New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media today and offered a lengthy statement on the ball deflation scandal, dubbed Deflate-Gate, which the NFL world has followed with intent in the wake of the revelation that the Pats doctored footballs used in their absolutely dominating performance against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.
You can read the full transcript of his statement here.
Belichick, known for his meticulous nature and almost obsessive attention to detail, did everything in his power to make it clear that he, generally speaking, had absolutely no clue what was going on.
"When I came in Monday morning I was shocked to learn of the news reports about the footballs. I had no knowledge whatsoever of this situation until Monday morning."
That's kind of hard to believe, Bill.
But the hardest part to believe was Belichick's assertion that he had no real knowledge of the "process" of preparing the balls for the game, both by members of the Patriots and by the officials.
"I had no knowledge of the various steps involved in the game balls, the process that happened between when they were prepared and went to the officials and went to the game, so I've learned a lot about that."
Come on, Bill. You're smarter than that. And so are we. A man touted for his anal-retentive, overbearing, "my way or the highway" coaching style didn't know the rules?
That's simply not believable.
Still, Belichick claimed that his notoriously "difficult" coaching style means that, if anything, he'd try to make things harder for his team, not easier.
"Let me just say that my personal coaching philosophy, my mentality, has always been to make things as difficult as possible for players in practice, and so with regard to footballs, I'm sure that any current or past player of mine would tell you that the balls we practice with are as bad as they can be. Wet, sticky, cold, slippery, whatever. However bad we can make them, I make them."
Ok, Bill. But this wasn't practice. It was a game - the AFC Championship Game, no less.
You're Mr. "We'll Gain Every Competitive Edge We Can." You're the guy who taped walk-throughs of other teams to gain a strategic advantage. You're the guy who - shrewdly and legally - used a formation involving only four offensive linemen and a normally eligible receiver ruled ineligible, the likes of which the NFL had never before seen.
Don't insult our collective intelligence.
Still, Bill didn't stop there. In the end, per Belichick, ball preferences are not his domain - they're the domain of the "quarterbacks, kickers, specialists" who have "certain preferences."
That means you, Tom.
Yep. At the heart of the whole statement from Belichick, seemed to be a pretty clear indication that whatever happened with the balls can be laid at the feet of one, Mr. Tom Brady.
"They know a lot more than I do. They're a lot more sensitive to it than I am. I hear them comment on it from time to time, but I can tell you and they will tell you that there's never any sympathy whatsoever from me on that subject. Zero. Tom's personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide."
That last one's pretty pointed, huh?
Ironically, shortly after Belichick's press conference, Brady's media availability was switched by the team from Friday to Thursday afternoon.
Should be interesting viewing.