Rule 2
The Ball
Section 1
BALL DIMENSIONS
The Ball must be a “Wilson,” hand selected, bearing the signature of the Commissioner of the League, Roger Goodell. The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case (natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight shall be: long axis, 11 to 11 1/4 inches; long circumference, 28 to 28 1/2 inches; short circumference, 21 to 21 1/4 inches; weight, 14 to 15 ounces. The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.
Section 2
BALL SUPPLY
Each team will make 12 primary balls available for testing by the Referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. The home team will also make 12 backup balls available for testing in all stadiums. In addition, the visitors, at their discretion, may bring 12 backup balls to be tested by the Referee for games held in outdoor stadiums. For all games, eight new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game. In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper ball from the visitors and, failing that, use the best available ball. Any such circumstances must be reported to the Commissioner. In case of rain or a wet, muddy, or slippery field, a playable ball shall be used at the request of the offensive team’s center. The Game Clock shall not stop for such action (unless undue delay occurs). Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing field
I found NOTHING regarding penalties nor if the 12 1/2 - 13 1/2 rule was mandated or advisory
IMO ... the ones calling NE cheaters need to determine how a ball got out onto the field approved by a judge and then deflated by a center (most likely/obvious) without anyone seeing it
>br>A ref trained to have an eagle eye and reactions (throw the flag, blow the whistle) probably has had simular training a bank teller has in spotting bad bills ... something about the feel is the first tipoff.
That feel of a ball would occur when it's gotten by the judge and then thrown into the game .. by the judge.
I'm willing to be corrected, but the ball argument this year is (again, IMO) ... nothing more than another element of confusion to keep America in turmoil
Stupid ?
Goebbels didn't think so
In the case of USC deflating balls, it was the ball boy, on the sidelines who deflated the balls.
Herein lies your problem...
From the rulebook you, yourself, just posted...
"...The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained..."
"shall be" is lawyer speak for mandatory.
Face the facts, it doesn't matter whether they won or lost or by how many points. The Patriots and their asterisk-laden coach's intent was to cheat the rules in order to gain an advantage and ultimately win the game.... AGAIN! And you, taking a cue from the MSM, know it yet choose to ignore it or make up any excuse for it because you are an invested loyal supporter.
You just happened to find yourself on the wrong side of right vs. wrong today. It happens.
Our local AZ sports news has been interviewing Jake Plummer on this. It's funny how the fans all keep saying the inflation makes no difference, and then you hear from the guys who actually play the game and they all go, "Oh, yeah. It makes a big difference." Plummer was talking about how he was playing a game in the rain in Washington and he kept taking the ball and pressing it and scraping it on the ground (on the sidelines) because he just couldn't get a grip on the thing. So I doubt there is any cloak-and-dagger going on with the center. It's probably the guys on the sidelines -- you see the QBs over there tossing the ball back and forth all the time anyway -- they just stuck a needle in the valve and let a little air out. It would take 2 seconds.
I'm not a fan of either team. What I find most annoying about this whole episode is the Pats fans who cheer on their cheating team, calling everyone else whiners because they lost to a team that CHEATS. "They beat them 45-7. What difference does it make?!" Yeah, right Hillary. We've heard that one before. What difference did it make that a bunch of precincts turned out 110% of their voters who all voted Democrat. Obama still won 335 electoral votes. WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?