Posted on 01/22/2015 9:42:05 PM PST by Colofornian
What is missing in the 'DeflateGate' NFL analysis?
Simple. How the Colts, once succumbing to a 14-0 deficit, had to THEN shift from running the ball 40% of the time to running it only less than 17% the rest of the first half upon falling behind by those scores.
It was, after all, "Deflady Brady's" deep pass down the left side of the field to S. Vereen (30 yards) to the Indy 17-yard line that set up the second Patriot score. One wonders what might have happened on that pass in the driving rain had the "underinflation" not been at play...or even if the Patriots would have risked tossing a deep ball if the Patriot offense was "in the know" about DeflateGate.
Up until that point in the game, the Colts had been successful on the ground versus the ninth-ranked NFL team versus the run...averaging 5 yards per carry. And one might expect even a passing-oriented team like the Colts to run at least 40% of the time given the weather conditions.
Take away "Deflady's Brady's" 30-yard late first quarter completion...
...and you likely have a 7-0 (vs. 14-0) game...
...and had that been the case, the Colts wouldn't have been passing the ball 10 out of 12 plays late in the first quarter -- into the second quarter -- in that driving rain.
A more balanced offense would have sufficed -- and could have sustained Colts' drives into making it a competitive game...at least much further into the game...
And, had the Colts only been down 10-7 heading into the second half, it wouldn't have fled its running game totally by passing it 10 of 11 plays in the third quarter.
And, for those who contend Brady did "better" with properly inflated footballs in the second half, he didn't pass on the brief 13-yard drive on New England's second-to-last score set up by an interception. So credit the defense and not the offense with that score.
And in the other second-half TD drives, "Deflady Brady" threw only one deep completed pass the entire second half (Edelman 22-yarder). Three other significant yard pass gains (Edelman, Gronkownski, and an eligible lineman scoring a TD) were on very short passes with most of the yardage coming after the catch (YAC). Beyond all that, the rest was "dunkville."
So..."Deflady Brady" doesn't now acknowledge he "felt" anything different about those first-half footballs? What? And pitchers in the Major Leagues can't tell the difference 'tween T-ball rubber balls and Major League baseballs, either?
I have dug no hole. I have speculated as to what happened, but I haven’t accused anyone of doing anything illegal.
If the Pats provided under-inflated footballs, then the officials should have caught it when they checked before the game, corrected it, and no big deal.
But no one knows if the footballs were over/under/perfect going into the officials. No one knows if they were over/under/perfect leaving the officials and getting to the ballboys. All we KNOW is that after the first half, all-but-1 ball was under. Maybe the 11-of-12 that we all heard was actually 11-of-11 - the other ball was on the colt sideline.
Maybe Kraft gives bonuses to ballboys that release a pound of pressure. or maybe Bill does, or maybe Tom.
Maybe Brady, after the ravens game, commented to their equip manager ‘hey, I liked those balls, lets use them again next week’. The manager put them in a locker and turned them into the refs without checking them again.
Maybe it wasn’t malicious, or maybe the NFL has been defrauded by the Patriots organization - from the owner to the cheerleaders and the guy tossing peanut packs that aren’t a full 8 ounces.
My point is we do not know. I will speak for myself, I do not know. But, to quote Ronald, ‘It isn’t so much that liberals are ignorant. It’s just that they know so many things that aren’t so’. Seems to me a lot of folks here know many things that may not be so...Until we find out...#BallDeflatedBradyGuilty
RENTON, Wash.
The NFL is investigating whether the New England Patriots used underinflated footballs during their AFC championship game victory over the Indianapolis Colts. But what advantages does a deflated football hold for a team? Former NFL quarterback Hugh Millen, who played two seasons for the New England Patriots and now helps designs footballs for manufacturer Baden in Washington state, explains.
ADVANTAGES OF DEFLATION
NFL rules mandate that a ball must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. But a football deflated a couple of pounds below the range is softer, allowing for better grip, Millen said.
“If you’re going to be challenged to handle the ball in either very cold conditions or wet conditions, then having the ability to grab the ball and squeeze it, you’re going to have more of a chance to remain in contact with the ball,” he said.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/article7988565.html#storylink=cpy
Here’s a couple of former NFL players who understand this is about media hype blowing it up and much about nothing. From the 1 minute mark in the NFL.com video Warren Sapp and crew explain a few things here.
“Yeah funny how the Colts player who had an interception knew that the ball didn’t feel right.”
Yeah, funny how he is today saying he DIDN’T feel anything funny and only saved the ball as a souvenir ...
LoL.
“You are so right. Brady can probably tell how many ounces low the balls are. To stand up there and say he couldn’t tell the difference proves to me he is a bald faced liar. He knew it and so did a lot of other people.”
Given that the ball normally deflates a couple of pounds during winter conditions I would say he felt nothing unusual, especially considering that the leather would be a little harder ...
Usually, at least two officials handle the ball after each play. The officials for this game did not wear gloves. They handled both side's footballs. Not one instance of any ball being rejected because it didn't "fee right."
(Except to call someone a “hater” IS itself intolerant and/or hateful)
LOL
I did partially address this in the vanity itself.
One of those 4 second-half TDs was set up by an interception -- a 13 yd drive involving 0 passes.
Another TD drive involved only 3 short passes (22 yds total). Nothing completed "downfield." Luck is more of a "downfield" passer; Brady mixes it up...and went short passes almost all the way in 2nd half when he threw it.
Another TD drive involved a 6 yd pass + a wide-out screen which Edelman turned into a 23 yd gain with YAC (Yards After Catch). The TD itself was scored on a short pass to an eligible lineman, who nobody covered ... he rumbled 16 yds ... most AFTER the catch. Blount ran for 40 yds on that drive. So, again...no completed downfield passes for Brady in the rain.
That leaves only the second TD of the second half...LaFell had a short pass catch for 9; Gronk had two short pass catches for 7 and 5 yds; and Gronk had another short pass that he -- as he usually does -- got significant YAC (16 yds).
Brady did throw ONE completed pass downfield the entire second half -- it was on this drive... to Edelman for 22 yds.
Hey, when you're ahead...you really don't need to throw the ball downfield much...when they tried...incomplete except for the one pass to Edelman.
(Which equals wine-ing, eh? :) )
(Who let the air out? Ssss Ssss Ssss Ssss )
(And to add one note, Grampa Dave...only the Patriots footballs were deflated, not the Colts -- well at least 11 of the 12 were...which made me wonder why the media even devolved into covering the coldness angle, which might contribute very slightly to air loss...also 'twas 51 at game-time...not exactly brutally cold...or we would have seen snow...and not rain during the game)
If its not important why is there a rule for it? Why do they check the footballs before every game?
Per the white hat (ref), they were reviewed over 2 hrs before game. So they were up to snuff THEN.
Let me give a parallel situation.
In some levels of baseball/softball, bats are checked by umpires pre-game.
So let's say during a game a broken bat reveals a corked bat. In those situations, a corked bat could get a batter tossed from the game, and in some levels, could either get a head coach either warned or tossed, too.
By warned, I mean, if a SECOND illegal bat is found, it could lead to a manager ejection.
Well...what if...midway thru such a baseball game...11 of the 12 bats in the dugout were found to be illegal...perhaps it was either missed by said umpires and/or some of them were substituted for the legal bats.
Well, we'd have some immediate consequences DURING the game...if it was baseball.
By not having IMMEDIATE consequences in football, the cheaters are only encouraged to cheat. I mean, what's $25,000 in a fine if it helps you get to the Super Bowl?
The other thing in this analogy is...that if 11 of the 12 bats in a baseball game came up as "illegal" -- and in ONLY one of the two dugouts -- who would be stupid enough to think it was...
..."accidental"
..."random"...
..."air temp"...
..."happenstance"...
...some bumbler's "mistake"...???
...fill in the blank...
If it was the equipment manager, he better either fess up & take the fall...or fess up & point the fingers at who directed him to do it.
Agreed.
Ok, then...if it was 'twas nothing, then, hey, do away with the rule. Do away with the football presentation of balls to the head ref two-plus hours pre-game.
Just let the Q's choose their balls...the kickers theirs...
And since proper inflation doesn't matter, why also trifle about a slightly smaller sized football? Why not just leave it up to the players & the equipment mgrs & coaches?
By all means, let's get the referee & nfl bureaucrats out of it & just "trust" the Bill B. types to exercise proper sportsmanship.
What I am getting from all of this hullabaloo and the NFL’s statement about this issue is that the refs probably did not check every ball with an air gauge before the game as they probably should do. I am guessing they checked one with a guage (the one that was properly inflated) and the rest by feel. That is the only reason I can think of for this not being an open and shut thing.
So if the refs followed protocol, the verified balls were given to the ballboys on the sideline 10 minutes before the game. In those 10 minutes on the sideline, or at some point during the first half, someone let a small yet relatively consistent amount of air out of most of the balls on the patriots sideline. Is that what we have for facts?
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