"Deflategate" and the New England Patriots, whether coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady knew anything about it, and whether the NFL will crack down on the organization with the Super Bowl approaching is the viral topic on the tips of every tongue. The Patriots were already one of the easiest football teams to hate, thanks to previous convictions for taping signals from the New York Jets and then accusations of shifty behavior during the team's divisional round substitutions against the Baltimore Ravens. Music Times has come up with a quick playlist of tracks to describe the team's week, along with the connection.
"Men In Blue (No Airplay)" by Wyclef Jean
Wow. Nothing seems to sum up the situation much better than this title from former Fugees member Wyclef Jean. Granted, the emcee's title refers to police officers as the "men in blue" with the "no airplay" bit referencing the lack of airplay this mixtape drop would get due to its unpopular political narrative. In real life the police (in this case the NFL) are totally in the right for cracking down on the Patriots for the squad's "airplay": If there's any chance the deflated balls gave Tom Brady and his receivers an unfair advantage over the Colts during the 45-7 demolition last Sunday, the team needs to feel the wrath of the league. Alas, there's simply no way that the Patriots won't be playing in the Super Bowl. And the last time the team faced fines and the loss of draft picks for violations (the aforementioned videotaping incident), it evidently didn't learn its lesson.
"Deflate Cha" by Diamond D
Another title that seems somewhat obvious in its correlation with the Patriots. After listening to this track from Diamond D however, we're more inclined to believe that the Bronx emcee would take the side of the Patriots in this issue (despite his probable allegiance to his hometown teams, who see Boston-based squads as their primary rivals). The moral to take from the song is best summed up in the line "lifestyles of the rich and smart/I'm a self-made man, never snitch and dart." The message is the best find their way to the top by using any means necessary, and shame on those who complain versus compete. Sounds like advice the Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" buys into...the Patriots are the favorites right now but the Seattle D is looking' to "deflate ya."
"A Baltimore Love Thing" by 50 Cent
Back to the subject of snitches: We weren't necessarily talking about the Indianapolis Colts, who took the biggest beating from the deflated balls. Rather, many point to the Baltimore Ravens as the organization who brought the most attention to New England's devious means. Reporte indicate that, even if Baltimore wasn't the one to tip off the NFL, the team tipped off Indianapolis first, warning the team of its suspicions and perhaps hoping the Colts would initiate investigations against the Patriots. Considering the aforementioned complaints from Ravens coach John Harbaugh about the Pats' unconventional substitutions (which the league later affirmed were legal), we wouldn't be surprised at all if the team's been working against New England for weeks from the shadows. "A Baltimore Hate Thing" might have been a better title.
"She's Easy To Hold" by Clay Walker
Just in case you're behind on why the deflating of balls prior to competition is such a big deal to the NFL, consider the words of countryman Clay Waker and his song "She's Easy to Hold." The less air in the ball there is, the easier it becomes to grip, a fact that helps Brady deliver more accurate passes and aids his receivers in pulling them in. This sort of thing comes in especially handy under circumstances such as those at the AFC Championship game, where temperatures on the field were at least 30 degrees colder than indoors, where the balls were first inflated. That theory has been used to explain the change of PSI, but then again no one in Green Bay (where games are often played in an environment resembling Hoth) has ever complained about this.
