#Backpackgate

[supafly]

So in the era of tablets and smartphones with video projection the guy has his gameplan on paper? In a backpack and conveniently loses it in an airport?

He lost the backpack at media day. Apparently, a reporter grabbed a similar looking backpack, which they found in less than 30 minutes. It is not believed that the reporter was ever more than a kiosk or two away, standing in for another round of questions from a different player.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

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.

...but...but...it's more likely than not that he could have gone into the bathroom, copied the whole thing with his smart phone and sent it to Belichick...

 

[jah]

I'm not sure what the suggestion is here, @upstater1? Would it have been better if it were a local paper? Do you believe that it was intentional?

It was obviously not intentional, but if this was some scheme by the Patriots, they would be stupid to use a Boston media member because it would be that much more obvious where it came from. OTOH, you could more easily blame it on the media member acting independently just because he himself wanted to see the Pats win.

 

[Koma]

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?

The bizarre thing is, the NFL is the one perpetuating (or at least, not doing anything to curb) the idea that one of their most successful team is always cheating. Sure, controversy gets attention, but how will that kind of story help the brand in the long term?

You'll occasionally hear fans say that they think the NBA is rigged, but you never hear comments that would support that from the league's commissioner or from former players or coaches. Along those lines, we'll post here about Ray Lewis' involvement in a murder, Roethlisberger's rape accusations, and all the cheating the Broncos and Jets get away with, but no one on ESPN or FS or SNF ever mentions those. The NFL wanted those stories to go away and stay away and they did. For some reason, they want deflategate and spygate to stay in the public eye, even though, to a casual fan, that hurts their product.

 

[Stumpy]

Actually this is all pretty funny. Let the Football populace goes nuts with this and try to make it 'a thing'. We'll just be focusing on winning.

 

[upstater1]

But how did BB know the game plan was in the backpack? Drones?

Ernie Adams saw Shanahan remove it from the backpack on prior occasions, he has it on film. Shanahan removes it from the backpack every Sunday, on the sidelines. He unwraps it in such a way that breaks the wax seal.

 

[upstater1]

I'm not sure what the suggestion is here, @upstater1? Would it have been better if it were a local paper? Do you believe that it was intentional?

I'm joking. But, 30 minutes? If someone can pee and deflate 12 balls in 90 seconds, think about what they can do in 30 minutes??

 

[bormio]

I'm joking. But, 30 minutes? If someone can pee and deflate 12 balls in 90 seconds, think about what they can do in 30 minutes??

But do we know he peed? DNA on the seat?

 

[lurker1965]

Here we ****ing go...

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



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.

I saw this in an episode of COACH. Dauber, the "special" teams coach left his game plan in, I think, a cab. After laughing at him the media started to question if it was a plant.

 

[lurker1965]

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.

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!

I was going to say that. I don't know whether to agree, like, funny, or winner.

 

[jmt57]

I cannot begin to imagine what the media would be doing with this non-story right now had Shanahan's backpack not been found and returned.

 

[pwes]

Anyone else initially read this as backpagegate? I seriously thought one of our players was caught with a hooker for a second.

 

[PlanB]

It was obviously not intentional, but if this was some scheme by the Patriots, they would be stupid to use a Boston media member because it would be that much more obvious where it came from. OTOH, you could more easily blame it on the media member acting independently just because he himself wanted to see the Pats win.

if the Boston media were involved, it would be to try and steal the Patriots game plans and give them to the Falcons

 

[ErniesPinkStripes]

Okay Kyle, think carefully, are we missing any pages ??

 

[ViperGTS]

if the Boston media were involved, it would be to try and steal the Patriots game plans and give them to the Falcons

I was about to say no way, but damn if you aren't right.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

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.

I too have run out of F***s to give.

(To any younger readers, I grade other fans on a scale of A through F)

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Anyone else initially read this as backpagegate? I seriously thought one of our players was caught with a hooker for a second.

I think that's more of a Falcons thing...



Eugene Robinson, for the kids who are wondering WTF...

http://nypost.com/2017/01/24/the-harshest-super-bowl-cautionary-tale-gives-falcons-warning/

 

[Drewwho]

Somewhere, Mark Brunnel is crying

 

[OhExaulted1]

And so it begins....

 

[XLIX]

I think that's more of a Falcons thing...



Eugene Robinson, for the kids who are wondering WTF...

http://nypost.com/2017/01/24/the-harshest-super-bowl-cautionary-tale-gives-falcons-warning/

Didn't that ******* talk smack about the Patriots not being prepared for the GB-NE Super Bowl?