Patriots Deflate-Gate?

[Chapow]

I think Belichick will use this as motivation to get his players even more motivated for this game to prove a point. This will light a fire under them...

What?

They got caught cheating. Most people find that sort of thing more embarrassing than motivating.

Nobody likes getting caught knowingly doing something wrong/cheating.

You're not putting yourself into the minds of athletes and coaches and how they use things to motivate themselves.

It's called "bulletin board material".

Coaches and players use anything they can as motivation.

You're right, I'm sure they are pretty pissed off that they didn't get away with cheating like they usually do.

 

[Pats fan1]

...

 

[loafoftatupu]

Off topic, but I don't think you know about the NFC West. You aren't putting up 28 points. Seattle dominated the best division in football. You guys are going to get your shit kicked in. You guys don't have a chance at all. Look forward to being 3-8 in the super bowl.

This is the thing that folks just don't get outside the division. It doesn't matter who the QB is. The games are generally very tough and well fought with one team getting a big break or number of breaks that make the difference.

They just don't understand the physicality involved and intensity. The Pats are a great team, they can bring their brand of football (which I feel is dynamic and adaptive) anywhere and get a win. But when it comes down to smash mouth games the NFCW holds the honors. The Niners were not nearly themselves missing not just one or two players on defense, but their BEST two players on defense along with their best pass rusher and DLine components. Yet they still played exceptional defense.

We talk a lot of crap back and forth, but the Hawks and Niners have been serious business for years now with Rams and Cards causing trouble at some point every year.

NFCW has had 2 11+ game winners every year since 2011. In 2013 it had 13, 12 and 10 game winners. The last 3 years it has been separated by a total of 2.5 games. I'm not sure anyone else can say that over a similar period.

I know this much, I would rather the Hawks match up on a neutral field against NE than SF when their defense isn't missing Bowman and Willis. Its not a shot at NE, it is a knowledge of what NFCW teams are really like.

 

[Pats fan1]

Off topic, but I don't think you know about the NFC West. You aren't putting up 28 points. Seattle dominated the best division in football. You guys are going to get your shit kicked in. You guys don't have a chance at all. Look forward to being 3-8 in the super bowl.

This is the thing that folks just don't get outside the division. It doesn't matter who the QB is. The games are generally very tough and well fought with one team getting a big break or number of breaks that make the difference.

They just don't understand the physicality involved and intensity. The Pats are a great team, they can bring their brand of football (which I feel is dynamic and adaptive) anywhere and get a win. But when it comes down to smash mouth games the NFCW holds the honors. The Niners were not nearly themselves missing not just one or two players on defense, but their BEST two players on defense along with their best pass rusher and DLine components. Yet they still played exceptional defense.

We talk a lot of crap back and forth, but the Hawks and Niners have been serious business for years now with Rams and Cards causing trouble at some point every year.

NFCW has had 2 11+ game winners every year since 2011. In 2013 it had 13, 12 and 10 game winners. The last 3 years it has been separated by a total of 2.5 games. I'm not sure anyone else can say that over a similar period.

I know this much, I would rather the Hawks match up on a neutral field against NE than SF when their defense isn't missing Bowman and Willis. Its not a shot at NE, it is a knowledge of what NFCW teams are really like.

Many will argue including many current and former NFL players that the AFC North is the most physical division. The Ravens smacked and bullied the 49ers around in the Super Bowl and were dominating them on their way to a blowout then the lights went out in the Super Dome and stalled the game.

The NFC West for years was like what the NFC South was in 2014.

And no, the Seahawks are not the same Seahawks as last season. Their pass rush is not as good and their secondary has injuries with Sherman and Thomas. They also don't have Percy Harvin.

I predict a 31 to 28 Pats win.....or 28 to 24. A 3 to 4 point edge.

 

[Rainger]

Was most likely ordered by Brady. This from PFT.
Posted by Mike Florio on January 21, 2015, 7:46 PM EST
images

The week began with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady laughing off the suggestion that the team had deflated footballs used on Sunday against the Colts. When Brady, who said in 2011 that he likes deflated footballs, meets with the media on Friday, he probably won’t be doing much laughing.

He’ll be reacting to a bunch of questions about the situation, and he may specifically be faced with a pointed question regarding the opinions of Hall of Fame coach John Madden.

“That would have to be driven by the quarterback,” Madden told The Sports Xchange on Wednesday. “That’s something that wouldn’t be driven by a coach or just the equipment guy. Nobody, not even the head coach, would do anything to a football unilaterally, such as adjust the amount of pressure in a ball, without the quarterback not knowing. It would have to be the quarterback’s idea.”

Madden’s position makes a lot of sense. Quarterbacks are particular about their footballs. Anybody doing anything to the footballs without the quarterback’s knowledge or consent would be asking for a tongue lashing. In Brady’s case, his tongue wouldn’t be needed to formulate the various “F” words that would be hurled at he who messes with the quarterback’s primary tool.

“He is the effected,” Madden said. “He is the only guy. I heard some of the pundits saying the ball is easier to catch, but that would never, ever, ever be done for that unless the quarterback wanted it. You wouldn’t do something for a receiver to catch the ball if the quarterback couldn’t throw it. So it’s going to be done for the quarterback.”

Madden’s compelling, commonsensical take will make the potential conclusion that a ball boy went rogue ring hollow. The ball boy would be going rogue not only against the rules but also against the wishes of the quarterback. So if anyone connected to the Patriots was taking air out of the footballs, Madden’s explanation makes it clear that the quarterback either knew about it and did nothing to stop it — or deliberately requested it.

 

[loafoftatupu]

Naw, other teams (not all, maybe not most) are just better at getting away with cheating or just haven't been caught yet or cleaned up their act sooner before the Pats did. Belichick's a bad cheater. Not to say cheating is good, it's bad. I don't condone or endorse it. But the hypocrisy of Pats' haters is and will continue to be called out.

I am pretty much with that. I would be very surprised if there wasn't some component of every team that does something to give themselves an advantage while meddling in a gray area in the process.

There are a bunch of rules in this league and i would bet there are plenty that are very hard to prove or even notice are being broken.

BB is the master of the obscure rule. He has seen every kind of football and coached it on quality teams. He was with Parcells and has coached with many that are considered some of the best. A part of the Parcells tree that was so good for a long time. He knows everything there is to know. The good part is that Carroll knows him too.

Deflate-Gate will never have BB tied to it, the guy is way too smart for that

 

[RationalNiner]

Many will argue including many current and former NFL players that the AFC North is the most physical division. The Ravens smacked and bullied the 49ers around in the Super Bowl and were dominating them on their way to a blowout then the lights went out in the Super Dome and stalled the game.

They were not "smacking us" around. We were turning the ball over, made mistakes, and our corners couldn't cover Boldin and allowed big plays. They weren't physically dominating us at all. Quite the contrary. The Ravens were an old team and Ray Lewis was getting punked by VD all game. They couldn't even really run on it on us. They weren't more physical than us. We were moving and running the ball at will against the Ravens. Gore had over 100 yards. Crab and Vernon both had over 100 yards. I know if that game is played 10 times back in 2012, we'd probably win 7/10 times. The better team lost, even the seahawk fans would agree with that. Hell, if Seattle had made it to the SB in 2012, they'd beat the Ravens 7/10 times.

You'll find out during the SB. If Kam puts a big hit on Gronk and sets the tone early in the game, you'll see how it'll all unfold.

 

[kearly]

Gore had over 100 yards. Crab and Vernon both had over 100 yards. I know if that game is played 10 times back in 2012, we'd probably win 7/10 times. The better team lost, even the seahawk fans would agree with that. Hell, if Seattle had made it to the SB in 2012, they'd beat the Ravens 7/10 times.

Yup. Baltimore won because they made huge plays, and because Joe Flacco was awesome in the playoffs that year. But the 49ers won the physical battle and were clearly the more talented team.

The NFC North is physical but doesn't have the speed to go with it like the NFC West does.

The NFC West was tied for the best division since realignment in 2013 by the numbers (with the 2003 AFC South, IIRC). It wasn't quite as strong in 2014 but it was still probably the nastiest in the league, especially before the Cards and 49ers went in the tank late.

 

[WendellWent]

And no, the Seahawks are not the same Seahawks as last season. Their pass rush is not as good and their secondary has injuries with Sherman and Thomas. They also don't have Percy Harvin.

I predict a 31 to 28 Pats win.....or 28 to 24. A 3 to 4 point edge.

Oh no, not Percy Harvin! Whatever shall we do!?

As for the pass rush I will give you a pass because you probably just looked at sack totals and saw Hawks somewhere in the middle. What you didn't look up was the QB pressure totals, which the Hawks lead the league in for most of the year. You know, QB pressure, the thing that makes Brady wet his pants and throw INTs? Don't worry, Bennett, Avril, Irvin, they all will be seeing a lot of Tom Brady, even if it doesn't wind up as a sack. Ask Peyton Manning.

 

[ringless]

It's crazy seeing 49er fans defending the Seahawks in this thread, as well as the main Rams fan and now myself. Patsfan1, no doubt you love your team. However if it was another team that had defeated you in the AFCCG you would be throwing a tantrum. The way you try to say well we really don't know who deflated the balls, it could have been the ball boy. Or how the Seahawks defense is pretty much mediocre. I'm sorry but your team is in for a rude, rude surprise when they face this defense. They swarm, they fly to the ball, and it wasn't the defense that had a bad day against Rodgers, it was the worst offensive performance in years and they still came out on top. This team is by far the most superior team in the NFL. Yes they will lose games here and there, but the Patriots just don't play the type of game that can beat this team. Sure you might have to find some cheap gimmick in the rule book to try to be competitive, but they will find a way to neutralize it.

 

[Scottemojo]

The Belicheck presser is hilarious.

He has never known anything about ball pressure, the ball chain of command, or any regulation other than we show up and play with the balls they give us.

HAHAHAHAHA. The most detail oriented coach in the league want's the whole world to say "He just an ol' ball coach!"

I have no doubt that it was Tom, not Bill who had the ball's doctored. But I don't but for one minute buy that Bill doesn't know every damn thing there is to know about the rules for footballs.

 

[Pats fan1]

It's crazy seeing 49er fans defending the Seahawks in this thread, as well as the main Rams fan and now myself. Patsfan1, no doubt you love your team. However if it was another team that had defeated you in the AFCCG you would be throwing a tantrum. The way you try to say well we really don't know who deflated the balls, it could have been the ball boy. Or how the Seahawks defense is pretty much mediocre. I'm sorry but your team is in for a rude, rude surprise when they face this defense. They swarm, they fly to the ball, and it wasn't the defense that had a bad day against Rodgers, it was the worst offensive performance in years and they still came out on top. This team is by far the most superior team in the NFL. Yes they will lose games here and there, but the Patriots just don't play the type of game that can beat this team. Sure you might have to find some cheap gimmick in the rule book to try to be competitive, but they will find a way to neutralize it.

The Seahawks couldn't get pressure in the Panthers or Packers game. It looks like Sherman and Thomas might not be 100%.

 

[Pats fan1]

The Belicheck presser is hilarious.

He has never known anything about ball pressure, the ball chain of command, or any regulation other than we show up and play with the balls they give us.

HAHAHAHAHA. The most detail oriented coach in the league want's the whole world to say "He just an ol' ball coach!"

I have no doubt that it was Tom, not Bill who had the ball's doctored. But I don't but for one minute buy that Bill doesn't know every damn thing there is to know about the rules for footballs.

Belichick in some ways put some of this on Brady. Belichick basically said: "Take it up with Tom, he knows more than I do."

That's something Belichick really never does.

A reporter at the presser said Belichick basically threw Brady under the bus.

 

[huskylawyer]

BB completely threw Brady under the bus.

 

[vonstout]

It's crazy seeing 49er fans defending the Seahawks in this thread, as well as the main Rams fan and now myself. Patsfan1, no doubt you love your team. However if it was another team that had defeated you in the AFCCG you would be throwing a tantrum. The way you try to say well we really don't know who deflated the balls, it could have been the ball boy. Or how the Seahawks defense is pretty much mediocre. I'm sorry but your team is in for a rude, rude surprise when they face this defense. They swarm, they fly to the ball, and it wasn't the defense that had a bad day against Rodgers, it was the worst offensive performance in years and they still came out on top. This team is by far the most superior team in the NFL. Yes they will lose games here and there, but the Patriots just don't play the type of game that can beat this team. Sure you might have to find some cheap gimmick in the rule book to try to be competitive, but they will find a way to neutralize it.

The Seahawks couldn't get pressure in the Panthers or Packers game. It looks like Sherman and Thomas might not be 100%.

They rushed 4 guys and covered all the receivers and neither the Packers (who have a better group of receivers) or Panthers were able to do much offensively. The longest Packers scoring drive was less than 60 and 4 of their 5 field goal drives started in our territory. Sherman and Thomas less than 100 % will be good enough to match up with anyone they have to on your team not named Gronk and neither of them will be matched up with him.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

It's crazy seeing 49er fans defending the Seahawks in this thread, as well as the main Rams fan and now myself. Patsfan1, no doubt you love your team. However if it was another team that had defeated you in the AFCCG you would be throwing a tantrum. The way you try to say well we really don't know who deflated the balls, it could have been the ball boy. Or how the Seahawks defense is pretty much mediocre. I'm sorry but your team is in for a rude, rude surprise when they face this defense. They swarm, they fly to the ball, and it wasn't the defense that had a bad day against Rodgers, it was the worst offensive performance in years and they still came out on top. This team is by far the most superior team in the NFL. Yes they will lose games here and there, but the Patriots just don't play the type of game that can beat this team. Sure you might have to find some cheap gimmick in the rule book to try to be competitive, but they will find a way to neutralize it.

The Seahawks couldn't get pressure in the Panthers or Packers game. It looks like Sherman and Thomas might not be 100%.

Panthers - 2 sacks, two int, 1 FF and 1 pick 6
Packers - 1 sack, two int's.

It's true the interior pressure isn't as strong as it has been in the past for the Hawks, but the D is still getting some strong pressure and forcing QB's to throw early or inaccurately.

 

[SnoCoHawk]

If the punishment is less than the reward for cheating, what's to stop anyone from cheating? The Patriots would be thinking "Pay fines and lose draft picks? So what - we're going to the Super Bowl!"

Whatever the league hands down has to be severe and painful. Suspensions are the only true option here. Anything else is a slap on the wrist.

 

[Foghawk]

BB completely threw Brady under the bus.

Well to be fair, it's a known fact that Brady has been into wrecking balls for a while now.

 

[huskylawyer]

It pains me to say this as (a) I want the Hawks to play the best Pats team with no excuses, and (b) I'm a Michigan alum, huge Brady fan (have a poster of him in my office in Michigan uniform), but IMHO Brady should be suspended if he outright lied to the media and indeed admits to doctoring the ball. Though a Brady fan, I've always hated the Pats though--so don't question my allegiance.

 

[Chawks1]

If the NFL wa going to suspend Lynch for wearing gold shoes last week, then what should the punishment be for someone who blazingly cheats and lies about it in post game interviews???