NFL's mouthpiece (ESPN) at it again with OTL piece on cameragate

Both ESPNs are now running nothing but the story that the Patriots taped 40 games (failing to mention the legality of doing so for most of that tenure), breaking into locker rooms (how would they do that without being seen?). etc. Even though Tom was exonerated, I am back to leaning towards being done with this league. What a sideshow.

I haven't read the piece but from what I've heard so far, it sounds like most of it is unnamed sources and suspicions, with, as usual, very, very few actual documented facts. Sounds like a bunch of sore losers bitter about the Patriots beating them in important games.

And we KNEW that Spygate was "bad". After all, the Pats were penalized $1 million and a first round draft pick - the highest penalty in league history up to that point in time.

SVN said:

now panthers also claim their practices were taped.

None of these guys think they were just not good..everyting is because of cheating.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...onvinced-patriots-taped-super-bowl-practices/

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The latter part of the ESPN piece devolves into different "high level" people - exec's, assist. coaches, and Hines Ward, all saying stuff like "they scored a long TD on us, they must've had a signal" & "Patriots were prepared for our rarely used dime defense - must've had a signal."

Not to oversimplify, but isn't it incredible that a pro football player/coach/exec would act surprised when the Patriots were prepared for a dime defense? You put 6 DB on the field, that's not a signal... they watched tape (*game) of the previous times you did that and had a plan for it. What about that lends any credence to the notion that the Patriots had stolen signals?

DaBruinz said:

I disagree. I think that Goodell is just as guilty as the other owners..

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You're right. Goodell is scum along with the rest of the perpetrators in this seemingly never-ending smear campaign.

It's the NYJFL, the owners, and news/media outlets slobbering over the opportunity to whore themselves out for clicks.

I guess we'll forever be a bunch of cheaters to the outside world. Oh well. There's nothing else to do now except cheat our way to a few more Super Bowl trophies and let everyone else stew in their hatred and salt. Bwahaha!

sevengables_2207 said:

The silver lining here being that traditionally, the team has responded very well on the field of play in the wake of these type of situations.

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I can think of one glaring exception.

My God that PFT comment section is abhorrent. They truly are winning, most fans are convinced we cheated and who can blame them, that's the narrative the NFL has been feeding them for 8 f***ing years now.

I've been trying to tune it out and was excited to finally just enjoy some football. If it's this draining as a fan I can only imagine how Bill, Tom and the team feel about it.

ESPN, what a farce. So thankful I never have to interact with that company directly.

The Brandon Five said:

I can think of one glaring exception.

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Let us hope that the gamethatshallnotbenamed remains just so.

PatsfanTN said:

Yeah, they were quick on that

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If they were following the ping pong nature of deflategate, they had to know this was coming. Roger and his minions are spiteful little peckerwoods. They lost the last round, but they'll keep it going till they feel they can declare victory, no matter how Pyrric.

2007 style asswhooping coming up this season

So there's video of McNally going into the bathroom where's the video of anyone going into an opposing locker room?

Galeb said:

I'm sort of on the fence about Kraft because I don't know the whole story. As an owner, he is subject to fines if he publicly criticizes the league or it's employees. Maybe Kraft is the spineless dolt that you suggest he is, but the momentum of refining Roger's role in administering punishment would suggest otherwise. I suspect the Krafts may be fighting back in the only ways that they effectively can.

His capitulation sure looked bad and your perspective is reasonable, but you're aggressive and abrasive criticism of those who disagree is unwarranted.

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Unintended hilarity!
There is the same amount of evidence for your unfounded suspicion of the fighting Krafts as there is for all those boogeyman Patriots cheating rumors asserted as fact by espn & si. It's fantasy.

Yes, I hope to be proven completely wrong by future developments.

I just read the OTL piece.

So sick of it all....

DaBruinz said:

I disagree. I think that Goodell is just as guilty as the other owners..

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This OTL piece actually manages to paint the narrative about Goodell's incompetence into a tool to use against the Patriots. It's impressive, actually.

Forget any BS in the Washington Post or elsewhere about him being incompetent to be commissioner because he mismanaged the deflated football situation, look how incompetent he was back when Spygate broke!

PatsWickedPissah said:

Unintended hilarity!
There is the same amount of evidence for your unfounded suspicion of the fighting Krafts as there is for all those boogeyman Patriots cheating rumors asserted as fact by espn & si. It's fantasy.

Yes, I hope to be proven completely wrong by future developments.

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Was just about to say that. How much longer will people believe this crap? Let Johnathan take over PLEASE! Can't wait til Bill Simmons is officially out of ESPN. I hope he goes nuclear on them on HBO.

Sounds like Pat Reilly 30 years ago at 1:35

This is just hilarious.

Haven't read the OTL article, but from reading the thread, there appears to be a break down in common sense among the Patriots haters:

If NE was stealing the opponent's offensive play sheets and deciphering their defensive signals in real time, how did they ever lose? With those kind of advantages, every game should have been a blowout win. We should have seen a string of 19-0 seasons with record-setting offenses and defenses every year.

The fact that none of that happened should set off the BS detector in rational people.

PatsWickedPissah said:

Unintended hilarity!
There is the same amount of evidence for your unfounded suspicion of the fighting Krafts as there is for all those boogeyman Patriots cheating rumors asserted as fact by espn & si. It's fantasy.

Yes, I hope to be proven completely wrong by future developments.

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I was the one who condescendingly said we have nothing to fear? Not sure how you got that tone from it...

Here are my points:

1. Teams have little they can do openly to fight back against the NFL.
2. I SUSPECT that the Krafts are fighting back by what means they effectively can.
3. I expressed said opinion while stating that believing Kraft if spineless is a reasonable perspective.
4. I also admitted that nobody on the outside has nearly enough information to be certain about their perspective.
5. I never once implied that the NFL isn't out to get the Pats.