The Official CE&HST Super Bowl Thread

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Did the temperature drop a lot that weekend? Pressure does drop in balls when it's cold, just like it does with car tires. If they are inflating them to the minimum level and it cools off, they will end up below regulation just due to temperature change. The Patriots aren't going to get the benefit of the doubt but that's a plausible explanation.

McDaniels taped the 49'ers walk through practice in London in 2009. The Bronco's were on the way to a 4-12 season. Completely pointless endeavor, and almost seemed compulsive which is why I wouldn't be surprised to see his name come up here.

I wonder how much effect the weather would have on inflation pressure. And It would be odd if it was consistent across 11 balls. I still would like to know why he said he picked 24 balls before the game. What happened to the other 12?

Obviously Brady, Belichick or McDaniels didn't let the air out of the balls or submit under inflated balls for inspection. It was an equipment guy who obviously would not be doing this on his own. I don't see how all three of them wouldn't know, especially Brady. What is the league doing if they haven't talked to anyone on the team yet? Did the official follow proper pregame inspection procedure? If he did and checked the air pressure with a gauge, someone deflated the balls. A stupid thing to do and jeopardize your creditability and ruin your career and reputation. It couldn't possibly have given him that much of an advantage and if he's been doing it for years, it was a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

I believe that many QB's play around with this, read what Aaron Rodgers has to say about it. But it's against the rules and just because others do it doesn't make it ok. If this was any other team but the Patriots, it wouldn't get much attention, but the past will always come back and haunt them as long as the current staff is in place. Belichick is one of the best coaches in the history of the game and Brady is a top 5 all time QB. They don't need to cheat to achieve what they have achieved. As a life long NE fan, I am truly disappointed. If they cheated on this, they cheated the NFL and every fan in the country. I don't want to be disappointed in another athlete like I was with Clemens, Bonds, McGwire, Armstrong and many others.

Cheating goes on in all sports at some level and it hurts the integrity of the sport.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Aikman says Belichick should have his ballz chopped off and served up for dinner to Seattle.

Aikman on Deflategate: Brady knew and Belichick should burn

Troy Aikman said he believes Tom Brady spearheaded Deflategate and Bill Belichick should pay dearly for it.

The Cowboys great and Fox analyst held nothing back in a Dallas radio interview Thursday when discussing the latest controversy to envelop the Patriots and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

“It’s obvious that Tom Brady had something to do with this,” Aikman told the station, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“I know going back to when I played, they’ve loosened up the rules in terms of what each team is able to do with the footballs coming into the game. Used to, the home team provided all the balls. And now, each team brings their footballs the way they like them and break ‘em in. Used to you couldn’t break them in. So for the balls to be deflated, that doesn’t happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen, I can assure you of that. Now the question becomes did Bill Belichick know about it.”

Belichick denied just that when he spoke to the press after Aikman’s comments were made. Belichick contended he had no clue how the 12 balls were deflated below league standards in the Patriots’ 45-7 rout of the Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

Modal Trigger

Brady and Belichick during the AFC Championship Game.Photo: Getty Images

However, the rule change Aikman discussed was actually advocated by Brady and Peyton Manning in 2006 when the star quarterbacks successfully lobbied the league. Brady noted at the time, in an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, how each quarterback likes the football “a little bit different.”

Aikman sees the controversy as another black eye not only for the Patriots, but for Goodell. Aikman said Goodell’s “ignorance is no excuse” policy that he used to bury the Saints during Bountygate in 2012 will come back to hurt him again, just as it did when he bungled Ray Rice’s domestic violence case – where Goodell used his own ignorance as an excuse for originally handing out a two-game punishment to the Ravens running back.

“Sean Payton did not cheat,” Aikman said of the Saints coach who was suspended a full year for Bountygate.

“There was nothing that Sean Payton and the Saints did that was illegal. And they did not give themselves a competitive edge. I maintain, regardless of whatever was said in the locker room, and in that locker room, is not anything different than what’s been said in any other locker room around the league. There’s no proof on the field of what took place that guys were targeting players. You can always pull out a play here and there. They were one of the least penalized teams for unsportsmanlike conduct. So there was no evidence that anything translated to the field that they were trying to hurt players. And they did not give themselves a competitive advantage.

Modal Trigger

Roger GoodellPhoto: AP

“Now twice, under Bill Belichick and possibly a third time, they’ve cheated and given themselves an advantage. To me, the punishment for the Patriots and/or Bill Belichick has to be more severe than what the punishment was for the New Orleans Saints.”

Where Aikman unfavorably compared the Patriots’ alleged antics to Bountygate, Ravens defensive lineman Chris Canty’s hot take likened ball-tampering to PEDs.

“The Patriots are habitual line-steppers,” Canty said in an appearance on NBCSN on Wednesday. “If the allegations are true, then you are talking about attacking the integrity of our game and I have an issue with that.”

“What I’m going to say about the deflating of the balls, to me there is no difference than performance-enhancing drugs. You are cheating at that point. You are getting a competitive advantage outside of the rulebook and there has to be some sort of consequences for that.”

But will Goodell, a noted ally of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, punish the team severely?

“There’s a great deal of pressure on Roger Goodell, in light of everything that’s happened this year, and the way that he’s handled all of these situations, and hasn’t handled them particularly well by the way, and on this particular case, because there’s a lot of coaches and a lot of people that look upon the Patriots as a team that’s been favored in some of the things that have happened — I thought the punishment he got for Spygate was a slap on the wrist, was next to nothing — so we’ll see,” Aikman said.

http://nypost.com/2015/01/22/aikman-on-deflategate-brady-knew-and-belichick-should-burn/

It really doesn't matter what Aikman says. Payton was justly punished and so should whoever is responsible on the Patriots team, regardless if it is Belichick, Brady and McDaniels. The NFL has enough image problems without this adding to it. They need to deal with this correctly. I also think that if Belichick is involved with this and gets suspended, Kraft will fire him.

[unsmiley 111]

Who gives a c r a p about football? It just a bunch of fatties trying to prevent each other from waddling down field.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Who gives a c r a p about football? It just a bunch of fatties trying to prevent each other from waddling down field.

The topic would fall off the page if no one posted in it. Thanks for taking the time to post and bringing it back up. Obviously you do care.

[Dakine10 5,452]

I wonder how much effect the weather would have on inflation pressure. And It would be odd if it was consistent across 11 balls. I still would like to know why he said he picked 24 balls before the game. What happened to the other 12?

Obviously Brady, Belichick or McDaniels didn't let the air out of the balls or submit under inflated balls for inspection. It was an equipment guy who obviously would not be doing this on his own. I don't see how all three of them wouldn't know, especially Brady. What is the league doing if they haven't talked to anyone on the team yet? Did the official follow proper pregame inspection procedure? If he did and checked the air pressure with a gauge, someone deflated the balls. A stupid thing to do and jeopardize your creditability and ruin your career and reputation. It couldn't possibly have given him that much of an advantage and if he's been doing it for years, it was a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

I believe that many QB's play around with this, read what Aaron Rodgers has to say about it. But it's against the rules and just because others do it doesn't make it ok. If this was any other team but the Patriots, it wouldn't get much attention, but the past will always come back and haunt them as long as the current staff is in place. Belichick is one of the best coaches in the history of the game and Brady is a top 5 all time QB. They don't need to cheat to achieve what they have achieved. As a life long NE fan, I am truly disappointed. If they cheated on this, they cheated the NFL and every fan in the country. I don't want to be disappointed in another athlete like I was with Clemens, Bonds, McGwire, Armstrong and many others.

Cheating goes on in all sports at some level and it hurts the integrity of the sport.

Yep. Anyone else but the Pat's and it would be done with already.

[luckytxn 2,263]

It was a bad gauge. They will let it go and put in procedures that will ensure it never happens again. Buy several gauges at a store and they usually will vary. Each team will have to buy calibration equipment.

[Dakine10 5,452]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/22/what-did-josh-mcdaniels-know/

What did Josh McDaniels know?

Posted by Mike Florio on January 22, 2015, 12:46 PM EST

AP

As we process the “I don’t know, ask Tom” explanation from Patriots coach Bill Belichick and await for Tom Brady to say something like “I don’t know, ask Bill,” here’s a question. Has anyone asked offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel anything?

If we accept Belichick’s explanation that a head coach with a reputation for micromanaging the game knew nothing about the pregame or in-game handling of the very thing that determines the gaining of yards, the scoring of points, and the winning of games, should that same explanation apply to the guy directly responsible for the development of strategies and techniques and plays aimed at gaining yards and scoring points?

McDaniels served as New England’s offensive coordinator during SpyGate. He would have directly benefited from the knowledge acquired from taping defensive coaching signals in past games against the same opponent. And he likely would have known that the plays he was calling were based on ill-gotten information about the specific defense they’d be facing. Yet because McDaniels wasn’t the head coach, none of the Spygate stigma stuck to him.

In 2010, McDaniels was the head coach of the Broncos. The league fined him $50,000 after Steve Scarnecchia videotaped six minutes of the 49ers’ walk-through practice before a game in London and tendered the video to McDaniels. Even though McDaniels claimed that he didn’t look at the video, the NFL fined him for failing to properly report the infraction.

Given McDaniels’ history and his role, he should be getting a lot more attention and scrutiny in #DeflateGate than he has. Even if it’s true that Belichick took the Sgt. Schulz approach to the condition of the footballs, it’s hard to think that McDaniels never bothered to consider the potential benefits to be derived from getting the balls into a specific shape that would make them easier for the quarterback to throw.

[VJ_Messiah 22]

Did the temperature drop a lot that weekend? Pressure does drop in balls when it's cold, just like it does with car tires. If they are inflating them to the minimum level and it cools off, they will end up below regulation just due to temperature change. The Patriots aren't going to get the benefit of the doubt but that's a plausible explanation.

McDaniels taped the 49'ers walk through practice in London in 2009. The Bronco's were on the way to a 4-12 season. Completely pointless endeavor, and almost seemed compulsive which is why I wouldn't be surprised to see his name come up here.

11 of the 12 Pats footballs were found to be under inflated and 0 of the 12 Colts footballs were not found to be under inflated. Each team gets 12 footballs and they are inspected before the game. Someone let the air out of the Pats balls and even though the Pats still would have won the game without deflated balls, rules were broken and yes an under inflated football is a big advantage for a QB in cold and / or wet weather.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

11 of the 12 Pats footballs were found to be under inflated and 0 of the 12 Colts footballs were not found to be under inflated. Each team gets 12 footballs and they are inspected before the game. Someone let the air out of the Pats balls and even though the Pats still would have won the game without deflated balls, rules were broken and yes an under inflated football is a big advantage for a QB in cold and / or wet weather.

And Brady said he picked 24 balls before the game in his press conference earlier today. Was it 12 or 24? Another discrepancy.

[Dakine10 5,452]

11 of the 12 Pats footballs were found to be under inflated and 0 of the 12 Colts footballs were not found to be under inflated. Each team gets 12 footballs and they are inspected before the game. Someone let the air out of the Pats balls and even though the Pats still would have won the game without deflated balls, rules were broken and yes an under inflated football is a big advantage for a QB in cold and / or wet weather.

If it was due to temperature all the balls would drop by about the same percentage. How many were out of spec would depend on what the PSI's were to begin with. It's possible the Colt's inflate their footballs to 13.5PSI and the Patriots like them at 12.5.

I don't believe that's what happened because there would have to be a significant temperature drop over the course of a few hours. The Patriots are known for pushing the rules mostly because they've been caught. Lot's of teams do it and if the NFL wants it to stop, they probably need to get more serious than the current penalty - a $25,000 fine.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

If it was due to temperature all the balls would drop by about the same percentage. How many were out of spec would depend on what the PSI's were to begin with. It's possible the Colt's inflate their footballs to 13.5PSI and the Patriots like them at 12.5.

I don't believe that's what happened because there would have to be a significant temperature drop over the course of a few hours. The Patriots are known for pushing the rules mostly because they've been caught. Lot's of teams do it and if the NFL wants it to stop, they probably need to get more serious than the current penalty - a $25,000 fine.

Kinda funny since most balls drop when it's warm, not cold.

[Dakine10 5,452]

[Teddy B 17,251]

Spooks, those are some cool players you used to hang with, must've been some good times.

I bet that given time this deflategate will all be traced back to the Ravens and Harbaugh as being the whistle blowers. They've got so much butthurt over the eligible/ineligible receiver playss that Belichik pulled on them they are doing anything to get back at the Pats.

In the grand scheme of things tweeking game balls to the QB's liking is such a small thing and is done by most if not all of the QB's. The only reason this is even a story is because of who it is. It's just like the "spygate" scandal, that never would have been news if it wasn't Belichik and the Pats. I'm not advocating for breaking the rules, but let's deal with things in the proper perspective.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Teddy B

[Teddy B 17,251]

11 of the 12 Pats footballs were found to be under inflated and 0 of the 12 Colts footballs were not found to be under inflated. Each team gets 12 footballs and they are inspected before the game. Someone let the air out of the Pats balls and even though the Pats still would have won the game without deflated balls, rules were broken and yes an under inflated football is a big advantage for a QB in cold and / or wet weather.

There is a provision in the NFL rule book for tampering with the football that allows for a $25K fine. Sounds like a reasonable punishment for the infraction. Why is this being treated as if Belichik and Brady just blew up a school bus full of children?

[spookyturtle 9,465]

There is a provision in the NFL rule book for tampering with the football that allows for a $25K fine. Sounds like a reasonable punishment for the infraction. Why is this being treated as if Belichik and Brady just blew up a school bus full of children?

Because of the past. And if they are lying about this latest accusation, it's not going to be a slap on the wrist. This is a stupid, minor incident, but their past is going to haunt them. And Brady lied on TV yesterday. He knows every dimple on the football. This may have been going on for a while.