BOSTON - Make no mistake: New England fans are pumped, not deflated. Jonathan Ericsson Jersey .As the NFL investigates how footballs got deflated during the AFC Championship game, and detractors accuse the team of cheating, very little air seems to have gone out of Patriots Nation and its Super Bowl euphoria.Die-hard fans have been poking fun at the latest controversy swirling around the franchise. There are Deflatriots bumper stickers, Deflaters Gonna Deflate T-shirts and even Deflategate cookies shaped like saggy little footballs with icing laces.Much ado about nothing, said David Schultz, who works in IT in Boston.I think its ridiculous. Its like theyre going after Brady and Belichick, said David Ellis, a civil engineer from Falmouth.Patriots fans are used to playing defence.Theyre still fending off criticism of Spygate — revelations that New England videotaped the New York Jets signals during a 2007 game. Coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team was fined $250,000 and stripped of its 2008 first-round draft choice by the league.For several years, the Patriots have been the team the rest of America loves to hate, in part because of their success. Eight Super Bowl berths and three NFL titles (the last in 2004) will do that to a team.Quarterback Tom Bradys good looks and supermodel wife probably dont help. Nor does Belichicks trademark scowl, worn on and off the field, with or without the hoodie. Those who revile New England accuse it of hypocrisy for using underinflated balls while preaching the Patriot way — Belichicks insistence that his players avoid trash talk and do their jobs.Little wonder, then, that social media would blow up over Deflategate, which was trending Thursday on Twitter. Or that Pats fans would laugh off that and other hashtags, which have included Belicheat, Ballghazi and Hate-riots.Nick Stevens, a popular online Boston sports commentator whose alter ego is Fitzy, has a simple if crude response to anyone who suggests the Patriots gained an unfair advantage over the Colts and cheated their way to Glendale, Arizona:Deflate this.We ignore the noise, embrace the hate. Its the coal that fires our engines, he says in a mock Patriots news conference circulating on YouTube.Its not just New England fans who are having a little fun at the teams expense. Krispy Kreme tweeted an ad showing a football-shaped doughnut with the line: Ours are fully filled.Etsy stores sprang up overnight, hawking shirts with slogans such as They hate us cause they aint us, a reference to a line James Franco uses in his latest movie with Seth Rogen, The Interview.Critics insist the Patriots legacy will be forever tarnished no matter the outcome on Feb. 1. But faithful fans like Luis Mariano arent buying that.Right now its the Patriots vs the world, he said. And Im sticking with the Patriots.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/ap_nfl Frans Nielsen Jersey . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Gustav Nyquist Jersey . Sharper briefly appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20 at the request of his lawyers. They issued a statement saying he would be exonerated. Prosecutors then filed a motion to increase Sharpers bail to $10 million and outlined details of investigations involving him in Las Vegas, Tempe, Ariz. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/nicklas-lidstrom-jersey/ . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth.As Cristiano Ronaldo continues to adapt his game, Gareth Bale has the chance to become Real Madrid’s most important attacking player, writes Adam Bate. According to Guillem Balague, it was only when it became apparent that Cristiano Ronaldo was likely to be staying at Real Madrid this summer that Robert Lewandowski cooled on the idea of signing for the Spanish club. It was the enormous potential of a Bale-Lewandowski partnership that appealed to the Pole. Competing with Ronaldo was a different matter.Its a nugget of information that puts Bales decision to join Real in the summer of 2013 into context. The Welshman had made his name at Tottenham by showcasing a similar skill-set to Ronaldo with his dribbles down the flank, long-range shots and distinct style of taking free-kicks. Indeed, Bale has visibly modelled his approach on the celebrated forward. So its perhaps understandable that there have been times in his three-year stay in Madrid that finding the right role within the team has not seemed straightforward. While predecessor Mesut Ozils reputation for selflessness complemented Ronaldo perfectly, Bales similarity was seen as something that counted against him. See Bales latest trick as he juggles a golf ball between a club and his feet The statistics bore that out in that first season. While the campaign was a triumphant one, culminating in a Champions League victory in which both men scored, Ronaldos presence did inhibit Bales effectiveness. In fact, he netted more goals in the seven games he started without Ronaldo than the 17 in which they were named in the starting line-up together.Even now his scoring record when Ronaldos not around is a goal a game. In his first two seasons in Madrid, he scored 19 in 44 starts when the Portuguese played too. However, those numbers began to change last season. Bale scored 15 goals in 19 La Liga games alongside Ronaldo and suggestions of issues between the pair began to dissipate. Bale stepping out of the shadow? With Ronaldo Without Ronaldo Apps Goals Apps Goals 2013/14 17 7 7 8 2014/15 27 12 3 1 2015/16 19 15 2 3 TOTAL 63 34 12 12 There were several factors in that. Nick Jensen Jersey. Rafael Benitez had prioritised Bales positioning, giving him opportunities more centrally, and Zinedine Zidane continued to encourage this freedom of movement. But the biggest change was simply the ticking of time. The 31-year-old Ronaldo is a very different animal to the one that once tore at opposition defences.In their first season together, Bale and Ronaldo averaged 2.5 and 2.4 successful dribbles per 90 minutes respectively. But Ronaldos dribbling numbers have been falling year on year to such a degree that last season he recorded the lowest figures of his career to date. His dribbling days are all but over. Its as an accumulator of goals that he excels now. Dribbling differences Dribbles per 90 Gareth Bale Cristiano Ronaldo Difference 2013/14 2.5 2.4 +0.1 2014/15 2.3 1.6 +0.7 2015/16 2.2 1.4 +0.8 He is now just a goalscorer, La Liga expert Terry Gibson told Sky Sports. He is now almost a full centre-forward. It was in this role that Ronaldo helped Portugal to glory at the European Championship this summer, scoring three times - including the opener against Bales Wales in the semi-final - but seldom being involved in the build-up play.Ronaldos game has changed and the onus is on him to adapt. But for Bale, its an opportunity for him to seize the initiative and become the driving force of this Real Madrid team. The players who were once deemed too similar can now complement each other - the dribbler and the finisher. Those at the club are far from oblivious to the changes. Bale was told next season he would be the focal point of Real Madrid. When he has been given the opportunity, he has embraced it fully and enjoyed himself. Ronaldo has been limiting his influence on the game. Guillem Balague Bale was told next season he would be the focal point of Real Madrid, said Balague recently. When he has been given the opportunity, he has embraced it fully and enjoyed himself. Ronaldo has been limiting his influence on the game. He is picked to play in and around the box so there is more work to do for the others and more work to do for Bale.Bales efforts in France impressed in Spain. In his AS column, Lothar Matthaus rated him alongside Antoine Griezmann as one of the two faces of Euro 2016 while Marca talked of his reputation and importance to Real Madrid continuing to grow. A contract that expires in 2019 is expected to be extended to the summer of 2021 or beyond. In the more immediate future, theres a big season ahead. Bale reports for duty at the end of July having had some time to relax, proposing to his long-time partner and embarking on a golf tour of Scotland. His competitive return will come in the European Super Cup against Sevilla in Trondheim in the first week of August. Ronaldo will not be fit.The plan for Zidane and Real is that the 2016/17 journey ends with what theyre already calling Duodecima - the clubs 12th European Cup success. And where is the final to be played? Bales home city of Cardiff. He might have lost his personal battle with Ronaldo at Euro 2016, but Bale could yet be the big winner as the power shifts at Real Madrid. Win Sky Q Ultra HD with Sky Sports 43 LG TV plus a Sky Q Ultra HD package including Sky Sports to be won EVERY DAY - enter now! Also See: WATCH: Bales golf skills Ronaldo wants new deal Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '