Nah.
Everyone called them cheaters - so they're serving notice that they can kick your ass for 60 straight minutes without their video tapes.
They
are cheaters. At least Belichick is. If they weren't, they wouldn't have lost their draft picks.
And the info gathered from those tapes were, are, and will probably be helping them for games to come.
Exactly to what extent they have been benefiting from their illegal actions, we may never know. But the fines and penalties handed out is a clue:
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell considered suspension but in the end fined the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for illegal use of sideline video equipment, announcing $750,000 in penalties Thursday night and the forfeiture of one or more top draft choices.
Belichick was fined $500,000, while the franchise will pay $250,000 more. If the high-powered Patriots make the playoffs, they will lose their first-round draft choice. They must surrender second- and third-round choices if they fail to qualify for the postseason.
"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field," Goodell said in a letter to the Patriots.