PHOENIX - Belichick and Brady. They will be linked forever. In New England, they will be remembered as football gods, especially after they beat the Seattle Seahawks tonight in Super Bowl XLIX. But elsewhere? The rest of America?
"So does it bother you that the national perception of the Patriots is they are a bunch of cheaters?" Bill Belichick was asked last week.
It was an uncomfortable moment. Here Belichick is, about to win his fourth Super Bowl championship, matching Chuck Noll for most in NFL history. And he's asked again about being a cheater after the Patriots were accused of using deflated footballs in their 45-7 win against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship? Only a few weeks after being called "Beli-cheat" by Don Shula, the NFL's winningest coach, because of his role in Spygate, the 2007 incident when the Patriots were caught videotaping opposing coaches' signals?
"You know, right now, our focus is totally on the Seattle Seahawks and this game," Belichick said, stone-faced as always.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is facing the same short-term skepticism and long-term tarnished legacy. Here he is, also about to win his fourth Super Bowl title, matching Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for most in NFL history. And his integrity is being questioned by everyone, it seems, from Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who says Brady had to have known about the deflated balls, to Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who said, flatly, after Deflategate, "They cheat."
We have heard this before from the Steelers, of course. The players always will believe the Patriots robbed them of wins in the AFC championship after the 2004 season and, especially, after the 2001 season on their way to Super Bowl championships. "There should be an asterisk," linebacker Joey Porter said. "They cheated and they got caught."
The Patriots are 0-2 in Super Bowls since Spygate, losing each time to the New York Football Giants. This was supposed to be the Super Bowl in which they proved they could win without espionage. Then Deflategate happened. The Patriots could beat the Seahawks, 50-0, and people still will have doubts about their legitimacy.
All of this led to a spirited defense of the Belichick-Brady legacy last week by Patriots offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels. Players defended Belichick in general. "If coach is saying, 'Jump,' players are saying, 'How high?'?" defensive end Chandler Jones said. They also rallied around Brady. "I feel like he hates losing more than anybody that I've ever been around," running back LeGarrette Blount said. But McDaniels might have been the only member of the Patriots family to even acknowledge questions about Deflategate.
"They care so much about doing things well," he said of Belichick and Brady. "They go through every detail. Their preparation is just endless. To me, how they've been able to sustain this level of success at their positions has been an unbelievable thing for me to witness and watch. They've taught me a lot about football, a lot about life, a lot about working hard, a lot about the right way to do things. There's never a satisfaction with what happened in the past. There's always a forward-thinking vision with both of them. There's always a push forward about what we can do better ...
"I know what they are and I know what they are about. I think they do, too. They've deserved everything that they've gotten."
I agree with McDaniels.
I agree with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who said the better team won those AFC championship games after the 2001 and 2004 seasons, that Spygate had little to do with the outcomes and that stealing signals was "something that everybody does."
I believe the deflated footballs had little to do with that thrashing of the Colts and that footballs have been doctored in some way by quarterbacks for decades.
I also know I'm in the minority when it comes to giving Belichick and Brady a break.
There are way more haters out there.
The Patriots will beat the Seahawks tonight, denying their bid to become the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls since New England did it 10 years ago. Brady, who said he has watched more film than he has before any game, will pick apart Seattle's great defense with his accuracy and he will do it with fully inflated footballs. Tight end Rob Gronkowski, the best player on the Patriots according to Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright, will have a big game, at least seven catches, at least 100 receiving yards, at least two touchdowns. Old friend Blount will do enough to make Steelers fans cry one more time. The Patriots will get an early lead, limiting the running effectiveness of Seattle's muted man, Marshawn Lynch. Their defense will intercept at least two passes by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw four against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship.
Patriots 27, Seahawks 20.
That will be the easy part for Belichick and Brady. The hard part will come in the days ahead when they try to defend their honor and fight for their rightful place in NFL history. Sadly, that's a fight they can't win. Belichick never will be regarded as the greatest coach, no matter how many Super Bowls he wins. Brady never will be regarded as the greatest quarterback.
It's enough to make you feel sorry for them.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Cook and Poni" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: February 1, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
