Just like you, this whole spygate thing has consumed way too much of my brain matter to the point where I can’t even discuss it anymore with the family.

Belichick was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. He and the Pats (and we the fans) have been punished. But it will never be enough. No punishment will ever be enough. That’s where I get all hot and bothered. Every speck of speculation is focused on complete negativity to outright hatred and then extrapolated into every single thing the Patriots have done in the past and will do in the future. That’s wrong too.

It doesn’t take stolen signals for a defense to get wise to what a quarterback or an offense is going to do, and anyone who knows football knows that. I had always been a bit of a Michael Strahan fan, and his book, Inside the Helmet is packed full of the importance of signals and film study to a smart defense.

Most of the older successful quarterbacks, and Peyton Manning is the absolute best at this, have such a comfort level, they can’t wait to screw with the heads of some defensive players. The vet will use all these little hand signals, claps, waving of the arms, cupping of the ears and it’s up to us to decide what’s real and what’s phony. Much of it is completely bogus, but how are we supposed to know when to challenge or when not to?

A lot of that comes from film work. We’ll study the hell out of a guy’s signals and signs and try to decipher them. That’s the first part of the battle. Once we think we know when it’s a fake and when he’s really changing the call, we’ve all got to get on the same page and figure out what he’s changing the play to.

This is where all that film [a defensive player] studies comes in handy. Guys give away everything; you just have to know what you’re looking for. For example, the longtime veteran quarterback Doug Flutie used to give away the snap count by a very slight thrust of his right hip the moment he was going to get the snap. For those of us who saw this on film, we knew not to jump off the line until we saw that hip move.

By recognizing flinches and habits, tiny differences in guys’ stances from play to play tips a player’s hand. It gives me an instant look at your playing cards. Jeff Garcia rocks ever so slightly right before he gets the snap. Daunte Culpepper used ot clap his hands right before the snap, so we knew to look for the clap and ignore his cadence.

It’s not just the quarterbacks who tip their hands. It’s everyone. Some centers squeeze their free hand before the snap. You have running backs who glance over and over at a certain spot if they’re getting the ball. Many receivers, when they’re the target, raise their upper bodies up ever so slightly while they are running so they are in position to raise their arms to make a quick catch. Most guys have no idea they’re committing any of these boo-boos.

Ever notice that when I’m getting down in my stance early in a game, I’m the last one to actually get all the way down and set? I’m looking at your offensive linemem, your tight end, your backs and your quarterback to see if what I saw on film is visible. I’m looking for those little nuances tipped off by hours upon hours of film work.

And regarding the Patriots:

When we line up against guys like Brady or Brees, I head into the game knowing most of us are already at a disadvantage. They’ve already found things out about us that we have no idea we’re doing. And while we’re tipping our hand the whole time, we’re trying to figure out what makes them tick. Usually there’s no such luck. These men don’t budge. Most of their offenses are pretty disciplined and don’t give up a lot.

Bottom line: Belichick didn’t need the extra tapes to win those games. He did it anyway and Patriots nation will be paying the price for a long time to come.

You are not at all off your rocker. Once again, you write an excellent piece. I find myself both sympathizing with you as a fan and at the same time very impressed with your thoughts and expression. Very wise.

I am not one who believes that it will never be enough. Those who believe that are extreme, but it is also extreme to believe that all or even most other fans are that extreme. Like life teaches us, it’s the extreme minority that often talks the loudest, and the silent majority is underestimated. I know the temptation to feel that way. When many Patriots fans would say the most vile things about Manning, I came to believe for a while that all Pats fans were jerks. It took me some time to sort that out, because we can get so easily defensive. “Why does anyone hate my team? What is their problem?” Bottom line, not everyone is like that. Not even most people. Just a small percent with big mouths.

Pats fans, good luck moving forward! I look forward to the upcoming season. I will be surprised if both of our teams aren’t seeded highly in the postseason as usual.

regarding the view of Colts fans, we have our jerks like everyone else. However, many of us (including myself) previously reacted harshly to Pats fans about this and their superbowl loss for different reasons. We weren’t filled with hate, just with defensive reactions.

In my case, I liked the Pats alot at first, especially through their first superbowl win over the Rams. I thought Belichick was the greatest coach to ever wear a hoodie, and Tom Brady played college ball for my Michigan Wolverines. A rivalry developed as both teams rose to the top of the league, and good will began to unravel with harsh comments from many people(mostly Pats fans and ESPN sportscasters) that Manning was a choke artist and Brady was better because his team won three superbowls. (That is another discussion for both sides of biased fans to endlessly and hopelessly try to impose upon each other on another day.) I couldn’t figure out how it turned so personal to people whom I thought would be happy with their championship team and allow us our kudos ( like a great QB, though a hideous defense). Soon I quit liking our Michigan QB and walked around with fists defensively held high, figuratively speaking.

It came to a head on our end, at least for me, when we lost the playoff game to the Chargers this past season. The number of brutal and inflammatory posts that came pouring onto us from every side by Pats fans, rubbing salt in the wound, was shocking. It wasn’t the comments made by Pats fans amongst each other, it was the ones that were brought to Colts forums, where we were tring to support and cope with our disappointment. Maybe we cared too much, and maybe I took things too personally. I just couldn’t understand the venom, particularly kicking the wounded.

That is where many, including myself, lashed out the hardest at the Pats. The superbowl loss, the back to back Manning family superbowl victories, and spygate brought grounds to righteously justify the attacks that Peyton had to endure for so long. No Dan Marino tag, we won a ring. Brady has “choked” the last three postseasons now. You are a bunch of cheaters. And on and on and on…

Time and people like MaPatsFan have helped greatly to settle this down. I’m very grateful for that. I am sure that in some cases, something from our side instigated the bad blood toward you. We could argue which came first, the chicken or the egg. Either way, it got too ugly for some on both ends, though not all. I like a good rivalry and team pride, but I also believe that it can be a bit more good natured and less hateful than it has been without sacrificing team spirit. We have two great teams with two of the best QBs. I truly look forward to our contests. Let’s move forward.

Please forgive my ramblings. The demons have been excorcised. Now, where is that room with the nice, soft walls…..