Pats @ Bengals Game Thread

[HoosierCat]

They do it because they can get away with it. The league, meaning the front office, Roger etc., exists to keep its foot on the neck of players. Faced with bad behavior by a team or owner, it’s all but powerless. Last time the Pats got caught they lost a draft pick and got fined. Big whoop. Clearly they find the benefits of cheating to be worth more than that. Until the cost of cheating becomes higher than the benefit, they will keep doing it. And by all reports that certainly isn’t going to happen now.

[cincyhokie]

The NFL is caught between a rock and a hard place. Expose the truth and take a risk in diminishing their brand. Cover it up and have the story leak out and they take a risk at diminishing their brand.

Ace in the hole? The Bengals have the footage this time in their hands. The NFL can’t cover it like they did in 2007. 
 

Honestly, it might be the slickest thing this organization has ever done. 

[HoosierCat]

1 hour ago, cincyhokie said:

The NFL is caught between a rock and a hard place. Expose the truth and take a risk in diminishing their brand. Cover it up and have the story leak out and they take a risk at diminishing their brand.

Ace in the hole? The Bengals have the footage this time in their hands. The NFL can’t cover it like they did in 2007. 
 

Honestly, it might be the slickest thing this organization has ever done. 

Oh, if there’s one owner who would happily make a stink about it, it’s Mike. But I’m sure that right now, the most prominent emotion along them regarding this is annoyance that the Bengals blew the whistle, not that the Pats were cheating. They know that and don’t care, because the Pats are a really successful franchise that’s making all of them a lot of money. The Bengals OTOH are a money pit. They will issue a wrist slap and move on.

[cincyhokie]

6 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Oh, if there’s one owner who would happily make a stink about it, it’s Mike. But I’m sure that right now, the most prominent emotion along them regarding this is annoyance that the Bengals blew the whistle, not that the Pats were cheating. They know that and don’t care, because the Pats are a really successful franchise that’s making all of them a lot of money. The Bengals OTOH are a money pit. They will issue a wrist slap and move on.

What's to stop the Bengals from releasing the footage? But I guess the NFL can handle the punishment in a way that it would like to. This wouldn't be a good look for the game, however.

[TJJackson]

holy crap - Jonah can practice!

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2019/12/12/21012813/jonah-williams-injury-bengals-news-alabama-crimson-tide-football-nfl-draft

[COB]

That dude is practicing?  I hope they don’t have any plans to put him in games.  Would make no sense.  Let him fully heal and play next year when we really want to win.

[HoosierCat]

2 hours ago, cincyhokie said:

What's to stop the Bengals from releasing the footage? But I guess the NFL can handle the punishment in a way that it would like to. This wouldn't be a good look for the game, however.

Why would releasing the footage matter? No one is denying they did it.

[cincyhokie]

16 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Why would releasing the footage matter? No one is denying they did it.

True. But visual has a different impact. Right now some are saying all of this is hearsay. Plus, they have on video the guy stating "I can delete this and it can all go away". Sure would be interesting to see his tone and body language.

[AMPHAR]

1 hour ago, COB said:

That dude is practicing?  I hope they don’t have any plans to put him in games.  Would make no sense.  Let him fully heal and play next year when we really want to win.

I say play him. 

The development curve linemen have in modern times  is longer.   Need all the reps he can get. 

To practice he’d have to be cleared medically.   

[COB]

Busted.  But I love the Patriots response: "We hardly know these people, they are contractors, they don't even work for us.  Football operations isn't involved!"  Nice.  A hit man is a contractor, not an employee.  That doesn't lessen the culpability of the person who hired that hit man.  The tape guy worked for the owner in some contractor capacity.  Brilliant.  As Hoosier pointed out, the players and coaches can be hammered.  The owners can hardly be touched.  

[HoosierCat]

1 hour ago, cincyhokie said:

True. But visual has a different impact. Right now some are saying all of this is hearsay. Plus, they have on video the guy stating "I can delete this and it can all go away". Sure would be interesting to see his tone and body language.

Fair.

[TJJackson]

I'm now reading that while Jonah is cleared to practice, he isn't cleared to play in an actual game. so I suspect we still wont see him til next year

[Stripes]

It's quite obvious that they're full of shit.  I was snooping around a Pats board earlier in the week laughing at the ways they tried to rationalize it and defend it.

[AMPHAR]

It’s BS the Pats are addicted to having those 4/5 plays in a game where it seems they have the perfect call every time.

Or a different theory that this was a beta test for up coming playoffs. 

[AMPHAR]

IMO,  the Patriots are a very good football organization that pushes the rules.    With Spygate and Deflate gate they should not get any benefit of the doubt.

The simply can not have film crews doing things against the rules and be allowed to explain it away and not get major punishment.  

This is coming from a fan that likes the Pats because without them Pittsburgh and Ravens probably have a couple more Superbowls between them. 

[COB]

I recall announcers in the playoffs saying, “It’s like their defense knows what play is coming!”  That’s how uncanny was their ability to stuff the mike in the correct gap seemingly every time.  
 

This was years ago, before spy gate.  Such a comment would be too loaded now.  I remember Teddy Bruschi was playing when I was hearing those comments.

[membengal]

Good morning!

Just lose!

[volcom69]

Yea please just lose out now there is no point in winning anymore. 

[HoosierCat]

I’ll be out again today so enjoy the game. 

[COB]

LET’S DO THIS.

/Heads out the front door to son’s basketball game/

[rwalling]

I wonder how many times the Bengals have given up the first points in the early game this year?

[volcom69]

Well and the bengals score

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Although he committed the typical choke job on 3rd down with that errant pass to Erickson, good Andy has been around today, so they're up 10-7  at the end of the 1st.  Will see how long this lasts I guess...

 

[TJJackson]

it just figures - the one time we have a real opportunity to beat the hated Pats, is a game we desperately need to lose

Giants are also unfortunately tied

[ShulaSteakhouse]

2 minutes ago, TJJackson said:

it just figures - the one time we have a real opportunity to beat the hated Pats, is a game we desperately need to lose

Giants are also unfortunately tied

As long as the game is close, they will lose, guarantee it. (Bengals)  The defense continues to look better though, get some LB's and maybe a SS and they're in business.