Sacks, lies and videotape [merged] - New England Patriots Forums

PatsFan37 · 05-19-2008, 12:10 PM

This article appeared yesterday in the NY Times, op-ed, written by a Pennsylvanian. Good stuff. Referenced by Holley on WEEI.

Quote:

Lost in the kerfuffle is the fact that cheating in football is as traditional as the coin toss. The cheating by Belichick, one of the most acclaimed and successful coaches in N.F.L. history, may be indefensible, but it is also commonplace.

Has lots of good examples of the cheating in the NFL that was treated as an amusing byplay to the game rather than the incarnation of all that is evil.

***jmt57*** · 05-19-2008, 12:16 PM

Was just about to post it, you beat me to it. I was amazed that this found it's way into the New York Times, given their previous bias. Then I figured out the Opinion section has it's own editor; this would have never run in the Sports section.

***MoLewisrocks*** · 05-19-2008, 12:20 PM

Kudos to Michael Holley for suggesting that everyone should read this piece by Mark Bowden - author of “The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern N.F.L.” It speaks to how disingenuous the entire argument has been from the outset. Several excerpts follow, mods can reduce them further as they will.

Quote:

ALMOST a half-century ago, two teams were getting ready to play at Yankee Stadium for the championship of the National Football League. The game was not yet the big deal it has become today. Each member of the winning team stood to take home an official prize of less than $5,000.

But it was a very big deal to the people involved, and Weeb Ewbank, the head coach of the Baltimore Colts, was taking no chances. As was his usual practice, he had scripted the first three offensive plays of the game. After that he would let his quarterback, John Unitas, call the plays.

...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/opinion/18bowden.html

NYCPatsFan · 05-19-2008, 12:21 PM

Excerpt from the article: "...the secret videotaping of the sideline signals of opponents by the New England Patriots".

Secret? Even after the comm himself pointed out on national TV that this was done in the open using a simple video camera?

Yet another example of how the constant usage of 'cheating' and 'spying' by the media manage to unconciously influence the perception of events that actually occured.

***MoLewisrocks*** · 05-19-2008, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmt57

Was just about to post it, you beat me to it. I was amazed that this found it's way into the New York Times, given their previous bias. Then I figured out the Opinion section has it's own editor; this would have never run in the Sports section.

Great minds...

***MoLewisrocks*** · 05-19-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCPatsFan

Excerpt from the article: "...the secret videotaping of the sideline signals of opponents by the New England Patriots".

Secret? Even after the comm himself pointed out on national TV that this was done in the open using a simple video camera?

Yet another example of how the constant usage of 'cheating' and 'spying' by the media manage to unconciously influence the perception of events that actually occured.

Try reading the article in the context in which it was written... "Cheating" is part of the fabric of sports, at all levels as this writer can attest.

SVN · 05-19-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoLewisrocks

Kudos to Michael Holley for suggesting that everyone should read this piece by Mark Bowden - author of “The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern N.F.L.” It speaks to how disingenuous the entire argument has been from the outset. Several excerpts follow, mods can reduce them further as they will.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/opinion/18bowden.html

why didnt they write all this last september ?
Send this to florio and king.

NYCPatsFan · 05-19-2008, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoLewisrocks

Try reading the article in the context in which it was written... "Cheating" is part of the fabric of sports, at all levels as this writer can attest.

Yes, I do understand the context of the article and that it was not aimed at demonizing us.

But why give false information in attempting to explain a point??

Try understanding it from that context.

PonyExpress · 05-19-2008, 12:39 PM

Great, now we can add Weeb Ewbank and Tom Landry to a list that already includes: George Halas, Paul Brown, Lamar Hunt, George Allen, Marty Schottenheimer, Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick, et. al.