Deflate Gate Was a No Win Situation From Day One

I think I speak for all Patriot fans when I say I'm unhappy about this whole thing. Obviously it's no secret that the media and the league aren't exactly fans of the Patriots but this is something never seen before in this sports world. Not even the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Notre Dame Fighting Irish have ever endured such a backlash from the media. Lets point this out from the start: I'm not saying all the media outlets hate the Patriots. However the two biggest ones can't stand them and that's ESPN and the New York Media. They have had a field day with this whole thing from day one. Unfortunately it seems the Patriots will be punished without any concrete evidence.


 On the 228th page of the Wells report, this little nugget sums it up.
 "In sum, the data did not provide a basis for us to determine with absolute certainty whether there was or was not tampering as the analysis of such data ultimately is dependent upon assumptions and information that is not certain.”

No concrete evidence and yet this is enough to suspend Tom Brady? Seriously? This is Illogical. If you tried to convince a jury that someone was guilty with that exact argument you would lose the case 99.9% of the time. However this is enough to suspend one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Because of unproven assumptions? This is nonsense and this has been from the start. But why?

Well that's where things get interesting. You see, as I said from the start this was blown up by epic proportions by two main media outlets: ESPN and the New York Sports Media. ESPN has never had a good relationship with the Patriots and New York has obvious reasons to trash anything related to the Pats. So why is this relevant? Because you see the NFL is a business. And a big part of your success in business is  public perception.

The NFL took a beating this last season due to the domestic dispute issues. The last thing they can afford is to have the public pissed off anymore. Why? Because once people start getting pissed, Sponsorships start getting lost. When sponsorships are lost, revenues take a hit. So what do you think the NFL is going to do? Stick their middle finger up to the media and the public and say it's no big deal? Of course not. They're going to give the people what they want. They're going to drop the hammer on the evil Patriots and Roger Gooddell will be the knight in shining armor for doing so.

Add to the fact the NFL demands parity to keep the fans happy and they'll do anything they can to cripple this team.

 It really is a shame that in the last years of a legendary career Tom Brady has to deal with this disrespectful  assault on his character. Here is a guy who has taken pay cut after pay cut, never gotten in trouble or even had a locker room issue. He wasn't drafted in the first round, and being a 6th round pick he had to fight for every inch to earn a spot on this roster. But yet the media wants to tear this guy down?

"To be succesful you need friends,
to be very succesful you need enemies"

Tonight reports have come out that they will indeed suspend Tom Brady for a certain period of time. It's infuriating that arguably the GOAT of all QBs will have a portion of one of his final seasons wasted because the public and certain powerful media outlets want to see it end. 

We'll have to see just how severe they try to come down on the team. I'll try to keep up to date on the blog from here on out. I've been busy this whole year getting situated with new jobs and all that fun stuff. I'll be back to update more and talk about this years draft selections.

The Good and The Bad As We Enter The Playoffs

 With the Patriots off this week, we have plenty of time to go over the team heading into their playoff game next weekend. We don't know who they'll be playing yet but that's fine. For now lets take a look at the state of the Patriots and see what's good and what's not so good.

Good: The passing game has really taken off as the season went on. Brandon LaFell may not be a superstar but he's a valuable receiver for this team. Unlike in year's past where Brady had fewer options this offense makes up what it lacks in talent for versatility. At any time Julien Edelman, Rob Gronkowski or Brandon LaFell could be the featured target. This gives the Patriots more of the versatility they had in their Superbowl years rather then their one sided attacks that haven't done so well in the playoffs. This is great and all but it depends big time on....

Bad: Unpredictable Oline. This unit improved through out the season, however to end the season they were less then impressive. This could be due to a line that simply needs a rest, going through a bump in the road so to be speak. Or this could be the undoing of this team. Yes, the defense of the past few years have not been impressive. But in every game they have lost one thing has been the same: Tom Brady getting pummeled. If this unit shows up and keeps Brady up right and the running game strong this team will not lose in the playoffs. If they don't, they will once again be manhandled physically as we've seen all too much the past few years. It's time the Patriots change this, and this team has the chance to do it.

Good: Stronger Defense. Its been awhile, but the Patriots finally have a defense they can turn to in tough situations. Brandon Browner and his flag happy self scares me as much as the next guy. But when this unit is on, it's on. It's great to see the draft picks from the past few years being some of the biggest drivers behind the unit's success. Having Chandler Jones back is huge because hopefully he can help pump up a pass rush that's been flat for the last month of the season. Speaking of...

Bad: Late season pass rush. Chandler Jones and High tower missing time did little to help this unit. Having them back should obviously be a boost. But if this unit remains flat..We're going to watch a result similar to Green Bay where the secondary didn't play bad but the pass rush was non existent. IF this unit along with the secondary is on however, this team could straight steam roll opponents.

Well folks, playoff time is finally here and I'm just as excited as the next guy. I've been horrible at updating my blog all season (I've have some other obligations this year unfortunately) however I will do my best to keep everyone posted through the playoffs.

Injury Update: Dominique Easley on IR

Its been reported that the Patriots have placed Dominique Easley on Injury Reserve.

Its pretty dissapointing news for the rookie. Not only was his impact minimal, although that is common with rookies. More concerning is that Easley had injury problems in college and to see him start out on IR is pretty discouraging. One can only hope this doesn't turn into another potential injury riddled first rounder