Someone corrected me this morning — it was a great game, but it was an amazing fourth quarter. True enough. One of the best I have seen. In reality, although the first half was captivating from a storyline perspective, the...Eric Edholmhttp://www.ProFootballWeekly.com

I really dislike the term "Spygate." In fact, adding the word "gate" to any supposed conspiracy or act of wrongdoing seems to trivialize news reports on such subjects. It makes them sound about as mature as all the "Bennifer" or "Bradjelina" stories we get shoved in our collective faces. Sports journalism seems to have officially fallen into the gutter along with Ryan Seacrest and the E! Channel.

I mean seriously, how else do you explain the last two days? Stories are breaking left and right that the Patriots, the supposedly greatest team since Jesus and the Disciples, have been cheating for years, and even cheated prior to winning their first Super Bowl against the Rams in 2002. All these stories breaking less than 72 hours from Super Bowl 42, where the Pats are looking to make history.  read more »

Bill Belichick: Cheating you since 2000

Tip to KingRichard for blogging about this first.  read more »

Outplayed, Outcoached in SB XLII
Patriots Pursuit of Perfection Falls One Game Short

Asante Samuel dropped a Super Bowl-clinching interception. Ellis Hobbs fell down on the Giants' winning touchdown. Matt Light false started .. twice. Laurence Maroney ran backwards on kickoff returns .. twice. The pass blockers missed countless assignments. Tom Brady threw several bad passes. Jarvis Green let Eli Manning escape his grasp.

There's two sides to that coin. Manning escaped Green, and that was amazing in itself. David Tyree's catch on the other end will be one of the all-time great Super Bowl highlights. The Giants defense, especially the line, overpowered the Patriots offensive line.  read more »

Best of the Best, Part II
Pats Pulpit's NFL Regular Season Awards

A couple notes: I do not differentiate between AFC and NFC players of the year, nor do I select offensive and defensive rookies. I also ran out of steam toward the end, and with games coming up this weekend, I just needed to wrap this up, so the discussions get a little thinner as you go along.

I'm looking forward to your feedback on this one. Let's hear your picks.

(Here a my selections from last year for your entertainment.)

Most Valuable Player

You know what's funny? What's funny is when some people allege that the Patriots played to get Tom Brady records. The say he "forced the ball" to Randy Moss to break records. But the evidence does not support that.  read more »

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter.

The roll of media is to report and scrutinize events and activities that affect the public. Mark Fiarnella at The Sun Chronicle seems to agree somewhat with that. That said, Fairnella seems to think it's pretty sad that local Boston era media has fallen lock step in with the Patriots over the latest allegations of cheating by Bill Belichick:

PROTECTION??????
LMAO! unfukinbelievable................again unfukinbelievable..........WHY should he get protection? TURN THE FUKIN TAPES OVER & STOP THE MADNESS.......U TAPED IT YOU ARE JUST AS GUILTY AS THE REST OF THESE CLOWNS!!!!!
someone outta look into GOODELL as well :) !!!!!!
DON'T BOTHER LETTING ME KNOW THERE ARE OTHER THREADS ON THIS, I DON'T CARE...thanks lmao!!
The lawyer for Matt Walsh, a former Patriots employee who has hinted he has tapes that could prove damaging to the team, including one of the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, said his client will turn over those tapes to the NFL if the league will agree to indemnify Walsh as long as he tells the truth.  read more »