Speculation Thread: What do you think happened at Deflategate? (Merge)

[Jules]

This is ridiculous. Listen to all these stupid liars run around trying to act all innocent. Psychopaths hate being caught.

 

Yeah sure Bill Belichick doesn't know what happened with the balls. Right. I am sure with this man's attention and focus to detail he even knows when Tom Brady uses the bathroom.

 

But, no yeah lets pretend some innocent ball boy who makes little money probably did something. Like he would without the permission of someone on the team too.

 

And hell it's not even sour grapes on my part. NE fans often talk on their forums and in general as if running up the score means SO MUCH. Go for it, beat us 70-3 next year. I don't give a crap. I really don't.

 

Just don't act like this team has never cheated since THEY HAVE AND STILL ARE.

 

 

I hate liars and fakes.

[GoColts8818]

This is ridiculous. Listen to all these stupid liars run around trying to act all innocent. Psychopaths hate being caught.

 

Yeah sure Bill Belichick doesn't know what happened with the balls. Right. I am sure with this man's attention and focus to detail he even knows when Tom Brady uses the bathroom.

 

But, no yeah lets pretend some innocent ball boy who makes little money probably did something. Like he would without the permission of someone on the team too.

 

And hell it's not even sour grapes on my part. NE fans often talk on their forums and in general as if running up the score means SO MUCH. Go for it, beat us 70-3 next year. I don't give a crap. I really don't.

 

Just don't act like this team has never cheated since THEY HAVE AND STILL ARE.

 

 

I hate liars and fakes.

well now he's trying to put it on the officials. If I were Goodell I would slam him for that. You can't have a coaching openly questioning if the refs didn't do their job correctly or not. They get fined for doing so as you can't have the guys who run the game being questioned.

[NewColtsFan]

True, but this is really, really complicated. One team's footballs were at an illegal PSI and the other team's weren't. This is some difficult stuff. There's all these numbers and there's two entirely different teams... it gets confusing. I think in light of that your blunt "no" may be a little rude.

 

Sorry,  but I can't tell if you're being serious or facetious....   so I've slightly altered my content to be somewhat less "rude"...

[ColtsSouljah]

Sorry,  but I can't tell if you're being serious or facetious....   so I've slightly altered my content to be somewhat less "rude"...

 

It was very much sarcasm.... very much.

[Jules]

well now he's trying to put it on the officials. If I were Goodell I would slam him for that. You can't have a coaching openly questioning if the refs didn't do their job correctly or not. They get fined for doing so as you can't have the guys who run the game being questioned.

 

 

Yep it's the officials, the ball boys, Trent Richardson maybe even and some aliens from Pluto.

[elevenandthirteen]

Let's face it.  This isn't about Deflate-Gate or Spygate.  It's about the fact that the Patriots never have an off-year like 99.9 percent of teams.  It's because Belichick isn't some nice guy to the media.  It's because the Patriots beat every team not named the Giants into oblivion.

 

I know, I felt the same way about the Yankees until they stopped being relevant.  If the Pats went 8-8 for a few seasons and this happened it would be a non issue.  It was a non issue when the Panthers were caught red-handed on TV manipulating their footballs earlier this year.

 

It's just hatred that this team keeps winning and being competitive so they point fingers.  It's like that song Dirty Laundry, "Kick em when they're up, kick em when they're down."

 

People also want to deflect blame for their team losing, and can't lose with dignity, so they point fingers and complain to the league instead of just improving and trying to get better.

 

Think about it, even IF by some chance the Patriots manipulated the footballs, did it have any outcome on the game?  Colts players said they would have lost if they had played with beachballs.

 

We're not talking Ray Lewis stuff here.

 

Not to mention it was probably a sting operation anyway with Harbaugh/Irsay thinking "If you can't beat them, make a mockery of them." 

[GoColts8818]

Yep it's the officials, the ball boys, Trent Richardson maybe even and some aliens from Pluto.

and mind you bb the man who might surpass Peyton Manning in terms of attention to detail just didn't notice anything at all.

[Robert Johnson]

and mind you bb the man who might surpass Peyton Manning in terms of attention to detail just didn't notice anything at all.

I find it hard to believe Brady didn't notice either,most QB's are quite paricular to how the ball feels and how it's inflated.

[Robert Johnson]

Yep it's the officials, the ball boys, Trent Richardson maybe even and some aliens from Pluto.

I like the alien theory,sounds about as plausable as some of the stuff we are hearing from the Patiots

[DoubleE Colt]

So if BB somehow got this right and the NFL investigation were to show the same should action still be taken or not? The Pats will claim they had no intention of breaking the rules and couldn't have foreseen this situation yet in many areas of sport (and legal cases) ignorance is not a justification. After all potentially they could have been using illegal balls for years if they have always prepped the same way for Brady and many more closer games than the Colts one could have depended on it.

[amfootball]

Are you suggesting that all 24 balls were under-inflated? Why would it be necessary to inflate the reserve ones if they were in compliance?

That is what Bill was explaining with the Pats ball prep. The way they prepare the balls causes them to raise 1 psi so when inflated to 12.5, it is actually 11.5 if I understood him correctly and then the balls when they go from room temps to game temps lose another 1/2 or so in psi. All of the Pats balls had to be inflated, all 24. What is important to know here as well is Bill said his game footballs have never been measured at halftime of any game so going to every single game this year his balls left the refs room in compliance and the fell from the 1 psi already being present and then climatic conditions would effect psi depending on the weather. So this is the first time he has examined his ball prep routine to see where the issue may lay. It is also worth noting that he hired an independent lab to help with the testing.

[amfootball]

So if BB somehow got this right and the NFL investigation were to show the same should action still be taken or not? The Pats will claim they had no intention of breaking the rules and couldn't have foreseen this situation yet in many areas of sport (and legal cases) ignorance is not a justification. After all potentially they could have been using illegal balls for years if they have always prepped the same way for Brady and many more closer games than the Colts one could have depended on it.

This is my thought too. Why on earth the league did not do the same simulation as Bill on Monday instead of interviewing 40 of his staff members looking for a needle toting ball boy is ridiculous as we are dealing with air pressure which is always a factor of physics and atmospheric conditions. Anyone knows that who plays with a football in any type of weather. Then you add in the ball prep time and the integrity of the leather is compromised as the league let's the teams do whatever they want to the game balls prior to use. This again is going to look horrible for the league if Bill did their work for them in solving what has been the most over blown story of the year.

 

In terms of punishment for the Pats for I guess what you would deem as faulty ball preparation? Not sure they could really do much because the league allows the teams to inflate to 12.5 and that pressure will drop as soon as the balls go outside and are in use in any game. So not sure how you can fault for this as the league does not say the balls have to stay in compliance all game just that they have to start out in compliance. I think that is the key here. And the Pats would have never known their balls were dropping because at no time ever in their history have their game balls ever been measured at halftime much less halftime of a game with ridiculously bad weather where they dominated time of possession.

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

This is my thought too. Why on earth the league did not do the same simulation as Bill on Monday instead of interviewing 40 of his staff members looking for a needle toting ball boy is ridiculous as we are dealing with air pressure which is always a factor of physics and atmospheric conditions. Anyone knows that who plays with a football in any type of weather. Then you add in the ball prep time and the integrity of the leather is compromised as the league let's the teams do whatever they want to the game balls prior to use. This again is going to look horrible for the league if Bill did their work for them in solving what has been the most over blown story of the year.

 

In terms of punishment for the Pats for I guess what you would deem as faulty ball preparation? Not sure they could really do much because the league allows the teams to inflate to 12.5 and that pressure will drop as soon as the balls go outside and are in use in any game. So not sure how you can fault for this as the league does not say the balls have to stay in compliance all game just that they have to start out in compliance. I think that is the key here. And the Pats would have never known their balls were dropping because at no time ever in their history have their game balls ever been measured at halftime much less halftime of a game with ridiculously bad weather where they dominated time of possession.

 

This is my thought too. Why on earth the league did not do the same simulation as Bill on Monday instead of interviewing 40 of his staff members looking for a needle toting ball boy is ridiculous as we are dealing with air pressure which is always a factor of physics and atmospheric conditions. Anyone knows that who plays with a football in any type of weather. Then you add in the ball prep time and the integrity of the leather is compromised as the league let's the teams do whatever they want to the game balls prior to use. This again is going to look horrible for the league if Bill did their work for them in solving what has been the most over blown story of the year.

 

In terms of punishment for the Pats for I guess what you would deem as faulty ball preparation? Not sure they could really do much because the league allows the teams to inflate to 12.5 and that pressure will drop as soon as the balls go outside and are in use in any game. So not sure how you can fault for this as the league does not say the balls have to stay in compliance all game just that they have to start out in compliance. I think that is the key here. And the Pats would have never known their balls were dropping because at no time ever in their history have their game balls ever been measured at halftime much less halftime of a game with ridiculously bad weather where they dominated time of possession.

 

I work out in cold weather A M  I see the effects it was'nt that cold in New England .  Nobody believes BB if he wants to stop being called a liar he should shut up & leave it to the lawyers .

 

Maybe BB just got caught doing what he is known for .

 

Chang Kee Jung, a football fan and physics professor at The State University of New York at Stony Brook, chuckled when the theory was explained. But he agreed it's possible — not only because of the temperature change, but other effects from the steam in the sauna.

USA TODAY

Patriots rally around quarterback Tom Brady as Deflategate simmers

"If you put it in the moisture with the hot air, then what happens is that some of the air — which is moist water — it could condense and then it could even more rapidly lose pressure," Jung said. "They may consider it not illegal, but if they actually did it, does that really pass the moral test?"

[bababooey]

This is my thought too. Why on earth the league did not do the same simulation as Bill on Monday instead of interviewing 40 of his staff members looking for a needle toting ball boy is ridiculous as we are dealing with air pressure which is always a factor of physics and atmospheric conditions. Anyone knows that who plays with a football in any type of weather. Then you add in the ball prep time and the integrity of the leather is compromised as the league let's the teams do whatever they want to the game balls prior to use. This again is going to look horrible for the league if Bill did their work for them in solving what has been the most over blown story of the year.

In terms of punishment for the Pats for I guess what you would deem as faulty ball preparation? Not sure they could really do much because the league allows the teams to inflate to 12.5 and that pressure will drop as soon as the balls go outside and are in use in any game. So not sure how you can fault for this as the league does not say the balls have to stay in compliance all game just that they have to start out in compliance. I think that is the key here. And the Pats would have never known their balls were dropping because at no time ever in their history have their game balls ever been measured at halftime much less halftime of a game with ridiculously bad weather where they dominated time of possession.

They interviewed 40 people rather than conduct their own science projects because it's clear the balls were tampered with. They're not gonna waste time trying to recreate the conditions when it's obvious someone tampered. As for the rest of your long winded post: it's getting to the point where it's past ignorant.

[Blue Horseshoe]

[Gramz]

 

There was an article in USA Today that said a Colts' player didn't know anything about the balls being deflated, but he did notice that the refs kept swapping out the balls.  

 

You could have told me that was normal and I wouldn't have known any better.  But since this player was talking about it, I can only assume that it is not normal.

 

Then, we had Jackson who said that he didn't know the ball was deflated when he handed it over for safekeeping.  But, when there was an unusual delay in the game; he asked a ref what was happening and was told that they were trying to find a usable ball.  Jackson also noticed that the Patriots were using the Colts' footballs towards the end of the second half.

 

Now, it only stands to reason that Bill and Tom would be wondering what is happening more than anybody else. Am I supposed to believe that they didn't notice that their balls were being swapped out?  Am I supposed to believe that they didn't think that an unusual delay was unusual?  Am I supposed to believe that they didn't question as to why they were being given balls from the Colts instead of using their own? 

 

I guess the answer is YES.  In Bill's first presser, he said, "I was shocked to learn of the footballs on Monday.  I had no knowledge until Monday morning."

 

Brady said, "I was surprised as anybody when I heard Monday morning what was happening."

 

They may have been shocked and surprised that they were being accused of cheating.  But, no way could they have been shocked and surprised that there was a problem with the Patriot footballs.  That would have been very apparent during the game . . . especially to Bill and Tom.

[Nadine]

Correct me if I'm wrong but, it sounded to me as though Bill B was saying that after analysis of their ball prep process, it was determined that the process increases psi?

 

Could be I'm wrong, just need to know if that is not what he said

[ricker182]

I have not read or heard that anywhere.

Your mention of this is the first time I've heard this.

Can you tell me where you got this, or do you have a link?

D'qwell Jackson said it.

They actually had to find a usable ball in the first half.

http://www.businessinsider.com/dqwell-jackson-patriots-used-colts-balls-2015-1

http://deadspin.com/colts-player-officials-stopped-using-patriots-balls-in-1681329925

I know they aren't the best sources but they're quoting a player. That's why I said I heard rather than stating it as fact.

There was definitely a lot of ball swapping in the first half.

[Gramz]

Did anyone else watch the spoofs on SNL last night.    What a Riot...

 

 http://cdn.phoenix.intergi.com/1000816/videos/3282999/video-sd.mp4?hosting_id=1000816

[teganslaw]

That was good! Thanks for posting the link.

[bababooey]

@KNegandhiESPN: "What he said didn't make any sense." - Bill Nye the Science Guy on GMA today weighing in on Bill Belichick's air pressure presser.

Bill Nye Fatality

He's like "I don't come down to your sidelines and tell you how to score touchdowns so you shut up about air pressure."

[ricker182]

@KNegandhiESPN: "What he said didn't make any sense." - Bill Nye the Science Guy on GMA today weighing in on Bill Belichick's air pressure presser.

Bill Nye Fatality

He's like "I don't come down to your sidelines and tell you how to score touchdowns so you shut up about air pressure."

Idk how anyone believes BB. He didn't notice the constant swapping of footballs? He thinks rubbing a football raises PSI?

he didn't know the Patriots had to use the Colts' footballs?

That's all really hard to believe.

[bababooey]

Idk how anyone believes BB. He didn't notice the constant swapping of footballs? He thinks rubbing a football raises PSI?

he didn't know the Patriots had to use the Colts' footballs?

That's all really hard to believe.

If we are supposed to believe he spent the week doing science projects instead of preparing for their tainted Super Bowl then we are lost as a civilization

[Indianapolis-Colts-Fan]

OK... your turn! :-D

All you really need is practice and a sports needle.

All we know is they were below the required weight. I doubt all the footballs weighed exactly the same. This way would be incredibly easy.

[AndreRison]

There was an article in USA Today that said a Colts' player didn't know anything about the balls being deflated, but he did notice that the refs kept swapping out the balls.

You could have told me that was normal and I wouldn't have known any better. But since this player was talking about it, I can only assume that it is not normal.

Then, we had Jackson who said that he didn't know the ball was deflated when he handed it over for safekeeping. But, when there was an unusual delay in the game; he asked a ref what was happening and was told that they were trying to find a usable ball. Jackson also noticed that the Patriots were using the Colts' footballs towards the end of the second half.

Now, it only stands to reason that Bill and Tom would be wondering what is happening more than anybody else. Am I supposed to believe that they didn't notice that their balls were being swapped out? Am I supposed to believe that they didn't think that an unusual delay was unusual? Am I supposed to believe that they didn't question as to why they were being given balls from the Colts instead of using their own?

I guess the answer is YES. In Bill's first presser, he said, "I was shocked to learn of the footballs on Monday. I had no knowledge until Monday morning."

Brady said, "I was surprised as anybody when I heard Monday morning what was happening."

They may have been shocked and surprised that they were being accused of cheating. But, no way could they have been shocked and surprised that there was a problem with the Patriot footballs. That would have been very apparent during the game . . . especially to Bill and Tom.

This is a great point....Wow. That's not something I picked up on this week. I will say this, the more info that comes out from the Patriots the easier it gets for investigators to pin down whether they knew or not. Your point makes it almost impossible for Brady and Belichick not to have lied in their very first press conferences.

[ColtsBlueFL]

NE Balls were exactly at 12.5 which is the minimum, the colts balls were probably higher PSI. There aren't any reports of what the Colts balls were at the time when they were checked and what they were at halftime.

 

All footballs are completely checked and kept inside officials locker room until 10 minutes before game time, where they are then given to the respective equipment managers on the sidelines.  Even if Colts Balls were 13.5 to begin and the Pats were set to 12.5 psi, then Pat's balls measured 10.5 at halftime, and the the Colts balls should have measured 11.5, which would also be 1 full psi below the minimum.  But the Colts footballs were not below 12.5, so they lost 1 full psi at most. (we're not sure they even lost that amount yet, it hasn't been released) The weather conditions on the Colts sideline was the same as on the Patriots sideline, so that can't be a factor.

 

I'm waiting for investigation teams to collect their infor and put it all together.  But it will be after the *Asterisk Bowl*.

[The Old Crow]

Let's face it. This isn't about Deflate-Gate or Spygate. It's about the fact that the Patriots never have an off-year like 99.9 percent of teams. It's because Belichick isn't some nice guy to the media. It's because the Patriots beat every team not named the Giants into oblivion.

I know, I felt the same way about the Yankees until they stopped being relevant. If the Pats went 8-8 for a few seasons and this happened it would be a non issue. It was a non issue when the Panthers were caught red-handed on TV manipulating their footballs earlier this year.

It's just hatred that this team keeps winning and being competitive so they point fingers. It's like that song Dirty Laundry, "Kick em when they're up, kick em when they're down."

People also want to deflect blame for their team losing, and can't lose with dignity, so they point fingers and complain to the league instead of just improving and trying to get better.

Think about it, even IF by some chance the Patriots manipulated the footballs, did it have any outcome on the game? Colts players said they would have lost if they had played with beachballs.

We're not talking Ray Lewis stuff here.

Not to mention it was probably a sting operation anyway with Harbaugh/Irsay thinking "If you can't beat them, make a mockery of them."

The Ravens did beat them twice, and had them

on the ropes again, until the funky formations came out. Though legal, the spirit of the rules is to give defensive players a fair chance to pick up eligible/ ineligible receivers. After that, we find deflated footballs. No one knows how long back this goes, but the fact of the matter is the Patriots were found not in compliance, while the Colts were. Apparently , Belichick consulted Bill Nye the Science guy for his press conference , and lectured us all on PSI, while a few days before that knowing nothing about nothing. I'm sure he'll blame the " Ute " ball boy from My Cousin Vinny.

This coach has already been found guilty in Spygate with a huge fine and first round draft pick. If you wonder why people on this forum are so dubious about the Patriots, these are some reasons why.

As for the Patriots winning ways, they have only three Championships since 1960. Baltimore teams, the Colts and Ravens have six, three NFL Championships, one Super Bowl with the Colts, and two with the Ravens. If you want to throw the Baltimore Championships in with the Indy franchise, Indy has Five since 1953, which is more than NE. All these Championships were won clean , and both the Ravens and the Colts have had very few down years, so don't talk to us about off years. Neither team has had many, and if they did, they got Andrew Luck. Funny , you referenced the irrelevant Yankees , when they finished ahead of you in the standings, as you had two last place Red Sox finishes in the last three seasons sandwiched around another salary bought Championship .

[NFLfan]

There was an article in USA Today that said a Colts' player didn't know anything about the balls being deflated, but he did notice that the refs kept swapping out the balls.

You could have told me that was normal and I wouldn't have known any better. But since this player was talking about it, I can only assume that it is not normal.

Then, we had Jackson who said that he didn't know the ball was deflated when he handed it over for safekeeping. But, when there was an unusual delay in the game; he asked a ref what was happening and was told that they were trying to find a usable ball. Jackson also noticed that the Patriots were using the Colts' footballs towards the end of the second half.

Now, it only stands to reason that Bill and Tom would be wondering what is happening more than anybody else. Am I supposed to believe that they didn't notice that their balls were being swapped out? Am I supposed to believe that they didn't think that an unusual delay was unusual? Am I supposed to believe that they didn't question as to why they were being given balls from the Colts instead of using their own?

I guess the answer is YES. In Bill's first presser, he said, "I was shocked to learn of the footballs on Monday. I had no knowledge until Monday morning."

Brady said, "I was surprised as anybody when I heard Monday morning what was happening."

They may have been shocked and surprised that they were being accused of cheating. But, no way could they have been shocked and surprised that there was a problem with the Patriot footballs. That would have been very apparent during the game . . . especially to Bill and Tom.

Excellent post! Brady and Belichick had to be aware that there was a problem with the footballs.

The league reported that all the Patriots footballs used in the second half were found to still be in compliance when they were checked after the end of the game. If that is the case, why were Colts footballs used at the end of the second half? I would not be surprised if the refs and the league are not telling us the whole truth.

[Narcosys]

Let's face it. This isn't about Deflate-Gate or Spygate. It's about the fact that the Patriots never have an off-year like 99.9 percent of teams. It's because Belichick isn't some nice guy to the media. It's because the Patriots beat every team not named the Giants into oblivion.

I know, I felt the same way about the Yankees until they stopped being relevant. If the Pats went 8-8 for a few seasons and this happened it would be a non issue. It was a non issue when the Panthers were caught red-handed on TV manipulating their footballs earlier this year.

It's just hatred that this team keeps winning and being competitive so they point fingers. It's like that song Dirty Laundry, "Kick em when they're up, kick em when they're down."

People also want to deflect blame for their team losing, and can't lose with dignity, so they point fingers and complain to the league instead of just improving and trying to get better.

Think about it, even IF by some chance the Patriots manipulated the footballs, did it have any outcome on the game? Colts players said they would have lost if they had played with beachballs.

We're not talking Ray Lewis stuff here.

Not to mention it was probably a sting operation anyway with Harbaugh/Irsay thinking "If you can't beat them, make a mockery of them."

I highly doubt that you believe this is the only time they have done it since there has already been reports of complaints before. You want to ignore the fact that they most likely used it against the Ravens, in which case or definitely could have affected that game. But you completely want to ignore that fact. The colts could have been hosting the afccg, so two me again how it doesn't affect them?

[hawkeyes]

Seen Belichick had another presser where he came out and denied everything again but this time he took a much more stern position. That gave me the feeling that the NFL is planning on shoveling this entire thing under the rug... I think the NFL has already handed out talking points to most of the media.

So, IF the Pats get no penalty at all OR if they get a minimal slap on the wrist - what will be the reaction of the entire country aside from Boston of course? Are we all going to let this one slide?

[ColtsBlueFL]

That's against the rules, then. I haven't heard that.

Once the balls are checked before the game, the footballs cannot be altered.

 

The officials have the authority to alter game balls.  It was mentioned that Walt Anderson had the authority to either re-inflate the previously approved balls back to spec, or check the reserve 12 , adjust them if/as necessary, and use those.  I still do not know what they did after half time, and the league certainly does know.  It just hasn't leaked out yet, AFAIK. But it did come out somewhere that Wallt Anderson followed all of the prescribed protocols.

[bababooey]

Seen Belichick had another presser where he came out and denied everything again but this time he took a much more stern position. That gave me the feeling that the NFL is planning on shoveling this entire thing under the rug... I think the NFL has already handed out talking points to most of the media.

So, IF the Pats get no penalty at all OR if they get a minimal slap on the wrist - what will be the reaction of the entire country aside from Boston of course? Are we all going to let this one slide?

I think you'll have 31 angry owners. It would severely backfire on the NFL who could have spoken to them privately but caught them in a sting operation but could get off on some nonsense technicality. This has been a terrible year for the NFL and everyone outside of New England is livid as you can see by all espn polls. Would hope if this investigation is fumbled (which im counting on) then hopefully goodell is fired by the other owners.

Also for my BB fans (the good BB not the cheater)

@BryanCranston: Breaking Bad won a final award last night at Producers Guild. We're happier than Tom Brady feels when he wraps his fingers around soft balls

[hawkeyes]

I still do not know what they did after half time, and the league certainly does know.

Personally I do not buy that the balls were checked at half time and re-inflated. I think they came out with the half time adjustment comments to try and alleviate / cover up the issue and that attempt failed.

As far as this being a sting operation - if that were actually true and the sting validated the accusations I would think the penalty would have been swift and severe - disqualification and nothing less. That didn't happen so I don't buy the angle. IF this was a sting operation and they were caught and the NFL is still dragging its feet - Goodell is OUT and the Pats will still be in serious trouble.

[bababooey]

Personally I do not buy that the balls were checked at half time and re-inflated. I think they came out with the half time adjustment comments to try and alleviate / cover up the issue and that attempt failed.

As far as this being a sting operation - if that were actually true and the sting validated the accusations I would think the penalty would have been swift and severe - disqualification and nothing less. That didn't happen so I don't buy the angle. IF this was a sting operation and they were caught and the NFL is still dragging its feet - Goodell is OUT and the Pats will still be in serious trouble.

It was a sting, they had info beforehand and instead of warning them they tried to catch them red handed which they did. The only difficult part to prove was to who did it and under who's orders. The Colts balls prove no weather or temperature affected it. This could have been wrapped up last week for all we know, Goodell just doesn't want to jeopardize the superbowl.

[jackinbox]

Seen Belichick had another presser where he came out and denied everything again but this time he took a much more stern position. That gave me the feeling that the NFL is planning on shoveling this entire thing under the rug... I think the NFL has already handed out talking points to most of the media.

So, IF the Pats get no penalty at all OR if they get a minimal slap on the wrist - what will be the reaction of the entire country aside from Boston of course? Are we all going to let this one slide?

 

 

I'm still of the belief that all of the evidence will eventually come out.  It may not be before the Super Bowl, but I think a detailed report will be issued at some point.  If it proves that they violated the rules, there's no way that they'll get by with a slap on the wrist.

[OffensivelyPC]

Let's face it. This isn't about Deflate-Gate or Spygate. It's about the fact that the Patriots never have an off-year like 99.9 percent of teams. It's because Belichick isn't some nice guy to the media. It's because the Patriots beat every team not named the Giants into oblivion.

I know, I felt the same way about the Yankees until they stopped being relevant. If the Pats went 8-8 for a few seasons and this happened it would be a non issue. It was a non issue when the Panthers were caught red-handed on TV manipulating their footballs earlier this year.

It's just hatred that this team keeps winning and being competitive so they point fingers. It's like that song Dirty Laundry, "Kick em when they're up, kick em when they're down."

People also want to deflect blame for their team losing, and can't lose with dignity, so they point fingers and complain to the league instead of just improving and trying to get better.

Think about it, even IF by some chance the Patriots manipulated the footballs, did it have any outcome on the game? Colts players said they would have lost if they had played with beachballs.

We're not talking Ray Lewis stuff here.

Not to mention it was probably a sting operation anyway with Harbaugh/Irsay thinking "If you can't beat them, make a mockery of them."

lol please. this is about as dumb as it gets. Go post this crap in your barstool sports second rate website. It's weak.

[jvan1973]

The report never said the Colts balls didn't lose any pressure but they remained in compliance. Plus Bill said his team's process of prepping the balls cause them to gain 1 psi before inflation and then lost 1/2 psi from atmospheric pressure.

that doesn't equal -2 psi

[da_pats_troll]

It was a sting, they had info beforehand and instead of warning them they tried to catch them red handed which they did. The only difficult part to prove was to who did it and under who's orders. The Colts balls prove no weather or temperature affected it. This could have been wrapped up last week for all we know, Goodell just doesn't want to jeopardize the superbowl.

 

If it was a sting, it was the most poorly executed sting in the history of the world. A "sting" would involve something like..someone watching the balls and the chain of custody, logged PSI measurements, etc.  Hundreds of camera's in the stadium, and 10s of thousands of cell phones, and we dont have concrete proof of someone physically deflating them. Even I have my doubts if the the NFL is that incompetent. 

 

In what world does the NFL try and create this controversy 2 weeks before the biggest event on its calendar? I would actually expect the exact opposite, given the history of the head office..hey, pats are deflating balls...ok, shut up until after the SB..we dont need this now.

[da_pats_troll]

that doesn't equal -2 psi

 

Do you know where that came from? I never came across the source of that..so many links, so many threads

[dw49]

This is my thought too. Why on earth the league did not do the same simulation as Bill on Monday instead of interviewing 40 of his staff members looking for a needle toting ball boy is ridiculous as we are dealing with air pressure which is always a factor of physics and atmospheric conditions. Anyone knows that who plays with a football in any type of weather. Then you add in the ball prep time and the integrity of the leather is compromised as the league let's the teams do whatever they want to the game balls prior to use. This again is going to look horrible for the league if Bill did their work for them in solving what has been the most over blown story of the year.

 

In terms of punishment for the Pats for I guess what you would deem as faulty ball preparation? Not sure they could really do much because the league allows the teams to inflate to 12.5 and that pressure will drop as soon as the balls go outside and are in use in any game. So not sure how you can fault for this as the league does not say the balls have to stay in compliance all game just that they have to start out in compliance. I think that is the key here. And the Pats would have never known their balls were dropping because at no time ever in their history have their game balls ever been measured at halftime much less halftime of a game with ridiculously bad weather where they dominated time of possession.

 

 

I would really like to see a video of how some ball boy raises the PSI a point by rubbing the football. I did see a video of "another" scientist laughing at that one. 

 

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/01/bill-nye-the-science-guy-says-bill-belichick-didnt-make-any-sense-in-press-conference