The punishment handed down to the Patriots for Deflategate has been anything but crippling. In fact, New England seems to have benefited from Roger Goodell’s attempt to rule with an iron fist.
Colin Cowherd argued this week on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” that Deflategate actually was the best thing to ever happen to Tom Brady and the Patriots. It’s a strange thought on its surface, but Brady and the Patriots sure have looked motivated. And quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s brief audition earlier this season while Brady was suspended for four games likely increased his trade value.
The Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX a few weeks after the Deflategate saga began in January 2015. They then advanced to last season’s AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Denver Broncos, and now look like the best team in the NFL through seven weeks of the 2016 campaign.
Is all of this success a byproduct of Deflategate? No, probably not. But there’s no denying that Brady and the Patriots have been pretty damn good since all of the drama started to unfold.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
