Spygate Part Deux

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:24 pm

How nice, two days before the big game, to see this little incident back in the limelight. As they say, timing is everything in politics.

Any chance of the Pats putting this behind them seem to be gone now. You know they'll talk about it during the game, and after its over, while the team is celebrating, one of the questions they will all be asked is "Is this perfect season tainted by all the allegations of cheating?" And all he Patriots will say no and many others will say yes.

But, hell, in a Super Bowl that has a chance to be a massive blowout, it just might end up being the most entertaining thing. So, conspiracy theorists unite! What exactly are the NFL and the Patriots hiding?

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 4:15 pm

Really just surfaced because of Goodell's state of the union - the media had never really had a shot to grill him on it during the season.

Giants · Post by **Giants** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 4:19 pm

Because whether or not NFL teams are violating NFL rules about the use of video equipment is definitely worth the time of the US Government. At least with steroids there's the risk of kids using them and all that, plus the MLB actually has an antitrust exemption that can be threatened (I don't think the NFL has one or at least not one as broad as MLB, though I could be wrong). I'd really love to hear a justification on this one being worth our time.

Dodgers · Post by **Dodgers** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 4:48 pm

Because everyone is interested in what was on those tapes? My guess is it has something to do with not dispensing of valuable information to the press or something like that. Perhaps record keeping violations? Who the hell knows.

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:41 pm

its my understanding that the nfl has the same kind of antitrust that the mlb does, but I could be wrong about that.

there are a few interesting stories floating around out there that make you wonder just what in the hell is going on inside the pats inner circle. there's a lot of fodder out there for people to eat up and its really no surprise that people are suspicious of them.

hell they have a guy who talks directly to belecick throughout the game yet no one on the team knows what he does... shady.

does that mean they're cheating or up to something sinister? no. but it certainly doesn't help prove otherwise.

Athletics · Post by **Athletics** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:00 pm

Cubs wrote:
hell they have a guy who talks directly to belecick throughout the game yet no one on the team knows what he does... shady.

.

Where'd you get that from?

Royals · Post by **Royals** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:28 pm

Cubs wrote:hell they have a guy who talks directly to belecick throughout the game yet no one on the team knows what he does... shady.

That's an exaggeration of a joke within the Patriots organization from an ESPN.com article. If you read the article, Ernie Adams sounds like the Bill James of football. It's a fantastic article actually.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=adams

Athletics · Post by **Athletics** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:49 pm

Seriously, Gabe? The guy looks like he has down syndrome haha. How can you take him to be "shady"?

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:55 am

is he supposed to walk around with slicked back hair, gold chains, and a pair of brass knuckles in his pocket?

and how is that an exaggeration of a joke. i said none of them know what he does. every quote from a player in that article is some form of them saying "i dont know what he does."

Athletics · Post by **Athletics** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:33 am

Are we taking about Tony Saprano or a loveable retarded kid?

Im confused.

Giants · Post by **Giants** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:03 am

How many Red Sox players know what Bill James does? From my experience in the Arena League (and I was just an intern) I can cite examples of almost every team in that league doing something shady, and I'd guess that they all were if you dug deeply enough. I think its a safe bet that the NFL is worse, especially considering the differences in scale and the amounts of money involved. Just like all big businesses, corners get cut and rules get bent, and Goodell I'm sure doesn't want to deal with an audit of his league when the violations that were committed *WARNING THIS FREE MARKET CAPITALIST IS ABOUT TO SOUND LIKE AN ANNOYING LIBERAL* paled in comparison to those made by the oil and defense industries in the last few years. He probably destroyed the tapes hoping it would put an end to the situation.

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:14 pm

well baseball and football are two very different games when it comes to strategy and adjusting midgame. and even so, I don't recall james talking in a managers ear throughout the game.

more stories and allegations out today about the pats taping the rams in their super bowl. something isn't what it seems in new england.

Cardinals · Post by **Cardinals** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:10 pm

1- The government to me has no business being in any sport. Not baseball, not football.
2- If this Walsh character had this holy grail of information that he says he does and he really wanted to make the league a better place, wouldn't he have come forward in September when this was an actual issue? When the league would have wanted all resources? When it would have actually mattered? So now on the eve of the Super Bowl he comes out and says he can damage the NFL and the Patriots. Sounds like a winner to me with pure intentions.
3- There were allegations about the Patriots Super Bowls being tarnished etc. when it all came out. So now that a Senator has decided to stick his nose where it doesn't belong these allegations are headline news? come on now. Where are the facts? nowhere to be found.
4- The NFL and it's taping procedures rules have changed throughout the years. I believe the latest change actually came over the summer, so let's assume that New England did tape the walkthrough in 2002, was it even against the rules at the time? All sorts of media types are at EVERY walk through with cameras anyway. NFL Films, local media, national media, etc.

This is such a non story being made a story by two people who really have no business speaking out now. If they wanted to do what they say they want, they should have done so in September, not right before the Super Bowl. Even the league after reviewing the tapes said whatever was on the Patriots tapes gave them an extremely limited advantage. All this is doing is detracting from what New England is on the cusp of doing- gasp- with no video cameras on 07-08...

Athletics · Post by **Athletics** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 5:28 pm

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A9649C8B63

Looks like not everytime team plays by the rules. I hope you make allegations about the Rams now too Gabe.

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 5:44 pm

A sentence in a story hardly compares to the amount of reports against the Pats, but thats besides the point. I couldnt care less about this. Until there's hard evidence that they did something wrong, I really don't care. But, I do like to point out because its fun to see how hypocrytical some of you can be when it comes to your precious New England sports teams.

The cheating that the Pats did doesn't matter because everyone did it. Ha, yeah, okay sure. But everyone was doing Roids in the 90s and that didn't stop some of you from posting your self-righteous, high and mighty thoughts about how everyone is scum for cheating like that. So everyone else doing it is an okay excuse to cheat yourself if its the Patriots, but if its anyone else, not so much.

Cardinals · Post by **Cardinals** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 6:33 pm

Cubs wrote:A sentence in a story hardly compares to the amount of reports against the Pats, but thats besides the point. I couldnt care less about this. Until there's hard evidence that they did something wrong, I really don't care. But, I do like to point out because its fun to see how hypocrytical some of you can be when it comes to your precious New England sports teams.

The cheating that the Pats did doesn't matter because everyone did it. Ha, yeah, okay sure. But everyone was doing Roids in the 90s and that didn't stop some of you from posting your self-righteous, high and mighty thoughts about how everyone is scum for cheating like that. So everyone else doing it is an okay excuse to cheat yourself if its the Patriots, but if its anyone else, not so much.

I never crucified anybody for steroids iirc.

Athletics · Post by **Athletics** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 6:45 pm

Cubs wrote:A sentence in a story hardly compares to the amount of reports against the Pats, but thats besides the point. I couldnt care less about this. Until there's hard evidence that they did something wrong, I really don't care. But, I do like to point out because its fun to see how hypocrytical some of you can be when it comes to your precious New England sports teams.

The cheating that the Pats did doesn't matter because everyone did it. Ha, yeah, okay sure. But everyone was doing Roids in the 90s and that didn't stop some of you from posting your self-righteous, high and mighty thoughts about how everyone is scum for cheating like that. So everyone else doing it is an okay excuse to cheat yourself if its the Patriots, but if its anyone else, not so much.

About our new england sports teams? Whats your favorite team Gabe? Would you feel a little bit pissed off if everytime you turned on ESPN there was some bit after Spygate? Even after they were caught they still went fuckin 18-0 and stomped all over the goddam league. Yet still people are talking about it. What happened against the Jets was one game. Some say it tainted the season. The season that after that game they still went 17-0? That season?

Its ridiculous that these stories even are out right now. They're making history without any advantage over any team but pure talent. Its a goddam slap in the face to us New England fans and the whole organization.

That Sen. calling out Goodell and questioning him on why they destroyed the tapes is even worse. We have a fuckin war in Iraq and people being shot every day on the streets in our own country and hes more worried about a videotape being destroyed by an entertainment league.

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:35 pm

Pirates wrote: I never crucified anybody for steroids iirc.

wasn't talking about you.

Royals · Post by **Royals** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:47 pm

Cubs wrote:well baseball and football are two very different games when it comes to strategy and adjusting midgame. and even so, I don't recall james talking in a managers ear throughout the game.

Gabe, if you actually think there's something wrong with this, then you're a dipshit.

And you want to compare it to steroids and you don't see the difference? Ok, let's look at it this way. Steroids will kill you (and the kids who emulate you), videotaping plays, signals or just about anything else won't.

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:56 pm

I dont give a shit what it is. Cheating is cheating, and you can use whatever BS excuse you want for saying its okay for the Pats to do it, we all know the real reason.

Royals · Post by **Royals** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:05 pm

Cubs wrote:I dont give a shit what it is. Cheating is cheating, and you can use whatever BS excuse you want for saying its okay for the Pats to do it, we all know the real reason.

You think Ernie Adams sitting in the booth going over replays to decide whether to challenge calls, watching for patterns in the play of the other team and generally acting as consigliare to Belichick is cheating? Because that's what Adams does along with statistical analysis. Next you'll be blaming Belichick for Sosa's juicing, Bush's Florida 'victory' and JFK's assassination.

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:13 pm

RedSox wrote:
Cubs wrote:I dont give a shit what it is. Cheating is cheating, and you can use whatever BS excuse you want for saying its okay for the Pats to do it, we all know the real reason.
You think Ernie Adams sitting in the booth going over replays to decide whether to challenge calls, watching for patterns in the play of the other team and generally acting as consigliare to Belichick is cheating? Because that's what Adams does along with statistical analysis. Next you'll be blaming Belichick for Sosa's juicing, Bush's Florida 'victory' and JFK's assassination.

How stupid are you? Not once did I say that. Not once. Spygate and Ernie Adams are two different things. Not once did I say Ernie being up there was cheating. Is it shady that no one knows what he does? Sure. Is it cheating? Absolutely not. I simply said it adds to the aura of secrets and suspicion surrounding the Pats. Not once did I say he was cheating.

Here's even a quote from my post.

"hell they have a guy who talks directly to belecick throughout the game yet no one on the team knows what he does... shady.

does that mean they're cheating or up to something sinister? no. "

Why don't you at least try to know what you're arguing against before you start running your mouth?

Spygate was cheating. I don't care what you say about it, or the fact that everyone else was doing it, it was still cheating. Defend it all you want, I don't care, it's cheating. Everyone was on Roids in the 90s, so what? It was still cheating. Does matter if it kills you or makes you cum, cheating is cheating.

Royals · Post by **Royals** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:22 pm

If no one knows what Adams does, then how is it that I know? oh yeah, I read the article! it's a joke among the players that they don't know what he does (which you'd know if you read the article) but they don't have to know because they don't deal with him.

I haven't said Spygate wasn't cheating. It certainly does matter that other teams do it (I believe that's part of why the penalty was so severe, to send a message to all the teams. And I agree with that type of administrative response) but it doesn't make it not cheating. Just like Sammy Sosa juicing up to break HR records was cheating.

So, are you saying viagra is cheating?

DBacks · Post by **DBacks** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:28 pm

First, I did read the article. So, once again, you're an idiot, but no big surprise there. And yes, it was a joke, and it was funny because no one actually knew what he did. Hell, even what his job title was. Now of course with a little looking you could figure it out, but the point was that it added another layer of mystery to a team already accused of doing things behind the scenes that were less than kosher. Which is pretty much what I've been saying the entire time.

And, the way I understand it, Viagra doesn't make you cum it just gets you up. But I've never taken it so I guess you would know better than me.

Royals · Post by **Royals** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:38 pm

I see, so you knew it was a joke but decided to make it sound like something sinister. I stand corrected, you're not an idiot, you're a jealous moron.

Good luck finding a team that isn't rumored to do things behind the scenes that are less than kosher. The Pats hear about it because they're a dynasty.

My nickname may be Father Time in our bowling league, but I'm not quite that old yet.