Friday, September 14, 2007
Excessive
That's how I'd describe the NFL's punishment of Bill Belichick and the Pats -- the maximum fine and probably the first-ever loss of a first-round draft pick. Does this incident really rise to that level? ... Still, the Pats clearly broke a very clear rule:
Well, at least we have another Mark 'Snow Plow' Henderson-like moment to chuckle about for years to come. ... BTW: The more I think about it, the more I'd like to see the NFL ban on-field quarterback headsets. Tough luck if coach-to-quarterback communications are sometimes screwed up. Some quarterbacks might have to think on their feet for a change. ... Forget about banning coach headsets. They're a status symbol and too much part of football tradition. ... Belichick's real stinker move: using a young kid to do the dirty work. ...
Update -- Under the slug 'Bill Belichick - Master Motivator?', Reader No. 1 writes in:
Update II - Reader No. 1 write in again: "Don't just get rid of the QB headsets, make 'em wear leather helmets!"
That's how I'd describe the NFL's punishment of Bill Belichick and the Pats -- the maximum fine and probably the first-ever loss of a first-round draft pick. Does this incident really rise to that level? ... Still, the Pats clearly broke a very clear rule:
Any use by any club at any time, from the start to the finish of any game in which such club is a participant, of any communications or information-gathering equipment, other than Polaroid-type cameras or field telephones, shall be prohibited, including without limitation videotape machines, telephone tapping, or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic devices that might aid a team during the playing of a game.
Well, at least we have another Mark 'Snow Plow' Henderson-like moment to chuckle about for years to come. ... BTW: The more I think about it, the more I'd like to see the NFL ban on-field quarterback headsets. Tough luck if coach-to-quarterback communications are sometimes screwed up. Some quarterbacks might have to think on their feet for a change. ... Forget about banning coach headsets. They're a status symbol and too much part of football tradition. ... Belichick's real stinker move: using a young kid to do the dirty work. ...
Update -- Under the slug 'Bill Belichick - Master Motivator?', Reader No. 1 writes in:
Conversation at home last night:
- If you were the Patriots, wouldn't you be mad at the coach?
- No, I would be mad at the people saying I had to cheat to win. And I would want to show the rest of the world that I don't need a video camera to win the Super Bowl.
Is $750k and a #1 pick too high a price to win a Super Bowl? (Maybe if no one outside of Foxboro is rooting for you, there's the rub for ownership.)
This story has interesting allegations. If only Will Mcdonough were here to remember the good old days, when teams just let a little air out of the ball...
Remember how upset we were about those ping pong balls at the end of June?
Update II - Reader No. 1 write in again: "Don't just get rid of the QB headsets, make 'em wear leather helmets!"
