If I ever hear anyone try to compare BB to Lombardi again, I'll egg their house

ESPN Article

I didn't know IR players couldn't even practice with the team.

So an WR on IR with a broken hand can't come in and run routes or work on his reads with the team? That seems dumb.

Also I think is speaks well of the NFL if this and the video taping are the biggest cheating scandals that arise when there is obviously a huge effort to find dirt on the Pats.

Here's some reasoning from Profootballtalk.com:

“I honestly feel like the IR issue is a way bigger issue than taping signals. I always felt that was overblown because everyone was doing it in some way (i.e. with a scout in the press box, etc). However, the IR thing is huge. In terms of getting players ready to play for the future, it’s invaluable. You can stash players on the IR, protect them from waivers, and get them to practice, develop and improve. Plus it allows you to rest your veterans during practice. In terms of competitiveness, from an overall team standpoint, that’s a much bigger advantage than taping signals."

Not sure who this unidentified soul might be, but it makes some sense.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

quote:

Originally posted by FreeSafety:
I didn't know IR players couldn't even practice with the team.

So an WR on IR with a broken hand can't come in and run routes or work on his reads with the team? That seems dumb.

Also I think is speaks well of the NFL if this and the video taping are the biggest cheating scandals that arise when there is obviously a huge effort to find dirt on the Pats.

I don't think it needed to be a huge effort. NFL teams definitely know it's not allowed. I knew it, mostly because a big deal was made last year when the Lions put QB Drew Stanton on IR with what was a fairly minor injury; it was written at the time that it would really hurt his development because he wouldn't be able to practice with the team and stuff, and he could have returned during the season otherwise.

I could see other teams being just as bothered about the Pats skirting the rules this way as the taping stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Boris:
If I ever hear anyone try to compare BB to Lombardi again, I'll egg their house

People always forget that when Lombardi was coach, there was no revenue sharing, salary cap, etc.

Vince ruled the league with a team that literally had one arm tied behind its back.

I'm sure Baddell will make the same lame statement that we already knew this. He can be tough on TuPacMan and Arsennal Williams but I will let Bob Crap and Billaprick do what they want. X 4 it's not for Goddells.

What I love is all the Patsie apologists trying to say "everybody does it". Didn't these IDOTs learn as teenagers that's the dumbest attempt at an excuse ever?

quote:

Didn't these IDOTs learn as teenagers that's the dumbest attempt at an excuse ever?

Yeah, like ever....

quote:

Originally posted by Boris:
If I ever hear anyone try to compare BB to Lombardi again, I'll egg their house

Better yet, just send me the gps coordinates to Bell-i-cheats house. Put a stop to all of this once & for all.

quote:

Vince ruled the league with a team that literally had one arm tied behind its back.

While you could argue the competition was probably tougher (less teams, no expansion) clearly there was an advantage to teams like GB that didn't have to compete with other teams financially through the cap or deal with issues related to free agency losing players to other teams.

If you had teams that were able to draft well they could literally win for years, which many of them did. GB won 5 championships in 7 years and I don't think that will ever happen again because it's nearly impossible with free agency and the cap to keep your team intact for an extended period of time.

Teams like Dallas and Pittsburgh and the Niners benefitted greatly from that as well.

Back to the real issue and that is I find it interesting that New England continues to get a slap on the wrist for breaking the rules but then again considering that Kraft was heavily involved in selecting Goodell maybe not.
This is why I don't have a ton of respect for Goodell. He can preach on about player behavior but what about team or owner behavior?

I can understand why some want the Patriots punished further but it's also a tightrope for Goodell to walk. Had he taken all the Patriots draft picks for this year it makes a big statement that the sport was illegitimate for three years. I think he was engaging in damage control. Goodell couldn't give the impression that the cheating was why the Patriots won the Super Bowl without hurting the league as a whole.

quote:

Better yet, just send me the gps coordinates to Bell-i-cheats house. Put a stop to all of this once & for all.

- Better watch it, this man may have already GPS'ed your home ...
http://timesfour.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/938109321/m/4451082303

They may have a pre-emptive strike ...