2014 Official NFL Thread

[Doc Holliday]

Sherman says Brady initiated trash-talk in 2012

RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady started the trash talking in the 2012 regular-season game in which Sherman walked up to Brady after Seattle's 24-23 victory and asked, "You mad, bro?"

"He was pretty much saying that we were nobodies," Sherman said Wednesday about Brady. "And we should come up to him after they got the win. He said stuff like that throughout the game. So we should just take that pretty well? Sure, can I get your autograph, too?"

The Seahawks trailed 23-10 in the game at CenturyLink Field on Oct. 14, 2012, but Seattle scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 46-yard TD pass from Russell Wilson to Sidney Rice with 1:18 to go. Sherman's comment to Brady was seen on national TV moments after the game ended.

"Truthfully, at that time, I thought he was just coming up to say 'good game.' That's all I thought it was," Brady told Boston sports radio WEEI on Monday. "It was loud after that game, so I didn't really hear anything. Then I went into the locker room after the game and ... he said he was talking trash to me. That was all a bit of a surprise to me."

Sherman said Wednesday that Brady's image doesn't necessarily match reality.

"I think people somehow get a skewed view of Tom Brady," Sherman said. "That he's just a clean-cut guy that does everything right and never says a bad word to anyone. We know him to be otherwise.

"In that moment of him being himself, he said some things and we returned the favor. Unfortunately, he apparently didn't remember what he said. I'm sure also in those moments when he's yelling at the ref, he's just saying, 'Good job. You're doing a fantastic job. Keep it up.' "

Sherman was asked if he thinks Brady will throw the ball in his direction in the Super Bowl.

"I don't care," Sherman said. "I hope so. It will give me more opportunities to get the ball. He had me in his sights before."

Sherman says Brady initiated trash-talking

I whole-heartedly agree with Sherman. Brady is a fake.

 

[Vercingentorix]

It's not evident and that the game with the Colts would have been significantly affected if the balls had the proper inflation. Let's face it, the Colts got blown out. So any intimation that the results of the game would have been different is pure BS. That being said there were a number of Patriot games that were quite close this season where the inflation of the ball MIGHT have been a contributing factor. It's impossible to be certain of anything other than the fact that this condition has been known for at least several weeks. It was reported by the Ravens and the Colts to name a few. You can scream and pout all you want, but you can't change history and it won't alter the fact that the Patriots are a winning (notice I didn't say good) team. Rules are made to be followed and it was the responsibility of the Patriot Coaching Staff & Management to administer the rules. They didn't and they need to penalized for the integrity of the game. Belichick has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar way too many times and it's known that he "treads the line". He should be severely fined (at least $1 million dollars) and reprimanded personally by the NFL. That would take a little "luster" off of his sheen. The team should be penalized at least a 2nd round draft choice. The league has a responsibility to the fans to keep its house clean and to set an example for our young.

 

[Merlot]

BOYZ!!!

Let's just note that you get a 100 million times less attention or concern if you are an NFL player who sexually assaults a woman (Ben Roethlisberger) than for under-inflating a football....none for over-inflating one.

Even hall-of-famer coach Don Chula routinely refers to Belichick as Bill Beli-cheat.

At the time the Colts were my favorite team Don Holier-Than-Thou Shula was guilty of being involved with tampering to get a contract with the Dolphins while he was under contract with the Colts and forbidden to talk to any other team. Put that under betrayal.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110415224446AAcJmz3

How about the Dolphins having tapes of the Patriots audibles and using them to beat the Patriots in 2006?

In another story where the facts are admitted:

Brad Johnson paid a bribe to tamper with footballs at the Super Bowl

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...e-to-tamper-with-footballs-at-the-super-bowl/

Johnson, whose Buccaneers beat the Raiders at Super Bowl XXXVII, said he paid $7,500 to some people he did not identify so that they would scuff the balls set to be used in the Super Bowl, making them easier to grip. According to Johnson, there were 100 footballs set aside for the game, and the people he bribed tampered with all 100, to Johnson’s specifications.

Poor Joe.

and the beat goes on,

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

Wow!! Just watched Mark Brunell & Jerome Bettis on ESPN and they both literally called out Tom Brady for being a big fucking liar!

I'm shocked!! Shocked!!! As Captain Louis Renault would say.......:lol:

You know, the more i think about it, the more i believe that Tom Brady & Bill Belicheat deserve one another.

Two cheaters, two liars.....whose legacy will be tarnished forever for always getting caught cheating.

Go Seahawks!! :thumb:

 

[Doc Holliday]

This whole deflate gate is a real joke!...Maybe next time I go see an SP I'll deflate my balls to make them easier for her to grab and hold on to!

Sounds like something a pornstar such as Belle Knox might say.....

 

[Merlot]

BOYZ,

Adam Schefter On Deflate-gate: NFL Struggling To Find Evidence, Might Not Punish Anyone

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/adam-...ing-to-find-evidence-might-not-punish-anyone/

Surprise surprise: the supercops over at the National Football Association are having a hard time finding evidence. Someone call TMZ.

Speaking on SportsCenter today, NFL insider Adam Schefter seemed to believe Bill Belichick’s claim that he has “never talked to any player, staff member about football air pressure.”

“Anybody who watched this press conference this morning would come away saying he did not know about the air pressure in these balls,” Schefter said Thursday afternoon.

He also made it clear that his people on the ground — or whatever elvin magic he conjures to get information about the NFL — have indicated that it is proving difficult for the league to pinpoint exactly how, where and who used, well, a pinpoint to deflate those 11 footballs.

“To my understanding, the league has had a tough time substantiating the evidence. They have found some of the footballs were under inflated or deflated, but to figure out the process, who is responsible, why this happened — my understanding is it has been difficult for the league to ascertain those facts so far.”

Schefter then insinuated that it is possible that the NFL does not take any action on account of the lack of a smoking gun, or a “smoking pump,” as it were. Can you imagine the backlash if the Patriots come out of Deflate-gate without a single, meaningful punishment from Roger Goodell? That’s like all of the NFL’s problems all rolled up into one mega-problem. It’s a perfect shit-storm.

“It may be until after the Super Bowl before the announcement of any discipline,” he said, adding, “If there is any in this case.”

Schefter expects the NFL to release a statement at some point today. Until then, all eyes will be on Tom Brady’s 4:00 p.m. ET press conference.

Ohhhhh mmmmyyy gooooodddneessss, isn't that going to be disappointing for the lynchers out there. Still, it does offer all the other teams a very convenient panacea excuse for why they CAN'T CUT IT! Except it's too late for the 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Buffalo Bills who lost before the Patriots could "cheat" on anything.

Cowherd Explains Why Deflate-gate Isn’t A Big Deal — But Belichick Still Deserves Stiff Punishment

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/cowhe...ut-belichick-still-deserves-stiff-punishment/

The hierarchy of sports cheating probably goes something like this:

1) Bribery
2) P.E.D. use
3) Sabotage
4) Spying/stealing information
5) Manipulating equipment/playing surfaces

Within that last one, there are an infinite number of indiscretions of varying, indefinite degrees. Is a corked bat worse than a wide receiver using adhesive on his gloves? Does a foreign substance on a baseball give a pitcher more of an unfair advantage than an overly curved stick in hockey? Does making the rims stiffer on a particular hoop impact a basketball game more than pumping extra crowd noise through P.A. speakers does to a football game?

It’s impossible to quantify this kind of stuff. Alas, here we are, 11 days away from Super Bowl XLIX, and we’re debating the value of two pounds per square inch on a professional football game. This morning on Mike & Mike, quarterback specialist and Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden made the point that under-inflated footballs couldn’t have been that big a factor in Sunday’s rainy AFC Championship game.

“I don’t understand what’s the matter in a 45-7 game,” he said.

“But if the ball was favorable to Tom Brady and Andrew Luck did not have the same opportunity to use a football to his liking, perhaps there was a slight advantage.”

Today on The Herd, however, Colin Cowherd went as far as comparing under-inflated footballs to “phantom tags” in baseball, citing it as relatively harmless.

“I don’t think if you gave [Tom] Brady a 12.5 [psi football], which is legal, and an 11.5 [psi football] it’s the difference of routing Indianapolis,” he said this afternoon.

“It doesn’t rise to the level of blood doping in cycling, where I think there is an absolute correlation with doing it and winning, or P.E.D. use in baseball where there’s a correlation of using it and hitting more home runs. It’s like, it rises to the the level of a phantom tag in baseball to me. It’s part of the culture. It happens everywhere. We have various reports today of people acknowledging it happens everywhere,” he added.

“But i think the bigger issue is insubordination by Bill Belichick.”

Cowherd then went on to project a half-season suspension for the Patriots’ head coach, and offered up the additional punishment of forcing New England to be on HBO’s Hard Knocks for the next two seasons. (Honestly, he meant that last part.)

“You know what would be the best punishment for the Patriots? Put them on Hard Knocks for two years. Bill, Hard Knocks, two years, cameras everywhere. It would drive him crazy! That would infuriate Bill Belichick. That’s what they should do.”

Of course what happened is nowhere near a capital crime...but it is a godsend to whiners.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[hungry101]

I really think this is a non-story in my opinion.

If a ball is slightly underinflated it can be a little easier to grip and supposedly easier to kick.

The referee and the umpire check the balls prior to the game and approve them. They mark each game ball.
If NE deflated them over the course of the game, the officials should catch this because they handle the balls between every down. In fact, the umpire handles the balls more than the QB. He knows the brand they are playing. He checks it at the beginning of a series after a change of possession. Prior to each snap the umpire set the laces as prescribed by the center. The wing officials handle the ball nearly every play when they are triangling the ball back to the umpire. they know when something feels funny.

The point is that the officials are constantly handling the balls. If there was a competitive advantage gained it was only slight. Otherwise, the officials would have not allowed NE to put the ball in play. They would of felt something was funny and tossed it out and asked for another ball or demanded that they inflate the ball.

Anyway, NE outplayed the Colts in every phase of the game. I don't think that using 11 balls that had 1/2 - 3/4 PSI more air would have made a difference.

Two more comments from experience:

1. Balls are inflated to suit the QB (except for the ball used to Kick-off after a touchdown or safety. That is the kickers favorite ball. The kicker has to use the ball used to start a series for a scrimmage kick or point after try). If the balls were deflated a bit that would be because the QB wanted the balls deflated. I guarantee that the Brady uses the balls that he wants to use unless they are mandated by the league which may require a particular brand because a company like Rawlings paid the NFL to big bucks to use a particular ball. But the QB will be the final say as to which balls are game balls and how they are prepared because he handles the ball every down.

2. If there is an issue where NE was in the habit of trying to gain an unfair competitive advantage by having balls approved by the Referee and then modifying them after is cheating. Philosophically, I'm opposed to this thought process even though I do not feel it impacted the outcome of the game.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Wow!! Just watched Mark Brunell & Jerome Bettis on ESPN and they both literally called out Tom Brady for being a big fucking liar!

I'm shocked!! Shocked!!!

You know, the more i think about it, the more i believe that Tom Brady & Bill Belicheat deserve one another.

Two cheaters, two liars.....whose legacy will be tarnished forever for always getting caught cheating.

Go Seahawks!! :thumb:

I saw this last night as they were throwing 3 balls (one normal, one over inflated and one under inflated) to each other and they both picked out the under and over inflated rather easily and both agree it is much easier to throw (Brunell) and much less of a chance the ball can be stripped out of the hands of the ball carrier (Bettis)

Brady admitted to preferring deflated footballs

Busted!

Canty: "Deflated footballs as bad as PEDs"

If anyone thinks this is the first time the Cheatriots have done this all season, think again. They did not all the sudden wake up last sunday and decide to do this and likely have been doing this over time and thought they had perfected how not to get caught just as they did in spygate some years ago. How many victories and statistics could this have altered this season? (or seasons past) Answer: many.

It effects the control CHEATER BRADY has throwing to his target, it effects the way the ball can be stripped out of the ball carriers hands because a smaller ball is harder to get away from anyone, and it effects the overall offensive scheme of things as in some 1st and second downs or more importantly 3rd and 4th downs now become shorter, some field goals would be shorter now as well etc etc etc which effects the way the game is coached tremendously and makes coaching decisions much easier because all of this makes an offense better. There are many intangibiles at play here that make life much easier for an offense because of a deflated ball.

This whole thing is dirty and reeks of that cheating organization that has been caught before, an orginization who employed murderers and other criminals throughout the Belicheat era... disgusting, simply disgusting and for those cheatriot fans worldwide who always claim of their integrity, honesty and pride for that gang that still make excuses for this team come off weasel like but then again if the shoe fits, eh? Another black eye in boston, I love it!

PS....if the Cheatriots win the SB, forever another * will be placed next to another boston championship. Fitting isn't it? :nod:

 

[lgna69xxx]

Have you turned on a tv, radio or the internet lately bro?

I really think this is a non-story in my opinion.

 

[hungry101]

It had no outcome on the final score. That is what makes it a non-story. If the balls were that different the officials would have determined that by handling them and not let them into the game. That was the purpose of my entire post. If there is no competitive advantage gained than the point is moot.

 

[lgna69xxx]

There is a competitive advantage, again I ask you mon ami if you have been near a tv/radio or the 'net since sunday? Many have determined this as fact with some calling it a HUGE advantage especially in inclement weather which there was last sunday in new england.

It had no output on the final score. That is what makes it a non-story. If the balls were that different the officials would have determined that by handling them and not let them into the game. That was the purpose of my entire post. If there is no competitive advantage gained than the point is moot.

 

[hungry101]

There is a competitive advantage, again I ask you mon ami if you have been near a tv/radio or the 'net since sunday? Many have determined this as fact with some calling it a HUGE advantage especially in inclement weather which there was last sunday in new england.

Ill just tell you that my experience playing 6 years of Football, 2 years of coaching and officiating football for 23 years it the balls were that different the officials would have determined this. I have tossed balls out myself and I think these guys would have done so. Also, New England out blocked and out tackled the Colts and it wasn't close. No amount of air in a football made a difference The Colts are not in the Patriots league.

If you want to talk about Sportsmanship and ethics that is a different matter.

I have no ax to grind here. I don't care who wins.

 

[lgna69xxx]

I hear ya there bro, which brings up a good point that maybe next we will hear from the officials who worked that game and other NFL officials if they have not already spoke about this, there are so many angles to Deflate-Gate that it is hard to keep track unless glued to this sad yet very entertaining story as it further developes.

As a Cowboys fan, whomever wins the Super Bowl is good for me because if Seattle wins then good for them, they earned it the right way and if the Cheatriots win then the satisfaction of yet another asterisk next to that "W" works as well :thumb:

Ill just tell you that my experience playing 6 years of Football, 2 years of coaching and officiating football for 23 years it the balls were that different the officials would have determined this. I have tossed balls out myself and I think these guys would have done so. Also, New England out blocked and out tackled the Colts and it wasn't close. No amount of air in a football made a difference The Colts are not in the Patriots league.

If you want to talk about Sportsmanship and ethics that is a different matter.

I have no ax to grind here. I don't care who wins.

 

[Vercingentorix]

Wow!! Just watched Mark Brunell & Jerome Bettis on ESPN and they both literally called out Tom Brady for being a big fucking liar!

Interview with Fran Tarkenton where he does everything but call Tom Brady a liar. Pretty much lays the whole thing at Brady's doorstep.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/40056936...brady-controls-the-game-balls/?#sp=show-clips

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

another asterisk

What a load of hooey. Two items.

1. Was there a deflated ball only when the Patriots had the ball? Regardless of whether or not cheating took place, the two teams still played on a level playing field.

2. I'm sooooo tired of this asterisk nonsense. I look at the record book and I don't see any asterisks anywhere. Do I see an asterisk next to the 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962 Yankees in the record book? No. Well, their #1 pitcher was Whitey Ford, one of the great spitballers of all time, a cheater. How about the 1996 and 1998 Yankees, whose pitching staff was headed by admitted cheater, Andy Pettitte? And the 1999 and 2000 Yankees, led by noted cheater, Roger Clemens? What about the 2009 Yankees, led to the championship by the #1 cheater of all time, Alex Rodriguez? You want to put asterisks next to teams, you can start with all of these phony NY Yankee championships.

 

[wolfie7]

What a load of hooey. Two items.

1. Was there a deflated ball only when the Patriots had the ball? Regardless of whether or not cheating took place, the two teams still played on a level playing field.

2. I'm sooooo tired of this asterisk nonsense. I look at the record book and I don't see any asterisks anywhere. Do I see an asterisk next to the 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962 Yankees in the record book? No. Well, their #1 pitcher was Whitey Ford, one of the great spitballers of all time, a cheater. How about the 1996 and 1998 Yankees, whose pitching staff was headed by admitted cheater, Andy Pettitte? And the 1999 and 2000 Yankees, led by noted cheater, Roger Clemens? What about the 2009 Yankees, led to the championship by the #1 cheater of all time, Alex Rodriguez? You want to put asterisks next to teams, you can start with all of these phony NY Yankee championships.

Spoken like a true Bostonian! LOVE IT!!! :thumb:

Mark Brunell can shove it with that pussy emotional crap. Olberman can shove it. Tarkenton can shove it. Shula can shove it. Let the haters hate, the Patriots will keep winning. Show me hard proof. Even then, it's the football - seriously, get over it. Not 'roids, not betting and tanking. It's the league's issue that they don't have better controls. Onto the Super Bowl!

 

[daydreamer41]

Interview with Fran Tarkenton where he does everything but call Tom Brady a liar. Pretty much lays the whole thing at Brady's doorstep.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/40056936...brady-controls-the-game-balls/?#sp=show-clips

Fran Tarkenton is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He knows the drill.

Tom Brady is probably a liar.

Disqualify the Patriots and let Indianapolis play Seattle. But the NFL, just like the MLB when it came to obvious steriod use back in the Barry Bonds era failed, will fail here also. Gee, this is the second time New England has been caught cheating. Not a lot of integrity with that team, and not a lot of integrity with their fans who defend these cheaters and liars.

The sad thing is Tom Brady is one of the best to play quarterback. His legacy will be forever tainted with this latest charade.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Interesting, yet another QB and legend disappointed with this whole situation. Also watching Bill Belicheat's presser was awesome, that guy new exactly what was going on, he is a control freak type of coach and knows everything about anything within that orginization and the way he was squirming about yesterday was great, he might as well should have "guilty" tatooed on his forehead, the Weasel.

Interview with Fran Tarkenton where he does everything but call Tom Brady a liar. Pretty much lays the whole thing at Brady's doorstep.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/40056936...brady-controls-the-game-balls/?#sp=show-clips

 

[Doc Holliday]

Spoken like a true Bostonian! LOVE IT!!! :thumb:

Mark Brunell can shove it with that pussy emotional crap. Olberman can shove it. Tarkenton can shove it. Shula can shove it. Let the haters hate, the Patriots will keep winning. Show me hard proof. Even then, it's the football - seriously, get over it. Not 'roids, not betting and tanking. It's the league's issue that they don't have better controls. Onto the Super Bowl!

You forgot to add Mark Brunell & Jerome Bettis.

p.s. Rumples watches NFL football?????

 

[Doc Holliday]

It had no outcome on the final score. That is what makes it a non-story. If the balls were that different the officials would have determined that by handling them and not let them into the game. That was the purpose of my entire post. If there is no competitive advantage gained than the point is moot.

This isn't the point, as i've already mentionned. It still wouldn't be the point had the Cheatriots beat the Colts 100-0. The point is that if Belicheat & the Cheatriots were indeed purposely deflating the balls prior and during the game, then it puts the game's integrity into question. And the fact that the Cheatriots have already been caught cheating in the past naturally puts them under a microscope....plus all the controversy from their previous game against the Ravens.

The press conferences didn't help the matter. It's pretty obvious that they were all lying. First Belicheat threw Brady under the bus, and then Brady in return threw the equipment guy under the bus. Brady was also very evasive during the entire conference & wasn't believable. Like a true politician. And i especially loved his answer to the question "If you're answering to your fans the question ARE YOU A CHEATER? what do you say and he replied NO, I DON'T THINK SO. What kind of reply is that???

What struck me as being very bizarre is the fact according to Brady, the NFL has yet to interview him in regards to the matter. Say what??? What kind of investigation is that?

And finally, let me point out that Brady & the Cheatriots are simply a by-product of the Bill Belicheat culture. It has also rubbed off on some of his former assistants. He realized after failing everywhere else that he coached that the only way for him to win was to cheat & play in the rulebook's gray area.