For the past week, I’ve had a grin on my face wider than the gap between Michael Strahan’s two front teeth.
Normally, I’d be pretty morose in the days following a Dolphins loss, but Videogate has warmed me to the core.
There are few things I like more than seeing the high and arrogant knocked down a notch.
On Sunday, the New England Patriots got exactly what they had coming to them.
Yes, I’m talking about the same unassailable Patriots who for years have had their feet and buttocks kissed in supplication by commentators and analysts around the league.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Before I continue, let me get this out of the way: I hate the Patriots. I loathe and detest them too, for good measure.
This is something of a new development. While I have always viewed the Pats as rivals to my Dolphins, it wasn’t until the start of the new millennium that the rivalry turned into revulsion.
What caused this change of heart?
To put it simply: Tom Brady and Bill Belicheat.
With those two at the reins, the entire Patriots organization has been engulfed in a fog of smug arrogance and assumed genius. Belicheat is viewed as an unquestionable mastermind, correct and indisputable in all decisions. Brady is looked to as the Boy Wonder...and when he struggles it's inevitably someone else’s fault.
Amidst all the praise, though, I couldn’t help but stare incredulously at the issues being swept under the rug.
For years I've been calling out the Patriots a dirty, dishonest, and deceitful organization. Few have listened to me.
Until now.
Perhaps NFL fans would be less stunned by Videogate if it had happened to a historically nefarious team like the Raiders. If they’d have looked close enough, though, they would have seen that the telltale signs were there in New England.
Here’s a sampling of recent indiscretions committed by Belicheat and Co.:
* Not including Richard Seymour on the team’s injury list despite the fact that he didn’t even travel to a game.
*Attempting to make an “agreement” with Vikings head coach Brad Childress that each team would refrain from signing the other’s released players to their practice squads. That constitutes tampering, of course.
*Openly mocking and disrespecting the league’s rules concerning attire and appearance by donning a raggedy team sweatshirt at almost every game, practice, and press conference. Hey, he’s wearing team-issued clothing, right?
*Similarly mocking the idea of media obligations. If you’ve ever watched a Bill Belicheat press conference, you know it’s about as insightful and genuine as the new Bratz movie. Look, I’m sure no coach looks forward to answering the media’s questions, but it’s a large part of connecting with a team’s fanbase. Belicheat conveys the sense that he can’t stand to be bothered by people so inferior to him. He couldn't care less about the fans.
*Opposing teams’ headsets and radio communications mysteriously malfunctioning in Foxboro.
*Rodney Harrison, one of the dirtiest players in the league (anyone remember him spitting in the face of Randy McMichael?) being suspended for HGH. Somehow, he justifies it by saying the drugs were used to help him heal faster. And healing faster isn’t a competitive advantage how?
The issue of illegal videotaping is itself nothing new in New England. In fact, it dates all the way back to 2000, the first year of Belicheat’s reign.
Coincidence?
Hardly.
In the final game of the 2000 preseason against the Buccaneers, the Patriots videotaped all of the Bucs’ defensive signals. The two teams played each other again the following week to open the regular season. When Tampa Bay won, Pats offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was overheard telling Tampa defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, “We knew all your calls, and you still stopped us. I can’t believe it.”
Just last season, New England was suspected of videotaping their opponents on at least two occasions. When the Lions played in Foxboro, Rod Marinelli noticed “a camera pointed right at our defensive coach making his calls.” When the Patriots visited Green Bay, cameraman Matt Estrella (the same guy who was doing the taping against the Jets) was caught on the sidelines recording the Packers’ signals.
It's a very safe assumption that Belicheat had his camera goons active at every game, which of course begs the question:
Why haven’t these countless indiscretions been met with punishment until now?
The obvious reason is that the league finally got its hands on irrefutable evidence of wrongdoing. In the past, these allegations and suspicions weren’t raised until after the incidents occurred.
The other, more insidious, reason has to do with the league’s prior inability to stand up against the all-mighty Belicheat. The coach believed he could operate outside the NFL’s established rules, and league officials proved him right.
If any of you love South Park as much as I do, you’ll recall the “Chef Aid” episode, and particularly the record executive character. When confronted about stealing a song for an artist on his label, the record exec loudly shouts, “I AM ABOVE THE LAW!”...and then proceeds to dab some SPOOGE brand gel on his hanging lock of hair.
That's Belicheat in a nutshell.
What I can’t understand is the mass of people, mostly Pats fans, who have come out of the woodwork to justify the incident. Their protests include gems such as:
“He was just doing whatever it takes to win. You can’t fault him for that.”
“There’s no way he could benefit from videotaping the signals.”
“Everyone in the NFL cheats.”
This organization really had a lot of people fleeced.
Think of how much tape Belicheat has been able to amass over his tenure. You don’t have to use that information during the game in which it was filmed for it to be a competitive advantage.
And no, stealing signals by videotaping them isn't the same as using your own two eyes. If the results were the same, why would the Patriots risk punishment by resorting to videotape?
The league had warned Belicheat following the Green Bay game that videotaping was expressly against the rules. I guess that warning went in one ear and out the other—another example of how grossly arrogant the Patriots are.
And what about those three Super Bowls and Tom Brady’s meteoric rise from sixth-round draft pick to future Hall of Famer?
I sure am skeptical now.
As Dan LeBatard so nicely states it:
“For a team that won three Super Bowls by three points each time, cheating only has to give you an advantage on one successful play to change the result and the champion.”
Circumstantial evidence of illegal behavior has wreaked havoc in sports like cycling, track, and baseball.
The NFL, by contrast, is holding material proof of cheating.
So why were there no suspensions?
Wade Wilson, the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach, was suspended for five games for taking HGH to deal with diabetic impotence. There’s no way Dallas could have derived a competitive advantage from this indiscretion, but the league wanted to show that it was holding coaches to a higher standard.
If that’s the case, Belicheat should have been suspended for at least half the season.
As it stands, the team is facing absolutely no punishment that will affect them immediately. The fines don’t hurt the players. The draft picks don’t come into play for another season (plus the time it takes for rookies to develop). All told, the Patriots won’t see an adverse effect on the field for at least another year or two.
That's unacceptable.
And what if Belicheat retires after this season? Those lost draft picks won’t mean a thing to him.
He’ll smugly stride off into the sunset, threadbare sweatshirt flapping in the wind, laughing to himself as he keeps repeating the truth in his mind:
“I am above the law.”
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about 1 year ago
This article is hard to read because of the incredible amount of bias. Kind of reminds me of a sports rendition of "Loose Change" or a Michael Moore flick. You're self-proclaimed hatred for the Patriots has clouded your sense of reality. This article heavily blows the situation out of proportion, and tosses around a lot of assumptions. We all know what assuming does...
about 1 year ago
What assumptions have I made other than to assume that the Patriots have videotaped close to every game since Belicheat's arrival?
And are your rose-colored glasses so heavily tinted that you don't think that's highly likely as well?
about 1 year ago
Why not just use a camera that snaps still shots REALLY fast? No rule against that.
about 1 year ago
As a New England fan, I love the fact that the whole world is against us. They are going to love proving themselves again. It's going to be great the next time the commissioner meets Bill....... and hands him the trophy.
about 1 year ago
As a football fan, you have to be honest with yourself: Video taping, per se, is perfectly legal and EVERY team does it. The rules say where you can t record from: the field and the coaches areas and where you can anyplace with a roof and walls. The truth is you can video tape in the NFL just not anywhere you like. This is not cheating, which is the shorthand dump partisans promulgate. Bill was pushing the limits, he knew it, and he should be fined. Not villified. If you don t think video taping the games for signals, formations and anything else which goes on every game everywhere than ban videotaping altogether. Don t make Belichick out to be a cheater; what s the cheat? His man was in a nondesignated area? That s all you got? The truth is, Belichick was ratted out by a former employee looking for HIS own advantage and the NFL monkey-pile continues because the Patriots are so damn good and others are so damn envious. Nobody gets this animated over mediocre teams, only great ones. You know the thruth in your heart. Sorry.
about 1 year ago
Actually you're wrong ari.
Here is what the memo said which was received by Belicheat following the Green Bay game where he was caught videotaping:
""Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game."
So, no, it's not just an issue of location.
Of course, that's what Belicheat tried to get people to think with his crock of an "apology" following this incident. He didn't just mistakenly misinterpret this rule. He brazenly ignored it. He is a cheater. Stop deluding yourself.
from about 1 year ago
I don't understand why everyone's *still* talking about this. All teams have guys who record film of strictly the football and the plays. I get the argument that the Patriots could sync up the two tapes, and therefore find out the Jets play calls. I get it, I promise. If the Patriots did this, they would only achieve an advantage for what...one game(the next Jets game). And that's only *if* the Jets didn't change their signs throughout the course of several weeks, which they most likely would. Okay, so lets say the Patriots were super proactive and synced up the two tapes during halftime. That would only show them, say, 35 plays? What are the odds that the Jets would call the same defensive package, with the same coverage, with the same blitz package, and with the same d-line stunts? Not likely, if even at all. So, at best the Patriots could really only pick up bits and pieces of the Jets' defensive playcalls, cause we all know that even high school coaches use lingo/gestures that are more difficult than "two fingers is cover two, three fingers is cover three, etc". Lets even assume that the Patriot's videographer *did* know exactly which play was coming. The play clock is only 40 seconds long from the time the ref puts the ball on the ground. Most play calls wont come in from the sidelines immediately, so lets say it comes in with a full 25 seconds left. The videographer must then translate it...go find belicheck...tell him that he knows whats coming...then belicheck has to talk to Tom Brady through his headset...then they have to come up with a whole new play...then Brady has to communicate that new play to the other 10 guys on the field. Not likely. C'mon folks...im sick of this dumb Patriots debacle. (sorry about my novel)
about 1 year ago
Football is entertainment.
As long as it continues to be entertaining, I couldn't care less whether they use videotape, a lip reader with high power binoculars or a mind reader to steal the other team's signals.
Who cares?
You might say that sports figures are role models and they ought to lead by example, but I say that's a lot of horse poo. Sports figures are entertainers. That's why they get paid like actors or rock stars.
Role models are people who actually do something worthwhile.
about 1 year ago
Sports may simply be entertainment, but isn't it more worthwhile and enjoyable to derive your entertainment from something that is genuine.
Cheating tarnishes the entertainment value of sports by cheapening them.
I don't look to sports as just a cheap waste of my leisure time. If I did, then I wouldn't care about cheating, just like you. However, I look to sports because the entertainment they provide is compelling and real. To simply brush off cheating would be to degrade real sports to the level of "professional wrestling," and I think the differences between the two are clear.
about 1 year ago
I'm watching the Pats game right now. Brady to Moss for six. That's pretty effing genuine.
G.
about 1 year ago
I think the author of this article should shut his trap in shame after watching the pats chargers game today.
about 1 year ago
You know what? It's easy to look at the Chargers game tonight and say, "See... they're still the best team." And you know what? They are the best team in the NFL right now. By far. And they are the team of the 2000's, without question. That's what makes "Videogate" so strange. Why the hell did BB need to tarnish his reputation even a little bit with this ridiculous act? It reminds me of a billionaire Wall Street trader who commits fraud when he's already rich... it's retarded... a complete squandering of near-perfection.
about 1 year ago
Thanks Bryan, I agree.
How can you guys look at tonight's Chargers game and possibly think that erases or excuses what happened? The two have nothing in common. Yes, the Patriots are still one of the elite teams without cheating. That doesn't remove the fact that they did.
So anonymous, can you please explain why I should be shamed after watching this game? The only shame should be squarely on the Patriots organization for what has happened. Don't delude yourself just because the team is still successful.
from about 1 year ago
The only thing tonight's' Pats drubbing of the Chargers proves is that the Pats are a really amazing team to watch. They are entertaining with a capital E. Or perhaps you would rather tune into the 'Fins game and watch them turn it over five times and go 0 and 2 so you can feel morally superior.
Get this into your head: Its not cheating. It's theater. It's spectacle. It's flash. It's show-biz.
It's unimportant!
Cheating is when there are real consequences. Lives at stake. $750K and a draft pick is not a consequence, it's a sneeze.
People will not die or live because of 1,200 feet of videotape. Nobody's going to war. Nobody's going to come back from playing in the NFL with a double amputation suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Belichick and Brady and Kraft and crew will eventually retire to Nantucket or the Keys and count their money and they can have a hearty laugh and say, "well, we sure did put on a good show, huh?"
Relax, Samuel. It's football. If you take it too seriously, you're going to snap and hose your co-workers down with an uzi and then they're going to cart you away with your arms strapped behind your back and you'll never get to watch football again. At least not unless you're heavily sedated.
Have a beer. Enjoy the game. Eat a bratwurst. take a deep breath and gain some much-needed perspective.
G.
about 1 year ago
Man, Grant, you have got one warped and twisted sense of reality.
Cheating is only cheating when lives are at stake? Give me a break. Cheating is just the deliberate violation of rules. The consequences don't determine whether something is cheating. The only thing consequences determine is how influential that cheating was.
I guess the Watergate scandal wasn't cheating though because no one got killed, right? Maybe it's you who should go and search for some new perspective.
from about 1 year ago
Football is not real life, man. It's enertainment. Get over it.
from about 1 year ago
PS: I meant what I said about the beer and bratwurst. Enjoy!
about 1 year ago
p.s. samuel...even though i wrote what seemed to be a 37 page long comment up above, I LOVED your opening line...hilarious. keep that type of work coming.
about 1 year ago
This article is worse and worse everytime I read it. You and the rest of the bitter and jealous NFL fans out there are looking under rocks for reasons to mock the Patriots. Does no one have the cohones to stand up and admit that the Patriots are just a damn good team who's better than yours?
You call Belicheck and Brady arrogant, but you're far more ignorant and jealous than they are arogant. Besides, they've got millions of crybabies like you across the country wasting breath and thoughts on them. Why wouldn't they enjoy that? They're still gonna win games, whether the peanut gallery hates them or not. So why don't you take off your dress and end this little teaparty.
about 1 year ago
Samuel:
Well written article. Belichick has been and always will be a cheater(ask his wife).
Nathan:
I think the school bell just rang. Better head off to class! Oh yeah, I WILL stand up and admit that the Patriots are a damn good team who's better at cheating than my favorite team! Satisfied?
about 1 year ago
Samuel:
Here's some mature and concise commentary about your Dolphins.
They suck.
Okay? Take care.
about 1 year ago
Hey Stupid:
You started off your "article" admitting that you hate the Patriots. Rendering the spew that
follows competely irrelevant.
The Belichick 2007 Revenge Tour. Coming to Miami this fall.
from about 1 year ago
I admitted my hate for the Patriots and then I backed it up. Why shouldn't I hate deceitful cheaters? My article is simply validating those strong feelings.
By the way, how's Brady been doing lately when he makes the trip down to Miami? Yeah, awful. No matter how bad the Dolphins are, the Patriots can't seem to handle them in Miami.
about 1 year ago
Sammy, Sammy, Sammy ... okay, Brady sucks against the Dolphins. You're right.
The Patriots will lose. There, do you feel better?
Actually, the Patriots are going to stomp the ever-living shit out of the Dolphins.
But you tell yourself whatever you need to help feel better.
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