This Is Bullsh*t

I am awakened from my month-long slumber to pass judgment on something I am extremely anti...

This breaking news. Apparently, SpyGate didn't start and end with the Jets game this season. According to an unnamed source (sounds a bit sketchy, I know, but let's hear this out), the Pats had one of their employees film the Rams game walkthrough the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. Now, there's no proof (yet) that the coaches ever saw this tape. But what else was the team going to do if it had film detailing slowed-down versions of the plays St. Louis planned to run the following day? What a surprise, then, that the Pats managed to stifle the Greatest Show on Turf for three quarters during said game.

That loss hurt (see "Masochism,"don't bother with the rest) more than any sports related feeling I've ever had. Since then, I've had plenty of time to heal. Rather than make me feel better, though, this news just makes me feel worse. It still pisses me off that the "genius" defensive schemes that Belichick employed during that game involved borderline holding and/or pass interference on just about every down. Yet I was basically OK with the standard narrative: high-flying favorite comes in cocky and gets upset by budding HOF QB, best clutch kicker, and greatest head coach of all time. But now that this news has broken, I don't really know what to think. One can't really discount the value of knowing an opponent's playbook before facing them (see Jon Gruden vs. his old Oakland Raiders team in Super Bowl XXXVII), and it makes sense that Martz might have realized something was wrong and made the adjustments to get the game tied up in the 4th Quarter.

As for the authenticity of this report, either way, the news makes me sad for the sport. If this is just an attempt to rattle the Pats before their game tomorrow, it's truly shameful. That seems pretty doubtful, though. If, more likely, this news is true, it still doesn't give the Rams the Championship they deserve. Instead, it merely taints the legacy of what would otherwise be considered the greatest dynasty in NFL history. Everyone loses.