#DFG: Canceling the Noise
- Thread starter nattysez
- Start date
ernieshore said:
maybe ..just maybe ....there were shenanigans with the ball ...maybe Brady did have a huge role it in?? Despite all the pom pom waving here, it is entirely possible Kraft just said screw it ...we got caught and they absolutely nailed us..time to move on...
You really believe that a "fight" whatever taht means, would exonerate the Patriots in the eyes of the public? That is pure fantasy. Read Kraft's statement. No opposing fans will ever concede that the Patriots are innocent, regardless of what happens going forward.rodderick said:
Do you actually think that a quid pro quo deal would be made that apparent? There's no way. The process still will play out and hopefully by doing this Kraft helped Brady's cause. If it doesn't, then it looks like Kraft gave in to Goodell and as a Pats fan I'd be pretty mad if that is how it played out. But, as I said, let's let this play out through the appeal and federal court if possible.Ed Hillel said:
Greg A. Bedard @GregABedard 29s30 seconds ago
Belief in league circles is NFLPA has found the perfect player & case to go big-game hunting and change commissioner discipline forever.
Belief in league circles is NFLPA has found the perfect player & case to go big-game hunting and change commissioner discipline forever.
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Yep, just like there's no smoking gun that proves the Patriots were guilty, there's no smoking gun that can prove they are innocent. In the court of public opinion minds are already made up one way or another. A long, drawn out fight wouldn't have changed anything and would have just kept the story alive for a lot longer than it should have been.
RedOctober3829 said:
I don't think Kraft would agree to such a deal without Brady's consent, and I don't think Brady would consent to such a deal being made, because he wants to proceed based on merits and not some sort of political dealings. Kraft was better off just not saying anything and letting it be than getting up there and giving that speech. Kraft stood down to the rest of the league is what happened; that was a public shaming for stepping out of line with the WellsReportContext thing. I don't think that had anything to do with a deal being made. In fact, I think that's now less likely because of how it would be perceived, at least on Goodell's appeal. It won't impact the legal appeal.
Corsi said:
Totally agree with this. The guy has a wife with a history of defending her man and $300 mil in her bank account, he has spent an entire career building and defending his rep, the underlying facts are somewhere between non-existant and circumstantial, and the NFL managed to make up a new process mid-stream during the penalty assessment.
The smart move for Goodell is to get rid of Brady's suspension regardless of whatever Kraft did or didn't do today---I've said previously Brady is the single worst guy in the entire NFL for RG to go to war with---literally, the worst possible choice.
I genuinely believe the Patriots are guilty of something, too.... and I'm still pissed at this. It's like giving a guy 10 years in prison for unconfirmed jay walking.
Pursuing legal action was likely a futile effort and something that would lead to an airing of dirty laundry on both sides, so I get Kraft's decision to lay down his arms. It just sucks to watch the team get completely railroaded like that. At least with Spy Gate there was proof that a rule was indeed broken. That was also a wild overreaction to a rule technicality, but at least there was a rule broken in that case.
What hurts the most is Brady getting his legacy and reputation dragged into the mud. Shame on the league for hanging the GOAT out to dry.
What hurts the most is Brady getting his legacy and reputation dragged into the mud. Shame on the league for hanging the GOAT out to dry.
Stitch01 said:
So I can never post again if Tom Brady doesn't get entire suspension vacated by Roger Goodell?
If Goodell doesn't vacate entire suspension, you have to pay Jimmy Fund $500?
Sounds fair to me. I'm in.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
You can argue causation v. correlation here but Bob Kraft and the NFL owners know they are wealthier today than they were when Goodell took over. Every sports commissioner gets called an idiot by fans. Yet, so long as revenues increase they are bulletproof.
Corsi said:
I've suspected for a while that Goodell is out to burnish his reputation, trying to cast himself as the Bart Giamatti of football and handcuffing Tom Brady to the role of Pete Rose. Next he'll produce a piece of lyric prose called "Green Backs of the Mind"
If this was about a butt-hurt Colts team mad about the Patriots success having a division rival of the Colts (ie Texans) on your side isn't terrible.
But this is really about 2 or 3 teams airing mildly dirty innocuous laundry because of one teams success not thinking about "all 32 teams" as Bob Kraft is about. At least he looks better among the majority of other owners/teams, one can hope
But this is really about 2 or 3 teams airing mildly dirty innocuous laundry because of one teams success not thinking about "all 32 teams" as Bob Kraft is about. At least he looks better among the majority of other owners/teams, one can hope
In 2015, if you're over the age of 15 and you believe your team is winning without any sort of * (PEDs, pushing the boundaries on rules, etc.), then I am not sure I care all that much about your opinion. (Not you H78. You public opinion.)H78 said:
I doubt this has anything to do with Brady. Brady has the NFLPA and his own strong case, the team gave him some initial support but I'm sure that's a separate thing at this point.
We knew this was coming with Kraft, I'm not sure why there's any surprise. The legal experts here have said repeatedly the Patriot's really had no method of attack in this. Wellsreportcontext.com was probably more for PR purposes for Patriot's fans on the fence than anything else. It did also sway some national writers like Florio, so it wasn't entirely ineffective. I was disappointed in the lack of conviction in the Kraft PC, but I can't blame the guy for giving up. We keep looking for silver linings or positives that never come in all of this, and ultimately we're just going to have to hopefully settle for 13 wins and a blowout over the Colts.
We knew this was coming with Kraft, I'm not sure why there's any surprise. The legal experts here have said repeatedly the Patriot's really had no method of attack in this. Wellsreportcontext.com was probably more for PR purposes for Patriot's fans on the fence than anything else. It did also sway some national writers like Florio, so it wasn't entirely ineffective. I was disappointed in the lack of conviction in the Kraft PC, but I can't blame the guy for giving up. We keep looking for silver linings or positives that never come in all of this, and ultimately we're just going to have to hopefully settle for 13 wins and a blowout over the Colts.
JimBoSox9 said:
To be clear, I'm not saying I've lost respect for Kraft... but it really seems like either he made a big blunder last week releasing that website fighting the decision, only to follow it up with a totally contrite retraction, or he's making a big mistake now by making a contrite retraction without so much as a head-nod to his fanbase that's so riled up about the whole situation. The two actions taken together make so little sense.
Corsi said:
Oh great. So now we know the NFL office is going to fight tooth and nail on this. Never mind what Brady deserves, it's all about beating the union.
The bullcrap to get to this point does not change what might have actually occurred ...personally ..I think they got caught. Ya, the punishment was ridiculous, but they put themselves in a really vulnerable spot with a commissioner that has no credibility. ....the sad thing is they win the SB with the balls OVER inflated....Ed Hillel said:
Stitch01 said:
You're gonna lose, I fear. Should have expanded the bet to the entire appeals process. Oh well, $50 of that $450 will probably be my money.
No, but I think there's ample evidence to suggest Kraft believes the team is factually innoncent, which you suggested is not the case.
bankshot1 said:
If this was done without addressing TB's exposure, there could be m ajor reprecussions.
snowmanny said:
I don't think Brady's appeal wants or needs the help. Per the tweets above, I think they want the issue.
Corsi said:
This is 100% more important to me, I doubt there was a back-room deal between Kraft and the commissioner on reducing Brady's suspension. There might have been a backroom conversation between Brady and Kraft, where Kraft told him what he was going to do and said give "us" hell Tommy and win. Don't let up and break the system, we'll never know until the memoir's come out. Break the system TB - shatter this bull .... system. Become the player that fixed something that was so broken and despised by society that you are remembered 20 years from now as the person who forced change and saved the NFL from itself.
I have grown tired of the 1 of 32 narrative Kraft insists on espousing. We are the only 1 of 32 to be routinely bent over by the NFL. It would appear that all Kraft did today was invite another league gang bang. We'll just lay down and take it for the good of the 32 after all.
PedroKsBambino said:
Didn't see the press conference, but read the statement, and I agree that the statement is a good statement in light of the practicalities. Kraft looks like a mensch, to me. The facts are out there for those who care about them. He doesn't really have a lot of recourse even if he continues to fight. And even complete vindication in the legal system wouldn't restore the reputational hit (there's a reason it's called irreparable harm...). Brady and the NFLPA will fight on.
In a sense, it's sort of a postmodern turn. The teams in the league have to do battle against each other, and also against the league itself. Kind of interesting, when you put it in those terms.
It would have been fun for us to see Kraft go all out against the league. But we all knew it wasn't going to happen. His actions today were probably the first smart thing they did in this whole mess. Move on. What the hell are they going to do about the cornerbacks?
That's not how smoking guns work.Rice14 said:
In this case, there's not even a murder victim, never mind a smoking gun. Just a firm conviction that the accused must have killed *somebody* because... well, just because.
patinorange said:
Zone, 3 second coverage and blitz the hell out of the qb. Blitzboro here we come, BB has seen the front 7 requirements and addressed it - can't wait to see his thoughts unravel on the field. I don't remember a single CB from his Giants days, but I do remember almost all the linemen and linebackers...
