NFL Investigating Patriots
si.com reports NFL Investigation for Patriots cheating with football deflation in AFC Championship game. Report comes from Indianapolis, GO FIGURE.
http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/01/19/nfl-investigate-patriots-deflating-footballs-afc-championship-game
I call Bullshit on Indianapolis for being whiny! Brady is Awsome!
What do you think?
Edit: The entire point of this is that Brady has been hot this season. Patriots kicked ass in the game and now Indianapolis is calling foul play and that the Patriots used a deflated ball? It is an investigation and came from Indianapolis.
Does Tom Brady really need to use a deflated football to win the game? He is a Michigan QB and I will defend his play on the field just as I am rooting for the Patriots to win the SB.
Maize-N-Blue Rules. Michigans former QB is great!
Down vote me for the thread, it's not like it is not everywhere to be read. Since the excitement of Harbaugh it has been getting a little boring on the blog other then the recruit information. Fall can't get here soon enough.
GO BLUE!!!!!!
January 19th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
Except that this isn't college where teams provide their own balls. The league does in the NFL. So if anything, the NFL needs to be looking at themselves.
January 19th, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^
German Sheperd years ago that used to catch footballs and we found that if we deflated the ball some she could then make some amazing long ball catches. The downside though is you couldnt throw the football as far.
January 19th, 2015 at 9:27 PM ^
In tennis, fresh balls which have more pressure and a slicker covering are preferred by servers - and if you watch the Australian Open, (going on right now) you'll see players ask or wave off balls from the ball people so seeking out a particular ball isn't unique to football.
But what possible advantage is there to deflating ball for a QB? Is there any real advantage in grip as compared to wearing a glove? Wouldn't the deflation also affect the aerodynamics? There are some engineers on this board so perhaps one of them can chime in.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^
I think this means Brady gave the Colts Go Blue Balls.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
From the article the home team provides 24 balls, (12 primary, and 12 backup), to the referee at least 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff. The visiting team may provide up to 12 balls to the referee as well. The referee has to approve each ball and any ball deemed unfit will be replaced by the backups, and then the visitor provided backups. Any instance where the visitor's backups get used must be reported to the commissioner. Is this reported to the commissioner being confused as an investigation? So did the referee decide that 13 balls provided by NE weren't fit to be played? The ref has final say on the ball that gets used.
TL;DR - This is a non issue.
January 19th, 2015 at 11:44 AM ^
The Colts are arguing that the Patriots futzed with the balls in the time between the check and the start/play of the game. It would result in all of a 25,000 fine at maximum so its a non issue in terms of the game but more just is further proof in the legacy rule breaking under bellichik.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
It reminded me of when you kick a flat soccer ball with your toe...
January 19th, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
If so then that's their own fault. The Colts provided their own ball for when they're on offense.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 10:42 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
The balls for kicking are controlled differently than game balls.
January 20th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
Just before kickoff, all the balls are delivered to the ball attendants. They could just as easily manipulate the kicking balls as the scrimmage balls (not that there's been any serious suggestion that it happened in this case).
The bottom line is that all the balls are in the possession of employees of the home team throughout the game. They control the balls on the sideline; they're the ones that send the balls onto the field. If the league really wants to make sure stuff like this doesn't happen they either need to supply neutral ball attendants, or make the penalty for manipulation so great that no one would ever risk it.
January 20th, 2015 at 7:53 PM ^
During game... this is to prevent the teams from sneaking in water-soaked or scuffed kicking balls. Kicking balls come from a holder wearing a bib with a huge 'K' on it.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
USC got fined for this in 2012...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/08/usc-fined-deflated-game-balls/1691303/
January 19th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
I'd investigate whether Chuck Pagano had money on the Patriots covering
January 19th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
I don't think it was the ball, I think it was the Colts that were deflated.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^
I'm not a Colts fan, but just because the Pats would have won anyway doesn't make this meaningless. Call me old fashioned, but cheating is wrong and unsportsmanlike. And this, unlike the trick play against the Ravens (which was legit), is obviously cheating (if true, of course).
The Pats have a history of cheating with the Spygate scandal, which makes this more interesting. Given the slap on the wrist the NFL gave them after that, I wouldn't be surprised if Goodell gives them an extra draft pick for this. It's the least Goodell could do after the thorough dick sucking Bob Kraft has given him this season.
January 19th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^
Old fashioned *is* cheating. Hell, Wooden is viewed as this paragon of coaching and he was blatantly cheating. Hall of fame baseball players through spitters. Goalies have had slightly bigger pads, etc. The Colts defense undoubtedly picked up the ball at some point. As long as it's part of the game (equipment, etc) that the opponent can detect and not performance enhancing drugs that can't be detected, that's part of sports.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 1:14 PM ^
how did Wooden cheat?
January 19th, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^
First off, I the fact that players have cheated for a long time doesn't make it somehow okay. "Old fashioned" referred to the moralizing sentiment that cheating is wrong. Second, I don't think the following prinicple applies:
"As long as it's part of the game (equipment, etc) that the opponent can detect and not performance enhancing drugs that can't be detected, that's part of sports."
I fail to see how deflated game balls is easy to detect. It's not like the defense gets to examine the ball before every play. Doctoring the game ball is like using a corked bat, it's cheating and it's bullshit that players do it and fans act like it's fine. Putting shit on the ball in baseball is cheating. It's wrong. Paying players in college athletics is cheating is and wrong (though it should be permitted). I don't give a shit that people have convinced themselves that Wooden was a saint. They are wrong. I don't give a shit that dirtbag fans think putting tar or spit on the ball is okay. They are wrong.
It's not like holding, or interefering with a receiver, or anyone of the dozens of fouls that are penalized within the rules of the game. It's not like deflating the game ball is a 15 yard penalty or something like that. If true (and that's a big if), then it's a flagarant attempt to go outside the rules of the game to win. That's cheating, and it's wrong.
January 20th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
There was absolutely nothing wrong with Spartan Bob's shenanigans. After all, we could see that the clock wasn't moving. It wasn't anything the opponent couldn't detect.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^
January 20th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
“It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing field.”
Once checked by the officials, the balls are in the custody of ball attendants, who are in the employ of the home team. It wouldn't be that hard to deflate a few balls and make sure those are the balls on the field while the home team is on offense. Except in the event of a turnover, there's always a kicking play between possessions, which means a change of ball. And on a wet day like this the ball's being swapped out all the time.
What the Colts and/or the officials should have done--and I'm not sure whether they did or not--is also check some balls in use while the Colts were on offense. If all the balls were similarly deflated there'd be no competitive advantage and there'd be no issue. If there was a systematic difference in pressure depending on which team had the ball, we could be pretty sure the ball boys were up to something.
January 19th, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 11:32 AM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
The NCAA should come down hard on them (20 minutes of stretching)... it's not like the Patroits raped little boys or anything -- which wouldn't justify much action at all.
January 19th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^
I like the Pats, but I could frankly see them trying something like this - though I doubt it made much of a difference.
I don't understand what the league is doing right now though. If they tested the balls before the game and determined that they were okay, what exactly are they investigating now? Do they think the Patriots deflated them during the game? Or do they think the referees did a poor job testing them?
January 19th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 4:11 PM ^
They need to investigate Buffalo Wild Wings...my god, they actually advertise they do that kind of thing!!
January 19th, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
Even though Belichick has a reputation for trying anything to get an advantage, I think it is more likely the weather changed during the game and made some of the balls feel deflated. As others have said many times, it didn't affect the outcome. Brady could have handed the ball off to the Colts and they would have had trouble scoring.
By the way, I find it odd that people feel they need to root so strongly for the Pats because of Tom Brady. He's a great guy and one of the best QBs ever, but there are Michigan players on various teams and while I like to see them succeed, I don't find that a reason to root for their teams. As a New Yorker who grew up in New England, I love Tom Brady but I still hate the Patriots. And I still laugh, and make money, every time the Jets cover the line against them.
January 19th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
In my case, I'm not a big NFL fan in general, so rooting for Brady is easy.
January 19th, 2015 at 1:01 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 1:27 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 6:49 PM ^
They were the only team to get caught after being told in no uncertain terms to stop doing it.
January 19th, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^
This is un-fucking-believable. I saw on Twitter that some are calling this "Deflate-gate."
WHEN WILL THE POINTLESS, SENSELESS, AND UNNECESSARY USE OF "GATE" END?!?! I'm so sick of that shit.
January 19th, 2015 at 2:56 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 3:52 PM ^
Colts need to quit making excuses after the asskicking.
First off, I doubt it happened, second who gives a fuck? third shouldn't luck have benefited thr most
January 19th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
Fuck off
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 5:30 PM ^
Seems like the Patriot haters will never go away. Will the opinions of the Patriots change when Belichuck and Brady retire?
Some of this seems like sour grapes on the part of the Colts.
January 19th, 2015 at 5:49 PM ^
Its an FTL jumpdrive I swear it. The J.E.T.S. have pictures it (in 2048).
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 19th, 2015 at 6:13 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 9:45 PM ^
4 games against the Colts, 4 beat downs by the Pats. Evidence labelled Exhibit A rests the case.
BTW did anyone tell the Colts that their entire defence was on the tarmac in Indy?
January 19th, 2015 at 10:04 PM ^
Gisele begs to differ