Pats couldn't decipher secret strategies of Shanahan

[dragondawg]

I wonder what that shanahan has got up his sleeve

Patriots' blatant spying deplorable
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer

Not even the most subversive NFL spy can crack the secret strategies of Mike Shanahan.

Media members locked out of Broncos' daily practices at Dove Valley suspected as much. Now there is proof.

Since Bill Belichick named Tom Brady his quarterback in 2001, the New England Patriots are 1-5 against Shanahan's Broncos.

"You are a troublemaker," Shanahan said.

The Broncos aside, the Patriots were the team of the 21st century, winning three Super Bowls. Now, Belichick's illegal spy tactics have not only tainted his legacy — no way he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer now — he slung his championship teams through the same dirty caper.

"It is embarrassing, just the fact there's speculation about cheating," said Broncos tight end Daniel Graham, who won three Super Bowl rings with Belichick's Patriots. "It's embarrassing, but I'm not really sure if that was a big factor in the wins."

If even one of Belichick's best former players isn't sure how far he went to win, the coach has serious problems.

What is clear is the Patriots were unable to decipher the Broncos' defensive signals as Brady approached third-and-goal at the 5 during their 2005 AFC playoff game. The Patriots ran a pick play — still another Belichick shenanigan — when Broncos' defensive backs Champ Bailey and Darrent Williams pulled the old basketball switch maneuver.

"They missed that one," Bailey said.

Bailey let his guy go, and picked up Williams' man, Patriots receiver Troy Brown.

In part because the Broncos guard their coaches who relay in the defensive signals, Brady was not expecting the cornerback switch, nor the blindside safety blitz by Nick Ferguson. Bailey snagged the pass intended for Brown and ran it from New England's end zone to within 1 yard of the Broncos' end zone.

Bailey's play, developed from the honest qualities of football instincts and superior athleticism, turned out to be a 14-point swing and the Broncos won 27-13.

Wonder if Belichick still has the tape of that interception somewhere in his vault?

Of course, smug accusations coming from Denver would be countered in New England by claims of hypocrisy. Belichick and the Patriots were fined $750,000 and most likely a first-round draft pick for illegally filming New York Jets' defensive coaches last week.

A few years ago, the Broncos were fined $968,000 and were stripped of a third-round draft pick for allegedly circumventing the salary cap during their sensational 46-10 run from 1996-98 that included two Super Bowl champions.

Shanahan and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen wouldn't comment, but given the harsh penalty their organization received for an accounting error, there's reason to wonder whether commissioner Roger Goodell delivered the appropriate punishment on the Patriots.

Forfeiting a first-round pick might have made a bigger impact if New England didn't already have San Francisco's first-round pick.

"So does it really hurt them if they already have another one?" Graham asked.

Belichick's crime offended an entire football landscape while the Broncos' white-collar sin was largely viewed as no big whip by everyone except Raiders owner Al Davis.

How to explain this reactionary gap between deplorable and pardonable? Maybe it's because Belichick blatantly violated a rule easy for everyone to understand while a math genius from MIT would struggle to grasp the NFL's sophisticated salary-cap procedures, especially during its early stages of the mid-1990s.

Besides, the Broncos have since replaced their creative accountant. What can Belichick do but look in the mirror?

[dragondawg]

hope the defense get a microphone in the helmet next year

[Breck Bronc]

Originally Posted by dragondawg

IPatriots' blatant spying deplorable
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer

"It is embarrassing, just the fact there's speculation about cheating," said Broncos tight end Daniel Graham, who won three Super Bowl rings with Belichick's Patriots. "It's embarrassing, but I'm not really sure if that was a big factor in the wins."

Come on, Klis, Graham only has two Super Bowl rings with the Pats. He was CU's starting Tight End in 2001 while New England was winning their first title.

[telluride]

Please don't bother Mr. Klis with your pesky facts.

[Broncosfreak_56]

If true, this could really show how their cheating impacted games.

[theAPAOps5]

You know teams voted down putting headsets in the MLB's helmet this past offseason. Bet that vote turns out different next year.

[Dukes]

It'll be interesting to see how the Pats do these next few seasons without their cheating antics. If their play declines significantly, put a big fat * next to those Lombardi's

[shakenbake]

Originally Posted by ApaOps5

You know teams voted down putting headsets in the MLB's helmet this past offseason. Bet that vote turns out different next year.

The question is did the pats vote against it ?

[sirhcyennek81]

Cris Carter had a good argument for being against headsets in defensive player's helmets. Not every MLB/ILB is on the field every down, so...who would you pick then? A DE? S?

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by sirhcyennek81

Cris Carter had a good argument for being against headsets in defensive player's helmets. Not every MLB/ILB is on the field every down, so...who would you pick then? A DE? S?

from the off seasons, i heard them say that only 1 person would have a mic'd up helmet - so it would be your choosing. It wouldn't have to be player dependant on position.

[PatsWin2002]

Originally Posted by shakenbake

The question is did the pats vote against it ?

I think they did.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Well, the Pats are officially a joke.

Good job, Belicheck.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Originally Posted by dragondawg

"It is embarrassing, just the fact there's speculation about cheating," said Broncos tight end Daniel Graham, who won three Super Bowl rings with Belichick's Patriots. "It's embarrassing, but I'm not really sure if that was a big factor in the wins."

Um...how can Graham comment on this not being a big factor in the wins unless he knows what "this" was? Clearly if he doesn't know the specifics of what Belitricks was up to, he'd have no way of knowing that "it" wasn't a major factor.

Make sense?

This is not going to go away, and I'll bet we will see players being called to the league office once the season is over to tell what they know. I'm not sure the Patsies are out of the woods yet. We still have the microphone issues to deal with.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

God, I'm so sick of the Denver media blowing Mike Shanahan. He hasn't done **** in the NFL for the better part of a decade.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

The Patriots ran a pick play — still another Belichick shenanigan

What? This is pretty uninformed. Every team in the league runs pick plays. They rarely get called.

[worm]

Originally Posted by ApaOps5

You know teams voted down putting headsets in the MLB's helmet this past offseason. Bet that vote turns out different next year.

Like that wouldn't be easy to steal.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Originally Posted by Bob's your Information Minister

God, I'm sick.

A .611 winning percentage AFTER the Superbowls you tool.

[broncobill]

But compared to K.C., and their performance over the last ten years, Shanahan is a complete tool. I mean Geeze he still hasn't figured out we don't play arena ball!! How do you take him seriously??

I hear he is still trying to score at least 2 times a game, how liberal can a teams scoring get I bet if he had his way Denver would try to score before halftime, and a touchdown at that!!! What would the defense think if there were points before halftime? CHAOS !!!!!

Shanahan and all these other "Liberal" scoring coaches should be banned. Its getting where real teams like KC are going to have to go Arena and score 10+ points a game if something isn't done.

Right Bob... Can I get an amen Hermschool all the way!!!!!!!

[Kaylore]

The media will still be sucking off the Patriots if they keep winning. In time they'll re-tell what happened recently as "team hardship" and will soon be commending Bill and the cheaters "for overcoming in the face of adversity". You'll all see. I can already hear the cheesy piano music as one of the sports babes sits across from Brady fawning with hard hitting questions like "did it hurt to see your team questioned like this?" or "Did it motivate you all as a team to prove the doubters wrong?" I want to throw up already.

[baja]

I don't think so Kaylore. The Pats organization will never live this down and BB will forever be a tainted coach if fact I would not be surprised to see them struggle this season.

[Rulon Velvet Jones]

Hey, Bobo - why don't you get owned a little more on the Planet thread where you told everyone you were "breaking down game film", but only watching a TV broadcast?

That **** is hilarious!

[footstepsfrom#27]

Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer just both admitted to video taping signals while coaching in college. Terry Bradshaw asked what they thought of this and Johnson claims a bunch of other teams were doing it...Baldy didn't ask either one if they did it in the pros. Johnson claims head coaches wouldn't even know if their assistants were doing this...which is bullcrap...makes me think he probably did it in the pros too.

[Wes Mantooth]

Everyone is cheating.

[TexanBob]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

The media will still be sucking off the Patriots if they keep winning. In time they'll re-tell what happened recently as "team hardship" and will soon be commending Bill and the cheaters "for overcoming in the face of adversity". You'll all see. I can already hear the cheesy piano music as one of the sports babes sits across from Brady fawning with hard hitting questions like "did it hurt to see your team questioned like this?" or "Did it motivate you all as a team to prove the doubters wrong?" I want to throw up already.

Rep. I lived through a whole day of sideline groupies with microphones yesterday asking coaches those insightful questions like "how does it feel?" and "what does this mean to you?" This replaces questions like "Mack Brown, what the f- were you thinking going for 2 when you had an 11 point lead? You let Central Florida back into the game." or "Charlie Weis, does this season give us a glimpse of what a really crappy recruiter you are?"

No, instead we get questions like "how does it feel?" or non-questions like "that was quite a game". If the sideline groupie is a "10", I'll give her a pass. Everyone knows she's not there for her insight. But when the networks trot "7"s out there, you need to come up with some real questions sweetie because we're not just agog by your presence.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

Originally Posted by Rulon Velvet Jones

Hey, Bobo - why don't you get owned a little more on the Planet thread where you told everyone you were "breaking down game film", but only watching a TV broadcast?

That **** is hilarious!

I never made any such claim, retard. Once again it's a case of asshats like you putting words in my mouth.