The last divisional game the Patriots lost was in week 14 of 2006 to the Miami Dolphins, 21-0. That’s the game where the Dolphins bragged about stealing Brady’s audibles. According to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN:

The incident spawned considerable attention on Tuesday after some Dolphins players suggested to the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post that the team “purchased” tapes of the New England offense that provided audio of quarterback Tom Brady making audible and line-blocking calls.

Those players strongly hinted that the tapes were critical in preparing for the game and provided the Dolphins inside information about New England’s offensive audible system.

One Miami defender said it is common practice to take a TV tape of a game and enhance the volume to try to hear the quarterback’s signals. The so-called “coaching” tapes supplied by the league to teams do not include audio. Television tapes often capture a quarterback’s calls at the line of scrimmage because of the parabolic microphones used on the sideline.

What’s funny is that the league response was “That’s football.” Now I’m not equating this with Belichick’s videotaping in defiance of league rules, but you gotta admit that it is a tad ironic to say the least.

I’m sure I’ll be sick of hearing how good the Pats are too, but the one hidden blessing in all this is that every time someone mentions them, they’re going to bring up the Super Bowl and the questions of whether they can win it all anymore. The last few years have brought about a few significant stains on the Brady/Belichick playoff record, and I approve.