Deflate Gate - Should the Patriots Be Disqualified?

[S3mper]

i don't think it would have changed the outcome of the game, each teams quaterback picks their own balls they will use when they are in the game, The New England balls were only on the field when New England was on offense. i thought they got their butt kicked so why could'nt the other team score with their own balls?
New England has a long history of bending and breaking the rules, blame the Ref's , and the NFL league officials.i think the Lion's were robbed, so i am still steaming over that.
anyway, both games are over and done. cant and wont be changed, but you can bet they will have lots of people checking and watching everything.
NOW

It may not have changed the outcome of this game but it most definitely could have changed the outcome of many other games.. Like the Ravens game that was extremely close and had some nice game winning drive passes and catches that could of potentially been made due to the ball being smaller...

Especially in cold late season conditions..

The other teams balls were inflated properly maybe that's why... Or maybe it's because New England played better...

It's not even a question if did it help them because it doesn't matter. The reason it doesn't matter is because they would have knowingly broke the rules in attempts to gain an "edge" This is cheating whether or not they gained that edge is irrelevant once they try to illegally obtain that edge.

Disqualified? Seriously? Not a chance. Fined and/or penalized in some way that actually hurts the franchise, sure, but no way can or will they be disqualified.

Like Dakota said it would never happen but I do believe taking away a potential super bowl win would "hurt" the franchise... Then have Brady, Bellachec, and the equipment manager be suspended in the "second half" of the season for the next couple years

=p

Also they should have to play with over inflated giant sized foot balls for a few years too XD

I don't believe they can be disqualified even if the nfl wanted to do so I think the most they can do is fine/take draft picks

and in the defense of the patriots during the first half the refs touched the balls they didn't notice but the patriots were supposed to?

that doesn't fly with me the ref should have noticed at first touch

of course Tom knew but the punishment here is def worth going to the superbowl

they need to get one set of game balls and both teams should use those in order to help prevent this in the future

also I'm not a patriots fan and am rooting or the seahawks in the superbowl

The refs examine the balls before game time and are monitored, When the refs touch the ball not only do they have reason to believe they're legitimate and no reason to think other wise (with the exception of the Colts game since they were pre-warned) but the refs also aren't squeezing or gripping the balls.

I wouldn't say the patriots entire team should be aware of this but there is a 0% chance that Tom Brady doesn't know... Every single QB in the NFL has a preference on how they like their footballs... Everything from PSI to how they prepare them like heating them up, oiling them, everything... The equipment manager.. The one responsible for preparing the balls would never change a thing on those balls without permission from the QB and the head coach..

Also teams bring their own balls for this specific reason each QB has their own preference... Which is fine as long as they stay within the rules.... Or are willing to pay the consequences when caught not doing so... This is why the consequences should be extremely high this way teams are less likely to cheat, whether that's how they prepare the balls or whatever other way teams can/will cheat.

 

[Poof]

Cheating is cheating - you don't get a pass if you rob a bank just because others have robbed banks too.

When you get caught breaking rules you should suffer penalties.

Ya the everyone else is doing it line never worked with my parents either, lol.

 

[goodhandluke]

People are saying penalize bc they hate the patriots, not because there is any real evidence.

Besides, were talking about air in a football here, omg what a game changer... Surprised he didnt throw for 1000 yards with that -2 psi...... Rofl

 

[DVFreewill]

The refs should control the game balls for both sides so this won't be an issue. What a waste of time!

 

[Johncool19]

The Patriots used deflated footballs in their play-off game against the Colts. 11 of their 12 balls were found to be deflated.

What do you think should happen to them?

I feel like NE is very smart about knowing the ins and outs of the rules. They also know when and how to bend the rules without breaking them. And when they break the rules they are good at net getting caught. And when they get caught they know how to minimize the penalty.

In summation: NE is smarter than us and the league period.

 

[bubbasbestbabe]

Look I'm a Jets fan so you know how I feel about the Patsies. The balls were deflated during the first half. They were corrected for the second half. The refs can feel the difference. If you watched the game you see them squeezing the balls. They didn't call it during the game.

And the biggest gorilla in the room is LeGarrette Blount and 3 rushing touchdowns. Those had nothing to do with deflated balls. The game had more to do with the Colts deflated defense.

 

[atlantafalcons0]

The Patriots used deflated footballs in their play-off game against the Colts. 11 of their 12 balls were found to be deflated.

What do you think should happen to them?

Nothing new, they've been cheating for years in multiple different ways and have been caught before.

Nothing substantial will happen to them.

Certainly won't be disqualified from the super bowl.

 

[Debi]

Nothing new, they've been cheating for years in multiple different ways and have been caught before.

Nothing substantial will happen to them.

Certainly won't be disqualified from the super bowl.

Yep - well aware of all of the above. Just wondering what others think should happen to them.

 

[Kenzie 96]

Disqualified, of course not.

 

[Zorba]

The refs should control the game balls for both sides so this won't be an issue. What a waste of time!

This ^^^^^^, as you all know I'm not from the USA, but I try and follow the NFL as much as I can since the beginning of this season we are getting a lot of NFL games live on TV, and every year I always watch the Super Bowl.


From what I could gather form this thread is that the home teams equipment manager is in charge of and provides the game balls for the game, in AFL (Australian Football League) the AFL and the umpires provide the balls for game day, that way there can be no tampering of the ball pre game and even during the game.

The refs in NFL handle the ball very often, surely they could have noticed if the balls were not at the correct psi, couldn't that be one of their duties during the game to occasionally squeeze the ball to ensure that it hasn't been tampered with.

If NE did tamper with the balls and got away with it, it is the other team and the refs mistake for not being vigilant enough to pick up the problem. (I'm not excusing NE if they cheated, cheating is cheating and should not be a part of the game)

Do the balls get examined by the refs pre game, if not they should be.


.

 

[S3mper]

This ^^^^^^, as you all know I'm not from the USA, but I try and follow the NFL as much as I can since the beginning of this season we are getting a lot of NFL games live on TV, and every year I always watch the Super Bowl.


From what I could gather form this thread is that the home teams equipment manager is in charge of and provides the game balls for the game, in AFL (Australian Football League) the AFL and the umpires provide the balls for game day, that way there can be no tampering of the ball pre game and even during the game.

The refs in NFL handle the ball very often, surely they could have noticed if the balls were not at the correct psi, couldn't that be one of their duties during the game to occasionally squeeze the ball to ensure that it hasn't been tampered with.

If NE did tamper with the balls and got away with it, it is the other team and the refs mistake for not being vigilant enough to pick up the problem. (I'm not excusing NE if they cheated, cheating is cheating and should not be a part of the game)

Do the balls get examined by the refs pre game, if not they should be.


.

Yes the balls are examined before the game with a pressure gauge and then are locked up till game time.

The balls passed the check up and were inflated to the correct size before the game... Some where between the game starting and half time 11 of 12 balls provided by the Patriots (That the Patriots use on Offense) were deflated passed the rules regulations.. None of the Colts 12 balls were deflated..


Also the League and the refs were made aware of the balls potentially being deflated before the Colts interception... This isn't where everyone found out the balls may have been tampered with... The Colts, The League, and the refs were alerted a week before the game even started from the Baltimore Ravens. The team that played them the week before.

 

[S3mper]

However even if they did cheat I don't see anyway for anyone to prove anything...

 

[PokerPete]

However even if they did cheat I don't see anyway for anyone to prove anything...

Unless someone like the ball boy rolls over on them or the balls are found to contain a mixture of gasses other than "air" (78% nitrogen 20.9% oxygen)

 

[trucker103]

the way the NFL has dragged there feet on this besides all the haters time to move on GO Patriots

if the refs didn't know it they touch the ballz more than anyone !

 

[OzExorcist]

As someone who doesn't have a vested interest in this (I live on the other side of the world and my favourite team, the Saints, weren't affected by this at all), I agree there needs to be some kind of action taken against the Patriots as it seems pretty clear they've broken the rules.

But any talk of knocking them out of the Superbowl, or not letting Belichick coach / Brady play in the Superbowl just seems insane to me.

Even with my limited exposure to the game on this side of the world it seems that teams play funny buggers with ball pressure on a regular basis. Wasn't it just the week before (during the Dallas-Green Bay game, IIRC) when the commentators were talking about their discussions with Aaron Rodgers and how he likes to overinflate the ball and see if they can get away with it? Nobody called for heads to roll then, the comments don't even seem to have been investigated.

That's what boggles my mind - there was a candid discussion on international television about a different team doing the same basic thing just a week earlier, and nobody cared one iota. Nobody batted an eyelid. Granted nobody accused them of tampering with the balls after inspection, but "we regularly see what we can get away with" was definitely the gist of the discussion.

The Pats situation sounds like a case for a fine and/or the loss of a few draft picks to me. They broke the rules. Maybe a BIG fine and the loss of some important draft picks, since it's not exactly their first time skirting the rules. But going as far as knocking them out of the Superbowl is just crazy to my mind.

 

[SBritt]

Has any damning evidence came out like someone coming forward that they did it? It seems like they could be set up. I don't know who to believe in this situation.

 

[Debi]

They will find a scapegoat they can pay off to take the blame.

 

[S3mper]

They will find a scapegoat they can pay off to take the blame.

Come to think of it... I'm the one who deflated the footballs on my own will and no one else had anything to do with it...

<.<

 

[DaPirate]

I agree Dakota and the latest I heard if was ball boy? LOL

 

[Zorba]

Yes the balls are examined before the game with a pressure gauge and then are locked up till game time.

The balls passed the check up and were inflated to the correct size before the game... Some where between the game starting and half time 11 of 12 balls provided by the Patriots (That the Patriots use on Offense) were deflated passed the rules regulations.. None of the Colts 12 balls were deflated..


Also the League and the refs were made aware of the balls potentially being deflated before the Colts interception... This isn't where everyone found out the balls may have been tampered with... The Colts, The League, and the refs were alerted a week before the game even started from the Baltimore Ravens. The team that played them the week before.

Thanks for the explanation.

.

 

[DaveE]

I don't care. Had to be said.

Looking forward to the superbowl.

 

[atlantafalcons0]

Well the cheaters won.

Game Over.

 

[goodhandluke]

NE won babyyyy!

 

[Shumkoolie]

New England's winning the Super Bowl only raises the stakes with the ongoing investigation of the under inflated footballs. The NFL had a horrible year PR wise, and one has to wonder that, even more than the most recent scandal, if the problem is actually the leadership of Roger Goodell. He has handled earlier scandals very poorly, especially the Ray Rice debacle, and one has to wonder if the owners are going to lose faith in his leadership. Ultimately, they are the ones who can oust him from office and if the league cannot clean up how they handle things, he may pay the price with his job.

That said, it was a very tight, hard fought game between two worthy teams.

 

[jazzaxe]

Khan Academy did a mathematical analysis about the effect of inflating a ball at room temperature and then playing 25 degrees cooler and came to the conclusion that temperature alone was within 2 per cent of the difference. They concluded that it was too close to blame the Patriots for intentional deflation.