Nfl 2014 (1 Viewer)

[maddadicus]

On and on this things goes.

I've got a number of questions;

1.) Do they measure/calibrate the balls before every game/at the half/at the end of each game? IF SO, and this is something the Patriots AND ONLY THE PATRIOTS are doing, why haven't they gotten busted prior to this?
2.) Do they use a calibrator or is it by feel like the majority of the articles I've read; the refs give them the squeeze test and toss them in the bag?
3.) Do we know 1000% that they used a calibrator before the game; I'd bet my life that they did not, but are saying they did to cover their *****.
4.) Did they calibrate them at the half as it's SOP, OR because the Colts whined and complained? I'd bet it's the latter.

The Colts should have been focusing on how we come back from down 17-7 vs underinflated balls.

ALSO, the balls that were underinflated were reinflated and used in the second half, a half in which the Patriots outscored the Colts 28-0, SO, what actual effect did underinflated balls have on the outcome of the game; how about nothing, zip, nada, zero EFFING percent.

I've done a 180 on this since yesterday; from what I've read, 99% of the teams do it, they mess with the balls to get them to the QB's liking, overinflate, underinflate, whatever the QB likes.

Is it legal; no, is it done, yes, are the Patriots THE ONLY team that does it; no, they are not, but they are being killed over this as a result.

Why; because they are the Patriots.

Embrace the hate, haters gonna hate; I'd love, love, LOVE to be a fly on the wall the night before the Super Bowl to hear Belichicks pregame speech.

Oh and Mike, the gambler you are; bet your MORTGAGE on the Patriots next year when they play the Colts, I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 105-0 should about do it.

Brady made the call to deflate the footballs. No equipment guy or ball boy is going to tamper with the game balls, personally,as claimed by Brady as his preferred tools. If Brady is one of the all time greats ever, he ought share the honors with the clubhouse guys, who doctored the ball most games, so he could palm it better, no matter the weather or temperature. Easy to toss a perfect pass when fitted with the " perfect ball "..Even a championship with a negative asterisk attached still would be easy to take for most of that teams' fans, by holding their noses and closing their eyes as to how they got there..Michael

 

[jazzeum]

Further to Michael's post, Aikman thinks this was Brady's idea and his coach is covering up for him and that Belichick should be punished. Neither is particularly credible, kind of like Haldeman, Mitchell, Erlichman and that crowd. I think Brady tried to come off as "little old me."

Brady said he hadn't been contacted by the NFL and I heard a report that their investigators hadn't gone to Foxboro yet, which, if true, is incredible. Perhaps the NFL intends to do nothing. Considering the year Goodell has had, this wouldn't be surprising.

The players insist they're not distracted but the media crush they're currently facing is nothing compared to what they will face next week. Every story will come out. Ex-Ram players are just waiting for the chance to tell their story.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Both Brady and Belichick deny any wrongdoing or knowledge of what happened.

if in fact the investigation will prove that you did have some sort of involvement, ie, if the equipment manager or ballboy flips under questioning and says "Yes, Belichick/Brady told me to take air out of the balls", or if there are emails/texts/phone records where you are discussing this.

if this happens...which I don't think it will...NE is gonna be in a world of hurt...

shades of Sean Payton for sure...and NO has still not recovered from that...

it's going to end up with no proof of anyone being involved...
"I know nothing"...
and Brady won't take the hit...
Kraft sure won't take the hit...

Belichick will...he's the coach...he's gonna have to eat a shovel full once again...

I feel sorry for the NE fans...I just don't feel any of this was necessary...

 

[Combat]

The consensus among former players is that there is no way an equipment manager does this unless Brady gives the word. Maybe it is simply understood at this point. In which case Brady can make a Clintonesque defense that he didn't have any direct involvement in this specific instance. No actual knowledge or request from him to deflate. They do it based on a prior understanding that this is his preference. Regardless, all these guys know exactly what happened. This isn't some big mystery beyond their ability to sort out but involves folks who work directly for them. Fox News had some university professor on to explain that a ball inflated in a warm room will lose pressure in the cold. But what he didn't explain is why it was only the Pats balls that deflated and not those of the Colts. A real genius.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Fox News had some university professor on to explain that a ball inflated in a warm room will lose pressure in the cold. But what he didn't explain is why it was only the Pats balls that deflated and not those of the Colts. A real genius.

I saw that guy...
what a deadpan loser looking guy...
I would hate to sit through an hour lecture of his...

lot's of holes in his theory other than just the Pat's balls went flat and not the Colts...

his theory was that if the balls came from a room that was 80-85 degrees ...
it would drop a couple of percent in pressure in the cold...

80-85 degree...who keeps their rooms that hot...^&grin..that's pretty warm isn't it?

and those balls dropped way more than a couple of percent...

 

[Peter Reuss]

Sports is the toy box of life, the sole purpose of it is to take your mind off your troubles and to get behind your favorite team.

As a Vikings fan, I thought the point was to have years of depression followed by glimmers of hope ending with a punch to the gut.

Yet I come back year after year...

 

[jazzeum]

As a sports fan, we look to sports for an escape from the daily grind, even when the team is not very good. However, when our team kicks itself in the foot, we need an escape from the escape and that defeats the whole purpose.

 

[Warrior]

Belichick owned up to Spygate, took full responsibility.

When Hernandez got arrested, the Patriots cut him immediately.

They've owned up to mistakes in the past; today, Belichick and Brady both said they knew nothing, they did nothing.

If they lied and the truth comes out, they are both in deep you know what.

If they told the truth and no proof comes out that they did anything wrong, then what? Does the league whack them anyway due to prior issues, specifically Belichick?

If so, that's one Hell of a system.

So far, the NFL hasn't said a word, while the Patriots have said they are innocent.

The silence is deafening.

Is there 100% proof that the Patriots let air out of the balls? Not sure; is there 100% proof that the refs did in fact measure the balls with an air pressure gauge? What if they went by feel and did not use a gauge? Then what; naturally, that will never come out, the union wouldn't allow it to, they have to cover their rear ends.

This whole thing stinks from top to bottom.

 

[jazzeum]

This is probably wishful thinking -- to get back to the game, that is -- but one of the Seahawks CBs said he didn't think Gronkowski was that good. I guess he will find out soon enough. Speaking of Gronkowski, a few weeks ago he was on Top Chef. He was pretty good.

 

[mikemiller1955]

If they told the truth and no proof comes out that they did anything wrong, then what? Does the league whack them anyway due to prior issues, specifically Belichick?

If so, that's one Hell of a system.

So far, the NFL hasn't said a word, while the Patriots have said they are innocent.

George...

I think the league has to do something...don't they?

the balls were left in their care...the balls came back tampered with...

you gotta blame NE right...who else do you blame?

what would you think is an appropriate fine?

if they locked you and me alone in a room...
and when they opened it...
I was shot in the head 11 times...
and it was just you and me in the room...
who are they gonna blame?

 

[jazzeum]

But what if you can't find the responsible party? What then? For argument sake, what if Brady joked that he liked a deflated ball and the equipment man took it on himself after the Ref had tested the balls. What is the punishment then. It's easy enough to say that something happened to the balls while in NE's possession but quite another to find the responsible person.

Absent our knowing what the NFL knows, meting out punishment may not be as easy as it seems.

 

[mikemiller1955]

But what if you can't find the responsible party? What then? For argument sake, what if Brady joked that he liked a deflated ball and the equipment man took it on himself after the Ref had tested the balls. What is the punishment then. It's easy enough to say that something happened to the balls while in NE's possession but quite another to find the responsible person.

Absent our knowing what the NFL knows, meting out punishment may not be as easy as it seems.

Brad...

you're an attorney...clarify this for me...

the equipment man is an employee of NE...doesn't an employee fall under the liability of the company?

wouldn't the organization as a whole be responsible...either Belichick as the manager/coach or Kraft as the owner?

these items were left in their charge...aren't they responsible for their care?

these are silly analogies...but I'm just trying to establish that the responsibility and liability lie with whoever was in charge of an undamaged item...

if we were neighbors and you borrowed my weed eater and returned it broken in half...but claimed you didn't do it...does it matter to me who did it...wouldn't you be responsible?

 

[Panzer ace]

It is almost as if the Super Bowl has just been forgotten at this point.

 

[Combat]

I'm waiting for Jimbo Fisher to announce that Jameis Winston had nothing to do with this.

 

[lancer]

I'm waiting for Jimbo Fisher to announce that Jameis Winston had nothing to do with this.

What about Oswald or Ruby? -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

Mike,

You're right but first we have to find a guilty party. Easier said than done I think.

Supposedly, the Ravens tipped the Colts about this. Well, if the Ravens suspected something, was it reported to the League and, if so, why was nothing done; I'm assuming nothing was done.

I think it's time to get back to football. Yes, there is a guilty party somewhere but did anyone die, was a government overthrown.

ESPN ran a straw poll asking if the Colts game was tainted by the ball issue. About 700,000 people have voted and it's 50-50. Not surprisingly, most in Massachusetts say no where the reverse is true in Washington state. In NJ and Texas, slightly more than not believe it's tainted; in Maryland almost 60% believe it is and in Pennsylvania about 56% believe it is tainted.

Rules should be respected but I can't imagine punishing someone before the game.

 

[Combat]

Mike,

You're right but first we have to find a guilty party. Easier said than done I think.

Supposedly, the Ravens tipped the Colts about this. Well, if the Ravens suspected something, was it reported to the League and, if so, why was nothing done; I'm assuming nothing was done.

I think it's time to get back to football. Yes, there is a guilty party somewhere but did anyone die, was a government overthrown.

ESPN ran a straw poll asking if the Colts game was tainted by the ball issue. About 700,000 people have voted and it's 50-50. Not surprisingly, most in Massachusetts say no where the reverse is true in Washington state. In NJ and Texas, slightly more than not believe it's tainted; in Maryland almost 60% believe it is and in Pennsylvania about 56% believe it is tainted.

Rules should be respected but I can't imagine punishing someone before the game.

I tend to agree with Mike's point on this. The balls were in the control of the Patriots. Someone appears to have altered them. I don't believe for a second that Brady or BB or the Pats management doesn't know or couldn't find out within ten seconds what happened. If they don't want to cooperate and just claim ignorance, that isn't a defense to the organization. And the punishment needs to take place prior to the Super Bowl to be meaningful. If anything, not cooperating only makes matters worse. I would interprete Brady's denial to be specific to the balls used in the Colts game. It's entirely possible that he has expressed a preference for under inflated balls to his equipment managers in the past and that is what they provide him with. He doesn't say or do anything to make that happen now. As a result, he has no direct knowledge what was done with the balls in the Colts game. But he does know that the balls are underinflated, who on the payroll makes sure that happens, and why they do it.

 

[sammy719]

I am for one glad the Ravens management has taking the high road on all of this mess, as most reporters are trying to stir up some juicy headlines and write about the "what ifs" from the Pats/Ravens divisional round game Harbaugh/Biscotti have basically said it's irrelavent, that game has been played and we lost, moving onto next year, as I am, George I feel for you, as a Raven fan I took my lumps it seems all year from Ray Rice disaster that just wouldn't go away (even after he was cut)!!! hang in there support your team and city, your team made it to the Superbowl, enjoy it because you never know how long it will be between championships...Sammy

 

[mikemiller1955]

I watch ESPN...the NFL Network and Fox Sports...

I read from the websites...espn.com ...foxsports.com and sometimes yahoosports.com ....

I can't remember a Super Bowl year when there has been so little actual coverage on the game and match ups itself...

every time I go the any of these channels or websites...mostly all I see is more coverage of Deflategate...

there are some silly/trivial stories like...

Russel Wilson crying...
Marshawn Lynch fined for grabbing his junk or not allowed to play with gold spikes...
there is a horse named Bell A Chick...
Sherman saying Brady isn't the perfect angel people think he is...

other than Jeremy Lane says guarding Gronkowski is no big deal...

I'm not seeing much coverage on the upcoming game itself...

 

[jazzeum]

I watch ESPN...the NFL Network and Fox Sports...

I read from the websites...espn.com ...foxsports.com and sometimes yahoosports.com ....

I can't remember a Super Bowl year when there has been so little actual coverage on the game and match ups itself...

every time I go the any of these channels or websites...mostly all I see is more coverage of Deflategate...

there are some silly/trivial stories like...

Russel Wilson crying...
Marshawn Lynch fined for grabbing his junk or not allowed to play with gold spikes...
there is a horse named Bell A Chick...
Sherman saying Brady isn't the perfect angel people think he is...

other than Jeremy Lane says guarding Gronkowski is no big deal...

I'm not seeing much coverage on the upcoming game itself...

Maybe it's a NFL plot to make sure we're not bored during the off week ^&grin