Tomase: Source claims Pats filmed Rams' Super Bowl walkthrough

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1070762&srvc=home&position=0

Not sure what to think of this.

My immediate reaction is twofold:

1. I don't see why this is illegal, since in the rulebook it states you cannot tape teams in-game, on the sidelines. Not sure of any rule that states you can't tape a walkthrough, since a team would have to be REALLY stupid to allow another cameraman to stand there and get the footage.

2. The media storm is about to erupt in the next two days.

 

[Gator Mike]

My reaction is the same as yours - is it against the rules?

 

[sebman2112]

My reaction? Some piece of trash is trying to cause noise just before the SB hoping it will effect NE's ability to win. Funny this "source" didn't come out during the season, or better yet during spygate.

Also, you can kick everyone out during walkthroughs, so if the rams were stupid enough to allow access they were asking for it. That's not suggesting NE actually filmed them, just that it's something easily prevented.

PS: Stuff like this is why I don't read Tomase's articles (unless their brought up on here).

 

[#12]

Crazy how we went through almost 2 weeks of Superbowl hype without hearing a word about all this and now CONVENIENTLY 2 days before the Superbowl it seems the witchunt has returned...when will it end??? and who the hell is this "source"? if this was true and such a big deal why did they wait 6 years later to talk their shiiit?

 

[patpatriot]

It's Walsh. he's trying to arrange some kind of payoff. Shame on Tomase for helping him.

 

[Willie Andrews23]

Hi gang,
I've been lurking forever out here, and all of this crap finally got me off of my butt to start posting!
I just read this story and it is really starting to ruin the whole fun of being a Pats fan. Seems like they are just not going to stop this crap until they strip a Super Bowl or whatever it is they want from the Pats. I hope they realize the repercussions of what fans will do if anything STUPID like that happens.

It is like stealing a sign in Baseball, you still gotta hit the damn ball.
The Pats reign supreme but this Witch Hunt continues.
I'm losing it!! I'm so fed up. We should be excited about our team right now,
not worried about what is going to happen to them.
Thanks for listening guys...

 

[TN Patriot]

It's Walsh. he's trying to arrange some kind of payoff. Shame on Tomase for helping him.

It was either Tomase or the Times. This was coming out one way or another.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

In a memo to NFL head coaches and general managers on Sept. 6, 2006, NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson wrote: "Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game."


In the league's Constitution & Bylaws, it reads: "Any use by any club at any time, from the start to the finish of any game in which such club is a participant, of any communications or information-gathering equipment, other than Polaroid-type cameras or field telephones, shall be prohibited, including without limitation videotape machines, telephone tapping, or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic devices that might aid a team during the playing of a game."

No infraction, but the media and other fanbases will be like flies on you know what.

 

[Gator Mike]

FWIW, I wouldn't be shocked if Tomase got this from a Pats employee in an attempt to take the wind out of the Matt Walsh "story".

I'm upset that Tomase wouldn't include a paragraph in his story about whether the taping was against the rules or not.

 

[Willie Andrews23]

Hey Ice,
I'm sure Marshall Faulk types will twist this as a "During The Game" type of situation. Faulk will use it to justify his unspeakable hurt from that game. Now he can say: "I knew we won that game!" Watch.

 

[Wildo7]

Of course it's illegal, it's a closed practice, are you guys kidding? The rules we've all become familiar with are in reference to in-game videotaping procedures. This would most likely be in some other section. Do you really think the NFL says that it's legal for teams to tape other teams practices?

This is going to s.uck so bad if it's true.

 

[Willie Andrews23]

But how much could it really effect the outcome one day before the game? Seems to me it would take more time to study the film and put things in place than an overnight.

 

[roman_maroney]

I don't buy it. But are you people really questioning if it is against the rules? Written or unwritten, a covert attempt to film an opponents practice for reasons (or uses) unknown, as may or may not be alleged here in this vague piece (of crap)... is pretty damning. I need to step away from the internet.

 

[roman_maroney]

"But how much could it really effect the outcome one day before the game?"

that's not the question everyone will be asking....

 

[Wildo7]

But how much could it really effect the outcome one day before the game? Seems to me it would take more time to study the film and put things in place than an overnight.

I think "spygate" proved that none of that matters. I have no idea whether this is true or not or what the motivation is behind this coming out now. But if it is true, this is way worse than the spygate stuff, and we will never hear the end of it.

Even if it's not true, we'll probably never hear the end of it. It's such a weird feeling of enjoying the SB and the historic season mixed with all this negative crap.

 

[sebman2112]

Of course it's illegal, it's a closed practice, are you guys kidding? The rules we've all become familiar with are in reference to in-game videotaping procedures. This would most likely be in some other section. Do you really think the NFL says that it's legal for teams to tape other teams practices?

This is going to s.uck so bad if it's true.

It's not a closed practice if their allowing media types access, which this story suggest. Basically, this source claims the Patriots camera guy pretended to be one of those media types so he could sit there and record away.

Also, the Rams could have asked for a private walkthrough (as the Chargers did before the AFCCG), which would have eliminated those media types.

Honestly I don't buy it, and I think some piece of trash is just trying to stir up trouble hours before the SB.

 

[italian pat patriot]

is it illegal, is it against the rules ?

honestly i do not know but i'm a little bit tired about those stories

 

[Wildo7]

It's not a closed practice if their allowing media types access, which this story suggest. Basically, this source claims the Patriots camera guy pretended to be one of those media types so he could sit there and record a way.

Also, the Rams could have asked for a private walkthrough (as the Chargers did before the AFCCG), which would have eliminated those media types.

Honestly I don't buy it, and I think some piece of trash is just trying to stir up trouble hours before the SB.

Right, I'm sure people will care whether it was a "closed practice" or whether a Patriots camera guy pretended to be media to get in there

The bottom line here is that there's another story for the media and haters to run with and this is never going to end.

 

[roman_maroney]

Shocked that Florio wasn't awoken from his sleep chamber to update his rumor mill at this hour

 

[sebman2112]

Right, I'm sure people will care whether it was a "closed practice" or whether a Patriots camera guy pretended to be media to get in there

The bottom line here is that there's another story for the media and haters to run with and this is never going to end.

I know this, but according to you it was a closed practice, which isn't the case if (as this report suggest) the media was allowed access.

Maybe you don't consider that a big difference (it's actually a huge difference), but I doubt you could take much away from a walkthrough the rams were allowing a bunch of media members access to. If they were protecting any substantial information that walkthrough would have been private.

Think about stuff before you type people...