Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis doesn’t want to talk about what he knows about the New England Patriots’ practice of taping its opponents’ signals while Weis was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
But one person who seems to think Weis should talk is Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, who’s now an ESPN analyst. Young appeared on Dan Patrick’s radio show today, and he said he’s re-assessing his thoughts about Weis.
“I remember thinking to myself during some of the runs, ‘Charlie Weis is a genius,’” Young said. “I mean, I remember saying that to people: ‘This guy is uncanny, how he’s able to make these adjustments and just come out and dominate in the second half.’ What it’s left me to do is, well, I don’t know. Did it matter? I could see how it could matter if you put it all together. So it’s a tough one. I think that people earn it on the field, and I think you’ve got to move on and move forward and just recognize that it’s not a good thing at the time.”
When Patrick asked Young how big an advantage it would be to know what play the defense was about to run, Young answered, “The game would be over. If I knew what was coming, that’s the whole game.”
Young acknowledged that NFL teams always try to get an edge over their opponents, but he seemed to think the systematic way the Patriots collected tapes of opponents crossed a line.
“There’s gamesmanship all the time. In a game, you take whatever advantage you can get,” Young said.
Because of the kid-gloves treatment that Notre Dame’s program gets as the only school with its own TV network, Weis probably won’t have to answer a barrage of questions about Spygate. But the questions are out there.
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May 19th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Let me guess - another ESPN analyst with a slant/agenda against the Pats. Surprise, surprise.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Man oh man, would yo please leave the spygate crap at the door already… I truly believe that every team has been involved in this situation at one time or another. Does anyone think any differently?
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
dan1919 - that is exactly my Argument…well put.
If it is ‘game over’ if we have the defensive signals….then why weren’t the pats the ’99 rams, or the ’98 viks during the run?
Why was our offensive prowess anemic? Why didn’t we crush people, or even score in to the high 20’s during the run?
Oh, wait…I guess BB told the offensive guys to not ‘look too good’ to give away our secret….that has to be it.
If the pats were #1,2,or 3 in ANY offensive category from 01-04….every year..then argue the signals mattered…until then, it’s a by-law violation that is the same as a salary cap violation etc.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Steve Young is an idiot, Schlereth is an idiot, Carter is an idiot! Any questions?
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Honey Nut Florios, didn’t you hear that goodell had weis ingest them? that’s why EVIDENCE was destroyed….errr, eaten
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
STEVE YOUNG! Enough said.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
dan 1919 graet Argument…well put.
If it is ‘game over’ if we have the defensive signals….then why weren’t the pats the ’99 rams, or the ’98 viks during the run?
Why was our offensive prowess anemic? Why didn’t we crush people, or even score in to the high 20’s during the run?
Oh, wait…I guess BB told the offensive guys to not ‘look too good’ to give away our secret….that has to be it.
If the pats were #1,2,or 3 in ANY offensive category from 01-04….every year..then argue the signals mattered…until then, it’s a by-law violation that is the same as a salary cap violation etc.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Waa waa waaa, all you Patriot haters. But lets call a spade a spade. Steve Young played for another team that was CAUGHT cheating,the SF 49ers who routinely manipulated/cheated the salary cap,paying players under the table.DOCUMENTED.At ESPN these sportscasters have short memories like Mark STINK Scherleth who 1998 Denver Broncos were caught videotaping a San Diego Chargers practice & also manipulated /CHEATED the salary cap . I forgot Mike Shanahan was part of the Bill Walsh tree.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
“Steve Young was nothing but a product of the Bill Walsh offensive system. He did nothing at Tampa, and he couldn’t beat out Montana.”
So, your logic in downplaying Steve Young’s legacy is:
1. He couldn’t do anything when he was surrounded by the 80s Buccaneers, one of the worst accumulations of talent in NFL history, and
2. He didn’t beat out–at least initially, because he eventually did–what some call the greatest QB to ever play the game.
Dude, I have no idea what you do for a living, but here’s a suggestion: skip law school.
Or any job that requires logic and reasoning.
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Rating: 4.3 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
From a Pats Fan :
It is difficult for us Pats fans to look at this differently. I wish another team did this just to see how I would feel about it.
Yes it was against the rules. I just wonder if this was the 49ers or another bad team, if there would have been this much press about it.
The thing people have to realize, after we got caught, we stopped and STILL WON 18 GAMES IN A ROW.
Does any Pat hater here feel that they cheated after the Jets game?
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
3efin:
Brady wouldn’t beat out Montana either. The Patriots cheated, plain and simple. Let’s also move them to a division that does not have high school teams in it for once. NYG won because they were battle hardened. They didn’t have a SOFT schedule. Some teams have to play 6 hard division games per season. Not the pansy division teams the Pats played. Our high school squad could win that division.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
trikee, here are your answers (from a Seahawks fan):
1. It is not against the rules to tape signals. (It’s all about the camera location). You just can’t do it from a place accessible during the game. Read the rules. I wish Florio would clarify this.
2. Your job (as a cameraman) is to watch opposing coaches in an effort to catch their signals/tendencies. If the coaches know exactly where you are they obviously would try to sheild in that direction.
3. See #1.
4. Belicheck thought he had a loophole in the rule. He was wrong and paid the price.
5. See #2.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Steve young is acting like a whiny bitch like he did when he was the back-up to Montana. If you don’t believe me watch the America’s when the 49ers wont he Super Bowl and the Young was a back-up. They were showing clips of him complaining to the media that he should be the starter.
I persoanlly think that Young should not have been in the hall of fame on the first ballot. He did nothing in his career other then a small time with the 49ers. The hall of fame whoudl be based on the whole career not just 3 years of his time in San Fran.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Spoon …
How can you say the Pats had a soft schedule? Colts, Bolts, Eagles, Steelers …. not exactly cupcake if you ask me…..
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Hmmm….Bill Walsh used to routinely script ahead of time the first 20 plays of his games and then lie and tell the refs the 9ers headsets weren’t working so that they would turn them off for both teams (this coming from Parcells, who he did it against multiple times).
I wonder if Steve Young thinks that provided the 9ers with any kind of a edge?
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Steve young is jusyt upset that Brady will pass him.
Go Pats !!!
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
All you football idiots who are downcasting the New England
Patriots for cheating! How many teams this past NFL season
won 18 straight games without the assistance of the video
tape for coaching signals? Only the New England Patriots!
Now all you Patriot haters can jump on the media circus but
you have to accept the truth. NO other team in the NFL won
18 straight games!!!
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Rating: 1.8 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
kellyb9, you lost me when you went to the “everyone else is doing it” card. please. everyone else didn’t have a library database full of recordings. everyone else did steroids. we all see where that got them. nobody will take away bond’s or clemen’s records, but they will forever be remembered as cheaters.
you keep trying hard to justify/spin/rationalize to make yourself feel better. i personally would not take any superbowls away or anything like that. i just think it’s amazing how the team and fans have not taken any responsibility and go to great lengths to defend cheating.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
ctfwest… I’m not a big fan of Young, but he was a very good QB
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Pats fans just don’t get it. They keep bringing up how great Brady is and how everyone else would want him.
The numbers are BOGUS, people!
He chose to stay in NE at a lower price instead of going to another team because the other teams didn’t use BiliCHEAT’s illegal schemes and he’d be unmasked as the fraud he really is.
And to the person who mentioned Specter, part of the NFL’s agreement to have an antitrust exemption was to accept being overseen by the senate oversight, which the senate can’t do if the NFL destroys evidence. THAT’s what that was all about. Goodell goofed big time by destroying the evidence. Had he not done that, Specter would not have had to remind them of the antitrust agreement.
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
“Phil Simms says it makes no differance and Young says he could dominate the world…look where Young is employed.”
No, look where Phil Simms is employed: CBS, the Patriots business partner at Gillette Stadium. CBS - the AFC network - has long been a jock sucker of the Patriots. The last time I remember Phil Simms saying anything memorable, he was whining against his son Chris Simms’ critics. Those critics - including Steve Young - didn’t think his son had the fortitude to succeed in the NFL. I guess we know how that turned out…
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
MTOC says:
“May 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Isn’t it funny how Steve Young, one of the individuals associated with the 49ers Salary Cap Cheating scandal, sounds so holier than thou.”
Not nearly as funny as Bill Belichump talking about Matt Walsh’s credibility.
(But by all means…keep on bringing it, all you pathetic Pats apologists. Mike Florio hits the mother lode (on site hits) every time he posts anything remotely related to the Pats.)
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
spoonman,
You do realize the Patriots went 4-0 against the NFC East while the Giants went 3-3 against in 2007. They beat the Steelers, Chargers (twice), Colts, and Jags (all playoff teams). Cleveland was 10-6 and they beat them too. The Pats had a weak in division schedule, but a hard out of division schedule. The weak schedule argument doesn’t exactly work.
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Rating: 2.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Charlie Weis is wise to keep his mouth shut here. IMO, he has only two options…Lie to cover Bilichick’s lie then be called a liar like Billichick OR Tell the truth, be known as a cheater as well and hurt his chances to ever coach in the NFL again either as a coordinator or possible head coach.
Unfortunately spygate will never go away; there are just too many loose ends and unanswered questions.
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Rating: 4.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 19th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
“Actually - I agree that when his career is over, Brady will be a much more revered QB than Steve Young. Steve Young and Joe Montana were surrounded with talent their entire career. Brady had garbage at reciever for most of his career. Take Peyton away from the Colts, Marvin Harrison would still be a great reciever. Take Steve Young away from the 49ers, Jerry Rice would still be a great reciever. Take Tom Brady away from the Patriots, and nobody would have ever known Deion Branch or Wes Welker existed.”
Always hilarious to hear a moronic Cheatriot open his mouth and insert his…rectum. Steve Young and Montana played in a era when the NFL didn’t treat QBs like pantywaists. They were hit hard and often. WRs were clocked as well. As many times as Brady was sacked in the Superbowl, none of the hits risked concussions or serious injury like Young, Aikman, and other QBs of a different era faced. As Young mentioned, Brady has had the benefit for 8 years of largely knowing what defense he would be facing. Belichick has surely helped tarnish whatever credentials Brady may have earned this millenium.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)