NFL Debate #74: Patriot Penalty

[Cory]

Go.

[Cory]

I went with the extreme, Albert Breer via Twitter hit it on the head for me.

"Also, people need to stop mocking the story/investigation by saying it's about "deflated balls." It's not. It's about a pattern of behavior."

I think the deflated balls thing is being blown out of proportion....like many of the Colts have said it didnt matter what type of ball the Patriots used they were going to kill Indy anyways, and I for one arent certain that Bellicheck isnt lying about no knowledge about the balls...but the fact that this is the 3rd, 4th? time Patriots organization under Bellichick and Brady have been caught cheating, breaking the rules and essentially daring the league to take action needs to be dealt with once and for all.

The league has shown how terrible it can be in handling these issues (Ray Rice), and how brutal they can be for at best moderate, majority believing minimal things (i.e depriving the league and NFL fans of an amazing talent for the whole season in Adrian Peterson).

- Team fine wont teach them a lesson, but seems to be protocol.
- Suspension of Coaching staff would affect the team, I would assume the investigation will go post superbowl, 3-4 game suspension for Bellichick next season....wouldn't go as far as Sean Payton.
- Strip Patriots of first 3 rounds of picks. This is where you hit them.

Im not anti-patriots (even tho 80% of the people in my town cheer for them including close family members) and Im not blind to admit that Bellichick is the best coach of this generation....but you cant keep slapping a team on the wrist for breaking the rules, whether they claim to have had knowledge of it or not. Goodell should whip his dick out and go to town of the Patriots this off-season, because they keep being a very naughty organization.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

Sean Payton was suspended a year for not knowing what was happening within his program. Goodell claimed he should have and ignorance is not an excuse. Let that sink in real quick.

"I was shocked to learn of the footballs on Monday. I had no knowledge until Monday morning," Belichick said. "I'd say I've learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew, or had talked about it, in the last 40 years that I've coached in this league."

Ideally, the same  punishment the saints got at worst. 500k fine to the organization forfeiture of first round picks (the saints would have lost a first and a second the following year but their first belonged to the Patriots so they lost two second picks) and since this is Belichecks second offense, I'd suspend him for the super bowl and suspend him for a year and put him on career probation (not that he'll be coaching too much longer).

[Chris Shields]

I can't believe I'm typing these words, but I agree with both Cory and TJ. I'm not a Patriots hater, but I will readily admit that I hate Belledick and Brady. Fact of the matter is, this isn't the first time where the organization has been caught violating the rules. People who think this is about the Colts losing or deflated balls or hatred or crap like that, are either Patriots fans or they're missing the point. They cheated, they broke the rules, they did something that is not supposed to be done, pure and simple.

[Jon]

No punishment, deflated balls really?

[T-Bonizzle]

Deflated balls, really?

I can say several things as to why this is stupid. Probably every team messes with their balls. If the ball was a little on the softer side (which player readily admit when it's wet they'll do that) of the limit, the weather conditions (high humidity and low pressure) would send that over the edge. We're literally talking about the difference between .5 and .3...anyone who understands some physics realizes that in this case that isn't a significant value, and it's acceptable fluctuation based on constant changing air pressure conditions, which a low pressure system will do. 11 out of 12 balls easily tells me this is a probable scenario (even if the people involved aren't smart enough). Based on what we've been told about the conditions of the balls, I don't even think it was intentional.

[T-Bonizzle]

But really, deflated balls...

[Reya Serra]

I want to see them win the Super Bowl so that everyone can stop talking about Seattle, then be slammed with all that punishment they so richly deserve.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

Deflated balls, really?

I can say several things as to why this is stupid. Probably every team messes with their balls. If the ball was a little on the softer side (which player readily admit when it's wet they'll do that) of the limit, the weather conditions (high humidity and low pressure) would send that over the edge. We're literally talking about the difference between .5 and .3...anyone who understands some physics realizes that in this case that isn't a significant value, and it's acceptable fluctuation based on constant changing air pressure conditions, which a low pressure system will do. 11 out of 12 balls easily tells me this is a probable scenario (even if the people involved aren't smart enough). Based on what we've been told about the conditions of the balls, I don't even think it was intentional.

Talked to an old classmate of mine about this, he's a physics major. For the balls to be two pounds lighter, they would have had to either 1) inflated in a sauna like enviroment or 2) they need to be playing in ice bowl conditions.

11 of 12 balls mean, "Let's make sure if they inspect a ball, it's this one". Like with Suh, when people said "all benefit of the doubt is gone because of his past" same applies to Bellichick.

[T-Bonizzle]

It wasn't 2, it was 0.2

[Gates]

Deflated balls, really?

As I said in the other thread, this is a non-story and as has been stated, it's only a story because of what the Patriots have done in the past. If any of the other teams (maybe save one or two) would have been caught with this, people would have laughed it off and gone on with their lives.

Bellicheck (or Brady, since one of my friends mentioned him as a possibility) being suspended for the Superbowl? I doubt that. The NFL might not be run by geniuses, but even they know that doing so could possible hurt viewership on TV for their biggest game of the year. If there was a punishment, I could see it being Bellicheck suspended for half a season or a season, but I also feel that if this were the case, he'd probably just retire and the suspension wouldn't matter. Suspend Brady? Maybe, but then the NFLPA would probably hire an arbitrator to overturn it and it wouldn't matter either. The only thing that would hurt them is a fine and losing draft picks, but even the draft picks probably wouldn't hurt their chances at being successful.

I know in Payton's case he was suspended because he should have known what was going on...but what if he, and these two, didn't know? A wild idea, right? What if they didn't know how or who was deflating the balls, and were just using them because someone in the organization (ball boys maybe?) knew that Brady preferred a more deflated ball, or that a deflated ball is best in rainy conditions. It's a wild, crazy, obscene idea, but it is highly possible.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

It wasn't 2, it was 0.2

NBC Sports reported Wednesday that according to an NFL source, a review has determined the Patriots' balls were properly checked by the officials before the game, meaning the pressure was between 12.5 PSI and no more than 13.5 PSI. When the balls were tested at halftime, 11 of the 12 balls were two pounds below the mandatory minimum, NBC Sports reported.

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

As a guy who bet on the Colts and Seahawks to get to the Superbowl, I guess its something I'd debate as would other gamblers, colts fans etc..

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

I also think given the scandal shit the NFL has had this year in some warped twisted way it would only be fitting if the Pats won...given this debate.