Deflategate - Confirmed

[poptart]

Every QB in the league is either underinflating, overinflating (like the Colts last week), scuffing the ball or wearing gloves to get a better grip.

"BUT...BUT...BUT...WE'RE ALL SO OUTRAGED OVER A RULE WE DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED 1 WEEK AGO! BAN THEM! BAN THEM ALL!!"

Just speaking for myself (not for Joe, Scott, MS, whoever...), I never thought about the NFL balls and just assumed that the league had a rational ball policy in place.

They clearly do not.

[Joe in PB]

I thought the NFL provided the balls allocated for the game, and both teams used them, similar to MLB. Once more validating the urban definition of assume....

[Screw_Michigan]

Who's really surprised? This is a direct example of how elites are treated in sports and life. When the University of North Carolina commits institutional academic fraud on a massive scale within the men's basketball program, the NCAA puts Bethune Cookman on probation. When Wall Street bring the economy to its knees, small fines instead of prison terms. If the Raiders were pulling this deflated ball shit, people would be fired, wins vacated and draft picks docked.

Nothing to see here.

WW

[Felix]

this has become serious now......my wife, who's knowledge of the NFL consists of basically knowing the names of Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas on the Bronco team which I watch every week asked me when I came home last night "do underinflated footballs really make that big of a difference"
yes, her facebook friends are all yammering on about deflategate and she didn't understand what difference it would make.....

my response to her was this "when a quarterback is throwing the ball, an underinflated ball will definitely provide the QB with a much better grip....given that it was raining fairly consistently, there is no doubt in my mind that it could have provided Brady with an unfair advantage over Luck...but, given that Brady only completed 13 passes, none of which were for touchdowns, they didn't take advantage of it if in fact it does provide such an advantage....I also told her that an underinflated football would also allow a running back to grasp the ball firmer, making it much more difficult to force a fumble.....

given that my wife asked me about this, there's no doubt in my mind now that Bellicheat and the Patsies are going to pay a price for it......

I'm seriously thinking about purposely not watching this game. All this shit is just that bad. I watched about 10 minutes of the last Pats/Giants SB a few years ago - just because I couldn't handle the media slurping over both teams so much, but this has gotten too extreme...

this game has become really interesting for me now.....I'm in the middle of SeaSlug country and most of the people around here are Seattle fans.....I really don't like Seattle and that goes back to the old AFC West days, when they were a part of it.....but now, I really would enjoy watching Seattle put a fucking beatdown on New England and honestly, I think Seattle is the only team in the NFL that has a defense capable of it....

GO

[mvscal]

my response to her was this "when a quarterback is throwing the ball, an underinflated ball will definitely provide the QB with a much better grip....

People keep saying that like it's a fact. Why do Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck prefer overinflated footballs?

[R-Jack]

I watched about 10 minutes of the last Pats/Giants SB a few years ago - just because I couldn't handle the media slurping over both teams so much

What other teams were they supposed to be fawning over? :?

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I'm seriously thinking about purposely not watching this game. All this shit is just that bad. I watched about 10 minutes of the last Pats/Giants SB a few years ago - just because I couldn't handle the media slurping over both teams so much, but this has gotten too extreme...

SEC fan complaining about media slurping. That's rich.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

my response to her was this "when a quarterback is throwing the ball, an underinflated ball will definitely provide the QB with a much better grip....

People keep saying that like it's a fact. Why do Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck prefer overinflated footballs?

Because they have bigger hands. If you have smallish hands, a deflated ball is definitely easier to throw. It's funny, nobody wants to investigate the Packers for "overinflation" (which Rodgers says he prefers) but deflation = mass hysteria and outrage.

[R-Jack]

If the Raiders were pulling this deflated ball shit, people would be fired, wins vacated and draft picks docked.

Why do I feel all those things have happened?

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

If the Raiders were pulling this deflated ball shit, people would be fired, wins vacated and draft picks docked.

If what mv says is true, the penalty for ball manipulation is a $25,000 fine. What do you feel is the proper punishment for something like this?

[R-Jack]

If you're talking Raiders.....haven't they suffered enough

[mvscal]

If the Raiders were pulling this deflated ball shit, people would be fired, wins vacated and draft picks docked.

If what mv says is true, the penalty for ball manipulation is a $25,000 fine. What do you feel is the proper punishment for something like this?

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/ ... 031693.php

Here is something a bit less hysterical. There is also an embedded link to an article from 2013 detailing the process the Giants use to prep balls for Eli Manning that is pretty interesting.

[Joe in PB]

A good take on Roger Goodell's performance this season. I do think he should be fired.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/st ... r-standard

....if Goodell happened to be a linebacker or receiver who performed the way he did in 2014, he would've had his playbook taken away faster than he wanted the Ray Rice case to disappear from the public's consciousness. In an ideal world, Goodell would've been held to the same standards as his players. He would've been released from the team and escorted by security to the facility door for failing to honor the Belichickian mantra of Do Your Job.

...No player in the NFL survives his equivalent of an "abuse of discretion," and yet Goodell gets to present himself now as part of the solution instead of the problem while banking $44 million in 2013 as part of a deal reportedly worth $300 million.

Even A-Rod didn't sign for $300 million.

In fact, despite all his failings this season Roger the dodger didn't think a self-imposed pay cut was appropriate, either.

"That's up to the owners," Goodell said. "They evaluate my performance. They evaluate my compensation every year. I don't argue."

How could he ever argue? The owners have decided they don't care that Goodell is in desperate need of a public humanizing. The commissioner might be a flawed money machine, but hey, he is a money machine.

...The commissioner also needs to do a better job of managing his relationship with his owners. Richard Sherman was right: Goodell shouldn't be attending a function at the home of his biggest backer, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, on the eve of an AFC Championship Game involving Kraft's team, even if the function is an annual perk for league sponsors (another money-maker, of course). In a perception-is-reality business, many fans might find it hard to accept Goodell's claim that his personal affection for Kraft won't impact the league's investigation into the deflated balls used in said AFC Championship Game.

Goodell noted in his news conference that Kraft serves on the broadcast and finance committees. Funny, but the commissioner didn't note Kraft also serves on the compensation committee that notarized Goodell's obscene salary.

...But more than anything, Goodell promised he will lead as a humbled agent of change. We'll see about that. Meanwhile, the commissioner should go back and review the letter he wrote to Jim Irsay in suspending him for six games and fining him $500,000 after the Indianapolis Colts owner pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated.

"I have stated on numerous occasions that owners, management personnel and coaches must be held to a higher standard than players," Goodell wrote. "We discussed this during our meeting and you expressed your support for that view, volunteering that owners should be held to the highest standard."

Commissioners should be held to the highest standard, too. No, Goodell didn't break any laws. He did damage the credibility of his league enough to earn a penalty more severe than an antagonistic meeting with the Super Bowl media and a forced pledge to do better next time.

...Everyone gets cut in Roger Goodell's NFL. Just not Roger the dodger.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

But the NFL report concluded “it was more than probable than not”

So that's what they came up with after all this time?

[Bucmonkey]

Enough for fines at least...Patriots doing what they do

[R-Jack]

Just sounds like they are using soft faggoty language to accompany a soft faggoty penalty, if one ever comes.

[mvscal]

What a complete joke of a report. Total waste of time.

[Felix]

the fact that Brady refused to turn over his phone to the investigators looks bad for Tommy....if you've got nothing to hide, why not give it to them?

[R-Jack]

the fact that Brady refused to turn over his phone to the investigators looks bad for Tommy....if you've got nothing to hide, why not give it to them?

Hell, even Aaron Hernandez turned his phone in.

Smashed to bits, but still.

[Felix]

Based on the evidence developed in connection with the investigation and summarized in this Report, we have concluded that it is more probable than not that New England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the NFL Playing Rules and were involved in a deliberate attempt to circumvent those rules," the report, released Wednesday, said.
With that line on Page 121 of the massive report, it again questions the validity of the Patriots' great dynasty, which included a Super Bowl victory this past February, the fourth for coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.

"Based on the evidence, we also have concluded that it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of [Jim] McNally and [John] Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls," the report said.

I read the report and they cream puffed it insofar as Brady is concerned....fucking A he knew about it otherwise why is he providing autographed memorabilia and shoes to equipment guys....Brady claims he doesn't know who McNally is, yet there's a reference to Brady signing a football and handing to McNally....funny, why would you be autographing and handing a football to somebody you didn't know? brady is a fuckin assclown, and a cheating assclown at that.....

[mvscal]

the fact that Brady refused to turn over his phone to the investigators looks bad for Tommy....if you've got nothing to hide, why not give it to them?

Hi! Don't forget to vote for me!

[Joe in PB]

Where is the equipment guy in that photo? I don't see him, and to insenuate that he might have been amongst a crowd of fans to get an autograph from Brady is laughable.

[Felix]

pssst..... joe


it was supposed to be a joke off Jim's comment

I get it, don't know why joe didn't.....


if you read the Wells report you'll no doubt come to the same conclusion that I did......not only was Brady aware of it, he expected it and in return provided autographed footballs, shoes, etc. to the equipment guy he claims he didn't know....

[Joe in PB]

Sarcasm can be tough to detect at times when doing drive by's from the office on the phone, lol.

[BSmack]

Brady gets a 2 game suspension and a 250k fine. The rest of the cheats get away.

[Dinsdale]

This whole Ballghazi thing has been way overinflated.

[Joe in PB]

The rest of the cheats get away.

In the Navy if a ship is run aground or clips a pier the Captain takes a fall, even though he wasn't at the helm when it happened. I'd be very surprised if Belichick didn't know what was going on. Kraft more likely didn't know, but ultimately he's still responsible for his team & what happens on the field in terms of following the rules. Brady, Belichick & Kraft all should be suspended and fined. If owners are held accountable for cheating on their team along with the perpetrator/s, I believe they'd be less of this kind of thing.

The NFL announced Monday that Browns general manager Ray Farmer was suspended without pay for the first four regular-season games of the 2015 season for his violation of the NFL's electronic device policy. The Browns have also been fined $250,000.

Farmer is the first general manager to be suspended by the NFL since Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was banned eight games in 2012 for his role in the team's bounty scandal.

Cleveland was not the only franchise punished Monday. The NFL fined the Falcons $350,000 and docked the team a 2016 fifth-round pick for pumping in crowd noise into the Georgia Dome.

Considering the Patriots have been deflating the ball a long time, I'd say its a much more egregious offense than the above, and should be treated as such. It also points to Belichicks involvement, as we know, his real genius is in bending/breaking the rules for his teams advantage.

....The 2013 season is an oddity in that the Patriots were actually slightly worse than the rest of the NFL. Looking at that season, its apparent the reason: of the Patriots 23 fumbles that season, 6 (over 25%) occurred in a Sunday night game vs the Broncos played in 22 degree weather, with 22 mph winds and a wind chill of 6 degrees. Cold conditions of this nature absolutely cause more fumbles than usual. They fumbled a TOTAL of 5 times in 11 of their 16 games in 2013 (69% of their total games), so it truly was this week 12 “antarctic” game (and a week 17 game vs the Bills which saw 4 fumbles) which really put the Patriots fumble rates for 2013 out of sync. This is exactly why looking at small sample sets, such as single seasons, is not the preferred manner to investigate this analysis.

Why are fumbles so important? Because as Bill Belichick knows, perhaps more so than most NFL coaches due to his understanding of the game – turnovers usually control game outcomes. Since 2000, teams who won the turnover battle won 79% of their games, regardless of ANY other statistic.

The bottom line is, something happened in New England. It happened just before the 2007 season, and it completely changed this team. While NFL teams apparently are complaining to the league that they felt the Patriots played with deflated footballs during the 2014 season and postseason, all investigations into those allegations would be wise to reference my research herein, and begin the investigation in the 2006. That was when Tom Brady was able to persuade the NFL to change its rules to allow him (and other quarterbacks) to provide their own footballs for all road games. I will reiterate, this analysis cannot say it was, undoubtedly, illegal football deflation which caused the data abnormalities. But it does conclude that something absolutely changed, and it was not the result of simple random fluctuation.

The league has done a good job letting a lot of time go by so the situation....deflates. Obviously trying to minimize questions about a dubious franchise that has been the leagues marketing gem since its first Superbowl win, one that had as many questions, if not more, about the filming of the Rams walk through the day before the big game.

[Go Coogs']

Sharp's football analysis is very shoddy work regarding the Pats.

This guy really breaks it down here.

Of course this doesn't prove or disprove the Patriots benefited from cheating, but it does point out some major flaws in Sharp's data. Point being, you really won't be able to see how much the Pats benefited from deflating the balls until the next three seasons if they should fall back into mediocrity. But then again, there are so many other variables involved here such as player personnel, offensive scheme, luck, and Brady's decline as he gets older.

The best point Drew made on his rebuttal to Sharp's article was Brady's improvement. I too have noticed Brady's throws over the middle are lower and at player's feet. Earlier in his career he threw some death balls on crossing patterns to his receivers, but he doesn't do that nearly as much anymore. He's making his guys go get it with shoe string catches or dives. That would eliminate those big hits and keep the ball from popping out. Just sayin'.

[Diego in Seattle]

WTF does it matter whether Brady benefited or not? He still subverted the rules.

I guess people who shoot innocent people but fail to kill them shouldn't be punished by this line of logic.

[R-Jack]

I guess people who shoot innocent people but fail to kill them shouldn't be punished by this line of logic.

Only if they have a badge

[Go Coogs']

WTF does it matter whether Brady benefited or not? He still subverted the rules.

Yes he did. And he should be punished accordingly, but that's not my point. All I'm saying is this dumbass Sharp manipulated his data so that it would look like the Pats fumble rates were well beyond the norm after they changed the rule to allow teams to supply their own balls. Sharp's article has gone viral but its got holes bigger than m2's stupid head. Sharp is suggesting and assuming the Pats have been deflating the balls since the rule change took place back in 2006. His data is skewed and doesn't take into account so many freaking variables that I find it pathetic that some of you have taken his conclusions as sure fire proof that the Patriots are horrible cheaters. It still doesn't explain why the Falcons are an anomaly in their fumble rates over the same time period. Oh yeah, he excluded dome teams which makes absolutely no sense because their average fumble rates are almost the same as non-dome teams. He did that to exclude the Falcons in his study so his findings would look like the Pats were the only team to really have a huge decrease in their fumble rates.

Idiots all over the interwebs are raising their eyebrows over Sharp's report as being the proof in the pudding when in reality its an incomplete piece of shit piece.

[Joe in PB]

The fact remains that this is not the first time NE has been found bending the rules for an advantage. No matter how its spun, they're repeat offenders. I also don't like that the evidence from their previous misdeeds was destroyed by the NFL, as opposed to being released to the public. Obviously the league wanted to hide something, as it likely involved questions about their first 3 championships, and league integrity, which I think is shit.

[Screw_Michigan]

league integrity

I laffed.

[poptart]

The NFL got caught with it's pants down.
They have a rule on the books which it appears they have not been enforcing.
Their own protocols indicate that.

Ball inflation level is checked by an official an hour before the game, and then the balls are left unattended with the team providing them.
lol

It's evident that ball doctoring goes on and it seems officials look the other way or don't take any action unless they encounter something very egregious.

It's pretty laffable to assume that the first time Brady dicks with the balls, he gets busted.
It's rational to assume it's been going on.
Who knows how long?


According to this Wall Street Journal article written two years ago, BenJarvis Green-Ellis had 10 fumbles in college, losing 5.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014...67253671355534


He goes to NE, carries the rock 500 times without a fumble.

Then he goes to Cincy and coughs it up 5 times in a little less than 500 carries.

lol


Things that make you go hmmmmm...

[Felix]

I read the report and they cream puffed it insofar as Brady is concerned....fucking A he knew about it otherwise why is he providing autographed memorabilia and shoes to equipment guys....Brady claims he doesn't know who McNally is, yet there's a reference to Brady signing a football and handing to McNally....funny, why would you be autographing and handing a football to somebody you didn't know? brady is a fuckin assclown, and a cheating assclown at that.....

apparently the NFL came to the same conclusion......4 game suspension for Brady, the Patsies lose a first rounder next year and a fourth rounder in 2017 and the organization is fined 1 mil.....

ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.....

[Diego in Seattle]

Considering the history of the Cheatriots, they got over.

It pays to have friends in high places. Just ask Mr. Kraft.

[BSmack]

apparently the NFL came to the same conclusion......4 game suspension for Brady, the Patsies lose a first rounder next year and a fourth rounder in 2017 and the organization is fined 1 mil.....

ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.....

Not really. Not for the guys who benefitted the most from the cheating.

[poptart]

I'm glad this little distraction is settled and is in the rear view mirror. Tom Brady is a class act and this was mostly a misunderstanding. We can focus 100% on the 2015 season. It's going to be the greatest season yet. Rack Commissioner Goodell and the NFL!

[mvscal]

apparently the NFL came to the same conclusion......4 game suspension for Brady, the Patsies lose a first rounder next year and a fourth rounder in 2017 and the organization is fined 1 mil.....

ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.....

Not really. Not for the guys who benefitted the most from the cheating.

The fumble stat analysis has been debunked.

[Goober McTuber]

I just wish uCunt was here to share the moment with us. It would be a lot more fun with a diehard Cheatriots fan on board.