Belichick Controversy

New England Patriots' head coach, Bill Belichick, was fined by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell $500,000 and in addition to that, the team will lose their 2008 first round draft pick if they make the playoffs this year or their second and third round picks if they fail to make the playoffs. Some around the league are upset that Belichick wasn't suspended, as if had been a player, he would've been suspended for at least a game. Some fans believe the Patriots should have to forfeit their victory last week over the Jets. Yet, some just feel that sign stealing is a part of the game.

Alright, first off, to those who wanted to see Goodell suspend Belichick for a game, what difference would that make? This isn't baseball, where 162 games are played, a team plays six out of seven days, and a manager may play to his gut or the book more so on a given day as opposed to others. In football, one game is played per week. Belichick would be at practice with the Pats every day of the week. The gameplan he wanted to map out for the players and other coaches would have been ingrained into their systems by Sunday. Just because he wouldn't be on the sidelines for a Sunday doesn't really mean much when one thinks about it. The players and coaches would know his gameplan thoroughly and would stick to it.

Secondly, forfeiting the game? That's debatable. IF and I say IF here, IF it is concluded that the Patriots used these signals they stole during the course of this past week's game with the Jets during the game itself, then a forfeit wouldn't be out of the question, because it would have directly played an influence on the outcome of the game. If it's concluded that what Belichick said was true and the Pats never use these stolen signs during a game, then I don't think a forfeit should be granted. But, it sounds as if the investigation is not concluded yet. This was not the Pats' first run-in with such a situation and there are some reports of other potential foul play during the Jets game (and possibly others) this past weekend. If the investigation continues much longer and more infractions are discovered, the Pats could face much stiffer penalties, and that may include forfeiting their 38-14 win over the Jets.

In regard to the third comment, stealing is just part of the game. Since when? When have baseball clubs sent a spy near the opposing team's dugout to take pictures and jot down notes? When should it be legal to spy and nab a team's gameplan or playbook? What they've spent all off-season working on? That should not be legal. That is NOT part of the game. DURING the game, if a player picks up on a signal himself, that's different. This is due to hours of film study and one's intuition. This occurs in baseball with a runner on second base stealing signs from the catcher and notifying the hitter at the plate. This is why, many times, a catcher will walk up to the mound, with his glove over his mouth, and alter signs with the pitcher, so the runner has more difficulty in stealing those signs. In football, if a quarterback recognizes a defensive set-up he saw in film or in a previous game and doesn't like the play call, if the coach has given him permission to do so during the course of the game, he can call an audible, which may better suit the offense than the original play that was called.

Do I think the current punishment fits the crime? It's difficult to say at this point. Never has a coach been fined a half million dollars. I may have fined the coach less until the investigation is completed and we know what all has transpired with the Patriots and signal stealing through the years, but I think the draft penalty is sufficient. The Patriots have used their draft picks in a grand fashion during the Belichick era and hopefully losing one (or two) of these picks in the upcoming season will make them think twice before stealing signs or doing anything of the like again.