RavensReck27

Obviously Arrington is the most appealing option. He is a big name CB from a winning franchise, only 28 years old, cap casualty, and we can get him for cheap. Signing Arrington would finally fill the hole that has not been filled since Graham left. Plus he is great on special teams just like Graham was. I don't know what Ozzie has up his sleeve, but Arrington just makes too much sense not to consider. Most importantly, we have enough cap room left to realistically bring him in.

The Ravens should really take a look at CB Kyle Arrington. Patriots released him today. He has been their starting slot CB for the past five years. He is only 28. They wanted him to take a pay cut. He is only a 3 mil cap hit this year, plus he would be a cap casualty. We can afford him, and he would be good insurance to our CB core. Just a thought.

I continue to wonder about the kr spot and have yet to hear who's looking good for that. Camp looked good as a slot wr and pr IMO

I can definitely see Camp as a PR, but he does not have the kind of game breaking speed to be a KR.  I could definitely see Carter being that guy, or maybe even Buck Allen because of his amazing vision.

Put a statue of him right next to Ray. Leader of our front next to the leader of our back.

I am not going to expect Waller to be ready by week 1, but I am going to expect us to find a way to keep him this year to develop. I think this guy could potentially be a starting WR on the other side of Perriman.

Bill Polian said Waller was a fantastic pick, and that he is the kind of guy that could become a star if developed correctly. The reason he fell to us is because he is so raw and didn't see a lot of action in college. Get to work Bobby Engram.

DeAndre Carter has the best chance to make the team out of the UDFA because he is not only impressing our coaches, but he is very fast and could be our kick and punt returner next season. The only fill that I think we have not filled is the PR/KR spot, and Carter might be that guy.

All rookies are signed, now it is time to grow.

Court is reconvened!

Where do I start with this?

1) He knew he was breaking the rules.  That's why he sneakily had the ball boy do it, instead of openly doing it in front of the refs.  There is no such thing as breaking the rules a little bit.  There is no such thing as cheating a little bit.  You either cheat, or you don't.  This was cheating!

2) As you stated, ignorance is no excuse.  Besides, isn't he the one that so arrogantly proclaimed that the Ravens should read the rules?  So, you really think we should give him a pass for not knowing the rules?...REALLY!

3) It doesn't matter how much the deflated balls affected the outcome of the game.  The fact is he conspired to illegally manipulate the game balls in his favor.  He willingly conspired to circumvent the NFL rules for an advantage.  He cheated!

4) To compare you and your buddies playing backyard football with amateur talent and no football inflation rules to the pro-level of the NFL with football inflation rules is ludicrous!  It made me want to stop reading your post right there.

5) Brady and the Patriots should be harshly punished to secure any chance of the NFL maintaining integrity of its game.  If swift and harsh penalties are not levied, what is to dissuade future occurrences from any other team?  Afterall, how many times have we heard "...to protect the shield..." come from the commissioner's office when handing down discipline.  Here to, the commissioner has to prove he means it.

6) The media is NOT the scandal here.  The Patriots is the scandal.  If the fan base feels too beaten down by the media and worldwide scrutiny, then it's simple:  stop supporting and excusing the culture of cheating!

 

Verdict:  GUILTY!!!  Fine and penalize the Patriots organization, and suspend Tom Brady for the year.  It's the best and most effective disciplinary solution to show the seriousness of willfully breaking NFL rules to cheat, and to send a strong message to any other team, and their personnel, who may consider doing it in the future.

He didn't have the ball boy do it sneakily.  Why would Tom Brady fix his own balls.  If Tom wanted them deflated he would literally just ask one of the ball boys to do it.  They wouldn't question Brady.  I wouldn't say it was initially sneaky.  I would say that after it broke out and Tom Brady realized how big of a deal it was, he knew that there was no TRUE evidence that he was behind it, so I can see why just denying it and getting on with his day seemed like a decent option, rather then blatantly admit it, and then go through all of the after math.  Not to mention, this broke out the week before the Super Bowl.  Brady was focused on the Super Bowl, and he was not going to admit to something like that, where it was just an accusation at the time, and no REAL evidence was given that he was behind it.  I can understand that.  After the Super Bowl he definitely could have came out and admitted it, and I would have completely understood his decision to wait.  However, as we seem to act like this is common in our country, blatantly admitting that you did something with no complete evidence that you did it, is not something people do.  Sometimes it happens, but mainly only truly good people, or dumb people do that.  The fact is, the Patriots legitimately thought they were going to get away with it.  In the Wells report, he does not claim that he has any confessions or direct evidence that it was indeed Brady's idea, but rather he just has assumptions that Brady knew about it.  He said Brady would not comply to his demands on the level Well's wanted him to, but Tom Brady just won his fourth Super Bowl.  He has been cliff diving, world traveling, partying, going to the Kentucky Derby.  So WHY would he want to spend his time to come in and let this guy interrogate him over slightly deflated balls used in a game where they won by over 30 points. NO ONE IS PERFECT, not even Tom Brady. Put yourself in his shoes and tell me you would actually risk tainting you reputation, when it is such a small factor, that he probably didn't even know was that big of a deal, and when there is no REAL evidence that PROVES he did it.  Also when you are traveling the world and enjoying your awesome life, why don't i just fly back from Italy real fast so I can be interrogated about slight deflated footballs.  If you can put yourself in his shoes, and be perfect in this situation, then you win.  BUT I guarantee MOST  people in that situation would have handled it exactly how Brady did. Ignorance is not an excuse, as I said, and I don't think they should cut him a break on it. I was just merely saying that the ignorance factor definitely plays a role in this case, and should be added into the overall equation.  I compared it to high school football, and the back yard with my friends was just to add more football experience to back up my point.  I played Safety, and I threw, caught, and ripped footballs out of people arms.  There have been balls that were over inflated, and under inflated that I have played with, and not once did I notice a difference.  What are you talking about…. Obviously the Patriots are the scandal, but with that scandal comes the mass media.  Every coach/player getting followed around and questioned.  Living with eyes on the back of your head.  Tainting of reputation.  The media involvement in the scandal is what makes it a punishment.  All you did was questioned my examples.  Sorry I didn't have a full elaboration of each example. Well, here you go. The Reck Court is adjourned.

No they shouldn't, because that's completely irrelevant. Besides the fact that there is plenty of evidence Brady knew the rule and tried to cover it up, you can't allow people to come up with their own interpretations of how important the rules are. It's also impossible to enforce a rule based on how much the violator knew it was frowned upon.

 

 

Even if that's true, it would only be because of bias, which wouldn't make it right. You can't really look at the facts objectively and make a strong case in defense of Brady. And I'm not so sure your statement is true in the first place. When Ngata got suspended 4 games last year, the majority of our fans were not saying, "it didn't impact the game that much. It was only adderall." Some may have been saying that, but the vast majority of our fans were upset at Ngata and felt he should be accountable instead of pointing fingers.

 

 

It was obviously an issue for Brady, and he has said so himself. Someone posted a link to the study I was referring to earlier. It says from 200-2006, the Patriots averaged 1 fumble every 42 touches, and the league leader was at 1 fumble every 56 touches. Since 2007, the Patriots have averaged 1 fumble every 74 touches, and the next team was still at 1/56. The statistical chances of that happening at any given time are "0.0001711874", or 1 in 5,842. But it didn't just happen at any given time. That huge statistical anomaly happened immediately after Brady proposed that every team be able to bring their own balls, and that wish was granted. That's not a cherry picked stat. It's a 15 year sample size, and they have had the same coach the whole time. Then, they get caught deflating the footballs. If you're objective, which you claim to be, how can you possibly look at those facts and say it didn't have a significant impact on the game? Are you clinging to the 0.00017 chance that it's a coincidence?

 

http://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/blog/2015/the-new-england-patriots-mysteriously-became-fumble-proof-in-2007

He obviously knew the rule after the accusation broke out.  There is no evidence that he knew about it beforehand.  The general bias is definitely a factor in this case.  The NFL's #1 priority is pleasing the people. The majority of the NFL fans hate Tom Brady and the Patriots and want to see them burn.  With the Ngata case, plenty of people have been busted for adderall before him, and it was WELL known that it was against the rules.  Who has gotten in trouble for slightly deflating their footballs in the past? Exactly.  It was hard to defend Ngata since that was CLEARLY an occurring problem in the NFL.  Those facts about fumbles are unarguably appealing, but I still don't 100% buy it.  Belichick's pet peeve is fumbling.  I have watched a lot of Patriots games, and when I see one of their RB's fumble I don't see that RB for the rest of the game, or at least a quarter.  if they are out of the top 5 in fumble percentage after this upcoming season, then please pull up the stats and prove me wrong, and I will gladly apologize. However, I do think they will be in the top 5, and even if they have been deflating footballs for years, how come it is just now being noticed? And the Patriots are one of the most well-prepared teams in the league, and that is what makes them as good as they are.  If those statistics are true, and the Patriots might have cut down 1 or 2 fumbles per season, then I think the draft picks taken from them might be higher.  Regardless, I said they are indeed cheating by doing this, and your argument just indicates that the cheating had slightly more affect than it appears.  Still, I would put this case on the same scale as the Falcons amplifying their home crowd noise.  I still think it is a minor cheat, and it shouldn't even be put in the same sentence as SpyGate. Listening in on the opponents plays is a major cheat. Football pressure and crowd noise are all secondary factors in the game of football.  How the players play, and the plays that are called are the primary factors.

If you watch Ed Reeds' highlight tape when he was at the University of Miami then you would all think that it is RIDICULOUS that he fell all the way to us at #24 in that draft. I don't know what the NFL scouts were watching that year, but they somehow didn't notice a young legend wearing #20 on the Hurricanes.

FS Ed Reed retires, and FS Will Hill signs on the same day. I think thats a cool omen.

I just love how young Will Hill is. This will be his first whole season as long as he stays healthy and doesn't get suspended. He will start the training camp starting at FS. That experience will help him grow as well. My only concern is that if Hill crushes it this season that he will draw a lot of suiters next offseason. I REALLY like Terrence Brooks, and I hope he gets healthy ASAP, but I think Will Hill can be great with us.

We are a more educated society, as a whole, then we ever have been, but we have not evolved in what we feel is justice. Some people see something, and they decide what they think must be done based off how they feel. That is not how justice is suppose to work. True justice works on a fair and non-biased scale. They should look at this "deflate gate" as how much did Tom Brady even know that this was so frowned upon in the league. The NFL rule book is so complex that it is almost impossible to know every rule. Do you guys know every rule in the sport you play/played? Probably not. That being said, ignorance is not an excuse, but it should be taken into account. Another factor you should take into account is how much did the deflated balls actually affect the game? Coming from me, who has played football in high school and with my friends in the backyard my whole life, as long is the ball isn't flat then we don't even consider that as a problem. I highly DOUBT that a SLIGHTLY deflated ball had as much affect on the game as you guys think. Again, if this were the Ravens you would 100% agree. Why? because you are biased for the Ravens, and biased against the Patriots. When has the pressure of a football ever been an issue in the NFL? Why would Tom Brady KNOW that this of all things was bad and this kind of scandal could possibly occur from this. I think Brady WAS behind the deflation, but I think he didn't consider it as full blown CHEATING at the time. Overall, it is against the rules and he will be punished, but I think he wasn't aware of how severe what he was doing was, and I think it didn't have nearly as much affect on the game as most people think. With the media scandal torturing the Pats since the Super Bowl, I think the further punishment should NOT be TOO severe. Personally, I think they should just be fined, but what I think will happen is that they will be fined, and they will lose a draft pick or two. Just because the NFL wants to please the people, the fans. I DO NOT think Tom Brady should, or will, get suspended. Courts adjourned.

I really like Will Hill. Resigning Will Hill to a long term deal next offseason will depend on if Ozzie thinks Terrence Brooks can come back healthy and show signs that he can be the starter next year at FS. So far, we are looking to be in pretty good shape with cap room next offseason. So I think even if Terrence Brooks lights it up when he comes back, we should still keep Will Hill for the future since he brings so much to the table. We are FINE at Safety this season.

This is probably the best way I can put it. If the Ravens were caught deflating footballs, and this whole deflate gate was about us, YOU ALL KNOW that we would be saying that this situation is over exaggerated, and that we should only be fined because the media exploitation is already punishment enough. The Patriots have a target on them, I know that, but put yourself in their shoes for a moment. People just like to see things they hate suffer. There is nothing you can say to me to change my opinion on the matter. It is cheating, yes, but it is not on the scale that the mass majority are putting it out to be.

I agree with you there. I'm just gonna dabble is some pscho-analysis here, nothing provable or concrete, just a hunch.

I think that Brady, Bellichick and especially Kraft have been desperate to shake off the stink of spygate ever since that scandal broke. Though they'll deny it to their graves, it irks them, Kraft the most, that their previous three Lombardi's come with an asterisk in the mind of many many fans.

After spygate, they kept getting close to winning. The almost perfect season ruined. The Giants beat them in another close one. We beat them in the AFC Championship. They had another chance this year to make it and silence all the critics, and what happens? Right on the verge of being vindicated, their hopes get deflated.

You could tell all throughout the Super Bowl lead up, even to the point of the presentation of the Lombardi, that Kraft was really ticked off. And you can sense in his words from yesterday that he's incredibly irked that the one Super Bowl that was supposed to finally vidicate them has now been marred by this scandal.

But hey, that's the price you pay. Bill may be a great coach, and Tom is a great QB, but fundamentally they have little scoundrels inside their conscience that got fed up with never reaching the mountain top.

Good intake. 

Frankly, I don't even buy that the "integrity of the league" is really in question. Just because somebody says that the integrity is in question on a fanboard or in a media article doesn't actually mean its true. If the integrity of the league where actually as low as some people seem to think it is... then why is viewership and revenues increasing? What does it say about the consumer that they are willing to continue to use the product/service, despite having questions about the integrity of the company? I don't know about most of you, but if there's a company that I buy goods/services from and I question the integrity of their business, I cease doing business with them. As consumers, we have that choice, and we have the exact same choice in regards to the NFL. That's why makes me chuckle about all of this fake "outrage" that fans seem to have, going all the way back to the Rice/Peterson incidents and even further back than that. If people are really as outraged as they say, and they really view the league's integrity in such a low fashion, how can you then tune your TV to ANY NFL game on Sunday's? How can you buy and wear that jersey? How can you attend games? It makes no sense... except it does. The sense it makes is... YOU'RE NOT REALLY OUTRAGED. You don't really think the leagues integrity is that big of an issue, because if you did, you'd do something about it. For me, it all comes down to the simple fact that people like to use the media and the internet to express selective morality, which is convenient only when it benefits you do be moral.

I am not saying you agree with my intake on this situation, but what I am saying is you are one of the rare people who "get it." Your post is 100% accurate, and more importantly, you see the truth.  Common sense is contradicting in itself, because that kind of sense is not as common as it is made out to be.  I have a lot of respect for your posts on here, and you are a good asset to Ravens Nation.

Again, I am not arguing that this was not cheating. I am arguing that this was a minor cheat, and that although they do deserved to get punished, you need to realize that they have already been getting punished by the media.

Obviously after this deflate gate no one is even going to think about trying to use deflated footballs, or anything even related to it in that matter. You guys underestimate the punishment of mass media. A mass media scandal is a teams worst nightmare. 

The facts suggest it's a bigger deal than you think. Before 2006, when Brady and Manning lobbied to be able to deflate the balls to whatever PSI they wanted, the Patriots were in the middle of the pack in terms of fumbles. Then, with no transition period, they suddenly led the league by a landslide in fewest fumbles. The chances of that happening, at that specific time, just by chance, are astronomically small. Are you telling me that significantly cutting down on fumbles because of an unfair advantage doesn't impact the game that much?

The facts are is that there is no proof to back up your statement other than one statistic. The Patriots are a well coached team, and have always been good at being clean with the ball.  To say that the improvement of fumble percentage is due to deflated footballs is invalid.  An argument can easily be made that fumbling was obviously an issue for them at that time, and the Pats cracked down on that at practice.  You are jumping to conclusions.  To say they cut down such a problem just because their footballs were SLIGHTLY deflated, then you are obviously overestimating the effect of a football being slightly deflated.  The Pats actually did WORSE with the deflated footballs against the Colts.  It was until they used regulation balls that they started dominating in the second half.  So from common sense, and that fact, slightly deflated footballs are very minor in the grand scheme of things.

I have played sports all my life. Cheating, no matter in how big or small of a way, is a Big Deal.

So have I, and I am not saying it is not wrong, it is.  They will be punished, and they have been punished.  What I am arguing is that the punishment should not be a suspension because that is an overreaction to such a small crime. I think overall, they will take a draft pick from the Pats.  Suspending Tom Brady for the opening game of the NFL season against the Steelers would hurt their TV ratings.  

I don't like the Patriots at all, and I don't respect them, and I always root against them, but I do not think a suspension is necessary after all they have been through. Imagine walking around your neighborhood, and being followed by reporters spamming you with questions about deflated footballs. That is literally miserable, but most of you guys still want more punishment. RELAX.

A taint of reputation and media exposure is one of the worse punishments an NFL team can have. Obviously it was cheating, but if you don't think they have suffered enough from such a minor advantage then you don't see the big picture.

I have to disagree with you here. To me, it's not about me hating the Patriots but rather the fact that they have before and continue to, mess with the integredy of the game. It doesn't matter if it had any effect or not, or how big a deal or not, the fact is they cheated. To not learn a lesson from Spygate is like slapping the rule book in the face. I know I do not speak for everyone, this is just me.

GO RAVENS!

Spygate is different. That was clearly an advantage, and a major cheat.  This one is so minor to the point where I don't think Brady even knew that it was a big deal.  Players have even said that stuff like this has been done before and they didn't even realized that it was that serious.