Tom Brady bragged to former Jets assistant that Pats had Jets playbook

[Faceplant]

Must be nice having immunity from the rules if you are the Putriots....

Posted by Josh Alper on June 19, 2014, 12:35 PM EDT

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As we’ve seen on every season of Hard Knocks, players who are cut from teams are asked to relinquish their playbooks before leaving the facility for the final time.

According to Browns coach Mike Pettine, that doesn’t stop the information from falling into the hands of other teams. Pettine told Greg Bedard of TheMMQB.com that he intentionally keeps his playbooks on the slimmer side — there isn’t “a lot of graduate-level information in it” — because he knows they find their way to “places like New England.”

Pettine isn’t just referencing Spygate. He told Bedard that Patriots quarterbackTom Brady bragged to former Jets assistant (and Wes Welker’s college roomate) Mike Smith at Welker’s wedding that the team “may or may not have had possession” of a couple of the Jets’ defensive playbooks.

“It didn’t shock me because Rex would give them out like candy anyway,” Pettine said. “He gave one out to [Alabama coach Nick] Saban and I was like, ‘Don’t you know Saban and Bill [Belichick] are pretty good friends? I have a feeling it’s going to end up in New England.”

How much more help the general playbook, as opposed to specific game plans, would be on top of watching film of what teams do over the course of the season is hard to know. That said, it’s understandable why Pettine and other coaches would rather keep as much information in-house as they possibly can.

 

[RamsFan14]

I think the next question we should all be asking is how often does this happen in the NFL? IMO, it sounds like it could happen quite a bit. If I remember correctly, Greg Williams said he collects NFL playbooks all the time (or did at one point). Does that mean he's a cheater and is playing unfairly? Or does his story along with THIS story indicate that maybe coaches try to do anything they can to get an advantage? Perhaps all NFL coaches do this and we just don't hear about it? Have no idea honestly, but I'm just beginning to think coaches will try and do anything they can to get w/e edge they can.

 

[rdlkgliders]

I am sure it is impossible to copy the plays before turning in the playbook. Besides you would never see someone display bad character and keep a copy, they are all high character professionals. You never hear about Drunk driving, shootings, performance enhancing drugs, recreational drug use, innapropriate videos, Rape Etc....

 

[moklerman]

I assume the Patriots legacy will never actually come crashing down but I don't understand how they aren't at least a little tainted in the eye of the national media. They're caught cheaters for crying out loud.

 

[brokeu91]

 

[NukeRam]

Godel (sp?) and and Kraft are buddies plus it was a black-eye for the league so it had to go away. That's why the tapes were destroyed. It discourages lawsuits when you know the evidence can't be subpoenaed. It would have wreaked havoc in Vegas too. People don't want to bet if they think the fix is in. It has to die a quick death. What drives me crazy is all the accolades they get and all the talk of how they are the modern dynasty. THEY FREAKING CHEATED TO WIN THOSE GAMES!!!!!!!!!

 

[LazyWinker]

I don't see the big deal in a team getting it's hands on another teams playbook because of film. With the amount of film these guys watch, they should have a good idea of the other teams tendencies as well as their game plan. I'm pretty sure the Jets and Patriots, since they play twice a year, have a good sense of what the other team will try.

It's a bit crazy how everything gets blown out of proportion. Tom Brady is at Wes Welker's wedding and just happened to exchange some friendly banter. I doubt it's anything more than that. I don't care for the Patriots but Tom Brady teasing Wes Welker's college roommate at Welker's wedding isn't exactly newsworthy.

 

[DCH]

Not sure how useful a playbook is for the opposition. Spygate was a big deal because the Rams were running through their early-game script, so the Pats literally knew what the next play was for the first ten to fifteen offensive snaps.

 

[LazyWinker]

Not sure how useful a playbook is for the opposition. Spygate was a big deal because the Rams were running through their early-game script, so the Pats literally knew what the next play was for the first ten to fifteen offensive snaps.

This.

As far as game planning each team is going to have a good sense and feel for what the other team is going to try to do. They watch a lot of film and may try to pluck someone from an opponent's practice squad to gain some insight. With all the film out there teams can pretty much put together a playbook for the other team.

 

[-X-]

This speaks to Rex Ryan's dumbassedness than it does the Patriots' douchebaggery.

I wonder if all teams are up to the level of the Rams, in that they use iPads for playbooks now.

 

[RamsSince1969]

This speaks to Rex Ryan's dumbassedness than it does the Patriots' douchebaggery.

I wonder if all teams are up to the level of the Rams, in that they use iPads for playbooks now.

I have inside information how the Browns are still doing their playbook:

 

[LazyWinker]

This speaks to Rex Ryan's dumbassedness than it does the Patriots' douchebaggery.

I wonder if all teams are up to the level of the Rams, in that they use iPads for playbooks now.

In all fairness, Rex Ryan can't be too dumb. He definitely has a case of talking before he thinks. But he managed with win 8 games last year with Geno Smith at QB and a WR corps that was worse than the Rams. Rex Ryan used to rub me the wrong way but I think I just got old and it doesn't bother me anymore.

 

[moklerman]

This speaks to Rex Ryan's dumbassedness than it does the Patriots' douchebaggery.

I wonder if all teams are up to the level of the Rams, in that they use iPads for playbooks now.

Really hard to believe that in this day and age that all the NFL teams aren't there. Animated playbooks would have to increase efficiency and understanding. Actually seeing where all the "X's" and "O's" are supposed to go, as simple as it seems to just visualize them on paper, would only improve things IMO.

 

[BonifayRam]

I assume the Patriots legacy will never actually come crashing down but I don't understand how they aren't at least a little tainted in the eye of the national media. They're caught cheaters for crying out loud.

Expecting the National Media to look @ the Patriots in a negative tainted way ????

Most of the National Media admires the Patriots for being just like them & and being so good at it & then flaunting it!

So very sad & they call it good gamesmanship?

 

[Sum1]

I hate the Patriots more than any other team...but this is a nonissue. Playbooks go around. And unless the players learn both their system and the opponents (which would be the other side of the ball on top of it) it would only be marginally advantageous if at all. A game specific game plan would be much more valuable.

I mean, seriously...how many ways can you call a LB to blitz or drop into coverage? How many different ways can you draw up the blocking scheme for a run up the gut? Etc....

 

[LazyWinker]

This seems to be more of a case of Mike Pettine trying to assert himself and appear smarter than his previous employer, Rex Ryan, than anything else.

 

[moklerman]

On Total Access they were asking Rod Woodson, Warren Sapp and Antonio Cromrartie what they thought about the whole situation and at the end of the segment, Sapp said to Woodson that they needed to get Marshall Faulk's thoughts on it.

But he wasn't on the show. Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall of some of the things Faulk's said off camera?

 

[moklerman]

I hate the Patriots more than any other team...but this is a nonissue. Playbooks go around. And unless the players learn both their system and the opponents (which would be the other side of the ball on top of it) it would only be marginally advantageous if at all. A game specific game plan would be much more valuable.

I mean, seriously...how many ways can you call a LB to blitz or drop into coverage? How many different ways can you draw up the blocking scheme for a run up the gut? Etc....

That's true but if you know what and how your opponent is gong to do things, it's an unfair advantage. I don't know if the playbook also gives the "when", but that would be huge. Considering the Patriots also steal signs, that means they've got the playbook to go along with the play call. Seems like an issue to me.

 

[mr.stlouis]

Biggest frauds in sports... ever.