• Hi all. We have had reports of member's signatures being edited to include malicious content. You can rest assured this wasn't done by staff and we can find no indication that the forums themselves have been compromised.

    However, remember to keep your passwords secure. If you use similar logins on multiple sites, people and even bots may be able to access your account.

    We always recommend using unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication if possible. Make sure you are secure.
  • Be sure to join the discussion on our discord at: Discord.gg/serebii
  • If you're still waiting for the e-mail, be sure to check your junk/spam e-mail folders

NFL/NCAAF Thread

GrizzlyB

Confused and Dazed
Instead of talking about the Patriots' constant cheating, here's something that people might actually be unaware of: apparently, the only promotion in the world of NFL coaching is a head coach position. Even Offensive/Defensive coordinator positions don't count, and thus, teams can actually block their own coaches from receiving clear promotions. Granted, only shitty teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions do this (although I suppose in their case, if you bumble into a half-competent coach, you'd better hold onto him like grim death). OK, so those two in particular make me mad because the Lions hired Jim Bob Cooter away from the Broncos last year, and are now preventing him from being hired away from them, and for a much bigger promotion; the Bengals are blocking their co-DB coach from interviewing with Denver (and possibly San Francisco) for a DC position. And with cases not related to my Broncos in some way (turns out it's pretty hard to find examples assistant coaches being ****-blocked when it doesn't involve your team), Green Bay and Indianapolis have blocked guys recently; what the hell is their problem?
 

SlowPokeBroKing

Future Gym Leader
Well, I root more for Tom Brady, than the actual Patriots. Considering some of the underthrown passes he made in that game (that his receivers had to go back and get), I doubt those deflated balls helped all too much. Honestly, the investigation is still premature. But what a PR mess - if it holds true, people are always going to keep ranting about Spygate and Deflategate and how Brady/Belichick weren't successful without cheating (when it's really because Patriots are just a better team). The Patriots wouldn't have needed deflated balls to crush the Colts anyway.

Anyway, I still want Patriots to win. In fact, I'll be more impressive if they can stay focused amidst the investigation, and pull out a clean (since all eyes will be on the Patriots) SB win.

It's a witch hunt. It's always been a witch hunt against the Patriots ever since Spygate. People are always looking for ways to discredit Brady as the all-time greatest, always looking to pad Peyton Manning's resume somehow, because that's what the league wants. What a joke. What a mother****ing joke.

You guys are missing the point entirely. As fans, you are blinded by the fact that Belichick and Brady are scared. They don't have enough confidence to win on pure talent. They don't believe they can win without the extra help. They broke a rule and deserve punishment. Quit looking at it from a fan's perspective and look at it as it really is: the Patriots are scared.
 

Nightlingbolt

AKA Nightlingbolt
I did some reading, and if the balls were indeed underinflated, they would have been refilled during the half, after which the Patriots scored 28 points after the half to the Colts' zero, plus the Colts' balls wouldn't have been affected in any way. So you can whine about Belichick being scared all you want, the fact is the Patriots were the better team in that game. How's that for facts?

Who is even responsible for the balls once the referees inspect them? I assume the ballboys and whoever oversees them.
 
Last edited:

Sid87

I love shiny pokemon
I did some reading, and if the balls were indeed underinflated, they would have been refilled during the half, after which the Patriots scored 28 points after the half to the Colts' zero, plus the Colts' balls wouldn't have been affected in any way. So you can whine about Belichick being scared all you want, the fact is the Patriots were the better team in that game. How's that for facts?

Who is even responsible for the balls once the referees inspect them? I assume the ballboys and whoever oversees them.

I'm speaking as someone who, while I may be a Seattle fan and rooting for the Pats to lose the Superbowl hard, generally likes the Pats, sticks up for them, and cheers for them in most all other games:

The premise here isn't "OMG! The deflated balls are the reason the Patriots won!" It's... Why does a team that is THIS GOOD constantly feel the need to skirt the rules and try to seek an unfair advantage? I mean... Spygate. This. Why does a team--a team that everyone with a brain acknowledges is good enough to win without this nonsense--keep doing this nonsense? Why is it so habitual with them? And if they've been caught over Spygate and this, what else have they done that HASN'T been caught over the years?

That's what the concern is. Not that these balls cost Indy the game--NO ONE thinks that--but that it (combined with the Pats' known history) is clearly a symptom of a bigger concern.
 

Nightlingbolt

AKA Nightlingbolt
Well, at least it gives me a reason to look forward to Angry Brady. You know he wants to prove the pundits wrong, just like he did against Cincinnati.

And I know I'm reaching here, but what if Belichick told his assistants to deflate the balls by 0.2 pounds (point two) and they heard it as 2? Again, I know I'm reaching, but I gotta believe in the best of my team.
 

John Madden

resident policy guy
Why does a team that is THIS GOOD constantly feel the need to skirt the rules and try to seek an unfair advantage?

I can think of one reason why this statement is ironic coming from a Seattle fan, and it's three letters long.
 

Navin

MALDREAD
That's what the concern is. Not that these balls cost Indy the game--NO ONE thinks that--but that it (combined with the Pats' known history) is clearly a symptom of a bigger concern.

It's a good thing the Patriots absolutely demolished Indy, otherwise people would be complaining about how there should be a rematch if the score difference was a TD or less.

What I don't like is how all these postseason gaffes originate from the NFL's convoluted rulebook. The no-explanation PI-flag pickup in the Lions-Cowboys game (meanwhile Seattle's safeties could be called for PI every play), the vague definition of a 'football move' that reversed the Bryant catch in the GB-Dallas game, and now teams, not officials/neutral parties (as what you might expect), being responsible for their own balls.

People might be apt to jump on the Patriots hatewagon, but I wouldn't be surprised if teams pulled these type of shenanigans ALL THE TIME during regular season, and even post-season. Patriots, kek, though seem to be the ones always getting caught or blamed for doing them.
 

GrizzlyB

Confused and Dazed
It's a witch hunt. It's always been a witch hunt against the Patriots ever since Spygate. People are always looking for ways to discredit Brady as the all-time greatest, always looking to pad Peyton Manning's resume somehow, because that's what the league wants. What a joke. What a mother****ing joke.

Question: why is it that the Patriots are caught cheating, and the first thought to cross your mind is "GODDAMMIT PEYTON MANNING"? Like, how massively, preposterously, unabatedly insecure can you (and by "you", I mean, you and a large vocal portion of the Patriots' fan base) actually be?

Long before Manning ever came to the Broncos, it was my sincere opinion that he was the superior quarterback of the two, and a big part of that is the fact that Patriots fans will go to unreasonable lengths to discredit him and bring him into conversations in which he doesn't belong (i.e. this one). If Brady were really as unabashedly superior as you say, you shouldn't need to feel obligated to compare the two. It's frigging ridiculous, and I don't understand how an entire fanbase is so in sync on this. I visit many football forums, and I've never seen more than maybe one active Brady/Patriots thread (unless they're the opponent that week or something) on Colts/Broncos forums; meanwhile, Patriots forums will usually have multiple Manning threads just on the first page. It's crazy, and to me, it bespeaks the truth you all know~

You guys are missing the point entirely. As fans, you are blinded by the fact that Belichick and Brady are scared. They don't have enough confidence to win on pure talent. They don't believe they can win without the extra help. They broke a rule and deserve punishment. Quit looking at it from a fan's perspective and look at it as it really is: the Patriots are scared.

I don't think the Patriots are scared because, after all, they've been doing this kind of stuff since Bill Belichick got there. Actually, I suppose it was technically before he got there, since he of course walked out of the Jets' head coach job and into the Patriots' -- although I'm sure that was for reasons that had nothing to do with tampering on Kraft's end, right? Of course, Sticky Johnson says he'd love to have one of his former players, a top player in the league, back on his team, and Patriots -- HOLY **** STOP EVERYTHING THAT GUY IS TAMPERING. Besides, Spygate was an overblown, one-time incident that didn't help the Patriots with any kind of competitive advantage. The fact that assistants who'd left before it happened knew it was going on (Eric Mangini), and assistants who left after it happened tried to do the same thing (Josh McDaniels) -- that's purely coincidental.

Of course, as with Ndamukong Suh, the NFL will likely look at this transgression in a vacuum, despite the history going back 15+ years. Which is sad and stupid, because even though Belichick/Brady have been and are the best of the best, they bend or break the rules OVER and OVER and OVER again. Why?

Well, at least it gives me a reason to look forward to Angry Brady. You know he wants to prove the pundits wrong, just like he did against Cincinnati.

And I know I'm reaching here, but what if Belichick told his assistants to deflate the balls by 0.2 pounds (point two) and they heard it as 2? Again, I know I'm reaching, but I gotta believe in the best of my team.

I think Sid87 basically hit on this, but seriously, dude, in the event your ridiculous and imaginary scenario were true, you should be asking, "WHY would Belichick tell anybody to deflate their team's balls by 0.2 pounds?"

I can think of one reason why this statement is ironic coming from a Seattle fan, and it's three letters long.

PED, yeah?
 

Nightlingbolt

AKA Nightlingbolt
Well, first, because it would probably be enough to give Brady the amount of give he likes while still staying within league parameters. I don't know, I don't handle NFL footballs.

Second, did I NOT SAY that I KNEW I WAS REACHING?! I KNOW it's a ridiculous theory, and I admitted it when I presented it, so don't jump down my ****ing throat about it!

As for the whole Manning thing, I'm not trying to come off as insecure about the whole Brady-Manning debate, I'm just sick of the attitude the media oozes about Manning being the NFL's golden boy, especially after the Kansas City blowout.
 

Pikachu Fan Number Nine

Don't Mess wit Texas
Well, as I stated in an earlier post, Pittsburgh will be visiting Seattle next season, the first time doing so since Super Bull [sic] 40. It's gonna be a primetime game very likely, I'll release my primetime wishlist after the Super Bowl has been decided, as has been custom since Super Bowl 48. There won't be a rematch of the Super Bowl next season though like there was this season, but the next time a Super Bowl happens to have a rematch the very next regular season, the NFL should promise that NBC would get that game, since they didn't get the Broncos-Seahawks game this year (we got the Raiders to blame for that, as Seattle's other AFC home game was against them, and CBS wanted a good game involving Seattle on their schedule too, why couldn't they put Arizona at Seattle on CBS instead is beyond me).
 

Mye

Someone has to win..
Yeah, apparently Peyton is returning next season. After the implosion with the coaching staff that saw both John Fox and Adam Gase head to chicago, I'd be surprised if the Broncos win their division with San Diego surely getting better in the offseason and KC/Oakland probably not being totally garbage.
 

XYMewtwo

Rising Star
That interception tho. Beyond bad play calling. Would have been nice to see Wilson's reaction if he won, but eff that. What were they thinking? Also what was up with that fight at the end? Sort of spoiled the celebration a bit but whatever. Haha Patriots ftw.

B8S_X5lCYAAP25g.jpg


lolwut

Now this is just...

Lol. This guy must be completely torn apart now :b
 
Top