MVN - Most Valuable Network

Four Legs Good, Patriots LOSE

This just in, folks: The Patriots lost the Super Bowl.

I kid, I kid. If there’s anyone in this country that’s managed to miss the score of the game, they’re either living in a bomb shelter or in a coma.

Lost in the post-game interlude (remarkably similar to the tryptophan-induced siesta) is the new allegation that the Patriots may have committed another Spygate all the way back in 2001.

Before I go any farther, I want to make it clear that I’m a die-hard Rams fans, one of the most devoted among people I have ever met. Heck, I stuck with this team through a 3-win season, watching every game I could get on. So it should be noted that anything I say or write about the Rams should be taken with that bias in mind.

But c’mon, guys - let’s get off the Patriots.

I hate the team. I’m up-front about that. But to suggest that the Pats should forfeit their Super Bowl win (and that Bill Belichick should be banned from the league and/or the Hall of Fame, as I’ve seen some write) is utterly ridiculous.

First off, keep in mind that this Super Bowl in question took place six years ago. I’m a staunch believer that the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and if anyone can make a strong case at this point - when evidence has been lost or destroyed, rumors are swirling and the best support for the case is basically hearsay - I’ll be floored.

And yes, assuming Belichick did film the Rams’ final walkthrough before the game, Belichick broke a rule and committed a league infraction. But how important a rule? Important enough to re-write history and strip a Super Bowl title from a team that may not even have been aware of what its coach was up to?

All Belichick did was some advanced scouting. (Note: For the rest of the story, I’ll argue on Belichick’s side as if he did commit a crime here.) How different is this than filming a preseason game? To my knowledge, it isn’t unheard of for teams to film others’ practices; Belichick just took it one step too far.

And for those arguing that it blew the game for the Rams, all I can say is, get real. Really? Getting filmed on one WALKthrough derailed one of the most potent offenses in NFL history? What are the chances that the Patriots saw a single thing that day that they hadn’t already seen throughout the previous 18 games? You’re telling me there’s no chance that the game’s result was more due to a poor game plan and play-calling (it’s a shame no one’s paid more attention to the Martz vs. Belichick match-up and Marshall Faulk’s subsequent 21 total touches) than an hour or two of tape?

And those that assert that the game single-handedly ended the Rams’ run of success and started the Pats’ dynasty, don’t be absurd. Nothing about that game caused the Pats to suddenly draft more wisely, to take gambles on the right veterans, to create a team-first atmosphere that spurred win after win. The game was more effect than cause. (I also find it interesting that as soon as the Patriots lost this year, Rams fans seemed much more quiet on this issue.)

I will not say that the Pats don’t deserve to be punished. They did break a rule, and if the league can construct some sort of legitimate case against them, certainly a fine is in order.

But suggesting that they should forfeit a title is beyond belief. Leave the past where it belongs.

On to the links.

- If you’d like to follow one thread on the topic discussed above, here’s a pretty good one. Particular props to Baker for pointing out that isn’t it a bit suspicious that the hyper-paranoid Martz didn’t notice someone on the sideline with a camera who he didn’t recognize? (Bernie’s stance isn’t too tough to guess.)

- Devin’s take on this other issue is more interesting than Bernie’s.

- Van Ram’s done a nice job of collecting Saunders-related bits. A few days later, it’s still looking like a good hire for the Rams. I’m legitimately impressed. The article he links also does a good job putting the hiring in the team’s perspective.

- For more Rams history, make sure to watch Jackie Slater talk about how much he loves to ram it. Umm… Yeah.

- To round things up, here’s the P-D’s list of the greatest Super Bowl upsets of all-time. Isn’t it a little early to be slotting this one in?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 1:36 am and is filed under Rams History, Spygate, Cameragate, Four Legs Good, Rams News, Links, St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.