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ucrenegade
Guest
I think they are banking on the fact they can raise enough doubt that even though the NFL knows what is up they won't have enough for the smoking gun they need.
Making the case in favor of the Pats
- Thread starter Jet Fan RI
- Start date
I think they are banking on the fact they can raise enough doubt that even though the NFL knows what is up they won't have enough for the smoking gun they need.
Makes sense.
Roger Goodell would much rather face off against the part-time officials who have zero leverage than butt heads with an owner or the players union.
Even if the Pats slip away again; 49 states, all US territories, and the rest of the world know that they cheat. They can no longer win.
They could "win" the next ten Super Bowls and no one in the world will acknowledge it, except Massholes.
Congrats Shady, Krafty and Belicheat, you've put yourselves in a position where 99.9% of the worlds population will never think of your organization as anything other than cheaters.
LOL, I love it.
Well, if the NFL doesn't also do the science, something along the lines of the video posted here but including rubbing up the balls and a more realistic starting temperature, it would be an absolute sham. Considering how many NFL fans think the Pats cheated, I wonder if the NFL would be able to get away with such a whitewashing job, or whether the public outrage would be too much for them.
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ucrenegade
Guest
no it doesn't if they were investigating referees why would the Pats need to hold 2 Press Conferences?
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ucrenegade
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it would have to be bigger than watergate
Because the press conferences were held before Kraft and Goodell hammered out a deal that padded Goodell's checking account by a number ending with six zeros.
Mark my word, the NFL will now shift attention to the referees.
Thanks. I'll have someone work on this. shouldn't be too hard.
Thanks!
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ucrenegade
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Does anyone really care if they get punished as long as they lose next Sunday??
If they get punished it helps the Jets.
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flgreen
Guest
IMO all the science stuff is just Pats spin to confuse the issue. There are a few facts that will makeup the Pats guilt, or if they are going to skate.
1) Some one complained, that the Pats balls were low, and their balls were legal. (Suspect it was the Ravens but we don't know yet.)
2) The following week the NFL did an investigation. Two weeks in a row the Pats balls came up low, while their opponents balls were legal. This really stretches the rules of probability that an abnormality would occur two weeks in a row.
3) If the balls were inflated at different levels before the game, as in the Colts requested that their balls be inflated to 13.5 psi. The Pats requested their balls were inflated to 12.5. The investigation is over. The water is just to muddied to make a definitive judgment to punish the Pats.
I just have a hard time believing this is the case. In the weather conditions why would the Colts think having an over inflated ball, that would be harder to grip, and catch, would be good for them? They would have to be very stupid to do that.
Even if they did, why would the NFL comply? They knew they were conducting an investigation on these balls in that game. In my mind if they started this investigation with an unleveled playing field it is undisputable proof that there is collusion between the NFL, and the Patriots. For the NFL that is even worst in the public eye then a rouge club cheating to gain an advantage.
If all 24 balls started out with 13 psi, it's game over. The balls were subjected to very close to the same atmospheric conditions, the odds that 11 out of 12 of their balls were low, and none of the Colts is staggering. Two weeks in a row.
Tonight would probably be a good time to test the affects of weather on a football with Snowmagetton bearing down on you. That is if we aren't all wiped out by the asteroid at 8pm.
Everyone be smart and safe in the storm tonight folks. Me? I'm going fishing
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ucrenegade
Guest
All great points and I never thought of the bolded one but you never know. oh and the asteroid is going to miss us.
I disagree about the science not being important. If it is possible that the 2 psi drop could have been caused by natural phenomena, then the only way to conclude there was wrongdoing is by having some other evidence than the mere fact of the deflation. So the science is crucial.
With regard to your point 2, the only real evidence of low pressure is from the AFC champ game, where the pressure was actually measured. The complaint is merely a suspicion, not evidence.
Not sure the game is over as you say in your point 3. This is where the science is especially important. If a 2 psi drop is impossible to happen with the known conditions, the fact that so many balls were low is good circumstantial evidence of guilt.
As to the bolded part, the unfortunate fact is the way the rule is worded. It says inflation should be between 12.5 and 13.5 psi. If officials have been routinely interpreting the rule as permitting teams to request inflation levels, that may be the way things have been working up to now. Fortunately, there is no guesswork here. The investigators simply ask the officials. If all balls were in fact equally inflated, that really would be conclusive as to the Pats' guilt.
As for the Colts requesting higher inflation, I have seen claims that Luck prefers the higher inflation. As many experts have stated, i's what the QB wants that determines what is done, not what receivers prefer.
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ucrenegade
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in rainy cold conditions i doubt he wants a higher inflation though unless it is a goodluck charm thing he doesn't want to break.
Right. But again, thankfully this is not an area where any guesswork is needed. The officials will be asked what they actually did. Let's really hope they inflated all the balls equally. If they did, that's a wrap.
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flgreen
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Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the science part. If the balls were only 160' apart, on either sideline, they were subjected to the exact atmospheric conditions. What could have been going on, on one side of the field that wasn't going on ,on the other side? Tom was rubbing his balls more then Luck? Their close proximity makes the science effect a moot point. The change should be the same.
If the Colts balls had also dropped, no problem. 11-12 Pats balls dropping, and no Colts balls dropping. Not believable.
The wording of the rule gives the NFL 1 pound of wiggle room in inflating the balls, not necessarily to cater to the teams wishes. The goal is to have all balls at 13psi. If they have been giving teams a .5 pound of preference, it's a courtesy not a demand.
With an investigation under way at the start of the game it only makes sense that all 24 balls started off the day at 13 psi.
I have yet to see any statement from either Luck, or the Colts, saying that Luck prefers his ball over inflated. Is some Pats orientated radio, TV station, or newspaper, spinning this? Probably.
Bottom line, if the balls were originality inflated to the same psi, as logic dictates they should be with an investigation going on. The science is a moot point. All 24 balls were subjected to the same environment.
If the balls were prepared differently, including different inflation levels, the proximity of the two sets of balls on the field is irrelevant, And OK, let's agree to disagree on the science. But did you watch the video posted upstream in this thread? It almost makes the case the deflation could be due to natural causes. Hard to ignore, in my judgment.
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flgreen
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The natural deflation would occur on all 24 balls, not just the Pats.