Deflation - Doh!

[NorthHawk]

Having the Refs keep the balls after inspection should suffice. It's not overkill to ask that.

There's too much money on the line for players to not get any small advantage they can.
Look at PEDs. Players knowingly take them and suffer the consequences each year, so something as subtle as deflating a ball isn't out of the question.

[Hawktawk]

Having the Refs keep the balls after inspection should suffice. It's not overkill to ask that.

There's too much money on the line for players to not get any small advantage they can.
Look at PEDs. Players knowingly take them and suffer the consequences each year, so something as subtle as deflating a ball isn't out of the question.

I agree with having the refs take custody of the balls until the game. It was the case until 2006 when his royal highness Manning whined about not being able to warm up with game balls and so the practice was changed to accommodate his prima donna rear-end.LOB may well deliver a severe penalty to NE. Shine a light on a cockroach and it scurries for cover. The 2007 team was far superior to this one and when that scandal broke their mojo was gone. Take it one step further and lets ask what if? What if Brady has been using this practice for months or even off and on for years? Can he make it 4 quarters vs the LOB without his partially deflated ball?

People point to the second half last weekend as proof there was no advantage but its a ridiculous argument. #1 we cant replay the first half of the game where the tone was set. Even with the deflated ball Brady threw a pick, one of 3 against a very average Colts D during the season. The first TD of the second half was a pick 6 on Luck and a couple of the others were Blount bulldozing the Colts run defense.

Lets imaging Russ and Kearse had a ball that was softer and easier to throw and catch in the rain? Maybe we wouldn't be talking about the GB collapse but instead the Hawks beating them down.


Bring it on Cheatriots.

[RiverDog]

Having the Refs keep the balls after inspection should suffice. It's not overkill to ask that.

There's too much money on the line for players to not get any small advantage they can.
Look at PEDs. Players knowingly take them and suffer the consequences each year, so something as subtle as deflating a ball isn't out of the question.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't. But where is it going to stop?

Times have sure changed since I started following the game. I can remember the days when players had to get second jobs in the off season just to pay their bills. George Blanda drove a truck for a beer distributor. Now we're going to have an army of college educated specialists and technicians overseeing the tiniest aspects of the game because we can't trust the guy with the bicycle pump and needle to give the ball 8 pumps instead of 6. It's insane.

[Hawktawk]

[quote="RiverDog"]
Times have sure changed since I started following the game. I can remember the days when players had to get second jobs in the off season just to pay their bills. George Blanda drove a truck for a beer distributor. Now we're going to have an army of college educated specialists and technicians overseeing the tiniest aspects of the game because we can't trust the guy with the bicycle pump and needle to give the ball 8 pumps instead of 6. It's insane.I'm not saying that they shouldn't. But where is it going to stop?[/quote

]I agree with you RD but cheating to gain an advantage is just how it is and it isn't just football. Baseball pitchers are notorious for doctoring baseballs for instance.Hitters try to get away with corking their bats. NASCAR engine builders are trying to cut corners to get that last MPH. Swimmers and track and field athletes constantly seek more aerodynamic streamlined gear. Peds cross all athletic boundaries .But this one is a no brainer, clearly a rules violation that directly affected the competitive balance of who knows how many games? It is ridiculous to suggest a HOF QB with 15 years of experience wouldn't notice. Its laughable to suggest Billacheat was unaware of the rules governing game balls.
And the very bottom line? Its the Cheatriots. There wouldn't be nearly the uproar if it was any other team. It is being reported this morning that the league is having problems developing evidence of how this happened so it will be interesting to see how its handled. Players are routinely suspended for conduct violations which involve alleged off field problems so one would think something that affects the integrity of the result should be punished based on the known evidence. ie no reasonable explanation for the uniform deflation of the balls coupled with previously voiced concerns and Brady's own admission regarding his preference for less inflated footballs.

Another Spy gate style cover up by Goodell would not be surprising at any rate however.

[HumanCockroach]

It will be interesting to see what ( if any) punishments the league doles out, they are coming off a threat to suspend Lynch if he wore his gold shoes, fined him for a minor pickle wiggle, and are planning on fining him again in the coming weeks for not addressing the media, and the color of the BOTTOM of his shoes..... IMHO they can't simply say, no fines or punishments for the Pats prior to the SB and we'll revisit this after the season ( ie when the heat dies down) and hold on to the last remaining shreds of respectability.

Honestly, I could care less about the offense itself in one game, thing is, how in the world are we to know it's a one time thing? ( especially since a couple teams complained to the NFL prior to this about the SAME team and player/coach) add in the history of that franchise breaking rules ( in the spy gate instance IMMEDIATELY after receiving a warning that doing so would receive a stiff penalty, which IMHO they didn't receive) and coming just a couple months after sweeping the Rice thing under the rug ( with NO punishments at the league level) as well as a few years after an unsubstantiated harsh punishment against the Saints franchise, that was far more harshly punished ( and in that case the HC was suspended a full year without any knowledge the accusation had occured ( if it even had) ).

If it again turns out that the NFL knowingly ignored previous complaints, and knowingly avoided investigating those complaints ( they were johnny on the spot when the NYG accused Seattle of "piping" in noise through the speakers for instance) then there is going to be some reprocussions IMHO that extend beyond the Patriots players, coaches and franchise. Let's see how much they Commishioners freindship and love affair with Brady extends.....

[RiverDog]

It will be interesting to see what ( if any) punishments the league doles out, they are coming off a threat to suspend Lynch if he wore his gold shoes, fined him for a minor pickle wiggle, and are planning on fining him again in the coming weeks for not addressing the media, and the color of the BOTTOM of his shoes..... IMHO they can't simply say, no fines or punishments for the Pats prior to the SB and we'll revisit this after the season ( ie when the heat dies down) and hold on to the last remaining shreds of respectability.

Honestly, I could care less about the offense itself in one game, thing is, how in the world are we to know it's a one time thing? ( especially since a couple teams complained to the NFL prior to this about the SAME team and player/coach) add in the history of that franchise breaking rules ( in the spy gate instance IMMEDIATELY after receiving a warning that doing so would receive a stiff penalty, which IMHO they didn't receive) and coming just a couple months after sweeping the Rice thing under the rug ( with NO punishments at the league level) as well as a few years after an unsubstantiated harsh punishment against the Saints franchise, that was far more harshly punished ( and in that case the HC was suspended a full year without any knowledge the accusation had occured ( if it even had) ).

If it again turns out that the NFL knowingly ignored previous complaints, and knowingly avoided investigating those complaints ( they were johnny on the spot when the NYG accused Seattle of "piping" in noise through the speakers for instance) then there is going to be some reprocussions IMHO that extend beyond the Patriots players, coaches and franchise. Let's see how much they Commishioners freindship and love affair with Brady extends.....

Agreed about the comparison of the league's pissing contest with Lynch, but you can compare what they are doing with Lynch to just about any other violation and it would be an outrage. I still can't comprehend the absurdity of those fines on Lynch.

We'll have to see where this takes us. Brady literally laughed it off when he was first asked about it, but I don't think anyone with the Pats is laughing now. Someone mentioned stripping the Pats of all their draft choices this year. Bounty gate didn't have anything close to that level of discipline, and the involvement of management in Bounty gate was very extensive and the issue much more serious.

[Agent 86]

Just listening to the Brady presser.

This thing better end by the weekend and full focus be shone on the game itself. Talking heads want the NFL to act now, I don't. I don't want anyone suspended (they are suggesting Belicheck may be if found guilty), I don't want the Pats to have this distraction. I want to beat them at their best.

This is a shame right now, I get that it is a big deal, and if the Seahawks weren't involved, I would probably feel different. But the talk on local shows and TV should be about the game right now, not deflated balls. That should have been last Sunday's discussion regarding Mike McCarthy's playcalling.

[Long Time Fan]

Someone mentioned stripping the Pats of all their draft choices this year. Bounty gate didn't have anything close to that level of discipline, and the involvement of management in Bounty gate was very extensive and the issue much more serious.

If the Pats are proved complicit in the deflation of balls, then this regime is a "repeat" (Spygate) offender and the consequences should be more stern than for a franchise that were a first time offender.

At what point does this attention detract from their focus on game preparation? I don't think it plays any part in the Superbowl preparation. Its a serious offense and needs to be dealt with, but as it relates to the Superbowl,its just noise.

[monkey]

A while back for reasons that are too involved to explain, I learned a bunch of things about profiling, and about learning how to tell when someone is lying, from an expert on the subject, a lady whose job it was to profile and to be essentially a lie detector for a large police force.
At any rate, she taught me that the reason that things like lie detectors, (really stress detectors) work, and they make TV shows like "Lie To Me", is because the Human body literally resists lying. To the point where subconsciously people do not actually out right lie, what they do is fudge the truth.
She taught me that when interviewing potential murderers, the primary thing she listens for is"bumps" in the language that let you know they aren't being completely forthright, that there is something more there that they are either skipping, hiding, glossing over, skirting around etc....
When asked direct questions such as, "Did you kill" so and so, what people do when they are lying is rather than say "No!", and just leave it at that, they will say something like, "I could never do something like that!" It's lying, but it's not a direct lie. It's one based on a feeling about themselves, they FEEL as thought they are the type of person who "could never do something like that" or who was perfectly justified in having done so.


At any rate, I thought I would share what I learned from the Brady news conference, by applying what I learned from my favorite expert pro-filer.

I caught both Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck making SEVERAL statements today of that nature, but the one that really got me was when Brady was asked directly, "Is Tom Brady a cheater?" and he answered, first with a laugh, (which is a sign of nervousness actually, NOT confidence though that is what he's trying to portray) then he said, "I don't believe so."
Notice, he did NOT say NO! He said "I don't believe so", which is a statement of justification, and from a certain twisted perspective is probably true.
After all Brady probably doesn't feel that the rules should apply to him. He may not like the rule, he may think it's a stupid rule because it's annoying to him, and so to him he probably feels justified in not following the rule, because "Screw those guys, what do they know."
For whatever reason, he obviously doesn't think it SHOULD apply to him, so he feels justified enough to can say with a straight face that, "I don't believe so."
That's a HUGE sign that he's lying! From a pro-filers perspective, that's like an enormous warning bell, clanging at full volume.

He goes on to describe in great detail, the process the balls undergo, from his perspective. He does this to avoid directly answering whether or not he knowingly cheated, and to tell enough truth that it throws people off the scent.
Then he gives the clincher, he tells about how once the balls are the way he wants them, he doesn't want anyone even touching them! Here he got animated, showing us all a glimpse of his spoiled, ego driven, diva personality, which was the MOST truthful thing he said the whole time actually.
From his language it's clear that once the balls are the way he wants them (2 lbs. too light apparently) he freaks out and has a spoiled little rich kid tantrum whenever someone touches them! He then said, also quite truthfully, that he didn't do ANYTHING to the balls.
I actually believe him on that, he obviously DIDN'T, his language was very clear here. He didn't directly stick a needle in the ball himself personally. That doesn't mean that he doesn't pay a ball boy or someone else to do it for him though. He cleverly avoided mentioning that, while at the same time, insisting that it was someone else who deflated the balls. TRUE, it was. It was whoever Tom Brady got to do it for him. Likely a ball boy he pays to make sure the balls are exactly the wya he likes them.

Listen to the conference again, this time trying to hear words that obfuscate the truth, rather than giving yes or no responses he gives those lengthy explanations that actually never say ANYTHING. Just like Bellicheck. I guess Brady learned from the master.

They really are the Sith lord and his apprentice.

[HumanCockroach]

I was actually wondering about that, it reminded me of the " I did not have sexual relations with that woman" speech we were subjected too... Maybe, in his world if he TELLS someone to do it, it absolves him of being involved in actually doing it, and as such he is "innocent"... At least that is where I went with both interviews.... I mean BOTH became awfully chatty all of a sudden, when they have years, of avoiding, ignoring, or answering with one word answers in regards to the media, why the sudden desire to expand those answers??

Just to be clear here, I'm not overly anti-Patriot, nor am I anti anything ( minus wanting my team to spank them in 10 days) I'm not a big fan of allowing model franchises to play and act by a different set of rules however, and in this case it is pretty apparent they most certainl did ( again) the NFL NEEDS to be harsh in this instance, coming on the heels of their repeated incompetence over the last several years. IF indeed it is all about "the sheild" they NEED to make a statement to not only the Patriots to clean up their act, but the entire league.

[RiverDog]

I believe what Monkey is saying to be for the most part accurate. It's essentially the basis for lie detector test, when they can detect changes in a person's biological condition in response to certain questions. I've seen enough people beat lie detectors to where I do not feel they should be admissible as evidence in a court of law and would never submit to one should I ever get accused of a crime I didn't do, but I do think there is some validity in the theory on which they are based.

I read a summary of Belichick's presser. He said that the first he ever heard of the accusation that the Pats were messing with the PSI in footballs was last Monday, that although he's heard QB's and kickers talk about PSI in footballs he's never heard of anyone altering them, that it is an issue strictly between the QB/kickers and the equipment manager. Bottom line is that he passed the buck to Brady.

[monkey]

I was actually wondering about that, it reminded me of the " I did not have sexual relations with that woman" speech we were subjected too...

BINGO!
The perfect example of what I was describing. Good call.

[Hawktawk]

These lies are ridiculous on their very face. The fact that Brady would actually say he didn't personally alter the balls? Well no kidding Tom we probably would have noticed you over there by the ball box LMAO. Oh he asked the ball boys"did you deflate them and they said no"!!!!Wow after all these years the balls were 2 pounds light on Sunday and it was magic!!!
If we can all see this obvious bald faced lying after being caught red handed the league has to see it too. WE will see if Goody has the balls to try to bail his buddy Kraft out again with a whitewash.

[RiverDog]

These lies are ridiculous on their very face. The fact that Brady would actually say he didn't personally alter the balls? Well no kidding Tom we probably would have noticed you over there by the ball box LMAO. Oh he asked the ball boys"did you deflate them and they said no"!!!!Wow after all these years the balls were 2 pounds light on Sunday and it was magic!!!
If we can all see this obvious bald faced lying after being caught red handed the league has to see it too. WE will see if Goody has the balls to try to bail his buddy Kraft out again with a whitewash.

Kinda sounds like plausible deniability, doesn't it? A wink and a nod from a future HOF'er. The staff knew that Brady liked underinflated balls. What the heck are they going to do to some ball boy getting paid minimum wage?

[Zorn76]

LOL, I just love the idea of NBC's sideline reporter giving periodic updates on how inflated the Patriot's game balls are.

Our defense is gonna cause New England's offense to shrink anyway.

[RiverDog]

I've pretty much done a complete 180 since my initial reaction to this story.

Since Brady's news conference, there has been a number of former NFL quarterbacks and players that have sounded off, and not a one that I have read or heard has offered any kind of support or said that they believe Brady's story. I do believe Belichick when he said he didn't know and at this point am willing to give him a pass except as it pertains to his being the top guy and has to accept responsibility for anything and everything that goes on during his watch, and that this is the second time his regime has been caught skirting the rules.

I read where Mark Brunell was given a number of footballs all up to the required pressure except for one that was at 11 psi. Brunell without hesitation immediately picked out the one that was under pressure. So the balls being reported as having as much as 2 psi below the minimum 12.5 is huge. All of the Colts balls were up to pressure yet 11 of the 12 Pats balls were under pressure? Someone had to have tampered with them, and I have a hard time believing that Brady was unaware that they were under pressure.

I'm still not comfortable with any type of Draconian punishments such as banning them from participating in the entire 2015 draft. This isn't a Penn State/Paterno scandal where crimes were committed and lives altered, but it does affect the integrity of the game.

[HumanCockroach]

I agree that I'm not for a huge punishment, but whether I am for it or not, I think the NFL has painted itself into a corner with the timing of this infraction, the Patriots being caught twice doing something that is blatantly outside the rules, the extent of the bounty scandal punishments, the complete disregard in regards to the Rice situation, ignoring multiple reports of under inflated balls being used by the Patriots during the regular season, etc.... It's a long list, and the NFL isn't going to make the mistake of "under punishing" the Pats, and then deal with a second public backlash one year after the Rice situation.. In essence I believe they HAVE to punish them to that extent to avoid yet another public circus, whether they want to or not.

[RiverDog]

I agree that I'm not for a huge punishment, but whether I am for it or not, I think the NFL has painted itself into a corner with the timing of this infraction, the Patriots being caught twice doing something that is blatantly outside the rules, the extent of the bounty scandal punishments, the complete disregard in regards to the Rice situation, ignoring multiple reports of under inflated balls being used by the Patriots during the regular season, etc.... It's a long list, and the NFL isn't going to make the mistake of "under punishing" the Pats, and then deal with a second public backlash one year after the Rice situation.. In essence I believe they HAVE to punish them to that extent to avoid yet another public circus, whether they want to or not.

Plus the timing couldn't have been worse. Had they looked into this when it was first reported to them back in mid November, it wouldn't have been dominating the headlines during their crowning event and they might have been able to complete their investigation and discipline the team/players before the playoffs. This isn't the first time that the league has been tardy or incomplete in their investigations.

I hate to say it because unlike others in here, I really like Bill Belichick and feel that this latest scandal did not include his direct involvement, but if this thing ends badly, he's going to have to answer for it, and by that I mean a year long suspension and ultimately keep him out of the HOF. As far as Tom Brady is concerned, I don't believe a word he's said. There's just too many former players, including guys like Fran Tarkenton that haven't played in decades, that have raised some serious doubts about his statements. Brady laughed it off when they first brought it to his attention, but he ain't laughing no more.

As far as disciplining the team, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the league, or rather fair to the rest of the AFC, to allow Miami, the Jets, and Bills to benefit so disproportionally from the league coming down so hard on the Pats as to make them irrelevant for the next decade.

[Distant Relative]

Tom Brady is concerned, I don't believe a word he's said.

I couldn't agree more.

[HumanCockroach]

No way a player ( even a HS athlete) that handles the ball regularly doesn't notice a difference, much less a QB that has handled one millions of times in practice and games... I STILL notice immediately when playing catch with my kid if the ball is even slightly deflated, and I primarily played DB and returned kicks, how the hell can Brady even believe that people were going to in any way buy what he was throwing out there??

[Hawktawk]

There is growing sentiment among very powerful and influential media people as well as former players that if it is obvious the balls were deflated and hence obvious Brady was complicit he should be SUSPENDED FOR THE SB!!!!
I'm torn as a fan because I want a win without an asterisk.
But I have to agree with them.Ultimately I'm a fan of the game first and these cheating B@st@rds need to pay the price.

From a purely football perspective I honestly believe the Pats might have a better chance with Garrapalo based on my analysis of the game.Brady is a repeat of Manning,an immobile giraffe who has to have a fairly clean pocket and ample time, neither of which he will have if they let the lying cheater play.IMO it will make the LOB pin their ears back twice as hard.They will be Americas team.
At least the rookie can run.

[HumanCockroach]

I'm torn if for no other reason than I simply don't want any excuses when Seattle beats them, honestly I would almost be FOR him playing with the same balls in this game. I don't want an ounce of credit removed should Seattle stomp a mud hole in him, and unfortunately no matter what happens, it IS going to be the case, which pisses me off greatly.

[monkey]

Yeah, all the media outrage, with people saying things like, they need to suspend Bill or Tom for the Superbowl has me most irritated.
They need to stow that talk! I want NO Excuses when we beat them. None. I'd rather see the Seahawks lose fairly (won't happen) than win because of some lame suspension.

[c_hawkbob]

NO!

Brady cannot be suspended for the Super Bowl! Russell deserves the legacy of putting the two greatest QB's of our generation out to pasture in successive years!

[RiverDog]

Suspending Brady at this point punishes a lot more people besides Brady or Russell Wilson. All discipline has to be deferred to the 2015 regular season or else all of 2014 will be adorn with the infamous asterisk.

[burrrton]

Cross-posted from The Blue:

It's odd- I'm not convinced anything should be done to them for the SuperBowl as it would completely ruin the game, but then again, if the Seahawks had cheated in the NFCCG, who would be arguing we shouldn't be punished for the SB (if they allowed us to play in it at all)?

Maybe there are just varying degrees of "cheating" and and over/under-inflated ball doesn't cross the line?

I don't know.

[burrrton]

Here's another thing I'm curious about that I don't think warrants its own thread:

I keep reading that NE should give the SEA defense fits because it has a "strong rushing attack" coupled with high %, short passes (there's an Insider article about it today, but I've read it elsewhere, too).

I'm not seeing where NE has shown a strong rushing attack, though. I could see where, with Brady as your QB so relying heavily on passing, they might end up lower in rushing stats simply because they don't do it much (like how we are with our passing game), but there are only 7 teams in the NFL worse than them on YPC, too.

Blount looks like a load, but I'm not seeing where all this reverence about NE's rushing prowess comes from.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

[monkey]

BTW, just to show that my earlier post about noticing the bumps in Brady's speech was EXACTLY right:
http://fanjabs.com/blog/2015/01/24/are-belichick-and-brady-telling-the-truth-according-to-cia-interrogation-expert-the-answer-is-no/
A CIA lying expert tells you what I already said.
Like I said, when he used the words, I don't believe I am, (the article actually misquoted that) when asked if he was a cheater, he was justifying his cheating, he was NOT being honest.
The article if you don't want to read it, says that both of them lied, period.

[monkey]

but I'm not seeing where all this reverence about NE's rushing prowess comes from.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

Yes, it comes from an exaggerated, fan driven, opinion based on a small sample size. The two Colts games.
The Colts couldn't stop ME. but apprently that makes them a great running team.

[burrrton]

Hm- interesting. Thanks, Monkey.

[Distant Relative]

Saturday Night Live Mocks Tom Brady's "Deflate-Gate": Watch Taran Killam Play the New England Patriot's Quarterback

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment ... te-2015251

[Distant Relative]

Mark Brunell ESPN NFL Live Crew On Brady Press Conference - Nobody's Buying It!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb5x0pfE6uY

[HumanCockroach]

Here's another thing I'm curious about that I don't think warrants its own thread:

I keep reading that NE should give the SEA defense fits because it has a "strong rushing attack" coupled with high %, short passes (there's an Insider article about it today, but I've read it elsewhere, too).

I'm not seeing where NE has shown a strong rushing attack, though. I could see where, with Brady as your QB so relying heavily on passing, they might end up lower in rushing stats simply because they don't do it much (like how we are with our passing game), but there are only 7 teams in the NFL worse than them on YPC, too.

Blount looks like a load, but I'm not seeing where all this reverence about NE's rushing prowess comes from.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

What? You didn't see the Patriots pound it down Baltimore ( a less stout run defense than the one they will face in the SB) in the divisional round? I mean they ran the ball like 9 whole times ( something like 7 before half time)....

[RiverDog]

The problem is that the NFL is going to have to come up with more than just circumstantial evidence if they are going to make a suspension and/or large fine stick, at least as it relates to Brady. If they don't have something like a video of a ball boy poking needles into footballs, a credible eyewitness, a "smoking gun", then even if they do suspend him, the union will file a grievance and the arbitrator will overturn it just like they did in the Ray Rice case.

Even though Belichick's explanation was completely unacceptable, even laughable, he sounded very firm and confident that no Pats players or employees had anything to do with tampering with the game balls, so my sense is that the league is going to come up empty handed, too. The league is in between a rock and a hard spot. If they don't do something, 90% of fans like us that can't see a reasonable explanation as to how those balls got under pressurized and the arbitrator that is going to want to see some evidence that someone acting on complied consent from Brady tampered with them.

Going forward, what should happen is that they need to take the game balls out of the custody of the teams/quarterbacks and give them back to the refs. I don't understand why it's so damn important for a quarterback to have his own personal footballs anyway. It's bad enough that the league has to institute special rules and alter the way the game is played in order to protect quarterbacks, but there's no need to cater to them by acceding to their silly little quirks.

[burrrton]

Saturday Night Live Mocks Tom Brady's "Deflate-Gate": Watch Taran Killam Play the New England Patriot's Quarterback

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment ... te-2015251

Yep- SNL just as cringe-inducing and unfunny as last time I checked.

(glad they're taking it to Brady's ridiculous excuses, though)

[monkey]

Remember when SNL was actually funny?
I barely do.

[RiverDog]

Remember when SNL was actually funny?
I barely do.

Hell, in the days before VCR's, I once dumped a date off early so I could get home by 11:30 pm so I could watch Saturday Night Live. John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtain, and at times Steve Martin.

I wish Johnny Carson was around for the Lynch crotch grab.

[Hawktawk]

Haha RD those were the days when I had enough energy to stay awake for Carson and SNL. Used to be some funny Chit and launched a lot of careers in their own right.

[HumanCockroach]

The problem is that the NFL is going to have to come up with more than just circumstantial evidence if they are going to make a suspension and/or large fine stick, at least as it relates to Brady. If they don't have something like a video of a ball boy poking needles into footballs, a credible eyewitness, a "smoking gun", then even if they do suspend him, the union will file a grievance and the arbitrator will overturn it just like they did in the Ray Rice case

Will they??

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orle ... ty_scandal

Not much hard evidence here either ( in fact most believe the majority was manufactured by the NFL itself, and of course the whole "ignorance is not an excuse" thing comes into play as well)

[RiverDog]

Will they??

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orle ... ty_scandal

Not much hard evidence here either ( in fact most believe the majority was manufactured by the NFL itself, and of course the whole "ignorance is not an excuse" thing comes into play as well)

There was a lot more evidence in the Bounty Gate scandal than there is so far in Deflate Gate. For one, Deflate Gate has not yet involved the head coach lying to the commissioner. I don't even know if Belichick has even spoken to Goodell about Deflate Gate.

The only thing they have in Deflate Gate is the pressure of the game balls at certain points in time. That's it. There is nothing that offers a plausible scenario as to how they got deflated.