I knew the Pats were cheaters...

This is awful, I hope the Patriots get punished for this. There is no need to cheat and it's not like your team is the Browns. You have a winning history these past few years and you a ton of talent. Why cheat?

Did it ever cross your mind that maybe the reason they are winning is cause they are cheating?
They have a lot of talent, sure, but in years past they never really had outstanding talent and still won...how? This explains a lot.

A tainted dynasty? kinda like Bonds and the home run thing (not really, but I am so tired of the pats...)

I actually don't think it's that far fetched. I mean, look at the Rams during the super bowl. After watching that game I left shaking my head asking how in the world they knew everything the Rams were doing. There have been several games I have watched over the years and wondered that exact same thing, and I even asked "how they hell did they know they were going to run that play?" But I shook it off as good preparation. I know better now...now I feel all their wins are tainted.
Put up the asterisk!!!!

This isn't the first time the Pats have been reportedly stealing signals from other teams with the aid of photos/video. I say take away their 1st round pick and make them forfeit the game against the Jets.

I pray the Commish is VERY harsh.

This isn't the first time the Pats have been reportedly stealing signals from other teams with the aid of photos/video. I say take away their 1st round pick and make them forfeit the game against the Jets.

I pray the Commish is VERY harsh.

I 100% agree! Mark Schlereth just said they should give the win to the Jets too. I think it's a great idea. Show them the NFL means business.

Let's face it, if they lose a 3rd and a 5th rounder (seems to be the popular comment right now) who cares? If you could win 3 super bowls by cheating like this and only lose a 3rd and a 5th round pick, would you do it? I guarantee every team out there would! Send a real message, give them the loss and a 1st round pick!!!
Love the idea sheriff!

it def taints their wins,I hope they can find out how far back this goes,if they were doing it the players would have to be in on it,wouldnt they?Or at least the player on the field who calls the signals for the defense,should they be punished too?
I've been nuetral on Belichek,I've always liked Brady,till he dumped Bridget after knocking her up and having nothing to do with her during her pregnancy,meanwhile hes out with some other hottie,Ijust cant respect a man who knocks somebody up then leaves them for another woman while their pregnant

This to me is the part that is the most potentially explosive:

"The league also was reviewing a possible violation into the number of radio frequencies the Patriots were using during Sunday's game, sources said. The team did not have a satisfactory explanation when asked about possible irregularities in its communication setup during the game."

If they are/were listening in on the other teams communications, then Belichek should receive a suspension. This is far worse than stealing hand signals. Hand signals by their very nature are in the public domain if you will. Teams understand that there is a risk inherent in using them because they cannot be concealed. Listening to wireless radio communication is more akin to bugging the visiting locker room.

Update: PFT says that the accusation is that the Patriots were miking their own defensive players to record the other team's audibles at the line of scrimmage and then matching that audio with overhead game video so that they could give the players a kind of translation of the audibles at half time. This would explain why the extra radio channels would potentially be necessary. This cheating would be in addition to taping the defensive signals which is apparently unrelated. "Entreprenurial" would be the word to define this approach to poor sportsmanship.

Update 2: PFT is now calling for Belichek to be suspended or even fired. They like so many others before them have obviously discovered the cure for what ails them - reading my posts.

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What's the realistic chance that Goodell will come down hard on these guys? I think very slim. Maybe a couple of midrounders in the 2008 draft. I think the commish will be considering backing off the heavy-handed penalties in order to show that he's not a tyrant. Kind of sucks for the individual players that have been punished thus far, though.

On the other hand, he may come down extremely hard like forfeiture of the game and several draft picks in order say "I really AM cleaning this shit up!"

Thid will be one of the most intriguing decisions that he makes. When he goes, I think the fans will thank him but the personnel in the NFL may hate everything about him.

I can't remember a time in my lifetime when a professional team has been forced to forfeit a game ex post facto. Can anyone else?

There was a period in the late eighties when the Giants won like six straight games against Gibbs and the Redskins. In those pre-radio days the Redskins used hand signals for all their offensive plays. It seems obvious now that the Giants and their defensive coordinator were probably, most likely stealing all those signals. I think there should be a full investigation.

There was a period in the late eighties when the Giants won like six straight games against Gibbs and the Redskins. In those pre-radio days the Redskins used hand signals for all their offensive plays. It seems obvious now that the Giants and their defensive coordinator were probably, most likely stealing all those signals. I think there should be a full investigation.

Hmmm...and Belichick was defensive coordinator on that team, which I'm sure you were inferring. Why didn't he cheat when he coached he Browns? Actually, maybe he did since they did get a little better.