Oh, great. Just what the AFC needed. Now you've gone and made the New England Patriots mad.

The Sunday after the NFL fined coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots and took away a draft pick for videotaping the New York Jets' defensive signals against league rules, the Pats went out and crushed the San Diego Chargers 38-14.

Afterward, the players said this one was for the coach.

"After everything that went on this week, we wanted to do our best for him," said quarterback Tom Brady.

Videotaping signals may have given the Patriots an unfair advantage, but that's nothing compared to what they'll be like now.

The whole Patriots mantra has been about "it's us against the world." Now that it really seems that way, imagine how just how much more insufferable they'll be. You can hear Peyton Manning now: "Man, don't fire them up!"

The NFL TV pregame shows were all over this thing Sunday. You'd have thought it was a Paris Hilton videotape we were talking about.

"Fox NFL Sunday" even had exclusive footage of the actual confiscated videotape. Of course, with Fox you never really know if it's legit or if it's just a Frank Caliendo gag. Since it didn't sound like John Madden was narrating it, it was apparently the real deal.

Fox "NFL insider" Jay Glazer provided the tape and the commentary:

"Video assistant Matt Estrella is clearly picking up the Jets' defensive coaching signals, and then he pans up to the scoreboard for down and distance," Glazer said as the tape ran. "This goes on throughout the entire tape. What they do is take this film and then afterwards, synch it up with the actual coach's game tape. One of the coaches will then study the signals, and the next time they play the New York Jets and see those same hand signals, they can relay the blitz and coverage info down to the coaches on the sideline."

You expected his next line to be: "And right over there? That's the grassy knoll."

CBS' Charley Casserly each said the NFL is asking the Patriots to send them all their videotapes and notes from them, looking for a rumored library the team is supposed to have with files on opposing defensive coordinators. Casserly, NBC's Andrea Kremer and ESPN's Chris Mortensen all said the league is also investigating the Patriots' use of wireless frequencies.

Roger Goodell was interviewed by Bob Costas on NBC's "Football Night in America." The NFL commissioner promised more sanctions if the Patriots aren't forthcoming with the material requested. Goodell also defended his decision not to suspend Belichick.

Frankly, I would have taken an almost perverse pleasure in a Belichick suspension. The guy's grumpy enough on the sideline. Imagine what he'd be like off it. They'd have to put him in a padded cell.

Of course, with all the technology allegedly at the Patriots' disposal, a padded cell might be the only way to insure Belichick wasn't in contact with the team.

At halftime, NBC talked to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who insisted he had no knowledge of the spy case.

Kraft said "it won't happen again." He didn't know what happened, but whatever it was, it won't happen again.

The real question is: Why did it happen in the first place? Aren't the Patriots good enough already? How much better do they need to get? Did a grainy tape of coaches wagging fingers really help all that much? Good grief, aren't Tom Brady and Randy Moss enough of an advantage already?

And now a few observations from last week that surprisingly have nothing to do with Bill Belichick:

I still think Jimmy Clausen is by far the best high school quarterback I've ever seen. And now I'm beginning to realize how good his offensive line at Oaks Christian was, too. It's shocking how bad Notre Dame's line is. In fact Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure might both be able to beat the Irish right now. But those two teams will be busy this week playing each other.

Dottie Pepper is a great TV golf analyst and could soon match NBC's Johnny Miller. But she needs to know when her microphone is on and when it's off. She called the U.S. Solheim Cup team "chokin' freakin' dogs," thinking the Golf Channel telecast had already gone to a commercial. The U.S. beat the Europeans, but the Americans were steamed at Pepper.

It brought back memories of Miller similarly criticizing the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team off the air, only to find out the raw feed was being piped into the team's locker room.

Well, I'm ready to jump aboard the Houston Texans bandwagon; how about you?

Jim Thome joined Alex Rodriguez and Frank Thomas this season in hitting the 500th home run of his career. Of course, with inflation, hitting 500 home runs ain't what it used to be.

Congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury, which won the WNBA championship Sunday, beating the Detroit Shock in the fifth and deciding game of the Finals. If you didn't even know the Finals were being played, it's OK. You're not alone.

You probably also didn't know the Mercury is coached by former Lakers and Loyola Marymount coach Paul Westhead, making him the only coach to win titles in both the NBA and WNBA.

He's reportedly weighing an offer to become an assistant coach from the Seattle SuperSonics.

— Jim Carlisle is a staff writer for The Star. E-mail address: jcarlisle@VenturaCountyStar.com. In addition to his Tuesday columns, he also covers TV-Radio sports on Fridays. For more, please visit his blog at jimcarlislesports.blogspot.com.