04/19/24
January 03, 2008
Bill Belichick named AP Coach Of The Year: and deservedly so coaching his team to 16-0 so far.
I find it hard to believe that someone caught cheating gets rewarded for it. What a wonderful society we live in.
posted by tsksmy at 07:26 PM on January 03, 2008
I'm fairly certain he's not smiling- I think he just has gas. tsksmy: seriously, let it go. Let. It. Go.
posted by hincandenza at 08:22 PM on January 03, 2008
a $500,000 personal fine, $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a first-round pick in the upcoming draft after the Patriots were caught videotaping New York Jets coaches during the season opener. Sounds like Coach Of The Year material to me. Give the team credit for what they've done but why honor this?
posted by Familyman at 08:30 PM on January 03, 2008
hey familyman, 16 regular season wins trumps everything else. do you really think they couldnt have done this with any other coach? everybody tries to get an edge. most cheat in some way. the pats got caught because they have been the best team of this decade. if the steelers had been under the microscope the pats have been under, bill cowers halo wouldnt have such a shine on it either.
posted by elijahin at 08:37 PM on January 03, 2008
I guess it's pretty hard to argue against 16-0, but I wish that Romeo Crennel up there in Cleveland would've gotten more consideration. Sure, the Browns missed the playoffs, but they went 10-6 this season. The Browns! 10-6! Pretty damn good, especially given the disaster that was week 1.
posted by NoMich at 08:55 PM on January 03, 2008
I think the league knew that what Bill got caught doing was going on with other teams, as well. They chose to pursue a high profile team/person just to make an example of them/him. In my opinion, it's great that the Patriots did this....especially this year, and without "cheating". Kinda like a great big FU to the NFL :-) Cheers and Happy New Year everyone!
posted by slackerman at 09:23 PM on January 03, 2008
elijahin, by your logic, you believe cheating is OK as long as the cheating team wins. Give the team credit as I said, but why honor cheating? slackerman, the Pats did cheat this year.
posted by Familyman at 09:26 PM on January 03, 2008
Hey elijahin, want to elaborate on the stuff we would have found if Cower and the Steelers had "been under the microscope?" It's always good to state the facts before you run your mouth.
posted by Goyoucolts at 10:02 PM on January 03, 2008
I'm with Familyman on this one. On one hand, I'm pretty much over the whole taping "scandal" (even though the "aw, gee, but everyone does it" argument is ridiculous). But, on the other hand, I'm not sure the ringleader of it all should get extra positive recognition. It's kind-of like the Merriman situation last year ... for the most part, it's water-under-the-bridge, but there's no way he should have been considered for Pro Bowl or Def Player honors. I have no desire to hold their "crimes" over their heads beyond the year in which they occurred, but it just feels like there should be tangible punishment (which I recognize they've paid) but also an ethical "and we're not going to give you any personal awards just for this year". Furthermore, while an undefeated season wasn't predicted by folks, it's not like the Pats were considered washed-up and not supposed to win their division. It seems like there are several coaches (like the ones who got the other votes) who are equally deserving - McCarthy, Gruden and maybe DelRio all strike me as coaches whose teams performed differentially better than expectations, morseo than the Patriots.
posted by littleLebowski at 10:38 PM on January 03, 2008
"Also getting votes were Dallas coach Wade Phillips..." Please... Everyone knows who's responsible for Dallas' success this year, and now he's VP ing in Miami. Of course, what should you expect from a rich, excentric, "Howard Hughes" type of owner like Jerry Jones.
posted by canstusdis at 10:39 PM on January 03, 2008
but I wish that Romeo Crennel up there in Cleveland would've gotten more consideration Yeah, I'm surprised Crennel didn't get a single vote, but as a Browns fan, I think the team sometimes won despite Crennel. I'm still not sold, and maybe neither are the voters.
posted by littleLebowski at 10:41 PM on January 03, 2008
I guess the Apocolypse is truly upon us. What a sad commentary on the state of society when someone who cheats garners such an award. Mike McCarthy of the Packers surely deserved the award. Let's see: the youngest team in the NFL, no running game for half the season, a H.O.F. QB who McCarthy was successful in reigning in, and posting a 13-3 record after going 8-8 the previous year to which NObody thought they would even be in the mix. I guess Belicheat even intimidates the writers. What a crock! Spin it any way you want to Pats fans, but the bottom line is he cheated, plain and simple. I guess if he were black (which I'm not) he'd be strung up like Barry Bonds, huh? DISGRACEFUL ! ! !
posted by LeftyPower at 04:17 AM on January 04, 2008
by your logic, you believe cheating is OK as long as the cheating team wins. its not that i believe cheating is ok. i just think the league is miles behind the times in their rules. to me this is no different than a baserunner stealing the catchers signes. its something you say "shame on you" for. not something you fine him half a mil for. certainly not something you strip him of an obviously deserved coach of the year title for. people make it seem like he has stolen neuclear secrets from russia. all they did was point a camera at the opposing sideline. what could they learn? the jets plays? the adjustments that the jets were gonna make? teams make decisions in real time. they dont often have drawn playes there on the sidelines, but even if they did, is it any different if they just had a kid in the stands with a camera phone triained on the jets sideline? more to the point would it be different if it was tony dungy orsomeone more likeable who got caught? this is a stupid, nothing infraction. one that almost all coaches commit in the league, in college, and in successfull high school programs. the man went 16-0. he is the best coach of the year. thats the end of the story.
posted by elijahin at 04:39 AM on January 04, 2008
Everyone knows who's responsible for Dallas' success this year, and now he's VP ing in Miami. Yeah -- a guy who never won a playoff game in Dallas deserves all the credit for a 13-3 season, No. 1 seed and home field advantage after he leaves. Parcells never managed T.O. the way Phillips has, and the 9-7 record he got with the same team would have barely made the playoffs this year (or lost on a tiebreaker). Parcells' constant grousing and his rapid mood swings are not the stuff that goes 13-3.
posted by rcade at 07:06 AM on January 04, 2008
...as a Browns fan, I think the team sometimes won despite Crennel. Interesting. Thanks for weighing in from the dawg pound. I'm down here in NC, so I got nothing but the pathetic Panthers and the middling Redskins, so all I saw of the Browns was, "Oh my god, *they* went 10-6?" I just assumed it was all coaching. I'm interested in seeing what they do with Derek Anderson.
posted by NoMich at 07:41 AM on January 04, 2008
If Atlanta under Vick went 16-0 it would be getting ripped apart, if Philly under McNabb went 16-0 Besides the women-hating bullshit, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. Before Vick was sent to prison, you easily forget people lived him. He was a demi-god in Atlanta. If you're referring to him being scrutinized now with the dog-charging stuff, that's a complete non sequiter seeing as he's not playing... Same thing with McNabb. A lot of fans and reporters like him, Campbell's soup with mom and all. Wait, why the hell am I even feeding the trollbate? Oh well.
posted by jmd82 at 08:41 AM on January 04, 2008
The bottom line is he got caught cheating on the first game of the season. HE WON 15 STRAIGHT ANYWAY AFTER THAT. Who is to say that he wouldn't have won that game against the Jets anyway? Bill Bell deserves the honor and he got it! the loss of a first-round pick in the upcoming draft By the way, they still get a top five draft pick from a deal that they had with San Fran last season. Ooops, gues the NFL should have done their homework on that one.
posted by B10 at 09:04 AM on January 04, 2008
Romeo has to get some of the credit for going 10-6. If the Browns had a 4-12 season there is no question the blame would go on Romeo and he would be on the hot seat if not already fired. Its more than a little surprising he didn't get a single vote.
posted by curlyelk at 09:32 AM on January 04, 2008
Romeo has to get some of the credit for going 10-6. If the Browns had a 4-12 season there is no question the blame would go on Romeo and he would be on the hot seat if not already fired. Its more than a little surprising he didn't get a single vote. I totally agree with that statement. I'm sure that no one thought that the Browns would raise any eyebrows this year especially since they traded Charlie Frye to Seattle and had Derek Anderson start the rest of the season but somehow, they managed a 10-6 season. Sure, they didn't make the playoff since the Titans won their last game to claim the last playoff spot but still, Romeo Crennel did a great coaching job this season.
posted by BornIcon at 09:39 AM on January 04, 2008
Belichick is a wizard. I expect people to cast votes in the upcoming election thinking that they are voting for their favored candidate or political party when in truth they have elected Belichick. When he spoke, didn't anyone else hear him quickly say, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." ?
posted by THX-1138 at 11:39 AM on January 04, 2008
Ask yourself this. If the NFL agrees that the Pats had a perfect season - and that's never happened before in the 16 game schedule, and only once before in the merged league history.... Then how could you ever imagine giving the award to anyone else?
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:09 PM on January 04, 2008
Exactly- the Cowboys, Packers, and Colts all went 13-3 this year, which are terrific records... yet the 16-0 is kind of the trump card. I don't care how good a coach's season is in taking a "No one picked 'em for the playoffs" team and getting them into the playoffs (or close to it), the undefeated season always wins out. If it happened every 2 or 3 years, no, but as my esteemed colleague Smokey McPot has noted, a 16-0 regular season has never happened in the history of the NFL. If there were hard set rules for the voting, and this was an "Appendix D" clause, no one would mind because it'd be invoked so rarely. Kind of like the Rule 98 of Sportsfilter: every time a team goes 16-0 in the regular season, it must get a disproportionate number of front page posts. =) Now, had the Patriots finished 15-1 (I mean, besides that Ravens game they so famously lost despite the final score =) ), does Belichick still win this award? I'm thinking... probably, but much much more closely in the vote. It wasn't a close to a unanimous vote as it was- Belichick only got 29 out of 50 votes, with 15 votes to McCarthy of Green Bay.
posted by hincandenza at 12:27 PM on January 04, 2008
Clearly it's not just the numbers -- you could make the case for a coach who had a big "zero to hero" story to tell, but I don't think we had any of those this year. There were a few teams that I would say did better than expected or hung tough through some bad luck, but none of sufficient magnitude to make you ignore the fact that their win-loss records weren't stellar.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:51 PM on January 04, 2008
...a stupid, nothing infraction. one that almost all coaches commit in the league... If that statement is true, then the Falcons (4-12), Rams (3-13), Ravens (5-11), Raiders (4-12), Dolphins (1-15), and Jets (4-12) must really be doing it wrong!
posted by steelergirl at 01:34 PM on January 04, 2008
do my eyes decieve me? am i reading this right? did crew compare videotaping the oposing teams sideline to DOGFIGHTING? are you fucking serious? crew, first off, let me say i like having you around. you make it fun. second, i am a psych major, and i am facinated by your behavior. woudja mind if i asked you a question? great. why is it that you are so determined to show us all just how stupid you really are? i mean normally when people realize that they clearly have no business talking to adults they move back to the kiddie table where they can keep up with the conversation. not you. you're like " hey guys you havent forgotten that im a moron have you???" well rest assured buddy. we havent.
posted by elijahin at 02:00 PM on January 04, 2008
If that statement is true, then the Falcons (4-12), Rams (3-13), Ravens (5-11), Raiders (4-12), Dolphins (1-15), and Jets (4-12) must really be doing it wrong! Or -- radical idea, here -- videotaping the other team's signals just doesn't help you much if you're doing a lot of other things wrong.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:04 PM on January 04, 2008
Don't feed the trolls, elijahin. Not worth your time, dude.
posted by jerseygirl at 02:06 PM on January 04, 2008
Easy to win when you cheat.
posted by aerotive at 03:05 PM on January 04, 2008
No it's not. Cheating makes it even harder to win.
posted by NoMich at 03:07 PM on January 04, 2008
Yes, that is true, lbb. What I was going for: If all or enough teams tape the opponent, wouldn't it give them more of an equal playing field? And less disparity in the season records?
posted by steelergirl at 04:39 PM on January 04, 2008
Following the rules is so overrated.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:51 PM on January 04, 2008
Man,when is this cheating thing going to stop and give Belichick and the team the recognition that they deserve?The first 5 minutes if the first game of the year has nothing to do what they accomplished.I know it's not everyone here on Spofi,just a certain few that just can't get the "Belichick Cheat Scandal"out of their heads and move on.He won the award and rightfully so.16-0 is a great accomplishment.I hope they run the table and go 19-0.Even if they do, that still won't be good enough in some peoples eyes. Family Man for one? aerotive another? C'mon!!
posted by Ghastly1 at 10:40 PM on January 04, 2008
rcade: Bill Parcells: responsible for Dallas' success this year? In my opinion, yes. Does he deserve all the credit? Of course not... There's one BIG difference between this year's team and last year's. Unless, of course, quarterback experience isn't important... Bill "The Tuna" was on the verge. He had planned it all and this year he would have implemented his plan had it not been snatched from him. But this isn't the first time we've seen this from Jerry jones. Does anyone remember Barry Switzer?
posted by canstusdis at 12:02 AM on January 05, 2008
He had planned it all and this year he would have implemented his plan had it not been snatched from him. Do people still believe in the Cult of Personality around Parcells? He was a great coach, but come on: Giants: won two Superbowls Patriots: got to the Superbowl Jets: playoffs Dallas: lost in first round As he gets older, his career seems to be following a downward trend. Had he stayed retired after the Jets, I think he would have kept the God-like reputation. Now he's just a great coach and in the past tense at that.
posted by yerfatma at 08:26 AM on January 05, 2008
I'm interested in seeing what they do with Derek Anderson. So are we NoMich. The was an article in a Canton paper that really didn't clear up a damn thing. Although I think much of the success this year was due to our new OC, Rob Chudzinski, and 3 key players we did not have or use last year. Derek Anderson, Big Joe Thomas, and Jamal Lewis. We all know what kind of year DA had. Thomas is on the ballot for the ROY award, too bad Adrian Peterson should win that unanimously. The big surprise that allowed DA and the whole offense to work was Lewis though. His official stat sheet says he played 15 games, however he only had 1 attempt in week 5 against NE, for 11 yards. So it is more like he onlt played in 14 games. He did have more Att/game 19.9 and more yards 1304 this year than any other in his career since 2003. He also had 5 100 yd. rushing games, one of which was 200+ yds, and 2 more games that were over 100 yds between rushing and receiving combined. Lewis ran off Thomas' ass a lot this season, and hopefully next too. IMO thats what was the difference this year from the last few years with the Browns, as well as the stability in the coaching situation. I just hope they keep going in this direction. There have been rumors here about Parcells wooing Romeo to Miami. I don't want that to happen. A lot of people here aren't sold on Romeo yet, I am on the fence still but falling towards him everyday a little bit more. Getting Chudzinski really saved him this year. The biggest problem with him, is the team makes too many mental errors at the most important points in the game. That points to lack of discipline, which points to coaching. Lets not forget he needs to give the challenge flags to an assistant coach also. Overall, this was one hell of a fun year to be a Browns fan though 10-6, and only 1 loss at home. Nobody would have predicted that!
posted by jojomfd1 at 10:13 AM on January 05, 2008
Thanks for the insight, jojo. For some reason I've always had a soft spot for the Browns (I think it may be the logoless helmets) and I hope they keep improving.
posted by NoMich at 10:46 AM on January 05, 2008
I live only 45 minutes from the stadium, and we used to go a lot before I got hurt. Now my legs are so bad I just can't handle the walk from the parking lots to the stadium, then the hike up into the seats. I did get to go to one of the preseason games this year though. Brandi and I went and watched the KC game. Thats when I found out how bad my back and legs have got since last year. We even had seats that were in the lower bowl for that game, it is just one hell of a hill to get there from what they call the muni lot. Thats where all of the tailgating happens. However a 40" widescreen HDTV helps a little, still not the same though.
posted by jojomfd1 at 11:12 AM on January 05, 2008
yerfatma: I don't disagree with you. "As he gets older, his career seems to be following a downward trend." This can be said about any coach or player for that matter. Joe Gibbs immediately comes to mind. Great coach(a Hall of Fame inductee), but he's made some bone headed decisions this year. My first post wasn't so much about the legend of "The Tuna", but that legendary crazy man Jerry Jones.
posted by canstusdis at 11:38 AM on January 05, 2008
Thomas is on the ballot for the ROY award, too bad Adrian Peterson should win that unanimously. Really, what about Patrick Willis? Defensive ROY and serious contender for defensive player of the year after leading the league in tackles, I think he will get some ROY votes and probably make it close with Peterson.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:55 PM on January 05, 2008
Do people still believe in the Cult of Personality around Parcells? He was a great coach, but come on: Giants: won two Superbowls Patriots: got to the Superbowl Jets: playoffs Dallas: lost in first round As he gets older, his career seems to be following a downward trend. I completely agree. That might be because I posted the exact same argument in an earlier post about Parcells when he signed with Miami (and I'm not claiming you read my earlier post, but I just had to comment). Great minds think alike, right Fatty?
posted by cjets at 04:55 PM on January 05, 2008
Don't get me wrong, Willis was very impressive this year. 174 total tackles, 136 solo with 4 sacks. Is nothing to sneeze at. He should be the Defensive ROY. However, in spite of all Willis' hard work on and off the field the 49er's still only managed to go 5-11. Two losses worse than last years 7-9 record. Which can not be attributed to Willis and the defense very much at all If you look at Peterson, He ran for 1341 yards as a rookie! Averaged 95.8 yds/game, and 5.6 yds/carry. He had 12 TD's rushing and 1 receiving. Leading a Vickings team to a 8-8 2007, 2 games better than in 2006. The difference being, you can pretty much attribute to Peterson. This is an offensive weapon like they have not had since Robert Smith, and hwe retired too early, IMO. I believe that Peterson did more for his team than anybody else on that list did for their respective teams. Thus the unanimous comment.
posted by jojomfd1 at 10:32 AM on January 06, 2008
I completely agree. That might be because I posted the exact same argument in an earlier post I couldn't remember where I stole that from. It was something I had kinda/ sorta noticed but your comment crystalized it for me.
posted by yerfatma at 10:43 AM on January 06, 2008
I couldn't remember where I stole that from. It was something I had kinda/ sorta noticed but your comment crystalized it for me. Happy to help. I've been borrowing your comments off line for years.
posted by cjets at 12:53 PM on January 06, 2008
jojo, I'm not saying Peterson doesn't win but that it won't be unanimous.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:00 PM on January 06, 2008
I know bill, I was just telling you why I think he will. :)
posted by jojomfd1 at 01:51 AM on January 08, 2008
Gee, Bill, you look pretty good when you are smiling! Let me be the first(?) one to say. Congratulations, he deserves it, he earned it. Hope he shares with his team. They helped