Ross Tucker on the Pats*

[bills44]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...ules/index.html

 

[UConn James]

One season when I was with the Bills, the offensive line coach for the team we were were about to face was fired days before the game. He subsequently called our offensive line coach, Jim McNally, and let him know some of the unique defensive formations we could expect to see that week. Needless to say, the defenders were very surprised how well prepared we were.

 

[MattM]

While he also mentions the Bills, call me a homer, but someone calling up Mouse McNally on their own and offering free pointers on his old team isn't so much a reflection on the Bills as it is on that coach. It's certainly nowhere near the level of what the Pats* did, IMHO.

[UConn James]

While he also mentions the Bills, call me a homer, but someone calling up Mouse McNally on their own and offering free pointers on his old team isn't so much a reflection on the Bills as it is on that coach. It's certainly nowhere near the level of what the Pats* did, IMHO.

 

Well, I'd consider it more a reflection on whatever team was stupid enough to fire a guy mid-season, not change their packages, and expect everything to be hunky-dory. Did the guy have a certain non-compete clause in his contract? What if he were hired by another team? He couldn't use what he knew about his former team? Also, you'd think that by halftime at least, said team would suspect that the guy spilled the beans. This is a similar situation to RJ shouting out signals to the D during the Jags game.

 

This doesn't even come close to the Paytoilets*. At worst this was ungentlemanly. The NFL, tho, is no place for gentlemen, which is why it happens a lot.

[Bleed Bills Blue]

While he also mentions the Bills, call me a homer, but someone calling up Mouse McNally on their own and offering free pointers on his old team isn't so much a reflection on the Bills as it is on that coach. It's certainly nowhere near the level of what the Pats* did, IMHO.

 

I agree, and I doubt you'd find a specific league rule about something like this.

[BillsWatch]

More concerning is the blatant rule violations regarding IR players. Poz was never on practice field after being put on IR but many players have reported Pats* using players on IR in practice. Some day there will be a lawsuit by a player on IR who gets hurt and that is when this issue will be resolved.

[MattM]

More concerning is the blatant rule violations regarding IR players. Poz was never on practice field after being put on IR but many players have reported Pats* using players on IR in practice. Some day there will be a lawsuit by a player on IR who gets hurt and that is when this issue will be resolved.

 

While I hate the Pats, I think that one is more of an issue for the players' union than the competition committee, so I must admit that I agree with Goodell that that one doesn't rise to the level of an additional fine or loss of picks.

[Steely Dan]

While he also mentions the Bills, call me a homer, but someone calling up Mouse McNally on their own and offering free pointers on his old team isn't so much a reflection on the Bills as it is on that coach. It's certainly nowhere near the level of what the Pats* did, IMHO.

 

I agree. The Pets* fans will scream that we're two faced but McNally didn't call him. He called McNally. The Bills didn't tell him to get fired and then call them.

 

While I hate the Pats, I think that one is more of an issue for the players' union than the competition committee, so I must admit that I agree with Goodell that that one doesn't rise to the level of an additional fine or loss of picks.

 

I think it is an issue for Goodell to look into. It's a rules violation. They should have the league do surprise visits to the team to check on the players. I suppose a way around that would be to just put a guy in a different jersey but there might be a better way to do that.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

This is a similar situation to RJ shouting out signals to the D during the Jags game.

Explain, please.

[Lori]

Explain, please.

You don't remember that? The 1998 Jags game in Buffalo, the one Flutie won with the last-play bootleg. Can't remember whether RJ was watching the Jax offense's signals or merely recognized their personnel groupings/formations, but he was yelling out play calls while they were on the field.

[Pyrite Gal]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...ules/index.html

 

I think one of the most interesting thing that the article posted here shows is that though some Pats defenders have argued that the knowledge gained by the Pats if they had cheated would not be a significant aid in a game, if the JMac incident mentioned is true, merely the much less detailed knowledge of knowing the formations (not to mentioned the actual play called) was a significant help to a team.

 

The intelligence the Pats would have gained from Walshgate sounds Pretty useful. Certainly the Pats having gained this intelligence seems consistent with their much better performance against opponents the second time around.