Scapegoat of the month nomination: Tom Brady?
6Shouldn't everything be the fault of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots? They are no angels, and spy-gate was a no-brainer as it was exposed by a coach who the year before was employed by the Patriots. Deflate-gate not so cut and dry. In the words of SF quarterback Colin Kaepernick "No football in the world is going to help you win by 38. Let it go and let Tom be great!" But I was listening to NFL radio today from an Arizona player who stated their headsets were not working properly during a game with the Patriots - blame? Patriots. Then I listened to a day worth of callers who decided that each and every game their team ever lost against the Patriots was because of cheating. So I think Tom Brady would make a great nomination as an Honorary Scapegoat in June. Let the hate begin....
Don't think your team cheats. Check out this site: Your Team Cheats
(Disclaimer: I am a Patriots fan)
- 12 comments, 86 replies
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p.s. Don't forget to click on the link at the top the page: "The Biggest Cheaters", (by ranking) you might be surprised.
@mfladd Yea for the Jaguars! Maybe someone needs to give them some pointers on cheating. It sure as hell couldn't hurt them.
@Teripie lol..true. Hopefully they can do better this year. QB is still such a problem for them. Henne and Bortles - meh.
@mfladd It appears that site might be put together by a Patriot's fan. I don't think anyone is going to take their ratings seriously...except for those that also took comfort from the rebuttal to the Wells report.
@MrMark You might be well be right :)
@mfladd How come I find myself disappointed that my team (Cowboys) aren't rated as worse cheaters? Maybe I'm just a bad person...not as bad as Brady but pretty bad
@denboy I am surprised the Cowboys aren't higher up on the list (#22), or perhaps they are just better at not getting caught. Notice I am not touching the Brady comment. I think it cathartic for everyone to just get it out.
@mfladd I lived in New Hampshire for 24 years, most of Brady's career. I'm jaded from being surrounded by all the Brady worshippers. He's great for sure. I'm enjoying the opportunity to poke fun however. Damien Woody his former center says he believes he cheated and would do anything to get an edge, even cheat. He and Bill are a great match. They're also the most successful guys in the NFL for a long time so thre's the blueprint. Maybe that's why I wish my team cheated more now, fans just want to win....mostly.
@denboy Well your team might not be the biggest cheaters, but take heart - you can still say they are the most despised (with New England a close second): http://www.businessinsider.com/cowboys-patriots-nfl-2015-1 And I will take the dominance the Pats have had over the past 13 years, It is better than the years of mediocrity prior to that, when Pats fans wore paper bags on their heads to games. I lived thru the years of Steve Grogan, Tony Eason, Hugh Millen and Drew Bledsoe (UGH!)
@mfladd The Bledsoe era was pretty good. Bledsoe to Coates was quite the prolific combo. Best injury ever to Drew in Brady's rookie year. Seems like although Cowboys are most infamous the Pats are coming up fast. It's fun being infamous, hope you're enjoying. Pats/Boys super bowl would be epic.
@denboy The Bledsoe era was the beginning of better times, But he was like Andy Dalton - just never able to take them to the next level. I think next year the Pats will definately take the most despised team honors away from your Cowboys. I never understand why so much Cowboy hate. After a google search I found polls that showed some teams hated the Cowboys more than even their division rivals. I knew when I started this thread it would be polarizing and was meant tongue in cheek, so it is all good. Pats/Boys Superbowl would be good. I just hope the loss of DeMarco Murray doesn't hurt the Cowboys as much as it could (especially being in Philly. But Chip Kelly is another discussion - insane or genius?) But I think Randle could be quite good if he can keep his head on straight.
@mfladd Even with Demarco in the backfield there would've been worries. He's only had 1 season where he played every game and the dropoff that historically takes place after you have as many touches as he did is alamring. I love the way every season in the NFL can look so different and hold so many story lines. As for the Cowboys hate, any team brash enough to call itself Americas Team is going to receive backlash. Looking forward to NE in Dallas this year. Will I be seeing Brady is the big question.
@denboy They said the same about Marshawn Lynch and we see how that played out. He was still a stud. DeMarco was a monster. He and Odell Beckham Jr as a duo basically won me my FFL Championship. Speaking of that, does Meh have a fantasy league?
@mfladd I loved Demarco as a Cowboy when he was on the field. I like our cap discipline though, reminds of the types of decisions the Pats regularly make and that's the team to emulate. As a person I wish the best for Demarco. As an Eagle I don't. It wouldn't surprise me if he's good again, we'll see how he does behind that inferior line. My guess is ~1300 yards and 7 td's sharing time with Mathews. Congrats on ffl glory. I think we had a league but I missed out. Maybe we should do a pickem league so many can join. We can lobby @jont on a future date.
@denboy Hope you are having a great Memorial Day weekend! Damn. you may be spot on with the guesstimate. Just to be different I will say 1150 yds with 11 touchdowns. I can't believe they will use Mathews sparingly. Plus, you are right - the O line is suspect. I have not done a pickem league and you did miss out on Meh FFL leagues there were 3!: https://meh.com/forum/topics/meh-fantasy-football-league. I spent a couple of years in a deal.woot league with at least one member here. But as he can contest the problem with leagues in this environment are people who: 1) don't know fantasy football 2) don't participate thru the year 3) can't even set there lineup each week. My work league are diehards. That is what I was looking for. Any chance we can put a serious 12 team league together? I find pay leagues keep people invested. Nothing crazy say $20 - 70/30 winner/runnerup. Or, the money can go to Meh. and say two nice Fuko prizes?
@denboy At first I was going to ask you to erase the last line as I was concerned about legalities. But after a search I found it is not a problem: We should start by clarifying that it is currently legal to bet on fantasy sports. The Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), which establishes the legal guidelines for online gambling, carves out a safe haven for any fantasy or simulation sports game that: has an outcome that reflects the relative knowledge of the participants, or their skill at physical reaction or physical manipulation (but not chance), and, in the case of a fantasy or simulation sports game, has an outcome that is determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of sporting events…phew!
@mfladd Thanks for shedding light on why it's legal. I knew it was just wasn't aware why. Let's revisit this summer and see about getting a serious meh league or two going. We have plenty of serious players on this end and I'd gather there are tons in the community. You're right about needing people with knowledge and full season commitment to make it a good experience. Real players hate the lame ducks that affect the W/L records by their inability to even set a lineup properly.
Aww. You've been dreaming about us since May. Isn't that sweet? Here we are, @mfladd. The league you've been waiting for.
We will crush you.
The scapegoat needs to be a contributing member of the forums and needs to have an account on meh. Also, you're too early in the month to request nominations. @narfcake still has plenty of time for blame.
@cengland0 Notice I said "honorary" scapegoat. And I would never take away the blame that @narfcake still has coming.
@cengland0 well there's that.... but i still say maybe, if he could get through 1 interview or press confrence without a smirk, or "Shit eating grin" on his face...
@earlyre Like I said, "let the hate begin" :)
@cengland0 @mfladd BLEAT! Just note that I can't be blamed for any incidents involving handegg; Los Angeles doesn't have a team!
@narfcake They will soon! Maybe 2. Double the blame to go around.
@mfladd I've heard that before. We've had multiple proposals for stadiums here in the greater LA area, and so far, none of the others have panned out. So I'll believe it when it happens.
@earlyre But now that I think about it, I think that ever present grin comes from the fact that he is married to Gisele Bundchen.
@cengland0 You're special needs, aren't you?
@eyewerks Yes I am, how did you know?
@cengland0 I've sort of suspected it for a long time. Perhaps I pick up on it as I'm the Guardian of my cousin who is on the spectrum. I will cut you some slack in the future.
@narfcake they used to have the Rams aka the goats aka it's your fault
@Lotsofgoats That was 20 years ago!
FWIW, LA does have some handegg presence in the AFL. The LA KISS plays in Anaheim ... or rather, "plays". They were 3-15. [Wikipedia.]
@mfladd actually my replay has nothing to do with hate, I know nothing about football and couldn't give a shit less about any of it. my point is best summed up by Lewis Black, in his "Red, White, and Screwed" special, in his case, talking about George W Bush, and the Iraq War, but the over all message applies to Mr. Brady: "Here's why I think there's something a little odd with George [Bush]. Because a lot of the times when he speaks, his words don't match his face. Something is askew. You can't talk about the war with a smile on your face. He does it constantly. IF you're the President, you should go "We're going to talk about the war, I must have a frowny face." The only time you can smile when you're talking about the war in Iraq is when you go, "Well, two Iraqis walk into a bar, hahaha.""
@earlyre and in case that doesn't link properly, the quote starts around 2:57
@earlyre I felt the same way about Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy, the ADA in Law & Order. He always looked like he was smirking.
Maybe he can do it during his suspension.
You know how everyone thinks their traffic is the worst? Everyone thinks they have a decent sense of humor? The divorce rate is 50%* but everyone thinks they're a good judge of character? Along those lines, everyone thinks everyone else is out to get their team. Their team doesn't get any respect. The media is all over their team. It's a bizarre phenomenon, really. One of those examples of how Homo sapiens just don't get statistics or probability.
@saodell 60% of the time, it works every time.
I no longer follow football, but this was posted on FB and I thought it was funny.
@lisaviolet I like that one (even being a Patriots fan). Here is another I liked:
At the risk of it appearing that I even care about Tom Brady or the NFL (except in that both get way more of our society's resources and attention than they're due): hell motherfucking no.
The very idea of a scapegoat implies a degree of innocence.
And, "honorary" anything to persons and things that are already recognized and honored way more than they should be? No. No, no, no.
And, no.
I feel like I am on Revis Island. While this thread was meant humorously, not even one Patriots fan has stood up here. Is there not one other Patriots fan here on this godforsaken Island? Heads in the sand? Shame? Stand up. I have even made fun of my own Pats here (but you really have too given the circumstances). I will tell you this - I better not hear one peep from Pats fans on this site in case they have a good year (very questionable with suspension) who did not stand up here. Take it to wOOt. p.s. - I take take a lot less shit since I wear a Gronkowski jersey.
@mfladd lol, stood up to what? Meh's lazy consumerism? ... that website you posted has a question on the FAQ, "are you butthurt?" He should add, "why should anybody care whether you are butthurt or not?"
@Mehntok ummmmm....I guess this is more hate. Bring it on!
@Mehntok I understood your website part, but can you be more specific on the Meh consumerism part..I am slow, humor me.
@nadroj Ha! I like it.
@nadroj what comic is that from?
@nadroj nevermind, I found it after a reverse image search. Lord Scapegoat (nice). 2 appearances in the comic: Demon #16. I was interested since I collect comics off and on.
Yes this hated thread is back. Breaking news - Tom Brady had has won his case in Federal Court! NO four game suspension. Suck it Goodell - de-flate this! Brady is back!
http://www.wsj.com/articles/judge-rules-against-nfl-lifts-bradys-suspension-1441290243
Patriot Haters
plus add one more ring!
Football Haters
I hate you more than the Patriot Hater's. (ex-goat, I don't have to be nice!)
@mfladd I'm not normally one to wish violence on anyone, but just how funny would it be if Brady got clobbered during game 1 and was out for the season ?
@JonT ain't gonna happen. Plus, how did I know you would show up early here? Hater. (p.s. welcome back :)
@mfladd Bad news for the Patriots. No Jimmy Garoppolo, who appears to be their best QB now. :)
@MrMark
@JonT I agree it would be awesome for him to get broken in game one.. unfortunately after watching my beloved Steelers so far this preseason, I'm not sure that the defense will even make the trip up to NE.. It's going to be up to our offense with a backup center, backup RB, and missing our deep threat WR.. Ben's gonna have to out duel Brady, and without the defense even trying to help...
@mfladd
@kadagan
@MrMark I love that gif!
@mfladd three cheers for a turgid legal system!
@Lotsofgoats one for you too.
@mfladd nobody likes Tom
@JonT Leave it to you to find that gif
Chargers?
@JonT @mfladd
@JonT @mfladd Maybe people are scared to touch his nasty hands...
@kadagan
@mfladd
@Thumperchick perfect!!!
lol... That is a great pic! But I still have something for you...
@mfladd What the hell did Tom do to Ted to cause that round mouth?
I don't think it's a look of surprise.
@2many2no I am not responsible for Tom's fetishes. :)
@mfladd I'm really wanting to bring up statements you made about parts of you that belong to Tom Brady, but... not sure if I can go there.
@christinewas Haha! You get one too...
this is my finger thread. Where I bathe in hate!
@mfladd
they hate us cuz they ain't us!
@soomass if I could give you more stars I would!
@mfladd You didn't seem so excited when I posted this picture of you and your ass-owner. Or are you just happy that @soomass is using your favorite phrase? You could learn a lot from the fact that you always need to go around saying "they hate us 'cause they aint [crazy enough to be one of] us!"
@christinewas actually, it is because finally one other Patriots fan showed up here! #theyhateuscausetheyaintus4life
@mfladd You know ain't ain't a word right? :)
@dashcloud ain't it? It's in the dictionary ;)~
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain't
@mfladd Aww. You were lonely. These things happen when you associate with people who have better taste than you do. (At least in football teams.)
ESPN ARE SUCH HATERS
@Lotsofgoats tl:dr are you for or against?
@mfladd I am pro-cheetos but only in puffed cheese form
@Lotsofgoats I am baked....wrong answer. Try again.
Ooooooo…let’s bring this thread back now. The Patriots destroy Pittsburgh to go to Superbowl 50 in Houston. This will be Brady/Belichick’s 7th appearance in a Superbowl in 15 years. That’s insane in a world with free agency.
Deflaregate, Spygate, Raper of puppies and kittens, cry baby, has nfl rules changed in his favor.
Show me your hate of my beloved team and greatest QB of all time (or will be by the time he stops playing)! I am just hoping they beat Atlanta so that piece of shit Roger Goodell has to personally hand him the Superbowl trophy.
@mfladd Superbowl 50? Do you just ignore years in which the Patriots don’t win? Typical.
@MrMark oops…51. Of course I forget those years. Those years belong to the patriot’s anti-christ - the New York Giants. I do everything I can to wipe those memories.
They all fuck with the headsets. They frequently fuck with the visitor’s locker rooms. I would like to see inspections and standards about that stuff, but perhaps fucking w stuff is part of the fun.
Wasn’t there a coach in the old days who used to keep a dog hidden under the stands? Every so often he needed a time-out and didn’t want to spend one of his own, the dog would mysteriously get loose onto the field?
And didn’t the Bills and a few other teams use opening and closing the stadium doors and gates to control in the field wind-flow to their advantage, esp during key plays? (In the right stadium, wind-flow control was substantial.)
The Pats are obnoxious and obnoxiously good. The evidence for DeflateGate seems pretty weak when you consider that there was zero reliable chain of custody of evidence, and that persons who hated the Pats and knew the balls would be tested had unsupervised custody of the footballs prior to testing.
And the footballs and other dirty tricks didn’t cause those victory margins. So hate them because they’re really good and they have a serious attitude. That’s reason enough.
PS even if they win the SuperBowl they still have a suck factor.
PPS. You - anyone - can have Jerry Jones. Please, someone, anyone, take JJ and give him a new toy.
PPPS. Pats fans: enjoy this. Nothing lasts forever.
PPPPS. There is such a thing as behaving with a little more class and reserve off the field. The Pats could do more of that and it wouldn’t kill them.
PPPPPS. Anyone who reads it’s got someone to get seriously injured is a lame whiny loser.
@f00l
Was supposed to read:
PPPPPS. Anyone who roots for someone to get seriously injured is a lame whiny loser.
Thanks,SIRI! Fuck w me again! You rock!
@f00l @mfladd
Rooting for the Pats was, is, and always will be strange.
The PPPS is invalidated.
@f00l You actually use Siri? Nuff’ said. All of your arguements are null and void with that admission.
@shruggie
Can’t agree. What if you grew up there? Or your family was Pats-mad?
And New England is geographically right next to NYC and has to put up with being near all that attitude radiating out of Manhattan.
I love NYC, but no denying Manhattan’s got “center-of-the-universe disease” worse than any other place on earth.
So it’s natural. Even if being a Pats-fan creates sanity defects in the practitioners over time.
@mfladd
No, SIRI is formally turned off.
I use autocorrect and it mangles everything I say, sometimes in amusing ways. It’s so active and destructive that it deserves a name.
So I call it (autocorrect) “SIRI”. In part because it’s a close relation to the “real SIRI”. And in part because my calling autocorrect “SIRI” seriously annoys the real SIRI.
@f00l
It’s sad that it’s natural.
And if you think Manhattan is bad, take a look at California, or worse, Texas, where they believe everything is bigger there
@shruggie
Many things are bigger in Texas. Come fucking see for yourself.
Yeah Texas got an attitude. And Cal got an attitude. And Washington got an attitude.
And Manhattan has the Mother Of All Attitudes. And I speak as a former fully committed participant. Lived in Little Italy for more that half a decade and loved every second of it and every part of NYC, even Staten Island which is boring unless you live there. And did as much Manhattan attitude stuff as a could manage. And went to literary parties and a party or two at the Met. And saw and ignored celebrities except for the ones I spoke with for a normal legit reason.
And thought nights ended at 6-8am, and days started around noon, and sometime you have to go to work or class even tho it’s only 9am and still technically almost night, and going without sleep is a way of life, and walking around Manhattan in weird neighborhoods at 4am with your friends after having been to 3 clubs or a few parties while under the influence of a variety of interesting intoxicants is almost as much fun as it is possible to have. And ever never running out of the sorts of movies or music I never heard of before to go see because it’s Manhattan!
I miss Manhattan.
I
NY.
Manhattan attitudes.
And I
But I do get why living next door to it could get old.
@f00l
Good thing I don’t have to deal with NY.
The human body does as much as possible to prevent self-harm. Why would I override that and go to Texas? Nothing exciting there for me.
@shruggie
NYC is seriously amazing.
If you wanna live in Manhattan you now need seriously amazing $ tho.
@f00l
Chicago is also an amehzing place, but I wouldn’t wanna necessarily live there.
Same for Kansas. Some decent people, but still…@shruggie
everyone has their choice of awesome cities off the “10 greatest cities in the US” list or the “40 greatest cities in the world” list.
I don’t mean most pleasant, or best for families, or best climate or anything like that.
I mean best for being open 24/7/365, best for all the amazing things going on, best for high energy, best for incredible stimulation in literature arts culture politics science tech finance medicine people etc. I mean so much going on that once you’re integrated a bit into the city, there’s so much temptation that you sorta wish you never had to sleep. Cities where the residents welcome the energy and the chatter and the intellectual controversies, because that’s how new areas to explore are created.
Living in these places is nothing like visiting, and it’s the people who live there, not the visitors and tourists, who get the good stuff.
If you ever have a free year or two and enough $, I hope you can live in one of these great cities for that time. Even if you later are happy in some place that’s small and healthy and peaceful, you will prob never regret that year.