If they had done it from any location not restricted by the rule it would not have been an issue. Yet, they did. And although the league determined they gained no competitive advantage, they still left themselves open to speculation and all the negativity that has ensued. Hey if they taped defenses, they must have at some point used that information in a game. If they did it to defenses, they must have at some point done it against offenses. Practices? You bet. Buying refs. Making up rules. They brought it on themselves. Where there's smoke, there is usually fire.
No you're getting that confused with Don Shula. You think it started with Spygate? The Patriots have been pulling this crap for decades. Does the name John Smith ring a bell? Here's the kicker (lame pun intended): the guy who the Patriots hired to work the snowplow was a convicted criminal on a work release program from MCI-Norfolk at the time of the game--talk about birds of a feather... And the grateful Patriot coach who ordered the guy to clear out a spot for the kicker gave the guy a game ball.
If it isn't a big enough deal to the NFL to levy a harsh penalty that will dissuade it then I am okay with the cheating. I think it is similar to a DB tackling a receiver and taking the spot foul rather than giving up a TD. The player has decided the penalty is worth it in that instance because it gives them a chance to prevent the score on the subsequent plays. If the NFL awarded TDs in those calls you'd likely not see those types of penalties taken.
I don't agree with that analogy at all. Intentionally taking a penalty to prevent a bigger play is SO much different than intentionally skirting a rule to change the performance of the ball. By that logic, it's not that big of a deal if a player corks a bat or scuffs up a baseball or uses previously banned stickum or, hell, takes amphetimines to improve his speed/awareness/reaction time. They aren't going to impose a penalty because the evidence is long gone. If they found 10 out of 12 balls were at 12 lbs PSI or had video of a ball boy with a pin deflating a ball, they'd kick Bellichik out of the league. _
This thread is more insane that the people who write about 9/11 conspiracies. So you are basically saying, that if the ball boy for the New York Knicks was letting air out of the basketballs before the game, they would kick Phil Jackson out of the league? Yeah, that sounds reasonable. It must be the coach or the GM behind such a thing. How about Aaron Rodgers? Will he be banned from the league for life, starting next season? He did after all confess on air that he likes to put too much air in the game balls they use, just in case the refs don't notice it. And that's the QB himself adding air, not the ball boy. Talking about a complete non issue which will not result in anything for 11 pages is insane. No, the Pats did not cheat when they had a funky formation. No, they didn't cheat with the balls either. They even took some of the "flat" balls away from the game during the second quarter, when Indy complained about it after the Brady interception. So basically Pats played better with regular balls, if indeed some of them didn't have enough air. And god forbid, there's no way in hell such terrible weather conditions could affect the game balls, right? Making something out of nothing: this ball fiasco is the perfect example of that.
Go back to New England, I don't give a crap about your opinion about our opinions. Feel free to go stroke other Pats fans on Patsfag.com. Besides, Phil Jackson and Aaron Rogers have never exhibited a pattern of cheating over the years so they get the benefit of the doubt. Bellichick is a convicted cheater, he gets no benefit of any doubt and if it's determined that he perpetrated a concerted effort to doctor the game balls, he should be banned for life for repeated and serial cheating. If you don't like my opinion, feel free to piss off. _
Look, quite obviously, slightly deflated game-balls don't sound like a very big deal in the grand scheme of things. But, here's the thing: The Pats have been incessantly accused of cheating for years now. Furthermore, they were caught red-handed and disciplined for cheating in 2007. They don't get the benefit of the doubt . . . They just don't. They have an irrefutable, well-documented history of bending, and sometimes breaking, NFL rules. Pats fans just have to learn to deal with that reality.
BREAKING NEWS...ESPN Chris Mortenson reporting NFL says 11 of 12 Pats' footballs under-inflated http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/i...-had-inflated-footballs-afc-championship-game Those fucking cheating Patsies
The New England Patriots had 11 of their 12 allotted game footballs under-inflated by 2 pounds of air (PSI) as required by NFL regulations "We are not commenting at this time," said Greg Aiello, the NFL's senior vice president of communications.
Just saw Chris Mortensen's tweet. How utterly fucking disgusting. How many times must the league put up with this rogue franchise?
