Camera-Gate, Bill Belichick, Jets and New York Media

It has been over a week since New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was caught and punished for video taping defensive signals during the Patriots week 1 dismantling of the New York Jets, but talk has not quited down - especially in the New York media.

Apparently, the New York media has such disdain for Belichick and the Patriots that they have sunken to a new low when publishing the standings in a New York newspaper. The New York Post published the NFL standings with a new look, on Tuesday, placing an asterisk next to New England, with a note at the bottom saying "caught cheating."

Now the only human reaction is "an eye for an eye" as Boston Herald columnist John Tomase proposed but Boston (and New England as a whole) should be the bigger people and not stoop down to this low, elementary school-yard trick. It would feel so good and humorous to put an asterisk nexts to the Jets in the standings in the Boston Herald with "caught whining" noted at the bottom, as Tomase used as a proposition, but Bostonians are bigger than that.

The Patriots have been awakened and it looks like New England is even more motivated than before to get back to the big dance and take home their fourth Lombardi Trophy. Thanks Eric Mangini.

In addition to camera-gate, I have a couple of issues I want to address:
1. What Belichick Did
I have no issue with Bill Belichick stealing signs, it is just the way he did it. Clearly in violation of the rules and regulations of the NFL but not egregious enough to warrant any type of suspension. The majority of the teams in the NFL try to steal the other teams signs. It happens not just in football but in baseball and in other sports.

2. New England fans defending their coach
Other teams fans say if this had been any other team, New England fans would be all over it. But they do not understand that Bill Belichick turned the Patriots franchise around, leading the team to three Super Bowl victories and giving the fans something to cheer for. He may not be the nicest and friendliest man during press conferences but his years in New England gave die-hard Pats fans what they have always dreamed of. So when Belichick was facing major disciplinary actions the fans stepped in to back the coach that gave them three Super Bowl teams to cheer for.

It is quite similar to a friend or a family member doing something that you know is wrong but you still come to their defense anyway because you love them. You don't care about what they did you just care about them.

3. The Belichick - Nixon comparisons
I have been hearing lately some comparisons of Bill Belichick and Richard Nixon. You can only compare the things they did. Nixon spying on the Democratic National Convention at The Watergate. And Belichick using technology to try to steal signs during a football game. But that is about as far as you can go. Nixon's not hated because he spied on the DNC. Nixon did not resign because impeachment was a possible punishment for bugging DNC Headquarters. He resigned because he perjured himself. Belichick, to our knowledge, has not said "I did not tape that defensive coordinator."

If Nixon had just been honest about the "plumbers" at The Watergate then the whole story would have blown over in a couple of months and there would be no Deep Throat, no Woodward and no Bernstein. It was not the act that was the issue for Nixon it was the cover up following teh act.

We don't hate Bill Clinton for Whitewater or having an affair with an intern, it is just we do not like the fact that he lied about when questioned.

Belichick was honest and remorseful, or believably remorseful, about what had happened. And to our knowledge has not lied during any time of teh investigation. That is what should make him different than Nixon and Clinton.