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Community Tailgate: How Will Patriots, Brady Do In 2015?

September 3rd, 2015 at 6:03pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still a week away from the start of regular-season battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This summer, we launched a new series here at PFR known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

On the NFL’s final day of preseason games, it was an off-field story that stole all the headlines, as Judge Richard Berman announced his decision on the DeflateGate case, vacating Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension. While the NFL has already appealed Berman’s decision, the league didn’t seek an injunction or push for an expedited schedule, so the appeals process will almost certainly drag on through the end of the year. That means Brady appears free to play in all 16 regular season games for the Patriots this season.

When a four-game suspension loomed for Brady, there was speculation that the Patriots’ string of consecutive division titles could come to an end. Now that he has been cleared to play, the Super Bowl MVP will enter the season with a little extra motivation, and that’s certainly worked out for him and the Patriots in the past — in the midst of the SpyGate controversy in 2007, the Patriots went 16-0, led by Brady’s 50 passing touchdowns.

Brady is eight years older now, but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, and the Patriots did win Super Bowl XLIX in February. Betting site Bovada.lv has adjusted its forecast for New England, giving Brady the third-best odds to win the MVP – behind Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers – and assigning the Pats the second-best odds to come out of the AFC, behind the Colts.

What do you think? Will Brady and the Patriots come out firing like they did back in 2007? Will a stressful offseason have an impact on their play on the field? How do you see the 2015 season playing out for Brady and the Patriots? Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts!

Reactions, Notes On Tom Brady Decision

September 3rd, 2015 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

After Judge Richard Berman announced today that he has vacated Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension, the NFLPA and NFL each issued statements on the matter, with the league confirming that it will extend the legal battle by appealing Berman’s ruling. Now, Patriots owner Robert Kraft has released his own statement on the decision, via the Patriots’ website.

“As I have said during this process and throughout his Patriots career, Tom Brady is a classy person of the highest integrity,” Kraft said in the statement. “He represents everything that is great about this game and this league. Yet, with absolutely no evidence of any actions of wrongdoing by Tom in the Wells report, the lawyers at the league still insisted on imposing and defending unwarranted and unprecedented discipline. Judge Richard Berman understood this and we are greatly appreciative of his thoughtful decision that was delivered today. Now, we can return our focus to the game on the field.”

While Kraft may be eager to shift the focus to the action on the field, there are plenty of reactions, opinions, and leftover tidbits on today’s news to pass along, so let’s dive in and round up the latest….

The NFL’s appeal of Judge Berman’s decision didn’t include a request to expedite the process, so it figures to drag on for a while, tweets Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com.
In a conversation with CSN’s Jill Sorensen, NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith says that the union doesn’t “make the mistake of trusting the league,” and suggests that the Patriots probably wish they had a “do-over” after accepting the NFL’s sanctions against the franchise earlier this year without an appeal.
While Smith may be right about the Pats, the team is highly unlikely to attempt to recoup those lost draft picks now, reports Tom Curran of CSNNE.com after speaking to someone “very high in the organization.”
Rachel Axon of USA Today Sports provides a brief and informative Q&A on what today’s ruling means for Brady, the Patriots, and the league, and what will happen next.
The NFL’s lawyers figure to take “saws and blow-torches” to the league’s personal conduct policy in the near future, says Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Specifically, in Robinson’s view, the league must address the ramifications in future cases for obstructing justice or for having “general awareness” of a violation, since there was no precedent set before the league attempted to penalize Brady for those acts.
Following the league’s latest PR disaster, commissioner Roger Goodell still isn’t in danger of losing his job, but the NFL will likely make more nuanced changes and alterations to various roles and job descriptions, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora adds that several sources believe it’s only a matter of time until changes are made within the league’s front office, and the CBS scribe also wonders if the NFL’s relationship with Ted Wells has run its course.
The NFL’s loss in court is just the latest defeat in what has become a “pattern of losing” for the league, writes Mike Freman of Bleacher Report. According to Freeman, Berman’s decision dealt a blow to both Goodell’s legacy and the NFL’s image.
As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports outlines, there may have been a silver lining for the league and for Goodell, since Judge Berman declined to rule on a number of claims made by Brady and the NFLPA. Brady’s camp claimed that Goodell was an “evidently partial” arbitrator and improperly delegated authority to executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent. Had Berman sided with Brady and the NFLPA on those issues, it would have sent a precedent for independent arbitration going forward, but the judge felt he had enough to overturn the league’s ruling based on several other factors, and didn’t commit one way or the other to those claims.

NFL Appeals Judge’s Ruling On Tom Brady

September 3rd, 2015 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

1:52pm: The NFL has officially filed its appeal, according to Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). Brandt confirms that the league didn’t request an injunction, so there are no obstacles for Brady playing in Week 1.

11:26am: The NFL Players Association was quick to issue a statement following Judge Richard Berman’s decision to nullify Tom Brady‘s suspension, and now commissioner Roger Goodell has released a statement of his own. According to Goodell, the league – as expected – will appeal Berman’s ruling, continuing the litigation process. Here’s the full statement, via the NFL’s website:

“We are grateful to Judge Berman for hearing this matter, but respectfully disagree with today’s decision. We will appeal today’s ruling in order to uphold the collectively bargained responsibility to protect the integrity of the game. The commissioner’s responsibility to secure the competitive fairness of our game is a paramount principle, and the league and our 32 clubs will continue to pursue a path to that end. While the legal phase of this process continues, we look forward to focusing on football and the opening of the regular season.”

While the NFL will continue to fight the DeflateGate battle in court, it doesn’t appear the league will seek an injunction to prevent Brady from playing early in the season. That means that, barring Berman’s decision being overturned and the case being finalized before the end of the year, which seems unlikely, Brady will be able to play the entire season for the Patriots.

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), there are at least some team owners who would have preferred to see the NFL stand down, rather than continuing the appeals process. Presumably, those owners don’t want the DeflateGate saga to draw attention away from the action on the field, with the regular season around the corner. According to Cole, some owners are also becoming more interested in retooling the NFL’s discipline process.

NFLPA Issues Statement On Brady Ruling

September 3rd, 2015 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Judge Richard Berman’s decision to vacate Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension, NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs George Atallah tweeted “Players’ rights win again.” Now, the union has released a more complete statement on the matter. Via the NFLPA’s website, here’s the full statement:

“The rights of Tom Brady and of all NFL players under the collective bargaining agreement were affirmed today by a Federal Judge in a court of the NFL’s choosing. We thank Judge Berman for his time, careful consideration of the issue and fair and just result.

“This decision should prove, once and for all, that our Collective Bargaining Agreement does not grant this Commissioner the authority to be unfair, arbitrary and misleading. While the CBA grants the person who occupies the position of Commissioner the ability to judiciously and fairly exercise the designated power of that position, the union did not agree to attempts to unfairly, illegally exercise that power, contrary to what the NFL has repeatedly and wrongfully claimed.

“We are happy for the victory of the rule of law for our players and our fans. This court’s decision to overturn the NFL Commissioner again should signal to every NFL owner that collective bargaining is better than legal losses. Collective bargaining is a much better process that will lead to far better results.”

While the victory for the NFLPA is a huge one, and will allow Brady to start in Week 1 – and presumably play the entire 2015 season – it doesn’t necessarily bring the DeflateGate saga to an end. The NFL is expected to appeal Judge Berman’s decision, taking it to the Second Circuit. The league has yet to officially issue a statement of its own, however.

Tom Brady’s Suspension Overturned By Judge

September 3rd, 2015 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Judge Richard Berman has ruled in favor of Tom Brady and the NFLPA, nullifying the quarterback’s four-game suspension, according to Larry Neumeister and Tom Hays of The Associated Press. While the NFL figures to appeal the decision and continue the litigation process, the ruling paves the way for Brady to start for the Patriots in Week 1.

After Brady was initially suspended for four games by the league for his supposed involvement in DeflateGate, commissioner Roger Goodell acted as the arbitrator during Brady’s appeal, and upheld the suspension. The NFLPA appealed that decision in court, and throughout the legal process, Judge Berman was critical of the NFL’s case, hammering the league’s lawyers with questions, an indication that momentum was shifting in Brady’s favor.

Judge Berman continually encouraged the NFL and NFLPA to work out a compromise, but with Brady unwilling to acknowledge any involvement in deflating footballs, and the league unwilling to budge from its stance that he accept guilt, the two sides never got close to reaching a settlement. That left Berman to make a decision one way or the other, either upholding the four-game suspension or overturning it. As the AP report indicates, he opted for the latter.

Three primary factors are at the core of Berman’s ruling, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com: Goodell’s decision not to allow NFL counsel Jeff Pash to be examined during Brady’s appeal; a failure by the NFL to give Brady “adequate notice” of potential discipline; and the league denying access to files during the appeal process. Berman’s full, 40-page ruling can be found right here.

With Brady no longer having to serve the suspension, Jimmy Garoppolo will return to a backup role, while the Super Bowl MVP prepares to face the Steelers a week from tonight. If Brady had been forced to miss the first four games of the season, he also would have sat out contests against the Bills, Jaguars, and Cowboys, but he now appears poised to play in all of those games. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the NFL is unlikely to seek an injunction to keep Brady off the field, if and when the league appeals Berman’s ruling.

The decision to vacate Brady’s suspension leads to a handful of additional questions. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com wonders (via Twitter) if Patriots owner Robert Kraft may reconsider his acceptance of the penalties his team received for DeflateGate. The league fined the Patriots $1MM and took away two draft picks, including a 2016 first-rounder, a decision Kraft accepted at the time for the good of the league.

Meanwhile, Trey Wingo of NFL Live observes (via Twitter) that the NFL has now lost several court decisions in recent years, including having their penalties for Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson overturned. As such, it may be time for the league to revisit its discipline and appeal process. In the meantime, a player like Greg Hardy may be more inclined to challenge his suspension in court — Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that Hardy’s camp is discussing that possibility, in the wake of the Brady decision.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Hunter, Brady, Thomas

September 1st, 2015 at 9:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter‘s case was continued until Sept. 15 because a defense witness did not show up to court today, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. Just days ago, Hunter had his charge reduced to a misdemeanor. The 24-year-old was viewed as a potential breakout candidate last year, but battled injuries and complied just 498 yards and three touchdowns on 28 receptions.

Here’s more from around the NFL..

Judge Richard Berman will issue his decision and order in the Tom Brady case by the end of the week, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As it stands, the Patriots QB is set to serve a four-game suspension.
Following his doctor’s visit, Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas has decided to have surgery on his injured finger on Wednesday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Thomas could be out for a month, as previously estimated.
Larry Foote was coaching at Cardinals practice today, which is likely a sign that he’s not playing this season, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. Foote had to make a decision on his status by 1pm Arizona time, and that deadline has come and gone. The Cardinals added the 35-year-old to their coaching staff earlier in the offseason with the intent of signing him to the roster later in the summer if he decided to continue playing.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher made it clear that Case Keenum will be the team’s No. 2 quarterback, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. That leaves Austin Davis and Sean Mannion to battle for the No. 3 job (link). Given that Mannion was a third-round pick this year, it seems unlikely that Davis will win that battle.

Extra Points: Bucs, F. Jackson, Brady, Ridley

September 1st, 2015 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers had a slew of problems on their offensive line last year, and even after addressing the position multiple times in the draft, the club isn’t totally satisfied with its line play. According to Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com (via Twitter), the Bucs are looking for interior offensive line help, and are shopping for possible trades. The club could also look to claim a player off waivers or sign a free agent, as more cuts are made this week.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL, as teams reduce their rosters to 75 players:

Fred Jackson appears likely to land with the Seahawks, but the Ravens have also expressed interest in the veteran running back, says Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). According to Carucci, there’s been no indication that the Patriots, Cowboys, or Browns have shown interest in Jackson.
When Judge Richard Berman announces his decision on Tom Brady‘s case this week, he’ll either uphold or vacate the four-game suspension for the Patriots quarterback. However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, Berman has a handful of different options available to him when he makes that ruling.
All signs are pointing to Jets running back Stevan Ridley, who is returning from an ACL injury, starting the regular season on the club’s reserve/PUP list, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
David Newton of ESPN.com conducted a Q&A with Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, who addressed the play of new left tackle Michael Oher, the team’s acquisition of wideout Kevin Norwood, and the areas of the roster that may still need an upgrade.
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell also discussed a Monday trade, indicating that the decision to move kicker Josh Scobee was the “toughest decision we’ve had to make.” John Oehser of Jaguars.com has the details.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the cap ramifications of some of the more notable veteran cuts made over thee weekend and on Monday.

Tom Brady Was Open To One-Game Suspension

August 31st, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was believed to be “open” to serving a one-game suspension for his role in the DeflateGate matter, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It was a possibility heading into settlement talks in court Monday, but talks never got that far.

Settlement talks between Brady and the NFL broke down Monday when Judge Richard M. Berman decided the two parties were too far apart and there was no point to continuing. Brady maintains his position that he will not accept the findings of the Wells Report and he is unwilling to accept responsibility for his alleged role in the deflation of footballs. The NFL, meanwhile, has said that it will only slash Brady’s suspension if he’s willing to accept responsibility.

Previous reports have indicated that the NFL would be willing to cut Brady’s suspension to two games if he were to admit guilt. However, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) hears that the NFL has indicated that it would only take the suspension down from four games to three games. The NFL has yet to make a formal settlement offer to Brady’s camp.

No Settlement For Brady; Ruling Expected Soon

August 31st, 2015 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

It may not fit the traditional definition of the term, but it’s clear that this year’s most significant “quarterback controversy” has been the one in New England. By the end of this week though, the Patriots should get some resolution and find out whether or not Tom Brady will be available to play in Week 1.

According to Manhattan Federal Court reporter Stephen Brown (via Twitter), today’s hearing in Judge Richard Berman’s courtroom concluded without a settlement between the NFL and the NFLPA. With no compromise reached, Berman expects to make a ruling on Tuesday or Wednesday, or at least by the end of the week.

Because Judge Berman can’t force the two sides to reach a settlement, and can’t determine a middle ground himself, he’ll have to either uphold or vacate Brady’s four-game suspension. Of course, regardless of which way Berman rules, the losing party will almost certainly appeal the decision, resulting in more litigation. But if Berman were to vacate the suspension, it would clear the path for Brady to start the Patriots’ regular season opener.

According to Bowen (all Twitter links), Giants owner John Mara and NFLPA rep Jay Feely both took part in negotiations today, but they went nowhere. Judge Berman acknowledged that both parties “tried quite hard” to settle, but it just didn’t happen.

AFC East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Brady, Branch

August 31st, 2015 at 9:11am CST by Rory Parks

Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News certainly doesn’t believe Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Jets‘ long-awaited savior at quarterback, but given Fitzpatrick’s performance in the team’s preseason win over the Giants on Saturday night, along with the Jets’ corps of talented wideouts and loaded defense, Mehta does think the Harvard grad could keep Gang Green in playoff contention all season.

Now for some more links from the AFC East:

Judge Richard Berman is set to meet with NFL and NFLPA reps in court again today regarding the Tom Brady case, and a source in the Patriots quarterback’s camp tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) that, barring a settlement, a decision is expected by week’s end. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Giants owner John Mara is attending today’s hearing.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe wonders if the Patriots regret signing Alan Branch to a two-year deal worth as much as $6.6MM this offseason. Branch played well for New England in 2014, but he skipped the team’s offseason workout program this year and arrived to training camp overweight and out of shape. Branch has a history of similar behavior, and since the Pats have some defensive line depth and only gave Branch $700K in guaranteed money, it would not be hard for the team to move on.
Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald would not be surprised if the Dolphins made the somewhat unorthodox decision to try and sign kicker Andrew Franks to the team’s practice squad. Salguero notes that Franks has tremendous upside. (Twitter link).
The Dolphins have their starting lineup mostly set as the regular season approaches, but the one exception is who will start at corner opposite Brent Grimes, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Jamar Taylor was the leader before injuring his quadriceps, and Brice McCain hasn’t locked up the spot in his absence. Beasley writes that the great pressure the defense has gotten on the quarterback has made it difficult to evaluate the cornerback depth chart with the starting unit.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.