We are now almost a month removed from the Patriots fourth glorious Super Bowl victory.
The team that I believed in and praised all season long hoisted the Lombardi Trophy while the confetti fell on that legacy-defining Sunday night.
Many NFL analysts and so called “professionals” have said that this Super Bowl should have an asterisk next to it because of the insanity that was “deflategate.”
The way I look at it, the Patriots dominated the Colts in absolutely every aspect of football in the AFC championship game, including in the second half when all of the balls had been checked to regulation.
Rich Guy AP Photo / The Clarion-Ledger
Now, I think if you took a poll, 99 percent of those “analysts” and “experts” would agree that the Seattle Seahawks were a far more superior team than the Indianapolis Colts were in this postseason.
And the last time I checked, the Patriots took the field on Feb. 1 and beat the Seattle Seahawks fair and square.
With the exact same footballs being used by both teams, the New England Patriots went out and brought down the big, bad Seahawks.
So forgive me if this is a bit too harsh, but anyone who wants to take away credit from the Patriots on that impressive, hard-earned victory should not be considered an analyst, professional or expert.
Those people that are still hanging onto the deflategate nonsense seem way more to me like they should be considered “idiots,” “imbeciles” or “crybabies.”
The phrase “They hate us ‘cause they ain’t us” has progressively become the slogan for this year’s Patriots team. As ridiculous, arrogant and cocky as it sounds, I personally feel like it is such a perfect way to describe the media and jealous fans that have approached all of the deflategate noise.
It seems as though every week more evidence comes out that nobody within the Patriots organization had any knowledge in the deflating of the footballs in the AFC championship game.
It is so upsetting to me to hear someone like legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice say that there should be an asterisk next to the Patriots championship.
Jerry Rice is the last person on planet Earth that should be criticizing anyone of cheating in any way, considering he admitted to using “stickum” (a sticky substance that can be sprayed on gloves to help receivers catch the ball) in an interview with ESPN just a few weeks ago.
The point I’m trying to get at here is that there is no way any credit should be taken away from the Patriots for this Super Bowl victory.
Different forms of “cheating” happen in all sports. Pine tar has been used in multiple instances in Major League Baseball; Jerry Rice’s “stickum” on his gloves; Legendary NFL linebacker Ray Lewis’ use of deer antler spray in the playoffs a few years ago, to name only a few.
All of those instances are ways in which a player or team is trying to gain a competitive advantage in a game, but none have been scrutinized for “cheating” nearly as much as deflategate.
This issue needs to be let go and the Patriots should receive the credit they deserve for a well-fought, legitimate and immaculate Super Bowl victory.
Jake Coughlin can be contacted at jcoughlin@kscequinox.com
