What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

In light of the fact that Matt Walsh has supplied the NFL additional tapes of the Patriots illegally videotaping opposing teams' offensive and/or defensive signals, do you believe commissioner Roger Goodell should slap additional sanctions on Belichick and/or the Patriots?

Personally, I think it should end here. Now that we know Walsh doesn't have a tape of the Rams' walk-through practice the day before the Patriots' first Super Bowl win after the 2002 season, my feeling is that the issue is now over.

Yes, Walsh has additional examples of Belichick cheating. But the NFL's penalties against Belichick and the team were for all previous illegal videotaping activity, which Belichick acknowledged during the league's investigation.

Curious to see what you think.

Sure seems that way.

Former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh has turned over eight tapes to the NFL, all of which showed the videotaping of opposing teams' offensive and/or defensive signals.

The key here is that Walsh did not turn over - nor does he have in his possession - a tape of the Rams' walkthrough session the day before the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl after the 2001 regular season. The Boston Herald reported the day before the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl last February that such a tape existed; had that been the case, Pats coach Bill Belichick likely would have received further sanctions and possibly been fired or forced to resign.

But Belichick and the Patriots continually denied the existence of such a tape, and Belichick said at the NFL owners meetings last month that he has never taped an opponents' practice in 34 years of coaching.

The fact that Walsh had additional tapes of what the Patriots already admitted they were doing - and were already sanctioned for - means that the league is not expected to take further action.

"This is consistent with what the Patriots had admitted they had been doing, consistent with what we already knew," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press last night.

The league has said the fines ($500,000 for Belichick and $250,000 for the team) and the removal of a 2008 first-round draft pick were penalties for taping procedures that went back to the 2000, the year Belichick became the team's head coach.

Walsh will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell next Tuesday. Goodell said he will hold a news conference shortly after the meeting.

The Spygate saga started, of course, when the Patriots were caught illegally taping the Jets' defensive signals on the sidelines in a Week 1 game last season at Giants Stadium.

... Randy Moss.

Yes, that Randy Moss.

The Patriots' star receiver, who has been a car racing enthusiast for years, is about to embark on a career as a NASCAR owner.

Bill Belichick said earlier today that he and several other Patriots' staffers were interviewed by NFL investigators shortly after their Super Bowl loss against the Giants in an effort to determine if the team illegally taped the Rams' walkthrough the day before the Patriots first Super Bowl victory after the 2001 season.

It was the first acknowledgement that the league continued its investigation after it was reported that a former team official had taped the walkthrough. But the league found no evidence of any wrongdoing, and is still waiting to hear from former Patriots video employee Matt Walsh about any additional illegal taping activity done by the team.

Belichick thinks the matter is over, although there won't be any real sense of closure until Walsh either says what he knows or decides he won't talk and will simply walk away from the hornet's nest he has stirred up.

"I think they've addressed everything they possibly can address," Belichick said of the league's investigation.

"I've addressed so many questions so many times from so many people I don't know what else the league could ask," he said.

Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the NFL spoke again with Belichick and other Patriots employees after last January's Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. The league has been negotiating an agreement with Walsh that it hopes will get Walsh, a golf pro in Hawaii, to come forward with what he has.

"We followed up on other things because certain things had been tossed out," Goodell said of the added round of interviews with Belichick and other members of the Patriots front office.

The attorney for suspended Titans cornerback Pacman Jones suggests that the Patriots would be a good landing spot for the troubled star.

Then again, even Bill Belichick, who has a history of turning around the careers of veterans who don't fit in with other clubs - i.e. Randy Moss - would probably shy away from Jones. Given the cornerback's litany of off-field transgressions, even Belichick might take pause.

The Cowboys are legitimately interested in Jones, though, and talks are heating up regarding a trade.

Three years, $27 million, with the Patriots.

* Bucs acquire Brian Griese from the Bears. Griese was due to earn a $300,000 roster bonus tomorrow. This could mean the official end for Chris Simms in Tampa.

* Jets continue going nuts. Alan Faneca. Calvin Pace. And now Damien Woody.

Maybe.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has broken his silence about the illegal taping of defensive signals that cost him a first-round pick, $500,000 in fines and a ton of criticism.

In an exclusive interview with Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe, Belichick apologized for all the controversy the situation has caused, and flatly denied ever taping the Rams' walkthrough the day before Super Bowl XXXVI.

Patriots player personnel chief Scott Pioli added that Walsh, who has hinted he has tapes of the Rams' walkthrough but has so far refused to turn over any evidence or speak to the NFL about the matter, was fired in part because he secretly taped conversations between he and Pioli.

Among the highlights from Belichick:

On taping walkthroughs: "In my entire coaching career, I've never seen another team's practice film prior to playing that team. I have never authorized, or heard of, or even seen in any way, shape, or form any other team's walkthrough. We don't even film our own. We don't even want to see ourselves do anything, that's the pace that it's at. Regardless, I've never been a part of that."

On why his interpretation of the taping rules got him into trouble in the first place:

"My interpretation was that you can't utilize anything to assist you during that game. What our camera guys do is clearly not allowed to be used during the game and has never been used during that game that it was shot."

On the level of importance he placed on taping defensive signals:

"On the tape of the signaling that we talk about, that film usually wasn't even completed until Thursday or Friday of the following week. It was that low of a priority. In other words, the video guys had so much other stuff to do on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday getting ready for the other game, that a lot of times that film wasn't even processed until later in the week."

On all the commotion caused by the Spygate incident:

"I respect the integrity of the game and always have and always will. I regret that any of this, or to whatever extent it has in any way brought that into question or discussion or debate. The decision was made by the commissioner, the practice was immediately stopped, and we're not doing it. Just going back over the whole taping incident, if I contacted the league and asked them about the practice, I'm sure they would have told me - as they have done - that it is not permissible. Then I could have avoided all of this."

On why he waited until now to open up about the issue:

"I wasn't comfortable talking about it earlier in the year because my No. 1 job is to win football games. The more distractions there are, I think the harder it is to prepare. I thought the more conversation about this would just take away from what my primary job and our primary job is, which is to win football games. I felt like now, the season has been over for a couple weeks, there are certainly a lot of questions out there about it, I thought this would be the timely point to address it as opposed to during the season, at any point. Of course, it came up a number of times."

It's really the only big news of the week, as far as the Patriots are concerned. And it was a welcome sight to see their quarterback, who missed three practices last week, work out with the team earlier today.

According to pool reporter Dan Pompei, NFL columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Brady did limp slightly but participated in all portions of the practice session.

Tom Brady is speaking to the assembled media in Arizona, and he said he plans to practice this week after missing the team's practices last week with an ankle injury. Brady confirmed he hurt the ankle in the third quarter of last week's win over the Chargers in the AFC Championship Game.

The Associated Press has just come out with its Offensive Player of the Year Award, and it's Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

My vote went for Brady, but I wouldn't have been surprised if it had gone to Randy Moss, since voters might have been reluctant to give Brady MVP honors AND the Offensive Player of the Year.

One more individual award to go: Comeback Player of the Year. We went with Brett Favre. Our Steelers contingent argued loudly - and persuasively - for Big Ben. Other vote-getters could be Moss, Albert Haynesworth, and Greg Ellis.

If you're the offensive coordinator for a team that just set a record for most points in a season, you'd figure this is your time to strike it rich as a head coach.

Not for Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' wunderkind coordinator.

McDaniels pushed all the right buttons for the Patriots' offense, but at age 31, he understands the time is not right to become an NFL head coach. Still plenty to learn from mentor Bill Belichick. Besides, he's barely past puberty.

McDaniels respectfully withdrew his name from consideration from the Ravens and Falcons, choosing instead to concentrate on the playoffs. And the fact that there will be plenty of opportunities to coach down the road.

Evidently, I wasn't the only one angsting over which way to go on the Coach of the Year voting.

A couple weeks ago, I was leaning toward Mike McCarthy of the Packers for the terrific job he did in getting his team so far this season.

But when it became apparent that Bill Belichick was going to go unbeaten, I could not ignore this historical fact and thus voted for the Patriots coach. McCarthy finished second in the voting for the Associated Press award. The voting was done by a panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL.

Here's an article from today's Boston Herald in which the writer, Karen Guregian, kindly asked for our thoughts on the matter.

There's been a little bit of everything this season for Patriots coach Bill Belichick, so why not a picture of himself as Santa on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Belichick was asked about the cover during his media session earlier today.

"Well, you know, being associated with Santa Claus - there’s a lot worse associations to have," he said. "I’ll take it. When you’re a kid, sometimes you dream about being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That’s not actually the one I pictured, but it’s pretty funny. Whatever sells."

And what picture did he imagine?

"It wasn’t that one," he cracked. "But, like I said, I’ll take it."

I wrote my column for the newspaper today on Belichick. Talked about the symbolism of starting and ending the season at Giants Stadium, with vastly different scenarios for each visit. I was intrigued by the symbolis. He was not.

When Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson scored a touchdown off an interception return on Kellen Clemens' first pass, he became the 21st different player on this year's team to score a touchdown. That ties the NFL record shared by the 1987 Rams and the 2000 Broncos.

Newsday Internet guru Mark La Monica forces me to do these videos every so often, and he picked a great day to sit down and talk about all things NFL and all things Jets-Pats. My man Tom Rock is aboard, too, and Rock actually does quite well in moderating our discussion.

The taping was held at Chrebet's in Uniondale, right across from the Jets' training complex, the place where Chrebet began his unlikely career at Hofstra and then turned into an NFL star.

La Monica works hard on putting these things together, so even if you think it's cheesy (it's not, but don't tell La Monica I said that), give him a shoutout on the Keyboard Quarterbacks and show him some love.

You can also see if La Monica lives dangerously and does another shot of Jack Daniels in the video. Or, for that matter, if Rock or I throw down a couple.

(Little known La Monica factoid (in fact, stunning La Monica factoid): Yes, the man who threw down a shot of Jack at the Coliseum graduated from Neil Best's alma mater, Cornell. The only difference is, La Monica doesn't feel the need to brag about it every other blog post.)

Interested in what Patriots coach Bill Belichick has to say about the Jets in advance of this week's rematch? Of course you are.

Here's the transcript of today's presser with the New England media. We've just included his comments as they relate to Sunday's game. No back-page quotes, but I'm sure you'll find his comments interesting nonetheless. At least he doesn't say, "We're moving on," which was his operative phrase after the NFL came down with sanctions over Belichick's illegal taping of the Jets' defensive signals during their Week 1 game at Giants Stadium.

(UPDATE: There is a question in here about Belichick's reaction to a banner. A plane was flying around Gillette Stadium yesterday with a banner attached to it that read: "Bonds -- 756* Belichick -- 3 Super Bowl wins*)

Q: What is your impression of the Jets? Last year they were a playoff team, this year -
BB: My impression of them was in the Pittsburgh game they played very well. And they beat
Pittsburgh. I haven’t seen yesterday’s game, but we watched the Pittsburgh game pretty carefully because we were watching Pittsburgh. We’ll get rolling on the Jets this afternoon and into the week..

Q: What will be your approach this week and will there be any extra motivation for your team?
BB: We’re going to approach it like every other game.

Q: Which is?
BB: Just the way we’ve done all of them - Come in, look at the film, get together a game plan, try to figure out the best way to attack and defend them. Try to win.

Q: And extra motivation?
BB: We’re going to do the same thing - We try to win every week, believe it or not. It may not look like it at times, but we do. We try to play our best game out there every week and we try to win every week, so we’re going to try to win this week.

Q: Is there a point where you weigh the bigger picture against individual games?
BB: Well, right now that doesn’t really come into play so I’m not going to worry about it and we’re not going to talk about it. We’re going to try to win the next game.

Hey, I didn't say that. Steelers safety Anthony Smith said it, offering plenty more motivation for the unbeaten Patriots to keep their magical season going.

Besides, with all our loyal Steelers fans on this blog, a headline guaranteeing a Steelers win is as good as a picture of Scarlett Johansson for attracting page views.

I personally think the Patriots will win, because they're simply the better team. Not that it would shock me to see Big Ben & Co. pull it off. But let's face it. At Foxboro. Steelers running back depth an issue. Willie Parker's fumbling problem an issue.

And, oh yeah, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Richard Seymour, Asante Samuel, Tedy Bruschi ... those guys.

If the Steelers are to get this thing done, then the answer lies with the guy who put the ball on the ground four times last week against Cincinnati. That's right. Parker is the one who will decide whether the Steelers have a chance or whether they're more roadkill for the hellbent-on-a-perfect-season Patriots.

Why Parker? Because if there's one thing the Ravens did last week, it was expose the one vulnerability that the Patriots have: the run defense. Willis McGahee torched the Patriots, and if Parker can generate that kind of offense, the Steelers can at least keep it close, if not win outright.

A capable running game not only keeps the Patriots' offense off the field, but it gives Roethlisberger a viable play-action option that will only make him more effective. I do see the Patriots blitzing the pants off Roethlisberger - much like the Jets did a couple weeks back. But if the Steelers can do a better job blocking - granted, a big "if" - and if Parker gets rolling early and often, there's a chance.

In the end, I think the Patriots grind out a win, but it won't be as easy as the 13-point spread indicates.

Pats 28, Steelers 21.

The Eagles have downgraded QB Donovan McNabb (ankle, thumb) from doubtful to out.

Wonder if NBC now regrets not switching off the Patriots for another Football Night in America blowout. Then again, not much to choose from this week. Honestly, a pretty dull slate of games, at least on paper.

I understand that Bill Belichick is still smarting from what happened in early September, when the Jets turned him in for spying on their defensive signals.

I understand the chip on his shoulder is huge after the embarrassment of being slapped with sanctions and an avalanche of criticism.

And I understand that he and his team want to show the world that they can win fair and square - and win big, no less.

But running up the score against the Redskins and Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs isn't the way to do it.

Up 38-0 going into the fourth quarter, the Patriots continued pouring it when they should have taken their foot off the pedal. At 52-7, it looked more like a Division I college powerhouse beating up on a Division II weakling. It's not as if Belichick needs to impress the BCS voters.

This was Gibbs' worst defeat. Ever.

"It's one of those things that you hope it wouldn't happen to you," Gibbs said afterward. "It did. It's been a while since it's happened to us. It's been a long time. Our guys are going to have to deal with that."

I like the fact that the Patriots want to be an historically good team. And the way they're playing, you've got to believe that only injuries - or the Colts next weekend - stand in their way of an unbeaten season. But there's a way to do things, and running up the score on a Hall of Famer isn't one of them.

Belichick is a future Hall of Fame coach himself, but there's no use making more enemies on his way to Canton. He has a great team on his hands, and he is a great coach. Let's just hope he goes about it the right way. Beat your opponents. Show no mercy when the game is in question. But when it's out of reach, then either take a knee or run it into the middle of the line.

And if you want to run up the score, then save it for when Eric Mangini and the Jets come to down on Dec. 16. You'd get a pass on that one.

A loyal "What About Bob" reader saw our item on Bill Belichick not liking the idea of working for the Dolan family as a factor in his decision to resign from the Jets. The reader cited a passage from David Halberstam's book about Belichick, "The Education of a Coach."

Halberstam writes: "With New England coming after Belichick, Parcells decided to make Belichick the head coach. But Belichick was not entirely comfortable with the game plan: Would he coach in the shadow of Parcells? Would someone like Parcells, so driven and active, ever really decide to retire? Who would really be in charge of football operations? How much freedom would a head coach under Parcells have? In addition, who would the owner be? The choice seemed to be between a wealthy man named Robert Wood Johnson IV, an heir to a medical supply company, and the Dolan family, who ran the New York cable business and would go on to do a horrendous job with the New York basketball and hockey teams, both famous for inflated payrolls and poor performances. Neither potential owner impressed Belichick."

(Don't you love how Halberstam refers to Woody Johnson as an heir to a "medical supply company." A medical supply company? It's Johnson & Johnson, one of the biggest corporations on the planet! ... May Halberstam rest in peace. He was killed in a car accident earlier this year.)

Good news for the Patriots, who expect to have holdout cornerback Asante Samuel back with the team today. Samuel is reportedly ready to end his contract dispute and report to the club and play out his one-year contract as the team's designated franchise player.

Samuel had hoped to work out a long-term contract, but the Patriots have been so far unwilling to meet his demands. So he'll do the smart thing: Show up, play, and hope for a huge payday next year.

Chances are he'll get it - either in New England or somewhere else. Samuel might have the best ball-hawking instincts of any cornerback in the league, and his presence on a team that most - including us - feel is worthy of a Super Bowl run, is essential.

Not that it's any surprise, but Vinny Testaverde has signed with the Patriots to be the third quarterback.

The move had been expected for months, and Testaverde indicated he'd be joining the Pats once two-a-days were over.

10 observations from Patriots training camp. For Eric Mangini's reading pleasure:

* I know Randy Moss is the big acquisition from the off-season, but there's a far less heralded receiver who I think is going to have a big impact on the Patriots. Kind of like another version of Wayne Chrebet. He's Wes Welker, acquired from the Dolphins. He's a little dude, but fast as heck and very shifty in his underneath patterns. Tom Brady found him all over the place during practice last night, and I can see Welker making some big third-down catches in games.

* Brady is a treat to watch, just a calm dude who is accurate on almost every pass he throws, whether it's in 9-on-7 or fade routes in individual drills. And after the occasional miss, you see the temperament that makes him the best money quarterback in the game - he unbuckles his chin strap angrily, looks skyward and then shakes his head. Even in practice, he's a perfectionist. He's taking a few less reps this year in hopes of keeping his arm fresher during the season, which gives backup Matt Cassel a chance to get some action. He looked decent in the morning practice. Former Jets QB Vinny Testaverde is expected to join the team later in training camp.

* Benjamin Watson was unstoppable in both the morning and afternoon practices. With Daniel Graham now playing in Denver, Watson is the only go-to tight end, and he looks terrific.

* Love watching Belichick during practice. Just a cool, calm presence, only barking out instructions when the drills change, but then quietly walking up to players offering instruction on technique or reads. Got a chance to chat with him after the morning session, and he was quite interesting on dealing with losing several people close to him in the last two years.

* Tedy Bruschi is back after contemplating retirement, and the veteran linebacker is a welcome presence in the huddle for a Patriots team looking to make a fourth Super Bowl run in the Bill Belichick era.

* Will be curious to see how Belichick uses newly signed free agent Adalius Thomas from the Ravens. I have a feeling Thomas is gonna line up all over the place, just to confuse teams and give Thomas the versatility to rush the passer or drop back in coverage, whatever the scheme dictates.

* Rodney Harrison is all the way back from a knee sprain that sidelined him late last season. The veteran safety is a workout freak, and he looks like he's still 25. Saw Harrison speak a few times to rookie safety Brandon Meriweather, the Patriots first-round pick who might one day supplant Harrison. That's what veteran leadership is all about - no worries on Harrison's part about Meriweather taking his job, just a veteran who wants the young guy up to speed so they can win games.

* Didn't get a chance to see running back Laurence Maroney, who is still not all the way back from off-season shoulder surgery. He will be a huge factor in how well the Patriots do this season, especially with Corey Dillon no longer with the team. In Maroney's absence, journeyman Sammy Morris got the bulk of the running plays. Solid backup, but nothing more.

* Jabar Gaffney reminded me of why Belichick went nuts in free agency and trades bringing so many receivers in. On a comeback route in the middle of the field, Gaffney didn't come back far enough and the pass was broken up as Gaffney fell to the ground. It was last year's AFC Championship Game all over again.

* Junior Seau is back again, but isn't doing much, nursing an undisclosed injury and wearing a red jersey in practice. Anyone wearing red is off limits to contact.

Jets-Pats on opening day. Can't wait.