Belichick named AP Coach of the Year

Jan 04

Bill Belichick was elected the AP Coach of the Year by 29 voters of the 50 media representants, for leading his team as the first team to go undefeated in the regular season since the NFL 16 Games Regular Season, and the second team after the 1972 Miami Dolphins (14 Games Regular Season) in modern Football…

What does this mean, considering the Spygate affair? Which did cost him US$ 500,000 personally and the New England Patriots US$ 250,000 plus a first round draft pick, and earned Belichick a new nickname: Bill Belicheat, just search at youtube for that term: Youtube search Belicheat, especially this here:
(I don’t want to belittle the accomplishments of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and the whole Patriots organization, but I think it’s a) pretty good researched and b) wickedly funny )Does it mean that winning is more important than playing by the rules? Or has the Spygate affair been artificially hyped and it wasn’t that much of an offense to the rules?If the first was true, that the end justifies the means, it would be an invitation to break any rule but one: “Don’t get caught”! (or “if you get caught make sure that the benefits of cheating justify the penalty”). That would be a very bad role model not only for athletes and coaches…

On the other hand, if the Spygate affair was just a hype, then the drastic penalties seem unjust…

… but it could have been worse: Just imagine, the game against the Jets would have been declared a loss to the Patriots…

Would the Patriots have gone then 15-1?

I don’t think so…

Addition:Another votiong group thought obviously differently: The NFL Alumni! They elected AP Coach of the Year runner up Mike McCarthy their Coach of the Year…

Did they weigh the Spygate more or the “turnaround accomplishment” of Mike McCarthy? (2 years ago the Green Bay Packers went 4-12, and this season 13-3 with a first round bye – and if it wasn’t for the Bears, the Packers would be even 13-1)