I agree with you, but technically what he was using is completely legal, whereas actual weed isn't in many places. The NFL also suspends players for marijuana usage, but not "spice," as they call it.
It's an indictment of our drug laws and the priorities of NFL teams and the league itself, though, as what you said about the relative safety of the two substances is absolutely true. Spice is essentially potpourri sprayed with various chemicals. But that's why Jones faced no real discipline for that transgression.
I'm not saying Belichick is callous, but he certainly doesn't seem to have much regard for the player in these situations. He cares more about how the player's actions impact the team. That's been his operating procedure since he got to NE
Sure it is, when your kicker was 92.5% for the season and you've had minimal special teams miscues throughout he season and every other aspect of special teams is solid. They were 2-for-3 on field goals and the snap was bobbled. That's the type of thing that happens sometimes in big games.
As far as game situations and how they would differ based on hypotheticals, that's a futile endeavor, considering we just have no idea what would have happened. You really can't definitively say how things would have changed.
It's nitpicky, in my opinion, because the game wasn't won or lost based on that four points. That much we can definitively say, considering the final margin was eight points. You simply can't assume anything and I don't think those miscues should be mentioned in the same breathe as the defensive struggles.
However, we're really getting into a lot of subjective, hypothetical stuff here. You have a right to express your opinion and perhaps you're right. I just prefer to focus on what wasn't a fluke, which is to say the defensive performance.
