I think it's a good article and maybe the first example of intelligent journalism in this whole affair so far. We're certainly not getting anything like this from Peter "simpleton" King or John Clayton, both of whom are professional embarassments.
Take off the homer glasses, guys. It's a compelling story, and I think it's good for a journalist to be asking tough questions. What I don't like about the article is this: A) it weakens itself by using demagogic language like "Beli-cheat" and B) there's a yellow-journalism slant to it; i.e. "dark shadows exist in scary places even though I haven't produced anything to imply that but innuendo."
I think it's entirely possible that there was footage of defensive coordinators who coached the Eagles, Rams, or Cats. I also think that behind closed doors, most of the league understands that the benefit derived from tapes like that is minimal, and that it would only have affected a few plays, if any, especially in the Super Bowl, where DCs have two weeks to put together new blitz packages and secondary looks. The vast majority of the league, I think, views the taping as bush league but not a big deal. But the problem for the NFL is that public opinion and incendiary sports journalism won't buy that. They'll run with the story to push viewership, and because it's a very compelling story. In essence, if there were tapes that relate to the Super Bowl games, it would be a disaster for the NFL even though it's unlikely that they had any influence on the games themselves. Under those circumstances, I think it's entirely likely that they would destroy the tapes and sweep it under the rug. What corporation wouldn't? Remember that the NFL is a product, guys, and the track record of US corporate ethics isn't exactly stellar.
I think Easterbrook is trying to make a name for himself here, but that's what journalists do. I'm a huge Pats fan, but I'm a bigger fan of the league itself and what it represents about America. I'd love to know more of the behind the scenes politics that surrounded this situation, which did, in case you forgot, result in the largest punishment the NFL ever gave out to anyone, ever.
Go Pats.