Houston's Antonio Smith Implies Patriots Spying Again (1 Viewer)

[just_want_2_win]

The Houston Texans' defense played great in the first half Sunday, holding the New England Patriots to seven points. Their defensive dominance didn't last long; Pats quarterback Tom Brady led his team to 27 points after halftime.


The collapse by Houston has defensive end Antonio Smith looking for wacky answers.

"Either teams are spying on us or scouting us," Smith told a group of reporters, via ESPN's Tania Ganguli.

Smith's evidence: The Texans introduced some new concepts in their defense this week, and the Patriots (gasp!) adjusted to them. It was the second consecutive comeback win by New England.

"I'm very suspicious," Smith said. "I just think it will be a big coincidence if that just happened by chance. I don't know for sure, but I just know it was something that we practiced this week."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000291116/article/houston-texans-antonio-smith-suspicious-of-patriots

 

[Ghost Rider]

As someone who is anything but a Patriots fan, this is stupid. Yeah, it's hard to imagine how a Patriots team that is really good every year could find a way to beat a 2-10 team.

Total non-story.

 

[Mookie]

Nothing would shock me, and I'm sure the Pats are "scouting" opponents using their own gray interpretation of NFL rules.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Sounds like Bellichick has some NFLers pretty pysched out.

Great coaching happens at halftime; it's possible Smith just hasn't seen that in his own locker room so he wouldn't know.

 

[kyoun1e]

If they did I wonder why the pats failed to hatch their cheat plan until the 2nd half?

And focused just on offense and not improving the defense that gave up 31 points?

Stupid.

Anybody on a 2 win team should be pointing figures at themselves first.

Pathetic.

 

[LittlePhatty]

Play the meta game. Teams should develop two different defensive plans against the Pats. Different schemes for the first and second halves.

 

[Houston turmOiler]

Antonio should just hush. Its really not hard to imagine Belichek outsmarting Kubiak and Phillips without any help.

The Texans routinely get outcoached, especially after halftime.

 

[jsharlan]

He just doesn't want to point any fingers at the coaching staff that is going to be fired in a month.

 

[lod01]

Antonio should just hush. Its really not hard to imagine Belichek outsmarting Kubiak and Phillips without any help.

The Texans routinely get outcoached, especially after halftime.

I can see Kubiak at the half. Ok guys, we just need a couple more FGs and we got this wrapped up. Lets get back out there.

 

[bostonfred]

This game should have been a blowout. The Patriots needed a win to keep pace in the AFC. The Texans needed a loss to keep pace for a top draft pick. But there are two people who don't want the Texans to get a top draft pick - their current quarterback, who would be supplanted by the one they draft, and the head coach, who is hoping he won't be fired. Ben Tate is playing for a contract this offseason. You can expect all of those guys to do their best to keep them in games. I don't think the Texans are as bad as they look - they just don't give a ####.

But players have egos, and they want to show they can play with a top team. Especially the Patriots, who walloped them last year. There were a bunch of guys who wanted this win badly, and they almost got it, before losing in frustrating fashion yet again. It's no surprise that tempers flared after the game, and it's no surprise that one of the players lashed out with a classless move like this as a result of that frustration.

 

[Banger]

an investigation should be opened immediately. There's no way the Pats could have won this game without cheating.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

pats dropped 42 on them last year, so it looks like the new defensive wrinkles at least slowed brady down a little

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

 

[Flying Elvis]

The best part of the article was omitted from the OP:

"Smith's words sound more like an indictment of the Texans' coaching staff. Smith is apparently so unfamiliar with effective mid-game adjustments that he can't understand how the Patriots changed strategy on the fly."

 

[TheFanatic]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

 

[Jewell]

he really comes across as an idiot.

It's tough to argue with your conclusion about Smith. Was it Smith's deep thoughts or his graceful articulation that led to your conclusion?"We'd not ever did it before, and they never changed like that before. It just let me know that something wasnt right."

"Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are among the best at their craft because they work so hard at their craft. But you have to be a descendent of Tones-tradamus to know what we put in this week to be able to change that fast. I got the only crystal ball in existence. I dont know what it is. Either teams are spying on us or somethings going on."

"You can't never be for sure on anything because I ain't over there in their huddle, in their locker room, but it just felt like it."

http://mweb.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24310842/texans-antonio-smith-very-suspicious-patriots-o-able-to-adjust

 

[Shawn]

This is definitely shark pool worthy.....

 

[PatsFanCT]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

 

[TheFanatic]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

 

[Anarchy99]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81ac208d/article/an-edge-through-espionage-more-common-than-you-think

 

[PatsFanCT]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

Odd, because the original reports, back in 2002, was that the Patriots staff thought they were being syied on from the hotel window.

 

[Gr00vus]

It's no surprise that tempers flared after the game, and it's no surprise that one of the players lashed out with a classless move like this as a result of that frustration.

Yes, the classy thing to do would have been to direct a pre-schooler style hissy fit tantrum at the refs as they're trying to leave the field.

 

[PatsFanCT]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

I guess were refering to two different things. You're right, Martz had the wall put up for all his practices,

 

[Casting Couch]

Sounds like Bellichick has some NFLers pretty pysched out.

Great coaching happens at halftime; it's possible Smith just hasn't seen that in his own locker room so he wouldn't know.

brilliant.

 

[GregR]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81ac208d/article/an-edge-through-espionage-more-common-than-you-think

That's a great read, had a few things in there I hadn't heard before.

One of my favorites is a bit more blatant. Barry Warner is a local radio guy who used to work for Al Davis back in the day. He would go hang out with elite college players and find out, amongst other things, what the NFL was offering them so the AFL could out bid them.

One of my favorite stories he has of Al Davis was from back when Davis was an assistant coach. After a game, he put on street clothes and pretending to be someone from the media, went into one of the press conferences of a player or coach from the other team and got them to answer questions about what kind of reads they were keying off from his team.

As far as Antonio Smith goes, it's like I said in the other thread on this... the guy is like a professional wrestler when he speaks. You take a lot of what he says with a big grain of salt. He likes to hear his own voice. Nothing to see, the media is just running this for page hits.

 

[TheFanatic]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

I guess were refering to two different things. You're right, Martz had the wall put up for all his practices,

I guess, Not sure what you were referring to. Did the Patriots think someone was spying on them?

 

[PatsFanCT]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

I guess were refering to two different things. You're right, Martz had the wall put up for all his practices,

I guess, Not sure what you were referring to. Did the Patriots think someone was spying on them?

I was referring to this.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/who-was-spying-the-patriots/6412/

 

[ImTheScientist]

cheaters.

 

[TheFanatic]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

I guess were refering to two different things. You're right, Martz had the wall put up for all his practices,

I guess, Not sure what you were referring to. Did the Patriots think someone was spying on them?

I was referring to this.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/who-was-spying-the-patriots/6412/

First I'd heard of that...

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

cheaters.

aren't you the seattle fan......?

 

[Slapdash]

Tough argument to make since Houston was at home for the game, he really comes across as an idiot.

I'm not so sure. When Mike Martz coached the Rams, he wanted a berm or wall or something put up on one side of the practice facility that faced a hotel. He was worried that other teams would send scouts to the hotel and set up cameras at the window to watch practice. That's not very hard to get up and running. The potential pay off is huge.

Link?

Link to what exactly? It being reported in the local media that Martz wanted to shield the field from the hotel or a link to it not being hard to get a program up and running to spy on other teams? If it;s the former, then you'll just have to trust me as I'm not digging for a 10 year old sound byte or quote. If that's not enough for you, well, then I don't really care. Take it for what it's worth from a Rams homer. I can understand why you would want more considering the allegiance you have as a fan and their knack for cheating. But I don't have it. On a side note, I do not believe that the Patriots cheated this time. I just don't think it's impossible to observe practice simply because the team practiced in another city.

Odd, because the original reports, back in 2002, was that the Patriots staff thought they were being syied on from the hotel window.

Just like a cheating wife is always paranoid the husband is unfaithful.

 

[lbouchard]

Already backing off his comments, saying he was joking around. What a moron.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Who were the other 11 teams that spied on them?