Conference Championship thread

[Chico23231]

IMO you cant give the Pats the benifit of doubt...there is too much already there.

Bill Belicheat is a cheater. Kraft should be ashamed, but he has allowed it and should be held accountable as well. Low character, both of them

[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by Giantone

Same balls used for both teams .

I think enough posters have pointed out your ignorance on the subject so I'll continue on with the rest of what I have to say. You can't give NE the benefit of the doubt since 11 of the 12 balls were deflated. That and they've had a history of cheating. Dock a draft pick and have the league start furnishing the balls and control them during games instead of allowing teams to handle them. That said, those balls didn't change the outcome of that ass whupping.

[BaltimoreSkins]

On Aaron Rodgers radio show he admitted to increasing the PSI of the balls and yelling at the refs when they lowered them to below 13.5 psi. I am not excusing it merely pointing out that this is a widespread for of cheating. I am curious if it is a turn a blind eye to it type of thing.

Regardless I am pulling for the Pats in the Superbowl. Keep it on the east coast, plus when ever the Skins are out and there is no longer an NFC east team to root against. I pull for the region I would rather live in. I would prefer New England over the pacific Northwest

[BaltimoreSkins]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

I think enough posters have pointed out your ignorance on the subject so I'll continue on with the rest of what I have to say. You can't give NE the benefit of the doubt since 11 of the 12 balls were deflated. That and they've had a history of cheating. Dock a draft pick and have the league start furnishing the balls and control them during games instead of allowing teams to handle them.

Has anyone heard about the psi for the Colts balls yet? I am curious if they were all in compliance as well.

[Hijinx]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

According the NFL rule book (link below), the refs are solely responsible to make sure all footballs comply. Also they mention each team provides 12 footballs, but the 12 footballs from visiting team will be backup footballs. Where did you get your information that the refs segregate the footballs by team? 12 for one team and 12 for another during play? I have NEVER heard of that. I have heard they have special designated footballs for kickers, but no mention that each can only use use the footballs they provided? What is your source? I am not saying you are wrong or calling you a liar, as you seem pretty emotional about this, but I am curious where you got your information? You might be right.?.? I don't claim to know.

http://static.nfl.com/static/content..._2013_Ball.pdf

" The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.
Section 2
BALL SUPPLY
Each team will make 12 primary balls available for testing by the Referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. The home team will also make 12 backup balls available for testing in all stadiums. In addition, the visitors, at their discretion, may bring 12 backup balls to be tested by the Referee for games
held in outdoor stadiums. For all games, eight new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game.

What that says is that each team supplies their own balls and the ref checks them. Two hour prior to the game the ref checks them, but the balls supplied by each team is their own. Each is rubbed down and broken in how they want it to be, within the rules. Except for the K balls which are brand new.

Here is a Boston Globe story agreeing with what I said. NFL says Patriots used 11 under-inflated footballs - Sports - The Boston Globe

[Skinzman]

Originally Posted by Giantone

Yes it is and I understand you have to spin it to make yourself sleep better at night .If the Skins were to hire Belichick and he came here and had the same or better success this board would be defending him ,Fact .


http://static.nfl.com/static/content..._2013_Ball.pdf

This is the exact same thing you said when this board complained about a player getting caught drunk driving, then using Brandon Meriweather as the reasoning that we would defend it since he also did the same thing. Yet most on this board was calling for him to be released when he was caught doing the same thing.

No I dont want my team to film other teams, to deflate balls, etc. You need to break away from your theory that since you support cheating, that everyone else must also since you hold yourself above the average person.

I have also never said Belicheck is a bad coach. I have never said the pats arent good. But they have a history of cheating. A history of cheating means one thing, that they cheat. I dont need to appease some idiot New Yorker or a cheating New Englander to feel better about myself therefore allowing me to sleep. I sleep just fine at night. I slept just fine before and after the Pats got caught filming other teams practices. I slept just fine last night after hearing this nonsense.

[SmootSmack]

I feel like this is a Barry Bonds like situation. Bonds was so good. First ballot Hall of Fame before he got into the steroid game. He didn't need them

Patriots are so good, such a finely run organization and team that they didn't need this. Yes, every team (most teams) fudge the rules but it seems to be a bigger public issue with the Pats than with other teams.

Regardless, I think they still would have crushed the Colts and I'm rooting for them on Sunday

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

A friend of mine who's a diehard Pats fan just posted this:



"I've spent most of the morning thinking about my response to the issues with Patriots, especially since everyone knows I'm a fan. My conclusion? I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the culture and pressure the team has placed on winning, all at the expense of values. I'm particularly disappointed at the message this sends our most impressionable fans--the kids. I'd much rather teach them about losing with value rather than winning by cheating. While we don't know the whole story yet, and I'm not about to abandon my team, I just hope the young ones that look up to these players and coaches learn that life and sports is more than just finding a way to win."

Nice to see a fan not stick his head in the sand. It's rare to see. Pats fans on my FB have been in total denial.

[over the mountain]

The most common Pats fans response, in order:

1. weather - cold air makes the PSI go down

2. innocent until proven guilty - show me the proof or GTFO

3. not a big deal - like going 60 mph in a 55, or extra stick-um on a receivers gloves

4. everyone else is doing it - point to aaron rodgers comments or panthers heating their balls

5. mysterious ball goblin walking the sidelines with an invisibility cloak

------------------------

Can anyone else point to another team "cheating" on an organizational level?

We got a brutal 2 year penalty for cap shifting during the uncapped year. 33 mil taken away from us? thats a killer.

if true, the pats should lose some draft picks and cap room for a few years. it has to be comparable to our penalty if not greater. fining the owner or coach does nothing.

--------------------

student manager deflated balls at USC v Oregon.

USC fined for deflating footballs during game against Oregon

But in a general sense – just taking USC out of the equation – there are few college-football tricks more duplicitous and underhanded than tampering with the football itself. While USC attests that Lane Kiffin, his staff and the roster had no knowledge of the student manager's deflating tactics, the act reflects very poorly on the entire football program.

[OmahaRedskins]

Has anybody seen this post?

Brad Johnson paid a bribe to tamper with footballs at the Super Bowl | ProFootballTalk

[skinsfan69]

What's the old saying..."If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying!" LOL....Seriously, deflated balls? I guess that deflated ball gave Blount an advantage while he was trampling the Colt defenders. Personally I think it was probably a mistake the ball boy made. Or maybe Brady told the ball boy to take some air out of the balls. Either way, the Pats are not going to tell the NFL anything. I'll be rooting for them to beat Seattle since Brady's been my fantasy QB for 11 years. I've always rooted for the bad guys since I was a kid.

[OmahaRedskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I feel like this is a Barry Bonds like situation. Bonds was so good. First ballot Hall of Fame before he got into the steroid game. He didn't need them

Patriots are so good, such a finely run organization and team that they didn't need this. Yes, every team (most teams) fudge the rules but it seems to be a bigger public issue with the Pats than with other teams.

Regardless, I think they still would have crushed the Colts and I'm rooting for them on Sunday

Sorry Smoot, but I have to disagree with you on one point. Barry was not a first ballot hall of famer before he got into the steroid game.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by OmahaRedskins

Sorry Smoot, but I have to disagree with you on one point. Barry was not a first ballot hall of famer before he got into the steroid game.

I'd argue he was close to it

[OmahaRedskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I'd argue he was close to it

I think it depends on when you think he started taking steroids.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by OmahaRedskins

Has anybody seen this post?

Brad Johnson paid a bribe to tamper with footballs at the Super Bowl | ProFootballTalk

I can relate to this a little bit as I was a QB in HS. The new balls are very slick, much harder to grip and harder to spin, at least for me. Especially if you don't have real big hands. The refs would come to the games with brand new balls, maybe 4-5 of them and those were the ones to be used in the game. I would tell our manger to put the new balls back in the ball bag and play with our practice balls. Those balls were old, beat up but MUCH easier to grip and throw a spiral with. Back then it wasn't a big deal and they would let you play with whatever ball you wanted. Anyhow, the manger was responsible to rotating our practice balls during the games. Really not a big deal at all. My coach John Harvill would get on me about it and would say..."you should be able to throw any ball!"..but that wasn't the case. Hated new balls and never used them.