Apparently Don Shula believes that the Pats are good enough to go undefeated, but believes they should have a asterisk beside their record for this season if they do match the feat only one other team has done: Shula’s 1972 Dolphins went 14-0 during the regular season on their way to a Super Bowl victory.
This is what the crotchety old man says, “The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished. You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it. I guess it will be noted that the Patriots were fined and a No. 1 draft choice was taken away during that year of accomplishment.” (Source: ESPN) Such truthiness, Don. Well done.
I can understand why Shula would feel this way, as maybe back then none of the teams ‘cheated’ by using cameras and whatever else they could get hold of to see the other teams’ calls. Maybe they never thought of it, or maybe the technology did not exist.
Well, now it does exist, and teams are allowed to use pretty much anything at their disposal, except they are not allowed to film the other sideline themselves. They can use NFL Films footage and audio, still pictures, which are taken incessantly, among all the other technologies not covered in the NFL Rules tome.
For the most part, the NFL had to make a rule drawing a line in the sand, not so much because having their own video would give a team an advantage, but just to stop the act of watching the opponent’s coaching staff before it went too far. One can imagine if there were no rules, teams would have their own ‘reporters’ standing in the faces of opposing coaches, and that would just get ugly.
Before one judges the Pats on this whole nonsense, think why no other coach has said a word about it. It is because they all have done it, and don’t want it to come up again. You think the Pats’ videos was all that was burned when the league decided the whole scandal was finished and done with?
I would be willing to bet a lot of coaches had either a burning party or a burying party when they removed the footage they themselves had taken of their opponents. Not wanting to rock the boat, no one says a word. Everyone hopes it will just go away, which it should.
The people who just need something to hate on will continue to rag on the whole issue, but those are the type of people with whom talking is like clapping with one hand. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “It is as useless to argue with those who have renounced the use of reason as to administer medication to the dead.”
So, in closing note, while beating this dead horse, it should be noted – to use Shula’s preference of words – that Shula’s Dolphins were themselves charged with tampering in 1970:
The fine? Loss of a 1st-round draft pick.
The crime? Tampering with the Colts by hiring away their coach…Don Shula.
I’m just checking Don’s career records now, looking for his asterisk…
I am sure the irony is not lost on the Don that his old team is very likely to become just the second team ever to go winless in a season in the same year that another team could very well become just the second after his old team to go undefeated. Man, that must bite. I bet he really wants to have something of value to add to the conversation. *Meh*
This coming Sunday, the Miami Dolphins (0-8) are at home to the Buffalo Bills (4-4) in Week 10, in what could be one of their last real chances for one win this year. The Yardstick as of now calls for a Bills win by at least a field goal.
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