Simply put, Why I think the Pats are NOT systematic cheaters

[RecoveringCowboy]

Because nobody on the Patriots past/present has spoke up the team has tampered with footballs, filmed illegally, etc, etc. With the obvious exception of Eric M of course, but the point is with hundreds of people that have been on the Patriots since 2001, why has anyone spoken out? Why didn't the NFL make a general investigation on NE ten years ago?

I did not want to believe Lance Armstrong doped, but once his teammates came forward I had to accept he did. So far, I am hearing a lot of "we think they cheated" without the kind of proof and documentation that would convince me they had a three point advantage (per Laurie.)

 

[VJ11]

As the latest ESPN hatchet job (another below-the-belt copy-paste article) shows, most teams in the league are essentially so badly informed (individually as well as complete staffs) about the Rules and Regulations of the NFL, that they can't tell when another team cheats or not. The fact is that the Patriots are in fact within the rules (the edge is within) no matter what other teams think. Case in point the lack of knowledge of Ravens HC Harbaugh on eligibility of players in certain formations.
If knowing the rules 100% and exploiting the gray areas to gain an advantage over an opponent is being bad, then I want to be as bad as possible. Welcome to the dark side!!!

 

[phil112]

I think they aren't "systematic cheaters" because they've only been charged and convicted of one, and that one was a set up. What they did was cheating, only the area from which it happened, and even then it was legal the year before, and even then it was because they were ratted out by a former employee.

 

[tom.kordis]

As the latest ESPN hatchet job (another below-the-belt copy-paste article) shows, most teams in the league are essentially so badly informed (individually as well as complete staffs) about the Rules and Regulations of the NFL, that they can't tell when another team cheats or not. The fact is that the Patriots are in fact within the rules (the edge is within) no matter what other teams think. Case in point the lack of knowledge of Ravens HC Harbaugh on eligibility of players in certain formations.
If knowing the rules 100% and exploiting the gray areas to gain an advantage over an opponent is being bad, then I want to be as bad as possible. Welcome to the dark side!!!

VJ,

Another great example: Ben ROFLburger (my gf's name for him, not mine! I like Ben) thinking that the D-Line shift down at the goal line last Thursday nite was illegal.

Ben ain't a rookie.
He's seen D-Line shifts hundreds of times before.
He even said that he'd seen the Pats do it during his film review...

Yet he still thought it was illegal.
Go figure...

 

[meatface]

I'm half expecting teams to flip out the next time the patriots run play action or go for two

 

[ChoWZa]

Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

From a "legacy" standpoint deflategate is completely dead, defunct. If it ever had any substance to it, it certainly has none now. If anything deflategate has only spotlighted how talented Brady is and shown decisively that Brady doesn't need any nefarious means to dominate this league. Since cameragate, 3 more super bowls and a championship, and hopefully en route to a 4th. The "cheating" credibility is completely diminished.

The league should have waited until Brady/BB retired to start their smear campaigns.