Let me start this post off by saying Tom Brady should not have to sit any games for the whole charade known as Deflategate. There’s no scientific proof the footballs were ever deflated. There’s no evidence Brady was the mastermind of a Deflation scheme. The whole thing was just an excuse to finally get back at Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, Brady and the rest of the Patriots for both winning too much and the previous charade known as Spygate.
Boil it all down and you have shoddy science supported only by select text messages and the NFL’s skewed slant they did everything they could to sell to the public by any means necessary.
Brady having to sit out games for what the NFL put together in The Wells Report would be an injustice and a travesty…
But…
…if Brady were to sit out the first four games would it actually be in the best long-term interest of the Patriots organization?
I’m just asking the question because at this point, is anyone’s opinion on Deflategate going to change? If the courts finally rule he must sit and he does, will that suddenly mean he really was guilty? Or if it goes all the way to the Supreme Court and they throw the whole thing out, will that mean Brady was innocent?
Nope. Nothing that happens from here on out, no matter how long Deflategate continues to drag on, will change anyone’s mind about what did or didn’t happen. And really everything in the courts now is about process anyway. So if that’s the case is it okay to root for what’s best for the Patriots and (perhaps) Brady?
The benefits are easy.
The Patriots get four manageable games to see what Jimmy Garoppolo’s got. 2017 will be the last offseason the Patriots could move Garoppolo and get compensation for him. Let’s remember that even with Tom Brady, the Patriots aren’t world beaters in September. It’s just as easy to see a 2-2 start with Brady as it is with Garoppolo.
And though the first four games are against teams with some excellent defensive pieces, three of the four (excluding Carson Palmer and the Cardinals) are going to be adjusting to new pieces or new coaches. With the Patriots returning almost everyone on defense we should expect them to exert their will in these games and make them all winnable games for the offense.
The second thing is keeping Brady fresh (and pissed off). Giving Brady the first four games off will not only ensure that he’s rested and healthy come October, but chomping at the bit to get back out there and take his job back.
Brady knows how this works and what can happen when a young “fill in” quarterback seizes his opportunity and leaves the coaching staff with no choice but to stick with him. I’m not saying Garoppolo has that in him, but I’m sure Brady doesn’t want to leave it to chance.
But let’s ponder for a moment, what if Jimmy Garoppolo plays out of his mind? Benching Bledsoe was one thing, but keeping Brady on the sideline? That would be difficult to say the least, but it would be fascinating to see where Patriots nation falls between their beloved TFB and their franchise that will continue on long after TFB is gone. That might be a problem we don’t want to face yet.
I’m hoping Brady never misses a game for the Deflategate nonsense, and it sounds like chances are good he won’t have to, but if things break badly for him in his next appeal attempt it won’t be hard to find some silver linings that should benefit the Pats long term.