Bettis rips Brady on ESPN

Following Brady's presser, Bettis argues that Brady's "explanation" on deflategate makes no sense. "I'm disappointed," he said.

If he likes the ball at 12.5 psi, then how can he also say he can't feel the difference?

 

I'll do him one better. In BB presser today he says he doesn't even think about the footballs they use, it just doesn't come up, neve enters his mind and then during the same conversation says that he makes practice as hard as possible and gets the worst footballs possible in an effort to make it really tough and if anyone complains about the condition of the ball he makes it worse. Sure sounds like he thinks about the footballs they use, so which is it coach you don't think about them and have no direct contact with the footballs you use or that you purposely make the condition of your practice balls less than perfect in an attempt to make it harder on your players. I wish some one would have called him on it.

 

Nobody called him on it because you read it wrong. He said he doesn't think about the game balls, not that he doesn't think about the practice balls

 

Clearly they think the rest of the world are morons. Come on, you're telling me a Head Football coach in the NFL doesn't know every facet of what goes on before, during and after a game.... just like a QB can't tell the difference in how a ball feels.... someone who handles a ball every day of his life during the season.....Come on man. Seriously, just quit the plausible deniability skit and friggen fess up to something... it's 2015, that sh!t hasn't worked since President Nixon.....

 

So Shaner you would have us believe that while he takes notice of his balls in practice he doesn't think about them during game time. When the rain is pouring down and the ball is wet or the snow is swirling and and the ball is a little bit frozen. The guy that meticulously plans for any situation and prepares his players for it to the point of illegally recording other teams walk throughs. You want us to believe he gives no thought to the game balls?

 

I think it was more along the lines of he didn't know the process of how the balls are managed before the game and that he never thought about it.

Later he said that he likes to use worst possible footballs (cold, wet, slippery) during practice.

I think what Thorn is saying is that here is a guy who puts a lot of thought into ball condition during practice, but claims to be oblivious to ball preparation just before the game. I agree.

 

I wouldn't have anyone believe anything. I'm just paraphrasing what the man said. He never claimed to give no thought to the ball at all, he said he didn't give it any thought on game day. He didn't contradict himself, that was my only point

 

Fair enough.

 

yes, childish, but...

 

I haven't had a chance to vent about this yet. I don't really know where to do that, but I guess this is as good a place as any. This is my interpretation so far:

Me: "The Patriots cheated!"
Pats fans: "Oh, like it matters. We would have won anyway."
Me: "But that's cheating. They cheated."
PF: "They actually played better in the second half, after the balls were made normal again. So if anything, their 'cheating' didn't work, and you could even say it backfired."
Me: "But that's cheating."

Then there's:
PF: "Hey, if it makes such a difference, how come the refs didn't notice? If it makes such a difference in the ball, how come the guy who touches it every play never noticed?"
Me: "Well it's not like the ball was flat - just a little air was out, to make it easier to throw, catch, and squeeze. They didn't deflate it enough to notice when casually holding it like a ref does. There'd be no hope of getting away with it if they did that."
PF: "I don't see what the big deal is. Probably everyone does it."
Me: "But that's cheating."
PF: "Did you hear that Colts player say that even if our guys had been playing with soap, we'd have won?"
Me: "But... that's cheating."

Normally I'm the one with the long, drawn out explanations for stuff, but not this time. This isn't a false start or holding or pass interference. This is real, honest cheating. We really don't see much of that. We see the refs miss stuff in games that they're supposed to catch, and that could be interpreted as cheating, but this kind of thing, like Spygate, is just in a different category.

It doesn't matter if it worked, and it doesn't matter if they would have won anyway. If an entire baseball team is on steroids and is playing against another team that has never touched the stuff, and the steroid team wins 100-0 on a series of bunts, they cheated!

 

I think what you're saying when you say that it didn't matter if it "worked" or not is that the point is their INTENT was to gain a competitive edge. Even ATTEMPTING to cheat is the same as cheating. That's what leaves such a bad taste in my mouth and I actually like the Pats and think Bill is the greatest coach on the planet and Brady is the greatest qb on the planet. I still just think if this was done on purpose it's a real bush league move by them.

 

Tom Brady said he did not alter the balls. I believe him...someone else did.

Bill Belicheat says that we should ask Tom what criteria he uses to choose balls. This of course is meaningless. They choose the balls and then they get inspected by the refs. Moot point. I didn't hear him say anything about the balls during the game.

Did anyone hear them specifically deny knowing the balls were deflated? They told narrow truths, that didn't tell the whole story.

As for the Ravens, they should lose a draft pick for not reporting their suspicions to the league.

 

I think they did because of the new center. In the rain.

 

I'm confused. If 11 out of the 12 Game balls were under inflated and they switched them out at halftime for balls that were regulated correctly does that mean that both teams are given a total of 24 balls?

I thought each team selected 12 total.

Did the Colts use 24 total game balls as well?

Not sure of the rules but when it was 17-7 they used tainted balls then switched them to regulated ones. Do they normally use 24 balls per team?

All I know is I'm not buying any of the BS that is coming out of that entire organization. I'm about ready to boycott Kraft again. I've done it before but it's really tough to do. That Macs N Cheese is some good stuff.

 

Based on what I have read, the officials checked the balls at halftime and re-inflated them to proper PSI and then they were put back in use. Hence why Brady and Pats fans have pointed out the 28-0 second half score. However, it hasn't been confirmed that the balls came back at the end of the game at proper PSI. Based on what Mortenson reported, regarding the league office's uproar, I get a sense the balls were again tampered with.

 

I think they DID because thats what CHEATERS do !!! And i bet this is not the only thing they do to cheat, But we will nvr kno because NFL is to incompatent to find out the truth,.....Hell if they cant get a video tape to review, you think they can find out were missing air went

 

It was interesting how Bellicheat was really relaxed during his press conference, and then he was like: "Tom will have more answers for you."

I actually thought when Brady came up to the podium he was gonna come clean. And for the first couple minutes or so he seemed really nervous, and it looked almost like he was gonna cry. Almost like he was gonna catch a whoopin from his dad or something. As the interview went on he got more confident, but he was also just deflecting every question.

Definitely was a strange vibe from Brady's press conference.

 

Sounds like Gooddell and Kraft washing their hands together of any wrong doing with a 17-7 lead.

Now, I'm even more confused though. So the balls were found to be non regulatory during halftime? Why then were they reinflated instead of investigated? I mean we're talking 11 of the 12 balls! Did the officials just say air em back up even though regulation was messed up during the 1st half of the AFCCG?

I have to question when this was reported? Was it after the game?

This just doesn't pass the smell test.

Brady, Belicheat, Kraft and Gooddell all had something to do with it.

I always wanted the Steelers to play the Pats again in the AFCCG but lately I'm not sure they really could and win.

 

My lawyer friend once told me win if you can, lose if you must but always cheat. Looks like the Patriots follow this model to perfection.

 

Ill do you one better analogy:

By Patriot fans logic, if you drive home from the bar drunk and make it home without causing an accident or hurting anyone, then it isn't a crime.

 

I did hear one report that they were issued 12 new balls and the league kept the 12 deflated balls. Not sure if that is accurate or not, but would make sense regarding an investigation...or Goodell's desire to destroy the balls.

 

This is exactly how I think this is going. The actual physical deflation was probably done by a ball boy or equipment manager, probably while Brady was present and squeezing the balls eek until they got to his liking. So yes, he is telling the truth when he says "I did not alter the balls."

My prediction of how this is going to work out....some low level ball boy or equipment personnel will come forward and claim that he did it without BB or Brady's knowledge. The league will lightly punish the Pats by taking away a low round draft pick and the minimum $25,000 fine, the fall guy will be fired but he will have his college tuition, car, or house paid for by Kraft, and BB and Brady will ride on unscathed.

Even my wife who doesn't give a rats ass about football said "They're going to pin it on the ball boy" when I was explaining the story to her.

*edit* she also said "The Patriots? Hmmm, didn't the get caught doing something else before? Didn't they cheat before?"

 

And then there is this....
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/12213363/tom-brady-tale-hold-weight


Of course, it would be nice if the NFL actually got around to interviewing Brady, who said he has yet to sit down with the league. Goodell's crack detectives must be too busy trying to track down a third Rice video.


Are you freaking kidding me? As of Thursday night the league has not talked to Tom Brady? When do the plan on doing it? Sunday? Super Bowl Sunday, maybe? Sure, lets just give them all the time they need to concoct an excuse and an alibi for the whole thing. This should have been done Tuesday at the latest. There's no hope, the fix is in. These jokers are going to skate, just watch.