If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'. Well, as we've once again found out, no team follows that philosophy more than the New England Patriots. Because the team that infamously gave us Spygate has now given us Deflategate. And, instead of talking about Bradicheck's sixth AFC Championship in the last 14 years or anything about the Seahawks, this has taken all of our attention in the first pre-Super Bowl week.
Everyone has heard the story by now. After the AFC Championship Game, they discovered that 11 of the 12 footballs New England used on offense were underinflated. That, allegedly, made the balls easier to throw and catch, especially considering how much it was raining. The NFL obviously needs to conduct its investigation, but, as Jerry Rice noted, 11 out of 12 can't be a coincidence. Especially considering the Patriots' track record.
Now, nobody is saying the Patriots won because of underinflated footballs. If you think that, you're an idiot. Because f you watched even five minutes of that game, you know that's not the case. They were heavy favorites, and New England completely dominated every aspect of that game. But that's exactly the point. They didn't need to cheat to beat the Colts. And they're not going to get the benefit of the doubt.
Of course, there are plenty of questions regarding how this happened. If the officials were told about it at halftime, why didn't they do anything then? If the balls were OK when they were inspected, how did they end up losing air? After the inspection, why are they left on the sideline and handled by a member of the team staff instead of a neutral NFL official? Did the weather have anything to do with the air coming out? If they were tampered with, who did the tampering and why?
Assuming Bill Belichick knew what was going on, this is yet another black mark against him. After the NFL determined the Patriots were taping the Jets' defensive signals, Belichick had to pay a $500,000 fine. If he knew what was going on here, the punishment needs to be just as severe, if not more so. Belichick should be suspended. I'm not saying you take it to the extreme of making him watch the Super Bowl on television like the rest of us. But the first few games of next season, in addition to a fine, certainly would seem appropriate.
This also serves as another prime example of why, for the most part, America hates the Patriots. There's no denying that they've been on an incredible run over the past 15 years. Three titles, with possibly a fourth on the way, a record six Super Bowl appearances, 12 division titles, 175 wins, the 21-game overall winning streak, and, of course, the 16-0 regular season in 2007. But they've developed a sense of cockiness and arrogance (as well as an inferiority complex that makes absolutely no sense) that has made them pretty much completely unlikable to anyone who doesn't live in New England or have a crush on Tom Brady.
Brady is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Belichick is probably a Hall of Famer, too. But Belichick is also unnecessarily paranoid. You didn't need underinflated footballs to beat the Colts. Just like you didn't need to record their defensive signals to get an edge on the Jets. It's a shot of karma that isn't lost on anyone that the Patriots haven't actually won the Super Bowl in 10 years, which includes all of the time since Spygate.
I'm not saying that the legacy they've built is completely tainted, but if there's any truth behind these claims and the NFL finds that the balls were deflated deliberately, there definitely has to be an asterisk. Especially since the only team that we ever seem to talk about when it comes to breaking the rules in order to gain a competitive advantage is the Patriots. And, once again, the worst part is that they don't need to do any of it. It's almost as if Belichick is saying he doesn't believe his team is good enough to win the right way, so he has to resort to tricks, which, of course, is ridiculous.
While it has nothing to do with Belichick, let's also not forget the infamous snow plow game, where the Patriots were playing the Dolphins in a blizzard, the field was covered in snow, and the Patriots had a guy driving a snow plow (who happened to be an ex-con) conveniently come out just in time to clear a place for them to kick the game-winning field goal. Ray Lewis will also be quick to remind us that this whole run started when New England controversially won the "Tuck Rule" game against the Raiders in the playoffs (although that one can be blamed more on a stupid rule than anything the Patriots did).
Some people have downplayed this as not a big deal. Aaron Rodgers even went out and said he likes it the other way. He has big hands, so he wants the balls to be inflated as much as they can (does that mean to the point of popping?). In the grand scheme of things, it might not be a big deal. But since it's the Patriots, and since it's Bill Belichick, and since it's the week before Super Bowl week so the writers need something to write about, this story has taken on a life of its own.
Who knows what the end result of all this will be? I do know one thing, though. As a result of this, most of America is going to root for Seattle a week from Sunday. And the Patriots will find some sort of way to spin it as another case of "Us Against the World." That mentality I'd like to see deflated.
No comments:
Post a Comment