"Throwing bananas from the van" proved a fruitless google. But that's a helluva sig...koufax32 said:I have no clue what this means but I will use it tomorrow nonetheless.
It could affect it if it wipes out the Brady suspension. What if the NFL offers a deal where Brady's suspension is overturned but the fine and draft pick penalties stand? There's a good chance that's where we end up anyway, but it saves a lot of hassle and lawyer's fees on both ends, lets Kraft save face by blaming everything on McNally / Jastremski, and keeps the league from having to air any other dirty laundry (via Kraft or via Brady's legal team).AB in DC said:
Absolutely zero chance that a Kraft deal would directly affect the Brady suspension. That's an NFLPA matter now. No way will any of the owners, or Goodell, give NFLPA something of value without extracting some kind of concession.
Throw in an independent investigation of the leaks and no admission of guilt by the Patriots and I can get behind that.Super Nomario said:It could affect it if it wipes out the Brady suspension. What if the NFL offers a deal where Brady's suspension is overturned but the fine and draft pick penalties stand? There's a good chance that's where we end up anyway, but it saves a lot of hassle and lawyer's fees on both ends, lets Kraft save face by blaming everything on McNally / Jastremski, and keeps the league from having to air any other dirty laundry (via Kraft or via Brady's legal team).
Tremendous. His was an attempt to be incendiary, of course, but terms like "sociological misfire" are always fun.soxhop411 said:@BenVolin: Now a Harvard sociologist takes a crack at poking holes in the Wells Report. Interesting points http://t.co/hrdXZeNd6v
How does this work? Are Dorito dink reporters trying to ask every owner what they think or is RG playing lobbyist? And does the schmuck talk to these owners one on one or have one of his VPs try to persuade them to speak to the public. Either way, I hope Kraft is taking names and doesn't forget.Ed Hillel said:The owners are publicly throwing Kraft under the bus. I support the Full Al Davis Mode.
The independent investigation of the leaks is exactly the sort of thing the league office is trying to avoid. The Patriots don't have a lot of leverage here; letting the league wash their hands of any wrongdoing is one of the few things they can offer up in trade.pappymojo said:Throw in an independent investigation of the leaks and no admission of guilt by the Patriots and I can get behind that.
Because he could do so quicker. Many of us are seeing ghosts needlessly.snowmanny said:Why would McNally need to stress to the refs that balls needed to be at 12.5 if he was going to deflate them anyway?
Why would he call attention to himself and ball pressure if he was going to break the rules?ipol said:Because he could do so quicker. Many of us are seeing ghosts needlessly.
But . . . . But . . .I just read five pages about how the Patriots shouldn't settle unless Goodell lights himself on fire.J.McG said:Unless Kraft, out of consideration for the greater good of the league, is holding on to a trump card with the potential to do far more damage to the credibility of the investigation than what the Pats have already released, I don't see what incentivizes Goodell to consider anything more than a nominal reduction in the team penalties to keep the peace.
You're right. My point is that, while it may be fun, fixating on specifics such as this will only lead to heartache. There will be nothing that amounts to fair in the coming weeks / months. Much easier to let the ridiculousness wash over you and giggle.crystalline said:Why would he call attention to himself and ball pressure if he was going to break the rules?
That's like someone telling a cop they met at a rest stop: "just a reminder- the speed limit is 65 on this highway, and the letter of the rules on radar guns is you can't bust anyone going below 72."
Which is what someone who drives 72 might do. But someone who regularly goes 85 has little reason to call attention to themselves.
DennyDoyle'sBoil said:But . . . . But . . .I just read five pages about how the Patriots shouldn't settle unless Goodell lights himself on fire.
DrewDawg said:Any "deal" made will entain both sides giving something, which means that if it happens, we likely won't be thrilled.
E5 Yaz said:
Probably not. But any reduction of Brady's suspension that gives him the bye week to resume practice is huge.
Well, +1 or so. The NFLPA along with Kessler will determine Brady's fate. Kraft is now seeing how far he will push Goodell down the mountain.DrewDawg said:
Again, I don't think this rumored "deal" has anything to do with Brady's appeal. That's a union issue.
The negotiating is over the fine and draft picks.
soxhop411 said:@BenVolin: Now a Harvard sociologist takes a crack at poking holes in the Wells Report. Interesting points http://t.co/hrdXZeNd6v
Did anyone else envision this with that last sentence?soxhop411 said:@BenVolin: Now a Harvard sociologist takes a crack at poking holes in the Wells Report. Interesting points http://t.co/hrdXZeNd6v
Doctor G said:Kraft admits to wrongdoing in the refusal to allow a fifth interview with McNally. Kraft apologizes to the NFL for demanding an apology in advance of the completion of the investigation. Patriots management accepts responsibility for inadequate supervision of McNally and Jastremski. Brady accepts responsibility for interfering with the investigation by coaching JJ prior to his NFL interview. Brady also admits to potentially encouraging ball tampering by being so emphatic in insisting that the responsibility of McNally was to make sure the balls came back from the ref at 12.5 PSI.
The NFL reduces the suspension to one game. The fine is reduced to 500,000 plus a 2 in 16 and a 4 in 17.
The Patriots also agree to institute an internal program of staff education on the integrity of league regulations with emphasis on those that have a direct effect on game competition.
That should be enough to fumigate the aroma.
SeoulSoxFan said:More infuriating talk from Albert Breer & Ross Tucker (italics mine).
Breer gets on Tucker's Serius show and basically says "if you look at the Wells report... you can take 25 points and take it all apart... but this is an emotional and rash response from a team that's... premiere and should be beneath them... Patriots have come up with a 'creative' way to rebuttal... but you can't say there wasn't something that went on...".
Fellas, for every Florio, we have 10 Breers & Tuckers & Volins. We're in a bubble, narrative set a long time ago.
Disagree and think you're way off base.Deathofthebambino said:Bob Kraft is a Patriots fan, first and foremost. If the Patriots are truly innocent in all of this, he is not going to accept any deal that doesn't completely eliminate the "cheater" stigma in the eyes of the public, except for those (cough, Jets fans, cough) who would never be swayed no matter what happened. Likewise, he's said it a million times, Brady is like a son to him, so any deal that Kraft accepts will have to also cover Brady's suspension as well.
If he accepts any deal short of the NFL admitting that they have no evidence of intentional wrongdoing on the part of the Patriots staff and Brady, and takes any penalty for it other than some nominal amount like 25k (for not having regulation footballs or some shit), than it will be pretty clear that the Pats did something wrong, and the NFL has some evidence for it and this is the best case scenario for both sides.
amarshal2 said:In the end Kraft might just be more pragmatic than you're giving home credit for. See Spygate punishment for exhibit A.
AB in DC said:
Depends at how good they are at spin. (Probably very good -- we've already seen how they've been playing the media this whole time.)
cornwalls@6 said:The goal should be getting Brady's suspension revoked and getting back the first round pick. All other fines and lost pick scenarios are tolerable.
The psychosis of the jelly fans is deep. Simply reporting this little nugget makes Schefter a "Patriots fanboy," apparently.MarcSullivaFan said:Adam Schefter
3 mins ·
For those asking why Patriots suspended two employees if those two did nothing wrong, as New England claims: NFL asked Pats to suspend them prior to discipline being handed down, per a league source in New York. New England obliged with the NFL's request.
https://m.facebook.com/AdamSchefter/posts/957919684260673
soxhop411 said:@BenVolin: Now a Harvard sociologist takes a crack at poking holes in the Wells Report. Interesting points http://t.co/hrdXZeNd6v
ipol said:Tremendous. His was an attempt to be incendiary, of course, but terms like "sociological misfire" are always fun.
“This is what happens when you mess with such an overeducated region of the country. . . . our nerds fight back.”
cornwalls@6 said:The goal should be getting Brady's suspension revoked and getting back the first round pick. All other fines and lost pick scenarios are tolerable. If there is a deal on the table that includes those two things, Kraft should pounce on it without hesitation. I'm sure they can work out spin language regarding what the Pats are admitting guilt to, etc. Because we live in an idiot culture that blows things like this and the equally ridiculous Spygate "scandal" completely out of proportion, the legacy and tarnished reputation concerns left the barn a long time ago. Make the deal that is most beneficial to the football operation and overall business going forward. And then let loose the dogs of war next fall, and bring home number 5.
WTF.Schefter doesn’t believe the Patriots’ team penalties ($1 million fine and loss of two draft picks) will be changed, but did bring up how the league will likely change the way balls are handled pregame this coming year and could find balls that start at 12.5 psi could go down to levels of 11.7 psi like the Patriots’ footballs did. He said that won’t change anything with the Patriots now.
“Does that mean the Patriots have been proven correctly by the testing procedures I think the NFL is going to put into place starting this season? That will be interesting to see how that shakes out, but I don’t think the league is going to say, ‘Boy, maybe you were innocent and we are going to return…’ That is not going to happen,” he said. “The penalties have been established, they’ve been set up, I think the only penalty, to me, that could be moved or changed would be the Brady one.”
Ed Hillel said:Schefter also said that the league is going to start testing footballs at halftime, but, even if they find that footballs are losing pressure and demonstrate the Patriots' innocence, they will not go back and remedy their punishments.
WTF.
Also said Wells has been paid over 45 MILLION between this and Incognito. This is a farce.
Souns like Schefter has the NFL whispering in his ear in an attempt to get Kraft to back down and let things settle down.Ed Hillel said:Schefter just said on ESPN that he sees no way the Pats get their picks back. Doesn't sound like there's much of a deal to be made here...