Big Mouth of Big Brown Traininer

God bless Rick Dutrow, he believes in his horse. And I admire his confidence. Nevertheless, he's setting himself up for a huge fall if Big Brown falters in the Belmont.

The jury is still out - maybe forever - as to whether Big Brown ha true Triple Crown talent or is merely the best horse among a very weak bunch of competitors.

Given the lopsided betting on Big Brown expected of many hoping to keep the winning Belmont ticket as a souvenir, we could be looking at this horse going off at 1-10 odds a week from Saturday.

Pastor Disaster

For a guy that is running on a Hope, Change and New Way campaign, Barack Obama belongs to a church with a whole lot of hate.

Father Michael Pflegler managed to hit the daily double. Comments that were both racist AND sexist.

Hard to believe that this is a man of God. Clearly the Catholic Church has lowered its standards on priests.

Of Interest... To Me

This story is a perfect example of why readers should be ever wary of data reported in the media - and the stories built on them.
A front page Washington Post story reports that "only 5.7 percent of rapes officially recorded by police in England and Wales end in a conviction." A terrible figure to be sure and the Post spends hundreds of words elaborating on why it is: social, cultural, police and jury bias.

But buried deep, deep in the story is this shocking number. Only 13 percent of rapes reported in the U.S. end in conviction.

Whoa! That doesn't seem to be much better than England. yes, it is double the Brit rate, but only 13%?!?!? I was expecting a number in the 40s. Seems like the Post should do a follow up story on why the percentage in the U.S. is so low.

Not sure who said it, but it is true: statistics are like bikinis in that what they reveal is as interesting as what they conceal.

Kolb Again Confirming Veterans' Talent

Once again Kevin Kolb is prominently featured in a story about another player. This time it is a profile of newly acquired RB Lorenzo Booker.

Kolb said that when he heard about the draft-day trade for Booker, he was thrilled.

"He’s a huge pickup for us," Kolb said. "I was thrilled when it happened, and I’m even more thrilled now that I’ve been out there with him."

Kolb said his excitement comes from Booker’s low-maintenance attitude: He arrives prepared, and gets his work done in a dependable, time-efficient manner.

Part of me thinks Kolb's opinions are sought/included because he is the only quarterback around during this optional training sessions.

Another part of me can't help but suspect that this is a concerted effort on the part of the Eagles PR team to get more publicity for the "quarterback of the future" and help grease the skids - at least among fans -for the transition from McNabb to Kolb.

And I also can't help but think that if Kolb is becoming more visible right now then it also means (from the coaching perspective) that his play so far has indicated he won't be a bust.

Kolb's Tom Heckert Impersonation

The suddenly very voluble Kevin Kolb is also now offering talent evaluations about players that have been on the team for a couple of years longer than he, albeit on the practice squad players

Phil Sheridan's Conspiracy Theory

Phil Sheridan touches on the NBA's conspiracy theories that have resurfaced after Derek Fisher's foul of Brent Barry in the Lakers-Spurs series.

I'm a huge Sheridan fan, but unfortunately this column is like all too many about the league-influence on referee calls. Sheridan raises the issue under the guise of generic fan suspicions, gently touches on evidence to bolster these beliefs but then winds up defending the leagues - in this case, again the NBA - by picking apart one questionable call and by suggesting that it is unthinkable or inconceivable that a league would risk its reputation to tilt games for TV ratings (i.e., money).

Alas, Sheridan falls into the same old traps as so many others.

One, Stern does not send "encrypted messages dictating the outcome of games." No, that is too blatant. Sheridan needs to understand how these things are done in Washington. It's called "plausible deniability."

I always have to laugh at the radio half wits who complain that no "smoking gun" has ever emerged about a commissioner's complicity in influencing games. As if Stern would ever dare to put on paper (much less utter) some instructions like, "Crawford, make sure the Lakers win tonight."

No, the messages are much more subtle and deniable. Ref assignments, vague comments, etc. Those within the league, in this case the refs, get the message loud and clear. But the actual words are harmless or can be argued to be misconstrued if a ref ever tried to make it public.

Second, Sheridan writes,

"The key to a successful conspiracy is to make everything look as if it's on the level. Second, if the motive for all this is to set up a Boston-L.A. matchup to boost TV ratings, then why push the Spurs to the brink of elimination in Game 4?

I would say, precisely. Stern wants to give the appearance that everything is on the level. How easy it is to fix an early game in a series - like game 4. The series has yet to fully play out and the details of games 5 and 6 will easily displace the controversy of game 4. And isn't it preferable to fix an early game than a game 6 or 7 when everyone KNOWS the series is on the line. As it is, the NBA has tilted the series to the Lakers by giving them one game and only requiring them to win 3 of the next 6. Again, the NBA isn't blatantly "fixing" games per se, but they are tilting the playing field in favor of certain teams by certain calls being made or not made.

Interestingly, Sheridan glosses over "poor officiating" after "too many big games" but doesn't cite even one example.

Here's one: Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings 2002 conference finals (see a theme among this incidents?) By general consensus the worst officiated NBA game in the 21st century. The game in which the Kings' two centers (Divac and Pollard) both fouled out, the Lakers shot 27 free throws to the Kings 9 in the 4th quarter, and was so bad even Ralph Nader demanded an investigation at its conclusion.

Finally, Sheridan doesn't mention the elephant in the room. The rampant suspicion that the NBA and Stern fixed the 1985 draft lottery to send Patrick Ewing to the Knicks. If you want to discuss sports conspiracies, that is the incident from which the NBA has never really recovered and which has ultimately led to such deep-seated fan skepticism.

Indeed, Sheridan is wrong to conclude that the fans won't watch if it is ever proved the games are fixed. Crooked ref Tim Donaghy has already shown that. No, the real risk to the integrity of the game itself is the constant whispers - to the point they are published by respected columnists in papers like the Inquirer - that the integrity isn't real.

Can the Kolb

Kevin Kolb makes some excellent points about the salary cap, veteran pay, and rookie contracts in criticizing Matt Ryan's $72 million contract. And yet, I can't help but slightly feel that the second year veteran and #3 quarterback should just keep his yap shut.

Pens Win!

Last night had to be Gary Bettman’s wet dream come true. An absolutely thrilling Stanley Cup Final game on national TV (and won by the Penguins which helped tighten the series).

 

Wow, what a game! End to end rushes, the Golden Boy’s two goals, and a desperate final minutes as Detroit tied to get the tying goal.

 

Hockey at its very, very best.

Justice out to answer his critics- NJ.com

Hopefully Winston Justice can rebuild himself and his "technique" to out of the wreckage of last year's Giants' game to be the projected starting tackle the second rounder should be.

"(Head coach Andy Reid) was very supportive (in a postseason meeting with the coaching staff)," Justice said. "He said, 'be ready to play and get stronger in the offseason.' So that's what I did."

To that end, Justice enlisted the help of a personal trainer who may have helped him more with improving his quickness than with building his body.

"One of the things I worked on was my upper body strength and another thing was reaction time," he said. "Because I think last year, especially in the Giants game, I had a problem with that. I think this year, it will be a big difference.

Eagles to run some 3-4 defense?

Future Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins hints at some of the defensive changes mastermind Jim Johnson is incoroporating this year, including some 3-4 alignments sure to give QB fits and that LB/DE Chris Gocong excelled in, particularly versus the Patriots.

Dawkins seems to be as excited as the fans about the subtle tweaks defensive coordinator Jim Johnson made to his unit near the end of last season, in which the linebackers moved around more -- sometimes behind a three-man front.

"That something that you can expect to see a lot more of," Dawkins said. "... Just look at the guys we drafted (and signed as free agents). We brought in basically the same type individuals, speed guys that can get after the quarterback and can drop into coverage.

"Then, with the way Chris (Gocong) played that jack linebacker in that 3-4 set, I think you can expect to see a lot more of that."

Pittsburgh

Here’s hoping the Pens can turn it around and get their offense back on track. Writes my brother about Steel City generally:

 

Pittsburgh is awesome.  Great place to go drinking and watch sports.  Passionate fan-base makes games better.  The new baseball stadium is great.  Good drunk food is a bonus.  Pittsburgh is great and no one ever thinks to go there because it’s Pittsburgh.

The Preakness Stakes

Running the Port-O-Potty gauntlet on the Preakness infield. Brings new meaning to the term, "Baltimoron."

Reid's Playcalling Cost Eagles' Game

Yes, the title is redundant. Reid's playcalling often loses games. Indeed, long time fans know that for all of Andy Reid's strengths as a coach, in game strategy and decisionmaking are not two of them. Now comes scientific data to buttress this belief.

According to a comprehensive analysis of "critical" play calling, the Eagles are ranked 25th and Reid's calls cost the Eagles a total of one game over the course of the 2007 season.

Choose Who

Read this profile of Eagles rookie WR DeSean Jackson and determine for yourself whether he is the next Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, or Freddie Mitchell.

And is his dad the new Carl Lindros or Wilma McNabb?

I just hope Jackson can be the next Steve Smith.

Feeling the Draft

Lorenzo Booker is quick but not an everydown back, Jack Ikegwuono is a long-term investment, and King Dunlap has "Outland Trophy" talent (?) says Eagles personnel chief Tom Heckert.

Press Confirms Media's Support for Obama

The New Republic's John Judis adds further confirmation to the belief that the media is in the tank for Barack Obama. Typically reporters have denied such charged allegations but not Judis, who pulls back the curtain on the journalism industry's complicity in Obama's rise.

Writes Judis:

Clinton's second great political mistake lay in how she dealt with Obama's challenge. Sometime in December, having realized that Obama was going to be a genuine rival for the nomination, she and her campaign decided to go negative on him. ...

John McCain and Mitt Romney were doing similar things to each other--and Obama did some of it to Clinton, too. But there a was difference between her doing this to Obama and McCain's doing it to Romney--a difference that eluded Clinton, her husband, and her campaign staff. My friend David Kusnet, Bill Clinton's former speechwriter, explained the difference to me by citing what ex-heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson had once said about Muhammad Ali. "I was just a fighter," Patterson had said, "but he was history." Obama, too, was, and is, history--the first viable African-American presidential candidate. Yes, Hillary Clinton was the first viable female candidate, but it is still different. Race is the deepest and oldest and most bitter conflict in American history--the cause of our great Civil War and of the upheavals of the 1950s and '60s. And if some voters didn't appreciate the potential breakthrough that Obama's candidacy represented, many in the Democratic primaries and caucuses did--and so did the members of the media and Obama's fellow politicians. And as Clinton began treating Obama as just another politician, they recoiled and threw their support to him.

Sorry, but there is just no other way to read it. The "they" that "recoiled and threw their support to him" are clearly referring to the "many" in the primaries/caucuses AND the media and politicians, particularly since the they comes immediately after the last two interest groups identified. And yes I called the media an interest group. What else are they in the wake of Judis' revelation?

The Final Flyers Word

Comes from my friend and long-time Flyer fan (though he’s originally from Staten Island):

They overachieved and lost to a superior team, but at the same time made incredible strides and the future is bright.

Most pressing need is defense, so that will be priority in the offseason. And while we have a wealth of gritty 20 goal scorers, we need a little more offensive power. Maybe a skilled playmaking center like thornton from sj. Also I like the idea of getting brian campbell. One negative is the salary cap. I see carter or umburger going.

In sum, as flyers fans we should be more than happy about this season. I'm proud of this team. they rebuilt and fought to the end, and philly has a new sport hero in bobby clarke jr, mike richards. I can't say enough about this guy. I will be wearing his jersey on opening night in wachovia.

Who Was Walsh's QB Contact

Pats videographer Matt Walsh continues to explain that he worked with one of the Patriots' backup quarterbacks in showing the QB the opposing team's defensive signals, who on gameday would relay them to the Charlie Weis, who called a no huddle play for Drew Bledsoe.

But the voluble Walsh refuses to give the name of the backup QB. During the 2000 season, the QBs behind Bledsoe were John Friesz, Michael Bishop, and Tom Brady.)

It seems that such a job would be the perfect task for a rookie backup and not the veteran #2. So it was most likely Brady or Bishop. If it were Bishop, would Walsh have so much reservation about naming him? Especially since Bishop is now out of the league and playing in Canada?

What did Tom Brady know, and when did he know it?

The Patriots kept the circle of people who knew small. The only ones who knew, Walsh said, were Dee and another video department employee, Fernando Neto, Belichick, Adams, the offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and the quarterbacks...

After filming opponents’ signals, Walsh would edit the tape or deliver the original to Adams. Walsh said a quarterback — he declined to say whom — would learn the signals, and the next time the Patriots played that team, the quarterback would relay that information to Weis, who would use the coach-to-quarterback communication system to send the information to the field.

The first time Walsh filmed an opponent’s signals was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2000 preseason — Belichick’s first as the Patriots’ coach...

The Patriots then opened the regular season against the Buccaneers. Walsh said this was the first time he had seen quarterback Drew Bledsoe operate a no-huddle offense when not in a two-minute or hurry-up situation.

In the week after the game, Walsh said he asked a quarterback — again, he declined to name whom — how helpful the signals were. Walsh said the quarterback told him “probably about 75 percent of the time, Tampa Bay ran the defense we thought they were going to run — if not more.”

Flyboys

I can’t be too upset with a series loss when you are so clearly the inferior team. The Flyers had a great playoff run, exceeding all expectations. I mean, the conference finals? That’s terrific. Along the way they beat the #1 and # seeds. Unfortunately, they also had to play the #2 team. In fact, the entire season has to be considered a marked success over last year’s dismal last place finish.

 

The future is encouraging, as this analysis correctly states. Biron proved himself in goal and as my friend the “Big O” points out, they have Bobbie Clark, Jr. in the play and leadership of Mike Richards.

 

But the Pens are a young team and the Caps are similarly young and improving too. So the Flyers can’t just stand pat and let these guys further develop. They need some upgrades, particularly on defense

 

Cheating for the Sport of It

Mark Bowden rises to the defense of all sports cheaters - at all levels of competition - in today's NY Times. Bowden asserts that sports cheating is merely standards operating procedure in this country and has infiltrated even little league sports, based on his own personal experience. While it's a cute story, I seriously doubt any pee-wee football coach did what Bowden avows he did.

When I played football as a teenager in a youth league, my coaches routinely tried to spy on our opponents by sending someone to watch them practice. And if we obtained intelligence about the other team’s play calling (like the time one of my teammates had a friend who could decode the other coach’s defensive audibles), it wasn’t reported to them, but put to good use.

Right. Pee-wee coaches "routinely" spied on other teams' practices. And this occurred 20-30 years ago? I'm calling bulls*#t.The NY Times need better fact checkers for its editorial page.

Homer Spadaro

Any Eagles fan has come to expect the consistently sunny optimism of Eagles house organ, Dave "Homer" Spadaro, to the point where there is an odd affection for Sapadaro's company-line (if for no other reason than it is so easy to mock).

But is there trouble afoot for Spadaro among the mainstream Philadelphia sports scribes?

Writes Kevin Cooney,

"The real threat to journalism in the new millennium is Dave Spadaro.

For years, Spadaro has been the Eagles' minister of information — a.k.a. the “Insider” for the team's Web site. Basically, it goes like this: The Eagles' brass thinks it, and Spadaro writes it as fact.

Team doesn't think it needs a wide receiver. Spadaro really doesn't think it needs a wide receiver. Team loves its draft. Spadaro really loves its draft.

For the most part, the rest of the Philadelphia media accepted this as a guy just trying to collect a paycheck and doing his job. Sure, there were some giggles, but Spadaro seemed like a nice guy to those who met him and everybody went along their merry way.

That was until “Spuds” decided to become the lecturer on all things journalism on the first day of minicamp."

Apparently, the press can tolerate his one-sided stories. But want they won't abide is any suggestion, especially from Spadaro, that their stories are somehow biased against the home team. The Philadelphia media too negative? Say it ain't so!

"When things go poorly, Spadaro turns around the mirror and tries to blame people who had nothing to do with it. If this town were really as negative as Spadaro portrays it to be, the head coach would have been run out of it for what happened in his personal life last year.

There are a lot of ticked-off sports reporters in this city who feel the same way I do. This was a low blow that threw down the gauntlet between the franchise and some circles of the city's press corps. "

Should make for an interesting season: Spadaro vs. the Philadelphia media.

Little Known Draft Factoid

When the Eagles drafted Andy Studebaker out of Wheaton College, he was one of only two players drafted out of Division III this year (the Colts took Pierre Carcon, WR, Mount Union). Coincidentally, both players were taken in the 6^th round.

Why Gas Is So Expensive

On an unrelated sports matter, I came across an interesting article about Americans' gas usage, and perhaps why our pump prices are so high. Hint: It's not China but is related to the Iraq war, but not in the way you might assume.

Writes Michael Klare:

Every day, the average G.I. in Iraq uses approximately 27 gallons of petroleum-based fuels. With some 160,000 American troops in Iraq, that amounts to 4.37 million gallons in daily oil usage, including gasoline for vans and light vehicles, diesel for trucks and armored vehicles, and aviation fuel for helicopters, drones, and fixed-wing aircraft. With U.S. forces paying, as of late April, an average of $3.23 per gallon for these fuels, the Pentagon is already spending approximately $14 million per day on oil ($98 million per week, $5.1 billion per year) to stay in Iraq. Meanwhile, our Iraqi allies, who are expected to receive a windfall of $70 billion this year from the rising price of their oil exports, charge their citizens $1.36 per gallon for gasoline.

When questioned about why Iraqis are paying almost a third less for oil than American forces in their country, senior Iraqi government officials scoff at any suggestion of impropriety. "America has hardly even begun to repay its debt to Iraq," said Abdul Basit, the head of Iraq's Supreme Board of Audit, an independent body that oversees Iraqi governmental expenditures. "This is an immoral request because we didn't ask them to come to Iraq, and before they came in 2003 we didn't have all these needs."

In other words, the American military is burning up 40% of Saudi Arabia's daily output. There's no speculative oil bubble per se, it's a supply shortage. The Iraq Troop Surge has caused a Gas Price Surge. And like the war in Iraq, there is no end in sight. (and nevermind about the US paying retail for oil, or that we are protecting a country with the second largest known oil reserves and they are making us pay through the nose - via oil prices - for the privilege of doing so.)

Why Spygate is Important

Washington Post political reporter Paul Kane hosted an interactive chat with readers today. While the thrust of the questions centered on the demise of the Republican party, several questions came up about Spygate given Kane's encouragement of Arlen Specter's role in the evolving scandal.

Kane eloquently articulated why the scandal, cover up and Specter's intervention are so important and worthy of congressional attention.

Should probably ask Wilbon: But you said: "Compel the NFL to conduct at least a semi-legitimate investigation into the New England Patriots cheating scheme that helped them produce three Super Bowls." Seriously, you think that's a significant part of why they won three Super Bowls? And that they are the only team spying on signals from other teams? I think the NFL is hoping this goes away so it doesn't blow the cover off a systemic issue that could smear the whole league, not just the Patriots.

Paul Kane: Arlen Specter is a hero to all NFL fans who want answers to this scandal. I'm speaking here solely as a fan of the single most important sports and cultural league in America. Why do 100 million people watch the Super Bowl? Because we love the National Football League more than any other sports, cultural or societal organization in America.

As of now, there has not been a single scintilla of evidence produced that any other team participated in any form of cheating in the manner of the Patriots. There have been whispers other teams did it, but not a shred of evidence put forward. Tonight, on HBO, a former Patriots worker will explain the amazingly complex organization wide effort to steal opposing team's signals -- using multiple cameramen, then folks in an editing room who spliced the film together, then pulling in backup players to study the film along with assistant coaches, then positioning those backup players right next to the assistant coaches so, once they stole the signals during games, the backup players could immediately tell the offensive coordinator, who would then radio into the Patriots quarterback what play the defense was going to run against them.

So, my question to you is, do you think this didn't help the Patriots? Come on, buddy. You think they went to all this trouble -- probably employing a dozen or more people in this scheme -- they went to all this trouble and it didn't give them a "competitive advantage"?

Go Arlen.


Indianapolis: Do you truly believe that, given the shape this country is in, what we need is a congressional investigation of the NFL?

Paul Kane: I believe that this country's in bad shape and that it's up to the president and congressional leaders to sit down and work those things out.

But, listen, there are 435 members of the House, 100 senators, and there are almost 50 different committees combined in the two chambers. Not all of them are supposed to deal with war and energy and home mortgages. If not for the heroic work of Henry Waxman and Tom Davis exposing Major League Baseball's duplicity in the steroids scandal, we'd all still have our heads in the sand applauding Barry Bonds as he strokes his 800th home run.

I'm sure people wondered just what the heck young Bobby Kennedy was doing when, as a Senate counsel, he helped lead an investigation into the mob in the 1950s as really big things were happening around the globe (Soviets marching into Hungary, the beginnings of the space race, the Castro takeover of Cuba). Why would a Senate committee then bothered to explore a little corruption in a few corners of a few cities? Because it was there, it was rotting to its core and someone needed to do something.

That's what Tom Davis and Henry Waxman did with steroids, and that's what Specter is trying to do with the Patriots.

Thank Hillary, Don't Demonize Her

For all the Obamacans out there who are seething that Hillary Clinton has yet to withdraw from the race, think about this. She probably did Obama a favor by staying in this past week.

Given her margin of victory in W. Va., the Senator from Illinois might have lost the state, albeit not as badly as he actually did, even with her out of the race but her name still on the ballot.

Has any presumptive nominee ever lost an uncontested primary? Obama should thank Clinton for preventing us from finding out.

And on another note, why are superdelegates who are now switching their allegiance from Clinton to Obama viewed as a sign of Obama's momentum and nomination inevitability (and not portrayed as the opportunistic turncoats they really are), while suggestions by the Clinton campaign that delegates can switch from Obama to Clinton are treated as tampering
with the electoral process?

Marshall Faulk

Interestingly, Rams star RB Marshall Faulk performed the unusual job (for him) of returning kicks in Super bowl 36. Coach Mike Martz must have thought it would be a surprise to the Patriots. However, Arlen Specter’s investigation suggests the Pats were well aware of what the Rams were going to do.

Notes Specter:

Matt Walsh and other Patriots employees, Steve Scarnecchia, Jimmy Dee, Fernando Neto and possibly Ed Bailey were present to observe most if not all of the St. Louis Rams walk-through practice in advance of the 2002 Super Bowl, including Marshall Faulk’s unusual positioning as a punt returner.

David Halberstam's book, The Education of a Coach, documents the way Belichick spent the week before the Super Bowl obsessing about where the Rams would line up Faulk.

Walsh was asked and told Assistant Coach, Brian Daboll, about the walkthrough.

Walsh said Daboll asked him specific questions about the Rams offense and Walsh told Daboll about Faulk’s lining up as a kick returner. Walsh also told Daboll about Rams running backs “lining up in the flat.” Walsh said Daboll then drew diagrams of the formations Walsh had described.

(According to media reports, Daboll denied talking to Walsh about Faulk. We do not know what Scarnecchia, Dee, Neto or Bailey did or even if they were interviewed.

Specter Statement Highlights

Excerpt highlights of Sen. Arlen Specter’s Spygate statement

“WHAT WE KNOW:

The extent of the taping was not disclosed until the NFL was pressured to do so. Originally, Commissioner Goodell said the taping was limited to late in the 2006 season and early in the 2007 season. In his meeting with me on February 13, 2008, Goodell admitted the taping went back to 2000. Until my meeting with Matt Walsh on May 13, 2008, the only taping we knew about took place from 2000 until 2002 and during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Walsh said he did not tell Goodell about the taping during 2003, 2004 and 2005 because he was not asked. (emphasis added)

The NFL confiscated the Jets tape on September 9, 2007; imposed the penalties on September 13, 2007; on September 17, 2007, viewed the tapes for the first time; and then announced they had destroyed those tapes on September 20, 2007. Commissioner Goodell made his judgment on the punishment to be levied before he had viewed the key evidence.

The Patriots took elaborate steps to conceal their filming of opponents’ signals.
Patriots personnel instructed Walsh to use a “cover story” if anyone questioned him about the filming.

During at least one game, the January 27, 2002 AFC Championship game, Walsh was specifically instructed not to wear anything displaying a Patriots logo. Walsh indicated he turned the Patriots sweatshirt he was wearing at the time inside-out. Walsh was also given a generic credential instead of one that identified him as team personnel.

These efforts to conceal the filming demonstrate the Patriots knew they were violating NFL rules.

II. THE VIDEOTAPING HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE GAME

Walsh was told by a former offensive player that a few days before the September 11, 2000 regular season game against Tampa Bay, he (the offensive player) was called into a meeting with Adams, Bill Belichick and Charlie Weis, then the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, during which it was explained how the Patriots would make use of the tapes. The offensive player would memorize the signals and then watch for Tampa Bay’s defensive calls during the game. He would then pass the plays along to Weis, who would give instructions to the quarterback on the field. This process enabled the Patriots to go to a “no-huddle” offensive, which would lock in the defense the opposing team had called from the sideline, preventing the defense from making any adjustments. When Walsh asked whether the tape he had filmed was helpful, the offensive player said it had enabled the team to anticipate 75 percent of the plays being called by the opposing team.

(2) Among the tapes Walsh turned over to the NFL is one of the AFC Championship game on January 27, 2002 in which the Patriots defeated the Steelers by a score of 24-17. When the Patriots played the Steelers again during their season-opener on September 9, 2002, the Patriots again won, this time by a score of 30-14.

On October 31, 2004, the Steelers beat the Patriots 34-20, forced four turnovers, including two interceptions, and sacked the quarterback four times. In the AFC Championship game on January 23, 2005, the Patriots won 41-27 and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times. The Steelers had no sacks that game.

With respect to the 2002 AFC Championship game, it was reported in February of this year that Hines Ward, Steelers wide receiver, said: “Oh, they know. They were calling our stuff out. They knew, especially that first championship game here at Heinz Field. They knew a lot of our calls. There’s no question some of their players were calling out some of our stuff.”

In addition, Steelers cornerback, Sheldon Brown, reportedly said earlier this year that he noticed a difference in New England’s playcalling in the second quarter of the January 27, 2002 AFC Championship game.

(3) Tampa Bay won the August 20, 2000 pre-season game by a score of 31-21. According to the information provided by Matt Walsh, the Patriots used the film to their advantage when they played Tampa Bay in their first regular season game on September 3, 2000. The Patriots narrowed the spread, losing by a score of 21-16. After the game, Charlie Weis, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, was reportedly overheard telling Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, “We knew all your calls, and you still stopped us.”The tapes Walsh turned over to the NFL indicate the Patriots filmed the Dolphins during their game on September 24, 2000, a game the Patriots lost by 10-3.

According to Walsh, when the Patriots first began filming opponents, they filmed opponents they would play again during that same season. The Patriots played the Dolphins again that season on December 24, 2000; they again narrowed the spread, losing by a score of 27-24.

(4) The Patriots filmed opponents offensive signals in addition to defensive signals. On April 23, 2008, the NFL issued a statement indicating that "Commissioner Goodell determined last September that the Patriots had violated league rules by videotaping opposing coaches' defensive signals during Patriots games throughout Bill Belichick's tenure as head coach.” However, the tapes turned over by Matt Walsh contain footage of offensive signals. The tapes turned over to the NFL and the information provided by Walsh proves that the Patriots also routinely filmed opponents’ offensive signals.

(5) Why the Patriots videotaped signals during games when they were not scheduled to play that opponent during the balance of the season unless they were able to utilize the videotape during the latter portion of the same game. The NFL has not addressed the question as to whether the Patriots decoded signals during the game for later use in that game.

III. The NFL’s Investigation was not objective, transparent or adequate

(1) Walsh said that Dan Goldberg, an attorney for the Patriots, was present at his interview and asked questions. With some experience in investigations, I have never heard of a situation where the subject of an investigation or his/her/its representative was permitted to be present during the investigation. I strains credulity that any objective investigator would countenance such a practice. During a hearing or trial, parties will be present with the right of cross-examination and confrontation but certainly not in the investigative stage.

(2) Commissioner Goodell misrepresented the extent of the taping when he said at the super Bowl press conference on February 1, 2008: “I believe there were six tapes, and I believe some were from the pre-season in 2007, and the rest were primarily in the lat 2006 season. In addition, there were notes that had been collected, that I would imagine many teams have from when they scout a team in advance, that we took, that may have been collected by using an illegal activity, according to our rules.” Later, Goodell said of the taping “[W]e think it was quite limited. It was not something that was done on a widespread basis.”

(3) Commissioner Goodell materially changed his story in his meeting with me on February 13, 2008 when he said there has been taping since 2000. (emphasis added).

(4) There has been no plausible explanation as to why Commissioner Goodell imposed the penalty on September 13, 2007, before the NFL examined the tapes on September 17, 2007.

(5) There has been no plausible explanation as to why the NFL destroyed the tapes. Commissioner Goodell sought to explain his reason by saying during his February 1, 2008 press conference that: “We didn’t want there to be any question about whether this existed. If it shows up again, it would have to be something that came outside of our investigation and what I was told existed.”

(7) The overwhelming evidence flatly contradicts Commissioner Goodell’s assertion that there was little or no effect on the outcome of the game: during his February 1, 2008 press conference, Commissioner Goodell stated “I think it probably had a limited effect, if any effect, on the outcome on any game.” Later during the press conference, Goodell stated again “I don’t believe it affected the outcome of any games.” Commissioner Goodell’s effort to minimize the effect of the videotaping is categorically refuted by the persistent use of the sophisticated scheme which required a great deal of effort and produced remarkable results.

(8) In the absence of the notes, which the NFL destroyed, of the Steelers’ three regular season games and two post-season games, including the championship game on January 23, 2005, we do not know what effect the videotaping of the earlier games, especially the October 31, 2004 game, had on enabling the Patriots to win the AFC Championship. It is especially critical that key witnesses (coaches, players) be questioned to determine those issues.

IV. An Objective, Thorough, Transparent Investigation is an Absolute Necessity

There is an unmistakable atmosphere of conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest between what is in the public’s interest and what is in the NFL’s interest. The NFL has good reason to disclose as little as possible in its effort to convince the public that what was done wasn’t so bad, had no significant effect on the games and, in any event, has all been cleaned up. Enormous financial interests are involved and the owners have a mutual self-interest in sticking together. Evidence of winning by cheating would have the inevitable effect of undercutting public confidence in the game and reducing, perhaps drastically, attendance and TV revenues.

The public interest is enormous. Sports personalities are role models for all of us, especially youngsters. If the Patriots can cheat, so can the college teams, so can the high school teams, so can the 6th grader taking a math examination. The Congress has granted the NFL a most significant business advantage, an antitrust exemption, highly unusual in the commercial world. That largesse can continue only if the NFL can prove itself worthy. Beyond the issues of role models and antitrust, America has a love affair with sports. Professional football has topped all other sporting events in fan interest. Americans have a right to be guaranteed that their favorite sport is honestly competitive.

In an extraordinary time, baseball took extraordinary action in turning to a man of unimpeachable integrity – Federal Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis – to act forcefully and decisively to save professional baseball from the Black Sox scandal in 1919.

On this state of the record, an objective, thorough, transparent investigation is necessary. If the NFL does not initiate an inquiry like the investigation conducted by former Senator George Mitchell for baseball, it will be up to Congress to get the facts and take corrective action.

Belichick is Lying

Belichick has tried to explain his videotaping cheating to Commissioner Closeau as a differing “interpretation of the rules.

Yet, as Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) points out,

“The Patriots took elaborate steps to conceal their filming of opponents’ signals. Patriots personnel instructed Walsh to use a “cover story” if anyone questioned him about the filming.

For example, if asked why the Patriots had an extra camera filming, he was instructed to say that he was filming “tight shots” of a particular player or players or that he was filming highlights.

If asked why he was not filming the play on the field, he was instructed to say that he was filming the down marker.

The red light indicating when his camera was rolling was broken.

During at least one game, the January 27, 2002 AFC Championship game, Walsh was specifically instructed not to wear anything displaying a Patriots logo. Walsh indicated he turned the Patriots sweatshirt he was wearing at the time inside-out. Walsh was also given a generic credential instead of one that identified him as team personnel.

These efforts to conceal the filming demonstrate the Patriots knew they were violating NFL rules.”

Not Just the Eagles

Tampa QB Jeff Garcia is unhappy with the status of his contract, halfway into his two year deal. It wasn’t that long ago…wait, it was last year, that the Eagles were slammed for not acceding to Garcia’s contract overtures. It’s seems it just wasn’t the Eagles who are cool to extending the contract of a 38 year old QB.

Specter to the Rescue?

A friend writes:

"I didn't accept Bill Belichick's explanation, and I still don't
today."

So said Goodell at today's presser.

That's an amazing statement. Yet, he's tanking the entire thing.
He won't go into it, won't investigate further. He has set up the
fake straw man of whether or not they "taped" the Rams walk through. And
since there's no tape of the Rams game, case closed.

This is stunning. Specter is my only hope.

NFL Take on Walsh

From the NFL press release:

“The NFL released the tapes Walsh provided, and they didn't show any previously undisclosed rule violations. The clips cut between shots of opposing coaches sending in signals and the play that followed.

"The fundamental information that Matt provided was consistent with what we disciplined the Patriots for last fall," Goodell said at a news conference.”

Really? The league knew the Patriots had taped games as far back as 2000, as Walsh’s tapes prove? The league knew the Patriots taped the Steelers in the 2002 AFC Championship?

The NY Times is reporting that Walsh would hand the tapes over to Belichick confidant Ernie Adams. Says Closeau, "I don't know where else I would turn."

Here's a thought! Maybe the league could rouse itself and bother to interview Mr. Adams, still an employee with the Patriots, about what he did with the tapes he received from Matt Walsh. But given Inspector Closeau’s performance in this entire “investigation,” it’s probably doubtful if such a promising lead were pursued.

Sal Pal to the Rescue

Philadelphia’s own Sal Pal is one of the few sports journalists, and the only one at ESPN, willing to write that Spygate may not come to the quick conclusion both the league and most of its source-dependent scribes seem to wish.

With Matt Walsh meeting with NFL Commissioner Inspector Closeau this morning, Sal Pal writes, “

As far as we know, Walsh is the first person currently with no ties to the Patriots organization with direct knowledge of Belichick's videotaping shenanigans who will be answering the commissioner's questions, and Walsh can provide some much-needed context, background and intent.

Intent is critical. Why? Well, when Belichick was first punished by Goodell in September 2007 for illegally taping the defensive signals of the New York Jets at the Meadowlands, the Patriots' head coach said he had no idea he was doing anything illicit.

Will Roger Goodell finally get to the bottom of Spygate? Only if he puts Matt Walsh on the spot. So, Goodell should pursue a very simple line of questioning to test Belichick's original contention that he was ignorant of the league rules: When Walsh was taping the opponents' sidelines, how much was he told to conceal his activities? What measures were taken to conceal his taping? How concerned were his superiors that what Walsh was doing would be uncovered by a member of the opposing team? Was Walsh worried about getting caught? Why?

What kind of instruction did Walsh get in how to tape the opposition's sideline? Who gave Walsh those instructions? Whom did he report to?

What happened to the tapes? Where did they go? Who analyzed the tapes of the defensive signals? Were there written reports based on the tapes? Who wrote those reports? And, more important, who saw the reports or was told what was in them? Did Tom Brady? Or Charlie Weis, when he was offensive coordinator during the Patriots' run of Super Bowl titles?

What was Walsh told about why this widespread practice of taping the opponents' defensive signals was vital to how the Patriots prepared for an opponent?

These will be difficult questions for Goodell to ask. Why? Because the commissioner has already said publicly many times, dating to September, that he believed the Patriots derived "minimal" benefit from their secret, illegal taping system. Questioning Walsh along those lines may reveal information that contradicts Goodell's earlier conclusions.

But Walsh has already provided some valuable context. In September, the Patriots handed over what Goodell described as "six tapes … from the preseason in 2007 and the rest were primarily late in the 2006 season." Goodell said this at the Super Bowl in Arizona, on Feb. 1, 2008, answering a direct question about how far back the illegal taping went.

Now, it's clear from Walsh's tapes that the illegal taping went back to 2000. When Goodell punished Belichick and the Patriots, did he know the illegal taping went back to 2000? If not, would the punishment have been more severe?

The league clearly wants Walsh's appearance on Tuesday to end the Spygate nightmare. The Patriots certainly do.

King Likes Keeping Lito

Peter King for one, applauds the Eagles for trading their first round pick in the deal they got, but more importantly praises the Eagles for keeping Lito Sheppard.

 

3^rd corners play 57% of defensive snaps, researched King, and that means even if he doesn’t start, Lito will be getting plenty of playing time. Interestingly, that contract he’s not happy about would still be a sizeable payout for a CB that doesn’t start. (though we recognize that given playing time and health, Lito is a pro bowl caliber corner.) I’m just saying.

Spygate "Journalism"

A friend of mine who is a Philadelphia native and reporter for a major national newspaper writes the following regarding Spygate:

 

Stunning!. Seriously, we are witnessing the single greatest conspiracy of our time in this Patriots saga. It's unreal, indescribable. Sadly, the co-conspirators are ESPN.  It's actually the single worst act of journalism I've seen in my lifetime.

 

This guy Walsh is producing video tapes of the Pats-Steelers AFC CHAMPIONSHIP game and people are acting as if this is not a big deal.

 

The Mortensen-ESPN analysis just used the phrase "old news" to refer to what Walsh is turning over.

 

OH MY GOD.

 

This is a full scale corporate coverup. This is what makes "The Insider" happen. It's unreal. The whole thing is unfolding, the Pats dynasty is ending. It's over. They cheated, with every single institutional fiber of their being, from the very moment he arrived as their evil, corrupt coach. Belichick corrupted every single element of his organization.

 

He cheated. He cheated institutionally in a way that no other coach in the history of organized professional sport has ever been found guilty of. It's over. He did it. We now know, without question, he cheated in the very 1st AFC championship game he ever faced. That's it. Lights out.

 

He's evil. Why is the sports media conspiring to downplay this story????? I hate my sports media colleagues. They embarrass me thru their very existence. If you disagree with me it's because you're afraid to step outside the MSM sports media preconceived notion of the world.

 

I hate the world, I hate the sports world I live in. Why is this not the single biggest story in America??????? Go Arlen!

A Whimper?

ESPN's John Clayton exemplifies the blase attitude he and most of his "journalistic" colleagues share about Spygate. Writes Clayton, "Barring strong testimony to the contrary by Matt Walsh on Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell probably will close the Spygate scandal and throw away the key," and " Goodell all along has said he would reopen the investigation if new evidence emerged."

Apparently, a new tape of the Patriots filming the Steelers during the AFC championship is no big deal to Clayton. And what of the "investigation." How can new evidence emerge if Goodell isn't bothering to look? Why has he not questioned any of the Patriots players - both offensive and defensive - about how the taped signals were used? Tom Brady couldn't shed some light on the issue? If it really is no big deal, let the Golden Boy publicly explain that. Or how about asking Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi or others about how the defense used the tapes.

And what about the coaches? Why haven't Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel been interviewed? And how about Eric Mangini? He knew enough about the taping to call attention to it, and reveal the cheating. Why has Goodell never asked Mangini what else he knows about how the tapes were used?

Simply incredible.

Un-Patriotic

Former Patriots videographer Matt Walsh has turned over tapes of 8 games in which the Pats illegally taped the opposition. One of those games was the 2002 AFC championship versus the Steelers. There was no tape of any Rams pre-super bowl run through, and Walsh has denied saying he had such a tape or was the source of those reports.

 

One has to wonder if the lack of a smoking gun of a super bowl tape will somehow overshadow the shocking news that Patriots cheated in the AFC championship game. In other words, the game immediately behind the super bowl in importance to the league.

 

If the Patriots forfeited a first round draft pick and half million dollar fines for taping regular season games, it boggles the mind to think what the potential punishment could be for cheating in a playoff game – and again, not a crappy wild card round game, but the freakin’ AFC championship. (Does it add insult to injury that the infraction occurred in the House that Rooney Built?)

 

And it will also be interesting to see if what the Pats previously turned over matches with what Walsh has provided. If not, Kraft and Belichick will have some explaining to do. And if they did, then NFL Commissioner Inspector Closeau will have to explain why he wasn’t more forthcoming about the Patriots’ cheating in a playoff game. As always, the cover up may become worse than the crime.

Take Your Pick

The just concluded minicamp has allowed everyone to try to get a read on Donovan McNabb and his opinion of the team’s off season personnel moves, and whether the Eagles got the “playmakers” he was seeking (on both sides of the ball).

 

There appears to be a difference of opinion in gauging McNabb’s feelings. So which of these local news headlines is to be believed? Is it:

 

McNabb, Westbrook Have No Complaints

 

McNabb Shows Little Excitement Over Upgrades

 

McNabb Not Displeased by Eagles’ Moves

 

Like I said, take your pick.

 

And in a previous post, I harkened to the days of Kremlinologists analyzing every utterance and appearance of the Soviet leadership for signs of what was happening inside the secretive government. So too, it seems, are we in a similar observation phase with the Eagles, their coaches, and star players.

Playmaker

Very encouraging observations about DeSean Jackson from an AFC Scout about the impact he will have with the Eagles, even if it is only as a punt returner. Here’s a sample: “He may not be the biggest guy, but he plays big. He's fast and he's quick. On top of all that, I think he's going to get [up] to about 180, 185 pounds when he's all said and done."

Kremlin Watch at NovaCare

Looks like the Lito Sheppard situation has evolved into a "Kremlin-watch" where observers try to discern who is in and who is out based on proximity to the reviewing stand, party boss (head coach), etc.  based on this Inqy report.

"What the Eagles did on this day was rotate Sheppard in at both left cornerback and right cornerback. Sometimes Samuel would be on the field with the first-team defense and sometimes Sheppard would replace him. One time, the two even slapped hands as Sheppard returned to the field and Samuel left. Other times, Sheppard went in for his close friend Sheldon Brown at right cornerback and shared the field with Samuel.

At no time did any of the three run with the second-team defense."

April Losses Don't Bring Pennants

"I think you can lose pennants in April," said O'Dowd. "I don't think you can win them, but you can definitely lose them. Go back historically and look at teams that got nine games back in April and still [finished first]. You won't find many."

 

Yep, just ask the Phillies of the past few years. And by the way, congrats to the Phightin’s for finishing April with a winning record…for a change.