AFC Championship: Patriots vs Steelers, the buildup

[garzooma]

I would love there to be an FAQ about Spygate.

Wikipedia has a good article on it:

Videotaping opposing coaches is not illegal in the NFL de jure, but there are designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping. Because the Patriots were instead videotaping the Jets' coaches from their own sideline during the game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deemed it to be in violation of league rules[...]

​

 

[bakahump]

Which brings up the only question that matters.
Had they cameras been in the proper place would they have had "similar" footage?

And the followup, did the Steelers and other teams take care against displaying the signals openly in a direction that the allowed camera position could film.

I would love to see a side by side comparison of an Allowed location and the Pats location. I suspect there would be little difference but maybe there would be.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Steelers beat writer: Ladarius Green and James Harrison (shoulder, triceps) did not practice today. Green listed as concussion and illness. Harrison practiced wed

 

[InstaFace]

Which brings up the only question that matters.
Had they cameras been in the proper place would they have had "similar" footage?

And the followup, did the Steelers and other teams take care against displaying the signals openly in a direction that the allowed camera position could film.

I would love to see a side by side comparison of an Allowed location and the Pats location. I suspect there would be little difference but maybe there would be.

Allowed locations are locations that are fully enclosed by walls and a roof. In practice that means the sky boxes at the top of the stands. In theory you could build a little taping hut in the front row, but nobody has done this.

One thing you might be able to get from the sidelines rather than an enclosed box is the sounds of opposing coaches saying stuff, assuming you had a big parabolic sound receiving dish that could pick something up across a 60-yard football field. I have no idea if that's what they did, but part of the intent of the NFL's rules is clearly to prevent that.

 

[jsinger121]

The flu is going around the Steelers locker room.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18512755/mike-tomlin-says-pittsburgh-steelers-ready-new-england-patriots-battling-flu-bug

 

[tims4wins]

Apparently the flu is going around the Steelers locker room

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18512755/mike-tomlin-says-pittsburgh-steelers-ready-new-england-patriots-battling-flu-bug

 

[RedOctober3829]

wrong info

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

The flu? Why couldn't have been leprosy?

 

[Ed Hillel]

lol boo flu

Too bad we can't crank Foxboro up to 95 degrees.

Also, "we aren't making excuses, I just want everyone to know we have the flu" is typical Tomlin.

 

[RedOctober3829]

5 guys on the Steelers injury report are listed as illness.

Boswell--full
Finney--full
Mettenberger--full
Heyward-Bey--full
Green--DNP

Other notables on their injury report are Bell DNP for non-injury reasons, James Harrison DNP for shoulder/triceps even though he was full yesterday, and Sean Davis was full with a shoulder.

 

[johnmd20]

Bilichick will stop at nothing.

 

[jsinger121]

 

[Oppo]

I can't stand when ppl say a I've got the flu (with intended meaning of 'stomach flu'), as your first thought is influenza.

'Stomach flu' or more accurately gastroenteritis, is 24 hrs of N/V/D.

'Flu' or influenza is 3 days to 2 weeks of fever/HA/muscle pain/cough/sore throat/runny nose. <----- much harder to practice and play a football game in a few days.

End rant.

 

[Marciano490]

Yeah, just say "I'm shitting my pants." We've all been there.

 

[johnmd20]

I can't stand when ppl say a I've got the flu (with intended meaning of 'stomach flu'), as your first thought is influenza.

'Stomach flu' or more accurately gastroenteritis, is 24 hrs of N/V/D.

'Flu' or influenza is 3 days to 2 weeks of fever/HA/muscle pain/cough/sore throat/runny nose. <----- much harder to practice and play a football game in a few days.

End rant.

I had the flu at the end of December. It lasted 6 days(really 12 days before I was tip top) and there were 4 horrific days where I couldn't lift my head, let alone do any physical activity. The flu is serious. A stomach bug isn't.

 

[DJnVa]

I just saw the Tomlin, "We're not making excuses..." quote.

Tomorrow we'll hear that Roethlisberger's cat died.

 

[Norm Siebern]

Apparently the flu is going around the Steelers locker room

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18512755/mike-tomlin-says-pittsburgh-steelers-ready-new-england-patriots-battling-flu-bug

"Belicheat and the cheating Patriots resort to germ warfare!"
"Shady Patriots' towel boy known as 'the Fumigator' because he had a flea infestation in his house seen lurking near Stillers' locker room!" "Secret video links President elect and known Belicheat fan Donald Trump to using US military bio hazard materials against Steelers!"

This shit writes itself.

Bwahaha!

 

[Stitch01]

Any chance this nor'easter gets here by game time?

 

[Captaincoop]

We're not making excuses, but it was hard to practice this week because all of our players have runny noses. And did you hear we had less total hours between games than the Patriots?

 

[Marciano490]

Any chance this nor'easter gets here by game time?

Take the under?

 

[axx]

Any chance this nor'easter gets here by game time?

Rain could be a factor in the second half but the peak of the storm isn't until Monday it seems.

 

[Stitch01]

Yeah more worried about the wind whipping up, although was kind of looking to sitting in relatively nice weather.

 

[Ed Hillel]

I'm seeing light rain and 12-13 mph winds. Probably not enough to impact the passing game, but this storm's path appears to be accellerating, so who knows.

 

[dbn]

We're not making excuses, but it was hard to practice this week because all of our players have runny noses. And did you hear we had less total hours between games than the Patriots?

That's bull. When Alice was away at Sam's and Cindy came down with the sniffles, did Mike and Carol cancel their planned night out? No!

 

[simplyeric]

I can't stand when ppl say a I've got the flu (with intended meaning of 'stomach flu'), as your first thought is influenza.

'Stomach flu' or more accurately gastroenteritis, is 24 hrs of N/V/D.

'Flu' or influenza is 3 days to 2 weeks of fever/HA/muscle pain/cough/sore throat/runny nose. <----- much harder to practice and play a football game in a few days.

End rant.

Both TB12 and Michael Jordan have famously had amazing performances on the field/court while suffering influenza-type symptoms (whether it was actually influenza I have no clue).

If you have a really bad stomach bug, it can be debilitating. You're not absorbing nutrients or liquids, so you're dehydrated, low on electrolytes, and under-nourished. At its peak you can't do anything...I doubt the players are out there shitting themselves and vomiting on the practice field, while light-headed and weak. And it can certainly affect a person for more than 24 hours.

I've had 1-day bouts of the flu, and 8 days of bed rest flu. And I've had brief stomach bugs and 'can't get out of bed for two days' stomach bugs and 'functional but had bouts of vomitting for a week' stomach bugs.

Anyway, all of this is to say: 'harder to practice and play in a few days' is pretty subjective.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Bilichick will stop at nothing.

Oceans 13 did it.......

 

[ALiveH]

Five thirty eight did an interesting study that location on the field biases ref's calls for judgment penalties like PI, holding and unsportsmanlike. I'm sure BB already knew this and was taking advantage of it. I'm sort of sad that now that it's out in the open it will lessen his edge.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nfl-coaches-yell-at-refs-because-it-freakin-works/

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

That's utterly ridiculous.


Bill would never allow such a thing to be built with a fatal weakness so exposed.

 

[Van Everyman]

Um

 

[GregHarris]

I love how the team with the most SB appearances and wins is characterized as the plucky rebels.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I love how the team with the most SB appearances and wins is characterized as the plucky rebels.

Right? I think they even made a Six-burgh reference within the supplement itself. Can't have it both ways, yinzers.

 

[pappymojo]

I love how the team with the most SB appearances and wins is characterized as the plucky rebels.

Makes sense if you consider the rebels the dying vestiges of a formerly great nation.

 

[GregHarris]

Oh, I am afraid number 12 will be quite operational when your friends arrive.

 

[MillarTime]

Oh, I am afraid number 12 will be quite operational when your friends arrive.

Fantastic.

 

[amarshal2]

"Spygate wounds are still painful for ex-Steelers"

At least with Tuck Rule I understand. These guys just got their asses whooped and are looking for excuses

 

[InstaFace]

What are you talking about? The Patriots filmed the Jets from the wrong location, and then beat the Jaguars and Chargers that postseason. Of COURSE the Steelers are raw about it. Ten years later.

 

[allstonite]

I can't find a good link right now but I remember Joey Porter whining a ton about CameraPlacementGate when it was happening and saying the '01 Championship game was tainted and the Patriots stole his chance at a title. To which Troy Brown replied (paraphrasing) "he's right we must have stolen the signal that they were playing 'give up a punt return' coverage" or something like that.

Joey Porter sucks

 

[Hendu for Kutch]

How else do you explain the Patriots being ready to block that Field Goal?!? They knew it was coming, Mike!!!

 

[tims4wins]

The play where they let the Steelers knock their starting QB out of the game must have been due to illegal use of video too

 

[Ed Hillel]

I can't find a good link right now but I remember Joey Porter whining a ton about CameraPlacementGate when it was happening and saying the '01 Championship game was tainted and the Patriots stole his chance at a title. To which Troy Brown replied (paraphrasing) "he's right we must have stolen the signal that they were playing 'give up a punt return' coverage" or something like that.

Joey Porter sucks

He said something about the NFL rigging it because of 9/11 and Patriots, as well. He's a piece of shit.

 

[pappymojo]

Let's not forget who the better team was in that game.

 

[snowmanny]

I always loved that that was said by -indisputably- the third best quarterback in that game.

Edit: Steelers were favored by 10, but this wasn't a case of an underdog upsetting a better team. This was a case of the number being off by about 13 points.

 

[tims4wins]

I always loved that that was said by -indisputably- the third best quarterback in that game.

Did the Pats dress a 3rd QB that day? Because he may have been the 4th best QB on the field that day. Shit Kevin Faulk was a better passer.

 

[snowmanny]

Kordell: 24-42/255 0td 3 int
rating 45.2.

So typical for him.

 

[Marciano490]

Don't you mean "0 TDs slash 3 INTs?"

 

[tims4wins]

Hey Kordell's line was much better than his performance in the 1996 divisional game. 0-10.

Edit: he was also horrendous in the 2002 opener. 24-37, 242, 1 TD, 3 INT, 5 sacks

 

[Captaincoop]

Don't you mean "0 TDs slash 3 INTs?"

That's very well done.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

People wonder why Kordell was given so many opportunities but the answer is simple. His sister demanded it.

 

[genoasalami]

Any chance this nor'easter gets here by game time?

Could be some spotty light rain as the game progresses, but not of an intensity that should impact the game. Temperature will be in upper 30's to low 40s.