As we reported yesterday, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips took a little poke at Patriots coach Bill Belichick by saying the two of them don't go the movies together, an obvious reference to Spygate.
Phillips went on to praise Belichick for several minutes, so I didn't make too much of the jab -- as hard as that is to believe. But after hearing about last night's episode of HBO's "Inside the NFL," I'm not so sure Phillips thinks Spygate is a laughing matter.
Our friend and devoted Hashmarks reader Peter King joined Cris Collinsworth and Bob Costas for a brief but revealing discussion on the topic that some of us thought would simply go away.
"You know, 5 and 0 New England against 5 and 0 Dallas. The league, the Patriots, everybody, they just want this Spygate thing to go away," says King. "But Wade Phillips this week told me something that I think a lot of coaches around the league and a lot of people around the league are still thinking and that is, 'Hey, New England was caught cheating and it is a black mark on their success.'
"There is no doubt in my mind that it is and more and more people around the league are starting to say, "Why did this thing just go away? Why didn't it get more traction?'"
Costas interviewed Commissioner Roger Goodell by phone earlier this week, and reveals what he learned in this transcript. At the end, Collinsworth pretty much calls out the league:
"And essentially the idea that a cover-up of the information is in the best interest of the National Football League to me is an absurd thought. You are always better off presenting the information not only to the member clubs but to the public as to exactly what happened and then let's move on."
Going back to Phillips, I appreciate his willingness to go on the record with something that no one else wants to talk publicly about. Just not sure if he picked the right week.
Please check back at 4:30 p.m. ET for news from around the league. I'll be back in a few moments with an entry on how Randy Moss has destroyed the Cowboys.
