Easterbrook on CameraGate (1 Viewer)

[BeachBums]

More irrational hyperbolic rants from ANOTHER paranoid Patriot hater? Sheesh! When is the left wing sports media conspiracy going to realize that cheating really isn't that big a deal?

Link

The situation with the National Football League is a lot worse than people realize, and the only one who seems to grasp this fully is commissioner Roger Goodell. You don't issue emergency orders backed by threats on Sunday morning of a game day, as Goodell just did regarding the New England Patriots' files of cheating information, unless the situation is a lot worse than people realize.

Why is the situation worse than people think? Because the NFL is on the precipice of blowing its status as the country's favorite sport. The whole NFL enterprise is in jeopardy from that single word: cheating. It's the most distasteful word in sports. And now the Patriots have brought the word into the NFL.

Think the NFL can't decline? Fifteen years ago, the National Basketball Association was going up, up, up by every measure and was widely considered the gold-plated can't-miss "sport of the next century." Since then, NBA popularity and ratings have plummeted while NBA-based teams have floundered in international competition. At the moment of its maximum success, the NBA became overconfident and arrogant in ways that need not be recounted here. Key point: There was no law of nature that said the NBA had to stay popular, and it did not.

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First we learn that the Patriots were cheating by using video equipment to steal signs, in blatant violation of league rules. Then we learn that even after the scandal broke and Bill Belichick issued his Nixonian stonewalling statement, the Patriots were still keeping sign-stealing videotapes and notes from past games. Surrender of the tapes and notes was the subject of Goodell's emergency order, first reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Sunday night on NBC's "Football Night in America," Goodell threatened more punishment of the Patriots if all cheating materials aren't surrendered, and repeatedly declared it was imperative that NFL games be fair and equal competition. That's exactly the crux of the threat Belichick has created to the league's golden goose.

Consider the Sunday night contest. New England had played San Diego just four games back, in the January 2007 postseason. Perhaps Belichick's cameraman was illegally taping the Chargers that day, and perhaps Belichick illegally used the information against the Chargers on Sunday night. The San Diego coaching staff has changed since the playoff game, so presumably its defensive calls are different. But San Diego's new defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell, was defensive coordinator for the Bills and Jets, both AFC East teams, in the Belichick period. Perhaps Belichick has spied on Cottrell's calls before and took out the tapes of the spying rather than handing them over as Goodell demanded. Was New England cheating again Sunday night, when the Patriots advanced the ball with such ease it seemed they knew what defense San Diego would be in?

And the Patriots' cheating might have been more extensive than so far confirmed. Fox Sports reported that former NFL players believe Belichick had microphones installed in the shoulder pads of defensive linemen so the Patriots could tape other teams' offensive audibles and line calls. Needless to say, putting microphones on players violates NFL rules. Andrea Kremer of NBC reported that several teams might charge the Patriots this week with having stolen playbooks from the visitors' dressing room. The convenient "malfunction" of visiting teams' headphones at the Patriots' two fields under Belichick seems to have happened far too often to be an IT department error. The rumor mill says Belichick, Richard Nixon-style, has file cabinets of info on opposing coaches and assistant coaches – some gleaned honestly, some obtained by cheating.

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What else is there about New England cheating that the team or league isn't telling us? Are the Patriots one bad apple, or is cheating common in the league? Worst, did the Patriots cheat in their Super Bowl wins? If New England was cheating in the Super Bowl, this will become the darkest sports scandal since Shoeless Joe and the Black Sox. If you don't think Goodell and all owners, including Robert Kraft of New England, are in abject terror of any possible disclosure that the Patriots were cheating in the Super Bowl, perhaps you just don't understand the situation.

The weasel wording of Belichick's Nixonian statement shows the New England coach full of contempt for the NFL fans, and the NFL enterprise, that made him a wealthy celebrity. Belichick declared that his super-elaborate cheating system was only a "mistake" caused by his "interpretation" of the league's rule. Wait, "interpretation"? The NFL rule bans teams from filming each other's sidelines. There's no room for interpretation, it's a ban! Here's the NFL policy, from a memo sent to all head coaches and general managers Sept. 6, 2006: "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." Prohibited. There's nothing there to "interpret." Videotaping opponent's signals even after getting this warning isn't a "mistake," it's cheating. Belichick's cheating was not some casual spur-of-the-moment blunder but rather an elaborate staffed system that took a lot of work to put into place and that Belichick worked hard to hide. And you don't hide something unless you are ashamed of it.

Will Belichick even be in coaching by season's end? When the Vick dogfighting scandal first broke, most football pundits, and most in the Atlanta and league offices, thought there would be few repercussions. Then they thought Vick would have to make some kind of apology. Then they thought he'd need some leave of absence. Then they thought he'd be suspended for a year. Now they wonder whether he'll ever be allowed to play again. By acting Nixonian, Belichick is accelerating his fall from grace. Today, Belichick and New England are trying to pretend the scandal is over. It would not surprise me in the slightest if, before the season ends, Belichick resigns, or is suspended, or is fired by Kraft, or even is permanently barred from the league. Belichick's head might be necessary to preserve the integrity of the game. Surprisingly soon, sacrificing Belichick to save professional football might seem an attractive option, even to Kraft. Remember, there is no law of nature that says the NFL must remain popular.

 

[AB in DC]

Someone desperately needs a Valium. I haven't seen so much melodrama since, well, the last time I watched ESPN.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I don't have much comment on this specific article, but note that Easterbrook is easily my favorite football columnist over the past 4 years or so. Annyoing at times to be sure, but he is consistently entertaining and informative and writes on a level that far exceeds anyone else I've found on the internet or elsewhere.

 

[turleyfan]

Writers aren't paid for underreacting. And Easterbrook is more excitable than most.

 

[majarrek]

There's more here and Easterbrook is a genius for going against what the majority of other people think that this scandal is over. The league never addressed the second audio allegation in their penalty, leaving me to think either a) Goodell is going to try to hide this with Bellicheck to preserve the appearance of the league (he'll say he reviewed the tapes and still stands by his penalty, case closed), or b) he'll administer a suspension to Bellicheck. Bellicheck took cheating to a higher level than ever before, and if it turns out he used this technology to assist him in winning Superbowls, this could really damage the last 5 years or so of the NFL...The real question is whether Goodell has the balls to treat this coach the same as he has other players. My guess is no...

 

[Chase Stuart]

I don't have much comment on this specific article, but note that Easterbrook is easily my favorite football columnist over the past 4 years or so. Annyoing at times to be sure, but he is consistently entertaining and informative and writes on a level that far exceeds anyone else I've found on the internet or elsewhere.

I'm sure you know who his brother is.Yes, he's a terrific writer, and I read him religiously. But like I read Bill Simmons, it's for entertainment, not NFL knowledge. Both are riddled with hypocritical and nonsensical remarks, except one is just a really good writer.

 

[GroveDiesel]

I don't have much comment on this specific article, but note that Easterbrook is easily my favorite football columnist over the past 4 years or so. Annyoing at times to be sure, but he is consistently entertaining and informative and writes on a level that far exceeds anyone else I've found on the internet or elsewhere.

I'm sure you know who his brother is.Yes, he's a terrific writer, and I read him religiously. But like I read Bill Simmons, it's for entertainment, not NFL knowledge. Both are riddled with hypocritical and nonsensical remarks, except one is just a really good writer.

I agree with everything here. I love TMQ, but some of his stuff is just plain ridiculous. He definitely goes WAY too far on this one.Although, in this column I took way more offense to his criticism of Lee Evans. He claims that Evans was "pointing at a player and dancing" when called for his first UC penalty. It wasn't even close to that and it was a ridiculous penalty. I've seen several times where he apparently didn't even watch part of a game because he'll make comments that don't even make sense if you actually watched what happened.

 

[Workhorse]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".

'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype.



His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

 

[AB in DC]

I don't have much comment on this specific article, but note that Easterbrook is easily my favorite football columnist over the past 4 years or so. Annyoing at times to be sure, but he is consistently entertaining and informative and writes on a level that far exceeds anyone else I've found on the internet or elsewhere.

I'm sure you know who his brother is.Yes, he's a terrific writer, and I read him religiously. But like I read Bill Simmons, it's for entertainment, not NFL knowledge. Both are riddled with hypocritical and nonsensical remarks, except one is just a really good writer.

If you think that he's a terrific writer, take a look at some of the threads on FootballOutsiders when they link to his articles -- people are catching a surprising number of factual errors and arguments that are intellectually disingenuous, if not dishonest..

 

[Chase Stuart]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype. His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

I did not know that. Wouldn't surprise me one bit since he's entirely hypocritical. Very interesting point.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I don't have much comment on this specific article, but note that Easterbrook is easily my favorite football columnist over the past 4 years or so. Annyoing at times to be sure, but he is consistently entertaining and informative and writes on a level that far exceeds anyone else I've found on the internet or elsewhere.

I'm sure you know who his brother is.Yes, he's a terrific writer, and I read him religiously. But like I read Bill Simmons, it's for entertainment, not NFL knowledge. Both are riddled with hypocritical and nonsensical remarks, except one is just a really good writer.

If you think that he's a terrific writer, take a look at some of the threads on FootballOutsiders when they link to his articles -- people are catching a surprising number of factual errors and arguments that are intellectually disingenuous, if not dishonest..

You don't think he's a terrific writer?Like I said, I think his NFL knowledge stinks and he makes tons of bad comments and factual errors. But as a writer, I think he's top notch.

 

[Workhorse]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype. His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

I did not know that. Wouldn't surprise me one bit since he's entirely hypocritical. Very interesting point.

I've thought about writing him an email about it, Chase. He draws a parallel to Nixon with Belichick-gate but much of the current NFL furor seems eerily reminiscent of his OWN controversy: The editors of The New Republic pored over all Easterbrooks old columns looking for any other hints of anti-semitism, writers and bloggers from all over the country piled on Easterbrook for his egregious error, people rushed to judgement, etc... Unintended irony is the most interesting kind.

 

[AB in DC]

I guess we have different definitions of "terrific writer".

 

[Chase Stuart]

I guess we have different definitions of "terrific writer".

Fair enough. I'm not saying he's Shakespeare, but I enjoy reading his work more than almost every other sports columnist. Just my

 

[BeachBums]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype. His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

I didn't know anything about this, but in terms of the weasel apology, just because he's a hypocrite and has done the same thing himself, doesn't mean it isn't also true about Belichick.

 

[The Man Who Met Andy Griffith]

I don't have much comment on this specific article, but note that Easterbrook is easily my favorite football columnist over the past 4 years or so. Annyoing at times to be sure, but he is consistently entertaining and informative and writes on a level that far exceeds anyone else I've found on the internet or elsewhere.

I could not possibly disagree more. He feigns at insight and humor without achieving either.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

Taking snippets from various camera gate threads over the past few days, first we hear that Adam Schefter is an "amazing reporter", then we hear that Greg Easterbrook is a "genious".

What's next, Peter King has evolved into pure energy?

 

[BeachBums]

Taking snippets from various camera gate threads over the past few days, first we hear that Adam Schefter is an "amazing reporter", then we hear that Greg Easterbrook is a "genious".What's next, Peter King has evolved into pure energy?

Who said Easterbrook was a genius?

 

[TD Ryan]

never before have I read such beautifully flowing hyperbole.

but, we're reading him and talking about him, so he's clearly doing his job well.

See, the truth and impact of this whole incident rests somewhere between what the pile-on haters and the head-in-the-sand homers say/type.

At this point, I'm really unsure whether the internet has helped juice-up the NFL rivalries and knowledge of the game or reduced fandom to a pitiful existence of name calling, finger pointing, and whining.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".

'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype.



His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

I remember the incident and recall thinking that his apology was completely sincere, humble and that he took full responsibility.http://www.tnr.com/easterbrook.mhtml?pid=868

 

[Workhorse]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".

'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype.



His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

I remember the incident and recall thinking that his apology was completely sincere, humble and that he took full responsibility.http://www.tnr.com/easterbrook.mhtml?pid=868

Bill Belichick:"I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight's ruling."

As for Easterbrooks apology, we'll agree to disagree. To me, the "apology" was more along the lines of "sorry you misinterpreted my sloppy writing" than "I'm really sorry and made a HUGE mistake" - In a lot of ways, its similar to Belichick's apology.

Apropos of nothing, as a Jew, I found particularly galling the last paragraph talking about his dual faith church. It smacked of "some of my best friends are __________"...

 

[CletiusMaximus]

"What I wrote here was simply wrong, and for being wrong, I apologize."

 

[Ike Turner]

I guess we have different definitions of "terrific writer".

Patriot fan?

 

[Workhorse]

He also says in his "apology" that the religious faith of Eisner and Weinstein was fair game in the context of that discussion. To me, that doesn't show much contrition at all. In fact, he didn't learn anything at all from the criticism for the original piece.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I find it fascinating that Easterbrook takes Belichick to task for his "weasel wording statement".'Ole Greggie Boy got FIRED from ESPN for castigating Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner for being "Jewish executives [who] worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence" by producing Kill Bill. In his weasel wording apology, schmucko apologized for "being misunderstood" and "poor wording" instead of admitting that he perpetuated an antisemitic stereotype. His points about Belichick and the cheating scandal are more correct than incorrect, but maybe Easterbrook should have refrained from going down that particular road in his piece, given his own past transgressions.

I didn't know anything about this, but in terms of the weasel apology, just because he's a hypocrite and has done the same thing himself, doesn't mean it isn't also true about Belichick.

I see people still don't understand what an ad hominem argument is or why it's illegitimate.Full disclosure: I stopped reading TMQ several years ago because Easterbrook's schtick got old for me. But that's immaterial. It wouldn't matter if Easterbrook were the Grand Wizard of his local KKK chapter. His interpretation of the Belichick scandal is either warranted or it isn't. His own personal background doesn't matter.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

Taking snippets from various camera gate threads over the past few days, first we hear that Adam Schefter is an "amazing reporter", then we hear that Greg Easterbrook is a "genius".

What's next, Peter King has evolved into pure energy?

Who said Easterbrook was a genius?

There's more here and Easterbrook is a genius for going against what the majority of other people think that this scandal is over. The league never addressed the second audio allegation in their penalty, leaving me to think either a) Goodell is going to try to hide this with Bellicheck to preserve the appearance of the league (he'll say he reviewed the tapes and still stands by his penalty, case closed), or b) he'll administer a suspension to Bellicheck. Bellicheck took cheating to a higher level than ever before, and if it turns out he used this technology to assist him in winning Superbowls, this could really damage the last 5 years or so of the NFL...The real question is whether Goodell has the balls to treat this coach the same as he has other players. My guess is no...

Amazingly, going against the majority of what other people think transforms someone into a genius. Color me "wicked smaht".

 

[CowboyFan]

I see people still don't understand what an ad hominem argument is or why it's illegitimate.

Surely you jest, it seems to be the prevalent method of political discourse on TV & radio, thus it must be legitimate.What's next? Accuse our media of not doing real journalism. Enough of this crazy talk.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Taking snippets from various camera gate threads over the past few days, first we hear that Adam Schefter is an "amazing reporter", then we hear that Greg Easterbrook is a "genious".What's next, Peter King has evolved into pure energy?

Given his apparent mass, that's a lot of friggin energy!

 

[BeachBums]

Taking snippets from various camera gate threads over the past few days, first we hear that Adam Schefter is an "amazing reporter", then we hear that Greg Easterbrook is a "genius".

What's next, Peter King has evolved into pure energy?

Who said Easterbrook was a genius?

There's more here and Easterbrook is a genius for going against what the majority of other people think that this scandal is over. The league never addressed the second audio allegation in their penalty, leaving me to think either a) Goodell is going to try to hide this with Bellicheck to preserve the appearance of the league (he'll say he reviewed the tapes and still stands by his penalty, case closed), or b) he'll administer a suspension to Bellicheck. Bellicheck took cheating to a higher level than ever before, and if it turns out he used this technology to assist him in winning Superbowls, this could really damage the last 5 years or so of the NFL...The real question is whether Goodell has the balls to treat this coach the same as he has other players. My guess is no...

Amazingly, going against the majority of what other people think transforms someone into a genius. Color me "wicked smaht".

Missed that, thanks. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that most thoughtful people feel there's more to this than a single incident of taping signals. I don't think Easterbrook is a genius nor do I think he's necessarily going against the grain with his column. There's blood in the water and lots of people are writing/talking about it. I can understand the defensiveness of Patriots fans - if this were my team I'd be defensive too - but the column brings up in fairly well-reasoned arguments the potential for harm that this could do to a game/business/profession I think it's safe to assume everyone in this forum is rather fond of.I heard a reporter from the Pittsburgh area on Sirius NFL on Saturday - I don't recall his name - who votes for the Hall of Fame who said he would never vote for Belicick after this. Yes, it's one guy from a AFC East rival city. But I think it's fairly safe (OK, maybe not here) to say that 1) Belichik's reputation and legacy - and by association many Patriots' players, esp. Tom Brady - is severely compromised by this, 2) there are questions in the minds of some (many?) people about the legitimacy of the Patriots Super Bowl wins (asterisks), and 3) if the NFL determines in it's investigation that there was more to this than what has already been determined, Belechik will likely be at least suspended.

 

[The Jerk]

I heard a reporter from the Pittsburgh area on Sirius NFL on Saturday - I don't recall his name - who votes for the Hall of Fame who said he would never vote for Belicick after this. Yes, it's one guy from a AFC East rival city. But I think it's fairly safe (OK, maybe not here) to say that 1) Belichik's reputation and legacy - and by association many Patriots' players, esp. Tom Brady - is severely compromised by this, 2) there are questions in the minds of some (many?) people about the legitimacy of the Patriots Super Bowl wins (asterisks), and 3) if the NFL determines in it's investigation that there was more to this than what has already been determined, Belechik will likely be at least suspended.

The reporter's name is Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Link to Companion ArticleI don't know that any team beat writer can be completely objective, and Bouchette is no exception, but he's not anywhere near a blatant either. I remember being surprised by how strongly worded his opinion was on this issue. He's not usually quite as vocal or quick to overhype stories, even when they are of national interest.

 

[BeachBums]

I heard a reporter from the Pittsburgh area on Sirius NFL on Saturday - I don't recall his name - who votes for the Hall of Fame who said he would never vote for Belicick after this. Yes, it's one guy from a AFC East rival city. But I think it's fairly safe (OK, maybe not here) to say that 1) Belichik's reputation and legacy - and by association many Patriots' players, esp. Tom Brady - is severely compromised by this, 2) there are questions in the minds of some (many?) people about the legitimacy of the Patriots Super Bowl wins (asterisks), and 3) if the NFL determines in it's investigation that there was more to this than what has already been determined, Belechik will likely be at least suspended.

The reporter's name is Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Link to Companion ArticleI don't know that any team beat writer can be completely objective, and Bouchette is no exception, but he's not anywhere near a blatant either. I remember being surprised by how strongly worded his opinion was on this issue. He's not usually quite as vocal or quick to overhype stories, even when they are of national interest.

Good read. Thanks.