2014 NFL Season Thread

[Magnus]

So, yeah, this happened.

Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist, but some might say that the NFL is trying to engineer a championship for a team that has repeatedly been caught cheating...

...including me.

[dfwabel]

I watched today's press conference three times. It was so great.

He even threw in a "My Cousin Vinny" reference!

"I would not say that I'm Mona Lisa Vito of the football world as she was in the car expertise area."

Best line was, "I just said that, Tom".

[IceCap]

So, yeah, this happened.

Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist, but some might say that the NFL is trying to engineer a championship for a team that has repeatedly been caught cheating...

...including me.

How does fining Lynch "engineer" anything in the Pats' favour?

[Magnus]

So, yeah, this happened.

Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist, but some might say that the NFL is trying to engineer a championship for a team that has repeatedly been caught cheating...

...including me.

How does fining Lynch "engineer" anything in the Pats' favour?

Well, it's a conspiracy theory. How often do they make sense?

[JayJaxon]

Well, Belichek solved the mystery all by himself. I guess everyone can pack up and go home now.

He was probably better off not saying anything.

[Magnus]

Two pro sports leagues' all-star games are being held tomorrow. NHL All-Star Game is at 5 pm ET. The NFL Pro Bowl goes at 8. I wonder which game will get more ratings? Was it a bad move for Bettman to agree to host it on this date? At least the games aren't on at the exact same time, but if his interest really is to grow the game in the States, I think it should have been placed on another date.

[oldschoolvikings]

This "controversy" has done the near impossible. It's actually made the Patriots sympathetic to me.

Between this ridiculous hand-wringing over basically nothing, every other Seahawk defensive player proving to be a loudmouth jackass, and the painful clownsuits Seattle will be wearing, it looks like I'll actually be rooting for the Patriots. Weird, to say the least.

[Lights Out]

Well, Belichek solved the mystery all by himself. I guess everyone can pack up and go home now.

He was probably better off not saying anything.

It's amazing how he went from "I have no explanation for this" on Thursday to Bill Nye the Science Guy giving a freaking physics lecture on Saturday. Yet despite all the deflecting and excuse-making, the fact remains that nobody from that organization has been able to explain why the Colts' footballs were still legal.

It's also funny how the Patriots' organization and fanbase expect the league, media, and other NFL fans to just shut up now because they investigated themselves, as if a proven cheater's word can be trusted.

[dfwabel]

Two pro sports leagues' all-star games are being held tomorrow. NHL All-Star Game is at 5 pm ET. The NFL Pro Bowl goes at 8. I wonder which game will get more ratings? Was it a bad move for Bettman to agree to host it on this date? At least the games aren't on at the exact same time, but if his interest really is to grow the game in the States, I think it should have been placed on another date.

NHL fans will watch regardless, but yes,the NFL will crush them in terns of ratings. Also, doesn't hurt the NFL in that Pro Bowl tickets are going for $160 on stub hub as the game is sold out.

NHL doesn't have a true open weekend to work with if they want to stage their ASG in late January or early February to capture the US audience.

Historically, the NHL ASG doesn't draw in America anyway.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2011/07/ratingsviewership-for-all-star-games-in-the-four-major-sports/

[HedleyLamarr]

Two pro sports leagues' all-star games are being held tomorrow. NHL All-Star Game is at 5 pm ET. The NFL Pro Bowl goes at 8. I wonder which game will get more ratings? Was it a bad move for Bettman to agree to host it on this date? At least the games aren't on at the exact same time, but if his interest really is to grow the game in the States, I think it should have been placed on another date.

NHL fans will watch regardless, but yes,the NFL will crush them in terns of ratings. Also, doesn't hurt the NFL in that Pro Bowl tickets are going for $160 on stub hub as the game is sold out.

NHL doesn't have a true open weekend to work with if they want to stage their ASG in late January or early February to capture the US audience.

Historically, the NHL ASG doesn't draw in America anyway.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2011/07/ratingsviewership-for-all-star-games-in-the-four-major-sports/

Yeah, I was gonna say....which other weekend in January can the NHL stage their All-Star festivities without going up against football? May as well go up against the Pro Bowl. You won't get as crushed in the ratings as you would if you go up against the NFL playoffs or the Super Bowl.

It wasn't the worst idea to have the All-Star festivities mid-week like they tried for Dallas. At least then, you weren't going up against football. All the NHL had to compete against was the NBA and college basketball.

It would help if NBC put this on their mothership channel instead of NBC-SN. Or promoted it.

[WSU151]

So, yeah, this happened.

Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist, but some might say that the NFL is trying to engineer a championship for a team that has repeatedly been caught cheating...

...including me.

Repeatedly caught cheating? I think they were caught just once.

And I'm pretty sure obscene gestures will always get fines.

[WSU151]

Well, Belichek solved the mystery all by himself. I guess everyone can pack up and go home now.

He was probably better off not saying anything.

It's amazing how he went from "I have no explanation for this" on Thursday to Bill Nye the Science Guy giving a freaking physics lecture on Saturday. Yet despite all the deflecting and excuse-making, the fact remains that nobody from that organization has been able to explain why the Colts' footballs were still legal.

It's also funny how the Patriots' organization and fanbase expect the league, media, and other NFL fans to just shut up now because they investigated themselves, as if a proven cheater's word can be trusted.

So you don't think Bill spent a lot of time on Thursday and Friday (and probably earlier than that) learning as much as he could? What could the Patriots possibly say about the Colts' footballs? Nobody on the Patriots has any insight on how the Colts prepare footballs.

Let's face it - since the Colts knew prior to the game that the NFL was going to test footballs, they probably overinflated theirs.

[HedleyLamarr]

Let's face it - since the Colts knew prior to the game that the NFL was going to test footballs, they probably overinflated theirs.

Now this is a pretty dumb statement.

What we all know by now is that the officials check the footballs 2 hours and 15 minutes before the game. It's not like the Colts knew some secret check-in was coming and the Patriots were caught off-guard. Nor was it cold enough for the balls to lose at least two pounds of pressure in that short a time span. Never heard a news program mention about checking your tires when the temperatures were above freezing.

What we assume is correct was that the Patriots' balls were legal at roughly 4:15pm ET. Sometime between then and 6:50pm (remember, it wasn't until late in the Packers-Seahawks game that the NFL decided to push back the start time for the Colts-Patriots game 20 minutes) and halftime (roughly 8:30pm?) the balls lost two pounds of pressure. There's only a one-pound range between minimum and maximum psi. Natural air loss isn't the cause. There's either a hole in 11 balls or someone did some tinkering with them after the pre-game inspection. If weather were the cause, wouldn't the Colts' balls have shrunk by two pounds also?

Belichek very well may not know what went on. Brady, on the other hand, would be the catalyst for this, since he's handling the ball every play. It wouldn't be a RB or WR doing this because they simple don't get the ball enough. And going by his press conference the other day, I've never seen Brady that uncomfortable during a press conference. He was also quite vague and lawyer-like in his responses.

Now, nothing's gonna happen to Brady or Belichek. They'll find some low-on-the-totem-pole guy to pin this on, he'll get fired, the Patriots may get fined, and that will be the end of that. If anything, this exposes the NFL and their ball procedures, and they'll amend it to where the league assumes control of breaking in and handling the balls during the game (much like they did with these kick-only K-balls).

[dfwabel]

Two pro sports leagues' all-star games are being held tomorrow. NHL All-Star Game is at 5 pm ET. The NFL Pro Bowl goes at 8. I wonder which game will get more ratings? Was it a bad move for Bettman to agree to host it on this date? At least the games aren't on at the exact same time, but if his interest really is to grow the game in the States, I think it should have been placed on another date.

NHL fans will watch regardless, but yes,the NFL will crush them in terns of ratings. Also, doesn't hurt the NFL in that Pro Bowl tickets are going for $160 on stub hub as the game is sold out.

NHL doesn't have a true open weekend to work with if they want to stage their ASG in late January or early February to capture the US audience.

Historically, the NHL ASG doesn't draw in America anyway.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2011/07/ratingsviewership-for-all-star-games-in-the-four-major-sports/

Yeah, I was gonna say....which other weekend in January can the NHL stage their All-Star festivities without going up against football? May as well go up against the Pro Bowl. You won't get as crushed in the ratings as you would if you go up against the NFL playoffs or the Super Bowl.

It wasn't the worst idea to have the All-Star festivities mid-week like they tried for Dallas. At least then, you weren't going up against football. All the NHL had to compete against was the NBA and college basketball.

It would help if NBC put this on their mothership channel instead of NBC-SN. Or promoted it.

Here are the Sundays in February for 2015:

February 1: Super Bowl

February 8: The Grammy's

February 15: NBA ASG

February 22: Daytona 500 and The Oscars

There isn't much room.

[OnWis97]

Let's face it - since the Colts knew prior to the game that the NFL was going to test footballs, they probably overinflated theirs.

Now this is a pretty dumb statement.

What we all know by now is that the officials check the footballs 2 hours and 15 minutes before the game. It's not like the Colts knew some secret check-in was coming and the Patriots were caught off-guard. Nor was it cold enough for the balls to lose at least two pounds of pressure in that short a time span. Never heard a news program mention about checking your tires when the temperatures were above freezing.

What we assume is correct was that the Patriots' balls were legal at roughly 4:15pm ET. Sometime between then and 6:50pm (remember, it wasn't until late in the Packers-Seahawks game that the NFL decided to push back the start time for the Colts-Patriots game 20 minutes) and halftime (roughly 8:30pm?) the balls lost two pounds of pressure. There's only a one-pound range between minimum and maximum psi. Natural air loss isn't the cause. There's either a hole in 11 balls or someone did some tinkering with them after the pre-game inspection. If weather were the cause, wouldn't the Colts' balls have shrunk by two pounds also?

Belichek very well may not know what went on. Brady, on the other hand, would be the catalyst for this, since he's handling the ball every play. It wouldn't be a RB or WR doing this because they simple don't get the ball enough. And going by his press conference the other day, I've never seen Brady that uncomfortable during a press conference. He was also quite vague and lawyer-like in his responses.

Now, nothing's gonna happen to Brady or Belichek. They'll find some low-on-the-totem-pole guy to pin this on, he'll get fired, the Patriots may get fined, and that will be the end of that. If anything, this exposes the NFL and their ball procedures, and they'll amend it to where the league assumes control of breaking in and handling the balls during the game (much like they did with these kick-only K-balls).

This seems to pretty much sum it all up. We can argue how big of a transgression this is and we can argue whether other teams do it. But I have a hard time with the argument the rules were not intentionally broken.

[WSU151]

Let's face it - since the Colts knew prior to the game that the NFL was going to test footballs, they probably overinflated theirs.

Now this is a pretty dumb statement.

What we all know by now is that the officials check the footballs 2 hours and 15 minutes before the game. It's not like the Colts knew some secret check-in was coming and the Patriots were caught off-guard. Nor was it cold enough for the balls to lose at least two pounds of pressure in that short a time span.

Actually...that's exactly what happened.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/21/report-nfl-planned-to-inspect-patriots-football-before-dqwell-jackson-interception/

The Colts knew something was going to take place. They tipped off the league about deflated footballs in November. Baltimore mentioned something to the Colts after the divisional round. The NFL planned to test the pressure of the balls at halftime before the game began. This has all been confirmed. I highly doubt the Pats knew about this plan.

Before you call someone's statement dumb, make sure you know all the facts. The internet has good search engines these days.

[Brass]

Well, Belichek solved the mystery all by himself. I guess everyone can pack up and go home now.

He was probably better off not saying anything.

It's amazing how he went from "I have no explanation for this" on Thursday to Bill Nye the Science Guy giving a freaking physics lecture on Saturday. Yet despite all the deflecting and excuse-making, the fact remains that nobody from that organization has been able to explain why the Colts' footballs were still legal.

It's also funny how the Patriots' organization and fanbase expect the league, media, and other NFL fans to just shut up now because they investigated themselves, as if a proven cheater's word can be trusted.

Lights Out, can you provide a narrative please of what happened with the footballs?

[HedleyLamarr]

Let's face it - since the Colts knew prior to the game that the NFL was going to test footballs, they probably overinflated theirs.

Now this is a pretty dumb statement.

What we all know by now is that the officials check the footballs 2 hours and 15 minutes before the game. It's not like the Colts knew some secret check-in was coming and the Patriots were caught off-guard. Nor was it cold enough for the balls to lose at least two pounds of pressure in that short a time span.

Actually...that's exactly what happened.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/21/report-nfl-planned-to-inspect-patriots-football-before-dqwell-jackson-interception/

The Colts knew something was going to take place. They tipped off the league about deflated footballs in November. Baltimore mentioned something to the Colts after the divisional round. The NFL planned to test the pressure of the balls at halftime before the game began. This has all been confirmed. I highly doubt the Pats knew about this plan.

Before you call someone's statement dumb, make sure you know all the facts. The internet has good search engines these days.

What you're thinking was the secret inspection was held at halftime, not before the game.

If all teams know the balls get inspected 2 hours and 15 minutes before every game, that's not a secret inspection. Teams know the routine: rough up the balls during the week, inspection at 10:45am Sunday morning, then supposed to be untouched until game time at 1pm.

Some time between 4:15pm and 6:50pm, a Patriots staffer decreased the pressure in the balls after they passed the NFL's standard pre-game inspection. (Because if the balls are under the minimum at the pre-game inspection, the game officials inflate the balls themselves until they meet the league's standards.)

This means that at some point between inspection and game time and halftime, the balls were tampered with. There's simply no other explanation. How else do you explain only half of the footballs losing 2 pounds in four hours? If it were exposure to the elements, the Colts balls would have lost 2 pounds as well. The minimum/maximum limits for the football are 12.5 and 13.5 psi. If the Colts' balls lost two pounds and were still in the legal range, they were, at minimum, at 14.5 psi during the NFL's pregame inspection, and they'd be illegal and deflated to the range at that point.

So, yes, saying the Patriots were surprised about an impending pregame inspection is indeed a dumb statement to make.

They got caught. They thought they'd be able to get away once the mandatory pregame inspection took place. And, if there is a question about illegal balls, yeah you're going to get a surprise inspection during/after the game. If you've got nothing to hide, nothing to worry about during the surprise inspection. Any team can request an in-game inspection of the balls if foul play is suspected.

[The_Admiral]

Only the most intractable contrarians and Tawmmy-from-Quinzees can actually defend the Patriots at this point. The organization is built on cheating and gamesmanship more than any other. You have to err on the side of skepticism with these people.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Here's an article on Slate about how, since 2010, the Patriots' fumble loss numbers are impossibly better than the rest of the league: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/01/ballghazi_the_new_england_patriots_lose_an_insanely_low_number_of_fumbles.html

Here's a fun graph:

And another:

They're literally off the chart. I don't think this last Sunday was the first time they've deflated balls.