Chris Long's take on deflate-gate

[LumberTubs]

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/deflategate/

Couldn't see this anywhere else on here. It's interesting to see what one of our own thinks about this.

I thought it was a well balanced piece from a clearly intelligent guy.

 

[Mackeyser]

I don't disagree with anything he had to say.

That said, there were aspects missing.

The success of the NFL came at a time with the refereeing in the NBA was abysmal and baseball was going through an identity crisis and PED crisis. That's when it truly rose to the top of the heap. And in large part, a BIG draw was that the NFL offered games where the outcome were seen as legitimate. PEDs didn't taint outcomes. Refereeing scandals didn't taint outcomes. The game was seen as the best of the large sports to offer a contest where the end result was legitimate. Moreover, the phrase "any given Sunday" wasn't just something thrown out to keep fans interested. Almost every week, you'd see some team pull some kind of an upset.

So, what has so many fans, sports writers and others upset is that the very thing that brought football to the pinnacle, its ability to claim its contests as legitimate, has now been endangered by the same team, twice. Now, with statistical models showing that this behavior almost certainly began in 2007...NOT just this last game, It's possible it's all true...

...Belicheck is a great coach with a tremendous eye for detail

...Brady is a 1st ballot HoF QB

...and...Belicheck and Brady are so driven to win that they will break rules to do it like...

- Taping opponents signals
- Putting a 2nd mic in Brady's helmet
- Deflating footballs
- ?????

Barry Bonds was a 1st ballot HoFer if he'd never touched steroids with his numbers. All he did was ruin his legacy and taint the game by cheating the way he did.

That's what Belicheck and Brady are doing now. They'd better hope they get the Bonds treatment and don't get the Rose treatment. Then again, there's no Bart Giamatti in the NFL...

 

[Alan]

That's how I feel about too @Mackeyser . Nailed it.

 

[Ramhusker]

Well written by Long. His elite UVA education on display there. I guess the Ram's players don't hate the Pats as much as we do?

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Well written by Long. His elite UVA education on display there. I guess the Ram's players don't hate the Pats as much as we do?

Long didn't get cheated out of a Superbowl.

 

[Sum1]

Well written by Long. His elite UVA education on display there. I guess the Ram's players don't hate the Pats as much as we do?

I don't think players hate other teams much at all unless there is a specific incident they were involved in.

 

[Warner4Prez]

I don't disagree with anything he had to say.

That said, there were aspects missing.

The success of the NFL came at a time with the refereeing in the NBA was abysmal and baseball was going through an identity crisis and PED crisis. That's when it truly rose to the top of the heap. And in large part, a BIG draw was that the NFL offered games where the outcome were seen as legitimate. PEDs didn't taint outcomes. Refereeing scandals didn't taint outcomes. The game was seen as the best of the large sports to offer a contest where the end result was legitimate. Moreover, the phrase "any given Sunday" wasn't just something thrown out to keep fans interested. Almost every week, you'd see some team pull some kind of an upset.

So, what has so many fans, sports writers and others upset is that the very thing that brought football to the pinnacle, its ability to claim its contests as legitimate, has now been endangered by the same team, twice. Now, with statistical models showing that this behavior almost certainly began in 2007...NOT just this last game, It's possible it's all true...

...Belicheck is a great coach with a tremendous eye for detail

...Brady is a 1st ballot HoF QB

...and...Belicheck and Brady are so driven to win that they will break rules to do it like...

- Taping opponents signals
- Putting a 2nd mic in Brady's helmet
- Deflating footballs
- ?????

Barry Bonds was a 1st ballot HoFer if he'd never touched steroids with his numbers. All he did was ruin his legacy and taint the game by cheating the way he did.

That's what Belicheck and Brady are doing now. They'd better hope they get the Bonds treatment and don't get the Rose treatment. Then again, there's no Bart Giamatti in the NFL...

I really like what you've said here sir. One last thing I'd just like to point out though. It seems that currently, sports media by in large is tiring of deflategate and have already made the semi-conscious decision to play it off as 'not that big a'deal'. A lot of the fans holding onto this and hoping it keeps traction are now being viewed as poor sports or better yet conspiracy nuts.

It seems the NFL and NFL Media have an incredibly short memory when it comes to scandal and negativity. Whereas the opposite can be said of baseball. There hasn't been legitimate proof on many of the players implicated in the PED scandal of the late 90s and early 00s. Yet plenty of these guys like Piazza, Bagwell, Bonds and Clemens are all on the outside looking in. I'm sure Piazza and Bagwell get in, but the other two...they've got a long way to climb.

I think integrity and reverence for the game are taken much more seriously by the MLB. They stuck their necks out bringing the hammer down on A-Rod, one of the biggest stars in the game, the NFL seems to be cowering away from Brady. Maybe that's because of extensive history, or the crotchety old men that are tasked with still reporting, managing and commissioning (if that's a word) the sport. The NFL seems to want to sweep its past under the rug thanks to concussion settlements and the mismanagement of player pensions.

I'm not sure what it takes to get the NFL back on track. I'm not sure the NFL really cares though, and that's the problem. The profit margins are through the roof, and deflategate, distraction it may be, is just aiding the buildup to what would have been record viewership for Sunday's game anyway.

 

[JonRam99]

That was an article that only Chris Long could write! Always entertaining. Nice perspective.
Never seen the "players tribune" btw.... nothing but player editorials??? awesome!!!

 

[Stranger]

protect the Shield, at all costs.

 

[LetsGoRams]

Long is an excellent writer. I had never heard of this site before but love it!!

 

[DaveFan'51]

The final paragraph says it all!!

 

[Angry Ram]

I think what he was getting it is the media saw this story, coupled it with Spygate and during Super Bowl week and attacked them like the vultures the media is. Mike Florio is having a grand ole time with this. You can tell his weasel lawyer background playing an influence on his hypothetical articles.

Also, to think that the Patriots have been doing this and have been getting an advantage to win is ridiculous. This team not only hasn't won a Super Bowl in over a decade, but lost playoff games to teams like the Colts, Jets, Broncos, Ravens, and of course the Giants twice. You would think if they've been doing this since 2007 they would've benefited more, but they haven't. And in games against some teams, particularly the Ravens, they have been close games.

The Patriot players, for the most part, play with class. Of course there are some exceptions. Rob Gronkowski can be annoying, but damn he's a good football player and he doesn't do his TD antics all the time. Who else on the Patriots is loud, obnoxious, and wants the attention all the time? Danny Amendola? LOL no. Vince Wilfork? This guy just helped a woman out of a car wreck, and did so humbly. Does Darrell Revis have to scream to the world how great he is? No, hell his story his something else coming back from injury and going through the Bucs.

Anyway, I digress. I think the Patriots have way more class than the Seattle team, both players and as an organization. If this was a team full of guys like Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, etc I could root for our NFC West rep. But they aren't. That's why I'm rooting for the Patriots.

 

[thirteen28]

I like Chris, obviously, but he really misses the big point. Cheating is cheating. Period.

He spent a significant amount of time noting that the P*triots scored most of their points in the 2nd half, after the balls were properly inflated. That so completely misses the point.

In 2002, Oscar De La Hoya fought Fernando Vargas in what was then a pretty big fight. De La Hoya won by 11th round TKO. In the post fight drug tests, it was discovered that Vargas, who lost, had been doping, which is definitely illegal. Does that become irrelevant because he lost?

How about Lance Armstrong's cheating? Is it irrelevant because of the virtual certainty that most other cyclists at the time were doing the same thing he was?

Long fails to mention that this is not the first time the P*triots have been caught cheating. They were clearly caught red handed in Spygate, and given that Goodell destroyed the evidence without any full public airing thereof, it's not unreasonable to speculate that it was a lot worse than we were led to believe. There are credible allegations that they tape the Rams walk-through before Super Bowl 36 (not to mention no doubt that the referees swallowed their whistles in that game). Long mentions none of that. That's a pretty serious omission, because that's a huge part of the context in which these current allegations are being discussed. If this was the first time they had been credibly accused of cheating, his arguments would carry much more weight. But this is not the first credible accusation.

This is a pattern, this is systemic among the P*triots. And it also reasonably leads one to wonder what else they are doing under the table to gain an edge. Certainly, the statistical analysis of their fumble rate suggests the ball doctoring has gone on for a while. And I'm not buying his explanation about all the coaching drills for ball security, as other teams do that to and don't have fumble rates that are several standard deviations from the norm.

Perhaps Long needs to get screwed out of a Super Bowl to truly get it.

 

[Angry Ram]

I like Chris, obviously, but he really misses the big point. Cheating is cheating. Period.

He spent a significant amount of time noting that the P*triots scored most of their points in the 2nd half, after the balls were properly inflated. That so completely misses the point.

In 2002, Oscar De La Hoya fought Fernando Vargas in what was then a pretty big fight. De La Hoya won by 11th round TKO. In the post fight drug tests, it was discovered that Vargas, who lost, had been doping, which is definitely illegal. Does that become irrelevant because he lost?

How about Lance Armstrong's cheating? Is it irrelevant because of the virtual certainty that most other cyclists at the time were doing the same thing he was?

Long fails to mention that this is not the first time the P*triots have been caught cheating. They were clearly caught red handed in Spygate, and given that Goodell destroyed the evidence without any full public airing thereof, it's not unreasonable to speculate that it was a lot worse than we were led to believe. There are credible allegations that they tape the Rams walk-through before Super Bowl 36 (not to mention no doubt that the referees swallowed their whistles in that game). Long mentions none of that. That's a pretty serious omission, because that's a huge part of the context in which these current allegations are being discussed. If this was the first time they had been credibly accused of cheating, his arguments would carry much more weight. But this is not the first credible accusation.

This is a pattern, this is systemic among the P*triots. And it also reasonably leads one to wonder what else they are doing under the table to gain an edge. Certainly, the statistical analysis of their fumble rate suggests the ball doctoring has gone on for a while. And I'm not buying his explanation about all the coaching drills for ball security, as other teams do that to and don't have fumble rates that are several standard deviations from the norm.

Perhaps Long needs to get screwed out of a Super Bowl to truly get it.

He says if they get caught, they'll get punished. And he focused strictly on this whole deflating thing and not Spygate, for which they were punished (albeit a bullshit punishment).

 

[Warner4Prez]

Also, to think that the Patriots have been doing this and have been getting an advantage to win is ridiculous. This team not only hasn't won a Super Bowl in over a decade, but lost playoff games to teams like the Colts, Jets, Broncos, Ravens, and of course the Giants twice. You would think if they've been doing this since 2007 they would've benefited more, but they haven't. And in games against some teams, particularly the Ravens, they have been close games..

I'm not so sure. Take a look at the NFL records going back to 2007. In a league of parity, the Patriots have not been beaten in that division. The Dolphins won on a tie breaker the year Brady was lost for the season, and they still tied at 11-5. No other team in the NFL has continually dominated without falling under a 10 victory season like the Pats.
Could it just be that they are head and shoulders the greatest run franchise in the NFL? Maybe?
But color me a bit skeptical given how every year people point to the lack of Brady's weapons and a defense that lacks identity outside of Wilfork.

 

[Athos]

I refuse to give BilliCheat and BradyBunch credit for anything.

Unlike Bonds, who we pretty much know was clean, or as clean as can be in the 90s before his head started to swell in size, you just don't know how far the cheating hole goes with the Patsies.

Spygate?
Deflating balls?
Wiring in calls when they shouldn't be?

Those are just the things we KNOW OF. We have absolutely no idea just how integrated their cheating is.

I think it's systematic. From the FO right down to the scapegoats. They can about winning and little else.

 

[Angry Ram]

I'm not so sure. Take a look at the NFL records going back to 2007. In a league of parity, the Patriots have not been beaten in that division. The Dolphins won on a tie breaker the year Brady was lost for the season, and they still tied at 11-5. No other team in the NFL has continually dominated without falling under a 10 victory season like the Pats.
Could it just be that they are head and shoulders the greatest run franchise in the NFL? Maybe?
But color me a bit skeptical given how every year people point to the lack of Brady's weapons and a defense that lacks identity outside of Wilfork.

Well see now that's a different issue. You have to look at how the other 3 teams are run. They are always switching coaches, not drafting well, spending way too much in FA, etc. But again, when you get the playoffs vs. other strong teams, they are beatable and have been beat multiple times as I already mentioned.

 

[Ken]

Well see now that's a different issue. You have to look at how the other 3 teams are run. They are always switching coaches, not drafting well, spending way too much in FA, etc. But again, when you get the playoffs vs. other strong teams, they are beatable and have been beat multiple times as I already mentioned.

All that proves is that you can cheat and still not win 100% of the time. The fumble stats are the most compelling evidence you can have that the Pats have been deflating balls long-term, or doing something more than just practicing ball protection drills, without having direct 'smoking gun' evidence. I have nothing against the Patriots players (except I dislike Brady) but Bellichick and that organization are cheaters. There is no doubt in my mind. Its seems pathological with Bellichick. Its too bad because the Pats probably would have been a very successful team over the last 14 years without cheating, but they are cheaters. And the NFL has been complicit, so far, in letting them get away with it. I can see why it may be impossible to keep them out of this years SB. But if they win, and the investigation cannot determine how the AFCCG balls could have become deflated minus intentional action from someone in the Pats organization, then the NFL should, and may, take away the championship. The Seahawks will likely kick their ass anyway. But just in case, I'll bet the refs, opposite of SB 36 'Let the Pats play and get away with anything', will be persuaded to 'If its horseshoe close call the penalty on the Pats'.

 

[Blue and Gold]

No one’s calling Brad Johnson’s legacy into question (and they shouldn’t).

Does Brad Johnson HAVE a legacy?