#DFG: Canceling the Noise
- Thread starter nattysez
- Start date
Proof is never a requirement when accusations are made against the Patriots.MarcSullivaFan said:
It's a story on ESPN now, being reported by Mike Reiss. The NFL is legitimately investigating this, it was going to come out regardless of how irresponsible this Kravitz guy was reporting it so early. I doubt it has anything to do with the Colts.
H78 said:
There would be numerous NFL personnel in Foxboro for the game. FWIW, Kravitz in the past has been very complimentary towards the Pats.
Can anyone remember, in any sport, a team so many people worked so hard to discredit? It's a weekly occurrence now. Dynasties like the Yankees and Spurs are fellated. The Patriots are scorned. I'll admit, all the hate in 2007 took some of the joy of that run away from me. Now, I'm embracing the role of rooting for NFL villains. May the Dark Lord and his army of Uruk-hai bring the ring back to Mordor.
From Reiss--yet Kravitz said the Pats could "lose picks":
The NFL's game operations manual states: "Once the balls have left the locker room, no one, including players, equipment managers, ball boys, and coaches, is allowed to alter the footballs in any way. If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000."
The NFL's game operations manual states: "Once the balls have left the locker room, no one, including players, equipment managers, ball boys, and coaches, is allowed to alter the footballs in any way. If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000."
DrewDawg said:
Why? I hope there is a one-line press release "The NFL has investigated claims of deflated balls and found no proof."
Embrace the heel role. Give all the players slightly deflated balls and GoPros at media day.
Sideshows...everyone decries the sideshow. While giving it 300 replies and several thousand views in 12 hours.
I was thinking about this too. I can't remember what the details were exactly, but there was definitely some mention about how Rodgers liked his balls. I scanned the game and GOAT threads but can't seem to find what was said.Chuck Z said:
bluefenderstrat said:
I'd guess the "including, but not limited to" part would authorize docking draft picks.
Sure, and he probably got it from the Colts. What he got, though, was that the investigation was happening, which the NFL has since confirmed. Considering the refs stopped the game for a minute for this, I'm not so sure the Colts instigated it.rodderick said:
This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Once the balls are turned in, no team official is allowed to touch them. This is the Colts producing Harbaugh-like sour grapes. It was 45-7. Go home and take your beating.
I have no idea. He called them "league sources," whatever that means. Could be somebody from the league, official ball washer, whatever. It's unfair to attribute it to the Colts purely on the basis of speculation.H78 said:
Because, like the wrong headed substitution complaints last week, if the balls were deflated it would be up to the officials to police them by taking them out if play. Which they did.bluefenderstrat said:
So, because a ref took a ball out of play, the Patriots must have cheated. Christ.
TheMoralBully said:
He was irresponsible for accurately reporting the story first? I mean, you guys can kill the messenger all you want, but the fact is that he got the facts right -- the NFL IS investigating this. Now, it will likely turn out that this is standard procedure, or that there's actually nothing to see here (quite likely), but saying that the Colts and Kravitz are to blame here seems pretty unfair.
Marbleheader said:
The closest thing would be Lance Armstrong and, by extension, the USPS/Discovery cycling team of the late 1990s/mid-2000s. The only problem there was that it turned out there should have been skepticism, so it might not be the best example for the Patriots.
The weighing the ball thing is the most ridiculous part of the story.
We're weighing rain drenched balls to see if the pressure had dropped from 13 psi to 12? Why not use the same pressure gauge they used pregame to test the pressure? What's next measuring first downs using Google Earth?
We're weighing rain drenched balls to see if the pressure had dropped from 13 psi to 12? Why not use the same pressure gauge they used pregame to test the pressure? What's next measuring first downs using Google Earth?
So if this is the case and they do they ever week. This is not a story, but a writer taking a normal event and blowing it out of proportion...MarcSullivaFan said:
nattysez said:
Maybe the NFL "investigates" this shit every single time a football is taken out of the field of play and no ever hears about it. Not every investigation is made public, there's a very deliberate intention in running this angle.
My thoughts exactly.rodderick said:
Oh, and according to the WEEI story, at least one was taken off when the Colts were on the field. I'm sensing some major logical leaps here.
The pigskin has left the pigsty. This "story" has become another mark against the Pats for those who need to believe BB/Pats cheat. It won't matter if the balls when inspected, weighed fondled and licked, are found to be perfectly normal balls. The Pats cheat.
It's more likely that all that is going on here is a ball or two were taken out of play, and as a routine course of action, the NFL spends the following day determining why from a quality control standpoint. And since we're the home team, the investigation involves our stadium, ball attendants, and pregame storage area, etc. I'm sure there are lots of things that can lead to a deflated ball, the prime reason would be temperature of room where they were inflated, when, and the game temperature outdoors. Store a basketball in a cold garage for half a day, and it doesn't bounce as high. We're talking about 1 pound of pressure, wouldn't take much.
nattysez said:
I worded that wrong; I'm with you, I don't think the guy did anything wrong in the twitter era of news. It looks like people think he jumped the gun, that's all I meant.
Exactly. The air in the football doesn't addess the Colts biggest problem, which was an inability to even marginally contain the running game.DrewDawg said:
It seems to me that this would have helped the Colts more. Soft balls would be easier to hold but, more importantly, easier to catch. On measure, the team more dependent on the passing game -- and the harder catches -- would stand to benefit more. Once you have a grip on the ball the marginal value of less air in it seems to go down quite a bit, but for the people catching it and for the crucial move of throwing it, a dome quarterback and his receivers would seem to be the ones to gain.
This seems like such a stupid, non-story it makes my eyes want to bleed.
But by all means, investigate.
This seems like such a stupid, non-story it makes my eyes want to bleed.
But by all means, investigate.
One of Kravitz's tweets said the Colts were manhandled and this isn't why they lost.Chuck Z said:
I guess Booked Esiason is being pretty unfair as well since he called sour grapes and insinuated it came from the Colts.nattysez said:
The only statement I saw from the NFL was they were investigating the inflation of the balls.
I didn't hear anything from the NFL saying they were investigation the Patriots organization.
It's unfair to attribute it to the Patriots purely on the basis of speculation.
wiffleballhero said:
Yes, but you're missing a salient point that the complainers are making. Once the game starts, each team uses the balls on it's own sideline. The Colts played with "hard" footballs, while the Pats didn't.
I'm not saying I buy this, but that's the complaint.
Ahhhhh, so you're not saying the Pats didnt do it, you're saying no one could PROVE they did it.soxfan121 said:
Just what I thought you'd say!!
Ed Hillel said:
Boy, if we're going to list all the dumb non-stories that would've brought the world to a halt if they involved the Pats, this thread will be pretty long.
Should make him easier to tackle. Which would you rather hit? A 250 pound man or a 250-1gram pound man?Eddie Jurak said:
I think that hunters shot the balls that Luck threw up there. They were mistaking them for ducks.
This is interesting, though not surprising. One would think this testing, to be meaningful, is done soon after the game rather than a leisurely "during the week." I suspect they may be testing as we write and that every single game ball will be tested.
Marbleheader said:
Come on, get off of it.
I am neither a Pats fan nor a hater, although I lean more toward rooting for the Pats because I have so many friends, including many here, who are big Pats fans.
But the persecution complex reeeeeeallllly needs to get dialed down, like, a ton. EVERYBODEY HAT5S US!11!! (the unspoken corollary: because we're sooo special)
I agree that Spygate was way overblown, but it's part of a pattern of hamhanded discipline (coupled with something-less-than-transparency) that is characteristic of the Goodell regime generally. Go ask Sean Payton if the Pats are singled out by the league. Edit: or Pete Carroll, for extra practices.
I mean this affectionately: you guys sound like SEC fans.