#Backpackgate

[convertedpatsfan]

Here we ****ing go...

Report: Shanahan briefly lost Super Bowl game plan when reporter mistakenly took his bag

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan had the scare of the season Monday when he temporarily lost his team's offensive game plan for the Super Bowl, according to Jarrett Bell of USA TODAY Sports.

No, the New England Patriots didn't steal it - though Shanahan might have suspected that considering the Patriots' reputation for doing anything to get an edge.
...
Thirty minutes later - which must have felt like an eternity to Shanahan - the bag was returned with contents intact.

It turns out the bag was mistakenly picked up by a reporter in attendance at the event.

If the defense kicks ass on Sunday, how long before the media digs this one up as the reason? Considering how they were all blindly willing to accept someone deflating a dozen footballs in 30 seconds, no doubt the media will accept someone could have swiped the backpack and photocopied the entire game plan in a half hour.

Plus what a ****ty ****ing article. I hate The Score.

I'm sure Goody is going to call in BB and Ernie for a "talk" the day before the game...

Seriously though, who brings the game plan to media day and leaves it in a backpack? I mean really...I kind of wish it did get leaked by the reporter who found it as punishment for being so stupid. Good luck San Fran.

 

[slash83]

I honestly hope the defense kicks ass so people can go crazy over this, I will be laughing the entire off-season.

 

[supafly]

Eh, I'm not as worried about it becoming a big story as you may be. I doubt many will link a reporter of a SF newspaper to someone who will want to help the Patriots.

Now...if it were a Boston reporter, then it'd likely be a big story. In the meantime, it sounds as if they contacted the guy, he realized his mistake and brought it right back within a half hour. I'd have to guess that there's a good chance that he never even left the facility during that time, anyway.

 

[supafly]

And if anyone is talking about it after Sunday's game, that would most likely mean that NE won, so that's pretty much all I really care about.

After 2014, I've lost my ability to give much of a damn over what other fan bases think. Those who dislike NE are going to keep believing in ghost stories and jumping at boogeymen who aren't even there. Winning helps to offset that talk, which will continue regardless.

 

[NE_Zealot]

If this becomes a distraction for Atlanta then I am A-OK with it. Nothing is taking the Pats' focus away. I'm sure we will hear some tinfoil-hat related hot takes nonetheless.

 

[Gwedd]

I hope that Coach Quinn has some choice words with Shanahan over this situation.

Forget about the Patriots. Had some fan or other Joe found that, how long do you think it would be before that whole playbook would be upon ebay? Or walking through the door on Pawn Stars?

 

[Jackson 2]

Who TF is Jarrett F###### Bell? When I started reading the original post, I actually thought there was cause for concern.

 

[BTTA]

HE HAD THE GAME PLAN IN A BACKPACK, AND AT AN EVENT? Who are these bozos? And he's going to be an NFL head coach?

 

[Sicilian]

Eh, I'm not as worried about it becoming a big story as you may be. I doubt many will link a reporter of a SF newspaper to someone who will want to help the Patriots.

Don't underestimate the tinfoil hat brigade. Brady is originally from the SF area. Pretty soon we'll hear about how this SF reporter had lunch last week two booths down from a barber who once cut the hair of Tom Brady Sr's formally estranged mother in law. TOM BRADY'S DAD STOLE THE PLAYBOOK FOR HIM!

 

[jah]

"history of doing anything to get an edge"

 

[BostonWolverine]

Of course, Good Morning America just covered this story and referred to people suspecting the Pats of stealing it.

 

[Gwedd]

 

[ANGR89]

They were just talking about it on Mike and Mike. said something like "how are the Patriots going to defend the Falcons with the playback they stole". did go on to say they were joking but than preceded to read twitter comments about Patriots cheating again etc, people just tuning in not hearing them saying they were joking just hearing them reading the comments are going to run with it. I know it's silly but man that just put me in a bit of a bad mood, can't I enjoy this without all this stupid non crap being made into something?

 

[ivanvamp]

It really is incredible. Because what will happen is that eventually this will become part of the "Patriots cheat" lore. We still have TONS of people believing that the Patriots taped Rams' practices, and that the Patriots screwed with the Steelers' headsets on opening day last year. It goes into the "Patriots cheat" bank and it just reinforces this view that a lot of people have about them.

I know it shouldn't bother us, but my god it's just infuriating.

 

[Dorito Dink]

We are going to kick this team's teeth in

 

[Mark.]

It is infuriating. The one victory Goodell has with Spygate and Defamegate is that people believe the Patriots are cheaters.

On another note, losing the backpack in the first place seems so unprofessional. You're at the Superbowl. How do you not have that protected?

 

[InRodWeRust]

They were just talking about it on Mike and Mike. said something like "how are the Patriots going to defend the Falcons with the playback they stole". did go on to say they were joking but than preceded to read twitter comments about Patriots cheating again etc, people just tuning in not hearing them saying they were joking just hearing them reading the comments are going to run with it. I know it's silly but man that just put me in a bit of a bad mood, can't I enjoy this without all this stupid non crap being made into something?

 

[mikejd]

If Atlanta wanted to try to create a distraction for the Pats, they might have tried to be a little more subtle. You'd think seasoned cheaters like Atlanta would know better. No one could believe the Pats are behind this, not even people who deny that air pressure decreases with the cold.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Hey, Atlanta, thanks for telling us you are careless with intelligence. We'll be on the lookout for other opportunities.

 

[Tony2046]

"How long does it take to copy a playbook and put it back?"

I'm sure we'll hear that sentence spewed eventually.