New England Patriots: The Truth out Spygate?What Fans Don't Know

The sole purpose of this article is to shed some light on the unknown details of Spygate. The anti-New England Patriots fans out there need to realize some of the facts about the situation before they accuse the Patriots of cheating.  

I'm going to be very blunt with this statement: The New England Patriots are not cheaters. 

Yes, that's right—take some time to digest the thought.

The New England Patriots did brake a NFL rule, however, a lot of people aren't fully aware of the NFL rule and the details of the whole Spygate incident—maybe because they only want to hear what they want to hear. 

Here is some quoted text from the 2007 NFL "Operations Manuel" on page 105: "No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game...All video shooting locations must be enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead."

So what did the Patriots do that was illegal? The location of where the Patriots video-taped the game from. 

The New England Patriots were penalized by the NFL because they had one of their staff members, Matt Walsh, videotape the New York Jets' defensive signals in their week one match-up in 2007. 

Like stated in the NFL rule, the Patriots were fined for the location of the videotape, not what Walsh was recording. 

However, did you know that it is not illegal to use binoculars and watch the opposing team's coaches as they signal in plays? Also, it is not illegal to write down exactly what signals the opposing coaches are doing. 

So, what's the major difference from videotaping them and writing them down? Where's the big advantage? How does that make New England cheaters?

It doesn't. Bill Belichick and the Patriots are not cheaters. 

Another false rumor about the Patriots is that Walsh would give the videos to the Patriots coaching staff at halftime—that never happened. He held onto the tapes throughout the entire game. And that's a proven fact: Walsh testified that the tapes were in his possession throughout the entire game. 

So, if the Patriots never had access to the tapes during the game, how did they cheat? Where did they gain an unfair advantage? They didn't—the Patriots did not cheat. 

As some fans might say, "well the Patriots could have used the tapes for the next time they played that team." 

Here's my answer: The Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Jets are the only teams the Patriots play twice in a season. Also, NFL teams switch their signals from week to week. And, some of you may not know this but, team's have coaches send out false signals because they are fully aware that people could be watching them.

So where's the unfair advantage gained? Yet again, there isn't one. 

So, allow me to purpose this question to you: How does this tarnish New England's dynasty? 

You may say that the Patriots videotaped the St. Louis Rams' practice prior to XXXVI. But, guess what? That's another false allegation—Walsh never came through with the evidence. 

Walsh lied about videotaping the Rams' practice, and in an obvious retaliation against New England after they relieved him of his duties. 

Following the news of the Patriots illegally videotaping locations, former Dallas Cowboys' head coach Jimmy Johnson came out with this following statement.

"This is exactly how I was told to do it 18 years ago by a Kansas City Chiefs scout. I tried it, but I didn't think it helped us." Johnson also said, "Bill Belichick was wrong because he videotaped signals after a memo was sent out to all of the teams saying not to do it. But what irritates me is hearing some reactions from players and coaches. These players don't know what their coaches are doing. And some of the coaches have selective amnesia because I know for a fact there were various teams doing this. That's why the memo was sent to everybody. That doesn't make [Belichick] right, but a lot of teams are doing this."

Before I wrap this up, I have one last significant fact about the whole spygate incident—the Jets videotaped illegally videotaped the Patriots in 2006, but were never caught. 

Now, isn't that funny? The Jets did it too, and no one makes a big deal about it. 

As I conclude, when all is said and done, the New England Patriots are not cheaters—get over it.

It's time for the all the "Patriot-haters" out there to accept the facts that they've been neglecting to see, and move on.

The New England Patriots are an NFL dynasty, and will remain a serious contender for a Super Bowl as long as Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are Patriots—not because of "cheating."  

 

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @   TonySantorsa.

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