2015 NFL Playoff thread

[Flabbibulin]

Being a hockey forum, I am curious how everyone thinks this compares to illegal curvatures, illegal taping, illegal lengths on sticks? Is there a difference? Sure there are rules on what is allowed, but players and teams in the NHL are always trying to see how far they can bend the rules with their sticks. What would we expect the penalty to be in the NHL if it was discovered, after the fact, that NHL players were using illegal sticks in a conference final?

The reality, thanks to spygate, is that the Patriots will forever be under a microscope, and should probably follow the exact and precise rules because of it... regardless of what other teams are doing.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Nope. Each team has their own set of balls as pointed out above.

Uhhhh as pointed out above 11 of the 12 balls were under inflated by the end of the game not just the ones one particular team was using.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Well can't wait for 10 more days of this. Belichick in full FU mode though is not a good thing for Seattle.

[Pagal4321]

So wait, the referees didn't notice anything wrong with the balls during the game but the Colts LB had to point it out to them?

Ya...sure.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Dan02

Uhhhh as pointed out above 11 of the 12 balls were under inflated by the end of the game not just the ones one particular team was using.

11 of the 12 that New England used for offence. Indy had their own 12 balls. As said in this and many other articles:

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/...mpionship-game

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by Pagal4321

So wait, the referees didn't notice anything wrong with the balls during the game but the Colts LB had to point it out to them?

Ya...sure.

The common thought seems to be that the refs just do a quick once over on the balls and not a precise inspection, measuring the PSI etc. Sounds like this is something the refs are aware of and let pass.

There is sure to be a dramatic overhaul of this inspection system after this... possibly even going back to the NFL supplying all balls. A lot of QBs may hate D’Qwell Jackson after this. I read an article about what goes into preparing Eli Manning's footballs- a huge process that takes months.

Here it is. Very interesting- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/sp...king.html?_r=0

[M*A*S*H 4077]

My personal opinion is that this is so much more a referee/NFL issue than a New England Patriots issue. Refs are supposed to inspect the balls before they're given to the ball boys. If they're not good enough then add more air at that point. If you don't like how they feel on the field take them out of the game (which I believe they did at halftime - why wait that long?)

True, the Patriots like to push the envelope but this could have been presented fairly easily

It will be interesting to see what the NFL finds in their investigation as they make a mountain out of this molehill

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

It will be interesting to see what the NFL finds in their investigation as they make a mountain out of this molehill

Molehill?
I would expect all Pats fans would refer to it as this. What it is... is cheating. The Patriots don't push the envelope, they cheat.

I guess the 'if you're not cheating, you're not trying' justifies this.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Molehill?
I would expect all Pats fans would refer to it as this. What it is... is cheating. The Patriots don't push the envelope, they cheat.

I guess the 'if you're not cheating, you're not trying' justifies this.

I appreciate how the Patriots have been at the top of the league for a decade but I am certainly no Patriots fan.

Call it cheating, pushing the envelope, whatever you want. It is the NFL's responsibility to check the balls prior to the games and saying that they always do a lackluster check is no excuse for their inability to check this. If the balls were all deflated by the same 2 psi to me it seems most likely that they were all set to that prior to the game. Nobody on the sideline has the time to deflate all the balls to Tom Brady's specifications (100% Tom Brady is aware of why they were deflated).

But I think it is a molehill because the referees are required to do examine all the footballs and ensure they are right to play. If they don't like them, send them out and and get a new ball in play. Don't wait until halftime. There are measures in place to ensure this does not happen, those measures don't appear to have been followed (at least to me).

Now, if the NFL comes out and says the Patriots tampered with the balls after the inspection then feel free to ignore the above and call them a bunch of dirty cheaters and suspend Tom Brady for the Superbowl

[chummer]

Cheatriots.

[habernac]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/th...o-deflategate/

Honestly, this is just like Spygate. You’ll see what you want to see. If you hate the Patriots, it’s proof they’ve been cheating all along. If you love the Patriots, it’s embarrassing and frustrating but ultimately overblown. Plenty of teams mess with their quarterback’s football. No amount of deflated footballs explains the beating the Colts took this week.

The bolded part is where I am. This is like having an illegal curve on your stick. Everyone does it, few get caught or are arrogant enough to do it to all of their sticks. Bill's a great coach, but gets caught up in his own arrogance at times.

[habernac]

Dwayne Allen✔@Dallen83Follow
@NFLonFOX not a story. They could have played with soap for balls and beat us. Simply the better team. We have to continue to build! #BTM

[Flabbibulin]

It is a story, and every new little bit of info that comes out looks worse and worse for the Pats. I don't think it is a story because it actually affected the results- It is a story because of spygate and the microscope the Pats are under.

I have been a Pats fan since 2003 (sure, a band wagoner at the time), have not missed watching a game since the undefeated season and can honestly say (though I never do around here) that it is probably Pats first for me and Flames second. As a fan, spygate sucked big time as it turned the Pats into a punchline, and I honestly can see this being just as bad. This sucks big time.

The report has yet to come out, but if it is determined 100% that the balls were tampered with after a proper inspection, then the NFL should come down hard. I think it is more likely that Brady was involved in these instructions as opposed to Belichick, but who knows. I also think it is reasonable to guess that the Pats have possibly been doing this all season, as per Brady's preference, and only getting called on it now. Really sucks either way, as I don't think anyone actually thinks they need to be doing this to win.

As far as penalties, sure they can issue fines and take away draft picks, but the biggest penalty may be the dreaded asterisk if they should win the superbowl.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Media day next Tuesday promises to be extremely hostile with Belichick....

Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Wednesday that the Colts had concerns about underinflated balls after their regular-season game against the visiting Patriots on Nov. 16.

During that game, Colts safety Mike Adams twice intercepted Tom Brady and gave the balls to the Colts' equipment manager to save -- and both times there were concerns about the balls feeling underinflated, sources told Schefter.

Those sources said the Colts raised concerns to the league, which was aware of the issue going into this weekend's AFC title game.

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/...mpionship-game

[mrkajz44]

This is way the Patriots are easy to hate. They attempt to cheat; spygate, deflated balls, they are just a shady team.

I hate the brush off of "well, I bet others are doing it too". Talk to Lance Armstrong about that one. If you are cheating, you are cheating, and nothing makes my blood boil like a cheater.

[habernac]

http://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/685108

Former NFL QB Matt Leinart: Every team tampers with footballs

One-time NFL quarterback Matt Leinart says the growing scandal around allegations the New England Patriots used illegally under-inflated footballs in Sunday's AFC championship is "ridiculous."
"Every team tampers with the footballs," Leinart posted on Twitter Wednesday. "Ask any (quarterback) in the league."
While fans and media alike have seized upon the story of the Patriots' deflated balls - dubbed "Deflategate" - as a major controversy, there's a sentiment among NFL players that it's a non-issue.
Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen said he believes his team would have lost the game even if the Patriots used soap instead of balls.



Much ado about nothing.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by habernac

Much ado about nothing.

Except they got caught. So it isn't "nothing". It's nothing if you don't get caught. If you get caught, it's cheating.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Except they got caught. So it isn't "nothing". It's nothing if you don't get caught. If you get caught, it's cheating.

Still cheating if you don't get caught.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Still cheating if you don't get caught.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one's around, does it make a noise?

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

11 of the 12 that New England used for offence. Indy had their own 12 balls. As said in this and many other articles:

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/...mpionship-game

Interesting, the articles i had read didn't represent it that way.