Could Buffalo See Tom Brady In Week Two?
By Tyler Olson
Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) pumps his fist as he heads up to the line against the Indianapolis Colts in the second half in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
It took just over four months for Ted Wells to release a 243-page report on his findings regarding the controversial “deflategate” game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts during the 2015 NFL AFC Championship game. And the verdict? It’s not looking great for Tom Brady.
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The story after that game, well we know all about that. The Brady-led Patriots went through a storm of questions in the two weeks leading up to their Super Bowl contest against the Seattle Seahawks about whether or not the balls were deflated on purpose. The whole organization (note: not everyone was aware of what was going on, and Brady still claims to this day that he didn’t know) played off the whole situation well in route to their fourth Super Bowl victory in the last 14 years.
By the way, thanks a lot Pete Carroll. Run the ball next time please and thank you.
After the game everything surrounding “deflategate” sort of died down. Sure, the Patriots were being called cheaters but that’s been status quo since “spygate”. Now that Wells’ report has been released that the Patriots “probably” tampered with the footballs, NFL fans not wearing Patriots gear are calling for Brady’s job.
Could a suspension really be in the works for Brady? Absolutely. Obviously tampering with the footballs in a way that gives you an advantage bodes for one.
How long of a suspension could he face? One game? Four games? Eight games?
Eight games is a little too much in my opinion. Four games is very reasonable, and one game is almost a sure bet at this point. The good news for the Buffalo Bills is that they get to face Brady and the Patriots in week two. Either they’ll be facing off a team being led by Jimmy Garoppolo in a second career start or Brady, fresh off what would be his longest offseason since he started his hall-of-fame career in 2001.
Either way it gives Buffalo the advantage heading into their first divisional game of the 2015 season; then following that game up against another divisional opponent in the Miami Dolphins in week three, the Bills will want to start the season off strong and will need to to have tie-breakers over opponents that’ll likely be fighting for a wild card spot at the end of the season.
We all know Brady, as Wells might state it, probably deserves a suspension but the length and severity remains a question. As a Bills fan, who would you rather see in week two? Brady because you want to watch Buffalo win “the right way” or Garoppolo because, well, he’s not Tom Brady?