It’s time for the NFL to decide on ‘Deflategate’
The draft is less than two weeks away, but there is still no word from the NFL about “Deflategate” and any possible punishments for the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
It is important to know the outcome of the NFL’s investigation because it might involve draft picks. If the league is heavy-handed, maybe it will fine the Patriots and take away a top draft pick or two; New England has nine overall selections.
If commissioner Roger Goodell wants to slap the Patriots on the wrist, as I suspect, and sweep this mess under the rug, he probably will take away one or more late-round selections in this or next year’s draft.
But to have said nothing feeds into the accusations that Goodell and New England owner Robert Kraft are too close and that Patriots coach Bill Belichick will continue to tamper with rules because he doesn’t fear the consequences.
If the Patriots are found guilty of deflating balls in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, it was a smart gamble. Is winning a title worth a few draft picks, possibly in the later rounds? Heck, yeah. It’s possible the Patriots are innocent, but
we don’t know for sure. There has been no announcement, which is amazing considering all 32 owners are billionaires and surrounded by some of the brightest business minds and lawyers in the country.
There have been numerous allegations that the Patriots deflated game balls in the past, making them easier to grip and throw and cutting down on fumbles in the cold and rain.
There have been reports that the league was focusing on a Patriots locker room attendant, that Belichick knew nothing of the incident until a day after the AFC championship game and that Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano were involved in a conspiracy to get the Patriots.
Maybe the NFL has gone mum because the Patriots might be visiting the White House soon, or because it doesn’t want this story to become part of draft weekend. But the league already has penalized the Cleveland Browns for their general manager’s texting coaches during games in 2014, and the Atlanta Falcons were fined and lost a 2016 draft pick for piping in crowd noise during home games over the past two years.
For the Patriots, who had the “Spygate” incident back in 2007, in which they were caught in an unapproved location filming an opponent’s defensive signals, there has been nothing yet.
Enough road playoffs
One of the best revelations to come out of Ravens headquarters in late February was owner Steve Bisciotti’s acknowledgment that the Ravens had to do better against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
If they take care of that business, the Ravens could win the AFC North and get some playoff games at home. Instead of Joe Flacco having difficulty barking out signals because of crowd noise on the road, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady would have that problem at M&T Bank Stadium.
Ravens outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil also would have an advantage, just as former Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney did when he went against former Ravens tackle Jonathan Ogden in Indianapolis.
Also, if the Ravens played here instead of Foxborough, Mass., there would be one fewer “gate” to worry about.
Good luck, Tebow
Tim Tebow has converted me into a fan.
He reportedly will be the fourth quarterback on the Philadelphia’ Eagles roster, and that certainly isn’t a good position. But when a player doesn’t give up on his dream, as long as he keeps his chances in perspective, it’s a great story.
It’s still a long shot for Tebow, who has spent time with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and New England. A lot of teams bring in a fourth quarterback just so the starter and backup don’t get tired from all the repetitions they take before the start of the regular season.
But in coach Chip Kelly’s wild and imaginative offense, Tebow has a chance to succeed because of his running ability and elusiveness in the pocket. Hopefully, he has worked on his mechanics and throwing motion in the two years he hasn’t played.
Each preseason, it seems the media find one college player, usually a quarterback, to focus on, and the coverage gets out of hand. I never thought Tebow was going to be a great quarterback in the NFL despite his winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Florida to two national titles.
He was successful in college because he could run, improvise and get others around him to play at a higher level. But he never showed great accuracy, and that can’t be taught on any level. You’re either accurate, or you’re not.
Realistically, he was a backup, at best, but I never got into the hype about his religious convictions and the legions of fans who followed him. He just seems to be a decent person pursuing a lifelong ambition, and he’s getting another opportunity to prove himself.
The NFL was founded on stories like Tebow’s.
Keep eye on Gillmore
The Ravens will go into the draft needing a big-play tight end, but it will be interesting to see how second-year player Crockett Gillmore develops through training camp.
The 6-foot-6, 251-pound Gillmore, a third-round draft pick out of Colorado State, had 10 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown last season, and surprised even some members of the Ravens’ front office by being able to make catches downfield.
Maybe he’ll become the Rick Wagner of this year’s team. No one expected Wagner, entering his third year, to be as dominant as he was last season as the starting right tackle.
Rice: Get comfortable
The phone of former Ravens running back Ray Rice hasn’t been ringing off the hook with job offers from NFL teams.
If that does happen, those calls probably won’t come until late in training camp, when teams get desperate because of injuries. It’s safe to assume Rice has been training hard, and he could be somewhat productive if he returns.
After his domestic-violence incident, his major mistake was making public the texts he exchanged with Bisciotti in September. Rice got bad advice and is finding out that action is unpardonable.