Washington State football coach Mike Leach doesn’t see what all the fuss is about surrounding Deflategate.
During an appearance on ESPN Wednesday, Leach was asked about New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season. In short, Leach said we should be concerned about the society we’re living in if air pressure in a football is something we care this much about.
“It’s kind of disturbing if you think about it,” Leach said, per Mike Schlabach of ESPN.com. “With everything that’s going on, we’re worried about how much air goes into a ball when everybody uses their own ball. It’s not like it’s a forged football.
“We waste a lot of time with that, and then we worry about the Kardashians. How can it be that we laugh about England’s obsession with the royal family? At least the royal family has college degrees and military service.”
Well said, Mike.
As for Brady playing with a ball that was slightly underinflated, Leach said he believes quarterbacks should be able to use a ball that has as much air pressure in it as they want.
“Give them an empty football and let them fill it however they want to,” he said. “If your quarterback wants a deflated football, your soccer-style kicker is going to want it kind of full. If your quarterback wants it really full, your straight-on kicker is going to want less air in it. It’s a regulation football; let them use it however they want to. You use your own ball.”
That’s something I have said from the start and still don’t understand. The NFL — with its pass interference and illegal contact rules — has made an effort to make it easier for teams to score more points. If quarterbacks have a preference for a certain PSI and they feel it helps their performance, why not let them inflate game balls as much or as little as they want?
Leach usually isn’t quite as eloquent when trying to make a point, as this opposing coach could tell you. It’s hard to argue against his take on Deflategate.
