Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Deflategate saga continues. On Tuesday afternoon, the NFL upheld Tom Brady’s four-game suspension for his role in a football-deflation scheme. As head scratching as this whole thing is, not much more can be done about it. The New England Patriots, and their fans, must move on.
The Patriots and their fan base must proceed forward with the cards they have been dealt. It’s very unlikely that Brady will appear in the first four games of the 2015 NFL season.
There are some things a team can control, and some things they can’t. Here are some things that are out of the Patriots’ control:
1. A suspension that puts Brady in the same boat as Greg Hardy for the first month of the 2015 season
2. How other teams play
3. The weather
And here is the one thing the Patriots can control:
1. How they play
You get the idea.
With that in mind, let’s shift the Deflategate narrative. It’s time to close ranks. The Patriots of the 2000s have reached the isolationist level of the 1970s Raiders.
Believe it or not, there are some good things about Brady’s ridiculous suspension being upheld. If the Patriots are going to win Super Bowl 50, they will have to address this suspension head-on, so as a fan base, that is what we must do as well.
Following are some glass half-full remarks in response to the league upholding Brady’s suspension. Bear with me.
Next: Brady won't get hurt in September
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
4. Brady won’t get hurt in September
Every opening game, Patriots fans are reminded of the painful 2008 opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in which Brady tore his ACL. That sick feeling every Pats fan got by seeing a winged Brady in the September sun will stick with the fan base as long as Brady is the starting quarterback.
At least we won’t have that worry about that this year.
In fact, this suspension could lengthen Brady’s career. Not only will Brady be sitting safely on the bench for these first four games, but he will be practicing regularly, which will keep his muscles and bones limber for his Week 6 debut. Know this: Brady will enter that gargantuan matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in top form. He will be ready to go.
Brady is about to turn 38; every snap he doesn’t take lengthens his career. Two, three, four years down the road, we might look back on Deflategate as one of the reasons why Brady played into his 40s.
Any other season, Brady missing four games would be a result of him getting injured and the Patriots would be left largely unprepared. Not this year, as right this minute the Patriots are implementing non-Brady game plans for the first month of the season. Speaking of that non-Brady guy…
Next: We'll get to see Jimmy G in action
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
3. We’ll get to see Jimmy G in real action
As a rookie, Garoppolo completed 19 of 27 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Most of that action came in a meaningless Week 17 game with the Buffalo Bills, in which he tossed for 90 yards and completed 10 of 17 throws.
Assuming he beats out Matt Flynn in training camp (which he should), Garoppolo will be playing his first meaningful NFL snaps in September. Considering the Patriots spent a second round pick on him, it’s safe to say that he is the heir to Brady’s throne. Think of this four-game stretch as a dress rehearsal.
Yes, we would all rather see Brady taking the first snap against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, but come on—you have to be excited to see how the kid does in these big games. Most teams don’t have the luxury of grooming a promising young quarterback under a Hall of Famer; in another situation, Garoppolo might have been expected to start as a rookie, so getting these games under his belt as a sophomore is good for his development.
It’s hard to see Brady nearing the end of his career, but all good things eventually come to an end. The end for Brady isn’t there yet, but the gap between New England quarterbacking eras is beginning to be bridged with Garoppolo starting the first four games of 2015. That’s not a bad thing.
For more thoughts on Garoppolo starting in Week 1, check out what Connor Wilcoxen had to say yesterday.
Next: The offense will be a complete mystery
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
2. The Patriots’ offense will be a complete mystery
How you play with one quarterback is entirely different from how you play with another. An offense is characterized by the capability and tendencies of its quarterback.
With that in mind, there’s no doubt that the Patriots will play with two completely different offensive schemes over the first half of the regular season. There will be the offense put together to assist Garoppolo against the tough Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Dallas defenses (which will undergo several incarnations, for sure), and then there will be the more familiar Brady-led offense when No. 12 returns to action.
This will throw opposing defensive coordinators completely for a loop. The Colts won’t have any idea what to expect from the Brady-led Pats in Week 6, as the only tape available from 2015 will just be Garoppolo games. Instead of playing in those first four games, Brady will spend each week tirelessly preparing to tear into the Colts’ defense, which is also not a bad thing.
And when Garoppolo is starting, the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills and Cowboys will be unfamiliar with the second-year passer. Is he a scrambler? More of a pocket guy than we thought? Or are the Pats just going to hand the ball off a bunch?
Admittedly, this mystery might not be very comforting for Patriots fans. But try to see the good in Garoppolo’s youth. At least the Patriots will have a quarterback who can make plays with his feet for the first time this century.
Next: TB12 will be livid
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
1. Tom Brady will be mad
If those conspiracy theories about the NFL trying to reel back the Patriots’ dominance are true, then they certainly went about it wrong. Don’t they know that an angry Brady is the best Brady?
Say what you want about him, but you can’t knock Brady’s passion for winning. He pours his heart and soul into every play, and berates teammates who aren’t on the same level as him. He jaws with 325-pound defensive lineman and gets into tiffs with Hall of Fame linebackers (i.e. Ray Lewis).
When he’s ticked off, Brady is not someone you want to play against. Especially if you’re the Colts, and you haven’t been able to slow Brady down yet during the Andrew Luck era.
Now, Brady won’t come out yelling and screaming all over the place. He will play with controlled, channeled anger and then let it all out when he hits Gronk for that first touchdown against the Colts.
Some people say the Patriots will go 1-3 in these first four games, some people say they will go 2-2. Call me overconfident, but I see a quietly livid Brady leading a 3-1 squad into battle when the Patriots run out onto Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday Night Football.
Try to think of this as just another challenge for the Patriots to overcome. Champions overcome challenges, and the Patriots are champions, after all. Don’t forget that.