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I disagree. Always best to be honest once caught, especially for rather trivial matters like this. Simply admit you made a bad decision, that you regret it, and will abide by whatever punitive action the league see's fit. Own it. Say you overly-competitive sometimes and in this case it got the best of you. WTF...everyone agrees it had no effect on the outcome of the game. However, the outcome of his reputation as a person is at stake, and obviously lying like this to the public could cost him big time endorsements and opportunities down the road. In my opinion, this is all on Brady and he should have been a man, taken the heat, and thrown himself upon the mercy of the court of public opinion. The public tends to be very forgiving, provided they're not being lied to.

Fact is, someone released the air pressure. It may have dropped a fraction on its own, but not 2 lbs on 11 of 12 balls. If Kraft were truly interested in the truth he'd be screaming for an investigation to get to the bottom of it. So would Brady and Belichick for that matter. It couldn't be more obvious that this was an inside job, and, as with most scandals, it's the cover-up rather than the crime that will be their undoing. Why can't people just come out and say, "I regret that I did in fact request a little air pressure removed to improve my grip. It was wrong, and I wish I could take it back. I wasn't fully aware of the rules, but should have been and can assure you it will not happen again." If they had just did that it would've already been over. Maybe a small fine, a mid-round draft pick penalty, and on to the next story in the news cycle. They decided to double down, and it won't end well. Even if the ball boy takes the fall, Belichick and Brady will have a permanent stain on their legacy for lying, and now Kraft will look dirty, too.

Pats 23-17. I think the whole deflate gate bull **** is going to work to their emotional advantage with an "us against the world" rally cry. Seattle is banged up in the secondary and required a miraculous win to get to the show, while NE just pummeled the Colts and are feeling pretty confident.

Different players, different poll. Duh. You Polish or something?

Seems neck-and-neck on the poll.

Not being sarcastic on this one. Butler was the #5 pick out of Clemson in 1979, was voted Rookie of the Year and then voted to the Pro Bowl in 1980. A catastrophic knee injury in 1983 prematurely cut short his career, though he did recover enough to have one more productive season in 1985 before retiring in 1986 after shattering his ankle. Too early to tell what will happen with Sammy, but the Butler comparison is a fair one. Stats-for-stats comparisons are useless in this scenario, as the passing numbers of his era were grossly different than today. We obviously hope for a longer career, and have no way of knowing whether that will happen, but I think the jury is still out on this choice. Watkins didn't have a rookie-of-the-year campaign like Butler, and unlike Butler wasn't even close to being the top rookie WR in his draft class, but he did perform well enough that there is room for optimism he could become a productive #1 receiver with a couple pro bowls should things fall into place. If you asked me whether I would trade careers...Sammy's for Jerry's...the answer would have to be no. I would take my chances that Sammy has a longer career of productivity than Jerry had. The one wild card: Buffalo did not have to trade away their top pick the next season to move up for Butler. That makes this decision a bit tougher.

Great idea.

FWIW, Tuttle is in the Winnipeg Blue Bomber HOF.

Because it makes so much sense comparing Watkins with a superstar like Beckham in a serious way, I figured I'd make a new thread with a comparison that makes equally as much sense. The Bills selected Perry Tuttle from Clemson with the 19th pick in the 1982 draft, and he completely busted. After the Bills let him go in after the 1983 season, he bounced between Atlanta and Tampa Bay in 1984 before ending up in the CFL where he had a solid career in Winnipeg. In my humble opinion, Watkins is a far better player than Tuttle, and Whaley made a much better draft decision than Stew Barber back in 1982.

Can I say how much I !@#$ing love this Roger Goodell account? lmfao!!

I'd take a Moulds career from Sammy in a heartbeat. He was a solid #1 receiver for years and made 3 pro bowls. Even a Lee Evans level career would be fine with me. Anyone with eyes can see Beckham is in another category. The Giants clearly hit jackpot with a generational phenom. Draft boards can't see everything. Jerry Rice was taken after Al Toon and Eddie Brown, both quality pro receivers in their own right but clearly not in the same stratosphere as Rice. Is Rice just a product of having HOF QBs throwing to him? Would Toon or Brown have had equal numbers if they traded places? Clearly no sane person would think so. Rice was the best, and all signs point to Beckham being in the super-elite category, too.

Sherman has no filter, which I like, but I also know it's only a matter of time before he vomits out something that will really hurt his career.

For the countless consecutive year, I did not watch a single play.

Just hope the kid gets his life together before it's too late, and I'm not talking about for the sake of football.

Sammy had a nice rookie year, and could definitely develop into a solid #1 receiver with the right QB. That said, IMO there is a legit chance Odelle Beckham could become the greatest wide receiver of all time. He's that good. It's simply unfair to compare Sammy to this guy.

I feel ya, bro. Total agreement. I hope he proves us both wrong, but I think his timid nature causes the inaccuracy and inconsistency and I'm not sure that can be cured. One of those kids who can look great in practice, combines and interviews but lacks the intestinal fortitude to perform on gameday at the NFL level. Still, as Monos said...you never know. Maybe somehow the light goes on, the fear subsides and he sticks it to all of us doubters.

Garrett Grayson should be available in the 3rd round, and I'd take a shot at him. Maybe even in the 2nd round if his stock keeps rising. Plays well in cold weather, built tough, plays tough, strong numbers, decent arm strength, accurate, good character...I like him. If not, I'd take a flyer on Nick Marshall in the 5th-6th round. He impressed the hell out of me at Auburn. Clutch player, strong arm, great mobility, bright...reminds me of a Russell Wilson type.

Direct to the source. Absolutely.

I think any objective observer of EJ would agree that while the evidence against is compelling, the jury is still out on whether he has what it takes to become a quality NFL QB. "You never know" is a way of saying we really don't know for sure yet, but the odds aren't great. Contrast that with Manziel, who Cleveland's owner effectively declared a bust this week after two horrid starts and a pile of off-field bull **** in his rookie year. In the case of Manziel vs Cleveland, the the verdict is in and Manziel has been sentenced guilty on all counts of being a 1st degree bust. He will appeal the sentence in training camp, but the odds against him are almost Tebowesque at this point.

I'd fine the team the $25k and take away a mid round pick. Need to make a statement about institutional control while keeping in mind it was a relatively minor infraction.

So, what you're saying is EJ needs to be pregaming before the games. I think you may be on to something.

Geno is a risk taker. EJ is risk averse. This was the case in college, and it's still the case in the pros. Not sure any amount of nurture can change that nature. Geno may develop better risk management skills via gameday learning experience, and there are signs that's starting to happen. If so, he has a very big upside. If not, he's capable of apocalyptic destruction. Next year will be the make or break for him. Meanwhile, EJ needs to loosen up the risk controls. He plays with fear, and the only way that fear will dissipate is if he isn't worried about the consequences of making a mistake. This is where a loyal coach like Rex could be a big help. If Manuel believes he can suck deflated balls and his coach will still have his back it could relax his game. No guarantees on that, but a season of rope to either hang or prove himself probably should be extended in 2015. He needs to dance like nobody's watching to have a chance at making boom out of bust. I'd still put my money on EJ hanging himself, but I'm a terrible gambler so who knows. Gotta give him a punchers chance given the high investment we made, and the dearth of top quality options in free agency or the draft. I just think it's harder to embolden the timid than reign in the reckless.

Also, there is the real chance that Blount inhaled a few pounds of ball. That is the primary purpose of a Blount, right?

I heard it's not about Brady. Blount apparently has a much better feel for running the ball at 11psi than 13psi.