Bleacher Report Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy stated during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday that Peyton Manning became so concerned about the New England Patriots potentially bugging the opposing locker room at Gillette Stadium that he held meetings outside in the hallway. Dungy didn't know whether the rumors were true, but Manning acted out of caution after talking with former Patriots players. When asked about the speculation, which surfaced from Peter King of Sports Illustrated in 2010 (via Chris Chase of Yahoo Sports), Dungy confirmed it, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I know that that is very true, and, you know, as Peyton talked to guys who played for the Patriots, some of the guys who came over—whether it’s true or not he treated it as true," Dungy said. "We didn’t have a lot of strategy discussions inside the locker room there." Manning hasn't enjoyed much success against the Patriots throughout his career. He holds a 6-13 record in 19 meetings during the regular season with an 89.8 quarterback rating, well below his career mark of 97.5. He also lost two playoff games in New England early in his career. Dungy reiterated he wasn't sure whether the Patriots were using any behind-the-scenes tactics to gain an advantage. The Pro Football Talk report notes teams became more guarded after the Spygate drama back in 2007. "Peyton takes everything to the nth degree," Dungy said. Of course, the reigning champion Patriots are back in the spotlight again as the Deflategate process continues to play out in a New York City courtroom. Tom Brady is attempting to get his four-game suspension for his alleged role in the situation overturned. In all likelihood, there's no basis for fact in the locker room speculation. No evidence has surfaced to suggest the Patriots were using bugs to gain inside information, and Dungy didn't provide any additional details about Manning's conversations with former Patriots. That said, it does show opponents are a little more leery when facing New England. Even one of the best quarterbacks in history took extra precautions to protect his game plan.
Would anyone be surprised if this were the case? I mean, it seems right up their alley. The whole franchise reeks from being dirty to the core.
I don't get the hate some people have for Peyton. He's a damn good QB, Hall of Famer, more or less does things the "right" way, and is IMO this generation's Marino. I guess you could make the same argument for people like me who likewise can't stand Brady. But to me he reeks of being a fraud. That whole franchise is a crooked as can be. Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
I wont be surprised when in 2020 we find out that the Pats been wearing shoulder pads with spikes on em and then in 2025 when we find out that they been poisoning opposing teams gatorade and water.... These guys never quit, I will give them that much credit.
I'm convinced that deflating footballs is probably the least severe thing on a laundry list of filthy, greasy shenanigans the Patriots are up to. When you look at last season, it's almost statistically impossible for them to have looked so bad on offense one week, and then look unbeatable the next. I still think they are doing something that has them inside the defenses' huddle. I get labeled a conspiracy theorist, etc. but when you look at the numbers it doesn't add up. Bugging would explain some of it. Who knows though. We just have to hope the whole filthy truth comes out at some point and Belicheat and Brady are Pete Rosed out of football.
Bryan O’Leary, author of the book Spygate: The Untold Story also added more fuel to the fire when his book was released to the public. Former backup quarterback for the Pats, Doug Flutie, claimed in the book that he uncovered something very interesting regarding Brady’s radio helmet during the 2005 season. Via the New York Post: “He was amazed that the coaches kept right on speaking to Brady past the 15-second cutoff, right up until the snap,” *according to O’Leary. “The voice in Tom Brady’s helmet was explaining the exact defense he was about to face.” Considering the Patriots dominant home record in the Belichick era, this claim only infuriated people more. Since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, the Patriots have a ridiculous 101-19 combined record in the regular season and playoffs. Does this indicate mere dominance or something a little more fishy? Also in the O’Leary book was former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson’s claims of new-found audibles when he had no clue of them during the week of preparation. “He claimed that an hour before game time, a list of the opposing team’s audibles — the signals a QB would use at the line of scrimmage just before a snap to change the play — would sometimes appear in his locker. He had no idea where the lists came from.” http://fansided.com/2015/01/20/new-england-patriots-cheating-real-conspiracy/[/COLOR]
