What's Bill Simmons' reaction to the Patriots/sign-stealing scandal? Surprise! He thinks it's a big deal:
I'm a big Watergate buff, and there are some eerie parallels to last Sunday's Jets game and the '72 presidential electon -- not just the spying symmetry, but that neither the Patriots nor Nixon needed to take the risk. Nixon had the '72 election locked up but was so paranoid, he allowed his guys to basically defame Edmund Muskie and George McGovern and tried to break into the Democratic headquarters multiple times. Belichick knew he had a better team than the Jets, but he tried to steal their signals anyway. Let's hope this doesn't lead to a disgraced Belichick climbing on a private jet in 18 months and raising his arms defiantly in the air.And yes, people in Philly are actually hoping that this will result in the Patriots forfeiting their Super Bowls and the Eagles retroactively being recognized as Super Bowl champs. I wouldn't hold my breath for that. Posted by Stephen Silver at September 13, 2007 05:13 PM