The Patriot Way

Good point Dr. Bob.

So first we hear that some ball boy was responsible.

Next we hear it's some locker room attendant who took the footballs into the crapper.

Now we hear that they submitted the footballs to the refs underinflated and the refs didn't catch it.

Which one is it?  Classic case of throwing crap against a wall and hoping something sticks.

One of the most important things my father taught me, right after always make sure your guns are safely locked up, is never trust a guy with a white collar on a blue shirt.

I wonder how many times they are going to show someone standing guard over the footballs..before, during the game?....probably as much as they show Pete Carroll running around the sideline during a game....

"You know what, starting today everyone uses the same footballs. If someone wants to sneak a big ol' bag a balls off to the head and let a little air out who am I to care. Everyone is still playing with the same damn footballs"

 

Being commissioner isn't rocket surgery. 

 

 

Except for Cutler.  He can use a Nerf.

 

This committee owes an apology... this committee owes an apology...

 

 

 

As of last Sunday night, I was hoping the Patriots would annihilate the Seahawks (particularly, Russell Wilson's wounded duck prayer heaves getting returned for a TD or two). Now, I'm at the point of not caring at all who wins. Give Kraft, Brady and Belichick a few more days to dig themselves in even deeper, and I'll be hoping to see that obnoxious team from Seattle win.

I wouldn't change one damn thing about how Jay plays.

NFL is going to have a problem if the cheating Patriots win. 

 

Would be be a great year to be the NFC representative. 

       
       
My father taught me to never trust a man prancing the sidelines wearing a hoodie

That was KKK Camp.

If you could stop deflating those balls before the game.....

Secrecy, that's the Patriot way.

 

 

Illegal play = Touchdown!!

If you're not cheating you're not the Patriots.

Very good TMQ on the Patriots' win and what got it for them: their defense.

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_...-morning-quarterback

For the second consecutive year, a dominant, smothering defense prevailed in the Super Bowl, proving that in this era of quick-snap scoreboard-spinning tactics, defense still trumps offense.

Last year, it was the Seattle Seahawks' defense. This year, the New England Patriots' defense. Tom Brady's exploits and records inevitably draw the headlines. Defense is what brought the Patriots their latest Lombardi.

TMQ's Law of Comebacks holds: Defense starts comebacks, offense stops them. This diktat was on display in the Patriots' Super Bowl comeback.

Not only did New England's defense seal the deal by stopping Seattle at the goal line with 20 seconds remaining, but it also started the comeback. From the point at which Seattle took a two-score lead late in the third quarter, its possession results were: punt, punt, punt, interception. Two of the final four Seattle possession were three-and-outs.

From the juncture of that Seattle two-score lead, for the remainder of the contest New England's defense allowed just four first downs. Just four first downs against the league's No. 1 rushing attack, a team that excels at moving the chains. Defense starts comebacks, offense stops them. Had the defending champions done anything that all on the three punt possessions before their final last-minute charge, the Patriots' comeback would have been deflated. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Not only did New England's defense win the Super Bowl but it also got the Patriots to the Super Bowl. New England had to stage a divisional-round comeback versus Baltimore. Patriots down 28-14 early in the second half, the defense allowed just three points for the reminder of that contest. At the championship round, New England won easily: but the 45 points scored were less important than the mere seven points allowed to Indianapolis, a high-scoring team.

In fact the most important stat of the 2014 NFL season may be this one, regarding New England's defense: The Patriots did not allow a fourth-quarter touchdown in their final nine games. Teams that don't let opponents score in the fourth quarter are teams that win trophies.

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Jerry Rice admits using stickum on gloves after accusing Patriots of cheating

And yet he still fumbled. 

Gronk being....well....GRONK

Meh.  So long as he doesn't have a 'no watersports' clause in his contract, it's all good.

I'm glad Boston is such a bastion of moral purity the clubs banned the gal who bagged Edelman after the Super Bowl. I mean, who tolerates that kind of moral looseness as a result of spending the night in the club? Poor Julian's image as a young, single, rich, club-going choir boy is forever tarnished.  

Halas and Lombardi thought there wasn't much laughing in heaven.

No beer, nuf said.

If only he didn't become a serial cheater...

 

According to Halberstam, in order to slow down Buffalo’s no-huddle offense in Super Bowl XXV, Belichick told his Giants players to “accidentally kick the ball” away from the officials after it had been set up for play.

 

http://grantland.com/features/...wl-seattle-seahawks/

 

Grantland article on Belichick and he is surely one of the best minds in football history. And his love of football history was part of what made him so enlightened

 

But he took it too far, too often in his quest to be the best

And now he'll wear the yoke of serial cheater for all time

 

Brady Suspension Upheld

Man the Pats have to be feeling pretty deflated about their season now.

 

BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

From the article Boris posted:

Goodell indicated that Brady's destruction of evidence was a factor in upholding the suspension. 

 

"The most significant new information that emerged in connection with the appeal was evidence that on or about March 6, 2015 -- the very day that was interviewed by Mr. Wells and his investigated team -- Mr. Brady instructed his assistant to destroy the cellphone that he had been using since early 2014, a period that included that AFC Championship game and the initial weeks of the subsequent investigation," Goodell wrote in the final decision on the appeal. 

 

"During the four months that the cell phone was in use, Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages, none of which can now be retrieved from that device. The destruction of the cell phone was not disclosed until June 18, almost four months after the investigators had first sought electronic information from Brady."

Gisele is relieved.

It's always the cover-up.

@AlbertBreer: Brady communicated to the commissioner that he routinely destroys his phone for security reasons.

 

Is this Tommy Boy's legacy?

 

I'm no Brady fan or Patriots fan, but this seems pretty stupid. The Wells "investigation" has already been proven to be extremely flawed and all together worthless, which is what Goodell based his decision on originally. They don't actually have any evidence that Brady did what he did, just a lot of circumstantial evidence based on theories and bad science. I'm sure Brady is guilty of what they accused him of, but it does sound like a crime that is probably way more common than we think. 4 games sounds excessive for a minor crime with mediocre or no evidence. Even if Brady's lying and/or lack of cooperation are the cause of the suspension, 4 games sounds ridiculous for that. 1 game and a hefty fine, maybe 2 games if he's trying to make an example of Brady. Ray Rice got 2 games and there was much more solid evidence of him committing an actual crime.

My concern truly is less with Brady and more with Goodell's decision making. I'm concerned about when the next PR nightmare pops up, is Goodell going to dole out some ridiculous punishment again just to appease the mob? We already saw him bungle the Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy situations with the "Commissioners Exempt List" where these players continued to be paid for nothing and the situation with that psychopath Ray McDonald. I don't understand Goodell's method and I'm really glad GB has thus far run a clean program and we haven't had to deal with this doofus.

Hmmm.

@DonBanks: Just trying to understand this: how does NFL know Brady exchanged 10,000 texts in those four months if everything was destroyed and lost?

Because that's exactly what Brady's lawyers told them when they asked for the texts between Brady and the ball boys:

 

" There's more than 10,000 texts here and we're not about to allow you to go on a fishing expedition"

 

And the only thing destroyed was the actual phone, the records still exist at the carrier. And that's why Brady can't go to court, because Discovery will require the carrier to produce the info under subpoena.

The threat of court was just bluster and a bluff... and Roger called his bluff. 

Considering your opinion, GD, say maybe 1 game for the "act" and 1 for the "cover up" would be about right. And I don't think that's inconcievable or unfair.
It's quite possible Badell/the league would've settled for that. But if the above report is true, Brady wasn't willing to settle for that. 

I generally agree with your opinion of Badell's 'system' being wildly out of control. Everything looks right on paper, but in the end, it's like enforcing a personal foul on a kickoff. It just doesn't make a damn.

In this particular case, at least it's costing Tommy boy some $$$ for legal expenses, if nothing else.

Remember though, this is the system that the players negotiated for.  Goodell, being the arbitrator, and judge.  Let's see if the NFLPA tries and get some of that power in the next CBA?