Mad Dog Russo On DeflateGate: 99 Percent Of People Think Patriots Cheated
BOSTON (CBS) - Sirius XM's Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo had a lot to say (particularly about DeflateGate, but more on that later) when he joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger & Massarotti show Wednesday afternoon on Radio Row in Phoenix.
"The pressure, to me, in this game is on the Patriots. It's not on Seattle. Tom Brady would be 3-3 in Super Bowls instead of 4-2, and they would have lost three straight Super Bowls and not winning one since Spygate, which a lot of fans in America still look at," Russo told Felger & Mazz. "I don't look at [Spygate] as much as the average fan does, but I think it's a consideration."
"3-3 in the Super Bowl sounds a lot worse than 4-2," Mad Dog added.
Asked to pick a winner, Russo said he "doesn't have a clear choice" and expects it to be a hard fought, close game.
A betting man, Russo sees a trend that may just be favorable for the Patriots. It sounds silly, but it makes sense.
Detroit should have beat Dallas, but they lost. Dallas should have beat Green Bay, but they lost. Green Bay should have beat Seattle, but they lost. Seattle could play great, like the three aforementioned teams, and cover, but still lose to New England.
"I know that sounds crazy, but on Monday you might be thinking, 'Hey Russo! That's not bad!' So I like that one," he joked. "I think this will be a very good game. I would be shocked if this game isn't right there in the fourth quarter."
After talking about the state of the AFC East, and the perceived flaws of Russell Wilson (on Wilson, Mad Dog said, "He could play for my team anytime he wants"), a discussion was had on the latest controversy surrounding the Patriots.
"Those 12 footballs were deflated. Is it that big of a deal in the grand scheme? You can debate that all you want," said Russo. "Criminal cases have been solved with less evidence than this. The Patriots priors get them in trouble on this too. Spygate, whether you think that's a big deal or not, it hurts them."
Russo acknowledges the PSI of footballs isn't that big a deal, but he just can't give the Patriots the benefit of the doubt on this topic.
"You are not going to convince me, and you are not going to convince the average fan. I don't care what they're saying in New England," said Russo. "Do I think it's a big deal in the huge picture? No. But do I trust New England? I do not."
Felger & Mazz were pleased to hear someone else in the media share a similar viewpoint on the topic, and forced Russo to offer a disclaimer that these are his views and his views only as to not get in more trouble with their listeners.
Well, Russo has a message for Patriots fans:
"I've been doing radio for 33 years and [I've covered] controversies a lot worse than this. You Patriots out there who think he's a New Yorker and doesn't know what he's talking about; go do a satellite radio program and take calls four or five hours a day from all walks of life all across America. We've had 74,000 calls [on Sirius XM Mad Dog Radio] since [DeflateGate] happened, and 73,990 think I'm right."
Listen below for the full interview:
Tune in to Super Bowl XLIX on 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots. It's the only place to hear Bob Socci & Scott Zolak's local call of the game!