Former Panther general manager and Charlotte radio talk show host Marty Hurney has added his voice to the number of people who have suspicions about the New England Patriots in the wake of deflategate at the AFC Championship Game. This begs the question if the New England Legacy is really going to be written as Tuck Rule – Spygate – Deflated Balls. In the meantime, I think there is plenty of stuff out there that the Patriots can use as ‘Us Against the World’ motivation for the upcoming Super Bowl.
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Hurney’s concerns predate the current controversy with the Patriots. He believes that they were doing shady things that might have changed the outcome of Super Bowl XXXVIII where the Panthers lost 32-29 to the Patriots on a Vinatieri field goal. Hurney said that he thinks that the Patriots may have taped their Houston practice before the game. Hurney has no evidence of this wrong-doing, but he thinks that may have been destroyed when Roger Goodell destroyed the game tapes.
I have tried to get a handle on the current deflated ball crisis. Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, likes a more inflated ball because he has the strength and hand size to grip it and rip it. That suggests to me the only real advantage to deflating the balls. Tom Brady is 37 and though he still has nice touch, he does not have the arm strength he used to have. Would deflating the ball compensate for that? It does make the ball easier to grip for a smaller or weaker handed person and easier to catch.
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These are advantages that young cannon-armed Andrew Luck would assumedly not need, as he could grip and rip not unlike Rodgers. The deflated ball is also an interesting coincidence to the good season that Brandon LaFell put in for the Patriots. In Carolina, LaFell was notorious for dropping balls. Some of that may have been Cam’s gun versus Brady’s touch, but could a deflated ball have contributed?
I think that what New England fans and some former NFL players that say there is no advantage to the deflated ball are missing is Belichick’s reputation for gaming the system. Basically Belichick has a reputation that is coloring this whole issue. You may not know what the advantage/disadvantage of deflating balls is, but you’re pretty sure that Bill Belichick does. In fact you would think he does even if no one else how to gain an advantage from it.
So I am sure some sports scientist will figure out what happened to the balls. I also think that New England will be well motivated next Sunday. I also think that Hurney will never get the satisfaction he wants.