The Patriot Way-New England Patriots News, 5/11
By Cyrus Geller
Hello, and welcome to another edition of ‘The Patriot Way’, your number one source to New England Patriots news and analysis from around the web.
Gauge inconsistency damaging for NFL’s case against Pats
"The longer the NFL waits to deliver discipline for DeflateGate – presumably with an eye on gauging public reaction – the more time available to look at the actual gauges used to measure the Patriots footballs for the AFCCG.That’s what ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio’s been up to this weekend, and he takes aim at some glaring inconsistencies."
Pressure gauge discrepancies undermine Wells report
"Lost in the text messages between Larry and Curly and the question of whether Tom Brady was the Moe Howard periodically clunking their heads together to ensure that the footballs were suited to his preferences is the possibility that the raw measurements don’t point to tampering."
Quick hit thoughts around the Patriots
"Over the last three days, I’ve digested the 243-page Wells report reading it multiple times, and with its bias and lack of fairness in certain areas, I truly can’t believe what the commissioner has done to the legacy and reputation of one of the greatest quarterbacks and ambassadors in the history of the game — all over air pressure in a football and without definitive proof he had anything to do with it.Why do I think this has been made to be a bigger deal than it is? I go back to the Vikings-Panthers game from November, with teams illegally heating footballs on the sideline and simply getting a warning from the NFL, and wonder how we got to this point with the Patriots and underinflated footballs. I go back to the Chargers using an illegal sticky substance on towels in 2012 and getting fined $25,000, and likewise wonder how we got to this point with the Patriots and underinflated footballs."
Deflategate reaction now a race to be the most ridiculous
"There’s a dearth of critical thinking in the media when sensational stories break. We turn into carnival barkers. And the quickest way to get people gathered under our tent and gawking is by using our bullhorn – blogs, columns, radio mikes, TV shows, Twitter feeds – to make some over-the-top claim. If it’s laughably out of proportion, whatever.Since the granddaddy of all the Gates – Watergate – it’s been said that it’s not the crime, but the coverup which really does the damage and becomes some poor sap’s undoing."
Analysis: Lots of holes in Wells Report’s probe of Patriots
"It took 243 pages for Ted Wells to attempt to summarize his 31⁄2-month Deflategate investigation. All that paper, so little proof, and yet so much shade thrown at Tom Brady.Wells should at least have the decency to use two-ply next time.There were so many holes in the investigation, and the presumptive tone of the actual report appeared to cover up a lack of damning evidence."