Anyone?
Three
games into preseason and that front seven on defense is looking pretty good.
Malcolm Butler is looking like winning a Super Bowl was just his opening act.
Maybe the Patriots won't need to score 35 points a game this year to make a run
at Super Bowl 50, after all.
The
way the offense has been playing, that looks like a very good thing, indeed. Of
course, the offense has been playing with three rookies on the offensive line
and backups at wide receiver and tight end. Any rational fan would note these
salient facts when evaluating the underwhelming performance of the Brady Bunch.
Obviously,
the Patriots offense will look a whole lot different with Edelman and Gronk on
the field. It was nice to see Scott Chandler on the receiving end of that
perfect parabola from Brady. So far, Reggie Wayne is zigging when he should be
zagging but I think he'll figure things out. Or maybe Aaron Dobson can stretch
the field a little bit while Brandon LaFell is on the PUP list. I’m probably
more worried about Bryan Stork's mystery ailment than LaFell, Wayne or Dobson.
From the
"It Could Be Worse" File
So,
I could be a Washington R******s' fan, rooting for a team whose head coach has
body image issues and may be trying to kill his own starting quarterback. The
passive aggressive struggle between Jay Gruden and Robert Griffin III has been
a lot of fun for Cowboys' fans. (Giants' fans have their own problems and
Eagles' fans are starting to believe the only thing that stands between them
and a Super Bowl are Sam Bradford's knee ligaments.) Gruden is in way over his
head. He's underwater. He needs the US Navy to send one of those submarine
rescue ships and hope they have a submersible rated for his depth. That's not
to say RG III is the answer, unless the question is, "Can you believe
anyone ever thought this guy was a better prospect than Andrew Luck?" As
for Kirk Cousins, well, everyone loves the backup quarterback until he becomes
the starter. Then they're reminded why he was the backup in the first place.
Genius
can be hard to recognize and harder to understand…
It's
preseason. Okay. But this past Saturday in Green Bay, Sam Bradford looked like
a move that may cost Jeff Fisher his job and St. Louis its franchise. If I'm an
Eagles' fan, I've still got my Sam Bradford action figure in bubble wrap,
locked in a lead-lined box, stored in a floor safe that not even my wife knows
about. When I take him out on game days, I put him in a bullet-proof glass case
and surround him with couch cushions and throw pillows.
Somewhere,
Chip Kelly is smiling, sipping a protein shake, running the numbers on going
for two after every touchdown scored in 2015.
Obligatory
Deflategate Digression
Random
thoughts, in no particular order…
It
still bothers me when pigskin pundits and bobbleheads refer to "deflated
footballs." The logo gauge readings from half-time of the AFC Championship
Game, using the Ideal Gas Law, indicate that it is more probable than not the
Patriots' game balls were 12.5 PSI to start the game. Footballs at 12.5 PSI
cannot be described as "deflated." At worst (from this Patriot fan's
perspective), the fact that there were two gauges with readings nearly a half
pound of pressure different means there can be no finding, either way. The
variations in PSI readings indicate that something other than human
intervention was involved. (Mother Nature loves chaos.) I get that everyone
west of the Connecticut River thinks the Patriots are cheaters, but part of the
reason for that is the media's insistence on using phrases like "deflated
footballs."
As
for those thinking that Tom Brady's preseason performance has been because he's
been distracted, see notes above, regarding the fact that Tom Terrific has been
throwing passes to guys who'll be lucky to make the practice squad.
I
do believe Brady will play Week 1, however Judge Berman rules.
If
Berman upholds Brady's suspension, my feeling is the NFLPA will appeal and file
a temporary injunction that allows Brady to play. There's too much at stake for
the NFLPA not to appeal.
If
Berman vacates Brady's suspension, my feeling is that it's over. There have
already been a few stories quoting unnamed owners who are sick and tired of
Deflategate, which has arguably done more damage to "The Shield" than
anything Tom Brady is alleged to have done. Giants' owner John Mara has gone
public with his desire for Deflategate to be over. Would they let Goodell appeal,
and keep this story on the front page, a distraction, an opportunity for yet
more embarrassing details to be revealed? The longer this story has gone on,
the more public opinion has shifted. What happens when one of those random
half-time checks on the game balls produces results that support the argument
that it was environmental factors and not Jim McNally that led to a loss of
PSI?
Does
the NFL want to be in court arguing they have the right to punish Tom Brady for
having done nothing?
Oh,
wait. They're doing that right now.
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