The "swaggerless" New England Patriots

Today on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Chris Berman asked the question, based on this years disappointing results year to date, if the New England Patriots have lost their swagger.

I think it worth reminding folks of a fact: Since their cheating was revealed the Patriots have never won another Super Bowl. The evidence that was destroyed by the NFL pointed to the fact that the Patriots had the most sophisticated cheating system ever built in NFL history. It went far beyond the gamemanship of swiping a signal or two from the other team. The Patriots are believed to have extensively filmed other teams and documented play calls. Furthermore it's very likely the Pats have never stopped cheating, even post scandal.

It took the other NFL clubs years to catch on to how to work around the Pats unetical methods, but now that they have, the Pats are just another ordinary team with a very ordinary head coach.

Fans lawsuit against the NFL and New England Pats moves forward

Many believe that there was more than meets the eye to the New England Patroits cheating scandal. The NFL would like to erase this episode from our memories but it apparently won't go away. A fan lawsuit that the NFL desperately tried to get dismissed, is going to be heard by a Pennsylvania Appeals Court.

New England head coach Bill Belichick's staff for several of the cheating years in question included our own coach Eric Mangini. The NFL clearly found Belichick did cheat but once they fined him they also worked to sweep the issue under the rug. But the public thank goodness won't let the issue disappear.

I've always felt that if the NFL were truly interested in defending the integrity of their game, considering that they believed that Belichick cheated, they should have stripped the Patroits of at least one Super Bowl title and suspended Belichick and possibly some of his coaching staff for life. Instead the NFL took what in retrospect was clearly a public relations driven action. It's now up to the American justice system to defend the integrity of the game.

here are a few excerpts from the article which you fully review by clicking on this link.

The NFL fined Belichick $500,000, and the Patriots were ordered to pay $250,000. Mayer wants ticket holders to get a triple refund for all eight games played between the Patriots and the Jets in Giants stadium from 2000 through 2007.

The Pats and the NFL, through their attorneys, have begged the court to toss the case. Their opinion?

"Frivolous." "Mockery of the judicial process." "The NFL respectfully submits that allowing this case to continue any longer would only waste more time, money and judicial resources," the lawyers said in court filings.

Even when Mayer and colleague Bruce Afran, both Princeton lawyers, twice missed filing deadlines - technically a reason to toss the case - the appeals court rejected pleas for a dismissal.

"We're like Lazarus. We won't go away," said Mayer.

Apparently someone on the court finds the legal issues intriguing.

Coaching Trees

So far, Bill Belichick disciples have not exactly caught the world on fire. Their combined record as head coaches is 94-109. Message to Mike Holmgren: Please stay away from the Belichick tree!








Charlie Weiss: Notre Dame - 2005-2009: 35-27
Fired after the 2009 season

Romeo Crennel: Cleveland Browns – 2005-2008: 24-40
Fired after the 2008 season

Josh McDaniels: Denver Broncos – 2009: 8-6

Eric Mangini: New York Jets – 2006-2008: 23-25
Fired after the 2008 season
Cleveland Browns – 2009: 4-11
Fired after the 2009 season???