GenericMind
Bluelighter
I understand what you mean, but I think you're vastly underestimating the impact of the cheating stuff with the Patriots. Maybe it's because of how ridiculously fast and wide information spreads in 2015 compared to back then. But there's no way in hell what's going on with this Patriots team is going to be brushed aside like your other two examples. Case in point: I didn't even know the Steelers had a steroid scandal like that. And I probably know more about the NFL than the majority of football fans.
Also, just a minor correction: The Patriots insisted on using their own balls. Other teams did not use the same balls in the same condition. It was Brady and Manning that actually successfully lobbied back around 2008 to be able to use their own balls prepared by their team's staff. That's why each offense brought a bag of balls for a game. Up until deflategate, they would switch the balls out depending on which team was on offense.
Also, just a minor correction: The Patriots insisted on using their own balls. Other teams did not use the same balls in the same condition. It was Brady and Manning that actually successfully lobbied back around 2008 to be able to use their own balls prepared by their team's staff. That's why each offense brought a bag of balls for a game. Up until deflategate, they would switch the balls out depending on which team was on offense.