NFL Commissioner Goodell use Patriots to make his point loud and clear
My beloved New England Patriots and favorite commander-n-chief Bill Belichick were caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. And with that “smoking gun” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell got just what he wanted: the perfect scenario to make his warning of 12 months ago “real.”
Football fan or not, it was hard to avoid the currently hot story in sports:
“3 time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots were caught cheating“
And with that dream headline the media is all abuzz asking the same few questions over and over:
- Aren’t all teams doing this?
- Does video taping defensive hand signals really help a team win a game in progress?
- Were the penalties against Belichick and the Patriots hard enough?
- Is cheating the “real” secret to the Patriots success?
The answers to these typical questions don’t change much each time they’re asked (unless the winds of public sentiment blow a different direction and then the resident “NFL expert” adjusts his/her response accordingly). For the moment, however, forget the standard questions and answers. This current chart topping story is nothing more than a vehicle for Goodell to make his point about illegal video taping loud and clear.
Goodell serious about protecting NFL product
Commissioner Goodell is on a “mission from God” to clean up the league and protect its image. While some fans and critics might think the punishment handed out to Belichick and Patriots too lenient, it wasn’t meant to punish but rather send the customary “shot across the bow.”
The NFL commissioner is serious about protecting the product that is the NFL. Fines and punishments were handed out to players during the off season in record numbers; however, penalties of equal severity have yet to hit NFL management — until recently…sort of.
Were the Patriots set-up?
One could surmise that the recent Patriots scandal was a set up. If you want to deliver a message loud and clear, you don’t go after the worst and least popular team in the league in a market that gets very little coverage. If you want to make your previous warnings of 12 months ago sink in, you target one of the strongest and most popular teams in one of the biggest NFL markets across the country — the New England Patriots.
Win-win scenario for cheating?
I’m disappointed that the Patriots were caught cheating; however, using the Patriots to set an example makes perfect sense. This scandal will blow over soon enough and the long term fall out won’t amount to much. It’s a win-win scenario (if there is such a thing for cheating) — Goodell makes his point for NFL management to clean up their act, the Patriots go on to win their fourth Super Bowl title with only one questionable win, and Kraft pays the paltry $250,000 fine for his team and slips Belichick $500,000 under the table to pay off his fine too. Hey, it’s all chump change for multi-millionaire Tom Kraft.
In the end NFL management isn’t hurt too badly and Goodell continues on his “mission from God.”
Technorati Tags: New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots were caught cheating
on September 17th, 2007 at 8:55 am
I watched the Patriots’ slaughter of San Diego Sunday night along with the added news conference clips with Belichick refusing to respond to any questions on the charges. I have to ask though, “is it cheating if you and any other spectator with binoculars can see the signs being given and decipher them?” Isn’t the strategy all about “reading” the other team. It’s not like someone broke into the Belichick’s office and stole the playbook or placed a hidden webcam on the Gatorade cooler on the sideline. Just asking.
on September 17th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Excellent point!
If it’s against league rules to record and decipher defensive or offensive signals that take place in plain view of anyone looking, then isn’t it also against the rules to simply “look” across the field and then make note (on paper) of the signals being used for a particular defensive or offensive play?
You are correct Barry, overt theft did not take place. The Patriots were just being smart about understanding their opponent. I think this NFL rule is nearly impossible to enforce not to mention stupid. There so many low tech ways to link a sideline signal to an actual play it isn’t even funny. Besides, how different is real time signal-to-play deciphering than reviewing and analyzing game footage? Isn’t that what all teams do in preparation for game? Aren’t they still deciphering their opponents strategy? Why isn’t that illegal?
Bottom line, if you want to keep the signals associated with the plays a secret, you’ll have to come up with a better way. I suspect the Patriots have done just that. If they were deciphering signals and on field plays, then they probably knew their opponents were doing it also and took the necessary steps to protect their secrets.
This is a stupid rule and while breaking the rule isn’t right, it certainly doesn’t give you an excessive competitive advantage. We saw that last night as the Patriots gave the Chargers a schooling on how to play football.
on September 21st, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I think this is a setup for Goodell to beable to say he is doing his job and the NY Jets can say we really could have won the Super Bowl if the Patriots were’t cheating remember one of the ex employee is now working for the Jets.
on September 21st, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Well, I have to say that I believe I was right on the money with my assessment that the whole “punish the Patriots” thing was nothing more than a vehicle for Goodell to make his point.
Today’s Boston Globe (9/21/07) reported that Goodell sent a note to 32 NFL teams that the Patriots had fully cooperated and complied with this instructions which translates to — I’m happy, let’s move on.
Also, earlier in the week Goodell also resent a copy of the game operations manual to each team which translates to — read it, know it, follow it, because as you can see I plan to enforce it.
No lasting harm done. This whole thing will be nothing more than a footnote come January.