NFL Rules Change Again to Try to Hurt Pats: Players Must Wear Numbers at All Practices

FCB02062 said:

they should all wear #1....or #69....or #0.0......or #19 3/4....that'd be funny

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Or number 12. BB would respond with "They just said numbered jerseys. Didn't say different numbers".

VectorPrime said:

This is so the media covering the practices can easily identify individual players and make it easier for fans watching said media footage to tell each player apart.

Not everything is some nebulous anti Patriots conspiracy.

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This was my first impression too but the more I think about it the more I think it could a new rule made up for just about any reason. Nothing would surprise me with this joke of a front office.

How about what Hank Ballard of the Toronto Maple Leafs did in 1977 when the commissioner decreed that players names had to be on the player's jerseys - he sewed white names on white jerseys. Problem solved - red numbers on red jerseys!

Does the NFL control when/if players get numbers? What's to stop the Patriots from assigning temporary camp numbers that are updated daily for league workplace issues but keeps the players themselves on their toes?

fnordcircle said:

Does the NFL control when/if players get numbers? What's to stop the Patriots from assigning temporary camp numbers that are updated daily for league workplace issues but keeps the players themselves on their toes?

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Maybe I'm too vindictive for my own good, but I was thinking something exactly along those lines as a response lol

AtomicDawg said:

How about what Hank Ballard of the Toronto Maple Leafs did in 1977 when the commissioner decreed that players names had to be on the player's jerseys - he sewed white names on white jerseys. Problem solved - red numbers on red jerseys!

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I know we are all having fun with this joke of an NFL*, but BB had a perfectly valid argument in his interpretation of the the camera placement rule, but the Omissioner wasn't having it.

Does anyone think Goodell would accept BB's explanation of the letter of the law, or would the Omissioner hammer him and the Pats?

We all know the answer to that.

AndyJohnson said:

If the patriots are the only team not wearing numbers and they make the rule that teams gave tolerant numbers...

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What's a "tolerant" number? One with one even number and one odd number? Equal Opportunity?

fnordcircle said:

Does the NFL control when/if players get numbers? What's to stop the Patriots from assigning temporary camp numbers that are updated daily for league workplace issues but keeps the players themselves on their toes?

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Industrial justice.

oh fer krissakes...just wear the ****in' numbers upside down and STFU about it...this Twerpdell needs to be run over by 500 tractor trailers on a gravel road in the middle of the desert.

Joker said:

oh fer krissakes...just wear the ****in' numbers upside down and STFU about it...this Twerpdell needs to be run over by 500 tractor trailers on a gravel road in the middle of the desert.

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I'm curious about the judicial process which landed on the number of tractor trailers as 500.

I can answer that...it's case law from the landmark Overkill vs. GiantAzzoledell 666/U.S./500/(2016)

Off The Grid said:

What's a "tolerant" number? One with one even number and one odd number? Equal Opportunity?

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Auto correct typo meant to say if the pats are only team not to wear numbers and they make a rule that you have to wear numbers

The NFL seeks solutions to non problems.. there will be unintended consequences, there always are.

The Pats do not wear numbers so players can learn each others names, i.e. teambuilding, so this is just another foolhardy attempt by the NFL to destroy that effort.

But payback is a bytch, as the Patriots will figure out another angle..

I'm expect more to come: No frozen balls, no loud music, no rackets when JJ Watt comes to town, etc.

Fear not. None of this chicken-sh*t is going to stop the Patriots or even slow them down.

Just stitch the same color number as the jersey (white number on white jersey, blue number on blue jersey, red number on red jersey etc.)

Always remember when Harold Ballard (former owner of the Leafs) did this in the early 70's with player names. The NHL had mandated that teams had to put the players names on the back of the sweaters. Ballard felt this would hurt program sales which had the starting line-ups, so he stitched white letters on the white jerseys and blue letters on the blue jerseys.

FCB02062 said:

they should all wear #1....or #69....or #0.0......or #19 3/4....that'd be funny

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Or 49 with GFY as the name.

When asked by the media why Patriots players had different numbers each day of practice, and that don't correspond to the ranges typically associated with positions, Belichick responded, "We don't assign permanent numbers to anyone who hasn't made the team. We are just starting practice for this season, so no one has made the team yet, nor have positional assignments been made. Therefore, numbers are assigned each day based on arrival time at the practice facility, to encourage early arrival. The number roster is made available to all observers each day as practice begins."

When asked a follow up about how it will help the team, Belichick answered, "Nobody wants to be #99."

Stupid rule by the NFL

How they going to know the said player in said numbered shirt is the actual player designated that number.

I feel a sting coming.

Danger Zone said:

I think from the language that they probably have to wear their actual jersey numbers... but didn't see anything in there about how big those numbers have to be.

55

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they can all trade numbers every day...players do it all the time

given the pats are SB favorites......again.....the league needs to continue to focus on parity by any means possible