Pats fans' reactions

Part genius, part jerk:rofl:
Spy-gate raises questions about Belichick's character
Posted: Wednesday September 12, 2007 11:18AM;
Updated: Wednesday September 12, 2007 11:18AM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/phil_taylor/09/12/week1/index.html

NFL coaches, bless their controlling, obsessive, conniving, secretive little hearts, are not, as a rule, the most well-adjusted individuals you'll ever meet. The season is only one week old and already we've just about had our fill of their self-important personalities -- the way they address the media as if they're describing Operation Desert Storm instead of a third-down screen play, the way they refuse to reveal which mediocre quarterback they've chosen to start the next game as if they were protecting nuclear launch codes. Generally speaking, they're just weird guys, which is why it takes some truly abnormal behavior for an NFL coach to set himself apart from his peers.

That brings us to Bill Belichick. Surely you've heard about the latest apparent indiscretion from Belichick, New England's brilliant but bizarre coach: videotaping and attempting to steal the defensive signals of the opposing team. During the Pats' 38-14 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, a member of the New England staff had his video camera confiscated by NFL security. The league examined the videotape for evidence of signal stealing, which is expressly against NFL rules.

Reportedly league officials have determined that the Patriots were indeed trying to steal signs, the second time in two years that the team has been suspected of this violation. If found guilty, a fine and/or the revocation of draft choices could be the Pats' punishment. Maybe Belichick, the ruler of all he surveys in Patriot-land, isn't the mastermind of this little bit of espionage. And maybe Tom Brady has trouble getting a date.

Belichick's apologists counter that even if the allegations are true, the New England coach isn't the only head man who goes to such lengths to gain an edge, and that besides, if you're not cheating, you're not trying. (We'd pay good money to avoid having to hear that hackneyed piece of philosophy ever again.) Maybe if this were the first example of odd, rather classless behavior from Belichick, it would be easier to dismiss. But in addition to his three Super Bowl titles, Belichick has a fairly extensive history of behavior that makes observers wonder why a coach of his stature would stoop so low. He may be part genius, but he's also part jerk.

There was his inexplicably negative reaction to his prot?g?, Eric Mangini, leaving the New England staff to take over the Jets' head coaching job two years ago. Unlike most head coaches, who would never stand in the way of one of their assistants getting a head job, Belichick acted as if he'd been betrayed. During the Jets' courting of Mangini, Belichick had the locks changed at Patriots' headquarters, and the first time the two teams met last season, Belichick brushed off Mangini's attempt at a post-game handshake as if his ex-assistant had the plague.

He treated Colts quarterback Peyton Manning much the same way after Manning finally beat the Pats in the AFC championship game last year. No one is saying Belichick has to be Miss Manners, but would it kill him to be gracious, just for a moment or two? Maybe most damning was the allegation by former Patriot linebacker Ted Johnson that Belichick pressured him to play and subjected him to full contact in practice while Johnson was still suffering the effects of a concussion. Belichick has denied the accusation.

It's a disturbingly long list of behavior that paints Belichick as paranoid, unsportsmanlike, classless and, if Johnson's claims are true, even abusive. Taken separately, none of his actions may seem so objectionable, but together, they're troubling. It's doubtful that NFL commissioner Roger Goddell will go as far as suspending Belichick for his spying tactics last Sunday, but a short, enforced vacation might be the best thing for him. It might force him to realize that his behavior just isn't normal, even for an NFL coach

 

BREAKING NEWS:

RANDY MOSS DIDNT PLAY ALL OF PRESEASON BECAUSE BELLICHEAT HAD HIS LEGS REPLACED WITH ROBOT LEGS SO HE CAN RUN FASTER.

just havin fun with it

 

And he wears a hoodie! Damn.

 

Pats fans are hilarious. Now they are blaming Mangini and how Belichick is going to get him the next time they play blah blah blah.

 

its amazing isnt it? they are mad at mangini for exposing their HC as a cheater....like its EMs fault.

one of my personal favorite lines from a patsfans.com post is that this taints mangini in a worse light b/c he was part of the 3 SB winning Coahing staff pats, and that he took part in the cheating.

that this somehow casts a worse light on mangini than it does BB. no shame in NE...

 

:breakdance: :breakdance: :breakdance: :breakdance: :breakdance:

That's some serious spin right there...lol

 

How bout the codes Belicheck broke when he video taped opposing teams coaches so he can get an unfair advantage?

 

You guys will enjoy this from PatsChatter:

But the real orchistrator of Belichick's doom, the deciding personage in this battle the past year and going now, has been and will be Mangini.

Mangini, the former best friend and protege. The man who stole scouting reports the Pats had on college players and pro-football teams and took them with him to NY... a carload full of them.

Mangini, who made sure Branch was aware that the Jets were oh-so-willing to pay him 40 million dollars last offseason, like the Colts paid Wayne, if only he had been a FA.

Mangini, who was only too happy to stoke the fire rather than tone down the handshake incident, who was wise enough to praise Belichick all he could while on camera, and do everything possible that he could to bring him down when the cameras were off of him.

When it comes to deception, public relations, deviosness and disregard for the NFL's culture and rules, Mangini has Belichick beat cold... he must be excellent at being a two-faced individual, after all Belichick thought he was his best friend... only to find out one cold morning he was moving to the Jets and taking as much (coaches, players, Office supplies) as he could from the Pats with him.

If Belichick is Captian Bly- "Now don't mistake me. I'm not advising cruelty or brutality with no purpose. My point is that cruelty with purpose is not cruelty - it's efficiency." - then Mangini is Mr. Christian- "Your ship? The King's ship, you mean. And you're not fit to command it. Into the boat!"

As for how this particular charge against BB and the Pats occured, it took the efforts of many of his detractors... Polian to have the rules changed/emphasis enforced this past offseason, Mangini and the Jets to make the accusation, and ESPN (and other media sources) to hammer on it non-stop to make sure BB is considered quilty in the eyes of all no matter what is found on that tape, or what the circumstances with other teams may be.

1) Polian (The CC) became aware of how the Patriots were using video on the sidelines. They emphasized making this illegal in the offseason, and had Goodell make a warning to all teams not to do it in the future.

As Polian has done for several years now, they review what the Patriots are doing that works so well, and then they try to make it a foul to do so, or against the rules to do so the next season.

2) Mangini (and The Jets GM) was aware of this new emphasis and realized they could attack the Patriots for violating the rules if they continued to do with video cameras what they had done in the past.

This is a bit of brilliance if pre-planned, because it was fairly obvious the Patriots have way more talent than they Jets could handle, and had made it so that Mangini couldn't even gameplan for them as they hardly used (or didn't use) several key starters all Pre Season.

This takes focus away from how awfully they were defeated, and makes the Patriots cheaters, destroy's Belichick's credibility, and the credibility and integrity of all they had accomplished this decade.

3) It is then pushed every hour on the hour practically by all ESPN channels, and then the NFLNetwork and the AP follow suit, and various hacks that have a dislike for Belichick hammer him... as someone said, this isn't a court of law, no, if anything its a political campaign... and right now ESPN, Polian, Mangini, Upshaw, and so many others are taking there shots on the Public Platform they are given, or behind closed doors with the Commish.

4) The Commish has shown he is more than willing to make judgements based on PUBLIC OPINION, not on PROOF OF GUILT, and he has also shown to be far more stern than those who came before him.

Its been a long time in the making, and Belichick and the Patriots should have seen this coming, sadly they did not.

 

*3 Super Bowls

Beliprick's career will forever be tainted by this. Just watch.

 

2) Mangini (and The Jets GM) was aware of this new emphasis and realized they could attack the Patriots for violating the rules if they continued to do with video cameras what they had done in the past.

This is great..... forget that they still broke the rules reagrdless of why they are there.

 

Man, and I thought only politics employed propagandists!

 

The easiest response to the "If you ain't cheating you ain't trying" crap is just "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." Even these moronic apologists agree that the Pats broke the rules, which makes any defense absurd. The only question left to debate is the punishment.

 

The Pats fans ability to gloat extremely has been severly altered. Like those arrogant dickheads in the sports cafe i had to deal with sunday with my kids at the table.

 

what the hell is going on at the patriots planet site? its like ebonics is the official language of the site.

 

LOL..LOL this, for one is very well written, i will give them that. Are they a lawyer? Journalist? Man, what a spin he/she laid down here. Covered all the angles, plotted the HUGE conspiracy, they may have even taken some notes as the years past, or did some last moment research via Google, nice job! Even the attacks on Mangini have some validity, but hey, he learned from the best..."the former best friend and protege," you said it yourself. This person forgot two things:

First, when proving an ideology, you must never leave yourself open to a kick in the nuts. You contradict yourself here several times, i.e.

Pointing out a cheater is far from brilliance, some may even just call it plain common sense, its called an even playing field. And if you feel you have players of a much greater ability, then whey the camera on OUR sidelines.

Second, regardless of all the fancy drivel and ethics you put forth...YOU FOOOKIN CHEATED and GOT CAUGHT!

 

And if we miss the playoffs by 1 game because of a game we lost while our opponent cheated?