Ok. But the officials measure and mark all balls prior to the game. This includes the Colts’. They stand there with a little electric air pump. I saw a behind the scenes video for another game. I find it highly implausible that they’d have 11 of 12 at the very bottom of the range for the pats, but have 12 of 12 at the very highest edge of the range for the colts. I just don’t see it. If you could show me even that two or three Colts balls were below spec, I could give nature more credence here.
This is walking and quacking like a duck. I’m calling it a duck.
Again, I have no information regarding the twelfth ball other than what I have stated before, which is not much.
As for the Colts’ balls, if the preferred inflation prior to the game at the time of testing was 13.5 psi, and the game conditions reduced the internal pressures to 12.5, they would still be in tolerance. This presumes that the Patriots’ footballs also recorded a similar reduction in inflation. But if the Patriots’ footballs started at 12.5 and “lost” 1 psi (proportional to the Colts’ “lost” air pressure), the Patriots’ footballs would no longer be within tolerance.
I find it highly implausible that they’d have 11 of 12 at the very bottom of the range for the pats, but have 12 of 12 at the very highest edge of the range for the colts.
Aaron Rogers has said that some of the refs will even add a little more to his balls on their own because they know he likes them extra hard. It’s unclear whether he means over the guidelines even if that was a clear inference from context...but that’s another argument.