Deflate-Gate: Here We Go Again

[BradyToAmendola]

How ****ing inept is the league if they put on a sting operation and they STILL couldn't catch us? Why didn't they have someone watching/cameras on the balls the whole time?

That's why I think it wasn't a sting/trap. They can't possibly be that inept.

 

[shmessy]

Supafly, I live in the Wash DC area...and must contend with Redskin, Raven, Steeler, and even Eagle fans. Think about it...you already know what the last 3 think about us. And the Redskins thought we ran up the score on them last year.

Last year?

I took my son and nephew to the last regular season game between the Pats and Redskins at fedex in Dec2011. that was a nailbiter.

The game you are talking about was in 2007.

 

[Wrath Mania]

I live outside Philly too and it is the worst on Boston Sports fans especially the Pats for some reason.

I get the Celtics and Bruins but the Pats hate borders on psychotic.

I live across the river. It's been pretty bad, usually I listen to WIP for laughs but I haven't even dared to turn it on since all this **** overflowed. Philly is by far and away a football town- all other sports are periphery- so everyone here is still hurt over Superbowl 39. I'm pretty sure they're convinced the Patriots stomach-pumped McNabb or something and that's why he got sick. Philly Sportsfans are the definition of 'insecure', so really no mystery here.

 

[juny]

Do not believe this was a "sting", would think the league would have a pair of eyes on the bag of footballs at all times and then nail the guilty party as they are deflating them. Or at least a competent organization would do a sting this way

 

[Dr Pain]

So maybe weather affected the balls and the Colts had theirs overinflated?

Or they inflated their balls outside in the colder air so they would not deflate in the temp change. This alone would explain it. I will also point out the NFL said nothing about any before and after on the Colts balls. The absolute worse I think could have happened is the Patriots submitted balls with low PSI and the reffs accepted them. Even this may not have happened as there is no record kept of the balls before and after PSI. I doubt these exist. Temp change may have brought these from 12.5 to in the 11s. This is likely a total non story blown out of all rational elements all because someone "Colts" gave the story to the Indy reporter Kravitz. Kravitz started all this. This actually all reminds me of the story that broke that Edelman has sexually assaulted a woman. This was proven by video evidence to have never happened. This is the press run amok. Thanks Colts and Kravitz.

 

[Peachhead]

Agreed. They aren't going to suddenly stand up and cry "we were wrong all along and just stood back and watched it unfold."

They are going to at least fine them for playing with the underinflated balls one way or another in my opinion. The current investigation is about something much, much more. It's about all out cheating and trying to catch someone physically tampering with the football.

Once they aren't able to prove that, they'll simply go back to the original problem and address that. It's a lose-lose for Patriot fans.

But it's technically not illegal to play with under inflated balls. It's also not illegal to have footballs, that when checked part way through the game, are under inflated. It's only illegal to tamper with the balls after they've been approved by the refs. In fact, if we had noticed they were a little soft, and took it upon ourselves to check them and bring the back within spec THEN we could have been skewered (and rightly so IMO).

If we get punished just because the balls were under at the half and they can't prove we did it intentionally during the game we'd win an appeal in record time. And Goodell would have an even bigger PR headache on his hands. And potentially a lawsuit by Kraft, or even a class-action by Patriots fans. If he can't prove the balls were tampered with after they were ok'd by the refs he can't do squat. No matter how much he, the press, and the haters desperately want him to.

He won't be able to pull the Fujita crap with this much national attention. It violates too many people's basic sense of fairness.

 

[billikens]

Why would the league run a sting. If they knew beforehand, why didn't they just call the Pats and say we hear you may be playing with underinflated balls and if you are, you better stop? Who wants to bust people? It's just about ensuring the rules are enforced. A sting just creates a big scandal.

 

[Marqui]

This is an epic clusterbleep to say the least.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

Meh, I'm around a bunch of asshat fans too. Just make fun of them, in a friendly way. "Boohoo, the Patriots beat my team because we had too many PSI's and the sun was in our eyes, and we didn't even wanna win cuz football is stupid and BB is mean." Or "the NFL just discovered that cold air makes pressure drop in footballs, they are still trying to figure out how everything got wet in the rain.".

Blame Goodell, everyone already hates him, so people don't want to take his side. Keep it stupid simple, like an oversimplification. Make them explain the technical terms why they think the temp does not account for the pressure. Most people don't know or care to get in a long discussion about it and will just let you score your point. If they do, it's likely Pats fans know more about the details then bystanders. Don't forget, it's them being ridiculous, not us. Don't take any crybaby ******** without dishing it back. In a funny sort of way, don't get all upset or you'll look like a ******.

 

[Ivan]

How the hell could there even be an investigation then?

What would they compare the pressure to?

I just couldn't understand how the NFL would ever come close to admitting this, particularly at this point.

They could've/should've admitted this--if true, way back in the beginning. No one in the world would've given a damn if the refs claimed that they just squeezed the balls to check. Now they are in way too deep...forensic investigators, etc.

You can bet your ass they will want to know what the pressure was prior to the game. It's going to likely be the very first question.

The reason they brought in a forensic team is because they can't find wrongdoing, so instead of conceding that the issue is their protocols they have decided to double down and try to find wrongdoing where there isn't any. I think that the balls Brady like were most likely at the low end of the spec and some may have been under, but it's up to the the refs to disqualify them and they didn't,then the weather lowered the pressure so they were all under.

The league already interviewed those with access to the balls and apparently none of them claimed any responsibility for tampering with them, and imo,none of them did tamper with them so it won't matter if they send them to gitmo because they didn't do it. So the NFL IS either going to have too acknowledge that.that the problem was with their protocols or tell the Krafts they are holding then responsible even though they didn't do anything wrong, in which case Bob Kraft should go Al Davis on them.

 

[JMC00]

Why would the league run a sting. If they knew beforehand, why didn't they just call the Pats and say we hear you may be playing with underinflated balls and if you are, you better stop? Who wants to bust people? It's just about ensuring the rules are enforced. A sting just creates a big scandal.

Ya I think the NFL knows this goes on and as long as stuff passes the feel and eye test it's ok but the colts pressed the issue so they had to deal with it.

Would not surprise me if someone at the NFL this week has said to himself "Thanks a lot Irsay, you drug addict"

 

[reneluar]

Breaking: one ball boy was arrested by the nfl, his name is Matt Walsh Jr

 

[Big-T]

You know, when it's all done with the Pats could turn this around have a bit of fun with it and run a testicular cancer awareness drive that could potentially save lives and use slogans like "check your balls" etc.

 

[Uncle Rico]

If we get punished just because the balls were under at the half and they can't prove we did it intentionally during the game we'd win an appeal in record time. ...

An appeal to whom?

 

[sambam94]

how old are the game balls? I've heard they are scuffed up, ect..but have they been used in practice at all. How "new" must they be?

 

[grux]

Adam Schefter on Michael Kay: "The NFL is having a hard time implicating anyone in this, any fall guy. I don't know if they will ever find someone responsible. Therefore, the NFL might just decide to fine the Patriots as an organization without any proof of any wrongdoing."

If that happens, I'd be livid.

I hope Bob Kraft would fight the NFL if they give him a fine for no reason.

 

[JMC00]

Goodell: Walt did you or any of the crew test the balls before the game with a pressure gauge?

Walt Anderson: No, we did the usual feel test.

Goodell: sigh

 

[cmasspatsfan]

how old are the game balls? I've heard they are scuffed up, ect..but have they been used in practice at all. How "new" must they be?

Yes, they're used in practice all week to get broken in and scuffed.

I think we can all see where this is headed

https://twitter.com/patriotssb49/status/558807486204219392

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

how old are the game balls? I've heard they are scuffed up, ect..but have they been used in practice at all. How "new" must they be?

I don't know, I don't know of any rule other than the refs approve them. I think there's an assumption that the team goes out and buys 24 balls every game and "breaks them in." Not sure if that's true.

I don't have any insight, but just from a practical standpoint I would not be surprised if it's not like that at all. I'm thinking there's an equipment room, with like 100+ balls and they just run a rotation and break them in at practice, and inspect at the end of the day any that are getting beat up. They fill them to spec when they get them, and only refill if they feel low. Brady comes in game day and picks out some of the balls they've been using for practice that are broken in and puts them aside for game day. Those balls may be weeks or days old depending on wear and tear. After that they probably don't mess with them much since pressure in the ball varies on temp and the refs may or may not check, or may check in the cold, or whatever.

That's a guess, but I just can't imagine this laboratory like environment for some damn footballs that get beat to hell in temps from 10 degrees to 70 degrees.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

But it's technically not illegal to play with under inflated balls.

Actually, it probably is. Rule 2, Section 1 of the Official Rulebook (as opposed to the Operations Manual) defines the ball and says, among other things, that the ball is to have a pressure of 12.5-13.5 PSI.