Specter: Walsh: Offensive player instructed to learn signals from tape in 2000

[BadMoFo]

This looks bad, just saying. But I don't buy this, why did Goodell not say anything about this.

From the Globe:

Specter met with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh for three hours yesterday in his Hart Senate Office Building office. He said that Walsh told him that a former offensive player for the Patriots told Walsh a few days before a Sept. 11, 2000 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that the offensive player was called into a meeting with head coach Bill Belichick, then offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and Belichick confidant Ernie Adams. During the meeting it was explained to the player how the signal tapes would be used.

According to Specter's recount of what Walsh detailed to him, the offensive player, who was on the sidelines for the game, would memorize the signals then watch for the Tampa Bay defensive calls during the game. He would then pass the call along to Weis, who would give instructions to the quarterback on the field.

Specter's statement said that the offensive player told Walsh that it helped the Patriots anticipate 75 percent of the defensive plays being called.

Most likely this would have been a QB: 7 Michael Bishop, 11 Drew Bledsoe, 12 Tom Brady and 17 John Friesz.

 

[PonyExpress]

Re: Watcha think of this:

#1. There is no rule against stealing signs. Only videotaping. The offensive player wasn't using video while sign stealing during the game.

#2. That was the first game of BB's first season. How could he have had prior tapes of Tampa Bay?

#3. If the account is true, this supports the notion the tapes weren't used during the games in which they were made.

#4. The Patriots sucked that year.

#5. It was before the memo clarification

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Watcha think of this:

It's sign stealing which is legal. All the camera does is expedite the process; teams do steal signs and use them in future games and have for decades. This doesn't "look bad" to me - it's nothing more than sign stealing which, presumably, teams account for if they're smart. And, as Belichick has stated, they were not used in the current game.

 

[Mark Morse]

Re: Watcha think of this:

This looks bad, just saying. But I don't buy this, why did Goodell not say anything about this.

From the Globe:




Most likely this would have been a QB: 7 Michael Bishop, 11 Drew Bledsoe, 12 Tom Brady and 17 John Friesz.

I listened to part of the press conference and Specter wouldn't name the players because he hadn't received permission to name him. Specter also said that Walsh wouldn't identify him.

This is a serious breach by Walsh. He doesn't have idemnity when he spoke to Specter and a statement as serious as this is grounds for a lawsuit.

Specter won't admit, even with Walsh's testimony that he did not give the Patriots the tapes during the game. Specter used Schlereth's comments on ESPN as a reference. What a joke Specter is ... he cited the Anti Trust exemption again and seems to be hanging it over there heads. Specter sounded like a disgruntled Eagle or Steelers fan (his constituency).

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Watcha think of this:

#1. There is no rule against stealing signs. Only videotaping. The offensive player wasn't using video while sign stealing during the game.

#2. That was the first game of BB's first season. How could he have had prior tapes of Tampa Bay?

#3. If the account is true, this supports the notion the tapes weren't used during the games in which they were made.

#4. The Patriots sucked that year.

Presumably, the Bucs were reusing signals from their pre-season game against the Pats (yes, they did play in the preseason in 2000).

But, as others have noted, if this is true, fat lot of good it did them, since they still lost.

 

[kolbitr]

Re: Watcha think of this:

(Important to note that this allegation does not support in-game use of any tapes, but rather later use of said taping, which the Patriots admitted that they tried to use.)

I believe this report is identical to the one that the NY Times ran on Feb 22, identifying a former Patriot player as having made this claim. Allegedly, the Patriots were using film from the preseason game which Tampa Bay won 31–21. If the allegations are true, they were an abject failure, as the Bucs defense dominated the Patriots in a game that was nowhere as close as its 21–16 score would indicate. Their only points occurred as a result of a fumble on the opening kickoff (result: FG), a Troy Brown punt return (TD), and a meaningless garbage time TD. Pretty pathetic.

 

[Marko]

Re: Watcha think of this:

It couldn't have been Bledsoe, because he was playing.

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Watcha think of this:

It couldn't have been Bledsoe, because he was playing.

It was probably Brady, though it could have been Friesz.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Re: Watcha think of this:

Specter should form a committee to investigate memories.

 

[Metaphors]

Re: Watcha think of this:

What do I think? I think that if anyone spent two seconds and two brain cells thinking about this, they wouldn't be surprised at all. If the Pats see something on a tape (coach's tape, sideline tape, game tape, etc.) that indicates a tendency, a "tell" or anything else of use, they would use that information the next time they faced the team.

Being outraged or surprised that the Pats actually looked at the tapes they shot and applied anything they learned in future games is just the height of stupidity. Of course they used the information.

The point that these tapes let the Pats know the defensive play calling with any certainty is also moronic. If you play the same team twice in a calendar year and don't change up your signals, you should be fined by the league for stupidity.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Watcha think of this:

Presumably, the Bucs were reusing signals from their pre-season game against the Pats (yes, they did play in the preseason in 2000).

But, as others have noted, if this is true, fat lot of good it did them, since they still lost.

We lost to everyone we could have taped prior to playing them that season. In this case it was likely because we played the JETS that week (Tampa was a week earlier). NO WONDER THOSE SIGNALS SUCKED. WE HELD THE GD SIGNAL MEETING A WEEK TOO LATE. LOL

This is just another example of Matt wanting someone to know how siginificant his work here was...