Call it what you want: “Deflate-gate,” “Ballghazi,” “same old Patriots.”
We’re just days away from the granddaddy of ‘em all, the Super Bowl, and all anyone with a nationally-syndicated column, radio show or TV program wants to talk about are New England’s footballs.
This is so stupid.
I’ve always looked forward to reading up on the Super Bowl matchups every year, if only because they were the hottest talking point of the two weeks before the game. If there were some matchup exploitation to be found in one of the defenses, a good underdog story, or even the guy with the biggest mouth on his team talking smack about the opponent, I always enjoyed following the media blitz.
This year, however, it’s been two weeks since that lopsided AFC Championship Game and we’re still talking about footballs and inflation specifications and how someone can actually deflate a football if Bill Belichick is really lying to everyone. Two whole weeks, and nothing has changed.
I really wanted to write this column last week after Mark Brunell, the second or third-most important person in Jacksonville Jaguars history, was given some TV time and nearly brought himself to tears talking about deflated footballs, legacies and how he was too morally sound to ever do such a thing in his playing days. But, I figured I’d wait until this week to see if things would get any better.
They didn’t.
As regular readers of this column know, I’m a Buffalo native and a huge Bills fan. I don’t like New England one bit. But for once, I’m on their side. Why?
They would have demolished the Colts no matter what those footballs felt like. New England scored four rushing touchdowns, and the defense only gave up seven points, so you’re looking at a final score of 28-7 even if Tom Brady didn’t throw a single touchdown pass. The Colts had gotten lucky the week before, and the Patriots knew exactly how to exploit its weak defense.
It’s also important to know that no two teams have the same preferences when it comes to their footballs. Did anyone see when Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson had no problem admitting that he paid people to rough up his footballs before games? Deflating a football gives a QB a similar advantage as roughing one up: It becomes easier to grip and, therefore, throw accurately. Every player is looking for an advantage in the games, no matter how small. If an opportunity is there, they’ll take it.
Is it good practice to deflate footballs before taking the field? Probably not. But, it’s not an offense worth anywhere near the attention it’s been given by the mainstream media, nor is it a crime worthy of the popular “ban them from the Super Bowl” cries of Twitter’s moral police. If anything, give the Pats a 15-yard penalty to open the Super Bowl. Anything more is going overboard.
Now that that’s off my chest, let’s talk about the big game.
Before this season, I predicted that Seattle and Denver would have a rematch this weekend. One out of two ain’t bad, I suppose, and I do enjoy seeing New England play great defenses in the Super Bowl. The Pats lose every time.
On paper, this is probably the worst offense that Brady has ever taken to a Super Bowl. When Brandon LaFell is a team’s best wideout, the quarterback must be a miracle worker. Fortunately for New England late-season addition LeGarrette Blount was the team’s difference-maker, getting it to this game in the first place with a great postseason.
I’ll bet the Bucs wish they would have kept him around.
Seattle’s passing attack is atrocious, ranking 27th in the league, but the team has been thankful for Marshawn Lynch leading the game’s best rushing attack. And, as usual, the defense leads the league in nearly everything.
New England’s biggest weakness has always been a dominant pass rush. Just ask the New York Giants. That’s not something the Seahawks have had this year, but they make up for it with their excellent pass defense, especially with Earl Thomas returning to the middle after an injury. Brady will have time to throw the ball, but with no receivers that can go deep and stretch the field, the passing game will be very predictable.
My three predictions for this one are as follows: Seahawks win, 24-14, another defensive player (but not Malcolm Smith again) wins the Super Bowl MVP award and Lynch waits until Seattle has a 14-point lead to commit another fineable offense on the field.