Should an Asterisk Be Placed Next to the 2007 New England Patriots* If They Remain Undefeated?
Are you old enough to remember the first time the New England Patriots* cheated to win a football game? It was during a game with the Miami Dolphins back in the 80s. The Patriots were attempting a field goal when the groundskeeper rode onto the field to scoop away the snow in front of the placekicker. This is a team with a history of playing dirty; of doing everything possible to win. As they near the verge of becoming first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to finish a regular season undefeated, it is worth considering whether nor not an asterisk should be placed next to the Patriots* should they successfully finish the season undefeated.
That little groundskeeper who virtually assured that a missed field goal would become a sure thing was nothing compared to what Bill Belichick did earlier in the 2007. You do remember that, don't you? How these same undefeated New England Patriots* illegally videotaped New York Jets practices. This came after the Patriots had earlier been warned against videotaping the Packers. The Jets was a big deal, however, because they got caught; there is simply no telling how many times they'd done it before. Belichick was fined and promptly acted as though he didn't do anything wrong. It is too much to believe that Bill Belichick and the Patriots* have been cheating all year long? After all, you've got Belichick who has a history of playing dirty coaching the Patriots* who have a history of cheating.
That little groundskeeper who virtually assured that a missed field goal would become a sure thing was nothing compared to what Bill Belichick did earlier in the 2007. You do remember that, don't you? How these same undefeated New England Patriots* illegally videotaped New York Jets practices. This came after the Patriots had earlier been warned against videotaping the Packers. The Jets was a big deal, however, because they got caught; there is simply no telling how many times they'd done it before. Belichick was fined and promptly acted as though he didn't do anything wrong. It is too much to believe that Bill Belichick and the Patriots* have been cheating all year long? After all, you've got Belichick who has a history of playing dirty coaching the Patriots* who have a history of cheating.
Comments
Animal
(Guest)
(Guest)
12/28/2009
Typical Patriots fans commenting below. The Patriots cheated- plain and simple. Yes, they should have an asterisk next to their name. Personally, the NFL should have automatically marked the game against the Jets as a loss. I hate the Patriots because I love football.
Mikial
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/19/2009
...continued from below...
Typically the defensive coach does not chose their play until the offense lines up, effectively negating the ability of a stolen signal to be communicated to the QB. And we are not even discussing the many times a defense changes plays on the fly seconds before the ball is snapped. It therefore seems highly unlikely an attempt at stealing defensive signals could ever be successful employed by an opposing team.
In the end anyone that believes the taping of events, in full view of tens of thousands stadium spectators and literally millions of television viewers, somehow conveys an advantage is either truly ignorant or purely partisan in their logic
Mikial
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/19/2009
It should also be noted, especially for those unfamiliar with the intricacies of football tactics and rules, that taping the actions of opposing defensive coaches hardly constitutes an advantage. First, because defensive hand signals are a constant source of potential theft, regardless of videocams, teams employ several preventative tactics. This includes the use of several "dummy" defensive signal callers that essentially masks the identification of the actual caller. Additionally, like in baseball, defensive signals are constantly modified between games as further insurance in the unlikely event signals were intercepted and deciphered.
Finally, in order for the offensive team to benefit from a stolen signal the call must be relayed from the coach to the QB via the radio headset before ball is snapped. The problem with this scenario is that the radio communication between coach and QB is automatically turned off 15-seconds before the 30-second play clock expires.
Typically the de
Mikial
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/19/2009
A couple of errors in your article. The Patriots were not penalized for taping the Jet's practice, rather they were found in violation of the new NFL rule that forbade the taping of game time action from the sidelines. Taping is still legal from several areas including the Press Box, just no longer from the sidelines.
preserving the integrity of the game. 2007 marked the year that the NFL became as much of a joke as Major League Baseball.
Wow. Now even a US Senator is looking into this and the NFL destroys the evidence. (There's your link to Bush, Chad, except for Sen. Specter looking into it). Now comes word the Patriots had been routinely taping pretty much every single team in the league. Though, hey, we'll never know for sure if the Pats cheated in the Super Bowl against the Eagles since the NFL destroyed the evidence. Of course, to suggest that the NFL wants to protect the integrity of the upcoming Super Bowl by covering up the fact that the single biggest draw for the game--will or won't the Pats go undefeated--is a joke because they know the Pats wouldn't have gone undefeated at all if they hadn't been cheating. Of course, the morons who make up the bulk of this comment section will never admit that their precious team achieve their success as a result of having inside information. Good thing the rest of the league knows better. Too bad the Commissioner cares more about ratings and advertising revenue tha
Though I'm more than a little shocked that a question about the NFL has turned into "Bush is evil" (I guess it shouldn't at this point), I thought liberals didn't believe in the possibility that anything trickles down?
What did you expect in a country where the President is a mass murderer? The trickle-down effect has trickled down to sports. These days, athletes are no longer playing for the love of the game, but rather they are playing in homage to their god, Dollarus Americanus, and they'll do anything to get more money.
Jay
(Guest)
(Guest)
12/30/2007
Though I agree that the Pats deserve that asterisk, "cheating" goes on a lot during play, though it is usually small. Things like grabbing the pads of another player while the official is not watching (avoiding a holding call), similar to what one player did to the Pats last night in the open field (very dumb). However things like that are not usually called cheating as many players do it and say that it is find to do if you don't get caught.
Where's the "history of cheating?" It was one game, a broken rule. Here's an asterisk for you...
*jealousy
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