Nice to see someone Call Brady out on Live TV!!

[Sgt. Largent]

Will be fun to see how Brady handles a legally inflated ball. Look at how he acted in that press conference. I don't think I've ever heard Brady sound so rattled..

He'll handle it fine cause it's in warm Arizona indoors.

He only deflates the ball in cold or wet weather, which was the case the past two games.

That's the irony of all the Pats fans claiming this is a stupid thing that doesn't matter. If it's an insignificant thing, then why did Brady do it?

 

[gargantual]

Will be fun to see how Brady handles a legally inflated ball. Look at how he acted in that press conference. I don't think I've ever heard Brady sound so rattled..

He'll handle it fine cause it's in warm Arizona indoors.

He only deflates the ball in cold or wet weather, which was the case the past two games.

That's the irony of all the Pats fans claiming this is a stupid thing that doesn't matter. If it's an insignificant thing, then why did Brady do it?

Very good point. It's extremely entertaining listening to their fans cherry-pick what helps them avoid accepting that this has really happened.

 

[TwistedHusky]

The last time they were accused of cheating, it was for a supposedly small advantage.

The problem is that if you look at their SB wins, some were by mere FGs. So a small advantage makes a big difference then. Without those small advantages would those still be wins? Nobody knows.

Then years go by without a SB win.

Suddenly they are back in the SB again, and suddenly they are found to be cheating again.

The question is whether that is coincidence?

The other question is given the unrelated incidents of cheating, does anyone believe these are the only incidents of cheating they engage in? I think most reasonable people understand that there is a pattern of behavior emerging and it clearly points to a team that bends/breaks rules whenever it feels it will not get caught or whenever it feels that getting caught is still worth the gain.

How many other incidents of cheating did not get uncovered and if so, how many game outcomes were affected this year because of that?

This is the problem. Don Shula pointed it out, and other players/coaches are weighing in here too. We have no idea what they have won, because there are so many things that they likely did not get caught for. So is the legacy actually being great? Or just managing to weasel their way into wins legally and illegally?

Could they even compete on a level field or are they dependent on that chicanery to win consistently? Is that the reason for the 10 year drought?

Nobody knows but it casts a shadow on current and future accomplishments.

 

[gargantual]

Could they even compete on a level field or are they dependent on that chicanery to win consistently? Is that the reason for the 10 year drought?

Interesting thought. It makes me wonder if this will keep Belichick from employing any dirty tricks he might've had dialed up for the game, with the uber-scrutiny that will be cast upon every minute detail.......Naaaaaah, who'm I kidding? Emperor Palpa-chick is so shameless, will even all of this give him the slightest moment's pause?

 

[TwistedHusky]

Looks like I am not the only person to see things this way.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 09297.html

Of course they cheated, and they won by a few points. Did it affect the outcome? Would they have won anyway?

The answer is, if not, why bother to cheat?

 

[gargantual]

Looks like I am not the only person to see things this way.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 09297.html

Of course they cheated, and they won by a few points. Did it affect the outcome? Would they have won anyway?

The answer is, if not, why bother to cheat?

And that completely obliterates the argument that "everyone does it".

 

[kearly]

Brady was busted for cheating and now everyone thinks he's a liar on top of it. How does having the face of your franchise exposed as a liar and a cheat galvanize a team? If anything it would logically flow that the team, who derives much of their greatness from Brady's leadership, would be negatively impacted by this. Just imagine if Russell cheated and then lied to cover it up. It would definitely not work to Seattle's benefit.

I'm not saying that I think this will have a huge impact or that New England is doomed, but I see nothing but positives here from Seattle's perspective.

Can you imagine the narrative after the SB if Brady has a bad game or his receivers drop a bunch of passes? Everyone will think it's because he's using a standard ball, fair or not. It could be incredibly damaging to Brady's legacy. Once he makes that first mistake it will be in his mind.

 

[DavidSeven]

I agree. I don't think this works as a rallying cry. If anything, those guys on defense who shut down the Colts are probably pretty pissed that their dominant performance is being completely overshadowed by something their own teammate did. They also know that even a victory is going to carry an asterisk. How pumped will they be knowing that even a win will carry this stink for years to come?

As an aside, I also think it's interesting that in the two Super Bowls the Pats have played in since 2007, their offense has consistently under-performed from its regular season pace. If I'm not mistaken, Super Bowls are the only scenario where they wouldn't control their own set of balls (since the 2007 rule change). I believe the NFL produces 100 for the two teams to share.

 

[Largent80]

It is a football game. All this motivational or anti motivational talk is just that...TALK.

If they used this as an advantage, and against a crappy IND. defense, then they are in BIG trouble vs. Seattle.

 

[Vancanhawksfan]

The whole concept that something like this can give players "extra motivation" is nonsense. What do you think its going to do? Make someone run faster? Maybe Brady will throw the ball harder or think more? C'mon.

If anything the extra stress and anxiety will distract the players or even worse - they will lose energy due to the anxiety and restless nights of sleep wondering how things are going to come down (in particular for Brady)