2015 NFL Season

[pilferk]

I agree, same old crap against the Pats, timing is no coincidence, but what I found most interesting is that this story also seems to throw Goodell under the bus, in that we're being led to believe he helped cover up the supposed enormity of the extent of Spygate.  So either this is a case of rogue owners who want him out or Goodell pulling a Jedi-mind trick on the fans to show that DeflateGate was not about him being out to get the Pats because if anything he was always easy on them in the past.
 

Goodell denied tying the two "scandals" together yesterday, but his reliability level is not at an all time high as far as I'm concerned.

It seems quite clear to me that the harsh treatment for Brady and the Pats this time around was directly tied to Spygate. That's why I don't get how some actually viewed this charade as a fair and just investigation. It was anything but. And now that the Brady suspension was overturned and Goodell's approval rating is dropping fast, ESPN puts out an article rehashing things from 8 years ago. Coincidence? I think not. It truly is comical. Doing whatever they can to tip the scales and gain some popularity points back in the NFL's favor and keeping the Patriots as public enemy #1. And people are eating it up like they've been starving for a week. They had little to crow about after the judge ruled in Brady's favor. Now they got something. Stuff from 8 years ago. Have at it.

Boomer Esiason had an interesting take on the matter this morning on WFAN of all places. Aside from saying all NFL teams look to gain a competitive advantage, and that teams should focus more on not letting their opponents get those advantages. He also theorized that ESPN is angling to become known as more than just a "sports station". All these sensational stories and reporting are used to grab the attention of the casual fan, or even the non fan. Cable TV is going the way of ala carte. Maybe they're looking to expand, or just maintain their viewership. If casual or non sports fans are given the choice to subscribe to ESPN, they probably wouldn't. Sports stations and packages are the most expensive. So maybe they're preparing for that and trying to widen their range. Just a theory, but I can't tell you how many people who could care less about sports have formed and given their opinion on the Patriots over the last 8 months. So it's working, regardless if that's their intent or not.

Remember the St. Louis Cardinals hacking into the Houston Astros computers? That was quite the scandal. Lasted a week at best. Where was the continued outrage there? The Cardinals have been just as successful as the Pats, so you'd think there should be similar reactions to each situation. Who knew NFL fans and media were so much more sensitive and unforgiving as MLB fans and media. The NFL is more concerned with being a soap opera and keeping itself at the forefront of the news on a daily basis. And apparently they'll stop at nothing to accomplish that.

Opening night tomorrow. It can't get here soon enough! I just hope the rain holds off.

Go Pats!!!

Pretty "non-football" related but..keep in mind what ala carte actually MEANS with cable.  They almost literally CAN'T allow channel by channel selections, based on their contracts with content providers (and thats the one thing the providers have said they will not negotiate on).

So...ESPN is in little danger as long as it's owned by The Mouse.  Because the Mouse owns so much broad content that....you're buying "the mouse" package in your ala carte selections.  Unless you don't want ABC (because, in the ala carte proposals, network tv's mandatory inclusion in all packages goes bye bye), any of the Disney channels, ESPN, or ABC Family)....and they have partnerships with the Lifetime and Discovery networks (and potentially more than just partnerships, in the face of the above scenario).

You can say it's to drive ratings/web its....I won't disagree, as that's pretty much "news" of all sorts today.  But the particular scenario you're outlining is unlikely, all things considered.  If they were an independant network....maybe.  But they're not.

[faldor]

While you're at it, perhaps you can enlighten us as to when the Patriots will be reinstating "the Deflator" if he did nothing wrong?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/09/source-pats-have-requested-reinstatement-of-jastremski-and-mcnally/

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Patriots have indeed asked for the employees to be reinstated.

The request was made on or before late Monday afternoon. It definitely was made before Tuesday; it possibly was made before Vincent said the league hadn?t heard from the Patriots.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000492190/article/nfl-releases-statement-on-patriots-violations

Patriots owner Robert Kraft advised Commissioner Roger Goodell last week that Patriots employees John Jastremski and James McNally have been indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, effective on May 6th. Neither of these individuals may be reinstated without the prior approval of NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent. If they are reinstated by the Patriots, Jastremski is prohibited from having any role in the preparation, supervision, or handling of footballs to be used in NFL games during the 2015 season. McNally is barred from serving as a locker room attendant for the game officials, or having any involvement with the preparation, supervision, or handling of footballs or any other equipment on game day.

Gotta love that go to argument. Why did the Patriots suspend the 2 employees if they're innocent or why didn't they ask for them to be reinstated if they're innocent? Well, firstly the NFL demanded the Patriots suspend them because they think the were the masterminds behind Deflategate. They deny that, but if you haven't guessed by now, I don't trust them. As for reinstating them. 1) It looks like they've now taken the proper steps to get them reinstated. 2) Jastremski has been seen at Gillette over the last few months, so it's not like they threw him to the wolves and forgot about him. 3) If the NFL thinks in its heart of hearts that the 2 guys are guilty, and it's well documented that they do, then why would they entertain the idea of reinstating them?

Another absurd argument among many.

[Sober_times]

Well in other News, ESPN sources say the NFL is investigating Belichick and the Patriots for the ability to predict the future through psychic ability. Seattle insisted upon the investigation after they accused the Patriots of knowing exactly what Pete Carrol was about to call in the closing minutes of Superbowl 49. The NFL has hired world renowned psychic Miss Cleo to head up the independent investigation. A source who wishes to remain anonymous states Miss Cleo has already seen the future and it shows that without a doubt, the Patriots have psychic ability. Furthermore, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of the last 12 Patriots victories were won using psychic ability.


 

[pilferk]

Well in other News, ESPN sources say the NFL is investigating Belichick and the Patriots for the ability to predict the future through psychic ability. Seattle insisted upon the investigation after they accused the Patriots of knowing exactly what Pete Carrol was about to call in the closing minutes of Superbowl 49. The NFL has hired world renowned psychic Miss Cleo to head up the independent investigation. A source who wishes to remain anonymous states Miss Cleo has already seen the future and it shows that without a doubt, the Patriots have psychic ability. Furthermore, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of the last 12 Patriots victories were won using psychic ability.

Someone beat you to it, FYI:

https://somuchsatire.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/nfl-report-finds-ne-patriots-guilty-of-super-bowl-xlix-mind-control-scheme/

[Sober_times]

Well in other News, ESPN sources say the NFL is investigating Belichick and the Patriots for the ability to predict the future through psychic ability. Seattle insisted upon the investigation after they accused the Patriots of knowing exactly what Pete Carrol was about to call in the closing minutes of Superbowl 49. The NFL has hired world renowned psychic Miss Cleo to head up the independent investigation. A source who wishes to remain anonymous states Miss Cleo has already seen the future and it shows that without a doubt, the Patriots have psychic ability. Furthermore, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of the last 12 Patriots victories were won using psychic ability.

Someone beat you to it, FYI:

https://somuchsatire.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/nfl-report-finds-ne-patriots-guilty-of-super-bowl-xlix-mind-control-scheme/

Damn, much better than mine too. 

[faldor]

Well in other News, ESPN sources say the NFL is investigating Belichick and the Patriots for the ability to predict the future through psychic ability. Seattle insisted upon the investigation after they accused the Patriots of knowing exactly what Pete Carrol was about to call in the closing minutes of Superbowl 49. The NFL has hired world renowned psychic Miss Cleo to head up the independent investigation. A source who wishes to remain anonymous states Miss Cleo has already seen the future and it shows that without a doubt, the Patriots have psychic ability. Furthermore, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of the last 12 Patriots victories were won using psychic ability.

Someone beat you to it, FYI:

https://somuchsatire.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/nfl-report-finds-ne-patriots-guilty-of-super-bowl-xlix-mind-control-scheme/

Damn, much better than mine too. 

All joking aside, credit to Seattle for not making such claims and just admitting they lost because of a bad play call. At least as far as I know, no Seahawks have made that claim. Nearly every other team the Patriots have beaten have cried their eyes out about the Patriots cheated, and that they couldn't have possibly beaten them on the level. The Rams, Eagles, Panthers, Colts, Ravens, etc. Full of excuses. One thing about Belichick and the Patriots, if they lose, they don't accuse the other team of cheating. It's always, "we were outplayed and out coached". Not, they stole our signals, they pumped in crowd noise, they overinflated the balls, they ran unfair plays we weren't prepared for (Wildcat). Cry me a river!

[Sober_times]

Not that it matters much, I just thought this video was kind of funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_NT2LdlIkM&feature=youtu.be


I guess it would have been ok had the Patriots only had this success in the 90's. Damn. Its true what they say; timing is everything.

[pilferk]

Well in other News, ESPN sources say the NFL is investigating Belichick and the Patriots for the ability to predict the future through psychic ability. Seattle insisted upon the investigation after they accused the Patriots of knowing exactly what Pete Carrol was about to call in the closing minutes of Superbowl 49. The NFL has hired world renowned psychic Miss Cleo to head up the independent investigation. A source who wishes to remain anonymous states Miss Cleo has already seen the future and it shows that without a doubt, the Patriots have psychic ability. Furthermore, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of the last 12 Patriots victories were won using psychic ability.

Someone beat you to it, FYI:

https://somuchsatire.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/nfl-report-finds-ne-patriots-guilty-of-super-bowl-xlix-mind-control-scheme/

Damn, much better than mine too. 

All joking aside, credit to Seattle for not making such claims and just admitting they lost because of a bad play call. At least as far as I know, no Seahawks have made that claim. Nearly every other team the Patriots have beaten have cried their eyes out about the Patriots cheated, and that they couldn't have possibly beaten them on the level. The Rams, Eagles, Panthers, Colts, Ravens, etc. Full of excuses. One thing about Belichick and the Patriots, if they lose, they don't accuse the other team of cheating. It's always, "we were outplayed and out coached". Not, they stole our signals, they pumped in crowd noise, they overinflated the balls, they ran unfair plays we weren't prepared for (Wildcat). Cry me a river!

I think...given the way that game went and ended....there is no other realistic claim they coukd make.

I think we disagreed, at the time, but for me...that was one of THE worst play calls, ever. Terrible.

[Sober_times]

Back to actual football talk. The Pats placed center Bryan Stork on IR designated to return. I would say that is a significant loss. Him being able to develop at Center and finally get going after the Chiefs game last year was a big reason the Patriots offensive line settled. Dan Connolly retired this off-season but he was able to set in at Left Guard and Ryan Wendall at Right Guard.

Patriots are still trying to find that Left Guard after trading Mankins last year and this loss could push undrafted free agent into starting Center, or Wendell moves to center and Josh Kline who struggled last year steps in at LG. With rookie Tre Jackson from Florida state at RG. Also, they could potentially start another rookie, Mason out of Georgia Tech at LG, leaving 2 4th round draft picks to start at the guard positions.

Could see some struggles in the o-line play similar to the start of last season. Be interesting to see how it goes.

Also, I'm thinking about who I'm going to pick as division winners, play-off spots and superbowl winner. Obviously my Superbowl Pick is the Patriots, but still deciding on everything else. Who you guys got?

[faldor]

Well in other News, ESPN sources say the NFL is investigating Belichick and the Patriots for the ability to predict the future through psychic ability. Seattle insisted upon the investigation after they accused the Patriots of knowing exactly what Pete Carrol was about to call in the closing minutes of Superbowl 49. The NFL has hired world renowned psychic Miss Cleo to head up the independent investigation. A source who wishes to remain anonymous states Miss Cleo has already seen the future and it shows that without a doubt, the Patriots have psychic ability. Furthermore, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of the last 12 Patriots victories were won using psychic ability.

Someone beat you to it, FYI:

https://somuchsatire.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/nfl-report-finds-ne-patriots-guilty-of-super-bowl-xlix-mind-control-scheme/

Damn, much better than mine too. 

All joking aside, credit to Seattle for not making such claims and just admitting they lost because of a bad play call. At least as far as I know, no Seahawks have made that claim. Nearly every other team the Patriots have beaten have cried their eyes out about the Patriots cheated, and that they couldn't have possibly beaten them on the level. The Rams, Eagles, Panthers, Colts, Ravens, etc. Full of excuses. One thing about Belichick and the Patriots, if they lose, they don't accuse the other team of cheating. It's always, "we were outplayed and out coached". Not, they stole our signals, they pumped in crowd noise, they overinflated the balls, they ran unfair plays we weren't prepared for (Wildcat). Cry me a river!

I think...given the way that game went and ended....there is no other realistic claim they coukd make.

I think we disagreed, at the time, but for me...that was one of THE worst play calls, ever. Terrible.

I thought it was one of the best play calls ever! I watched "Do Your Job" on the NFL Network last night, fantastic viewing by the way. The Patriots as an organization hold things so close to the vest, but let it all hang out in this one. Obviously they go over that last play in pretty great detail. Fascinating stuff. Everybody was waiting for a timeout to be called after Lynch was stopped at the 1. All eyes were on Bill, and he noticed confusion on the opposite sideline. Players were shuffling on and off the field. He wasn't about to stop the clock for them. They sent the goal line defense out there, so Seattle maybe outsmarted themselves and sent 3 WR's onto the field. The only reason Malcolm Butler was on the field at thst moment. He was the 3rd CB to matchup with the 3rd WR. Just a great breakdown of that play and many more points throughout the season. Hate on the Pats and Belichick all you want, but it's fascinating to see how they prepare and execute.

[faldor]

Back to actual football talk. The Pats placed center Bryan Stork on IR designated to return. I would say that is a significant loss. Him being able to develop at Center and finally get going after the Chiefs game last year was a big reason the Patriots offensive line settled. Dan Connolly retired this off-season but he was able to set in at Left Guard and Ryan Wendall at Right Guard.

Patriots are still trying to find that Left Guard after trading Mankins last year and this loss could push undrafted free agent into starting Center, or Wendell moves to center and Josh Kline who struggled last year steps in at LG. With rookie Tre Jackson from Florida state at RG. Also, they could potentially start another rookie, Mason out of Georgia Tech at LG, leaving 2 4th round draft picks to start at the guard positions.

Could see some struggles in the o-line play similar to the start of last season. Be interesting to see how it goes.

Also, I'm thinking about who I'm going to pick as division winners, play-off spots and superbowl winner. Obviously my Superbowl Pick is the Patriots, but still deciding on everything else. Who you guys got?

Stork could be a significant loss, especially with all the great D-line's in the division this year. The Pats O-line was a mess to start last season until Stork helped stabilize things. I'm not sure they can wait for his possible return in week 8 to get things sorted out. They need to find alternatives on the fly, and some young and inexperienced guys are going to have to shoulder the load. The line play wasn't very good in the pre season, so I don't expect a seamless transition. Wendell just came back too, so I don't know if he's ready to go full tilt.

A couple other concerns Patriots related. The WR corps is a bit light. They're only carrying five. One is special teams ace, Matthew Slater, who isn't much of a threat in the passing game. Chris Harper is an undrafted free agent. Aaron Dobson has shown some flashes, both good and bad. Amendola finished strong last season, and Edelman is a constant. They do have a strong TE group led by Gronk of course, so that can't be discounted. Scott Chandler could play a big role too, though they may have to help blocking.

They seem to have repetition at RB, with Blount out tonight. They cut Jonas Gray, who was the only other "big back" on their roster. The rest of the group is filled with 3rd down backs, though I do like what I've seen from Dion Lewis.

As for the secondary. I have no idea what to expect. I feared they'd be terrible this year, but I think, at least I hope they won't be as bad as I initially expected. Their front seven is improved, so that should help. I obviously don't expect the D to be anywhere near as good as last year, but I hope the regression isn't that great.

[AxlsMainMan]

Edelman and La Fell are apparently both highly questionable for tonight, which bodes well for my Steelers being without Bell or Bryant

[JAEBALL]

Back to actual football talk. The Pats placed center Bryan Stork on IR designated to return. I would say that is a significant loss. Him being able to develop at Center and finally get going after the Chiefs game last year was a big reason the Patriots offensive line settled. Dan Connolly retired this off-season but he was able to set in at Left Guard and Ryan Wendall at Right Guard.

Patriots are still trying to find that Left Guard after trading Mankins last year and this loss could push undrafted free agent into starting Center, or Wendell moves to center and Josh Kline who struggled last year steps in at LG. With rookie Tre Jackson from Florida state at RG. Also, they could potentially start another rookie, Mason out of Georgia Tech at LG, leaving 2 4th round draft picks to start at the guard positions.

Could see some struggles in the o-line play similar to the start of last season. Be interesting to see how it goes.

Also, I'm thinking about who I'm going to pick as division winners, play-off spots and superbowl winner. Obviously my Superbowl Pick is the Patriots, but still deciding on everything else. Who you guys got?

Stork could be a significant loss, especially with all the great D-line's in the division this year. The Pats O-line was a mess to start last season until Stork helped stabilize things. I'm not sure they can wait for his possible return in week 8 to get things sorted out. They need to find alternatives on the fly, and some young and inexperienced guys are going to have to shoulder the load. The line play wasn't very good in the pre season, so I don't expect a seamless transition. Wendell just came back too, so I don't know if he's ready to go full tilt.

A couple other concerns Patriots related. The WR corps is a bit light. They're only carrying five. One is special teams ace, Matthew Slater, who isn't much of a threat in the passing game. Chris Harper is an undrafted free agent. Aaron Dobson has shown some flashes, both good and bad. Amendola finished strong last season, and Edelman is a constant. They do have a strong TE group led by Gronk of course, so that can't be discounted. Scott Chandler could play a big role too, though they may have to help blocking.

They seem to have repetition at RB, with Blount out tonight. They cut Jonas Gray, who was the only other "big back" on their roster. The rest of the group is filled with 3rd down backs, though I do like what I've seen from Dion Lewis.

As for the secondary. I have no idea what to expect. I feared they'd be terrible this year, but I think, at least I hope they won't be as bad as I initially expected. Their front seven is improved, so that should help. I obviously don't expect the D to be anywhere near as good as last year, but I hope the regression isn't that great.

Does it really matter who they have in there as long as they have Brady and know what plays the other teams are going to run before they even call them ? 

I have a feeling Brady drops 4 tds tonight (two to gronk) with close to 400 yards.

[pilferk]

I can't resist....

Gronk looks like he's still the best at cradlng Brady's (probably soft) balls.....


....and i suspect the Steelers kicker is going to be kicking (probably soft) balls in the california penal league by sometime around 3 pm tomorrow.

[tim_m]

I can't resist....

Gronk looks like he's still the best at cradlng Brady's (probably soft) balls.....


....and i suspect the Steelers kicker is going to be kicking (probably soft) balls in the california penal league by sometime around 3 pm tomorrow.

No way they wait that long to cut him. I say it happens right after the game.

[AxlsMainMan]

Anyone even remotely surprised the Steelers' headsets weren't working properly throughout the majority of the game, or when they were all they were getting was Patriots' radio feed? Why does this quite literally onliy seem to happen in New England? The Patriots' DL faking a snap count was probably the cherry on top, but cheaters gonna' cheat

Steelers still made it competitive despite the miscues and a soft secondary, but I'm liking the development I'm seeing from Jarvis and Shazier. Darius freaking Heyward-Bey of all people might be Ben's new favorite target while fans couldnt even figure out why he even had a helmet last year. I also didn't know what to expect from Williams since he was injured pretty much all of last year, but he was able to run the ball quite effectively down the Cheatriots' throat.

[Sober_times]

More ammunition for haters. Of course everybody ignores the fact that the NFL handles game day communications, that the Patriots headsets were turned off when Steelers were hearing radio broadcast(according to NBC Pro Football talk) as is common practice when one teams headset isn't working and of course the Patriots had their own issues with the head sets through out the games. This is expected though. Whiners gonna whine. Typical Tomlin whining.

As Bill Simmons put, Mike Tomlin was so distracted by the Pats' radio broadcast that he forgot to try to trip one of the Pats' receivers.

[C0ma]

DL faking a snap count was probably the cherry on top, but cheaters gonna' cheat

That's not what happened, it was a coordinated D Line shift, which Ben seemed to think was illegal (it's not)... but don't let get facts get in the way of a juicy story. I want the rest of the league paranoid about what the Pats could do next when they are in Gillette.

[AxlsMainMan]

I want the rest of the league paranoid about what the Pats could do next when they are in Gillette.

Lose by 7 after blowing 2 FGs, a TD and a 1st & Goal? Yes, I'm sure the rest of the league is terrified 

[tim_m]

Steelers were missing some of their best players due to injury/suspension and still made it closer then it should've been with all the missed opportunities.