Media mocking of the "the deflater" losing weight

[aluminum seats]

Glad there's finally a thread where people are being objective, or at least trying to be. The explanations for some of these texts were flat out dumb and really took away from what was an otherwise great rebuttal. The way a lot of people here jumped all over those explanations in that big thread about the rebuttal was pretty embarrassing, I wanted to say something but knew I would get jumped. This thread seems a little safer for me.

Let's face it, if you ask 100 completely neutral people about the "deflator" and "ESPN" texts, the vast majority will say Wells' theory is reasonable and the Patriots' story is a joke. I've seen people say "Google weight loss and deflate" as a way to prove that the weight loss theory is legit. Come on now.

The texts are absolutely the strongest part of the Wells Report, probably the only strong part, and the rebuttal just gave it more strength.

That's not to say I think it proves the Patriots did anything nefarious, but I also don't think it's as black and white as NFL bad vs Patriots good. We don't know the whole story, and we probably will never know.

The Patriots obviously had to respond to "absolutely the strongest part" of the Wells report.

 

[Ring 6]

I agree, if taken as a singular piece of evidence from which one might draw a conclusion. But let me give you another perspective:

1) TB is a perfectionist...a pro's pro...and wants his footballs to consistently meet his specifications (i.e. 12.5 psi to keep the ball on the softer side).
2) During the 2014 season, 4 of the first 6 games were played at the opposing team's stadium, meaning that TB had little or no control over the psi of those balls (after inspection). Given his sub-par play during those games (which he later turned around), I can see where the focus on ball characteristics would be ever-more amplified in his mind.
3) I'm sure he reminded Jastremski (in no uncertain terms) to ensure his footballs were maintained at his desired psi level, who in turn made it clear to "Bird" (also, in no uncertain terms). Under such pressure, I can see how those text conversations could occur.
4) The 7th game of the season (Jets game) was a home game, where ostensibly we had more control of the footballs. Yet after the game, they measured at least one ball at 16 psi!! I'm guessing TB becomes quite upset at that point.
5) At the next home game (?) TB sent Bird in with a copy of the NFL rule pertaining to psi levels.
6) Fast forward to the AFCCG, where we now know that all balls were found to be within 0.1 psi of what Ideal Gas Law would suggest.
Bottom line: has anyone even contemplated that Brady may very well have directed JJ and JM to ensure the balls are at 12.5 psi ("whatever it takes")...but that JM was unwilling to take any undue risk of losing his job (hence the balloon comments)? Just because some text messages were exchanged doesn't mean any illegal deflation was ever carried out...even if it had been considered. It also doesn't make any sense why a team would go to all that trouble to gain a 0.1 psi "improvement" beyond the 12.5 psi level.

Your explanation requires that Tom Brafy is lying. Also that BB, the Deflator, Dorito Dink and Patriot counsel Dan Goldberg are also lying and that more probably than not Bob Kraft is lying to
How about we accept the truth? Oh and the science proves it

 

[Jackson 2]

It's not a question of them being on the legal team, obviously.

The point is if the explanation is the truth, it had to be included. You obviously don't think it's the truth, or that it is the truth, but that they should have lied and made up another story. I disagree.

I never suggested that anyone should lie. The subject should have been excluded from the rebuttal, in my opinion.

 

[KCSVEN]

I tried not to rush to judgment on this as it was pretty clear the Wells report was completely one sided without hearing the other side I didn't feel I could come up with my own opinion but honestly if you put a gun to my head after the report I would have said the ball boys did something and possibly Brady knew. Many things have turned my opinion around and I now think they actually did nothing. The texts were the last thing that I had to get past . What changed my mind a lot was the text about the jacket and how it timed up to seeing the guy on TV since it was Green Bay he was wearing heavy clothing and if I read the text deflate and get rid of the jacket it is clearly him making fun of a guy for nobody taking the jacket from him and to me he's telling him he looks fat on TV by telling him to deflate. The other option is related to the late touchdown being deflating . But it seems he's ragging on the guy so to me he's using deflate in a weight loss context. In any scenario I can think of using deflate there can in no way be related to footballs there is no logical person that could conclude that he's talking about deflating footballs. Then you add to the fact the deflator comment was well before the Jets game and if they insinuate for years they've been doing this they could can not come up with one shred of evidence other than a text before the Jets game. There is clear discussion about the rules in the inflation point of balls well after that text so that text is completely out of context with any other evidence so when you eliminate the obvious reference to deflating balls then the other explanation, though unusual is more likely than not

 

[aluminum seats]

I never suggested that anyone should lie. The subject should have been excluded from the rebuttal, in my opinion.

But the texts, of course, had to be addressed.

 

[Jackson 2]

But the texts, of course, had to be addressed.

If you say so, Ace. I'm done belaboring the point.

 

[aluminum seats]

If you say so, Ace. I'm done belaboring the point.

Common sense says so, Champ.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

There are no guarantees that the courts will ultimately grant any kind of relief. Plus the court of public opinion and the media narrative still matters to most people, including myself.

I trust (and sure hope) that the attorneys who wrote this are smart and that the "deflator" explanation was included purposefully, either because they know that these two guys are going to confirm that that was what the nickname was for in future testimony, or they know that it ultimately won't matter. If not, that was major F up

Of course, there are no guarantees. Anything can happen. But at this point, there's at least good chance that the Wells Report might actually be discredited if it ever makes it to court. That's where I think this whole thing is headed.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Common sense says so, Champ.

But wait, common sense isn't good enough if the media doesn't buy it!

....sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

I tried not to rush to judgment on this as it was pretty clear the Wells report was completely one sided without hearing the other side I didn't feel I could come up with my own opinion but honestly if you put a gun to my head after the report I would have said the ball boys did something and possibly Brady knew. Many things have turned my opinion around and I now think they actually did nothing. The texts were the last thing that I had to get past . What changed my mind a lot was the text about the jacket and how it timed up to seeing the guy on TV since it was Green Bay he was wearing heavy clothing and if I read the text deflate and get rid of the jacket it is clearly him making fun of a guy for nobody taking the jacket from him and to me he's telling him he looks fat on TV by telling him to deflate. The other option is related to the late touchdown being deflating . But it seems he's ragging on the guy so to me he's using deflate in a weight loss context. In any scenario I can think of using deflate there can in no way be related to footballs there is no logical person that could conclude that he's talking about deflating footballs. Then you add to the fact the deflator comment was well before the Jets game and if they insinuate for years they've been doing this they could can not come up with one shred of evidence other than a text before the Jets game. There is clear discussion about the rules in the inflation point of balls well after that text so that text is completely out of context with any other evidence so when you eliminate the obvious reference to deflating balls then the other explanation, though unusual is more likely than not

Love this post. The real question is based on the maturity of the texts, do McNally and JJ sound like guys the Patriots would trust to run a cheating spree? I wouldn't think so, and neither should anyone else

 

[BelichickFan]

They can laugh all they want, the reality is "deflate" is used in this arena.

http://www.jeni-fit.com/Jeni-Fit.com/Deflate_Your_Weight.html
http://www.deflatethemate.com/

Combine that with these two inflating and deflating balls at work daily, it's no surprise they jokingly use that terminology.

As for those who think the Patriots should have had a better reason for the use of the word deflate and deflator, if this is the truth then what better reason is there than that ?

 

[Rob0729]

The Pats should have had their lawyer or someone else get in front of it and go to the media and explain the whole Deflator thing and try to turn the attention towards the real points that punch real holes in the Wells report.

 

[ChesBay]

Your explanation requires that Tom Brafy is lying. Also that BB, the Deflator, Dorito Dink and Patriot counsel Dan Goldberg are also lying and that more probably than not Bob Kraft is lying to
How about we accept the truth? Oh and the science proves it

If you've read any of my other posts, you'd definitely see that I have taken a very defensive position with respect to TB and the Patriots. But I decided to take this "excursion" in an attempt to explain what most people think is the weakest part of our defense. Go back and re-read my OP again. In no way do I infer that TB directed that JJ or JM adjust the balls below the 12.5 level....but that doesn't mean he wasn't screaming at them to "do whatever it takes" to get them at the 12.5 level, without any further amplification. Furthermore, even if discussions did take place (say, to deflate footballs to the 12.5 level after they had already been inspected), that doesn't mean that it ever actually happened! I don't think we can be guilty of something that never happened. And as I've said in numerous posts, why would anyone undertake a sinister plot to deflate the footballs an additional 0.1 psi (on average) beyond the 12.5 level? What would be the point??

 

[aluminum seats]

The Pats should have had their lawyer or someone else get in front of it and go to the media and explain the whole Deflator thing and try to turn the attention towards the real points that punch real holes in the Wells report.

Now that's a reasonable point. If the Pats have a strong public spokesman, that person could have laid out what was coming in the rebuttal...even laughing a bit about the truth of the texts.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

The Pats should have had their lawyer or someone else get in front of it and go to the media and explain the whole Deflator thing and try to turn the attention towards the real points that punch real holes in the Wells report.

I disagree. Putting an actual human face on this kind of stupidity only gives SNL and late-night shows more fodder for skits lol

 

[aluminum seats]

I disagree. Putting an actual human face on this kind of stupidity only gives SNL and late-night shows more fodder for skits lol

Someone who presented with the right tone--that the entire issue and the Wells report is what's comic--would have been (or would be) effective I think.

 

[Ring 6]

If you've read any of my other posts, you'd definitely see that I have taken a very defensive position with respect to TB and the Patriots. But I decided to take this "excursion" in an attempt to explain what most people think is the weakest part of our defense. Go back and re-read my OP again. In no way do I infer that TB directed that JJ or JM adjust the balls below the 12.5 level....but that doesn't mean he wasn't screaming at them to "do whatever it takes" to get them at the 12.5 level, without any further amplification. Furthermore, even if discussions did take place (say, to deflate footballs to the 12.5 level after they had already been inspected), that doesn't mean that it ever actually happened! I don't think we can be guilty of something that never happened. And as I've said in numerous posts, why would anyone undertake a sinister plot to deflate the footballs an additional 0.1 psi (on average) beyond the 12.5 level? What would be the point??

Regardless of all that, your hypothetical suggests that the entire organization has lied in explaining all of these issues. I don't buy it
Why must you search for a scenario that is close to cheating but not quite? There is nothing to explain, the balls were exactly where science says they should be. If no one deflated them why would there need to be any explanation beyond Brady told the ball boys to set them at 12.5, and the explanation of the texts is what the texters say it is?

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Someone who presented with the right tone--that the entire issue and the Wells report is what's comic--would have been (or would be) effective I think.

The 'deflator' defense comes across as desperate to most people... having a spokesperson actively promote that storyline would only make things worse, and offer an even BIGGER distraction from the actual rebuttal itself!

 

[aluminum seats]

The 'deflator' defense comes across as desperate to most people... having a spokesperson actively promote that storyline would only make things worse, and offer an even BIGGER distraction from the actual rebuttal itself!

Perhaps. But I wasn't suggesting that a spokesman focus only on that piece of it. Either way, that's not an aspect of this I'm passionate about; Rob had offered the suggestion, which seemed reasonable.

 

[PATS16N0]

Media mocking of the "the deflater" losing weight

Just checking, but this is the same media that put a crying Mark Brunnell on television right?