Football Bilacheat back at it?

[sliqwill]

so speculation is that the Patriots were using improperly inflated balls during the game...if true, the penalty may be as stiff as 'removal of a draft pick'...

ok, when you have the NFL's best scouting department, or at least what seems to be to me, as they take a bunch of outcasts and make them play well as a team, what does a pick matter...even if it is a 1st round pick, they lose what, 31 or 32?

and this isn't the 'first' cheating offense of the Patriots, remember Spy-Gate?

why not say 'well this event was conducted in an elimination game, so you have been eliminated' just like in something like the UFC, if you test for an illegal banned substance in post fight, the win is typically removed from your record, and will go down as a 'no contest' to the other guy instead of a loss...or if you come into a fight out of weight, you lose 20%, so rank the Patriots draft picks with weight, and the Colts get to select the picks of their choice totaling 20% of the weight, so if the Pats have say 3 1st round picks, 4 2nds, a 4th, 6th, and 2 7ths the Colts could pick a 1st, a 4th, and 7th, AND they get 20% of the Patriots game share rights, as I assume the Patriots get a portion of ticket sales and such...maybe even make it a higher percentage...

 

[Mike]

I like what you're saying here, sliq. I hadn't heard that they might have been cheating, but if so they should definitely be punished and taking draft picks away was probably well worth it to have went to the Super Bowl. I don't think they could eliminate the Pats, because after the appeals process (assuming they'd appeal any negative ruling) the Super Bowl would already be over.

That said, after watching the game I don't think it would've mattered if the Pats were playing with bricks. They were clearly the better team. Don't get me wrong. Cheating is wrong, and there is no excuse for it, but I'm not sure why they would have cheated in yesterday's game.

 

[sliqwill]

not sure how long the appeal would take, what is the appeal? our gauge was broke? I think each team has their 'own' balls, and there are kicking balls and regular offense balls, not sure what excuse they can use that would overturn a result...

also, penalties need to be more stern on cheating...the 'fine' or whatever for illegal gear should be higher than 'un-approved' gear, Terrell Suggs facemask comes to mind, and the whole "We will eject you from the game if you wear those shoes" to Marshawn Lynch yesterday...so if wearing shoes the NFL just doesn't like will get you a game suspension, why not make it 2 games for 'illegal' gear?...were Lynch's spikes too long? NO, it was a shoe color and/or branding issue...

it wouldn't take much investigation to see if the ball was not correctly inflated, this isn't a he said she said thing, this is a 'we have the evidence and it shows....'

 

[captkirk42]

I would think that the Refs would have noticed that something about the balls they were handling weren't quite right, or were the Refs in on it? I guess the difference wasn't all that much then. I would think that if I ref was given a ball to put into play that didn't feel fully inflated he would signal for another ball.

 

[sliqwill]

yes, from what I have read, at least 1 ball was taken out of circulation...

 

[captkirk42]

yes, from what I have read, at least 1 ball was taken out of circulation...

So ONE ball constitutes cheating? I guess @Mike was right about the Pats using bricks the Colts were pounded into the turf.

 

[sliqwill]

if wearing the wrong colored shoes can get a player suspended for a game, absolutely using an illegal ball would be like using a corked bat in baseball...

 

[Mike]

Does anyone think it's possible that we see a Belichick suspension when all is said and done?

 

[franklinguy52]

I think that this will go by without anything definite being found

 

[Mike]

I think that this will go by without anything definite being found

That's kinda what I've been thinking, too. I'm like @captkirk42 in that if there was only one ball that was inflated wrong that's not a big deal at all. That ball could have had a leak, or had someone misread the gauge. I'm also not sure how they could go back and check all the balls now, that the game is over, and find that to be conclusive evidence of cheating. Again, I'm not even sure why they would have been cheating in the first place. Every time the Pats play the Colts, as of late, it's an all out butt whipping anyways.

 

[sliqwill]

the 'penalty' could be up to $25,000 and the loss of a draft pick from what I have read, and it is a very serious deal...I don't think it would make a difference in a game that was that big of a blowout, but it is akin to scuffing a baseball with a fingernail file...

 

[sliqwill]

11 of 12 Patriots balls underinflated...

this wasn't just 'one ball' this was 'all but one ball'

the NFL needs to lay down significant punishment, remember they pulled what, $6 million of cap space from the Redskins and Cowboys from 'creative accounting' during the 'uncapped' year, because they front loaded contracts and that wasn't fair?

a couple of my suggestions...

anyone who handled the ball on 5 or more occasions during the game gets suspended 4 games, or more if they have previous 'performance enhancing' suspensions, because if you cant tell there is significant give in the ball and didn't report it, you are at fault...Suspensions start at the Super Bowl and continue in Weeks 1-3 next season, and the player needs to be on the ACTIVE 53, as well as the Game Day 45 for the suspension to count...this would cause at a minimum Brady at QB, whomever the Center is, Gronkowski, Blount, Edleman, and possibly others, 5 touches and youre out

opponents of the Patriots get to inflate 11 of 12 of the Patriots balls to whatever PSI they see fit for the entire 2015-16 season along with loss of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks to be awarded to the teams they played in the playoffs, Colts will get 1st and 3rd, and the Ravens get their 2nd, because of the significance of the lose. Don't take away picks for this draft, take them away from next year, when sanctions are imposed and they lose more games, thus resulting in better draft picks for the Colts and Ravens...

any why not do what college does?...no postseason play for 2 seasons or whatever sanctions they get for recruiting violations...

and finally NO APPEALS...if you are dumb enough not to notice a flat balls, you aren't smart enough to know you are being punished

 

[franklinguy52]

So the officials that inspect the balls and the officials on the field get suspended too?

 

[sliqwill]

absolutely, the Umpire and Referee should be suspended, I don't know how much the Side Judge and Back Judge handled the ball...

you can bet your ass they would be getting additional rules training, and would not be working 'high profile' games...I wouldn't expect to see them working a playoff game for 2-3 seasons, as the post season is a badge of honor for the officiating crew...

just like when you screw up at work, you get assigned 'additional training' where you get a couple days of training on whatever you screwed up on...if you didn't put owners manuals in cars, you get training on how important the owners manual is and go on 'probation' or whatever...they failed at their job, and I don't think they can get away with the Suh 'it was cold and I didn't know' excuse...

it would be like if a basketball wasn't properly inflated and the home team got the practice with it all week or whatever, its the same ball, but the bounce off the floor is going to be slightly off, or when banking a layup, doesn't bounce enough causing the miss...

 

[sliqwill]

alright, the Patriots have gone to the Deny Deny and Deny it again method...

Bill-a-cheats press conference today was such a joke, this is a guy who most folks in the media says has a photographic memory, and if you fart somewhere in the building he knows about it, he is in the loop for all things Patriots...

so today he comes out with the 'im not a scientist but...' and explains how the atmosphere, standard use, and the handling process to get a ball ready can account for 1.5 PSI; however, that would make the balls come in at 11 PSI, not 10.5 or less, which the balls apparently were tested at...he doesn't account for that missing .5 PSI, but I would assume that his next bit would be 'that was just lost due to testing of the PSI' or something excuse

he kept getting angered by some reporter named Tom, not sure who that is, but apparently through thorough testing, his players cant tell the different between a properly inflated ball, one that is 1 PSI over, 1 PSI under, or 2 PSI under, but of course that is a partial crowd who have nothing to lose if they can tell the difference right? far from a standard medical double blind study...

and the atmosphere wouldn't ONLY change one teams balls...maybe Luck likes a hard ball (13.5 PSI), but if a ball loses 1.5 PSI under normal operations, wouldn't their ball have come in a tad off? From what I have read, ALL balls, so that is both teams, were checked at half and ONLY the Patriots balls weren't considered to be proper...

there is also the interview with Brady where he says he likes when Gronk spikes the ball because it releases a bit of air, so if Brady can tell the difference in a ball when spiked by Gronk, why cant he see a difference in a 'normal' ball? and if the team cant tell the difference between a 10.5 PSI and a 12.5 PSI ball, does that mean a Gronk spike releases more than 2 PSI?

most of the folks who I have seen say 'get over it' are Patriots fans...Danny Almonte anyone?...sure, say it is different because its a different sport, and a different situation, but cheating is cheating...Phil Niekro, ball tampering...Michael Pineda, ball tampering...George Brett, bat tampering...Sammy Sosa, bat tampering...what do they all have in common?

yes, the Patriots beat the Colts with ease, but it is akin of a student getting busted with a cheat sheet he didn't use on a test..