Patriots being investigated after Colts game (1 Viewer)

[MG345]

of all the reputable, legit, neutral people they could have hired for this, they chose some shady firm best known for manufacturing whatever desired results you might be looking for?

no, why would that matter?

If the NFL chose a company to give them the result they'd prefer, they seem to have done a poor job of it.

Instead of having a scientific basis for sweeping it under the rug, they have to go through all the negative reaction to a Super Bowl champion having cheated in the playoffs.

Thats one way of interpreting that. Another is that the league failed on multiple levels here. Now, instead of them pitting the fans against the NFL or the Patriots, they have pitted them against each other with a narrative.

No ones talking about how poorly the league handled this. People are talking about their interpretation of a cross-section of private text messages from a couple weirdos.

Let's be honest, there are really only so many ways you can take those texts. None of them are positive for Brady.

They are taken entirely out of context and literally framed to be interpreted a specific way in the Wells report.

Instead of the investigation reporting their findings they also cast judgement on several individuals. Why would they do that if they weren't pushing a narrative.

They bookend each one of those texts with their preconceptions then with the individuals testimonies followed IMMEDIATELY with Well's saying its "Implausible" or "Improbable".

So...how exactly do you want to frame those texts? Because I think to most people that are non-Brady supporters, they are pretty damn clear.

 

[MG345]

A few things:

1.) The NFL looks bad and there is a lot wrong with the report.

2.) However, this is bad for Brady and it is pretty obvious at this point that he knew this was going on and lied about several things.

3.) Deflating balls isn't really a big deal at all. I'd bet that other teams do the same and worse.

Bottom line is that it is obvious Brady knew, sorry to all the guys with Brady posters in their bedrooms, but your boy got caught. On the other hand, I think it is just as obvious that the league had it out for Brady/the Pats on this one and certainly slanted the report to make the team/Brady look bad. In either case, its not really a good look, yet still, it is May and the draft is over and all anyone is talking about is the NFL.

The league has literally every reason NOT to make this a big deal, I don't get why anyone would say otherwise. If they could have they would have buried this. There is no way they want this as the leading story on opening night.

 

[Anarchy99]

We have friends that live by Salem State. Said the place is a zoo. Mobs of news crews and tons of helicopters. They didn't know what was going on and they thought it was a war zone.

 

[JIslander]

A few things:

1.) The NFL looks bad and there is a lot wrong with the report.

2.) However, this is bad for Brady and it is pretty obvious at this point that he knew this was going on and lied about several things.

3.) Deflating balls isn't really a big deal at all. I'd bet that other teams do the same and worse.

Bottom line is that it is obvious Brady knew, sorry to all the guys with Brady posters in their bedrooms, but your boy got caught. On the other hand, I think it is just as obvious that the league had it out for Brady/the Pats on this one and certainly slanted the report to make the team/Brady look bad. In either case, its not really a good look, yet still, it is May and the draft is over and all anyone is talking about is the NFL.

The league has literally every reason NOT to make this a big deal, I don't get why anyone would say otherwise. If they could have they would have buried this. There is no way they want this as the leading story on opening night.

You don't understand. Its the WORLD against the Patriots. Boston Strong and all that....

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

We have friends that live by Salem State. Said the place is a zoo. Mobs of news crews and tons of helicopters. They didn't know what was going on and they thought it was a war zone.

every time something like this comes up I always wonder what the rest of the world is thinking about this country

 

[GoBirds]

Out of context? Come on man just admit it. You cheated but have an awesome team and you have trophies which is better than a lot of teams.

One can dream right?

 

[southeastjerome]

Crowd going nuts with MVP chant.

I admit I LOL'ed at the MVP chant. Just too funny. Crazy that he took a helicopter to Salem. Hard to feel bad for the guy.

 

[southeastjerome]

A few things:

1.) The NFL looks bad and there is a lot wrong with the report.

2.) However, this is bad for Brady and it is pretty obvious at this point that he knew this was going on and lied about several things.

3.) Deflating balls isn't really a big deal at all. I'd bet that other teams do the same and worse.

Bottom line is that it is obvious Brady knew, sorry to all the guys with Brady posters in their bedrooms, but your boy got caught. On the other hand, I think it is just as obvious that the league had it out for Brady/the Pats on this one and certainly slanted the report to make the team/Brady look bad. In either case, its not really a good look, yet still, it is May and the draft is over and all anyone is talking about is the NFL.

The league has literally every reason NOT to make this a big deal, I don't get why anyone would say otherwise. If they could have they would have buried this. There is no way they want this as the leading story on opening night.

I'm not saying that the NFL has good reason NOT to sweep this under the rug, I agree that it is most logical. However, just like I don't understand how Pats fans can come away saying Brady is innocent and knew nothing, I find it difficult to understand how anyone can come away thinking the NFL didn't basically set them up (in the AFC Championship game nonetheless) after reading that report. I definitely came away thinking that they had it out for them.

And of all the companies to hire to do the analysis, they pick one that says second hand smoke doesn't cause cancer? WTF??

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

I GOT YOU COVERED, bitter lifeless salty trolls!!!

you can use this when the greatest team in football history, and current WORLD CHAMPIONS are burying the league, and embarrassing your local sports franchise

just remember --- dose guise aren't better den use!!

 

[GoBirds]

I GOT YOU COVERED, bitter lifeless salty trolls!!!

you can use this when the greatest team in football history*, and current WORLD CHAMPIONS* are burying the league, and embarrassing your local sports franchise

just remember --- dose guise aren't better den use!!

 

[The General]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

 

[MG345]

A few things:

1.) The NFL looks bad and there is a lot wrong with the report.

2.) However, this is bad for Brady and it is pretty obvious at this point that he knew this was going on and lied about several things.

3.) Deflating balls isn't really a big deal at all. I'd bet that other teams do the same and worse.

Bottom line is that it is obvious Brady knew, sorry to all the guys with Brady posters in their bedrooms, but your boy got caught. On the other hand, I think it is just as obvious that the league had it out for Brady/the Pats on this one and certainly slanted the report to make the team/Brady look bad. In either case, its not really a good look, yet still, it is May and the draft is over and all anyone is talking about is the NFL.

The league has literally every reason NOT to make this a big deal, I don't get why anyone would say otherwise. If they could have they would have buried this. There is no way they want this as the leading story on opening night.

I'm not saying that the NFL has good reason NOT to sweep this under the rug, I agree that it is most logical. However, just like I don't understand how Pats fans can come away saying Brady is innocent and knew nothing, I find it difficult to understand how anyone can come away thinking the NFL didn't basically set them up (in the AFC Championship game nonetheless) after reading that report. I definitely came away thinking that they had it out for them.

And of all the companies to hire to do the analysis, they pick one that says second hand smoke doesn't cause cancer? WTF??

I came away thinking they had a complaint that the Pats were tampering with the balls, and they rightfully attempted to see if the complaint was true without notifying the Pats. This whole idea that it was a "sting" or setup that some people (Brady's agent) are saying is just crazy. By the very nature of what they are trying to accomplish they can't blow the whole thing wide open.

That being said, I think some of that response is the Patriots own fault. Not even taking Spygate into consideration, they were told to stop messing with the game balls in 2004 and told that if they did it again there would be serious ramifications. That alone should give the NFL reason to take the complaint seriously, to take the investigation seriously, and that means it had to happen some what clandestinely.

As for the company they hired, I wonder how many companies are even available to do this type of work. I can't speak to the integrity of the company itself, but having read the report, the findings seem reasonable especially when coupled with the rest of the information they found on the cell phones.

 

[Run It Up]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Well, immediately following the AFCCG it came out that Mike Kensil has been on record for years saying he knows the Patriots are cheating somehow, he just doesn't know how and the he will find out someday.

It mostly stems from that and Grigson, it became pretty clear early on that this wasn't an incidental discovery and is pretty much the driving force for the sting theory.

 

[JIslander]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

it's easy:

1) we are the best evah and the rest of you are just jealous salty haters, so anything that taints us means there's a conspiracy or:

2) they really do cheat consistently and its their only defense.

 

[GoBirds]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Well, immediately following the AFCCG it came out that Mike Kensil has been on record for years saying he knows the Patriots are cheating somehow, he just doesn't know how and the he will find out someday.It mostly stems from that and Grigson, it became pretty clear early on that this wasn't an incidental discovery.

But he was right?Isn't catching in the act preferable to calling BB and saying "I heard you are using under inflated balls, is that true Bill? You promise? Ok just making sure, all is good!"

 

[The General]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Well, immediately following the AFCCG it came out that Mike Kensil has been on record for years saying he knows the Patriots are cheating somehow, he just doesn't know how and the he will find out someday.

It mostly stems from that and Grigson, it became pretty clear early on that this wasn't an incidental discovery.

I don't know who that is, will have to look that up.

And, to be fair it appears they do have a little issue with playing nicely.

 

[MG345]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Well, immediately following the AFCCG it came out that Mike Kensil has been on record for years saying he knows the Patriots are cheating somehow, he just doesn't know how and the he will find out someday.

It mostly stems from that and Grigson, it became pretty clear early on that this wasn't an incidental discovery.

So you believe the RUMORS that Kensii said that...yet you don't believe the 234 page report that explicitly details how the Patriots cheated? Jesus...what is wrong with you people?

 

[rockaction]

Just chiming in with the simple fact that all the Patriots* championships are tainted, and no amount of homer idiocy can change that.

Back to your scheduled program.

Frauds.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

well, we can only speculate, of course --- I might hire exponent to cook something up for me, though

knowing how goodell feels about parity in the league, my theory is that probably and most likely they need to resort to this stuff just to try and keep the rest of the league within arm's reach of the pats

 

[JIslander]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

well, we can only speculate, of course --- I might hire exponent to cook something up for me, though

knowing how goodell feels about parity in the league, my theory is that probably and most likely they need to resort to this stuff just to try and keep the rest of the league within arm's reach of the pats

#1

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Well, immediately following the AFCCG it came out that Mike Kensil has been on record for years saying he knows the Patriots are cheating somehow, he just doesn't know how and the he will find out someday.

It mostly stems from that and Grigson, it became pretty clear early on that this wasn't an incidental discovery.

I don't know who that is, will have to look that up.

sometimes I forget that mike kensil might only be well known to us pats fans

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

it's easy:

1) we are the best evah and the rest of you are just jealous salty haters, so anything that taints us means there's a conspiracy or:

2) they really do cheat consistently and its their only defense.

3) salty hating trolls seem to think about taint an awful lot

 

[T J]

@adamlevitan: I have DefalteGate fatigue already. Brady used fully inflated balls in Super Bowl. Lit the No. 1 pass D for 37-of-50, 328 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT.

:Sidetrack:Brady and Edelman kicked ### in the Super Bowl for sure.

That was not the number one pass D though. Sherman, Thomas, Kam dinged up, and Lane knocked out of game.

Back to cheater Brady.

And when the balls were properly inflated the second half of the Colts game? Or were people dinged there too? What % dinged?

Personally, I'm overlooking the ball pressure, however they kept the balls deflated or inflated whatever. Studies show that maybe they got an advantage, people who played in the NFL that said that it's easier to throw a softball, etc. I'd overlook all that.The issue here is knowingly breaking a rule, getting caught, lying about it trying to cover it up.It's not defensible.

You get caught doing 30mph in a 25 and you tell the cop you didn't realize when you did know just how fast you were going. You knew what you were doing, you got caught and you may make a little lie up just to avoid that punishment. None of those types in this thread I bet....How sever should that punishment be? What was gained by going 30? Arriving a few minutes early? In Brady's case what was gained? Throwing for 360 instead of 350? No, because he did better after the balls were fixed....

I'd be all for a suspension and asterisk and all types of stuff if there seemed to be a sizeable advantage but I haven't seen one yet.

BS. Why does an advantage have to be proven? He cheated and lied about it. That's the real crime.

 

[JIslander]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

it's easy:

1) we are the best evah and the rest of you are just jealous salty haters, so anything that taints us means there's a conspiracy or:

2) they really do cheat consistently and its their only defense.

3) salty hating trolls seem to think about taint an awful lot

sorry, but I'm not on the leagues payroll...try again

 

[Freelove]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

it's easy:

1) we are the best evah and the rest of you are just jealous salty haters, so anything that taints us means there's a conspiracy or:

2) they really do cheat consistently and its their only defense.

3) salty hating trolls seem to think about taint an awful lot

@ the dumbfuck parade having opinions on this and thinking they're valid.

 

[Slider]

Man these Patsie fans with the "best ever" are brainwashed or hallucinating. You guys cheated more than once and got caught more than once. It's not salty haters or anything else- it's the truth. Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do. It's like having stolen money vs hard earned money. That doesn't bother some people.

 

[rockaction]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

it's easy:

1) we are the best evah and the rest of you are just jealous salty haters, so anything that taints us means there's a conspiracy or:

2) they really do cheat consistently and its their only defense.

3) salty hating trolls seem to think about taint an awful lot

@ the dumbfuck parade having opinions on this and thinking they're valid.

These are the same homer clowns that were happy and all excited when MIT came out with their study and ole Billy Boy came out and really stuck it to the NFL. "I mean, djoo see that? Ole Billy, oh boy. NFL is really screwed now. Science! Eleventy!!!!1!!!!11!1"

Oops.

 

[AB in DC]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Because Goodell screwed up the Ray Rice investigation so badly, he's now bending over backwards to look tough on the next case that crossed his desk.

 

[AB in DC]

Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do.

http://yourteamcheats.com

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Man these Patsie fans with the "best ever" are brainwashed or hallucinating. You guys cheated more than once and got caught more than once. It's not salty haters or anything else- it's the truth. Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do. It's like having stolen money vs hard earned money. That doesn't bother some people.

ok

 

[rockaction]

Salty trolls in January.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o5NweFWjAw

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

This is a joyous day. Patriots record this year and for the past few is forever tainted with a

*

Patriots*

Such cheaters, so much homer butthurt in this thread after so much laughter in January.

Probable cheaters. The Wells Reports concludes it was probable, not for sure.

For the last time. Probable means like 85% chance they cheated. But there isn't 100% evidence. According to the NFLs rules, this ruling is enough to 'convict' and dish out punishment. Expect a Brady suspension in the near future.

Please provide a citation for your 85% claim. Or did you pull it out of thin air?

There he goes again... Blinding us with science... Thin air huh? I hate to needle you espnespn but how old are you?

 

[JIslander]

Man these Patsie fans with the "best ever" are brainwashed or hallucinating. You guys cheated more than once and got caught more than once. It's not salty haters or anything else- it's the truth. Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do. It's like having stolen money vs hard earned money. That doesn't bother some people.

ok

Lesson learned Slider...seriously (to a Pats fan), like what other teams could be considered "great"?

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do.

http://yourteamcheats.com

 

[The General]

I don't get "the league has it out for the Patriots" angle.

Why would this be the case?

Because Goodell screwed up the Ray Rice investigation so badly, he's now bending over backwards to look tough on the next case that crossed his desk.

Pats/Brady were not following the rules. Not seeing the NFL making anything up here.

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

This is a joyous day. Patriots record this year and for the past few is forever tainted with a

*

Patriots*

Such cheaters, so much homer butthurt in this thread after so much laughter in January.

Probable cheaters. The Wells Reports concludes it was probable, not for sure.

Yes probable. But more like it's probable the Earth won't explode in the next 10 minutes. Can't be certain it won't but it probably won't.

A lot of people here don't understand the plain english definition of "probable".

As in its "probable" that you still live at home?Or as in Brady has been listed as "probable" on the injury report for yrs?

Or as in its "probable" that we won't hear from most of your patriot homer buddies because they don't want to face the music after being "probable" butt holes for the last 2 months?

Perhaps it "probable" that I will get a response from espnespn on this one?

 

[The General]

Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do.

http://yourteamcheats.com

That site is hilarious, that can't be for real. Here's an example of the Seahawks cheating:

"CHEAPSGATE" -- SUMMARY: Cheap shots and illegal hits are aggressively punished by the league because they put defenseless players in jeopardy of serious injury and threaten their very livelihood. Players who use illegal hits as part of their game give themselves an unfair advantage versus those who play by the rules.

 

[GoBirds]

Hey guys, good news we have located General Tso.

http://fictionalcharactersreadingbooks.tumblr.com/image/15082772769

 

[Slider]

Man these Patsie fans with the "best ever" are brainwashed or hallucinating. You guys cheated more than once and got caught more than once. It's not salty haters or anything else- it's the truth. Other teams that are considered great don't have these instances but you do. It's like having stolen money vs hard earned money. That doesn't bother some people.

ok

Sure is.

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

Hey guys, good news we have located General Tso.

http://fictionalcharactersreadingbooks.tumblr.com/image/15082772769

Anyone else find it ironic that General Tso seems to be a chicken?

 

[amnesiac]

anyone hear Jim Miller's take on NFL Sirius XM today?

Patriots kicked the Colts' ### after halftime once the balls were all re-inflated.

it's a non-issue.

Pats cheated, they will take their fine and move on.

i can't believe what a huge deal a lot of you are trying to make this out to be.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I would hope that the MIA contingent hasn't caught up with the latest posts because they're too busy going back through the last 100 pages and editing their old posts. Because if someone does the legwork to go and quote some of those for posterity before they can edit them it's going to be really bad.

 

[GoBirds]

Hey guys, good news we have located General Tso.

http://fictionalcharactersreadingbooks.tumblr.com/image/15082772769

Anyone else find it ironic that General Tso seems to be a chicken?

He will be back after he edits his hundreds of ridiculous posts and comes up with a new excuse.

 

[Bri]

There's no way I'm searching a 155 page thread.

Who are the QBs, past and present, that inspected the balls and didn't like the "feel" of the leather so they switched em' out?

It's supposed to be these are the game balls-ya can't change them.

It would be odd that this didn't set off a radar with people like hmmm is the replacement ball tainted? but these are brand new so it's meh who cares.

People are forgetting how quirky odd, almost superstitious, quarterbacks are about the balls. 50 of us could look at 20 new balls and say they're great. Peyton or Eli could come along and say 10 stink, 5 are meh, those 5 are good. They're finding fault with brand new out of the package footballs here.

How was this discovered? Was it the opposing QB thought the ball seemed "off" a bit? They're such a quirky bunch

The end result of all this will be just like the hand-shake junk. TV Cameras will follow the balls and they'll probably some evidence-like chain of custody and you just know it's going to be overkill.

 

[Zigg]

Troy Aikmans comments:

"Sean Payton did not cheat," Aikman contended. "There was nothing that Sean Payton and the Saints did that was illegal. And they did not give themselves a competitive edge. I maintain, regardless of whatever was said in the locker room, and in that locker room, is not anything different than what's been said in any other locker room around the league. There's no proof on the field of what took place that guys were targeting players. You can always pull out a play here and there. They were one of the least penalized teams for unsportsmanlike conduct. So there was no evidence that anything translated to the field that they were trying to hurt players. And they did not give themselves a competitive advantage.

"Now twice, under Bill Belichick and possibly a third time, they've cheated and given themselves an advantage," Aikman said. "To me, the punishment for the Patriots and/or Bill Belichick has to be more severe than what the punishment was for the New Orleans Saints."

Aikman explained that the NFL can't hide from this at a time when New England is the focus.

"There's a great deal of pressure on Roger Goodell, in light of everything that's happened this year, and the way that he's handled all of these situations, and hasn't handled them particularly well by the way, and on this particular case, because there's a lot of coaches and a lot of people that look upon the Patriots as a team that's been favored in some of the things that have happened -- I thought the punishment he got for Spygate was a slap on the wrist, was next to nothing -- so we'll see."

Lost what little respect I had for Troy Aikman.

guy gets suspended a year for trying to cripple people not nearly as bad as some other guy's football a pound light.

aikman be sharkin'

Goodell has a bridge to sell you.

 

[PhD]

anyone hear Jim Miller's take on NFL Sirius XM today?

Patriots kicked the Colts' ### after halftime once the balls were all re-inflated.

it's a non-issue.

Pats cheated, they will take their fine and move on.

i can't believe what a huge deal a lot of you are trying to make this out to be.

I think you used to be right and the same sentiment problem shows up 100 or more times in pages 1-10 of this long thread.

But there is something else at work here that has moved this way beyond the outcome of the Colts game and the superbowl. Unfortunately for Brady and the Patriots, not only are they guilty of the minor and probably unnecessary cheating, but THEY are the ones who have made this into a much bigger deal.

Weirdly it has become acceptable and almost admirable for an athlete to come out and admit to wrong doing, accept the consequences of his actions and move on without the hot spotlight of the media. We may not like them or their actions but they get a pass and soon they are forgotten and we get back to putting them on the pedestal . But lie to us and carry on as if you are too great to be touched - now that brings on a completely different reaction among fans, commissioners and even fellow athletes. Look at the long line of athletes who refused to admit their wrong doings even though the evidence piled up... Pete Rose, countless Olympic athletes, Armstrong, Bonds, Clemens, ARod. I'm not comparing their actions, I'm comparing their cover-ups and persistent lies to protect themselves. If Brady responded like Rogers, acknowledging ball tampering as if it was nothing, everyone would say what you and countless others have said - that it's not a big deal, look what happened in the second half of the game when they used inflated balls. Give him the $25K fine for tampering and move on. But he lied and covered it up. And then he had to keep lying. And then blame the accusers. And then welcome an investigation only to fail to fully cooperate. And then to try to invalidate the conclusions of the investigation.. and on and on and on we go. It's like an addiction to a bad script. Hopefully Brady can just own up to the evidence take a 2-game suspension and a stupid fine and move on. And the rest of us will have to listen to the damn Pats fans gloat about how Brady handled the situation so well and he is the second coming of Jesus Christ, both human and divine... yahdah yahdah yahdah...

 

[PatsWillWin]

I'd like to ask an honest question.

My belief has been that Brady likes the balls below the minimum allowed threshhold, and his guys know this, and prepare the balls below that threshhold and submit them like that to the refs hoping that they pass inspection. Basically what Rodgers says he does, except he likes them harder. Sometimes the refs pass them, sometimes not (one of the texts is #####ing that the refs pumped the balls up to 16). For the AFC Championship game, that's what the Patriots did - submitted prepared balls below the miinimum and hoped to get them passed.

My question is - what is in the Wells report that says that that could not be the case?

To me, there is a VERY big difference between a) submitting the balls underinflated and hoping to get them approved, and b) manipulating the balls AFTER they pass inspection. If the latter happened and Brady can be shown to have known that that was happening, I think he should get a vacation. If a) happened, I think this continues to be a ton of noise about absolutely nothing.

Nothing I've read in the text messages indicates to me that they were deflating the balls after the inspection. The NFL didn't even bother to record the pressure of the balls before the Colts game, so you can't figure out if they depressurized so much that it had to have been from tampering (the scientific consultants say asmuch in the excerp I read). This explanation would be consistent with Brady being shady in his behaviour because scenario a) is still technically against the rules.

So am I missing something? Is there something that gives any kind of evidence that the balls were tampered with after being inspected? Serious question.

 

[netnalp]

I'd like to ask an honest question.

My belief has been that Brady likes the balls below the minimum allowed threshhold, and his guys know this, and prepare the balls below that threshhold and submit them like that to the refs hoping that they pass inspection. Basically what Rodgers says he does, except he likes them harder. Sometimes the refs pass them, sometimes not (one of the texts is #####ing that the refs pumped the balls up to 16). For the AFC Championship game, that's what the Patriots did - submitted prepared balls below the miinimum and hoped to get them passed.

My question is - what is in the Wells report that says that that could not be the case?

To me, there is a VERY big difference between a) submitting the balls underinflated and hoping to get them approved, and b) manipulating the balls AFTER they pass inspection. If the latter happened and Brady can be shown to have known that that was happening, I think he should get a vacation. If a) happened, I think this continues to be a ton of noise about absolutely nothing.

Nothing I've read in the text messages indicates to me that they were deflating the balls after the inspection. The NFL didn't even bother to record the pressure of the balls before the Colts game, so you can't figure out if they depressurized so much that it had to have been from tampering (the scientific consultants say asmuch in the excerp I read). This explanation would be consistent with Brady being shady in his behaviour because scenario a) is still technically against the rules.

So am I missing something? Is there something that gives any kind of evidence that the balls were tampered with after being inspected? Serious question.

The balls were inspected and passed as being in the allowable range. Afterwards, Mcnally took the balls into a bathroom. When the balls were rechecked at halftime all of the Pats balls were below the allowable range. So much below that the studies done in the report indicate the deflation could not have occurred to such a degree naturally.

The only defense I can see for Brady is that he can say that he likes the balls on the soft side. And that he #####ed to his equipment guys constantly about them being to hard. He could claim something like he didn't realize they were setting them as low as they could go per the rules. Because of his #####ing, the equipment guys took it upon themselves to tamper with the balls after they had passed inspection.

 

[Tango]

I'd like to ask an honest question.

My belief has been that Brady likes the balls below the minimum allowed threshhold, and his guys know this, and prepare the balls below that threshhold and submit them like that to the refs hoping that they pass inspection. Basically what Rodgers says he does, except he likes them harder. Sometimes the refs pass them, sometimes not (one of the texts is #####ing that the refs pumped the balls up to 16). For the AFC Championship game, that's what the Patriots did - submitted prepared balls below the miinimum and hoped to get them passed.

My question is - what is in the Wells report that says that that could not be the case?

To me, there is a VERY big difference between a) submitting the balls underinflated and hoping to get them approved, and b) manipulating the balls AFTER they pass inspection. If the latter happened and Brady can be shown to have known that that was happening, I think he should get a vacation. If a) happened, I think this continues to be a ton of noise about absolutely nothing.

Nothing I've read in the text messages indicates to me that they were deflating the balls after the inspection. The NFL didn't even bother to record the pressure of the balls before the Colts game, so you can't figure out if they depressurized so much that it had to have been from tampering (the scientific consultants say asmuch in the excerp I read). This explanation would be consistent with Brady being shady in his behaviour because scenario a) is still technically against the rules.

So am I missing something? Is there something that gives any kind of evidence that the balls were tampered with after being inspected? Serious question.

The balls were inspected and passed as being in the allowable range. Afterwards, Mcnally took the balls into a bathroom. When the balls were rechecked at halftime all of the Pats balls were below the allowable range. So much below that the studies done in the report indicate the deflation could not have occurred to such a degree naturally.

The only defense I can see for Brady is that he can say that he likes the balls on the soft side. And that he #####ed to his equipment guys constantly about them being to hard. He could claim something like he didn't realize they were setting them as low as they could go per the rules. Because of his #####ing, the equipment guys took it upon themselves to tamper with the balls after they had passed inspection.

Re: the bolded above.

The potential to use that defense lost credibility when Brady chose the path to dig in about his innocence mid-way through SB week. Now that reasonable doubt has evaporated, then you start backtracking and confessing? Better late than never, but unfortunately he is beyond the point where he can avoid damage to his reputation.

 

[Godsbrother]

anyone hear Jim Miller's take on NFL Sirius XM today?

Patriots kicked the Colts' ### after halftime once the balls were all re-inflated.

it's a non-issue.

Pats cheated, they will take their fine and move on.

i can't believe what a huge deal a lot of you are trying to make this out to be.

Well if the great Jim Miller says so then there is no reason to discuss any further.

I do agree that the team and Brady will get fined and that will be the end of it. There is no way that pretty boy gets suspended.