friendfromlowry;1698741 wrote:This thread is now about driving sober vs driving drunk.

Belichick doing his usual "I don't know what's going on guys" speech at a presser this morning.

Now they are saying the Ravens tipped off the pats..........

Thought I saw this morning that they discovered the deflated balls at half and switched them with regulation balls. Which means the Patriots did better without the deflated balls.

Even the Colts said that deflating the balls didn't change the outcome of the game which makes me wonder why the Pats felt they had to cheat?
I have heard though, that cheaters continue to cheat even though they don't need to just for the thrill of it. Kind of makes sense when you consider it was the Pats.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/column-pats-ball-boy-became-americas-most-wanted-234229458--nfl.html

sounds like the Pats ball boy could lose his job!

HitsRus;1698756 wrote:Even the Colts said that deflating the balls didn't change the outcome of the game which makes me wonder why the Pats felt they had to cheat?
I have heard though, that cheaters continue to cheat even though they don't need to just for the thrill of it. Kind of makes sense when you consider it was the Pats.

I don't think they needed to break any rules to win, i just think their mentality is do anything to win. I'm sure no in the organization thought ball pressure would blow up like this.

Belichick basically put it on Brady to explain. Wouldn't expect anything less from him.

This week I've learned that Kevin Love isn't a star and people drive better drunk.

se-alum;1698764 wrote:Belichick basically put it on Brady to explain. Wouldn't expect anything less from him.

Because it's really a non-issue and tampering with footballs is not uncommon at all.
Derek Anderson @DAnderson314 · 4h 4 hours ago Can we let the deflated ball thing go. They let us prepare the balls as we like. Tom likes his a little less air who cares.

Pick6;1698768 wrote:Because it's really a non-issue and tampering with footballs is not uncommon at all.
Derek Anderson @DAnderson314 · 4h 4 hours ago Can we let the deflated ball thing go. They let us prepare the balls as we like. Tom likes his a little less air who cares.

LOL...it's not a non-issue because Derek Anderson doesn't think it is. It's cheating by an organization known for cheating. I doubt the NFL think it's a non-issue.

Belichick said he doesn't touch footballs. Then literally seconds later said at practice he makes the footballs as bad as possible. He contradicted himself 100 times. Then avoided all questions because he knew he couldn't answer them without making a mistake.

Midstate01;1698773 wrote:Belichick said he doesn't touch footballs. Then literally seconds later said at practice he makes the footballs as bad as possible. He contradicted himself 100 times. Then avoided all questions because he knew he couldn't answer them without making a mistake.

You know the difference between practice and a game right?

Midstate01;1698773 wrote:Belichick said he doesn't touch footballs. Then literally seconds later said at practice he makes the footballs as bad as possible. He contradicted himself 100 times. Then avoided all questions because he knew he couldn't answer them without making a mistake.

I would assume he means prior to the games he doesnt tough the balls. That would be the easiest inference to make.

Midstate01;1698773 wrote:Belichick said he doesn't touch footballs. Then literally seconds later said at practice he makes the footballs as bad as possible. He contradicted himself 100 times. Then avoided all questions because he knew he couldn't answer them without making a mistake.

Belichick does not personally handle the game balls during the game day period of time.
Practice personal make the practice footballs hard to handle for practice.

se-alum;1698764 wrote:Belichick basically put it on Brady to explain. Wouldn't expect anything less from him.

Brady is the one who dictates how the game day balls are to be prepared.

HitsRus;1698761 wrote:http://sports.yahoo.com/news/column-pats-ball-boy-became-americas-most-wanted-234229458--nfl.html

sounds like the Pats ball boy could lose his job!

Sounds like conjecture.

Eh, think I'm going to join the others who are sick of this story. I don't think they can prove New England had anything to do with this or not, and I have less faith in Goodell disciplining them.

friendfromlowry;1698791 wrote:Eh, think I'm going to join the others who are sick of this story. I don't think they can prove New England had anything to do with this or not, and I have less faith in Goodell disciplining them.

I think they can easily prove New England did it, now if they punish them or not, that's a different story. They were tested by officials, turned over to the teams, and 11 tested deflated after given to the team.

se-alum;1698802 wrote:I think they can easily prove New England did it, now if they punish them or not, that's a different story. They were tested by officials, turned over to the teams, and 11 tested deflated after given to the team.

This....but I think the only question is whether the NFL allows QBs to tinker with the ball, and if so what are the limits that are allowed. Obviously, if it is convention that a QB can "work" a ball and that has been tolerated/allowed in the past, the NFL can't just suddenly decide it will enforce a rule and punish in this specific case. Most certainly, something the rules committee will need to address and clarify. That's the best case scenario for New England.....they were cheating....but because it is a rule that has not been enforced or has been allowed they skate until the league clarifies it.

HitsRus;1698833 wrote:This....but I think the only question is whether the NFL allows QBs to tinker with the ball, and if so what are the limits that are allowed.

The team has the footballs all week and the QB's can work them in. Rub them down, do what they need to make it fell good in their hands. They say Eli Manning (big surprise) is real anal about his balls.....
Then they are turned in and the pressure.
So yeah, the QB does have alot of time to work on those balls all week but then get inspected. They can have the pressure anywhere in that paramters that is set. Some like more, some like less.


The talk usually is at Super Bowl time that the QB's dont get the balls before game time and many times feel they are more slippery than they are used to.

In 2013 the New York Times did a fascinating story talking about the process in which the Giants prepare balls for quarterback Eli Manning, so they’re to his liking. It takes months. According to the Times story, the balls are rubbed vigorously for 45 minutes to remove the wax and darken the leather (new balls are too slick, quarterbacks will say). The Giants soak the ball with a wet towel. Then it is brushed again. Then it’s off to an electric spin wheel for more scrubbing. Then the process is repeated twice more. They practice with those balls to break them in even further, and then the ones deemed fit for games are protected like the president.
[INDENT] “No one is allowed to touch those balls,” team’s equipment director Joe Skiba told the Times. “They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.”
[/INDENT] Quarterbacks are particular about the footballs they use. In 2006, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady teamed up to lobby the NFL competition committee to allow each team to provide its own footballs for games, so they could be to the quarterbacks’ liking. Home teams provided all the balls before that, and quarterbacks didn’t like the differences in the balls for each road game. The committee passed it, and now each team provides 12 balls for officials to inspect two hours and 15 minutes before the game.


FROM http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-players-very-particular-about-footballs--tricks-to-get-them-right-194020439.html;_ylt=A0LEV7h8a8FUCHoAsK0nnIlQ

thavoice;1698836 wrote:In 2013 the New York Times did a fascinating story talking about the process in which the Giants prepare balls for quarterback Eli Manning, so they’re to his liking. It takes months. According to the Times story, the balls are rubbed vigorously for 45 minutes to remove the wax and darken the leather (new balls are too slick, quarterbacks will say). The Giants soak the ball with a wet towel. Then it is brushed again. Then it’s off to an electric spin wheel for more scrubbing. Then the process is repeated twice more. They practice with those balls to break them in even further, and then the ones deemed fit for games are protected like the president.[INDENT] “No one is allowed to touch those balls,” team’s equipment director Joe Skiba told the Times. “They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.”
[/INDENT]
Quarterbacks are particular about the footballs they use. In 2006, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady teamed up to lobby the NFL competition committee to allow each team to provide its own footballs for games, so they could be to the quarterbacks’ liking. Home teams provided all the balls before that, and quarterbacks didn’t like the differences in the balls for each road game. The committee passed it, and now each team provides 12 balls for officials to inspect two hours and 15 minutes before the game.


FROM http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-players-very-particular-about-footballs--tricks-to-get-them-right-194020439.html;_ylt=A0LEV7h8a8FUCHoAsK0nnIlQ

So basically it's a big deal, and does provide an advantage.

Shockingly, Tom is taking the woah-is-me approach to his press conference.

se-alum;1698839 wrote:So basically it's a big deal, and does provide an advantage.

Shockingly, Tom is taking the woah-is-me approach to his press conference.

I would suppose it is a big deal. I mean, they work the balls in for a long time. SOMETHING went on after the referee testing and the game. Most likely from Brady's direction and it seems like it wasnt the first time.

but then again, they outscored Indy 28-0 with the regularly inflated balls. I think this had ZERO effect on this outcome, but is still shady.

I believe Brady. The media questions are hilarious. Time to move on from this story

thavoice;1698840 wrote:I would suppose it is a big deal. I mean, they work the balls in for a long time. SOMETHING went on after the referee testing and the game. Most likely from Brady's direction and it seems like it wasnt the first time.

but then again, they outscored Indy 28-0 with the regularly inflated balls. I think this had ZERO effect on this outcome, but is still shady.

Yea, it had zero effect on that game, but what if it did alter other games. The Ravens tipped off the Colts, and they lost a close game to the Pats. It just makes you wonder how long it has gone on. I mean, if Peyton and Loomis got a year for something that gave them no competitive advantage, this should garner a stricter punishment, being that it could have given an advantage.

se-alum;1698843 wrote:Yea, it had zero effect on that game, but what if it did alter other games. The Ravens tipped off the Colts, and they lost a close game to the Pats. It just makes you wonder how long it has gone on. I mean, if Peyton and Loomis got a year for something that gave them no competitive advantage, this should garner a stricter punishment, being that it could have given an advantage.

I concur.
Maybe Belichick wins the SB, says fuck it and retires instead of suspension?!?!?
Seattle has to be loving this!

Guys on ESPN are killing Brady, saying there's no way he didn't notice a difference. I think he would've been better off to claim he could tell a difference, then just say he didn't know how they got that way.