#DFG: Canceling the Noise

[jimbobim]

in unrealistic world .. 
 
Media- First Deflategate question
BB : Well I'm only allowed to say we're cooperating with the league investigation, but I compiled a nice list of articles written by you guys with sources painting a pretty grim picture. We are cooperating with the league and We're on to Arizona on Monday. I hope the investigation is finished up promptly so everyone can move on.  
 
And then just keep reading that statement for an hour ... 

 

[nighthob]

To me, the most depressing part of all this is reading the incredulous responses from quarterbacks and coaches across the league, essentially asking "who gives a fuck?" Deep down, I know that is not going to matter one bit to the lying, corrupt sociopath responsible for making this decision. I hope I am wrong. Everybody with functioning neurons can see this is a waste of time (and ultimately the fault of the NFL for rolling out a broken process in the first place) and has no material impact on any game outcome. This is lawyer/procedural bullshit.
 
Not gonna matter though. We have an ideologue consumed with proving to the world how strong and righteous he is. Bad times. We've seen this script too many times in the last few years. Waiting for this boob Goodell to decide almost feels like headed towards a "football gallows" tomorrow or Friday.  Really hoping we don't see a suspension. I can't believe we're here again. Fuck all of this.

To be brutally frank I think the NFL is probably more pissed off at Jimmy Irsay for taking five minutes from his post-game bender to drunk text Kravitz with "NFL nvesg8ting Cheatriots for defl8ed balls! FUK Belicheat!!!" than New England as they know it's not a big deal or they wouldn't have allowed QBs to rub down their own balls before the officials lovingly inspect them.

 

[Hoya81]

Seems like a lot of background anonymous quotes gathered from coaches and QBs are mostly shrugging it off, while GMs and front office people are pushing for the hammer.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Tannenbaum fired more of a story than this and Aaron Hernandez? WTF?

 
You're new 'round here, aren't ya fella?

 

[LogansDad]

To be brutally frank I think the NFL is probably more pissed off at Jimmy Irsay for taking five minutes from his post-game bender to drunk text Kravitz with "NFL nvesg8ting Cheatriots for defl8ed balls! FUK Belicheat!!!" than New England as they know it's not a big deal or they wouldn't have allowed QBs to rub down their own balls before the officials lovingly inspect them.

I was thinking this same thing, and wonder how much the report about the front office being "distraught" was because of this, since it appears there is some prevalent dirty laundry out there in regards to following the rules when it comes to the balls.  Now, not only are people questioning the integrity of one of the league's premiere franchises, but also the ability (desire?) of the refs and the rest of the league to even abide by this rule.  

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

If "ball differential" is such a heinous crime why does the NFL even allow this whole system of different balls for different teams?

 
Because it's not one, not two, but ELEVEN balls, silly.
 

 

[singaporesoxfan]

Look how much talk of Ballghazi has infected even the financial news pages!
 
[Brady] Denies Deflation... Cites Need for Reforms
 
Yesterday’s ultra-low inflation was never intended to form any part of the script. At the core is the spectre of deflation - a phenomenon that the Western world has not seen on a grand scale since the Great Depression. The slide in inflation is, as [Kravitz] triumphantly tweeted, “welcome news”. While “it’s undisputed that low inflation and low inflation expectations in the medium term are challenges”, [Belichick] recommended pursuing an accommodative policy 'through other means'.

 

[GBrushTWood]

To be brutally frank I think the NFL is probably more pissed off at Jimmy Irsay for taking five minutes from his post-game bender to drunk text Kravitz with "NFL nvesg8ting Cheatriots for defl8ed balls! FUK Belicheat!!!" than New England as they know it's not a big deal or they wouldn't have allowed QBs to rub down their own balls before the officials lovingly inspect them.

 
Certainly possible. We're all just speculating/typing out of our asses at this point. That is certainly the optimistic way to look at it. I tend to be more pessimistic based on Goodell's record of overreacting to media created conflicts. To me, any time "punishment" involving our team requires Goodell to make a decision, it means we are at the mercy of a tone-deaf, megalomaniac spinning a wheel. 

 

[twibnotes]

Building on the theme of the league being angry at the colts...

Is there any doubt that many coaches could unearth an insane number of ugly stories for the league? We've all heard about the coaching trees. These guys are all interconnected.

I'm reminded of the scene in "Syriana" where the oil exec says something like, "if you dig a foot, you will find a couple bodies. If you dig five feet, you'll find a couple hundred."

This has to be a slippery slope. I have no doubt belichick could throw plenty of coaches under the bus.

 

[LesterFan]

FWIW (take with a grain of salt, obviously):
 
Russell Lande @RUSSLANDE

Rumor from @seniorbowl (don't know if true), small group of team exec's saying Patriots will lose 2nd Rd Pick for "deflated ball scandal."

 

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

While yet another bad apostrophe will go unpunished.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Well, I'm just trying to describe it in terms analogous to what's happening here.

 
Then you'll need to use animal crackers and milk as your metaphor

 

[twibnotes]

While yet another bad apostrophe will go unpunished.

 
What kind of society do we live in where apostrophes are thrown around so sloppily but 2 PSI causes national hysteria?
 
Hell in a handbasket...

 

[BroodsSexton]

FWIW (take with a grain of salt, obviously):
 
Russell Lande @RUSSLANDE

Rumor from @seniorbowl (don't know if true), small group of team exec's saying Patriots will lose 2nd Rd Pick for "deflated ball scandal."

 

 
Patriots might be punished for the deflated balls, but the Colts are the ones who should be punished for the scandal.

 

[phrenile]

Tannenbaum fired more of a story than this and Aaron Hernandez? WTF?

The Jets outdrawing l'affaire sweetleaf says something about us. Likely nothing good.

That was an annual Jets megathread, so those clicks spanned an entire calendar year.

 

[riboflav]

A second round pick is ridiculous for two reasons:
 
1. It is way too harsh considering the crime.
2. It won't put any of this to rest. No is going to care outside NE about a fine and a draft pick. They want BB's head. 
 
It should either be just a fine (make it hefty if you want, Rog) or suspend BB and/or Brady. That is the only logical sense. The former satisfies those of us who believe this is largely overblown, which it is. The latter satisfies those who think it's a huge deal (birthers and crazypots excepted, of course). A fine and draft pick is like Spygate. Rog is just going to signal that it was a big deal to deflate balls but not big enough to suspend anyone. This will only escalate the problem.

 

[koufax32]

FWIW (take with a grain of salt, obviously):
 
Russell Lande @RUSSLANDE

Rumor from @seniorbowl (don't know if true), small group of team exec's saying Patriots will lose 2nd Rd Pick for "deflated ball scandal."

Circumventing the salary cap = under inflating footballs

 

[twibnotes]

Let's face it, there are plenty of idiots who will not be satisfied unless Belichick is hung from the lighthouse. 
 
I wish I had faith in the commissioner to "ignore the noise."

 

[riboflav]

Let's face it, there are plenty of idiots who will not be satisfied unless Belichick is hung from the lighthouse. 
 
I wish I had faith in the commissioner to "ignore the noise."

 
I agree which is why I wrote that the crazies are exempt.
 
I mean Roger's statement is basically going to be this is the most heinous thing ever to happen to the NFL, the very integrity of the game for all time is on the line -  fine and draft pick. 

 

[E5 Yaz]

 
I agree which is why I wrote that the crazies are exempt.
 
I mean Roger's statement is basically going to be this is the most heinous thing ever to happen to the NFL, the very integrity of the game for all time is on the line -  fine and draft pick. 

 
Nah, I think he's going to cite the Pats being on double secret probation since Spygate and that, while this offense is minor in comparison, the "history" merits the fine/draft pick

 

[wibi]

 

Brandon Browner ‏@bbrowner27 5m5 minutes ago
For my 2cents Blount scored 3 rushing touchdowns. He could've carried a beach ball. Also doesn't hurt we only gave up 7 points #inflatethis
 

 

 
Someone might have wanted to change his twitter background before he tweeted it out

 

[twibnotes]

 
Nah, I think he's going to cite the Pats being on double secret probation since Spygate and that, while this offense is minor in comparison, the "history" merits the fine/draft pick

 
 
This actually seems like a brilliant approach (are you in PR?).  It satisfies a couple of things that are seemingly incompatible:
 
1) He doesn't want to make the crime seem egregious b/c that is a stain on his marquee event
 
yet
 
2) He needs to go after the Pats and show he is in command
 
 
The whole probation angle enables him to pull that off.
 
You should be the commish, E5.  Guaranteed Goodell's approach won't be so sound.

 

[nighthob]

Certainly possible. We're all just speculating/typing out of our asses at this point. That is certainly the optimistic way to look at it. I tend to be more pessimistic based on Goodell's record of overreacting to media created conflicts. To me, any time "punishment" involving our team requires Goodell to make a decision, it means we are at the mercy of a tone-deaf, megalomaniac spinning a wheel.

I'm not sure how anything I said disagrees with the notion that New England is going to be singled out for common practise. But, at the end of the day there have been multiple news stories (long before this idiotic one) about the ball tampering that's par for the course in the NFL and the league never did anything about any of it (hell, during the Ray Lewis retirement party half the Ravens' defense publicly bragged about using a banned substance to speed injury recovery and the NFL held its nose and turned a blind eye).

The story took off this time because it started with one of Jimmy Irsay's flunkies announcing that the NFL was investigating the Patriots for "cheating" which whipped the press into a Tomase feeding frenzy. And now the Commish has been put into a no-win situation. The "You take this piddly shit more seriously than domestic abuse!" cries have already started (and they're warranted given the horror show), but if he doesn't act harshly the Tomasidiots will belch from the woodwork. So, no, I don't think little Irsay will be getting a Christmas card from the NFL this year. Especially given that it was the Colts that changed the rules in the first place to bring us here.

 

[riboflav]

 
Nah, I think he's going to cite the Pats being on double secret probation since Spygate and that, while this offense is minor in comparison, the "history" merits the fine/draft pick

 
That is what he should do but he won't. 

 

[RedOctober3829]

Interesting point; speaking of the rain, does anyone know if rain/getting wet effects the weight of the ball?
 
  In a monsoon like they played in Sunday night, does the ball getting wet cause it to weigh more?  I understand the ref is putting a towel around it and they are continually rotating balls in and out of play, but I was wondering if anyone can comment on if the ball getting wet effects the weight; if it does, taking air out of it would offset to some extend the extra weight that water adds.
 
 This probably sounds idiotic, but I'm grasping at straws trying to figure out why they did what they did/what they have been accused of doing. 
 
RedOctober3829; any thoughts?

Yes, the balls get heavier and more slick when it rains. Taking air out of it won't affect it when wet as it won't be more playable. They're still ruined.

 

[BroodsSexton]

Why should he link this to events that happened seven-and-a-half years ago?

 

[twibnotes]

Why should he link this to events that happened seven-and-a-half years ago?

 
Because the narrative if he lets the Pats off easy will be that he has no control of the league.  Pattern of behavior, etc. 

 

[soxfan80000001]

"So he would withhold evidence of a horrible life altering crime in order to use it as a bargaining chip if he ever got caught bending football rules???"
 
Sarcasm is only for certain people.

Agreed.  It's way too difficult to tell whether the climate change deniers are being sarcastic or serious, they have no place using sarcasm.

 

[Kull]

Because it's not one, not two, but ELEVEN balls, silly.

 
Agreed, just pointing out that the NFL created the slippery slope by allowing every team to supply specially prepared balls that will be used ONLY by that team, not their opponents. That teams utilize this feature implies pretty strongly that they see some advantage in doing so. A unique advantage granted by having balls that are somewhat different from those used by the other team.
 
Now it appears the Patriots went above and beyond the actual rules, but they did so in an area (PSI) where others (such as Rodgers of the Packers) admit to similar shenanigans. So it's not new, but just as important, the NFL tacitly admits that ball-based differentials are "OK" within certain parameters. And there's at least one example from this very season (a Vikings game referenced earlier in the thread) where teams were warned not to heat balls on the sidelines, an "illegal" activity being performed in full view of the cameras, in which no punishments were handed out to either team.
 
So every fact out there, including the NFLs own "different balls are OK" policy, points to this being a minor infraction, not the "heinous crime" being played up by the media.

 

[GlenMorangie]

.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Mike Pereira on Anderson Cooper saying this would be Patriots "third strike," citing taping the Rams walk through, which he has apparently convicted them of.

 

[jimbobim]

 
Agreed, just pointing out that the NFL created the slippery slope by allowing every team to supply specially prepared balls that will be used ONLY by that team, not their opponents. That teams utilize this feature implies pretty strongly that they see some advantage in doing so. A unique advantage granted by having balls that are somewhat different from those used by the other team.
 
Now it appears the Patriots went above and beyond the actual rules, but they did so in an area (PSI) where others (such as Rodgers of the Packers) admit to similar shenanigans. So it's not new, but just as important, the NFL tacitly admits that ball-based differentials are "OK" within certain parameters. And there's at least one example from this very season (a Vikings game referenced earlier in the thread) where teams were warned not to heat balls on the sidelines, an "illegal" activity being performed in full view of the cameras, in which no punishments were handed out to either team.
 
So every fact out there, including the NFLs own "different balls are OK" policy, points to this being a minor infraction, not the "heinous crime" being played up by the media.

This a way better breakdown than 95 percent of the articles  written by the wonderfully horrific sports media. Well done. 

 

[simplyeric]

If BB is suspended, Pats' should call a fake field goal with TB as holder on every play in Glendale.  Then explain after the game that it was because Brady requested a firmer ball in the warmer weather and this was the only rule-compliant way McDaniels could come up with.  Counter the craziness with a complete mockery of the league.  You wanna get nuts?  Let's get nuts!

Run every random technicality that can. Eligible and ineligible receivers, direct snaps, Wildcats and whatever that other 'the next big thing (that was never going to happen)' was, punts on 3rd, drop kicks and the Statue of Liberty play and whatever else.
They should spike the ball on 1st down in the middle of the 2nd quarter, just to confuse hell out of everyone, and then no-huddle quick snap it to Edelman while Brady is on the sideline on the next play.
Trick play every play. Snow angels and foot references. Have a guy lie down in the ends one on a kickoff return. Bring bottles of aderal and have pats players deliver them to the Seahawks sideline.

Fuck it.

 

[54thMA]

Yes, the balls get heavier and more slick when it rains. Taking air out of it won't affect it when wet as it won't be more playable. They're still ruined.

 
Ok, thanks for the reply.
 

 

 

[jcd0805]

Mike Pereira on Anderson Cooper saying this would be Patriots "third strike," citing taping the Rams walk through, which he has apparently convicted them of.

Freaking Tomase, that stupid article is STILL quoted as truth, makes me sick!

 

[Turrable]

Run every random technicality that can. Eligible and ineligible receivers, direct snaps, Wildcats and whatever that other 'the next big thing (that was never going to happen)' was, punts on 3rd, drop kicks and the Statue of Liberty play and whatever else.
They should spike the ball on 1st down in the middle of the 2nd quarter, just to confuse hell out of everyone, and then no-huddle quick snap it to Edelman while Brady is on the sideline on the next play.
Trick play every play. Snow angels and foot references. Have a guy lie down in the ends one on a kickoff return. Bring bottles of aderal and have pats players deliver them to the Seahawks sideline.

Fuck it.

 
or, just, like, win

 

[ScubaSteveAvery]

Mike Pereira on Anderson Cooper saying this would be Patriots "third strike," citing taping the Rams walk through, which he has apparently convicted them of.

 
Didn't realize Mike Pereira is also Enrico Pallazzo. 

 

[ilol@u]

Yeah I don't understand having the Patriots tank. Won't winning the game fair and square against the defending champs be more of a statement than doing stupid shit to make a mockery of the league and lose?

 

[kenneycb]

If the original iteration of the thread had zero polls and now there are three, how is that 100% more?

Just wanted to be sure I got in with my math piece.

 

[Tito's Pullover]

Are you using absolute polls or gauge polls?

 

[soxfanSJCA]

Joseph Goebbles:
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”
 
Bellicheat/Spygate/Ballghazi/Cheatriots
 
The facts in spygate continue to be varnished over with the same self-righteous mantra, the same shit-flavored message is coming out yet again.
Congratulations to those that partake in this lynch-mob, you are all honorary facists carrying on the traditions of ignorance and hate!
 
"I was not an AFC fan. ...then they came for the NFC, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Patriots fan... When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out."

 

[GlenMorangie]

.

 

[aksoxfan]

Yeah I don't understand having the Patriots tank. Won't winning the game fair and square against the defending champs be more of a statement than doing stupid shit to make a mockery of the league and lose?

We might be playing against a reffing crew with instructions to make a certain outcome happen....

 

[SoxinSeattle]

Yesterday I was upset, embarrassed and frustrated. Today I say win this bitch by two scores and let the country wallow in their own hate. I hope they choke on it.

 

[SMU_Sox]

We might be playing against a reffing crew with instructions to make a certain outcome happen....

You're right. They are going to be instructed to do their job and call a good game.

 

[aksoxfan]

You're right. They are going to be instructed to do their job and call a good game.

As they always do....

 

[amarshal2]

As they always do....

I think your tin hat might be on a little tight.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

We might be playing against a reffing crew with instructions to make a certain outcome happen....

Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence.

 

[aksoxfan]

I think your tin hat might be on a little tight.

have you ever watched an NFL game?

 

[ilol@u]

Yesterday I was upset, embarrassed and frustrated. Today I say win this bitch by two scores and let the country wallow in their own hate. I hope they choke on it.

You summed up how 90% of Patriot fans feel. Yesterday I was mad. Today I don't even care anymore, just win the Superbowl.
I'm #OnToSeattle