Specter goes for Western PA, accuses Pats of filming Steelers
February 15th, 2008 by Neal CoolongU.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) accused the New England Patriots franchise of illegally filming the Steelers in four games, including both AFC Championship games, according to Ed Bouchette. The Patriots won both games.
Specter has been accused of going after the Patriots because of their victor over Philadelphia - his hometown - in Super Bowl XXXIX. He met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for an hour on Wednesday, a meeting from which Specter derived the opinion that Goodell “has a fair-sized stone wall erected.”
Bouchette got a hold of former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, the coach of the team during all four games against New England in which the alleged filming took place. His quote probably summarizes the matter better than anyone is willing to say:
“Is it an advantage to steal signals? Yes. Did it determine the outcome of the game? No.”
Steelers fans are understandably going to be upset about this. They have every reason to be. But like Coach Cowher said, they may have done it, but they didn’t win because of it.
It goes deeper than just four games, though. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it has an antitrust exemption, so spare the “they have better things to do” bit.
It’s very difficult to understand why Goodell had the tapes destroyed after he imposed a $500,000 fine on Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and a $250,000 fine on the Patriots franchise…difficult, assuming you don’t want to consider the simple concept of damage control. It’s easy to assume that, while top to bottom fans don’t like Coach Belichick, the NFL takes a fairly significant hit from a public relations perspective if Spygate turns into more than what was originally discovered. Every team will go right down with Belichick if evidence is revealed that he and his Patriot buddies were doing this for a substantial amount of time. From Goodell’s perspective, he issued a sizeable fine (big enough so those who thought it should have been more would easily be labeled Patriots Haters) and now, simply wants the issue to go away. Specter shouting to the hilltops about this (and currying votes along the way, certainly a nice ancillary benefit) won’t change Goodell’s intentions: to stop the public bleeding and lock this down before it grows into more than just a conspiracy theory.
Still, Specter is carrying the Matt Walsh bluff high above his head. If the former Patriots employee who alleges he has substantial evidence against the Patriots and the league is more than just a bitter ex-employee, and really does have dirt to dish, Goodell would be the wrong man for the job if he didn’t take the brunt of the assault in public, like he did on Wednesday, and do whatever he could to silence Walsh - if not flat-out discredit him.
Don’t believe me? Ok…
Bouchette mentions in his article that Specter confirmed, through Walsh’s laywer, that an NFL security “guy” named Dick Farley is investigating Walsh. Goodell said the league considers Spygate finished, so why would they send one of their own out to investigate the key member of the whole scandal? Let’s look over the facts again:
1. The NFL confirmed in September that the Patriots had been caught filming signals from on the Jets sideline during a game.
2. The fine was issued a week later.
3. The tapes were suspiciously destroyed very soon after the fine was levied.
4. A former Patriots employee, video director Matt Walsh, comes out, saying he has evidence the Patriots had been filming for several years, including a filming of the Rams in a closed walk-through before the Super Bowl.
5. Months later, the NFL conveniently states it knew the Patriots had been filming in a similar manner since 2000.
6. Walsh’s lawyer gives the name of an NFL security guard (Dick Farley) who is investigating Walsh despite the fact Goodell has said Spygate is a dead issue, and the league is not following up on it.
As our own Coach Tomlin said, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Specter’s discussion with Goodell has clearly fanned that flame, and now that he’s grabbed the full attention of two of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL - Pittsburgh and Philadelphia - this isn’t going away any time soon.
Posted in NFL News |
February 15th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I’ve got a multiple personality on this issue. On one hand, doesn’t our government have way more important things to do than investigate the NFL? My tax dollars are going towards Mr. Magic Bullet’s crusade? Shouldn’t he (they) be more concerned with our economy or environment or education system or the homeless, etc… Goodell fined the Patriots/Belichick out the wazoo and took away a 1st round pick (though they still have a high pick…kudos to them). Can’t it just be left at that?
But the other side of me hopes the Patriots come crashing down like Oceanic 815 (a Lost reference…in case you don’t watch). I grew so damn tired of everyone kissing their a$$ all season - even during games they weren’t playing in! Think of how every announcer worships Saint Favre whenever he plays, and multiply that by 100. I wanted to puke when the ESPN know-it-all’s started comparing them to the Steelers of the 70’s. Unreal. The ‘07/’08 Patriots will go down as a team that choked in the Super Bowl and could not get the job done when it ultimately mattered. They are no match for the 70’s Steelers, and I never want them even mentioned in the same breath. So I hope Specter takes Goodell and the Patriots down the same way his theory from the early 60’s was…
I watch, and I should have used that line at some point…
I never quite understood the comparisons to the 70s Steelers myself. If they are comparable to anyone, it’s to the 80s 49ers, and I really don’t see any question about that. Obviously, you need an offense and a defense to win multiple Super Bowls in seven years, but clearly, this was an offensive team. I think this one was the better Pats team, but they’ll win it all next year. They were supposed to win this year, that isn’t really their style. They probably shouldn’t win next year, considering the off-season distraction of Spygate and the fact their linebackers average around 68 years of age, so they’ll win it because they can legitimately say no one is picking them.
I’m still glowing about that Super Bowl. I told my fiancee at the time…”while I’m not particularly happy that you basically forced your way over to Dan’s place with me to watch the game with the guys, as a non-sports fan, if there was one game I would have said you HAD to see, that was the one.” She’s got a great picture of me and my friends all standing up in front of the TV with 37 seconds left on the clock, seeing Brady in a do-or-die position for the first time all season…I’m not hating on the Patriots, but if you can’t feel the drama and emotion in a situation like that, you aren’t breathing.
My high school basketball team beating our arch-rival, and No. 2-ranked team in the state, when I was a freshman in the Regional Championship game, Pittsburgh at Indianapolis, AFC Divisional Playoff in 2006 and Super Bowl XLII…those are the three most exciting sporting events I have ever seen, and I couldn’t possibly ask for a fourth.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Thanks for the link on the side! I appreciate it.
What Dave is referring to is his site, which I believe is new. I know it’s new, cuz is neither Cotter nor myself had it linked before, it has to be new. We scavenge quite well…did I even spell that right? ANYWAY…
www.5goldenrings.net
The name is pretty clever, maybe it’s just me, but I never heard that song post-XL and thought about the connection. And to think, Dave, before I saw your site, I hated that song. Now, I will be able to tolerate it warmly next Christmas.
As far as the site goes, I like it, and I bet you would like it, too. Give it a read!
February 18th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I think the reign of the Pats is over. Call me crazy, but you heard it here first (well, probably not). I think this whole festering mess will refuse to go away, and will provide enough of an off-season distraction to prevent proper preparation.
Plus you left off a digit–the average age of a Pats LB is 168, not 68. ;o) But the point is well made. These guys ain’t getting any younger, and it’s not just the linebackers. It’s nice to see an O line who seem to have as many problems as ours does.
Now that they have been beaten, the blueprint for HOW to beat them is rapidly being circulated amongst the teams. The shine is off the apple, methinks. Next year you’ll see a lot of teams way better prepared to play the Pats, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they end up 11-5. Even 10-6. I’m ducking now to avoid the inevitable rusty cans and fruit…
I don’t know of a better epitome of the phrase “oh what a difference a year makes” than the NFL. Time and time again a team reaches the summit, only to fall woefully short the following year. I think these guys have had their shot at glory, and now we are going to see them go from an all-out juggernaut to simply a contender, then after a few more seasons just middle of the pack once again as their team is broken up for more lucrative pastures elsewhere or retirement.
Again, I’m sure most people will think I’m nuts, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see this all happen. This particular group of Pats players has seen its best days as a team.
Steelerbro
holy balls, this should be its own column…extremely long response below, but it’s entertaining, trust me.
I was hesitant in my initial response because I wanted to wait until the Patriots decided to do something funny, like…oh, I dunno…offer former Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas a contract. Since they’ve now done that, I think it’s safe to say they’re officially reaching.
Did they reach with Seau? Yes. He provided a fair amount of success there. But since Seau is now 68 years old, and Bruschi will be 51 by the start of training camp, bringing in the 45 year old Thomas - who’s as one-dimensional a defender as Seau and Bruschi - is both very fitting and very puzzling.
Fitting, because they can get a hard-nosed tackler who’s played on a bad team pretty much his entire career. Puzzling, because they have Moss, Stallworth and Samuel to sign, the No. 7 pick in the draft to dole out a few million in signing bonus, and every other retolling maneuver they usually have the salary cap room to make.
“Retooling, that’s a great excuse! Retooling…I’LL RETOOL YOU!”
-Frank Shirley
The reason the Pats have been able to stay among the elite is because of: A. their ability to find starters on the second day of the draft. B. their ability to wisely let pricy veterans go. and C. their ability to constantly re-negotiate with QB Tom Brady to free up room under the cap. How many of these things are they going to be able to accomplish this off-season?
Not a chance they’re getting Samuel. He said last year, before they franchised him, he wants to be paid as the highest CB in the game. I’m not entirely sure he’s going to get that, considering how poorly he played in the Super Bowl, but someone will give him a huge deal, and it won’t be a team that finished 18-1 last season (still fun to point that out). I’ll bet Jon Gruden is loving the idea of having that kind of CB talent/savvy bedrock combo down in Tampa…AHEM
I know everyone in Boston fell in love with themselves over the whole Randy Moss Is A Great Guy Now That He’s Here bit, but coming from someone who was around Moss his whole career in Minnesota, the dude’s gonna want to get paid. He’s not going to ask for a five percent raise after breaking Rice’s (12 game) touchdown reception record. He’s gonna ask for a positional record deal, and ya know what? He’s gonna get it (hate to bring this name up again, but Gruden was H-U-G-E on Calvin Johnson before last year’s draft…Moss resides in Florida, and Parcells wouldn’t take him in Miami, partially because he doesn’t want any thugs, and partially because he’s going to sign Keyshawn Johnson).
That’s two key players gone, and I haven’t even gotten to SteelerBro’s wise insight yet.
So the Pats need to re-sign Stallworth then, unless they want to watch what can happen to a dude like Wes Welker if they can’t keep the corners outside the numbers. Otherwise, you’ve got no deep threat, and Tom Brady goes from MVP to Matt Hasselbeck in just a few quick games - good, but not good enough. They aren’t drafting a WR that high, and considering all Belichick has been accused of (and owner Bob Kraft, therefore, GM Scott Pioli right along with them), I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear of unusual silence from the rest of the league when it comes to the Patriots’ inevitable “Hey, I want to trade down” phone calls they make on draft day. They’re drafting at seven, and they hate paying young skill position players. That doesn’t make CB all that attractive either. But back to WR for a second…
Can they even afford Stallworth? While no Moss, he isn’t going to be cheap, either. Since being cut by New Orleans, he played on a one-year deal in Philadelphia, then this past one-year deal in New England. He would truly be one of the stupidest players in the league if he did not demand top 12 WR guaranteed money and a front-loaded deal from someone this off-season (Oh Minnesota…you readin’?). He’s taken the short deal to prove he can play healthy. When he wasn’t healthy in Philly, he was healthy in New England, even if he seemed to disappear and be replaced by The Next Troy Brown in Foxboro (Jabar Gaffney) in the playoffs.
He’s not sticking around Beantown. The Pats are going into next season with Ellis Hobbs and someone at corner, and Wide Running Back Welker and Gaffney as Brady’s targets. Here’s another caveat…while Brady was cruising through the record books with a Sharpie this season, they weren’t real big on getting Maroney the ball much until later in the playoffs. Why? Cuz he’s got injury problems too. So NOW what do the Pats do? They’re down a big part of their passing game, without question their best defensive back, and a shaky runner being the only thing between 18-1 and hearing “starting at tailback for the Patriots, Kevin Faulk!”
Darren McFadden, perhaps? If he lasts to No. 7? Everyone might remember a certain rookie who did pretty well for his first year last season…he was taken No. 7 overall…what was his name? Peterson?