Reiss expects Pats to be fined-deflategate? No farking way

I just wish Reiss had kept his mouth shut when he had literally nothing new to say on the subject.

VectorPrime said:

I just wish Reiss had kept his mouth shut when he had literally nothing new to say on the subject.

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I fully agree.

It was an amateurish moment by Mike who usually knows better. I saw it as him sucking up to Palantonio (who nodded vigorously and enthusiastically when Reiss said he thought they would probably be given a fine).

What is notable is that Reiss didn't give any REASON for why there would be a fine. The comment was based on exactly nothing that he could point to. It was just an "I have a feeling in my gut" comment meant to curry favor. The only statement he made is that he didn't think the NFL had any smoking gun on the Patriots. The leap of logic to 'And I think they will get fined' begs the question: "Why do you think that, Mike?"

I think all of this is going to boil down to the league saying "we don't how that one ball was deflated so we are just gonna fine the pats because there was missing air pressure". If that happens then Kraft needs to come out and call BS because pat haters will cling to this missing air pressure in one ball as a reason to disqualify this championship forever.

Canuck said:

The Patriots didn't deliberately tamper with the psi of the football to deflate them. Under current NFL rules even a token fine is not applicable if it's not deliberate.

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Please point to where it says that.

shmessy said:

What is notable is that Reiss didn't give any REASON for why there would be a fine. The comment was based on exactly nothing that he could point to. It was just an "I have a feeling in my gut" comment meant to curry favor. The only statement he made is that he didn't think the NFL had any smoking gun on the Patriots. The leap of logic to 'And I think they will get fined' begs the question: "Why do you think that, Mike?"

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See my earlier post. He said he figures that since at least one ball was under pressure when measured, "it's an educated guess" that they'll be fined for using a ball that was below the range specified by the rules.

You might not like that reason, but that's his. I for one think it's simultaneously a BS reason (because weather) and perfect reason for Goodell to use (he can say "the rule says the ball has to be X. The rule does not say 'you can't tamper with ball to make it not-X'. It only says the ball has to be X. We measured at halftime and the ball was not-X. Therefore the rule was violated and therefore NE is fined $Z.")

And yes, now we'll get the usual thing of "but, but laws of physics!" Which, yes, is totally true. And won't matter to Goodell. At this point he needs to issue some discipline to save face and fining NE for something he'll characterize as an equipment violation is an easy way for him to do so.

Just wish we could all move on from this nonsense.....

There isn't a smoking gun because they are desperately grasping at straws by taking this long. Rogers comment to King already suggests as much and he seems to be distancing himself from the issue altogether in preparation for the inevitable embarrassment to follow. I just wish to revel in the backfire these turds all deserve.

Though it doesn't seem like a plausible scenario whatsoever - I'd Love for the report to actually be independant and its findings to greatly embarass the NFL brass.

rlcarr said:

See my earlier post. He said he figures that since at least one ball was under pressure when measured, "it's an educated guess" that they'll be fined for using a ball that was below the range specified by the rules.

You might not like that reason, but that's his. I for one think it's simultaneously a BS reason (because weather) and perfect reason for Goodell to use (he can say "the rule says the ball has to be X. The rule does not say 'you can't tamper with ball to make it not-X'. It only says the ball has to be X. We measured at halftime and the ball was not-X. Therefore the rule was violated and therefore NE is fined $Z.")

And yes, now we'll get the usual thing of "but, but laws of physics!" Which, yes, is totally true. And won't matter to Goodell. At this point he needs to issue some discipline to save face and fining NE for what's essentially an equipment violation is an easy way for him to do so.

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I think that's the best possible outcome we can hope for at this point. And I'm sure Kraft and BB must feel the same way

Chiuba E. Obele said:

I think that's the best possible outcome we can hope for at this point. And I'm sure Kraft and BB must feel the same way

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No. Chance. In. Hell.

Kraft who knows. But Belichick would be absolutely beside himself. You heard him talk about camera gate during the My Cousin Vinny speech? He is still outraged about it. This would probably drive him to punch out a league official.

If the Patriots are found guilty in anyway even with a small fine, I think BB retires and says see ya to the NFL.

For the NFL to fine the Patriots would establish guilt and basically call BB, TB, and Kraft liars.

As for Brady maybe he retires as well.

Can't see them remain in a league that has basically brandished the GOAT QB and GOAT coach as liars and cheaters.

rlcarr said:

See my earlier post. He said he figures that since at least one ball was under pressure when measured, "it's an educated guess" that they'll be fined for using a ball that was below the range specified by the rules.

You might not like that reason, but that's his. I for one think it's simultaneously a BS reason (because weather) and perfect reason for Goodell to use (he can say "the rule says the ball has to be X. The rule does not say 'you can't tamper with ball to make it not-X'. It only says the ball has to be X. We measured at halftime and the ball was not-X. Therefore the rule was violated and therefore NE is fined $Z.")

And yes, now we'll get the usual thing of "but, but laws of physics!" Which, yes, is totally true. And won't matter to Goodell. At this point he needs to issue some discipline to save face and fining NE for what's essentially an equipment violation is an easy way for him to do so.

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I don't buy this at all, Again you can not punish on team for not doing something when every other team that plays in the north does not. The league has already asked Wilson for their input on what the PSI spec should be. All he has to say is that "the existing PSI specification does not reflect a reasonable expectation of what the PSI will be in game conditions due to temp variations. Next year the balls will be deflated and then inflated to 12.5 lb-13.5 lb, on the playing field 15 min prior to the game, the balls will then be inspected at 1/2 time and adjusted as needed."

patman52 said:

Again you can not punish on team for not doing something when every other team that plays in the north does not.

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First, why exactly can't they?

Second, "no other team that plays in the north" has ever had balls measured and been found underpressure during a game, either. Goodell can say (and it wouldn't even have to be a lie) that if another team's balls had been measured and found under that he'd have fined them, too.

The non-NE media (and most of the NE media) hates NE. Lots of the other owners hate NE (look at what Reiss said in his chat today, as quoted a bunch of posts ago). So what exactly is the downside for Goodell if he says "Rule says balls need to be X, no ifs, ands or buts. Balls were not-X. Rule was violated and you're fined $Z" ?

Because that's f**king crazy?

When Reiss calls this an "educated guess" what is he talking about? What is so educated about it? Does it mean someone in the NFL is whispering in his ear? Or does it mean he's applying logic?

Because if he's using the latter, he loses some respect with his bad logic.

Here's the thing we can't let people ignore

Look at "TamperGate" with the Jets clear outrage that Kraft would pursue tampering charges - as evidenced by their petty little charade filing counter charges against the Pats re: Revis

Knowing how sensitive the Jets current front office is to the tampering charge, can you think of anyone, say a former Jets President, in the NFL Front Office who might have a chip on his shoulder about Belichick and his torturing of the Jets over the years?

Knowing that Kensil was the trigger man in this, does anyone think it odd that all of this "deflated ball" interest all just happened to take place IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Pats filed Tampering Charges?

I have a feeling it's more than coincidence.

But the last thing Goodell wants is any focus on him or his staff - so don't be surprised if Goodell does decide to make them a scapegoat with a fine

Goodell can easily throw his staff under the bus if he wants, it would make him look more competent than he is.

rlcarr said:

First, why exactly can't they?

Second, "no other team that plays in the north" has ever had balls measured and been found underpressure during a game, either. Goodell can say (and it wouldn't even have to be a lie) that if another team's balls had been measured and found under that he'd have fined them, too.

The non-NE media (and most of the NE media) hates NE. Lots of the other owners hate NE (look at what Reiss said in his chat today, as quoted a bunch of posts ago). So what exactly is the downside for Goodell if he says "Rule says balls need to be X, no ifs, ands or buts. Balls were not-X. Rule was violated and you're fined $Z" ?

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No, your saying that every ref that ever officiated a game in the nfl is going to play along with this. That balls were measured. Your telling me that he is going to go on stage and tell the world that footballs played in Cinci last year in zero degree temps were at 12.5 psi, when the Columbia report is going to prove that they were under.

He has already said in a press conference that he has never been told that balls were under inflated before. You think after the Rice fiasco that they are going to try another cover up, how many reporters out there would love to be the guy to bring down a NFL commish, more than don't like BB I can tell you.

Blaming the spec is the easiest thing to do, and it is the right thing. How arethe other owners going to blame him, he did not write the spec? They have a problem with the finding, let them hire thier own IVY league school and try to disprove the trial.

VectorPrime said:

Because that's f**king crazy?

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The sports media and every other state outside of New England is not going to accept a "no punishment" verdict...I would be very very surprised if there were no fines issued against the franchise. For whatever reason, the balls were under-inflated -- no one can deny that. That is the condition in which they were found, and I think on that basis alone, we may receive some penalty of sort. A slap on the wrist would appease those in the League and Sports media who despise the Patriots. And I truly hope that it's just a slap on the wrist and nothing more. ... otherwise it would push me over the edge!! I would just lose my mind if the NFL decided to sh*t on us like that and try to dig up dirt, just for the sake of making the Patriots look bad.

This really isn't like cameragate either. Yes Kraft should have fought back, that is obvious in retrospect. But from what I know about the situation it seems to me that Kraft and Bill were honestly blind sided by how the league treated the whole 'issue.' Goodell was a newly minted commissioner and Kraft didn't fully understand how unjustly he was going to handle everything. It seemed that Kraft and Bill were willing to accept fault at not following the memo, take the paltry penalty, and move on. When the league dropped the hammer and f**ked us six ways from Sunday it was too late to actually do anything about it. I am positive the Patriots believed that there would be no serious punishment based on their experiences with other teams filming their signals over the years. Of course they didn't count on how much the league had it out for Bill. Before they knew it the 'crime' of having a camera in an illegal place for a single game turned into bulls**t accusations that the Pats had filmed walkthroughts, practices, and cheated in every way known to man and Gods

Now here's why this time is different. Kraft and Bill KNOW what they are up against. They know they need to fight tooth and nail for their reputation. And most importantly this time they can honestly say that they are innocent of any wrong doing. With cameragate the NFL had the Patriots on the technicality of disobeying the memo. It was insignificant, it gave us no competitive advantage, and was only done illegally for a single game (the 07 opener). But it was something. It was something that happened, that the NFL could take and go to town on their anti Patriot agenda. In this case the Patriots didn't do anything. We didn't tamper. There is no proof of ANY wrongdoing. Because of that I believe the situation is different and the league can't penalize the team nor will the team accept anything but exoneration.

rlcarr said:

First, why exactly can't they?

Second, "no other team that plays in the north" has ever had balls measured and been found underpressure during a game, either. Goodell can say (and it wouldn't even have to be a lie) that if another team's balls had been measured and found under that he'd have fined them, too.

The non-NE media (and most of the NE media) hates NE. Lots of the other owners hate NE (look at what Reiss said in his chat today, as quoted a bunch of posts ago). So what exactly is the downside for Goodell if he says "Rule says balls need to be X, no ifs, ands or buts. Balls were not-X. Rule was violated and you're fined $Z" ?

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No, your saying that every ref that ever officiated a game in the nfl is going to play along with this. That balls were measured. Your telling me that he is going to go on stage and tell the world that footballs played in Cinci last year in zero degree temps were at 12.5 psi, when the Columbia report is going to prove that they were under.

He has already said in a press conference that he has never been told that balls were under inflated before. You think after the Rice fiasco that they are going to try another cover up, how many reporters out there would love to be the guy to bring down a NFL commish, more than don't like BB I can tell you.

Blaming the spec is the easiest thing to do, and it is the right thing. How arethe other owners going to blame him, he did not write the spec? They have a problem with the finding, let them hire thier own IVY league school and try to disprove the trial.

And read the rule, it says nothing about the home team being responsible for the balls being in spec The rule is that they supply playable balls and that the only people that can approve is the ref. It reads as the home team hasto have ball boys on both sides of the field. page 10 of the pdf

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/2013 - Rule Book.pdf