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Simply put, I am a football fanatic. I'm well-informed on the game- its players, statistics, history, rules, etc. I love the sport and I enjoy sharing my point of view.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Deflategate is a Non-Issue

As a New England Patriots fan my initial reaction to the controversy being dubbed "Deflategate" was one of disappointment (directed towards the team). However, I've come to realize the overabundance of news coverage surrounding the allegations made against the Patriots for using under-inflated footballs during the AFC Championship game -- in which they thrashed an inferior Indianapolis Colts team -- is laughable. As Patriots' Head Coach Bill Belichick explained during his press conference yesterday, if their footballs are inflated to the minimum amount required by the league, then any deflation sustained is going to cause the ball to become under-inflated. That's common sense at it's finest. But because of Belichick's history of bending/breaking rules (Spygate), this non-story has become a story. Both Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady publicly stated that not only are they not responsible for the under-inflated footballs, but also that they weren't aware of it. Whether that's true or not, we may never know. But we're hearing more and more about quarterbacks having preferences when it comes to the conditions of the balls; they need to have the right feel. According to Pro Football Talk, former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson paid to have 37 footballs he was going to use in Super Bowl XXXVII altered to provide a better grip.

The fact of the matter is that the state of the footballs used in last week's AFC Championship game had zero impact on its outcome. Numerous reports were released earlier this week claiming the league stated that the Patriots' footballs were checked and re-inflated at halftime and were checked again after the game. If that's true, then in the second half -- when the Patriots outscored the Colts 28-0 -- was evidence that the Patriots were going to win that game regardless of the balls being used. The opinions of former players such as Shannon Sharpe and Troy Aikman, saying that the league should hand down punishments to the Patriots similar of those given to the Saints after the Bountygate scandal, are simply idiotic. Intent to injure opposing players is far worse than playing with a deflated football, the two aren't even comparable. In my opinion the league should fine the team, but there should be no suspensions nor loss of draft picks. The truth is that the Spygate scandal in 2007, along with the success sustained by this team over the past 14 years, is the reason that the reactions to these allegations have been so overblown. You can guarantee Bill Belichick will use this as a source of motivation for his players leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, though -- that's what great coaches do, and Belichick may be the greatest.

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