Phil Simms has a pretty good sense of what the past few months have been like for Tom Brady, whose fourth Super Bowl victory as the quarterback of the New England Patriots was overshadowed by the phenomenon that became Deflategate.
“My God, he won the Super Bowl and all he deals with the whole offseason is, ‘Hey, Tom, what about the footballs?’ " Simms, the lead analyst for CBS, said. “And on top of that, people are whispering behind his back. What a terrible injustice.”
Simms, the former New York Giants star, followed the twists and turns of the NFL’s case against Brady and the Patriots that dominated pro football’s news cycle since February.
Yet even Simms, with all of his enthusiasm in following the game, got burned out by a case that still lingers with the NFL appealing the decision by a federal judge to vacate Brady’s four-game suspension.
In case you missed it, the NFL punished Brady for being generally aware that the footballs used by the Patriots in the AFC title game were deflated – and for failing to fully cooperate with the investigation.
“If it’s true, it’s a big deal,” Simms said. “If not, it’s a terrible thing to have out there in the court of public opinion.
“It got to a point where it was, ‘We’ve got to move on.’ "
Brady has seemingly done just that. He’s off to one of the most efficient starts of his career. In leading the Patriots to 5-0, he leads the NFL with a 121.5 passer rating bolstered by his 14 TD passes with one interception and a 70.6 percent completion rate.
And with the footballs undoubtedly inflated to legal levels, Brady won the AFC's offensive player of the month award for September.
Despite the controversy, Brady’s stature remains high in the fraternity of quarterbacks, judging from the reaction of some of the league’s greatest passers.
“He’s just having an amazing season,” Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon said. “I knew he would. He’s so fiery, so competitive. He’s proving a point: ‘No matter what you think of me, I can play it as well as any quarterback ever has.’
“I’m sure that every game he plays in, I’ll bet the officials are told, ‘Make sure there’s nothing funny with the footballs.’ I’m sure they’re still trying to get him. I’m sure the league does not like the way they came out of this. This is (Brady) showing them, ‘I can play, no matter what.’ ”
Moon doesn’t doubt one of the key findings from the investigation, led by attorney Ted Wells, which concluded that Brady was at least generally aware of alleged efforts by two Patriots staffers (a full-time assistant equipment manager and a game-day locker room attendant) to deflate footballs.
That conclusion, in addition to the revelation that Brady apparently destroyed a cellphone as the investigation progressed, painted – outside of New England – the face of the NFL’s most successful franchise of this millennium as a cheater.
The former star quarterbacks, though, are hardly that hard on Brady.
“I always thought the infraction was like a traffic citation,” Hall of Famer Steve Young said. “But what I think of Tom, it hasn’t detracted from that.”
Added Moon: “I guarantee you he had some knowledge. Those guys (handling the footballs) are not going to do it if it’s something he doesn’t like. Whatever they’re told, they got it done. But I don’t think it’s that big of an advantage.”
Simms likens deflated footballs to a corked bat or a basketball made easier to handle.
“Where do you draw the line?” Simms said.
The quarterbacks agree that wherever the line is drawn, Deflategate was blown out of proportion.
“A federal case over freaking air in the ball?” Moon said. “It became a thing where both sides dug in and wouldn’t budge.”
Considering the millions of dollars spent on the investigation and legal fees, Moon surmised, “That would have fed a lot of homeless people.”
Young acknowledges the appeals process and the possibility that Brady might someday be punished if the lower court’s ruling is overturned (although Judge Richard Berman might still rule on other components of the case).
“Maybe it won’t ever be resolved,” Young said. “Honestly, I’m not interested in the (legal) issue. I’ve kind of set it aside. But what’s being accomplished on the field … he just marches on.”
Although Young marvels at what Brady is accomplishing at his age – “He’s 38!” he says – he is more impressed by his mental discipline. Young doesn’t take for granted Brady’s ability to find purpose in honing his game in his 16th season through the turmoil.
“This guy is remarkable in his ability to stay focused,” Young said. “Most people get distracted or use it as an excuse. Tom is like, ‘Give me more. I can handle it all.’ "
Dan Fouts, another Hall of Fame quarterback, is similarly impressed. Mentally, Fouts likens Brady to a “steel trap.”
“You always hear, ‘My safe place is on the field, in practice, in the locker room.’ That’s so true,” Fouts said. “That safe place gives you the chance to focus on your job.”
Someone asked Simms recently whether he thinks Brady's fast start has been fueled by motivation extracted from Deflategate.
Simms laughed.
“Part of his success and his great accomplishments over the years … the word is determination,” Simms said. “He found the perfect partner in Bill Belichick. I know they look different, but they are so much the same person.”
Simms mentioned to Brady an exchange that he had with Belichick, who bemoaned the lack of perfection during a dominant Patriots performance. The coach wasn’t happy with the tackling on defense or the lack of big plays in the passing game.
“You only scored 50, but you need to hit more passes downfield,” Simms told Brady.
The response from Brady, as Simms recalled it, came with a grin.
“Yeah,” Brady said, “I know.”
“That never, ever ends,” Simms said. “Bill will say to him, ‘Yeah, you had a great game, a great season. Now I need to see it in OTAs.' They are the greatest plodders in history. Unemotional. It’s another work day.”
With or without Deflategate.
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