Opinion: Just Stop With The Spygate Thing Already
Our friend from the north, Dylan Greening’s posts have become something of a lightning rod on the blog, and this week’s post is no exception. We here on the “Editorial Board” would like to point out that Greening’s views are not representative (Translation: we LOVE gravytraining the cheater angle!!) of ours. Still it doesn’t mean that the topic isn’t a good one to intelligently debate.
Alright, I’ll admit it was fun for awhile. The jokes, ditties and cartoons have been great for morale.
“Yeah, screw that Bill Belicheat and his morally ambiguous army of nogoodniks! We can take back every loss since 2002 at LEAST because of this BS!!”
But like every sweeping pop-culture phenomenon (Swing Dancing, Pogs, Wallet Chains) the time has come to face the fact that we never really bought into it in the first place, or at least we shouldn’t have. The sad truth is that the New England Patriots are no less impressive as a franchise than they were before Week 2 of the 2007 season, and their undefeated regular season should not be tarnished by this “Spygate” stuff.
Let’s get some perspective on the actual “crime” here. As I understand it, The RULE that was broken was not in fact the TAPING of signals, but the location of the camera used to tape the signals. NFL rules state that “No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches’ booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game…All video shooting locations must be enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead.”
Does this seem a touch arbitrary to anyone else? By my interpretation, if you stick a cameraman in a private box with a substantial zoom lens, you can record signals to your little heart’s content and be innocent of doing anything technically wrong.
Some people argue that everyone tries to gain a competitive edge by questionable means.
An excerpt from a Sports Illustrated article in 2002: “Our guy keeps a pair of binoculars on their signal-callers every game,” says Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. “With any luck, we have their defensive signals figured out by halftime. Sometimes, by the end of the first quarter.”
A quote from NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello: “It is not uncommon for visiting team video crews to request permission to shoot coaching video from both upper end zone positions,” spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email. “Home clubs must provide visiting clubs with equal vantage points for the taping of games. Teams typically shoot coaching video from one upper 50-yard line location and one upper end zone location, but there are no restrictions on shooting from both upper end zone positions as long as the opportunity is provided to both teams. No permission is needed from the league office.”
(Thanks to secsportsfan.com for the great resource. Also a good place to see the other side of this argument.)
The media spin and overall ignorance of the actual rules that were broken by The Patriots have muddied an issue that’s really more about “Location, Location, Location.” than how you win games. We’ve all been lead to believe that Belichick and the Patriots were in possession of illegal footage, while in fact they were in possession of illegally OBTAINED footage, which may not seem like an important distinction to some people, but is, in my opinion, the difference between “Cheating” and “Doing Something Wrong”.
Lots of NFL teams, players, coaches and owners constantly “Do Something Wrong” but not all of them would be deserving of the moniker of “CHEATER”. Ricky Williams broke the league’s Substance Abuse Policy on more than one occasion because of his love affair with marijuana, which in the eyes of the NFL and law enforcement agencies is “Doing Something Wrong”. Unfortunately reefer doesn’t give you a competitive advantage at football the way it does in Videogames, Haikus or Eating. On the other hand, players such as Marcus Stroud and Shawne Merriman have been suspended for steroids, which in my opinion makes them “Cheaters”.
This might seem like a ridiculous analogy to some people, and to those people I would say in my most third-grader voice “oh yeah? YOU’RE a ridiculous analogy!”… but I digress …
To break a rule is to break a rule. To cheat is to cheat. It’s time to call a spade a spade, stop trying to nickel and dime the Patriots and Belichick out of their rightfully earned glory during the last 7 years and just let this thing die.
We can hate the Patriots up and down the Nor’east for numerous reasons, all of which are familiar to any Jets fan, but we shouldn’t hate them for the wrong ones.
About Dylan Greening
Born in The Year Of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Two in the sleepy town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, and raised fifty miles north at Anglin Lake. Grew up working in the family business as a waiter, fishing guide, lumberjack, front desk clerk, marketing director, website developer and general goon. Born and raised a Saskatchewan Roughriders (of the Canadian Football League) fan, which possibly prompted the later obsession with another Green and White, oft-maligned, underdog football team. Enjoys long walks on the beach, Mojitos, sports, music, movies, literature, history, videogames, wine, women and song. If I were to continue, I would have to start being serious, so let's call it a day. View all posts by Dylan Greening →26 Responses to Opinion: Just Stop With The Spygate Thing Already
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droseatwork says:
Seriously. Dylan, what’s up. There is no wrong way to hate the patriots. They are scum and that’s it.
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18andOne says:
Seriously, why hate the Patriots anymore? Could they have possibly choked any more then they did in the Super Bowl. No. Imagine if that happened to the Jets, this blog wouldn’t exist anymore because of the mass sucides.
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JustAGreenGuy says:
I hate the Patriots. I hate the Red Sox. The only thing good out of New England is the clam chowder. Screw the Pats and their sweater model of a QB.
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Sorry, but you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Belicheat is known for doing everything possible to gain a competitive edge. Does it not possibly give us a competitive edge to call the dirty, girlie, superbowl choker, cheater patriots dirty, girlie, superbowl choker, cheaters? They broke the rules (cheated). The guy who broke the rules (cheated), knew he was breaking the rules (cheating), or else he wouldn’t have tried to run away when he was caught breaking the rules (cheating). Matt Walsh says he has video of the Rams SB walkthrough that was shot on authorization from the patriots (dirty, girlie, superbowl choker, cheaters). By breaking the rules they did, the patriots (dirty, girlie, superbowl choker, cheaters) deserve an asterisk next to their SB “victories”. Only their SB loss (not able to cheat) should stand as a true representative of their character (cheaters). They have soiled their own bed, tarnished their own record, now they have to live with it.
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julie says:
yea i agree. we should deffinatly leave it alone. Its one of those things I am so over and I think that people that arent over it dwell on things too long and they have jealousy issues. Now before people say they have no jealousy issues than they must be a patriots fan because they have dominated the last decade even if they lost in the superbowl.
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rsmithline says:
I am pretty much past this now, and I think prolonging the issue is bad for the league.
The Pats cheated. Simple as that. I do not think the difference in fiming from the endzone and 10 feet away from the coach is the same thing. Either way I don’t care. It is over now and should be put to rest.
I hate the way the league handled destroying the evidence, but I think the penalty was fair…actually it was a pretty stiff penalty….a first round pick and lotsa dough…most of it right out of Bill’s pocket, who is not quite as rich as Kraft.
At this point there is no good that can come from pursueing this any further. What is done is done in past seasons, and no one is going to get their record changed based on any new evidence. All it will do is cast doubt on all games in the future and taint the leagues pretty good reputation for fair play.
It is the leagues fault for not catching this sooner, IF there was a pattern of cheating that went back for years. Revealing that now will just go to show that someone can get away with cheating for years in this league and get away with it….which is good for no one.
All that can be done now is clarify and police the rule to prevent this from happening again.
I know it is that Patsies…and who does not like seeing them suffer, but any further publicity on this crap is just bad for everyone at this point.
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jet4lif says:
JustAGreenGuy, you are right on about clam chowder.
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TOON2388 says:
Manhattan Clam Chowder blows away New England Clam Chowder – that is why it is so difficult to find in San Diego
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I don’t think belisuck or kraft give a damn about the money – it is chump change to both of them. The first round pick would hurt a lot more if they didn’t have the 7th pick in the draft. I think blowing past this is definitely what Goodell and the league want and definitely the wrong thing to do. It’s not about jealousy, it’s about playing by the rules. If Matt Walsh is telling the truth, it very likely affected the outcome of a superbowl. That is not something to be moved on from.
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Phil in Florida says:
Don’t you mean, Manhattan Ver=gitable soup?
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All, I think in essence, Dylan’s post has some merits, and I won’t ride Patriots fans on this issue, that said, I think there is a “culture of corner cutting” that is in some ways encouraged in New England.
I’d really like to hear what Matt Walsh has [if anything] but until anything else comes out, they’ve been punished and in some ways it’s time to move on.
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Broadway Joe says:
I just like to know how successful they will be this year with the defensive headsets now in place. Now I know they didn’t tape games in 07, but when you have opponents signals for six years, you have a general idea of how the whole league is defending you. Exception of a few teams who were aware of their shenanigans, and employed two or more signal callers on defense. Games will be more honest. I’m not trying to say teams don’t attempt to get an edge. But taping for six years?! That’s a lot of signal stealing for future games
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Kurt says:
I can understand the article and can respect that opinion. But as a die hard Jets fan stuck in the heart of new england…I can tell you the Patriots and their fans deserve every bit of this.
The arrogance, lack of respect, and lack of class from that fan base and team, has been intolerable since basically 2001. They dug their own grave…now they have to live w/ the crow they eat on a daily basis.
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BrianPat says:
It’s time to move on, the hatred between cities over sports is simple minded to say the least !
Breaking a rule and cheating, hmmmm. So everytime an offensive lineman holds, he’s cheating !
I love it, the NFL is starting to cater to the PC pussies
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Kyle says:
If they had cheated and lost they would have been held accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, they won, so there was nothing the NFL or Goodell could do that wouldn’t tarnish the sports reputation. Is that not fairly obvious?
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Bent says: I agree with Dylan’s premise, even if I disagree with the reasons why. As last season showed, the longer this goes on, all it does for the Jets is cause a distraction, which is exactly what I feared when it first broke.
It doesn’t help the Jets at all for this to continue. We fans can use it from time to time to shut up Pats fans that deserve it, but other than that, let’s focus on the future.
If the NFL finds out more details and act upon them, that’s up to them, but until such time it’s not worth worrying about.
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RJ says:
Bassett, you should be embarrassed for posting something like this on your blog.
Could it be anymore intellectually insulting? The NFL’s unprecedented fine against Belichick and the Patriots was not for doing “something the wrong way”. They were fined for cheating.
Insult to injury in chowder fashion, Belichick, instead of apologizing, had the audacity at the owners’ meeting to say he misinterpreted the rules. Interesting how just like dylan he found a completely different way to misinterpret the rules.
This story won’t go away because everyone suspects there is more to the Patriots cheating then we’ve been told. Does anyone think the Patriots only cheated for one game? Or that they only stole defensive signals? Of course only the naive would. That’s why this matter won’t rest and shouldn’t.
How many teams, players and coaches have been robbed of livelihoods, carreers and their rightful place in the history of the NFL because they lost to a team that cheated? Exaggeration?
If Spygate didn’t happen this year would the Giants have won the Superbowl? Patriots comments after the Superbowl, “We were outcoached”. What they were really saying, “We didn’t have their defensive signals.” Think about it.
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kathy says:
i wish all you patriot haters would get a life, and stop with the jealousy. they did 18-0 and no one will take that away. if it makes you people feel better to say the pats cheated, go for it. its not the pats fault your teams are all losers go pats!!!! show them again. im proud of you guys!!!! and they would have won the superbowl. giants just got lucky
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why do you think they dont call other teams with camera’s cheaters. denver for example, jets etc. losers
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look at their stats , and tell me who the better team is
go patriots
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Dylan Greening says:
RJ, intellectually insulting? That’s what you’re going to hang your hat on?
It is an opinion piece, in case that wasn’t made clear by the title of “Opinion: Just Stop With The Spygate Thing Already”.
I think the Rolling Stones have more enjoyable music but were less inventive than the Beatles, does that opinion insult your intellect as well?
P.S. There are lots of other ways to steal defensive signals beyond videotape, and I’m sure the Patriots probably did, as most teams do, steal some signals during this years Superbowl. It being 2007 didn’t seem to stop them from going 18-0 before that game.
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Ok, Dylan, I got it. Your opinions don’t have enough intelligence to them to be considered insulting. My bad.
Did you just actually say you believe your team cheated in this year’s superbowl in order to validate their previous years of cheating as being inconsequential? Cheating and losing makes cheating and winning all right. Got ya. Everyone cheats, but cheating doesn’t really help anyway. Got ya.
Bassett, do your faithful readers a favor and keep this moron off the blog. There is no shortage of patriots blogs with this drivel on it for those who need to throw up.
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Bent says:
I know you want the spygate issue to go away, but hardly anyone was talking about it until this article was written.
Often it’s the Pats fans who keep reviving it with their “lady doth protest too much” rantings.
Still, only 23 comments when the old spygate threads went into the hundreds probably means it is going away – or at least has been pushed aside in favour (sic) of more important things.
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RJ, you have a lot of anger there buddy.
Maybe you need to find a nice girl, or a decent family doc who can hook you up with some good happy pills.I’m not going anywhere, as far as I know, so I look forward to more vague, rage-filled posts from you in the future.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
-Dylan
P.S. Bent:
Bassett and I both thought it would generate a lot more heat than it did. I guess maybe Spygate HAS gone away in the mind of Jets fans (except for RJ), in which case I’m thankful. -
PPS: RJ, I’m a Jets fan, by the way, not a Pats fan. That’s why I’m writing for a Jets Blog. ;)
There is no wrong reason to hate the patriots.