Deflate gate - MEGA THREAD

Newblood said:

So what happens if they are found guilty? The Pats are fined and continue getting ready for their Superbowl game where they will make 100x times the fine cost?

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they might lose draft picks.

NFL investigating if Patriots used deflated footballs in AFC Championship game


The NFL has confirmed it is looking into charges the New England Patriots cheated Sunday night when they clinched a trip to the Super Bowl Sunday night by using deflated footballs.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed the probe Monday, following the AFC championship game, in which the Patriots demolished the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7. The charge was first made Sunday night, when an Indianapolis reporter that the NFL had seized at least one game ball from the AFC championship game to examine whether pigskins were intentionally deflated to make them easier to throw and catch.

“The NFL is investigating the possibility,” Bob Kravitz, of WTHR, tweeted, adding that, “at one point the officials took a ball out of play and weighed it.”

“The NFL is investigating the possibility."

- Bob Kravitz, WTHR

If the Patriots did cheat, it would not be the first time. The team was penalized a first-round draft pick, fined $250,000 and head coach Belichick was personally fined $500,000 after an investigation by the NFL determined the team had illegally videotaped their opponents hand signals during a 2007 game.

And unsubstantiated accusations of cheating have long dogged the team, stemming from their Super Bowl wins in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The St. Louis Rams claimed the team illegally videotaped their walk-through practices prior to the 2002 game, and players on the other defeated opponents have said the Patriots seemed to have inside knowledge of their playbooks.

The Patriots lost the Super Bowl in 2008 and 2012, both times to the New York Giants.

Deflating footballs would theoretically have made it easier for Brady, who completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, to throw and for his receivers to catch in the bad weather of Sunday’s game in Foxboro. But it also should have benefited Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck, who had a miserable game, completing 12 of 33 passes for a mere 126 yards.

According to NFL rules, home teams are required to provide 36 balls for outdoor games and make the balls available for testing with a pressure gauge prior to the game.

The Patriots were also accused of flouting the rules in the game before Sunday’s contest, in which they beat the Baltimore Ravens using unorthodox formations that Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said were designed to confuse the officials and his defense.

However, the margin of victory and the fact that the Colts used the same game balls make it unlikely the cheating, if it occurred, had much of an impact on the game’s outcome. If the allegation is proven, the NFL could take away draft picks from the Partriots.

The University of Southern California, under Lane Kiffin, was fined for deflating footballs in 2012 against arch-rival Oregon. Kiffin blamed a student-manager, who was fired.

Super Bowl XLIX takes place Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona. The defending champion Seattle Seahawks, who punched a return ticket with a 28-22 win over the Green Bay Packers prior to the Patriots-Colts game, are a two-and-a-half-point favorite in early betting.

TexasBearfan said:

it's gay, it's like Belichick got a new toy and was dying to show everybody how smart he was...after about the 3rd one last night my Pats friends were like...just run Blount man....stop the madness

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The Colts should've noticed at some point, since it was announced to the stadium each time.

It's all good, though. I didn't mean to dredge up old arguments. I was mistaken at first on what the OP was talking about.

HeHateMe said:

they might lose draft picks.

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The tone people were using when talking about this didn't give the impression that, if true, would be that big of a deal.

"at least one game ball from the AFC championship game to examine whether pigskins were intentionally deflated to make them easier to throw and catch."

To prove it was intentional and not just an aberration, wouldn't you need several deflated balls? Although I suppose "at least one ball" could mean several balls.

Newblood said:

The tone people were using when talking about this didn't give the impression that, if true, would be that big of a deal.

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I heard the same thing on NFL radio this AM..But thats on the extreme end, and for some strange reason I dont think the Pats ever get the extreme end penalty

Toast88 said:

The Colts should've noticed at some point, since it was announced to the stadium each time.

It's all good, though. I didn't mean to dredge up old arguments. I was mistaken at first on what the OP was talking about.

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well, the Colts balls were certainly deflated, they probably should have tried some trick plays because they just have no mojo IN NE

I keep hearing about how Luck is about to join the elite and he keeps not joining

would being cold and damp (it was raining) have any effect?

dipshit fans on news sites carrying this story seem to believe both teams bring their own balls. of course I take about as much stock in them as the twats that comment on nfl.com.

There was a point in the last half where they showed Brady getting a football from a trainer or somebody to loosen up with. I remembered telling my wife that the ball looked different to me as in smaller. When you think about it it would make sense for a team to try and get an advantage by deflating the ball for its quarterback on a cold and wet day. Think also a bit about that Indy plays in a dome most of the time and Luck has huge hands. Conceivably this could play to Brady's advantage, could it not?

I know in the past that team's have screwed around with the ball both in college and the pros, in fact, a lot in the kicking game just as baseball team's have doctored the baseball trying to get an advantage as in raising the seams or cooling the ball. Nothing would surprise me about Belicheat. He's is a scum bag.

Newblood said:

So what happens if they are found guilty? The Pats are fined and continue getting ready for their Superbowl game where they will make 100x times the fine cost?

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The last time that the Pats were caught cheating, they were fined and lost draft picks. I think that the coach was fined also. I hope they were caught this time also and that he gets suspended a year.

Looked more like the Colts had their balls deflated.

FatBabiesHaveNoPride said:

I don't think they cheated, but they are guilty of douchery.

Throwing a 40 yard bomb up 45-7 with 4 minutes left? Douchery.

Keeping Brady in the game up 45-7 with 4 minutes left? Douchery.

Running an end around reverse up 45-7 with 3 minutes left? Douchery.

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You seem to live in a world were everybody gets ice cream after the game. This is cunting at its finest. Don't like it, stop it on defense.

Deflated balls..

I'm curious, does anyone know whether the home team supplies the balls for both teams or does the visiting team bring their own balls? If they Colts were using the same deflated balls, wouldn't they have been more competitive? Just wondering your thoughts on whether a deflated ball can have that big of an impact on the game.

The home team does supply the balls and that's what the whole thing with those damn Patriots is about.

Both teams get their own football allotment right? Because some QBs like fresh, out of the box footballs and some like to scuff them and give them a worn feel. So couldn't the patriots have deflated footballs after the colts were given their allotment, if indeed thats how things are done?


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FatBabiesHaveNoPride said:

I don't think they cheated, but they are guilty of douchery.

Throwing a 40 yard bomb up 45-7 with 4 minutes left? Douchery.

Keeping Brady in the game up 45-7 with 4 minutes left? Douchery.

Running an end around reverse up 45-7 with 3 minutes left? Douchery.

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stfu! I hate fucking wimpy ass people like you who expect to take the foot off the pedal. Its a fucking game, play hard the entire time.

TheWinman said:

stfu! I hate fucking wimpy ass people like you who expect to take the foot off the pedal. Its a fucking game, play hard the entire time.

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That had nothing to do with playing hard and everything to do with showing tape to the Seahawks before the Super Bowl.

Grimson said:

I thought the article said the home team is responsible to have 36 balls ready for the game. I only skimmed it though.

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Nope. Both teams have to provide the balls they want to use on offense. The issue is that they have to meed the NFL standards for weight, surface, and inflation.

Chris Mortensen ‏@mortreport · 1m1 minute ago
NFL has found that 11 of the Patriots footballs used in Sunday’s AFC title game were under-inflated by 2 lbs each, per league sources.