onegameatatime

I'm ticked off too, but also at the media for its incessant handwringing and allegations of "cheating" without any evidence of what that cheating might be ... unless reviewing film after a game to see the defensive calls after a game is cheating.

The questioning of Belickick's and Brady's legacy is so outrageous, it makes me crazy.

How about Hines Ward and the 2001 loss in the conference final -- they did not score an offensive TD in the second half, correct? And in 2004, were up 24-3 at the half.

The more I think about how one would match the sideline video to the overhead during halftime, look for patterns, feel confident that you were getting signals off the right person and not a decoy, and then counting on the opposition not changing signals during halftime, the more crazy this all is.

I don't think I can bear losing a few games in the next few weeks and hearing how they can't win without doing whatever they were doing.

They should run up the score every chance they get.

I'm into politics and did not think I could get any more jaded, but this is surreal.

Sorry about rambling ...

PonyExpress

This jack@$$ commissioner isn't going to last long. Once the next CBA negotiations break down, and he is revealed to be a bumbling stooge, and Jonathan Kraft isn't there to rescue him, they'll replace him with another taxidermed facsimile of a human being. Maybe that one will have nuticles.

ClevTrev

Simple point, as I did read your attempt at the speeding ticket and DUI punishment analogy. It doesn't work, as neither you, me, nor the media has the full set of information that Goodell used as context within the ruling. And you know what? It doesn't matter. He is the czar of the NFL, and he is cracking down on ethics violations on the part of players, management, and ownership. He will not be denied, and is using these early violations as examples of how serious he really is. No BS here, he's dropping the hammer, and if you happen to be caught in one of these acts, you're going to get the max, justified or not.

Now, I can write hundreds of words about the injustice, just as Kraft and Belichick could pursue an appeal. But you know what? I won't and neither will they. They'll take the punishment and Belichick will coach the team.

Any time you want to talk about strategy for the San Diego game or the remaining 14 after that, let me know. I hold no grudges when I disagree with someone, as it's never personal with me.

__________________

maverick4

This is like breaking the rules by doing 65 in a 55, and then finding out you were punished the equivalent of a DUI.

Also, for the sake of fairness, check this out. There are no less than 7 different (Jets) people taking pictures or videotaping the action. One of the videotapers has a guy with a sound boom in Jets team shirt standing behind him. It is extraordinary to think that what is going on here does not illustrate that the Jets themselves were not violating the video taping rule.

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maverick4

One of the worst effects of this witchhunt is that good, honorable, hardworking men have their reputation and their earned victories tarnished. The thousands of hours they put in are being thrown away by rabid wolves thirsty for blood, truth be damned.

dante828

Great post. The thing is, any Pats fan who tries to defend the Patriots is going to be considered a homer, even if they make a fair point, which many of you have. However, I am going to take a larger view. I see this as part of a larger problem with recent NFL justice in general. The biggest problem is that it is completely fan/mob driven.

The recent Michael Vick scandal is a good example. People hate him for what he did, and rightfully so. However, the league has not set down any hard and fast rules regarding punishment for those who committ crimes outside the game. That means Leonard Little, who killed another human being while driving drunk (and drove drunk again afterwards) can still play in the NFL because everyone forgets that he did, but Michael Vick is unlikely ever to play again because the mob is against him.

Everyone has speculated why the Pats did this. I'll tell you why. They thought they gained a significant enough competative advantage that it outweighed the risk of getting caught. They probably never thought in a million years that the league would crack down on them like they did, because NO ONE had ever been punished like this for trying to steal calls. The fact they will probably lose a first rounder never crossed their mind, because the league never told them that that was a possibility. If the league had defined its punsihment beforehand, maybe the Pats never do it. Can you blame a team for breaking a rule when they have absolutely no idea what the punishment will be....and have been given every indication beforehand that the punishment will not be severe? The Pats should be punished, don't get me wrong, but they should be punished fairly. I stiff fine for Belichick and the Pats (as was done) and maybe a loss of a lower round draft pick, followed by a strict definition of punishment for this rule violation. H*ll, the punishment can even be as severe as it turned out to be, but it would have been nice to know that beforehand, don't you think.

What the league should do is specifically define a punishment for each rule violation. You get a DUI, your suspended two games. You get caught stealing signals, you lose a draft pick and get a specific fine. The league does this for drug violations, why can't they do this for every other rule violation? The way Goodell handled the problem of NFL player/criminals severely worried me before, because no strict rules of punishment were given. Now I see that policy killing my favorite team, and I know why I was so worried in the first place. Until the NFL solves this problem, the mob will continue to sway justice in the NFL. The witch hunt is stringing up the Pats today....who comes next? That is something every fan should worry about.

Frezo

Ya know, if it plays out this year that the Pats win it all, some media person will surmise that BB did this all on purpose to motivate the players and staff. That he did it to erect a stockade fence between the franchise and the rest of the league and establish an identity, be it good or bad, that strengthened itself with each vctory. ...kind of like the bar room bully. BB is a, well, he's a maverick thumbing his nose at authority. He may see himself as performing better under the guise of Gen. George Patten. He's a renegade. a rogue making up rules as he moves forward. I like him.

makoute

Blame everyone else but the person who actually did the wrong doing, you folks will make great parents.

RodRustsGhost

Jets Jets Jets.

Ok. one down. 30 to go.

Why is everyone focusing on just the jets footage? Seriously, if you guys are going to go down this road, I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't be that hard to find examples of a LOT of teams. (maybe even ALL teams)

BY the way, if every playoff team loses a first rounder and the rest all lose 2nd and 3rd rounders..those 2nd and third round pics are going to be AWESOME next year

I'd think with a few thousand rabid video analyzers going back over week one... one might be able to come up with several rules violations.

Keep sending them NECN, NESN, WBZ, WCVB, WHDH and WFXT -- the herald, the globe, the metro and boston now. Once they get picked up by the locals, then really, the nationals can't ignore it.

PonyExpress

Who the F are you, Father of the year? The NFL is a microcosm of politics, business and war. Issues and motives are not so easily discerned as in the simple lives many of us lead. Right and wrong are strange beasts driven by media whips. In this game, loyalty is truth, for players, coaches, owners and fans.