OT: World has gone insane. Every ESPN commentator agrees Patriots legacy tainted.

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

I am watching the early ESPN coverage and just saw Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Carter, Steve Young, Ray Lewis (cough, cough) ALL agree that the Patriots legacy of greatness, and specifically Belicheck and Brady, are tainted by spygate and deflategate, no matter what happens today.

I have no words. Deflate gate is not nothing, it is less than nothing. If deflate gate takes away anything, then every baseball team that ever lived that had a pitcher get caught scuffing the ball, or throwing a spitter, or corking a bat, is forever tainted by that legacy as well. Even though throwing a spitter is WAY more of an advantage than 2 lbs less in a football. 

Like it or not, sports have a slightly different moral code than life itself--perhaps that's because ultimately what team wins a game is entertainment and not life, I don't know. But in any case, we expect people will try to push the rules, and if you get caught you get punished. But then, you move on. Moralizing over this is completely and utterly ludicrous. 

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kgh10

February 1st, 2015 at 1:29 PM ^

Don't be too upset. They are wrong and this will be a blip when they are in line for the HOF. Also, they are delusional. I bet if you looked at their teams you would find basically the same activities if not worse (cough murder cough cocaine cough). These guys are full of shit.

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WMUKirk

February 1st, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^

It is tainted. If you don't think this will be remembered you're crazy. If NE loses today they'll be remembered more for going 0-3 after spygate and going18-1 than they will for their wins. Perception is reality.

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kgh10

February 1st, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^

So illegally filming for a half a season taints their legacy? Every title they won was when filming was LEGAL....and they were not the only teams to do it. Cowboys dynasty of the 90s did the same thing and no one talks about them being tainted. People are really crazy about this stuff without knowing any facts.

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Fhshockey112002

February 1st, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^

I think you made the point, other teams did it while legal. The fact they have multiple incidents where they were on the wrong side of the rules gives them little to no slack. From spygate, to manipulating injury reports, to deflategate it just shows the "we are above the rules" mentality.

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kgh10

February 1st, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^

Multiple incidents? How you can even count deflategate an incident is pathetic with all of the rampant scandals around the league and the lack of proof of any intent (no their "reputation" is not proof they did anything intentionally). And you don't see how they could possibly be unfairly targeted for things that are routine practices around the league? That's the point...their succes is a target for teams that despite doing the same things just can't get it done themselves. You don't see how this could be the case?

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slama

February 1st, 2015 at 1:34 PM ^

Spygate definitely taints their legacy. It is blatant cheating and likely went on for a long time. Deflategate by itself is not a huge deal but it is likely the tip of the iceberg. Belichick = cheater.

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kgh10

February 1st, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^

You do realize filming the sidelines was not illegal until 2006 right? I.e they weren't cheating for any season in which they won the SB? And after they were caught and paid their fines and had their punishment, they ripped off an 18-1 season? How is this tainted?

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kgh10

February 1st, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^

FACT: There was no evidence they taped walk-throughs. The newspaper (Boston Herald) that wrote the article stating they taped walkthroughs rescinded and apologized for that false allegation. There was no evidence they taped a walkthrough and the Herald should've been sued for libel. 

http://web.archive.org/web/20080515132526/http://www.bostonherald.com/s…

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the bee train

February 1st, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^

I'm as proud to have Brady as an alum as anyone else but they were filming walk throughs after being explicitly told not to. They cheated, regardless of how impactful it was or wasn't on any of their games. Take off the maize goggles and I'll think you'll agree this, when combined with filming walk throughs before the fucking super bowl, tarnishes what they've accomplished at least a little.

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kgh10

February 1st, 2015 at 2:13 PM ^

1) Not a dude :) 2) There was NO evidence they recorded walkthroughs. See my comment below. 

Take the shield from your eyes and I think you'll see the facts do not justify the unfair perception of their success. It is equally detrimental to the game to accuse anyone who has success of cheating as it is to actually cheat. It was a bullshit witchunt for which they have served their time and paid up.

Joined: 06/30/2008

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wolverine1987

February 1st, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^

Stealing signs in baseball, and in football, is, against the rules. But the only reason its questionable is because of that. As an act in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with it. That's the difference between sports and life.

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taistreetsmyhero

February 1st, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^

that no other teams have done the same thing they have done, then yes, they have cheated in very pathetic and bush league ways.

but i find it hard to believe they are the only team that dose little things like this. 

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Farnn

February 1st, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^

Prior to last week, did the NFL refs actually pull out a pressure gauge and test each ball the teams provided or did they just feel them and judge them to be ok?  I can't imagine them spending the time before every single game to measure the exact pressure in each ball.

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sierragold

February 1st, 2015 at 1:44 PM ^

Once again to sensationalize a story and I read several articles earlier that science supports the football deflating.

I am going with the science on this one and its ESPN I question the integrity of them more than Tom Brady.

Joined: 10/03/2009

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CarrIsMyHomeboy

February 1st, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^

Underinflated footballs do not compare to scuffed or pine-tarred baseballs. One has a completely equivocal observation that in no way convincingly addresses the issue of intent; while the other is an unequivocal watermark of cheating. People are merely guessing that New England cheated. The evidence is lacking. Those who are deciding to make a decision on the matter are dabbling in weak-mindedness. When the observations are equivocal, the strong-minded approach requires us to neither call them cheaters nor innocent but to pause. Because, for the public, knowledgeable conclusions are so far impossible.

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LSAClassOf2000

February 1st, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^

These names would be some of the nest reasons to hit mute or watch another channel whenever there is "analysis" supposedly being done on ESPN. Imagine all four of them in the same studio - won't happen, of course, but it's a scenario that makes eyes bleed just thinking about it. 

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CRISPed in the DIAG

February 1st, 2015 at 1:52 PM ^

As we witnessed during the Harbauging, ESPN is essentially and arm of the NFL home office.  The NFL home office is a mess, but has taken a stance (some of it personal between Kraft and Goodell, at this stage) against the Patriots.  From a corporate standpoint, ESPN will stay on message as long as they think it will please the NFL.  Synergy means everything to ESPN.

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Mr. Yost

February 1st, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^

TAILGATE?

How do they feel about those?

 

Maybe we should investigate the NFL delegate over these Watergate-like controversies. I'm not sure this person was able to navigate the muddy waters in order to litigate in a fair manner. Maybe we should interrogate every member of the NFL Office AND the Patriots over the past 10 years and obligate each person to talk? Do not segregate the Patriots players from the NFL owners in this matter.

Oh no, did I just open the floodgate on words that end with "gate?!"

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mgobleu

February 1st, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^

sells unis regionally for team sports, and had the chance to ask a couple of D1 football coaches, both of whom had at least some NFL experience, what they thought- they both said almost verbatim that EVERYBODY adjusts the pressure in their balls, it's a common practice, and yeah, it's technically a "rule", but no one really cares, and it was a total bitch move for Indy to complain about it.

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