Posted on 01/19/2015 4:15:01 AM PST by Perdogg
A source within the NFL tells wthr.com's Bob Kravitz that the league is investigating the possibility that the Patriots deflated footballs in their 45-7 win over the Colts Sunday night.
The source told Kravitz that officials took a ball out of play at one point and weighed it.
A deflated football could potentially be easier to throw and catch in poor weather conditions than a properly inflated ball.
(Excerpt) Read more at wthr.com ...
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And that proves exactly what with regard to this inflation-gate thingy?
Now...I would definitely expect under inflation to benefit the receiver somewhat but how much of an advantage would that be if the ball is delivered off target because the QB is not used to using a ball in that state?
Does an under inflated ball behave differently? No one except a Pro QB can say for sure. I have played organized football and even played QB for a time. I only base my guesses on experience in handling a football. I'll wait for the investigation to complete before passing any judgement.
If the charges are as ludicrous as you and many others believe wouldn’t you think that of all people the Officials of the NFL would know it? And considering the current high profile of the playoffs and the up coming super bowl that they would have jumped on it and put an end to it very short order?
And if they are not that knowledgeable and capable of due diligence (or at least as much so many FReepers seem to be) about game in which they are responsible for, then what does it mater, because clearly the game has been completely undermined and compromised to the point that it is no longer a sport, but a money making popularity contest.
Used to be fun to watch football.. now, it’s an endurance test.. Nascar got nothing on the performance turned in so far this season by the zebras , teams and coaches.
The thrill is gone.. but the double vision lingers.
The amount of air required to inflate a football weights about 5 grams. If the ball was partially deflated that might mean one or two grams were removed.
The official weight of an NFL football is 410-450 grams. Dry. Four of five raindrops can weigh a milligram. You cannot reliably get any idea of the inflation of a football from its weight.
Wouldn’t be the first time that the Patriots have ‘cheated’ for a win, however by logic 45-7 just says they played a better game.
It takes about 5 grams (about 1/6 of an ounce) of air to inflate a football to 13 psi, about the same weight as a tablespoon of water. A partially deflated ball will be one or two grams (a teaspoon of water) lighter. However, an offical football weighs between 410-450 grams (0.90 to 0.99 pounds). You cannot tell the difference between a fully and partially inflated football by weighing it.
” it says they cheated by changing balls when they were on offense.”
I seem to have missed that point. Are we reading the same article?
Maybe the reason the NFL didn’t do anything about it is that there was nothing to do anything about. Of course owing to the nature of PR they must investigate (or at least “investigate”) otherwise people will whine.
They are that knowledgeable and capable of due diligence, which is a large part of why the accusations are stupid. Because of what the league does to verify the balls the risk level would be extremely high for little if any gain. the game hasn’t been undermined even the slightest. Unless you choose to believe every idiotic accusation, and then it’s not the game that’s been undermined, it’s you.
The Patriots have come under scrutiny with regards to NFL rules in the past, most infamously when they were punished for videotaping sideline signals used by the New York Jets during a 2007 game. Coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team was docked $250,000 and stripped of its 2008 first-round draft pick.
According to the NFL rule book, home teams are responsible for furnishing playable balls at all time. Each team brings 12 primary balls, while home teams are required to also bring 12 backup balls.
Once the referee makes sure the footballs are properly inflated, they’re delivered to ball attendants provided by the home team.
The league’s game operations manual notes: “If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000.”
Deflating a football could change the way it would be gripped by a player or the way it travels through the air.
And if you simple dismiss accusations based on you own perception??
I don’t believe accusations period, ridiculous or other wise, anybody can say anything in an accusation. That’s the kind of vagueness conspiracy junkies live on. Let the investigation go through and see what happens. On some level it looks like the league is over due to fix the game ball handling. All the other major leagues have taken that out of the hands of the home team recently, once balls go to the officials in the NBA, MLB and NHL (pucks obviously) only officials cycle them into play, no more team employees.
Looks like even Rush is not as quick to judge as some:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3248465/posts
Rush has 3 hours a day to fill with talk (well ok 2 hours after commercials), if he was quick to judge he’d run out of stuff to talk about. I on the other hand can be as brief or long winded as I choose.
Hahaha...and the idiots who fixate on this type of thing provide the entertainment!
Not that YOU do...
Of course...:)
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