This is not a defense of Bill Belichick's NFL crime.
He broke a rule. He deserved and received stiff punishment. He has brought an onslaught of ridicule from all directions, in and out of the league, to himself and the entire New England Patriots' organization.
There are many intriguing games this weekend. The most-anticipated matchup is Sunday night's tilt between the Chargers and the Patriots in a rematch between two of the best teams in the league. As we get ready for all of the action, Gil Brandt takes a look at eight matchups worth watching in Week 2. Full story ...
Example: No sooner did I turn on my television early this morning to a local wake-up show when I heard the station's feature reporter, while introducing a segment that had nothing to do with football or sports, use part of his brief air time to call the Patriots' coach Bill "Beli-cheat." Later, Al Roker took a jab of his own at Belichick when giving the weather forecast on NBC's Today's Show for the Patriots-Chargers game which will be seen on the network's Sept. 16 broadcast of Sunday Night Football.
That's to be expected.
What I don't buy are assertions that I have read and heard elsewhere in the media that Belichick's assigning a team employee to videotape defensive hand-signals from the New York Jets' sidelines on Sept. 9 somehow discredits the Patriots' three Super Bowl victories.
And here are five reasons why they are ridiculous and baseless:
» Tom Brady: Belichick's keen eye for talent landed the Patriots one of the best quarterbacks in the league -- some would say the best -- in the sixth round. Brady's success has nothing to do with cheating. He is an extremely intelligent and extraordinarily talented athlete who has made the most of his skills with a tremendous work ethic and drive. That is a tribute to a great football mind, not deviousness.
» Assistant coaches: Belichick has assembled some of the greatest coaching staffs the NFL has ever seen. Was there a better offensive coordinator than Charlie Weis? Was there a better defensive coordinator than Romeo Crennel? Eric Mangini, the former Patriot defensive coordinator and current Jets coach that blew the whistle on his former boss, was a fine defensive coordinator as well. That, too, is a tribute to a great football mind, not deviousness.
» Roster management: The Patriots have set the league standard for the ability to maintain a highly competitive team while still remaining comfortably under the salary cap. Belichick has done it by building a roster of players who are comfortable with putting the team ahead of individual accomplishments. Besides doing an excellent job of cultivating home-grown talent, he has found relatively low-cost gems in free agency that have made huge contributions. As a result, there was additional cap room for the big spending done during the past offseason. And Belichick has no problem with parting ways with players who don't conform to the team-first concept, which was what made the controversial acquisition of Randy Moss a stroke of genius. That, too, is a tribute to a great football mind, not deviousness.
» Defensive schemes: The Patriots' forte on defense is in-game adjustments. It is mostly contouring the scheme to what the opposing offense actually does during a game rather than relying so much on the anticipation of what it will do. The approach had plenty to do with the Pats' Super Bowl wins and was also a large part of the reason that the game plan Belichick, as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, used to help beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That, too, is a tribute to a great football mind, not deviousness.
» Special teams: The Patriots were a trend-setter in having no reluctance to include several key starters on special teams. It sent a clear message to the entire squad of the importance of the kicking game. And that, too, is a tribute to Belichick's great football mind, not deviousness.
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