Patriot Quick Hits

Week ending May 17th...

If you have not already noticed, most of the Patriots week was dominated by Spygate News. Everyone, from coaches, to players, to politicians, came out of the wood work with their opinions on the subject. Here is a quick rundown of the week.

Spygate News:

May 13th – Commissioner Roger Goodell and Matt Walsh Meeting; Goodell Press Conference

"I don't anticipate it [further actions against the Patriots]. As I said, I think the fundamental information provided today is consistent with what we knew last September, and that the discipline I took was unprecedented at that time, and I feel it was appropriate." –Commissioner Roger Goodell

May 13th - Senator Arlen Specter and Matt Walsh Meeting; Specter postpones Press Conference
May 14th – Specter Press Conference

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter called for an independent investigation into the Patriots' illegal taping practices, citing what he called an obvious conflict between the interest of the NFL and the public interest. "What is necessary is an objective investigation. This has not been objective." – Senator Arlen Specter

May 14th - The Boston Herald apologized for its error on the videotaping story involving the New England Patriots. There was no video tape of the Rams Super Bowl walk though.

May 15th - Former Patriots employee Matt Walsh spoke with HBO's Real Sports program. Interview to be aired on May 16th.

"When I was doing it, I understood what we were doing to be wrong. We went to great lengths to keep from being caught. Just saying that the rules were misinterpreted isn't enough of an apology or a reasoning for what was done. ... Coach Belichick's explanation for having misinterpreted the rules, to me, that really didn't sound like taking responsibility for what we had done, especially considering the great lengths that we had gone through to hide what we were doing." -- Matt Walsh

May 16th – Prior to the Matt Walsh Interview, Belichick appears in an exclusive interview conducted by Armen Keteyian.

“For him to represent how I felt, what I thought, or what I did, I don’t know where that would possibly come from. The fact that he has tried to make it seem like we were buddies and belonged to the same book club is really a long, long stretch.” -- Coach Bill Belichick

Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker comments bending the rules in the NFL: “Bending rules is a fact of life in the NFL. From ball boys allowing the opposing team's footballs to get soaked, to hotel employees scouring rooms for game plan sheets after a team heads to the stadium, there are several ways to get in on the act. Seemingly, no organization, no matter how accomplished or destitute it may be, is immune from the win-at-all-costs mentality. Some teams cheat and never get caught. Others simply refrain from breaking the rules but bend them right to the breaking point."

Team News:

The Patriots visited with free-agent RB Kevin Jones at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots had been high on Jones when he was coming out of Virginia Tech, and were prepared to scoop him up with the 32 overall pick in that draft, but the Lions swooped in with a trade and picked him at 31.

The Patriots have signed WR Robert Ortiz to an undisclosed contract. He is a long shot to make the Patriots' roster, with the team stocked at receiver.