Nobody to be Trusted in Spygate Affair
by Dan Snapp
dan@patriotsdaily.com
Be honest, Patriots fans. Were you angry the team cheated, or that they got caught?
I know, I know, everything’s happening so fast, it’s tough to grasp the real issue. Is it cheating or is it gamesmanship? Does everybody do it, and does that make it alright? Stealing signals is OK, but videotaping signals isn’t? Why is Mike Ditka, of all people, talking about class? It’s all so confusing.
We’re fickle in the way we support our teams: So willing to defend the indefensible, going beyond all reason if given only one teensy shred to prey (and pray) upon. Right up to the last minute, we expected Belichick to pull out some miracle – Eric Mangini’s wedding video, the commissioner’s tax returns, whatever – something to prove his innocence, and maybe show a little Jets culpability as a toss-in.
So we lost that one. Now commissioner Roger Goodell is going after all the Patriots tapes back to 2000, and the fans are tossed in the shredder again (hopefully along with some of the more incriminating stuff). We’re back hoping the team did no wrong, but more realistically hoping any wrongdoing won’t be discovered.
When did being a sports fan turn into such a morality play?
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Be honest, rival fans. Are you truly this righteously indignant about the besmirched integrity of the game, or are you basking in this glorious opportunity to stick it to the Pats? And are you certain things are so lily white in your back yard?
OK, we’ll be fair. We’d be living it up, too, and will be when your turn comes.
It’s true, Eric Mangini is a genius. Who else loses games and gets ticker tape parades the next day? He’s nearly got Patriots fans rooting for the Jets to win each week so there won’t be a new scandal the following Monday. If the Jets are winless by week six, it’ll be hookers and blow. By week ten, he’ll be writing to Penthouse (“I never used to believe these stories were true, but back when I was an assistant coach for the New England Patriots…”).
By the way, good news! The Pats’ forfeited pick is going to the Jets after all. You’ll be picking 32nd instead of 33rd.
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Be honest, sports media. When you say, “Think of the fans, think of the children” aren’t you really saying, “Think of us”? Is this the karma payback for all those cold shoulders, all those soundbite-free press conferences?
The Providence Journal’s Jim Donaldson told us if Belichick had Ron Meyer’s car salesman slickness, he’d be “easier to forgive “. Sports Illustrated’s Paul Zimmerman wagged his finger at the “smug, arrogant” Belichick, then waxed poetic on the ways teams cheated in the good old days. Ah, those playful scamps! Dr. Z’s colleague Peter King said he hopes Belichick ” had a come-to-Jesus moment” (whole lot of good that it did Michael Vick). Are these people for real?
The message couldn’t be any clearer: give us that to which we’re entitled, and you’ll be treated fairly. Is it any wonder he shuts these people out in the first place?
It’s become a race now to see who can top each other on the ridiculousness scale. Richard Nixon comparisons were last week; this week, it’s ” Michael Vick has more dignity than Belichick.” They’re trying out Rae Carruth analogies on test audiences as we speak.
Oh, and guys, if this thing keeps going, can we please retire “brazen”? Try “impudent”, “insolent”, “audacious” or – you’ll love this – “shameless”.
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Be honest, Bill Belichick. A “misinterpretation” of the rules? Really? That little Eddie Haskell routine probably sealed your fate with the commissioner more so than the actual offense.
Be truthful, Robert Kraft, because your poker face stinks. Don’t tell us you just found out about it. Where were you when the complaints came down last year?
Incidentally, Kraft blew an opportunity to help this thing blow over. After the commissioner gave his punishment, Kraft should have levied one of his own, suspending Belichick for two or three games.
Bear with me here.
Belichick has created a culture in New England that says “Everybody is treated the same.” This is why he suspended Terry Glenn twice in 2001, despite having a painfully thin receiver corps and in the middle of a playoff race.
Suspending Belichick would show the players that he’s one of them, susceptible to the same punishment they would serve. They know the fines mean nothing, and the lost draft pick is a team burden, not a Belichick one.
A suspension would also allow Kraft to save face for the embarrassment Belichick brought to his organization. That’s the penalty that’s going to linger longest, the doubt cast over every achievement of the past seven years. For his own sake, his investment’s sake, he should have done something about that.
A suspension would quiet much of the crowd that’s now saying, “He got off easy.” Sure, some – OK, Bill Polian – will shriek for something harsher (forfeitures, entire drafts, banishment, the stockades, etc.) but those cries would be muffled. Moreover, the Patriots could weather Belichick’s absence, maybe even come back stronger.
After the suspension was served, then leak the story that Belichick’s been re-upped through 2013. Leave no room for doubt. The actions of the coach hurt the the organization, you took measures beyond what the commissioner laid down, and now you welcome him back with open arms to lead your team into the next decade.
Kraft is served, the team is served, justice is served. Ass-kicking resumes.
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Finally, tell us the truth, Commissioner Goodell. Have you thought this through?
What’s the point of seeking all the Patriots tapes? You’re either going to find something, or not find something and think you should. You’ll punish the Pats, and reinforce the word “Cheat” as part of the NFL brand.
You could have been done with it. You could have said, “The penalty was harsh and just, and will deter the Patriots and all other teams from engaging in this sort of behavior again,” and that’s that.
Besides, you’re not really going to find anything anyway.
Trust us on this.
The fact that Goodell's wife is an anchor for Fox News Channel apparently had nothing to do with the leak. :-/
I disagree with the suspension angle because based on the way the team performed on Sunday night, I would say a suspension would only further punish the players, and not help them in any way. They showed the way they feel about their coach, and confirmed it with their comments after. Suspending him wouldn't help anything blow over anyway. That would only extend the controversy. Stay with the direction they're on now, and in a couple of weeks, the talk won't be about suspensions, it will be about whether they can go undefeated.
Thanks, Box!
I just don't understand why that (the owner being able to mete his own punishment) would be important, at all. They're getting hit from all sides now, and we're seeing how the players have embraced that challenge. Suspending him from within would have screwed that up completely, and given then even MORE questions to answer. As far as the embarrassment, it was significant, but that's only because he's also been responsible for the greatest glories the franchise has ever – or will ever, quite likely – experienced. I'm pretty sure the owner acknowledged that by accepting his apology.
I agree with you, Scott, about the way the team apparently feels about the coach. That's the only thing that had me second-guessing the suspension idea. But in hearing discussion this week about what a suspension would actually mean, I think the harm is mitigated. If I heard correctly, a suspended coach still has contact during the week with his assistants. His fingerprints would still be all over the game plan.
I went with the idea, because I can't help thinking Kraft has been robbed of being able to mete his own punishment for the embarrassment the organization has suffered.
Excellent article, Dan. It's not an easy thing to write about, but you did a good job of trying to bring some sanity to the actions of all involved. The one thing I will not argue about is that this thing has gotten way out of hand.
I disagree about Kraft suspending Belichick, mostly because Belichick would not go for that. I don't think you want to take that privilege away from a guy that coaching means everything to. I like the way ownership supported the coach with all hysteria taking place as a backdrop.
Anyway, another stellar effort, Snapper.
Oh an one more thing, Roger time to get your house in order. How was the tape leaked?
One thing – as far as I know, the commish is not asking for 'all tapes back to 2000'. He's asking for all the illegal sideline video and all copies and notes that have those tapes as their source. The intent here, as far as I can tell, is to remove this material from Belichick's library so that he can't use it against anyone in the future. It's just an attempt to make sure any game NE plays from here on out is based on 'legal' intelligence.
Honestly, if I was Roger Goodell, I'd be extremely happy to just put this one to bed and get on with playing out the season. The sooner the league returns to 'business as usual', the better. But then again, I'm not Roger Goodell.
I am going to blame the victim here. How stupid of a coach do you have to be to not change your signals from time to time? In that case, the whole video library thing is moot. I can see that one can do an analysis of coaching tendencies that much is true but once again if someone unscrambles your coaching tendencies, you are stupid to have acted in a manner that is susceptible to pattern analysis. Do these coaches realize that they are coaching in a multi-billion dollar business and not in a Pop Warner league?
I think Kraft felt that the punishment was way overboard like many fans did. It wasn't until the public outcry that he started mobilizing a bit. I think he's been on the same page as BB throughout and, if he feels he's being railroaded, he wouldn't ask him to make that sacrifice.
I forget where I read this, but it's been something I've been thinking about today – wouldn't conventional wisdom have Goodell very upset about the fact that first the story is leaked by the Jets to a fan site the day after the game and then the actual video is linked during all the ensuing hysteria? I would imagine he'd rather have the whole affair be more tidy and kept close to the vest. I also think th eensuing outcry made the punishment that much worse, I have no way of knowing, but I hope Goodell is angry at the Jets for the way they've handled themselves throughout the controversy.
Can I jump in on the further punishment issue? Further punishment has been mentioned by the NFL or Goodell on two occasions. First, if the Pats don't turn over all their spy tapes, notes and any copies of same. Second, when Goodell was prompted (or browbeaten, depending…) by Bob Costas in the interview that aired before the Sunday night game. I don't think we have to worry about the first case, since BB is probably cooperating fully. And the in the second instance Goodell simply said that 'if anything else is brought to our attention' there could be further penalty. He didn't mention any ongoing investigation to my recollection.
Right now, it seems to me that BB's interests and the NFL's are the same – to put this story out of the public consciousness as soon as possible. And man, I hope I'm right.
Ending the talk is exactly what they did on the field on Sunday night, as evidenced by my previous post. On the field is the only thing that matters. Nobody became fond of Bill Belichick because they thought he was a great guy.
I think it already has.
Appeasing the press (or some of them; you're right that some will never be appeased) is a byproduct, not a goal. The owner's honor, I'd say, is a byproduct as well. A worthy goal in this endeavor would be to end the talk, especially when they apparently have a commish who's susceptible to the outside pressure. You might dismiss the PR goals, which is standard Patriots MO most of the time, but when there's the threat of tangible punishments still on the horizon (more picks, what have you), attaining the PR goals is worthwhile IMO, especially if it doesn't affect the performance on the field.
Goodell's the wildcard here. I'm disappointed he didn't end it when he had the chance. The further investigation seems capricious to me.
More questions to answer? I suppose that could be true, except that announcing the contract extension would snuff those out in a hurry.
I think the players would embrace the challenge of winning without him on the sidelines the same way they've embraced the the current challenge.
As for why it's important, we know Belichick doesn't give a damn what the press says or thinks, but Kraft does. This would be a way for him to regain some honor, a way for them to quiet much of the criticism, and in a manner that (I think) won't affect the results on the field. This team embraces challenges; it might have even brought them closer together.
I'll believe you when this thing blows over without further punishment.
To this end, I just ran through some of the major sports sites, including ESPN, CNNSI, PFT, and so on, and looked at their headlines menu to see how Peter King and Chris Mortensen's additional penalties are coming – anyway, half a dozen major sites and no mention of 'Spygate', other than a story which says the NFL is investigating who leaked the illegal tape to FOX and several others. As I mentioned before, proceed on the track they are now, and in two weeks, the only time the Pats will be mentioned on any of these sites is when somebody's wondering if they can go undefeated or not.
I don't know what honor the owner needs to regain. They've got to suspend the coach to appease the press? I think the minute you suspend the coach, you've got players and paying customers that will need appeasing in very short order. Winning is all that counts to that constituency, and their needs were met perfectly by the owner. You can never attend to the other one (press) because their freaking goalposts move every day. Suspension of the coach would be about addressing some public relations controversy. They didn't hire this guy the first time for the same reason – what it may look like. Didn't work for them then, and it wouldn't now either.
I can only think that Kraft (and the team's legal staff — its general counsel, etc., which I am sure is formidable) a week ago basically said to BB, "Give it all up: What has the video been used for? Have any other NFL rules been violated or disrespected? Tell me everything, or I will be forced to suspend or fire you for cause." And Kraft's statements on NBC ("They're telling all 32 teams to not do this") and elsewhere since, along with leaking BB's seven-year contract extension, indicate that this "scandal" is limited to what we, and Goodell, already know. Otherwise, Kraft's reputation will accompany BB's into infamy.
I'm eager to talk about the games for once in two weeks.
Has Moss dropped a pass yet?
I think this story still has legs and might taint Belichick's legacy. Who cares if we cheated anyways, we still won 3 Super Bowls and I don't care if we cheated!! Sore losers around the league everywhere!! A win is a win is a win.
Kudos to you, Dan, for trying to step outside your fandom and view this objectively, even though it hurts. If you can't take a step back and think objectively, then you are only talking to yourself. I think we can all learn from your example.