Deflategate – My Honest Opinion

I’m not foolish, I’m not oblivious and I’m not going to play dumb, something shady happened in New England on the night of the AFC Championship game. The Patriots violated a policy of the NFL, no matter which way we look at it.

Regardless if footballs were deflated or not, the Patriots should be punished. At best, the ball boy who took the footballs into a private bathroom broke a rule and the Patriots should be fined for that.

At worst? The Patriots did deliberately try and deflate footballs and, as a result, cheat. That’s worse, and it likely does deserve a suspension or worse for the parties involved. Anyone with any common sense, Patriots fan or not, knows that.

Here’s the thing, for the NFL, this is no longer about PSI, it’s no longer about being factually correct or doing what is right, it’s about sending a message.

I don’t care how much you hate the Patriots, like I mentioned about them doing something wrong, you just can’t deny that this is, on some level, a personal battle now between the sides.

Equipment Violation:

Okay, let’s go back to the actual issue at hand here, the deflated footballs. By definition, this is an equipment violation, a gameday violation. Now, there is no set punishment for this, but the most common punishment is a $25,000 fine.

This happens all the time. The San Diego Chargers were fined $20,000 for using ‘stick-em’ on footballs back in 2012, an issue that falls into the same category.

This past season, the Vikings and Panthers were caught heating footballs on the sideline during a meeting between the teams in Minnesota. The reaction was totally different, and the NFL did not make a stink out of this issue. This, like deflating footballs, is tampering with the ball, yet there was no issue from the NFL or fans on it.

In 2009, the New York Jets attempted to use unapproved equipment to prep the kicking balls before their game against, yes, the Patriots. An employee of the team was suspended, but the kicker faced no discipline, in fact no players did.

The kicker, like Brady, was probably aware of what was going on and stood to benefit from the act, but nothing happened to him. The NFLPA mentioned that in their lawsuit, filed earlier this week. The precedent was set with that case.

These are just a few examples, but there are plenty of others out there. If you take the time to look, you’ll find countless violations that are similar or worse to this. The results were either warnings or fines for those involved.

The Cell Phone Saga:

Tom Brady destroying his cell phone is an extremely suspicious and fishy act, there is no debating that. This reminded me a lot of Aaron Hernandez, who did the same thing right before he was arrested back in 2013.

NOW, don’t get carried away, I am NOT comparing the two situations, I’m just saying it looks bad. Brady destroyed his phone before meeting with investigators, and that looks bad no matter the spin.

If Brady’s response to it, which came out on Wednesday morning, ends up being true, then this becomes a bit of a non-factor. That said, we may never know the truth. Regardless, it’s an act that looks bad from this angle.

Here is the quote from Brady regarding the phone.

I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.

Last thing on this cellphone issue, the fact is, it had nothing to do with the investigation. Brady was asked to turn the phone over, but never actually required to do so. Ted Wells had no problem with that, this is a massive detail that is seemingly always forgotten.

The Wells Report:

The Wells Report was meant to be independent, but let’s not kid ourselves, it wasn’t fully an independent investigation. Was it a total witch hunt that was predetermined? Sure, that’s possible, but let’s leave fantasy world for a second here, because that is a highly unlikely scenario.

Most likely, Ted Wells was told by the NFL what to look for and what was suspected. His job was to find it if it was there. The NFL owners clearly have had enough of the Patriots pushing the line, and they wanted Wells to find anything that would allow them to send a message.

Wells, however, could find nothing concrete on this. Instead, we are now dealing with circumstantial evidence and no hard facts. Instead of “Tom Brady did it” we have statements like “It’s more probable than not Tom Brady knew”. Think about that for a second.

Could you imagine your boss saying you more probably than not knew of something and therefore you are getting in trouble for it, with no proof? You’d be angry and you would fight it too.

Lastly, Jeff Pash, an employee of the NFL, actually edited the Wells report before it came out, so let’s not kid ourselves here and say it was completely independent, it wasn’t.

The Lies From The NFL:

Remember that report in January that 11 of the 12 footballs were under-inflated by two pounds each? Yeah, that was a complete and total lie by a source to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who never even took the time to correct his monumental mistake.

Remember when the NFL said that Brady “lacked cooperation” throughout the entire process? Yeah, that’s a lie too. Ted Wells himself said that Brady was “totally cooperative”

There are more examples of this throughout the case, like how the NFL said earlier this week that Brady destroyed evidence by destroying his phone.

I know I touched on this above, but Brady offered his phone records up in this, and the NFL had the phones of every Patriots employee it asked for, AKA anyone who could have helped Brady deflate footballs.

Lastly, an investigator for the NFL said that the phone “wasn’t necessary to the case” and Ted Wells said “he didn’t want or need it.” Interesting how now all of a sudden this phone is a big deal….

Are the Patriots trustworthy? Their history would suggest you can’t exactly trust everything they say, but the NFL is arguably worse. Throughout the entire case the league has put out smoking guns to win the PR battle, and it has worked.

However, if you take any ounce of time to go back and read what is being put out there, you can see critical factual flaws in what the NFL is saying. You best believe that will comeback to bite them at some point.

The Patriots History, It Matters:

I mentioned the Patriots history, and it’s something very relevant that just cannot be ignored. Whether or not you like the Patriots, you know they have a reputation as cheaters. It’s not by accident either, the Spygate case rocked professional sports back in 2007.

The Patriots have been fined and have lost draft picks for a variety of different reasons, but none was worse than Spygate. Unfortunately, that likely played a factor in this decision. Once you earn a certain reputation, it is hard to shake that.

The Patriots certainly do not deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this stuff. What happened in Spygate was wrong, and therefore this group of coaches and this owner will always be suspected of things, that’s just how it is.

I’d imagine owners, like Woody Johnson of the Jets, have had their eyes on Belichick and the Pats for years because of this. I’m not complaining about it either, because they brought that extra attention on themselves years ago.

Who Is Right, Who Is Wrong?:

It’s pretty hard to say who is right and who is wrong in this case. Honestly, I think the fair thing to say would be that both sides are wrong here. The Patriots had SOMETHING go on in that locker room, while the NFL has handled this worse than the WWE handles things.

If the Patriots had simply admitted something went wrong and handled it the day after the AFC Championship, they likely would have received a team fine and the story would have been dead by the Super Bowl. Instead, they got into a measuring contest and prolonged this whole thing.

The NFL, meanwhile, has handled this completely wrong. They’ve made things up along the way to cover their tracks, and made a key mistake. They came down heavy on a team and a player with no concrete evidence that anything actually went down, it was a pure reputation penalty.

There was no precedent to suspend Brady, to fine the Patriots that much or to take away a first round draft pick. The NFL did this because they wanted to send some sort of message, because Goodell wanted to look good after he royally screwed up Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy.

Both parties are wrong, and in all honesty, both parties look like ten year olds fighting over absolutely nothing.

After all, that’s exactly what this is, a fight over nothing.

Final Thoughts:

Deflategate has been the dumbest sports story of my lifetime, it really has. The Patriots likely did something wrong here, but the NFL is acting like the old Soviet Union in terms of their discipline. The league has spread lies and, quite frankly, went over the line with their rulings.

They’ve alienated one of the most powerful owners in the game and beat-up THE poster-child of their sport, it’s hard to imagine Tom Brady ever respecting this league again. That’s an unfortunate loss for both sides.

In the end, we are likely going to court. If the NFL loses, they’ll look foolish for the fourth time in a year, while if Brady loses, he’ll have faced a suspension for such a little act that might have never even happened. It’s just going to end ugly no matter what.

Both sides would do well to settle on this before court and get back to what is important, football. Unfortunately, the NFL is more concerned with making the month of August look more like “Mean Girls” than camp season.

We wait for the next step.

Patriots Tailgate Item Of The Week

Super Sunday! No introduction needed for this one, our final tailgate item of the season. Today we are going with a classic, wings. These wings will melt right off the bone and leave you wanting more.

This one is compliments of Jimmy B, and these bad boys are a favorite among the people I roll with to the stadium. Let’s take a look at how to make these:

10 lbs of Chicken Wings

1.5 Cups of Orange Juice

1.5 Cups of Soy Sauce

1.5-2 Cups of brown sugar

Mix brown Sugar, orange juice and soy sauce in a large bowl.

Place wings in a large pan or tray (or two smaller)

Pour mixture over wings and cover pan tightly with tin foil.

Place in 400 degree oven for four hours.

At 2 hours, remove from oven and stir wings, then place back in and cook for final two hours.

 

The house will smell like tailgate and the wings will be delicious! Enjoy the wings, and enjoy Super Sunday!

Patriots V. Seahawks – The Prediction

The time has come. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is and make a bet. It’s time to pick a winner for Super Bowl 49 between the Patriots and the Seahawks. It isn’t easy, but it must be done.

This match-up is going to be one for the ages. I promise you this, it will not be a blow-out like last season. These two teams are way too good to be blown out, and are coached way too well to be unprepared for this challenge.

The Seahawks will have their challenges, like shoring up a rush defense that allowed over 100 yards in the NFL Championship, and figuring out a way to stop Rob Gronkowski on defense. They’ll also need to figure out how they will get their weaker WR corps to get open.

The Patriots have problems too. They’ll need to get their offensive line straight and ready to roll against this pass rush, and they’ll need to figure out a way to shut-down Marshawn Lynch while keeping Russell Wilson in the pocket. Not exactly easy tasks, in fact, closer to impossible tasks for most NFL teams.

The Patriots have the horses to run in this game, no doubt, but Seattle is the better team on paper. That secondary is the best in the NFL, and their offense can’t be stopped once it gets rolling.

That said, New England, in my mind, is the smarter team and can adjust on the fly like no one else. They also have the ability to throw some things out at Seattle that the Hawks simply are not expecting. They did it to Baltimore just three weeks ago.

All in all, this game was really tough for me to pick. I’ve gone back and forth on it all week, talking myself into New England, then into Seattle and back to New England. My heart lies with the Patriots 20-17, but my brain is telling me otherwise.

Seattle’s defense in the best in the NFL. They have a safety duo that will jack you up and cover you well, and two corners that don’t give up much. Add that to a solid pass rush and decent rush defense? Look out. Marshawn Lynch is the best back in the game, while Russell Wilson is tough to stop when he gets moving.

All week I have outlined ways that New England can win, but it’s going to take a lot for all of those things to happen in the same game. You have to stop Lynch AND keep Wilson in the pocket, while also playing a close to perfect game on offense.

CAN the Patriots do it? You better believe it, in fact I know they can, but will they? I just think it is a lot to ask.

I know I’m going to get so much flak for this from people everywhere, especially on Sunday from certain people, but I just have to take Seattle here. They were my pre-season pick, and I’m sticking with that.

I’ll take the Hawks, 23-21, in a total barn-burner…..Here’s to being wrong.

Patriots V. Seahawks – The Key Match-up

There are obviously a few big things to look for on Sunday in Super Bowl 49, including the battle between Rob Ninkovich and Russell Wilson, the Revis V. Sherman angle, and Pete Carroll getting a crack at his former team.

That said, none of those are the key match-up for Sunday’s tilt between the NFL’s top teams. What is that match-up, you ask? It’s New England’s defensive line against Marshawn Lynch, the soft-spoken running back of the Seahawks.

As I said multiple times yesterday, as good as Russell Wilson is outside of the pocket, inside of it he really is just an average QB who has a tough time reading defenses and who stares at one receiver for far too long. What allows him to get outside that pocket so much? Teams cheating to stop Lynch.

Marshawn Lynch is arguably the best running back in the NFL today. With Adrian Peterson on the shelf, no one in the league can come close to what Lynch does on a weekly basis. He plows over people and breaks tackles with big time ease. You HAVE to be able to wrap up and tackle if you want to stop this guy.

For New England, stopping him is a big time key in this game. If New England can put the game on Wilson, they should win this game, no questions asked. Of course, that is much easier said than done.

The Patriots will need big Vince Wilfork, ex-Seahawk Alan Branch, and LB’s Dont’a Hightower, Akeem Ayers and Jamie Collins to have big days against the run. These guys are the first line of defense against Lynch and Seattle’s rushing attack.

For Seattle, getting Lynch going is the key to the game. If they get him moving his feet and plowing over defenders, then this game could get ugly. Lynch firing on all cylinders allows Wilson more space to move around, and allows Seattle to create more things offensively.

The Hawks’ offensive line is built to protect for the run, and will be a big time challenge for New England’s group of veteran DT’s.

In my mind, this is the key match-up for Sunday. If Lynch gets going, so doesn’t the Seattle offense, but if New England can limit him and make Wilson win this game, the Patriots have a really good chance to snag their fourth title.

It won’t be easy, it never is on the first weekend of February, but stopping Marshawn Lynch is a key in this game. Old school football was won in the trenches, and this game will be no different. Stop the run, and New England wins, turn on Beast Mode, and it’s back to back in the Pacific Northwest.

We’re on to Seattle.

The X-Factor: Rob Ninkovich

We’re closing in on the big game, and we are closing in fast! Today was media day down in Arizona, and the Pats return to the practice field on Wednesday to fine tune for Seattle and their tough to solve defense.

There are many players that must step up on offense, but the game won’t be won there. No, this game will be won on the defensive side of the football, by keeping Russell Wilson inside the pocket. Who can do that? Rob Ninkovich can.

While Wilson is a stud outside of the pocket in terms of making things happen, he really isn’t that good inside of it. In fact, his stats would suggest that he is nothing more than average when kept in the pocket.

He struggles to make reads, and has some issues with his accuracy. Keeping him in there is going to be massive.

Rob Ninkovich:

Ninkovich is the perfect player to spy on Wilson. Chandler Jones is a pure pass-rusher, and will be counted on to apply pressure, but someone must make sure that Wilson doesn’t run all over the Pats like he did in 2012.

Nink has played this role before, and has done a good job with it in the past. You likely won’t see him pressure Wilson, but rather sit back and wait for him to try and make something happen. That’s when Nink will strike, there to limit any potential damage.

Throughout this game, you’ll see him watching Wilson’s every motion, his every movement. His job will be not to pressure the QB, but rather contain him, keep him in the pocket, make him beat you with his arm and not his legs.

If the Patriots, if Ninkovich, are successful in doing that, then New England has a great chance to win this football game.

Russell Wilson is a good QB, but does most of his damage when moving around. It’s what has killed the Patriots before. If he is allowed to do his thing, I can’t see Seattle losing, but if New England forces him to throw from in the pocket….look out.

The pressure is on Rob Ninkovich in my mind. If he is tabbed to be the spy, as I expect he will be, he could be the difference between a fourth Super Bowl title or a sad return from the desert yet again.

We’re on to Seattle coach.

Patriots Rout Colts in AFC Title Game

It went better than planned. Deflategate or not, the Patriots were the better team last Sunday, and as a result walked over Indy to clinch yet another AFC title. This time, it was over Andrew Luck and the Colts, and it was never, ever, in doubt.

It started with a 14-0 lead, and ended in a 45-7 trouncing that saw both the offense and defense dominate from 6:35 pm until the clock hit triple zero. Regardless of what scandal went on, New England dominated, and you CAN’T take that from them.

LeGarrette Blount found the endzone on the opening drive, while James Develin caught a pass from Tom Brady to put the Pats up 14. Andrew Luck tossed a TD to Zurlon Tipton in the second, but it mattered not.

Stephen Gostkowski would add a FG before half, while Nate Solder and Rob Gronkowski would each catch TD passes in the second half to put the game away. Blount put the icing on the cake with two TD runs to seal things.

The Good:

The Pats, as a team, dominated this football game. Tom Brady was close to perfect in this game, while LeGarrette Blount torched the Colts defense all game long. New England’s offensive line won the battle all day, while the Patriot secondary totally shut-down the Colt passing attack.

Darrelle Revis was outstanding, while once again Kyle Arrington dominated a battle with TY Hilton. Julian Edleman was once again really good for the Patriots, while Brandon LaFell had another solid playoff outing.

The Bad:

The Pats got some pressure on the QB, but still not enough. Chandler Jones was decent, but not the factor that he needs to be against the Seahawks. On offense, Brandon Boldin and Shane Vereen really weren’t used, which I found just a little disappointing.

Rob Gronkowski had a bad day by his standards, only catching three balls for 28 yards and a single touchdown. The Pats need to make sure he is more involved against Seattle and their dominating secondary.

What Needs To Improve:

As mentioned, the pass rush. Russell Wilson is good outside the pocket, by inside it he is a bottom-15 QB to my eyes. Wilson has accuracy issues and doesn’t read the ball as good as other QB’s. Pressuring him is absolutely key, and that must improve for the Pats.

Getting Gronk involved must be a plan too. The Pats didn’t need him in this game, but will certainly need him against the Hawks. He needs to be better in this game, and I’m more than willing to bet that he will be.

What’s that coach? We’re on to Seattle.

Patriots Tailgate Item Of The Week

Tomorrow, the AFC Championship. A trip to Arizona is on the line, it’s the biggest game of the season. Of course, with a big game, comes a big appetite and a need for some good tailgating items for the day. Two huge games tomorrow, including a big one right in our backyard.

The tailgate menu gets some big additions this week, including a classic item that anyone will enjoy. We’re talking beer brats, yes, meat and beer. Is there anything more football than that? No? I didn’t think so.

These bad boys will be appearing at the tailgate in P2 this week, and can easily make an appearance at your backyard tailgate too. How? I’m about to share how.

Let’s take a look at what you need, and how to cook these bad boys.

Ingredients:

4 12 ounce beer cans

1 large onion, diced

10 brats

2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

 

Directions:

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. When hot, lightly oil grate.

 

Combine the beer and onions in a large pot; bring to a boil. Submerge the bratwurst in the beer; add the red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the bratwurst from the beer mixture; reduce heat to low, and continue cooking the onions.

 

Cook the bratwurst on the preheated grill, turning once, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with the beer mixture as a topping or side.

 

Hope you enjoy these as much as well will during this huge game!

Patriots V. Colts – The Prediction

Here we go, the AFC Championship. For the fourth year in a row, the New England Patriots have arrived at this stage. In their last three appearances however, they have a losing record, coming in at 1-2. They lost last year to Denver, and the year before that to Baltimore. In January of 2012, New England beat the Ravens on Cundiff’s missed FG attempt.

This year, there is no Brady V. Manning, no Ravens/Patriots rivalry, just New England and Indianapolis ready to duke it out at Gillette in an AFC Championship for the first time in eleven years. It’s Brady V. Luck, a new rivalry is born.

This game has some weather issues to it. It won’t be cold, likely in the forties for this one, but rain is in the forecast according to reports, meaning it won’t be as easy to throw the football for Luck and Brady. Advantage? New England and the running backs.

That said, the Colts know what to expect to a degree. They saw the Pats just a few months ago, and know what New England will try to do on both sides of the football.

That said, on paper, this is no contest. The Patriots offense and defense are both 100 times better than Indy’s. Tom Brady is the hottest QB in the NFL right now, and the Pats have the best TE in the game in Rob Gronkowski. Not to mention, Edleman, LaFell and even Amendola are hot right now.

Add to that a running game that has owned Indianapolis over the last few meetings, and you have a recipe for a huge day on offense for the Patriots.

Defensively, New England is better on paper too. Outside of last week, the Pats have been really good against the run this season, and have the second best secondary left in the playoffs, trailing only Seattle.

I have a tough time thinking Luck, who will be forced to pass all day, can beat Revis and Browner while TY Hilton is being blanketed by Kyle Arrington. It’s a really tough task for the kid.

Mentally, New England is in his head too. Luck hasn’t beaten the Patriots once, and has been blown out badly in each and every contest. He hasn’t even come close. Not to mention, the Pats have Chandler Jones back, while Indy has a weak offensive line.

The match-up? It’s a nightmare for the Colts, and a perfect one for the Patriots.

How does Indy win? Andrew Luck, that’s the only way. He’ll need to go off in this game, and Vontae Davis will have to be close to perfect in the secondary for the Colts. Luck has the potential to go off, no doubt, but asking him to win an AFC Championship by himself isn’t something I’d be confident in, it’s not fair to the young QB who is the future of the NFL.

Look, the Colts are a good team, but all of their weaknesses are strengths of the Patriots. The match-up is a nightmare for Indianapolis, even after beating Denver last week. Those balls Manning was missing? Brady won’t miss his guys like that.

I’m taking the Patriots to head to their second Super Bowl in four years by the final score of 31-14.

We’re on to Indy coach.

Patriots V. Colts – The Key Match-up

On Sunday, the Patriots will host the Colts in Tom Brady’s ninth AFC Championship game appearance, the fourth year in a row the Pats have reached this mark. Yesterday, we looked at the X-Factor for this game, and today we look at the key match-up between the teams.

Last week it was the Pats’ offensive line against the Ravens’ defensive line, but this week the match-up is more one on one. When these two teams met back in November, Jonas Gray went off, and Tom Brady had a very solid night. That being said, the man that was shut-down was Colts’ WR TY Hilton, who has been Andrew Luck’s best weapon all season long.

With Reggie Wayne at the end of his career, and struggling to produce, the Patriots’ secondary should be focused in on the speedy target. The main guy on him back in November was Kyle Arrington, and I’m guessing we see the slot-corner get a number of looks at TY again on Sunday.

That being said, there will be times that the Patriots are in a zone, and Darrelle Revis could be tasked with Hilton. Also possible will be Brandon Browner and Logan Ryan seeing a little bit of the shifty receiver.

The Patriots need to find a way to shut-down Hilton yet again on Sunday, and the key match-up will be Kyle Arrington, who should see him the most, on Hilton.

If the Pats go man, Arrington will likely get the task, while Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner would handle Reggie Wayne and Donte Moncrief. Considering those two corners are much better than their match-ups, this falls right on Arrington.

If Kyle Arrington can have success again on Hilton, then New England can shut-down an Indy offense that struggles to run the football on a consistent basis, and would force Andrew Luck to attack Revis/Browner and feed his Tight Ends more than he would like.

Tight Ends won’t beat the Patriots, and I would be STUNNED if Wayne and Moncrief got the best of Revis and Browner, absolutely stunned.

To me, the best chance for the Colts offensively is to try and get TY Hilton going. He’s the best weapon Luck currently has.

If Kyle Arrington can shut him down like he did in November, then this game could get really out of hand. To me, this is the key match-up between Indianapolis and New England on Sunday afternoon.

We’re on to Indy.

The X-Factor: LeGarrette Blount

When the Patriots went to Indianapolis back in November, the story was how New England dominated the ground game in their 20+ point win, as Jonas Gray ran for 201 yards and four TD’s.

When the Patriots and Colts meet again this Sunday at Gillette, the focus will once again be on if New England’s offense can command this football game offensively. Personally, I’m very confident that they can, and once again it starts on the ground.

This past Sunday, the Colts forced Peyton Manning to beat them, and he simply couldn’t do it in his current injured state. Indy can’t do that this week, as Tom Brady is firing on all cylinders and playing some of his best football right now.

As a result, the Colts can’t defend the run with eight guys in the box again, and will have to hope that their defensive line can step up. It’s not something I’m confident in if I’m Indy.

LeGarrette Blount:

The big guy is poised for a big game on Sunday afternoon. LeGarrette Blount can ground and pound that ball, wearing down defenses and breaking big plays when you least expect it. He is built for games like this, and is the perfect back to possess the football and play a physical style.

Indy struggles stopping the run, and has a tough time handling big runners. Last year, Blount ran all over the Indy defense in their playoff meeting, running for 166 yards and four touchdowns on the night.

The Colts struggle stopping the run, while the Patriots will want to run the football to possess the ball and keep Luck off the field during this game. The Pats have had a ton of success doing this against Indy in recent memory, and Blount himself has had success in this match-up before.

When Sunday rolls around, I’ll be keeping a close eye on LeGarrette Blount, who I think could be poised for a monster afternoon for New England. To me, he’s the X-Factor in this match-up.

We’re on to Indy coach.