Full NFL statement on New England Patriots, Tom Brady ruling – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN

Welp, here it is – Four-game suspension for Brady, $1 million fine for the Pats and they lose not only next year’s first rounder but also a fourth round pick in 2017 because who doesn’t want to still be talking about this in two years?

It goes without saying this goes above and beyond what I thought even the worst case scenario was. Brady will probably get his suspension knocked down a game or two, especially if Les Moonves complains about not having Brady for CBS’ Pats-Cowboys game.

How much of a surprise is this all really? The NFL continues to make worse and worse decisions and this time around they decided to go all in on punishing the Patriots. 

Aside from the ridiculousness of the punishment and all the inconsistencies, what does this mean for the Patriots?

First, the question is can the Patriots beat the Steelers, Bills, Jags and Cowboys with Jimmy Garoppolo? Even if he only wins one of them it’s not an insurmountable hole. Let’s remember the Patriots always lose one or two stinkers in September anyway.

They lost Brady for the entire season in 2008 and it still came down to a tie breaker. So in answering the big question – does this hurt the 2015 Patriots’ chances at the Super Bowl – the answer is most probably no.

In the long term I see good and bad. Giving Garoppolo a chance now will certainly help his development. Especially against Rex Ryan in Buffalo, that will be a big challenge. But losing the first round draft pick again is certainly not a good thing.

The NFL does it again, should we really be surprised. The legend of the infamous Patriots only grows now. What a crazy, crazy trip.