The NFL Thread (with added College Football)

[UK Redsox]

It a prison that's just a long Brady completion from the Patriots' stadium

[ADVILLAFAN]

Pretty much 12 hours until the Draft starts.

If Mariota, Winston, White, Cooper, Williams and Fowler are the first 6 picks, then we have our choice after that. Shelton, Dupree, Waynes and Beasley would all still be available.

Talk of the Browns trading with the Bucc's for the No. 2 pick, possibly giving up their 2 1st Round picks this year and more besides, basically to land Mariota.

[UK Redsox]

First Round picks

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft/rounds/_/round/1/year/2015

All the talk of the Browns trading up to take Mariota came to nothing.

[cdbearsfan]

I'm not overly-convinced with Da Bears' decision to go WR. We already had one of the best receivers in the league and we traded him (and a seventh-round pick) for a poxy fifth round choice. Then we use our first round selection to replace him when our defense has less resistance than the Italian Army?

He better be bloody good.

Oh, and I also want us to draft a QB at some point. We need a long (or maybe even a short) term replacement for Cutler.

[usav]

Shock, horror, the Steelers draft a line backer. 

Never mind that we have no corners and just lost the best safety in the game.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Think you took Dupree as he was too good to pass up on, a shock he was still available. We were one pick away from getting Williams

[OCD]

A safety for us then. I wonder whether he'll be a starter or a back-up.

[ADVILLAFAN]

We could do with Eddie Goldman (our 2nd Round Pick) being able to start right away really, our other DT's aren't really Nose Tackles.

Grasu, the 3rd Round Pick is ranked as the best Centre in the Draft, although he may also be asked to fill in at Guard depending on injuries. May not be expected to start until next year anyway.

Think our defence will struggle again this year.

[UK Redsox]

Brady's balls are back in the news

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/06/tom-brady-deflategate_n_7227072.html

[ADVILLAFAN]

Brady's balls are back in the news

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/06/tom-brady-deflategate_n_7227072.html

I think the only answer is to disband the New England Patriots (they'll probably be fined and at most lose a draft pick).

[usav]

Loving this as the Steelers first game of the new season is at New England and we will be without Le'veon Bell, so it's only fair Brady doesn't play!!

[DaveD]

Obviously I'm biased but that report is crap isn't it ? Months of investigation and a few texts between ground level Pats employees ? Because obviously nobody ever bigs things up for their mates when it comes to football and who they know and what their role is...

And Brady probably knew. Knew what ? He may have given instructions to keep the balls on the bottom end of the limit if that's his preference, as he is fully entitled to do and every QB in the league does, but there's absolutely nothing to suggest he knew about or encouraged these guys to deflate below the limit or post the testing.

This report is an absolute disgrace, designed to take the pressure off the NFL for making wild accusations without proof.

[usav]

To be fair Dave, the NFL weren't the ones who made the initial accusations.  In addition, did you see in the report that the Colts had written to the NFL ahead of the game to say that they suspected something was wrong with the balls the Pats were using in their regular season meeting - under inflated and had a sticky substance on the outside.

Something isn't right in all of this and at the very least, Brady is guilty of lying about not even knowing the kit man.

[ADVILLAFAN]

The trouble is that the Patriots are famous for cheating in the past, so it's hard to judge them fairly on this.

It'd be like trying to judge whether John Terry was guilty of an offence, you'd just assume he was guilty.

[cdbearsfan]

Probably best to disband the Patriots and kill John Terry, just to be on the safe side.