Cowher: "Spygate didn't beat Us"

[TKO]

I too do some looking into this kid. I wonder though he seems a tad skinny for TE, would 10 to 15 more pounds of muscle slow him down all that much? IMO he appears skinny for TE.

He's only 21 so he's not through growing. I'm just viewing him as a possible pass catching TE they might be able to get in the middle of the draft if they use their higher picks on other positions. He's supposedly 6'6 230 Lbs so if he put on 10-15 Lbs he'd be right there with players like Coates in his prime or even Tamme in the game today. It's also possible he could be a big WR, like I mentioned in the OP, and turn into a player like Marcus Colston. A big player like that with good athleticism could be a weapon and add to the nightmare the safeties and LBs will face with Gronk getting most of the attention in the middle. It's early, the kid may drop half the balls thrown to him at the Combine or his pro day and not be worth it. We'll see.

 

[TKO]

How many people have said the exact same thing over the past 7 years and it still hangs out there, over the Pats heads. Someone on TV said the other day that Belichick NEEDS this Superbowl to revive his tanted legacy. It is still perceived by far too many people that they won because of spying. It doesn't matter that they have probably won more games over that span than any other team, probably won more playoff games than any other team, they've made 2 Superbowls, they have been the model franchise, but because they haven't won another Superbowl their success was because of spying? That's just ridiculous. The Pats could win the next 2 Superbowls and the people who are still hanging on to Spygate will find a way to still hang on to it. It's just sad!!

Cowher's quote should be bookmarked for the trolls when they show up again.

 

[JasonCarrier]

How many people have said the exact same thing over the past 7 years and it still hangs out there, over the Pats heads. Someone on TV said the other day that Belichick NEEDS this Superbowl to revive his tanted legacy. It is still perceived by far too many people that they won because of spying. It doesn't matter that they have probably won more games over that span than any other team, probably won more playoff games than any other team, they've made 2 Superbowls, they have been the model franchise, but because they haven't won another Superbowl their success was because of spying? That's just ridiculous. The Pats could win the next 2 Superbowls and the people who are still hanging on to Spygate will find a way to still hang on to it. It's just sad!!

Yep, they will just claim they are going around the current rules for filming and doing something.

 

[Drawmeomg]

I don't think it was stupid at all. There is little doubt having the other teams signals and knowing what will occur has a distinct advantage. That however does not mean execution is not a factor players still have to make plays and account for audibles.

There is a great deal of doubt that the Patriots knew this information any more than other teams did, though. As Cowher says, “Stealing someone’s signals was a part of the game and everybody attempted to do that. We had people that always tried to steal signals.”

This is what cdumler was talking about:

It is just really misunderstood by the common fan.

They were not punished for stealing signals. They were punished because they put a camera in the stands. It was stupid and arrogant of them, but it is HIGHLY doubtful that they were able to get more information out of it - during the game - than everyone else. The only advantage it was likely to give them was in preparing to play that team the next time, it provided a shortcut in understanding what they called and when in the previous game. All the information needed to figure that out was available anyway; they just would have been able to put it together faster.

I really think the only reason Belichick did it was because of his stupid "I'm better than the league" mentality. I think that's really the only thing. And he deserved a punishment, though the one assessed was... extreme.

 

[JasonCarrier]

There is a great deal of doubt that the Patriots knew this information any more than other teams did, though. As Cowher says, “Stealing someone’s signals was a part of the game and everybody attempted to do that. We had people that always tried to steal signals.”

This is what cdumler was talking about:


They were not punished for stealing signals. They were punished because they put a camera in the stands. It was stupid and arrogant of them, but it is HIGHLY doubtful that they were able to get more information out of it - during the game - than everyone else. The only advantage it was likely to give them was in preparing to play that team the next time, it provided a shortcut in understanding what they called and when in the previous game. All the information needed to figure that out was available anyway; they just would have been able to put it together faster.

I really think the only reason Belichick did it was because of his stupid "I'm better than the league" mentality. I think that's really the only thing. And he deserved a punishment, though the one assessed was... extreme.

But then again, the rules state that using film in that matter is not against the rules.

And to correct you, it was for filming from the sidelines. Which we saw the Jets do in 2011, and were not fined because of wearing a green vest.

Filming from the Stands is not covered by the rules at all.

The league should clarify once and for all what they want. Do they want teams to film from sanctioned areas (covered, not near coaches box etc), are they ok with filming from the sidelines as long as they follow procedure (green vest), and with areas not covered by the rule, what are they willing to say is ok or not ok (filming from the stands).

 

[ohiopatsfan]

One thing that Bill Cowher mentioned was the feeling that the Patriots were "arrogant". That was a common thought back in the day, and, IMHO, the underlying basis that the Spygate story got legs. Remember, it was first brought up by ex-Patriot Eric Mandini when he was the Jets head coach. The practice of taping from the sidelines had been a part of BB's drill back when Mangini was his assistant, so he knew about it for quite a while. Recently, Mangini said that he regretted "blowing the whistle" on BB, and, if he knew how big Spygate would get, he would never have done it. BB's big mistake was continuing the practice after he was warned by the NFL to "cease and desist". Also remember that there was a brief flurry of activity when Arlen Specter, then running in a tight race for his Congressional seat, suggested a "Spygate" type activity kept the Eagles from beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. With any other team, this would have been dismissed, as it eventually was, as a politician's attempt to garner favor with his constituents. Thye Patriots "arrogance" gave this story legs and kept it in the news for far longer than it should have been.

 

[Drawmeomg]

But then again, the rules state that using film in that matter is not against the rules.

And to correct you, it was for filming from the sidelines. Which we saw the Jets do in 2011, and were not fined because of wearing a green vest.

Filming from the Stands is not covered by the rules at all.

The league should clarify once and for all what they want. Do they want teams to film from sanctioned areas (covered, not near coaches box etc), are they ok with filming from the sidelines as long as they follow procedure (green vest), and with areas not covered by the rule, what are they willing to say is ok or not ok (filming from the stands).

Oh right. I had it backwards.

It was pretty clear what they wanted - and also pretty clear what Belichick did (push them too far over a non-issue). It was a dumbass thing to do and they deserved a punishment. But the idea that it somehow was the reason they were good (or even gave a noticeable advantage on game day) is just plain asinine.