Posted on 01/22/2015 9:42:05 PM PST by Colofornian
What is missing in the 'DeflateGate' NFL analysis?
Simple. How the Colts, once succumbing to a 14-0 deficit, had to THEN shift from running the ball 40% of the time to running it only less than 17% the rest of the first half upon falling behind by those scores.
It was, after all, "Deflady Brady's" deep pass down the left side of the field to S. Vereen (30 yards) to the Indy 17-yard line that set up the second Patriot score. One wonders what might have happened on that pass in the driving rain had the "underinflation" not been at play...or even if the Patriots would have risked tossing a deep ball if the Patriot offense was "in the know" about DeflateGate.
Up until that point in the game, the Colts had been successful on the ground versus the ninth-ranked NFL team versus the run...averaging 5 yards per carry. And one might expect even a passing-oriented team like the Colts to run at least 40% of the time given the weather conditions.
Take away "Deflady's Brady's" 30-yard late first quarter completion...
...and you likely have a 7-0 (vs. 14-0) game...
...and had that been the case, the Colts wouldn't have been passing the ball 10 out of 12 plays late in the first quarter -- into the second quarter -- in that driving rain.
A more balanced offense would have sufficed -- and could have sustained Colts' drives into making it a competitive game...at least much further into the game...
And, had the Colts only been down 10-7 heading into the second half, it wouldn't have fled its running game totally by passing it 10 of 11 plays in the third quarter.
And, for those who contend Brady did "better" with properly inflated footballs in the second half, he didn't pass on the brief 13-yard drive on New England's second-to-last score set up by an interception. So credit the defense and not the offense with that score.
And in the other second-half TD drives, "Deflady Brady" threw only one deep completed pass the entire second half (Edelman 22-yarder). Three other significant yard pass gains (Edelman, Gronkownski, and an eligible lineman scoring a TD) were on very short passes with most of the yardage coming after the catch (YAC). Beyond all that, the rest was "dunkville."
So..."Deflady Brady" doesn't now acknowledge he "felt" anything different about those first-half footballs? What? And pitchers in the Major Leagues can't tell the difference 'tween T-ball rubber balls and Major League baseballs, either?
So what do you think should be done now?
I say go all ‘duke lacrosse’ on the patriots. Who is with me??????????
Your problem, and espn who hype this for viewers, are making a small pile of hyped pooh into a mountain.
It’s going to fun to point out all the cheating and illegal play that Seattle does in the Superbowl and what they will get away with. The illegal holdings, illegal use of hands, pass interferences, crackback blocks, neutral zone violations, illegal substitutions, offsides, ineligible players down field, clipping, facemasks, unnecessary roughness, intentional grounding, and unsportsmanlike conduct and on and on.
Incarcerate the Patriots on Devils Island followed by putting them in the electric chair.
#1...The ref reviewed the balls something like 2 and a quarter hrs before the game.
#2...The refs don't retain the balls for 2 hrs...they give them to "whoever" has normal oversight...but they remain somewhere on the sideline...
#3...Because of the consistency of the off-base psi inflation, I would think the culprit(s) -- rather than letting the air out of the balls in plain sight of anybody...would simply find a way to "swap them out."
And #3 -- both in the consistency of the psi being reduced to 11 -- along with the number of balls...along with the need to not be obvious about it (a likely swap-out, for example)...shows a triple-angle of nefarious intentionality.
Agreed.
And even when a # of 5-yarders are marked off against them...who cares from the Seahawks' perspective? (Was better than giving up a 15+ yard gain)
The nfl rulebook says:
The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.
1. Wboever was official overseer of footballs post ref review...fired...or let em rat out one responsible for directed nefariousness & let that person be fired. Consequences need to be personal.
2. NFL will fine Patriots, but since nfl boss is pals to Pats boss...will be but a slap on finger
3. NFL wont go route ... but would be in order to make Pats lose home playoff advantages next 1-2 times reach playoffs. Pats cant be trusted with basic sportsmanship
4. Rewrite rules. Immediate consequences if found during game ... like in baseball, a second illegal bat can lead to a mgr tossed...
Okay, supervision doesnt mean pitch a tent & camp by balls for 2+ hrs...anymore, than whoever supervises you at work necessarily micromanages your 135 minute or so shifts
Supervision = oversight ... NOT babysitting
But I guess tis exactly come to re: Pats...tis now a need to hire pigskin babysitters...
NFL needs to retain a nefarious monitor ... maybe fulltime...for Pats...
I am tiring of this line. Anyone remember the playoffs last year, a denver receiver illegally picked a patriot defender. The NFL came out with a statement saying it was a 'bang-bang' play and stood behind the officials. In slo-mo, it was obviously an illegal hit. Instead of the league saying 'it was close, but it was an illegal pick and should have been called' they stood by their men in black/white hats...
I wish this simple point would put this meme to rest, but I know it won't. And some, in spite of simple video evidence, will still argue this point. And continue to point out how the nfl favors the pats.
Supervision could be as simple as ‘leave them in the ref locker room’.
It doesn’t have to be that difficult, and people don’t have to be so dramatic about it. Duke Lacrosse...
One of reasons NFL refs stepped up on
...illegal contact and
db . holding penalties
and dpi penalties
in 2014...
...was due to defensive styles of play like Seattle did all out in 2013
...so...nfl needs to add
...additional yardage on penalties for blatant flagrant fouls...similar to NBA...
...plus handle its week in week out worst offenders with financial incentives (read fines)
A way to encourage better work ethic is to fine repeat thugs beyond late hits, etc...
NFL needs a Cheater Czar...
Like I have said elsewhere, I quit watching football (for the most part) the year my pats won their first superbowl. didn’t even watch that game. I thought the NFL had gone like pro wrestling, and it just wasn’t much fun anymore.
I was able to see a bit of this Pats game, but was kicked out of the tv room by my daughter who needed to watch Mulan...again...
Thanks for the feedback. I was not aware that each team provided the balls for their offense.
A relative has since told me that apparently each punter and field goal kicker provide and use their own balls. He said that the league has known about this forever. That means that the QB, punter and field goal kicker/kickoff guys have been able to customize the balls they use re psi and outside texture.
“If it’s no big deal then why did they do it?”
The obvious conclusion is that they were probably doing it habitually, if they bothered to cheat against a team they could have easily beaten in a straight game.
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