[yso191]

I feel all superior because a team that lives the nearest to me has proven themselves most competent at the game of football today.

Reading between the lines, this is one of my most common thoughts regarding sports fans.  Here in Seattle (as most of you know) people extrapolate participation with the actual team by being a "12th man".  Really?!  I enjoy baseball and football, but wow.  A whole lot of people need some perspective. 

[reverseapachemaster]

I feel all superior because a team that lives the nearest to me has proven themselves most competent at the game of football today.

Reading between the lines, this is one of my most common thoughts regarding sports fans.  Here in Seattle (as most of you know) people extrapolate participation with the actual team by being a "12th man".  Really?!  I enjoy baseball and football, but wow.  A whole lot of people need some perspective.

With the noise volume fans can produce in that stadium they can play real havoc with the opposing offense's ability to communicate.

[HoosierBrew]

I feel all superior because a team that lives the nearest to me has proven themselves most competent at the game of football today.

No arguments there. Colts played like garbage (again) against your boys. Not a big fan of the GM.

[chumley]

I can't count how many times I have watched coaches with leads switch to conservative play calling, only to watch it bite them in the arse. The Packers collapse yesterday reminded me of 2 years ago, when the Ravens beat the Donkeys.  John Fox = Mike McCarthy =  Andy Reid = Marty Schottenheimer = Dennis Green = a long like of overly-conservative play calling.

You never see that from Bill Bellichick.  He never let up on the gas.  Pete Carroll?  Let's run a fake field goal on 4th and 10.  As a long-suffering Eagles fan, I'm just happy that Chip Kelly doesn't seem to suffer from the disease of conservative play calling.

Now I will root for the Seattle SeaQuacks to defeat the New England Bellicheats.

[majorvices]

Now I will root for the Seattle SeaQuacks to defeat the New England Bellicheats.

I guess I root for Seattle. Honestly I really don't care. I hate the Pats but have a hard time rooting for NFC. At least the Seahawks used to be AFC...

[chumley]

The Bellicheats are sure living up to their name.  11 of 12 balls underinflated.  One or two is a coincidence, but 11 of 12?  Hmmmm........

[Steve Ruch]

I feel all superior because a team that lives the nearest to me has proven themselves most competent at the game of football today.

That's what she said: she lives in Seattle. 

[Steve Ruch]

The Bellicheats are sure living up to their name.  11 of 12 balls underinflated.  One or two is a coincidence, but 11 of 12?  Hmmmm........

Is there an actual rule against it?
What was the final score? I could see one factor being decisive in a 10 to 7 game, but not in a blow out.
Is the other team mad because they didn't think of it?

[Stevie]

I believe there is a rule, and the refs test the balls ahead of the game and sign off on them. To do this, the Patriots would have needed to build a spunding valve essentially with a needle. Otherwise the air would release uncontrollably and they wouldn't all match. Maybe somebody had their thumb on the scale?

[mchrispen]

There is an actual rule against it. AND caught cheating once already...  The rules are printed and well understood - and no excuses. Regardless. Period. Why? Look at how much that jacka** get paid. Decisive win? Why cheat against a team you clearly can beat? Did the Colts win over Manning give him the jitters? Maybe he should have watched the game.


I think the actual question is why such a talented and dominant team needs to cheat? I despised Belichick before. This cinches it. Belichick should be suspended for a year, and no team with him as coach should be eligible for playoffs in 2015. Enough is enough. Too much money in play though...


The choke point is that I am a long lived Broncos fan. Now I am forced to cheer on the Seahawks. At least they ain't the Raiders.

[HoosierBrew]

As a huge Colts fan, I will say that they could've played with beach balls, golf balls, volleyballs, or frisbees and gotten thumped. The Colts played like absolute S@$t from the kickoff. No sour grapes. We sucked and deserved to lose. NONETHELESS, 11 of 12 balls is damn sure no coincidence, and the fact that it wasn't a close game doesn't suddenly make this ok. It goes to the integrity of the game.

[JT]

I guess I just don't get it.  Did the Colts not use the same footballs?

[HoosierBrew]

Allegedly , no. It's the home team's responsibility to supply the balls, inspected 2 hours prior to game time by NFL officials. It's alleged that after the inspection some air was let out of the Pats balls to give better grip in the rain.

[mchrispen]

Belichick can simply say someone used a faulty regulator. Can't be that hard to find one - roll it out. Or some lackey that goes all Water Boy and plays braindead. All would be well, except Belichick will always carry the cheater stigma. I still wonder what he was thinking. What a moronic cheat... if you cheat at something so inane, what is really under the hood? It's a very fair question.


BTW - the Colts had an good opportunity and Luck will be a great franchise QB given some years and a real offensive line around him, and a defense that can score a few points here and there. I see the Pats as the Dallas Cowboys with real talent, they always seems to win despite the odds. Broncos would not have faired any better.


For the record, I think they deserve their position in the SuperBowl. Great team, just lead by a cheater. That should inform the coming years and any Hall of Fame nominations.

[JT]

Right, but then they put air back in them when the Colts had the ball?  Or the Colts used the same underinflated ball?