Miami Dolphins purchased audio of Brady

[Edogger]

I can't believe a team would resort to a level like this! Incredible!!

Did anyone else get any news of this or new information?

[Kazkal]

Whats wrong with it? everyteam trys and gain advantages they take freaking pictures mid game so QB can see how the defense is playing...sorry but this isent HS football.

PS,I wish someone would have sold our defense some tapes.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I can't believe a team would resort to a level like this! Incredible!!

Did anyone else get any news of this or new information?

It's scouting, bud. Every team does it. It's only unfair if Miami had access to material that NE didn't have, like if they had an "in" at the networks, or worse yet, who works for the Patsies.

Otherwise, NE shouldn't complain because MIA outsmarted them!

[Dawg BpG]

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MIAMI GARDENS — They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In football, one play can tell the whole story.

To learn everything you needed to know about Sunday's matchup between the Dolphins and New England Patriots, you could have tuned in with 2:06 left in the second quarter.

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The Patriots were facing third-and-7 at the Miami 42-yard line when Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor blew past Patriots right tackle Nick Kaczur and quickly got in the face of Tom Brady. The quarterback rushed his throw to running back Kevin Faulk and the ball bounced off the turf incomplete.

That's when something happened that linebacker Zach Thomas said he's "never seen before."

Brady became unglued as he screamed at his offensive line coming off the field.

That's right. The quarterback synonymous with cool lost it.

End of game as far as the Dolphins were concerned.

"You're thinking, 'We've got him,' '' said defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday. "Because as Tom Brady goes, the Patriots go."

Thanks to a stealth game plan that involved counterespionage and relentless pressure, the Dolphins harassed and confused Brady, the man with three Super Bowl rings. He passed for only 78 yards as the Dolphins blanked the Patriots 21-0 at Dolphin Stadium.

It was Miami's first shutout against New England since 1972, and the first time a Brady-led team was blanked since the 2003 season opener against Buffalo.

"I know he was flustered and I've never seen him flustered," Thomas said. "He's the calmest in the business. That's why he's the best."

But against the Dolphins, Brady didn't seem to be himself.

He threw balls away and off receivers who had not finished their routes. He completed just 12 of 25 passes. He was sacked four times for 20 yards and fumbled twice.

Things were so bad that the Patriots attempted a double pass - from running back Kevin Faulk to Brady to tight end Daniel Graham - trailing 13-0 with 9:55 left in the fourth quarter.

The play went for a 38-yard touchdown but was called back because the pass from Faulk to Brady was a forward pass instead of a lateral. There cannot be two forward passes on one play.

"We couldn't do anything right," Brady said. "It was a tough day."

The plan the Dolphins used to once again thwart Brady - all four of his games with fewer than 100 yards passing have come against Miami - actually began last season after New England's 23-16 victory over the Dolphins on Nov. 13.

To this day, the Dolphins are convinced the Patriots stole their defensive signals in advance of that game. That insider knowledge, the Dolphins believe, allowed New England to know Miami was blitzing - and to adjust accordingly - on the game-winning 17-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Benjamin Watson with 2:16 to play.

This week, the Dolphins got even. Instead of just watching the soundless coaches' films to scout the Patriots, Miami purchased films that had audio of the signals Brady gives at the line - specifically the Patriots' signals to the offensive line that control Brady's protection. Armed with that information, the Dolphins listened to Brady's calls Sunday and adjusted where they brought pressure.

"I think that helped a lot," Thomas said.

The Dolphins also spent extra time in practice and meetings installing new blitz packages designed by defensive coordinator Dom Capers and working to disguise what they were going to do against Brady.

"If you show your hand early, he'll burn you," said safety Yeremiah Bell, who had a sack, forced fumble and recovered fumble. "What we wanted to do was kind of play with him a little bit. We know he waits until the play clock gets late before he does anything. So what we did was when he was playing around with us, we were just playing around with him.

"When it was time to hike that ball, he didn't know what we were going to do."

So once again the Dolphins made Brady look mortal. But in the end, it doesn't really mean much for the 6-7 Dolphins considering the odds against them in the playoff race.

They know they should never have let themselves get into this position.

"When you go in and play Chicago like we did on the road, it speaks volumes," Holliday said of the Dolphins' 31-10 victory over the now 10-2 Bears. "New England comes in here and we put up a goose egg? Come on.

"This victory is sweet, but it's also bitter because it gives you a glimpse of what should have been. That makes it very disappointing."

Noteworthy: Quarterback Daunte Culpepper was not on the sideline for the first time this season, but he was at the stadium. It was just a precaution because he remains on crutches after his recent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. ... Center Rex Hadnot missed a series in the second half with an undisclosed injury but returned.

[Edogger]

I understand that everyone tries to gain the upper hand and I am fine with that. I forget where I saw this report, but they made it sound like it was illegally purchased and it was from an inside guy that had access to this sort of info.

I am totally fine with Miami purchasing a regular tape with more audible signals. By all means congratulations to them for finding such a great copy of tape. I was just misinformed or just perceived the initial report wrong.

My apologies...and thanks for clearification.

[Kazkal]

The freaking Patriots sign players just to get info on other teams then cut them after.... so Audio tapes is preatty weak compared to what they do.

[BigBenBlows]

I read about this in the USA Today. I'm sure more teams do this, they probably just don't brag about it.

[jjakq27]

There is a history of skullduggery between these two teams. Does anybody remember the snowblower incident against the Dolphins in the early 1980's?

http://library.advanced.org/12590/ronmeyer.htm

[Tasher]

You think the Dolphins will share the tapes with the Bengals when the Bengals play NE in the Playoffs?

Think we can talk Chad into calling Saban and promise him a check for $1600?

[AMC]

The freaking Patriots sign players just to get info on other teams then cut them after.... so Audio tapes is preatty weak compared to what they do.

Bingo....The Pats have no right to b!tch and moan....

[jjakq27]

What happened yesterday? Somebody sell them a blank tape?

[SteelerFan87]

Lol at the ESPN morons saying "did the Dolphins have to cheat to beat the Pats?", when the only reason Miami did it was because the Pats did it to them first, and then right after this story comes out, the Pats get caught trying to tape teams' signals.