Final thoughts from Patriots' win over Jets, assessing Mac Jones' reputation
Another day, another salty victim of the Patriots dynasty cries foul. Though of all the baseless claims made against the Pats during their legendary championship run, this one may take the cake.
Appearing on his “Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast, the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and his former teammate, running back Jerome Bettis, accuse the Patriots of cheating in the 2004 AFC Championship Game, which the Patriots won in Pittsburgh, 41-27. Bettis recounts in the first quarter of the game the Patriots called timeout before a pivotal fourth-and-one play, accusing them of stealing the Steelers’ hand signals for their play call and altering their own defensive call. Bettis references Patriots nose tackle Ted Washington as being involved in the pivotal play, which led to the Patriots stuffing the Steelers. Watch the play sequence at the 16:10 mark below:
Here’s the problem, or problems, with Bettis’ accusation and recollection:
**The timeout was due to the officials measuring the ball for the fourth-and-one call.
**After Pittsburgh made their call, Belichick then sent the defensive call in for the play through linebacker Mike Vrabel.
**The Patriots stuffed Bettis on the run, forcing him to fumble, turning the ball over.
**Ted Washington was not on the 2004 Patriots.
But other than that, it’s a great story! Why let the facts get in the way of a good false narrative that continues to be propagated by teams defeated by the Patriots during their incredible run?
On the ensuing play, Tom Brady hit Deion Branch on a play-action 60-yard bomb for a TD. 10-0 Patriots, ballgame all but over. And a salty Steelers team, still not over their losing the 2001 AFC Championship Game to the Patriots when they were huge favorites at home, is left trying to explain away another big home loss. Shame, really.
As to the claim Bettis and Roethlisberger make about the Pats “stealing” signals? There’s nothing wrong or illegal with cracking another team’s signals in the NFL. That’s considered gamesmanship. The Patriots ran afoul of the league and thus the SpyGate scandal of 2007 was born after the league told the Patriots to stop filming the other team’s signals so as to study and decode them. Once they were found to be doing so Week 1 in 2007 at the Jets (thanks, Mangini!), a reputation was kindled, adding fuel to the conspiratorial fires like this that occasionally will ignite across the football landscape.
The allegations, which were proved false, of the Pats filming the walkthroughs of the St. Louis Rams before Super Bowl 36 likely dogged them for the decade and continue to feed into a narrative that their success was a byproduct of dirty tactics and underhanded methods. It is more probable than not their success was not a direct result of cheating. Much to the chagrin of many Steelers or Don “Belicheat” Shula or the Philadelphia Eagles or others who were defeated by these Patriots on big stages between 2001-2007.
The second half of the double-dynastic run had its own scandals, what with deflated balls, unique formations and all, but we’re sure another podcast will sling a broad and baseless accusation about those games and days another time.
Just presenting the Foxboro facts here.