Patriots finally respond to Spygate
Finally, some strong denials from the Patriots about their videotaping practices.
I suspect the timing of these statements has something to do with Senator Arlen Specter's recent threats to further investigate the taping practices, but I am glad to finally see that SOMEONE denies the alleged 2001 Super Bowl taping incident.
While the allegations could be true, I dislike the fact that all of this has come from a Boston Herald report citing a single "unnamed source." That this report was released the day before the Super Bowl is a little curious too. This one shaky article has given birth to 500 holier-than-though sports opinion columns, 50 hours of knee-jerk reaction on cable sports channels, and one lawsuit filed by some former Rams player (and his overzealous lawyer). I really hate sports media sometimes...
Belichick states that he did not address the allegations during the season because it would take away from his primary job of winning games. Though the explanation sounds a little weak, I actually believe it--the guy has an unbelievable focus.
As for the Super Bowl loss, I'm just now starting to get over it--yeah, I know it's been 3 weeks! Suffice it to say, it was a pretty lousy day, and let's just say the people who were nice enough to have the Wacky Chinacouple over to watch it probably won't be inviting us back anytime soon.
It still hurts a little, but I'll rip off a few thoughts here about the game as well as the offseason:
-I remember being really worried about the Giants after the NFC Championship game, then becoming less and less worried in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. I watched the previous game and concluded that the Giants chances were slim to none. I woke up Sunday morning without having seriously considered the possibility that the Patriots would lose. I pretty much felt the exact opposite of the way I did in the 2001 Super Bowl when I didn't give the Patriots a chance to topple the Rams. And as high as I felt when they won that game against my expectations, I felt just as low when the Giants pulled off the upset three weeks ago.
-To be clear: I never cared about the whole 19-0 thing--I just wanted the fourth title for the Patriots dynasty. If anything, I thought the undefeated thing was a little bit nervewracking--with all the media hype surrounding the Pats as being perhaps the best team ever, it felt like the Pats had more to lose than they had to gain every time they stepped on the field.
-It sounds strange to say, but even if they had gone undefeated, I wouldn't have enjoyed the 2007 Patriots more than the 2001 or 2003 teams. Though they were an amazing team, I didn't think they were that exciting to watch (demolishing the opposition doesn't make for much suspense), and they were a little mouthier than teams past.
-As for the game, it pretty much came down to the Giants defensive line dominating the Patriots offensive line to the point where they had a chance to win the game at the end. I thought this might be a problem point, but I never expected them to hold the Pats to 7 points through 3 quarters. Even during the fourth quarter, I was waiting for the Giants' defense to get tired, which they did (just like the Colts did back in November). I have not rewatched the game, but I spent the following night replaying various plays in my head while in a state of semi-consciousness: Asante Samuel's near-interception, Eli Manning eluding the sack on 3rd and 5, David Tyree somehow holding on to the football with Rodney Harrison failing to jar it loose, Randy Moss in good position to catch a 60-yard bomb with 10 seconds left...God, thinking about all this sucks--I may have trouble falling asleep again tonight.
-On a random note, that was some nasty flu going around. The day after the Super Bowl, I thought I felt shitty because of the Patriots' loss, but it turned out I had caught a bug that pretty much rendered me useless for the whole week. On the plus side, it was hard to dwell on the Patriots when all my energy was spent hacking up phlegm.
-As for the offseason, I think it's clear Asante Samuel and Donte Stallworth are gone, while Randy Moss is definitely back. The questions are whether Samuel is nearly as good somewhere else (my guess is no) and whether Randy Moss is productive next year (my guess is yes, though not as dominant as in 2007). Even without any major offseason moves, the Patriots are still going to be really good on offense in 2008.
-I can't say the same is true of the defense. I hate to say it, but both the Colts and Chargers have set themselves up for the future better than the Patriots have, as both have young, inexpensive players on the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, the Patriots have set themselves up nicely on the defensive line, but not anywhere else: there is not much young talent at linebacker or defensive back.
-If I had to guess one free agent target the Patriots have this offseason, it's former Steeler LB Clark Haggans. The Pats won't pony up for proven defensive backs, but they will for proven linebackers.
-I really hope voters aren't falling for Senator Specter's grandstanding. The recent hearings with Roger Clemens was bad enough! What was the purpose of that hearing, anyway? It was supposedly about steroids, but let's not kid ourselves--the hearing was about trying to find out whether Roger Clemens is a liar or not. What a waste! I did enjoy Bill Maher pointing out that opinions on Clemens fell along party lines with Republicans seemingly siding with Clemens (a red-blooded Texan) and Democrats siding with his trainer. All this angers me so much that I may actually have to vote in the next election...
I suspect the timing of these statements has something to do with Senator Arlen Specter's recent threats to further investigate the taping practices, but I am glad to finally see that SOMEONE denies the alleged 2001 Super Bowl taping incident.
While the allegations could be true, I dislike the fact that all of this has come from a Boston Herald report citing a single "unnamed source." That this report was released the day before the Super Bowl is a little curious too. This one shaky article has given birth to 500 holier-than-though sports opinion columns, 50 hours of knee-jerk reaction on cable sports channels, and one lawsuit filed by some former Rams player (and his overzealous lawyer). I really hate sports media sometimes...
Belichick states that he did not address the allegations during the season because it would take away from his primary job of winning games. Though the explanation sounds a little weak, I actually believe it--the guy has an unbelievable focus.
As for the Super Bowl loss, I'm just now starting to get over it--yeah, I know it's been 3 weeks! Suffice it to say, it was a pretty lousy day, and let's just say the people who were nice enough to have the Wacky Chinacouple over to watch it probably won't be inviting us back anytime soon.
It still hurts a little, but I'll rip off a few thoughts here about the game as well as the offseason:
-I remember being really worried about the Giants after the NFC Championship game, then becoming less and less worried in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. I watched the previous game and concluded that the Giants chances were slim to none. I woke up Sunday morning without having seriously considered the possibility that the Patriots would lose. I pretty much felt the exact opposite of the way I did in the 2001 Super Bowl when I didn't give the Patriots a chance to topple the Rams. And as high as I felt when they won that game against my expectations, I felt just as low when the Giants pulled off the upset three weeks ago.
-To be clear: I never cared about the whole 19-0 thing--I just wanted the fourth title for the Patriots dynasty. If anything, I thought the undefeated thing was a little bit nervewracking--with all the media hype surrounding the Pats as being perhaps the best team ever, it felt like the Pats had more to lose than they had to gain every time they stepped on the field.
-It sounds strange to say, but even if they had gone undefeated, I wouldn't have enjoyed the 2007 Patriots more than the 2001 or 2003 teams. Though they were an amazing team, I didn't think they were that exciting to watch (demolishing the opposition doesn't make for much suspense), and they were a little mouthier than teams past.
-As for the game, it pretty much came down to the Giants defensive line dominating the Patriots offensive line to the point where they had a chance to win the game at the end. I thought this might be a problem point, but I never expected them to hold the Pats to 7 points through 3 quarters. Even during the fourth quarter, I was waiting for the Giants' defense to get tired, which they did (just like the Colts did back in November). I have not rewatched the game, but I spent the following night replaying various plays in my head while in a state of semi-consciousness: Asante Samuel's near-interception, Eli Manning eluding the sack on 3rd and 5, David Tyree somehow holding on to the football with Rodney Harrison failing to jar it loose, Randy Moss in good position to catch a 60-yard bomb with 10 seconds left...God, thinking about all this sucks--I may have trouble falling asleep again tonight.
-On a random note, that was some nasty flu going around. The day after the Super Bowl, I thought I felt shitty because of the Patriots' loss, but it turned out I had caught a bug that pretty much rendered me useless for the whole week. On the plus side, it was hard to dwell on the Patriots when all my energy was spent hacking up phlegm.
-As for the offseason, I think it's clear Asante Samuel and Donte Stallworth are gone, while Randy Moss is definitely back. The questions are whether Samuel is nearly as good somewhere else (my guess is no) and whether Randy Moss is productive next year (my guess is yes, though not as dominant as in 2007). Even without any major offseason moves, the Patriots are still going to be really good on offense in 2008.
-I can't say the same is true of the defense. I hate to say it, but both the Colts and Chargers have set themselves up for the future better than the Patriots have, as both have young, inexpensive players on the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, the Patriots have set themselves up nicely on the defensive line, but not anywhere else: there is not much young talent at linebacker or defensive back.
-If I had to guess one free agent target the Patriots have this offseason, it's former Steeler LB Clark Haggans. The Pats won't pony up for proven defensive backs, but they will for proven linebackers.
-I really hope voters aren't falling for Senator Specter's grandstanding. The recent hearings with Roger Clemens was bad enough! What was the purpose of that hearing, anyway? It was supposedly about steroids, but let's not kid ourselves--the hearing was about trying to find out whether Roger Clemens is a liar or not. What a waste! I did enjoy Bill Maher pointing out that opinions on Clemens fell along party lines with Republicans seemingly siding with Clemens (a red-blooded Texan) and Democrats siding with his trainer. All this angers me so much that I may actually have to vote in the next election...
