued seriously.
Personally, I think there are 2 other teams that I suspect, but thats it, BB went above and beyond the rules, and his "interpretation" of the rules, was a bad joke.
He had nothing, he was at the leagues mercy, the best he can argue (and he isn't) is that the league went overboard, and hit him harder then its allowed to.
The Jets had acameraman on the field on the filed on their sideline....
I do not know where you got the part about the cameraman being on the Pats side from, he was escorted from the field from the Jets sideline area, by Jets security along with NFL security, whom then confiscated his camera.
This was also not a first offence.
The Jets cameraman could have done shots on his sideline, as long as he didn't enter restricted areas (which he didn't), and didn't cross media rules, (he didn't).
BB has already said he was sorry, the NFL gave him his spanking, and he took it. The best he can do now, is get back to coaching, and next time, contact the league office before offering up his lame "interpretation".
FWIW, check out his statement and interpretation, its so bad, its even more embarrassing then this.
I bet you got the ‘Abuse’ button hit on you in this thread as a troll. You boozing liberal you.
That's correct. Uncalled penalties and human error do not call the integrity of the game into question.
What that has to do videotaping opposing teams' signals to gain an unfair and completely illegal advantage in games over a period of year is far less clear.
What were you saying about lame comparisons, again?
Well, sports and entertainment threads are magnets for trolls trying to ingratiate themselves with the locals. So maybe Jim should give me and my posting history a thorough once-over... just to be safe. I could very easily be a spy working for the Kucinich campaign. Which would explain why I’m here trashing one of Hillary Clinton’s big donors, Bill “The Fraud” Belichick. Makes perfect sense if you think about it.
Are your straw men all wearing officially licensed hoodies from NFLshop.com? Because that's how I'm envisioning them.
I have not seen any proof anywhere that the Pats were for the radio, in fact, your the first person to tell me that.
Sidenote: Belichick started his NFL coaching career on the offensive side of the ball, before Ray Perkins made him a linebackers coach, where he excelled before eventually becoming defensive coordinator. He has also held offensive playcalling responsibilities while head coach at various times with the Cleveland Browns, and with the New England Patriots while still handling the defence (he isn't one of the greatest football coaches that ever lived for no reason).
Peter King did a report last year that invovled Rex Ryan before the Ravens/Colts game. He said he was planning on using 4 or 5 colored cards with plays to switch between in every series because "the Colts were the best" at stealing signs. And in another report Chris Mortenson said some other teams would put audio equipment under the other teams benches in pre-season trying to tape conversations.
The colts do steal signs, they just don't have a video guy on the other teams sideline doing it, stealing signs is not illegal, you can do it, its the means and methods that are the reason BB got spanked, it was how he did it, (and his methods are more effective then anyone elses).
As for Chris Mortenson, he was referring to a rumor (now do NOT laugh about this) that the Oakland Raiders were bugging the benches. The Raiders have a history of starting false rumors like this, I can even tell you who his probable source was, Mike Lombardi.
The league had vote during offseason to allow the Middle Linebacker to have a mic in his helmet (like the QB). The vote failed by a few votes but the Pats voted for the change. If people think taping is a unique thing to the Pats they're fooling themselves. Sideline videotaping was big with Parcells and a guy who worked under him in the 90s and has worked for several other teams and coaches since was quoted the other day on ESPN as this being something that's pretty much an open dirty secret that most teams do.
I haven't seen anything that says the Pats voted for the rule change, the only thing I read was they were against it, and cited some reasons (I believe it was that only one guy having it wouldn't work, it needs multiple players due to frequent substitutions).
Parcells definatly wasn't doing the Video thing in the 90's, as much as I hate the Jets, he was not big into it, though he did do alot of things that were definatly not on the up and up, also, the guy who probably gave that statement about this being common sounds like he is using the last defence possible "everybody does it, so stop picking on us".
BB got caught (actually stung, they knew it in advance), and he couldn't do anything, personally, from what I have seen, I suspect 2 other teams of similiar but not exactly the same thing, but I can't confirm it. If I could prove it, I would name names too, BB couldn't possibly for the same reasons.
No it’s not a stretch, he was caught. There is no stretch.
They were warned for it, that is also not a stretch.
No it’s not a stretch, he was caught. There is no stretch.
They were warned for it, that is also not a stretch.
do I “no” the rest of the story? LOL! So what when the camera was taken from him that is like saying you took a slimjim from a car theif before he breaks into the car. It doesn’t remove intent. I’m sure you “no” a lot more than I “know”. LOLOLOL!
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