2015 Patriots Offseason Thread

Exactly. Had he not wiped the phone Goodell would have found something else to try and justify the suspension.

Framing matters. In fact, considering how player-unfriendly the disciplinary provisions of the CBA are, public opinion (both the public at large and, more importantly, the 32 owners) might be the only real constraint on the Commissioner's authority. The Ray Rice saga suggests that the Commissioner's disciplinary decisions will significantly conform to what the public and the owners think is appropriate.

I think there is a material difference between saying "you have no legal right to the phone, therefore I will not turn it over" and "I destroyed the phone." Maybe Goodell would have upheld the suspension anyways, but the narrative would be different, and I believe the media reaction would have been more pro-Brady. It's probably not a huge difference, but even a small chance that it would help Brady's case seems enough to justify hanging onto the phone, especially since noone has been able to point to one tangible benefit he got out of destroying it.

Brady (his lawyer) did say, "you have no legal right to the phone, therefore I will not turn it over" and Brady did not say, "I destroyed the phone." He said it was broken and he gave it to his assistant for disposal.

That Commissioner Goodell has chosen to distort that language has not been lost on all of the population, nor all of the media. Prominent national media have seized upon this as evidence against the NFL Office (one even counted the number of times Goodell referenced "destroyed" in his ruling — I believe the count was 17 — as proof the NFL is running a sham "investigation").

I wouldn't be surprised if in the grand scheme of things it proves a very "good thing" (there is a parable about a farmer and his son and horse that illustrates how fleeting a "good thing" can be, and generally entirely contextualized by future events) that Tom Brady disposed of his broken phone and that Commissioner Goodell chose to make it an issue.

Hey, anyone read Lupica or Sally Jenkins lately?

I seriously just saw a pic on my facebook newsfeed with Aaron Hernandez pretending to talk to Brady telling him to destroy the phone and everything will be fine. smh

Yeah. That's the mentality of the haters.  That's close to the same thing.

How about some on the field Patriots talk?

Brady and the commish both ordered to be in court Aug 12 and Aug 19 by the judge. His orders are fun to read if you are interested. Sounds like a dad telling the kids he'll turn the car around.

I'm not sure we'll even run the ball at all this year, except against the Colts. I'm expecting 75 passes and 50 points per game. Anything less and there will be hell to pay during the week.

As for the D-line, there's great potential there. Jebaal Sheard could be a beast if used correctly. I realize it's silly to question BB, but the one major gripe I've had with him in recent years is his over use of Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. Those guys cannot be as beffective playing 90% of the snaps. Their snap count should be around 70% and you will get more production.

Easily, I can't get excited about until he's healthy producing. He just feels like a giant tease which isn't a fair label because last year pretty much unfolded how it was supposed to for him.

Brown was a great pick but just sheer luck that he fell that far. He had no business still being there but sometimes the chips just fall a certain way due to team needs but I'm very happy he's here. Reminds me of the year Vince feel, although very different reasons. Also the position isn't that valued around the league in comparison to others.

Because of the state of the secondary, this team needs great health from the front 7. If the linebackers stay healthy this defense could be very good

deadspin.com/here-is-the-transcript-from-tom-bradys-appeal-hearing-1722113452 Insightful and updating continually. Evidence of numerous holes in the Wells Report is out for everyone to see with their own eyes. Roger Goodell is simply a disgrace

The key point is Brady was under oath. I hope he was telling the truth. Perjury is tough to prove. Bonds and Clemens lied IMO . They weren't found guilty of perjury. But their reps are gone. I'd hate to see Brady join them.

Well this is an interesting read.

regressing.deadspin.com/the-nfls-dumbass-science-report-is-a-feature-not-a-bug-1722289874