2025-2026 NFL Season Thread

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by silversnake

The point isn't whether or not they were the better team or not... it's painfully obvious the pats were. Does not matter whether it had an impact or change the outcome of the game. At the core it's: did they break the rules?

If they did, they should be punished. Simple.

If they did its a fine and maybe a draft pick. People think they should be burned at the cross for this????? Over the Ray rice scandal? Over paying to hurt people? Let's be real if this wasn't the pats it would be an after thought.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by kidkash

If they did its a fine and maybe a draft pick. People think they should be burned at the cross for this????? Over the Ray rice scandal? Over paying to hurt people? Let's be real if this wasn't the pats it would be an after thought.

so in your eyes, cheating (potentially) is acceptable??

[Ray O. Blu]

I don't see how it's possible that the Patriots can or will be punished for this, if it did happen.
The league would need to have significant evidence that proves that someone in the Patriots organization intentionally deflated 11 of the 12 balls.
That would consist of either videotaped evidence of physical tampering or a written/taped memo or conversation that specifically mentions the intention to deflate the balls.

Other than that, all accusations are considered hearsay and possibly defamatory.

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

so in your eyes, cheating (potentially) is acceptable??

I don't see this as cheating didn't make any difference what's so ever they changed all the balls out at half and the pats still scored 28-0. It seems stupid for any team I didn't care when the Vikings were heating up the ball. Still gotta make the plays still have to game plan nothing changes.

My fav so far

Jon Gruden on Mike and Mike: "They could've played with a ping pong ball, it wouldn't have mattered much in this game."

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by kidkash

If they did its a fine and maybe a draft pick. People think they should be burned at the cross for this????? Over the Ray rice scandal? Over paying to hurt people? Let's be real if this wasn't the pats it would be an after thought.

They tried to gain an unfair advantage. Breaking the rules is breaking the rules. It's unethical.

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

They tried to gain an unfair advantage. Breaking the rules is breaking the rules. It's unethical.

Most not be that big a deal 50,000 fine not talking to the media. 25,000 for deflating a ball. It's just being blown way out of proportions.

[AndersonVision]

I hope none of you are lawyers.

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by AndersonVision

I hope none of you are lawyers.

Why's that???

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

They tried to gain an unfair advantage. Breaking the rules is breaking the rules. It's unethical.

this is the biggest thing..........if they tried to get an advantage over their opponent.......regardless if that advantage played a part in the final outcome or not......it could still be considered cheating.

just b/c they won easily......the possibility of cheating shouldn't be overlooked and ignored.

that's the part i can't wrap my head around....."they won easily....so what if there's any truth to these accusations??"

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

this is the biggest thing..........if they tried to get an advantage over their opponent.......regardless if that advantage played a part in the final outcome or not......it could still be considered cheating.

just b/c they won easily......the possibility of cheating shouldn't be overlooked and ignored.

that's the part i can't wrap my head around....."they won easily....so what if there's any truth to these accusations??"

It's just gonna be one of those things where the league says there was some kind of mistake and the league will put in further steps to make sure nothing like this happens again. And on to the super bowl.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

this is the biggest thing..........if they tried to get an advantage over their opponent.......regardless if that advantage played a part in the final outcome or not......it could still be considered cheating.

just b/c they won easily......the possibility of cheating shouldn't be overlooked and ignored.

that's the part i can't wrap my head around....."they won easily....so what if there's any truth to these accusations??"

Well said. That is like saying drunk driving is okay as long as no one gets hurt. What matters is what happened. The result of the game is secondary. What really caused those balls to deflate?

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Well said. That is like saying drunk driving is okay as long as no one gets hurt. What matters is what happened. The result of the game is secondary. What really caused those balls to deflate?

Drunk driving I think you should say copying someone on a test cause drunk driving is a whole level difference.

[burner xxx]

I know they're completely different sports but Jimmy Johnson (5 or 6 time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion) is always cheating.

He might be good but his crew chief keeps him great but finding rules to bend.

The Pats will get 0 discipline because they're under inflated balls... not stickem on Edelman's hands. If they were severely under-inflation the refs would've noticed.

I don't like the Patriots any more than a casual football fan but I don't see the big deal here

[AndersonVision]

Originally Posted by kidkash

Why's that???

Since last night, it's just been funny reading the whole rigamole around the case. I was just having a laugh at some of the people that are GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY.

This whole thing is such a non-issue that they can't jump on, because even if it turned out to be true...there's too much splashback.

They'd have to go after Rodgers, Eli Manning and anyone else who might have ever modded a ball. The league isn't going to do that.

The logic train is going to direct this back onto the Refs. Some of the Refs are going to try and save their jobs, but they're going to have to explain to the League how they touched these balls multiple times and never noticed an issue.

Even if the Patriot detractors have a case, the refs still have to answer how in the course of a game that started at 6:50 EST and went to 10:07 EST, they never noticed a damn thing.

The Pats will have plausible deniability. Which in turn will put the League into the position of deciding do we go after the Refs who didn't do their job or do we go after the Pats who we have nothing on.

The important thing is...it'll be one step in the path that gets Roger Goodell out the door.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by kidkash

Drunk driving I think you should say copying someone on a test cause drunk driving is a whole level difference.

No, not really. A wrong is a wrong. How long have the Patriots been doing this? What others things have they been doing without getting caught? You can't expect people to believe spying on teams and deflating ball is all they have been doing. These are the questions I have.

[AndersonVision]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

No, not really. A wrong is a wrong. How long have the Patriots been doing this? What others things have they been doing without getting caught? You can't expect people to believe spying on teams and deflating ball is all they have been doing. These are the questions I have.

Again, that's speculation. Crap in one hand and hope that Belichick gets suspended from the Super Bowl in the other.

See which one fills up first.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by AndersonVision

Again, that's speculation. Crap in one hand and hope that Belichick gets suspended from the Super Bowl in the other.

See which one fills up first.

Very fair questions given the recent history of that franchise.

[walruswarrior]

It's called logic. 11/12 balls were deflated. Logic dictates that the balls were deflated by an outside source. Now we go to motive. Why would the refs deflate balls to that point? There is no reason too. Now what is the motive for the Pats? To gain an unfair competitive advantage. Seems cut and dry, especially when considering past transgressions.

[AndersonVision]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Very fair questions given the recent history of that franchise.

Not at all. You've got a tangential occurrence that was already handled by the League.

There's a difference between catching one guy with a camera and pinpointing an imaginary conspiracy to deflate balls under live televised play. Especially since the balls would've had to have been removed from Official Hands during live play and put back unnoticed.

Numbered balls being put back unnoticed.

[kidkash]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

No, not really. A wrong is a wrong. How long have the Patriots been doing this? What others things have they been doing without getting caught? You can't expect people to believe spying on teams and deflating ball is all they have been doing. These are the questions I have.

There are levels of wrongs and they are totally different, I mean one is a deflated ball the other could kill people.