^ There’s a similar dumb article about the Seahawks. And gee, that exact same joke shows up on the Seahawks joke page. 8-|
This has changed in the last 20 years since Kraft bought the team. Most people I know under 60 are now bigger Patriots fans than Red Sox fans.
The polls back that up:
http://www.csnne.com/boston-bruins/whos-new-englands-favorite-team
They were a joke before that.
It’s really thanks to Michael Jackson that the team has turned it around.
"This is only true if temperature is constant. A 30 degree drop in temperature from when it was filled inside to being outside would lead to around a 6% drop in pressure with zero change in weight. I did that calculation myself. "
Awesome 
I trust your calculations since you sound like a person who knows his gas laws well. B-) The assumption was that they weighed the ball at the same temperature it was supposedly filled. Of course, given the fact that the gas we are dealing with is not ideal, the temperature fluctuates widely, and the amount of dirt and sweat on the ball is an unknown variable, etc. weighing the ball or even measuring the pressure may not the best way to catch “cheating”… they should simply let this go.
^ I don’t believe that poll in the least.
Why not?
They could test the balls against the other balls at the site. They’d all be at the same temperature. This is true at the game and then later. I assume they have a simple pressure gauge that attaches to the needle.
I found out there weren’t “balls” but a ball removed from the game in the 3Q. I have no idea when. How this became a story is beyond me.
Green Bay lost the game. Rodgers’ criticism was dead right: they gave away points early by calling run after run, apparently because they didn’t trust Rodgers to make a play on his leg and then they didn’t even try for the 1st down they needed to ice the game. The mistake in OT was ridiculous: you can’t lose on an FG, just a TD so why the bleep aren’t 2 safeties back? Bad defensive call? Utter stupidity? Both?
I honestly have no idea how good the Seahawks are. I’ve seen them play many times this year and sometimes thought they were very good and sometimes thought they have a good defense but. As I’ve noted, they were lucky to be able to come back this season because AZ had less than no QB and SF was a mess with a defense in serious decline. Seattle looked lousy against the Rams, another team with poor QB play, and so on. And in the playoffs, they had to beat a middling at best Carolina team that could have won if they hadn’t tightened up in the sphincter in the 2nd half and a GB team with a hobbled QB. Imagine if the Pats beat the Bengals instead of the Ravens, meaning a team that can’t win in the playoffs and was without AJ Green, and then beat a hobbled Peyton Manning. That would not be impressive.
That said, I have no idea how the teams match up. They never play. The only time in memory was a few years ago and the Pats had a good lead in Seattle and stopped playing. They were completely surprised by Seattle’s effort level late, a key fact about the team I’ve noted. The feeling in Boston was Seattle would play soft because that’s how Pete Carroll’s NE teams played, but they were wrong.
I don’t think this match-up is nearly as bad for NE as Baltimore. The Ravens not only match-up better on offense - really, no question there at all - but their coaching staff has seen NE up close year after year. They know the personnel, know the weaknesses, know the tendencies down to the smallest details. The Ravens game plan took advantage of that knowledge. Seattle doesn’t have that advantage and it can be tough playing NE when you don’t know them. And when you don’t even know what they’re going to do on offense. With Seattle, you know they run this offense. Period. Which NE team is it this week? No runs called at all in the 2nd half versus Baltimore and more runs than passes against Indy. What if NE comes out with the extra tackle and passes? I follow the team and have no idea what they have in mind.
As for pass rush, Seattle’s isn’t in the same class as Baltimore. The Ravens were tied for 2nd in sacks while the Seahawks were 20th. And the numbers weren’t close. And Seattle should have more sacks because their secondary is so much better, meaning QB’s should hold the ball longer than against the iffy Ravens secondary. NE had more sacks than Seattle and people don’t think of NE as a pass rushing team. It was 13th in the league this year. It really is impossible to know how the teams match-up.
Yay, according to the survey, I’m Russell Wilson. I do like him quite a bit.
Hey, I am Richard Sherman!! Don’t give a sorry receiver, and I will play nice. 
I also got Richard Sherman. The only 2 things I like about the guy are his alma mater and his playing ability.
/throws 15 yards flag at Saintfan
I’m Marshawn.
I can see that, but I only like sour Skittles.
Glad to see the guy that caught the ball will be giving it back to Kearse.
Right back at you with the 15 yard penalty. Just because you don’t get the power of positive thinking it doesn’t mean it isn’t real and that’s no reason to tear someone else down.
@Lergnom
A note on the Seattle pass rush vs Green Bay . . .
Considering GB - It is unadvisable to blitz Rodgers because he will eat you up. You just open up green grass for Cobb to run short/mid routes across the middle. Furthermore, even with a gimpy wheel, Rodgers moves better in the pocket than Manning or Brady. Even if you did get there the chances of finding him sitting in the middle of the pocket are slim. So . . . the Seahawks primary set was to stick with a 4 man front and not blitz.
Game situations: Because Seattle gifted them such great field position and was working from behind the whole game GB didn’t get pinned back in as many long passing downs. Lacy was active the whole game and Rodgers was just mobile enough to keep the D honest. The Seattle D was on the field so long with the turnovers that I imagine they were a bit winded as well. Still, Rodgers did not light up the defense with his arm. He was good as he always is, but not epic.
Personnel: Seattle lost inside rusher Brandon Mebane (of the belly roll sack dance) to a hamstring mid season and lost inside rusher Jordan Hill at the end of the season. The two guys filling in are solid, but were not the long yardage pass rush crew. You are right that their interior pass rush is not what it was last year or in early and late season before those injuries.
Against NE: I would expect more action by Avril and Irvin because I think that what Avril said about preparing for Manning will be more similar to Brady than Rodgers. To paraphrase, The great thing about rushing him is that you know when you get to the pocket he’s going to be there. However, it will still depend largely on if they are playing from ahead or behind I think.
Me – Sherman
H – Baldwin
Spent a few more minutes with stats:
Rushing: Seattle is 1, NE is 18. Difference of about 60 ypg. Seattle is the better rushing team.
Passing: NE is 9, Seattle is 27. Difference is about 55 ypg. NE is the better passing team.
Means total offense is about the same. Both are bottom of the top 3rd.
Points: NE scored about 70 more. NE was 4, Seattle 10
Defense: total yards Seattle was 1 and NE 13. Difference of about 75 ypg.
There isn’t much to say about this: Seattle gives up fewer total yards, probably because its pass defense is very good but the differences may just be due to opponents and timing of schedule. As in, they played GB 1st game when GB sucked and played AZ late after they lost their QB, played Philly late after, etc. Hard to know.
Thing I don’t understand is the idea that Seattle has a dominating pass rush. They statistically don’t. As I’ve noted, they were 20th in sacks, while NE was 13. (Baltimore was 2, Buffalo was 1, NYJ were tied for 6th. Miami 13, Denver 9, etc. so NE has faced better pass rushes.)
I’d say Seattle’s d-line is better at rush defense than pass rushing. They were 3 in rush defense. NE was 9. We’re talking 20 ypg difference. But looking at defensive numbers is hard because teams don’t run as much when behind and they were typically behind against both these teams (and a whole lot against NE). This also affects sacks because a defense that plays with the lead can attack the passer more.
I remember the Caroline Super Bowl and the big story was how the Panthers d-tackles would bring the rush against immobile Brady. Turned out to be an offensive show 32-29 - with a bunch of injuries in the secondaries during the game. The one time a big rush turned out to be key was 2007 but the Giants had a huge advantage: they’d just played the Patriots and had learned how to attack them. I think in the end familiarity is very important: which team has an advantage when they’re relatively unfamiliar with each other. I think that leans toward NE because their offensive system is much more flexible and varied.
“If the Seapigeons can do that it will be a long day for the Patriots.”
The SEAPIGEONS? How dare you, sir! I invite you to meet me at the New Jersey Palisades. That’s right, a’ la Burr vs. Hamilton. We will not abide such perfidy! Squawk!
Squawk!
My apologies.
They are, of course, more accurately known as the Seachickens. Or maybe the Oceanrats.
Well, think this way. People have the right to their own opinions, and we know what that means when it comes to sports. But there is a difference between challenging or presenting a different opinion about a team, and taking a shot that takes the form of an ad hominem. The difference here is that I EXPRESSED I do not buy that high school camaraderie “stuff” and especially not at a team with the recent background of the Seahawks. Would you like to go back to October with the Percy H and Lynch reports and revisit your “band of brothas” and Kumbaya non-sense. I can applaud the determination and fighting spirit exhibited in the last quarter and still reject that romantic bullcrap! OK?
You are entitled to have an opinion on your own, but you are not entitled is to bring up “things I know” in the form of a personal attack. I think that people here have been patient with all the Seattle bludgeoning and repetitive posting, but there are limits. Learn to behave a tad differently than what happens in and just outside your stadium! Here, on CC, all of us are just a pixelated presence.
FWIW, my highly non-scientific sampling of Packer fan reaction indicates that for the most part, they don’t blame the players. Sure, Bostick blew his assignment, the thinking goes, but the Packers never should have allowed themselves to get into an onside kick situation in the first place. Fans seem to be blaming timid play-calling in the first half (not trying for the TD from less than a yard out – twice), and going to a prevent defense late in the game.
One fan said this:
Fifty-seven minutes into the game, the Seahawks still believed they could win, all evidence to the contrary. By then, the Packers were playing not to lose, which seldom goes well in a game like this.
a couple nice stories.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Seahawks-fan-rejects-20K-will-give-famous-football-back-to-Kearse-289096201.html?mobile=y
And one from the Patriots camp.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2015-01-19/vince-wilfork-helps-car-crash-victim-after-patriots-afc-win
It balances out the offensive shirt Julian Edelman was wearing during his NBC clip.