Football Air Pressure Controversy

[HPF Bob]

I agree with the judge, technically, but I so want to see Belicheat and the Patriots not get away yet again with another infraction.

I don't see why the NFL doesn't just punish the Patriots the way they always punish the Texans - with phantom holding calls at critical moments of the game. Nothing is announced and nothing is admitted but let's see what happens if Brady gets kicked in the nuts like Schaub was and have nothing called.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

I agree with the judge, technically, but I so want to see Belicheat and the Patriots not get away yet again with another infraction.

I don't see why the NFL doesn't just punish the Patriots the way they always punish the Texans - with phantom holding calls at critical moments of the game. Nothing is announced and nothing is admitted but let's see what happens if Brady gets kicked in the nuts like Schaub was and have nothing called.

Are you really whining about them getting away with it? The league rules call for a $25K fine for equipment tampering (what Minnesota and Carolina got for getting caught doctoring footballs on the sidelines last season, http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vi...nthers-vikings ). Today, Brady's suspension was vacated, but as far as I know the Patriots are still rung up on a $1,000,000 fine and a loss of a 1st round draft pick.

It's jealous whining fans like you that result in this even being a story at all, let alone still being talked about in September. Were you maybe a voter in this poll back in May?

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12...ions-tom-brady

ESPN (which I am pretty sure is a subsidiary of the NFL) conducted a poll that shows %63 of fans think Brady and the Pats deserved their punishment. Interestingly, only %54 of the same fans believe Brady and the Patriots cheated. This means almost %10 of the football fans polled think the Patriots are not guilty but should still be punished. I am pretty sure that includes Bob.

[HPF Bob]

Thanks for putting words in my mouth. I think (warning: opinion) that the Patriots cheated but the NFL couldn't prove it. This isn't a court of law. The Black Sox were found not guilty (their signed confessions magically disappeared) in court but Judge Landis still gave the players lifetime bans.

Maybe with access to Brady's cellphone, the circumstantial case could be proven with a confirming text. But we'll never know. Not unless the NSA steps forward with proof.

So, yes, the Patriots get away with cheating again.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Thanks for putting words in my mouth. I think (warning: opinion) that the Patriots cheated but the NFL couldn't prove it. This isn't a court of law. The Black Sox were found not guilty (their signed confessions magically disappeared) in court but Judge Landis still gave the players lifetime bans.

Maybe with access to Brady's cellphone, the circumstantial case could be proven with a confirming text. But we'll never know. Not unless the NSA steps forward with proof.

So, yes, the Patriots get away with cheating again.

How dense are you Bob? They didn't get away with anything. They got fined a 1st and 4th round pick and fined $1,000,000. That is the opposite of getting away with something.

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by barrett

How dense are you Bob? They didn't get away with anything. They got fined a 1st and 4th round pick and fined $1,000,000. That is the opposite of getting away with something.

But all the Patriots care about is winning - at any cost.

Think they care about a big fine? They just went out and signed Reggie Wayne.

Think they care about losing draft picks? They'll just trade Garoppolo next winter and get them back.

Keeping Tom Brady for 16 games means a lot more to them than fines or draft picks. Yeah, they "got away with it". Belicheat and Brady are laughing their asses off.

[Nconroe]

Hate to get into this, but didnt they say only one ball was deflated out of 12, 11 balls deflated was misinformation.

And didnt Brady do better after halftime when balls were all inflated properly.

So lots of rhetoric over nothing.

Then the rules say 25k fine for messing with equipment so if your opinion right the fine is out of line.

Then this is the fifth discipline overturned by courts recently, so this is likely worse for league image than anything.

Of course there is even precedent for people destroying a phone and not being punished.

So mistake was made by nfl trying to entrap someone due to unproven speculation.

The case being appealed is about the nfl process so not even about deflated balls.

This year i think they are using calibrated guages, measuring each ball before game and halftime, and keeping in possession of nfl till needed. Things that in hindsightvshould havevalways been done.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

But all the Patriots care about is winning - at any cost.

Think they care about a big fine? They just went out and signed Reggie Wayne.

Think they care about losing draft picks? They'll just trade Garoppolo next winter and get them back.

Keeping Tom Brady for 16 games means a lot more to them than fines or draft picks. Yeah, they "got away with it". Belicheat and Brady are laughing their asses off.

Do you truly think they are laughing about the loss of a 1st and 4th round pick? Nobody who knows anything about football could really think that.

[HPF Bob]

So, what was their punishment for Spygate, you may be asking?

The Patriots were also fined $250,000, and stripped of their first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft;

So the Patriots have had to forfeit their #1 pick before yet they still returned to the Super Bowl. It hardly slowed them down. If they're missing out on the 30th best player in the draft, is it really such a hindrance?