#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[Eja117]

It's that time of the week again.....time for analogies! 


I'm hearing now that descendants of Stonewall Jackson are claiming the North used bayonets that were too pointy.

The crown has contacted the Pentagon to reiterate that troops under George Washington purposely fired at commanding officers and back then you just didn't do that.

Germany is complaining the Russian snipers in WW2 used extra powder in their bullets against the Geneva conventions.

An 8 year old bully in Iowa tried to steal a smaller 6 year old's lunch money but got beat up so naturally his mom is stating the 8 year old used karate, which is against the rules at their school.

A recent would be jewel thief is suing a couple in CA because the pit bull that stopped him "had too many teeth and his toe nails clearly hadn't been clipped in weeks".

A politician somewhere is stating that his opponent has mischaracterized him as voting against something because he actually voted for it before he voted against it.

The FDA is sending angry messages to Tootsie because it simply takes way too many licks to get to the middle of a tootsie pop.

Some actresses are upset at statements by Fashion Police that other actresses wore it better.

And the NFL is investigating the Patriots for underinflated balls.

[TheFlex]

Sure we cheated, but we didn't need to cheat to beat you so you're the bad sport is a really strange way to talk about this.

Is it as strange as getting the living snot beaten out of you and then accusing the other team of cheating with balls that were checked and then checked again and handled hundreds of times by refs?

Is it as strange as getting beat when you were up by two TDs and then complaining the other team used totally legal formations?

Eja explained my point very well. The balls were checked and approved by officials before the game, both teams played with the same balls, the balls were re-inspected and re-inflated, then the Patriots go on to crush them on fair, even ground. That's when they take the complaint to the league. It's poor sportsmanship on their part and an attempt at defamation.

Not sure if I am understanding this the way you intended, but it sounds like you are saying the teams played the game with the same footballs, which is not true.   Indy's offense plays with Indy's balls; Pats offense plays with Pats balls.  So, assuming the Pats balls were deflated and Indy's weren't, the Pats offense had an advantage.

But would this have really been an advantage? If Luck had his footballs at the psi he prefers (even if within the legal limit), then he's not at a disadvantage versus Brady. The NFL already leans towards this principle by allowing a range of psi (without, I might add, giving any reasoning as to why "12.5—13.5 psi" is "proper" and why anything outside that is "improper"; i.e., it all seems arbitrary to me).

In other words, if both QBs are comfortable with the level of inflation in their respective footballs, there is no unfair advantage on either side, regardless of what an arbitrary and meaningless rule states.

Yes this would have really been an advantage. In general it is easier to throw and catch the ball when it has a little give to it. My guess is Aaron Rodgers' preference of slightly harder footballs is the exception. To assume that Luck and all of his receivers liked a ball inflated closer to 13.5 psi is pretty inconceivable to me.

Anyways this didn't matter in the Colts game. I'm only arguing it to demonstrate why they should be punished. You shouldn't get a pass for cheating just because in hindsight the cheating wasn't necessary.

What would really make me upset as a Ravens fan is if it is discovered that similar behavior was performed before and during Baltimore's match vs. the Pats. That game only ended in a 4-point differential. That's the type of game where it could be said the outcome of that game could have changed if not for the Pats' offensive advantage.

[Smitty77]

Simply put, the Patriots are a disgrace and simply canNOT win without cheating.  Big ramifications are coming.  Trust me on this one!!

Smitty77

[KeepRondo]

News update.

The Patriots ball boy was caught on tape. He was trying to put air back into the ball before the rest were seized. This explains the 12th ball.

Source?

The news, of course

My cousin is friends with the ball boy. The news will come out with the report findings.

[kozlodoev]

Simply put, the Patriots are a disgrace and simply canNOT win without cheating.  Big ramifications are coming.  Trust me on this one!!

I'm getting the feeling that every other NFL team plus several known loudmouths are doing everything possible to drum this up as much as they can. In the meantime, we're still waiting for evidence that someone related to the Patriots actually tampered with the game balls in a manner prohibited by the rules.

Oh, and here is a quote from Jets coach Eric Mangini on Spygate for your evening read tonight:

“This is one of those situations where I didn’t want them to do the things they were doing. I didn’t think it was any kind of significant advantage, but I wasn’t going to give them the convenience of doing it in our stadium, and I wanted to shut it down. But there was no intent to get the league involved. There was no intent to have the landslide that it has become.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/01/eric-mangini-regrets-turning-in-the-patriots-over-spygate/

By the way, why isn't anyone calling SB LXIV "tainted" these days?

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Sure we cheated, but we didn't need to cheat to beat you so you're the bad sport is a really strange way to talk about this.

Is it as strange as getting the living snot beaten out of you and then accusing the other team of cheating with balls that were checked and then checked again and handled hundreds of times by refs?

Is it as strange as getting beat when you were up by two TDs and then complaining the other team used totally legal formations?

Eja explained my point very well. The balls were checked and approved by officials before the game, both teams played with the same balls, the balls were re-inspected and re-inflated, then the Patriots go on to crush them on fair, even ground. That's when they take the complaint to the league. It's poor sportsmanship on their part and an attempt at defamation.

Not sure if I am understanding this the way you intended, but it sounds like you are saying the teams played the game with the same footballs, which is not true.   Indy's offense plays with Indy's balls; Pats offense plays with Pats balls.  So, assuming the Pats balls were deflated and Indy's weren't, the Pats offense had an advantage.

But would this have really been an advantage? If Luck had his footballs at the psi he prefers (even if within the legal limit), then he's not at a disadvantage versus Brady. The NFL already leans towards this principle by allowing a range of psi (without, I might add, giving any reasoning as to why "12.5—13.5 psi" is "proper" and why anything outside that is "improper"; i.e., it all seems arbitrary to me).

In other words, if both QBs are comfortable with the level of inflation in their respective footballs, there is no unfair advantage on either side, regardless of what an arbitrary and meaningless rule states.

Yes this would have really been an advantage. In general it is easier to throw and catch the ball when it has a little give to it. My guess is Aaron Rodgers' preference of slightly harder footballs is the exception. To assume that Luck and all of his receivers liked a ball inflated closer to 13.5 psi is pretty inconceivable to me.

Anyways this didn't matter in the Colts game. I'm only arguing it to demonstrate why they should be punished. You shouldn't get a pass for cheating just because in hindsight the cheating wasn't necessary.

If, as seems to be the case, most QBs prefer softer footballs, why does this silly, pointless rule even exist?

I assume the NFL wants its QBs to be as comfortable as possible throwing the ball, and I also assume the NFL wants receivers to have as good a chance as possible to catch the ball—after all, there isn't much entertainment value in bad passes and dropped balls—so why have this rule? Why not just let every team do what it wants with the psi of its footballs (which seems to have been the case already, except as it applies to the Patriots)? If every team is allowed to do this, then no team is being placed at a competitive disadvantage.

[Neurotic Guy]

Sure we cheated, but we didn't need to cheat to beat you so you're the bad sport is a really strange way to talk about this.

Is it as strange as getting the living snot beaten out of you and then accusing the other team of cheating with balls that were checked and then checked again and handled hundreds of times by refs?

Is it as strange as getting beat when you were up by two TDs and then complaining the other team used totally legal formations?

Eja explained my point very well. The balls were checked and approved by officials before the game, both teams played with the same balls, the balls were re-inspected and re-inflated, then the Patriots go on to crush them on fair, even ground. That's when they take the complaint to the league. It's poor sportsmanship on their part and an attempt at defamation.

Not sure if I am understanding this the way you intended, but it sounds like you are saying the teams played the game with the same footballs, which is not true.   Indy's offense plays with Indy's balls; Pats offense plays with Pats balls.  So, assuming the Pats balls were deflated and Indy's weren't, the Pats offense had an advantage.

But would this have really been an advantage? If Luck had his footballs at the psi he prefers (even if within the legal limit), then he's not at a disadvantage versus Brady. The NFL already leans towards this principle by allowing a range of psi (without, I might add, giving any reasoning as to why "12.5—13.5 psi" is "proper" and why anything outside that is "improper"; i.e., it all seems arbitrary to me).

In other words, if both QBs are comfortable with the level of inflation in their respective footballs, there is no unfair advantage on either side, regardless of what an arbitrary and meaningless rule states.

Quarterbacks and receivers probably do have some variability about what they like in a football, but in rain and cold, it would be difficult to argue that a harder, more expanded football would be easier to throw/catch (in general).  Did it povide a substantial advantage -- who knows? But I think I could rest easily saying that if the Patriots in any way conspired to deflate footballs they didn't do it simply because they like sticking needles in pigskin.

[Donoghus]

By the way, why isn't anyone calling SB LXIV "tainted" these days?

Probably because it won't be played for another 15 years. 

[kozlodoev]

If, as seems to be the case, most QBs prefer softer footballs, why does this silly, pointless rule even exist?

The better question is why is the range so narrow. From what I hear, the difference between a 13 PSI ball and a 11 PSI ball  is fairly small.

[kozlodoev]

By the way, why isn't anyone calling SB LXIV "tainted" these days?

Probably because it won't be played for another 15 years. 

Eh, XLIV, I mean.

[Smitty77]

Simply put, the Patriots are a disgrace and simply canNOT win without cheating.  Big ramifications are coming.  Trust me on this one!!

I'm getting the feeling that every other NFL team plus several known loudmouths are doing everything possible to drum this up as much as they can. In the meantime, we're still waiting for evidence that someone related to the Patriots actually tampered with the game balls in a manner prohibited by the rules.

Oh, and here is a quote from Jets coach Eric Mangini on Spygate for your evening read tonight:

“This is one of those situations where I didn’t want them to do the things they were doing. I didn’t think it was any kind of significant advantage, but I wasn’t going to give them the convenience of doing it in our stadium, and I wanted to shut it down. But there was no intent to get the league involved. There was no intent to have the landslide that it has become.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/01/eric-mangini-regrets-turning-in-the-patriots-over-spygate/

By the way, why isn't anyone calling SB LXIV "tainted" these days?

Koz,

I don't mean to be overly critical, but that is simply ridiculous.  To think that NO advantage was gained is simply asanine.

I am done with this discussion.

Smitty77

[Donoghus]

By the way, why isn't anyone calling SB LXIV "tainted" these days?

Probably because it won't be played for another 15 years. 

Eh, XLIV, I mean.

A lot of it has to do with the laundry. 

[KeepRondo]

Simply put, the Patriots are a disgrace and simply canNOT win without cheating.  Big ramifications are coming.  Trust me on this one!!

I'm getting the feeling that every other NFL team plus several known loudmouths are doing everything possible to drum this up as much as they can. In the meantime, we're still waiting for evidence that someone related to the Patriots actually tampered with the game balls in a manner prohibited by the rules.

Oh, and here is a quote from Jets coach Eric Mangini on Spygate for your evening read tonight:

“This is one of those situations where I didn’t want them to do the things they were doing. I didn’t think it was any kind of significant advantage, but I wasn’t going to give them the convenience of doing it in our stadium, and I wanted to shut it down. But there was no intent to get the league involved. There was no intent to have the landslide that it has become.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/01/eric-mangini-regrets-turning-in-the-patriots-over-spygate/

By the way, why isn't anyone calling SB LXIV "tainted" these days?

Koz,

I don't mean to be overly critical, but that is simply ridiculous.  To think that NO advantage was gained is simply asanine.

I am done with this discussion.

Smitty77

lol stop getting so upset.

[kozlodoev]

I don't mean to be overly critical, but that is simply ridiculous.  To think that NO advantage was gained is simply asanine.

I don't think that. Eric Mangini, who was coaching the Jets at that time said he thought that. Make of that what you will.

What a lot of people don't realize is that the Patriots weren't disciplined because they were "spying". Everyone films the opposition in the NFL, it's called scouting. They were penalized because they were doing it from the sidelines rather than a booth.

[rondohondo]

just saw the sport science deflategate

They said the 2lbs per square inch is the equivalent of the weight of a dollar bill