Who cares? Maybe they did, maybe they didnt. Slightly less air in the football certainly does give the Colts the win in a game they lost 45-7.
They could have used rocks or Zip loc bags full of wet spaghetti noodles in that game and they still would have won. Looking forward to them doing the same thing to Seattle in the Super Bowl.
markschultz25 wrote:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/nfl-investigating-patriots-deflated-footballs-report-article-1.2083559
Do you know how the rules work?
The Pats and Colts each give the refs 12 balls. The Pats have to provide 12 backups (and the Colts have that option in an outdoor game). They also have to provide a pump.
This all occurs 2 hours and 15 minutes prior to kick-off. The refs have sole discretion to judge if the balls are in compliance. Afterwards, the balls are kept by the ball attendants.
If the balls were underinflated and the refs "passed" them, then the Patriots did nothing wrong. The refs have sole discretion to judge the balls.
This is just another attempt to detract from the Patriots.
Mundus Vult wrote:
markschultz25 wrote:http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/nfl-investigating-patriots-deflated-footballs-report-article-1.2083559Do you know how the rules work?
The Pats and Colts each give the refs 12 balls. The Pats have to provide 12 backups (and the Colts have that option in an outdoor game). They also have to provide a pump.
This all occurs 2 hours and 15 minutes prior to kick-off. The refs have sole discretion to judge if the balls are in compliance. Afterwards, the balls are kept by the ball attendants.
If the balls were underinflated and the refs "passed" them, then the Patriots did nothing wrong. The refs have sole discretion to judge the balls.
This is just another attempt to detract from the Patriots.
Kravitz broke the story, and he's a total Indy homer. Such a joke. The Colts said they are embarrassed this is even a story.
The Colts may be embarrassed that it is a story, but they were the ones talking about it and calling the league during the game.
^ This. They are sore losers.
It is D'Qwell Jackson's job to report something like an under inflated ball.
I have no problem with him.
The thought process of the rest of the Colts organization that ended up calling the league is questionable.
The quotes I have seen, that each team only provides game balls for themselves, are highly suspect. The problem is given all the crazy NFL rules it could be true. Can anyone explain why the NFL would not take all the REFEREE VALIDATED BALLS and use them randomly?
If the balls were underinflated and the refs "passed" them, then the Patriots did nothing wrong. The refs have sole discretion to judge the balls.
its only cheating if you get caught?
The NFL is investigating the Patriots so they obviously think there is a possibility of foul play.
The Colts noticed this when they intercepted a Tom Brady pass and saw that the ball was under inflated.
So the question has to be - how could they have done it?
Do they have access to the balls on the sideline where they can stick a needle in there and deflate them a bit?
"officials inspect 12 footballs from each team"
I think it's strange that each team supplies its own footballs and that they don't just play with footballs provided by the the officials form the NFL.
Could the Pats have supplied footballs with a slow leak that passed the test 2 hrs and 15 min before kickoff?
It was a rainy night. Maybe the Colts were playing with a slick ball while the Patriots were playing with an easier to grip ball.
i don't care, but... wrote:
its only cheating if you get caught?
No. It is only cheating if you are responsible for it. As I said, the decision at to whether a ball is inflated enough is in the sole discretion of the refs. The Patriots could have turned over 24 flat balls and it still wouldn't be their fault.
The only way the Pats could have cheated is to deflate the balls after the balls had been inspected.
I don't doubt for a moment that the Patriots inflated the balls to the minimum requirement knowing full well that the dropping temperatures would further deflate the balls and increase their catchability. But, that's not cheating.
Also, the refs handle the balls every play. If it feels under inflated, they can remove a ball at any time.
This is a stupid distraction by some bitter Colts reporters who need to justify their jobs for another month.
If they filled the balls with hot air, they would feel pressurized when inspected at the beginning and then lose pressure as they cooled off in the New England cold.
Star wrote:
So the question has to be - how could they have done it?
Do they have access to the balls on the sideline where they can stick a needle in there and deflate them a bit?
The Pats are the NOP of football.
underinflated ball maybe easier to catch, but must be harder to throw?
Mundus Vult wrote:
Also, the refs handle the balls every play. If it feels under inflated, they can remove a ball at any time.
That's what you would think.
But the umpire is just quickly trying to set the ball and run into position before the snap.
He's not squeezing the ball for inflation.
Now there are ball handlers holding the balls not in play but I don't know if they are real officials looking out for this.
If there actually was intentional foul play, that's pretty bad.
The balls wouldn't have to be provided by the NFL, just used randomly, so that if you tampered with the balls you provided when the other team ended up with a tampered ball, both sides would have the same advantage.
Star wrote:
That's what you would think.
But the umpire is just quickly trying to set the ball and run into position before the snap.
He's not squeezing the ball for inflation.
Now there are ball handlers holding the balls not in play but I don't know if they are real officials looking out for this.
If there actually was intentional foul play, that's pretty bad.
I don't know because I am not a ref. I have a friend on a chain gang that I will ask later today. But, I know that refs have spent a lot more time handling a football than most people on the field.
I will be disappointed if someone deflated balls after the inspection.
Nothing else would matter to me.
At my hs, we always make the opposing teams pv with poles that are about to crack, we don't let them use their own. Of course this results in my team getting about 20 points in the pole vault. And other teams getting none or just a couple. I'm the best coach in the state!
Trolls Anonymous wrote:
If they filled the balls with hot air, they would feel pressurized when inspected at the beginning and then lose pressure as they cooled off in the New England cold.
]
That's actually a pretty clever idea. Kind of the opposite of what happens when I leave my basketball in my car in winter and then take it into the gym. Feels flat for a while until it warms up.
Facts of the case:
Jackson intercepted Brady and thought the ball felt deflated.
The league notified the refs at halftime, prior to the start of the 2nd half the officials switched out the balls.
The Pats then scored 21 points to Indy's 0 in the 3rd quarter.
The NFL is REQUIRED to investigate because they received a formal complaint.
The colts, pats, and NFL know there is nothing to this.