2014 Official NFL Thread
- Thread starter lgna69xxx
- Start date
If Murray does not get signed by Dallas, and if Lynch is still on the market, i could see Jerry Jones wanting him. Lynch has a swagger (and the talent) that would be beloved in big D. With that said I prefer Murray but it is up to him. Hopefully Jones will not overpay on $ or term to retain him, those legs took a beating this past season and the life of the avg running back is short and he is no Emmit Smith, but then again nobody in todays game is.
True. Plus the fact that running backs are a dime-a-dozen these days in the NFL and any team drafting a running back in the first round is taking a serious risk when so many are available.
Patriots locker room attendant tried to put unapproved ball into AFC final
by Kelly Naqi, ESPN
A locker room attendant for the New England Patriots tried to introduce an unapproved special teams football into last month's AFC Championship Game, the same game at the center of the "Deflategate" allegations, four sources familiar with the investigation told "Outside the Lines."
One source said that the attendant assigned to the officials' locker room, identified as 48-year-old Jim McNally, has been interviewed by investigators for Ted Wells, the attorney the NFL hired last month to lead an investigation into allegations the Patriots intentionally used underinflated footballs on offensive plays in the first half of that game against the Indianapolis Colts, which New England won 45-7.
Three sources said that McNally has worked Patriots games for a decade, and has been in charge of the officials' locker room at Gillette Stadium since at least 2008. In the first half of the AFC Championship Game, the sources said, McNally tried to give the unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs. Those footballs are known as "kicking balls" or "K balls."
Before every NFL game, footballs are inspected and measured by NFL officials in their locker room before they can be approved for in-game use. The "K balls" are used for special teams, and not by the offenses of either team.
NFL officials put a special mark or stamp on each ball approved for use on offensive possessions, as well as the "K balls" used on special teams, to ensure only properly inspected and approved footballs are used in that game. Walt Anderson, the referee for the AFC title game, had personally inspected and marked each of the footballs that were approved for use in that game.
The alternate official, Greg Yette, became suspicious when he noticed that the football McNally handed him did not have the proper markings on it, three sources said. One of those sources added that Yette found it surprising that the officials' locker room attendant was on the field, trying to hand him a ball, because officials' locker room attendants don't typically have ballhandling responsibilities during NFL games. Once McNally tried to introduce the unapproved football into the game, the source said, Yette notified the NFL's vice president of game operations, Mike Kensil, who was at the game in the press box.
Sources said they are not sure at what point during the first half McNally tried to introduce the impermissible football to Yette. They didn't know his motivation for doing so, either. Yette, when reached by "Outside the Lines," declined to comment.
An "Outside the Lines" reporter approached McNally at his home in Amherst, New Hampshire, earlier this month, but he said, "I can't talk to you," waving the reporter away as he walked up his driveway.
McNally is a part-time employee who was hired by The Kraft Group, a company owned by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kelly Way, the director of operations for TeamOps at Gillette Stadium, said NFL game-day employees are paid by The Kraft Group. McNally is not listed in the Patriots' main switchboard directory.
It is not known whether McNally is the same locker room attendant who reportedly ducked into a bathroom with a bag of footballs for 90 seconds before taking them out to the field before the start of the AFC Championship Game. On Jan. 26, FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer reported that a locker-room attendant from the Patriots allegedly took footballs "from the officials locker room to another area" on the way to the field, and that Wells' investigators have video of that. Pro Football Talk later reported that the attendant stopped in a restroom with the game balls for 90 seconds. That locker room attendant, according to Foxsports.com, is a "strong person of interest."
The Patriots, who won the Super Bowl over the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 1, came under scrutiny prior to the AFC Championship Game, when the Colts reportedly alerted the NFL during the regular season that the Patriots may be using underinflated footballs after the teams met Nov. 16.
A source told "Outside the Lines" that Kensil decided to personally go down to the officials' locker room at halftime of the Patriots-Colts game to check the game balls, in part because of the suspicions McNally's actions raised. Kensil did not respond to requests for comment.
It has also been reported that the Colts noticed an underinflated football after an interception by linebacker D'Qwell Jackson in the AFC Championship Game. Jackson said at the Pro Bowl that he didn't notice that the football was underinflated. Also, Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, told "60 Minutes Sports" that Colts general manager Ryan Grigson told league officials in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game that the Patriots might be tampering with footballs.
One source said Kensil personally checked the PSI (pounds per square inch) levels of all 12 footballs the Patriots had for use on offense and found that 11 of those 12 were underinflated by "one to two pounds." Last month, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations.
They were reinflated to the league-required level and were returned for use in the second half.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has attributed the 11 underinflated game balls to atmospheric conditions and has said the Patriots "try to do everything right; we err on the side of caution." Kraft, in a strong defense of his head coach and quarterback Tom Brady, said: "I want to make it clear that I believe unconditionally that the New England Patriots have done nothing inappropriate in this process or are in violation of NFL rules."
He added, "I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team" if the Wells investigation "is unable to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs."
In a statement released late last month, Wells said he expected his investigation to go on for "at least several more weeks" and asked that "everyone involved or potentially involved in this matter avoids public comment concerning the matter until the investigation is concluded. The results will be shared publicly."
Dean Blandino, the NFL's head of officiating, said at a Super Bowl news conference: "There was an issue that was brought up during the first half, a football came into question, and then the decision was made to test them at halftime. There's an investigation going on. I can't really get into specifics."
When asked for comment by OTL, Blandino texted, "I can't elaborate with the investigation still ongoing."
The NFL, through a spokesman, told OTL: "We're not commenting on the details of the ongoing investigation."
This story was updated to fix an attribution on the Patriots' locker room attendant stopping in a restroom for 90 seconds.
Patriots employee tried to sneak unapproved ball into AFC final game
by Kelly Naqi, ESPN
A locker room attendant for the New England Patriots tried to introduce an unapproved special teams football into last month's AFC Championship Game, the same game at the center of the "Deflategate" allegations, four sources familiar with the investigation told "Outside the Lines."
One source said that the attendant assigned to the officials' locker room, identified as 48-year-old Jim McNally, has been interviewed by investigators for Ted Wells, the attorney the NFL hired last month to lead an investigation into allegations the Patriots intentionally used underinflated footballs on offensive plays in the first half of that game against the Indianapolis Colts, which New England won 45-7.
Three sources said that McNally has worked Patriots games for a decade, and has been in charge of the officials' locker room at Gillette Stadium since at least 2008. In the first half of the AFC Championship Game, the sources said, McNally tried to give the unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs. Those footballs are known as "kicking balls" or "K balls."
Before every NFL game, footballs are inspected and measured by NFL officials in their locker room before they can be approved for in-game use. The "K balls" are used for special teams, and not by the offenses of either team.
NFL officials put a special mark or stamp on each ball approved for use on offensive possessions, as well as the "K balls" used on special teams, to ensure only properly inspected and approved footballs are used in that game. Walt Anderson, the referee for the AFC title game, had personally inspected and marked each of the footballs that were approved for use in that game.
The alternate official, Greg Yette, became suspicious when he noticed that the football McNally handed him did not have the proper markings on it, three sources said. One of those sources added that Yette found it surprising that the officials' locker room attendant was on the field, trying to hand him a ball, because officials' locker room attendants don't typically have ballhandling responsibilities during NFL games. Once McNally tried to introduce the unapproved football into the game, the source said, Yette notified the NFL's vice president of game operations, Mike Kensil, who was at the game in the press box.
Sources said they are not sure at what point during the first half McNally tried to introduce the impermissible football to Yette. They didn't know his motivation for doing so, either. Yette, when reached by "Outside the Lines," declined to comment.
An "Outside the Lines" reporter approached McNally at his home in Amherst, New Hampshire, earlier this month, but he said, "I can't talk to you," waving the reporter away as he walked up his driveway.
McNally is a part-time employee who was hired by The Kraft Group, a company owned by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kelly Way, the director of operations for TeamOps at Gillette Stadium, said NFL game-day employees are paid by The Kraft Group. McNally is not listed in the Patriots' main switchboard directory.
It is not known whether McNally is the same locker room attendant who reportedly ducked into a bathroom with a bag of footballs for 90 seconds before taking them out to the field before the start of the AFC Championship Game. On Jan. 26, FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer reported that a locker-room attendant from the Patriots allegedly took footballs "from the officials locker room to another area" on the way to the field, and that Wells' investigators have video of that. Pro Football Talk later reported that the attendant stopped in a restroom with the game balls for 90 seconds. That locker room attendant, according to Foxsports.com, is a "strong person of interest."
The Patriots, who won the Super Bowl over the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 1, came under scrutiny prior to the AFC Championship Game, when the Colts reportedly alerted the NFL during the regular season that the Patriots may be using underinflated footballs after the teams met Nov. 16.
A source told "Outside the Lines" that Kensil decided to personally go down to the officials' locker room at halftime of the Patriots-Colts game to check the game balls, in part because of the suspicions McNally's actions raised. Kensil did not respond to requests for comment.
It has also been reported that the Colts noticed an underinflated football after an interception by linebacker D'Qwell Jackson in the AFC Championship Game. Jackson said at the Pro Bowl that he didn't notice that the football was underinflated. Also, Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, told "60 Minutes Sports" that Colts general manager Ryan Grigson told league officials in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game that the Patriots might be tampering with footballs.
One source said Kensil personally checked the PSI (pounds per square inch) levels of all 12 footballs the Patriots had for use on offense and found that 11 of those 12 were underinflated by "one to two pounds." Last month, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations.
They were reinflated to the league-required level and were returned for use in the second half.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has attributed the 11 underinflated game balls to atmospheric conditions and has said the Patriots "try to do everything right; we err on the side of caution." Kraft, in a strong defense of his head coach and quarterback Tom Brady, said: "I want to make it clear that I believe unconditionally that the New England Patriots have done nothing inappropriate in this process or are in violation of NFL rules."
He added, "I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team" if the Wells investigation "is unable to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs."
In a statement released late last month, Wells said he expected his investigation to go on for "at least several more weeks" and asked that "everyone involved or potentially involved in this matter avoids public comment concerning the matter until the investigation is concluded. The results will be shared publicly."
Dean Blandino, the NFL's head of officiating, said at a Super Bowl news conference: "There was an issue that was brought up during the first half, a football came into question, and then the decision was made to test them at halftime. There's an investigation going on. I can't really get into specifics."
When asked for comment by OTL, Blandino texted, "I can't elaborate with the investigation still ongoing."
The NFL, through a spokesman, told OTL: "We're not commenting on the details of the ongoing investigation."
This story was updated to fix an attribution on the Patriots' locker room attendant stopping in a restroom for 90 seconds.
Patriots employee tried to sneak unapproved ball into AFC final game
BOYZ!!!
Didn't someone say CONSPIRACY not so long ago. :nod:
Well, all those who jumped on to the Kelly Naqi story that a Patriots locker room attendant tried to put an "unapproved special teams football" into the game are looking like huge FOOLS now with a truck load of omelets on their faces. Guess who!!! The irresponsible and the haters together have been so eager to leap onto bits of information that they missed the most key parts of the facts.
Report: NFL official fired in deflate-gate case for selling football
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...gate-case-for-selling-football-205328811.html
You can't make this stuff up.
The deflate-gate madness — a story seemingly with no conclusion — has taken another bizarre turn. It was reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter that an NFL official might have sold one of the New England Patriots' footballs from the AFC championship game and lost his job because of it.
It appears that the footballs are not allowed to end up in officials' hands. They're meant to be donated to charitable organizations. It appears a second official saw this and reported it, according to Schefter.
ESPN's "Outside the Lines" reported on Tuesday that Patriots locker room attendant Jim McNally was being investigated for "trying to introduce an unapproved football" — a K-ball, for what it's worth — to an official.
But Schefter flipped his own organization's reporting on its head by offering this wild nugget: the ball (or balls?) in question was/were provided by two NFL employees, one of whom was fired.
Are you following us here with this insanity? Basically, what's being suggested is that an official swiped out a real ball for a fake one and that the fake was handed to the Patriots attendant, who clearly was none the wiser. And why would the attendant suspect that?
How in the world can the NFL save face and issue any kind of guilt to the Patriots following this news? The answer: It can't. We might as well say "case closed" if the reports are valid.
The officials for the AFC title game against the Indianapolis Colts, for what it's worth, were head referee Walt Anderson, umpire Carl Paganelli, head linesman Tony Veteri, line judge Jeff Bergman, side judge Greg Meyer, field judge Gary Cavaletto and back judge Keith Ferguson.
So it was a league official who switched balls and the Patriots attendant was only doing what he was told to do. And that's not all. WEEI reported that the same league official who switched the ball was then taking used footballs and selling them for his own personal profit inappropriately. It all comes off as a scam by a league official using a Patriots attendant for cover.
continued...
Didn't someone say CONSPIRACY not so long ago. :nod:
Well, all those who jumped on to the Kelly Naqi story that a Patriots locker room attendant tried to put an "unapproved special teams football" into the game are looking like huge FOOLS now with a truck load of omelets on their faces. Guess who!!! The irresponsible and the haters together have been so eager to leap onto bits of information that they missed the most key parts of the facts.
Report: NFL official fired in deflate-gate case for selling football
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...gate-case-for-selling-football-205328811.html
You can't make this stuff up.
The deflate-gate madness — a story seemingly with no conclusion — has taken another bizarre turn. It was reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter that an NFL official might have sold one of the New England Patriots' footballs from the AFC championship game and lost his job because of it.
It appears that the footballs are not allowed to end up in officials' hands. They're meant to be donated to charitable organizations. It appears a second official saw this and reported it, according to Schefter.
ESPN's "Outside the Lines" reported on Tuesday that Patriots locker room attendant Jim McNally was being investigated for "trying to introduce an unapproved football" — a K-ball, for what it's worth — to an official.
But Schefter flipped his own organization's reporting on its head by offering this wild nugget: the ball (or balls?) in question was/were provided by two NFL employees, one of whom was fired.
Are you following us here with this insanity? Basically, what's being suggested is that an official swiped out a real ball for a fake one and that the fake was handed to the Patriots attendant, who clearly was none the wiser. And why would the attendant suspect that?
How in the world can the NFL save face and issue any kind of guilt to the Patriots following this news? The answer: It can't. We might as well say "case closed" if the reports are valid.
The officials for the AFC title game against the Indianapolis Colts, for what it's worth, were head referee Walt Anderson, umpire Carl Paganelli, head linesman Tony Veteri, line judge Jeff Bergman, side judge Greg Meyer, field judge Gary Cavaletto and back judge Keith Ferguson.
So it was a league official who switched balls and the Patriots attendant was only doing what he was told to do. And that's not all. WEEI reported that the same league official who switched the ball was then taking used footballs and selling them for his own personal profit inappropriately. It all comes off as a scam by a league official using a Patriots attendant for cover.
continued...
ESPN Has Embarrassed Itself with Its Deflate-Gate Coverage
The supposed "Worldwide Leader in Sports" can't get its story straight.
Deflate-Gate talk has dominated the ESPN airwaves over the last month. The problem is, almost everything the network has reported about this sorry excuse for a scandal has been contradicted by other outlets, or even its own reporters.
Let's start with the bombshell Chris Mortensen reported Jan. 20 that 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs the officials examined at halftime of the AFC Championship Game were under-inflated by two pounds of air. At first glance, that would seem to be rather incriminating for the Pats.
But it isn't, because nobody else has confirmed Mortensen's report. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport wrote the morning of the Super Bowl that several of the footballs in question were "just a few ticks" under the league mandated 12.5 PSI. Rapoport says the only football that was two PSI under was the one that the Colts handed to the officials at halftime.
That's a significant difference, and appears to back up Bill Belichick's assertion that the balls may have been deflated due to "atmospheric conditions."
Even Mortensen's colleague, Kelly Naqi, has presented a different account of how much air pressure was in the Patriots' footballs at halftime. Buried deep within her ultimately irrelevant report about a Patriots employee supplying an alternate official with an unapproved kicking football (more on that later), Naqi says the balls were deflated by one or two PSI.
Astonishingly, ESPN doesn't even attempt to cover up this contradiction. The two opposing reports are presented side-by-side in Naqi's piece. It's worth noting we will probably never know what the air pressure of the Patriots' footballs were, as NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino has said no written record of it exists.
But wait, the fun doesn't stop there. NFL Insider Adam Schefter called in to Outside the Lines' #PatriotsIssues show Wednesday afternoon (yes, that was a real thing that happened), and rendered Naqi's story useless.
According to Schefter, the unmarked ball that McNally attempted to introduce in to the game was handed to him by an NFL employee in charge of collecting game-used footballs for charity. The worker who gathered the balls for charity in the AFC Championship Game has reportedly been fired after it was revealed he sold some of the footballs instead of donating them.
So there you have it. ESPN's latest Deflate-Gate scoop was instead about a memorabilia scam gone wrong.
If that doesn't symbolize how ridiculous this story is, nothing will.
The haters lead by Joe.t are going to be very disappointed when the reports come out. What has been established as fact is:
1. Mortenson screwed up. He reported falsely that 11 balls were grossly under-inflated when all but one were barely under at all. Incompetence move #1.
2. League officials who checked the pressures of the balls never recorded the readings to establish proof of anything. Incompetence move #2.
3. Everyone outside New England, haters and professional analysts leaped onto badly misleading so-called information showing they have no idea what facts are. Incompetence move #3.
4. Everyone again leaped onto the false story a Patriots player allegedly tried to put an unauthorized kicking ball intro the game. Incompetence move #4.
5. The leagues own man put in an unauthorized kicking football into the game and was selling them for personal gain behind the backs of the NFL. GROSS Incompetence move #5.
What has anyone proven the Patriots did wrong??? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. All that time and money and the only thing the league had uncovered is it's own gross procedural NEGLIGENCE and the CULPABILITY of it's own officials. ESPN has been especially negligent jumping to conclusions and presenting poor information as if it fact, to their looking as if they have been shading the whole episode to give the haters what they want for ratings.
Currently it looks like the NFL will have to fine itself for systemic negligence/incompetence...if Robert Kraft doesn't sue the league for brand name damage and resulting loss of revenue:
“If the [NFL’s] investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs, I would expect and hope the league would apologize to our entire team and in particular coach Belichick and Tom Brady for what they have had to endure the last week,’ Kraft said. “It bothers me greatly that their reputations and integrity—and by association that of my team—has been called into question.”
GOKRAFTGO :thumb:
Merlot
"The rules were broken -- we'll see," "If not, that's what the investigation is for."- Colts GM Ryan Grigson, today at the combine.
"If there is evidence of wrongdoing, the Patriots face the loss of draft picks -- just as the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons do for rules infractions that were all but ignored during the "DeflateGate" scandal."
"All we can do is wait for the findings of the investigation led by Ted Wells and Jeff Pash" both Lawyers for the NFL.
History is leaning towards a guilty verdict.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...rigson-colts-alerted-nfl-before-patriots-game
"If there is evidence of wrongdoing, the Patriots face the loss of draft picks -- just as the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons do for rules infractions that were all but ignored during the "DeflateGate" scandal."
"All we can do is wait for the findings of the investigation led by Ted Wells and Jeff Pash" both Lawyers for the NFL.
History is leaning towards a guilty verdict.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...rigson-colts-alerted-nfl-before-patriots-game
:lol:
That's right Joe, jump to the side of the same bitter guys whose team got their asses whipped with league approved balls. I'm shocked you would do that Joe buddy. No bias there huh.
:crazy:
Merlot
That's right Joe, jump to the side of the same bitter guys whose team got their asses whipped with league approved balls. I'm shocked you would do that Joe buddy. No bias there huh.
:crazy:
Merlot
Don't worry Merlie, what will probably end up happening to your dirty, cheating Patriots is that they will be found guilty followed by a fine and a loss of draft picks just like in spygate, If the NFL had any balls they should hand the Super Bowl over to the Seahawks just for the fact that New England is a repeat offender, but I doubt that the NFL will do that, I'm sure the the Patriots will get to keep the Super Bowl Trophy*.
BOYZ!!!
This years Super Bowl will forever have a big fat Asterisk next to it, man that must hurt their fans lol...A whole year of blood sweat and tears down the drain because of some filthy cheaters. I do not believe it is the whole NE orginization that constantly cheats but when the main guys do, the guys who are the face of the franchise (shady brady and billy belicheat) it has to sting em all.
Congrats to the Seahawks, a good honest hard working blue collar team that deserved a better fate.
This years Super Bowl will forever have a big fat Asterisk next to it, man that must hurt their fans lol...A whole year of blood sweat and tears down the drain because of some filthy cheaters. I do not believe it is the whole NE orginization that constantly cheats but when the main guys do, the guys who are the face of the franchise (shady brady and billy belicheat) it has to sting em all.
Congrats to the Seahawks, a good honest hard working blue collar team that deserved a better fate.
LMAOROFL,
I think you're bitter about your huge betting loss as well as being an irrational hater. Nothing the Patriots have been accused of has been proven. As you showed the Spygate incident has previously biased many, not that it would have lessened your hatred if it didn't exist. At worse you've got one ball under-inflated by any meaningful measure, the same one the Colts player handled. Otherwise we have a lot of guessing guided by bias and an investigation showing the NFL has failed to set firm accountable procedures to cover the integrity of how the game managed. The NFL has ironically managed to indict it's poor game setup process and little else.
As for the Super Bowl...ironically thanks to all you haters the game was played under a microscope of enforced rules and standards, which makes the legitimacy of the New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Championship...ABSOLUTELY UNDOUBTED.!!! Many...MANY THANKS!
...and the bitter cry-baby whining from Toronto goes on. :lol:
VINDICATED FOREVER!!!
deal with it, :thumb:
Merlot
I think you're bitter about your huge betting loss as well as being an irrational hater. Nothing the Patriots have been accused of has been proven. As you showed the Spygate incident has previously biased many, not that it would have lessened your hatred if it didn't exist. At worse you've got one ball under-inflated by any meaningful measure, the same one the Colts player handled. Otherwise we have a lot of guessing guided by bias and an investigation showing the NFL has failed to set firm accountable procedures to cover the integrity of how the game managed. The NFL has ironically managed to indict it's poor game setup process and little else.
As for the Super Bowl...ironically thanks to all you haters the game was played under a microscope of enforced rules and standards, which makes the legitimacy of the New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Championship...ABSOLUTELY UNDOUBTED.!!! Many...MANY THANKS!
...and the bitter cry-baby whining from Toronto goes on. :lol:
VINDICATED FOREVER!!!
deal with it, :thumb:
Merlot
BOYZ!
I know there's nothing that matters to you except seeing the Patriots punished for ANYTHING, but just in case you might possible want to actually...say...think: there's only 32 GMs in the NFL and it's a highly coveted dream position with great pay and great responsibilities. As GM you are responsible for building the core of a team and entire organization hiring the most skilled people available to make the most basic decisions that will lead to success or failure for the entire team. Grigson has a lot to be credited for or blamed for depending on the team's performance and much to lose if they don't succeed. Getting your ass whipped 42 - 20 in mid-November when the team should have come together at the time is pretty embarrassing AND possibly a threat to your job if you have an impatient owner. Maybe Grigson thought there was something about the footballs, but the idea of deflation also provides a dodge/excuse to cover his own ass. Getting the tar beaten out of you again 45 - 7 can easily make a GM more desperate to save his job, though I think he would be overreacting to a risk that isn't so likely at that time.
It was his idea to get this whole so-called Deflate Gate started. I doubt anyone could see how intense this episode could become in the public's mind, but his protest put the NFL's reputation at risk by starting a public relations nightmare. What has he got for all of that monumental interest and huge expense? The investigation Grigson's inquiry started has: 1. One significantly under-inflated football..with no recorded verification. 2. A guy in a stall for 90 seconds. 3. NFL procedural sloppiness displayed. 4. An NFL official slipping an unauthorized football into a conference playoff game. 5. A whole mountain range worth of speculation grasping at poorly founded reports and a matching load of very bad publicity for the NFL right after their epic poor handling of violent beating issues.
With all that he initiated that has badly embarrassed the NFL and no evidence against the Patriots all Grigson can do now is claim as a result is: I was just doing my job. It's pathetic and he knows it.
Colts GM Grigson on deflated footballs: I just did my job.
http://www.patriots.com/news/blog/a...d-my-job/088366b7-d7cc-4c37-a200-02ac0067cdef
“Listen. You know, earlier in that week, prior to the AFC championship game, I mean we notified the league about our concerns,” Grigson said. “We went into the game. We had some issues. But we’re going to do what we can and that’s to participate with the league in the investigation and wait for the Wells report to come out. We have no other recourse but to wait until that investigation comes about.”
The league’s investigation, led by attorney Ted Wells, has been ongoing since the title game and is expected to continue at least into March. It has been the centerpiece of endless media reports, many contradicting each other, and was a story that blew up in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
Grigson was asked when exactly his team became concerned about New England supposedly using underinflated footballs, as some reports indicated it dated back to the teams’ meeting during the regular season in November.
“I’m not going into specifics,” Grigson said. “Like I said the report should have all that information for everybody. But I just did my job and here we are, hopefully everything will come out and everyone will be able to have a clear look at the situation.”
From a Colts perspective, do the investigation and allegations against New England discredit the Patriots 45-7 win over Indy in the title game?
“Like I said, we had concerns. Just like I think any general manager would do, wants their team to play on a level playing field,” Grigson responded. “We took the proper steps to try and ensure that and it’s up to the league to make sure that that happens. So, again, if rules were broken, we’ll see. If not, you know, that’s what the investigation is for. But again we’re just doing our jobs and trying to ensure we give our team the best chance to win on a level playing field.”
The worst part of all of this is what has happened to the original premise for Deflate Gate, that an under-inflated football is an advantage to a team. It was alleged: 1. An under-inflated football gave the quarterback-receiver combination an unfair advantage. 2. Carrying an under-inflated football gave the team an advantage against fumbling the football. THE BIG PROBLEM: FALSE!!!
1. In the AFC Championship game once the alleged under-inflated football was replaced the Patriots who had a 17-7 lead but were poor in the 2nd quarter added 28 points in a virtual romp with league standard balls. In the Super Bowl Brady threw 2 interceptions (one totally off balance while being chased and far far short of it's target had nothing to do with air pressure) but threw 4 TDs, with league standard and controlled footballs, 2 TDs in the 4th quarter with the Championship on the line against a team that had only given up 9 points combined in the 4th quarter for the entire 16 game season.
2. Despite the pressure of a Super Bowl against one of the hardest hitting defenses ever trying endlessly to knock out the ball the Patriots never fumbled the league standard and controlled footballs.
Air Pressure advantage theory DEAD! All this epic garbage and embarrassment for the league for an issue that was always NONSENSE.
:crazy:
Merlot
I know there's nothing that matters to you except seeing the Patriots punished for ANYTHING, but just in case you might possible want to actually...say...think: there's only 32 GMs in the NFL and it's a highly coveted dream position with great pay and great responsibilities. As GM you are responsible for building the core of a team and entire organization hiring the most skilled people available to make the most basic decisions that will lead to success or failure for the entire team. Grigson has a lot to be credited for or blamed for depending on the team's performance and much to lose if they don't succeed. Getting your ass whipped 42 - 20 in mid-November when the team should have come together at the time is pretty embarrassing AND possibly a threat to your job if you have an impatient owner. Maybe Grigson thought there was something about the footballs, but the idea of deflation also provides a dodge/excuse to cover his own ass. Getting the tar beaten out of you again 45 - 7 can easily make a GM more desperate to save his job, though I think he would be overreacting to a risk that isn't so likely at that time.
It was his idea to get this whole so-called Deflate Gate started. I doubt anyone could see how intense this episode could become in the public's mind, but his protest put the NFL's reputation at risk by starting a public relations nightmare. What has he got for all of that monumental interest and huge expense? The investigation Grigson's inquiry started has: 1. One significantly under-inflated football..with no recorded verification. 2. A guy in a stall for 90 seconds. 3. NFL procedural sloppiness displayed. 4. An NFL official slipping an unauthorized football into a conference playoff game. 5. A whole mountain range worth of speculation grasping at poorly founded reports and a matching load of very bad publicity for the NFL right after their epic poor handling of violent beating issues.
With all that he initiated that has badly embarrassed the NFL and no evidence against the Patriots all Grigson can do now is claim as a result is: I was just doing my job. It's pathetic and he knows it.
Colts GM Grigson on deflated footballs: I just did my job.
http://www.patriots.com/news/blog/a...d-my-job/088366b7-d7cc-4c37-a200-02ac0067cdef
“Listen. You know, earlier in that week, prior to the AFC championship game, I mean we notified the league about our concerns,” Grigson said. “We went into the game. We had some issues. But we’re going to do what we can and that’s to participate with the league in the investigation and wait for the Wells report to come out. We have no other recourse but to wait until that investigation comes about.”
The league’s investigation, led by attorney Ted Wells, has been ongoing since the title game and is expected to continue at least into March. It has been the centerpiece of endless media reports, many contradicting each other, and was a story that blew up in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
Grigson was asked when exactly his team became concerned about New England supposedly using underinflated footballs, as some reports indicated it dated back to the teams’ meeting during the regular season in November.
“I’m not going into specifics,” Grigson said. “Like I said the report should have all that information for everybody. But I just did my job and here we are, hopefully everything will come out and everyone will be able to have a clear look at the situation.”
From a Colts perspective, do the investigation and allegations against New England discredit the Patriots 45-7 win over Indy in the title game?
“Like I said, we had concerns. Just like I think any general manager would do, wants their team to play on a level playing field,” Grigson responded. “We took the proper steps to try and ensure that and it’s up to the league to make sure that that happens. So, again, if rules were broken, we’ll see. If not, you know, that’s what the investigation is for. But again we’re just doing our jobs and trying to ensure we give our team the best chance to win on a level playing field.”
The worst part of all of this is what has happened to the original premise for Deflate Gate, that an under-inflated football is an advantage to a team. It was alleged: 1. An under-inflated football gave the quarterback-receiver combination an unfair advantage. 2. Carrying an under-inflated football gave the team an advantage against fumbling the football. THE BIG PROBLEM: FALSE!!!
1. In the AFC Championship game once the alleged under-inflated football was replaced the Patriots who had a 17-7 lead but were poor in the 2nd quarter added 28 points in a virtual romp with league standard balls. In the Super Bowl Brady threw 2 interceptions (one totally off balance while being chased and far far short of it's target had nothing to do with air pressure) but threw 4 TDs, with league standard and controlled footballs, 2 TDs in the 4th quarter with the Championship on the line against a team that had only given up 9 points combined in the 4th quarter for the entire 16 game season.
2. Despite the pressure of a Super Bowl against one of the hardest hitting defenses ever trying endlessly to knock out the ball the Patriots never fumbled the league standard and controlled footballs.
Air Pressure advantage theory DEAD! All this epic garbage and embarrassment for the league for an issue that was always NONSENSE.
:crazy:
Merlot
Big, big news in Buffalo, I think that this move makes the Bills the prohibitive favorites to win the AFC East next year, I love this move.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...es-bills-to-swap-lesean-mccoy-for-kiko-alonso
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...es-bills-to-swap-lesean-mccoy-for-kiko-alonso
The Patriots have announced that Vince Wilfork will not be retained by the team. He'll soon be free to sign with any team that wants him. He'd look good in Buffalo for a year or two.
As for the Bills, i'm okay with LeSean McCoy as their running back over CJ Spiller, but i'm not that happy about Matt Cassell being their starting QB. I'm pulling for EJ Manuel to beat him for the starting job.
Reggie Wayne was cut by the Colts today. He'd look good in Denver with his former QB Peyton Manning.
As for the Bills, i'm okay with LeSean McCoy as their running back over CJ Spiller, but i'm not that happy about Matt Cassell being their starting QB. I'm pulling for EJ Manuel to beat him for the starting job.
Reggie Wayne was cut by the Colts today. He'd look good in Denver with his former QB Peyton Manning.
The Eagles raped the Bills on this deal. A declining RB when they already have Spiller & Taylor for an up and coming game changing linebacker. Lol. Nice job Chip Kelly!
Not so sure about that SK, the Bills are a improved team today because of this deal. McCoy is a upgrade over Spiller and they had a good season last year without the services of Alonso and who knows with a injury if he will be as good as before, likely yes but ya never know. The Bills ranked 25th in rushing last year, they will surely improve on that with McCoy as the #1 back. A 9-7 2014 bills team just got better. So far i like what the Bills are doing under Rex Ryan.
Well, the Bills did get one of the top running backs in the game for an unproven player who just had major reconstructive knee surgery. CJ Spiller also was no longer in their plans. He's an unrestricted free agent & wasn't the best fit for the type of running game that the new offensive coordinator was going to implement this season. He's mostly only good in the open field. But he's had a problem staying healthy & has a knack to fumble the ball way too often.
Who the heck is TAYLOR?
p.s. Do you have Fred Jackson mixed up with an escort who once had drinks with us?
Who the heck is TAYLOR?
p.s. Do you have Fred Jackson mixed up with an escort who once had drinks with us?
You don't remember Fred Taylor from the Pats and Jags? LOL....Yes, I had THAT Taylor on my mind and confused with Jackson, LOL.
I still think LeSean's best days are behind him but we'll see.
Similar threads
