FanHouse's Ryan Wilson noted this week that Cowboys coach Wade Phillips made a proposal at a league meeting this year that would have allowed one defensive player to wear a headset in his helmet, allowing them to hear what plays their coaches want them to call, just as quarterbacks currently do.Although 22 of the 32 NFL teams wanted to adopt Phillips' proposal, it failed because rules changes of that kind need a three-fourths majority. And it should come as no surprise that the Patriots were one of the 10 teams that voted "no."
Does that sound like Bill Belichick to you? Not wanting to be able to make sure his players get the defensive play call exactly as he orders it up? Not wanting the ability to pass along instructions to his defensive captain during a game?
To the best of my knowledge, no one has asked Belichick why the Patriots voted against the policy. (And if anyone does ask him, he'll say, "We're moving on to San Diego. That's what I'm addressing. All my energy is on the San Diego Chargers.") But he should really explain himself here.
The other nine teams that voted against the rule change cited reasons like not wanting technology to intrude on the game anymore than it already does, but that doesn't strike me as the Patriot way. The only reason I can think of that Belichick wouldn't want this rule change is that he didn't want the Patriots to lose the competitive advantage they were receiving by stealing opposing teams' defensive signals.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-15-2007 @ 10:06AM
Johnny said...
This is a no-brainer people. If the sensitive play calling of the offense was important enough to preserve secrecy with headsets, it should absolutely happen for the defense as well. Anybody that voted against it should be under a microscope. You can be that during this upcoming off-season, this issue will pass right through.
It will be tough on the tesms that use two sets of signals for the D-line and the coverage, but it will at least put in another layer of secrecy to preserve teams having to play each other instead of already "knowing" what was coming in the second half after reviewing "Film".
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9-15-2007 @ 12:37PM
Educated Fan said...
You are a dope. He's said it several times -- at least TRY to find the answer. He said, after the original vote this winter, that he voted no because the proposal was dumb. The proposal was for ONE defensive player to have the headset and that player needed to be declared before the game. So that player would need to be in for all of the snaps. If that player is hurt on the firt play, then one team has no headset. There was no provision in the proposal for replacing that headset if the player is injured and nothing about plays where that guy is subbed out. It's an asinine proposal and if Bellicheck gave two craps about ignorant people like you he'd tell you -- but he doesn't and that's what drives people nuts about it.
You can bet the proposal they'll have this winter is smarter then that and that he'll vote for it. What he won't do is give dopes like you the satisfaction of an answer.
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9-15-2007 @ 12:56PM
alian325 said...
You guys are all crazy!!!!
Change up your signs for crying out loud if dont want people seeing them.
Any team, ANY TEAM, can & probably does steal signs with or without cameras. You are all naive to think otherwise. This is big money in competitive sports. You dont think every team does it. Its like leaving your cell phone & ipod on the front seat of your car and wondering why someone took them. BOTTOM LINE...you deserved what you got.
Its just part of every game played on Sunday, like it or not, legal or not...your team does it or has done it too.
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9-15-2007 @ 2:55PM
LB said...
You can't cheat if there are headsets then he would lose his advantage. It is simple they only care about winning and if cheating gives them an advantage then keep things the way they are.
Brady probably knew also.
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9-15-2007 @ 3:35PM
kathy said...
why dont you people just get over all this crap!!hey ricky williams want back, he's only broke the nfl rules 4 times. lets go fine him. hey what about poor everett from the bills almost died, does anyone care?? hell no, lets just go bash the pats.im noticing any team with class and winnings are not commenting on this patriot thing!! just the losing teams.
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9-15-2007 @ 4:15PM
logic said...
It would seem to me that if was your plan to steal signs during the season, you would vote in "favor" of the proposal. That way you can steal the sign and immediately give it to your player on the field. When you are on top as the Patriots are, you don't want to vote for a proposal that allows the mediocre teams to get better. It's no more complicated than that!
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