It's Starting to Sink In

Still feeling pretty buzzed.

Starting to take it all in.

The cottage industry devoted to diminishing the Patriots’ accomplishments over the last decade and a half won’t be going out of business any time soon. 

Deflategate still casts a shadow on the intertwined legacies of Belichick and Brady and if you thought winning a fourth Super Bowl would actually put Spygate in the rear view it seems pretty clear it isn't running out of gas any time soon.

Those who called for an asterisk on New England’s AFC Championship may ask for one on Super Bowl XLIX because the Patriots didn't really win; the Seahawks threw it away.

The Julian “Standing 8 Count” Edelman Story was a perfect example of why we probably shouldn't believe anything on the Internet. Web sites generate page hits with fresh content. It doesn't have to be right. There’s be plenty of time to get it right later. Or forget about getting it right. Let's just move on to the next story; another is always waiting for us and let's hope this one involves nudity.

For a few hours Tuesday morning, I was treated to repeated views of Kam Chancellor ear-holing Julian Edelman followed by questions as to whether Edelman was concussed or even checked for a concussion. It looked like another example of the Patriots doing anything to win, in this case to the point of risking a serious, possibly life-threatening injury to one of their best players. After a few hours it wasn't a story after all as it was reported Edelman had been tested and cleared to return. Then it was sort of a story because nobody trusts anything the Patriots do.

After his bravura performance in the Super Bowl, when does Jules officially change his last name to Incredelman?

Was Deflategate a clever marketing ploy by the NFL to generate TV ratings? Roger Goodell’s “The Voice of Patrick Star” routine makes it hard to believe any sentence that has both “clever” and “NFL” in it but whatever the case, Super Bowl XLIX was the highest rated game in Super Bowl history and perhaps the most viewed program in the history of forever.

If you were watching to see God’s QB slay the flying vampire monkeys of the Hooded One, well, you may no longer believe in God.

Regardless of what the league finds in their investigation, Deflategate seems destined to end ambiguously. Given the number of leaks, it will be hard for Patriots Nation to believe the investigation was impartial, regardless of the findings. Anything that falls short of the original report – 11 footballs at -2.0 PSI – will work to New England’s favor. So, it wasn't as bad as you said it was? If there are more footballs closer to 12.5 PSI than not, if PSI readings are all over the map, if a random pattern emerges, well then it will look a whole lot less like a systematic attempt to gain an advantage by deflating (almost) all the footballs by exactly -2.0 PSI because that’s what Tommy likes.

If the Patriots are exonerated, will Mark Brunell be brought almost to tears again? Will anyone who has already convicted Brady, Belichick and the Patriots be willing to give the DNA evidence even a cursory glance? That bro-hug between Roger Goodell and Tom Terrific when Tom picked up his MVP award isn’t going to help dispel the perception that the fix was in, because Goodell sits in Robert Kraft's hip pocket. If Ted Wells finds no evidence of wrong-doing, especially if they have no credible alternative explanation (science, anyone?) for why the Patriots footballs were underinflated (and especially if the Colts’ footballs were not), will there be any punishment?

I believe Belichick and Brady. I believe the science that has demonstrated a -1.8 variation in PSI due to changes in temperature and humidity similar to the AFC Championship game day conditions. If there was only one football that was -2.0 PSI and that football was the one the Colts took to their sideline I will be the among the first to ask if there’s any videotape of what the Colts did with that football on their sideline. If New England is vindicated, an apology is absolutely in order and not only that. I’d like to see whoever brought these false and damnable charges (*cough* Colts *cough*) fined. Oh, and docked a draft pick. That’s always good. A third rounder will suffice. Thank you.

No matter how Deflategate ends, I can't help but wonder what the Colts were thinking. Do they enjoy getting their asses handed to them? There was already bad blood between the two franchises dating back to when Indianapolis was in the AFC East. Why would they want to give Kraft, Belichick and Brady more motivation? 45-7 may seem like the good old days when this is all said and done.

One good thing about the pigskin universe questioning Pete Carroll’s call on 2nd and Goal has been getting to see Malcolm Butler intercept that pass over and over and over again. Will it ever get old? I look forward to finding out.

Speaking of getting old, did Tom Brady look 37 in Super Bowl XLIX? Or did he look like a guy who actually could play at a high level for another three seasons (if not longer)? And where can I buy me some avocado ice cream? If the Patriots can afford Darrelle Revis and their key free agents (Devin McCourty, Shane Vereen, Stephen Gostkowski), would you be surprised if New England were to return to the Super Bowl again next year?

Even if they don’t find a way to fit Revis in under the cap I wouldn’t be surprised.

That could happen.

That could definitely happen.