Matt Walsh to Hand Over Tapes

The videotapes possessed by former New England Patriots employee Matt Walsh will be turned over to the NFL today, but the rumored video of the St. Louis Rams walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, is not among the tapes.

In the days leading up to Super Bowl XLII, the Boston Herald reported that Walsh possessed a tape of that walk-through practice. Walsh's attorney, Michael Levy, denies that Walsh was the source for that Herald article.

Contained within the videos Walsh will turn over to the league are opposing coaching signals for the following games:

- September 24th, 2000 against Miami
- October 7th, 2001 against Miami
- November 11th, 2001 against Buffalo
- December 9th, 2001 against Cleveland
- The AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh on January 27th, 2002
- September 29th, 2002 against San Diego

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe writes that what's more noteworthy about that list is what's not on it-the tape of the Rams walk-through.

I'm not so sure.

Let's hop in the ol' DeLorean, crank it up to 1.21 gigawatts and go back to 2001, shall we?

After losing to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday Night Football on November 18th, 2001 (a game yours truly was at), the Patriots were 5-5 and in 3rd place in the AFC East. New England would then go on to win out, but what's interesting to me is that two of the games down the stretch, including the game that ultimately determined who would win the AFC East that year, were against Buffalo and Miami, two teams that we now know the Patriots illegally videotaped during the season.

If the Patriots had lost just one of those games, they would not have won their division. They would not have had a first-round bye in the playoffs, would not have hosted the Oakland Raiders in the "Snow Bowl" (how much different would Oakland's Top 5 offense have played if it weren't in a blizzard?).

If the Patriots had lost both of those games (they beat a two-win Bills team by 3 in OT, and Miami by 7), they wouldn't have even made the playoffs. (Seattle would've had the tiebreaker advantage over them.)

Walsh will meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell next Tuesday.

NFL News and Notes

If you want to sit between the 20-yard lines at the Rogers Centre for the Buffalo Bills home games, you'll be paying over $300 per ticket.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh McCown is looking forward to the competition for the starting job this summer.

The Cleveland Browns will begin their OTA's next week.

Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun answered Baltimore Ravens-related questions from his readers during a chat yesterday.

Running back Dominic Rhodes has returned to the Indianapolis Colts, agreeing to a one-year contract on Wednesday. The Colts will be touring Indiana this summer.

Tennessee Titans second-year defensive tackle Antonio Johnson, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, will be back on the field when the Titans open up their mini-camp today. Albert Haynesworth won't be at mini-camp.

Denver Broncos Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway is investing in the Professional Bull Riders.

With the Oakland Raiders set to begin their rookie mini-camp this weekend, David White takes a look at the last five Raiders draft classes.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks having cameras all over the place will help the team play at a high level. The Cowboys want to re-name the streets around their new $1.1 billion dollar stadium in Arlington. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo failed to qualify for the U.S. Open.

New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning finally made it to Disneyland.

Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell is hobbled by what the team describes as a minor hamstring injury.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg talked with the Philadelphia media.

The Green Bay Packers signed three undrafted rookies who participated in last weekend's mini-camp on a tryout basis.

Minnesota Vikings second-round safety Tyrell Johnson hasn't ruled himself out of the Vikings' starting lineup. That may sound cocky, but once you read Sean Jensen's article, you'll realize that Johnson is far from it.

Detroit Lions quarterback Drew Stanton is happy to be back on the field.

Whether he was drunk or victimized, Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that Cedric Benson has no future with the Chicago Bears. Bears kicker Robbie Gould has been participating in the team's off-season workout program.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Joe Hamilton was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with DUI, open container, possession of marijuana and hit-and-run. (Hamilton can now expect to hear from the Cincinnati Bengals...)

Free agent running back Shaun Alexander left his visit with the New Orleans Saints without a contract offer.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Hackett flew under the radar during the team's mini-camp last weekend.

The Atlanta Falcons hired Lionel Vital to be their assistant director of player personnel.

Longtime Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman Chris Gray is happy to move into a back-up role for his final season in the NFL. Seahawks guard Mike Wahle appears to be the guy who can fill the void left by Steve Hutchinson, writes Clare Farnsworth. Seahawks running backs TJ Duckett and Julius Jones are a pair old pals who have been reunited in the Seahawks backfield.

The Arizona Cardinals will induct former cornerback Aeneas Williams into it's Ring of Honor on November 10th.

The San Francisco 49ers will open their training camp in Santa Clara on July 24th, with ten practices being open to the public.