Patriots Success Not Because of Spygate

The New England Patriots have been the model of consistent success for more than a decade now. They have captured three Super Bowl titles, been to another two, and also been in 3 additional conference championship games.

However, back in Week 1 of the 2007 regular season, the Patriots were caught videotaping signals from their opponents, the New York Jets, who were coached by a Bill Belichick disciple, Eric Mangini. Following the investigation, the Patriots were fined 250,000 dollars and Belichick was personally fined 500,000 and the team was also docked a first round draft choice.

Many fans of other teams want to point to this incident and invalidate the Patriots success prior to 2007. Doing so would be quite foolish on their part because their is plenty of evidence suggesting Spygate did not have as big of an impact as many football fans want to believe it did.

First of all, Belichick has conceded his actions of videotaping were a misinterpretation of the rules. A very key thing to remember is that videotaping was not against the rules in the NFL until September of 2006, one year before the Patriots were caught. Also, the tapes that were turned in were: 

• One tape from the Miami Dolphins game on September 24, 2000
• Two tapes, one offensive signals and one defensive signals, from the Dolphins game on October 7, 2001
• One tape from the Buffalo Bills game on November 11, 2001
• One tape from the Cleveland Browns game on December 9, 2001
• Two tapes from the January 27, 2002, AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
• One tape, from a "third camera", from the San Diego Chargers game on September 29, 2002

One thing to keep in mind with these tapes is that it was proven that these tapes were not processed at half time to give the Patriots an advantage in the second half of the same game, instead they were used for a future game.

Also, Belichick had taped a few games from the 2000 season, in which the Patriots actually went 5-11 with a legitimate franchise quarterback at the helm in Drew Bledsoe. Also, there were games from the 2002 season, the only season in Tom Brady's career he failed to make the playoffs. So clearly, the tapes were not that huge of an advantage. 

Now, when people point to the fact that the Patriots have not won a Super Bowl since Spygate, that is just foolish. The Patriots have been MORE SUCCESSFUL after Spygate than before it. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Patriots have been 88-24, dominating the league with the best record through that time period of any team. They have appeared in two Super Bowls, and lost in two additional AFC Championship game appearances. Prior to Spygate, the Patriots had a 70-26 record, losing 2 more games and winning 18 more. So before Spygate, their win percentage was 0.729 and after it has been 0.786, including the only perfect regular season in NFL history. So again, obviously the cameras were not that big of an aid. 

Also, the Patriots were taping opponents defensive signals. If they had been such an advantage, would Tom Brady not have been more dominant over that time? Instead, the Patriots rode strong defenses and quality offensive play to the three Super Bowl titles. Before Spygate, Brady had 0 season MVP awards. After, he has two, including the only unanimous one in NFL history.

Now when it comes to Super Bowls, which is where most Patriots haters love to bring it "(3-0 with Spygate, 0-2 without")". Here is why that is a foolish argument to make. Every team that wins a Super Bowl usually gets a few breaks along the way. Even though the 2001 Super Bowl was in the Spygate era, they would have never won the title that year had it not been for the "Tuck Rule". In 2003, when the Patriots defeated the Panthers, the Patriots would have not got out of the first round had Drew Bennett not dropped Steve McNair's 4th down pass. So the Patriots got the breaks those years, and won the titles. 

However, after Spygate, the breaks have just gone against the Patriots. It is not that they are less prepared or anything of that sort. In 2007, David Tyree makes a once in a lifetime catch, after a once in a lifetime escape by Eli Manning. Without that, the Patriots most likely would have won that year. Then, in 2011, the sure-handed All-Pro wide receiver Wes Welker drops a ball that would have helped milk the clock. Also, prior to that game, superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered an ankle injury that had him limited. Additionally, Eli Manning had a magnificent throw to Mario Manningham. Had the Patriots been videotaping, would Tyree have not caught the ball on his helmet? Would Welker have caught the pass? Obviously not. 

This just goes to show how little impact those tapes truly had. Commissioner Roger Goodell even said in his press conference that would "taint their accomplishments". Goodell also said that, "The actual effectiveness of taping and taking of signals from opponents - it is something done widely in many sports. I think it probably had limited, if any effect, on the outcome of games." With that, not only did Goodell say it did not have a huge impact, but also acknowledged that it is something done by many people. The Patriots simply crossed the line of the rule that was set a year ago. Actually just three years ago, the Jets had a fishy camera on the sidelines vs. the Patriots in a 2011 loss (http://sportsofboston.com/2011/10/12/jets-caught-with-sideline-camera-after-loss-to-patriots/.) The league did not investigate.

Here are some comments from respected league members:

Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl winniing coach and now analyst Jimmy Johnson- 

On September 16, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson claimed, "This is exactly how I was told to do it 18 years ago by a Kansas City Chiefs scout. I tried it, but I didn't think it helped us." Johnson also said, "Bill Belichick was wrong because he videotaped signals after a memo was sent out to all of the teams saying not to do it. But what irritates me is hearing some reactions from players and coaches. These players don't know what their coaches are doing. And some of the coaches have selective amnesia because I know for a fact there were various teams doing this. That's why the memo was sent to everybody. That doesn't make [Belichick] right, but a lot of teams are doing this."

Super Bowl winning coach Bill Cowher, who was also defeated by the Patriots twice in the postseason during the Spygate era-

“We didn’t lose the game because of any 'Spygate,' because of them having any additional things. If they’re guilty of anything they’re guilty of arrogance because they were told not to do something but it was something everybody does. They got caught doing it with a camera. Stealing someone’s signals was a part of the game and everybody attempted to do that. We had people that always tried to steal signals,” said Cowher, whose 2004 team won 16 consecutive games before losing to the Patriots in the AFC title game. “What happened when we lost that game is they outplayed us. It had nothing to do with stealing signals or cheating or anything else.” 

As I said before, if people dismiss the Patriots early success because of Spygate, they are overlooking too much evidence to prove other wise. Haters will always hate, but the facts don't change. In order to silence all the haters once and for all, the Patriots just need to win a Super Bowl. 

And they embark on that journey once again in 2014

Mistreating Manziel

The Cleveland Browns have a potential savior in the building. His name is Jonathan Paul Manziel aka Johnny Football. And they are mistreating him like no other.

Since the draft, there have been many comments and stories regarding Manziel and his arrival in Cleveland. Most have not really been in Johnny's favor, and quite frankly, Johnny is getting abused by the team that he wanted to play for. It's a damn shame.

As most people say, it starts from the top. In this case, the top of the organization is the owner, Jimmy Haslam. Days after Manziel was drafted, Haslam insisted that Johnny "act like a backup." Excuse me, but last time I checked, every single person associated with an organization wants every player on the roster and practice squad to prepare and act like the starter. That is the only way to be fully ready on Sundays. If Johnny prepares to hold the clipboard and the starter goes down, he would not be ready.

That is strike 1. (Check my extensive take on it at http://sportstation126.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-johnny-cleveland-came-to-be.html)

Next, Browns quarterback coach Dowell Loggains, goes on the radio and shares Johnny's private text conversation to the public. This just shows the inexperience of the 33 year old coach. He didn't say anything to put Manziel in a negative light really, but his comments can make one question, that after Cleveland passed on Johnny Manziel TWICE in the draft and then finally moved up 4 spots to grab him, how much is the organization really all in with Johnny? Did they just draft him out of pure shock that a player of Johnny's stature and skill would ever want to play in Cleveland? Maybe, we may never know. They should be thankful though, because most people wouldn't wish on their worst enemy to be a Cleveland athlete. The fact that Manziel WANTED to be there should make them respect him, not disrespect him more than anybody else.

Strike 2.

Another thing Haslam said, was that Cleveland "is not Hollywood." Excuse me,  nobody is mistaking Cleveland, Ohio for Hollywood. As far as the circus and scrutiny around Johnny Manziel, HE never asked for it to be there. It is the MEDIA and analysts that want to put it on Johnny. Everybody just wants to act like he wants all the attention. That is so unfair and wrong. All Johnny did was win the Heisman his freshman year, and was in the running for it his second year as well. That means the man produces on the field! Why do we talk about the Aaron Rodgers' and Calvin Johnson's of the world? Because they PRODUCE! As far as his off the field scrutiny, yes, he went to a frat part at the University of Texas. So what? He's a kid and it's not like he ever got arrested for drinking problems or anything of that nature. Johnny never said he wanted to be a Hollywood figure, it is the media that makes him one.

Strike 3.

Jimmy Haslam

And finally, just yesterday General Manager Ray Farmer came out and said that the starter from last year, Brian Hoyer, was "substantially ahead" of Manziel. Obviously, he SHOULD be. Hoyer has been in the NFL since 2009, learned behind Tom Brady for 3 years, went on to learn behind Ben Roethlisberger, as well as hold a short starting gig in Arizona before coming to Cleveland. In Cleveland he had two good games before blowing out his ACL. I would hope that the guy with all that NFL milage was ahead of the guy who has been there for TEN DAYS. But why bash Johnny publicly every chance you get?

Strike 4.

My only guess is that the Browns are trying to minimize the Manziel circus in Cleveland, the way Bill Belichick did with Tim Tebow just last summer. The difference is, the Browns don't have a coach of Belichick's cache nor do they have Tom Brady on the roster. Johnny Manziel may very well be the most skilled quarterback on the Browns roster.

Hopefully the Browns learn from these mistakes and handle Johnny Manziel in a more acceptable fashion going forward. Otherwise, it could be a rough start to the promising career of Johnny Football.

NBA Conference Finals Predictions

Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers

Through all the negativity surrounding the Indiana Pacers, they have won the games they needed to and now stand 4 wins away from the NBA Finals (thanks in large part to a very weak Eastern Conference). As hard as it seems to believe, Indiana actually has the home court advantage over the Heat.
However, my pick is the Heat in 6 games. The Pacers have what it takes on the team to dethrone the Heat in the East, but only if they play consistently great basketball, which I do not think they will. Roy Hibbert has to play huge and I don't think that will happen. If the Pacers somehow flip the switch, they can compete with Miami. But Miami is consistent.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Thunder have the star power advantage in the starting lineup but San Antonio has the depth on the bench. Aside from the Original Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Flopper, the Spurs also have Kawhi Leanord, Danny Green, Tiago Splitter, and Boris Diaw among others to play pretty good Spurs basketball. Not to mention, San Antonio has the decisive advantage on the sidelines with Gregg Popovich. The deciding factor in this series which makes me pick the Spurs in 7 games is the fact that Serge Ibaka is done for the rest of the playoffs. With him, I think I would lean towards the Thunder just a little bit, but without him, I think the Spurs handle business.

Finals Prediction: Deja vu- Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs

How Johnny Cleveland Came To Be

How Johnny Cleveland Came To Be

    The 2014 NFL Draft was one for the ages. Talent-wise, it was as deep a draft as we can remember in recent memory. It had the talented beast in Jadeveon Clowney, and it also had the box office attraction in Johnny Manziel. The Clowney mystery was solved really quickly when the Houston Texans took him number 1 overall.

The Johnny Manziel mystery was one that had to be tracked for nearly the entire first round.

It was pretty shocking when the Jacksonville Jaguars took Blake Bortles with the 3^rd overall pick. His rise up the draft boards came well after the season, thanks in large part to the question marks with the other quarterback prospects. Teddy Bridgewater was almost a sure lock to be the first quarterback drafted…until he had a horrific Pro Day. Many people thought Manziel should be the first quarterback off the board (including myself), but a lot of people raised questions about his off the field distractions as well as his ability to throw from within the pocket.

Throughout the first round, one quarterback-needy team after another, including the Texans, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and even the Cleveland Browns kept passing on the man who filled the stadium in College Station. When pick number 16 came along and the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock, the nation held its breath. And after the commissioner read off the name Zack Martin (read more about the pick at http://sportstation126.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-draft-pick-heard-around-world.html) for the Cowboys pick, everybody was in frenzy. After the first sixteen picks, nobody took a chance on the exciting Johnny Football.

At this point, the list of quarterback needy teams was getting smaller and it looked more and more than Johnny Manziel had a decent chance of slipping out of the first round.

Until Manziel picked up his phone.

On a radio show Thursday morning, Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains said that Johnny texted him and expressed his strong desire to play for the Browns and how he wished the Browns would just “go get” him.

"We're sitting there and they keep showing Johnny on TV, and Johnny and I are texting and he shoots me a text and he says, 'I wish you guys would come get me. Hurry up and draft me because I want to be there. I want to wreck this league together,'" Loggains said, per The Plain Dealer.

Following that was another eye opener. After general manager Ray Farmer insisted that the owner Jimmy Haslam had nothing to do with the pick, Dowell Loggains said that Haslam told them to “pull the trigger” after he got the text.

The text on Manziel’s fault is not a big deal, and if anything it shows his strong confidence, a trademark that most superstar quarterbacks in today’s game have. Examples of this can be seen by the trash talk of people like Jay Cutler and Phillip Rivers through their careers, or more relatable with Manziel’s situation, how Peyton Manning told the Colts he would kick their butt for the next 20 years if the Colts passed on him. Another draft day story includes Tom Brady, who some have compared Johnny Manziel’s competiveness to, telling the Patriots owner Robert Kraft that drafting him was “the best decision the organization had ever made.”

The only negative part about the text comes from the Browns front office. First of all, if they didn’t have Manziel as a first round grade on their board, a text message should not make them change their ways. A lot of players have confidence in themselves, that doesn’t necessarily mean a team will go spend a first round pick on them.

Also, this could havelong term ramifications. Perhaps the head coach, General Manager, and owner were not all on the same page with this pick. If so, the Browns could mishandle the talented Manziel.

They already seem to be doing just that in my opinion by telling him to “act like a backup.” Any football team, on any level should want every single player preparing themselves and acting like the starter, even if they are on the practice squad. That’s the first point. Secondly, who said Johnny Manziel is the backup? Very rarely in today’s NFL do you see a first round pick completely ride the bench for an entire year. And for what? Brian Hoyer? Hoyer may have learned behind Brady in New England, but he should not be mistaken as Tom Brady. Hoyer has been tossed around the NFL, from a backup in New England, to Pittsburgh, to Arizona, and now with the Browns. He had three formidable games last year before tearing his ACL, but he wasn’t necessarily spectacular, or anything Johnny can’t do.

At the end of the day, Johnny Manziel made it clear to the Browns that he wanted to be in Cleveland (It’s hard to believe any athlete WANTS to be in Cleveland). Maybe his good buddy LeBron James, who started his career in Cleveland, had an influence. Maybe getting to play with a up and coming star like Josh Gordon (which seems unlikely now) was the pull to the Dawg Pound.

We may never know, but all we know is that the box office playmaker is now a Cleveland Brown. Hopefully the organization doesn’t hold him back, because his competitive fire shows us he is ready to unleash on the NFL.

The Draft Pick Heard Around the World

The ten minutes that the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock for the 16^th pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft seemed like the longest ten minutes in history for Dallas residents and Cowboys fans around the globe.

There was plenty of talk prior to the draft about the Cowboys pick up lightning rod quarterback Johnny Manziel, but few really thought he would be available at 16. However, Manziel was there. Jerry Jones had the phone. Drafting Manziel makes the Cowboys the talk of the NFL. Jersey sales are going to boom. Not an empty seat will be found in AT&T Stadium. All Jerry Jones has to do is turn in the draft card with “Johnny Manziel” written on it.

He didn’t do it. Don’t get me wrong; the owner in Jerry Jones wanted to do it as badly as anybody on this earth. But the GM in Jerry Jones spoke louder.

Zack Martin, 6’4 308 pound offensive tackle from Notre Dame. That was Jerry's pick.

Martin is far from the sexy pick Dallas fans wanted. Oh yeah, Dallas fans. Lets talk about that for a second.

For the past 2-3 years, the Cowboys have been playing 16 games.  No playoffs. Yes, the fans blame the defense. Yes, the fans blame Tony Romo. Yes, Jason Garrett and Monte Kiffin get criticized. But really, every fan points to Jerry Jones. Everybody says that Jerry doesn’t want to win; he just wants to fill the seats in his billion-dollar playpen. It frustrates the hell out of Cowboys fans everywhere. Shoot, the same fans that are Romopologists and defend Romo with his great stats wanted Manziel.  Yet how hypocritical, when a guy like Manziel is available, the fans want the sexy pick. The pick that will ride the bench and not help the team for another 4 years.

Jerry Jones made the smart pick because picking Manziel had the potential of blowing up in his face next season in very ugly fashion. Jerry just committed to his guy Romo with a contract only a franchise quarterback gets. Having a younger guy with potential spells doom for the veteran. Especially when we are talking about the lighting rod, Johnny Manziel, and the always-criticized Tony Romo. 

History proves it. Look at the San Francisco 49ers in the early 1990s. They had Joe Montana and Steve Young. Joe Montana eventually had to leave. The San Diego Chargers earlier this century had the oft-injured Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Brees was shown the door. The New England Patriots earlier this century had Drew Bledsoe and a young Tom Brady. Drew Bledsoe was allowed to walk to a division rival. The Green Bay Packers had Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers just less than a decade ago. Eventually, Brett was not welcome back from his annual retirement. If Jerry REALLY wanted Manziel, he should not have committed the huge contract to Romo, and should not have had Romo on the roster. In a different situation two years ago, the Indianapolis Colts made sure future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was out of the door before drafting the young Andrew Luck. That would not be possible for the Cowboys because they just committed a mega-million dollar contract to Romo, in which he counts over 27 million against the cap next year and has 55 million guaranteed. 

So, Jerry made the pick in Martin to keep his 108-million dollar quarterback, who is coming off of back surgery, upright. He made the pick to help the quarterback who Jason Garrett said was “in his prime” just this past week. Jerry Jones made a smart football decision for a change, yet everybody still wanted to bash him. He could have picked Manziel and made a lot of fans happy and filled his seats, but the people who know football would question why he picked a backup quarterback in the first round of such a deep draft when the team has needs across the board.

Now, some fans are a bit irritated with the fact that Jerry Jones went offense and did nothing to a defense that was historically putrid last season. That is a little bit more of a valid argument, but as Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN Dallas said after the draft last night, “Did the draft end after Round 1?”

The Cowboys have TEN draft picks remaining. Granted, more than half of those are 7^th round picks, but this draft is extraordinarily deep. They could catch a starter or two with those picks. They also have a pick each in round 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Zack Martin will forever be remembered as the unsexy pick that was made instead of local favorite Johnny Manziel. But in the end, he is the pick Jerry Jones made to help his quarterback, Tony Romo.

Not Johnny Manziel.