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Audiotaping Key to Patriots' Cheating Scandal
ESPN.com ^ | 9/13/07 | Mike Sando

Posted on 01/05/2008 8:05:45 PM PST by BigJohn44

"The illegal tactics the New England Patriots evidently employed Sunday against the New York Jets -- capturing signals and corresponding audio with a sideline camera -- might have allowed the Patriots to sniff out blitzes had security officials not intervened, scouts and coaches said.

"With the computer and video technology, you can dial it up at halftime," an AFC personnel evaluator said. "You can say, 'This is their such-and-such blitz. We'll give you the signal, the code word, and let you know it's coming.'" " (emphasis added).

(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: billythecheat; cheating; crybaby; gocrytomama; illgottenwins; nepatriots; nfl; patriotscheat; scandals; sorelosers; upyourasterisks
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In a September 13, 2007 column written for ESPN.com, sportswriter Mike Sando disclosed a very disturbing and heretofore largely ignored fact that is absolutely crucial to understanding the severity of the cheating in which the New England Patriots engaged for several years before they were finally caught earlier this season.

The cheating did not just involve illegal videotaping. The Patriots also illegally recorded the audio of opposing defensive coaches, all of whom undoubtedly had the expectation that their utterances to their players were private. Sando wrote:

"The illegal tactics the New England Patriots evidently employed Sunday against the New York Jets-- capturing signals and corresponding audio with a sideline camera -- might have allowed the Patriots to sniff out blitzes had security officials not intervened, scouts and coaches said."

See http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=3017542 (emphasis added).

When the audio and video were both stolen and used in combination, the Patriots were able to, in effect, step into their opponents' defensive huddle.

As the associated press reported regarding the 2005 Super Bowl, which the Patriots "won," 24-21:

"Every time the Eagles rushed Brady in the Super Bowl, the Patriots nullified the defensive attack with screen passes. Lots of them. On almost every play defensive coordinator Jim Johnson called for a blitz, the Patriots used the short pass to confuse the Eagles."

See http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3017964

The idea that knowing what the opponent was going to do did not give the Patriots an unfair advantage is absurd. They "won" three super bowls this decade by a lousy three points each.

The Patriots cheating scandal is primarily a story of eavesdropping on private conversations. Many who excuse away the cheating have failed to recognize that key fact. The conduct of Belichick and the Patriots was outrageous, and has left their accomplishments utterly tainted.

1 posted on 01/05/2008 8:05:46 PM PST by BigJohn44
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To: BigJohn44

They cheated. They got caught. They were penalized for it. Perfect season with a question mark.


2 posted on 01/05/2008 8:08:25 PM PST by kinoxi
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To: kinoxi
To me they’ll always be known as the TEAM that cheated their way to an undefeated season. THERE is no room for a team that cheats. I don’t care what record they hold...just ask Bond or the rest of the baseball players that got caught!
3 posted on 01/05/2008 8:12:23 PM PST by RoseofTexas
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To: BigJohn44

So, after being caught in the first game of the season, did they manage to do a better job of hiding it? Or did they obliterate the rest of the league with football skills?


4 posted on 01/05/2008 8:12:31 PM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: Izzy Dunne

Doens’t matter. At work, you get fired. At school you get kicked out. In the military you get shot.

New England should have been stripped of ANY honor this year, period. As a lesson.


5 posted on 01/05/2008 8:18:27 PM PST by txzman (Jer 23:29)
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To: Izzy Dunne

Point is they CHEATED! Plain and simple! NO IF’S OR BUTS!


6 posted on 01/05/2008 8:20:47 PM PST by RoseofTexas
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To: Izzy Dunne

Isnt it obvious? They probably have a whole bunch of other ways that they are cheating. I always thought their coach looked a little shifty.


7 posted on 01/05/2008 8:21:00 PM PST by nuf said (I am, therefore I think.)
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To: nuf said
Belechick owns more books than every one in the league, combined. The guy is light years ahead. The era of the dumb ex jock becoming the coach is over. Belechick is to football coaching what Tiger Woods is to golf. Players are near nigh as big, fast and strong as they ever will be, the spread in performance will be intelligence, something the Patriots have been on a hunt for over a decade.
8 posted on 01/05/2008 8:39:40 PM PST by Leisler
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To: BigJohn44

I wish the Disney owned media empire was as upset when Democrats cheat in debates and elections...


9 posted on 01/05/2008 8:41:23 PM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy in 2008.)
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To: Izzy Dunne
So, after being caught in the first game of the season, did they manage to do a better job of hiding it? Or did they obliterate the rest of the league with football skills?

By compiling an artificially inflated number of "wins" over the last few years, the Patriots have been able to attract top talent such as Randy Moss for below market rates. See, for example, http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft07/news/story?id=2853116

Moss and arguably Wes Welker engineered their way onto the Patriots not for money but for the chance to win a super bowl. The Patriots cheating undermined league parity and enabled them to enjoy unfair advantages over other teams bidding for the services of players like these.

10 posted on 01/05/2008 9:03:07 PM PST by BigJohn44
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To: BigJohn44
Amazing....all of their wins because of high tech cheating.

They must have lost their next 15 3/4 games then........

11 posted on 01/05/2008 9:13:39 PM PST by Lakeshark (Thank a member of the US armed forces for their sacrifice)
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To: BigJohn44
"The illegal tactics the New England Patriots evidently employed Sunday against the New York Jets -- capturing signals and corresponding audio with a sideline camera -- might have allowed the Patriots to sniff out blitzes had security officials not intervened, scouts and coaches said.

Damn! Good thing the Pats got caught or they would have done even better than 16-0!

12 posted on 01/05/2008 9:14:33 PM PST by SamAdams76 (I am 32 days away from outliving Nicolette Larson)
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To: BigJohn44

Hah hah. I love listening to people stew over it...

It’s great...:)


13 posted on 01/05/2008 9:32:39 PM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: If the Truth would help them, they would use it.)
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To: BigJohn44

Either the Pats are much better coached and managed to get a lot more out of studying film that the other teams do, or they have some other way of doing this that hasn’t been discovered yet.

They seem able to thwart other teams consistently and sometimes magically. Brady is pretty much amazing but if he knew what was going to happen he would look even more amazing.

The part that I can’t make sense of is why don’t former coaches of the Pats use the same tactics to prepare their teams? When Walsh coached the 49ers and revolutionized the offense, other coaches under him took the plan to their new teams. Nobody appears to be able to duplicate what the Pats are doing though. Curious.


14 posted on 01/05/2008 9:43:15 PM PST by bpjam (Harry Reid doesn't even have 32% of my approval)
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To: SamAdams76

So, why did they feel the need to cheat in the first place?


15 posted on 01/05/2008 9:47:01 PM PST by whatexit
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To: BigJohn44
And what amazes me is how the NFL quickly and quietly swept this under the rug. Destroying all the videos supposedly received from the Patriots almost immediately after receiving them. And taking the Patriots at their cheating word that they sent in all the film? And what about the audiotapes?

Why was Commissioner Goodell so quick on the draw? Perhaps he saw an enormous scandal getting ready to blow open?

16 posted on 01/05/2008 10:06:45 PM PST by rawhide
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To: Leisler
"the spread in performance will be intelligence, something the Patriots have been on a hunt for over a decade.

average running game. Average defense. Best quarterback in history. Belecheck's only contribution is helping Brady. They are a one dimensional team of big plays. Big plays occur when you know what the defense is going to do. Bullsh*tek is still cheating, he just hasn't been caught.

17 posted on 01/05/2008 10:11:36 PM PST by Soliton
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To: rawhide
And what amazes me is how the NFL quickly and quietly swept this under the rug.

I didn't even hear about this until I attended my husband's company Christmas party where I heard about it standing in the buffet line. I knew there was a reason I didn't want the Patriots to win that last game. How can a team hold their head high knowing they are cheaters?

18 posted on 01/05/2008 10:24:19 PM PST by Vicki (Washington State where anyone can vote .... illegals, non-residents, dead people, dogs, felons)
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To: RoseofTexas

The Patriots should have a new spokesman: Bill Clinton. Or, if he’s not available, James Carville.

Hey, he cheated and got caught, but still won every election.


19 posted on 01/05/2008 10:28:05 PM PST by Loud Mime ("If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking." George S. Patton)
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To: BigJohn44; Bender2
Ya'll want some cheese with your whine?


20 posted on 01/06/2008 4:07:43 AM PST by big'ol_freeper (ROMNEY: "I LOVE MANDATES.")
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