2015 NFL Football Thread

[newtogolf]

Huh, the Patriots and Belichek were cleared of any wrong doing, where is the proof that they cheated?  Where is any proof about anything, other then some veiled attempt to assume what the text messages were about.

The Deflator worked for the Patriots, Belichek was cleared, the Patriots, to my knowledge, weren't.

[turtleback]

Seems to me like it wouldn't be that hard for them to just allow the teams to prepare their own balls however the heck they like and just let the Umpire use a little common sense in a case where some team tries to come out with a flat or bulging ball.  He touches the ball on every play and he can just do as a baseball umpire and toss it out and get a new one.

Could make for good TV if part of the throwing out process involved the Umpire sticking a knife into the ball so it cannot be slipped back in.

The more I think about it, the more I don't understand the outrage over the penalty.  4 games really isn't that big of a deal.  Its not like he has been banned for life or something.  It makes it harder, but not impossible (or even unlikely) that his team will make the playoffs, but that's the whole point of having a penalty---you have to lose something.

Yeah, it is not like they stripped the Pats of the SB title.  That only seems to happen when it is a Little League team involved.

Besides Kraft and Bostonians are there really any people that are outraged over the penalty though?

Mike and Mike, this morning, talked about a poll showing huge percentages supporting the league's actions and the penalties.  And the percent supporting the league was higher among self-described serious fans than the general public.

FWIW.

The Deflator worked for the Patriots, Belichek was cleared, the Patriots, to my knowledge, weren't.

They certainly weren't cleared of the obstruction charge.

[jsgolfer]

Could make for good TV if part of the throwing out process involved the Umpire sticking a knife into the ball so it cannot be slipped back in.

Yeah, it is not like they stripped the Pats of the SB title.  That only seems to happen when it is a Little League team involved.

Mike and Mike, this morning, talked about a poll showing huge percentages supporting the league's actions and the penalties.  And the percent supporting the league was higher among self-described serious fans than the general public.

FWIW.

They certainly weren't cleared of the obstruction charge.

Please read the paragraph on pg 7 of the Wells report.  And I quote

"In particular, we do not believe there was any wrongdoing or knowledge by Patriots Ownership, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichek or any other patriots coach in the matters investigated."

[turtleback]

Please read the paragraph on pg 7 of the Wells report.  And I quote

"In particular, we do not believe there was any wrongdoing or knowledge by Patriots Ownership, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichek or any other patriots coach in the matters investigated."

You are being silly.  Read the part of the report where it talks about the Pats failure to fully cooperate.  Which is a violation of league rules.

[Golfingdad]

You are being silly.  Read the part of the report where it talks about the Pats failure to fully cooperate.  Which is a violation of league rules.

Yeah, most everybody at this point, including myself, realizes that the punishment was more to do with the aftermath ... the "cover up" if you will ... than the actual "transgressions."

(The quotes are may way of feeling better about the silliness of this whole thing.)

[onthehunt526]

This whole deflategate thing is getting blown out of proportion... Every team doctors their balls or cheats in some way... Every team... All 32... The League just chooses to ignore them... They're going on doing this to the Pats because everyone will talk about it... Roger Goddell needs to resign... Not because he's done a lot of bad per say... He's not protecting the shield properly... I know last I knew the owners can oust a commissioner in one of the sports...

[Gunther]

This whole deflategate thing is getting blown out of proportion... Every team doctors their balls or cheats in some way... Every team... All 32... The League just chooses to ignore them... They're going on doing this to the Pats because everyone will talk about it... Roger Goddell needs to resign... Not because he's done a lot of bad per say... He's not protecting the shield properly... I know last I knew the owners can oust a commissioner in one of the sports...

He's doing exactly what the owners want which is why he's earning $44MM a year. He's not the issue, he's the willing scapegoat. I would be too for that kind of jing.

[iacas]

Roger Goddell needs to resign... Not because he's done a lot of bad per say... He's not protecting the shield properly... I know last I knew the owners can oust a commissioner in one of the sports...

I think about 31 owners are pretty darn happy with what he's done about the NE Patriots.

[meenman]

This whole deflategate thing is getting blown out of proportion...

Every team doctors their balls or cheats in some way... Every team... All 32... The League just chooses to ignore them... They're going on doing this to the Pats because everyone will talk about it...

How do you have this top secret info? Do you personally inspect all footballs in the NFL or are you just another tommy boy fanboy that is crying because his hero is a fraud?

[turtleback]

And isn't there an owners meeting coming up within a week or so? If Kraft doesn't get any support will he still go the Al Davis route and sue the league? Or will he just let Brady and the NFLPA carry the water on this one? Kraft has done well by positioning himself publicly as a kind of Uncle Fluffy but I doubt the owners see him that way. And taking the league to court will rip off the Uncle Fluffy veneer and show everyone the lurking Al Davis underneath.

[dsc123]

Quote:

Asked why he suspended club employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally despite fiercely proclaiming his organization’s innocence, Kraft refused comment—for what he claimed were a variety of reasons.

From MMQB.  Same thing Yee said on Mike and Mike when asked why Tom didn't turn over his text messages.

@jsgolfer , the Patriots are an organization.  If an employee cheated, then the organization cheated.  Even if the Owner didn't know.  Even if no Coach knew.  At least three of its employees were involved.  And when that was discovered, the organization refused to cooperate with the investigation.

[turtleback]

From MMQB.  Same thing Yee said on Mike and Mike when asked why Tom didn't turn over his text messages.

Maybe they got suspended because they DID turn over their text messages to the investigators.

[dsc123]

ESPN is reporting that Kraft and the NFL are negotiating a way to put this to bed.

[phan52]

ESPN is reporting that Kraft and the NFL are negotiating a way to put this to bed.

I really don't care if Brady gets suspended, just an acknowledgement that he knew what was going on and that they will stop. And throwing the employees under the bus is worse than the stated offense.

[Golfingdad]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/robert-kraft-drops-the-fight--says-he-ll-accept-deflate-gate-punishment-171900816.html

Quote:

"Believing in the strength of the partnership and the 32 teams, we have concentrated power of adjudication in the office of the commissioner," Kraft said. "Although I might disagree with what was decided, I do have respect for the commissioner, and believe he’s doing what he perceives is in the best interest of the full 32. In that spirit, I don’t want to continue the rhetoric that has gone on for the last four months. I’m going to accept, reluctantly, what he has given to us. And not continue this dialogue and rhetoric. We won’t appeal."

Whether or not it was discussed openly, I would guess that this decision paves the way for the commissioner to, more easily, shorten Brady's suspension after his appeal.

[dsc123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/robert-kraft-drops-the-fight--says-he-ll-accept-deflate-gate-punishment-171900816.html

Whether or not it was discussed openly, I would guess that this decision paves the way for the commissioner to, more easily, shorten Brady's suspension after his appeal.

I think you're right about that.

But I hope you're wrong.

And Shefty is reporting that the NFL asked the Pats to suspend the ball boys before the penalty came down.  That seems like a convenient excuse arrived at during these negotiations--Roger probably said, "Look, we both know you cheated, and you screwed up by sacrificing those lambs  then turning aroudnd and denying that you cheated.  How about you drop this nonsense and we'll let you save face by letting you leak a story saying we asked you to suspend them."

And then Bob Kraft responded thusly:

Quote:

There weren’t any available photos from the party, but old images can help illustrate what the encounter might have looked like:

1

It’s actually better if the photo’s rotated:

Wait, just one more tweak:

2

There it is.

http://deadspin.com/the-dispute-between-robert-kraft-and-roger-goodell-just-1705491878

[newtogolf]

The NFL has to take a hard stand on cheating because so much of its success is tied to legalized, illegal gambling and their derivatives (Fantasy Football, Fan Duel, etc).

Over the years we've seen teams and players penalized for salary cap manipulations (mostly covered up), issuing inaccurate injury reports, spying, PED's, bounties and now equipment tampering.  I believe all the owners know that without gambling and fantasy football their popularity tanks and then they can kiss those big fat broadcast checks goodbye.

Kraft knows his team cheated and he's going to take the team punishment in hopes he can get Brady's suspension cut in half.

[turtleback]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

I think about 31 owners are pretty darn happy with what he's done about the NE Patriots.

And isn't there an owners meeting coming up within a week or so? If Kraft doesn't get any support will he still go the Al Davis route and sue the league? Or will he just let Brady and the NFLPA carry the water on this one? Kraft has done well by positioning himself publicly as a kind of Uncle Fluffy but I doubt the owners see him that way. And taking the league to court will rip off the Uncle Fluffy veneer and show everyone the lurking Al Davis underneath.

So I'm guessing that was a big fat NO! from the owners, at which point Kraft decided he liked the Uncle Fluffy role more than the Al Davis role.  And if Brady's suspension is reduced, he will claim victory and do his best to imply that if it wasn't for his selfless devotion to the NFL (other than the website the patriots put up smearing the nfl, wells, and the wells report) he and his team would have been vindicated and their punishment reduced if he had appealed, instead of putting the interests of the other 31 owners before his own,  Cause good old Uncle Fluffy just wants us all to get along.