Overrated: The Patriots Scandal

Well, this got out of hand faster than Charlie Sheen at a Pahrump brothel...

The Patriots got caught filming the other team from the sidelines during a game, something they were specifically told by the NFL not to do. Fans are outraged and hard-assed commisioner Roger Goodell has lowered the boom with massive fines and the loss of draft picks.

The way I see it, people are reacting in one of three ways based on how they feel about the Pats:

Patriot Haters

This proves what you've known all along: Bill Belichick dresses like a homeless man to keep you from realizing he is twice as evil and devious as Palpatine from Star Wars. You've been trying to tell people for years Tom Brady is too pretty to be this good and the stirring he causes in your crotchal region IS unnatural and must be repressed.

The Pats have been cheating your entire life and wouldn't have won a single game in the Belichick era without such underhanded tricks. They film the other team and then pour over every minute of it during the half to make adjustments for the 2nd half. Bunch of no-talent bums...

Cheaters! Oh, and by the way, the tuck rule is bullshit.

Patriot Fans

Move along, nothing to see here. That stirring Tom Brady causes in your crotchal region is perfectly normal and must be indulged daily.

Not a Patriot fan, but not a hater either

Yes, my category.

This is a relatively minor infraction. Punishment is deserved because they were told not to do this, but everyone needs to calm down. Roger Goodell probably went a little overboard.

How much tape can they look at during half time anyway? Not enough to make that big of a difference. Teams look at tape all week before games and it doesn't help half of them win.

If Belichick is so smart and has nothing to gain, why did he do it? Its like weaving in and out of lanes in traffic. You may think its moving you along faster, but in reality it isn't helping anything. Being smart doesn't mean every decision you make is right.

These teams like the Eagles and Jets coming out of the woodwork saying the Pats beat them because of the taping are absolutely laughable. No, the Pats beat you because they're more talented and have a better coach. They've now won two games this year 38-14...one with tape, one without, and the team they beat without tape is about 10 times better than the one they taped.

Can Belichick even afford a $500,000 fine? The poor bastard can't even afford a proper hoodie.