Bob Kraft says Deflategate not bothering the Patriots
As one of the league's most influential owners, it's against Kraft's nature to say anything that might damage "The Shield." But the Patriots are his team, and its reputation was being besmirched. He decided he had to say something, so he penned his 489-word address in the air.
"My instincts said to me that's the right thing to do," Kraft said. "We have special people in Tom [Brady] and Bill [Belichick], and what we've accomplished, I'm pretty proud of that. I was thinking about it. Coming into this game, I've hired two coaches and they're going to be facing each other in this game. I'm pretty proud of that. I have great respect for both of them and look forward to a great game on Sunday. Now it's time to talk about football."
New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft said "one of the reasons I wanted to buy the team is because I have A.D.D.(Attention Deficit Disorder) so as I got older, I would have something that I know would be challenging." His speech was 217 words longer than the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln.
The challenge of "Deflategate" will be bigger than the first Super Bowl opponent, the St. Louis Rams. "By and large, except for our quarterback, they're not paying much attention to it," Kraft said. We're gonna have a fun time the rest of this week and have a great game Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks appear to be loose. The Patriots are on a business trip. Deflategate is a huge distraction, but it isn't even close to the commotion that a former Patriots' QB faced in Super Bowl XV.
Wikipedia:
In the days before the game, most sports writers were speculating over whether, if the Raiders won, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle would present the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the team's owner Al Davis. Prior to the season, the league declined to approve the Raiders' proposal to move from Oakland, California to Los Angeles. In reaction, the team sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws. The conflict caused much friction between Rozelle and Davis.
Following his release from the San Francisco 49ers and his injury filled time with the New England Patriots, it was a shock to see Jim Plunkett leading the Oakland Raiders into Super Bowl XV. Oakland was trying to become the first wildcard team to win three postseason games.
The Oakland Raiders' opponent was the uptight Philadelphia Eagles under head coach, Dick Vermeil. The Eagles were "all business" in New Orleans with curfews and bed checks. The Raiders took the opposite approach. The Raiders became the first team to appear in a Super Bowl in three different decades (1960s, 1970s and 1980s). Oakland linebacker Rod Martin intercepted Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski's first pass of the game. The rout was on. Jim Plunkett was named Super Bowl MVP in a 27-10 victory.
The Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl for their fourth decade. They are attempting to take home the Vince Lombardi trophy for the fourth time as well. In the words of the legendary head coach Vince Lombardi,
"Act like you've been there before"...
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy
For more of my articles, click here.
