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New England Patriots caught deflating game balls


FireChan

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The reason the NFL is dragging it's heels, is because they know it's an infraction that's worthy of a slap on the wrist, that is being blown completely out of proportion because it's the smug, hated Patriots (as opposed to say, Blake Bortles and the Jags). I don't care about Spygate, this is nowhere near that level of an infraction. The penalty ($25,000) that is already in place makes that clear.

 

These days, a media frenzy is purposely developed over ANYTHING that can be construed as controversial (from actors, politicians, athletes), or anything that allows people to express their opinion, no matter how uninformed (and there is plenty of misinformation, and rumors being tossed around). It's a farce, and the NFL is waiting for the media to latch upon the next click bait fuel.

 

What's out of proportion is the Patriots huge gap in plays per fumble compared to the rest of the league. PEDs are not considered a "slap on the wrist" infraction and PEDs (Performance Enhancing Deflations) should not be either. Seems both greatly improve player performances and both should be considered cheating.

 

Your continued downplaying of this is astounding. They've clearly been doing this for a long time so this is a big deal. Unless the credibility of the NFL is of no concern to you.

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Two different prep methods and two different starting numbers? It's possible the pats would shrink more and from a lower starting point

Obviously but I don't think most voters would know the letter of the rule yet alone the spirit/intent given some of the outrage over properly called situations we see here every week

On your first point, theoretically, but (a) I wouldn't expect the mere rubbing of the ball's surface to have such a dramatic effect and (b) it strikes me as non-believable that that rub down practice takes place immediately before the balls are tested. That strikes me as a day before event.

 

I watched the PC and thought he was spinning as fast as he could.

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What's out of proportion is the Patriots huge gap in plays per fumble compared to the rest of the league. PEDs are not considered a "slap on the wrist" infraction and PEDs (Performance Enhancing Deflations) should not be either. Seems both greatly improve player performances and both should be considered cheating.

 

Your continued downplaying of this is astounding. They've clearly been doing this for a long time so this is a big deal. Unless the credibility of the NFL is of no concern to you.

This is not actually true. It was discussed at length earlier in the thread (somewhere in the 90s).
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On your first point, theoretically, but (a) I wouldn't expect the mere rubbing of the ball's surface to have such a dramatic effect and (b) it strikes me as non-believable that that rub down practice takes place immediately before the balls are tested. That strikes me as a day before event.

 

I watched the PC and thought he was spinning as fast as he could.

I'm not putting out there as factual or even most likely, just in reply to the "well it didn't happen to Indy so it's impossible" mantra we've seen the last few days. Until we know more, it's possible.

 

I think if i were forced to give a position today- I think a lot of teams probably stretch the ball prep for game day and due to their abrasive push the limits reputation (earned), another team put in a complaint based on the letter of the rule but cutting against the unwritten rules coaches were using and the league had been looking the other way on.

 

I suspect the commish playing "gotcha" on this one instead of calling an owner to say cut it out or sending a league memo might actually hurt goodell more than some of the past scandals.

Edited by NoSaint
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Why in the world should a team that's been caught get the benefit of the doubt? I mean it doesn't seem odd that this has never before been a problem in the history of cold weather games, and the one time it is it happens to be with a team that's been caught cheating before? Are there ways to explain how the balls might have been deflated by natural process? Sure. But why go to the lengths to try to prove that in this case? If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck, the Patriots peobably cheated.

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Bryan Cranston @BryanCranston 8m8 minutes ago

Breaking Bad won a final award last night at Producers Guild. We're happier than Tom Brady feels when he wraps his fingers around soft balls


Brian Burke @Adv_NFL_Stats Jan 23

.@brian30tw NE fum rate by yr vs the rest of the NFL, before and after '07 rule change regarding visitor footballs.

B8D62RRIgAAGEc5.png
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Just no more GOAT talk please.

 

Montana's 49ers teams went 4-0 in the bowl and obliterated the opponent in 2 of the 4 wins. They were also stacked with Hall of Fame players.

 

How bout them Cowboys teams? "Only" 3 rings but never really had to sweat much in the bowls. Even the Redskins teams that won 3 rings were stacked. What about the Pittsburgh teams that won 4?

 

No team from this era is the GOAT unless it goes 4-0 or 5-0 AND blows teams away doing it.

 

That is probably my #1 problem with the Patriots*. Everyone wanted to crown them the BEST DYNASTY EVER for beating the Rams, Eagles, and Panthers by a FG each. Meanwhile, many of these other teams had just as many rings (or more) and steamrolled far better competition to win them.

 

So I'm happy this has taken some of the shine off their legacy. No amount of scientific debates by people who don't really understand the science is going to matter. The Patriots* and Brady are a punchline, and that damage is done.

 

Either way, the will get win #4 and join the Giants and Packers with 4 SB wins. Only the Cowboys (5), 49ers (5), and Steelers (6) will have more.

 

So I will crown the Patriots* this: best team of THIS ERA. But ever?

 

Please. Montana's 49ers would obliterate ANY team of this era. Ditto for the 90's Cowboys or 80's/90's Redskins teams.

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This is why I think BB and or Brady are lying.

 

Thursday both BB AND TB say they like the balls at 12.5 , they put them there and then give to the refs.

 

Yesterday BB says they give to refs and ask them to pump to 12.5

 

Thursday TB says they use balls in practice all week to get them scuffed up etc.

 

Yesterday BB states they rub them vigoursly right before game to get them where they want them.

 

Thursday TB states for payoffs he gets there 6 hours before game, picks out the balls he wants, and he wants no one touching them after that, so almost 4 hours before they turn in the balls to the refs.

 

Yesterday, BB says they rub the balls vigorously just before giving the balls to the refs.

 

Now, I do think the so called science he used is going to get debunked,

 

But those are just the few inconsistencies I can see from a quick glance.

 

But yet we are supposed to believe BB AND TB not lying.

Edited by plenzmd1
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I consider PED's way more serious, and I believe that every NFL team has multiple players using them. If they want to get rid of them, I'm all for it. The penalties that people are suggesting (forfeiting the Indy game? year long suspension?) are way out of line for this type of offense.

 

This would be the first time the league has penalized at team for this (as far as I know), so year long suspensions (even for a franchise with past transgressions for completely different infractions). The current penalty starts at $25.000, it's a huge leap from that, to year long suspensions, and game forfeiting.

 

 

Seems kind of funny that you're defending a team here that was known as the place old vets went and seemed to regain a step and one of whom (Rodney Harrison) was caught for HGH use by being dumb enough to order it to his own address under his own name (the only way one could get caught, since the NFL doesn't test for it). I suspect that's a future Pats* scandal that will come down the pike sometime in the future....

Edited by MattM
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This whole thing is just hilarious.

 

Brady and Belichick are like the kid who peeks at your tiles in Scrabble when he always wins anyway, just because...

 

In the end, I just don't want to ever hear about them being the greatest team of all time. That's even sillier than watching sports media types debate PSI readings in footballs.

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Have you ever tried to convince a hostile crowd that sees you as a joke and a liar that you're NOT a joke and a liar?

 

Even politicians (for whom that is part of the job) suck at it, because when people have a negative impression of you it takes something extraordinary to change it.

 

If the NFL came out and definitely stated "The Patriots are totally innocent. We apologize to them and their fans..."

 

Nobody but Pats* fans would buy it. It might actually make it worse.

 

Plus EVERY illegal contact/defensive holding call that went the Pats* way in the SB would be questioned (is it a "make up" call for this mess?)

 

I'll bet there is a champagne bottle in Goodell's office for Sunday night when this year is finally over.

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This is basically a relapse of the spygate issues.

 

The nfl never closed the book on it. They just pit it away and hoped it would be forgotten. They didn't want to devalue 3 superbowls. People were satisfied that they got their hearts broken against the Giants and trusted it would all be on the up and up with the pats.

 

This isn't necessarily about footballs. It rekindles the spygate memories and there hasn't been any real closure there. Then people start thinking about how brady "guesses" correctly at the line with such a ridiculous rate... fumble stats... circus press appearances by brady and belichick. It's bad. Like you get blount. A scrub outcast... and suddenly he gets like 150 yards and 3 tds in an afc championship game. Gray does the same. Ridley and Vereen are scrubs. This plug and play just doesn't make sense.

by themselves these things don't prove guilt. Combined you scratch your head. Burdon of proof for my opinion of this doesn't need to be beyond a reasonable doubt. It all smells very funny. Other great teams. Dallas. 49ers. Etc were just better than other teams. We're told the pats dominate for 15 years because of belichick and brady?

Edited by May Day 10
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Another good one--a Univ. of Toronto professor deflates Pats*' fans benign explanations for Deflategate:

 

http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants/nfl/deflate-gate-u-of-toronto-physicist-discredits-natural-pressure-drop-theories/

 

For all of the apologists, there was a reason they were deflating the balls. They weren't doing it for !@#%s and giggles. There was a clear and calculable advantage, even if it was a small one. They always say that football is a game of inches.

 

I think that Brady's grip wasn't what it used to be and deflating the balls also helps out with the rate of fumbling. In the end, they will never get their credibility back in the public. It's ironic how "cutting corners" with something as small as 2 PSIs in a football can take down something as big as a 15 year NFL dynasty.

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