With the exception of quarterback Tom Brady’s father, no one connected to the Patriots or the Colts had anything inflammatory to say in advance of Sunday night’s game.
Colts owner Jim Irsay offered up a late entry, presumably late enough to keep the Patriots from noticing.
“Our focus isn’t even there at all, but you’re always looking at having a competitive playing field,’’ Irsay told Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com regarding the #DeflateGate scandal. “I remember in Peyton’s day, there was an unnamed team, we were running the no huddle and the team we were playing was faking injuries to slow us down. And we were complaining to the league about that. But honestly, the rest of it, it’s not even in the back of our mind. Look, [Patriots owner] Bob Kraft is a great friend, a great partner and a great owner. Brady is great and a world champion. What Bill [Belichick] does is amazing.”
What Belichick and/or someone from the Patriots did in January was cheating, in the estimation of the Colts and the league office. Dredging up other instances of cheating by the Patriots may not be the best way to unruffle the feathers of a franchise that now has the Colts at the top of the enemies list.