'That Was Just Me Being Angry': Raheem Morris Takes All the Fun Out of Clapgate by Admitting the Patriots Didn't Cheat
We were so close.
Like most men my age, I find myself on a neverending quest to recapture the glory days of my life Just not my childhood. Or those simpler times when I'd get nervous opening a report card instead of a cholesterol screening. When I could get out of a chair without making the same noise I used to hear coming out of my uncles.
No, the times I'm hoping to relive are those peak years from 2001 to 2019. When my football team not only dominated the world, but were the existential threat that terrorized the population. When they were the monster in everyone's closet. Feared. Loathed. Demeaned. Respected, yes. But also disrespected at the same time.
In having this effect on the public, the New England Patriots made being a Dynasty so much more entertaining than it had to be for fans of, say, the San Antonio Spurs. They barely raised an emotion in anyone. No one was selling black and silver shirts that read "They Hate Us 'Cause They Ain't Us" or "South Central Texas vs. Everyone."
The Pats of the 21st century were the Galactic Empire, despised by all. It was glorious. And those times seemed to be back, thanks to a razor-thin win over the Atlanta Falcons, who felt cheated like they were the 2007 Jets all over again:
And so for the better part of about 24 hours, the good times in New England seemed to be back. On top of the standings. On top of mind for another defeated opponent. Raheem Morris blaming the loss on cheating like he was John Harbaugh in the 2014 Divisional playoff.
Granted, Clapgate wasn't going to have the broad appeal of Spygate, or capture the nation's imagination the way the whole Deflategate fiction did. But it was something to hang our hats on.
Until it wasn't:
C'mon, now. That's not how these are supposed to go. You're not supposed to cave the first time the Patriots head coach says he has no idea what you're talking about:
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… that wasn't anybody's intent. We've never coached that or talked about that. Did look at it briefly, certainly didn't think that was anything that we did. It was pretty loud, guys are trying to get lined up. I'm glad we took off when they snapped the ball."
You've got to stand your ground. Insist you've been done dirty. Decry the unfairness of it all. Then reach out to New England's next opponent to conspire against us. Start a ball rolling where the NFL steps in, starts measuring Jaylinn Hawkins hands at halftime, and some low-level bureaucrat tells the team, "You're fucked."
I want it all. Leaks to ESPN. A multimillion dollar investigation run by a crooked lawyer who employs a discredited science-for-hire firm. Blanket coverage on all the networks. SNL skits. I need federal courts involved. And the Pats to lose their 1st round draft pick.
Instead, we get capitulation. Morris folded up like a Dollar Store beach chair at the first sign of pushback. And it's terribly disappointing.
Oh well. I guess the Patriots aren't there yet. They're not yet all the way back. For now, we'll just have to settle for the little things. A pair of rookie offensive linemen who are rag-dolling defenders like WWE Tag Team champions:
… a second year quarterback who's challenging all time records:
… and that QB and LT taking over the whole landscape of the region:
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Oh, and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs at the moment:
This will just have to do for now. And for the time being, it's enough.