PFT: Westhoff has intel on the Fins?

[Patriotis]

Another reason I took the advice of many on this board and switched to National Football Post for my football info. I know this story is about the hated Jets but it's a reach on PFT's part and Salguero's part as well who originally wrote the story for the Miami paper. But PFT is making it a bigger deal by getting in on it on their site.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/09/02/westhoff-has-intel-on-the-fins/#comments

WESTHOFF HAS INTEL ON THE FINS?
Posted by Mike Florio on September 2, 2008, 11:00 a.m. EDT

Armando Salguero raises an intriguing point regarding the return of special teams coach Mike Westhoff to the New York Jets.

Westhoff resigned from the Jets after the 2007 season due to medical reasons. While recovering, he attended several Dolphins practices.

“So he got an up-close and personal view of Miami’s practice, personnel and preparations,” Salguero explains.

Though no one has done anything wrong on this one, it’s unusual that the typically secretive Bill Parcells would have allowed something like this to go down. Our guess is that Parcells was merely being charitable with a guy who had to leave the game for reasons beyond his control, not realizing that Westhoff might surface again with the very team that the Fins will play twice this year, including at home in Week One.

Still, the right thing for the Jets to do at this point would be to ask Westhoff nothing about what he saw while he was at Miami practices. Though the special-teams aspects are something Westhoff isn’t likely to forget as he does his job with the team, the Jets shouldn’t try to pick his brain as to other stuff that he witnessed while watching the team practice.

Then again, maybe Parcells knew damn well what was happening and he had the team do stuff on the days Westhoff was present that the team has no plans of doing this season.

Some of the comments by readers are ridiculous.

 

[signbabybrady]

I imagine those practices were open to the public anyway.

Is it common pratice for teams to scout open practices? or is that against league rules?

 

[Patriotis]

I imagine those practices were open to the public anyway.

Is it common pratice for teams to scout open practices? or is that against league rules?

I think they are trying to say that he was a guest of the team. Westoff did work for the Dolphins before the Jets.

 

[BPF]

I agree, another silly reach by PFT.

 

[Rob0729]

I don't see it as that big of a deal. If Westoff knew he was going back to coach for the Jets this year and didn't disclose it to the Dolphins, I think it is cheating. But what could really be gained from attending a few practices?

My guess is that Westoff didn't attend these practices to gain intel on the Dolphins for his return with the Jets. It was just a lucky coincidence for the Jets. I don't see this as a big deal. Then again, I didn't think videotaping defensive signals when they are easily viewable to the 60k-70k people in the stadium was that big of a deal either.

 

[BPF]

I don't see it as that big of a deal. If Westoff knew he was going back to coach for the Jets this year and didn't disclose it to the Dolphins, I think it is cheating. But what could really be gained from attending a few practices?

My guess is that Westoff didn't attend these practices to gain intel on the Dolphins for his return with the Jets. It was just a lucky coincidence for the Jets. I don't see this as a big deal. Then again, I didn't think videotaping defensive signals when they are easily viewable to the 60k-70k people in the stadium was that big of a deal either.

Good points.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I imagine those practices were open to the public anyway.

Is it common pratice for teams to scout open practices? or is that against league rules?

It is against league rules.

I say 1st round draft pick $750,000 would be fair.

 

[fgssand]

It is against league rules.

I say 1st round draft pick $750,000 would be fair.

Yup........cheaters all the way.

As if Commish Goodforjets ever will fine his team.

Track record to date:

Tuck it the Patriots....check

Bring Favre to NY.....check

Bring live spy to NY...check

 

[PatsDeb]

Yup........cheaters all the way.

As if Commish Goodforjets ever will fine his team.

Track record to date:

Tuck it the Patriots....check

Bring Favre to NY.....check

Bring live spy to NY...check

The irony is Goodell can't do anything anyway unless the Fins complain. You think Bill Parcells is going to complain about this? No way. If he was duped he'd never admit it, and he probably wasn't duped anyway. He'll find a way to get revenge elsewhere, not by whining to the commish about an opposing coach. Only weasels do that.

 

[blackglass3]

Eric Mancheati strikes again.

Nothing will happen with this. Just like when they were called out for recording signals last November and nothing happened.

 

[spacecrime]

I don't see it as that big of a deal.

But what could really be gained from attending a few practices?

Seems to be the general concensus here, but if one of BB's old buddies was out of the NFL, watched our team practice, then took a job with the Colts when we were playing the Colts the next game, there would be a lot of outrage here. As the Dolphin fans are likely outraged. Probably rightfully so. It's just that nobdy cares if the unfairness happens to another team.

I didn't think videotaping defensive signals when they are easily viewable to the 60k-70k people in the stadium was that big of a deal either.

The videiotaping punishment was also unfair, I fully agree, and points to the problem. We only care if the unfairness affects US. If the Colts had been fined a draft pick for videotaping instead of us, there would have been none of the outrage we see here on the board. We would have said Polian was a cheater and he deserved teh punishment.

Withness our reaction to noise pumping and Colts' fans reaction.

I hate the Colts, hate the Jets, hate the Doofins, but fair is fair.

 

[upstater1]

Westhoff was filming the practices with a video camera inside his thick bottleneck glasses.

There must be an investigation of this.