NFL not done with Belicheat yet?- PFT

[Kentucky Jet]

COMMISH STILL INVESTIGATING PATS

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that, while Pats coach Bill Belichick wants to move on (or move out) regarding the cheating scandal, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't.

Per Mort, Goodell has ordered the team to turn over all videotapes, notes, and files dating back to 2000. They have to do this, Mortensen explained. If the materials indicate further rules violations, or if there is any fishy behavior in connection with the disclosure of information, there will be further sanctions.

In our view, looking at notes, files, and tapes isn't enough. The NFL also needs to interview current and, more importantly, former employees who might know a thing or two about what went on.

So stay tuned. Though the punishment announced on Thursday night caused many to conclude that this episode is over, it could still get even worse for the Patriots.

[BUM-KNEE]

COMMISH STILL INVESTIGATING PATS

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that, while Pats coach Bill Belichick wants to move on (or move out) regarding the cheating scandal, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't.

Per Mort, Goodell has ordered the team to turn over all videotapes, notes, and files dating back to 2000. They have to do this, Mortensen explained. If the materials indicate further rules violations, or if there is any fishy behavior in connection with the disclosure of information, there will be further sanctions.

In our view, looking at notes, files, and tapes isn't enough. The NFL also needs to interview current and, more importantly, former employees who might know a thing or two about what went on.

So stay tuned. Though the punishment announced on Thursday night caused many to conclude that this episode is over, it could still get even worse for the Patriots.

I cant imagine that video library makes it to Goodells office 100% intact and complete.

[Kentucky Jet]

lol. ya never know! I hope they nail Belicheat and Shady Brady.

[BUM-KNEE]

lol. ya never know! I hope they nail Belicheat and Shady Brady.

This will be a cancer on NE that will eat away the franchise from the inside out IMO.

[Bugg]

Cimini's take-that this is the impetus for Kraft to get rid of Belichick-makes a whole bunch of sense.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/09/16/2007-09-16_bill_belichick_will_move_on_from_spy_gat.html

Bill Belichick will move on from 'Spy Gate'

A long time ago, Bill Belichick granted me access into his hidden, high-tech world of X's and O's. It was August 1998, the eve of the Jets' final preseason game. They were in Chicago, and Belichick, Bill Parcells' defensive chief, already was preparing for the opener in San Francisco.

Belichick was set up in a darkened ballroom at the Chicago Hyatt Regency, where he was surrounded by the tools of his trade - a VCR, an eight-foot screen, a yellow legal pad, a red marker and 28 cassettes strewn across a table. For two hours, he studied tape of the 49ers' prolific offense, pointing out minutia the casual fan never sees: How one of the receivers tipped his routes, how certain offensive-line "splits" - the space between each lineman - told the defense run or pass.

Afterward, with the lights turned up, Belichick was in a nostalgic mood, recalling how he started breaking down film for his father - an old Naval Academy coach - at the age of 8. Young Bill used a reel-to-reel projector in the family's dining room - good thing the walls were white, he cracked - diagramming plays on index cards.

I left that interview thinking I had spent an evening in Bill Gates' computer lab, watching the genius hatch Microsoft Windows. Now, in the aftermath of "Spy Gate," it's impossible not to wonder about Belichick and his tactics.

His window is cracked.

Now I wonder, were any of those 28 tapes illegally recorded.

Belichick still is a terrific football coach - you don't win that many Super Bowls just by stealing signals - but his Lombardi-esque resume will be forever tainted by the video scandal. Suddenly, opposing players and coaches are coming out of the woodwork, questioning Belichick's integrity. You hear wild stories (maybe they're not so wild) about elaborate, information-gathering schemes used by the Patriots. (Heard one about how they comb the visiting team's hotel after it checks out, looking for discarded play sheets, game plans, etc.)

That Belichick would resort to such methods is truly Nixonian. To assign a low-level video man to tape the Jets' defensive signals, knowing the head coach on that very sideline (Eric Mangini) is well-versed in your Patriot Acts, is as brazen as brazen gets. Belichick is too smart for that. Then again, smart coaches sometimes do dumb things. When Bill Parcells coached the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, he made dozens of calls from his New Orleans hotel room to the Jets' facility in Hempstead, L.I., setting up his next job, it was revealed years later. Did he think no one would find out?

The big question now is, what will become of Belichick? Something tells me this is the beginning of the end for him in New England. He could very well lead the Patriots to their fourth Super Bowl - the talent is there - but "SpyGate" has become a huge embarrassment for owner Robert Kraft, who, according to commissioner Roger Goodell, had no knowledge of last week's spy tactics against the Jets.

Like many of his colleagues in the NFL, Kraft is an image-conscious owner and the image of his franchise has been tarnished. Kraft accepted Belichick's apology, saying he "looks forward to working with (Belichick) as we move forward," but don't underestimate the embarrassment factor.

There were rumors before the season that Belichick, who staged an uncharacteristic spending spree in the offseason, was gearing up for one final run. His contract status is a closely guarded secret, but don't be surprised if he's coaching elsewhere (or not at all) next season. Eight years is a long time to be in one place. There, too, are rumblings that the Kraft family was distressed last year when the coach was named as "the other man" in a salacious divorce case. Again, image.

If Belichick feels he's not getting enough support (and money) from ownership, he could shoot his way out, assuming he's not a free agent. He's done it before, resigning as the HC of the NY Jets in 2000. Looking into a crystal ball, here's one man's prediction on how it will turn out:

Belichick will wind up with the Redskins, replacing Joe Gibbs. He'll become the first $10 million-a-year coach, making the $500,000 fine from Goodell seem like small potatoes. Belichick will be like one of those college basketball coaches, leaving behind a school on probation and heading for the next job.

The Patriots? Don't cry for them. As per Goodell's punishment, they will have to surrender a first-round pick, assuming they make the playoffs, but the cupboard won't be empty. They still have another first-rounder in 2008, acquired from the 49ers, and they still have Tom Brady. Belichick's front-office lieutenant, Scott Pioli, will remain in New England and hire the next coach, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis or Iowa's Kirk Ferentz.

In the meantime, Belichick will try to do what he loves most, living Sunday to Sunday, but it can never be the same. The innocence is gone. It reminds me of a passage from "The Education of a Coach," written by the late David Halberstam. Recounting Belichick's first job, an entry-level position with the Baltimore Colts, Halberstam describes the young coach's uncanny ability to see things on film that got by the most experienced coaches. There's a quote from former Colts safety Bruce Laird that now jumps off the page:

"It was like having a great spy working for us."