seen your video

Michael Wilbon, caught up in the hysteria:

Normally, I tune out Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter completely, but he made a great point the other day when he told reporters in Miami: "People take a supplement that has a little more than caffeine in it and they call that cheating and suspend you for four games for that? But these guys are videotaping our signals from the sideline? New England went from not being a good team to being a powerhouse. Now I have a question."

You should have trusted your instincts, Michael, and not listened to Joey.  In 2001 the Patriots were four years removed from winning the AFC and going to the Super Bowl, and three years from the playoffs.  They had declined to a bad record in 2000, and then got pasted by the  then-pathetic Bengals and Jets in the first two games of 2001.  What did that record coincide with?  Hmm, why, the Pete Carroll years and a the fading of a quarterback who (sadly) was rapidly losing his status as a top player.  During that Jets game, through circumstances no one would wish for, New England got a new quarterback and--surprise!--started winning again.  I loved Drew Bledsoe back in the day, but really: the fact that when we moved to trade him, no one would take him showed that everyone in the league knew what he'd become by that point.

But no, no, no, Wilbon's not at all taking part in a massive overreaction fueled by schadenfreude and opportunism--not when he babbles that "It's one of those cases where the league could have justified making the punishment bigger than the crime" and argues for a $10 million dollar fine against the team.  Fortunately we have a Commissioner who actually seems to have looked at what penalties teams have suffered in the past, embraced the radical idea that the punishment should fit the crime, and acted accordingly.  Now the Patriots can get back to beating everyone--starting (please god) on Sunday night.

Comments

[Greg Cook]

Hi, JL,

I'm working on an article that I'd like to talk to you about. And this seems to be the only way to contact you here. So if you're willing to chat please send me an email.

Best,

Greg