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http://da.radio.cbssports.com/2015/...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
A lot of people have very steadfast opinions on “DeflateGate.” Many people believe that the Patriots did nothing wrong, and just as many – if not more – people believe that they should be punished to the full extent of the NFL law.
And then there are those who are conflicted.
And yes, they do exist.
“My takeaway has been tough,” former Kansas City Pro Bowler and All-Pro Dante Hall said on The DA Show. “I’m a Patriots fan, my wife is from Boston, I love the Patriots organization from Robert Kraft on down, I’m a big fan of Tom Brady (and) I think Coach Belichick is one of the greatest coaches ever. But I think they are doing a lot of lying over there, especially Tom Brady. So it’s been a tough week for me watching guys that I love and adore get on TV and flat out tell a lie.”
Hall has thought very highly of New England ever since Belichick arrived there in 2000.
“I just think for an organization (and) a head coach to win this consistently for this long – it’s to be respected and revered,” Hall said. “So for me, I just have always respected guys that can win consistently for a long time. That’s where it started. And I like how they go about winning as well. They don’t go around and get the splash signings in the offseason. They build their team and they pretty much have done it with just Belichick and Brady at the helm. So I’ve just always admired them from afar what they have been able to accomplish.”
And yet, when it comes to DeflateGate, Hall isn’t buying Belichick, and he most certainly isn’t buying Brady.
“I can’t buy Tom Brady saying that he just couldn’t feel a difference,” Hall said. “I did an experiment with my wife here – and she doesn’t even like football – and she was able to tell the difference. So if she’s able to tell the difference, there’s no way an All-Pro, 15-year NFL quarterback is not going to be able to tell a difference form a pound-and-a-half to two pounds. That’s what’s the hardest thing to swallow because I know at some point you should have felt a difference. Him saying he could not feel any difference in the ball and playing dumb pretty much, I just couldn’t swallow that. There’s no way you couldn’t tell the difference, Tom.”
Hall, one of the best kick and punt returners ever, said he never tinkered with footballs during his playing days.
“That has to be just the quarterback realm because honestly I had never even thought of that, so I commend them for being smart enough to think of that,” Hall said. “And I didn’t know you could get a distinct advantage from it. But I did my own experiment.”
Hall compared one of his fully inflated footballs to one that was a little lighter and easier to grip.
“You could just totally tell a difference,” Hall said. “So for me, it was the first time that I even was aware of that (or knew that it) could be advantageous. But there’s no way that Tom went through that game and couldn’t tell the the difference. No way.”
All that said, Hall believes the deflated footballs had absolutely no bearing on the AFC Championship Game. New England beat Indianapolis, 45-7.
“It had zero to do with the game,” he said. “If I’m a Colts player, I’m going to be honest and be real with myself and say, ‘You know what? They kicked our butts fair and square. Deflated ball or not, they won at the line of scrimmage. They won with tactics and strategy – not because the ball was deflated.’”
A lot of people have very steadfast opinions on “DeflateGate.” Many people believe that the Patriots did nothing wrong, and just as many – if not more – people believe that they should be punished to the full extent of the NFL law.
And then there are those who are conflicted.
And yes, they do exist.
“My takeaway has been tough,” former Kansas City Pro Bowler and All-Pro Dante Hall said on The DA Show. “I’m a Patriots fan, my wife is from Boston, I love the Patriots organization from Robert Kraft on down, I’m a big fan of Tom Brady (and) I think Coach Belichick is one of the greatest coaches ever. But I think they are doing a lot of lying over there, especially Tom Brady. So it’s been a tough week for me watching guys that I love and adore get on TV and flat out tell a lie.”
Hall has thought very highly of New England ever since Belichick arrived there in 2000.
“I just think for an organization (and) a head coach to win this consistently for this long – it’s to be respected and revered,” Hall said. “So for me, I just have always respected guys that can win consistently for a long time. That’s where it started. And I like how they go about winning as well. They don’t go around and get the splash signings in the offseason. They build their team and they pretty much have done it with just Belichick and Brady at the helm. So I’ve just always admired them from afar what they have been able to accomplish.”
And yet, when it comes to DeflateGate, Hall isn’t buying Belichick, and he most certainly isn’t buying Brady.
“I can’t buy Tom Brady saying that he just couldn’t feel a difference,” Hall said. “I did an experiment with my wife here – and she doesn’t even like football – and she was able to tell the difference. So if she’s able to tell the difference, there’s no way an All-Pro, 15-year NFL quarterback is not going to be able to tell a difference form a pound-and-a-half to two pounds. That’s what’s the hardest thing to swallow because I know at some point you should have felt a difference. Him saying he could not feel any difference in the ball and playing dumb pretty much, I just couldn’t swallow that. There’s no way you couldn’t tell the difference, Tom.”
Hall, one of the best kick and punt returners ever, said he never tinkered with footballs during his playing days.
“That has to be just the quarterback realm because honestly I had never even thought of that, so I commend them for being smart enough to think of that,” Hall said. “And I didn’t know you could get a distinct advantage from it. But I did my own experiment.”
Hall compared one of his fully inflated footballs to one that was a little lighter and easier to grip.
“You could just totally tell a difference,” Hall said. “So for me, it was the first time that I even was aware of that (or knew that it) could be advantageous. But there’s no way that Tom went through that game and couldn’t tell the the difference. No way.”
All that said, Hall believes the deflated footballs had absolutely no bearing on the AFC Championship Game. New England beat Indianapolis, 45-7.
“It had zero to do with the game,” he said. “If I’m a Colts player, I’m going to be honest and be real with myself and say, ‘You know what? They kicked our butts fair and square. Deflated ball or not, they won at the line of scrimmage. They won with tactics and strategy – not because the ball was deflated.’”
