Attyla the Hawk

28 :patriots: 19

He's a weird dude. No question. The league instituted this obligation so many years ago in order to promote their brand and fan interest in the players and league. The fact is, nobody really remembers the canned responses of stars or the finely crafted, insightful responses to questions. Lynch basically didn't say anything other than to thumb his nose at authority and the league. And that dominated the media day discussion. In the realm of generating interest and discussion from media day, no player did as much as Lynch has. I don't see any posts anywhere discussing Brady's media day session. Even though I felt he was very approachable and gave honest, no canned answers. It's just I don't remember anything he actually said. And it certainly didn't generate any interest or memorable moments. Lynch, by saying almost nothing for 2 super bowls running, has provided some of the signature moments and sound bites of the pre game rituals. He's provided the league with exactly what they wanted with the media day obligation. Interest. Whether you like the act or hate it, we as fans are only talking about Lynch. There is no basis for discussion amongst any other players' appearances with the media.

Tomsula is a great positional coach. Honestly, this is how good coaching staffs are created. Get those guys that know the business and can teach. So much of NFL success is based on making ok players good, and good players great. The nuts and bolts of building players into pros is so very underestimated. This is a quality move. It's possible that Tomsula doesn't pan out. But he's doing himself a favor by cultivating good development. Both with players and with coaches.

It'll be interesting how it shakes out. The logo on it promotes his Beast Mode line. But the caps are created by New Era, which is the officially licensed NFL vendor for caps/headwear.

I said it when the CBA details came out. I'm still as convinced as ever. When this CBA expires, the players are going to the mattresses on the next agreement. This CBA has been abject disaster from the players' perspective. And the bad blood created via the heavy handed application of the conduct policy has only fueled that further. I would not be shocked at all if in 2021, there is no football season at all.

I'd guess the incriminating evidence would have been 11 of the 12 balls being underinflated. Proving it was done intentionally -- I doubt there will be clear cut evidence such as the spygate case. Ultimately, I expect there to be little repercussion from this incident. It'll likely result more in a different method for securing balls after they are conditioned by the teams. To me, it's a simple procedural fix. One likely to be enacted as a result. I don't buy for a second the atmospheric excuses for why the Patriots (and only the Patriots) balls being deflated. I don't believe Brady's account of ignorance on the balls' conditions. Honestly, I think the excuses put forth by Belichick are horribly contrived. The Patriots, doing their own experimentation and study -- is in every way akin to the Tobacco industry sponsoring studies why their products aren't toxic. But then I don't really see this as a major offense either. Regardless of whether I think they are lying about the whole thing (which I do entirely), it's really a non issue for me. If they want to deny it to the last breath -- fine. Obviously I see the Patriots as a team that seeks to find any advantage they can. And clearly they've broken rules in order to achieve that in the past. Their history affords them no benefit of the doubt. And similarly, their history warrants no official apologies for assuming the result (deflated balls) was by competitive advantage intent. I don't see this as serious as the spygate incident. It's a minor issue. It should go away quietly as time passes. As for tainting a legacy. I'm sure it will to a degree. Reputations are fragile records that require care to maintain. Besmirching your reputation in the name of bending or breaking rules has a cost. In this case, not in wins or losses. But certainly in legacy.

God I miss Browner. One of my all time favorite Seahawks. Even if he's a Pat now, I love his approach for the game. Wouldn't expect anything less from him. He was such a core contributor to how Seattle wanted to become a dominant physical team. Looking forward to a physical slobberknocker of a SB.

And the change has been enacted for the SB: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/22/bears-equipment-manager-in-charge-of-super-bowl-footballs/

As a hawks fan, I don't think the NFL is unfairly targeting him. The reality is, the NFL is one of the greatest sports leagues in the world. And a key part of that is how they protected and promoted the brand. This is done on multiple levels. In this particular case, the brand is enhanced by the intentional and required practice of making their stars accessible to the fans. This has been a staple of the league for a very long time. The NFL is full of characters. With 1500+ players -- that's bound to happen. And the variety of demographics represented in the player pool is very unique. It has a broad appeal across most segments of the american population. Lynch definitely deserves the fines. In reality, he had his fines set aside on the proviso that he complied with the league mandate to make themselves accessible. And he willingly decided to again defy that mandate with the full understanding that the previous fines would be assessed. At this point, I kind of get the impression that Lynch wants the fines. It seems like they support a narrative that he has established as being very much a maverick of the NFL. Ultimately it's a pretty mundane 21st century version of maverick. He's certainly no Lyle Alzado in that regard. Some of those guys from the 70s were just absolutely batshit nuts. And his fine for wearing gold spikes really is tame compared to Jim McMahon's "ROZELLE" headband in rebuke for his fine of using nonstandard adidas brand gear. Now that was ballsy.

I'm guessing it would have been better if the Patriots didn't deflate the balls after they were given custody of them by the refs. The balls don't arrive deflated. And it's seems beyond absurd that they gave half the balls to NE and half to the Colts and the only deflated balls are virtually all of the ones in possession of NE. Ultimately, I don't think it's a big issue. But I also expect that there will be greater scrutiny on the state of the balls used by NE in the Super Bowl. I do believe there is a competitive advantage for NE in particular for deflating the balls. Obviously comfort and softness is key to that. It'll be interesting to see how NE performs with standard balls. Because I'm pretty sure the ones they play with in SB49 will be legal. I don't think it's out of the realm of expectation that they've been doing this for years. The bigger issue of course, is that there is always the probability that there are more cases of fudging with the rules that are undetected. Belichick is a brilliant coach. And he's a lot like the pitching great Gaylord Perry. Who was always suspected of cheating with foreign substances with his pitching. The way he would get into batters' heads by his histrionics between pitches was brilliant. Obviously he was caught on multiple occasions of doctoring the ball. But most of the time he didn't. He didn't do anything to avoid that perception and even went the other way by promoting the perception. Belichick gets into opponents' heads. In a sublime variety of ways. This year it's formations and 'quasi cheating'. It's gamesmanship at it's finest. Whether you're a pats fan or just a fan of the game. There is room for gamesmanship in professional sports. It shouldn't be a source of shame for Pats fans in the least.

Wow. I guess I had that one coming. I'll expand a bit on my comments. Because in rereading them, I think they were entirely too broad. In respect to Rodgers and Wilson: Rodgers is an MVP caliber QB. I've agreed on that point. But there is one aspect to his game that he falls ridiculously short of Russell Wilson. And that's leadership. Rodgers body language throughout the 4th quarter was just horrible. While I don't have any access to any sound clips of him on the sideline, he certainly looks/appears to be fuming at his own team. Pacing, muttering and shaking his head. Quite obviously, in his meeting with the press, he was still fuming. In a really raw, completely transparent passive aggressive fashion -- basically pinned the blame for the loss on the play calling. It's not hard to surmise that he was doing so during the game. His mannerisms on the sideline were identical to that of the press conference. When things go sideways, he starts sniping at his team. Just like Peyton Manning in last years Super Bowl or in Peyton's infamous rant against his own line in their loss to Pittsburgh in the playoffs in 2005. Contrast that to Wilson. Who was in the midst of having his worst game as a pro. Not just worst game. It was a game that easily outsucked anyone's most vivid nightmares. And in reality, that nightmare game pretty much could be pinned entirely on one receiver having the worst game probably in conference championship history. Wilson didn't have an entire team failing him. The failings were all encapsulated in one singular player. Having the worst game of his life. Probably ever. Seattle at the 5 minute mark was pretty much left for dead. The result of Kearse, for a fourth time -- making a game killing mistake. An entire season on the brink of literally being thrown away. Kearse had failed the 52 other team mates on the roster. At every opportunity. Wilson had far more reason to fume. He had an entire game worth of "WTF dude!" he could have unleashed. But he didn't go that route. Wilson was there building Kearse up. The one player who had failed the team and in particular Russell personally every time he called his number. And he's the one keeping Kearse in the game. Until the end, where he had already predicted he'd be going his way to end the game well before the OT drive began. The ability to build Kearse back up and then call on him to make good on the one throw that mattered in the game. That's the difference between the two QBs. In the darkest moments, Wilson is inspirational. He never relents. Never deflects blame when he definitely could. For Kearse to have that kind of game -- only to have Wilson get his mind right and to produce a result like that. Rodgers never gets that chance. Manning never gets that chance. Because that's not the kind of QBs they are. Not in the dark moments of certain defeat. If you want to see the difference between the two QBs on video, look at Rodgers press conference at the end of bitter playoff defeat in 2015, versus Russell's press conference at the end of bitter playoff defeat to Atlanta in 2013. The contrast couldn't be more clear. Rodgers: http://sports.yahoo.com/video/green-bay-packers-quarterback-aaron-004153520.html Wilson: http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Wilson-Postgame-Press-Conference-at-Falcons/b42e8b2c-945c-4a11-8a24-7beafae80cef#content-tools-share The way Seattle wins, it just seems like luck. Just about every time. Seattle is rarely ever ahead by 10 or more heading into the 4th quarter. It seems like they always seem to let teams hang around. Or that we're always on the brink of losing. But it's not accident that Seattle is so much better in the 4th quarter. It's by design. It's a function of Wilson's ability to hoist his team up in the critical/pressure moments. Or in the case this past week, of the dark depths of certain defeat. Seattle needed so many breaks to land their way. But those breaks didn't win the game on their own. Wilson seized on those breaks and at every opportunity, cashed in. And his leadership qualities were essential in making that happen.

Guessing he's replicating the situation in Seattle where Carroll brought in Tom Cable to be OL/Asst. Head coach. It's worked very well here in Seattle where Cable kind of was a coaching Untouchable after his Raiders stint. Ultimately, Gus needs some talent on his staff to develop the players they have in house. Seems like they've kind of done that to a degree. I'm guessing it'll take Bradley some time to collect coaches good at that kind of thing. Carroll had that already with the staff he brought with him from SC. Bradley had to really kind of start from scratch in that department. I wouldn't be too down on the upcoming sophomore seasons. Jacksonville did really well in last years' draft in terms of getting a lot of good players deep into the draft. Another good crop, and some good development can really turn that team around fast.

Seems this would be a pretty simple fix really. Simply allow the teams to do whatever they want with the balls (scuff/mud whatever). Then have them submit them to the refs. Have a league official then distribute the balls to the officials on the field instead of a team staffer. The real issue/liability is the distribution of the balls once checked for legality to the custody of the teams. If you eliminate that step -- and leave the checking/custody of the balls with league officials -- then you have no issue with it. Ultimately, the softer balls are easier to grip. Also easier to catch. For a team that wants to employ plays where you have linemen catching passes -- that could be a real benefit. Those balls, when inflated properly are like rocks. If you're a player who isn't there because of your catching acumen, that can make a huge difference. While personally, I find it entirely disingenuous that Brady didn't know they were under inflated -- it seems like a form of cheating that is tacitly accepted by the league. If it were that important a rule to ensure it's being followed, then simple steps could/should have been enacted by the league. In the end, it really strikes me as a procedural issue that would be stupid easy to resolve. Just flip the custody chain from league to team and replace it with team to league. My guess is, that's what will happen. Maybe even in time for the SB.

Should be a lot of really great ILB options in this draft for Green Bay. McKinney/Perryman would be good day 1 starter material. Although they are bigger 3-4 LBs. I'm guessing Green Bay's scheme might be up in the air if Capers becomes a scapegoat. Lots of late day 2/early day 3 ILBs that should be good depth to start the year with the ability to develop into functional day 1 starters if required. The draft kind of breaks the Pack's way this year. Even picking 30th should result in getting the pick of the litter if they wanted.

I don't know. Seattle plays like that when they have leads. And they almost always win. Green Bay was doing precisely that. And they were destroying us in the 3rd/4th quarter. Honestly, I don't see where Aaron can consider criticizing the play calling. It's no like he was tearing it up through the air. In that situation, you definitely run the ball. The Packers had significant success running the ball and it did result in Seattle having to burn 2 of their time outs. I'm just kind of amused at Rodger's thinly veiled criticism of his own team. Frankly, I would never see Wilson throw his team or coaches under the bus like that. Ever. Rodgers may be a great QB talent. But in terms of running a game plan or understanding how to lead a team he simply doesn't have the chops. Not unlike -- pretty much most QBs who if they had their way would throw every down they had control over. Can he win sometimes in the clutch on talent alone? You bet. But in every contest he's played against us, he's been reduced to a sniveling bitch at the end. Blaming any culprit he can pin it on. Always his is the better team. I'm not surprised in the least that he tearily sniped at his own team after the game. It's par for the course when he loses to us. I simply see a soft QB, who wants to play soft against us. Ultimately, there were about a half dozen things that had to break Seattle's way to even be in a position to earn that win. It was pure providence that opened the opportunity to get into the game. But ultimately, Seattle had to go take it when the football Gods gave that opportunity. The percentages of that happening were extremely low. The way Green Bay's defense was owning Seattle even made the prospect more dim. Aaron simply doesn't understand that there are 26 other players not on offense that are part of his team too. In truth, Aaron has a short memory. He obviously forgot conveniently that he was a robust 4 for 9 in the second half up to that point. With poor results of 6, 12, 2 and 7 yards. Green Bay was running the ball effectively. Much more so than him throwing it. If he wanted the game to rest on his arm, then he is just plain retarded in that regard. In fact, GB conceded to Rodgers desires in the drive before that and ended up going incomplete. Costing 30+ seconds of gametime. It's not like Princess didn't get his wish. He just didn't deliver and didn't earn the right to complain about it after the fact. Aaron Rodgers is a great QB. He's a pretty lousy game manager though. And his mental toughness in the face of adversity is non existent at least in the games he's played against us. I don't for a second believe that Rodgers has the heart of a champion. He has the talent and has had the teams where he should have several rings by now. At least have been able to make the show. He just isn't tough mentally. And his leadership qualities are just plain bad. I don't know if McCarthy survives this off season. But if they go a different direction, they are going to need an iron fist coach capable of putting baby in the corner when he needs to be. Rodgers may be a better passer than Russell Wilson. But he's not a better Quarterback. Wilson is just flat out tougher than Aaron Rodgers. In virtually every way.