deflategate

A Brief History of Patriots-Influenced NFL Rule Changes

March 28, 2018 by Mike Dussault

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQcONqYsQ_w

The Patriots’ dominance of the past 17 years has transformed the NFL landscape in a number of ways. First, their constant iron fist rule over the Dolphins, Jets and Bills has sent all three teams into endless cycles of GM/Coach/QB combos. Every now and then they’ll get lucky in their home stadium and get an early season-defining win over Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but outside of the 2010 Jets, no AFC East team has beaten the Patriots in a meaningful game in a long, long time.

That goes for most of the rest of the NFL, with notable challengers the 2000s Colts, 2009-2012 Ravens, and the 2005/Peyton Manning Broncos. For almost two decades the division and conference teams outside New England were built to take down the Patriots and yet none could find the “blueprint” to beat the Pats outside of play a near-perfect 60-minute game. It’s amazing how hard that is for the great majority of NFL teams most of the time.

That competitive push against extended into the offseason, especially after the Pats’ dynastic run got kicked off with a game-saving, stupid-rule-called-correct, it’s no surprise that with increasing frequency rules that benefit, or are exploited by, the Patriots get put under the microscope each time the geniuses running the NFL competition committee decide what will improve the game.

Let’s take a look back at some NFL rule changes made because of the Patriots.

Coffin Corner: What Will This Year’s Shocking Super Bowl Narrative Be?

January 23, 2018 by James Conway

As we all know, with the extra week before the Super Bowl there are a lot of pages that need to be viewed. A lot air time that needs to be shouted into. A lot of ‘Tomato Cans’ (read Straw Men) that Need Crushing. That usually means we get an insane, regurgitated, ALL CAPS version of the season’s scandals (unless they involve Peyton Manning’s wife chewing HGH like Pez). But this year, I think we will see something decidedly different. Before we look forward, let’s reflect on the media narratives going into the Patriots previous eight appearances:

Coffin Corner: Happy Two-year Anniversary, Rog! Seriously. Thanks.

May 11, 2017 by James Conway

This Coffin Corner is to honor the two-year anniversary of Roger Goodell’s verdict (5/11/15) as it related to Ted Wells propaganda-for-hire report. And to celebrate the fact that with the ’17 draft in the books, Deflategate’s “punishment” is too. The reason I put punishment in quotes is because it really has been nothing but gravy since the Sheriff shot his six-shooter til it was spent. Today, we will look back and laugh at what horseshit they put us all through and thank the people… er… the person that’s responsible.

As of today, the New England Patriots sit on the precipice of the 2017 season, fully loaded with a real chance to repeat. I want to take a moment to thank the architect of this latest iteration of the greatest modern sports dynasty. No, not Robert or Jonathan Kraft, or Bill Belichick, or even Ernie Adams, there’s a man whose responsibility has gone unsung in these parts. Because two years after he tried to cripple Bill Belichick, the Krafts and Tom Brady, the New England Patriots are now loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Patient Zero of HPV (not the STD that causes cervical cancer, though I am not sure how Hate Patriots Virus is transmitted, so maybe it is an STD). I digress, it’s you, Rog. Thank you, Roger Goodell. Okay, let me explain…

Patriots Gameplan: Super Bowl Bye Week vs. The Haters

January 27, 2017 by Mike Dussault

No game this weekend so instead of a gameplan for the Pats I’m writing a gameplan for us, the Patriots fans.

It’s hard work being a Patriots fan when the games aren’t on, when we’re not kicking ass up and down the gridiron. Because we’ve been doing it for so long the countless blowhard pundits who need people talking about them often have our team in their crosshairs.

All you have to do these days is have a dumb opinion about Tom Brady and it’s going to spread like wildfire. Just ask Chris Simms.

The Pats’ merits are debated both at macro (Deflators! Videotapers!) and micro (Tom Brady can’t throw deep!, the defense hasn’t played anybody!) levels, because that’s what “sports media” is now and it’s annoying as hell to have to deal with for Patriots fans.

What can you do, New Englanders are passionate about their sports and that passion only seeps into all the other Patriots fans around the globe. I know because I hear from them. From places like Brazil and Germany and Hungary to name a few.

The support of this team runs deep everywhere by those who can appreciate excellent, once-in-a-lifetime quality football.

But this weekend let’s take a moment to appreciate what we have in this football team. How lucky we are that in this crazy world we have a diversion that has brought us all so much joy over the last decade-and-a-half.

Let’s take a short trip down memory lane for some perspective.

One More Week! Patriots Catchup on Stickergate, 53-Man and more

September 4, 2016 by Mike Dussault

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We’re just one week away from the start of the Patriots 2016 season, making today the last football-free Sunday until February. It’s hard to believe another offseason has gone by and here we stand, ready for one more run at this thing with Belichick and, eventually, Brady.

With all the focus on the 53-man roster over the last two days, it’s a good time to catch up on some things we might’ve missed and some of the more interesting news around the web today.

Here’s some of their stuff, along with some leftover thoughts as we turn all of our focus to the Arizona Cardinals.

Deflategate is Over, Tom Brady will Sit Four Games

July 15, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Tom Brady posted the below message on Facebook today, putting an end to Deflategate once and for all.

Tom Brady Deflategate

It’s hard to believe this thing dragged on for as long as it did, and you can revisit all the choice Deflategate posts from PatsPropaganda here. The 2014 AFC Championship seems like a lifetime ago now.

While it will suck not to have Brady for the first four games of the season, and my disgust for the NFL’s handling of the entire affair burns brighter than ever, I’m glad to get away from labor law. This blog has always been a football-first blog. Now we can go back to that. In fact, it really already started yesterday, taking a look at how Garoppolo is better prepared than Matt Cassel was in 2008, but faces a far more daunting slate of games.

Brady will sit those four games, one more lost draft pick will go by in April of 2017 and then Deflategate can fade into a footnote of Brady’s career. But it certainly sets the stage for one more necessary championship run. That fifth Super Bowl means everything now. Not only would it put Brady in a class by himself as a quarterback, it forces Roger Goodell to hand over the Lombardi trophy to Tom’s awaiting hands one more time.

That might be a hollow victory, watching Goodell Bot act like it’s no big deal. Like it was all business. That Brady doesn’t want to murder him. But it would mean something to all the Patriots fans who have passionately defended Brady from the start to get one more moment like that.

Now we can move on. Kind of. There will always be the idiots who make air pressure jokes. Who think this was about the Patriots and Brady cheating and not a corrupt NFL office. But when the NFL punishment circus comes their team’s way all we can say is “told ya”. I think more and more fans are aware of this now. John Cena’s joke at the ESPY’s confirmed that for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00sRBDl1J2I

This is really nothing new for Patriots fans. We got through it with Spygate and we’ll get through it with Deflategate. Because we have the best coach, quarterback and team in the NFL and their run is not yet over.

I leave you with the first ever piece I wrote that got any internet attention. I wrote it over eight years ago and it’s just as true as ever.

Embrace the hate. We’re Darth Vader. And the rest of the NFL is living on Alderaan.

Deflategate Day 535: En Banc Hearing Denied

July 13, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Deflategate En Banc It’s looking more likely that ever that Tom Brady will be sitting the first four games of the 2016 season. The second circuit court denied Brady and the NFLPA’s appeal for an En Banc hearing on Deflategate, leaving limited options for the defamed quarterback. Brady could try to take it to the Supreme Court, but he’s just about out of options.

For Pats fans, there are so many emotions. Everyone is sick of Deflategate. Even those of us who are apoplectic at the way the NFL treated their star player are ready to be done with it. And by now it’s easy to find the silver linings.

Jimmy Garoppolo is now poised to play at Arizona, vs. Miami, vs. Houston and vs. Buffalo. Three home games, but four defenses that are daunting. In the long term, it’s great for the Patriots to get a look at Garoppolo now, in his third year. Next offseason will be the last time the Pats could move Garoppolo and get something for him. So this will be an audition as much as anything.

And really, even with Brady, the Pats usually sputter a bit out of the gate. Even a 1-3 record wouldn’t be insurmountable, while 3-1 or 2-2 are usually par for the course anyway. So to the 31 teams who are reacting like the Bills, nah-nah-nah-poo-poo the Patriots are still going to be fine, not only this season, but for future seasons because they’ll truly know what they have in their backup QB.

Plus Brady gets a lighter training camp and shortened season which can only benefit the soon-to-be 39 year-old. He’ll have four weeks to stew and will be ready to unleash hell on the Cleveland Browns on October 9th, before making his first home appearance against the Bengals. I’m most curious how Brady studies the offense in those first four games, what he sees and how he can help implement ways to use new players like Martellus Bennett.

But it still sucks. The NFL played dirty from the start with this whole affair. From refusing to correct false information in the media, to planting lies in the media to support their version, to moving the goal posts after the appeal, the NFL was in it to win it the entire time. Forget the actual truth and evidence. They saw their chance to finally get those Patriots, and pulled out all the stops to make sure they prevailed.

Maybe Brady tries to go to the Supreme Court. He certainly has the legal team in place for it. Maybe, like many would love, he opens a defamation lawsuit against the NFL (that’s where things would get uber interesting). Or maybe this really is the end of a crazy charade that lasted over a year-and-a-half all over footballs that were .4% below what the Ideal Gas Law predicted they would be.