Overlooked in the recent remarks from Dolphins coach Bill Parcells regarding defensive end Jason Taylor was Parcells’ comment as to the Spygate episode that engulfed his former lieutenant, Bill Belichick.

Said the Tuna:  “I think it was overblown.  If the competition is victimized by someone spying on you – if that happened – it’s your fault because you could take precautions to keep that from happening if you’re smart enough.”

On the surface, he’s right.  But assuming that Belichick learned a thing or two about cheating from his seasons with Parcells, the long-time head coach’s remarks seem like words of justification for engaging in such practices.

And the “if you’re smart enough” thing sheds light on why Belichick got nailed.  Every NFL team, to one degree or another, breaks rules in order to secure an advantage.  Belichick is more than smart enough to come up with effective ways of doing so, and in reality he was too effective at it.

Until, of course, he insisted on continuing with the practice after it was obvious that other teams were trying to catch him.

As a result, Parcells should have offered this variation on his thoughts, as they apply to Belichick:  “If your team is victimized by being caught cheating — if that happens — it’s your fault because you could take precautions to keep that from happening if you’re smart enough.”