"Tom Brady prefer his balls to feel a certain way" - balls underinflated

[Jimzz]

This whole story has been blown waaay out of proportion. It is common for QBs to work footballs to their liking. Everyone does it, and has done it for years! I heard Scott Zolak talk on the radio today that some QBs would even go to the extent of completely deflating a ball and running it through a "ringer" to adjust it to his liking. The QB's in the league are now all PISSED off at the Colt's for whistle blowing a common practice. It is reported that Manning is more pissed off than anyone. Now QB's will all have to use the same "out-of-the-box" balls, and it is going to suck for them. Good job Colts! Good job!

Deflating footballs, dipping hockey pucks in water, scuffing a baseball....these are all common practices, and widely accepted in the in their respective leagues. Until some idiot team or player that can't compete, complains about it, and ruins it for everyone. Ridiculous.

In MLB scuffing a ball is illegal and will get you kicked out of a game right away. Player have been caught with sandpaper, nail files, etc... and get tossed then usually suspended as well. So no that is not accepted.


The rules in the NFL are clear. The PSI has to be in range and for NE 11 of 12 balls were not. As such the balls they controlled and modified were not legal for play.

 

[mcurphy]

In MLB scuffing a ball is illegal and will get you kicked out of a game right away. Player have been caught with sandpaper, nail files, etc... and get tossed then usually suspended as well. So no that is not accepted.


The rules in the NFL are clear. The PSI has to be in range and for NE 11 of 12 balls were not. As such the balls they controlled and modified were not legal for play.

And no fucks were given...by any team...ever....until now. (Thanks again Colts). I guarantee that every great QB EVER has modified or adjusted a football to their liking. And they all still do it today. Nobody fucking cares....except fans like you who think every single little ridiculous fucking rule needs to be followed to a "T".

 

[IronWing]

The Rules

 

[IronWing]

And no fucks were given...by any team...ever....until now. (Thanks again Colts). I guarantee that every great QB EVER has modified or adjusted a football to their liking. And they all still do it today. Nobody fucking cares....except fans like you who think every single little ridiculous fucking rule needs to be followed to a "T".

Modifying the ball is not a violation of the rules except as stated in the rules. One of the exceptions stated in the rules is under/over inflating the ball.

 

[SP33Demon]

Yep, exactly! Who gives a shit! From the discussion I heard this morning, everyone involved in Pro football is either laughing their ass off at the publicity this has gotten, or is pissed off because it could change how the game is played.

I disagree. If you're stupid enough to get caught, then you deserve what you get. For example, in baseball it's common practice for the catcher to put pine tar on his shin guards and wipe some on the ball when throwing it back to the pitcher. How often is this caught? Never because teams don't do it all the time and are smart about it. Yet the Pats are blatant about it, doing it every game until someone calls them on it. It's the equivalent of the Pineda moron (Yankees pitcher) putting pine tar on his neck, in a nationally televised game, thinking no one would notice. Well someone did notice, and he got busted. The Pats are morons for cheating that blatantly. They probably wouldn't get called in the regular season on it, but in the playoffs you better be on your P's and Q's. Which means not obviously deflating 11 out of 12 balls like fucking idiots.

 

[SP33Demon]

And another ESPN Boston columnist turns on their team. The bloodbath continues:
http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story...e-new-england-patriots-arrogance-consequences

...
Regardless of what the league determines, the Patriots' coach already has been declared guilty in the court of public opinion, his football brilliance superseded only by his football arrogance.

Consider this tweet from Hall of Famer Jerry Rice:

Jerry Rice
@JerryRice
11 of 12 balls under-inflated can anyone spell cheating!!! #Just Saying
11:28 PM - 20 Jan 2015

Rice has no skin in New England's game. ... He is a football legend with an impeccable résumé and he won't be the first or last to cast aspersions on the football team in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

On the surface, knowingly tampering with footballs just minutes before (or during?) the AFC Championship Game in which your team is heavily favored seems, in the words of former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, "laughable.''

It is also incredibly audacious, stupid and paranoid.

It's almost as ludicrous as videotaping the defensive signals of opposing teams after the league sent a memo specifically forbidding the practice and warning there would be serious repercussions if the decree was ignored.

Spygate, Deflategate. Connect the dots and it appears to be more of the same, a haughty coach obsessed with winning who will do anything to get an edge -- and will gleefully tweak the league office in the process.

Therein lies Belichick's problem. A man who has made football his life's work, whose reverence for the game and its history is well-documented, has forever forfeited the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his own integrity. Earlier this month, 85-year-old Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history and the only one to oversee an undefeated season, with the Miami Dolphins in 1972, was asked about New England's coach. The congenial Shula replied: "Beli-cheat?"

It spoke volumes about the perception of New England's resident football genius. Shula is a man of character and credibility. His words hold weight...

But here's the hitch: Even if the Patriots beat the Seahawks 60-0 in Super Bowl XLIX, the win will be declared a tainted one by many. The noise will continue, and the chants of "Beli-cheat" will endure.

The coach probably won't care, but it's not just his legacy that will be stained. His players also are saddled with the perception that something far more unseemly than their preparation and sacrifice were the reasons for their success.

And that's the most deflating reality of all.

Yeah, NE fans and media are pissed. Can't say I blame them.

 

[purbeast0]

Just came into this thread to say that I can barely fathom what the rationale is for having the individual teams supply their own balls for offense, given that they are supposed to be identical. Baseball players have their own bats, and hockey players have their own sticks because that is personal equipment and there is legal variation.

you literally just answered your own question.

 

[MetalMat]

So Belichik claims he did not know about the deflated footballs and I do believe him.

However! Don't forget what Goodell said to Sean Payton before laying down the hammer on the Saints for bountygate: Ignorance is not an excuse.

 

[dainthomas]

Yep, exactly! Who gives a shit! From the discussion I heard this morning, everyone involved in Pro football is either laughing their ass off at the publicity this has gotten, or is pissed off because it could change how the game is played.

So Jerry Rice and Don Shula think it's cheating, but you know more about football than they do so it's no problem. Thanks, Random Internet Guy!

 

[BUTCH1]

So Jerry Rice and Don Shula think it's cheating, but you know more about football than they do so it's no problem. Thanks, Random Internet Guy!

Don Shula is an 85yr old dustbag, in 2007 he accused the patriots of "running up the score" on opponents yet in '72 his Dolphins beat the Pat's 52-0, 14 points coming in the 4th Qtr on long-bomb TD passes, seems Don has a "selective" memory.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Don Shula is an 85yr old dustbag, in 2007 he accused the patriots of "running up the score" on opponents yet in '72 his Dolphins beat the Pat's 52-0, 14 points coming in the 4th Qtr on long-bomb TD passes, seems Don has a "selective" memory.

Don Shula is a bitter old dustbag who happens to be correct in this case.

 

[crownjules]

Don Shula is an 85yr old dustbag, in 2007 he accused the patriots of "running up the score" on opponents yet in '72 his Dolphins beat the Pat's 52-0, 14 points coming in the 4th Qtr on long-bomb TD passes, seems Don has a "selective" memory.

Plus I'm sure he has nothing at stake and there's no possible reason why he'd want to throw fuel on the fire to burn down BB's legacy.

 

[dainthomas]

Plus I'm sure he has nothing at stake and there's no possible reason why he'd want to throw fuel on the fire to burn down BB's legacy.

Belicheck's legacy is firmly established, and not for the positive (other than in the minds of die-hard Pats fans). And Don Shula had nothing to do with it.

I'm now curious to hear about why Jerry Rice's opinions are less valid than a bunch of guys on the internet.

 

[mcurphy]

So Jerry Rice and Don Shula think it's cheating, but you know more about football than they do so it's no problem. Thanks, Random Internet Guy!

I never said I know more about football. I clearly stated my comment based on information I heard from Scott Zolak, a former NFL QB, on talk radio this morning. According to him, and other sources, tampering with the balls is very common. It's possible that the radio segment from this morning's broadcast will be posted to their website in the next 24 hours...if that's the case then I will link it here. I thought it was very informative, and I completely agreed with everything that was discussed.

 

[edro]

Why doesn't anyone bring up the benefits of under-inflated balls to the offense in general?

It seems pretty obvious to me that it would aid the QB, receivers and running back in cold wet weather.
This isn't merely a Brady preference; it would help the entire offense mitigate turnovers and dropped passes.

Still, I don't care.

 

[KeithTalent]

Belicheck's legacy is firmly established, and not for the positive (other than in the minds of die-hard Pats fans). And Don Shula had nothing to do with it.

I'm now curious to hear about why Jerry Rice's opinions are less valid than a bunch of guys on the internet.

They are all less valid because they are all irrelevant to my opinion on the matter. Such a stupid non-story that is being blown up beyond insanity.

KT

 

[dainthomas]

I never said I know more about football. I clearly stated my comment based on information I heard from Scott Zolak, a former NFL QB, on talk radio this morning. According to him, and other sources, tampering with the balls is very common. It's possible that the radio segment from this morning's broadcast will be posted to their website in the next 24 hours...if that's the case then I will link it here. I thought it was very informative, and I completely agreed with everything that was discussed.

Well, it used to be common for guys to dip their entire hands in pine tar. Now that's illegal.

I suspect that, as someone else stated, this was something common but done infrequently (or subtly enough to not get caught). Now the Patriots' blatant flaunting of the rule has ruined it for everyone. The more interesting question is what prompts them to always do stuff like this when they obviously don't need to?

 

[mcurphy]

Well, it used to be common for guys to dip their entire hands in pine tar. Now that's illegal.

I suspect that, as someone else stated, this was something common but done infrequently (or subtly enough to not get caught). Now the Patriots' blatant flaunting of the rule has ruined it for everyone. The more interesting question is what prompts them to always do stuff like this when they obviously don't need to?

Good question, and I really think it all boils down to how it feels in the QB's hands. They are very particular about how the ball feels in their hands. Another point of discussion on the radio this morning, was that some of the smaller QB's with smaller hands like the deflated balls because it gives them a better grip...easier to get their hands around it. Regardless of the weather.


If this whole fiasco makes changes to the way ref's check the balls, or if it becomes fact that QB's cannot alter the balls AT ALL, then everyone will be using the "out-of-the-box" footballs, and there are going to be some pissed off players.

 

[mcurphy]

Good article:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/01/22/the-bernstein-brief-patriots-scandal-just-not-compelling/

Patriots coach Bill Belichick pushed the responsibility onto Tom Brady, and later today Brady will either similarly claim ignorance, admit to doctoring the balls himself or indicate how it might have happened.

The news of New England deflating footballs is all silly play-acting now, and it’s not even particularly interesting.

Belichick is obviously lying, as detail-oriented a coach who has ever done the job. Brady has some involvment, no matter what he says. All teams prepare their footballs to the preference of the quarterback, or so we have now learned.

Why the NFL lets teams doctor the balls they use on offense is a question, one that will probably result in new standardization soon. But it points to an unspoken understanding about certain unwritten rules regarding such customization. The Packers’ Aaron Rodgers has been open about liking an over-inflated ball, telling CBS that he’ll “push the limits” to get the grip he likes. Our own Patrick Mannelly told us yesterday about how he directed the Bears’ ball-scuffers to create certain textures in preferred areas for better long-snapping.

So this will end predictably with a public shaming and some kind of punishment, as well as overheated calls for justice. And then we’ll get back to the game.
Football is more interesting than footballs.

 

[Blackjack200]

you literally just answered your own question.

There is legal variation in how the footballs are prepared? Are you referring to the narrow pressure range that balls are supposed to be inflated to?

I'd say that's technically correct, but I think that the spirit of the rule is that the balls are supposed to be similar as much as possible, whereas with baseball bats there are players that prefer lighter and heavier bats, and with hockey players there are players that prefer heel curves and toe curves. The equipment is not supposed to be similar.

 

[SP33Demon]

They are all less valid because they are all irrelevant to my opinion on the matter. Such a stupid non-story that is being blown up beyond insanity.

KT

Yes, Jerry Rice doesn't know shit about what a football is supposed to be inflated to, who does he think he is? How does Jerry Rice get to be an authority on football? lol

 

[KeithTalent]

Yes, Jerry Rice doesn't know shit about what a football is supposed to be inflated to, who does he think he is? How does Jerry Rice get to be an authority on football? lol

What are you talking about?

KT

 

[HomerJS]

Yes, Jerry Rice doesn't know shit about what a football is supposed to be inflated to, who does he think he is? How does Jerry Rice get to be an authority on football? lol

KT prolly only knows Jerry Rice from Dancing with the Stars.

 

[vi edit]

Patriots coach Bill Belichick pushed the responsibility onto Tom Brady, and later today Brady will either similarly claim ignorance, admit to doctoring the balls himself or indicate how it might have happened.

This all feels like an epic Belichick troll move to let Tom get up there and talk about his balls and how he prefers they feel in his hands for 30 minutes. It could be one of the best press conferences in recent history.

 

[brainhulk]

This all feels like an epic Belichick troll move to let Tom get up there and talk about his balls and how he prefers they feel in his hands for 30 minutes. It could be one of the best press conferences in recent history.

Brady addressed his teammates behind closed doors on Thursday, NBC News learned. He told them that he prefers the football "a certain way," according to teammates, and told them to stay focused on the Super Bowl.
The Patriots said that Brady would face reporters at 3:45 p.m. ET. He had been scheduled to talk to reporters on Friday, but the team bumped it up by a day as interest grew in the scandal.

Sure seems that's what's gonna go down