Lucky Luciano

outplayed the first half outplayed second half ect ect ect. would it have mattered in game strategy in the 2nd half if the colts were ahead by 21 points at half time? don't you see... all of these are WORTHLESS scenarios. a conundrum. you could never know the outcome of an event in time as a certainty if you changed the reality of the past that lead to it. it is pure speculation on both sides but a true possibility for either. the reality is any final results could have happened.

this makes no sense. if the ball PSI makes no difference in how you INDIVIDUALLY perform or your teammates WHY IN GOD'S NAME would you break the rules purposely and risk fines and censorship to change it???? that is stupidity beyond belief. tom brady must be a mental midget!! and rogers??? if the NFL had even a common lick of sense they would fine and censor HIM!!! he just admitted cheating in an NFL game to the world!!! and i would have ZERO problem with that. if it wasn't in the rulebooks for EVERY player to follow there is no foul!!! try this... if tom brady doesn't like the rule why not get the NFL to CHANGE IT instead of risking exactly what has happened?????????? he is the golden boy along with payton manning who could do just about anything they want to and get it approved. why cheat? the advantage of a better grip in my estimation negates HANDS DOWN your fumble/bounce inference. it certainly wouldn't sail higher with more air in it or even helium for that matter. next: don't you think he is going to practice with a ball that is inflated to his specifications? or possibly change it in regards to weather conditions? if it is pouring rain you are not going to throw the ball quite as far for very obvious reasons. so you adjust your routes and the types of passes you throw. that said... would even a SLIGHTLY better grip on the ball at the SNAP be an advantage to you, your center, the running back, the tight end or the wide receiver in bad weather be it cold or rain???

how do you know this to be true? there is a great difference between doing something that is not in the rules to take advantage of an opponent and willfully breaking the existing rules to gain that advantage. first: the "old timers" did NOT have this as one of the rules in the NFL rule book to my knowledge. it may have been a standard of practice but was not written in stone. rule revisions or new rules are generally made because of an unfair advantage. this does not make the prior participants that played before the rule was written cheaters. second: your point about a craftsman never blaming his tools... nothing could be further from the truth. if you are a mechanic and use a torque wrench made of typical chinese landfill quality and the parts on your car fall off or fail because the settings are incorrect or inaccurate as the result of an inferior tool, believe me you will hear them blaming the tool til doomsday. the same holds true in wood working craftsmanship. if you use a former quality named tool that now makes garbage in china and all your cuts or measurements are off be prepared for one hell of a lot of finger pointing and blame.

1. this is what cheating gives you. the what IF's, the COULD BE's or the POSSIBILITIES. the what IF's i stated are an extreme hypothesis and in estimation 'may' not be 'probable' in this instance. but... can you with 100% certainty say it was not possible? or possible in any other games since 2006? if that is laughable to you then C'est la vie. 2. tom brady and payton manning were the 2 qb's who got the rules changed in the NFL rulebooks on game balls in 2006. tom brady and every NFL quarterback today knows exactly what these rules are. this inflation and game ball controversy has been going on for quite some time prior to the colts game. that said: you or the average layman may see no change in a players performance in this instance, but... IF 1-2 PSI makes NO difference in performance for TOM BRADY, then why covertly change them from regulation inflation? if there is no advantage to HIM or the patriots then why do it? is he criminally insane or is it ingrained in him to cheat EVEN if there is no advantage in doing so?

cheating in sports obviously doesn't matter or even bother you at all. so, i have an idea... why don't you make a complete list of the NFL rules you think should or could be ignored or circumvented by tom brady, the patriots or what ever other team you follow and post them here for us all. i could use a good laugh.

the colts were down by a 8 points at halftime. this is the pitfall of cheating.... what IF. the colts were ahead by halftime? what IF brady had fumbled leading to a colt score or two in the first half? what IF brady's accuracy was not as good because of the deflation leading to more punts instead of TD's? what IF the receivers or RB's had fumbled? what IF the colts had more TOP due to any of those events? would the second half have turned out the same due to strategy if the colts had the lead going into the second half? not a single human on earth could accurately predict they would have. as you stated... what about the ravens outcome? were there any differences in scores or opportunities to score? what IF the pats would not have made the playoffs because of regular season losses? what IF the pats didn't have home field advantage? it can NEVER be determined how the outcome of the season would have turned out if they did not cheat. and for all who believe 1-2 PSI makes no difference... then WHY do it? why risk the chance of exactly what happened occurring for nothing?

i knew you meant that this is probably how it will shake out and i agree with what you said. for the sake of money to the NFL he and billy are untouchables. the message this sends is if you are a star or a money maker for corporate NFL they will cover your ass until you do something to go to jail over. for those who like the game of football, it is really a shame.

agree. god-ell is a detriment. he is the bud selig of the NFL. on your second point i have to disagree on. there is NO possible way any idiot ball guy is going to do that without brady or billechek's approval or their wink and a nod. if they did so without brady's approval why deflate them to those specification? that said, they would virtually be hung in new england if that caused the pats to be disqualified from any game. so no possible way this could happen - NONE - unless both of them were completely insane. brady is just as culpable and probably even more so, than these 'ball boys'. belichek supposedly mico manages every aspect of the patriots as he HIMSELF has stated to the press. he is the oversear and HE is culpable also. also just for $h!ts and grins, who is there OC now? hmmmmmmmmm. it's the smoking gun lying on the ground next to a body and either or both standing over them when police arrive moments after hearing a shot. just because the finger prints have been wiped off the gun, they would be found guilty and hanged.

this is paramount: there are REASONS that there are rules in sporting events. initially there are set guidelines as to how the sport is played. other than the initial concept and standards, when problems arise in sports it is 'usually' due to problems of one team/contestant unfairly taking advantage of another OR for safety reasons. thus all teams/contestants have SET standards, rules, they MUST abide by. otherwise it is not a true sport but an exhibition of no significant importance. as an official of the sport this should be of utmost importance to you or anyone else who regulates a true sporting event. in 'most' instances there are NO gray areas, or should NOT be, in how you perform your duties in this capacity. unless they are 'judgement calls' by an official there should be no debate. even then the rules, if they are unclear, should be defined by the league to eliminate or at the very LEAST minimize judgement calls that can effect the outcome of play in the NFL. the perfect example is your "holding call". the NFL has at this point changed the rules and left many game changing calls like this and pass interference so vague that it leaves no set boundaries. in other words an official can be 'right OR wrong' on nearly every call thus leaving the game open for abuse by corrupt or bad officiating. next: you mentioned there is no difference in a game ball that is light 1 or 2 pounds of air. although i have no official NFL football to compare i still disagree. if there is no difference then HOW were they discovered during a game by an opponent? one PSI is over 8% of the total minimum inflation of an NFL regulation football standard. TWO PSI is nearly 17% deflation. i also will ask you (as you have stated you are a collegiate official) what is the size and weight difference between a regulation NFL football vs. a collegiate game ball? unless there are changes in the rules lately i 'believe' the size and weight are different, the NFL ball being larger and/or heavier. fact - in most instances a QB in the NFL has larger hands and much, much stronger hands than a normal person including the officials. in other words their grip is bigger and stronger and thus able to manipulate more the degree of flexibility and control. this would hold true also for a running back and a wide receiver. this 1-2 lbs. difference could literally mean a lot more control for a QB in rainy weather AND especially in cold weather when the QB's hands have lost a bit of feeling and the skin tone has become slick due to the temperature. the chances of slippage or ball movement should be reduced allowing the QB to retain more accuracy and control and reduce the chances of fumbles. i think if you check the stats you may find that brady has a very good fumble ratio. could this be a factor? i believe it could make that much of a difference. this formula should also include the WR who when grasping the ball (strong hands again) during a catch has more flexibility in the ball giving him a clear advantage in the reception. the same holds true for the RB who not only handles the ball but can squeeze the ball against his body more securely. to test this theory take a large balloon and inflate one to it's max and another underinflate. try gripping them both and see which gives you the most control. i think you will find that even a slightly underinflated balloon will give you a lot more control than the fully inflated. all said, then why is there a rule in the first place? why not let any team or player determine how hard or soft a game ball is due to inflation? finally: the patriots have manipulated the rules of play to gain advantage in beating their opponents. they have cheated now at least twice, that we know of, to win 2 separate superbowls. how many superbowls or even playoff games would they have won if they had played by the rules? it is now completely in doubt that the entire bellicek era may have been determined by them cheating. it's no different than the 9er's of the 90's who's superbowl string was acquired by cheating. that is why the integrity of the game is the ONLY thing going for the NFL to make it worth watching. without it it is all star wrestling. that is the legacy they leave behind for any who follow the sport and can see further than the glitz and surface trappings of this era of football. below are just some of the instances in regards to the inflate issues and does not include the other cheating practices that they gained by spying on opponents or who knows what else they have done... ================== The 243-page report features text messages between McNally, the 48-year-old officials locker room attendant for the Patriots, and Jastremski, a 35-year-old equipment assistant, in which McNally outs himself "the deflator" and the two friends discuss Brady's angry complaints about the inflation level of game balls in an Oct. 17 game against the New York Jets. McNally previously drew league scrutiny more than a decade ago, the report said, after Patriots ball boys relayed non-approved practice balls into an Oct. 25, 2004, game. There was actually no game on that day, but the Patriots beat the Jets 13-7 on Oct. 24, 2004. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/p...colts/22216585/ ===================== ESPN - 1/21/15: http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/1...ampionship-game The NFL has found that 11 of the New England Patriots' 12 game balls were inflated significantly below the NFL's requirements, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation of Sunday's AFC Championship Game told ESPN. With the integrity of the game at stake, the NFL should come down hard on Bill Belichick and the Pats if they are proven to have underinflated footballs, writes Jackie MacMullan. More info needed before judgment passed The investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations during the Pats' 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, according to sources. READ THIS: During that game, Colts safety Mike Adams twice intercepted Tom Brady and gave the balls to the Colts' equipment manager to save -- and both times there were concerns about the balls feeling underinflated, sources told Schefter. Those sources said the Colts raised concerns to the league, which was aware of the issue going into this weekend's AFC title game. ==================== Only one of the 12 New England Patriots footballs used in the team's AFC Championship game win against the Indianapolis Colts was under-inflated by a full two pounds, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. "Several" other balls were found to be roughly one pound under-inflated, and "several more" were either right at, or barely beneath, the correct inflation mark. The one football under-inflated by two pounds is in the NFL's possession for purposes of its ongoing investigation as to whether the Patriots purposefully deflated their footballs in order to gain an advantage over the Colts. http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/02/01/deflatega...l-underinflated

i TOTALLY disagree. cheating DOES matter even if you believe the PSI is insignificant (i don't agree with you on this either). if there are rules and you violate them purposely then you should pay the consequences and in the NFL you should get the absolute maximum penalty to set the precedence. the league is built on TRUST. not only between the players and franchise owners but especially to the fans of the game. otherwise you end up like boxing throughout the 20th century where criminals in many instances dictated the outcome for monetary gains. once that trust is violated you can never put that genie back into the bottle without serious hard work by the entire NFL environment and even then it leaves the stigma of doubt in peoples minds. without TRUST in sports you have nothing!!! you as a proposed official at a high level SHOULD take this absolutely seriously at every level. what SHOULD be done as i have proposed in the past: 1. brady suspended for 1 year with the stipulation of anything in the future he is banned for life. all statistics for the entire season are wiped off the record books. 2. billichek (sp) should be banned from the NFL for life as this is the SECOND cheating violation under his watch. 3. the patriots should be exempt from any playoff or superbowl games for this season. 4. the patriots should lose a #1 draft pick for 2 years. 5. kraft should be fined 5-10 million dollars with the threat if the patriots EVER cheat again in any way he loses the franchise. some of this money is paid to the franchises that were effected. the players who lost salary because of this especially. 6. the patriots forfeit the superbowl win and it is awarded to the seahawks.

thanks for the information. i am assuming these should be blue chip draft picks next season?

it's probably doubtful you would trade with anyone picking in the top 10 next season although it's certainly possible. if we picked up a 1st even in the lower half of the first round i would predict we will pick somewhere in the middle, up in the first. i would probably stay away from the pats, packers or seahawks though. that should be close to what it would take to move you up into a position to draft that blue chip QB or LOT. two first round picks is a lot of ammunition if it is even a reasonably strong draft next year.

i don't watch college football much anymore since the BCS destroyed the sport so i have a couple of questions for you knowledgeable people who follow college prospects into the draft. what does next years class of prospects look like for premium top 10 draft players at these positions: QB, LOT, CB, and finally DE? i know it's early and a LOT can happen during a year, but are there any really good looking players that will become eligible in next years draft? the reason i ask... IF there are some primo players in next years draft at those positions i would strongly like the bears to trade out of the #7 spot down, or way down, in the first round by swapping picks and getting the other teams first round pick next season for doing so. this years draft is weak at virtually all of the key player positions WE need for a franchise player of that type. that way we can shake out the personnel on our team AND the different schemes and determine what our needs really are with the current players on our roster. next year we could draft that elite QB (or left offensive tackle) in the top 10 by swapping our two first round picks to move up in the draft to pick them. same goes if we missed one of those two type of players we could go after another very high quality CB or DE. it's looking at the health of this team in the LONG term instead of short term meet our needs to win now philosophy.

IF next year looks like a strong QB or LT draft in the top 10 i would like to see the bears swap firsts this year and acquire a first for next year from the team moving up. then we move up next year with two firsts to position for one of those key type of players. it seems every year we have a top ten pick the QB or LT positions are very thin to nonexistent. maybe we could change that.

uhh.... just emphasize a capital NO!! this guy is beyond bad.

here is what we SHOULD have done... IF QB was a desperate pick for the bears by angie (which i DOUBT): 1. moved up 3 slots and drafted carson palmer. it was the time to make this move for a franchise QB who looked to fit the bill. 2. if the bengals won't trade down we draft byron leftwich. he was tough as nails with potential to be a good qb. there were definately injury concerns though so i 'might' have passed. that said, i can't believe we were in total desperation for a QB if we waited until our 2nd pick in the first round to get grossman. IF we can't get palmer and leftwich is too much of an injury gamble this is what we do... draft jordan gross at the #4 slot. while we may be able to limp by with an injured jim miller and shane mathews we, without any doubt, needed a LT. we had the horrendous mike gandy the previous year, 2002, and started him in 2003 also at LT. the following year, 2004 we sported the amazing Q. mitchell. so by 2004 we would have had a pro-bowl LT in gross and a pro-bowl RT in tait who we paid the moon for to be mediocre as a LT. we had a great C and a very good RG in villareal. that would have looked pretty good as our offensive line for the next 6 years. QB and LT were KEY positions of need for the bears and almost always go high in the draft. the only other consideration would be a DE or CB in that slot and that was the least of our worries at that time. if you have the chance to draft a QB or LT you have to take it. remember we were running the shoop-a-dope offense that relied on running the ball 3 yds with a cloud of dust and bubble screens for our passing attack. we NEEDED a good T for that aspect of the game, not to mention, to keep jim miller off the IR.

it might be better to evaluate if there were stats on first, second and third round picks from that info. that might be a way to judge the importance they gave each position.

speaking of superbowls (or pussy cat bowls).... remember the SF 49ers cheating by circumventing the salary cap in the 1990's? an incredible advantage when you can keep all of your primo players intact on the team by cheating. carmen policy was brought up on charges for this for the 1997 season. it is also *suspected, and rightly so, that this had been going on for some years. maybe even since the cap was instituted in 1994 when the 9ers won superbowl XXIX by beating the chargers. remember 1994?.... what 'IF'... the chicago bears (a 9-7 wildcard team) did NOT play the SF 49ers in candlestick on january 7, 1995 in a wildcard/division champion playoff game and beat who 'MIGHT' have been a different division champion ('POSSIBLY' the dallas cowboys who wanny actually seemed able to beat on a regular basis)? 'COULD' the bears have ended up beating the chargers in superbowl XXIX that year? not saying they would have even got there but do you see all of the 'what IF's, 'COULD be's or 'MAYBE'S involved here? all because the 49ers cheated? that is the reality of dishonesty in sports. * Several owners, including the Raiders' Al Davis, have been outspoken about the issue dragging on so long. They believe the 49ers got a competitive advantage by cheating on the cap. Some also have claimed the 49ers cheated on the cap to win their last Super Bowl after the 1994 season, but that's not at issue here. The alleged violations occurred in 1997, a year in which the 49ers lost in the NFC Championship Game. - SFGATE Friday, August 11, 2000 http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ers...ard-2709726.php

absoultely agree. great point on the home games. the colts were only down by 10 points at halftime. what IF...??... 1. the pats would have had a pick six or two in the first half because brady couldn't control the ball as well due to rain and cold and it effected his accuracy. 2. the receivers couldn't hang onto the ball as effectiveley on any number of plays killing a drive or bouncing in the air for an INT. 3. the pats RB fumbled once or twice killing a drive or actually giving up points to the defense. this would have changed the entire complexity and flow of the game going in at half if say the colts were ahead by 10. so would the outcome of the game have changed in the end? it 'COULD' have. maybe or probably not but 'COULD' have. this is why cheating in any form is completely intolerable and should be treated as such. there is always the 'what IF' factor involved. in conclusion there are NO gray area's in this respect in sports what-so-ever. you cheat and are caught you are put between the hammer and the anvil... you are done. brady HAD to know without any doubt. can you imagine an equipment person in the locker room taking it upon himself without brady's knowledge to adjust the pressure of new englands footballs in a playoff game (only if he hated the pats, was insane and had a death wish)? belicek knew. he claims to know everything that is going on according to the rule book. can you imagine belli never wondering about the game balls before gametime and what the officials did with and to them? LOL!! even IF by some miracle belli didn't know, he is just as guilty for covering it up as brady. that would in itself make him culpable as a liar and a thief just like the cheese head kraft.

i have to totally disagree. who is to say the patriots would even have made it to this point in the season if they had played fair? cheating destroys the integrity of the game. once you lose credibility then the sport is done and there is no coming back without very serious effort by the league and even then there will always be that stigma in the back of peoples minds. it is no different than stealing. the amount is inconsequential. whether it is millions or a dollar, you are a thief. the patriots have stolen not just fame and glory from another team that may have deserved it, they have taken money out of the pockets of players, coaches, owners and fans of other teams who played by the rules. what SHOULD they do? 1. the patriots should be disqualified from playing in the superbowl and the colts should be the replacement team. 2. as a second offense bilichek should be banned from the NFL for life. 3. tom brady should be suspended for one year and all statistics and accomplishments for the 2014 season expunged from the record books. if it happens again... banned from the NFL for life. 4. next season the patriots should not be eligible to participate in the playoffs or the superbowl. 5. if cheating happens again kraft should have his franchise taken away from him by the league. that would be fair and send a message to the franchises and the fans that cheating will never be tolerated.

in my opinion a good 'cover' CB is much, much, more valuable and hard to find than any safety. it ranks up there with a pass rushing DE and LT in value. QB trumps them all.

per the score it's official

wade phillips makes sense no matter WHAT they run. this guy is a GOOD + defensive coordinator.

i just don't remember all the details anymore either. it just seems to me that also they wanted some kind of control over the salaries and/or control of the assistant coaches that would have made mcginness look like an idiot.

i listened to gabriel on the score last week talking about GM prospects. although he did endorse ballard it seemed to me there was some hesitation in his voice as he was doing so. it made me wonder. don't write that in stone, it was just my take on it.