The Patriot Way

Read Bill Barnwell's column on ESPN.  His new deal actually takes up more cap room (due to $1m per year raises) so all the talking heads who say this is to sign Revis or whoever are wrong.  All this does is give both the Patriots and Brady the flexibility to move on from each other since his base salaries are no longer guaranteed.  

Good article, good find CU!

 

The media is making it out like St. Tom is really cutting the Pats a deal in an effort to get another championship.  All he really did is guarantee his contract if he gets hurt and can't play.  And it does free up the "escrow" money from Tom to use for other players' signing bonuses.  But, as the article states, does Billionaire Robert Kraft really need the money freed up?

Think the league wants this matchup again?

If you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'!

 

John Harbaugh not happy

 

"Belichick's playing chess, everyone else is playing checkers". Heard that on the radio this morning. I thought it would go over well here. 

 

The fault is with the officials allowing a player to declare himself ineligible immediately preceding the snap. Harbaugh has every right to be pissed about it, IMO.

I am not sure about the NFL rules requiring you to declare who is INeligible. I know that certain numbered players have to declare if they are going to be eligible. But I don't see what a player with a number in the 30's or 40's can't just line up on the LOS and block without declaring himself INeligible.

 

I know HS and college teams run these plays all the time. Even our local middle school team runs a play where the RT lines up in the slot and is covered by a WR on the LOS and is therefore ineligible. The TE on the left side lines up at the LT spot and has a WR outside of him who is off the LOS making the LT/TE eligible and he goes out for an easy pass play.

 

All football rulebooks state who is eligible based on formation. Defenses have to know who to cover without the offense saying "Hey cover me but don't worry about him". 

does it run in the family?  whining, that is?

 

John:

"So the officials told me after that they'd give us the opportunity to do that, which they probably should have done during that series but they didn't really understand what was happening. That's why I had to go and take the penalty, to get their attention so that they would understand what was going on because they didn't understand what was going on. And they said that that was the right thing, that they'd give us the chance to ID the eligible receivers so we could actually get them covered. That's why guys were open, because we didn't ID where the eligible receivers were at. So, that's the nature of that particular thing they were doing, that's what made it so difficult."

wow, sorry Billy B didn't make it easy for you.  what kind of coach whines because he got schooled?

BS

 

Eligible players are any player off the LOS and any player on the LOS who is uncovered.

 

Same as it is from Pop Warner ball on up. 

Deflating balls?

I cannot express enough just how much I hope the Pats win this Super Bowl instead of the Seahags. I do not want to see those Mother******* repeat.

 

The perfect thing would be for Brady to win his 4th Super Bowl and then retire.  Yes, I am bitter and don't wish the Seahawks good luck in any fashion.

 

Unfortunately, I don't like the Pats chances.  I like Edelman and Gronk, but I don't know if that's enough weapons to defeat this defense.

It'll get swept under the rug, as usual.

 

This will not be a popular opinion, but I'd rather the Hawks win over the Pats. I can never pull for that or any other Massachusetts sports organization (Except the Celtics, for whatever reason they're not as hatable).

 

Of course, this whole scenario is like asking me to choose between Stalin and Hitler in a city council election. 

There is no way in hell I want the Seahags to win the Super Bowl. And the reason, if they win in 2 weeks then they have the chance to be the 1st team to win 3 straight.  There is no way in hell I want any team to have the chance to do that other than THE GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!  It would be totally intolerable if the Seahags and Pete Frickin Carroll are the 1st team to win 3 straight. 

Pats will roll.

Highly doubt it. They will get arrogant and crumble, and besides that they have a bunch of core players who need to get paid soon. I'm not worried.

Packers won three straight NFL championships. Twice. Why people act as if football wasn't invented until after the Super Bowl astounds me.

I very well know the Green Bay Packers have won 3 NFL Championships twice.  But the  facts are nobody has won 3 straight Super Bowls and I don't even want the Seashags to have that possibility.  I'm a Pats fan on Super Sunday.  Belicheat be damned. 

I thought Seattle /GB winner was beating NE in two weeks. I still think Seattle wins but it's been a while since Seattle got worked like they did yesterday at home. Sitton said today they dominated Seattles line. Could be a decent Super Bowl. 

 

And while we're here. Did anyone else watch Russell Wilson break down after the game and have just a hint of "WTF man?" 

Rooting for the Pats

Hooray cheaters!!!

I am going on record Pats 31-13 in Super Bowl. The way that GB schooled the Seahawks defense in the first half with no TE  even close to Gronk in talent, and a healthy Brady compared to a hobbled Rodgers I can see no other outcome.

Add to this the 2 seattle dbs not fully healthy and the defensive speed of the pats and other intangibles including a very smart coach, i think this is going to shock the world with the ease of this Super Bowl.

Do not underestimate the AFC/NFC part of the equation. Indy is the class of the AFC after NE. The AFC still sucks. 

Kinda still a tad bit bitter about the game so the Seahawks can go ahead and die in a plane crash for all I care. All kidding aside, I'm no doubt rooting for the Pats to win and I think they will. Brady looks like a man on a mission. We gave the Pats some great film to show how to beat the Hags legion of boobs. Plus the Hags are not exactly the healthiest team either.

I agree the AFC sucks. But, i am talking matchups here. I do not see seattle stopping the pass offense especially with Gronk. on the other hand i see no conceivable way that wilson passes

consistently on NE cbs. They will become one dimensional with Lynch and Belichek will have a spy to stop the read option.

 

Believe me, i would like to see noone win this, but all indications to me are a major matchup

problem for Seattle and therefore a blowout.

 

Last year was the opposite in matchups because the Denver team is and always has been a soft team defensively with an old immobile Manning for the qb known to choke in big games.

I realize Brady is not very mobile but that guy comes up big in big games.

 

In other words, i believe Seattle is highly overrated this year as gb proved and is probably 70 percent as good as last year while NE is 30 percent better which equals blowout!!!

 

Unfortunately really cant win on betting cause no spread for this game yet.

@mortreport: NFL has found that 11 of the 12 Patriots' game balls used in Sunday’s AFC title game were under-inflated by 2 lbs each, per league sources.

 

@mortreport: NFL has no comment at this time and Patriots say they will continue to cooperate with the investigation. 

 

@JasonLaCanfora: As NFL investigates Deflate-gate would be wise to speak to Ravens. Some there believe kicking balls used in their playoff game underinflated.

 

@JasonLaCanfora: There appeared to be less air in some kicking balls which may have had an impact on the depth of punts and kickoffs in AFC Divisional game.

 

@itsCrab: @AaronNagler Loss of 7th round pick, sweep under rug, "Guys look! The Super Bowl!".

 

@IWCorriher: I'm sure the commish that was at the owner's party Saturday night will dispense justice fairly.

 

@IWCorriher: This was Saturday night. But Rog is on top of this story!

 

 

@TwhitlockJason: Roger Goodell has announced that newly appointed independent investigator, Robert Kraft, will make a ruling on punishment for Patriots.

Looking forward to Pete Carroll being asked to comment on New England cheating. That won't be awkward. 

 

And WTF is with New England's maniacal desire to pull **** like this? Are they that hard up to make everyone forget they cheated they resort to cheating? Is Billy just a pathological nut job? 

Since the K balls are exclusively in the possession of the refs, from delivery at the game site to direct observation by a ref while each team is given 45 minutes to rub the ball down, doubtful those balls were messed with.

 

See here for more on the K ball process:  http://www.chargers.com/news/a...ce-8651-e0689f6236b9

 

good for the pats.  they care about winning and are in the super bowl.  hope they can finish what the packers couldn't.

@bruce_arthur: "We cheated. Take our draft picks, whatever. We're in the Super Bowl. Eat me." — Bill Belichick statement.

Earlier this afternoon.

 

Rodgers on Patriots deflated ball story:

I have a major problem with the way it goes down. Majority of time referees take air out of the ball.

 

Flat football is an advantage if you have smaller hands.

 

It's not an advantage when you have a football that's inflated more than average air pressure. We're not kicking these footballs.

 

 

 

@ESPNMichele: Coincidentally, the NFL posted pictures of the footballs to be used in the SB today:

 

 

Beautiful, I'm cheering for the Patriots even harder, them winning after cheating would be the perfect end to this year's edition of the Roger Goodell ^%#$-show.

Did Badell piss his pants?

Friggin hilarious

quote:

@JasonLaCanfora: As NFL investigates Deflate-gate would be wise to speak to Ravens. Some there believe kicking balls used in their playoff game underinflated.

Can we finally get rid of the ****ing -gate suffix for every single GD "scandal"?

quote:

@adbrandt
Interesting point from Aaron Rodgers on air pressure. Upset that officials take air out, says wants more air, no maximum on pressure.

If the NFL is going to give the finger to kickers by making them use a special ball they're not allowed to doctor, they need to do it with the regular balls too.

Sung to the tune of brady bunch...

Here's a story
Of a team that's shady...

What I don't understand is that it took a Ravens player who intercepted a ball to determine the balls were underinflated.  

 

After every play, one of the refs---line judge, back judge, side judge, etc- is handed the ball by a ball carrier so they can spot it for the next play.  None of the refs noticed the ball was underinflated, that the balls used by the Ravens were inflated differently than those used by the Pats?

that was my only wonder about all this too, slowmo.

Retired ref Gerry Austin was just on Mike & Mike. He said the refs are more concerned about getting the ball back in play rather than the state of the ball itself.  Also the balls were checked at the half, found to be under inflated and brought back up to standards. So how did they get under inflated again? Someone on the Pat's sideline almost had to be doing it.  Was it under the direction of Brady or Belicheat or did he do it independently?