NFL probing Patriots' possible use of deflated balls during AFC Championship

Not sure how to punish the Patriots for this, but they definitely got busted for messing with the balls. With other players coming out, ball manipulation seems to be commonplace among the NFL. The NFL should change the rule to where refs properly inspect each team's balls or provide their own balls in the future.

 

it's why pioli thought his phones were tapped. he spent too much time around hoodie.

 

Can the Pats and Colts replay the game?

Do over!

 

Suspend Beli-cheat for the Super Bowl and take away draft picks.

 

The Patriots are just like any celebrated billion dollar corporation bending the rules to make money. We praise the winner no matter how they win in this country, not the losers.

"If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying". Pats are perfect role models for your kids.

 

Every rule has a dollar figure.

 

Teams have done what happened in Spygate all the time..... Jimmy Johnson even said he did it.

Then 2 weeks ago you have allegations of illegal formations..... it was nonsense.

Now you have underinflated footballs. It is common as well.... several players were talking about it.

Teams do things on the margin all the time.

The NFL is now claiming that the balls were properly inspected (of course they are...). If you believe the balls were properly inspected, that means that they were messed with..... which would not shock me at all. When I was a teenager working for an MLB team we did things and I saw things against the rules all the time.

My guess?

The ball boy has been deflating the balls for a long time.... years. There are 12 balls that are inspected and then sit in a bag. I think that Brady and the ball boy were in on it. The boy holds the ball under a towel (how it is done in bad weather) and I suspect under the towel he released air from the balls.

A mountain being made out of a mole hill....

 

Id be ok with this.

 

Seems like Texans fans still need to figure that out.

They celebrate the Pats and get excited the Texans are hiring ex Pats. Those two organization are run in complete opposite was. You think McNair would allow this type of Tom foolery? He'd fire O'Brien for even trying it in practice.

 

Then they sent out a memo that specifically stated don't do that anymore. Patriots still did it and got nailed for it.

 

So its perfectly ok to secretly videotape your Super Bowl opponents practices because Jimmy Johnson did it?

 

I really can't tell if you're defending the Patriots or chastising them? You say they obviously cheated, but then you say it's no big deal. I don't understand.

 

Seems obvious. He doesn't see a problem with cheating. I mean the goal is to win. Who gives a **** about rules, dignity or respect?

 

If everyone does it, then it's okay.

Glad society doesn't work like this...

 

****ing Bellichekz and the putriots. Can't stand em. Ban em

 

What do you mean? Of course society works like this.

 

It's hard to figure out what would be an appropriately harsh penalty for getting caught blatantly cheating for the 2nd time. I think BB has to be suspended for at least one full season plus the SB and you have to take away at least 2 years worth of first and second round picks for it to be a harsh enough penalty to stop the madness. If there were any players directly involved with it, they need to miss time as well. I get the "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying" line of thinking, and I wouldn't bar them from the HOF like the stupid BBWAA voters are doing in baseball, but you have to send a message that it's not worth it to cheat.

 

Is it okay?

No, but it shouldn't be shocking and it isn't on par with some of the reactions I have seen.

Yes, I believe the Patriots cheated.

Did BB know about it? Very possible he didn't.... but I can tell you who did know about it..... the guy throwing the ball 40 times a game.

I think that the Pats should be punished, but some of the proposed punishment is absurd. Should Aaron Rodgers be suspended, he requests the balls be over inflated prior to inspection. A player that holds or jumps the line and gets away with it is cheating.

The Jets in 2009, two years AFTER spygate admitted that they videotaped every single practice of the other team they played that week. There was virtually no fall out..... because it wasn't a huge media story.

Mike Shannahan had his OL put vaseline all over their arms, against league rules... and were caught and no one cared.

Hell, the Colts a few years ago illegally pumped in artifical crowd noise and nothing happened (something the Oilers did for years as well).

All I am saying is keep it all in perspective.
I think a large fine and loss of a mid round draft pick is sufficient.

I am not sure what world you live in, virtually everyone in a position of power has cheated in some way of another. We shouldn't approve of it, but we should be realistic as well.

 

Given that this is the second major cheating event documented, the NFL should use the harshest penalty possible. If it doesn't, it sends the message that cheating is worth it, even if you are caught.

The Patriots AFC Championship victory should be vacated by forfeit, Billicheat banned from the NFL, and several seasons of draft picks removed from the team, in addition to huge fines.

But none of that will happen, the NFL will drag out the "investigation" until well after the Super Bowl where it will issue a slap on the wrist.