Heath Evans On DeflateGate: Won't Be A Distraction For Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) - Former Patriots fullback and current NFL analyst Heath Evans was a guest of 98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones Show Monday night, and the two touched on a number of different topics.
Heath Evans on where the Patriots were, and where they're at now:
"After the Kansas City debacle everyone wanted to panic and blow up the team, and I remember Willie [McGinest] and I sitting on the set of Total Access the Wednesday after the game and basically told everyone the Aaron Rodgers line: 'R-E-L-A-X'. Because if you looked at the offensive line at that time, it was a mess. Between injuries and Bill [Belichick] trying to figure out the best breed, or mix of talent, Tommy [Brady] took a beating in that game and it was just a debacle. Then health started to come on that offensive line, and honestly this team is where I picked them to be Week 1. Somehow, someway I picked New England and Seattle to play in the Super Bowl and Week 1, so here we go."
Heath Evans on why he picked Seattle to play in the Super Bowl in Week 1:
"I just think their speed is second to none, and you can't ever judge health, but the dominance we saw of that team last year in the Super Bowl against arguably the second best team in the league with Peyton Manning and those boys, they embarrassed. So I felt like in some ways they had gotten better, and they've shown that this year. They've gotten healthy at the right time, they peaked at the right time. They are a scary, scary football team that played really bad [Sunday], and still won."
Heath Evans on the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick legacy, and if they need to add another ring:
"Yeah, because I think you want to solidify it and you don't want there to be an argument. With Peyton [Manning], is he the best quarterback that's ever played? You could argue a whole bunch of guys, and I would argue until I'm blue in the face that Tom Brady is better [than Manning]. You could argue Joe Montana. Heck, you could argue Dan Marino was better than Peyton. I think if you're talking about solidifying the conversation, so that it's over and done with, I mean there's always going to be people that don't want to give [Belichick] the credit that he's due, and I would argue those people know absolutely nothing about football. If they win this one, the argument should be over and done with."
Heath Evans on the stress leading up to the Super Bowl:
"Experience is everything. Truth be told, probably by Wednesday or Thursday I know the Patriots will have everything wrapped up, from the traveling credentials to the ticket exchange, from the bus transportation for the players, the families, the family hotels, when the families can get in, the family dinners -- it's over and done with [by mid-week]. Then you have older players like Vince [Wilfork] that will make their way through the locker room and really help the younger players [handle it all]. If the younger players are willing to heed the advice of the veterans and the coaches around them, it really can be a simple week."
Heath Evans on DeflateGate:
"I know Bill, and this won't be a distraction for [the Patriots]. If anything it might be a distraction for Seattle, and it's not a big deal at all unless something is proved. If something is proved, and they're guilty, then it's a huge deal. Nobody wants to be around a cheater. Nobody wants to put up with someone cheating the game of football, so that will speak for itself after the league does what it needs to do. But I'll promise you this: this will be more of a setback for Seattle than it is New England. [Patriots] will squash this inside the building, they'll move on and business as usual. They'll let everyone else talk about it, and it will be a distraction for everyone else except for them."
But do the Patriots deserve the benefit of the doubt?
Listen below for the full Heath Evans interview: