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One issue that has been overlooked by many/most/all of the media, and of which a reader has reminded us recently, is the question of whether the Patriots used their videotaping system on the St. Louis Rams when the two teams met in the 2001 regular season, only a couple of months before Super Bowl XXXVI.
Even though we now know that the Pats didn’t videotape the Rams’ walk-through prior to the game, it doesn’t mean that there was no cheating on the biggest stage in sports.
It’s unclear whether the question has been asked, but it sure doesn’t appear to us that the question has been answered. And it’s a simple question — did the videotaping of defensive coaching signals include the November 18 prime-time game between the two teams, which the Rams won, 24-17?
May 19th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Ok thats it.
I was worried that the potenial labor strike was going to make me give up the NFL. Turns out it may be the F-in spygate.
Florio, NFL, Specter…all of you, I beg that you let this go. Its over.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 14 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Hi, I’m the dead horse. Can you stop beating me now?
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 16 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I am sure they did, just shows you wonder how inept some coaches could be… They cover there mouths during discussions on timeouts but never change their signals. Sounds like a coach who all frosting and no cake..
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Stop Florio. Just stop already. The Pats beat the Rams by punching them in the mouth at the line and pressuring Warner. Their defense won the game.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Definitely not time to move onto football-related subjects.
Nope.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Of course they taped them. Shows you how inept the Rams coaches are. They cover their mouths during a timeouts outs but never change the hand signals? Inept and deserve to lose.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
I know everyone always chimes in with this one, but would they change their signals…for the most important game of…their lives?
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I’m not quite sure why there’s so much concern about pre-2006 taping - clearly the NFL’s rule was subject to differing interpretations at that time. Even the NFL admitted this in 2006 when they sought to clarify their own rule, effectively admitting it was unclear.
Hopefully the Commissioner learned an important lesson over the last year and will establish rules that can only be interpreted one way and don’t need “clarification.”
Everyone should understand you can’t penalize a 2001 team for violating a 2006 rule, but apparently some people can’t grasp that concept.
Now if there was scouting going on during the regular season meeting - using guys with binoculars, or videotaping from the NFL’s approved locations - or even videotaping in compliance with the pre-2006 interpretation of the rule (i.e. not used for THAT game) then doesn’t that become an issue of whether Mike Martz is stupid enough to use the same signals against the Patriots in the Super Bowl as he did during the regular season?
If Martz was that stupid I guess he gets what he deserves and I wouldn’t even put it past him to have a walk-through with his team while allowing Patriots personnel to remain in the stadium and watch.
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Rating: 2.8 / 5 with 11 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Please give it up already,I know news is scant,but,please let it die the death that it should of months ago.there is absolutley no point in beating this dead horse anymore.
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Rating: 3.05 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
While that’s a question, shouldn’t we also be asking did the Rams change its signals since the earlier regular season game (fools if they didn’t) and was taping illegal at the time since it preceded the 2006 NFL memo? It’s hard to believe the Rams wouldn’t change their signals for the Super Bowl. Also, wasn’t the rule at the time (before the clarifying memo) that taping was illegal if it was to be used in the game being taped.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Well if they did Martz doesn’t think it helped…
Although no SpyGate tape has surfaced of the Rams’ 24-17 victory over the Pats in Foxborough 10 weeks before the Super Bowl that Belichick could have used to help him prepare, Martz says New England’s inability to move the ball proved, even if his defense was spied upon, it didn’t do any good. And since Martz sent in his plays through the helmet radio, there were no offensive signals to steal other than personnel groupings, which he didn’t care about.
“Our defense shut them down,” Martz said. “They must have taped the wrong signals. Taped the wrong guy. They did nothing on offense.”
”
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/2008/05/15/2008-05-15_mike_martz_still_in_a_super_stupor.html?print=1&page=all
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Gosh I can’t wait until the season starts…
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
The better question would be why wouldn’t the Rams change their signals if they were playing a team for the second time in the same season in the biggest game of the year. Don’t all teams try to decipher signals by having advanced scouts attend games. Wouldn’t that be logical.
Also if there were all these rumors of the Pats taping signals, why wouldn’t every team either change their signals, or use their former signals to set the Pats up. Set up in the same formation and then blitz when not expected to, according to the former signals.
Finally, it was the Pats defense, not the offense that beat the Rams. The Greatest show on Turf was held to 2 touchdown and the Pats defense scored for the Pats. The offense stuttered most of the game. The final drive was against the prevent defense. Anyone that watches football can figure out they were going to play the prevent.
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Rating: 3.25 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Florio,
You remind me of Don Quixote, good luck with your “tilting at windmills”
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Rating: 3.25 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Perhaps a better question to ask that’s not getting asked is what team did matt walsh observe taping signals while he was doing it. Its a fair question florio, why hasn’t it been asked?
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Lets say they did… what do you expect the NFL to do.
It seems like since there is no walk-through tape, everyone is reaching for another smoking gun on this matter.
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Rating: 3.25 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
seriously this show has jumped the shark. I can’t take it anymore.
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Rating: 3.35 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Hey Florio, why don’t ya grow some balls? If you believe
the Pats have such intensive cheating why don’t you call
Brady out? It would be so fun to see Brady sue your ass to
oblivion. So, who is paying ya…ESPN or Specter?
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Rating: 2.05 / 5 with 12 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I don’t care if the Patriots taped every play of every team ever. Enough already. It’s over.
Move on or move out.
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Rating: 3.2 / 5 with 11 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Of course it did. Cheaters.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Yawn.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
You people won’t quit until Belichick is fired and banned from football because your doing what other hyprocrites are doing right now trying to keep a dead story alive GIVE IT UP!!!!! there was no walkthrough tape move on to Marvin Harrison’s upcoming Arrest
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Rating: 2.65 / 5 with 11 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Running out of ideas to keep the Spygate gravy train alive, huh Mike?
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Rating: 2.9 / 5 with 11 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Bring it on, Fluoride! We’ll get that Belichimp yet!
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Rating: 4.15 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
All I can say is…
ZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZ
If the Rams didn’t change their signals from a regular season game through the playoffs and through the 2 week gap between conference championships and the Super Bowl, then the Patriots deserved the advantage.
But really, it’s over 7 years later, and most really couldn’t care any less.
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Rating: 2.25 / 5 with 9 rating(s)