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Patriots need lesson in gamesmanship

Patriots need lesson in gamesmanship

By Dan Ralph

Gamesmanship has always been a part of sports.

Calling a timeout before a crucial field goal in an attempt to ice the kicker is gamesmanship. So, too, is a hockey goalie calling timeout for an equipment check to buy his team time while it’s killing a two-man power play. Peering into the catcher from second base to try and get a peek at the sign being flashed to the pitcher, that’s gamesmanship. Leering over to the opposition’s bench area to try and figure out hand signals, again, that’s gamesmanship.

But having a staff member on the opposition’s sidelines with a video camera filming a team’s defensive signals, well, that’s blatant cheating.

And NFL commissioner Roger Goodell agrees.

Last week, Goodell fined New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick $500,000 US after a club official was found to be using a video camera to try and steal the New York Jets’ defensive signals during a 38-14 victory over Jets. Goodell also fined the Patriots $250,000 and took away one of their first-day draft picks. If the Pats make the playoffs, they will lose a 2008 first-round selection. Should New England fail to make the postseason, then they will give up their second and third picks.

What's unbelievable, though, is Belichick somehow escaped suspension.

But the fine, for an incident affectionately dubbed Patriotgate, was the largest ever levied by the league on a coach and marked the first time the NFL had ever taken away a club’s first-round draft pick.

``This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field,’’ Goodell said in a statement.

Goodell also said the league will keep close tabs on New England’s video program, starting now.

The NFL is very clear on the subject of the use of recording devices on the field. Its rule state that "no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game."

Belichick has the distinction of being the first NFL head coach to be disciplined by Goodell, who has made good conduct a priority in his league mandate.

He suspended Tennesse Titans cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones for the entire season after repeated legal troubles, then banned former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson for eight games without pay for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Last month, Goodell suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for his role in a dogfighting ring.

While this marks the first time Belichick has officially been suspended by the NFL, it has long been felt that the Patriots coach wasn’t above bending the rules in order to get an edge. Last year, the Green Bay Packers gave the boot to the same videographer who’s at the centre of the latest Jets’ fiasco.

Five years ago in the AFC championship game, New England beat Pittsburgh, prompting Steelers receiver Hines Ward to suggest the Patriots knew a lot of the Steelers’ offensive calls.

Then, three years ago Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis said his team’s headsets went dead during the Bengals’ 35-28 road loss to the Patriots.

But there’s a sense of irony that Belichick was penalized for actions taken against the Jets. After all, the Jets’ coach is none other than Eric Mangini, a Belichick protégé who served under him in New England before getting the post in New York. There are reports it was Mangini who alerted the Jets beforehand and that it was when a New York official blew the whistle to the NFL that the Patriots’ cameraman was caught.

So why, then, would Belichick not opt to be somewhat more discreet than to have someone on the Jets’ sideline with a camera? It shows an arrogance that is unflattering, to say the least.

Then again, who can forget Belichick brushing off Mangini’s attempted handshakle following their first game against each other last year?

There’s no denying that the New England Patriots under Belichick have been winners. The three Super Bowl trophies attest to that. But the organization as a whole has prided itself on being the NFL’s model organization, a clear sign of how things should and are done.

And, this year's team has shown early that it's pretty good. On Sunday, New England easily dispatched the San Diego Chargers 38-14, impressively holding star running back LaDanian Tomlinson in check.

But this incident will undoubtedly tarnish the Patriots' image. Now, people are asking questions about just how far back does such behaviour go? Did the Patriots push the envelope to win any of their Super Bowl titles? Don’t forget all three came the result of late Adam Vinateri field goals. Did New England know what defence their opponents were using then, giving quarterback Tom Brady the unfair advantage of knowing beforehand which receiver to look to for the big passing play?

There’s nothing wrong with coaches looking for a competitive edge on their opponents. That’s part of the game and it’s called gamesmanship. But video-taping a team’s defensive calls on its sideline isn’t part of the game.

That’s called cheating.