HOUSTON _ I can confirm the Atlanta Falcons made it in Houston on Sunday afternoon. I saw the whole team at Media Night Monday night at Minute Maid Park. Matt Ryan, soon to be named MVP of the 2016 NFL season. Julio Jones, an extraordinary wide receiver. Vic Beasley Jr., the league's leading sacker. They all were there. They all said they plan on showing up Sunday night for Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium.
Just telling you in case you think this week is all about Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Or, more accurately, Brady and Roger Goodell.
It has been a fun start to the hysterical hype leading up to Patriots-Falcons. Goodell took a conciliatory tone with Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft by saying what an honor it would be for him to hand the Lombardi Trophy to them. Kraft, once a strong Goodell supporter, said their relationship never will be the same. Brady's father, Tom Sr., said that darn right it would be an honor for Goodell "because somebody that has Roger Goodell's ethics doesn't belong on any stage that Tom Brady is on." Brady immediately told his dad no more media interviews this week.
And it's only Tuesday.
Nearly every NFL player despises Goodell because they believe he is a tyrant. I can't think of one Steelers player who doesn't dislike him. That's why many are going against the nationwide grain _ outside of New England, of course _ and pulling for the Patriots to win. They want to see Goodell squirm when he presents the Lombardi to Brady and Kraft, much the way commissioner Pete Rozelle did after Super Bowl XV when he gave the trophy to Oakland Raiders maverick Al Davis, who was suing Rozelle and the NFL for blocking his move to Los Angeles. It would be must-see television, better probably than the game, which I'm guessing the Patriots will win decisively. It would be a moment Goodell couldn't avoid. He refused to go to Foxborough, Mass., for either of the Patriots' playoff games this month, leading to a "Where is Roger?" chant late in the AFC championship against the Steelers. Gutless is among the kinder things they are calling Goodell in New England. He said he didn't want to be a distraction and wanted the attention on the players.
Sure, Roger.
Right.
This goes back to Deflategate and Goodell's 1 {-year battle with Brady over deflated footballs in the AFC championship after the 2015 season. It was silly and unnecessary, not to mention costly with the legal fees for both sides totaling more than $25 million. In the end, Goodell won, if that's possible after soiling the reputation of the face of his league. Brady was suspended for the first four games of this season. Kraft and the Patriots were fined $1 million and the team had a first-round draft pick taken away.
"For what the league did to him and what Roger Goodell constantly lied about is beyond reprehensible, as far as I'm concerned," Brady Sr. told KRON-TV in San Francisco. "He went on a witch hunt and went in way over his head and had to lie his way out numerous ways. The reality is that Tommy never got suspended for deflating footballs. He got suspended because the court said that he could, Roger Goodell could do anything he wanted to do to any player for any reason whatsoever. That's what happened. The NFL admitted they had no evidence on him."
Too bad Brady silenced his old man.
Wouldn't you rather listen to Brady Sr. than Bill Belichick?
Deflategate and Goodell's heavy-handed approach to it led to what many have called Brady's Redemption Tour. After sitting out the first four games, he led the Patriots to an 11-1 record, throwing 28 touchdown passes and two interceptions and doing it without injured Rob Gronkowski for all but six games. After a mediocre playoff game against Houston, Brady destroyed the Steelers in a 36-17 win by throwing for a franchise postseason-record 384 yards and three touchdowns.
"Did it give him a little extra motivation? Sure," Kraft told the New York Daily News. "The whole thing, yeah, I think it was extra motivation."
Brady, at 39, is on the verge of strengthening his claim as greatest quarterback of all time. He has won a record 24 postseason games. He is playing in his seventh Super Bowl, which gives him more experience than the entire Atlanta team (five Super Bowls combined). If the Patriots win, it will be Brady's fifth title, breaking his tie with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for most by a quarterback during the Super Bowl era. If the Patriots win, there's a good chance Brady will be MVP for the fourth time.
"Tom Brady is one of the all-time greats, and he has been for several years," Goodell told Fox Sports Radio. "He's an extraordinary player, a great performer and a surefire Hall of Famer. It would be an honor (to give him the Lombardi)."
Sure, Roger.
Right.
