The Weird, Wacky and Awesome World of the NFL - General Banter thread V3

Foxtrol wrote: »

I think people are smart enough to simultaneously deal with the utterly unprofessional carry on of again being caught and admitting to breaking rules regarding taping other teams and the utterly unprofessional performance of refs.

The investigation will likely find no large conspiracy so a fine and potential loss of a low draft pick (though maybe a bit higher due to previous history).

There's no conspiracy because it's obviously a mistake by the camera crew, one which could have easily dealt with at the time, as evidenced by the video. The security was looking to instigate a scandal imo, by making a big deal out of it. The concept of solving a problem at the lowest possible level was not employed.

A much more practical solution would have seen the security guy tell the film crew they couldn't film there, asking why they were doing so and asking them to delete the footage after they explain their mistake. No harm, no foul.

Foxtrol wrote: »

There is no way to know whether something is a conspiracy until it is investigated.

Do you expect cops could find ‘practical solutions’ by just believing the word of everyone they catch in the act of breaking the law that say it was a mistake? In this case believing the word of a repeat offender.

For an organization that is lauded for knowing the rules so well it seems to have collective amnesia of them when it suits. If the crew really didn’t know the rules then it is the fault of the people within the Patriots organization that didn’t supervise them correctly and the advanced scout for not stopping it.

As Christy said, if you break the rules then you get punished. I’m not sure why you expect some sort of ‘let’s all forget about this’.

The facts, as reported, clearly support the explanation put forth by the Patriots.

This was the only game where they filmed as such, because they were recording a specific piece on the role of an advance scout. That puts a hole right through the idea that this has been an on going scheme by the team to sneak footage.

Additionally, this was footage of the Bengals, the worst team in the NFL. Common sense would suggest that as much as the Pats seek and exploit any areas to gain an edge, it's unlikely they would be overly concerned about needing to do so against the Bengals, to the point that they would concoct a scheme to employ a film crew for the first time this season.

As has been pointed out by professionals, there is little to gain from filing the sideline. For one, teams don't use hand signals much, if at all. It's all done over radio. Two, there's nothing in the footage that they likely couldn't garner from the broadcast recordings they already get access to.

Only those willfully pushing a narrative of wrongdoing can look at this and see some overarching effort to cheat. The simplest, most logical explanation is the one put forward by the team and the production manager. They were filming B roll footage for the piece, unknowingly broke the rule with respect to where footage of a teams sideline can be filmed. When it was explained to them, they offered to rectify their mistake by deleting what they had recorded.

If folks weren't looking to generate a controversy, that ought to be the end of it. Instead the talking heads and NFL are gleefully playing up the "Gate" isms because it's the Pats. Funny how when actual examples of in-game cheating by other teams are revealed, it doesn't get a fraction of the interest. Heard much about the Giants using walky talkies to get around the 15sec mic cut off recently. How about the Falcons pumping in fake noise to their stadium. Or going further back, how about the Jets violating the same rule that the Pats were punished for during Spygate? Not a damn peep. Forgive me if I have 0 faith in the NFL to conduct a fair and transparent investigation, after the Pats were fined, lost Brady for 4 games and docked a 1st rd pick because the NFL willfully decided physics don't matter and that the Pats needed to be punished.

BoldReason wrote: »

Surely you can agree that there should be some punishment for breaking the rule. You said yourself they unknowingly broke the rule.

If I was caught for doing 80 in a 50 zone that I genuinely thought was an 80 I wouldn't expect to get off scot free.

Clearly it was a mistake I think most commenting on it here are agreeing with that. But there needs to be punishment if a rule was broken.

Fine them then, I think it's a lot of ****e myself, but I'd be happy to hear the end of it. Tired of it being portrayed as some big gotcha. There go those Pats, cheating their way to 11 straight seasons in the playoffs. Only explanation for it. Something something asterisk.

He has had how many last chances now? I don’t think the upside is worth it with him any more, he will be lucky to find another team that will take him on.

I dread to think where he will be ten years from now

Xavi6 wrote: »

Chiefs claim T-Sizzle off waivers because of injuries, doubt he'll show but it'd be a handy pick up.

Several reports out there that he has said he will, I think he wanted the ravens but mainly wanted to go to a contender, if dolphins had grabbed him he would have just retired.
If he plays, great, we've just had another DE to IR with a torn pectoral so we could use him in the rotation.
If not, great, we don't have to pay him and the Raven's don't get another player to add to their rotation.

Reports are that KC, NE, SF and NO all had waiver claims in so he was never getting to BAL

Deleted User wrote: »

Suggs got greedy. Wouldn't want him back in Baltimore.

I for one would have welcomed Suggs back. The team is carrying 16 million in dead money this year for Flacco which would have paid the Cardinals offer of 7 million more than twice over. Now there is a waste of cap space

Suggs also played college football for Arizona State, many players would like to see out their careers in such a situation

raze_them_all_ wrote: »

Player breaks their body for years on **** money, then gets a decent contract, wants another one, leaves for said contract. Greedy turn coat etc.

Teams leave City cos they city won't build them a new stadium for free. Ah its just business

Socialism for billionaires :pac:

paulie21 wrote: »

The Saints are working out Antonio Brown today

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1210560423717670912?s=19

jack presley wrote: »

Does Black Monday usually get its own thread or does it all just go in here?

Shurmour out in NY anyway

I think it depends. I posted the latest talk around Jason Garrett in the cowboys thread which is that his contract might be just left expire on January 14th and not renewed.

brinty wrote: »

I've heard Josh McDaniels is a front runner for the Cowboys job

Ha ha, please god let that happen !!!

brinty wrote: »

He'll do what he's told

Oh we know that but does josh McDaniels know that ?