NatetheGreat said:
Sure, but is there any reason at all to believe that's the case?
Sure. The "good of the league". The owners don't want this to drag out and they don't want to wind up in court with Brady.
NatetheGreat said:
Sure, but is there any reason at all to believe that's the case?
There are a lot of flaws in that Kraft has to trust to follow through on the hug.NatetheGreat said:
The quid pro quo/backroom deal interpretation of this has a number of flaws. Relying on Goodell to keep his word when he has no actual reason to is one of them. Expecting him to completely drop the suspension (in effect admitting that the league was wrong to suspend Brady in the first place), based on a backroom deal that provides no real public cover for Goodell's ego is another.
It is pretty surreal living in a world where football teams are evil and criminal attorneys are paragons of virtue.AB in DC said:There is absolutely an NYC media culture. That completely transcends sports allegiances. And it is completely impossible for the people staffing the offices and making the decisions on NFL matters to be immune to this.
Goodell, Wells, and company are living in a bubble where Patriots = evil and the NFL is just bringing bad guys to justice.
I feel the same way. Already decided not to do fantasy football this year, and it's something I'd been doing since 1989. Definitely making plans to do other things on Sunday's in the Fall.Seels said:This whole saga has legitimately made me lose interest for the NFL. This is a cartel where the only reason anything ever happens is because of money. Fuck Goodell, Fuck Kraft, and fuck the good ol boy system that exists in this stupid league
troparra said:Look him in the eye? Good Christ.
Calm down Winston! We were busy dealing with footballs out of spec by at least 3%!Corsi said:
I disagree with the bold above. There is simply no way that the truth of this fiasco doesn't come to light over the next ten years.JimD said:From a Patriots fan's perspective, this just gets worse and worse and worse. I get why Kraft probably had to do this, but it will be spun for the rest of our lives as a total capitulation by a group of guilty cheaters.
What a bunch of fools we've been. Goodell isn't being brought down by this, he's been exponentially empowered. He's hell bent on embarrassing Brady next and will not reduce the punishment unless Tom bows down and kisses his boot live on SportsCenter, and even then His Highness would probably just reduce the suspension by a game or two.
This has completely sucked the fun out of sports for me right now.
What are the odds that Mort is even generally aware? Like 1 in 12?Corsi said:
Chris Mortensen @mortreport 55s55 seconds ago
Despite NFL public confirmation, NFLPA has yet to receive formal notice that Goodell will be arbitrator on Brady appeal & no date set
Do you really think that the Artless Roger is getting Kraft's vote when his contract comes up for renewal? Do you think that Kraft is going to bail him out during his next major fuck up? (Which is almost certainly going to be the next CBA negotiations.) Revenge is a dish best served cold.JimD said:Goodell isn't being brought down by this, he's been exponentially empowered. He's hell bent on embarrassing Brady next and will not reduce the punishment unless Tom bows down and kisses his boot live on SportsCenter, and even then His Highness would probably just reduce the suspension by a game or two.
Jeffrey Kessler is pulling out all the stops. I love it.Corsi said:
It's like the old West! When men were men!Marciano490 said:
What's with all this "look people in the eye" nonsense. Everyone thinks they're everyone else's dad.
j44thor said:Perhaps Kraft's mea culpa was to prevent further penalties from the wellscontext report which does go against league bylaws.
Right. Which is why I assume Goodell asked his friend Bob Kraft to do what was best for the league. The optics of accepting the penalty look better than dragging the fight out in court.SeoulSoxFan said:
You know who gives a shit? Goodell. And the so-called "prominent" media members who help to set (perpetrate?) the narrative. I say the ratio of talking heads who even gave it a fair look (no matter their opinion) runs about 1:10 in disfavor of the Pats.
ivanvamp said:The investigation took four months. He could have talked to Brady anytime he wanted to in there. He didn't want to talk to him until AFTER he laid out that ridiculous punishment?
I'm no PR pro, but it looks to me like the Pats dramatically overplayed their hand last week and look rather foolish today for it. Maybe a more measured "we're considering all our options" tone was the strategy they should have pursued? Acknowledge that they disagree with the Wells report while also acknowledging the limited avenues of recourse available to the team?PseuFighter said:I kind of want to know how someone can go from vehemently defending the team the way he did, and be willing to put up a fight just a couple of weeks ago, to - at least from an optics standpoint - looks like someone who completely folded today. That's how it's going to look outside of New England (and to lots of the mediot writers in Boston, the same).
Seems like they didn't play the PR scenario though too well. What could they have otherwise expected?
Rusty13 said:Jeffrey Kessler is pulling out all the stops. I love it.
They don't make them as good as will McDonough anymore.PseuFighter said:Sorry if this is a sort of ignorant question, but has Boston ever had a really great, objective football writer? Will McDonough maybe? It just seems like, in general, the way this has been covered in Boston has been utter crap, regurgitating tweets and leaks and dragging out a nonsensical soap opera without doing any, you know, reporting. It's frustrating.
fairlee76 said:I'm no PR pro, but it looks to me like the Pats dramatically overplayed their hand last week and look rather foolish today for it. Maybe a more measured "we're considering all our options" tone was the strategy they should have pursued? Acknowledge that they disagree with the Wells report while also acknowledging the limited avenues of recourse available to the team?
PseuFighter said:Sorry if this is a sort of ignorant question, but has Boston ever had a really great, objective football writer? Will McDonough maybe? It just seems like, in general, the way this has been covered in Boston has been utter crap, regurgitating tweets and leaks and dragging out a nonsensical soap opera without doing any, you know, reporting. It's frustrating.
This is more like Braveheart. Kraft is now Robert the Bruce with Roger being Longshanks and Brady as William Wallace.Remagellan said:You beat me to it, but let me add the required reference to GoT: The North Remembers.
PseuFighter said:Sorry if this is a sort of ignorant question, but has Boston ever had a really great, objective football writer? Will McDonough maybe? It just seems like, in general, the way this has been covered in Boston has been utter crap, regurgitating tweets and leaks and dragging out a nonsensical soap opera without doing any, you know, reporting. It's frustrating.
who gives a shit if he gets Krafts vote, Kraft is one of 32 and 31 other owners are seemingly happy that the Patriots are made to eat their shit right now.nighthob said:Do you really think that the Artless Roger is getting Kraft's vote when his contract comes up for renewal? Do you think that Kraft is going to bail him out during his next major fuck up? (Which is almost certainly going to be the next CBA negotiations.) Revenge is a dish best served cold.
I think this is spot on. I live in NYC and had dinner with close friends this weekend, a table full of hostile personae - a Jets fan, a Giants fan, a Broncos fan. And it went like this: a bit of needling which I laughed at (I just shrugged and smiled, because, well, the Super Bowl(s)), then admission that this was a pine tar incident gone mad, and then...that was it. Wasn't talked about again. In the end? Well, four Super Bowls.TheoShmeo said:At lunch yesterday with a bunch of fans of various NFL teams, a Jets fan said what I think most opposing fans actually think: DeflateGate is wildly overblown (no pun intended), there's probably something there but gamesmanship is no big deal, and -- this is the key point -- he would trade places with Pats fans (having a four time winner and some road kill to deal with) in a heart beat.
Other than fans of, perhaps, the Steelers, Niners and Cowboys, I think that is a sentiment shared by many. Other fans like to tweak us for the same reason that some opposing fans like to come into this thread or a game thread moments after something bad happens to our team. It's fun for them and they know we'll react.
But worrying about what opposing fans think is silly for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that I think most of them really do realize that DeflateGate is nothing much more than a boon to opportunists and haters.
No shit. I haven't clicked on that prick in 4.5 years...until just now.Pandemonium67 said:If you're linking to a Shaugnessey article, please say that so I'll know not to click.
Thanks.
Well put. I'm in an area (northeast PA) that is isn't exactly loaded with Pats fans, and most people I've talked to think the penalties were way too harsh, even if they think the Pats were monkeying around with balls. I'm talking Eagles fans who think it should've been a fine and that's it. Despite the fact that the Pats really have gotten fucked harder than any other team, I do get the sense that folks are thinking "If it could happen to them..."TheoShmeo said:At lunch yesterday with a bunch of fans of various NFL teams, a Jets fan said what I think most opposing fans actually think: DeflateGate is wildly overblown (no pun intended), there's probably something there but gamesmanship is no big deal, and -- this is the key point -- he would trade places with Pats fans (having a four time winner and some road kill to deal with) in a heart beat.
Other than fans of, perhaps, the Steelers, Niners and Cowboys, I think that is a sentiment shared by many. Other fans like to tweak us for the same reason that some opposing fans like to come into this thread or a game thread moments after something bad happens to our team. It's fun for them and they know we'll react.
But worrying about what opposing fans think is silly for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that I think most of them really do realize that DeflateGate is nothing much more than a boon to opportunists and haters.
PseuFighter said:I kind of want to know how someone can go from vehemently defending the team the way he did, and be willing to put up a fight just a couple of weeks ago, to - at least from an optics standpoint - looks like someone who completely folded today. That's how it's going to look outside of New England (and to lots of the mediot writers in Boston, the same).
Seems like they didn't play the PR scenario though too well. What could they have otherwise expected?
miracleofmidre said:I think this is spot on. I live in NYC and had dinner with close friends this weekend, a table full of hostile personae - a Jets fan, a Giants fan, a Broncos fan. And it went like this: a bit of needling which I laughed at (I just shrugged and smiled, because, well, the Super Bowl(s)), then admission that this was a pine tar incident gone mad, and then...that was it. Wasn't talked about again. In the end? Well, four Super Bowls.
They all are smart enough to know better. The ones who aren't smart enough? Who gives a sh*t about them?
And this too.TheoShmeo said:At lunch yesterday with a bunch of fans of various NFL teams, a Jets fan said what I think most opposing fans actually think: DeflateGate is wildly overblown (no pun intended), there's probably something there but gamesmanship is no big deal, and -- this is the key point -- he would trade places with Pats fans (having a four time winner and some road kill to deal with) in a heart beat.
Other than fans of, perhaps, the Steelers, Niners and Cowboys, I think that is a sentiment shared by many. Other fans like to tweak us for the same reason that some opposing fans like to come into this thread or a game thread moments after something bad happens to our team. It's fun for them and they know we'll react.
But worrying about what opposing fans think is silly for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that I think most of them really do realize that DeflateGate is nothing much more than a boon to opportunists and haters.
That said, it sucks that Kraft isn't going the distance with this (even if there really isn't anything sure to get them past a 12(b)(6) motion). The first rounder is a real pisser At some point, when you're a frickin' billionaire, doesn't making a stand for what you believe in matter more than five or ten million and the maybe goodwill among your fellow members of the club?
Marciano490 said:
What's with all this "look people in the eye" nonsense. Everyone thinks they're everyone else's dad.