Hey... aside from the fact that the NFL allows quarterbacks to set the balls they way they like them... and has for years...

God knows I'm not a Patriots fan, and I can't stand those who are but...

Is this entire thing on anyone's radar at all, if it happens to, say, the Atlanta Falcons?

Nothing's gonna happen.

If the Falcons were going to the Super Bowl, yeah.    If it happened in October between ATL/TB, no.

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/23/2015 12:12:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tecwrg on 1/23/2015 11:13:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/23/2015 10:24:00 AM (view original):
Yes, of course it would.   I would not get jail time or fined.    Maybe the authorities would pour over records and make my life difficult.  Maybe they would find something to fine me for after doing that.   But I wouldn't be fined for kitten crushing.  

You want BB's head on a stick and this does not warrant it.    Perhaps a rogue employee, one that he does NOT oversee and had no hand in hiring(which doesn't apply to my kitten crushing driver), did something against the rules.   Punish the organization not the guy who has no hand in ball management.

I'm not calling for BB's head on a stick.  That was stinenavy who said that he should be suspended for the Super Bowl.  I think that's both extremely unlikely, and extremely excessive.  Unless the NFL investigation finds something really egregious going on in Foxboro as part of their investigation.

My only comment has to do with Belichick's accountability in all of this.  If he has virtually complete control of all things related to football operations in the Pats organization, and somebody on the payroll who falls under football operations (that would exclude the ticket people, security, secretaries, other purely administrative functions, etc.) tampered with the footballs, then it needs to roll up to him.  Again, that's how the business world works.

Most likely (and appropriate) punishment will be fines and loss of a draft pick, much like after Spygate.  I wouldn't expect the team and/or Belichick to be hit as hard as they were then, but again, we need to see what the NFL investigation finds.

So punish the team and leave individuals alone?   Yeah, I've been saying that.

If the NFL investigation indicates that either BB or TB had any kind of direct involvement, I would expect them to get punished.  I'm guessing no for BB, but a maybe for TB.

I'm pretty sure I've said the same thing.   Several times.    But, if they have no evidence that either of them ordered the balls to be deflated, you can't throw punishment at them.

One consideration: Roger Goodell very publically fumbled the Ray Rice case at the beginning of the season.  He's not going to want to be seen as fumbling this and give the appearance that he's letting the Pats off the hook with a light penalty.  So whatever the findings are, if there's a range of appropriate sanctions that he can impose between light and heavy, I think he's going to lean on the heavy side.

Eh.  If the Ray Rice thing proved anything, it's that despite what the public might think of him at any given time, he's basically bulletproof in terms of his job security.  He and Kraft are tight, Kraft was one of his biggest defenders during the Ray Rice case.  I don't think he'll want to drag it out, but I also don't necessarily see him dropping a real hammer here just to make a point.

Yeah, the Ray Rice thing didn't damage the shield.   Hell, with the "It stops now" commercials, the NFL is probably looked at as a leader in the prevention of domestic abuse by the average Joe.    So, much like picking up the flag, the lights going out and anything else that has been controversial in football, it will be yesterday's news in no time at all.    If ESPN would STFU about it, it might already be done.

What IS with that Marshawn Lynch fellow, anyway?  That young man always seems so angry and threatening.

RACIST!!!!!

But he's also very polite.   Always saying "Thanks for asking" and the like when questioned.

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/23/2015 12:09:00 PM (view original):

Posted by burnsy483 on 1/23/2015 11:12:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/23/2015 11:05:00 AM (view original):
Did the Pats accidently submit underinflated balls?  Maybe.   Maybe they did it on purpose and were hoping the NFL wouldn't catch it.   Is there a punishment for submitting underinflated balls?  I doubt it. 

And maybe the batboy gave that slugger a corked bat. And maybe that trainer told that player he was shooting him up with B-12. And maybe that infielder scuffed that ball. And maybe someone planted that gun in my carry-on bag. And maybe 9-11 was an inside job. And maybe someone photoshopped Ray Rice in that video. 

OR! Go with the most logical answer and take appropriate action.

So, should the NFL suspend anyone on the Patriots offense who touched an underinflated ball?   That's what you seem to be implying.   Good luck with that.

I said the most logical answer.

Posted by burnsy483 on 1/23/2015 3:05:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/23/2015 12:09:00 PM (view original):

Posted by burnsy483 on 1/23/2015 11:12:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/23/2015 11:05:00 AM (view original):
Did the Pats accidently submit underinflated balls?  Maybe.   Maybe they did it on purpose and were hoping the NFL wouldn't catch it.   Is there a punishment for submitting underinflated balls?  I doubt it. 

And maybe the batboy gave that slugger a corked bat. And maybe that trainer told that player he was shooting him up with B-12. And maybe that infielder scuffed that ball. And maybe someone planted that gun in my carry-on bag. And maybe 9-11 was an inside job. And maybe someone photoshopped Ray Rice in that video. 

OR! Go with the most logical answer and take appropriate action.

So, should the NFL suspend anyone on the Patriots offense who touched an underinflated ball?   That's what you seem to be implying.   Good luck with that.

I said the most logical answer.

Most logical answer is to punish the team, as something went wrong somewhere but we have no idea who knew/ordered what, and move on.

But I get the idea that is not what you want.

Do you think a team that had a player that used a corked bat should be fined? Lose draft picks? Owner get a fine? Or should we suspend the player who used it?

It's the same ****. Brady is the player that handles the footballs the week prior, and gets the biggest benefit from a deflated ball, if that's what he prefers (and he's said he does.)

I'm getting the feeling that moy hacked burnsy's account.

'Fess up, moy!