Behind the Numbers 02.15.08: Spygate

Posted by Chris Widner on 02.15.2008

This week I decide to vent my frustrations with the Spygate controversy. The hatemail will be heavy this time around...

For those of you familiar with my column you know that I like to stick to the facts and give my opinion here and there. Even when I do give my opinion it's usually about the action on the field, as I try to avoid the emotional hot-button topics that go on outside the lines. For the first time I've decided to use my column to get something off my chest and vent a bit. This week I decide to cover the "Spygate" controversy that is hogging the airwaves once again.

Before you start writing in now about me being a Patriots fanboy let me make it clear. Yes, I'm a Patriots fan.

But I'm not writing this in some lame attempt to justify what they've done or supposedly done. It wasn't against the rules until this season and Belichick decided to do it anyways, so I think the team deserved to be punished.

What's my problem then? It's quite simple, I think this has gone on way too long. This is something that was uncovered week 1 and people still complain about it. I've seen some really ignorant comments made about how the Patriots cheat, which is why they were 16-0. Do you really think they continued doing that after they were caught? Do you really think that the other teams didn't make darn sure that the Patriots weren't taping them? People have been hoping and praying for the Patriots to lose, and then they finally did. What was the response? More Patriots bashing and more whining about "Spygate." How about some respect for the Giants, you know, the Super Bowl champions? There are enough great stories coming from the Super Bowl that the Patriot bashing should have a backseat. What about David "Never Heard of Him" Tyree and his spectacular catch? What about Steve Smith and how he stepped up in the biggest game of his life? What about Eli Manning growing up before our eyes and becoming the player the Giants had hoped for? What about the Giants revolutionizing the way defense will be played for the next 5 years? Now before you comment about the Patriots fans that are starting a petition about the play clock let me make my feelings clear. They're just as idiotic as the people still bashing the Patriots. There were play clock issues, but it had nothing to do with why the Giants won.

Once of the most amusing aspects to this controversy has been the extreme difference in opinion between current and former NFL coaches and players. Ask any former coach or player what they think and they'll tell you it's really not that big of a deal. Ask a current player and they'll make it sound like it's the end of the world. Have we all forgotten what it was like to play football? Last I checked coaches and players in high school try to steal signals, and most teams switch signals from week to week. Was it wrong? According to the rules, yes. Was it the biggest cheating scandal ever? Not even close. Now we have Senator Spector grilling Roger Goodell and claiming that he was told the Patriots have taped opponents since Belichick's first year. Let's get something very clear, it wasn't against the rules back then. Now think about this: only 8 Patriots' players from this season were part of the teams that won 3 Super Bowls. That means that at the very least, 45 players have gone to other teams or retired since then. Combine that with the coaches that have left and you have, at the very least, 50 individuals that would have know about this "cheating" yet said nothing. Do you really think that a player would go to a new team and conveniently forget to mention this to their coaches? Of course not. They'd mention it right away because they wouldn't want to give the Patriots that advantage.

Back to Senator Arlen, what a joke this clown is. In our "guilty until proven innocent, and even still you might not be innocent" society we think that the Patriots must be guilty since a Senator is looking into this. That sounds fine and well until you realize that he has close ties to Comcast. The NFL has been going head to head against Comcast and other major cable companies to try to get them to carry the NFL Network on their standard cable package, but these idiots want to act like they're hurting for cash in the cable industry. Like the commercials pointed out, I could do without Oxygen, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Women's Entertainment, and 3 home shopping channels. Drop one and give me the NFL Network. So the NFL pissed off some cable companies and the cable companies got one of their boys to rough the NFL up a bit. Suddenly things are a little clearer aren't they?

If you want to ask me why I think Goodell destroyed the tapes, I'll be honest, I don't know. Does it seem shady? Of course it does, but when you weigh the other arguments against this one problem, common sense should prevail. The real problem is with our society. People are actually upset and concerned that the Patriots video taped their opponents. Yet we're not that upset that the government wants to be able to spy on us without a warrant? We're not that concerned about torture? I love the NFL as much as the next guy, and probably more, but let's put things in perspective. This isn't life and death, this is a game. Hate a team all you want, but at least be somewhat reasonable about it. I can't stand Oklahoma University but I'm not about to call Bob Stoops and the entire university a bunch of cheaters because 3 of his players took improper handouts. Heck, I've been accused of building up Adrian Peterson as more than he really is. If you really hate the Patriots and hope the worst for them, I'll let you in on a little secret: it's already happened. To go 18-0 and then lose the Super Bowl in the last minute is the most painful thing that could happen to this team. And if you just want to complain about the Boston fanbase, here's something else: They're already talking about baseball.