{"id":162138,"date":"2024-01-23T10:02:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T15:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=162138"},"modified":"2024-02-14T10:14:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T15:14:14","slug":"deflategate-much-ado-about-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/01\/23\/deflategate-much-ado-about-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"Deflategate: Much Ado About nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The New England Patriots fans could be forgiven for wincing upon reading what the newspapers are now calling \u2018Deflategate 2.0.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This time around following a home game against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\/\" target=\"_self\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, rumors were doing the rounds that the balls were below the threshold hold of 13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI) after complaints from both kickers led to the discovery at halftime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The irony on this occasion is that it was the NFL officials who didn&#8217;t inflate the balls correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there seems to be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/new-england-patriots\/messageboard\/threads\/breaking-deflategate-2-0-lol.1162580\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a light-hearted reaction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Deflategate 2.0 with the freezing weather in Foxborough being blamed for the drop in ball pressure that led to the mistake, these reports will undoubtedly invoke feelings of mistrust in Patriots fans after the debacle in 2015.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The K balls were reportedly at 11 psi instead of the required 13.5 psi, leading to kicking issues for both teams per <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ByMarkDaniels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ByMarkDaniels<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5o2fAApRaJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/5o2fAApRaJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; B\/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/brgridiron\/status\/1737870495662449055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 21, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, there were no witty one-liners seven years ago when the NFL fetched their pitchforks and lit their torches before marching down to the Gillette Stadium.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Guilty Until Proven Innocent\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is always one version of events that stands out from the rest when trying to make sense of the original Deflategate story in 2015 when Tom Brady and the Patriots were said to be deliberately deflating the balls to gain an advantage over the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Championship Game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, Colts linebacker D&#8217;Qwell Jackson\u2019s response to him being the one to uncover the supposed foul play accurately sums up the confusion that accompanied these revelations throughout the saga.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was Jackson who intercepted Brady\u2019s pass during the first half and when the linebacker ran over and handed the ball to one of the Colts\u2019 coaching staff, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/28502507\/what-really-happened-deflategate-five-years-later-nfl-scandal-aged-poorly\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the NFL thought<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> they had their smoking gun. The problem with that theory is that Jackson merely wanted a souvenir and only asked for the ball to be put aside so he could take it home after the game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even more telling is that Jackson had no idea that there were suspicions that the balls were being purposefully deflated to hand the Patriots an advantage. The now-retired Jackson was only informed of the breaking story while being chauffeured home from the airport later that night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking on the incident, the linebacker said: &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t know how that could even be an advantage or a disadvantage, I definitely wouldn&#8217;t be able to tell if one ball had less pressure than another.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In reality, Jackson\u2019s sensible take on the matter is what most NFL fans think given that the difference is negligible and that deflated balls &#8211;\u00a0 while they may be easier to grip and catch, are harder to kick; what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, the Patriots were at as much of a disadvantage as the Colts but that didn\u2019t stop the NFL from throwing the book at the Boston franchise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the investigation that started with Jackson asking for a keepsake having intercepted a ball from the greatest quarterback of all time, the Patriots were fined $1 million and Brady was suspended for four games after the NFL concluded that the accusation of balls being deflated was \u2018more probable than not.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Needless to say, those were hefty fines to pay for a verdict that was based on the laws of probability. However, the greater cost came to the Patriots\u2019 hard-fought reputation over a time when they were considerably better than any other NFL franchise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Patriots Didn&#8217;t Need Help to Win<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ball pressure ultimately had nothing to do with the dynasty they <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2015\/feb\/01\/tom-brady-leads-new-england-patriots-on-a-thrilling-ride-to-super-bowl-xlix-win\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">built in Boston<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and it\u2019s worth keeping in mind that after the balls were pumped up before the second half of the now-infamous AFC Championship Game in 2015, the Patriots would go on to score 28 unanswered points. Put differently, they performed far worse with flat balls.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Super Bowl champions! <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/j8ax5x8Ts1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/j8ax5x8Ts1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; New England Patriots (@Patriots) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Patriots\/status\/562087181787754496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 2, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturally, you can understand why Patriots fans might be shaking their heads in 2023 following the news that the balls were marginally below the regulation PSI against the Chiefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the toned-down response to the discovery of the NFL officials&#8217; error might serve as exoneration for the Patriots given that no one is suggesting that they benefited from the balls being below regulation pressure. There is a reason for this clemency and it comes down to the Patriots not being very good this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is that it has been a campaign to forget and there is no chance of silverware for the Boston team. Indeed, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/11\/28\/patriots-week-12-report-card-terrible-offense-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patriots&#8217; terrible offense<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> resulted in the earliest elimination from the playoff race since the year 2000.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is why if you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/betway.com\/en\/sports\/grp\/american-football\/usa\/nfl\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bet on NFL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> outright markets as of December 22nd, you won\u2019t see the Patriots listed with the San Francisco 49ers as the current favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII at +200. For all intents and purposes, the Patriots are simply trying to make it to the end of the season on January 7th before licking their wounds after a bruising campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Much Ado About Nothing<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rest of the league knows this which is why the drop in ball pressure against the loss <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/12\/18\/morse-observations-from-another-loss-to-the-chiefs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to the Chiefs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is being treated as a non-event. The question to ask is if the Patriots weren\u2019t on course to win the Super Bowl in 2015, would a similar reaction have taken place? At least, were the Patriots a victim of their hard-won success?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There might be light at the end of the tunnel and vindication for the Patriots now that some perspective is being used to reassess the events in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Image: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New England Patriots fans could be forgiven for wincing upon reading what the newspapers are now calling \u2018Deflategate 2.0.\u2019\u00a0 This time around following a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs, rumors were doing the rounds that the balls were below the threshold hold of 13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI) after complaints from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":162142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[430,331],"class_list":["post-162138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots","tag-bill-belichick","tag-tom-brady"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}