Patriots done in by their own defiance [Boston columnist raises Deflategate's open questions]

Boston Globe ^ | May 12, 2015 | Ben Volin

[al baby]

Why dosent the NFL officials keep care of the footballs that are used in play ?

[Canedawg]

The team culture is to cheat, but they haven’t always gotten away with it.

Their “successes” are tainted.

[A CA Guy]

It’s bull. You telling me the refs can’t tell? If so the league has a ref problem.
Brady probably at most said pressure the balls to the lowest legal inflation.
I don’t love or follow football but this is retarded.
No definitive proof and her are your fine.

[monkapotamus]

"Their rationale was that McNally already had been interviewed four times, and a fifth time would have been excessive, because he lives in New Hampshire and has a job. Sorry. You make him available on the weekend, or after work. If McNally could exonerate the Patriots, they should have made him available 27 times..."

Today Wells stated that he offered to go to New Hampshire and interview McNally at any time of day, morning, afternoon, or night, at McNally's convenience. And the Patriots told him, not only are we not going to allow the interview, we aren't even going to tell McNally that you want to interview him.

[Red Badger]

Somewhere Sean Payton is probably asking himself, “wtf?”....................

[McGruff]

[Colofornian]

Why dosent the NFL officials keep care of the footballs that are used in play ?

(They will now that you have flagrant unrepentant cheaters afoot)

It's likely the special teams footballs have already been kept in some neutral location.

[Colofornian]

Today Wells stated that he offered to go to New Hampshire and interview McNally at any time of day, morning, afternoon, or night, at McNally's convenience. And the Patriots told him, not only are we not going to allow the interview, we aren't even going to tell McNally that you want to interview him.

Exactly.

Can you say Patriot admin coverup? Patriot owner coverup?

(Cheaters all...unrepentant ones)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

The Patriots have no one to blame for this but themselves.

The Patriots aren't blaming anyone Ben. They have accepted their punishment and will be proceeding to the appeal phase.

[Radix]

Lived in and about Boston for my entire life almost save the Army time.

One thing that I do not do is read Boston Globe articles, period.

[Colofornian]

Brady probably at most said pressure the balls to the lowest legal inflation.

The report indicates Brady was pissed after a Thursday night October game...wanted them deflated more...

The Patriots waited until AFTER the report came out to suspend the two equipment cheaters...as if they were incapable of doing their own investigation & suspending them earlier.

Shows the Pats didn't want to find out details.

If these two knukleheads were deflating footballs below what Brady told them, they would have lost their jobs then and there for risking what Brady is used to throwing in practices leading up to the playoffs and games themselves.

To throw off Brady's calibration based on their own authority is a ludicrous proposition you make.

No...whatever Brady was tossin' in the Colts game was pretty norm for what he did day in, day out.

You telling me the refs can’t tell? If so the league has a ref problem.

I see you don't ask the accompanying Q here: If a wing official opposite the Pats' sideline handled a ball 10 times in that first half...and Brady 30 times...you telling me that Brady couldn't tell? If not, the NFL has a cheater QB problem!

Brady could have fixed it all while warmin' up on the sidelines for that game...IF it was truly an "issue" for him...which it wasn't...

[Resolute Conservative]

And dominate yet another season...

[TexasCajun]

"You guys need to take Tom's & The Team's word they did not cheat!"

[DoodleDawg]

The Patriots are the Clintons of the NFL. They honestly believe the rules do not apply to them.

[VA_Gentleman]

They did prior to the 2006-2007 season. The rule was changed to allow teams to bring their own game balls in the off-season at the behest of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

[Colofornian]

The Patriots aren't blaming anyone Ben. They have accepted their punishment and will be proceeding to the appeal phase.

Oh, sure...the Pats' responding statement sounds REAL "accepting," "humble" and "apologetic":

Patriots.org: (May 11) STATEMENT FROM NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS CHAIRMAN AND CEO ROBERT KRAFT: "Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it WAS our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, HOWEVER, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence. "We are humbled by the support the New England Patriots have received from our fans throughout the world. We recognize our fans’ concerns regarding the NFL’s penalties and share in their disappointment in how this one-sided investigation was handled, as well as the dismissal of the scientific evidence supported by the Ideal Gas Law in the final report. "Tom Brady has our unconditional support. Our belief in him has not wavered."

When the partiesthatbe aren't very cooperative, then, yeah, the Pats lost their op to ensure "twosidedness."

(That's what happens when you choose nearsilence)

[lepton]

The report indicates Brady was pissed after a Thursday night October game...wanted them deflated more...

---

Of course you’d leave out that per the same text string you cited, the officials had pumped up the balls to 16 PSI and set them for play in the game. THAT is what he was cited as being upset about.

[scooby321]

Patriots led the league in the least fumbles every year because a running back can carry a less ball pressure

[Colofornian]

Of course you’d leave out that per the same text string you cited, the officials had pumped up the balls to 16 PSI and set them for play in the game. THAT is what he was cited as being upset about.

Well, let's see...8 years of football since the Pats started supplying offensive one.

128 regular-season games. With playoffs and some Super Bowls, about 140 games.

If the avg PSI for 140 games was 11 point something...and they had to deal with ONE beyond the pale PSI...STILL averages 11 point something PSI per game.

The Patriots since 2006 have fumbled the ball less than every indoor team that has the advantage of no weather home games...Unusual, eh?

Or how about the reality that the Patriot DEFENSE fumbled the ball as often in 2001 as the Patriots' running backs did rushing the ball for the entire 2007 and 2008 seasons combined (35 games including three playoff games)?!

...Or the Pat DEFENSE fumbled the ball as much combining regular seasons 1999-2003 as did the Patriots running backs' rushing the ball combining regular seasons 2007-2008 and 2010-2011?

Hmmm...

Those Patriot Lucky Charms have sure been "delicious" to them...

Now that the NFL has caught on...fumbles will return to New England in 2015 and beyond!