Those of you who know me know I'm no Patriots fan-though I have nothing against them. I'm about as big a Giants an as you'll meet. I'm also a Knicks fan so you can see I'm no bandwagon jumper. I really think that people are going over the top on this whole deflate-gate thing.
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2015/01/so-if-jets-deflate-their-balls-geno.html#comment-form
Troy Aikman says that if the Patriots knowingly deflated their balls by 2 pounds then there should be worse punishments than for the Saints after Bounty-gate. I find it shocking that he as a Hall of Fame QB of all people would say that. The Saints paid players bounties to deliberately injure QBs, running backs, receivers, offensive linemen. Surely deliberately injuring opponents is as bad as it gets.
How can deflating a football by a few pounds be worse than that than deliberating injuring players? Ok, in a way I guess I understand it. It's like what Zizek always says. According to him Stalin used to say 'both choices are worse...'
I guess you have to say that while what the Saints did was the worst thing as they wanted to really hurt player and nothing is more important than safety, what Patriots did could be seen as worse to the extent that cheating calls into question the integrity of the game. Still I'm still not clear on just what the advantage the Patriots really got from this as they lead 17-7 with the deflated ball but won the second half with the 12.5 pound balls 28-0.
In my previous post I linked to above I linked to a book by Brian O'Leary on Spygate where he claimed that the Patriots had done that since 2001 and basically that's why they win so much-they systematically cheat. Here was one review of the book-not so flattering.
http://thebiglead.com/2012/10/21/a-nut-case-has-spent-30000-to-write-a-book-about-how-statistics-prove-the-patriots-are-still-cheating/
The trouble is that by his own admission if these claims were proved true it would destroy the league-why would anyone want to do that? I mean maybe football widows or other people who hate football might want that but why does O'Leary who claims to be a fan want to see that happen? Maybe sometimes the truth doesn't set us free.
Look everyone has their own opinion. Based on what I've heard and seen a lot of people feel that Bellichick and Brady-but especially Brady-are lying. I think Brady basically was saying what Bellichick suggested he say. Bellichick is a genius for keeping his team focused and sure has his work cut out for him this time. Both answers have the coach's MO on them: acknowledge the scandal is going on but deny any knowledge and move one. Say as little as you have to.
As a fan though I feel ripped off. Not because it might be true-I don't know if it's true but even if it is I'm not sure it's such a big deal. Rather, I feel ripped off because the Super Bowl has been totally overshadowed by this silly issue that as Brady says is not ISIS.
One opinion I find interesting is D'Qwell Jackson, the Colts defensive player who picked off Brady in the 2nd quarter and started the whole mountain out of this molehill. Original reports all said that he ascertained that the ball was too light and that he gave it to a Colts' trainer. Not according to D'Qwell, who says he never noticed anything different either-so maybe Brady's denials that he noticed that weight of the ball aren't so implausible.
According to Jackson, he wanted to keep the ball as a souvenir because it was his first Int in the playoffs and it was thrown by Tom Brady-he actually wanted Brady's autograph.
"Indianapolis Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said it wasn't him who raised the concerns about New England's footballs being underinflated during Sunday's AFC Championship Game."
"Jackson still hasn't received the ball as a keepsake and he doubts he'll ever see it again."
"I'm going to do my best to get a hold of it," Jackson said.
"I'm not going to even touch that subject," he said, before warning Colts cornerback Vontae Davis not to talk about it either.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12213533/dqwell-jackson-indianapolis-colts-says-one-noticed-ball-was-inflated
Unfortunately, I don't think D'Qwell will ever get his souvenir now as the ball is presumably evidence. I like what he said though: he said the Pariots won not because of a deflated ball but because of greater intensity.
Why is he unwilling to speak to the media? I think the league is right to fine him and increase the fines. I don't think he's just thumbing his nose at the media but all of us as fans and I think if he insists on being a jerk, make it hurt. I just don't know why a fortunate, well paid athlete like him is so ungrateful to the fans-who want to see him interviewed. So if he so determined not to, keep ramping up his fines. Otherwise it becomes a joke-a millionaire like him won't feel a $10,000 fine.
P.S. I think the NFL needs to make sure this doesn't totally overshadow the Super Bowl. One way might be to announce their findings now. Or maybe now that the Patriots have spoken the NFL will just hope it dies down for now.
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2015/01/so-if-jets-deflate-their-balls-geno.html#comment-form
Troy Aikman says that if the Patriots knowingly deflated their balls by 2 pounds then there should be worse punishments than for the Saints after Bounty-gate. I find it shocking that he as a Hall of Fame QB of all people would say that. The Saints paid players bounties to deliberately injure QBs, running backs, receivers, offensive linemen. Surely deliberately injuring opponents is as bad as it gets.
How can deflating a football by a few pounds be worse than that than deliberating injuring players? Ok, in a way I guess I understand it. It's like what Zizek always says. According to him Stalin used to say 'both choices are worse...'
I guess you have to say that while what the Saints did was the worst thing as they wanted to really hurt player and nothing is more important than safety, what Patriots did could be seen as worse to the extent that cheating calls into question the integrity of the game. Still I'm still not clear on just what the advantage the Patriots really got from this as they lead 17-7 with the deflated ball but won the second half with the 12.5 pound balls 28-0.
In my previous post I linked to above I linked to a book by Brian O'Leary on Spygate where he claimed that the Patriots had done that since 2001 and basically that's why they win so much-they systematically cheat. Here was one review of the book-not so flattering.
http://thebiglead.com/2012/10/21/a-nut-case-has-spent-30000-to-write-a-book-about-how-statistics-prove-the-patriots-are-still-cheating/
The trouble is that by his own admission if these claims were proved true it would destroy the league-why would anyone want to do that? I mean maybe football widows or other people who hate football might want that but why does O'Leary who claims to be a fan want to see that happen? Maybe sometimes the truth doesn't set us free.
Look everyone has their own opinion. Based on what I've heard and seen a lot of people feel that Bellichick and Brady-but especially Brady-are lying. I think Brady basically was saying what Bellichick suggested he say. Bellichick is a genius for keeping his team focused and sure has his work cut out for him this time. Both answers have the coach's MO on them: acknowledge the scandal is going on but deny any knowledge and move one. Say as little as you have to.
As a fan though I feel ripped off. Not because it might be true-I don't know if it's true but even if it is I'm not sure it's such a big deal. Rather, I feel ripped off because the Super Bowl has been totally overshadowed by this silly issue that as Brady says is not ISIS.
One opinion I find interesting is D'Qwell Jackson, the Colts defensive player who picked off Brady in the 2nd quarter and started the whole mountain out of this molehill. Original reports all said that he ascertained that the ball was too light and that he gave it to a Colts' trainer. Not according to D'Qwell, who says he never noticed anything different either-so maybe Brady's denials that he noticed that weight of the ball aren't so implausible.
According to Jackson, he wanted to keep the ball as a souvenir because it was his first Int in the playoffs and it was thrown by Tom Brady-he actually wanted Brady's autograph.
"Indianapolis Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said it wasn't him who raised the concerns about New England's footballs being underinflated during Sunday's AFC Championship Game."
"After Thursday's Pro Bowl practice at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, Jackson said he couldn't tell whether the ball he intercepted in the second quarter of a 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots was or wasn't deflated below the threshold allowed by the NFL."
"I'm a linebacker, I'm a defensive guy," Jackson said. "If anybody recognized anything it definitely wouldn't come from me."
"After picking off Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with about 9:21 left in the first half, Jackson said he gave the ball to the Colts' equipment staff to save for him as a "souvenir." He didn't know what happened to the football after that and said it's still "beyond" him as to what the chain of events were."
Asked how the football got to NFL officials, Jackson said, "That's a question that I can't answer."
"I don't know how it got to this point," he said. "Somehow I'm in the middle of it.
"Me, personally, being a defensive player, I don't know the advantages or disadvantages of having the ball not inflated, deflated," Jackson said. "I have no idea. I'll let the NFL deal with that. That's why they're there, to make those hard decisions."
"Jackson still hasn't received the ball as a keepsake and he doubts he'll ever see it again."
"I'm going to do my best to get a hold of it," Jackson said.
"Jackson said the Colts' coaching staff didn't alert the defense to keep an eye out for underinflated footballs, adding he had more important concerns heading into Sunday, such as making sure the defense was lined up properly. He said the last thing he was worried about was the football's air pressure."
"I'm not going to even touch that subject," he said, before warning Colts cornerback Vontae Davis not to talk about it either.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12213533/dqwell-jackson-indianapolis-colts-says-one-noticed-ball-was-inflated
Unfortunately, I don't think D'Qwell will ever get his souvenir now as the ball is presumably evidence. I like what he said though: he said the Pariots won not because of a deflated ball but because of greater intensity.
While, I'm talking football let me wade into the Marshawn Lynch controversy. I disagree with those who defend him like this writer here.
http://deadspin.com/the-nfl-should-just-leave-marshawn-lynch-the-hell-alone-1681101903
Why is he unwilling to speak to the media? I think the league is right to fine him and increase the fines. I don't think he's just thumbing his nose at the media but all of us as fans and I think if he insists on being a jerk, make it hurt. I just don't know why a fortunate, well paid athlete like him is so ungrateful to the fans-who want to see him interviewed. So if he so determined not to, keep ramping up his fines. Otherwise it becomes a joke-a millionaire like him won't feel a $10,000 fine.
P.S. I think the NFL needs to make sure this doesn't totally overshadow the Super Bowl. One way might be to announce their findings now. Or maybe now that the Patriots have spoken the NFL will just hope it dies down for now.
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