Montana thinks Brady responsible for Deflate-Gate

[rams2050]

I don't know if I should initiate another thread or not. If not, please merge for me.

(This is interesting. To read Joe's take, QBs should be able to play with fully-deflated balls, if that is what they so desire. Ridiculous, in my mind).

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/01/30/gasper/4fjyn5NWemEYnhkwjlLEYL/story.html

By Christopher L. GasperGLOBE COLUMNIST JANUARY 30, 2015


PHOENIX — Say it isn’t so, Joe.

That’s what Tom Brady must be thinking after his boyhood idol, San Francisco 49ers great Joe Montana, said at the Super Bowl on Thursday that Brady is behind the Patriots playing in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts with underinflated footballs.
Still, it has to be like guzzling sour milk for Brady to see his hero side with the conspiracy theorists in Deflategate.

Add it to the rock formation Brady has on his right shoulder. He internalizes every slight.

Brady can join the elitist of quarterback clubs on Sunday with a victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, tying Montana and Pittsburgh Steelers great Terry Bradshaw with four Super Bowl titles.

People will speculate that provided some of the motivation for Montana, who never lost a Super Bowl, to express his opinion that Deflategate wasn’t an accident or a scientifically explainable occurrence.

The fourth Super Bowl looked like a fait accompli when Brady won three titles in his first four years as a starter. Brady could have gone all LeBron James and started ticking off titles.

TB12 was reflective on Thursday, saying he appreciates the degree of difficulty of hoisting hardware more now than when it seemed like his birthright.

“It’s pretty cool. I think just from my experience, when I was so young that I didn’t understand what this was all about and how challenging this is because everything happened so fast at such an early part of my career,” said Brady. “I think over the years we’ve gotten some tough losses, and obviously we made it in 2007 and ’11, those were challenging games. They came down to the wire and we lost. I don’t think those things discouraged me at all.

“They just re-emphasized how hard and challenging it is to get to this point and how challenging it is to win this game. I have such an appreciation for it now. That’s why I’m hoping we can accomplish and finally finish it off with a great win on Sunday. It would mean an awful lot.”

Montana’s comments have to be a little more Super Bowl heartbreak for Brady before he has even had a chance to take the field for his record sixth Super Bowl start.

Before he was Saint Thomas of Foxborough, the iconic quarterback of the Patriots, he was simply Tom Brady Jr. from San Mateo, Calif., diehard 49ers fan.

Brady grew up idolizing 49ers quarterbacks Montana and Steve Young. He was in attendance at Candlestick Park when Montana threw his famous pass to Dwight Clark to propel the 49ers to victory in the 1981 NFC Championship game, a play known simply as “The Catch” in football lore.

A three-time Super Bowl MVP and arguably the most clutch QB ever, Montana is the gold standard Brady has emulated.

Et tu, Montana?

“I mean it’s easy to figure out who did it. Did Tom do it? No, but Tom likes the balls that way, obviously, or you wouldn’t have 11 of them that way without him complaining because as a quarterback, you know how you like the ball,” said Montana. “It’s a stupid thing to even be talking about because they shouldn’t have the rule anyway.”

Montana said the rules governing how teams and quarterbacks handle footballs have changed a lot over the years.

But he intimated taking air out of the football would help a quarterback throw in wet conditions, like the ones Brady faced in the AFC title game at Gillette.

Ugh.

Montana, who spoke to reporters following a promotional appearance for Papa John’s pizza, shied away from direct career comparisons with Brady.

“The guy is a great quarterback,” said Montana. “There is a category that people like to say, ‘the greatest to ever play,’ he is definitely in that category. But I think it’s hard to put anybody up there no matter who it might be. Go back and watch Otto Graham and Sammy Baugh. If you haven’t seen any footage, it’s ridiculous the things those guys did back then. I think it’s really hard to compare, but Tom obviously is having a tremendous career.”

Only in professional sports do 37-year-old men like Brady have legacies to cement. Most 37-year-old men just have résumés, life experiences, and accomplishments. You can still hit the backspace button on their epitaph.

The idea that one game will determine whether Brady is the greatest of all time or just in the animated discussion is premature declaration.

Montana said Brady’s legacy is secure.

“Can it get any better? The guy is already playing at the top of the level of anybody else. I think a win is great for him, but I think if he loses I don’t think it matters to his legacy at all. The guy has won three and been here six times.”

That was the last question Montana answered. He’s still good for a comeback.

 

[Stranger]

No way Brady acted alone. This came from Ernie Adams working with his statistical teams in search of an edge. When they discovered a positive correlation between ball pressure and fumbles, they tested their hypothesis and then proved it to themselves, with Brady & Belicheat part of the process. They then cultivated a deliberate plan to allow them to bring their own balls to games, and got this passed while deceiving all about their real intentions.

This was a long, well thought out, and deliberate process by numerous top brass in the organization, which had to include players, coaching staff, consultants, and most likely management. ALL of these media stories are ridiculous.

PS. My guess is that Adams has at least a 2-member, probably 4 or 5, of PhD or Masters level statisticians and data scientists constantly evaluating data and searching for patterns and mechanisms for garnering an edge - irrespective of whether they are in the rules.

 

[Boffo97]

And, as said before, if a 49er from those days thinks you're a cheater... well.. they're experts.

 

[Faceplant]

Didn't sound like he slighted him really to me. Iagree with Joe that the rule is stupid to begin with. It seems like a relic from back when they were hesitant to even allow the forward pass....

 

[-X-]

Didn't sound like he slighted him really to me. Iagree with Joe that the rule is stupid to begin with. It seems like a relic from back when they were hesitant to even allow the forward pass....

Agreed. They should let teams play with whatever kind of football they want. Scuffed, deflated, greased, who cares. And they should let stick'm back in the game too, because that was pretty awesome. There are just too many rules in place right now and it's getting kinda lame. Some rules I can understand, like pass interference and holding, but the rules that keep teams from increasing their own productivity weren't really needed because it worked for all teams.

 

[RhodyRams]

Didn't sound like he slighted him really to me. Iagree with Joe that the rule is stupid to begin with. It seems like a relic from back when they were hesitant to even allow the forward pass....

yeah, after this debacle, Goodell will probably re-write the rule book in the Patriots favor as he so often seems to do

 

[rams2050]

I can't wait until they are not only fully deflating the balls -- or filling them with some type of fluid -- warm in winter, of course -- to increase their aerodynamic properties, but also enclosing them in a Teflon wrap -- and outfitting their wide receivers and running backs with Teflon gloves. What fun the game will be then!

 

[DaveFan'51]

If Joe says " It's so" it's so!

 

[Pancake]

Yah, it's a stupid rule. I think teams should use whatever ball they want. Ones with grenades in them. Maybe hook up a Taser system that goes off depending on who touches it. I'd like to see them play with a bowling ball or a wiffle ball.

Why stop with the balls. Barb wire under pads would be good and a sharp spear tip mounted on top of helmets. Linemen should be allowed to carry two weapons. I would suggest nunchucks and brass knuckles. They would work good down in the trenches. Or maybe a can of pepper spray for when your under the pile trying to recover a fumble. Just one spray and everyone clears out leaving you with the ball. It works great. I used it all the time back in HS.

Teams should bring their own goal posts too. That way if your team is about to lose on a last second FG try you can swap out for the extra narrow posts.

And heck why does the field have to be marked every 1 yard? Why not just make it random? Sometimes there is a mark every foot, sometimes lets make it every 3 inches. I see no reason why teams should be forced to have the same size fields either. Why 53.33 yards wide and 120 yards long when they could make the field shaped to fit the stadiums better? Or make them shorter so players don't get so tired out on those long runs. I think 10 - 11 yards long would be good. Or to make it even more fun put booby traps in random places on the field. Now were talking entertainment.

You know what fuck it. How about every team has their own rule book? That way nobody is ever cheating.

 

[Fatbot]

Gee a former 49er (Haley) being interviewed by a former 49er beat writer (Judge) love Joe the Schmoe more than Brady? So it ain't so!

But for how often they mention how much Brady idolized Joe growing up, isn't insulting Brady an insult to Joe at this point?

Only surprise is the NBCsports writer actually mentions the 49er cheating that everyone else pretends never happened, so he gets bonus points.