I get where you are coming from with this, but really, they became that good with smart personnel moves in FA for a large part of their success last year. Had the Pats not squeaked a number of championships by 3 points using methods somewhat outside the rules that govern the league, do you think Randy Moss decides to only work with them on a trade last offseason? How clutch and amazing would Tom Brady look had he not been getting the opposing teams second half plays pumped into his helmet for the better part of his career?
^^I don't know, this is the problem with any broad conspiracy. It can explain a lot of things, but its still hard to believe a lot of the players/coaches/personnel dorks were in on it for that long and they've all kept their mouths shut about it. Someone would've said something. Football players hate their coaches, and typically aren't shy about dogging them once its safe to do so. BTW, whats the provenance on that Ted Johnson quote?
OK so I may have been a little wrong in my analysis, but do you still think that taking away one draft pick and fining him was worth 8 years of taping opponents?
It came from a NY Times article a while back but I think it might be archived because my searches are coming up empty. I put it in a thread a while back, I'll see if I can find it.
The problem is I'm gonna guess they did no taping last year and they almost ran the table! The fine was way too lenient everyone knows that. But at this point I don'r see anything happening to BB. The NFL wants this to go away.
Taping doesn't have to do with the game in question so much as with the games to come. You tape a team's signals and then you have an advantage over them the next time you see them because you have broken down the film and matched it to your tape of their signals and you know what the defensive signals mean, allowing you to send Brady the front he will face and what direction the blitzes are coming from. By 2008 Belichik and the Pats probably had film on 90% of their opponents and knew their signals. 16-0...
Well you really dont know what kind of advantage that gave them. Obviously, you still need to execute even if you know the signals. I think that a FIRST round pick is pretty just punishment if you ask me. Imagine if they were the ones that got Merling, There Lbs would have been set up again.
