It's funny, in attempting to be sarcastic you are actually making a decent case. Cheaters, no matter which rules they break, should pay for their mistakes.

The '72 Dolphins should have an asterisk next to their perfect season also, since they got caught cheating to obtain their personnel, and it did have an affect on the outcome of that season.

I truly believe the Chargers could've won the game if they would've turned those turnovers into touchdowns instead of fucking field goals.

You know, Will, in a perfect world this would be the case, there would be a perfectly level playing field and everyone would play by the rules and those who didn't would be punished, but sports is never surgically sterile like this. There is a razor thin line between gamesmanship and cheating sometimes. Why is it perfectly legal to tape from other parts of the stadium and not the sidelines, while it is lauded when someone uses binoculars from the press box to "steal signs." George Allen, I think, used to have someone ride around the Skins complex on a bike to watch for people taping the practice (he always suspected Al Davis, probably with good reason, and was also very suspicious during cowboys week). The problem is also that some rules are being broken all the time. You could flag at least one person on the offensive line of any team, on virtually any play for a holding violation, according to the rules. Should all these "cheaters" be fined or suspended? What about the holier-than-thou Jets themselves? They have been repeatedly caught breaking the rules themselves, for violating rules that govern when you can and cannot speak with players, coaches and trying to recruit before they were supposed to. As I keep saying, I do not condone cheating, however there are dramatic differences IMHO between kinds of cheating. What the Patriots did was unfortunate, but it is nowhere near as scandalous as what Tim Donaghy, or the Black Sox or Pete Rose, or probably even the afore mentioned Broncos did. If you want purity in sports, look to 12-year-old Saturday soccer games, because you are unlikely to find it in the world of professional sports (or most D1 college sports, for that matter). I don't like it, but I accept it. If you want to complain about it, do not watch sports. ever. Because it is pervasive.

at least you are consistant :)

An inaccurate comparison. Through Week 11, the games were almost all blow-outs. Week 12 and after, which includes the Jets game you mention, only 2 blow-outs. Something was identified by all opposing coaches that could slow down the Pats, and the Jets included whatever that was.

Patriots, in a blow out. There will be more excitement during the half-time show.

Look I'm not a Pats fan by a mile but this cheating thing is just blown waaaay out of proportion. So you videotape some signals from the sideline? Big deal, you can videotape the same signals from the booth.

Even if the Pats used that information during the first game of the season they have been blowing out teams the whole season because the 2007 Pats are just that good. I wish my Bears were that well coached and had that offense and defense.

I'm still putting money on the Giants in the Superbowl though :)

--jaded

I'd also like to note: the teams that have come the closest to beating the Patriots generally had their starting QB injured during the game, and the backup came in and did damage. (I'll count the Giants game as well, because Eli never looked like that in the rest of the season - he came in and replaced himself.) This shows how well the coaching staff prepares the Pats for their opponents and what they expect to do.

Therefore, I believe that the Giants offense won't be able to do as well against the Pats defense as they did in the regular season. Unless Eli gets hurt.