Where Are The Wise men Of Football When You Need Them? - New England Patriots Forums

***psychoPat*** · 09-29-2007, 11:05 PM

Now those minor celebrities who have all recently become scholars of cheating
can address this:

Granted, it is "against the rules" to videotape coaches for use at a future time.
The media solomons have defined this as cheating.

Two weeks ago, Shanahan ... within the letter of the rule ... arranged to call a time-out
immediately before Janikowski attempted a 52-yarder to win the game.
To win that very game!
All 22 players played it out ... because who besides a single official on the sideline, alongside Shanahan,
knew or thought there was a time-out?
Forced by cunning abuse of a rule to kick it again ... Janikowski hit the upright the second time.
Shanahan's team went on to an overtime victory because of this ruse.

Saturday night ... emulating such exemplary good sportsmanship ... Urban Meyer
grabbed a sideline official's attention to call a time-out exactly before Auburn snapped the ball
to try a walkoff FG.
To win that very game!
The true freshman's (!) kick was true ... but once more the rule decreed that all 22 must do the play over.
This time, it happened that even the second try was good.

But i want at least one of those bloviating blowhards
who crucified Belichick for "cheating" by violating a rule
... to state with a straight face that this reprehensible and unfair manipulation is NOT cheating
- because the rules allow it!

smg93 · 09-30-2007, 02:49 AM

I don't understand the analogy.

If you were talking about integrity of the game, I think that type of play still exists, but primarily in the game of golf where players call penalties on themselves.

If however you were talking about the rules of the game, then videotaping which is against the rules, and calling a timeout before a ball is snapped, which is within the rules are two toally different things.

***psychoPat*** · 09-30-2007, 08:05 AM

Reiss has a deep discussion of this phenomenon,
including the views of both Vinatieri and Gostkowski.

Also mentions that the Raiders, learning from Shanny,
pulled the identical trick against the Browns the next week
... and won the game by blocking the second kick!

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...+Patriots+news

FloridaPatsFan · 09-30-2007, 08:14 AM

What I find curious is that Urban Meyer and BB have become good friends in the last few years.....Seems like an oddity but nonetheless, BB has been going down to Gainesville for the last few years.

It just makes me wonder if BB gave Urban some information on how to steal signs and that led to Florida winning the National Championship against a far superior opponent (on paper)....Sort of like the Patriots beating the Rams.

Just a thought that I'm going no where with.

***ctpatsfan77*** · 09-30-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychoPat

Reiss has a deep discussion of this phenomenon,
including the views of both Vinatieri and Gostkowski.

Also mentions that the Raiders, learning from Shanny,
pulled the identical trick against the Browns the next week
... and won the game by blocking the second kick!

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...+Patriots+news

FWIW, the article didn't mention the fact that Da Bearz pulled the same stunt last year--and it helped Gostkowski (his first kick was powerful, but about a yard too far to the right; his second kick wasn't so powerful, but between the uprights).