Tom Brady ‘clears the smoke’ with teammates

Tom Brady faced questions from reporters Thursday afternoonregarding the team’s recent “deflate-gate” scandal. On Friday, he addressed the controversy with his teammates.

"He stood up and spoke and just said, 'This is a distraction and we just need to keep focus as a team," Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis said Friday, via ESPN. "We have a big game to play' and that's something he wouldn't do. He wouldn't break any rules. It was basically just to clear the smoke."

MORE: Did Patriots get away with more in AFC championship?| Wilfork fined | NFL, Pats release Deflate-gate statements

The NFL released a statement Thursday detailing its investigation of the incident. Revis said it was time that Brady take the time to set the record straight with the locker room so the team can move forward with its Super Bowl preparations.

"I think at that point you would want your leader to step up and say a couple words for us to move forward," he said. "It can be a distraction and it could bother us during the whole Super Bowl experience. So, definitely, it shows a lot of character in him to come up there, stand up and speak to the whole team."

"I think as a team we're fine. We've handled a lot of things this year, adversity-wise, and we just have to continue to keep pushing.”

Apple Watch faces battery life challenges

The Apple Watch may not meet its target for battery life. James Martin/CNET

Apple has aimed for its upcoming smartwatch to last a full day on a single battery charge, but the reality may fall short of the goal, according to news site 9to5Mac.

Apple chose to use a fairly beefy processor and high-quality screen for its Apple Watch, sources told 9to5Mac in a story published Thursday. But that combination impacts how long the watch functions on a single charge.

Apple initially planned for the watch to run 2.5 to 5 hours based on active use. It was also eyeing a goal of three days on standby mode and four days in sleep mode. But the wearable device may last only two to three days in either standby or low-power mode, according to 9to5Mac.

Battery life is critical to smartwatches since device owners expect such a device to last through the day. In addition, owners will want the ability to tap into its full array of apps and features without draining the battery too quickly. In October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that he expects people to charge the watch on a daily basis. because they will be using it so frequently.

Still, 9to5MAc's report -- if accurate -- may not be so damning if people use the watch sporadically. The watch won't be on or active all the time. As a partner to the iPhone, it will spring to life only when you receive an incoming phone call, text message or alert. The watch's animated clock face will last for around three hours straight, but that's only when the watch is in use. When you're not using or checking the watch, the display shuts off, thereby preserving battery life. Also, the average person may use the watch as a fitness tracker only during a workout or only to occasionally check health stats.

However, Apple is a company known for perfectionism, so battery life has been a concern. That's reportedly one reason the company pushed back the launch of its smartwatchfrom late 2014 to early 2015. Apple continues to gauge the watch's performance with almost 3,000 units being tested under real-world conditions.

How Soda Affects Each Body Part As You Drink

© Photo courtesy of Term Life Insurance Each sip of soda doesn't come without health risks to various parts in the body.

Soda is one of the most consumed beverages in the United States, second only to water. Here in the States, Americans guzzle 57 gallons of soda per person every year, as if it wasn’t full of sugary calories. But what’s happening inside the bodies of soda consumers with each sip?

As soon as soda's swallowed, the pancreas is notified and rapidly begins to create insulin in response to the sugar. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to move sugar from food or drink into the bloodstream, where cells are then able to use sugar for energy. Within just 20 minutes, blood sugar levels spike and the liver responds to the insulin by turning sugar into fat for storage.

Within 45 minutes of gulping down a single 20-ounce glass of soda, caffeine from the drink is fully absorbed, and as a result your pupils dilate and blood pressure rises. The body produces more dopamine, which stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain — just like a low-grade line of cocaine.

When the hour chimes, the body begins to experience a blood sugar crash, which is around the same time a person reaches for their second soda, or for another sweet and sugar snack to suffice. Soda’s connection to the obesity epidemic is so intertwined, Harvard researchers have calculated each addition soda consumed increases the risk of obesity 1.6 times.

In addition to the threat of reaching obese levels, researchers also found after following 40,000 men for two decades, those who drank a sugary beverage each day had a 20 percent increased risk of having a heart attack. The high fructose corn syrup — a cheap replacement for cane sugar — has been associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which leads to diabetes and heart disease.

Beverage companies know the haphazard sugar cycle all too well. In the United States, they spend approximately $3.2 billion in marketing each year in an effort to tempt consumers to pick up a liter of brown bubbly sugar with their pizza, or a case of cans for their child’s next birthday party. Those little children have an 80 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes if  they become regular soda drinkers. Their future will be one of kidney problems, reproductive issues, osteoporosis, asthma, and bad teeth with dissolved tooth enamel.

Drink up!

Three under-the-radar Super Bowl MVP candidates

The eventual Super Bowl MVP is often easy to predict long before the game even begins. That’s because superstar players tend to do heroic things on the NFL’s grandest stage. Of the players who have received the prestigious MVP hardware, over half have been quarterbacks (26), and only nine have been defensive players.

It wasn’t difficult to predict that, say, Aaron Rodgers as an MVP winner. Same with Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady (twice), Troy Aikman, or Joe Montana (three times). Of the non-quarterback MVPs, pegging Ray Lewis also wasn’t exactly a challenge before the game.

But who exactly is Malcolm Smith?

We all know who he is, of course, because if you’re reading these football words on the Internet the sport is likely a pretty big deal to you. But the Super Bowl is the one game when football is introduced to a wider, often more casual audience. And to have a relative unknown like Smith named MVP last year was both awesome and odd.

Which led us to thinking about the possibilities for this year’s Malcolm Smith. As I see it, we have three leading candidates.

Brandon LaFell

Remember when Brandon LaFell was a disastrous failure as a second option with the Carolina Panthers? That was last year.

LaFell was a third-round pick in 2010 by the Panthers. The intention was that after some development he’d first be a fine complementary option opposite Steve Smith, and then LeFell would replace an aging Smith. Neither of those things happened, and after four years he still hadn’t topped the 50-catch mark, and his highest single-season output was 677 yards.

That failure made him the perfect Bill Belichick free agency snatch. Belichick drools while sifting through the scrap heap of both the free agency and trade markets, and his offense was missing a critical weapon.

The Patriots have plenty of slot speed between Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, and lots of brute force up the middle with Rob Gronkowski. But Tom Brady desperately needed a deep option.

LaFell could be that guy, and although his start was sluggish this season, the end of 2014 certainly wasn’t. LaFell finished with 953 yards, and made his explosive presence known with 11 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown during a Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears.

Luke Willson

The Seahawks often view passing the same as how you and I look at a trip to the dentist. It has to be done, so let’s just get it over with.

During the regular season they attempted a league low 454 passes. When you have Marshawn Lynch tossing humans around whenever he damn well wants to and Russell Wilson rushing for the fifth most yards from a quarterback in single-season history (849), passing takes more than a back seat. It sits in the trunk.

But despite those minimal attempts Wilson still chucked 54 passes for 20-plus yards. The Seahawks finished just outside the top 10 in that category (11th), while the Patriots threw eight fewer long balls even with 155 more attempts.

That’s all vital information for understanding the growing phenomenon that is Luke Willson.

The Canadian tight end was forced into a larger role when Zach Miller was put on injured reserve in November due to an ankle injury. Willson was on the field for only 59.6 percent of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps this season.

Because of that he’s only logged 22 receptions. But seven of them have been of the deep (sometimes really, really deep) variety.

Nearly a third of Willson’s receptions have gone for over 20 yards. His breakout came in Week 16 when the 25-year-old needed only three catches to finish with 139 yards and two touchdowns. Then during a divisional-round win over the Carolina Panthers he had four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots often struggled against tight ends throughout the season, giving up an average of 65.6 receiving yards per game, according toFootball Outsiders.

LeGarrette Blount

LeGarrette Blount may not be quite as under-the-radar as Willson and LaFell. But he’s still a textbook Belichick discarded treasure grab after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers following an arrest for marijuana possession, and then signed by New England in late November.

Blount being the MVP is especially a longshot because of Seattle’s suffocating run defense that allowed only 81.5 rushing yards per game. But the antidote to the Seahawks’ physical front seven is matching that power, much like Jonathan Stewart did during the divisional round when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

Blount can be that hammer too, because tackling a 250-pound man is never fun or enjoyable. He’s fresh off a 148-yard performance during the AFC Championship Game, and has averaged 4.6 yards per carry since re-joining the Patriots.

Are You Financially Better Off Than a Year Ago? More Americans Say Yes

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — The stock market is still providing as much entertainment value as possible: thrilling opens, dramatic closes and white-knuckle suspense in between. And while the economy continues to mostly mystify the experts, more Americans are shrugging off uncertainty and becoming more optimistic. In fact, more U.S. adults believe they are financially better off now (47%) than a year ago and Gallup says the trend more closely reflects the data gathered during "strong economic times over the past 40 years."

Read More:5 Shocking Credit Predictions and How To Prepare for Them

"The latest results mark a dramatic turnaround from the recent recession and post-recession years," writes Gallup poll managing editor Jeffrey M. Jones. "In May 2009, 54% of Americans said their financial situation was worse and 23% better, the gloomiest assessment in Gallup's 40-year trend. Last year at this time, 35% of Americans said their financial situation was getting better and 42% said it was getting worse."

The research firm says that the financial recovery is being felt across all age and income groups. However younger adults, aged 18 to 34 years old, registered the most improvement year-over-year, with 61% now saying they are better off in 2015 than last year. Middle income Americans, making $30,000 to $75,000 also claimed seeing the most positive changes to their financial situations.

Why You Should Never Buy Stuff When You’re Sad

If you lose out on a plum assignment or get passed over for a promotion, your first tendency might be to head to the mall or click over to Amazon for a pick-me-up in the form of some discretionary splurging. It’s a common response, but a new study says it’s not the best one.

In fact, researchers warn that those purchases could leave you feeling worse about yourself, not to mention leaving a hole in your wallet as well as make you less resistant to future temptation.

A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds uncovers some interesting findings about how we cope with failures. A big personal or professional disappointment disrupts how we see ourselves, and we often respond unconsciously. Say you get passed over for a big promotion. You might go out and buy the luxury watch or designer handbag you were going to reward yourself with anyway, as if to say, “See? I don't need them to look successful,” in an attempt to bolster your bruised ego.

But there’s a catch: The researchers suggest that, instead of cheering you up, anything you buy that's associated with whatever you're trying to forget actually just serves to remind you of that flub or failure. Instead of being a consolation prize, it acts as a trigger that makes you feel even worse, chips away at your self-control and even impairs your ability to focus on completing difficult tasks.

In experiments, subjects were asked to think about a past intellectual failure, then choose a copy of brainy-sounding Scientific Americanmagazine. Afterwards, they reported that selecting the magazine made them dwell on that past incident when they felt dumb. When researchers offered these subjects chocolate candy, they found that those negative feelings led to lower self-control, with subjects less able to resist the offer of junk food.

“After experiencing a setback in one area of their life, consumers might be better off boosting their sense of self in a different area of their life,” the researchers say. For instance (if you must indulge in retail therapy) they suggest following up an experience that makes you feel dumb with a purchase intended to make you feel better about your social standing rather than one aimed at make you feel better about your intellect.