2008 Woodie Awards
Belichick's dirty secret uncovered
Pat Nemuth
Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
There wouldn't be news about sports in the 21st century if there wasn't scandal surronding it.
In the era of steroids, there is another form of cheating overlooked by the public. Besides a player injecting his body to cheat, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick decided to video tape his old assistant coach's, New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini's, defensive signals.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell threw the hammer down at Belichick, fining him the maximum sentence of $500,000 and the team $250,000. The Patriots will also lose a first round draft pick if they make the playoffs, or a second and third round pick if they do not make it to the post season.
This is not the first time the Patriots have been accused of this, and there is buzz around the league that stealing signals is not new.
SCSU head coach Randy Hedberg said stealing signals gives a team a big edge.
"A quarterback will know when a blitz is coming and check the protection and adjust routes to the defensive play," he said.
Figuring out a team's signals during the game is a part of football. Some of the players for the Huskies thought the University of Mary was watching their offensive signals.
"Our guys are paranoid," co-offensive coordinator Steve Crutchley said. "We didn't have any trouble running the ball (against Mary), and we used people to shield when we sent in the plays. Every well-coached team will know tendencies."
Defensive coordinator Scott Underwood said he does not worry about signal stealing.
"I just want my guys to get our plays," he said.
Underwood said teaching his players other team's signals would definitely give teams a leg up against their opponent.
The only time Underwood uses double signals is when the Huskies play North Dakota. This is because Underwood is using the same signals as he did as linebackers coach for UND.
The NFL puts a lot of pressure on their coaches, players and general managers to win games. So I am not surprised that cheating was exposed. Commissioner Goodell did a great job in dealing with the situation, and everyone in the league needs to know they are not bigger than the game, whether your name is Bill Belichick or Adam "Pacman" Jones.
This cheating scandal does not tarnish the Patriots' dynasty. Tom Brady can put the ball anywhere and knows how to win football games. The Pats still had to game plan and make plays to win.
The only thing I question is how good of a coach Belichick is. It is his reputation that will be tarnished. The Patriots will still be around as long as the NFL is thriving.
Everyone thought Belichick was the best head coach since the late great Bill Walsh. Unlike Walsh, Belichick's former assistants in Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis are not creating dynasties. The only assistant that is doing well is Eric Mangini, the coach he cheated against.
In the era of steroids, there is another form of cheating overlooked by the public. Besides a player injecting his body to cheat, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick decided to video tape his old assistant coach's, New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini's, defensive signals.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell threw the hammer down at Belichick, fining him the maximum sentence of $500,000 and the team $250,000. The Patriots will also lose a first round draft pick if they make the playoffs, or a second and third round pick if they do not make it to the post season.
This is not the first time the Patriots have been accused of this, and there is buzz around the league that stealing signals is not new.
SCSU head coach Randy Hedberg said stealing signals gives a team a big edge.
"A quarterback will know when a blitz is coming and check the protection and adjust routes to the defensive play," he said.
Figuring out a team's signals during the game is a part of football. Some of the players for the Huskies thought the University of Mary was watching their offensive signals.
"Our guys are paranoid," co-offensive coordinator Steve Crutchley said. "We didn't have any trouble running the ball (against Mary), and we used people to shield when we sent in the plays. Every well-coached team will know tendencies."
Defensive coordinator Scott Underwood said he does not worry about signal stealing.
"I just want my guys to get our plays," he said.
Underwood said teaching his players other team's signals would definitely give teams a leg up against their opponent.
The only time Underwood uses double signals is when the Huskies play North Dakota. This is because Underwood is using the same signals as he did as linebackers coach for UND.
The NFL puts a lot of pressure on their coaches, players and general managers to win games. So I am not surprised that cheating was exposed. Commissioner Goodell did a great job in dealing with the situation, and everyone in the league needs to know they are not bigger than the game, whether your name is Bill Belichick or Adam "Pacman" Jones.
This cheating scandal does not tarnish the Patriots' dynasty. Tom Brady can put the ball anywhere and knows how to win football games. The Pats still had to game plan and make plays to win.
The only thing I question is how good of a coach Belichick is. It is his reputation that will be tarnished. The Patriots will still be around as long as the NFL is thriving.
Everyone thought Belichick was the best head coach since the late great Bill Walsh. Unlike Walsh, Belichick's former assistants in Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis are not creating dynasties. The only assistant that is doing well is Eric Mangini, the coach he cheated against.