From Indy: Here’s how the Patriots cheated this week
COMMENTARY
In the latest edition of “How did those danged New England Patriots go on and cheat this time?’’ we bring you old friend Bob Kravitz of an Indianapolis television station we would have no business remembering the call letters for nine months ago.
Kravitz, who, of course, originally broke the Deflategate story in the wee hours following the AFC Championship game in Foxborough last January, now brings us the tale of former Indy-based NFL official Mark Baltz, who tells the columnist that he always had a sneaking suspicion about that Jim McNally fella, the Patriots’ locker room attendant, who along with equipment assistant John Jastremski, are back in the good graces with New England after the long, drawn-out Deflategate saga.
“He always asked for the footballs way, way before he was supposed to get them,’’ Baltz, who was an NFL official from 1989-2013, told Kravitz. “If he could get them 10 or 15 minutes before he was supposed to get them, instead of the usual two minutes before the game – and there were some crews that let him do that – he would do it. I wouldn’t let him take them early, and I think he eventually figured that out because he stopped asking after a while. I probably did 10 to 15 games up there (in Foxboro, Mass.) and those first few times, he’d always ask. I always thought it was very suspicious. He certainly acted in a suspicious manner.’’
While this seems like a new chapter in the Deflategate soap opera, it turns out that Baltz’s claims have been exaggerated to a degree that Kravitz failed to recognize. As SB Nation noted, with a quick check of Pro Football Reference.com, Baltz’s “10-15 games’’ is actually a more solidified six games, spanning a period from 1999-2011. The first (perhaps ironically) came against the Colts in 1999, two seasons before Tom Brady, the accused and exonerated quarterback, would take the helm for the team.
Now, according to the ESPN article that first named McNally back in February, McNally started working for the team back in 2008. That would leave Baltz with four, count ‘em, four games in which he worked with McNally’s presence in Foxborough.
Whoops.
Still, get used to it, Patriot fans.
We’re but a little more than a week into the 2015 NFL season, and already Belichick and Brady’s team is a national punch line, ripe for a hackneyed joke about deflated footballs or gaining any general edge in general. Mike Tomlin. Ben Roethlisberger. Mark Baltz.
“He (McNally) was always worried about the footballs,’’ Baltz said. “Always. It was very odd. I reported him to the league, but never got any reaction from them. I don’t think they thought it was a big deal at the time. But (McNally) did things that 31 other locker room attendants don’t do.
“I think McNally did his homework and knew which crews he was dealing with and which crews he could get over on. `Are the footballs ready yet? Are the footballs ready.’ I’d tell him, `Yeah, they’re ready, but when we got out on the field, you can have them.’ Obviously, there were a lot of times when he’s gotten them early and had the time to let some air out of the ball, or whatever he was doing with them.
“All I know is, when he got them (the footballs), he would run. He would take off. Whether he was going somewhere and letting air out, I’m definitely suspicious, but I don’t know for sure.’’
Seems to be a lot Baltz doesn’t know for certain.
Who they’re picking
Our roundup of picks for Sunday’s Patriots-Bills game:
ESPN: Seven out of 13 pick the Buffalo Bills.
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: Patriots 24, Bills 20. “It got contentious for the Game of the Week committee, with loud and perhaps liquor-fueled factions pushing for Seahawks-Packers and for Cowboys-Eagles. But it is this AFC East grudge that certainly will have South Florida’s attention, with Bill Belichick’s always-strong Patriots visiting Rex Ryan’s resurgent Bills (whom the Dolphins host in Week 3). The matchup of Buffs’ mighty front seven against a Pats O-line with three rookies in its protection rotation could have Tom Brady under siege. Still, I’m going to trust Brady, who is 23-2 in career vs. the Williams, and I’m also going to trust Belichick with extra time to prepare after playing last Thursday.’’
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 24, Bills 17. “This is one of the best games of the week. Rex Ryan vs. Tom Brady is always a treat. Tyrod Taylor did some good things against the Colts, but Bill Belichick will have 10 days to prepare. That matters. Patriots go to 2-0.’’
CBS Sports staff: Eight writers split (Patriots by 1 1/2).
Peter Schrager, Foxsports.com: Bills 24, Patriots 20. “I was in Buffalo last weekend and could have told you on Saturday night around 8 p.m. just walking around downtown Buffalo, there was no chance the Bills were losing that game to the Colts. Rarely can you feel what was felt in that city last weekend. The most positive postgame note I had? Former first-round pick Sammy Watkins, he of zero catches in Week 1, said it didn’t bother him one bit. The win was all that mattered. New England looked flawless on offense, but had its holes on D. Don’t ask how, just know that I’m rolling with the Bills in every home game this season.’’
SB Nation staff: Five of eight pick the Bills.
Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: Patriots 22, Bills 20. “Rob Gronkowski disappoints everyone by catching only one touchdown pass. Yet, after the Patriots build a 7-0 lead, they find themselves in a dogfight. Nothing about the Bills’ win over Indy was fluky. Nothing. Some members of the Bills Mafia got after me for purportedly insinuating that this team isn’t legit in my weekly Power Rankings. But considering I moved the Bills up 11 spots, I feel comfortable saying I respect the Standing Buffalo.
It will be interesting to see how Rex Ryan and Co. play Tom Brady. Will they dare LeGarrette Blount to beat them? My guess is yes. Marcell Dareus’ return from his one-game suspension is no small deal. Literally.’’
NFL.com staff: Three out of five pick the Patriots.
USA Today staff: Six out of seven go with the Pats.
Microsoft Cortana (virtual assistant that predicts NFL games): Bills win, 53.3 percent.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 20, Bills 17. “With all the talk on how the Bills will deal with Rob Gronkowski, the bigger question is whether Tyrod Taylor can deal with the New England defense. More specifically, can offensive coordinator Greg Roman crack Bill Belichick’s code? Roman did it three years ago with the 49ers on a Sunday night in Foxboro, and Belichick surely remembers that well. Look for Belichick to figure out what Roman did in 2012 and to take that away in 2015.’’
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 16, Bills 13. “The Bills made a major statement on Sunday that the AFC East isn’t the walk in the park for the Patriots that it once was. And yet I think the Patriots made an even bigger statement when they beat up on the Steelers in the Thursday opener: New England still stands as the best team in the NFL and will win a tough one in Buffalo.’’
Neil Greenburg, Washington Post: Bills, 52.9 percent. “Patriots Coach Bill Belichick is notorious for scouting an opponent thoroughly, but history shows that when facing a quarterback with a limited history (in this case, Tyrod Taylor) the results are mixed.’’
It says here: Patriots 31, Bills 24. Still taking the scorned Patriots over a rejuvenated Bills team, even if it’s one running through a wall for Rex.
Notable departures from ESPN
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