It has been an extremely eventful offseason for the NFL, headlined mainly by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots’ now-famous Deflategate scandal. After the Pats pounced on the Indianapolis Colts in the 2015 AFC Championship 45-7, the NFL investigated the Patriots for allegedly using underinflated footballs during the game.
The league mandates that footballs be inflated to 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI). It was reported that the footballs the Patriots used were 12 PSI. According to private investigator Ted Wells’ report, Brady knew that the team equipment managers had deflated their footballs before the game. Based on those findings, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Brady for the first four games of the season, fined the Patriots organization $1 million and took away the team’s first and fourth round draft picks for the 2015 draft.
Brady appealed his suspension, which Goodell then denied. The decision was eventually taken to court, with Brady and the NFL Players Association suing the NFL to overturn their decision. After a month in court, it looked as if no settlement would be made, dragging Deflategate on even longer. But, that all changed last week.
Federal Judge Richard Berman erased Brady’s four-game suspension on Sept. 3. According to ESPN, Berman claimed that Goodell’s punishment was too harsh, and criticized Goodell for “dispensing his own brand of industrial justice.” Brady received an outburst of support from Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, and from numerous players around the league. It took a little more than eight months, but it looks like Deflategate finally came to a long-awaited end.
Now that the Patriots know they will have their four-time Super Bowl Champ as quarterback for the entire season, it’s safe to say the Pats have a very good chance to defend their title despite losing star cornerback Darrelle Revis to their division rival New York Jets.
Speaking of the Jets, they kept themselves relevant this offseason by going on a free agent spending frenzy, adding cornerback tandem Revis and Antonio Cromartie, who played for the Jets together from 2010-2012. They also picked up All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall in a trade. But despite new leadership under rookie Head Coach Todd Bowles, things don’t seem to change for the Jets. Quarterback Geno Smith was punched in the face by ex-teammate IK Enemkpali during training camp, causing him to break his jaw. Additionally, Pro Bowler Sheldon Richardson was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and on top of that was arrested for a number of charges. Richardson is awaiting further punishment.
The AFC East should be extremely competitive with all four teams making significant roster upgrades. With the Jets and Patriots making improvements, the Miami Dolphins signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a 6-year, $114 million contract. In Buffalo, ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan now leads the way, having picked up running back LeSean McCoy and receiver Percy Harvin.
In the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles made a lot of noise with some big trades, adding linebacker Kiko Alonso and former No. 1 overall pick quarterback Sam Bradford.
Like their cross-town rival the Jets, the New York Giants suffered some negative attention when All-Pro defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had to get his right index finger amputated in a fireworks-related accident.
America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, look to build on last season’s success as they just recently locked in star receiver Dez Bryant to a 5-year, $70 million extension.
And finally, it hasn’t been easy if you’re a Redskins fan; the team named quarterback Kirk Cousins the starter for this season, not Robert Griffin III. RGIII looks to be on his way out of the nation’s capital, as the organization has shown no support for their once-labeled franchise quarterback.
The season starts Thursday, Sept. 10, as Brady and the Pats host Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It should be another thrilling football season for us fans to enjoy.
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