Nearly seven years later, it’s apparent the Deflategate wounds are still fresh in Indianapolis. Ahead of Saturday’s Patriots-Colts showdown, the prince of deflated takes, Gregg Doyel, penned a vicious column in which he called the Patriots “deceitful” and “detestable” for pulling off the “most egregious example of cheating in NFL history.” Never mind that Mac Jones is now under center instead of Tom Brady, or that Deflategate was scientifically and journalistically proven to be nothing but a big sham. In Doyle’s mind, Bill Belichick’s entire run of greatness has been predicated on taking some hisses of air out of footballs.
And that’s not even Doyle’s craziest proclamation since fellow Indianapolis sportswriter Bob Kravitz broke Deflategate with an early morning tweet on Jan. 19, 2015.
There are many valuable lessons we can take from the most absurd scandal in pro sports history: how the media ecosystem feeds off frenzy instead of facts; the dangers of a power-hungry executive who will do anything, including smear the reputation of his league’s greatest player, to gain negotiation leverage. But as far as the Colts are concerned, the true takeaway from Deflategate revolves around the media’s power to dictate reality. Indianapolis sportswriters and national talking heads became crazed over the story, and as a result, the Colts did as well. One of the league’s most promising young teams spiraled into mediocrity, and then straight into a rebuild. They could no longer handle themselves.
Before we go further, it’s important to remember the Patriots’ 2015 AFC Championship win over Indianapolis was the fourth time in three years Tom Brady destroyed Andrew Luck. Despite being heralded as the NFL’s next great quarterback — and he was — Luck wasn’t even in Brady’s ecosystem. The Patriots beat the Colts by an aggregate score of 261-123 during Brady and Luck’s six matchups.
Deflategate certainly didn’t help the Colts get over their crippling Patriots problem. In the months following Kravitz’s tweet, Doyel, the most prominent sports columnist in Indianapolis, lambasted the Patriots as “awful human beings” and compared Brady to Lance Armstrong. Kravitz, no longer an impartial reporter, said Robert Kraft should fire Belichick — if he is a man of integrity, that is.
Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman, Skip Bayless, Rob Parker and scores of others said equally outlandish things.
Under normal circumstances, NFL teams that got blown out by 38 points in the AFC Championship would spend their offseason in solemn reflection. Not the Colts. Apparently emboldened, they hung up in a banner in June 2015 proudly declaring they were a “2014 AFC Finalist.”
It remains the saddest participation trophy in pro sports history.
The Colts received their opportunity for a rematch that October, and actually were hanging in there. That is, until Chuck Pagano decided to call maybe the worst trick play of all-time. Down by six and facing a 4th-and-3 from their own 37-yard line, all but two Colts players lined up on the right side of the field. Griff Whalen lined up under center, with no blockers anywhere near them. Unsurprisingly, the results were disastrous.
Punter Pat McAfee said after the game the Colts had been working on that play for a year. Yikes.
Shoulder injuries derailed Luck’s career shortly thereafter, and he wound up retiring at just 29 years old. Impressively, the Colts have built themselves back up. Frank Reich was an excellent hire, bringing them back to the postseason last year with a 40-year-old Philip Rivers under center. If the season ended today, they would be back in the playoffs.
Yet, Doyle seems intent on drudging up the Colts’ embarrassing past. He dedicates a sizable portion of his column to ripping Josh McDaniels, saying it was a “gift” when he turned the Colts down in 2018. Doyle reiterated that point Tuesday with Merloni and Fauria.
“We’re better off without McDaniels," said Doyel. "We are. The only thing he’s ever done right is latch his mouth to Bill Belichick’s rear-end. That’s the only thing he’s every done right. He’s done nothing else right, so we’re lucky.”
Those words will be tough to defend if McDaniels outsmarts the Colts, which is entirely possible. Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke also said this week they’re going to try and make Jones one-dimensional, implying they don’t think he can win a game with his arm.
Those bold statements all but guarantee Jones will throw for 300 yards Saturday and execute a masterful game plan from McDaniels. Once again, the city of Indianapolis may be presenting more bluster than the Colts can back up.
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Are COVID positive players actually, you know, sick?: There is a big unanswered question surrounding the constant drumbeat of pro athletes testing positive for COVID-19.
Are any of them actually sick?
That doesn’t seem to be the case. On Wednesday, the NFL’s chief medical doctor Allen Sills said 2/3rds of cases involve “no symptoms,” and the rest are “mild.” The Patriots have three players on the COVD-19 list.
In a post-vaccine world, highlighting COVID case numbers is an antiquated practice. If the idea is to prevent serious illness, then hospitalizations are a far better metric to determine the severity of COVID waves.
Yet, media people are still caterwauling on Twitter about how asymptomatic COVID cases are threatening to derail the NFL’s season. That’s alarmist commentary, considering 95% of NFL players are vaccinated, as well as 100% of coaches and staff.
When it comes to COVID, the truth is almost never in the headlines.
Danny Ainge foreshadowed his NBA return: When Danny Ainge stepped down last June, he was careful to parse his words when asked about the future.
It’s a reminder to always read between the lines.
“I don’t know what my future holds,” Ainge said.
That’s all we needed to hear. Let the record now show: Ainge was fired as the Celtics’ president of basketball operations.
The Mac who stole Christmas: Mac Jones told Merloni and Fauria this week he doesn’t have a favorite Christmas movie, or Christmas song — unless you count something from Taylor Swift, because his girlfriend is a bona fide Swiftie.
We know Belichick is shielding Jones from the media (Patriots PR denied Peyton Manning’s request to speak with Jones for the ManningCast), but the rookie QB doesn’t have to be so bah humbug all the time. Let Mac experience some Christmas joy.
