Asked if Brady had told him he was innocent, Kraft said: “Yes. Because we had the discussion—if you did it, let’s just deal with it and take our hit and move on. I’ve known Tommy 16 years, almost half his life. He’s a man, and he’s always been honest with me, and I trust him. I believed what he told me. He has never lied to me, and I have found no hard or conclusive evidence to the contrary.”
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/18/robert-kraft-patriots-owner-nfl-deflategate/
Mr. Kraft talks to Peter King, getting the message out. The problem for the NFL is that there’s really nothing more they can say in the court of opinion. Ted Wells’ conference call last week was their last gasp, now they just have to sit back and watch the Patriots defend themselves with mounting evidence.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/asked-if-brady-had-told-him-he-was-innocent-kraft/
In this case, frankly, Wells failed to make a sufficiently compelling case in those 243 pages that the Patriots tampered with footballs on January 18, 2015 and that Tom Brady was at least generally aware (whatever that means) of the effort to do so. Most significantly, common sense suggests that the PSI readings generated by footballs that were hastily deflated on the floor of a bathroom in the bowels of Gillette Stadium would be much lower than the numbers predicted by the Ideal Gas Law. They weren’t.
NFL should improve its in-house system of justice | ProFootballTalk
Have to say this is a pretty stunning take from Mike Florio, considering he’s usually one of the leading torch bearers for any Patriots witch hunt. This is a nice way to start off Monday.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/in-this-case-frankly-wells-failed-to-make-a/
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team quit like Dansby’s Cardinals did on that snowy day. The Patriots led 21-0 early in the second quarter, upped it to 31-0 at the half en route to a 47-7 win, and Dansby and his teammates couldn’t get out of there fast enough. But let’s blame it on the headset.
Quick-hitting thoughts on the New England Patriots, NFL – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN
I had the same thought as Reiss, the Cardinals never even got off the bus that day.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/im-not-sure-ive-ever-seen-a-team-quit-like/
When you’re really good for a really long time, people want to come after you. We all support Tom, the whole Patriots organization supports Tom, and the Patriots fan base supports Tom. You can’t control what everybody else says or does, you can kind of just control what you can do. For me, everybody else is focused on this season and do the best you can.
Rob Ninkovich
https://www.patspropaganda.com/when-youre-really-good-for-a-really-long-time/
What do you expect out of the offensive line this year
Along with the cornerbacks, this is the most interesting roster spot right now. I’m still holding a spot for Dan Connolly because really, if he was going to sign somewhere else he probably would’ve already so he could start getting assimilated. So I expect he’s on the veteran plan and will sign sometime between now and the start of training camp.
So in a perfect world I think we’ll be looking at Solder-Connolly-Stork-Jackson-Vollmer, perhaps with Wendell rotating in at RG depending on how quickly Jackson picks it up. Cannon/Fleming should work in as well in third tackle, tight end roles, while Shaq Mason is my wild card.
If/when Garoppolo has to start the first however many games, that’s where things get interesting because historically, the Pats offensive line hasn’t been exactly at their best in September. Brady can usually pull those games out, but he definitely has gotten plenty of punishment in the first month of the season the last few years overall.
Some of that certainly had to do with all the experimentation that happened last season after they had to adjust without Logan Mankins, so they just can’t afford to do that this year if Garoppolo is in there.
Especially against pressure defenses like the Steelers and Bills, they need some consistency. Garoppolo can get the ball out quick, but not if there’s immediate disruption, especially in the middle of the line.
So, look for them to try to find a starting five and stick with it in August. It’s imperative they have it down by opening day.
The good news is that once Brady returns the table should be set for him and the line should be in tune. If Brady’s suspension is reduced or eliminated, I’d still hope to see a definitive starting five on the line.
The biggest position battle to watch will be at right guard where Jackson, Wendell and Mason should all get some looks. If Connolly were to not re-sign, I’m not sure how it all comes together. That would be scary.