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Patriots won at all costs at expense of reputation
NFL INSIDER
By Charean Williams
Star-Telegram staff writer
Getty Images
Julius Peppers
The[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]New [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]England [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Patriots[/FONT][/FONT]' image has taken a hit, as has their legacy. Maybe stealing opponents' defensive signals had nothing to do with those three Super Bowl championships. As Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor said this week, "I don't really know that they need to do it. I mean, look at them: They're loaded."
But it does leave questions about whether they cheated to win.
"I think the Patriots actually live by the saying, 'If you're not cheating, you're not trying,'" Chargers running back [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]LaDainian [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tomlinson[/FONT][/FONT] told San Diego reporters. "They live off that statement. Nothing surprises me really. You keep hearing the different stories about stuff that they do."
Does Bill Belichick get into the Pro [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Football[/FONT][/FONT] Hall of Fame now? At least one voter says he won't vote for Belichick when his name comes up on the ballot five years after his retirement. A lot can happen between now and then. But what is certain is Belichick will never live down the label of "cheater." Neither will the Patriots.
"We seem to have tarnished [San Francisco Giants outfielder] [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Barry [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bonds[/FONT][/FONT], and we've pointed out that even though he's a great player and he hits a lot of home runs, because of what some people that work around him have done, it seems to have tarnished him in the court of public opinion," Colts coach Tony Dungy told Indianapolis reporters, calling it a "sad day" for the NFL. "...[Patriots owner Bob Kraft] is going to have to answer a lot of questions. He's going to have to answer questions all the time, from here on out. When headsets go wrong, which they go wrong everywhere, but when they go wrong up there now, he's going to have to answer: Is it something that just happened or was this planned? There's bad grass everywhere, but when the grass doesn't grow up there, he's going to be asked about it, and that's too bad."
Sorry Browns
In the nine years since the Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion team, they have had six opening-game starting quarterbacks, seven offensive coordinators, three head coaches, three general managers and two owners. They are 40-89. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Browns became the first team since the 1970 merger to trade their Week 1 starting quarterback before the second game. [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Charlie [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Frye[/FONT][/FONT] won the job after an eight-month competition only to last 1 1/2 quarters as the starter. He was traded to Seattle for a sixth-round draft choice.
"Some people think we're doing some kind of experiment, but we're not. We are trying to win," Browns general manager Phil Savage told Cleveland reporters.
The Browns head into this week's game against Cincinnati without a quarterback who has ever won a game for them as a starter: Designated starter Derek Anderson was 0-3 as a starter last year; rookie Brady Quinn has yet to take his first snap; [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ken [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Dorsey[/FONT][/FONT] was 2-8 with San Francisco but has played less than a quarter in a regular-season game for the Browns.
Simms improving
Bucs quarterback Chris Simms was inactive last week as he continues to recover from the removal of his spleen last September. He is the team's fourth quarterback behind Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski. But the Bucs gave him a two-year extension in the off-season that included $5 million in guarantees, so they are hoping for a full recovery so they can trade him or McCown or Gradkowski.
WHO'S HOT
The Detroit Lions' top free agent priority in the off-season was defensive end Dewayne White of Tampa Bay. They signed him to a five-year, $29 million deal. He had a sack, an interception and forced two fumbles -- both on the same play -- in his first game with the Lions. White was named NFC defensive player of the week.
WHO'S NOT
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, playing with a brace on his surgically repaired knee, completed only 15 of 33 passes for 184 yards and had problems with his mobility. In the first halves of his past eight starts, McNabb has completed only 49.6 percent of his passes, averaged 6.90 yards per attempt and thrown only two touchdowns in 135 attempts.
BROWNS' WATCH
The Cowboys own the Browns' first-round draft choice in 2008. The more Cleveland loses, the higher the pick will be. This is how the Browns are doing so far:
Last week: The Browns lost to the Steelers 34-7 at home.
This week: Cleveland hosts Cincinnati (1-0). The Browns will start Derek Anderson, who is 0-3 as a starter, at QB.
Record: 0-1
Draft position: The Browns are tied with 15 other teams at 0-1.
The blitz
Against San Diego, Chicago Bears WR/KR Devin Hester was a nonfactor. His only touch came on a kickoff return. He moved from cornerback to receiver and played only one of 52 snaps. Receivers coach Darryl Drake said Hester and Mark Bradley will get more playing time this week.
Eli Manning, who has an injured shoulder, has a streak of 40 consecutive starts, the fourth-longest in the NFL. His brother Peyton has started 145 games in a row and is second to Brett Favre, who brings an NFL-record 238 straight starts to Giants Stadium with the Packers today. If Manning can't play, Jared Lorenzen will make his first NFL start.
After the Eagles muffed two punts that cost them against the Packers last week, they signed Reno Mahe. Mahe was with the Eagles from 2003-06 and led the NFC in punt return average in 2005. Last season, he had only six fewer fair catches (12) than returns (18). The Eagles, though, sought more speed at the position, which is why they had hoped Jeremy Bloom would be their returner. Bloom was cut before the season, and J.R. Reed was cut last week. Mahe has had only two punt returns longer than 25 yards in his career.
Mike Shanahan is 19-5 against the Raiders since the start of the 1995 season, his first as Denver's head coach. Washington's Joe Gibbs is the only other active coach with at least 20 wins against one team -- Gibbs has 21 against the Cardinals.
With limited movement in his body, Port Arthur native Kevin Everett will not become a statistic. Only three NFL players have had some form of permanent paralysis from a hit on a football field in the past 30 years -- Darryl Stingley of the Patriots, Mike Utley of the Lions and Dennis Byrd of the Jets.
MY FIVE CENTS
1The Oakland Raiders have a glut at the quarterback position, which could be good news for the Falcons. Atlanta is looking for a more established backup in the wake of Michael Vick's indefinite suspension. Oakland, which signed No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell last week, likely will keep Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper and trade or release Andrew Walter.
2If it looked like New York Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka was playing out of position against the Cowboys, he was. Kiwanuka was converted from defensive end, and he will be moved back there sooner rather than later to give the Giants' pass rush a much-needed boost.
3The Carolina Panthers moved Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, above, around last week, often standing him up and dropping him into coverage. It is exactly what Carolina has dreamed of doing with Peppers since drafting him but was unable to, because of inexperience early in his career and, later, injuries to its defensive line.
4The New England Patriots likely have pushed the NFL into putting speakers in the helmets of defensive play-callers, which the league now does with quarterbacks. The move, which would put an end to the stealing of signals, was voted down last year.
5The Seattle Seahawks traded for Charlie Frye not to move Seneca Wallace to receiver, but because in 16 years as a head coach, Mike Holmgren has never carried only two quarterbacks on his roster. Still, Wallace likely will see time at receiver at some point "in the future," Holmgren said.
CHARTS: Statistics
This report contains material from other writers.
cjwilliams@star-telegram.com
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760
NFL INSIDER
By Charean Williams
Star-Telegram staff writer
Getty Images
Julius Peppers
The[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]New [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]England [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Patriots[/FONT][/FONT]' image has taken a hit, as has their legacy. Maybe stealing opponents' defensive signals had nothing to do with those three Super Bowl championships. As Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor said this week, "I don't really know that they need to do it. I mean, look at them: They're loaded."
But it does leave questions about whether they cheated to win.
"I think the Patriots actually live by the saying, 'If you're not cheating, you're not trying,'" Chargers running back [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]LaDainian [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tomlinson[/FONT][/FONT] told San Diego reporters. "They live off that statement. Nothing surprises me really. You keep hearing the different stories about stuff that they do."
Does Bill Belichick get into the Pro [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Football[/FONT][/FONT] Hall of Fame now? At least one voter says he won't vote for Belichick when his name comes up on the ballot five years after his retirement. A lot can happen between now and then. But what is certain is Belichick will never live down the label of "cheater." Neither will the Patriots.
"We seem to have tarnished [San Francisco Giants outfielder] [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Barry [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bonds[/FONT][/FONT], and we've pointed out that even though he's a great player and he hits a lot of home runs, because of what some people that work around him have done, it seems to have tarnished him in the court of public opinion," Colts coach Tony Dungy told Indianapolis reporters, calling it a "sad day" for the NFL. "...[Patriots owner Bob Kraft] is going to have to answer a lot of questions. He's going to have to answer questions all the time, from here on out. When headsets go wrong, which they go wrong everywhere, but when they go wrong up there now, he's going to have to answer: Is it something that just happened or was this planned? There's bad grass everywhere, but when the grass doesn't grow up there, he's going to be asked about it, and that's too bad."
Sorry Browns
In the nine years since the Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion team, they have had six opening-game starting quarterbacks, seven offensive coordinators, three head coaches, three general managers and two owners. They are 40-89. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Browns became the first team since the 1970 merger to trade their Week 1 starting quarterback before the second game. [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Charlie [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Frye[/FONT][/FONT] won the job after an eight-month competition only to last 1 1/2 quarters as the starter. He was traded to Seattle for a sixth-round draft choice.
"Some people think we're doing some kind of experiment, but we're not. We are trying to win," Browns general manager Phil Savage told Cleveland reporters.
The Browns head into this week's game against Cincinnati without a quarterback who has ever won a game for them as a starter: Designated starter Derek Anderson was 0-3 as a starter last year; rookie Brady Quinn has yet to take his first snap; [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ken [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Dorsey[/FONT][/FONT] was 2-8 with San Francisco but has played less than a quarter in a regular-season game for the Browns.
Simms improving
Bucs quarterback Chris Simms was inactive last week as he continues to recover from the removal of his spleen last September. He is the team's fourth quarterback behind Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski. But the Bucs gave him a two-year extension in the off-season that included $5 million in guarantees, so they are hoping for a full recovery so they can trade him or McCown or Gradkowski.
WHO'S HOT
The Detroit Lions' top free agent priority in the off-season was defensive end Dewayne White of Tampa Bay. They signed him to a five-year, $29 million deal. He had a sack, an interception and forced two fumbles -- both on the same play -- in his first game with the Lions. White was named NFC defensive player of the week.
WHO'S NOT
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, playing with a brace on his surgically repaired knee, completed only 15 of 33 passes for 184 yards and had problems with his mobility. In the first halves of his past eight starts, McNabb has completed only 49.6 percent of his passes, averaged 6.90 yards per attempt and thrown only two touchdowns in 135 attempts.
BROWNS' WATCH
The Cowboys own the Browns' first-round draft choice in 2008. The more Cleveland loses, the higher the pick will be. This is how the Browns are doing so far:
Last week: The Browns lost to the Steelers 34-7 at home.
This week: Cleveland hosts Cincinnati (1-0). The Browns will start Derek Anderson, who is 0-3 as a starter, at QB.
Record: 0-1
Draft position: The Browns are tied with 15 other teams at 0-1.
The blitz
Against San Diego, Chicago Bears WR/KR Devin Hester was a nonfactor. His only touch came on a kickoff return. He moved from cornerback to receiver and played only one of 52 snaps. Receivers coach Darryl Drake said Hester and Mark Bradley will get more playing time this week.
Eli Manning, who has an injured shoulder, has a streak of 40 consecutive starts, the fourth-longest in the NFL. His brother Peyton has started 145 games in a row and is second to Brett Favre, who brings an NFL-record 238 straight starts to Giants Stadium with the Packers today. If Manning can't play, Jared Lorenzen will make his first NFL start.
After the Eagles muffed two punts that cost them against the Packers last week, they signed Reno Mahe. Mahe was with the Eagles from 2003-06 and led the NFC in punt return average in 2005. Last season, he had only six fewer fair catches (12) than returns (18). The Eagles, though, sought more speed at the position, which is why they had hoped Jeremy Bloom would be their returner. Bloom was cut before the season, and J.R. Reed was cut last week. Mahe has had only two punt returns longer than 25 yards in his career.
Mike Shanahan is 19-5 against the Raiders since the start of the 1995 season, his first as Denver's head coach. Washington's Joe Gibbs is the only other active coach with at least 20 wins against one team -- Gibbs has 21 against the Cardinals.
With limited movement in his body, Port Arthur native Kevin Everett will not become a statistic. Only three NFL players have had some form of permanent paralysis from a hit on a football field in the past 30 years -- Darryl Stingley of the Patriots, Mike Utley of the Lions and Dennis Byrd of the Jets.
MY FIVE CENTS
1The Oakland Raiders have a glut at the quarterback position, which could be good news for the Falcons. Atlanta is looking for a more established backup in the wake of Michael Vick's indefinite suspension. Oakland, which signed No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell last week, likely will keep Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper and trade or release Andrew Walter.
2If it looked like New York Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka was playing out of position against the Cowboys, he was. Kiwanuka was converted from defensive end, and he will be moved back there sooner rather than later to give the Giants' pass rush a much-needed boost.
3The Carolina Panthers moved Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, above, around last week, often standing him up and dropping him into coverage. It is exactly what Carolina has dreamed of doing with Peppers since drafting him but was unable to, because of inexperience early in his career and, later, injuries to its defensive line.
4The New England Patriots likely have pushed the NFL into putting speakers in the helmets of defensive play-callers, which the league now does with quarterbacks. The move, which would put an end to the stealing of signals, was voted down last year.
5The Seattle Seahawks traded for Charlie Frye not to move Seneca Wallace to receiver, but because in 16 years as a head coach, Mike Holmgren has never carried only two quarterbacks on his roster. Still, Wallace likely will see time at receiver at some point "in the future," Holmgren said.
CHARTS: Statistics
This report contains material from other writers.
cjwilliams@star-telegram.com
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760
