Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1290 of 1503)

– The Bears re-signed Rex Grossman to a one-year, $3 million contract. Kyle Orton will likely be given the chance to earn the starting job, but Grossman isn’t a terrible backup plan. Plus, they’ll probably add a quarterback via the draft that maybe they can groom and then re-evaluate the position in 2009.

– The Cardinals will not trade Larry Fitzgerald. They consider him a core player and will look to lock him up long term.

– The Boston Globe is reporting Patriots’ cornerback Asante Samuel wants a 10-year, $100 million contract. That’s just freaking ridiculous, especially considering several teams consider him a “system cornerback.” He’s still going to get filthy rich, just like Nate Clements last year.

– The Bucs are interested in recently released RB DeShaun Foster. He would be a nice insurance policy in case Cadillac Williams is slow to recover from the season-ending knee injury he suffered last season. Although, Foster just can’t be counted on in a full-time role with his injury history.

– Cowboys inked LB Zach Thomas to a one-year deal. The length of the contract is certainly understandable given Thomas’s age and concussion history.

– The Lions will reportedly trade DT Shaun Rogers within a week. The guy could easily be the best interior defensive lineman in the league if he just had a better work ethic.

Bill Belichick’s personal nightmare continues. A former Patriots’ player speaking on basis of anonymity told the New York Times that Belichick has been taping opponents’ defensive signals since 2000.

Questions linger about how much of an advantage the Patriots may have had if they intercepted defensive signals. Under Belichick, the Patriots have often run a no-huddle offense, which forces opponents to quickly call a defensive play. N.F.L. rules allow quarterbacks to hear instructions from coaches — through a headset and into a speaker in the quarterback’s helmet — until there are 15 seconds left on a play clock. When the defensive play call is deciphered, the Patriots could call a play to counteract. The Patriots lost the 2000 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when videotape of signals was used in preparation, according to the former Patriots player, who was among several former players interviewed by the N.F.L but said he did not want to speak publicly because the investigation is continuing.

You want to believe that the Patriots have been this model organization and that they’ve always done things the right way. You want to believe that Belichick is this genius and he’s one of a kind. Who knows – maybe they still are. But the more evidence that comes out, the more damning it looks for the Pats and Belichick.

And anybody down-playing this situation is fooling themselves. This is a huge deal and stealing opponent’s defensive signals is the equivalent to some kid using a cheat sheet on a final exam.