Deflate-Gate: Here We Go Again

[Koma]

2nd offense my ass

I would laugh if we found out there was a time limit on how long a coach could be considered a "second offender," as was the case with Suh stomping on A. Rodgers. If turned out that Belichick's first offense expired a year or 6 months ago, I would laugh and laugh and laugh.

 

[upstater1]

All of this makes the league's words on Tuesday of "2 to 3 days" even stranger, in my opinion.

I think it's maybe because they are dead sure someone tampered, but they can't figure out how.

It's gotta be one of 3 things:

1. Weather
2. Refs' Laxity
3. Patriots Tampering

#3 seems the most likely BUT why in the world is this a mystery. If they tampered they should have it dead to rights.

Which brings us to #2. If the refs didn't even notice the deflated balls during the first half, how can we have any confidence in them at all?

The funny thing is that it could be #1 (as the BU professor explained). If the people saying the balls were 2 PSI under were using 13.5 as the baseline, the patriots balls could have been at 11.5 PSI. Many of us here read the original article that said the balls were at 11 PSI, which is only 1.5 under the threshold. If it was the weather, then this controversy will go on into perpetuity.

 

[ATippett56]

My greatest fear is now that Roger "God"dell was exonerated in the Mickey Mouse investigation conducted by his buddy Robert Mueller (you have to wonder how much money was paid under the table), Roger will feel his oats once again and lower the boom.

The "Sheriff" is either back in town or the Ray Rice escapade has left him a lame duck commissioner.

 

[obgod3]

Well....as far as refusing a penalty or sanctîon I guess if the owner had really big well inflated balls they could tell the NFL they don't plan to play any games the following season.....never happen but would be interesting. Sorry Mr. NFL we are just going to take the season off so go....insert your favorite profanity here...lol

 

[supafly]

The funny thing is that it could be #1 (as the BU professor explained).

So, we had a BU professor give his take (which was pro-Pats) against the previous day's professor from BC (who was anti-Pats)?

Somehow, I missed this today, but this is why I chose BU over BC for my graduate degree

 

[Ivan]

Speaking of Luck, he plays for a team that intentionally lost games in order get the # 1 draft pick. But the Pats are cheaters.

So you're saying that they actually defrauded ticket buyers who attended their games by losing purposely.OMFG, that s widespread fraud and possibly the greatest scandal to ever hit the support.

Say it ain't so Jim.

 

[supafly]

The "Sheriff" is either back in town or the Ray Rice escapade has left him a lame duck commissioner.

I still believe that no one expected spygate to be as big of a deal as it became. If true, they should know better this time around.

Making a mountain out of a molehill isn't good for the NFL...period. The fact that this is occurring one week prior to the SB should make them wake up and see the light.

 

[Wrath Mania]

Unless the NFL releases something in the early morning, I guess they're okay, maybe more than okay, with BB taking the heat at his presser in the AM. Should be a doozy.

 

[supafly]

I think it's maybe because they are dead sure someone tampered, but they can't figure out how.

See, my initial reaction was that the "2-3 day" window was positive news, as opposed to negative.

I had the feeling that it was going to be investigated thoroughly enough to satisfy all, but in the end would find that there was no real evidence to punish the team for anything.

If it was a straight up guilty verdict, I'd expect a longer period of time, possibly even until after the SB had been played. This way no one can make a big deal about BB not being suspended, etc. It'd also give them more time to properly interview everyone involved, including all initial leads, etc.

Then again, just about everything they do is ass backwards, so who knows?

 

[Gronk]

While that would be great, that's not really the way that things work in life. If I get caught for a DUI, I can't refuse sanctions because I believe that other people may have potentially driven drunk--even if they have openly admitted to it. Those who get caught, get punished.

That's true, but if you get caught for a DUI you get whatever the prescribed punishment is. The punishment is different for a 1st or 2nd DUI, sure. But it's not automatically a different, or more extreme punishment, because 8 years ago you pleaded guilty to vandalism.

And that's where the whole Spygate thing comes in, because they chose to take it on the chin, and we all loved them running roughshod over the rest of the league in the wake of that "scandal" (yes quotes because it was stupid), but because they allowed it to be perceived as true, and as cheating, through everything else the collar stuck. I don't get why it didn't stick to other teams. If the 2014 Broncos were determined to have violated the rules of the salary cap - MAYBE - would they be castigated all over the internet as "repeat offenders" and prematurely sentenced to death? Probably only on this here website. Because there's remarkably little knowledge that they ever violated those rules before out there in general.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

Hey fellow Pats fans:
I seldom post but I need someplace to vent frustration and seek a port of clarity in this ****storm of media madness.
One thing that's been really bothering me, I've read that the actual weight difference between 12.5 psi and 11 psi is about 1/3 to 1/4 of an ounce (weight of a few sheets of paper). I've also read that a football doesn't really get to that "hmmmm, feels like it needs some air" stage until about 7 psi. If this is true, it sounds pretty fishy that either Jackson or the equipment manager just happened to pick up on this "deflation" problem when they handled the intercepting ball.
I know facts are sketchy now and the long wait and tidbits of leaked info are creating wild narratives and I'm taking care to reserve any judgment until all the facts are in.
The thing with the weight of the ball and the story of Jackson picking up on it when he intercepted it really has me suspicious. . . Is it possible the Pats are being set up? I don't mean to sound like some crazy Illuminati conspiracy type but this just seems too weird.
Thoughts?

 

[Observer]

how big of a deal is a deflated football?
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12207314&categoryid=2378529

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

Interesting...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/deflate-gate-nfl-ball-boys-perspective-n290801

Two hours before kickoff, he would bring the balls to the referees' locker room for inspection.

"I recall them having a pressure gauge in the locker room, but most often they just squeezed the balls, turned them over in their hands a few times each, and inspected the laces. I don't recall them ever rejecting one of our balls," he said.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I think it's maybe because they are dead sure someone tampered, but they can't figure out how.

It's gotta be one of 3 things:

1. Weather
2. Refs' Laxity
3. Patriots Tampering

#3 seems the most likely BUT why in the world is this a mystery. If they tampered they should have it dead to rights.

Which brings us to #2. If the refs didn't even notice the deflated balls during the first half, how can we have any confidence in them at all?

The funny thing is that it could be #1 (as the BU professor explained). If the people saying the balls were 2 PSI under were using 13.5 as the baseline, the patriots balls could have been at 11.5 PSI. Many of us here read the original article that said the balls were at 11 PSI, which is only 1.5 under the threshold. If it was the weather, then this controversy will go on into perpetuity.

As far as number 3 goes it was said the balls were tested 2:15 hours before the game and then again 5 minutes before the game, the ball boy then got the balls and they were used in the game, at halftime they were tested and found to be under the limit. What are we to conclude from this? No one on the Pats staff had access to the balls, only the ball boy could do anything. According to the NBC news article I read earlier today a former ball boy from 2003 said he has a hard time believing a ball boy could deflate the balls with all the eyes on him.
What I'm getting at is there some other possible explanation that the NFL is trying to figure out and can't? Were the balls filled with something that causes them to lose air in a short amount of time once in contact with cold and cold rain? Ernie Adams at it again? I don't know but something doesn't make sense unless we're really getting a lot of misinformation, which is also likely.
If the officials were notified of this pre game to look out for deflated balls someone would have been keeping an eye on the ball boy, no?
I don't think the Pats take this lying down this time.

 

[SVN]

http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports...lategate-controversy-blown-out-of-proportion/

 

[SVN]

Interesting...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/deflate-gate-nfl-ball-boys-perspective-n290801

This was curran's theory.

"There was a window, maybe an hour or so, between inspection and game time," Koster said. "The balls were out on the field, and it would have been very difficult for me to secretly deflate balls while thousands of fans and media members moved about the stadium. It would also have been very difficult to sneak 12 balls back into the locker room without raising suspicion.

"In my experience, I never knew of a ball boy who tampered with a ball after inspection."

 

[Gronk]

Interesting...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/deflate-gate-nfl-ball-boys-perspective-n290801

Not surprised. This is probably exactly what happens. In every game ever. I wonder if Jerry Rice could tell me how inflated every ball that Joe Montana and Steve Young ever threw him was?

**** at this point if I was Jay Cutler I would find a clever way (by clever I mean 140 characters or less, so it fits on the preferred "news" outlet of the modern times) to come out and say that the reason people think I suck is because I'm the only one playing with balls inflated within the legal limits. I'd finish with "Go ahead, PROVE ME WRONG"...because in all likelihood, no one could prove him wrong.

 

[supafly]

That's true, but if you get caught for a DUI you get whatever the prescribed punishment is. The punishment is different for a 1st or 2nd DUI, sure. But it's not automatically a different, or more extreme punishment, because 8 years ago you pleaded guilty to vandalism.

You lost me a bit when you compared the example that I gave with a previous "vandalism" charge. I do not think that too many people view the Pats 2007 drama as anything comparable with vandalism.

Either way, even if you throw these silly examples out the window, they aren't going to do a damn thing about the fact that Aaron Rodgers admitted to anything, nor are they going to do anything about the TEN/MIN game (which they already addressed, not to mention the thought of physically deflating a ball is in no way comparable to both teams keeping their balls in front of heaters...c'mon). They aren't going to do anything about Brad Johnson or whatever the hell his name is, and his 2003 story about greasing the ball boys to make the balls the way he likes them.

The story they are currently dealing with involves the team that we root for, and no one else. That is the point. We saw the same exact thing with Bill Cowher admitting that they tried to steal signals, Jimmy Johnson actually admitted that "everyone does it," and many of the stories from back in the day. They were dealing with us, and us only. They did nothing about the other scenarios. Why would anyone expect a different outcome this time?

 

[ATippett56]

Mr Whipple did the inspection:

 

[supafly]

Hey fellow Pats fans:
I seldom post but I need someplace to vent frustration and seek a port of clarity in this ****storm of media madness.
One thing that's been really bothering me, I've read that the actual weight difference between 12.5 psi and 11 psi is about 1/3 to 1/4 of an ounce (weight of a few sheets of paper). I've also read that a football doesn't really get to that "hmmmm, feels like it needs some air" stage until about 7 psi. If this is true, it sounds pretty fishy that either Jackson or the equipment manager just happened to pick up on this "deflation" problem when they handled the intercepting ball.
I know facts are sketchy now and the long wait and tidbits of leaked info are creating wild narratives and I'm taking care to reserve any judgment until all the facts are in.
The thing with the weight of the ball and the story of Jackson picking up on it when he intercepted it really has me suspicious. . . Is it possible the Pats are being set up? I don't mean to sound like some crazy Illuminati conspiracy type but this just seems too weird.
Thoughts?

A new report from Jay Glazer has surfaced that states that the Ravens warned the Colts after last week's game. I'm sure you can find it.

It will be interesting to see if Glazer's story is true or not, but he is constantly bragging that he's never gotten a story wrong due to the decision to hold back until he receives confirmation from 3 separate sources that are not connected in any way.