<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thrilla @ May 15 2008, 02:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale @ May 15 2008, 02:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ May 15 2008, 01:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thrilla @ May 15 2008, 01:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I love how people overlook the fact that scouting/stealing signals is a legal practice in the NFL. Goodell even confirmed it in the press conference. The only rule broken by the Patriots was the rule that states you cannot use video cameras to scout them. The Patriots and Belichick have been punished already, and Matt Walsh brought no new evidence to the table. Arlen Specter is a joke who is merely pandering to his constituents in the Philadelphia area, and everybody else that hates the Patriots, for that matter (everybody outside New England). Next time your buddy is shipped off to Iraq, you're paying 4 dollars a gallon for gas or waiting in the unemployment line because your job got shipped overseas, be glad that a US Senator is spending his time on the clock trying to take down the team that beat his Eagles in the Super Bowl. Also, isn't it a little suspicious that Specter's biggest supporter is Comcast, who just so happens to be in a battle with the NFL over the NFL network?</div> They were quite systematic with their approach though. Remember, I don't like jumping to conclusions so this is just how I see it. I defended the Pats before when evidence was lacking. You have to admit it looks worse now, and the punishment given to them appears to have been handed down before all the tapes/evidence were given to Goodell. I'm not interested in nullifying their Championship rings, but I could see a few more picks being taken away. </div> In my view, the biggest joke here is that Belicheat hasn't missed a game. It's Belicheat's lack of suspension that forces me to conclude that Roger Goodell works for Robert Kraft. </div> A suspension would have hurt the Pats chances in a few games, the lost draft pick will hurt them for years. If anything, the NFL should have taken the better 1st round pick away just because it ended up looking like a light punishment based on the fact that they had 2 picks anyway. Had the Pats only had one 1st, and the NFL took it away, the punishment would have appeared more severe. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ May 15 2008, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thrilla @ May 15 2008, 02:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ May 15 2008, 01:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thrilla @ May 15 2008, 01:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I love how people overlook the fact that scouting/stealing signals is a legal practice in the NFL. Goodell even confirmed it in the press conference. The only rule broken by the Patriots was the rule that states you cannot use video cameras to scout them. The Patriots and Belichick have been punished already, and Matt Walsh brought no new evidence to the table. Arlen Specter is a joke who is merely pandering to his constituents in the Philadelphia area, and everybody else that hates the Patriots, for that matter (everybody outside New England). Next time your buddy is shipped off to Iraq, you're paying 4 dollars a gallon for gas or waiting in the unemployment line because your job got shipped overseas, be glad that a US Senator is spending his time on the clock trying to take down the team that beat his Eagles in the Super Bowl. Also, isn't it a little suspicious that Specter's biggest supporter is Comcast, who just so happens to be in a battle with the NFL over the NFL network?</div> They were quite systematic with their approach though. Remember, I don't like jumping to conclusions so this is just how I see it. I defended the Pats before when evidence was lacking. You have to admit it looks worse now, and the punishment given to them appears to have been handed down before all the tapes/evidence were given to Goodell. I'm not interested in nullifying their Championship rings, but I could see a few more picks being taken away. </div>Belichick admitted, in his initial meeting with Goodell, to taping the signals for as long as he was with the Pats. He was asked to turn over the tapes, and he did. Obviously he couldn't turn over tapes that were in the possession of Matt Walsh. The tapes Walsh turned in were just more of the same, so it doesn't look worse, it looks the same. If the NFL can prove any of the new allegations, such as an IR player practicing or if Patriots staff was involved in ticket scalping, then sure, punish them for that. But everything with the new tapes was already owned up to by the Pats and Belichick, so there shouldn't be and won't be anymore punishment. </div> Well Matt added some extra anecdotal evidence in Specter's interview (what ROTR/Chutney referred to), and exposed that the Pats knew they were breaking the rules. I do see what you're saying though, in that case I feel the punishment was a tad light. </div>That's all hearsay and shouldn't even be a consideration in our conversation until it can be proven. Ask the Boston Herald, you don't take things like that into consideration until you know that it's true. I also find it hard to believe that any team would use the same signals in two different games when, even the commisioner admits, scouting signals is an acceptable practice if done the correct way. </div> I find it hard to believe Walsh lied about that. The Pats couldn't use the signals at halftime or how it was described in Specter's interview? Over such a long period of time, they're bound to benefit from it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ May 15 2008, 02:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I find it hard to believe Walsh lied about that. The Pats couldn't use the signals at halftime or how it was described in Specter's interview? Over such a long period of time, they're bound to benefit from it.</div> Huh? I was under the impression Walsh told Goodell that he was in possession of the tapes throughout the whole game, and didn't hand them over until after it was over.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thrilla @ May 15 2008, 02:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ May 15 2008, 02:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I find it hard to believe Walsh lied about that. The Pats couldn't use the signals at halftime or how it was described in Specter's interview? Over such a long period of time, they're bound to benefit from it.</div> Huh? I was under the impression Walsh told Goodell that he was in possession of the tapes throughout the whole game, and didn't hand them over until after it was over. </div> I thought that only applied to some tapes or at least the ones Walsh handled. You may be quite right, although focusing on that minor detail would be like shifting the entire subject to the Rams' walkthrough like the BH did.
I wasn't looking at suspending Belicheat and taking away draft picks as an either/or proposition. I think this warranted both. You can't suspend a coach for 5 games, like Wade Wilson, for violating the substance abuse policy and let Belicheat walk for what he did.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thrilla @ May 15 2008, 01:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I love how people overlook the fact that scouting/stealing signals is a legal practice in the NFL. Goodell even confirmed it in the press conference. The only rule broken by the Patriots was the rule that states you cannot use video cameras to scout them. The Patriots and Belichick have been punished already, and Matt Walsh brought no new evidence to the table. Arlen Specter is a joke who is merely pandering to his constituents in the Philadelphia area, and everybody else that hates the Patriots, for that matter (everybody outside New England). Next time your buddy is shipped off to Iraq, you're paying 4 dollars a gallon for gas or waiting in the unemployment line because your job got shipped overseas, be glad that a US Senator is spending his time on the clock trying to take down the team that beat his Eagles in the Super Bowl. Also, isn't it a little suspicious that Specter's biggest supporter is Comcast, who just so happens to be in a battle with the NFL over the NFL network?</div> Massachussetts Senators would be committing political suicide if they did what Specter is doing. It matters not to me "who" is prodding Roger Goodell right now. What matters to me is that there *is* someone prodding him. This whole thing would have went away a long time ago had there not been a coverup. New smoking guns keep popping up all the time. It's time to get the flashlights out, enter the building, and find out what else has not been admitted. No one is overlooking signal stealing. No one is telling people not to try your hardest to interpret what the other team is doing. In the case of the Patriots, there was a "RULE" broken. That's the difference. Oh, and Matt Walsh's tapes just reaffirmed what Belichik said "verbally" to Goodell. Goodell already told the world that he is ready and willing to accept anything that people have to offer him on this case. That being said, Matt Walsh made sure he was legally covered before offering more tapes to Goodell. Otherwise, Walsh would have turned them in as soon as he could.
Here is another example of a <u>legitimate</u> way to steal an opponents signals without violating rules: Raiders vs. Colts, 2000 http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:IBYKX...;cd=2&gl=us It's called, <u>paying attention while the game is in progress!</u> No camera required! Just an intelligent linebacker.
