I meant each teams footballs were all the same level. Whether that was 12.5 or 13.5 for the Colts, not one of their balls dropped 2 psi. 11 Patriots footballs did. Explain how ALL the Patriots footballs were reinflated at halftime and were measured again after the game and ZERO of them were below the legal limit. How does 11 Patriots footballs drop 2 psi “naturally” in one half and not the other? It got warmer as the day went on in NE? Please
First, we do not know that the footballs were the same for each team at the time of testing 2 1/4 hours prior to game time. We do know that ALL the footballs provided by each team were within the league limits.
Second, we do not know that ALL the Patriots footballs were 2 psi below the minimum limits. I have read in the initial statement by the NFL refs that TWO of the twelve footballs originally submitted tested at 2 psi low.
Third, as I have stated earlier, the balls retested at halftime had just spent over two hours in game conditions (51 degrees at kickoff - 45 degrees at halftime). The balls, bladders and the air within them were at game time temps at the time they were taken into the refs locker room for retesting. The halftime is brief. The addition of a pound or two of pressure (at indoor temperatures) would have a very small effect on these footballs as they were immediately returned to the field of play.
I don’t have a dog in this fight. What I am appalled at is the insistence of cheating where we do not have sufficient evidence (in this case data) to determine what if any infractions occurred. I watched a video this evening of a demonstration of the effects of temperature and moisture on NFL regulation footballs. The testing was set up on eight Wilson footballs inflated at 12.5 psi at 72 degrees F. The balls were dampened and subsequently cooled to 45 degrees F, simulating game conditions. The average loss of pressure was measured at 1.85 psi. That means a great deal more to me than waving flags of suspicious outrage.