Patriots Videotaping "cheating" incident

[mgilgris]

Sources: Camera confiscated after claims of Pats spying on Jets

By Chris Mortensen

Updated: September 10, 2007, 2:56 PM ET

NFL security confiscated a video camera and its tape from a New England Patriots employee on the team's sideline during Sunday's game against the Jets in a suspected spying incident, sources said.

The camera and its tape were placed in a sealed box and forwarded to the league office for investigation, the sources said.

"We don't have any comment," an NFL spokesman said Monday.

The Patriots' cameraman was suspected of aiming his camera at the Jets' defensive coaches who were sending signals to their unit on the field, the sources said. The league also is investigating some radio frequency issues that occurred during the game.

The league's competition committee could conduct a conference call about the incident, which violates NFL policy, and ultimately recommend a penalty that could cost the Patriots a future draft pick or picks if it verifies that the team was spying on the Jets.

"It's not their first time," a member of the committee, who did not wish to be identified, said.

In fact, Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan confirmed a similar incident that occurred when the Patriots played at Lambeau Field last Nov. 19. The same cameraman who was questioned by NFL security on Sunday was also the one whom the Packers removed from the sideline and escorted from the field during their 2006 game, according to Packers security official Doug Collins.

"From what I can remember, he had quite a fit when we took him out," Harlan said. "We had gotten word before the game that they [the Patriots] did this sort of thing, so we were looking for it."

A Jets official declined comment Monday, directing an inquiry to the league office. The Patriots also did not have immediate comment.

Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN.

[The PatternMaster]

So they have players who use HGH and now this....what a classy bunch of winners. Paging Commissioner Goodell, we expect some type of suspension. He just suspended the Cowboys qb coach for HGH, this also a form of cheating, right?

Maybe Bellichick should miss some games.

[membengal]

Dirty, dirty, cheaters.

[ChadJohnson-85]

Ohhhhhh crap...... Someone's busted........ I was wondering why they were so good.....

[SteelerFan87]

As weird as this whole thing sounds, I'm not at all surprised, considering how much of a classless (yep, LT was right) ass Belichick is.

[HoosierCat]

Busted! espn is reporting the league determined NE = cheaters.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3014677

Belichick, Kraft to face the wrath of GOD-el later this week.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Busted! espn is reporting the league determined NE = cheaters.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3014677

Belichick, Kraft to face the wrath of GOD-el later this week.

They should have to pay more dearly for this than a players DUI IMHO. This affect the very integrity of the game!

[CarsonCity]

PFT has a pretty damn good take on the whole situation...

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has concluded that the New England Patriots violated league rules when videotaping defensive signals being sent in from the sidelines by Jets coaches during Sunday's game at the Meadowlands.

NFL Security confiscated a camera and videotape from Pats employee Matt Estrella, a video assistant. Mort says that the evidence that was confiscated confirmed the suspicion.

And the punishment could be severe.

Mortensen reports that Goodell is considering the possibility of stripping the team of "multiple draft picks," given that he has issued a stern warning to all teams to avoid such behavior.

We'll echo what we said below about Claude Wroten and anyone who tests positive at the scouting combine. In this case, the persons responsible for doing this are either stupid, or they have a serious problem.

The Patriots previously had been linked to such behavior. And yet they kept on doing it.

Former defensive coordinator Eric Mangini is now the head coach of the Jets, and likely knew a thing or two about these practices in New England. And yet they kept on doing it.

In fact, we're told by a very good source that, when the Packers caught a Pats employee doing the same thing last season, the Packers knew exactly what to look for, and nailed the guy in the act. The Packers didn't press the issue only because they lost the game 35-0, and didn't want to complain under those circumstances.

The Pats' habits in this regard were so well known that, per the same source, Colts president Bill Polian had all on-field cameras removed for the 2006 AFC championship game.

Thus, the Patriots knew that other people know what was happening. And yet they kept on doing it.

If all of this is true, it reflects a dangerous amount of arrogance in that team's coaching staff. In fact, our guess is that, now that the poo has hit the propeller, whoever put this system in place will privately justify it after the fact by explaining that, in the end, the cost was far less than the benefits that have been derived.

And it makes us -- and likely many others -- wonder how far back all of this goes. How many Lombardis are potentially tainted? How many of the games during that record-setting winning streak?

Regardless of the lost draft picks, which mean much less in the salary cap era than they used to, there's now a stain on the NFL first dynasty of the new century. How far it spreads and how deep it goes remains to be seen.

Man, talk about arrogance. To be specifically instructed not to do something by the Commisioner, and then to go ahead and continue doing it anyway is outrageous. I could see them losing a couple Day 1 picks for this.

[kayaker0678]

I am saying this.

Bill Bilicheck gets suspended for 3 games.

They get docked a 5 round and a 7th round draft pick.

They are fined 2 million dollars.

That is what I am saying I know its know its pretty steep but hey they are going to set an example with these guys.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Man, talk about arrogance. To be specifically instructed not to do something by the Commisioner, and then to go ahead and continue doing it anyway is outrageous. I could see them losing a couple Day 1 picks for this.

That ain't enough IMHO. But then again the big money in Boston (as they do in MLB) will buy their way into whatever they want.

[CarsonCity]

That ain't enough IMHO. But then again the big money in Boston (as they do in MLB) will buy their way into whatever they want.

Yep. A couple Day 1 picks is pretty steep, but blatantly cheating is a slap to the face of fans, teams, and (perhaps most improtantly) the Commisioner of the NFL. If Odell gets what amounts to a 2 year suspension for his offense(s), then surely Capt. Harda-, err, I mean Commisioner Goodell will come down just as strongly (if not stronger) for what the Patriots did.

[BengalszoneBilly]

So they have players who use HGH and now this....what a classy bunch of winners. Paging Commissioner Goodell, we expect some type of suspension. He just suspended the Cowboys qb coach for HGH, this also a form of cheating, right?

Here's a little more food for thought:

Information, paranoia rule thoughts of many in NFL

Cheating in the NFL isn't what it once was. The league's institution of the K-ball program in recent years addressed the doctoring of footballs that was a routine practice of kickers and punters everywhere. And the pregame pat-down the officiating crew now gives offensive and defensive linemen eliminated the ability to grease up one's jersey in order to become too slick to contain.

But there are still some more subtle examples of surreptitious behavior going on in Roger Goodell's kingdom, if you know where to look. In talking with league sources, here are several areas where teams tend to go just over the line that separates strategy from subterfuge in seeking a competitive advantage:

1. Pictures are worth a thousand words: The "stealing'' of signs -- both on offense and defense -- is the area that's most often cited as fertile ground for cheating. The most common practice is for a team to videotape an opponent's signal-givers on the sideline, and later marry up those indications to the game tape in order to identify tendencies or patterns.

Though no disciplinary action by the league ever resulted, the Patriots last year were reportedly the impetus of a sternly written letter from the league office to all teams, reminding them that it was illegal for an advance scout or personnel official to bring a video recording device of any kind into the press box for the purposes of taping a potential opponent's signals or play-calling gestures from the sideline.

Teams have also been chastised for having a second camera in the press box-area video box, with one camera shooting the game action and the other one being trained on the opposing team's signal-givers. On offense, that's why coaches have taken to holding their play-calling charts in front of their mouths when they're sending in the play to the quarterback via the radio headset system.

On defense, teams have gone to having two different signal callers, with one being a dummy signaler and other being responsible for the "hot,'' or real, call. Other teams use different color wrist bands during a game, with the defensive captain switching to a different color before each series, and the defensive signal-caller calling formations and blitzes from a list that corresponds with that color.

"That type of sign-stealing goes on a ton in the league,'' said one NFL source who was both a former coach and player in the league. "From a coaching standpoint, you know who's signaling in the personnel on the opposing sideline, and then there's another guy making the play calls on the headset. Defenses used to watch the play-caller, and if a guy spoke for a real long time, that was usually a pass, because the calls take longer. A run is always a shorter call. So coaches shield their mouths when they're calling plays now. If you make your calls out in the open, the other team will steal your signals and your tendencies.''

2. De-briefing the former enemy: With the advent of free agency and coaching tenures getting shorter all the time, the movement of players and coaches from team to team is more prevalent than ever. And that means more information about an opponent's tendencies and play-calling is readily available and waiting to be mined.

One way that insight can be helpful is in the identifying of an opponent's calls at the line of scrimmage, from a first-hand source who played or coached for that team in the recent past.

"You try to get those false calls that teams like to use at the line,'' said one former player. "Player X or coach X who has been with that team might stop by the offensive or defensive meetings and say, 'Look for this if they say that. Or when the quarterback does this, look for that.' It can be very useful in some cases.''

3. One man's trash is another man's treasure: Head coaches in the NFL are by nature paranoid beings. And they're often control freaks to boot. And when it comes to the potential of giving away a competitive edge of any sort, they're absolutely maniacal about keeping things in house.

One former coach and player told me that many coaches now have their trash segregated and shredded independent of everyone else's at the team complex. Everything that can be controlled, is controlled, from who gets to watch practice to who's cleaning the team's building at night.

"The more money that's at stake, the more it's like spy versus spy,'' a league source said. "Coaches are always looking out for moles. They want to know who's in the building at night, who can see the depth chart on the greaseboard and who's emptying the trash? And you can't just be a mid-level paper-pusher in an organization and expect to come out and watch practice. That guy might have grown up in D.C. and is a lifelong Redskins fan.''

It's not just in their home environments that coaches seek to control the flow of information.

"On road trips, let's say you're going to the west coast and have a walk-through practice at the stadium on Saturday afternoon,'' the source said. "You're told not to leave anything behind. From cheat sheets for the players, to the tests we give players about the game plan on the flight out, to anything that might be of use to the opponent. Because if anything gets dropped, you can expect it will eventually find its way to the other team.

"Coaches don't trust people at the hotel on the road, or the people who pick you up on the bus and take you to the hotel or the stadium. Everything is scrutinized. To some coaches, every little detail matters.''

The bent toward intrigue can be so prevalent at times teams will go to the lengths of leaving a fake game plan or play-calling script behind at times, in order to throw an opponent off the trail and cost it needless time trying to decode a useless document. Teams have been known to run as many meaningless blitzes as possible when they play Tampa Bay in the preseason, because they know ever-thorough Bucs head coach Jon Gruden will feel the need to catalog and prepare for the possibility of seeing every one of them in the future.

4. The playbook's the thing: Since the dawn of time, coaches have been reminding players to keep an eye on their playbooks at all times. But they still occasionally fall into enemy hands, and can sometimes yield a treasure trove of material used for nefarious purposes, at least competitively speaking.

I was told of one recent visiting NFL player who was downstairs at his team's hotel the night before a game in St. Louis, and put his playbook down for a moment to sign an autograph for a kid. He forgot to pick it back up, and it somehow found its way to the Rams before game time.

"The playbook is a big one,'' said one former NFL player. "We were told to not even leave them out in the open in the locker room during the week. You'd get fined big time over a lost playbook. You don't get a mulligan on that one. Coaches harp on that all the time.''

Other league sources I talked to were more dubious about the real value of a playbook should it find its way into an opponent's hands.

"Most good teams don't give out everything in their playbook at the same time, at least not to every player,'' a source said. "I'll bet you the Patriots don't. They give you just what you have to have. And even if you get the playbook, you've got to know the calls. You've got to know what's hot in any particular route. It doesn't really matter if you know the plays. You've got to know the calls. You can hear Peyton Manning's signals at the line, but he changes what they mean all the time.''

5. Making the pick: Is it cheating when offensive coaches teach their receivers to set an illegal pick on a particular route while reminding them to make it look good and accidental? Like the old neighborhood play at second base on the double play in baseball, a receiver setting a pick in football usually won't get flagged unless his work is sloppy and looks egregiously illegal.

Make it appear like the pick was all but unavoidable, and most officials won't reach for the yellow hankie. Thus, it comes down to good technique and good coaching.

"You do get coached on how to make a pick look accidental,'' said a former player. "The offensive coordinator is always reminding the receivers how to set a good pick on this play and keep it looking like the defender ran into you.''

[ChadJohnson-85]

How about they can't go into the play-offs no matter how many games they win. They don't get any draft pick's.

Bill Bilicheck kicked out of the NFL for life. Every coach, manager, player (that includes you to Brady), and whoever else might sneek a camera into the stadium to cheat be checked head down. I'm JK but if you think about it, how long have they been doing this? Who know's, maybe they know every signal Marvin uses for the Bengals. I'm just glad they found out about this before we played them week four. Where do they hide their camera's? The visiting team's locker room's? Who know's...... All I can say is that..... BURN IN HE%% PATRIOTS!!! BURN, BURN!!! LOL!!! JK.

[membengal]

OK, folks, time to put on your thinking hats on a Wednesday. Not because it will change anything past, but because, well, I want to know and my memory has dimmed. Think back to the fourth game of 2006 , when the Bengals hosted the Patriots and it was a tight game until halftime, when NE came out and blew Cincy out of PBS. Carson all of a sudden had no time and no open receivers. NE all of a sudden was running to large holes and had open receivers everywhere. At the time, I simply assumed a superior coaching staff and team had taken names, and that was that. That is probably still that.

Then I read this:

"Former Houston Texans general manager and current CBS analyst Charley Casserly was the first to report on the Patriots’ alleged use of videotaping last season. In December, Casserly said on the network’s pregame show that the Pats had been warned by the league about having a team official in coaching gear standing on the sidelines with a video camera during one of their first four games of the season. He did not specify which game, though New England’s first four opponents last year were Buffalo, at the Jets, Denver and at Cincinnati."

Look, this particular story has been hard for me to get my head around, as I am not clear on how the videotaping would be an advantage. Well, on NFL Live last night, Mark Schlereth broke it down in ways even an idiot like me could understand. He said that doing what the Pats were allegedly doing would allow the Pats coaches to match up the hand signals re: defenses with formations and scheme and know, ahead of snap, who was going where. Which, even I, can see would be, um, helpful. Schlereth also said that the ability to do this could be done, given this kind of cheating, as early as the 2nd quarter for adjustments, and certainly over halftime. Same thing with audio and the offensive signals and calls, apparently.

As Greenberg said on Mike & Mike this morning, not that he was excusing the beatdown, but that he marveled over how much time Tom Brady had to to throw against the Jets this past Sunday, and that "it was like the Pats knew what the Jets were doing". He said that usually when you think that, you just shake your head and let it go. Now? Harder to do.

So, here's your assignment. Search your memory banks, think back on that abomination of a game, and let's think this through. As I recall, there was a real decided switch to that game in terms of effectiveness as the game deepened. What do you all remember? Particulars?

Thanks for your help.

[jjakq27]

I think the Packers suspected NE of doing the same thing later in the year.

As far as the Bengals game last year, it is entirely possible that they did that. I do remember a few questionable calls by the refs but not much else about that game.

I wonder what it would take to "de-code" our signals during a game though. And specifically at halftime. How would you be able to review the tape, identify the defensive formation and then relay that to someone making the offensive calls. However, perhaps by now they have it down to a science.

[The PatternMaster]

Belicheck should be suspended and viewed as the cheater he is, genuis my ass.

So what the difference between Belicheck and Barry Bonds, they both cheated to achieve greatness, right?

..btw didn't the Pats bring in former Jet Tim Dwight a few days before the game to debrief him on any info he could share.

[The PatternMaster]

First of, it's not alleged, they have been proven guilty in the court of the commissioner, so they are cheaters and repeat offenders at that.

I believe they have it down to a science, how else could they get anything useful out of the info in the short break between halfs, which means they have been doing it for some time.

What I don't understand is why, why do the Pats feel like they have to resort to cheating in order to gain a competitive advantage. They have one of the best qb's in the game, they signed a Pro Bowl /H.O.F. wr, they have a talented defense, why do they have to cheat to win?

As for the game vs. us last year, I think that b.s. unnecessary roughness call on KK on that 3rd and long in the 3rd quarter when we were down by 4 points is what turned the momentum of the game, after that call it was all down hill.

[membengal]

That did turn the momentum, pattern, I do remember that. But I also remember a series of very easy drives where Maroney ran through gaping holes in the defense untouched for yards upon yards. The easy explanation? Bad Bengals defense. But that may not be the only reason. If the Pats knew where the blitz was coming from, or what side the defense was crowding, and could call plays away from it? That would explain some things.

That's what I am trying to get you all to think back on. Maybe that old game thread is still available...

[redsbengalsbucks]

First of, it's not alleged, they have been proven guilty in the court of the commissioner, so they are cheaters and repeat offenders at that.

I believe they have it down to a science, how else could they get anything useful out of the info in the short break between halfs, which means they have been doing it for some time.

What I don't understand is why, why do the Pats feel like they have to resort to cheating in order to gain a competitive advantage. They have one of the best qb's in the game, they signed a Pro Bowl /H.O.F. wr, they have a talented defense, why do they have to cheat to win?

As for the game vs. us last year, I think that b.s. unnecessary roughness call on KK on that 3rd and long in the 3rd quarter when we were down by 4 points is what turned the momentum of the game, after that call it was all down hill.

But, is that Pro-Bowl QB just an extension of this cheating. I know that when he played for Mich. he was average at best, than he stepped in for Bledsoe and was lights out. Speaking of Bledsoe he was never as good in any other uni as he was playing for the Pats.

I would like to see Goodell step up to the plate and take away the victory from them last week, no need to give them a loss, just put them back to 0-0 and bring the Jets back to 0-0 also. The one less win could affect playoff position and home feild advantage of some playoff games, this is an appropriate action for a blatant act of cheating. Just fining the owners or suspending the coach is not enough!

[rwalling]

I think the Packers suspected NE of doing the same thing later in the year.

It was more serious than that. The Packers escorted the same Patriots staffer and his camera from the stadium. They also identified the illegal communications devices.

Belichik is a weasel. The Tony LaRussa of football.

[jjakq27]

As for the game vs. us last year, I think that b.s. unnecessary roughness call on KK on that 3rd and long in the 3rd quarter when we were down by 4 points is what turned the momentum of the game, after that call it was all down hill.

That hits wasn't any worse than the hit Ed Reed had on TJ early in the game. I thought "launching" yourself was considered an illegal hit by rule in the NFL.

[The PatternMaster]

As for the game vs. us last year, I think that b.s. unnecessary roughness call on KK on that 3rd and long in the 3rd quarter when we were down by 4 points is what turned the momentum of the game, after that call it was all down hill.

That hits wasn't any worse than the hit Ed Reed had on TJ early in the game. I thought "launching" yourself was considered an illegal hit by rule in the NFL.

Excatly, when you playing against opponents who are talented cheaters and refs who make bs calls it's hard to win.

[HoosierCat]

Belicheck should be suspended and viewed as the cheater he is, genuis my ass.

Everybody in this league cheats. Whether they're stealing signals or doping or spying on other teams' practices or stashing uninjured guys on IR or lying about injuries to starters, none of the 32 clubs is in any position to cast the first stone.

To me, the most interesting thing about "Patriotgate" is this: why did Mangenius roll over on l'il Bill now? Why violate the unwritten rule of silence on cheating? The Pack knew...but didn't make a big fuss. The Steelers now say they knew, too...but didn't say anything to the league. Is the blood between Mangini and Belichick really that bad? Is Mangini just trying to deflect attention away from how poorly the Jets played?

The second Jets /Pats game ought to be a doozy.

[The PatternMaster]

Belicheck should be suspended and viewed as the cheater he is, genuis my ass.

Everybody in this league cheats. Whether they're stealing signals or doping or spying on other teams' practices or stashing uninjured guys on IR or lying about injuries to starters, none of the 32 clubs is in any position to cast the first stone.

To me, the most interesting thing about "Patriotgate" is this: why did Mangenius roll over on l'il Bill now? Why violate the unwritten rule of silence on cheating? The Pack knew...but didn't make a big fuss. The Steelers now say they knew, too...but didn't say anything to the league. Is the blood between Mangini and Belichick really that bad? Is Mangini just trying to deflect attention away from how poorly the Jets played?

The second Jets /Pats game ought to be a doozy.

Well until the other 31 teams get caught cheating, the Pats and Belicheck get to wear the crown of "King of the Cheaters" for awhile.

And yes the blood is that because Belicheck made it that way. The chose to not shake Magini's hand after home loss last year, Belicheck is an a**h*** and because he wins people make excuses for him, it's rather pathetic.

[membengal]

The written play by play from the nfl.com gamecenter of that game is no longer available, apparently.

I found a bunch of write-ups, of course, here's a generic one from yahoo.com:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20061001004