Favre: Stealing signs 'can give advantage'

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - As a former high school baseball star, Brett Favre knows it's not unheard of for a ballplayer to sneak a peek at the signals a catcher is sending to his pitcher.
But if the New England Patriots really were using a video camera to steal opposing defensive coaches' signals — perhaps even in their game against the Packers last year — Favre said they might have gone too far.
"Can it cross the line? I'm sure it can," Favre said. "It can give you a huge advantage."
NFL security officials confiscated a camera and tape from a Patriots employee on the sidelines during New England's 38-14 victory on Sunday. The league now is investigating whether the Patriots were spying on signals from the Jets' defensive coaches.
The Packers also had an incident with a Patriots employee shooting unauthorized video during New England's 35-0 victory at Lambeau Field last November. Packers officials simply asked him to stop.
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But given the current controversy, last year's incident has taken on added significance.
Favre called the sign-stealing allegations a "serious issue," one that goes above and beyond the normal scope of gamesmanship in the NFL — or sign-stealing in baseball, for that matter — mostly because of the use of technology.
"It seems different," Favre said.
Packers cornerback Al Harris was more direct in questioning the Patriots' ethics.

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