Pft: Despite Big Win, Cheating Scandal Persists

[fumbrunner]

Anyone else think that Florio is a Jets Fan?

http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

The New England Patriots throttled the Chargers on Sunday night, beating San Diego by the same 38-14 score that the Pats posted against the Jets.

And the final score of the Jets game isn't the only thing still lingering in New England.

Even though the Patriots spanked L.T. and company on national television, there continues to be a strong amount of momentum building behind ongoing allegations of past efforts to cheat.

On Sunday, it was reported by multiple outlets that Commissioner Roger Goodell has made a sweeping request for notes, videotapes, and files dating back to 2000, coach Bill Belichick's first season with the team. Appearing exclusively on NBC, Goodell confirmed that the request has been made, and he made it clear that any funny business in the effort to comply with his request will be met with further sanctions. (Obviously, any further evidence of cheating will be met with further sanctions, too.)

The broader question is whether further evidence of cheating will be found, either through the Commissioner's investigation or as a result of the burgeoning (thanks, Tiki) media feeding frenzy. Regardless of whether the league's official investigation includes interviews of current and former employees, it's a safe bet that many folks in the media are working hard to be the one to push this story forward -- especially after Jay Glazer of FOX got his mitts on the video that was confiscated from the Week One game at the Meadowlands. (For those of you who missed it, here it is.)



And there's plenty of fodder for further investigation. On Sunday, Jerome Bettis of NBC suggested that cheating fueled the Pats' 2004 AFC title game win at Pittsburgh. (On CBS, former Steelers coach Bill Cowher denied that cheating affected either of the team's title-game losses to New England.) Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported that Belichick has a detailed library of information on every head coach and coordinator, which could be the result of both proper and improper activities. Andrea Kremer of NBC explained that the question of additional radio frequencies relates to the suspected use of microphones on defensive linemen. Tim Brown of FOX alleged that microphones were used during the 2001 divisional playoff game between the Raiders and the Patriots. Charley Casserly of CBS spoke of Patriots employees searching locker rooms after the opposing team had headed to the field, finding things such as the initial offensive plays drawn on a chalkboard.

Chances are that somewhere, somehow someone is going to blow the lid off of one or more of these accusations with conclusive proof. There's simply too much smoke to believe that there isn't additional fire. The issue is when and if someone who was directly involved in one or more of these activities will talk about it on the record.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

He is actually a Vikings fan, but does not matter, Im getting tired of the PFT garbage...Tim Brown, they had radios's in helmet's ... its a shame a former Notre Dame player says that...

 

[Pedrorocks458]

Didn't someone actually accuse Brown of having a radio in his helmet? I think it was Eddie George.

 

[fumbrunner]

Funny thing is that I thought Goodell sounded like he was satisfied with the penalties and that he wanted to put this behind him. Yes, he paid lip service to the possibility of expanding the investigation, but it sounded like this was over.

 

[shmessy]

.....and of course, (if ANY of this is true) it only happens with the Patriots.

If Goodell wants a ****storm, he'll get one. The sanctimony from the 31 other teams is thick.

BTW, I DO think the NFL has scrimped on team security and cameras for years. BB is still campaigning for that endzone line camera and what the league did last night with all the tech secuirty is what should be standard operating procedure going forward.

The league is too big and profitable not to have a branch compliance staff at each game at this point.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

They really need to just let the season move on. We were caught, we paid a high price and we'll pay a bigger one if we do it again. Enough said, move on.

Right now the NFL is like a bad marriage to me, the bad outweighs the good and I'll move on after this season if I (we) have to endure a whole season of this crap.

 

[Rob0729]

Chances are that somewhere, somehow someone is going to blow the lid off of one or more of these accusations with conclusive proof. There's simply too much smoke to believe that there isn't additional fire.

Didn't he say the same thing about Randy Moss being cut from the team?

Last night, I sent him Tom Curran's blog entry about how Matt Estrella might have been set up by the Jets. Funny how he has decided not to put that on his site.

I used to defend Florio, but no more. I have no problem with him posting unsubstantiated rumors. But if he is going to pick and choose what he is going to post based on his personal views and not on the information available to him, I have no respect for him.

I also sent an e-mail to Peter King calling him out how he talks about how 31 other teams are irate about the Pats in his MMQB, but did not mention the backlash on Mangini that he talked about on WEEI because even then you could tell he didn't want to give up that information because he considers Mangini a hero rather than a zero.

 

[cubicle_6]

He is actually a Vikings fan, but does not matter, Im getting tired of the PFT garbage...Tim Brown, they had radios's in helmet's ... its a shame a former Notre Dame player says that...

Anf Eddie George said the Raiders had mics in their helmets, too.
Won't hear anything about that.
Everybody except Pats fans want this to get worse..everybody, so it won't stop.

As for anybody wanting to email Florio...why?
Think about it is a non-Pats fan. It's funny to them.
Hundreds of journalists and columnists and TV and radio personalities are
trying to get the next big scoop on the Pats' "cheating".
They are scouring all the big games to catch Estrella.
They are DEFINITELY hounding every former employeee of this team to get dirt.
They're looking for something lifted from the facility to prove any wrongdoing.
And no, they are not interested in doing the same thing to other teams.
That would take some of the luster off the more fascinating Pats scandal, and isn't in their best interest.

 

[upstater1]

Of course there's fire. I'd be disappointed in BB if he weren't this meticulous. Yes, don't do it brazenly, but if you're not recording your opponents gameplan and process, you're playing with one hand tied behind your back.

Goodell would look like a fool if he put further sanctions on the Patriots. He would look like he caved to the media uproar.

 

[Rob0729]

Funny thing is that I thought Goodell sounded like he was satisfied with the penalties and that he wanted to put this behind him. Yes, he paid lip service to the possibility of expanding the investigation, but it sounded like this was over.

I agree. Goodell knows that if there are more sanctions against the Pats, especially if they are for violations that are several years old, it could open a Pandora's Box with allegations being thrown around about most of the teams in the league. It will not be in the best interest in the league to go any further.

Goodell accomplished what he wanted to accomplish. He punished the Patriots severely and put the fear of God in all the other coaches in the league. Media people can whine that it wasn't harsh enough because Belichick wasn't suspended. But if you ask every coach off the record what they thought of the sanctions, I am sure they will think it was really harsh.

 

[Bella*chick]

I must be sounding like a broken record on this, but Florio says if we don't comply there will be further sanctions and then "obviously" if they find further cheating there will be sanctions.

So, this is another investigation of ALL of the games we ever played? For the hell of it? Where was that confirmed?

 

[Caspir]

Stop linking to this bogus site. Especially the day after we obliterated one of the top three teams in football.

 

[PonyExpress]

Who is Mike Florio? Who does he answer to, what are his motivations who are his sources? There is something strange at work here. A GM in the league is feeding him rumors, and he values that source tremendously. IMO it is Mike Tannenbaum, GM of the Jets. The reason Tannenbaum is the source is that Florio has never really questioned the events surrounding the "sting", nor the motivations of the Jets, or whether the Jets themselves engage in these activities. To me this is cover for the Jets operations. I believe Mike Tannenbaum is the lead blocker on this whole issue. Some notes about Mike Tannenbaum:

Tannebaum is not a "football guy". He is a money guy, who has been elevated to GM due to his closeness with Mangini. Therefore he never came up through the "old boy network" with old school values, and an understanding of the shenanigans that make up gamesmanship in the NFL. He has no loyalty to the old guard, except maybe a loose affinity for Parcells. He still harbors a resentment over the way BB left NY. The total destruction of the Patriots legacy does not tarnish anything he himself has touched. In fact, this breach of old school etiquette, waging this war in the press, smacks of a young turk desperate enough to go to any lengths to advance his own ambition and the aims of his franchise. I am of the growing belief that it is Tannenbaum who is the moving force behind this mess, setting up the sting, leaking the info out of context to the press, spreading innuendo, forcing the Doofus commissioner's hand.

 

[Terry Glenn is a cowgirl]

We all should just quit going over there... put a ban on his site.

 

[questionman]

If you can step back for a second, would you be saying the same thing if this were happening to another team like the Dolphins, Jets, or Colts? Would everyone say they need to drop it or go get'em? I know it's really ****** when it's your team, but would eveyone still hold the same opinion?

 

[PonyExpress]

If you can step back for a second, would you be saying the same thing if this were happening to another team like the Dolphins, Jets, or Colts? Would everyone say they need to drop it or go get'em? I know it's really ****** when it's your team, but would eveyone still hold the same opinion?

Not sure I follow. If I had been Goodell, I would have slapped the Jets on the wrist for leaking league business to the press, waved a finger at the Pats for a pro forma violation of league etiquette, and issued a stern warning to the rest of the league with a wink. Instead this doofus has a serpent whispering in his ear and is getting everyone thrown out of the garden of eden.

 

[MassPats38]

Two thoughts.

First, my read on Goodell is this. He is an attorney and responded to the charge against the Patriots as a judge would. He has never stated he would pull a Congress and look into any or every historical claim (claims, by the way, which are very hard to prove as the evidence tends to be witness statements rather than hard video evidence), he addressed the charged illegal videotaping violation and nothing more. His statements about reserving the right to increase the punishment is also judge-like: if you perjure yourself in a proceeding or produce false evidence, a court holds you in contempt and adds punishment.

Second, any claims of further investigation do not fit the first proposition. Goodell wanted a deterrent for all teams, not just the Patriots. He repeatedly said that. He also wants this issue put to bed. As such, he would want all claims arising out of a single incident raised together and addressed through a single punishment. That serves the deterrent value and puts an end to a situation that is potentially damaging to the league's reputation rather than allowing the scenario to extend further into the season.

Any claims, such as those raised last night of a second Jets complaint on audio tape from the same game, would seem unlikely. That tape would be solid evidence just like video tape, and Goodell indicated last night he decided the case quickly because of the hard evidence and he wanted the statement made. If the Jets filed a second complaint after the matter was decided, the complaint would appear to be dissatisfaction with the punishment and an attempt to force Goodell's hand to hand out additional punishment. I suspect that would not be well received.

 

[letekro]

Didn't he say the same thing about Randy Moss being cut from the team?

Last night, I sent him Tom Curran's blog entry about how Matt Estrella might have been set up by the Jets. Funny how he has decided not to put that on his site.

I used to defend Florio, but no more. I have no problem with him posting unsubstantiated rumors. But if he is going to pick and choose what he is going to post based on his personal views and not on the information available to him, I have no respect for him.

I also sent an e-mail to Peter King calling him out how he talks about how 31 other teams are irate about the Pats in his MMQB, but did not mention the backlash on Mangini that he talked about on WEEI because even then you could tell he didn't want to give up that information because he considers Mangini a hero rather than a zero.

Don't forget that websites are business operations and Florio is not a journalist. As long as it MAY be true, he'll post whatever brings the most traffic.

 

[upstater1]

If you can step back for a second, would you be saying the same thing if this were happening to another team like the Dolphins, Jets, or Colts? Would everyone say they need to drop it or go get'em? I know it's really ****** when it's your team, but would eveyone still hold the same opinion?

This already happened last year. The Dolphins stole the Patriots signals off a tape, shut out the Patriots, and killed our homefield advantage. If the Pats had won that game, they would have played Indy at home in January.

How did Patriots' fans react? Not much was said. Belichick and Brady essentially responded by saying, good for them. The NFL's Steve Alic said about the incident, "That's football."

The show was already on the other foot. The Patriots team and fans thought it was no big deal.

 

[questionman]

Not sure I follow. If I had been Goodell, I would have slapped the Jets on the wrist for leaking league business to the press, waved a finger at the Pats for a pro forma violation of league etiquette, and issued a stern warning to the rest of the league with a wink. Instead this doofus has a serpent whispering in his ear and is getting everyone thrown out of the garden of eden.

I meant if it was another team being accused of taping signals. Would you feel the same way about everyone like PFT.com?