NFL HAS BELICHICK BY THE BALLS

There is a chance Bill Belichick didn't know a thing about the deflated balls. His quarterback,
Tom Brady, is as meticulous and obsessive about preparation as the Patriots head coach is.

Brady came into the league with a chip on his shoulder the size of Gilbrator, the result of
being a sixth-round draft pick and the overlooked quarterback out of Michigan still looks
for any edge he can get to succeed in the NFL.

He is diligent about his training and conditioning program and is a bona-fide nerd when
it comes to film study. When it comes to footballs, Brady is like many other quarterbacks
in the NFL and others that came before him: obsessed.

Boomer Esiason, who enjoyed a long career in the NFL, said quarterbacks are heavily
invested and borderline psycho about the footballs they throw. Who can blame them? As
the face of their franchises, quarterbacks are under the most pressure to perform and have
the team succeed. It's about having the right "feel" to them and getting those they can
throw perfect spirals with.

Brad Johnson, the former quarterback of Tampa Bay who led the Buccaneers to  victory in
Super Bowl XXXVII, admitted he paid ball boys to scuff up and make the 100 balls the NFL
was using for that game, more "user-friendly". Johnson wanted to make sure that in the biggest
game of his career, he was comfortable with the balls he would be throwing.

Do you think Jon Gruden, his coach at the time, knew Johnson paid the ball boys nearly
$7,500 to rub or scuff up the balls? I highly doubt it.

So, there is a chance, albeit a miniscule one, Belichick didn't know Brady took some air out
of the balls, so to speak. Brady could've have done it all on his own.

But it doesn't matter.

Belichick is already a convicted cheater for his lead role in "Spygate". The NFL came down
hard on him, fining him $500,000 and taking a first-round draft pick away from the team.
Robert Kraft, the team's owner, had a hissy fit of epic proportions. Belichick, a man whom
people outside of New England already hated, hated him even more.

Now, with DeflateGate, the NFL has Belichick in the cross-hairs and pretty much has him
by the balls. He is now a repeat offender as a cheater and the league, which is fresh off a PR
nightmare from the domestic and children abuse cases near the start of the season, has
another one on its hands right now.

The NFL must be livid about this latest scandal, especially going into the Super Bowl, the
showcase of the league and an event that attracts media from around the world.

Instead of everyone talking about the great match-up between the Seahawks and Patriots,
the entire, and I do mean entire focus will be on DeflateGate and Belichick's reputation
as a full-fledged cheater.

The Hoodie will be punished for sure. Suspending him for the Super Bowl is not going to
happen. Every great story needs a villain and Belichick is it. He is the best coach in the
NFL,  a mad scientist who searches for any type of formula to give his team a better chance
of winning.

This is too big of a game not to have one of the most hated men to fans around the country
partake in. The ratings will be enormous, perhaps the highest-ever for a Super Bowl

However, Belichick has been in Roger Goodell's office before as a cheater and the
commissioner never expected to call him on the carpet so soon.

Others teams and fans across the country and waiting and watching to see how Goodell
handles this controversy. He clearly botched the Ray Rice scandal and this is his big
chance to gain favor with the fans and players and restore his reputation as a competent
leader.

The punishment is not likely to come during all the Super Bowl festivities, but Goodell
will come down hard on the Hoodie when it's all said and done.

Belichick smeared the integrity and reputation of the game with "SpyGate" and apparently
didn't get the message that came with a $500,000 fine. Expect the commissioner to tell
Belichick to get his checkbook out once again, but this time, he will probably get a seat on
the bench for a while.