heels, sox & steelers
Morning, guys.
Ed Bouchette has already pronounced a big NO on Belichek for the HOF. I wonder about Brady - not because he participated, but because it diminishes his accomplishments. At least until he wins a ring legitimately.
Farfegnugen,
According to the video above, Brady was complicit. He should Shoeless Joe Jackson-ed.
I cannot believe it is Week #2....Happy 75th to the Steelers!
So why wasn't he fined of something?
(Speaking of which, what about Weis, Crennel, Mangini, etc?)
Farfegnugen,
I was kidding -- that video is a spoof. Still, I suspect Brady knew -- the coaches were talking directly to him before every play -- so it wouldn't surprise me.
They are reporting on ESPN this morning that the league has asked the Pats to turn over all spying video - so this isn't done yet....
Having said that folks...do not lose site of the goal today - beat the Bills!
Ahhh!!!! Those teeth!!!! Damn you Ryan!
NFL.com quotes the following stats:
Club has won five of last six home openers...Mike Tomlin earned first victory as head coach last week...QB Ben Roethlisberger had career-high four TD passes on Kickoff Weekend. Roethlisberger has 15-5 record at home with 89.9 passer rating...RB Willie Parker registered 14th 100-yard rushing game last week. Team is 13-1 when Parker gains 100+ rushing yards...
But they miss the big one - they are 1-0-0 under Tomlin when leading by eleven points or more.
As an aside - I once again marvel at what these 'men' (thank you Coach Tomlin) are able to do week in and week out. Look at how Pennington's ankle was twisted last week, Eli's separated shoulder, Ray Ray' tricep...and they are playing again a week later. Amazing....
Great news, guys.
Week Two Inactives:
QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB), WR Wilie Reid, DB Ricardo Colclough, RB Gary Russell, LB Marquis Cooper, G Darnell Stapleton, T Trai Essex, LB Arnold Harrison.
I've gotta agree with no HOF for Belichick. Brady, maybe if continues to play at the same level honestly. He wasn't directly responsible, even if he knew.
Cowher just had a great line on NFL Today. They were making their picks for Pats and Chargers, and when asked to defend his picking the Pats, Cowher says "Well, they'll just pull out their game tape from last year and..."
Oh, and Tomlin is 1-0-0 when Roethlisberger completes under 60% of his passes.
The Steelers have a perfect record in games in which Matt Spaeth catches a TD.
Also, YES on Belichick. Seriously. He's the preeminent defensive mind of the era, he's won three superbowls, he's got an incredible regular season record, and an overblown scandal involving some video tape should make no difference whatsoever. This would be like steroids in baseball if there was some other way of greatly increasing your muscle mass that was legal, but not quite as efficient. It's not as if Belichick is the only person who tries to decode the opposition's defensive signals.
Cowher and his new teeth are just saying things to be politically correct and to keep CBS's show likeable for all fans.
To test this hypothesis, someone on the show should ask him if the refs were wrong when they flagged his team for having too many men on the field vs. Minnesota on the field goal try, or if roughing the kicker was the right call vs. Tennessee in the playoffs. No to either question, and he's just playing his role as nice analyst.
Talk to you guys after the game.
Cowher just said on the pregame show that 'there's no place in the game' for Ocho Cinco's touchdown celebrations. Really? Who gives a crap. I actually like it.
Maybe the whopper choppers are getting to Cowher's brain.
Note to ESPN: Lose the 9 year old. I do not care what he thinks!
Regarding Cowher and Chad Johnson - as much as I don't mind Ocho Cinco, I understand where Cowher is coming from. Would he celebrate if they were down 21-0? Just a thought...
holy crap, jp losman sounds like a 8-year old girl on helium.
J.P. Losman is talking about Kevin Everett -- and I'm glad the Bills are remembering their tight end -- but all I could think about was that Losman sounds just like Mike Tyson. (not a compliment, by the way)
I've never heard him talk before....
And there are those uniforms....
Dare I ask....
Is Steely McBeam in the building?
I had to spend 45 minutes walking around campus to find a place with both television and wireless. So worth it, though. I spent last week runninng from the tv to my room to check stats...
Pleased to hear JHJ is at the game and apparently on his feet. When they had a HOF reunion a few years ago (after Stallworth was inducted) JHJ was too ill to attend and I understood he was bed/chair-ridden.
Love the uniforms! Ordered the Hines Ward version, which arrived on Friday, too small...but still love 'em
stupid announcers - parker not davenport
Ummm that was Willie Parker not Najeh...
nice run by parker, sometimes short runs are prettier than long ones
Did I mention that I love those uniforms....
I'm watching the Colts game. What's up with the uniforms.
5 carries 35 yards for FWP
6/32
That picture of Jeff Reed is priceless...love the hair...
Is it my impression, or does Heath have fewer YAC than one would expect from a man his size?
Cincy leads Cleveland 7-0
He's a possession guy...
jesse - steelers are wearing their 75th anniversary unis
Heath Miller is a fan favorite with deceptive speed.
i wonder if rossum can tackle? they got him to improve special teams right?
That is the definition of a Bull Rush....or Silverback Rush...
Haloscan keeps telling me there are new comments when there aren't. so annoying.
Wow, I can't believe J.P. didn't convert the 4th down. (end sarcasm)
Ben!!!!! &&^^%$$!!
First pick of the year; the traditional Ben bomb-punt.
You don't want to punt on first down
Problem is, that play call was so predictable.
Ben's passer rating 16.67, but believe it or not his year total is now 118.75, which is higher than last week.
Sorry. Not 118.75. 95.83. Makes better sense.
Derek Andersen missed a wide open Receiver in the end zone - Cleveland settles for a FG...
Nice throw, nice catch, nice lock by Davis
'block' that is....
parker gave the safety a nice little pop at the end of that run.
FWP has 43 yards rushing.....
Parker 7-43. Not bad.
the pfp 2007 chapter on the bills talks about how the 06 bills were very prone to giving up long runs.
Give CBS Sports credit...
I like the ticker and the up to date stats around the league...Fox should learn something from them...
The Bills pass rush looks like it is set up to keep Ben in the pocket...
Nice throw....nice hands Santonio..!
Why did Ben just say 'whew?' Ryan look into this for us...
Getting a little free with the timeouts...
Roethlisberger's 9/12. Not to shabby, other than the punt, er, interception
it looks like they're having problems getting calls into roethliberger. both tomlin and ben were pissed about having to burn the second timeout. is the headset malfunctioning? did anybody check the stadium for pats employees before the game?!
So he should call them himself, as they have been saying for months.
doh
dangit, another figgy
Still a one score game...
I sense a big turnover by the D
Don't like settling for field goals. One big play- i.e. kick return- and the Bills take the lead...
Another FG for the Browns too.
Hola, gentlemen.
Ben has completed passes to 8 different receivers so far. If Kreider had caught that last pass, it would be 9.
One big play- i.e. kick return- and the Bills take the lead...
But then we get the ball. Heh.
Now that's the Reed kickoff I've come to expect over the years...
the bills look like they're playing with a lot of emotion. it's doubtful that will carry over into the 2nd half. especially if the offense continues to have long drives that will wear out their D.
Ahh, Harrison fell down...
wow, adam sandler makes a lot of bad decisions.
That was an interesting decision by Losman. Got pretty lucky there.
Harrison is just running people over....
Somewhere Cowher is yelling 'Silverback!'
Man, Losman's not afraid to take a hit.
rudi johnson fumbled. browns have it at the cinci 19.
The Browns are on the Bengals 18 and driving....
TD Browns...
Jags vs. Falcons is on here, and I'm watching hte Colts-Titans commercials instead of that game. Terrible football.
another nice move by parker.
browns TD.
8 receivers with 1 catch each, ward with three
Hey Nate brought his hand....Nice..
That's how you "play tall."
Big conversion on 3rd and 10.
And Parker is at 71 yards.
Another red zone. Let's get it done this time!
Just under 5 minutes left in the half, and all the timeouts used up.
On FWP's last big run -- nice block, Carey -- he looked like he was high-steppin' down the sidelines. On the replay, he actually looked to be readjusting the football, Tiki-style. Maybe somebody had a talk with him this week.
coaches called that one. the first two roethlisberger called as the play clock was about to expire.
The bit about the time outs has to come up prominently when Coach takes questions.
Ryan, you're right, that was a tiki-style way to carry the ball.
I saw that readjustment too -- he's definetly holding the ball in the crook of his arm, Tiki-style. Good for him.
Mike Tomlin is the next Mike Martz.
Why can't CBS get the Brownies score right?
That was a lot of effort for.... -1 yard.
We really need to get in the End Zone....
How 'bout a Pick 6 here for the D.....
Come on, who's with me?
Passer rating 55.83. Feh.
I'm all for it.
...and Heinz Field makes the tackle on the Kickoff
No punts yet. The only unsuccessful third down plays preceded FGs.
the biggest problem with the figgies is that the bills special teams are more scary than their offense. mcgee returning kicks... yikes.
why can't we score a TD??
Bengals score.
I still think FWP is good for a long TD run today....
Thanks for stopping the clock, JP.
Nate with the dropsies.
That ball that Nate dropped loked like a pretty tough one to catch. Glad they went right back to him.
But makes amends.
FG! FG! FG!
they're running out of corners.
Free timeout
Cleveland TD.
browns back on top!
Steelers>Browns>Bengals>Ravnes???
Makes last week feel even better.
false start on colon... but they refs missed it.
Two nice plays by that Greer. Another FG...
I'm currently searching for the parallel between Throwback and Jeff Reed....can't find it yet...
Call me crazy but that knockout is going to come from the Defense....I still believe they will score...
55.96 for Ben, including the spikes.
harrison is hurt!
Something to do with yellow helmets, maybe?
What Eric????
he was down after the kickoff and clark was going over to him. i didn't see him in on the last play. hopefully he is OK.
bungles back on top. 21-20.
Bengals tie the Browns and go ahead on the XP.
The Bucs are beating the Saints 21-0 at the half. I'm starting to think last year was a blip ... and I like the Saints. Oh, and the Texans are winning. Houston ... America's Team!
Browns just had a 97 yard KO return called back.
Harrison being carted off...
Harrison is on a stretcher...
When Jamal Lewis can run for big gains on you, you know your run D sucks.
If I'm seeing GameCenter right, CIN has had no rushing plays.
i really don't want to say but harrison was lying limp after that kickoff. he didn't move that i saw but he must have been able to get himself off the field. plus he was moving on the stretcher...
that neck collar looked worrisome
israel, rudi johnson has 70 yds on 13 carries. tab perry has 9 yards on one carry.
My Game Center won't expand the CIN rushing section, so I thought there was none. I don't like the new GC.
I think the neck collars are standard procedure, and not necessarily indicative of neck or spine injuries.
browns just scored a TD with 66 seconds left in the half.
Browns back on top.
Yay, special teams.
!@#$%^&*(
Special Teams!!!
Who asked if Rossum could tackle!?
Damn. McGee was out of bounds well before he finally got tackled...
Lynch really looks like a good RB. He could very well be the first RB to get 100 yards against the Steelers' D if they don't start keeping his runs a little shorter.
I don't like this drive at all.
A big bullet dodged there.
Harrison is back.
If we don't start scoring touchdowns soon, I'm going to start seriously thinking about last year's Raider's game.
Holmes.
Glad to see James is back on the sidelines. I'm guessing he kicked that concussion's ass back in the locker room. Because that's how he rolls.
Browns begin the second half throwing an interception.
Yeah, probably.
Please play-action to Heath Miller.
Please score.
I'll take it.
We're all living in Matt Spaeth's world. By the way, anybody else think the Steelers shoulda run it there?
Spaeth!
Whoa! We're allowed to catch passes in the endzone?!
Spaeth with the TD.
72.38
Matt Spaeth for president.
cinci kicked a FG, 24-27 browns.
Thirty-one passes is enough for today. Maybe one bomb just to seal it. Wouldn't ARE look good in a throwback?
He does well in Spaeth...
2007...A Spaeth Odyssey....
Stepping out of bounds or not, penalty or not, Terrence McGee is a bad ass.
Remember when Carolina was a sexy pick to be a Super Bowl contender?
Getting trashed by Houston right now...
Uh, anybody want to cover Price?
We're not getting the pass rush without HArrison.
Apparently LeBeau read my comment about Lynch possibly getting 100 yds today, and decided to start defending the run at the expense of the pass defense.
TD Cleveland
34-24 Brownies over Bengals currently
Anthony Thomas almost had the craziest play of the day there...
I know I know it was 'only Cleveland' and the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl...oh wait, wait...wait....
cinci had a 64 yd kickoff return.
Huh, Losman really does look like Adam Sandler.
New Orleans just scored their first offensive TD of the year. I looked at the box score to see who scored it -- Who the heck is M. Karney? With Bush, Colston, Brees, etc. on the team, someone I've never heard of scores the first TD??? What gives?
henigin - the saints FB
Isn't karney a kicker?
Remember...the Steelers are undefeated when FWP rushes for 100 yards under Coach Tomlin...
I think Karney was an FO favorite last year after some game where he had 2 TDs or something.
Inside the 10...again....Eddie B?
Chad Johnson just leaped into the Dog Pound
Suck it Eddie B. Sepulverized again...
Looking it up: It was a game against Dallas last year. Karney had 3 TDs in the game. He featured prominently in ensuing game threads and such, I believe.
jam-jam just ran for a 66 yd TD. Browns 41-31.
Jamal Lewis 66 yards TD.
I'm confused...did he or didn't he throw the Red Flag? Ian, you're killing me here fella...
Cleveland 41
Cincy 31
Can we win the challenge? I hope we didn't waste a timeout on arguing!
Derek Andersen has 4 TD Pases and Jamal Lewis has 139 yards rushing....
And the 's' key *ucks on my laptop
Calig - thanks for the info on Karney. I still think it's strange that he was the first to score an offensive TD for a supposed high-powered offense, two games into the season.
Ok, back to the game that matters. Glad to see that Lynch hasn't added much to his decent first half totals
One more thing: Rossum for a 7th round pick was a great move.
Henigin: Absolutely! Rossum is a no brainer.
I concur..
Yep. 7th rounders are next to worthless. Any value at all you can get is a no-brainer.
Feel the Heath!
HEATH.
Parker for 6.
FWP!!!!!!
126 yards on the day.
Parker must have been watching game film of the defensive coaches.
Cincy TD. Browns are up 41-38
cinci FG. browns 41-38.
whoops. TD.
Looks like if he wants to come back, Carolina and New York (Giants) will have openings...
I think I've heard that somewhere before... 
Wow, Carson Palmer has 5 TD passes - um guy's they are losing to the Browns...pay attention...
Now is the time for that interception we wanted earlier.
Welcome to the NFL Mr. Woodley....
Woodley's first sack.
Lots of penalties by the Bills today.
browns went for it on 4-1 at the 50 and didn't make it.
Anthony Smith hits everything....
Lee is one classy guy.
Lee Evans = Dumbest Player of the Day?
Evans should have had that ball for the Bills, and then complaining about it was just stupid...
Looks like we have Charlie Batch....
a Max Starks sighting too
...and that's the way you utilize the Ref...nice run Najeh
Ben finishes at 80.76 for the game, 101.72 for the year.
geez. the bills have the hardest schedule according to DVOA and this rate they'll be out of players by mid-season. tough, tough luck.
bring on San Fransisco
60-10 isn't bad for two weeks' work.
TD Cleveland
TD browns. 48-38.
Didn't they have a score like that two years ago?
jam-jam is over 200 yds.
Browns aren't done yet. Lewis just ran 47 yards to the 23.
SEAN MOREY BLOCKS A PUNT! SEAN MOREY BLOCKS A PUNT!
bodden INT. game over. browns. awesome.
Bodden interception should do it for the Browns, but it is under review.
So are the Bengals that bad? Or are we that good?
I hope this wass the last game we had to watch the Steelers in their throw-up uniforms.
nope, the monday nighter against the ravens will also feature the throw backs.
The Steelers have never, ever lost a game in the throwbacks. I say, wear them 14 times.
Marvin Lewis is a defensive mastermind.
OK, regarding the game:
1. I agree with you fellas, Rossum for a 7th rounder is a steal. Great returner, but also made a TD-saving tackle.
2. Tomlin, where's your red flag?!!
3. Lee Evans is a moron, but what was up with the Ref doing his flappy-wings on the 2 unsportsmanlike calls?
4. Interesting they flashed a stat about LeBeau and his HOF credentials during the game. Question to you guys, would it be possible for an assistant coach to make it to the HOF on his assistant coaching accomplishments?
Because if his player stats were enough, he'd already be in, and his head coach stats aren't good. I've never heard of an assistant getting in, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Arizona has blown a 17-0 lead and currently trail the Seahawks 20-17.
Also, did anyone see the quote from Chukki Okobi about how, "I'd rather be here in Arizona with Ken and Russ than still be in Pittsburgh?"
Probably why you're still a backup center...
Nice start to the Tomlin Era.
Heard a stat that teams that go 2-0 make the playoffs about 2/3 of the time and teams that go 0-2 make the playoffs about 11% of the time.
The fact that the Browns offense that we saw last week scored 51 points on anyone, let alone a team expected to be pretty good, is amazing.
I know it is only week 2 and a lot can happen. But from what we've seen, the Ravens and Bengals are pretty flawed. We'll definitely beat both of those teams at home. So is there a game other than the Pats and maybe Denver that seems really tough?
I'm upping my prediction from 10-6 to 11-5. If I weren't trying to keep from being too optimistic too soon, I'd up it to 12-4.
Justin McCareins is horrible. He just dropped two touchdown passes in the last two minutes of the game.
Ravens hold on.
I agree with ELSM, I'm baffled by the Browns-Bengals game. Both the pathetic defense of the Bengals and the unbelievable offensive dynamo that appears to be comprised of the same Browns team we played last week. At least I learned my gambling on pro football early this season...
Gambling on pro football "lesson."
For the people wanting to know where Tomlin's red flag is, you can't challenge a forceout because it's a "judgement call". No, I don't know what that means either. I think Tomlin *tried* to challenge and found out he couldn't.
Now, I know that, so Tomlin should freakin' well know that. Rookie mistake, I guess. He's allowed them in games we win 26-3.
Kellen Clemens, welcome to the NFL. I can't believe McCareins dropped those 2 passes. The Jets should have taken that game into OT.
I channel surfed a bit after the game and listened to the end of the Cardinals game. The broadcasters (one of whom is Ron Wolfley) kept saying that the Cardinals have finally learned to play "Steeler football," like it's something they have been trying to do for years.
The Patriots looked amazingly good tonight. Darnit. I reaaaaaaaally hope they don't win Super Bowl VVVVVVVVII
Alas, Jesse,,if the Pats continue that level of play all year they will hoist the Lombardi for sure.
I just don't think they can. They are the oldest team in the NFL and I don't think they have the running game or LB'ers (who will wear down over the season in my hopeful scenario) to win it all. Thats the good news. The bad news is the Colts are every bit as good if not better than the Pats and their D is for real. We all know about their offense.
I thought the Steelers played well today but settling for FG`s would doom them against the best the AFC has to offer in NE and Indy and probably SD (who look completely dopey right now, I mean people complain about our corners! geezzzzz..)
I think we will get better as we go, so I am not totally down on our chances. Our division after 2 weeks of play looks much different than I thought. McNair lasted one game into the season..he looks like the body has broken down pretty badly. Cincy and Cleveland played some solid D today...lol... The division is up for grabs and I think the Steelers will do some grabbing.
Still, WE are going to have to get extremely efficient on both sides of the ball, have zero turnovers, and probably win the ST`s battle to have a shot against the Patriots right now. I am glad the test won't take place until later.
I actually almost retched at Madden and Michaels with their "poor Bill B and all he has gone through this week." It's like he had cancer and miraculously recovered..not did a blatant cheat job against an overmatched opponent. I am not against the Pats at all..they have a fine team , a great coach, etc...but I think Belichick has something wrong with him. The Nixon analogy that came up on this list before Peter King ran with it rings true for me. You know. part of the way you grow and learn is to admit mistakes, express remorse and with that knowledge you move on and hopefully become a better and more understanding (of yourself as well as others) guy or gal. Do you have any doubt that Bill would tap into the communication systems at the stadium in the blink of an eye? I see that 'whatever it takes, just get the damn job done..break into their offices if need be" type of Watergate plumber thing with him. Wonder if he was in on the Bay of Pigs too? wink... great coach, sick puppy..
In case anyone missed it, during the Browns game someone had a sign that read: Chad Johnson, All Bling, No Ring. That has to be the sign of the week.
If you take what the preseason prognosticators said to heart, and believe that San Diego is really great, then the Pats look like the greatest team in the universe. I'm not buying it. To (sort of) quote Clark Haggans, Super Bowls aren't won in September, and I'm not interested in my Steelers winning the October-bowl. I won't like it if the Steelers lose to the Pats in the regular season, but as long as they make the playoffs, thats all that matters (2005 Colts vs Steelers?) I remember the '94 49ers got embarrased at home 40-10 or something similar againt the Eagles and everyone was saying that the Eagles were on their way... they made a statement! Well the 49'ers won that Super Bowl, and the Eagles were sitting at home.
The Pats may be good now, but its a long year. And while I still think Norv Turner can't get it done in San Diego, the Chargers aren't out of it either. Its a long season. The things that make me feel cautiously good about the Steelers are this: 1. THeir defense is eating lightning and crapping thunder, and 2. their offense is effective in the second half after teams get a good look at them. As long as we don't get too silly with the offensive play calling (sometimes its fine the go vanilla when you have and hide the playbook) we have a shot. Yay we beat the Bills.
The Steelers have now won two stomps, in FO terminology. We've scored 60 and allowed 10. It doesn't matter that we played the Bills and Browns, this team is for real. I was very bearish on the season during pre-season, but given how we've played so far, barring injury, the Steelers will be making the playoffs, and will be a legit superbowl contender.
The only other team that's looked like they're in our league so far is the Pats.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Dec 9 game determined home field advantage.
I only saw the highlights of this game on nfl.com, but did you guys see #94 Lawrence Timmons tracking down the returner on that long kickoff return? That guy has amazing speed for a LBer.
Sepulveda has now put four punts inside the ten-yard line in only two games. Last season, Chris Gardocki put zero punts inside the ten-yard line.
FYI.
1. Pats
2. Colts
3. Steelers
4....Chargers? Not after last night.
The Patriots appear to have a harder schedule than the Steelers. We see Baltimore twice, but the Patriots see them once, as well as the Colts, the Eagles and the Cowboys.
(The Steelers' games against the Jaguars and the Broncos are not quite in that category.)
For those keeping score at home, here are the allegations being levied against the Pats, as reported by ESPN and CBS:
1. videotaping the opponents defensive coaches' signals for every game they've played since 2000 or so (even if they aren't going to play the team again, just in case the coordinator moves to a team they play in the future)
2. maintaining a "library" of these films, with the signals and play calls broken down
3. using the signals to determine the defensive play calls and making their offensive play calls in games accordingly
4. jamming the frequency of communications between opposing teams' QBs and coaches (as reported on CBS by ex-GM Charley Casserly, who said they did this in crucial moments of a playoff game against the Jags).
5. jamming the communications between the sideline coaches and the coaches in the boxes above
6. using devices to communicate with players on the field other than the QB
7. Sending spies into opponents locker rooms to steal plays from the boards.
Of course, these are only allegations. But even if only 1-3 end up being proven true (and there seems to be good evidence), this seems to be a big, big deal. I'll say it until I'm blue in the face: Isn't this at least as bad as Pete Rose being accused of betting on the Reds to win? If all 7 are proven true, this certainly seems far worse in terms of effecting the outcomes of games than what Rose did, right?
Why is Prisuta such a d-bag? 2-0 and dominated the opponent means we're pretty good. Bills almost beat Denver and the Browns beat the Bungles. It's not rocket science:
A + B = C. You are as good as your performance. We can't choose who we play. The bottom line is we kicked the ass of the two opponents we played. The other teams they played didn't. The Bengals and the Raisins don't scare me anymore.
ELSM:
I don't see why this isn't just like steriods. It's cheating. It should be treated just as harshly.
And I believe the best punishment would be to take away some home games next year. If any of this nonsense is true, we'll just eliminate their ability to control the situation.
Now you only get 4 home games next year. This punishes the team right now and hurts the cash flow of the team and hurts the fan base of the team, which should put pressure on the team to fix it.
FTID: I'm waiting for the evidence to say what the punishment should be.
A couple of points of comparison for other punishments for cheeting:
1. Since you brought up steroids, McGwire was a HOF snub (getting only 23.5% of the vote), and he hasn't been proven to have done anything. Plus, steroids weren't against the rules when he was using them.
2. If this were a college team with illegal boosters, they'd lose past championships and some future post-season eligibility.
3. Forula One just levied a $100 million fine for spying.
4. Wade Wilson was suspended for 5 games for getting HGH for himself, and he's a coach
5. Pete Rose is banned for life from baseball and the HOF, and to my knowledge he was never shown to have influenced the outcomes of games.
6. Shoeless Joe Jackson had a lifetime ban from baseball and the HOF, even though he was considered not smart enough to understand that the team was throwing the WS (he hit .375 with a .563 slugging in the 1919 series).
I don't know enough about Formula One to compare, but if the allegations against the Pats are true, they seem worse than these other infractions. If they are true, I'm not sure what throwing the book at them should be, but the book should say Britannica on the cover.
I really don't believe that this Pats Spygate thing is over yet. Stay tuned.
With respect to the Steelers. One game at a time. Let's beat the 49ers. That's the only team/game that we can control right now. And yes I said 'we' so there!
With regards to Formula 1, it's apples and oranges. McLaren had 700+ pages of internal Ferrari technical documents explaining how various bits of the Ferrari worked. Given the tens of millions these guys spend on development, that's not what you'd call trivial.
It'd be like the Patriots having stolen excerpts from the Jets' playbook or something.
Any comments on the play of Polamalu over the last 2 games? I haven't read much about him lately.
I watched the game but not live this weeek..again! But that's it. I am watching the rest of the year live if it kills me.
My fave moment from this week was the catch by Nate where he got rolled by the 2 defenders. 21 yards..held onto the ball. Here's hoping he can eliminate the drops permanently cause he adds another speed/athleticism dynamic to the team.
Rob D -
King pointed out the Bills had great success stopping Troy's pass rush. Of course, with Farrior making as many stops as he is, opponents apparently haven't been getting into the secondary too often (I haven't seen either game - this is an uneducated guess). At the same time, if others copy the Bills' strategy, Dickie better re-scheme Troy real fast.
ELSM - don't forget the allegation about using microphones on the D-linemen to capture and decipher opponents' snap counts.
Is the feelin that we are going to see a lot more come out of spygate or is it going to die out? I know about all the alleged activity but does the league have solid evidence? I would be surprised if they did considering how they have already rendered a fine and lost of draft pick on the Pats.
And does anyone think the league and its announcers think the Pats are defending champs? I am no big fan of the Colts but it seems to me they have beaten the Patriots lately and won the Super Bowl to boot. Can't remember who won the year before...hmmmmm..anyway that would make 2 years since they have won. Now they have the greatest team in the history of the world..I understand that..and I know how close ESPN HQ`s is to Boston but maybe they should take a pill.
It's early and I am already getting a case of Patriot aversion. Try as I might to admire them, it's getting very hard to overlook their excesses.
Sending spies into opponents locker rooms to steal plays from the boards.
Anyone who doesn't have the sense to clean off the blackboards properly, deserves to be spied on.
Rob D, in terms of whether spygate is over, there are two questions: 1) did they do what is alleged and 2) is there evidence to support a charge?
Both of these are somewhat unknowable, but what are the intertubes good for if not speculation?
On the first question, allegations have come from the Jets, Bills, Lions, Packers, Jags and ex-GM of the Texans. Others like the Steelers and Eagles have also raised questions. That's a lot of smoke (and as Tomlin said...).
As for evidence, its hard to tell. It is possible that the Pats have spent a lot of time deleting files and shredding things in the last week. Or they may not have kept records. Or they might not have done anything else.
But... supposedly the Pats have a library of signals that goes back to 2000. If so, this would be hard to delete quickly. Also, there are alot of former coaches and players who could be interviewed. So we'll see...
Goodell "reserved the right" to impose further penalties in the interview at halftime of the Pats/Chargers game (ironic). For the good of the game, I hope he's serious.
If they really do have info going back before the Super Bowls, this is cheating on a massive scale. Equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues and sponsors.
No wonder Kraft gave Belicheat an extension. But then again, Vick got a $120MM contract... I hope they nail Billy Belicheats butt.
Wade Wilson is definitely pissed about this, as he should be.
The best way to deal with this is to take away home games. The amount of revenue lost for that franchise would be huge. Plus, it's much harder to cheat away from home. It would certainly stop any funny business with the audio systems and lockerroom spies.
Another idea is have an independent observer from the league (with unlimited access) observe the team's(BB) activities for two or three years. Any infractions are dealt with immediately and harshly.
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