Arlen Specter Not Impressed

We’re getting down to the nitty gritty of Spygate at this point.  While the NFL is ready to close the case, Senator Arlen Specter would like to open a full congressional investigation into the Patriots spy scandal.  Specter is afraid that the NFL is condoning cheating, and that this could lead to some kind of ripple effect in which every child in America will become a cheater and perhaps even a criminal.  Specter has also accused the NFL of trying to protect private interests at the expense of the integrity of the sport.  He then compared the NFL to professional wrestling.

I have long held to the belief that Arlen Specter is on a witch hunt.  This is not some kind of league-wide problem that has been going on for 20 years.  This is not Major League Baseball.  This is one team that got caught doing something that was against the rules.  They were punished, and now we all need to move on. Even Sen. Specter had to acknowledge that he didn’t know if his fellow Congressmen were going to agree with his assessment of the situation. I believe this is very telling.  I hope that we have finally laid Spygate to rest.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 15, 2008 - Post a comment

More on Spygate

As the Patriots continue to attempt to put the whole ordeal of Spygate behind them, the NFL is now apparently following suit. Of course, this won’t stop the media from rehashing every single piece of Spygate until they feel they’ve beaten this dead horse into full submission. This article claims Spygate is far from over, though I question the validity of those lofty claims.

At this point, it seems to me that everyone is waiting for Arlen Specter to come forward and say his piece. If Specter says the Patriots or the NFL will come under even more scrutiny due to all of this, then I suppose Spygate won’t die just yet. However, if Specter decides that he has heard enough and justice has been served, we can finally put this whole disgusting ordeal to rest. If the media will allow it.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 14, 2008 - Post a comment

Goodell Meets With Walsh

Well, I have probably said that the Spygate story was going to finally be behind us about 50 times at this point.  I thought this story would just go away, but over and over, time and again, it has resurfaced with wild new information or allegations.  However, I believe that after this week, one way or another, Spygate can finally be put to rest.  Commissioner Goodell sat down with Matt Walsh for more than three hours today, and while the news conference has yet to occur, one can infer that whether Walsh dropped any new information or not, this will be the final chapter.

It is impossible to know what was said in that room.  However, we do know that Walsh did not turn over the tape of the St. Louis Rams walkthrough as it was being reported he would do.  Now, this means that Walsh would have to deliver some kind of evidence in the meeting that would be damning to the Patriots.  This is highly unlikely.  As such, I would say that it seems as though we have finally heard the last of this story.  However, one cannot make any guarantees to that end, because we have said so many times before that it was finally over, and we’ve been very wrong.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 13, 2008 - Post a comment

New England Tops in Power Rankings

It’s only May, but that hasn’t stopped ESPN.com from releasing their first set of brand new Power Rankings for the 2008 NFL season.  That season may not start for months, but that’s doesn’t mean we can’t all start guessing as to which team has the best chance of making it to the Super Bowl in the new year.  The pundits at ESPN just could not wait to prognosticate, and so now we have this list.  It seems the analysts and experts are still in the midst of their love affair with the New England Patriots, even after the Pats weren’t able to finish last year’s perfect season.

The Pats are at number one, but I’m not sure how much of this rank is accurate.  While you can never count out the Pats, it seems to me that they lost some significant pieces, and it remains to be seen if those pieces have been properly replaced.  Then again, at this point I suppose the experts at ESPN have decided Bill Belichick has earned the benefit of the doubt.  I can’t say that I blame them.  After all those wins and three Super Bowl victories, I don’t think anyone can question the Pats’ ability to reload ever again.  Here’s to another wire-to-wire year at #1.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 12, 2008 - Post a comment

Walsh Tapes Show Offensive Spying

I hope this is my next to last blog about Spygate.  For nearly a year now, I have been reporting on this story.  It seems that any time there is a lull in Patriots news, Spygate once again rears its ugly head (funny how that works out).  However, with the turning over the Matt Walsh tapes, I believe now - one way or another - that this issue has finally be laid to rest.  According to reports out of ESPN.com, the tapes turned over by Walsh contained footage of offensive signals as well as defensive signals.  This could potentially be a problem.

However, it seems that many experts now believe this issue will be put to rest.  Hashmarks has a great breakdown of the whole situation right here.   I won’t just take the whole thing, but I will give my take on it.  While it’s possible the league may levy one more punishment for the stealing of offensive signals, I still expect Spygate to go away quickly now.  It’s been a black eye on the league for nearly a year, and at this point even Senator Specter must believe that justice has been served.  It’s time to let sleeping dogs lie.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 9, 2008 - Post a comment

Walsh Sends Tapes to NFL

Spygate added yet another chapter to its history this week as ex-Patriots employee Matt Walsh turned over eight tapes in his possession to the NFL.  Of those eight tapes, according to the report, not one of them contains any video of the St. Louis Rams walk-through practice prior to their Super Bowl versus the Pats.  The eight tapes contain video of the Pats recording the signals of many opposing teams, but nothing more.  The Patriots were already heavily fined and punished for the taping of the opposing teams’ signals.  No word yet on whether any more punishment will be handed down.

I am not an insider in this situation, so I can’t speak as to whether or not the Pats will face any more penalties over Spygate.  However, the Patriots have been extremely forthright and contrite about their situation as it pertained to taping signals.  Had they been taping practices, that would have been a horse of a different color.  But the Pats were only doing what they were already caught doing, as as such I don’t expect that anymore severe punishments will be handed down.  However, that’s for the commissioner to decide, at the end of the day.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2008 - Post a comment

The Cornerback No One is Talking About

Fernando Bryant is ready to make a big impact on the New England Patriots secondary.  If you’re reading that last sentence and thinking, “Who the heck is Fernando Bryant?” then you are not alone.  I too read that sentence and thought to myself, “I’ve never even heard of this guy.”  However, this veteran has been toiling away in Detroit as of late, and we all know how lauded their defense has been in the past few years.  However, Bryant is not to be judged by the company he kept the past few years.  He is a very experience corner who will help the Pats immensely.

Bryant has had issue with injuries in his career, but has still been a reliable starter.  He’s not an interception machine, but that’s not what Bill Belichick will need or want from him.  All Belichick needs are veteran players who can keep the other team honest.  Bryant will fill that role nicely.  He has a great instinct and he can get physical with people.  He will likely be a player the Pats hang on to, and he may even become one of those veterans who experiences a career resurgence in Belichick’s system.  It all depends on how how hard Bryant is willing to work.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 7, 2008 - Post a comment

Terrence Wheatley is a Weather Nerd

With rookie camp having come and gone already, if you blinked you might have missed the new players coming in and smashing themselves up with an excitement and energy you just don’t get at any other preseason workout.  The rookies are all so full of life and promise and potential.  Every one of them is staring their future in the face.  Some of them are still struggling to achieve their dream of actually making an NFL roster.  Some of them are all but assured of their spot.  Terrence Wheatley, the Patriots’ second-round draft choice, is one of those latter types of players.

So, given that Wheatley is expected to be around awhile, let’s get to know him a bit.  It turns out Wheatley is a self-professed weather nerd.  He is only a couple of credits from finishing his economics degree, but his true passion (outside of football) lies in the atmospheric sciences.  Wheatley has been into weather since he was only a boy and wants to someday study long-term weather patterns.  This is just the type of cerebral, intelligent player that Bill Belichick loves to have on his team, and it is no accident that Wheatley is now a Patriot.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 6, 2008 - Post a comment

Tom Brady Shows Up at Rookie Mini-Camp

The New England Patriots held their rookie mini-camp this past weekend, and by all accounts it was certainly a success.  The rookie mini-camps signals a return to form for the Patriots.  It begins their post-draft workout routine and gives rookies their first taste of what life as a Patriot is all about.  Those rookies were the beneficiaries of a special visit this weekend when Tom Brady stopped by to work out and address each and every rookie, giving anyone who would listen his advice about NFL conditioning and practice, before taking off for the day.

This is what makes the New England Patriots special.  While Tom Brady is much-maligned for his famous girlfriends and his ability to attract the paparazzi from time to time, the man is clearly dedicated to his job as the quarterback of the Pats.  With three Super Bowls to his credit, I don’t believe anyone would take that away from him.  And yet, at times we forget that Brady is still a leader, still committed to his role as the man who sets the bar on the team.  He didn’t have to show up for rookie camp, but he did.  And that is something these rookies will never forget.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 5, 2008 - Post a comment

Getting to Know Jerrod Mayo

I wrote this week that the Patriots fans are extremely lucky.  While many of the fans in the NFL universe are at this very moment cursing the names of various general managers, presidents of football operations and coaches in their respective cities, Patriots fans can simply sit back and trust that their team had a good draft.  It doesn’t even matter if you see it on paper right now.  The Patriots always have good drafts.  They always make good picks, and they never make mistakes.  Very few fan bases in this country have that luxury.

In that vein, I have this article here about Jerrod Mayo’s introduction to the Patriots.  It’s a lighthearted article that reflects the mood of Patriots fans at the moment.  Why should we worry if Mayo can get the job done on the field?  Of course he can.  Belichick picked him, didn’t he?  That fact in and of itself should be enough to prove to everyone that Mayo is going to work with the Pats.  So let’s just go forward and find out what kind of kid he is.  What kind of suits is he wearing?  Will he ask Tom Brady to hook him up with Adriana Lima? These are the issues Pats fans are worried about.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on May 2, 2008 - Post a comment


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