#DFG: Canceling the Noise

Is there any level of suspension that you would advise Tom to accept?


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bluefenderstrat

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Now it's confirmed that there's an investigation. Fucking Kravitz on WEEI just said "well they taped practices" and then "whatever" when he was corrected. I'm past it now, embrace the hate. Take their 6th round pick, WGAF.
 

Devizier

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I don't get it, honestly. Would be more credible if it weren't an Indy guy reporting this, to be honest. Anyone remember when the kickers were microwaving balls and guys were blasting 60yarders?
 

Ed Hillel

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bluefenderstrat said:
Now it's confirmed that there's an investigation. Fucking Kravitz on WEEI just said "well they taped practices" and then "whatever" when he was corrected. I'm past it now, embrace the hate. Take their 6th round pick, WGAF.
 
Confirmed by who?
 

bosox188

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Boston Brawler said:
Must have been a real quick appearance.  Already off.
 
It was, sounded like he was getting on a plane heading back to Indy.
 
All he really said was he got a call at 12:30am, and thought it was outlandish, but he decided to run with it because "everyone thought the Patriots taping practices was an outlandish story too." When he was corrected by Callahan that they weren't taping practices, he just said "Well, whatever."
 
I love the irony of him using the Tomase story as his reasoning to run with this one.
 

singaporesoxfan

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The other thing I find dubious about this report is that the NFL's rules say that refs should use a pressure gauge to check that the balls are regulation ones. Why would they weigh the balls, which seems so prone to variation?
 

bsj

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The Patriots, who have historically run all over the Colts, deflated the balls?

Meanwhile, the Colts can't run for shit and would likely rely on the throw?

Sour grapes.
 

Ed Hillel

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Thinking back, there was one point in the game, I think the first drive of the second half, where the refs got together for a while and then threw a ball towards the sideline. I guess that must have been when they weighed the ball?
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Ed Hillel said:
Thinking back, there was one point in the game, I think the first drive of the second half, where the refs got together for a while and then threw a ball towards the sideline. I guess that must have been when they weighed the ball?
 
That's the one Deadspin is talking about. It immediately followed a kickoff, so Mike Carey said he thought that it was because they were still using a kicking ball, but I guess not.
 

theapportioner

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Based on the NFL rules, and the NYT article on how Eli coats his balls with "the precious" and what-not, it leads me to think these things:
 
1. If the balls were really deflated, it would have been done by ball attendant after the referee checked the ball pressure (assuming the refs properly did their job). Is the ball attendant a home team employee?
 
2. If they were deflated intentionally, hard to believe that it was done without knowledge of the QB, higher-ups, etc.
 
3. Road teams have their own balls, and they use them in games (for instance, the mention of the Giants intercepting their own monikered ball because KC didn't change it to the KC ball when the latter was on offense.
 
Presumably the comparative advantage might be a slightly better grip on the ball in bad weather conditions, particularly for passing.
 

Granite Sox

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E5 Yaz said:
 
Simms thought the kickoff ball was kept in field of play. Kicking balls are different than those used for offense, apparently.
 
Let's say Kravitz wondered what happened at that awkward moment and asks some guy with the NFL. And the NFL guy says maybe the ball was deflated and so on and so on and so on ...
 
Meanwhile, game officials, who handled properly inflated footballs all year, somehow didn't notice this?
 

 
Pics of the two different balls utilized during games (note the 'K', as in Kicker and Kravitz, on the bottom ball)
 
The balls were also getting soaked as the game wore on, so how is there to be a consistent evaluation of the impact of deflation if the ball was removed and weighed after it became impacted by rain?
 

Ed Hillel

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But if there's one ball that is deflated, how can you establish they all were intentionally? The refs seemed to be fine with the second ball. You'd think some balls just deflate during the game as part of the process.
 

SamK

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singaporesoxfan said:
The other thing I find dubious about this report is that the NFL's rules say that refs should use a pressure gauge to check that the balls are regulation ones. Why would they weigh the balls, which seems so prone to variation?
This. On a wet field.
 

Boston Brawler

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Ed Hillel said:
But if there's one ball that is deflated, how can you establish they all were intentionally? The refs seemed to be fine with the second ball. You'd think some balls just deflate during the game as part of the process.
The whole thing is just ludicrous. You have Gronk sized people spiking them, hundreds of pounds of weight on them at the bottom of piles, rain, changing temps, and so many other factors.
 

Ed Hillel

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Apparently the weighing happened pre-game, as is standard practice. So it seems the balls weren't even used.
 
There was a strange delay at the start of the game, as officials appeared to swapping out game balls before Andrew Luck went under center. With rain falling at the start of the game, the initial thought was that the officials were trying to get a dry ball. The report from Kravitz leads to another possibility.
 
http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2015/01/19/report-nfl-investigating-patriots-for-deflating-game-balls/
 
You know what, just dock us a pick, then give us the Jets' pick for tampering. All good in the hood.
 

theapportioner

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Ed Hillel said:
But if there's one ball that is deflated, how can you establish they all were intentionally? The refs seemed to be fine with the second ball. You'd think some balls just deflate during the game as part of the process.
 
Moreover, if the officials had discovered an under-inflated ball just after halftime and were suspicious, shouldn't they have stopped play and checked at least one of the other balls they were going to use (and then the other ones as the game went on)?
 
I imagine it would be hard to prove anything unless the ball attendant confesses or there's videotape of him/her doctoring the ball during gametime.
 

Stevie1der

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What's so unbelievably frustrating is at this point is that it doesn't even matter at this point how many people come out and say this is bullshit.  It won't even matter if the league completely absolves the Patriots of any wrongdoing.  The story's out there, it'll be taken in by the mouthbreathers as gospel and added to the litany of false narratives that have fed their flawed but comforting perception of this team for the past fifteen years.
 

rodderick

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Stevie1der said:
What's so unbelievably frustrating is at this point is that it doesn't even matter at this point how many people come out and say this is bullshit.  It won't even matter if the league completely absolves the Patriots of any wrongdoing.  The story's out there, it'll be taken in by the mouthbreathers as gospel and added to the litany of false narratives that have fed their flawed but comforting perception of this team for the past fifteen years.
 
That's why it's fucking irresponsible and petty by Kravitz. Would he report this speculative bullshit on any other team? He put it out there for a reason and has already achieved what he intended with the story, whether it's true or not.
 

Ed Hillel

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Stevie1der said:
What's so unbelievably frustrating is at this point is that it doesn't even matter at this point how many people come out and say this is bullshit.  It won't even matter if the league completely absolves the Patriots of any wrongdoing.  The story's out there, it'll be taken in by the mouthbreathers as gospel and added to the litany of false narratives that have fed their flawed but comforting perception of this team for the past fifteen years.
 
Yeah, but those same people were never going to stop anyway. That's just how it is; in the end it really means very little. Pats are one win away from another Superbowl, let's just enjoy it and ignore the noise.
 

Reggie's Racquet

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Actually my balls feel a bit deflated this morning partially due to age and partially due to the fact I was jumping up and down on the couch during the game. Hoping my wife will investigate...fully.
 

bosox188

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Stevie1der said:
What's so unbelievably frustrating is at this point is that it doesn't even matter at this point how many people come out and say this is bullshit.  It won't even matter if the league completely absolves the Patriots of any wrongdoing.  The story's out there, it'll be taken in by the mouthbreathers as gospel and added to the litany of false narratives that have fed their flawed but comforting perception of this team for the past fifteen years.
 
Kravitz himself being one of those mouthbreathers apparently, since on WEEI he referenced the taping practices story as if it actually happened.
 

ShaneTrot

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Stevie1der said:
What's so unbelievably frustrating is at this point is that it doesn't even matter at this point how many people come out and say this is bullshit.  It won't even matter if the league completely absolves the Patriots of any wrongdoing.  The story's out there, it'll be taken in by the mouthbreathers as gospel and added to the litany of false narratives that have fed their flawed but comforting perception of this team for the past fifteen years.
You should embrace this shit. It's awesome. This game is almost identical to what happened to Indy in Indy this year. Belichick is also responsible for the front seven of the Colts being weak and the fact that it rained. 
 

Leather

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So if the NFL is "investigating", you'd think they'd have said something by now.

I can't wait for Goodell to fuck this up.
 

BigJimEd

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bosox188 said:
 
It was, sounded like he was getting on a plane heading back to Indy.
 
All he really said was he got a call at 12:30am, and thought it was outlandish, but he decided to run with it because "everyone thought the Patriots taping practices was an outlandish story too." When he was corrected by Callahan that they weren't taping practices, he just said "Well, whatever."
 
I love the irony of him using the Tomase story as his reasoning to run with this one.
so he got a story that he felt was outlandish. But instead if trying to confirm our do more follow-up he just runs with it. Media today.

Boomer was on T&R this morning and called it ridiculous and sour grapes.
Also said Manning was the one who got the commish to change the balls instead of using brand new ones right out of the package
 

Granite Sox

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Stevie1der said:
What's so unbelievably frustrating is at this point is that it doesn't even matter at this point how many people come out and say this is bullshit.  It won't even matter if the league completely absolves the Patriots of any wrongdoing.  The story's out there, it'll be taken in by the mouthbreathers as gospel and added to the litany of false narratives that have fed their flawed but comforting perception of this team for the past fifteen years.
 
ShaneTrot said:
You should embrace this shit. It's awesome. This game is almost identical to what happened to Indy in Indy this year. Belichick is also responsible for the front seven of the Colts being weak and the fact that it rained. 
 
Yep.  I think Coach Bill thrives on the psychological mayhem this creates for opponents (and their fans).  The Patriot players are obviously able to avoid the distraction (Do Your Job!), but the rest of the league loses their collective mind.  Harbaugh dissolves on the sideline... Pagano calls the Ravens and the league in advance of playing the Pats... now this.
 
Belichick will figure out a way to use it to his advantage, whether or not it is true.
 
Everyone thought similar things about Madden's Oakland Raiders (Lester Hayes' stickem!)
 

neil

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drleather2001 said:
So if the NFL is "investigating", you'd think they'd have said something by now.

I can't wait for Goodell to fuck this up.
 
Reports coming out of a burning leather smell coming from NFL offices
 

PeaceSignMoose

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I'm just starting to get the feeling that some high up in the Colts organization, butthurt about the loss, just threw random shit at the league offices regarding the ball stuff at the beginning of the second half or the game or whatever.  League offices reached out to the ref, ref said the ball wasn't inflated to specification at the time, and the league decided to launch an investigation out of courtesy to the Colts and caution.
 
Also, It's incredible that Schefter, King, Mortensen and Glazer have nothing on the matter but Kravitz and Glauber do.
 

Dehere

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
 
That's the one Deadspin is talking about. It immediately followed a kickoff, so Mike Carey said he thought that it was because they were still using a kicking ball, but I guess not.
I think it's going to come out that the delay at the start of the third quarter didn't have anything to do with this inquiry. That's a spot where networks will frequently take a commercial. In this case CBS didn't. If you rewatch the play you'll see an exchange where the official is gesturing to the line of scrimmage and says something to Brady like "we're going, we're going" and then Brady gets the team to the line really quickly, and then they stop and swap balls. I think there was just some simple confusion there where the moment when the officials would typically swap out the ball was not used for a commercial and they realized at the last moment that they had the wrong ball out there.
 

NortheasternPJ

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So at the end of the day
 
1 - The Pats cheated by not inflating the balls enough, supplied them to the refs, who didn't do their job by testing them. Then someone during the game said "hey this ball feels deflated" and blew this up.
2- The ball boys are in on it
3- Wendell was running around with one of these?
 

 
4 - none of the above this is stupid.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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BigJimEd said:
so he got a story that he felt was outlandish. But instead if trying to confirm our do more follow-up he just runs with it. Media today.

Boomer was on T&R this morning and called it ridiculous and sour grapes.
Also said Manning was the one who got the commish to change the balls instead of using brand new ones right out of the package
 
Kravitz has always had a reputation for lazy reporting and writing.  Googling "Bob Kravitz lazy" scores this Deadspin page from 2005 as its third hit "Why Your Hometown Columnist Sucks: Bob Kravitz".  The second hit is a Colts fan blog entitled "Inexcusably Lazy" from 2009.
 
There are more hits.  The guy is a hack.  He's a Shaughnessy level troll with the sensibility of John Tomase.
 

H78

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This is getting so old.
 
If this was the Colts' crap reporter trying to stir the pot or the team leaking something so stupid after a 45-7 beatdown, they should be totally ashamed of themselves for pandering to the Spygate crowd and trying to take the wind out of the sails of a loyal and pumped fanbase.
 
It's like you can't just take your beatdown home with you, vow to improve, and let the winning team and their fans celebrate. You have to do something to try and ruin it because of your sour grapes, even if you know the accusation had nothing to do with the royal beatdown you received.
 

Hoya81

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Aside from evidence showing deliberate tampering, such as showing the refs one set of balls for their inspection and then switching them out on the sidelines for deflated balls, it would be impossible to determine if the Pats were responsible for deflating the balls. Who is to say there wasn't a microscopic puncture caused during a tackle or something?
 

H78

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Who's to say the weather couldn't have made a ball feel slightly deflated, as often happens with car tires during colder weather?
 

Leather

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I'm 99% sure the official story will be that a ball was slightly deflated, which is a common occurrence, and that there was no evidence of tampering.

That being said, there's also a slight possibility that Goodell decides to go into "Take issues of integrity very seriously, will be thorough in our research on these serious allegations..." mode and just fucks everything up.
 

bluefenderstrat

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If it did come from the Colts, they and their fans should be embarrassed.    4 straight games of ass-kicking at the hands of the Patriots over the past 3 seasons--put some effort into trying to get better.    Whatever, let every losing opponent convince themselves there's something else going on.   Nothing new in that respect.
 

theapportioner

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On the bright side, maybe this "scandal" will make the Pats feel like they are under siege again, and take it out on the Seahawks, leading to a 58-3 SB victory.
 

Ferm Sheller

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I take it the balls were properly inflated in the ass kicking the Pats dished out in Indy earlier this year.
 

Ralphwiggum

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I just can't muster any fucks to give about this.  It seems like complete bullshit but honestly who fucking cares.
 
As Taylor Swift once said, haters gonna hate.  The Pats are going to the Super Bowl.