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Ray Farmer Suspended 4 Games for Text-Gate

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SuperSurge said:
Basic question. And don't take this the wrong way because I agree with getting punished for breaking the rules.

Would Farmer have been punished had he just walked down to the sidelines and let his opinion be known? or is the rule strictly barring electronic communication devices?

I don't understand why it's a rule when coordinators call plays from the box, and sub in whatever personnel they want using headsets tied directly to the quarterbacks helmet.

I guess I just don't get the rule.
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Just electronic equipment. It's to prevent cheating.

Jerry Jones went down to the sideline last season to tell Jason Garrett to put injured Tony Romo back in the game:
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/10/27/7080789/jerry-jones-cowboys-sideline-monday-night-football
 
Farmer was essentially saved in part because his text was an opinion and not meant to gain competitive advantage.
 
Hilarious how some Browns fans are actually upset they didn't lose a pick. :chuckle:

On a more serious inquiry, Ian Rapoport posted this:


Got to wonder how that reflects on the Patriots's situation. On one end, Farmer is isolated in his punishment, on another McKay didn't know, but is held responsible because he oversees the gameday ops. This is actually very interesting, how this is all unfolding.

Edit: I found this to be interesting... The violations made by the Falcons spanned part of last season, but also was happening in 2013.
 
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It seems the rule is partially about competitive advantage, because coaches with a headset are insulated from anything being broadcast. However, this situation shows clearly there is more to the rule. Coaches shouldn't be harassed by non-coaching staff while the game is being played.

In the Bay, I've seen ownership fuck up two franchises because they thought they knew more about football than the coaching staff. Thinking back to players I knew in Division 1 college ball, there were school administration and athletic directors who thought they should have a say in things like starting quarterbacks or play calling as well.

Let coaches do their jobs on game day. Any rules that insulate coaches from power-starved front office an ownership to protect the quality of the game is a good rule.
 
SuperSurge said:
Basic question. And don't take this the wrong way because I agree with getting punished for breaking the rules.

Would Farmer have been punished had he just walked down to the sidelines and let his opinion be known? or is the rule strictly barring electronic communication devices?

I don't understand why it's a rule when coordinators call plays from the box, and sub in whatever personnel they want using headsets tied directly to the quarterbacks helmet.

I guess I just don't get the rule.
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Farmer is allowed on the field and could have had these conversations without penalty. The punishable offense was he was in a location where he has access to information that the coaching staff might not have access to so in theory he can transmit that info to gain a competitive advantage. Apparently the info he was sharing was not to form a competitive advantage but more so to bitch about who's playing.

If that is the case, the punishment fits the crime. He broke a rule about electronic communication but the context was not to gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, he was basically slapped on the wrist.
 
Phills14 said:
If that is the case, the punishment fits the crime. He broke a rule about electronic communication but the context was not to gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, he was basically slapped on the wrist.
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I agree with you, but I think the slap on the wrist serves as enough of a deterrent to keep Ray Farmer from violating the rule again, which is the purpose of a negative consequence. It's not the 4 games being out of his seat, it's the paycheck hit. I don't think Farmer will be griping to the sidelines anymore because he simply does not see it as worth the hit to his wallet.
 
Phills14 said:
Farmer is allowed on the field and could have had these conversations without penalty. The punishable offense was he was in a location where he has access to information that the coaching staff might not have access to so in theory he can transmit that info to gain a competitive advantage. Apparently the info he was sharing was not to form a competitive advantage but more so to bitch about who's playing.

If that is the case, the punishment fits the crime. He broke a rule about electronic communication but the context was not to gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, he was basically slapped on the wrist.
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Farmer texted the sideline because he knew if he stepped foot on that sideline Pettine would've kicked his ass.

Farmer is a big dude but I'd put my money on the hot blooded Italian in a fist fight. I would bet the shock collar Jimmy put on Farmer probably restricts his movement.

FWIW, an underrated revelation from the NFL meetings in Arizona last week was a majority of the leagues teams knew about the Browns texting situation long before LaCanfora's story broke. I thought Shanahan leaked it as a big 'F you' to Haslam & Farmer on his way out, and maybe he did give the go-ahead for the media to print it, but it seems like this had been floating around for quite some time.
 
EdMonix11 said:
FWIW, an underrated revelation from the NFL meetings in Arizona last week was a majority of the leagues teams knew about the Browns texting situation long before LaCanfora's story broke. I thought Shanahan leaked it as a big 'F you' to Haslam & Farmer on his way out, and maybe he did give the go-ahead for the media to print it, but it seems like this had been floating around for quite some time.
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Where did you see this?
 
 
Soda said:
Oh, I thought he was alluding to it earlier, which prompted the MKC article. I still wonder why it wasn't widely reported if there was widespread knowledge of it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...eland-browns-is-it-because-of-johnny-manziel/
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Yeah, Grossi said a source at the NFL meetings told him that news about the Browns texting the sideline was going around the NFL before anything was made public. I know it's Grossi, but interesting nonetheless. Why wasn't it widely reported? I don't know. I'd assume reporters were probably waiting for NFL confirmation that an investigation was taking place.
 
EdMonix11 said:
Farmer texted the sideline because he knew if he stepped foot on that sideline Pettine would've kicked his ass.

Farmer is a big dude but I'd put my money on the hot blooded Italian in a fist fight. I would bet the shock collar Jimmy put on Farmer probably restricts his movement.

FWIW, an underrated revelation from the NFL meetings in Arizona last week was a majority of the leagues teams knew about the Browns texting situation long before LaCanfora's story broke. I thought Shanahan leaked it as a big 'F you' to Haslam & Farmer on his way out, and maybe he did give the go-ahead for the media to print it, but it seems like this had been floating around for quite some time.
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The story being known around the league prior to being publicly disclosed is not inconsistent, as IMO it was part of Shanahan's self-serving (and ultimately successful) exit plan to rat out the Browns as a justification for his desire to move.

As for the fight, I am taking the former NFL linebacker. And I suspect that what is needed to ensure that no repeat of the texting incident is for Farmer to move the seat in which he watches games further away from the owner; no "shock collar" is needed.
 
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