Just in Case you hadn't seen enough hysteria about the Pats.

[eaglesrule]

My problem with this article is that the only reason it got written was because of Belichick. Seriously, does anyone really think he would've written his article if this whole "scandal" hadn't happened? Of course not, but it did, and it made it easier to get readers for this article.

If the NFL were on its way to a fall, we would've heard about it earlier because someone would've written about it when Rodney Harrison got busted for HGH or Shawne Merriman got suspended for steroids. Widespread steroid and HGH use has severely hurt baseball, so why couldn't it hurt football just as much, even more than this whole cheating "scandal"?

Um, not exactly. He writes a column every week. And he has consistently warned the NFL not to get too big for its britches, as it doesn't have some birthright that means it has to be most popular. He usually references this point in regards to his DirecTV argument. I mean its not unreasonable to say that it's not guaranteed the NFL will be king in perpetuity. Look at what happened to baseball when they showed outright disdain for the fans. It took the big homerun battle to put fans in the seats, and they needed to turn to a "secret" scandal to do that. Now, the era is tarnished.

[swyck]

I agree that the NFL needs to keep on top of things and not sweep them under the table, and I can't stand cheaters.

However, I'd like to hear exactly how the Patriots 'cheating' helped them win a game, any game. I want specifics where they anticipated a defense and burned it for the TD. Was Brady getting second by second instructions on exactly what the defense was going to do, and then calling a new play at the line of scrimmage based on that information?

Otherwise, IMO this just isn't all that big of a deal, and I'm a bit amazed at the hysteria.

[DraftDodger]

People may be reading too much into Belichick's refusal to discuss the matter; there are likely more allegations still under review, and Belichick has probably been advised (or even ordered by the team lawyers or the league) not to discuss matters until the NFL has completed its investigations.

Let's face it, there's a lot of cheating, and the owners know about it, and the league isn't going to let it touch the owners, so there is only so far that discipline will go.

On virtually every play there is holding. Wanna imagine how many sacks a Lawrence Taylor or a Reggie White would've had if there hadn't been?

Big-shot network announcers were among the worst offenders in their days. Anyone recall that Dierdorf was known as "Dirty Dan"? Anyone remember Madden's coaching???

What about all the "legal" cheating like pumping free agents for their former team's plays and signals? You think Reche Caldwell got picked up for any other reason?

If this destroys football, it's long overdue, but I don't think that will be the case. Mostly it just means that everyone will say for the rest of eternity that the Patriots don't deserve their Super Bowl wins (and it will be said again this year if they win).

[DraftDodger]

It's officially over! The NFL has announced:

"The Patriots have fully cooperated and complied with the requirements of the commissioner's decision," the statement said. "All tapes, documents and other records relating to this matter were turned over to the league office and destroyed, and the Patriots have certified in writing that no copies or other records exist.

So the league destroyed all the evidence against the Pats? Sweet!

When asked if the Patriots' defensive players also used microphones or other recording devices in their shoulder pads to pick up Jets audibles, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said: "We have no evidence to support that claim."

LOL, the league has no evidence to support the claim because they themselves destroyed that evidence!

I don't see how the NFL can possibly take any further action against the Patriots, since they would need evidence from another source.

Now we know why Belichick isn't talking; nothing more can be done to him.