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Championship Sunday: Packers Blow It; Patriots Accused of Deflating Their Balls
Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | January 15, 2015 | Rush Limbaugh

Posted on 01/19/2015 11:49:47 AM PST by Kaslin

RUSH: Yeah, I'm so glad I'm not a fan of the Green Bay Packers. I'd be going crazy. I would literally be nuts if I were a fan. And it's not that I don't like the Packers. I like the Packers. You know, I'm a Steelers guy, but, man, if I were a Packers fan, jeez. So many things I'd be questioning.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

Now, football games yesterday, Patriots accused of deflating their balls. Have you heard about this? New England Patriots are accused of deflating their balls during this game. During rain and wind it's apparently eager to grip and throw a football when it's not properly inflated. The NFL is investigating. I don't know where the charge comes from, but it's a media guy from Indianapolis, Bob Kravitz who first made it public. Tom Brady said: this is crazy. This is asinine. This is silly. We didn't deflate our balls. Our balls are just fine. People are wondering how this can happen. This has got to be a day of utter misery if you're a Packers fan. Oh, man.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I want to let you hear something. You may not have heard this. It was the very last thing that I said on the program last Friday.

RUSH ARCHIVE: We're gonna have Patriots and Seahawks are going to be in the Super Bowl. That's what's gonna happen on Sunday. Patriots and Seahawks win.

RUSH: The show ended. That's the only things I said about the games, although I had no idea that the Seahawks were gonna play as poorly... I had no idea the game was gonna turn out the way it did. There's so many things in that game that I do not understand about the Packers and their execution. Maybe we'll get to that later. On Indianapolis, EyeballNews TV 13 sports director Dave Calabros talking with Bob Kravitz, a columnist for the local newspaper about investigating the Patriots for using deflated footballs in the championship game last night. Question: "Getting some breaking news, Bob. What have you learned out there," old buddy, old pal?

KRAVITZ: A league source tells me that the NFL is investigating the New England Patriots for possibly deflating the footballs in the AFC Championship Game. Nobody's beginning to suggest that that's the reason that the Colts lost, but that is an issue that they're going to take a look at it. The Colts are a passing team, and the Patriots like to run the ball, and a deflated football is very, very difficult to throw.

RUSH: Now, I've had a lot of people send me questions about this, and apparently... I think this is still the case. People said, "Wait a minute, wouldn't the balls be the same for both teams?" No, folks. Each team in the NFL now is allowed... It's been this way for some time. Each team is allowed to bring its own balls. Each team is allowed to designate its own balls for the kicking game, punting, and field goals.

They have a K on them, and they're not to be used during standard play. So the Patriots bring their balls, it's a specific number, and the Colts bring theirs and they're turned over to the referee an hour or two hours before the game. They're supposedly checked and weighed and all that. So the Patriots deflating their balls, I don't know how it would... The Colts wouldn't even end up using those balls.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Now, folks, on this inflated football business, you know, I can't say for sure. I've thought about it here during the break. I do know at one point that in the National Football League, at least the regular season, teams were allowed to bring their own balls to games. The balls they had used in practice, balls they were familiar with, or brand-new balls, but it was one way of preventing things like this. Al Davis, when he owned the Raiders, routinely did this kind of stuff and more, deflated footballs, muddy sections of the field. There were lots of rules changes.

Now, I must be honest, I can't recall if each team being allowed to bring its own balls was for all players, or just the kicking game, now that I think about it. And I don't know, even if that is the way it is, each team's allowed to bring its own footballs. I don't know if that's still the case in postseason. It may not be the case in postseason. They start out with brand-new balls and the home team has to provide them. I don't know how that works now, if the league provides them. But if the teams are allowed to bring their own footballs, balls they're familiar with, balls they've used in practice or in previous games, which makes sense, and they're not supposed to be mixed up.

For example, in a game like that, when the Colts have the ball, their balls are used. When the Patriots have the ball, their balls are used. If that's the case, which I can't swear to, then the Patriots could deflate footballs all night and the Colts would never encounter one unless they happened to intercept Brady. Well, that's obviously not the case. This wouldn't even be an issue. So maybe I'm not right about this. Maybe it's not true in postseason.

But still the idea that the home team is in charge of all of the footballs, I'm not aware of that being the case in years. But may be postseason it is. And it is being investigated. It is being looked at. Now, if it were found that this actually happened and the Patriots had the ability to deflate the footballs that the Colts were using, then the penalty would be money and draft choices or whatever. They wouldn't have to forfeit the game or any of that. It's kind of crazy. One more sound bite. Bob Kravitz last night on Eyewitness News NBC in Indianapolis, he was asked, "We did notice there was a time-out early in the first half. They came out and actually got a ball and they took it off the field."

KRAVITZ: I'm told by this league source that they took the ball off and weighed it, and it's going to become an issue. There may be lost draft picks if they find the Patriots guilty of this. Of course, the Patriots were involved in Spygate and some other unsavory dealings.

RUSH: Well, now, if all this is true, then apparently I'm not right about the way footballs with dealt with in the postseason. If the home team's in charge of the footballs, that hasn't been the case in a long time and something that's gotten by me. But that's the only way this could affect the Colts, or the Colts, as Phil Simms says. That'd be the only way is if the Patriots provide the footballs, 'cause whoever provides 'em, they go to the referee or somebody, an hour or two before the game, where they are weighed and checked for proper inflation or deflation. And they spot-check 'em during games at the same time, which is one of the reasons one ball was spot-checked and taken out. Tom Brady was on the radio today in Boston. Before he had even heard about it, he was asked about it.

BRADY: No. I don't. I have no idea. (laughing)

REPORTER: Would you care to weigh in on that?

BRADY: I think I heard it all at this point. It's ridiculous. That's the last of my worries. Yeah, I don't even respond to stuff like this.

RUSH: It is kind of strange. It wouldn't have mattered a hill of beans anyway to the outcome of that game. That game, it's a sad circumstance that that game even ended up being scheduled. The Colts just are not ready. But they ended up beating the Broncos. I mean, they were legitimately genuinely there, but that game was -- and the scheduling on that, to make that the prime time game, I know they have to alternate CBS and Fox, each get the night game on championship weekend, they rotate it every year. CBS had it last year. Fox got it this year, which meant that Seattle had to start at noon local time, which had never happened before.

I got a couple of calls I want to get in here before we dovetail or split the scene on this and get back to some other issue oriented stuff.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Now, I was right, by the way, on this football business.

I went back and looked, ladies and gentlemen. During the Ravens-49ers Super Bowl, Joe Flacco complained at one point that they were given a Fort'iners ball. It's right there at NFL.com. What we learned from sound effects or Super Bowl, whatever it is live when they mike the players, Joe Flacco realizes the Ravens are using the wrong football during the game. He realizes that they're using a 49ers ball. It was a mistake.

Each ball is marked, and he asked for it to be replaced with a Ravens ball. The balls have the team's name on them so the quarterbacks get the ball they want during the game. Here's the rule book: "Home teams are responsible for furnishing playable balls at all times. Each team brings 12 primary balls. The home team is required to bring 12 backup balls." So there's a total of 36 footballs at the beginning of the game, probably more than that.

But the visiting team brings its own footballs, is the point, even in the Super Bowl. The 49ers had their own balls and the Ravens had theirs and Flacco (the quarterback for the Ravens) noticed at one point that he was given a 49ers ball and asked for it to be switched out, which he was granted. And that Super Bowl was just two or three years ago. My point here is, how do the Colts end up with a Patriots ball?

I mean, how do the Patriots get hold of the Colts because to deflate them? There's something really screwy about this, folks. Here it is in the rule book again. "Home teams are responsible for furnishing playable balls at all times." Take that and set it aside. Next sentence: "Each team brings 12 primary balls." Okay, meaning last night the Colts were using balls they brought with them, and the Patriots were using their own balls, and then the Patriots have to supply an additional 12 balls as backup in case something happens, goes wrong.

In addition to that, what's not in the rule book here is that there are balls set aside for the kicking game only. They have a K on them, and it's the responsibility of the ball boys running up and down the sidelines to get all this right. Now, taking a ball out of play and weighing it and whatever they do to check its legality, I don't know. But given this, the Patriots could deflate footballs all day long and it would only be their own, unless the Colts were then given those balls to play with.

But they should have seen that, because the balls are marked.

Now, the 12 K balls (they're called K balls) are unwrapped the day of the game, and the equipment guys get 45 minutes to try to break 'em in. The kicking game footballs are brand-new. The balls that teams bring to the games are balls that they've used either in previous games or in practice. They do not have to be brand-new, is the point. They're balls that are comfortable. They've been broken in; they've been used by the teams in their own endeavors.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: afl; colts; deflategate; deflatriots; football; newengland; nfl; packers; patriots; seahawks
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To: eyedigress

Packers in the 2nd half were not very productive on offense.
Should have kept the ball on longer, time eating drives. Late in the 4th Q Clinton_Dix let a potential pick 6 interception sail thru his hands. Would have been game over.
They let the Seahawks 2 point conversion in when it should have been stopped and of course the onside kick debacle. Coulda-shoulda—woulda-—


21 posted on 01/19/2015 12:46:11 PM PST by tflabo (Truth or tyranny, dontchyaknow.)
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To: Kaslin

Green Bay did not give away the game, the Seahawks got it together late and took it back. I almost had a stroke.


22 posted on 01/19/2015 12:48:44 PM PST by dainbramaged (Get out of my country now)
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To: tflabo

It should have never been.

The Packers are in the biggest game of the season and kick from the half-foot line.

You don’t do that if you intend to win.

That is reality.


23 posted on 01/19/2015 12:50:17 PM PST by eyedigress
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To: Kaslin

Discount Double Choke !


24 posted on 01/19/2015 12:57:46 PM PST by Mopp4
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To: dainbramaged

Seattle took it and more power to them.

Green Bay, being as solid as they are, misunderstood how much of a flash Seattle can be.

They let it go with mismanagement. I would NEVER kick from the 1 with a line GB had.


25 posted on 01/19/2015 12:57:59 PM PST by eyedigress
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To: knarf

Well 80 psi is 80 psi (pounds force per square inch)...


26 posted on 01/19/2015 1:00:44 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Kaslin

The scorpion And the frog comes to mind.


27 posted on 01/19/2015 1:02:17 PM PST by Dr. Ursus
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To: knarf
How much does a ball weigh in 30 degrees as opposed to 8o ? How "tight" is a 30 degree ball as opposed to the same inflation psi in 80 ? I wonder, do they ever just use Nitrogen instead of Air? Tires with Nitrogen last longer and leak less. At 80 psig and 30 F, the density of air is 0.5236 lb/ft3 At 80 psig and 80 F, the density of air is 0.4870 lb/ft3. Volume of a football is 0.149628 ft3 (4,237 cm3)and the weight of the ball without air is 0.9061 lbs. So the ball filled with 30 F air would weigh 0.9844 lbs. and the ball filled with 80 F air would weigh 0.9790 lbs for a difference of 0.0055 lbs (0.088 oz or 2.5 grams) ==================================== These cats say the volume of a football is http://www.csus.edu/indiv/o/oldenburgj/ENGR1A/NFLFootballWtCalc.pdf NFL Football Weight Calculation Figure 1. Football axes: a is the polar axis, b is the equatorial axis Physical Measurements (at 20 °C) Weight of Football without air – WF = 14.5 Oz = 411 g a = 14.0 cm, b = 8.50 cm Guage Pressure -- PG = 13 psi (Pressure above Atmospheric) Atmospheric Pressure – PA = 14.504 psi Pressure of Football – PF = PA + PG = 27.504 psi Molecular Weight of Air – mWAir = 28.96 g/mol Molecular Weight of He – mWHe = 4.00 g/mol Molecular Volume – mV = 24506 cm3/mol Volume of Football – VF = (4/3)πab2 = 4237 cm3 Calculation of Weight Weight of Air in Football = € WAir = mWAir PFVF (mV)PA  = 9.67 g Wight of He in Football = € WHe = mWHe PFVF (mV)PA  = 1.34 g Weight of Football with Air = WF(Air) = WF + WAir = 421 g = 0.421 kg Weight of Football with He = WF(He) = WF + WAir = 412 g = 0.412 kg Conclusion: The He-filled football is about 2% lighter than the Air-filled football.
28 posted on 01/19/2015 1:11:54 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

Now why did I use 80 psi. that is just way to high.

There were just too many 80’s in his post... :(

“The NFL has set specific weight and air pressure standards for the balls used in the game. The ball must be inflated between 12.5 to 13.5 pounds per square inch (psi) and must weigh 14 to 15 oz.”


29 posted on 01/19/2015 1:15:02 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

At 80 psig and 30 F, the density of air is 0.1528 lb/ft3

At 80 psig and 80 F, the density of air is 0.13386 lb/ft3.

Volume of a football is 0.149628 ft3 (4,237 cm3)and the weight of the ball without air is 14.5 oz.

So the air added to the football at 30F is 0.365 oz.

and the air added to the football at 80 F is 0.332 oz

So the difference in the weight of the football at the same pressure is 0.034 oz.


30 posted on 01/19/2015 1:20:47 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

Would you WEIGH the football to determine the PSI or MEASURE THE PRESSURE ?!?

Seems to me you would MEASURE THE PRESSURE.

Statment says the ball was WEIGHED.

If a football weighs about 411 grams, and the air is only adding 10 grams to that weight. They would have to have some pretty good scales to measure the difference. The football being wet or dry probably has a bigger effect.

“To gain an advantage and make a ball easier to grip in poor weather conditions, a team might take air out of the ball. During the Patriots game, a ball was weighed and believed to be below the required 12.5 to 13.5 pounds per square inch. Should the Patriots be found guilty, they would be subject to lost draft picks and/or a lofty fine.”


31 posted on 01/19/2015 1:34:48 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: eyedigress

Fact is if 2 refs had been doing their jobs seahawks would have lost...they had 2nd and 31 on first td drive...should have been 2nd and 46...ref said packers declined roughing penalty by offensive lineman...but it occurred when ball was down and should have been tacked on as deadbolt penalty...then on 2nd td drive Kearse clearly does hold to prevent defender in front of him from getting possible pick..could have impacted td drive


32 posted on 01/19/2015 1:38:45 PM PST by Colofornian
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To: eyedigress
 photo 620wide_zpsc61d22d4.jpg

 photo 620wide_zpsc96609a8.jpg

 photo 620wide_zpsb6e37fe9.jpg

33 posted on 01/19/2015 1:39:10 PM PST by SkyDancer
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To: eyedigress

I called the outcome of the Packers game when the Packers picked off that last interception with about 8 minutes left in the game. I didn’t see the Packers making it a tie. Number 38 did a QB slide instead of running it back. Then the lame play calling of 3 runs, 2 of which were losses. Although it ran down the clock almost 4 minutes. Those 4 plays just made me think that the Packers didn’t want it or it was planned.....


34 posted on 01/19/2015 1:40:09 PM PST by Cyclone59 (Where are we going, and what's with the handbasket?)
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To: Colofornian
but it occurred when ball was down and should have been tacked on as deadbolt penalty

I was wondering why that wasn't a dead ball foul.

35 posted on 01/19/2015 1:41:35 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: SkyDancer

OK the first one is LOL funny!


36 posted on 01/19/2015 1:43:50 PM PST by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Mopp4

“Discount Double Choke !”

Best line of the thread. Well done sir!


37 posted on 01/19/2015 1:46:20 PM PST by M.A.Meddybemps (Remember Mississippi! Eh-Yup!)
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To: Colofornian

Tell me how the line switched from the 4 to the 19.

I also have questions about the facemask against a defensive player on the receiver......

The NFL can kiss my ass. They are not to be trusted.

When I say these things, it is quite observant and they have lost my trust.


38 posted on 01/19/2015 1:51:10 PM PST by eyedigress
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To: DannyTN

Let’s see then: how does that figure into Blount’s gashing them for 140 yards on the ground?


39 posted on 01/19/2015 1:51:27 PM PST by Zman (Liberals: denying reality since Day One.)
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To: Pikachu_Dad
I just KNEW a FReeper would come up with mobius loop equations ... thanx

I'll really attempt to read slowly and try to digest this

40 posted on 01/19/2015 1:51:29 PM PST by knarf
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