Rams players sue Pats for Superbowl loss

[ComfortablyLomb]

Quote: Originally Posted by Quint75

Whether Specter should be involved or not is a whole other matter. But Goodell was incredibly foolish to destroy the tapes. Anyone who debates that is obviously biased. It makes the whole investigation feel like a rush job, and it certainly lends weight to the theory that the league is hiding something. Whether they ARE hiding something or not, destroying the evidence makes it all look suspect. If other teams are doing this, then where's the evidence? I'm not saying no other teams are, but the Pats are the only ones that have been caught violating an explicit NFL rule that they had even been warned about before. So we should all look the other way because some other teams MAY be doing it, but haven't been warned, let alone caught red-handed? I don't know what's worse about Belichick: the cheating, the smugness or the pure arrogance that let him continue taping after he had been told to stop. If you weren't from Massachusetts, you might be thinking a little differently about this.

Well the first time he had tapes/photos they were out to the media within a day or two. Apparently there are some leaks in his own office so he destroyed these. The rest is just conspiracy.

No, I wouldn't be thinking about this if I were from elsewhere. Do you see me screaming for Kennedy or Kerry to hold hearings on the 2003 Yankees who were apparently a team of juicers that edged us out of the playoffs? Is anyone from New England screaming for that? No.

[jmood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by ComfortablyLomb

Well the first time he had tapes/photos they were out to the media within a day or two. Apparently there are some leaks in his own office so he destroyed these. The rest is just conspiracy. No, I wouldn't be thinking about this if I were from elsewhere. Do you see me screaming for Kennedy or Kerry to hold hearings on the 2003 Yankees who were apparently a team of juicers that edged us out of the playoffs? Is anyone from New England screaming for that? No.

What difference does it make if the tapes are leaked or not? I don't see how that is a valid reason for destroying them.

[Quint75]

Quote: Originally Posted by ComfortablyLomb

No, I wouldn't be thinking about this if I were from elsewhere. Do you see me screaming for Kennedy or Kerry to hold hearings on the 2003 Yankees who were apparently a team of juicers that edged us out of the playoffs? Is anyone from New England screaming for that? No.

If it was found out that somehow the Giants had taped the Pats walkthrough before the Super Bowl and that they had stolen their signals, would you be upset? Cause that was a close game, just like Super Bowl 36, and any little help gotten through suspicious means could have altered the very outcome of the game.

Rams' fans that are still upset about SB 36 are more cheesed off at the horrific non-calls for defensive holding, as well as at least 3 other blatant non-calls which favored the Pats and had a direct impact on the outcome of that game. I'd list them for you, but I'm sure it would just seem like sour grapes.

I don't care where you are from, you CANNOT be happy to find out that your team has been illegally videotaping other teams' signals since 2000. Like it or not, it's a serious stain on Belichick's record. And if you defend it, then you are just showing bias.

[ComfortablyLomb]

Quote: Originally Posted by Quint75

If it was found out that somehow the Giants had taped the Pats walkthrough before the Super Bowl and that they had stolen their signals, would you be upset?

No. If the Pats o-line had decided to play that day it wouldn't have mattered. If the Pats allowed themselves to get in a situation where they were losing an edge by allowing themselves to be taped doing things they needed to be kept out of the Giants' eyes I would be upset with the Pats for not protecting themselves. How about anyone these days take responsibility for protecting themselves.

Quote:

What difference does it make if the tapes are leaked or not? I don't see how that is a valid reason for destroying them.

Because he decided it was best that they didn't ever get out. I guess he was wrong. Businesses can do whatever they want with their property so long as it isn't illegal. I don't think Goodell was happy that the first string got out though, it reflected poorly on his office.

[Quint75]

Quote: Originally Posted by ComfortablyLomb

No. If the Pats o-line had decided to play that day it wouldn't have mattered. If the Pats allowed themselves to get in a situation where they were losing an edge by allowing themselves to be taped doing things they needed to be kept out of the Giants' eyes I would be upset with the Pats for not protecting themselves. How about anyone these days take responsibility for protecting themselves.

How about not cheating?! You are seriously blaming the Rams for not "protecting themselves" better? As if they should have known that Billichick would stoop to anything? Well, people know that now. Back then it wasn't known what a creep he is.

Anyway, I have mentioned it a couple of times but have not gotten any response from you. You seriously have no problem with what Billichick has done? I have not seen you condemn him yet. Because like it or not, your 3 Super Bowls wins are now looked at a little differently.

[ComfortablyLomb]

Zero problem. I'm a baseball guy. Stealing signs is an art.

[yvesdereuter]

Quote: Originally Posted by bigeastbumrush

Goodell is the fool. 1. He should never have destroyed the tapes. 2. The punishment of draft picks should have been way steeper. Should have been along the lines of what happened to the Minnesota T-Wolves. The Pats should have been stripped of multiple #1 draft choices for a number of years.

Well, it really has to be forfeiting the game that they were caught in as well. Perhaps in addition to draft picks but at the very least forfeiting the game. If you were in the AFC Championship game or in the Super Bowl, it might be worth a first round draft pick to do this...same for a coach trying to get his team into the playoffs especially if he might be fired otherwise. Because there are times when winning a particular game might be worth losing draft picks, you really have to look more at making the team forfeit that game in particular. In some cases that would mean vacating a championship.

[yvesdereuter]

Quote: Originally Posted by ComfortablyLomb

Geeze. You think Goodell ever expected Arlen Specter to come out of the woodwork and start hounding him over this? This is an unprecidented act by the senator. He wants to hold hearings over this when NO LAW HAS BEEN BROKEN. It's insane. That said, I don't think the Pats are the only team in the NFL doing things like these and I am willing to bet that there are some other owners and coaches who are praying this goes away.

Its kind of pathetic the way the owners are reacting to this. The NFL is making so much money that they dont even care when something like this happens to their team. I was kind of appauled that Rooney was so dismissive about this.

And "things like this" is kind of a nebulous way of describing it. This is purely about going as far as New England did. Its the matter of degree to which the Pats were cheating that makes is so severe and why people are reacting this way. Its the matter of degree that defines the controversy.