Big Losers in Brady Decision? The Steelers

Good afternoon,

By now, you know enough about the Tom Brady ruling and you do not need any more. But allow a few things:

--- Those Steelers who professed early in training camp that they preferred to play the Patriots with Tom Brady than without him were merely being football correct. They had no choice. What were they going to say, no? That would have gone over big. Of course, they’d rather play Jimmy Garoppolo than Tom Brady. They prefer a victory over a moral loss.

--- There were no victors in this thing. The Patriots lost a first-round draft choice and were fined – and those will stay because they were not part of the appeals process – and the NFL lost face. But anyone who thinks the owners are about to fire Roger Goodell over it are nuts. He did precisely what most owners wanted him to do in the Brady case – press on.

--- He said he will press on too, by appealing the judge’s decision. This time next year, Tom Brady could again face a four-game suspension depending on how an appeals court rules.

--- I had to laugh at one story that called this among the biggest legal setbacks ever against the NFL. They need to look at a few cases brought by Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders against them in the 1980s, cases Davis and the Raiders won.

--- Goodell has the authority to re-issue the suspension, despite the ruling. What he and the NFL should have done was accept the two-game suspension reportedly offered by the Brady camp provided the quarterback was not found guilty in the tampering of the footballs but merely not cooperating in the investigation. Both sides could have saved face and the NFL still would have gotten half a pound of flesh. But the league was so convinced it would win, it passed on that offer.

--- The big losers in this case were not Goodell and the NFL but the Steelers. Their defense has little chance against Brady’s Patriots, although the Steelers offense still could have a say in the outcome Sept. 10. Their defense against Brady and the Patriots will put up the same kind of resistance as the brickyard to the race cars at the Indy 500.

--- Enjoy Mike Vick’s first start with the Steelers. I see no protesters around the stadium.