[Last Visible Dog]

They did it this year w/o cheating.

All joking aside, that statement is factually incorrect. New England was caught cheating THIS YEAR so you can not say ANYTHING happened this year without cheating. It does not look like they needed to cheat but nevertheless, they did cheat.

The point is - they are that good so why the heck did they think they needed to cheat? arrogance?

Here are the facts: New England is undefeated and will most likely win it all. New England was caught red-handed cheating in the first game. The asterisk.

[big'ol_freeper]

Wah wah wah wah wah wah

[Poser]

“The point is - they are that good so why the heck did they think they needed to cheat?”

It depends on whether you believe what Belichick said. The rule says that you can’t record from the sidelines in order to gain an advantage in the game. Belichick said he did it to gain an advantage in subsequent games and did not look at the recordings until the game was over.

I suppose you could automatically assume he was lying. You could also assume he wasn’t lying and that he was trying to use a vague rule to his advantage, in which case, there was no intentional cheating.

From what I’ve seen, I have no reason to believe that Belichick wasn’t truthful. The fact that the video taping was taking place in the open rather than with a long lens from some luxury box tends to support Belichick’s story. His attention to detail and preparation also supports that option.

The irrational anger of some people is unfounded. The asterisk is in no way warranted. If anything, the intense scrutiny of the Patriots this season makes it less likely they cheated than any other team.