Despite the fact that the Patriots were found guilty of using under-inflated footballs against the Colts in the AFC Championship game, the result wouldn’t be any different.
Nobody likes a cheater. And that’s one reason nobody likes the Patriots. After the spygate incident of 2007, it’s not surprising that once the original accusations of the Pats using under-inflated that the common perception was the fact that the Pats won because of the softer footballs.
While the Pats legacy will be in question, one thing can be for certain: the deflated footballs didn’t lead to the Patriots 45-7 win over the Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, the second-most lopsided AFC title win ever.
While the NFL discovered that 11 of the 12 footballs weighed by officials were deflated by two pounds of air (PSI), it doesn’t cover the fact that the Patriots racked 397 yards of offense, 177 on the ground as LeGarrette Blount ran for 148 yards with three touchdowns on 30 carries and quarterback Tom Brady only threw for 226 yards with three touchdowns and an interception on 23-for-35 passing.
The deflated footballs can’t be blamed for the Colts lack of offense either, as they only totaled 209 yards of total offense while turning the ball over three times.
Even Colts tight end Dwayne Allen doesn’t think that the deflated footballs led to the Pats win.
Now, there’s no question that given the Pats past, the first instinct is to discredit anything they’ve accomplished since they cheated (this time by altering footballs). But if they cheated by altering footballs, then what about other NFL quarterbacks who have done it and were never accused? Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning has his footballs doctored as does Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers since they both have a certain way they like the balls to feel.
And (to piss off Raider Nation even more), Brad Johnson once confessed that he bribed NFL ball-boys to alter his footballs prior to the Bucs Super Bowl XXXVII win over Oakland.
According to NFL rules, all 24 non-kicking game balls, 12 per team, must weigh between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI. If the NFL is “angry” at what the Pats did to their footballs after the initial inspection two hours and 15 minutes prior to kickoff, then they’ve got to start looking at every other team who doctors footballs to feel a certain way as well — not just balls that are deflated, which are a violation, but balls that are intentionally doctored outside of regular use.
The NFL will find a way to cover and clean this all up by the end of the week with Super Bowl week coming fast, especially media day where this will be topic of interest. Belichick is expected to hold a press conference on Thursday addressing “DeflateGate.”
Yet, to say that the Pats won because of the deflated footballs and not because they literally whipped the Colts up and down the field on both sides of the possibly-inflated ball is just naive and to think that the Pats will be disqualified from a trip to Super Bowl XLIX is even worse. Maybe if the game was closer, as in the Pats winning by a field goal, then you’d have a case of the Patriots being disqualified.
But a deflated, softer football doesn’t necessarily lead to a 38-point blowout … ever.
If New England was to be DQ'd.. We'd be their replacements right??... I should probably lay off these strawberry margs
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 21, 2015
Meanwhile, on to Seattle.