by Aubrey Bruce, Courier Sports Writer
Last Saturday morning, I woke up unusually late (after 9 a.m.), and after I armed my Keurig for battle, I logged in and went straight to the sports wire and one of the first things that popped up was steelerswire.usatoday.com and a story posted by Curt Popejoy titled: “Mike Tomlin clings to ranking among best NFL head coaches.” Popejoy writes: “There was a time when Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was discussed among the very best head coaches in the NFL. His ability to put a successful product on the field is a big reason he enters his 13th season in charge of the Steelers. But after a playoff win drought and missing the playoffs completely last season, where does Tomlin rank?”
Tomlin missed the 2018 NFL postseason because he had a kicker kicking for him that faced a few “psychological hurdles” that were seen and experienced only by him. He was also denied entry into the postseason because of quarterbacks throwing to the right spots and receivers running to the wrong spots. Last but certainly not least, when Pittsburgh played New Orleans, there were two pass interference plays that were called that should have been renamed: “NFL officials’ interference in fair play.” Those calls were phantom and the intent was transparent. The article went on attempting to justify Tomlin’s close call to falling out of grace according to the numbers and why that reasoning was justified.
Now presently, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is constantly ranked as one of, if not the greatest, NFL head coaches of all-time. However, whatever numbers that some of our media, the New England Patriots organization and Patriots fans themselves trot out in their constant effort install the Patriots on the pro football throne of omnipotence, their propaganda efforts will never succeed because the New England Patriots win by the “any means necessary” mantra with a melody of corruption that will never endear them to the teams that play within the rules. The Patriots were not exposed by some jealous, malcontented loser NFL franchise—the Patriots were “ratted” out by a former Patriot coach that only requested his former coach and mentor just not cheat when he played his team. NFL analyst Skip Bayless had this to say this on the “Skip and Shannon” show in September 2016 concerning an alleged conversation between former asst. Patriots coach and former NY Jets head coach Eric Mangini and Belichick. Mangini supposedly said the following to Belichick just before a scheduled game between the Jets and the Patriots: “Bill, look I know what you do. I know you tape the defensive signals. Don’t do it, just don’t do it to me. If you want to do it to anybody else that’s fine, but please don’t do it to me.” Bayless goes on to say that: “Belichick basically gave his protégé (Eric Mangini) the middle finger.” That is when Mangini spilled the beans.
Look…if you are arrogant to use the same methods to cheat on the one that helped you cheat and then thumb your nose at him and the NFL for cheating, then what gives? Why isn’t Bill Belichick barred from holding any position in the NFL? MLB great Pete Rose continues to be shunned (unjustifiably so) from the MLB Hall of Fame because of betting on his own team, not stealing the opposing teams’ offensive and defensive signals. People gripe about the missing “spygate” videotapes. Was that the beginning of the “fake news” syndrome? Ya know, slight of hand journalism?
Some folks claim that since there are no tapes, there can be no crime. Sorta like, how can there be a murder when there is no body. All the evidence is circumstantial. Whatever happened to the tapes is not and should not be the primary issue. The issue should be that there should not have been any “cheating tapes to review in the first place.”
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