2014 Official NFL Thread

[Doc Holliday]

It's unfortunate. The Patriots didn't need to do this. And doubtful this altered the outcome. Brady threw an interception and the game was still competitive at the halfway mark, when the balls were under-inflated. It was during the 2nd half, when presumably the balls were re-inflated, that the Patriots pulled away.

Fair. However, who knows what could have happened had Brady & the Patriots played with normally-inflated balls? My guess is that he would have had a much harder time throwing the ball...same thing with the wide receiver who threw that TD....the wide receivers & tight ends may have had a tougher time catching a harder, more-inflated ball & chances that they & the running backs could have increased their chances at fumbling the ball deserve serious consideration.

I'm not saying that the Colts would have won the game, but the score could have been much closer than what it was.

Bill Belichick was a disaster until by chance he discovered Tom Brady. He was terrible in his previous coaching jobs, and the day Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe changed his destiny forever. It's unfortunate that he had to routinely cheat in order to relieve his paranoia & anxiety. Hopefully, he will pay a hefty price for his cheating ways.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Even though I do not think the Patriots would have lost, this will cement the Patriots as cheaters forever :nono:

The biggest problem with Bill Belichick is that insiders have speculated for years that he firmly believes that he's bigger than the game. He'll do what he wants. When he was caught in the Spygate fiasco, the league had already warned them not to do this. But Belichick believes he's bigger than the game & still continued to spy other teams during their workouts.

I doubt he'll ever learn. Which is why i wonder if his days with the Patriots may not be numbered. Owner Robert Kraft may respect Belichick for everything he's done for the franchise, but he may not allow a constant black cloud to hover over the franchise.

p.s. As if Belichick didn't know that Aaron Hernandez wasn't a gangster when he employed him. Tells you a lot about the man!

 

[wolfie7]

Fair. However, who knows what could have happened had Brady & the Patriots played with normally-inflated balls? My guess is that he would have had a much harder time throwing the ball...same thing with the wide receiver who threw that TD....the wide receivers & tight ends may have had a tougher time catching a harder, more-inflated ball & chances that they & the running backs could have increased their chances at fumbling the ball deserve serious consideration.

I'm not saying that the Colts would have won the game, but the score could have been much closer than what it was.

Bill Belichick was a disaster until by chance he discovered Tom Brady. He was terrible in his previous coaching jobs, and the day Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe changed his destiny forever. It's unfortunate that he had to routinely cheat in order to relieve his paranoia & anxiety. Hopefully, he will pay a hefty price for his cheating ways.

The Edelman gadget play was in the Ravens game. Not the Colts game.

Belichick was a proven winner as a coordinator with Parcells. Those defenses were stellar. I still remember the Giants playing the 49ers as a kid, and the Giants D stopped an otherwise unbelievable offense.

I wouldn't say he was a disaster as a head coach in Cleveland. His last season there, they were turning it around, and then the Browns decided to move to Baltimore mid-season, and the complete organization was in disarray. What happened in Cleveland is probably what makes Belichick so paranoid over all the little details surrounding his teams.

All coaches need time to install their program and let their culture sink in. Belichick needed to find the right owner, and, you're right, the right QB, and time to settle in, to win consistently. But, that is true for all great coaches. Shula had Griese and Marino. Lombardi had Starr. Landry had Staubach. Name me a great coach who didn't have a great QB. And they all had stable ownership.

Also, Brady was never a can't-miss prospect. If you remember his first few seasons, the coaching staff really protected him with short, safe throws. He was more game manager than anything. A game manager that would consistently come through in the clutch. I think Belichick deserves just as much credit for molding Brady into the legend he is, as Brady to Belichick. That pair is linked. It's one of those perfect matches.

Say what you will about Belichick, the man is singular in his focus on winning. Some people are just wired differently. Of course, he thinks he's bigger than the game. All winners have some of that in them, no? Even outside sports, all of us who are successful 'feel our oats' at times. Belichick may just do so more than most. Einstein, Andy Grove, Steve Jobs - all noted douchebags. Of course, winners don't play strictly by the rules. That's life.


Also, per your last post, there's no way Belichick would have extended Aaron Hernandez that huge contract had he known the truth. Kraft doesn't run his organization like that. And again, Belichick is focused on winning. Part of that is managing your salary cap and being ruthless about value - to that end, there's no way he would've risked harming that structure by signing Hernandez in a bad deal. Everything else is debatable, but this point I am absolute in my belief. Belichick would not have extended Hernandez had he known the depth of trouble Hernandez was in.

 

[Doc Holliday]

The Edelman gadget play was in the Ravens game. Not the Colts game.

Quite true. What i meant to say was that it's quite possible that the Patrots were also playing with deflated balls in that game, so who knows if that may have had an effect on that great play.

 

[wolfie7]

Oh, and the whole greatness thing doesn't mean the Patriots shouldn't be punished, if this turns out to be true. I love Brady and the Patriots, and yes even Belichick, but if they are guilty, they should be accountable and they deserve to be punished. All the Boston sportswriters this morning have been pretty good in their statements on this, from Reiss to MacMullan. It's a stain.

 

[Doc Holliday]

To those who point out that the Patriots likely would have won anyway, this isn't the point. The point is, Bill Belichick & the Patriots appear to have been caught cheating again. It's like Manny Ramirez or Ben Johnson...not only were they caught once, but they were caught again!!

I'm curious how severe the penalty will be this time.....SHOULD THE LEAGUE FIND THE PATRIOTS GUILTY. Fines & losing draft picks doesn't seem to be a deterrent, so what will it be this time?

On another note, i'm surprised at the backlash Belichick & the Patriots are receiving from their own media & fan base. A friend of mine, who also has been a die-hard Patriots fan for over a decade, texted me 20 minutes ago to tell me that he's no longer a fan of the Patriots after coming to the conclusion that they're once again guilty. He said he's fed up! This guy adores Tom Brady, so i was somewhat caught by surprise at his declaration.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Has it been established who exactly deflated those balls? I thought that the refs handle the balls before they go into play.

 

[Special K]

Plus the fact it only took seconds for the Colts player to realize that the ball was obviously under-inflated. A difference of 2 psi may not seem like much of a difference in a car tire, but in a football, it's a huge difference & there's no way not to notice it.

Yea, no way that every referee on the field that touched a ball didn't notice it either. Amazing that they didn't notice.

 

[Special K]

A friend of mine, who also has been a die-hard Patriots fan for over a decade, texted me 20 minutes ago to tell me that he's no longer a fan of the Patriots after coming to the conclusion that they're once again guilty. He said he's fed up! This guy adores Tom Brady, so i was somewhat caught by surprise at his declaration.

Please tell Joe.t I said hello. I miss that fella! Hahahaha.

 

[wolfie7]

Yea, no way that every referee on the field that touched a ball didn't notice it either. Amazing that they didn't notice.

Yahoo Sports just did a piece on this. Apparently, 2 psi difference from 13 psi reference point is hard to detect by touch. The ball goes farther though. But 2 psi was not apparent, at least to the writer.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yea, no way that every referee on the field that touched a ball didn't notice it either. Amazing that they didn't notice.

As someone from the media just mentionned on a sports talkshow i'm presently watching, it's entirely possible that since it was pouring rain at the time, it would have been difficult for the on-field officials to notice a difference.

Or maybe they did & didn't think much of it at the time.

But let me be clear: BILL BELICHEAT IS A SCUMBAG CHEATER AND HIS ENTRANCE TO THE HOF ONCE HE RETIRES IS IN DOUBT.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Please tell Joe.t I said hello. I miss that fella! Hahahaha.

LOL!!!

Speaking of Joe t, whatever happened to that guy? He hasn't been around much over the past month or so and i must admit that i've missed his predictions.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yahoo Sports just did a piece on this. Apparently, 2 psi difference from 13 psi reference point is hard to detect by touch. The ball goes farther though. But 2 psi was not apparent, at least to the writer.

I also heard a former player say the same thing earlier. He also mentionned that not only is it easier to grip, but it's also much easier to hold on to & makes it harder to fumble.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Richard Sherman Claims Brady Trash Talked Seahawks in 2012 Game

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...12-game-new-england-patriots-seattle-seahawks

 

[Merlot]

BOYZ!!!

BOYZ!

Brady had a very poor 2nd quarter, in the 3rd he's 8 of 8 with two TDs. It's currently 31 to 7 Patriots and Luck is 7 of 21 for the game.

HUGE CHEERS,

Merlot

However, who knows what could have happened had Brady & the Patriots played with normally-inflated balls? My guess is that he would have had a much harder time throwing the ball...

Any idea that we don't know what "could have happened had Brady & the Patriots played with normally-inflated balls" or that "he would have had a much harder time throwing the ball" was proven WRONG 100% before the question was relevant. We know what happened for a fact.

Here's my own post #371 as the game was in progress late in the 3rd quarter before anyone thought anything about deflated balls. Brady had a poor 2nd quarter using the supposedly deflated balls. He could only lead the team to a total of 3 points in that quarter and it was with the supposedly easier to throw under-inflated ball that he was intercepted. We know now that during halftime all the Patriots balls were inflated properly and they played the second half with league qualified and inspected balls. The immediate result of Brady having to use balls the league inflated balls at the opening of the second half was to go 8 of 8 and score 3 unanswered TDs as easily as if the Colts were as helpless as kittens.

All anyone has to do to disprove this under-inflated football makes it easier to grip and catch theory is look at any official box score and see the Patriots scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter immediately after receiving the regulation inflated balls, and 28 unanswered points in the second half with the regulation inflated balls...all during a blustery raining down pour on a slick field. You may also note the Colts couldn't score more than 7 for the entire game.

Why didn't the Colts do as well with the same regulation balls? It's called SUCKING!!! Using the same regulation balls Brady used in the 2nd half Luck was 12 of 33 with a 23 QBR...PEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Anyone who thinks the inflation level of the balls changed the outcome of this game is dreaming.

The idea that D'Qwell Jackson felt something wrong with the ball may also have been wrong. WEEI reported yesterday that on being questioned about the ball he intercepted Jackson denied noticing anything. According to Jackson he just gave the ball the the equipment manager. The Colts were probably acting on their own suspicions they had after another walloping by the Patriots back in November. S-O-U-R-G-R-A-P-E-S

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[Merlot]

Quarterbacks insist on specific preparation of footballs.

NFL players very particular about footballs, tricks to get them just right

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...alls--tricks-to-get-them-right-194020439.html

We’ve learned more about the handling, condition and proper inflation of NFL footballs this week than we ever needed to know.

And what the New England Patriots’ deflate-gate has brought attention to is that NFL players, mostly quarterbacks and kickers, are quite particular about the condition of the footballs they use in games. Longtime kicker Nick Lowery once slapped a Patriots ball boy over it.

You can’t even blame Bill Belichick for this one. It happened in 1995, pre-Belichick (he joined the Patriots as an assistant the next year, and has been their head coach since 2000). According to the New York Times story from then, Jets kicker Lowery wasn’t happy the Jets were kicking balls that had not been rubbed up in the cold. He complained to the Patriots’ 20-year-old ball boy, who told Lowery it wasn’t his job to provide him a rubbed-up football, and then Lowery slapped him. These balls are serious stuff.

But what does it mean, rubbing up balls? Don’t teams just break out new footballs for each game?

No, no and no.

In 2013 the New York Times did a fascinating story talking about the process in which the Giants prepare balls for quarterback Eli Manning, so they’re to his liking. It takes months.

According to the Times story, the balls are rubbed vigorously for 45 minutes to remove the wax and darken the leather (new balls are too slick, quarterbacks will say). The Giants soak the ball with a wet towel. Then it is brushed again. Then it’s off to an electric spin wheel for more scrubbing. Then the process is repeated twice more. They practice with those balls to break them in even further, and then the ones deemed fit for games are protected like the president.

“No one is allowed to touch those balls,” team’s equipment director Joe Skiba told the Times. “They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.”

Quarterbacks are particular about the footballs they use. In 2006, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady teamed up to lobby the NFL competition committee to allow each team to provide its own footballs for games, so they could be to the quarterbacks’ liking. Home teams provided all the balls before that, and quarterbacks didn’t like the differences in the balls for each road game. The committee passed it, and now each team provides 12 balls for officials to inspect two hours and 15 minutes before the game.

Although much has been made of the edges that teams can get by deflating footballs (it can make them easier to grip and catch), Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers prefers the opposite. CBS’ Phil Simms said during a Packers broadcast (via CSNNE.com) that he prefers his footballs be over-inflated, and he’ll even push the NFL rules on it. Game balls are, by rule, to be inflated with 12.5 to 13.5 pounds of air per square inch and weigh 14 to 15 ounces.

“(Rodgers) said something [that] was unique,” Simms said on CBS, via CSNNE. "[Rodgers said] 'I like to push the limit to how much air we can put in the football, even go over what they allow you to do and see if the officials take air out of it.' Because he thinks it’s easier for him to grip. He likes them tight.”

Are various tricks to break in footballs considered cheating? There have been stories of quarterbacks and kickers putting footballs in the dryer since field goals were invented, sometimes with a wet towel or fabric softener, to break them in.

There hasn't been much of an outrage from many former and current players about this story. Shaun King, a former NFL quarterback who works for Yahoo, said the whole deflate-gate isn’t a big deal. Every quarterback, he said, will do things to break in their footballs.

“Every quarterback does whatever they deem necessary to have their balls the way they like them,” King said. “This is a pure witch hunt the NFL and sports media is on.”

Former NFL quarterback Matt Leinart agreed that the whole story is no big deal, on his Twitter account.

cheers,

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

I wholeheartedly agree! :lol: :lol: :lol:

p.s. I'd like to add that our good friend Merlot is the only person i know who quotes & replies to himself (see post #403).

 

[Doc Holliday]

Belicheat claims he's shocked at recent developments

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Thursday he was "shocked" when informed of the allegations that his team used balls that were deflated after they were inspected by officials before the game.

Belichick's 11-minute news conference was devoted completely to the controversy. He said the Patriots are fully cooperating with the NFL's investigation, and his remarks now shift the attention to quarterback Tom Brady's role in the process.

"I was shocked to learn of the footballs on Monday. I had no knowledge until Monday morning," Belichick said. "I'd say I've learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew, or had talked about it, in the last 40 years that I've coached in this league."

The NFL found that 11 of the Patriots' 12 game balls were inflated significantly below the NFL's requirements, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation of Sunday's AFC Championship Game told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Answering questions from reporters after an opening statement that lasted about eight minutes, Belichick repeated multiple times, "I have no explanation for what happened" and "I've told you everything I know."

"In my entire coaching career, I have never talked to any player or staff member about football air pressure," he said. "The footballs are approved by the league and officials pregame, and we play with what's out there. That's the only way that I have ever thought about that."

Which reminds me of this famous scene:

[video=youtube;SjbPi00k_ME]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjbPi00k_ME[/video]

 

[Doc Holliday]

Brady admitted to preferring deflated footballs

The NFL has not yet concluded that the Patriots deliberately deflated footballs on Sunday against the Colts. But if they did, it meshes with the preferences of their quarterback.

Via CBS Connecticut, Tom Brady told WEEI in Boston more than three years ago that he likes deflated footballs.

“When Gronk scores – it was like his eighth touchdown of the year – he spikes the ball and he deflates the ball,” Brady said in November 2011. “I love that, because I like the deflated ball. But I feel bad for that football, because he puts everything he can into those spikes.”

On that same radio station, Brady scoffed on Monday about the investigation regarding deflated footballs, calling the suggestion that the Patriots deliberately let air out of the balls “ridiculous.”

Brady admitted he prefers deflated footballs

 

[Doc Holliday]

Canty: "Deflated footballs as bad as PEDs"

Baltimore Ravens defensive end Chris Canty said the New England Patriots are "habitual line-steppers" and that the use of underinflated footballs should be dealt with on the same level as players taking steroids or other banned substances.

The Patriots are under investigation for using game balls that were significantly below the NFL's inflation requirements in the AFC Championship Game, which was played a week after the Ravens' game at Gillette Stadium.

The NFL has found that 11 of the Patriots' 12 game balls were underinflated, league sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

"The Patriots are habitual line-steppers," Canty said in an appearance on NBCSN on Wednesday. "If the allegations are true, then you are talking about attacking the integrity of our game and I have an issue with that. ...

"What I'm going to say about the deflating of the balls, to me there is no difference than performance-enhancing drugs. You are cheating at that point. You are getting a competitive advantage outside of the rulebook and there has to be some sort of consequences for that."

Canty disputed a CBS Sports report that the Ravens believe the kicking balls used in the Ravens' Jan. 10 playoff loss at New England were underinflated, and coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that the Ravens "didn't notice anything" about the condition of Patriots' footballs used in that same game.

If it is proved that the Patriots intentionally underinflated footballs, Canty believes serious action needs to be taken.

"To me, the integrity of the game is the most important thing," Canty said. "You want to be successful as a player, but you want to think that you are doing things that are within the rules and that you are out there competing, and it's not, whether it is performance-enhancing drugs or deflated footballs that is out there aiding in your performance."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Thursday he was "shocked" when he was informed of the allegations that his team used balls that were deflated after they were inspected by officials before the game.

Canty says Patriots habitual line-steppers

I wholeheartedly agree with Canty's position.