It is ending.
The haters will still sputter their nonsense, but the media narrative (and, by extension, popular opinion) is already changing irrevocably away from the scandal. It will no longer be Tom Brady, great player dogged by scandal and allegations of cheating, but instead Tom Brady, the best quarterback of all time, period. The singularly gifted athlete who never lost focus throughout his two-year ordeal and put up one of greatest seasons ever by a QB (at age 39!) and culminated this journey by engineering the greatest comeback in football history.
Need a personal angle? How about a loyal son who quietly endured those outrageous slings and arrows along the way while his mother battled cancer? The warrior who spent the immediate aftermath of his greatest triumph kneeling on the field, overcome by emotion and completely spent. The man who faced his biggest accuser in person and could have used the moment to exact a little personal revenge (and, really, who would have blamed him if he did?) but instead took the high road, classy as always.
That is a powerful narrative and it will be irresistible, told and carried forth by the sports media and those who write history. America loves a redemption story and Brady will increasingly be depicted as the guy who was wronged by petty bureaucrats only to rise above it and reach greater heights. The old myths will slowly die off, replaced by this new tale of this greatest NFL player of all time. He will be glorified and celebrated even more from here on out, with constant reminders from football broadcasters and the media to appreciate his greatness while we still can. This is the renewed narrative that will accompany Tom Brady as he closes out his career and then moves on to Hall of Fame legend and beyond.
The haters, those few bitter ex-players and the fans other teams who have been slayed by Brady over the years, they are not going away, of course. Their bitter worldview will no longer carry the day, though, because the more influential members of the sports media will gradually stop catering to them. It's happening already. Though numerous in number still, the influence of these opponents will be minimized and their protestations will be seen as petty. They will eventually become the sports equivalent of those Japanese soldiers still clutching their rifles who were found on Pacific islands years after the end of World War II, figures of pathos if not deserving of pity. We Patriots fans may wince every time we are subject to this whining but it will be a temporary annoyance at worst.
It is ending.
Tom Brady won.
And also because the current rule is dumb.So what are chances OT rules are talked about again or changed to allow a full quarter to be played before a winner is decided? Since you know, whenever the Pats win, some rule change has to be made, and they only won because OT is sudden death if a TD is scored.
Yup. Amendola was wearing a " Fu*k Goddell" hat today, which is from Barstool. There was also someone on Kraft's duckboat wearing a "they hate us cause they ain't us" t-shirt.A lot of the Patriots guys are Barstool guys. Hell a lot of people period are Barstool fans. I think it's a simple as he loves their t shirts, it's a way to poke Goodell, and it's something him and his players can bond over/find common ground on.
Don't underestimate how big Barstool is becoming or how big it is in Boston. Plus their merch game is incredible.
Bidding is probably the fairest but is never happening.The problem with the current OT rule is that win probability is significantly affected by the flip of a coin. There are several ways to overcome this without lengthening the game. I wrote a (much too long) blog post about this several years ago: http://danieljepson.blogspot.com/2009/11/thoughts-on-nfl-overtime.html
Edit: (this was pre-rule change, so the magnitude of the win probability shift is lower now. But the general principle still applies).
I suspect the rule will be changed so that each team gets the ball no matter what and then it becomes sudden death. The issue with that is you will have more regular season ties and I don't know if anyone wants that.I have no problem with the current OT format. It's not realistic to just 'keep playing full quarters'. It's great and fun when a hockey game goes three OTs or whatever but there's a reason they only play 16 football games a year and only once a week. It's a barbaric and dangerous game and the longer they are out on the field, the more serious injuries and concussions come into play. I would be okay with an argument to go to the college style, though probably wouldn't agree with it. Saying 'you guys stay out there for full 15 minute quarters until someone wins' strikes me as negligent. It's a far cry from playing extra innings or longer periods of basketball. The more tired players get the more likely they are prone to significant injuries.
It's a far better system than the old one and I think it's fair. If you can't stop a td, you lose. Game over.
At most, I'd say give them both a chance with the ball no matter what and then if it's tied up after that, it's sudden death. I have no interest in seeing a football game go to a second or third OT and watching players destroy their bodies and futures. You want to do that, at least guarantee their contracts. Otherwise it's no different than the arguments for/against and 18 game schedule, albeit with an unknown variable in as far as how many times that would even surface.
Belichick of course agrees. He has said they should put some time on the clock and play.And also because the current rule is dumb.
The Pats won fair and square under the rules of engagement and complaining about their win is nonsense, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't keep pushing for OT to be an extension of the actual game rather than having weird idiosyncratic conditions for winning.
Screw penalty shots, golden goals, sudden death, or baroque OT rules; play ordinary extra periods, quarters, or innings in every sport to keep measuring the game as it's normally measured.
It was a "Fire Goodell" hat. They'll poke him but saying "fuck" him would probably be a step too far.Yup. Amendola was wearing a " Fu*k Goddell" hat today, which is from Barstool. There was also someone on Kraft's duckboat wearing a "they hate us cause they ain't us" t-shirt.
Amendola was also waving a "Goodell wears crocs" sign. Gronk lead a chorus of boos at Goodell during a rally in Rhode Island. They might say they were pandering to the crowd or got caught up in the moment. But I think it's hard to deny that they didn't use it for at least a little bit of motivation.
Unequivocally agree.The problem with giving both teams the ball even if a TD is scored is that it becomes a huge advantage to the second team. They effectively play with 4 downs instead of 3 since punting is not an option.
That happens now with FGs, but that advantage serves as an offset to the first team's ability to end the game.
Yep good point.The problem with giving both teams the ball even if a TD is scored is that it becomes a huge advantage to the second team. They effectively play with 4 downs instead of 3 since punting is not an option.
That happens now with FGs, but that advantage serves as an offset to the first team's ability to end the game.
Was thinking the same thing. And as regards to Patricia wearing the barstool t-shirt. Hard to believe he had it on for the whole flight, and nobody thought to tell him not to wear it in public. Explicitly or tacitly, seems like they were ok with a couple of passive-aggressive jabs being thrown at Goodell. Truthfully, I could have skipped any of it. Not because I think it hurts the team in any way. And certainly not because Goodell doesn't richly deserve it. I just thought the approach and the optics on the podiums Sunday night and Monday morning were perfect. Kraft, BB, TB with their perfunctory, almost after thought handshakes/thank you's. He with his awkward, trying way too hard to be gracious and project authority at the same time. The win was a giant, resounding F-You. And in the aftermath, I thought he came off as the small, mediocre sock puppet that he is.Ahh, you are right. On both accounts.
I also wonder if BB, Kraft and Co. told them that they could let their hair down a bit yesterday (as far as the Goodell stuff), but after that, zip it. And maybe Amendola thinks he's not coming back so he just let loose. Gronk is Gronk.
Thank you.Serious question.
Do you think Roger still cares to be out to get the Pats? It seems to me he went after the Pats to appease the owners.
My only thing is that the owners are no less likely today to grab the torches and pitchforks to try to kill the beast one more time. I'm over it all too, but I can't help but assume Congressional hearings the next time a player trips on the turf at Gillette.Thank you.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion on Deflategate and IMO, he went after the Patriots hard to appease the owners. He was very friendly with Kraft, the other 31 owners put pressure on him to hammer the Patriots.
The deeper and longer it went, yes, it became personal, but it all started with the owners pressuring him to hammer New England.
For me, Deflategate is over, the team, the owner and the QB all got their revenge, winning the Super Bowl in the end was the final victory.
I'm done with it, time to move on and if opposing fans give me a hard time over it, at this stage of the game, I'll just laugh in their faces, hold up my hand to show 5 fingers and walk away.
Yup, and given that the patriots now have a "history of cheating" it will take less to happen, and be punished worse.My only thing is that the owners are no less likely today to grab the torches and pitchforks to try to kill the beast one more time. I'm over it all too, but I can't help but assume Congressional hearings the next time a player trips on the turf at Gillette.
Great post.It is ending.
The haters will still sputter their nonsense, but the media narrative (and, by extension, popular opinion) is already changing irrevocably away from the scandal. It will no longer be Tom Brady, great player dogged by scandal and allegations of cheating, but instead Tom Brady, the best quarterback of all time, period. The singularly gifted athlete who never lost focus throughout his two-year ordeal and put up one of greatest seasons ever by a QB (at age 39!) and culminated this journey by engineering the greatest comeback in football history.
Need a personal angle? How about a loyal son who quietly endured those outrageous slings and arrows along the way while his mother battled cancer? The warrior who spent the immediate aftermath of his greatest triumph kneeling on the field, overcome by emotion and completely spent. The man who faced his biggest accuser in person and could have used the moment to exact a little personal revenge (and, really, who would have blamed him if he did?) but instead took the high road, classy as always.
That is a powerful narrative and it will be irresistible, told and carried forth by the sports media and those who write history. America loves a redemption story and Brady will increasingly be depicted as the guy who was wronged by petty bureaucrats only to rise above it and reach greater heights. The old myths will slowly die off, replaced by this new tale of this greatest NFL player of all time. He will be glorified and celebrated even more from here on out, with constant reminders from football broadcasters and the media to appreciate his greatness while we still can. This is the renewed narrative that will accompany Tom Brady as he closes out his career and then moves on to Hall of Fame legend and beyond.
The haters, those few bitter ex-players and the fans other teams who have been slayed by Brady over the years, they are not going away, of course. Their bitter worldview will no longer carry the day, though, because the more influential members of the sports media will gradually stop catering to them. It's happening already. Though numerous in number still, the influence of these opponents will be minimized and their protestations will be seen as petty. They will eventually become the sports equivalent of those Japanese soldiers still clutching their rifles who were found on Pacific islands years after the end of World War II, figures of pathos if not deserving of pity. We Patriots fans may wince every time we are subject to this whining but it will be a temporary annoyance at worst.
It is ending.
Tom Brady won.
Agreed; the other 31 owners are beside themselves over this.My only thing is that the owners are no less likely today to grab the torches and pitchforks to try to kill the beast one more time. I'm over it all too, but I can't help but assume Congressional hearings the next time a player trips on the turf at Gillette.
Re: picks.For me it's not over and will never be over.
* Deflategate brought back Spygate (aided by nonsense ESPN and SI stories) and the combination forever put a stain on the franchise and its two icons. Not from us fans, but from everyone else. Brady and Belichick are basically two guys one day whose names should be said by the Pro Football writers on a Saturday before a Super Bowl, and that's their entire sponsor's HOF candidacy speech, just their names and a unanimous "yes" vote. But you know these things will be discussed.
* The $1 million fine and the 4 games are gone, so in that aspect it is over.
* What's really not over is the forfeiture of last year's 1st round pick and this upcoming draft's 4th round pick. Last year, the Pats would have had the 29th pick in the first. So, they forfeited either a really good player potential, or the opportunity for Belichick to trade the pick for multiple later picks or future picks. That's not insignificant and hurts them into the future.
Yes, even in the NCAA system the team going second has an information advantage, i.e. It knows what the first team did or didn't do. There's a lot of value in knowing whether you need to score 3, 6, 7 or 8 points to win (or tie and play another round.) it's not only the extra down.The problem with giving both teams the ball even if a TD is scored is that it becomes a huge advantage to the second team. They effectively play with 4 downs instead of 3 since punting is not an option.
That happens now with FGs, but that advantage serves as an offset to the first team's ability to end the game.
This article is multiple changes ago. It was 60/40 at that point.The problem with the current OT rule is that win probability is significantly affected by the flip of a coin. There are several ways to overcome this without lengthening the game. I wrote a (much too long) blog post about this several years ago: http://danieljepson.blogspot.com/2009/11/thoughts-on-nfl-overtime.html
Edit: (this was pre-rule change, so the magnitude of the win probability shift is lower now. But the general principle still applies).
Very well said.The problem with giving both teams the ball even if a TD is scored is that it becomes a huge advantage to the second team. They effectively play with 4 downs instead of 3 since punting is not an option.
That happens now with FGs, but that advantage serves as an offset to the first team's ability to end the game.
This is exactly right.It is ending......
It is ending.
Tom Brady won.
No need to mention hockey - the NFL already has different OT rules for regular season and playoffs when it comes to the clock. If one team uses up the first 15 minutes of OT on a ridiculously long drive and kicks a FG as time expires, the other team doesn't get the ball in the regular season (Rule 16 Article 4a), but gets it in the postseason (Rule 16 Article 5a). Similarly, if one team uses up 10 minutes for a FG drive, the other team gets only 5 minutes to counter in the regular season but gets as much time as it needs in the postseason.I suspect the rule will be changed so that each team gets the ball no matter what and then it becomes sudden death. The issue with that is you will have more regular season ties and I don't know if anyone wants that.
I would be ok with keeping the rule as is for the regular season and the change just taking place for the playoffs. Hockey has different OT rules for regular season and playoffs so it isn't like it is uncharted territory.
No need to mention hockey - the NFL already has different OT rules for regular season and playoffs when it comes to the clock. If one team uses up the first 15 minutes of OT on a ridiculously long drive and kicks a FG as time expires, the other team doesn't get the ball in the regular season (Rule 16 Article 4a), but gets it in the postseason (Rule 16 Article 5a). Similarly, if one team uses up 10 minutes for a FG drive, the other team gets only 5 minutes to counter in the regular season but gets as much time as it needs in the postseason.
Roger will burn the files on his way out of the Commissioner's office.I would love to see the PSI data recorded by the league last year get leaked. (But how?) It would prove the NFL knew the PSI charge was bullshit and let Brady's punishment stand anyway, and would probably shed Spygate in a new light. That's the only way this ever really ends.
Because the end of regulation woudl be come meaninglessHow dumb of an idea is to make OT sudden death and instead of a coin flip just continue the game where it ended at the end of the 4th quarter ?
That's kind of the point. Just turn the game clock off (keeping the play clock of course) and keep playing until it's no longer tied. Would make for some interesting final drives with the game tied, that's for sure.Because the end of regulation woudl be come meaningless
And replaces it with teams going for 2 to take a 1-point lead.It is the end of a half though. To continue the game from where it left off takes away the excitement of tie game and a team driving for a FG.
There are maybe 2 teams in the NFL that would actually go for two instead of kicking a PAT down 1, and even they'd do it the minority of the time.And replaces it with teams going for 2 to take a 1-point lead.
Joe Thomas has earned a permanent spot on the white list for his DFG work. He really seems to hate Goodell.Always loved Joe Thomas. No one has said it better, via PFT:
“I especially enjoyed how over-eager Roger was to smile at all the Patriots and give them a big handshake, but then as soon as he gave them the trophy he scurried off the stage like a rat,” Thomas said. “It was awesome.”
Why? It's the Ideal Gas "Law" for a reason...anyone with a brain and no axe to grind already knows what those readings looked like. The "Cheatriots" crowd wouldn't care (or understand)...if they possessed the capacity, they wouldn't need any more data points than have been readily available for years.I would love to see the PSI data recorded by the league last year get leaked. (But how?) It would prove the NFL knew the PSI charge was bullshit and let Brady's punishment stand anyway, and would probably shed Spygate in a new light. That's the only way this ever really ends.
We really should rename it The Thomas-Wentzel-Jenkins ListJoe Thomas has earned a permanent spot on the white list for his DFG work. He really seems to hate Goodell.
Poor dude wasting a HoF career in Cleveland. Save him Bill!"I especially enjoyed how over-eager Roger was to smile at all the Patriots and give them a big handshake, but then as soon as he gave them the trophy he scurried off the stage like a rat," Thomas told PFT Live. "It was awesome."
That's hardly completely insane. It's not much different from college rules, except that it encourages less risk-taking and makes it more likely that OT is extended for no good reason. If some ballsy team wants to go for two to end, why shouldn't it be rewarded, like in regulation?My new completely insane OT idea: no 2 pt conversions, no FGs. Each team gets the same number of possessions.