Sunday, May 10, 2015

If Brady is suspended

the following individuals should face the same amount of suspension time.

1. The official responsible for testing the psi of the balls for the October 16, 2014 game against the Jets. A Google search didn't immediately identify the individual. The NFL keeps accurate records so I'm sure they can produce his name in .02 seconds. *snort*

If we are to take the words of Jastremski and McNally then there is one official out there who needs a little disciplinary action. 

Jastremski: I checked some of the balls this morn... The refs fucked us...a few of then were at almost 16 
Jastremski: They didnt recheck then after they put air in them 

Considering texts between Jastremski and McNally are being used to lead Brady to the gallows, I say they've laid a path for the official from that night. 

2. Whichever moron hired Exponent and which idiot at the NFL offices didn't question this decision and then question the decision to hire Wells.
As noted above, Paul, Weiss retained Exponent to assist with our investigation. Exponent is one of the leading scientific and engineering consulting firms in the country.

3. The crew for the AFC Championship game specifically Walt Anderson.
If you haven't read the Wells Report then you need to. Anderson lost the Patriots footballs twice after being told to keep an eye on them to preserve the integrity of the game. #epicfail

I'm thinking other members of his officiating crew need to be investigated as it appears as though they may have screwed up on the second/third biggest game of the NFL season.

4. Roger Goodell for allowing the NFL to become a joke. 
There really is no explanation needed. However, go read up on the Ray Rice scandal. It is enough evidence to support the idea Goodell has failed the NFL.

5. Dean Blandino
Lying Liar who Lies

there are questions I need answered.

1. How can you suspend a player when you have no evidence against him?

 The Wells Report is simply one man's (and his team all drawing a paycheck from him) translation of events. It certainly isn't proof Brady committed a crime. As a matter of fact they didn't establish any rules were broken. They forced a square peg into a round hole and called it craftsmanship.

2. Why did the NFL warn teams not to warm balls, but not warn the Patriots to maintain a proper psi level? 

I can't even get into this one without writing a novel. Had it been any team against the Patriots, you know they would have made this a national scandal. Instead it gets quietly swept aside along with the other QBs who have spoken publicly about their preferences for the balls. 

3. Could the officials have failed to properly inflate and inspect the balls during the AFC Championship game?

We are to accept the word of Walt Anderson he confirmed the Patriots balls were at 12.5 psi before the game. We are to accept the word of the officials the balls were pumped up to 12.5 psi during halftime. There is no record of this anywhere. There is plenty of record of what the psi recordings were when they are trying to condemn the Patriots, but no proof the Patriots started with balls approved by officials. The officials wrote nothing down. 

Anderson has officiated countless games during his career. We'd expect he knows what he is doing. However, when something becomes routine you can fail to give it the attention it deserves. You'd think the night of the AFC Championship game he'd have been on the ball. However, since he lost the balls, I say there is evidence he might not have been given the balls the responsibility the attention it required.

4. Were faulty gauges at play here? 
Please see footnotes 37, 38,  and 41. Also understand Anderson  used at least one gauge pre-game. 

5. Is your impression Tom Brady is too good for the rules and regulations of the game?

One common thought which has been voiced since the report was published is Tom Brady flaunts the rules because he is Tom Brady and a member of the New England Patriots. Apparently being a New England Patriots means you are a constant winner cheater.

From the Wells report.
Before the 2006-07 season, all game balls used during NFL games were supplied and prepared by the home team. The visiting team was dependent on the home team with respect to the preparation of game balls, a situation that Brady described in contemporaneous media reports as having led to sleepless nights.
According to Brady, he and then-Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had, on occasion, discussed how it would be better if all quarterbacks could prepare footballs to fit their individual preferences. As Brady stated in a 2006 media interview, the existing policy did not account for the fact that “every quarterback likes [footballs] a little bit different. Some like them blown up a little bit more, some like them a little more thin, some like them a little more new, some like them really broken in."
To address these concerns, Manning and Brady introduced a proposal to change the rule, which they circulated to quarterbacks across the League. Receiving approval from “basically everyone,” according to Brady, the proposal and the signatures gathered were presented to the NFL during the 2006 offseason. In March 2006, the NFL Competition Committee unanimously recommended that “each team‟s offense be permitted to use its own footballs, prepared by its equipment personnel, for its non-kicking snaps from scrimmage.”  
 Prior to the start of the next season, the NFL revised the guidelines to extend to visiting quarterbacks the requirement that “[a]ll game footballs must be prepared properly and consistently for use on game day, especially to the satisfaction of quarterbacks.” The new guidelines also provided: 
Each club (home and visitor) shall have available for inspection by the Referee a total of twelve (12), new Wilson Official NFL Footballs for all stadia (domed and outdoor) two hours and fifteen minutes before game time. Home clubs should have twelve (12) additional balls as backup for inclement weather or other reasons.  In addition, the 2006 guidelines reiterated the provisions of Rule 2 concerning the pre-game testing and approval by the referee of game and kicking balls. The guidelines retained the following disciplinary warning, which remains applicable: 
Once the balls have left the locker room, no one, including players, equipment managers and coaches are allowed to alter the footballs in any way. If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000.

So Brady and his QB friends introduced a proposal to address a situation he felt was frustrating QBs league-wide. It was presented and the NFL reviewed and approved. Sounds like a cheater to me. Rather than just doing his own thing he took the necessary steps to correct the situation for all QBs. What a horrible person he is. He should be tarred and feathered for his selfishness.

Following the Jets game, Brady and Jastremski had a number of conversations concerning the inflation level of game balls. According to Brady, at some point after the Jets game and before the game against the Chicago Bears the following weekend, he asked to see a copy of the applicable Playing Rule, learned for the first time that the permissible inflation range was 12.5 to 13.5 psi, and was told that the Patriots typically inflated game balls slightly above 12.5 psi. Brady also stated that, at some point, he felt a football that was inflated to 12.5 psi, and decided that should be the target for all future games because he did “not ever want to get near the upper range again.” In addition, Brady stated that he suggested that the Patriots give the game officials a copy of Rule 2 when they delivered game balls prior to each game, so that the officials would know that it was not necessary to inflate them further. He claimed that doing so would help ensure that the officials did not alter the footballs he had approved. Jastremski stated that, starting with the October 26, 2014 game against the Bears, he set all game balls to 12.6 psi (leaving 0.1 psi as a cushion in case air escaped when the officials checked the balls prior to the game).

Sounds suspect to me. After all if you are going to break the rules let's make sure the officials know which rules you intend on breaking. Before you rob the convenience store why don't you set off the alarm. It's a fun game those with less-than-ethical morals like to play.

6. If McNally can deflate 12 or 13 balls in a minute and a half why did the officials run out of time to test the Colts' balls?

7. Was the investigation and subsequent report on the findings unbiased?

Roger Goodell and his NFL hired Ted Wells to investigate Deflategate. 
On January 23, 2015, the NFL publicly announced that it had retained Theodore V. Wells, Jr. and the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (“Paul, Weiss”) to conduct an investigation, together with NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash, into the footballs used by the Patriots during the AFC Championship Game. 

103 days later a 243 page report came out which killed a heck of a lot of trees and gave sports radio guys something to talk about for months to come. To paraphrase this report "we didn't find evidence anyone did anything wrong. we didn't find evidence everything was done right. we found nothing so we are going to sacrifice Tom Brady because his Colgate smile and cleft chin can survive this can of worms we just dumped on his head. we need to charge the NFL for something."

My theory is Roger Goodell needs to redeem himself after the Rice and Peterson missteps. Those are only two of his #epicfails during the 2014 season, but they are the most notable. His reputation took a huge hit. The league because a punchline. He's covering his balls because most NFL fans have him in their sites. 

Ted Wells is an attorney. Many cliches about attorneys exist including:

  • They have too much money they are willing to gamble with. 
  • They have drug addictions. 
  • They are swimming in debt because they have to outdo Attorney Jones. 
  • They are shady characters.
  • You can pay them anything to say anything you want.
Wells hired Exponent to provide the scientific basis for the report. Exponent has made quite the name for itself. I don't want you to think it is only Boston newspapers calling Exponent's reputation into question. In case you don't like reading entire articles, let's chew on this for a second.
"The first thing you know is that when Exponent is brought in to help a company, that company is in big trouble," she said.

Given these facts. Roger Goodell had a vendetta against the Patriots and decided to perform reputation-saving resuscitation by slinging mud at the League's poster boy. Ted Wells lost money on the outcome of the Super Bowl and needed to get some of it back by dragging out the amount of time it took to complete the report. Exponent continues to be bought by cash  under the table by providing laughable results. 

No evidence to support the above statement. It is my opinion based on my feelings on Goodell, Wells, and Exponent and according to Wells it is all you need.

This report looks more and more like Swiss cheese every time I read it. Give me another week and I'll cook up a gourmet meal like the mice have never seen.








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