Bell: Under fire Patriots are dangerous in Super Bowl XLIX
CHANDLER, Ariz. — This is surely not the time for the New England Patriots to become unraveled by a megadose of drama. They have come too far for that.
Yet Super Bowl XLIX is the perfect time to make a statement.
Cheaters?
We know what Robert Kraft thinks.
The Patriots owner is backing his franchise's meal tickets, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Perhaps the NFL's investigation ultimately will produce definitive answers that bring closure to this phenomenon known as Deflategate.
Maybe not.
Along the way, there's a football game to play — a big one for all the marbles.
It's a great opportunity to trump all the distractions, real or imagined, that have come New England's way since PSI became as topical to NFL business as TDs and INTs.
"I think we've dealt with a lot of adversity this season, and we've got to deal with it some more," Brady said after arriving at the team's hotel this week. "So we'll just keep fighting, and hopefully we go out and get a win. That would be the most satisfying thing at the end of the week."
You can wonder whether Brady had any role in the circumstances that resulted in the NFL revealing that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game were underinflated. Yet in hitting Arizona he seemed convincing enough when the topic was focus and preparation.
Brady used the term "recalibrated" to describe how he processed it all. That was a signal more significant than usual, after intense scrutiny following the AFC title game has not only fueled questions about the legitimacy of the franchise's enormous success under Belichick but also tested its resolve.
Now we'll see whether it's still true that there is no team in the NFL better equipped to shut out the noise and sharpen focus amid controversy than the Patriots.
Adversity has a way of showing teams or individuals what they are truly made of. I'm a big believer in the notion that the great ones view the competitive arena as the perfect sanctuary to increase focus and further distance themselves from distractions.
They thrive in these situations, when a big mess swirls about. It's about playing the game.
Belichick dropped a resounding reminder of that expectation two days before arriving in Arizona, when he outlined findings of an internal investigation that he said concluded the footballs could have lost air pressure because of a drop in temperature.
Then he pledged not to discuss the matter further. Clearly, that was an attempt to shift the focus from Deflategate to the task of toppling the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Easier said than done. But it's Belichick. Sure enough, when the first, second and third questions upon his arrival addressed Delategate, Belichick stuck to his plan. He has recalibrated, too. He set a tone and stuck to it.
It's easy to imagine what Belichick says behind closed doors to push psychological buttons. He can remind his players that many are questioning whether the Patriots deserve to be in the Super Bowl or harbor doubt about their long record of success.
No doubt, Belichick will coach the X's and O's with his sharp edge. Now he has extra ammo.
At this point, it can't be about rallying for more motivation. It's the Super Bowl. How much more juice can a participant have for this game?
Yet it doesn't hurt. Especially now, in such an unusual circumstance for the Patriots.
The last time the Patriots were embroiled in such a large scandal, when Spygate hit at the start of the 2007 season, they responded with a vengeance. They became the first team to post a 16-0 record in the regular season and nearly pulled off a perfect season.
Back at the same site for the first time since losing Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots would consider it perfect to respond with one more victory.