Williams: ‘Deflategate’ still looms over Pats, NFL

If NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says his prayers at night, I imagine he’s seeking two things:

1. Ted Wells’ investigation of the New England Patriots turns up nothing.

2. But if evidence is found that someone on the Patriots’ payroll tampered with their footballs in the AFC Championship Game, Goodell can somehow contain the controversy to Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s satisfaction.

Goodell better hope his first prayer is heard. It’s hard to imagine the second scenario ending well for the most powerful sports league in the universe.

A monumental blunder gave the Patriots Sunday’s 28-24 victory over the Seahawks, a win that elevated the New England franchise into the elite of the NFL’s best. The Patriots joined the Packers and Giants as teams with four Super Bowl titles. Only the 49ers (five) Cowboys (five) and Steelers (six) have more championships in the past 49 years.

In the history of the league, the Packers, with 13, have the most championships, followed by the Bears (nine) and the Giants (eight).

Tom Brady joined Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls and Brady did it solely in the salary cap/free agency era that kicked in as Montana was retiring.

Bill Belichick joined Chuck Noll as the only coaches to win four Lombardi Trophies.

Considering the year Goodell and the NFL just experienced, the league doesn’t need another scandal as the offseason kicks in.

But listening to NBC’s Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth during Sunday’s telecast, the NFL’s best broadcasting team hinted that no one with common sense should believe that 11 of 12 Patriots balls deflated on their own while none of the Colts’ footballs lost air.

Watching Kraft, Belichick and Brady make their postgame speeches from the podium, it’s safe to say that fans of the Steelers, Ravens, Niners, Packers and Giants felt the same thing — jealousy. I know I’m guilty.

We all want our favorite team to set the standard for being the best, especially in a league where bad teams are rewarded with high draft picks and everyone has a salary limit.

From 2001-10, the Patriots were the team of the decade, winning three Super Bowls and losing one. The Steelers, arguably, were second best, winning their fifth and sixth Lombardi Trophies and playing in two other AFC Championship Games (both losses to Belichick’s Patriots).

Since the 2011 season began, the Packers, Giants, Ravens, Seahawks and Patriots have won Super Bowls. Which franchise do you think has been consistently the best? New England, Pittsburgh and Dallas are the only teams to play in eight Super Bowls. It will surprise no one if the Patriots are the first to nine in that category. They are that good.

If there was cheating, it’s sad.

Collinsworth was on fire Sunday night. With six seconds remaining at the end of the first half, Michaels suggested the Seahawks should settle for a field goal and the Patriots’ lead to 14-10. But Collinsworth said the height advantage wide receiver Chris Matthews had against the Patriots’ backup corners made trying a pass worth the risk. Moments later, Russell Wilson hit Matthews with an 11-yard back-shoulder toss into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown.

You can’t make this stuff up. No wonder those guys win Emmy awards.

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Williams_Vindy.