JoeSixPat
Pro Bowl Player
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Interesting article here - the reporter makes a few mistakes in terms of understanding certain aspects of "spygate" but he makes some interesting points
i.e. we now know that nearly all teams were aware of the Patriots taping practices yet kept their mouths shut about it and it continued, therefore it was no big deal and/or those teams got what they deserved..
But there's a ton of misinformation here that a credible reporter should correct (unfortunatly he doesn't post his email or make room for comments)
He also states unequivocally that the Colts were caught piping in noise!
Here's some highlights:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08146/884717-66.stm
I'm not quite sure why he insists on comparing rule breaking in Football to baseball - there's no shortage of teams in football who have cheated, been fined even more than the Patriots and lost first round draft picks...
Then for some reason Bouchette seems to purposefully ignore the recent findings and admissions that other teams tape - yes from the sidelines as well. These reporters will take Matt Walsh's word as gold, and then will get selective amnesia when he confirmed that other teams tape signals. He also doesn't know that Jimmy Johnson admitted to the practice himself - and isn't even smart enough to know how long such things have been going on, as noted in what should be by now, a pretty well known story, at least among reporters with internet access - http://www.thesportgallery.com/sport-stories/1967aug-nflspy.html
Apparently this guy's also not smart enough to realize this only works if teams are stupid enough to use the same signals - assuming he's not suggesting such analysis is being done on the fly in a game, which would be even more stupid to suggest.
So what he's saying - and this is the first time I've heard any reporter or anyone say it - is that all teams know that Belichick was taping signals and all teams are unable to change their signal calling - because changing them is too complicated - so the same signals are used for entire - and even multiple seasons.
EVERY other reporter seems to say unequivocally that signal stealing is the norm and all are changing their signals - which makes abolute sense.
What kindof crack is this guy smoking?
i.e. we now know that nearly all teams were aware of the Patriots taping practices yet kept their mouths shut about it and it continued, therefore it was no big deal and/or those teams got what they deserved..
But there's a ton of misinformation here that a credible reporter should correct (unfortunatly he doesn't post his email or make room for comments)
He also states unequivocally that the Colts were caught piping in noise!
Here's some highlights:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08146/884717-66.stm
I'm not quite sure why he insists on comparing rule breaking in Football to baseball - there's no shortage of teams in football who have cheated, been fined even more than the Patriots and lost first round draft picks...
Ed Bouchette on the Steelers: NFL spygate ... time to move on
An offseason look inside the team, issues & questions
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
....A list of top five sports cheating scandals in USA Today Sports Weekly had at No. 2 the spy in the scoreboard at the Polo Grounds when Bobby Thomson's home run -- the "shot heard 'round the world" -- won the NL 1951 pennant for the New York Giants against the Brooklyn Dodgers. More than 50 years later, it was revealed that Giants manager Leo Durocher posted a guy with a telescope to steal the catcher's signals, and that Thomson knew what pitch was coming.
That's at least as illegal as anything the Patriots might have done, but it also was something that was widespread during the times. The Pirates' Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings in Milwaukee in 1959, even though many Pirates claimed the Braves had a guy in their scoreboard trying to steal signals.
No one spoke out at the time, and the practice continued.
Was New England's taping practice any worse than the Indianapolis Colts' enhancing the crowd noise inside their domed stadium when opposing offenses were on the field? Although coaches within their division knew about it, no one spoke up. It took a story in the Post-Gazette after the Steelers played in Indianapolis during the 2005 regular season for the practice to become public, forcing the Colts to tone it down thereafter.
Then for some reason Bouchette seems to purposefully ignore the recent findings and admissions that other teams tape - yes from the sidelines as well. These reporters will take Matt Walsh's word as gold, and then will get selective amnesia when he confirmed that other teams tape signals. He also doesn't know that Jimmy Johnson admitted to the practice himself - and isn't even smart enough to know how long such things have been going on, as noted in what should be by now, a pretty well known story, at least among reporters with internet access - http://www.thesportgallery.com/sport-stories/1967aug-nflspy.html
No, everyone did not do it. That's a misconception that has been repeated ever since the Patriots were caught in September.
The practice was unique to Belichick and his crew. Some pro scouts advancing games have told me that they've tried to steal the signals of opposing coaches on the sideline -- which is as legal as trying to pick up the third-base coaches' signals in baseball. Some say it can help, some say it's futile and wastes time.
"I didn't think it was worth the time and energy you were looking at it,'' said Hal Hunter, who spent 23 years in the league as a coach and pro scout, including four as the Steelers' offensive line coach in the 1980s.
Apparently this guy's also not smart enough to realize this only works if teams are stupid enough to use the same signals - assuming he's not suggesting such analysis is being done on the fly in a game, which would be even more stupid to suggest.
But, if you can set up a sophisticated system like the Patriots had, it was worth it. New England would break down its videotape of the coaches using their hand signals from earlier games and match it with the defense that was used on that play.
Defenses normally use the same or similar signals from game to game and even year to year under the same coordinators. The reason is simple: It's not as easy to change signals in football as it is in baseball, where the calls are simple. It will confuse the players -- the reason for so many of those "miscommunications.''
So what he's saying - and this is the first time I've heard any reporter or anyone say it - is that all teams know that Belichick was taping signals and all teams are unable to change their signal calling - because changing them is too complicated - so the same signals are used for entire - and even multiple seasons.
EVERY other reporter seems to say unequivocally that signal stealing is the norm and all are changing their signals - which makes abolute sense.
What kindof crack is this guy smoking?
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