How is Mic'ing Brady's Audio Calls Not Illegal?

[bclaff]

In all fairness, the defense can hear Brady shouting out this stuff in real time.

It is up to Brady and co to change any critical signals game to game and within a game. Perhaps NBC relaying the signals around the world will stop complacency when it comes to changing signals.

Personally I find listening to the calls fascinating, and am glad NBC does it.

That's fine, but do it to EVERY team.

 

[illthrill]

i just remember hearing brady say "96 alert" on virtually everyplay, and point to #96

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

You really cannot be serious...

Actually he is and I agree with him, the Pats were said to be in some hot water for putting a mic on one or more of their D players to record a QBs snap counts, why is this any different? I don't seem to recall them letting us hear what Feeley said all night long, but I am willing to admit I'm wrong on that one because I was too busy trying to convince myself not to jump off the roof of my building while the game was on.

 

[PShwa]

i just remember hearing brady say "96 alert" on virtually everyplay, and point to #96

Haha, yeah. He definitely was yelling "96" on almost every play. Also, alot of "OMAHA." Where I come from that means the WR he calls it too should run an out pattern, but that seems to blatantly obvious for the NFL.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

96 was the linebacker, "alert" was he might be blitzing, Brady almost always tells his line who the "Mike" (Middle LB) is, and whatever "Omaha" means, I've heard that one in everygame this year. The hands signals are the ones that they have to change, and they do, the wiping his shirt was a new one this week, along with the tugging on his facemask.

All it goes to show is how BS the whole spygate thing is (was).

 

[questionman]

I don't think it was a big deal. It sounded mainly like reads he was making at the line and not play calls. And it's not like they were very complicated reads/signals that he was calling out. It would be one thing if he was calling the play at the line and you could hear the entire play call. I think it was just adding to NBC's coverage.

As far as Feeley goes, was he even saying anything at the line? I didn't notice.

 

[maverick4]

When Brady says Jab or Wes or whatever, he is calling out the 'hot' receiver for that play, it doesn't necessarily mean they get the ball (although they did get the ball a few times from that).

It seems weird to me to call out to the defense who your hot route is.

 

[PatsSox363804]

When Brady says Jab or Wes or whatever, he is calling out the hot receiver for that play, it doesn't necessarily mean they get the ball (although they did get the ball a few times from that).

It seems weird to me to call out to the defense who your hot route is.

I guess that means when we say "Brady can tell the defense what we're running and they still can't stop it" that we aren't just talking out of our asses.

 

[patsox23]

I would think this was just us - or, at least, me - not understanding the benefit (or lack thereof) to broadcasting this stuff, except that Boomer Esiason is saying the same thing. The guy knows whereof he speaks, and if he think it's questionable, then I tend to think it may be.

 

[maverick4]

I would think this was just us - or, at least, me - not understanding the benefit (or lack thereof) to broadcasting this stuff, except that Boomer Esiason is saying the same thing. The guy knows whereof he speaks, and if he think it's questionable, then I tend to think it may be.

I think getting all the offensive audio keywords of Brady's line calls may be even worse than videotaping defensive hand signals. Does anyone else see some blatant hypocrisy and double standards in the severity of the Pats punishment?

[edit] nonPatsfan trolls are trying to flag this thread with 1 star, but I think this is a legitimate point, you can't sweep this under the rug.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

wow someone's bitter.

the whole country thinks you're cheaters, get over it. embrace the asterisk.

Pats Eagles game is over, go home.....

 

[cartmen]

We used omaha as a blitz pickup signal. I played semi pro for a year and the QB would call it and the center would point it out and yell out coverage adjustments 91 = slant left 94 = slant right 95 = pinch. But I might add we changed our signs and meanings every other game.

 

[alamo]

Seriously, how is one case harmless and the other case worth a 1st rounder and 750K?

The pick and 750K penalty was NOT for the content of the tapes, it was for supposedly getting a competitive advantage by breaking the rules. The key distinction is that the Patriots broke a a league rule. That's why it was worth a penalty. What NBC did is league-sanctioned for the benefit of improving their broadcast and keeping viewers and thus advertisers.

An analogy: think back to high school (easy for many here who seem to still be there) and open-book tests. Did everyone who used their book and notes during an open-book test get suspended from school for cheating? No, of course not, it was specifically allowed. And it certainly was unfair to the smartest kids who really knew the material, but that didn't matter.

If Brady and the Pats are really upset about this, there's a simple solution. Start putting obscenities into the line calls. I know some (but I don't think all) games are on 5 second delay but it would quickly become not worth the effort to constantly edit the audio and risk missing something. Just replace "Omaha" with "F###".

 

[Scouse Patriot]

It did startle me how easily I was able to hear the audibles. There were two times where I could hear him say a player's name and that was who he threw to. Once he said "Wes" and Welker got the ball. Another he said "Jab" and Gaffney got the ball.

Thought that was hilarious meself. He actualy called out the names of the players he threw it too on the screen. I suppose it's one of those where the D says thats too obvious to bite on.

 

[maverick4]

The pick and 750K penalty was NOT for the content of the tapes, it was for supposedly getting a competitive advantage by breaking the rules.

That's what I mean alamo, it's ridiculous how severe the Pats were punished for breaking the sideline rule, when NBC is allowed to do something arguably worse in publicly broadcasting every single word of Brady's offensive line calls. How is one case considered 'cheating' and makes us the Evil Empire, but the other case isn't questioned at all as giving a competitive advantage?

 

[PonyExpress]

I don't trust NBC SNF on any level, from their wacky "lights out" green show to their over the top spygate coverage. NBC has been uniformly anti-Pats on the videogate nonsense since day 1. It got so one-sided that IMO they assigned Collinsworth the role of "good cop" to praise the Pats. His over the top praise IMO has come across as insincere. I felt earlier that they were broadcasting the Pats audibles vs SD on purpose as a "FU" to the team. The production crew is based in NY and likely comprised of Jet/Giant fans, the studio crew is eager to suck up to the new Commish, also based in NY, and the ring leader Costas is a baseball fan eager to trumpet an NFL scandal so that baseball doesn't appear alone on the moral low ground.

 

[Run it up baby!]

The pick and 750K penalty was NOT for the content of the tapes, it was for supposedly getting a competitive advantage by breaking the rules.

Actually, Goodell has already stated that the Patriots gained no competitive advantage from the tapes. He fined them simply because he's an arrogant prick and didn't like that someone broke his rules. Plain and simple.

 

[maverick4]

Actually, Goodell has already stated that the Patriots gained no competitive advantage from the tapes. He fined them simply because he's an arrogant prick and didn't like that someone broke his rules. Plain and simple.

It's even more outrageous since the Packers also recently broke a rule by having bounties, and the NFL just said there will be no penalty.
So it's not even about being tough on rules, it's just being anti-Pats.

 

[PatsFan#37]

Someone please explain to me how mic'ing every single Brady audio call does not give other teams a huge competitive advantage, as much cheating as sideline video is?

Anybody can TIVO this game and match up Brady's line calls with the video play on the field. How is this ANY DIFFERENT from videotaping sideline defensive signals for post-game analysis?

I will be watching to see what the NFL does about this

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

BB on EEI said he didn't know this happened and he'd "check it out."