#DFG: Canceling the Noise

[Jed Zeppelin]

I said this a few thousand posts ago; others have said the same thing: If the NFL wanted this to go away, they could have quite easily. Even after the Kravitz tweet grew legs, the league could have come out, said the balls were found to be under, levied the $25,000 and a warning and moved on.
 
They didn't want to do that. You can say they didn't want to do that because of the hits they've taken this year on the Rice-Pederson-PEDs-concussion issues; or, as DeJesus and others have said, you can say they didn't want to nip it in the bud because they recognized a goldmine of buzz -- beyond even what the Super Bowl generates. Or, it could be both, plus lingering animosity in many quarters about the Patriots.
 
Doesn't matter at this point. The league wanted this story talked about, the media obliged and -- instead of talking about serious social issues facing the league -- the casual viewer and the non-NFL fan was given a villain, an easily understood issue (did they cheat?) and an easily followed storyline.
 
On the Vegas stage, it's what magicians call misdirection.
 
Look at the post-Kravitz leaks:
 
Mortensen says was told 11 of the 12 balls were under by 2 psi. Just enough detail to be damning, but not so much that all the questions are answered. The questions propelled the story. Then, Glazer and Florio get the video leak -- with a timeframe and a possible culprit, and the side benefit of toilet humor that the league doesn't even have to point out.
 
As much as Pats fans have appreciated the Belichick and Kraft statements, both played right into the hands of the established narrative -- enhancing the team's role as a villain in some eyes, while vigorously defended b y the home base. You wonder how much earlier the attention would have petered out had the Patriots stuck with the "We believe we did nothing wrong. We are cooperating." stance and not provided more targets to shoot at.
 
However this ends, the one thing to remember is that the NFL could have stopped it in its tracks and chose not to. To some degree, this is playing out exactly how they wanted it to enfold.

 
I don't think it would have changed anything in the slightest. Instead of "the Brady doth protest too much," the media would be equating silent obedience with obvious guilt: "If my team were innocent, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops at anyone who might listen. They clearly know they did something wrong."

 

[kieckeredinthehead]

So this is an equipment violation that had no impact on the game. Has anyone who wants the Pats punished gone on record with their opinion about Brett's pine tar?

 

[Stitch01]

I think some of you are too hung up on the league having to be logically consistent about whether a PSI range matters for game integrity.

 

[Average Reds]

 
Damn, wish I had taken the over on TV mentions earlier in the week.

 
Told you all it was easy money.  No way this doesn't get mentioned many, many times.

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

 
 
https://twitter.com/richarddeitsch/status/560533904369922048
 

I can't think of an occasion in the past where the commissioner of any sport has passed up an opportunity to be interviewed prior to his game's premier event.  That's some serious bunker mentality going on.

 

[Ed Hillel]

I think some of you are too hung up on the league having to be logically consistent about whether a PSI range matters for game integrity.

 
They'll claim they are, just that the refs will handle it. Refs will check at halftime and ensure balls are properly re-pumped blah blah blah. That way nobody knows that this happens every cold weather game and nobody can complain.

 

[nattysez]

I can't think of an occasion in the past where the commissioner of any sport has passed up an opportunity to be interviewed prior to his game's premier event.  That's some serious bunker mentality going on.

 
I'm curious to see what happens at his "state of the league" statement, which I think is on Friday.  May be a bloodbath.

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

Kraft was instrumental in solving the last labor dispute just 3 years ago. It's astonishing how short of a memory Goodell has here.

It's astonishing to me how short a memory other owners have of his role in resolving the last labor situation - or the degree to which their jealousies and frustration cloud this major element of Kraft's impact on their sport, not to mention their wallets.

Edit: Left out a word.

 

[denilson3]

Goodell hasn't tweeted since September 5th. He's been hiding the whole season. This, more than anything right now, since we don't know the facts yet, is why he should be shitcanned in the offseason. He's no longer able to execute a significant aspect of his job.
 
His Friday morning 'State of the NFL' press conference will be riveting, if he doesn't catch Brady's cold.

 

[RetractableRoof]

I understand what you're saying. I'm saying that they can't do this because next year there will be cold weather games.
 
Fining the pats AND changing the rules seem fairly incompatible with each other. Changing the rules would have to reflect a tacit admission that cold weather deflates footballs.

And condemning the Pats for manipulating the ball pre-game is "the reason we have these new more stringent procedures to ensure that no dastardly deed like this ever occurs again". It just depends how much they want to tarnish the Pats. I would almost guarantee there are ball control procedures in the future anyway - the Wells report without them would be a joke.

 

[Bleedred]

It's astonishing to me how short a memory other owners have of his role in resolving the last labor situation - or the degree to which their jealousies and frustration cloud this major element of Kraft's impact on sport, not to mention their wallets.

I'm not.  These guys don't really like each other....and most of them are pricks or insufferable assholes (successful, but still).

 

[theapportioner]

 
I'm curious to see what happens at his "state of the league" statement, which I think is on Friday.  May be a bloodbath.

Maybe he could just send a letter, Jefferson-style.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

So this is an equipment violation that had no impact on the game.

But technically, is it an equipment violation? I'm not sure it is, at least according to the cites/quotes of the rule book in this thread.  I asked upthread:  is there anything in the rule books that says the psi has to be maintained thru out the game, and subsequently how psi should be maintained, since teams are not allowed to alter balls after the ref has approved them?
 
Yes, teams can complain to a ref that a ball is low on air (heck, they can even switch out balls not to their liking in the course of offense), and a ref can remove a ball that's low on air, but if a team determines that an approved  ball on the sideline is low on air, there doesnt seem to be any rule or imperative to correct the situation if they choose not to.

 

[J.McG]

The Columbia prof should be a little more careful with his statements. Columbia Trustee Emeritus Robert Kraft may have some issue with them. And if they took the gig and did the tests, to simulate football conditions would they have done them at Columbia's Robert K. Kraft Field at Wein Stadium?
It took me all of 90 seconds to learn all of this (I knew Kraft was a Columbia grad, wanted to see what other connections there were). Maybe they could work a bit harder to find an "expert" not really connected to anyone.

I'm surprised the national media perpetuating this farce has yet to seize upon this fact, but I suppose it's only a matter of time.

I'm not sure if hiring the alma mater of the owner whose franchise you are investigating actually constitutes a conflict of interest. However, when the university lists the owner as a trustee emeritus and has likely accepted tens of millions of dollars of donations made in his name over the years, you better believe the public at large is going to view it as a conflict. That tells me a) the Wells investigation didn't bother to do its due diligence in vetting potential contractors, b) they're oblivious to how this would be viewed by a cynical public already skeptical of the so-called "independence" of NFL investigations, or c) they know it looks bad but just don't care.

My long-held belief that the NFL suits on Park Ave are nothing more than incompetent boobs remains strong.

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

 
I'm curious to see what happens at his "state of the league" statement, which I think is on Friday.  May be a bloodbath.

 
It will be a highly controlled environment in which Goodell will easily be able to deflect any questions he doesn't want to answer.  It will be the exact opposite of a bloodbath.

 

[mwonow]

 
They'll claim they are, just that the refs will handle it. Refs will check at halftime and ensure balls are properly re-pumped blah blah blah. That way nobody knows that this happens every cold weather game and nobody can complain.

 
Would a team be breaking the rules if they showed a football on the sidelines with a pressure gauge inserted up on the video screen? That would make the temperature impact pretty transparent...

 

[PedroKsBambino]

I can't think of an occasion in the past where the commissioner of any sport has passed up an opportunity to be interviewed prior to his game's premier event.  That's some serious bunker mentality going on.

 
What's the upside of that interview for him, really?  He could get Ray Rice---he has no good answers other than "look at the lawyer's report".  He has Ballghazi, where his answer is "wait for the lawyer's report".  He has "was this situation fair to the Patriots?" where he can't win no matter what he says.  He has concussions, where he has no helpful answers.     The only way you might say yes if if you were guaranteed specific softball questions, which he might get on a sports pre-game but which may not happen.

 

[Marciano490]

I'm surprised the national media perpetuating this farce has yet to seize upon this fact, but I suppose it's only a matter of time.

I'm not sure if hiring the alma mater of the owner whose franchise you are investigating actually constitutes a conflict of interest. However, when the university lists the owner as a trustee emeritus and has likely accepted tens of millions of dollars of donations made in his name over the years, you better believe the public at large is going to view it as a conflict. That tells me a) the Wells investigation didn't bother to do its due diligence in vetting potential contractors, b) they're oblivious to how this would be viewed by a cynical public already skeptical of the so-called "independence" of NFL investigations, or c) they know it looks bad but just don't care.

My long-held belief that the NFL suits on Park Ave are nothing more than incompetent boobs remains strong.

 
Kraft also donated money for the giant Jewish Student Center on Broadway and 114ish.

 

[Hendu At The Wall]

 
They'll claim they are, just that the refs will handle it. Refs will check at halftime and ensure balls are properly re-pumped blah blah blah. That way nobody knows that this happens every cold weather game and nobody can complain.

 
I don't know how something like that would get through the competition committee. The committee is made up of team execs and coaches:
 
Main competition committee:
Rich McKay - Atlanta Falcons - Chairman
Jeff Fisher - St. Louis Rams  
Stephen Jones - Dallas Cowboys  
Marvin Lewis - Cincinnati Bengals  
John Mara - New York Giants  
Mark Murphy - Green Bay Packers  
Ozzie Newsome - Baltimore Ravens  
Rick Smith - Houston Texans  
Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers
 
Coaches subcommittee of the competition committee:
John Madden - Chairman  
Tom Coughlin - New York Giants  
Leslie Frazier - Minnesota Vikings  
John Harbaugh - Baltimore Ravens  
Joe Philbin - Miami Dolphins  
Andy Reid - Kansas City Chiefs  
Ron Rivera - Carolina Panthers  
Mike Smith - Atlanta Falcons
 
http://nflcommunications.com/2013/04/15/four-coaches-named-to-coaches-subcommittee-of-competition-committee-2/

 

[Salem's Lot]

You would think that someone who made $44 million last year to run a professional sports league would be able to field a few softballs from a television partner a couple of hours before that league's biggest event. This guy is grossly incompetent. 

 

[Ed Hillel]

Sports science guy was just on EEI. The weight difference in 2PSI is less than that of a dollar bill, and the difference in compression is 1 milimeter. Look at what the league has allowed to happen over that. It's really impressive the way in which the NFL has allowed, and even contributed to, this blowing up into an international scandal.
 
One milimeter of compression.

 

[simplyeric]

IF the Patriots win this tough matchup on Sunday id love to see the following:

Goodell gives trophy to BB.
BB squeezes the ball on the trophy. Shakes head.
Hands to Brady, who poked with pressure gauge.
Shakes head, hands to ball boy, puts in bag, pulls out replica with slight deflated-looking ball atop trophy.
Gronk grabs trophy, Gronk smash, yells 'fuck you' and they all storm off.

 

[Jettisoned]

They probably called Columbia because it's the most prestigious university that happens to be located in New York City.  It's also unlikely that tenured professors, particularly ones in STEM fields, are going to give a single shit about donors or anything like that.

 

[Captaincoop]

Sports science guy was just on EEI. The weight difference in 2PSI is less than that of a dollar bill, and the difference in compression is 1 milimeter. Look at what the league has allowed to happen over that. It's really impressive the way in which the NFL has allowed, and even contributed to, this blowing up into an international scandal.
 
One milimeter of compression.

 
Something something the integrity of the league!

 

[nattysez]

 
It will be a highly controlled environment in which Goodell will easily be able to deflect any questions he doesn't want to answer.  It will be the exact opposite of a bloodbath.

 
If the media lets that happen (which they will), they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[TomRicardo]

They probably called Columbia because it's the most prestigious university that happens to be located in New York City.  It's also unlikely that tenured professors, particularly ones in STEM fields, are going to give a single shit about donors or anything like that.

 
NYU science departments are much better.

 

[ifmanis5]

The NFL has been playing football games outdoors for over 75 years. They don't have all the data they need on this matter already?
 
And it's all over nothing 1 millimeter of compression? It's hard to take any of this seriously until you realize Goodell is at the other end and everything is on the table. It's like living under King Richard III, who knows what stupid thing he'll decree next?

 

[loshjott]

They probably called Columbia because it's the most prestigious university that happens to be located in New York City.  It's also unlikely that tenured professors, particularly ones in STEM fields, are going to give a single shit about donors or anything like that.

It's in Manhattan so Peter King must have recommended it.

 

[crystalline]

Yes.  But it's not binary.  My concern is really more along the lines that Broods Sexton has outlined.  And the message from the NFL could be a lot more subtle than "fix the game."  It could, for example, be understood that the Patriots should not get the benefit of any doubt (or that close calls should go the Seahawks' way).  Again, that probably is just too much Oliver Stone and Dreith scars talking, but my concern, at least, was never about an outright fix.

I'm not sure if I think ref bias will happen, but like you I worry about it.

As in basketball, fouls - offensive holding, defensive holding, pass interference - can be called on many if not most plays in football. Worse than basketball, single judgement calls (personal fouls) can have a huge impact on the game, essentially taking away one of approximately 10 possessions.

Reasonable people didn't think Stern actually fixed games either. What his office might have done was to use their normal emphasis videos to the game referees that critiqued past calls, and communicate messages from the league about how to shade calls. (E.g. if the league wanted to slow down Shaq they could emphasize calling offensive fouls. And I remember a playoff game where Garnett got a couple moving screen calls that refs had not been calling in prior games).

The league is perfectly capable of highlighting some plays where Brady was hit legally and got a roughing call. Or pick plays where the receiver picked a DB and was not called. Or where a WR pushed off.

Then reality of course is that the Pats have gotten very few calls, save the PF call on the Ravens, the past two playoff games. And Brady always gets intentional grounding calls, and Nink and Jones get few holds called, and Browner is under scrutiny, and pick plays other teams get away with end in Pats penalties.

So in summary: I don't think the Pats get the benefit of the doubt from the officials already. They are due one bogus PI/PF call per game, which they will fight through. If they are hit with many bogus PI/PF calls, however, I will be very angry.

 

[Seonachan]

The NFL has been playing football games outdoors for over 75 years. They don't have all the data they need on this matter already?
 
And it's all over nothing 1 millimeter of compression? It's hard to take any of this seriously until you realize Goodell is at the other end and everything is on the table. It's like living under King Richard III, who knows what stupid thing he'll decree next?

 
http://youtu.be/dkYfmRwryQo

 

[crystalline]

It's also unlikelytrue that tenured professors, particularly ones in STEM fields, are going to give a single shit about donors spend a large amount of their time raising money and thus care very much about donors, or anything like that.

Fixed

 

[wiffleballhero]

Fixed

Well played.

 

[8slim]

IF the Patriots win this tough matchup on Sunday id love to see the following:

Goodell gives trophy to BB.
BB squeezes the ball on the trophy. Shakes head.
Hands to Brady, who poked with pressure gauge.
Shakes head, hands to ball boy, puts in bag, pulls out replica with slight deflated-looking ball atop trophy.
Gronk grabs trophy, Gronk smash, yells 'fuck you' and they all storm off.

 
I'd prefer something more like...
 
"Hey Yankees Goodell... you can take your apology, and your trophy, and shove 'em straight up your ass!"
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2xu1lyhcNU

 

[Norm Siebern]

I fully expect the Patriots will have to play against 18 men on Sunday. Nothing less would surprise me to no end.

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

 
Deitsch had a piece earlier this week that said most of the coverage would be pre-game and few mentions in-game.

 
I'm guessing Al Michaels will make a wry comment pre-game or in the moment that acknowledges it, but I'm sure NBC has a (white)list of non-fake scandal talking points or narratives that game coverage is allowed to indulge; and research that Collinsworth does this week for his color comments won't be about anything NBC doesn't want mentioned.
 
The pre-game Goodell interview that sounds DOA would have probably been their place and time to ask about this, to leave it off-the-field.
 
Besides, once the X's and O's finally commence with these two teams in real-time, there is probably plenty to talk in-game about that isn't covered in this thread.

 

[DJnVa]

Since the NFL can do nothing but embarrass themselves, it's a given the Pats win Sunday.

 

[theapportioner]

I fully expect the Patriots will have to play against 18 men on Sunday. Nothing less would surprise me to no end.

Won't matter once ISIS kidnaps Chancellor, Sherman, and Lynch.

 

[ivanvamp]

I fully expect the Patriots will have to play against 18 men on Sunday. Nothing less would surprise me to no end.

Put it this way: I don't think the Patriots are going to catch any breaks from the refs.

 

[kartvelo]

Put it this way: I don't think the Patriots are going to catch any breaks from the refs.

Gee, that'll be a change.

 

[Van Everyman]

Sports science guy was just on EEI. The weight difference in 2PSI is less than that of a dollar bill, and the difference in compression is 1 milimeter. Look at what the league has allowed to happen over that. It's really impressive the way in which the NFL has allowed, and even contributed to, this blowing up into an international scandal.
 
One milimeter of compression.

On the Felger/Mazz thread there's a lot of talk about Florio and Schefter's reporting how the NFL refuses to believe "the weather explanation" and is simply digging in.
 
My sense is that the League isn't just being stubborn for the sake of screwing the Pats -- they almost certainly believe that the Patriots purposely cheated here and are lying.  Why is anyone's guess. Is it because they buy all the buzz that has swirled around the Patriots over the years (i.e., filming walkthroughs/jamming opponents' wireless audio signals/stealing  playbooks/employing towel boy spies)? Possibly. Is it because they employ people who bear some grudge against the Patriots? Sure, tho one thing that's pretty clear over this past week is that there is no shortage of those guys -- it's hard to find people who don't. Or is it because they have been seeing a lot of smoke over the years that indicates something systemic? That we don't really know.
 
 
It could be any of these things -- or perhaps more likely, all of them. Personally, I think if the League had anything firm, they'd have already come out with it.  But I'd be surprised if this is purely a League vendetta -- more likely, they believe they may finally have caught the Pats with their hand in the cookie jar.

 

[OnWisc]

IF the Patriots win this tough matchup on Sunday id love to see the following:

Goodell gives trophy to BB.
BB squeezes the ball on the trophy. Shakes head.
Hands to Brady, who poked with pressure gauge.
Shakes head, hands to ball boy, puts in bag, pulls out replica with slight deflated-looking ball atop trophy.
Gronk grabs trophy, Gronk smash, yells 'fuck you' and they all storm off.

Please. Do you have any idea how much Gronk would get fined for dropping an f-bomb right there?

Regardless of who wins, I wonder if Goodell will actually even speak during the trophy presentation or if he'll just have King or Florio handle it.

 

[simplyeric]

Since the NFL can do nothing but embarrass themselves, it's a given the Pats win Sunday.

Haha. That's the most auspicious omen I can imagine!

What would be more awkward for Goodell, a Pats win or a Pats loss?

A Pats win of course.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Put it this way: I don't think the Patriots are going to catch any breaks from the refs.

 
RefMetrics Ref Metrics
@SandoESPN Three officials in Super Bowl XLIX officiated in the disputed Seattle loss in Super Bowl XL

 

[Shelterdog]

Gee, that'll be a change.

 
One thing that is bizarre about the season is that the Pats (and Seahawks) were both heavily penalized (the pats gave up 1009 yards, the Seahawks 1080, against a league average of 887) while their opponents were, in games against Seattle and NE respectively, the least (Seahawks) and third least (Patriots) teams--Pats' opponents were penalized 752 yards and Seahawks opponents 613. 
 
The calls really did go against the Pats this year.  (Whether fairly or not who knows).
 
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2015/super-bowl-xlixs-insane-penalty-stats

 

[theapportioner]

On the Felger/Mazz thread there's a lot of talk about Florio and Schefter's reporting how the NFL refuses to believe "the weather explanation" and is simply digging in.
 
My sense is that the League isn't just being stubborn for the sake of screwing the Pats -- they almost certainly believe that the Patriots purposely cheated here and are lying.  Why is anyone's guess. Is it because they buy all the buzz that has swirled around the Patriots over the years (i.e., filming walkthroughs/jamming opponents' wireless audio signals/stealing  playbooks/employing towel boy spies)? Possibly. Is it because they employ people who bear some grudge against the Patriots? Sure, tho one thing that's pretty clear over this past week is that there is no shortage of those guys -- it's hard to find people who don't. Or is it because they have been seeing a lot of smoke over the years that indicates something systemic? That we don't really know.

Only thing is, Florio etc. are getting their tips from people who apparently have an agenda. The people dropping info about psi are probably the same ones saying "we're digging in". We don't know if the entire league office has this view, and even if it did, how they would influence Wells on that.

 

[ifmanis5]

 
RefMetrics Ref Metrics
@SandoESPN Three officials in Super Bowl XLIX officiated in the disputed Seattle loss in Super Bowl XL

Unreal. I guess Tim Donaghy busy?

 

[simplyeric]

Please. Do you have any idea how much Gronk would get fined for dropping an f-bomb right there?

Regardless of who wins, I wonder if Goodell will actually even speak during the trophy presentation or if he'll just have King or Florio handle it.

Fine? Go ahead and suspend him for a few games. It's not like BB or TB will be playing for the first half of next season anyway...

 

[JimD]

 
It will be a highly controlled environment in which Goodell will easily be able to deflect any questions he doesn't want to answer.  It will be the exact opposite of a bloodbath.

 
Loaded with Peter King types, no doubt - writers who treasure their access to the league's power brokers above all.

 

[lexrageorge]

On the Felger/Mazz thread there's a lot of talk about Florio and Schefter's reporting how the NFL refuses to believe "the weather explanation" and is simply digging in.
 
My sense is that the League isn't just being stubborn for the sake of screwing the Pats -- they almost certainly believe that the Patriots purposely cheated here and are lying.  Why is anyone's guess. Is it because they buy all the buzz that has swirled around the Patriots over the years (i.e., filming walkthroughs/jamming opponents' wireless audio signals/stealing  playbooks/employing towel boy spies)? Possibly. Is it because they employ people who bear some grudge against the Patriots? Sure, tho one thing that's pretty clear over this past week is that there is no shortage of those guys -- it's hard to find people who don't. Or is it because they have been seeing a lot of smoke over the years that indicates something systemic? That we don't really know.
 
 
It could be any of these things -- or perhaps more likely, all of them. Personally, I think if the League had anything firm, they'd have already come out with it.  But I'd be surprised if this is purely a League vendetta -- more likely, they believe they may finally have caught the Pats with their hand in the cookie jar.

You forgot one other explanation:
 
Goodell and Co. blew this up the minute some possibility of tampered footballs was raised.  Now that the ball psi has been become a big issue, Goodell feels that any backing down will show weakness, and therefore he must be the toughest guy in the room and will therefore dig in no matter what.  IOW, it's all about his ego, evidence and logic be damned. 

 

[Stitch01]

So three refs who called a game nine years ago where penalties went very much against the Seahawks and in favor of one of the NFLs most powerful franchises/owners is supposed to make me worry as a Pats fan?
 
I just don't see the ref angle and will be very disappointed if the game thread turns to calls of riggage and conspiracies at the first poorly timed holding call against the Pats.