OT - Patriots, again- say it aint so Bill

[Len J]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

Well, my question is, was the pressure of each ball actually measured? My guess is that refs look at the balls, pick up a few, give 'em a squeeze, and that's it. Just a hunch. I am seriously doubting that the ref weighs, measures, and checks the pressure on every ball. That would explain the NFL's weak reaction to this whole affair. Nobody ever cared and nobody ever measured, weighed and checked. They don't want to expose the refs. Just a hunch.

Do you really think Bill has any idea where the balls come from and what the whole procedure is supposed to be with the game balls? That task is so out of his realm. That's like asking my CEO ($20+ billion company) for a new PC.

According to the NFL and the referees crew...all balls were individualy gauged.

Len

[Len J]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

An excerpt from NBC news talking to a former NFL team ball boy:



Just sayin'

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/06/peter-...-part-three/2/

[Len J]

Originally Posted by velomonkey

If this is true, and we're gonna need more than this guy's "sources" then yea, the balls were clearly tampered with - I'm hard pressed to think this is true as the NFL would have a ruling right away - you don't need any more evidence - it's all there - prior to game, good - halftime, not good - end of game, good. Busted. So why the wait, then?

I suspect it's cause they don't have a clue.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...investigation/

[rnhood]

I doubt its because they don't have a clue. Its because they are trying to figure out how to mitigate the severity of cheating so that the league and Super Bowl can....move on. Like the UCI, its better to keep moving since there is big money to be made.

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by DukeHorn

Bad analogy considering QBs consider the ball condition to be of paramount importance and it was Brady himself who petitioned for the clubs to bring their own balls to games back in 2006 and everyone's awareness of Bill's OCD tendencies. Try again.

Beg to differ.
Brady can ask for the balls to have 2 lbs of pressure in them, but they have to be checked first and if they were really checked, they'd never make it into the game.

With all the things that BB has to think about before and during a game, do you really think he gives a flying fark about how balls are delivered to a game? Furthest thing from his mind.

[firerescuefin]

Originally Posted by velomonkey

If this is true, and we're gonna need more than this guy's "sources" then yea, the balls were clearly tampered with - I'm hard pressed to think this is true as the NFL would have a ruling right away - you don't need any more evidence - it's all there - prior to game, good - halftime, not good - end of game, good. Busted. So why the wait, then?

I suspect it's cause they don't have a clue.

I'd suspect it's more that they'd rather suspend Brady or Coach B sometime next season, rather than it affect their biggest day of the year. You don't think the NFL's business/Super Bowl partners haven't made their feelings clear regarding this.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by Len J

According to the NFL and the referees crew...all balls were individualy gauged.

Len

You believe what the NFL says? They hired the former director of the FBI to clear their name because they are viewed by the public as such a [pick one: corrupt | inept | exploitative ] organization. I'm sure that Ray Rice video is going to be found in 4 years, unopened, because it got lost in the mail room.

And I haven't seen any official report yet. Which just adds to my argument. The organization has more leaks than a running of Paris-Roubaix and the patriot's balls, combined! This is the organization you're going to trust to arrive at an unbiased finding of the truth?

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

There have to be more cameras at an NFL game than virtually any other place in the world. I demand to see the Zupruder film of the deflation!

"Get the spider cam over on the NE sideline and zoom in on that ball boy deflating those balls"

Ask, and ye shall receive. From the latest NFL statement.

We have retained Renaissance Associates, an investigatory firm with sophisticated forensic expertise to assist in reviewing electronic and video information.

[firerescuefin]

I know I'm gonna get flamed...but the Patriots fans on this thread sound like the Branch Lancivians.

My take...they cheated...many cheat and don't get caught. They did. You want to be fan and tell me "your sorry that I don't believe in miracles"...then I'm guilty as charged.

Added:

They're gonna get a ruler across the top of the hands. If I were a Pats fan, I'd be pulling hard that it takes place next year.

[Tom]

So, my math could be wrong but Brady playing with flaccid balls goes 11-22 for 88 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. With nice plump firm balls he goes 12-13 for 132 yards and 2 TDs.

These guys are like the kid that doesn't realize you copy your test answers from the smart kid, not the dumb one.

[Len J]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

You believe what the NFL says? They hired the former director of the FBI to clear their name because they are viewed by the public as such a [pick one: corrupt | inept | exploitative ] organization. I'm sure that Ray Rice video is going to be found in 4 years, unopened, because it got lost in the mail room.

And I haven't seen any official report yet. Which just adds to my argument. The organization has more leaks than a running of Paris-Roubaix and the patriot's balls, combined! This is the organization you're going to trust to arrive at an unbiased finding of the truth?

I take that statement in the context of the information that exists and it's all generally consistent and compelling....unless you are PATS fanboy.

Len

[ergott]

Prediction. If the Pats are guilty of anything, all the conclusive evidence will magically be wrapped up after the Super Bowl. No way they will finish the investigation beforehand and have to deal with penalizing the team before the game. Sponsors don't want the starts of the game benched on their dime.

As if it really needs saying. ALL PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ARE CORRUPT. The bigger the purse, the more elaborate the ruse.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by firerescuefin

I know I'm gonna get flamed...but the Patriots fans on this thread sound like the Branch Lancivians.

Oh, it's on!




No, seriously Geoff. The whole thing is a circus, and I'm talking professional sports in general, not this particular situation. It is a giant soap opera, entertainment, a distraction from real life.

If this happened to any other team, I'd have the same response. It is a poorly conceived rule to begin with and it has been blown totally out of proportion. The officials (not the teams) have the final say if a ball is placed on the line of scrimmage. If something is off, if they don't like the ball, it is up to them.

This is, in my opinion, the NFL saying "Oh, Indianapolis brought us this opportunity on a silver platter! We get to shift negative publicity away from us from that fiasco with Ray Rice, and move it to the Patriots, who everyone already thinks are criminals, I could only dream about this."

The fact that they've now brought in an investigation firm tells me that they aren't even sure of the facts yet. 40 people interviewed and they have to bring in an outside firm to figure out what happened? c'mon.

If there is evidence of someone letting air out of the balls, I'll be the first to say that a punishment needs to be handed down. I'm not saying they're innocent. I am saying 1) take what the NFL says with a grain of salt until there is some finding of wrong doing, 2) question why the NFL has such a lax rule to begin with, with so much room for tampering and 3) who is responsible for putting a ball into play - is it the team or is it the officials (and by extension, the league)?

Even if the patriots are found to have tampered with the balls, this whole thing is the NFL deflecting blame from their poor oversight. And they're doing quite a good job actually.

And remember, this is a difference of 2 psi. A difference that the officials apparently could not feel, or if they could, judged it not to be of concern until half time.

So, I'm not defending the patriots... they may have taken air out, but let the investigation finish, present the evidence and the findings and then layout a punishment, if necessary. But I also believe this is Roger Goodell's attempt to redeem himself in the wake of the Ray Rice debacle, and to make the league look like it knows what it's doing and that it is some sort of moral pillar of modern society - enforcing some sense of fair play and ethics, rather than the circus that we all know it is.

As far as I'm concerned, we're having a good natured debate about a trivialality of a triviality. You want to know where the real outrage should be directed? It is not the patriots or bill belichick. Go watch League of Denial by Frontline. People lost their lives because of concussion induced brain damage from playing in the NFL and the NFL carried on a decades long campaign to discredit those trying to get the truth out.

[malbecman]

My prediction is that the investigative firm hired by the NFL will find evidence of the tampering and the Patriots will throw some poor ball boy/equipment manager under the bus to save face.

[Lewis Moon]

Originally Posted by malbecman

My prediction is that the investigative firm hired by the NFL will find evidence of the tampering and the Patriots will throw some poor ball boy/equipment manager under the bus to save face.

Bingo...we have a winner.