Bears Airing Old Grievance: Still Miffed About Patriots 'Deflategate'?
Bill Belichick's lavish praise upon the Chicago Bears and the revival of Pat Patriot (plus maybe yet another "Halloween" sequel in theaters) has some feeling as if they've time-traveled three decades back as the team prepares to face the New England Patriots on Monday night (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN), matching the teams that met in Super Bowl XX in 1986.
Fortunately for the Bears, Chicago defensive lineman Justin Jones has kept up to date with more recent New England affairs ... and by recent, he apparently means seven years ago.
The "Deflategate" saga apparently still irks Jones, who said "deflated balls" are the first thing he thinks about when he hears Belichick's name.
"I heard it’s still going on. So I’m going to check (the footballs) before we go,” Jones declared. “I’m so serious. I heard it’s still going on so we’re going to see. I’m for sure checking. I play this game with honesty man, you know what I’m saying?”
Patriots fans will perhaps welcome Jones' accusations: the last time they were accused of using deflated footballs, they ended up winning the Super Bowl, the yield of a 2014-15 season after the scheme originally surfaced after the AFC title game victory over Indianapolis. Tom Brady, the alleged ringleader, was eventually suspended for the first four games of the 2016 campaign, which only led to yet another Super Bowl victory.
If Jones is truly serious about his suspicions, he might want to keep an eye on David Andrew, Marcus Cannon, Jamie Collins, Devin McCourty, and Matthew Slater, the only leftovers from the championship group in 2015. New England (3-3) is looking to get back on pace for its opportunity to win a record seventh championship, a prospect that has gotten a little warmer with wins in back-to-back contests.
No word on whether Jones has claimed a side in "The Dress" debate yet.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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