Saint's Do The Patriots One Better (1 Viewer)

[Doug B]

A bunch of people saying boo-hoo and wanting to beat the crap out of someone.

Come now -- there are a good amount of informational posts, too. Don't cherrypick the moron views and bring those back here as representative of the whole.The thread I originally linked to offfered a good synopsis of Barr's Tuesday morning interview with Mike & Mike. That's all anyone was supposed to get out of that link. Figured truly stupid "beat 'em up" type posts would be ignored and excused.

 

[Gadabout]

I'm just ready for some football.

 

[PatsFanCT]

What's with all the crazy 1st half vs 2nd half, this year, that year nonsense? That's a whole lotta worthless research. Who really cares? They eavesdropped, they didn't. Does it really even matter?

Seems much ado about nothing to me.

 

[DropKick]

What's with all the crazy 1st half vs 2nd half, this year, that year nonsense? That's a whole lotta worthless research. Who really cares? They eavesdropped, they didn't. Does it really even matter?Seems much ado about nothing to me.

Morons who calculate a couple of averages and suggest that it is "statistical proof" of some wrong doing.

 

[heidbrink]

What's with all the crazy 1st half vs 2nd half, this year, that year nonsense? That's a whole lotta worthless research. Who really cares? They eavesdropped, they didn't. Does it really even matter?Seems much ado about nothing to me.

Morons who calculate a couple of averages and suggest that it is "statistical proof" of some wrong doing.

Please, lets’ not call names here. I understand emotions are high when someone accuses you/your family/your team of some wrong doing but I would imagine if the numbers the poster found indicated the opposite of what it seems to that you'd not be calling names. I think the poster was just digging in and found some curious results. He didn't seem at all hateful to me but rather just a scientific/numbers kind of guy. I really have no dog in the fight and I am not accusing anybody of anything but also thought the numbers were pretty interesting. Even if there isn't anything to the wire tapping allegations, everybody loves a conspiracy theory. Let's just wait and see how this plays out. It sounds like it's something that will be hard to prove so conspiracy theories are going to be a reaction probably for some time to come. Its natural to ask the question: Was there any measureable advantage? Perhap the "the numbers" don't prove anything was amiss, it's one of those things that just makes you go hmmmm.Unfortunatly it's near impossible to prove a negative.Try not to take it so personally. I think the best defense is just to ignore it. Someone on ESPN today said that the NFL is by and large "a soap opera for men". Time cures all wounds.

 

[ThePittbully]

Lee Zurik identifies Tim Landry as ESPN's source on the Loomis eavesdropping story. He's a contract employee the Saints fired in 07 for fraudulent billing and using Saints equipment for non- team activities.

 

[GregR]

Lee Zurik identifies Tim Landry as ESPN's source on the Loomis eavesdropping story. He's a contract employee the Saints fired in 07 for fraudulent billing and using Saints equipment for non- team activities.

This is exactly the kind of reason why this issue was different than the initial bountygate in my mind. With bountygate, an investigation had already been concluded, evidence had been found, etc. Arguing it didn't happen would have been kind of off the wall.With this, allegations had been made and sources had informed the media, but that was it. No investigation yet, no hard proof that we were made aware of. Even if true I would imagine it would be very hard to come up with actual proof beyond people's testimony, and that's more likely to be biased or serving a motive.Hopefully it turns out it is one or more disgruntled folks and there is no truth to it and football can move on. Though just like it'll be near impossible to show evidence it happened, it'll be near impossible to show evidence it didn't happen, so it might linger.

 

[psychobillies]

In other news...

 

[Doug B]

Though just like it'll be near impossible to show evidence it happened, it'll be near impossible to show evidence it didn't happen, so it might linger.

ESPN is already burying the story. Has been since Wednesday.John Barr was put in contact with this Tim Landry by a one-time local sports reporter with a Paul-Bunyan-sized axe to grind against the team -- one Kenny Wilkerson. That name means nothing to those outside of the N.O. area, but Saints fans know him all too well. Wilkerson was also behind the bogus 2010 reports that Drew Brees had a severe knee injury and was incoherent in the huddle due to painkiller abuse. That reporting was part of what got Wilkerson fired from a second-tier radio job two years ago. He had already been fired from the Saints' flagship radio station a few years earlier.

Many believe that Wilkerson was also behind the Saints' aborted Vicodin-theft "scandal" from 2010. Speculatively, Wilkerson may also have been an anonymous source for John Barr's earlier Outside the Lines piece on painkiller abuse in the NFL (which in itself is legitimate, but Wilkerson has no credibility at all in New Orleans).

.

 

[Doug B]

You said these were groundless accusations. You have NO way to know that.

I'll admit that I don't KNOW that ...

Scratch -- now I do know.

 

[Doug B]

Awesome -- Deadspin has picked this up

This brings up the most important point about Outside The Lines's reporting, and explains some of their story's curious wording. Their lede was not that the Saints were wiretapping, but rather that the U.S. attorney's office "had been informed" of the allegations. This is an important distinction, in light of Mickey Loomis's vow to fight the claims, in court if necessary. ESPN can't get in trouble for reporting the former, as long as it's true. How the allegations made it to the U.S. attorney becomes a very important question.

When reached for comment by FOX8, Landry told them "There's nothing to say about it... keep me out of it."

So why did anyone ever think the part in red was legit? Really, really, really want ESPN to respond in some manner. They're legally in the clear, but their integrity is in the toilet after this and Bernie Fine. And people pointing at Loomis and saying "Well, he's scum, too!" doesn't raise ESPN's status in my eyes.

 

[fatness]

This brings up the most important point about Outside The Lines's reporting, and explains some of their story's curious wording. Their lede was not that the Saints were wiretapping, but rather that the U.S. attorney's office "had been informed" of the allegations.

So why did anyone ever think the part in red was legit?

Hardly anyone did. Most people have been aware from the start that it has been alleged, it was reported, and that 2 government agencies will be investigating it.

 

[Silver & Black]

whatever. All I know is the Patriots are cheaters. Fact

 

[PatsFanCT]

whatever. All I know is the Patriots are cheaters. Fact

X

 

[Doug B]

You said these were groundless accusations. You have NO way to know that.

I'll admit that I don't KNOW that. However, I want in on record that my feeling is that this will all come to nothing. My predicition is here in this thread.I think it is very much reasonable to believe that the pro-Loomis sources right now make a more compelling case than ESPN's lone anonymous accuser.

State Police: No evidence of Saints wiretappinghttp://sports.yahoo.com/news/state-...NlY2I5BHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3http://sports.yahoo.com/news/state-...NlY2I5BHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3http://sports.yahoo.com/news/state-...NlY2I5BHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/state-...NlY2I5BHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3http://sports.yahoo.com/news/state-...NlY2I5BHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Louisiana State Police investigators have found no evidence that the Saints or general manager Mickey Loomis rigged Superdome wiring so opposing coaches' radio communications could be intercepted.

"This has been an intensive investigation, and after numerous interviews we have determined that there is no evidence that state laws have been violated," State Police Col. Mike Edmonson said Monday after meeting with Saints owner Tom Benson in New Orleans to brief him on the status of the probe.

State police investigators have been working in conjunction with the FBI since the eavesdropping allegations surfaced in news reports in April.

"We found no corroborating evidence that Mickey Loomis or anybody in the Saints was engaged in wiretapping or eavesdropping," Edmonson said.

Edmonson said it was only fair to hold a news conference about the status of the State Police probe because he had talked about it when his investigators first began looking into the allegations.

Edmonson said he cannot comment on the status of related federal probes. He also noted that State Police will reopen their investigations if new allegations surface.

"This is based on what we know today. If any new allegations would come up we would certainly pursue that," Edmonson said. "This is not anything to do with the FBI or the U.S. Attorney's office. We find out whether or not there's any evidence to show criminal wrongdoing and base it on state law."

Loomis and the Saints have emphatically denied the allegations, and the Saints have hired the firm of former FBI director Louis Freeh to do its own investigation.

When informed of Edmonson's comments, Loomis said he did not have anything to add at this time.

Edmonson said he hadn't spoken to Loomis and declined to say whether he was interviewed by investigators, but said state police interviewed many people.

"We looked at every single person we could," he said.