ok, maybe I don't get this. If your opponent is sloppy enough that you are able to read and understand their signs, then use that to your advantage, how is that cheating?

We used to do the same thing in highschool baseball with the catcher's signals.

Is that not really what this is about, or am I misunderstanding the definition of cheating?
greg | 09.19.07 - 9:58 am | #

They were basically surveilling without a warrant. But it was in public, so it isn't surveilling. I fail to see where this is a problem; underhanded, yes, but not collusion/point shaving/throwing a game.

I guess I don't care enough about sports to get all worked up about someone taking full advantage of technology.
Area Man | 09.19.07 - 11:54 am | #

yeah, that's the reason I don't watch nascar. Once I realized that cars COULD go faster, but they were restricted by the rules, I realized how lame it actually was.

Hence my love with MotoGP!
greg | 09.19.07 - 12:08 pm | #

My inexhaustive list of top NFL scandalish moments. Note where the Pats' scandal places.

1. Webster's dad and Paul Hornung suspended for gambling on games.
2. Rae Carruth kills somebody.
3. OJ kills a coupla people.
4. Ray Lewis charged with killing somebody.
5. Michael Vick dog thing.
6. Mercury Morris drug trafficking.
7. Reggie White says a bunch of offensive stuff and dies from snoring.
8. Anything involving Bill Romanowski.
9. Jim Brown and Barry Sanders retiring way too early.
10. Early death data -- whether as result of heart attack for steroid abuse or post-concussion syndrome.

[...]

239. Convict on furlough plows field so Tony Franklin can kick winning FG against Dolphins in 1982.
240. Patriots videotape opponents' signals.
Baylen | Homepage | 09.19.07 - 12:25 pm | #

Maybe it's not a big deal, in which case the rule should be changed, but here's the relevant rule:

Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game.

Seems pretty clear. Also, the commissioner warned Belichick about this specific issue before.

Again, if the rule sucks, send it the way of the 4 minute warning, but you can't deny it's a blatant violation of the NFL's rules.
Anonymous | 09.19.07 - 5:47 pm | #

Baylen, I know you love the Pats. But this is serious shit and Rae Carruth's murder arrest and OJ being a killer post his NFL career has nothing to do with this problem.

We are talking about a team that has won three of the past five Super Bowls by three points or fewer and they violated clear NFL regulations that forbid taping of oppnents' hand signals. It is a clear rule, as Anonymous states.

If taping didn't help them, then why did they do it?
Leonardo | 09.19.07 - 8:21 pm | #