JOHN G MABANGLO. Shutterstock Images.

The day may yet come when I give this past Super Bowl a rewatch, just as an autopsy, if for no other reason. As an attempt to explain how the second highest scoring offense in the NFL could've saved its by far worst for last. Ending its first nine possessions with punts plus the end of the half, and its 10th with a fumble on its own half of the field that led to the first touchdown of the game. 

The short, brutally true version is that they were outclassed by Seattle's defense in every respect. They won the one-on-one battles all over the field, across the line of scrimmage especially. But there's every reason to think they had the cheat codes as well. Their pass rush seemed to have Drake Maye's cadence down to a science. They consistently anticipated the snap counts and were already in motion - legally - before the ball was in his hands. And when they ran stunts and games, they always managed to find a gap to shoot. 

All of which was echoed by Seattle defenders themselves. Devon Witherspoon, who was a disruptive force all day, including forcing that fumble said after, "I knew what was going on. We had a good tell on what they like to do, how they like to play, and how they were going to attack us. Coach put us in the best position to win… We had a tell on their guards and their tackles, how they like to set. They’re gonna overset on certain rushes, and they’re gonna fall for certain moves any time a group of guys get after them, and today I think we did that.” The sideline mic picked up Julian Love (who had an INT) saying, "Classic young quarterback. As soon as that back foot hits, he’s going to where he wants, but he’s pausing for a second to confirm that he’s open. … There’s like a little hitch there. Be sure you jump that.” 

All of which seems to have been confirmed by Mike MacDonald on Dan Patrick's show this week:

Which begs the obvious question. If it wasn't Bill Belichick, than who could it be? And I'm sorry to say it, but it's damned near impossible not to default to the next prime suspect in the case:

I'm with Hank here. The idea that Tom Brady would be actively working to undermine the chances of the team that just unveiled a statue to him is too horrible to contemplate. I mean, say what you will about Benedict Arnold. But at least he betrayed his country after it turned its back on him. He was a hero of the Revolution who got screwed over because the Governor of Pennsylvania wanted Arnold removed from his post so some crony of his could get the job instead. Where exactly did Brady get hosed by the Pats? Because Mr. Kraft didn't give him a piece of the ownership? Which would've been a terrible business decision and was in no way owed to him? That defies credulity.

But who else would qualify as someone with intimate knowledge of the Patriots' offense who even remotely has a conflict of interest? There are a slew of ex-coaches who knew the inner workings of Josh McDaniels' system who might have axes to grind. Jerod Mayo's head coaching stint wasn't exactly a majestic triumph. But he practiced against the scheme for over a decade as a player and an assistant. Matt Patricia coached against it and was the offensive coordinator for one disastrous season. During that same time, Joe Judge was the QB coach. Their time in New England ended badly for all of them. Grudges may be held. It's just hard to see how any of them would qualify for conflicts of interest given that they're not under contract to any NFL team. And most certainly don't own a stake in the team that just named Seahawks OC their head coach. 

Again, I'm dealing with this the way Hank and millions of other Pats fans in the old fashioned way. With denial. Whenever I'm forced to believe one of two conflicting sets of options, I'm always going to go with the one I most want to believe is true. I might be incredibly handsome and athletic. Karen Gillan may have a debilitating crush on me.

Giphy Images.

And the person who helped Mike MacDonald completely dismantle the Patriots in the Super Bowl was some petty, vindictive, resentful little man carrying out a vendetta against the organization he owes his entire career to. But it was someone other than Tom Brady. That's my cope. That's how I plan to sleep tonight. But it would be nice to hear a denial from the Person of Interest all the same.