#DFG: Canceling the Noise

[RedOctober3829]

I also come back to this: why would they have to even do an investigation if they had something credible already? 
 
Why wasn't there an investigation and an outcry when Carolina was caught on video heating footballs on the sideline THIS SEASON?
 
This is a witch hunt over the Patriots.

 

[DJnVa]

 
If someone on the sideline inflated the balls and he knew about it, he lied. I think that basically means if someone on the sideline and inflated the balls, and they can prove it, he lied. Nobody is doing that behind his back, unless it's the Colts setting him up.

 
Speaking as someone concerned for your health, you should probably take the afternoon off.

 

[JimD]

Am I the only one who read that statement as the NFL trying to impress everyone with how thorough they're being, in order to get the story to simmer down and put the focus back on the actual game?
 
It goes without saying that if Brady and/or Belichick knowingly lied yesterday, they are facing serious suspensions and fines. 

 

[shepard50]

 
 
You keep missing the part that says the Globe saw the letter stating there was a review. And then a completely new sentence that says ACCORDING TO ESPN 11 of the 12 footballs were 2 lbs below yada yada yada.
 
The NFL letter didn't have ESPN info in it. There's 2 sources referenced there.
 
PART I, WHICH THE GLOBE SAW IN NFL LETTER:  According to a National Football League letter about the investigation into the controversy that was shared with the Globe, the Patriots were informed that the league’s initial findings indicated that the game balls did not meet specifications. The league inspected each of the Patriots’ 12 game balls twice at halftime, using different pressure gauges, and found footballs that were not properly inflated.
 
 
PART II, NOT IN LETTER: According to ESPN, 11 of the 12 game balls were found to be underinflated by about 2 pounds each. The NFL specifications say they must be inflated to 12½ to 13½ pounds.

 
Thank you. I am completely clear on the difference between the NFL and ESPN. I never said anything about the bloody 2.0lb PSI. The post was pointing out that the accusation of underinflation is also from the league, not just unnamed sources.

 

[Leather]

This is just incredible.
 
When a stray dog shits on Roger Goodell's lawn, does he:
 

• Have the road barricaded
• call in a private investigator
• hire a law firm
• get a court order for all camera recordings from the block
• depose every neighbor 
• tear up his lawn

I mean, christ.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

Watching this league operate is like watching Tony Allen tear his ACL by trying to dunk after the play was over. And missing the dunk. On repeat for all eternity.

 

[SumnerH]

While true, the fact that it's implied the Patriots secondary balls were tested after the game and remained within range should be enough to satisfy that issue.

Perfectly reasonable scenario:
Secondary balls are locked in the locker room unless needed. At halftime, they're tested (room temp) and brought into play.
Post-game, they're put in the locker room after the game while the refs contact league offices about launching an investigation and starting a paper trail, etc. By the time they're tested, they are up to room temperature again.

Obvious caveats (especially that 2 PSI is too much for weather alone) make the temperature theory sketchy. And post-game room temp test results will (have?) easily destroy it if it's not the case. But the secondary balls being tested at an unknown point after the game doesn't tip the scales one way or the other by itself.

 

[Corsi]

King just admitted he doesn't know whether the refs used a gauge pre-game:
 

Peter King ‏@SI_PeterKing  32s32 seconds ago
RT @ryanvooris: How did they test them pre-game? With an pressure gauge or a visual inspection? …Likely electric gauge, but I was not there.

 

[Marciano490]

In that clip we've al probablys een 100 times when the refs swap balls at the start of the 3rd quarter, you get the shot of the ballboy with a ball covered by a towel, obviously to keep it as dry as possible.
I'm waiting for the tweet to come out with "what's he doing to the ball under the towel?"

 
I'm surprised nobody's "outed" him yet.  You'd think even if he's keeping a low profile someone would've recognized him on TV.

 

[shepard50]

For the thousandth time, we do not know any such thing.

 
You're right. I am wrong. We know only that the balls dropped in pressure. Not by how much. 

 

[pappymojo]

A few things:

 
- I'm disappointed at how chickenshit the rest of the league appears if this is truly the NFL equivalent of pine tar in the seventies/eighties.  If that's so, it's beyond petty to let the Patriots hang out there by themselves.  Have a renewed respect for Aaron Rodgers. 

 
Why?

 

[The Social Chair]

David Roth at Vice Sports nailed this yesterday.

https://sports.vice.com/article/the-belichick-view 
 

We can be much more certain that the NFL's response to this will be characteristically purposeful and characteristically buffoonish, and be centered around disciplinary action. The blue-ribbon panel that Goodell will bring together to investigate the ball-deflating—separate and distinct from the blue-ribbon panel investigating whether it's smart for teams to be allowed to groom their own game balls, but probably also headed by a former Senator or something—will get to the bottom of it sometime. Goodell will hold a press conference and appear purposeful and chastened, promise that this will be taken very seriously. The debate will turn to whether he did a good job or not, and I will probably write another column about how he's like Teddy Ruxpin or whatever.
 
 

 

[Ed Hillel]

 
Speaking as someone concerned for your health, you should probably take the afternoon off.

 
My health is fine, but some of you are really head in the sand if you don't think the NFL won't massively punish either Belichick or Brady if they can demonstrate either was not telling the truth. This isn't hysteria, it's based on how Goodell runs the NFL and the media attention this is getting. This could also completely exonerate them. With the amount of manpower being put into it, it does seem likely to be one or the other; I can't foresee something like a small fine at this point.
 
What's sad is that this could have just been a small fine on Monday, would have had some minor "cheatriots" stuff, and it would be over by now. The league led this build and has now backed itself into a corner.

 

[Kull]

 
A sting operation, or at least a well run one, would have had the pre-game and halftime measurements recorded to the hundreth of a decimal if they could.  That's really the only way they can play "gotcha" on the Pats here.  Because without records of the measurements that can be backed up by science in terms of "could this have been naturally caused deflation by temp changes, etc?" what do they have?
 
Were they singling out the Pats here?  Probably.  Calling it a sting operation might be taking it a bit too far.

 
How about if we call it an "NFL Sting Operation"? That one plays out with the Keystone Kops theme playing in the background.

 

[Leather]

 
Why?

 
Ya, fuck that guy.  If he had any credibility he would have said "Ya, this isn't a big deal".  Not "Oh, well...overinflated is different...um...deflating?  Totally advantageous."

 

[NortheasternPJ]

If the refs measured the balls with a gauge before the game the NFL statement would have said that instead of "inspected"

 

[loshjott]

 
I'm surprised nobody's "outed" him yet.  You'd think even if he's keeping a low profile someone would've recognized him on TV.

 
I have to assume the Colts' ball boys were doing the same thing given the conditions.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Ted Wells and the "forensic expert" investigative firm are DROOLING.   Billable hours for everyone!

 
This is not really a big deal financially for Paul Weiss. These kinds of firms are used to litigation matters that feed teams of lawyers for years. An investigative matter like this is a relative drop in the bucket; it's more of a business development opportunity.

 

[Bob420]

Last post because I was told to stop posting.

I can't stop picturing BB sitting in front of the NFL investigator saying "check the logs for christ's sake"

This is hilarious.

 

[Koufax]

 
King just admitted he doesn't know whether the refs used a gauge pre-game:
 

Peter King ‏@SI_PeterKing  32s32 seconds ago
RT @ryanvooris: How did they test them pre-game? With an pressure gauge or a visual inspection? …Likely electric gauge, but I was not there.

 

And I read the NFL letter incorrectly.  It states that they used gauges at half-time.  It's hard to imagine though, given how elaborate their half-time measures were, that they didn't use gauges before the game.

 

[miracleofmidre]

On Monday if the league had innocuously released a memo and said that they found balls that were at a level lower than specified, that they fined the Pats per the rulebook says, and moved on, where would we be? People could have hemmed and hawed and the league could just say "we fined them per protocol". And some discussion would be surrounding a difference of opinion about whether there are any benefits or not. And most would be about the signature event, the Super Bowl.

What a train wreck of a league.

 

[nolasoxfan]

A few things:
 
- I'm impressed at how the Pats during and after the taping scandal never pointed fingers at any other player/team and have done the same in this case.  You'd think the rest of the league would respect that.
 
- I'm disappointed at how chickenshit the rest of the league appears if this is truly the NFL equivalent of pine tar in the seventies/eighties.  If that's so, it's beyond petty to let the Patriots hang out there by themselves.  Have a renewed respect for Aaron Rodgers. 
 
- I'm amazed at the imprecision of the language used by professional writers and the stunning lack of relevant follow-up questions at professional broadcasters.  Shouldn't the Patriots be "alleged to have deflated the footballs?"  Again, if so, it's shocking how easily that's been tossed aside to the Patriots "have deflated the footballs."  As always, it's innocent until proven guilty.
 
- If Brady and BB lied at their PC's, then the person who did deflate has to be absolutely trustworthy to neither crack under oath and be susceptible to any kind of monetary rewards to give up his/her story.  I'd guess nothing less than a blood relation would fit the bill. 
 
- Finally, and somewhat goofily, I alway use spit on the needle and hole of the football before inserting it as lubricant.  Is it possible that one could use DNA to find out if someone unauthorized had handled the football (and I did say this was goofy)?

 
Charlestown says otherwise.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

And I read the NFL letter incorrectly.  It states that they used gauges at half-time.  It's hard to imagine though, given how elaborate their half-time measures were, that they didn't use gauges before the game.

 
Unless they had no clue there'd be this kind of scrutiny about the balls (when has there ever been before?) until the complaint was lodged mid game, and as rules decree, they inspected and measured the balls more closely at halftime.

 

[wiffleballhero]

At this point I will be really disappointed in there is not some video in which a ball boy makes a suspicious move that can be described as "back and to the left."

 

[Steve Dillard]

 
And I would hope, if they knowingly did something to the footballs they would know it was on the tapes they had to turn over.   I can't imagine they would then turn around and hold Baghdad Bob press conferences on Wednesday.  
 
That tells me they have nothing to hide. 

 
I suspect that they smashed the cameras after they came back from committing the crime.
 
This shows BB's brilliance, drafting Garoppolo knowing that he will be starting 8 games next year
 
 

How much is the league spending to investigate something that, in the rulebook, has a $25,000 fine?

I mean, they print money and I don't give a shit, but it seems absurd.

 
 
Happens all the time in business.  As the saying goes, with lawyer overkill, "No general counsel was ever fired for hiring Cravath"
 
The funny thing is that the bigger and more impactfull cheating was Devey twice carrying Brady for a first down after he had been stopped.

 

[DourDoerr]

 
nice...

However I worded it, I knew I wasn't going to get away unscathed...

 

[Corsi]

And I read the NFL letter incorrectly.  It states that they used gauges at half-time.  It's hard to imagine though, given how elaborate their half-time measures were, that they didn't use gauges before the game.

 
They're being purposefully vague.  Pete's report this morning read like this, with no mention of a pre-game use of a gauge:
 
 

 I am told reliably that:

• The 12 footballs used in the first half for New England, and the 12 footballs used by the Colts, all left the officials’ locker room before the game at the prescribed pressure level of between 12.5 pounds per square inch and 13.5 psi.
• All 24 footballs were checked by pressure gauge at halftime. I am told either 11 or 12 of New England’s footballs (ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported it was 11, and I hear it could have been all 12) had at least two pounds less pressure in them. All 12 Indianapolis footballs were at the prescribed level.
• All 24 footballs were checked by pressure gauge after the game. All 24 checked at the correct pressure—which is one of the last pieces of the puzzle the league needed to determine with certainty that something fishy happened with the Patriots footballs, because the Colts’ balls stayed correctly inflated for the nearly four hours. There had been reports quoting atmospheric experts that cold weather could deflate footballs. But if the Patriots’ balls were all low, and the Colts’ balls all legit, that quashes that theory.

 

 
 
The NFL statement says "Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sunday’s game."
 
"Inspect" is a curiously vague term to use there, IMO.  Why not mention how thoroughly the balls were tested?

 

[MarcSullivaFan]

The statement is totally opaque with respect to how the balls were checked before the game:

"Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sundays game."

Here "the game" refers to any game, as distinguished from "last Sunday's game" in the final clause. As a lawyer, I recognize this for what it is: Weasel-speak.

 

[Devizier]

Brunell is a fucking moron. Remember, he was at Washington when a booster scandal ended the career of his head coach.

 

[brandonchristensen]

The 2 lbs is the biggest issue with all of this.
 
NFL hasn't stated that yet. BB seems to think 0.2...

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Holy shit, they are going full blown Zapruder!
 
Where was all this when a player punched the shit out of a woman? 

That was on video, and as we all know, videos can be doctored, so any video evidence is highly suspect at best.
 
Are you going to believe the NFL, or your lying eyes?

 

[JimD]

 
How about if we call it an "NFL Sting Operation"? That one plays out with the Keystone Kops theme playing in the background.

 
The Benny Hill music fits better, IMO.

 

[Morning Woodhead]

If the Pats were still allowed to tape the sidelines, we'd have this case closed by now.  This is the what the NFL gets

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

Yep.
We conducted 40 interviews (got nothing useable)
We spoke with officials (they told us what you'd expect)
We spoke to Patriots employees (they didn't give us anything)
 
So here we are, 5 days later with no evidence but we must press on!!

 
At this point they should see if the Patriots weigh more then a duck and are made of wood

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Jackson said that he noticed they were using the Colts ball at some point in the first half.
 "Shortly after, Jackson noticed that the Patriots were using the Colts' footballs late in the first half. "

 
How would he know?  You'd have to get pretty close to the balls to see that, and from what we heard, he intercepted a Pats' ball.
 
Meanwhile, since he took that ball to the sideline with him, how could there be 12 balls to measure at the half?  

(and didn't I read that Blount gave his TD ball to a fan in the stands?)

 

[Ed Hillel]

The one thing that keeps me from the "refs didn't use the gauge" thing is that, apparently, all the backup footballs were within range. Wouldn't they have had similar underinflation issues if the refs hadn't been thorough pre-game?  

 

[cannonball 1729]

On Monday if the league had innocuously released a memo and said that they found balls that were at a level lower than specified, that they fined the Pats per the rulebook says, and moved on, where would we be? People could have hemmed and hawed and the league could just say "we fined them per protocol". And some discussion would be surrounding a difference of opinion about whether there are any benefits or not. And most would be about the signature event, the Super Bowl.

What a train wreck of a league.

 
 

If the Pats were still allowed to tape the sidelines, we'd have this case closed by now.  This is the what the NFL gets

 
 
When people talk about Goodell's awful tenure as commissioner, one of the things that they'll have to mention is how he managed to help turn the league's most successful franchise into the most hated one through his amazingly awful handling of two "scandals."

 

[DourDoerr]

 
Why?

He came out and said that he likes his footballs overinflated and encouraged and/or quietly accepted ones that "happened" to be that way game time.  Read this article.  It's incredible that it hasn't ended the whole controversy.
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/01/20/packers-aaron-rodgers-prefers-overinflated-footballs-likes-to-push-the-limit/

 

[JimD]

And, of course, the league issues its statement on Friday afternoon. 

 

[Hoya81]

The one thing that keeps me from the "refs didn't use the gauge" thing is that, apparently, all the backup footballs were within range. Wouldn't they have had similar underinflation issues if the refs hadn't been thorough pre-game?  

Think they were stored inside the refs locker room and weren't brought out on the field, but not sure.

 

[H78]

You've pissed off a lot of people in the league well beyond the Patriots organization and their fans, Colts. You forced the league to have to do something about this stupid, pointless, entirely embarrassing issue. When Andrew Luck (you know, the guy you tanked an entire season - because screw the integrity of the league - to draft) ends up elsewhere someday and your fan base deserts you yet again, no one's going to feel bad when you're stuck trying to find a new city to call home.
 
Nice to see your coaching staff and owner off hiding somewhere through all of this.

 

[pappymojo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g&t=12

 

[brandonchristensen]

The ideal ending is that they come out to have been 0.2 psi below...not 2.0 psi.

 

[Section15Box113]

- I'm disappointed at how chickenshit the rest of the league appears if this is truly the NFL equivalent of pine tar in the seventies/eighties.  If that's so, it's beyond petty to let the Patriots hang out there by themselves.  Have a renewed respect for Aaron Rodgers.

Why the respect for Rodgers? Because he admitted overinflating before there was any firestorm? And then doubled down by saying that there shouldn't be a maximum because there's no advantage, just his personal preference? He wasn't saying there shouldn't be limits or defending a 12.4 PSI ball in any way. Just saying that his form of perceived "cheating" did not confer an advantage.

Makes me roll my eyes, not hold him in greater esteem.

 

[Koufax]

 
They're being purposefully vague.  Pete's report this morning read like this, with no mention of a pre-game use of a gauge:
...
 
The NFL statement says "Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sunday’s game."
 
"Inspect" is a curiously vague term to use there, IMO.  Why not mention how thoroughly the balls were tested?

Agreed.  This word was written by a lawyer and fall decidedly short of "measure".  So now we are comparing a non-test to a test, and discovering a 2psi difference.  While that may indicate gamesmanship, it does not indicate anything regarding tampering after the first inspection.  There's a world of difference. 

 

[Harry Hooper]

 
How would he know?  You'd have to get pretty close to the balls to see that, and from what we heard, he intercepted a Pats' ball.
 
 

 
He probably saw the officials coming over to get a ball from the Colts ball boy.

 

[moondog80]

The ideal ending is that they come out to have been 0.2 psi below...not 2.0 psi.

 
 
I'm pretty sure this is a fantasy.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyedNESN 4m4 minutes ago
NFL statement doesn't specify that the officials used pressure gauge pregame with Patriots footballs. Only says they were inspected.
 

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

 
How would he know?  You'd have to get pretty close to the balls to see that, and from what we heard, he intercepted a Pats' ball.
 
Meanwhile, since he took that ball to the sideline with him, how could there be 12 balls to measure at the half?  

(and didn't I read that Blount gave his TD ball to a fan in the stands?)

 
Part of Jackson's story is that he gave up the intercepted ball to the "investigation" and that he hasn't seen it since (and for good reasons, he'd like it back).

 

[OnWisc]

How about if we call it an "NFL Sting Operation"? That one plays out with the Keystone Kops theme playing in the background.

If this is a sting operation, then it appears to have unfolded about as well as the one at the precious metals depository in Heat.


NFL: OK, let 'em go.

Media: What do you mean? We can take 'em...

NFL: On what? What are you gonna take 'em on? They didn't steal anything yet.