# Talking about coach Belichick... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 16, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832 "2009-11-16T22:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/1 "2009-11-16T22:12:55Z")
… why is he called “belicheat”? - Is he known to have been cheating as a coach, and if so, in what way may a coach, as Belichick, cheat? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/2 "2009-11-16T22:18:14Z")
> **[Spygate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spygate)** > > Spygate may refer to: Basically, he was caught videotaping opponents’ coaches’ signals, which is against the rules for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/3 "2009-11-16T22:21:36Z")
Aha, many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/4 "2009-11-16T22:27:59Z")
It’s basically a technicality. You’re allowed to steal signals; you’re just not allowed to use recording equipment when you do it. But he (and his team) were such total dicks about it that it’s a well deserved moniker. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/5 "2009-11-18T15:53:34Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > It’s basically a technicality. You’re allowed to steal signals; you’re just not allowed to use recording equipment when you do it. Not entirely true. You’re allowed to use recording equipment so long as the video shooting location is enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead. You’re not supposed to do it from an on-field location, which is why Belichick and the team were penalized. However, the real answer is that Bill Belichick has been the most successful coach in franchise history, winning three Superbowls and nearly winning the fourth following an undefeated regular season. It’s sour grapes, plain and simple. Note that the original prohibition had a caveat that simply prohibited using electronic devices that might aid a team during the playing of a game. Belichick stated repeatedly that any video footage collected was never used during a game. While a memo was sent out from the NFL in 2006 clarifying the rule, former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson said, “Bill Belichick was wrong because he videotaped signals after a memo was sent out to all of the teams saying not to do it,” he said. “But what irritates me is hearing some reactions from players and coaches. These players don’t know what their coaches are doing. And some of the coaches have selective amnesia because I know for a fact there were various teams doing this. That’s why the memo was sent to everybody. That doesn’t make him [Belichick] right, but a lot of teams are doing this.” (From [here](http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/09/17/report_belichick_earns_new_deal/?page=1).) > [@EllisDee](#): > > …But he (and his team) were such total dicks about it that it’s a well deserved moniker. I’ve honestly never understood this. I’ve always thought that Belichick is a real class act. He’s neither a whiner nor a screamer, just a quiet, understated guy. Nor does he put up with the typical crap from his players so prevalent in much of the rest of the league. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/6 "2009-11-18T16:25:11Z")
Class act? You are blind. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/7 "2009-11-18T16:31:20Z")
> [@robby](#): > > He’s neither a whiner nor a screamer, just a quiet, understated guy. I wouldn’t go that far. A friend of mine used to work for the Patriots (and has a Super Bowl ring to prove it), and says behind closed doors Belichick can turn up the heat. Quiet, understated–yep, those are good words to describe the coach, so my friend says. But the word he most often uses to describe Belichick is “private.” He’ll usually walk through the Pats HQ with his head down, not wanting to talk to anybody. When Belichick does talk, he’s an amiable guy, even funny. But outside of the locker room, he doesn’t say much. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/8 "2009-11-18T16:37:25Z")
The guy’s best buddy is Jon Bon Jovi. Says something, not sure what. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/9 "2009-11-18T16:40:15Z")
This is from [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com)’s columnist Gregg Easterbrook in 2007 re Belichick’s cheating: [link](http://http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/070918) > [@](#): > > First we learn that the Patriots were cheating by using video equipment to steal signs, in blatant violation of league rules. Then we learn that even after the scandal broke and Bill Belichick issued his Nixonian stonewalling statement, the Patriots were still keeping sign-stealing videotapes and notes from past games. Surrender of the tapes and notes was the subject of Goodell’s emergency order, first reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Sunday night on NBC’s “Football Night in America,” Goodell threatened more punishment of the Patriots if all cheating materials aren’t surrendered, and repeatedly declared it was imperative that NFL games be fair and equal competition. That’s exactly the crux of the threat Belichick has created to the league’s golden goose. > > Consider the Sunday night contest. New England had played San Diego just four games back, in the January 2007 postseason. Perhaps Belichick’s cameraman was illegally taping the Chargers that day, and perhaps Belichick illegally used the information against the Chargers on Sunday night. The San Diego coaching staff has changed since the playoff game, so presumably its defensive calls are different. But San Diego’s new defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell, was defensive coordinator for the Bills and Jets, both AFC East teams, in the Belichick period. Perhaps Belichick has spied on Cottrell’s calls before and took out the tapes of the spying rather than handing them over as Goodell demanded. Was New England cheating again Sunday night, when the Patriots advanced the ball with such ease it seemed they knew what defense San Diego would be in? > > And the Patriots’ cheating might have been more extensive than so far confirmed. Fox Sports reported that former NFL players believe Belichick had microphones installed in the shoulder pads of defensive linemen so the Patriots could tape other teams’ offensive audibles and line calls. Needless to say, putting microphones on players violates NFL rules. Andrea Kremer of NBC reported that several teams might charge the Patriots this week with having stolen playbooks from the visitors’ dressing room. The convenient “malfunction” of visiting teams’ headphones at the Patriots’ two fields under Belichick seems to have happened far too often to be an IT department error. The rumor mill says Belichick, Richard Nixon-style, has file cabinets of info on opposing coaches and assistant coaches – some gleaned honestly, some obtained by cheating. > > It seems more than just an eerie coincidence that Belichick’s unethical behavior involves illicit taping, the same offense that made Nixon’s actions so sordid. The parallels to Nixon don’t stop there. Caught, Belichick – like Nixon – tried to hide the true extent of the prohibited acts; Belichick – like Nixon – tried to claim his prohibited action hadn’t been prohibited; Belichick – like Nixon – immediately stonewalled. It would be tempting to break the unhappy tone of this column with a Nixon joke – when the league plays Belichick’s tape of the Jets’ sideline, will there be an 18-and-a-half minute gap? But for all lovers of the NFL, there’s just nothing to laugh about now. > > The Patriots announced they have hired “Swede” Risberg to investigate cheating allegations against the team. > What else is there about New England cheating that the team or league isn’t telling us? Are the Patriots one bad apple, or is cheating common in the league? Worst, did the Patriots cheat in their Super Bowl wins? If New England was cheating in the Super Bowl, this will become the darkest sports scandal since Shoeless Joe and the Black Sox. If you don’t think Goodell and all owners, including Robert Kraft of New England, are in abject terror of any possible disclosure that the Patriots were cheating in the Super Bowl, perhaps you just don’t understand the situation. > > The weasel wording of Belichick’s Nixonian statement shows the New England coach full of contempt for the NFL fans, and the NFL enterprise, that made him a wealthy celebrity. Belichick declared that his super-elaborate cheating system was only a “mistake” caused by his “interpretation” of the league’s rule. Wait, “interpretation”? The NFL rule bans teams from filming each other’s sidelines. There’s no room for interpretation, it’s a ban! Here’s the NFL policy, from a memo sent to all head coaches and general managers Sept. 6, 2006: “Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent’s offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches’ booth, in the locker room or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game.” Prohibited. There’s nothing there to “interpret.” Videotaping opponent’s signals even after getting this warning isn’t a “mistake,” it’s cheating. Belichick’s cheating was not some casual spur-of-the-moment blunder but rather an elaborate staffed system that took a lot of work to put into place and that Belichick worked hard to hide. And you don’t hide something unless you are ashamed of it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/10 "2009-11-18T16:49:44Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I’ve honestly never understood this. I’ve always thought that Belichick is a real class act. He’s neither a whiner nor a screamer, just a quiet, understated guy. Nor does he put up with the typical crap from his players so prevalent in much of the rest of the league. He may not be a whiner or a screamer, but he’s certainly not a “class act”. Have you never seen or heard of him refusing to shake hands with opposing coaches? He’s a great coach, but he’s also a cranky little bitch when he loses games. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/11 "2009-11-18T17:01:47Z")
Why do NFL coaches dress like slobs nowadays (OK, not all look like “slobs”, they usually wear some variant of a team polo or something, but Belicheat looks like a slob in his hoodie)? What happened to the Landry-esque days of wearing a suit? College basketball coaches still do it. Why did that change? I miss the fedoras, the ties, etc. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/12 "2009-11-18T17:07:24Z")
There sure are a lot examples of suppositions, caveats, “perhaps” this or that, and other weasel words in that opinion piece. Examples: > [@](#): > > …\*\*Perhaps \*\* Belichick’s cameraman… > > …and \*\*perhaps \*\* Belichick… > > …\*\*Perhaps \*\* Belichick has… > > …And the Patriots’ cheating **might have been more** extensive… > > …Fox Sports reported that former NFL players **believe** … > > …Andrea Kremer of NBC reported that several teams **might** charge the Patriots… > > …\*\*seems to have happened \*\* far too often… > > … **The rumor mill says** … > > …It \*\*seems \*\* more than just an eerie coincidence… > > [emphasis added in above] And there has never been a blanket prohibition against videotaping, just from where you are allowed to do it. (Which I admit was violated by the Patriots.) I just think that it was a technicality that has been blown all out of proportion to the offense. Nevertheless, they definitely should have stopped this practice when the memo was issued in 2006. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/13 "2009-11-18T17:16:44Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Why do NFL coaches dress like slobs nowadays (OK, not all look like “slobs”, they usually wear some variant of a team polo or something, but Belicheat looks like a slob in his hoodie)? What happened to the Landry-esque days of wearing a suit? > > College basketball coaches still do it. Why did that change? I miss the fedoras, the ties, etc. Can’t slap a Reebok logo on a suit then sell replicas. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/14 "2009-11-18T17:19:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He may not be a whiner or a screamer, but he’s certainly not a “class act”. Have you never seen or heard of him refusing to shake hands with opposing coaches? I think that far too much is made of this. I don’t think that he has ever intentionally meant to snub anybody. He’s just not the type to hang around and pose for the cameras immediately after a game. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He’s a great coach, but he’s also a cranky little bitch when he loses games. He certainly doesn’t like to lose. Neither does Brady. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/15 "2009-11-18T17:42:44Z")
I love the word, simply for the warning it gives off. “Belicheat” is on the short list (1: “Belicheat”, 2: “Obamacare”) of words that if you use it in a non-ironic fashion, I instantly know to disregard anything you might have to say. You simply cannot expect to be taken seriously if you’re going to have such idiocy come out of your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/16 "2009-11-18T17:46:49Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > Can’t slap a Reebok logo on a suit then sell replicas. You can just get Reebok to [make a suit](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2663580), though. The answer used to be that you couldn’t wear suits because Reebok didn’t make them; now the answer is that Reebok does make suits, but Mike Nolan got fired and Jack Del Rio eventually realized that it’s really, really hot in Florida. Del Rio still wears them during the latter portion of the season, I think. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/17 "2009-11-18T18:11:14Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I think that far too much is made of this. I don’t think that he has ever intentionally meant to snub anybody. > > He’s just not the type to hang around and pose for the cameras immediately after a game. Yeah, I’ve never seen Belichick refuse to shake an opposing coach’s hand. He doesn’t stick around for a confab and hug fest like some other coaches do. I have seen him knock a cameraman who was in his way to the ground so he could get to the other coach though. Buddy Ryan of the Eagles was notorious for always heading right to the locker room instead of meeting the other coach. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/18 "2009-11-18T18:14:23Z")
He walked off the field before the end of the Pats-Giants Super Bowl (as did Brady) which would have made it difficult to shake Tom Coughlin’s hand. He refused to shake Eric Mangini’s hand _twice_. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/19 "2009-11-18T18:37:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He walked off the field before the end of the Pats-Giants Super Bowl (as did Brady) which would have made it difficult to shake Tom Coughlin’s hand. He refused to shake Eric Mangini’s hand _twice_. Didn’t know about the Super Bowl. And the Belichick/Mangini history doesn’t make that terribly surprising - to quote Mark Twain: “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832/20 "2009-11-18T19:06:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > …He refused to shake Eric Mangini’s hand _twice_. I forgot about Mangidiot. In that case, I agree that he may have intentionally meant to snub him. But given their history (as pointed out by **muldoonthief** ), ignoring him was probably preferable to walking over to him after the game and punching him in the nose. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-about-coach-belichick/517832.md?page=2)