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Agree with Jules - this punishment was fair.

What would've been stiff would be to suspend him for a game or two in addition to taking away the draft pick and the fines.

The draft pick had to be in there - otherwise, Belichek would have Kraft reach into his right front pocket and then would ask the judge for the price of the statue of justice.

And the punishment:

Belichek's out $500,000.
Pats are out $250,000.
Pats lose their 1st round pick if they make the playoffs, their 2nd and 3rd if they don't.

Yup, sounds fair to me, if only because Belichek tried to get away with it, after Goddell told him not to. Had to make a statement.

I understand why they couldn't even think about a forfeit (Vegas, et al), but they should have at least suspended Bellyache for a few games.

You bring up an interesting point that I was thinking about yesterday.

What does Vegas do when there is a forfeit that happens days after the fact, presumably days after the payout is made? I would assume that there must be some arcane footnote that says the bet is on how the game will be decided at the final whistle, but I really have no idea.

From Bill:

"As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress."

Yeah, right...

"I would assume that there must be some arcane footnote that says the bet is on how the game will be decided at the final whistle, but I really have no idea."

Anybody out there make book and know the answer? Not like it comes up every day.

"As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress and gotten caught."

From the NFL Rulebook about forfeits:

• Forfeit . The Commissioner, (except in cases of disciplinary action; see last section on "Removing Team from Field"), League President, and their representatives, including referees, are not authorized unilaterally to declare forfeits. A forfeit occurs only when a game is not played because of the failure or refusal of one team to participate. In that event, the other team, if ready and willing to play, is the winner by a score of 2-0.

I honestly think the punishment is light.

There should have been a suspension of some sort thrown in there because fines are NOTHING to these people.

Belichick needs to write off that much or more in charitable contributions anyway (which is what he fine will actually be)...

Legitimate Question or "Get over it?"

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3017964

Both, IMO.

Nothing will change, so it's pointless to speculate. That said, the Patriots made "amazing adjustments" and "outcoached" the Eagles in that game. The easiest way to do that is to know what defenses the Birds were running and continually come up with "the perfect play call for that defense".

The Eagles aren't worried about it, though. The media hammered all the players with question after question about this...it wasn't like they were itching to bitch about it.

That said:

"I think they should forfeit, man," said punt returner Reno Mahe, smiling. "We won the Super Bowl. I think we should get it. I'm going to go trade my NFC championship ring for a Super Bowl ring."

fuck you. fuck you. fuck you. fuck you.

I think he was being tongue-in-cheek.

Doesn't matter. The thought of "Super Bowl Champion Reno Mahe" is the battlecry of underachievers and the not-good-enoughs of the world.

It's like trying to explain the success of Bruce Willis.

I think he was being tongue-in-cheek.

Oh, I know he was. I just don't want to hear from Ex-NFL 4th stringer Reno Mahe (until this week) on any subject, ever.

Hey! Lay off Mahe. He can do what only 31 other players in the NFL can do. Something that not just anyone can do...return Punts!

I think the penalty the Pats/Belichick got was pretty good. I do think Belichick should have been suspended from the team for a week or two though.

As for Super Bowl 39... if the Pats video cameras made McNabb get tired and throw up... made Fraley constantly get run over... made Trotter continually miss Corey Dillon on those screens... made Akers stay on the sideline while the Eagles had possesion and two minutes on the clock before the half... made the Eagles "two-minute offense" at the end of the game a 4-minute offense...

then my friends, the Eagles and their fans have a case!

Hey! Lay off Mahe. He can do what only 31 other players in the NFL can do. Something that not just anyone can do...return Punts!

I guarantee there are at least 50 better punt returners out of work right now and they bring this clown in without working one of them out? I get angry every time I think about it.

But none of them have a intimate knowledge of the vaunted WCO, crafries with cheese or are Mormon.

Johnson, you forgot "placed a device in the football so that McNabb would throw to Rodney Harrison".

I guarantee there are at least 50 better punt returners out of work right now and they bring this clown in without working one of them out?

Same reason why, again, I expect this team to wheel out Dorsey Levens. Reid still has this fetish of everyone on the team being able to contribute somewhere else (a point that Asskiss ripped him on, btw), so the easiest thing to do is sign one of these out-of-work guys and have them picking up trash after the game.

Makes me wonder just how "good" this "dynasty" is when all their Super Bowl wins were by 3 points. Maybe the video helped them get just 1 or 2 oppurtune 1st downs in the 2nd halves of those games, converting a tough 3rd & 6 to keep the drive alive long enough for Vinateri.

Who Knows? If they had rolled over the Rams, Panthers and Eagles, I would dismiss it, but they squeeked by each time.

Makes me wonder. Makes me sick to my stomach because I don't know when the Birds will get another chance.

They pick and choose, though. They'll tell you it's mission critical that players know the offense and that's why they'll sign scrap heap guys. Then they'll turn around and trade for Stallworth a week before the regular season, Add Lamar Gordon a week before the season, etc.

They'll tell you it's critical that specialists be able to play another position, then they sign a kick returner with 1 leg and call him a safety.

They'll tell you they kept Reno Mahe on the roster for years because his tremendous ball security in punt returns was all that mattered...then they hand the job to a guy who never, in his life, returned a punt. His backup, of course, is a guy who never in his life returned a punt.

They'll tell you that Koy Detmer had to be on the team for 10 years because no one can learn the mystical art of holdng...then they give the job to an Australian Rules Football player who had never held a football before, let alone holding for kicks.

They aren't even consistent with their own bullshit.

Post of the year FD.
Exactly right.

NTFF f-d!

"For me to think back two years ago about something they may or may not have done, it's not worth my time," running back Brian Westbrook said.

That summed up the article for me. (and Reno is not even as funny as McNabb)

Not getting the straight scoop from Reid has been going on for YEARS, from "not necessarily" bringing back Reno, to praising his WRs and trading for TO. It's useless to even take them at their word; why even try?

The smart people can cut through the BS and figure what what they're saying and when they don't have a clue. Seems like now it's gotten worse, which may be why it seems like it's time for a change.

We could spend the rest of Friday pulling out things the Birds have said and then gone the opposite direction, like Splat McCoy and Simonowned.

Several "objective" posts from a patriots site:

--Roger Goodell just fined Belichick 500K out of his own pocket, the Patriots 250K, and a 1st round pick, and this is the most ridiculous, short-sighted, cowardly, infuriating, embarassing thing I have seen the NFL do in my entire lifetime of being a football fan. The Broncos cheated the salary cap to keep John Elway and Terrell Davis, a far worse violation, and only lost a 3rd rounder. He may think he's laying down the law, but he's really showing that he's a puppet to an irrational mob, and not his own man. I have lost complete respect for him as an objective, reasonable manager of the league.

Here's why:

- With such a harsh statement, he is clearly bringing judgement on the issue of stealing calls, which should not be part of the evaluation of the videotape violation. He is saying that videotaping the sideline for POST-game analysis is sacrilege, but that using lip readers, binoculars, audio surveillance, and other videotaping methods are perfectly legal and okay (and there is evidence of other teams doing these things). It comes off as extremely hypocritical, and also opens a HUGE pandora's box that may drown the league.

- For the past 7 years, the Patriots have been the class of the league. They won 3 superbowls, drafted well, consistently built a team of unselfish, blue-collar high character men, and were put up as a model franchise. Such a harsh punishment basically implies that the Patriots have been cheating for much longer than just one game, and it puts into question the entire dynasty of the Patriots, and it lets all the Patriot-haters use this as an excuse to explain why we beat them in any game in the past. He is allowing the mob to spit on the hard work of honest players who earned their victories.

- Goodell completely overvalues the impact of sideline videotaping of defensive calls. If it helped, wouldn't the Patriots offense have been unstoppable over the past 7 years? Wouldn't we have done much better in the 2nd half of nearly every game, including each of the 3 Superbowls? Belichick claims the sideline videotaping is only for post-game analysis, and even if this were not the case, I fail to see how the competitive edge is so much more than what teams already employ (binoculars, lip readers, audio, other video, etc).

- Finally, and this is most disappointing to me, Goodell is letting the completely biased Competition Committee, as well as rabid media and fan frenzy, influence his decision. He does not take into account that these Patriot haters have an axe to grind, whether it be because they are direct competitors, were put off by Belichick's media interviews, or were jealous/vindictive of past defeats.

--The questioning of Belickick's and Brady's legacy is so outrageous, it makes me crazy.

--Mangini is a rat fink and will feel the wrath of Patriots Nation!!

I assume all that expect analysis is from the Patriot Fan who blogs the beginning of the season for the rest of Bostonia until the Red Sox season is over, correct?

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