I'm sure y'all have seen the stories about the Patriots stealing defensive signs (again) in the Jets game. It's not a surprise, of course, since all sports involve some cheating. However, I'm curious what Goodell is going to do about it. Apparently, he made it abundantly clear to teams that such behavior would not be tolerated. He's taken a pretty strong stance with the players, insisting that they stop acting like football players and act more like front office guys. So this should be an interesting test -- will he hold the teams accountable like he does the players? And don't get me wrong, I'm happy he's dropping the hammer on the players, only because I love the NFL and want it to be successful. In order to do that, the crackers of America inexplicably need to feel like the guys they're watching are good people. So what should he do? Consider the context in which he has framed the discussion -- cheating. I'm biased because I hate the Pats, but I wouldn't think it's out of line to ding them with a 2nd and 5th round pick. I originally was thinking a 3 and 6 (or one round earlier if it's in '09), but since they're so good, they'll have late round picks anyway.
From what I've heard/read, his homeless attire is a bit of a thumbing of the nose to the NFL for their bizarre "Reebok Only" gear requirement. Of course I understand their motivation, but it's only a bit less dumb than baseball managers wearing uniforms. I noticed that Del Rio and Nolan were rocking some suits on the sideline in week one. I'm not sure if the NFL gave them a pass or maybe they were trying to distract viewers from the horrible teams they were putting on the field (especially Jacksonville.)
I read that this is the third time that the hoodie and company have been caught doing this. Until you start taking W's away the pats aren't going to care. They have a knack for finding great players in the late rounds of the draft.
That's the first thing I thought of too- Saban was accused of doing it last year too, at least it seems like I remember that complaint against him from some team. Same school.
I remember reading somewhere that the NFL allowed them to do it as long as the suite were made by Reebok.
I guess I may be in the miniority here,but I dont consider this cheating.I think it is pretty darn smart .You dont want the other team to know what your calls are ...change them ... are have a code word that lets players know the play is off or on.Or exploit that they know your calls example... your defensive call is zone. The pats run a play to exploit the zone.You actually play man to man and press the wideouts. Gamesmanship is what this is.Have one of those german enigma machines sending out your defenses....lets see the pats spend all their time breaking that down.
The NFL's own rules clearly state that use of such audio and video equipment on the sideline, coach's box, or locker room constitute cheating. They've been very clear on this point.
