Ban the Patriots

[ZooCougar]

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/01/patriots-deflate-ball-super-bowl-disqualified-penalties-sanctions

Have to admit, the man makes a heck of an argument.

 

[Fishy]

In a perfect world, maybe.

But it's really not practical.

What is practical - Brady and Belichick get an unpaid vacation for a long stretch next season.

It's not believable that those two were not intimately involved - hit 'em where it hurts.

 

[ZooCougar]

In a perfect world, maybe.

But it's really not practical.

What is practical - Brady and Belichick get an unpaid vacation for a long stretch next season.

It's not believable that those two were not intimately involved - hit 'em where it hurts.

I have no hope that it will happen. I was skeptical going into the article but he did make a good case.

Brady at least a six game suspension. If BB had knowledge of this then if Kraft is a stand up human being, then BB needs to be relieved of his duties permanently. I won't hold my breath on that. And then the league should ban him for five years.

 

[Mr. Conehead]

This actually brings-up an angel I had not thought of before. Belichick is a egotistical, OCD freak who carrier big time grudges. No way anyone on the Pats staff on their own prerogative deflate the balls on their own without the Hooded One's permission. if some one did that, there would be two stories - 1) deflate gate and 2) a missing person's report. But, there is on exception. Brady is the one person on the Pats staff (besides Kraft) that had access to the balls and could do it himself or order a Pats staff member to do it for him without the fear of being struck down instantly by the Emperor's Force Lightning. Could have Brady done it on his own without the Coach's knowledge?

 

[Fishy]

Brady certainly could have done it without Belichick's knowledge, but no one could have done it without Brady's knowledge.

I don't think five-year bans or firings are in order, but a heavy penalty definitely is.

It might not have cost the Colts the game, but did it cost the Ravens? ("But they didn't deflate the balls for that..." Stuff it. Of course, they did.)

 

[TheDoggPound]

How about just suspend Bellicheat for the SB?

 

[whaler11]

It's a league which didn't choose to suspend Rice and let Leonard Little play. I'm pretty sure deflating balls is a feature not a bug.

As they say on Twitter every game day. Nice league Roger.

 

[Alum86]

"How on earth does the NFL, which regulates everything from shoe color tothe way players gyrate in the end zone, let teams keep 12 footballs in their own possession during the game. That’s like a teacher leaving the room during an exam."
^^^^^^ THIS^^^^^^
Imagine if Gaylord Perry had a bucket-o-balls (game balls) in the dugout with him?

Easy fix to stop this sh@t going forward , NFL.

 

[Hoophound]

Seems like the Pats just pay a 25k fine and this is over. Why all the excitement?

 

[kibblesnbits]

This actually brings-up an angel I had not thought of before. Belichick is a egotistical, OCD freak who carrier big time grudges. No way anyone on the Pats staff on their own prerogative deflate the balls on their own without the Hooded One's permission. if some one did that, there would be two stories - 1) deflate gate and 2) a missing person's report. But, there is on exception. Brady is the one person on the Pats staff (besides Kraft) that had access to the balls and could do it himself or order a Pats staff member to do it for him without the fear of being struck down instantly by the Emperor's Force Lightning. Could have Brady done it on his own without the Coach's knowledge?

People in the league are trying to figure out how/when it could have been done since the refs retain control of the balls until turning them over to the designated ball attendant when it's time to take the field. That is one of the league's challenges - showing how it was done, potentially having to be done on the field in full view of 70,000 people and untold numbers of cameras. "Access" or not, the idea that the most recognizable guy on the field could have done it (even disappearing for several minutes if they even had that much time before coming on the field) is implausible at best. Could he have ordered it (or pulled a Brad Johnson and paid for it), perhaps, but it's unlikely he'd take such a step without Belichick's approval. He knows the system.

 

[Chin Diesel]

All the NFL'ers I've heard on the radio and seen on TV said there's no way Belicheck knows or cares about ball inflation numbers and that there's no way Brady doesn't know. Prepping the game balls is between the QB and the equipment manager. Period.

Basically the NFL has given free reign to the QB's to doctor the footballs to their liking and every QB does it.

Notice how no active QB's have come out against what happened? And every ex-QB has said they've done it.

There's all sorts of old articles about Johnson in Tampa, Manning with NYG and Aaron Rogers all doctoring footballs to their liking.

 

[champs99and04]

The best solution is to have the Ravens and Colts play this Sunday for the AFC Championship. Both teams that lost to the Patriots have their losses revoked, we finally put the awkward weekend in-between the Super Bowl to good use, and the NFL actually gains revenue from the extra playoff game. Everybody wins.

(No I'm not serious but this would be awesome)

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Not to defend the potentially guilty as charged Patriots, but this is a league where players cheat to varying degrees on almost if not every single play. I'm no New England fan, but the entire scenario is comical. Those underinflated balls didn't run, block, defend, etc. the entire game, but the Seahawks can win and make many people happy. Some of whom are just tired of their team losing to likely a better team, underinflated balls, play call decipherting, etc or otherwise.

 

[ZooCougar]

All the NFL'ers I've heard on the radio and seen on TV said there's no way Belicheck knows or cares about ball inflation numbers and that there's no way Brady doesn't know. Prepping the game balls is between the QB and the equipment manager. Period.

Basically the NFL has given free reign to the QB's to doctor the footballs to their liking and every QB does it.

Notice how no active QB's have come out against what happened? And every ex-QB has said they've done it.

There's all sorts of old articles about Johnson in Tampa, Manning with NYG and Aaron Rogers all doctoring footballs to their liking.

I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't know given how much of a control freak he is.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't know given how much of a control freak he is.

Much like you and everyone else who hasn't ever worked in that envirnoment, I'm going off what I've heard and read over the past few days. All the QB's have said coaches don't invest any time and energy into ball PSI levels. The coach puts all of it on to the QB and ball boy or equipment manager. Coaches assume that the QB has enough pull to get footballs groomed to their liking. I'm sure if a QB was having issues they could bring it up to the coach, but I'm pretty sure Tom Brady has enough pull to get football's prepped to his liking.

 

[John]

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/01/patriots-deflate-ball-super-bowl-disqualified-penalties-sanctions

Have to admit, the man makes a heck of an argument.

yes, let's ban the Patriots. Give the other teams a chance to win.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Much like you and everyone else who hasn't ever worked in that envirnoment, I'm going off what I've heard and read over the past few days. All the QB's have said coaches don't invest any time and energy into ball PSI levels. The coach puts all of it on to the QB and ball boy or equipment manager. Coaches assume that the QB has enough pull to get footballs groomed to their liking. I'm sure if a QB was having issues they could bring it up to the coach, but I'm pretty sure Tom Brady has enough pull to get football's prepped to his liking.

I disagree with this. Yes, it's possible that Brady likes the balls as much as 2lbs PSI less than regulation to throw, but this is something bigger. That is a very flat ball. THe things about this story that have stuck out most to me, are not the QB statements, it's the equipment manager for the Colts - in the regular season, when he was handed 2 balls that were picked off by the Colts secondary in a regular season game, and some comments and thoughts among friends of mine.

The balls, coming straight off the field in the regular season were very noticeably flat when the Colts DB handed them to his guys on the sidelines. That means it's been happening for a while, and not an isolated incident.

Most importantly fumbles. New England patriot players NEVER fumble. When was the last time Brady was strip-sacked-fumbled? A patriot receiver stripped after a catch? When was the last time a Patriot running back fumbled?

I think we know why now. 2lbs PSI in a football is a HUGE difference.

 

[ZooCougar]

Much like you and everyone else who hasn't ever worked in that envirnoment, I'm going off what I've heard and read over the past few days. All the QB's have said coaches don't invest any time and energy into ball PSI levels. The coach puts all of it on to the QB and ball boy or equipment manager. Coaches assume that the QB has enough pull to get footballs groomed to their liking. I'm sure if a QB was having issues they could bring it up to the coach, but I'm pretty sure Tom Brady has enough pull to get football's prepped to his liking.

I don't care about the words that are coming out certain people's mouths. The very idea that BB doesn't know what his ball preferences are is simply laughable. He is a smart coach, he probably knows more about Tom than Tom does. Just because he didn't personally direct the ball prep doesn't mean that he didn't grant approval along the way. They have probably been doing this all along.

 

[CL82]

Brady certainly could have done it without Belichick's knowledge, but no one could have done it without Brady's knowledge.

I don't think five-year bans or firings are in order, but a heavy penalty definitely is.

It might not have cost the Colts the game, but did it cost the Ravens? ("But they didn't deflate the balls for that..." Stuff it. Of course, they did.)

Well at least in your imagination, they did. Wouldn't in be a pretty sketchy enforcement system that was based on what some idiot imagined happened rather than evidence?

 

[Chin Diesel]

I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't know given how much of a control freak he is.

Much like you and everyone else who hasn't ever worked in that envirnoment, I'm going off what I've heard and read over the past few days. All the QB's have said coaches don't invest any time and energy into ball PSI levels. The coach puts all of it on to the QB and ball boy or equipment manager. Coaches assume that the QB has enough pull to get footballs groomed to their liking. I'm sure if a QB was having issues they could bring it up to the coach, but I'm pretty sure Tom Brady has enough pull to get football's prepped to his liking.

I don't care about the words that are coming out certain people's mouths. The very idea that BB doesn't know what his ball preferences are is simply laughable. He is a smart coach, he probably knows more about Tom than Tom does. Just because he didn't personally direct the ball prep doesn't mean that he didn't grant approval along the way. They have probably been doing this all along.

Well, then it's settled for you. You haven't been in that environment and don't have any experience. But you are willing to call multiple current players and coaches and ex-players and coaches liars because it doesn't fit your notion of what a coach knows. Okay.

 

[BlueDogs]

Belichick denies any knowledge. But, now I really suspect he is a liar when he says he has no idea how any of the game ball control works. Are you kidding? The guy is known as being totally detailed oriented in every aspect of the game and its operation. Anything that effects the game he knows about, down to weather conditions, what Brady needs and are the balls prepped. Not buying it for a moment.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

This is the most overblown, ridiculous non-story ever presented by the sports media. If its any other team, its nothing. Because this involves the Patriots, they are presumed guilty without the facts being presented. People wanting the Patriots to get banned from the Super Bowl, suspend BB and Brady, disband the team etc have arrived at these conclusions not because of the deflated footballs, but because it is the Patriots.

Should Joe Girardi be fired because Michael Pineda had pine tar on neck? Should Aaron Rodgers be suspended because he openly admitted that he likes to over-inflate his footballs? Should the Bucs lose their Super Bowl because Brad Johnson paid a ball boy to tamper with game balls?

Instead of automatically jumping to conclusions, let the rest of the facts present themselves.

 

[sdhusky]

This is the most overblown, ridiculous non-story ever presented by the sports media. If its any other team, its nothing. Because this involves the Patriots, they are presumed guilty without the facts being presented. People wanting the Patriots to get banned from the Super Bowl, suspend BB and Brady, disband the team etc have arrived at these conclusions not because of the deflated footballs, but because it is the Patriots.

Should Joe Girardi be fired because Michael Pineda had pine tar on neck? Should Aaron Rodgers be suspended because he openly admitted that he likes to over-inflate his footballs? Should the Bucs lose their Super Bowl because Brad Johnson paid a ball boy to tamper with game balls?

Instead of automatically jumping to conclusions, let the rest of the facts present themselves.

I think if it turned out there was a hold by Seatle (a cheat) that wasn't called, they shouldn't be in the Super Bowl. Getting an illegal boost and all.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The one thing that makes me laugh in all of this is how NE fans claim they are being targeted by the league, the NFL and legions of "haters" because they win and everyone is jealous.

I'm a Giant fan, so yeah, not quite.

People hate the Pats because they portray themselves as this pristine, 'classy' dynasty doing things the 'Patriot way' when in reality they are proven cheaters, the owner is a and they haven't won a title in a decade.

Just an all around pretty funny situation involving air pressure and a fan base grasping for straws.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think if it turned out there was a hold by Seatle (a cheat) that wasn't called, they shouldn't be in the Super Bowl. Getting an illegal boost and all.

What's the penalty for discovering that balls are not inflated correctly during a game? Not apples to apples.