I'm curious about what people think the league-wide perceptions are/will be in relation to this whole affair, which is by now far passed the single episode of Camera-Gate and into the realm of a longer period of time and far greater significance: Patriot-Gate = question everything. But there was a code of silence: either teams couldn't catch the fly, or they didn't mind the bug too much. Maybe they were also doing it. Maybe its endemic to the league. Maybe they just didn't have the time. We do know this: there was a code of silence that has now been shattered. Bellichick and that whole organization now has to pick up the shards of that mirror broken into a pile of sh!t, and their hands will get bloody and dirty. How is it possible that they did not conceive of this contingency if they did not presume the code of silence would be broken. That Mangini would rat on the Godfather? Obviously, Mangini will be seen as a rat by that organization. Fine, who cares. A rat is a greater creature than a pile of sh!t. But I want to know what the other teams will view this. Do they see Mangini as a Hero -- I mean this would be on the level of...Eliot Ness busting Al Capone. And Capone wasn't even caught red-handed. They got him for tax-evasion. Did the Jets soar to Heroic levels in brining down this beast? We all know that whistleblowers aren't loved in the industries and games they blow whistles in. They often need governmental protection...It is also possible that the league may view this as a matter of fact. Ala Tomlin, "We all knew they did it." But they didn't talk. Mangini talked. Mangini broke the mirror, and the illusion has splintered. Some will say the integrity of the game is damaged (who knows how this will effect the league long-term???), and that it was better to leave an unbroken system unfixed, and just turn the head, after all -- "did the jets actually think they were going to win, they lost and would have lost regardless", they'll say. They'll say, "for this little internecine feud, a petty thing among petty men, the entire league has been damaged..." And to them, it may indeed appear a petty, inter-family fight that has now gone and set fire to the entire neighborhood... Additional thought: Is it possible that there were others (owners, coaches)complicit in the counter-ops ring whose mission was to nab this snake? In other words, did others in the league give support to Mangini beforehand, possibly saying like: "this is your house to put in order Eric, you're the only one who can do it, and have it come off clean"? That would be incredible. Finally, regardless of the W or L, this victory on the field was a pyhrric one for the Patriots. And it may have brought down this beast for good. We don't know. The organization's heroics go far beyond the field, or the stat-book. This is potentially the final tragic chapter for that Paper Dynasty. A Final complete victory for Mangini in the war he didn't begin, but finished like Bruce Lee on Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Would this be the {second} greatest Victory in Jet's Annals? Ironically in a game we got demolished in? (i posted this on anothre jets messageboard, but i dunno...)
Unless you live in NE you probably hate the pats. Therefore everyone outside that cesspool thinks we are heroes.
I think this is true. The Pats have the smallest bandwagon of any multiple SB winner that I can recall.
there was an article that detailed how it all went down. Jets security approached them first. Then the league came in. State Troopers were called in at one point. the whole thing took an hour and the guy looked like a ghost who had the camera. The League actually took the evidence eventually. But the Jets initially called attention to it and tried to confiscate it
It isn't a widespread practice in the league. That's just bullshit that people that have no other excuse like to fall back on. Hey steroids are wide-spread too right? Let's stop punishing people that take steroids! Criminal acts are common too, after all our jails are overflowing, so why not look the other way? Drugs? Everyone does it! But office, what do you mean I was speeding? Everyone else was too! You can't give me a ticket! What a pile of crap. They did it and they got caught and they should be punished. Simple as that. Steroids aren't nearly as bad as this.
There should really be no reason to hate Mangini. The Packers had this pointed out last year and if they had evidence it woulda been their coach at the helm and like whoever said b4. this is NFL deal...
For your info: How it came to light? NEW YORK -- A story in Wednesday's New York Daily News claims that Jets coach Eric Mangini, a former New England assistant under Bill Belichick, came armed with keen knowledge of the team's surveillance methods -- and finally decided to act. "[The Jets] knew they did it," the Daily News wrote, citing a person with knowledge of the situation, who sent the newspaper an e-mail. "They caught the guy a year ago, but couldn't do anything about it. When Eric came, he said that's what they used to do. Bill is going to be [ticked] at Eric. He kissed and told." Sunday's game was the fifth time Mangini has coached against Belichick since joining the Jets.
In all the reports I've read it was the director of security for the Jets, (I believe his name is Steve Yarnell) that first grabbed the cameraman and camera, and brought the whole thing to the attention of the NFL officials
interesting topic.....but i would think since there were a few whispers about this by other teams...there isn't neccessarily a code of silence....maybe it was more likely teams couldn't catch them in the act.
from all that i've read, the pats were the most blatant and by far the worst offenders at this sort of thing. apparently, the packers were warned of this so that means that even last year, this was happening. that it only seems to have happened on road games should tell you that the patriots already have some sort of stadium camera set up somewhere at gillette that they use that isn't conspicuous. my guess is that belichick is a fox they've been hunting for a long time. the reason they have this particular guy film is because he has the type of personality to get away with the evidence, as seen by the packers episode. if you throw a big enough tantrum and such, people will generally let you leave. this is something that's been on tap for a while and most of the nfl is probably very glad they finally caught him.
I'd imagine that there's a feeling of fraternity among head coaches, so anyone who 'tells tales out of school' is going to get ostracized to some degree. That said, I'd think there are exceptions. Brad Childress blabbing about his recent talk with Belly is a whole lot different from Mangini using inside knowledge to set a trap. Think of the difference between ratting out your friend for running over a mailbox and telling one friend that another friend stole his money. *Eduted fer spelng*
Great thread Blackbird always enjoy your take. My guess is Mangini was placed in the witness protection program which in the NFL is AKA HCNYJ for exactly this reason.
The code of silence was there, but like you guys said, it had to be broken before Mangini was in the Meadowlands because it was supposedly the same exact guy in Green Bay that they had a problem with. Only difference was they asked him to put it away and didn't notify an actual NFL Security Official.
