"Tom Brady prefer his balls to feel a certain way" - balls underinflated

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should pats lose their spot to colts in the superbowl?

  • yes

  • no

  • RG3 is better than Luck


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NuclearNed

Raconteur
May 18, 2001
7,886
382
126
So Belichick is supposedly an unrelenting perfectionist... I bet somewhere there is a poor intern who took a reaming for missing that 12th ball.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
The difference in weight of a FULLY deflated football and a FULLY inflated football is less than 10 grams. The official weight of an NFL football should be between 14 and 15 oz (roughly, about 412 grams). That means that a fully deflated football weights about 2% less than a fully inflated one.

But we are not talking about a football in a fully deflated condition. We are talking about balls that were under inflated by by 2 psi, or about 16% below the lowest psi permitted by the rules (i.e., 12 PSI). So the difference in weight between the fully inflated ball and the balls in question was at most about 2 grams. I'm sorry, I'm just not buying the whole "this ball feels light" BS.

I do (and did, if you read my previous post) acknowledge that it reasonable to assert that a ball feels different (e.g., spongy) when it is underinflated by 15-20%. I just don't buy the assertion that the receiver could detect the difference in weight.

yea I agree here, no one felt a cpl of grams
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
yea I agree here, no one felt a cpl of grams

Weight? No. But if that did provide a benefit to any players, then surely the ball had to have an ever so slightly different feel to it, right? The skin had a little more give, I reckon.

If 2 PSI did not give a difference in feel, then I also reckon the ball gave no performance improvement to the team. It could have truly been an device with a bad calibration, or they will filled in warm conditions.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
I'll echo the same complaints of everyone else and say "So what?!"

For all we know they filled them up in an 85F degree room and they lost that pressure when they were carried out onto the field.

Is there a rule that they must re-inflate during the game based on pressure changes? I'm not aware of one.

Seems ridiculous to me, but haters gonna deflate.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
Weight? No. But if that did provide a benefit to any players, then surely the ball had to have an ever so slightly different feel to it, right? The skin had a little more give, I reckon.

If 2 PSI did not give a difference in feel, then I also reckon the ball gave no performance improvement to the team. It could have truly been an device with a bad calibration, or they will filled in warm conditions.

I agree the feel of the ball will be different in a hard/soft way, but not in weight

but as one of the colts players said after the game "the pats could have been playing with soap and still won"
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
2 psi out of 13 doesn't seem like much. Could be due to temperature if it was inflated in a warm room, and measured in the cold outdoors once the balls cooled down.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a12786/cold-weather-deflates-tires/

Of course tires are inflated to 35 psi. But if going from 70F room to 30F field, and scaling by the pressure difference:
2psi * ((70-30) / 10) * (13psi/35 psi) = 3 psi.
So 2psi is well within that range.


Hmmmmmm
 

fridgers

Junior Member
Aug 18, 2014
19
0
0
I don't understand why they have to cheat to win when they have one of the best QBs of all time and the undisputed best Tight End in football. I would love to see them lose a pick and belicheat will always have an asterisk in my book, especially after their super bowl vs Philly. Calling a screen pass on every single blitz is unheard of and no team gets that lucky.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/spygate-tainted-previous-patriots-titles-161100743--nfl.html

When an all time great like Brian Dawkins is questioning things, then something is up. Enjoy your counterfeit rings, Pat fans. A few more incidents like this from belicheat and those SB wins may eventually be asterisked.



latest
 

Hugo Drax

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2011
5,647
47
91
They should allow Cheating in the NFL. It would add a new element to game play, Who can cheat the best without getting caught.
 

mrjminer

Platinum Member
Dec 2, 2005
2,739
16
76
sorry, how'd this start the whole thing?

He intercepted one of the balls the Patriots used and realized it was underinflated.

The teams use their own balls - they supply them. So, the only way for the other team to get one of the balls your team provides is by an interception or fumble.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
He intercepted one of the balls the Patriots used and realized it was underinflated.

The teams use their own balls - they supply them. So, the only way for the other team to get one of the balls your team provides is by an interception or fumble.

so Colts got a pick, wondered WTF, and then went to the sidelines to report to refs/coaches?
 

mrjminer

Platinum Member
Dec 2, 2005
2,739
16
76
so Colts got a pick, wondered WTF, and then went to the sidelines to report to refs/coaches?

Exactly. Told his equipment manager, who told the coach, who told the GM, who told the NFL
 
Last edited:

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
118
116
so Colts got a pick, wondered WTF, and then went to the sidelines to report to refs/coaches?

I thought the player denied ever saying anything about it to anyone. :hmm:

KT
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,998
126
So Belichick is supposedly an unrelenting perfectionist... I bet somewhere there is a poor intern who took a reaming for missing that 12th ball.

No, he gets a bonus for that, one ball has to be kept inflated properly for kicking and punting.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
Exactly. Told his equipment manager, who told the coach, who told the GM, who told the NFL

who then told the officials

Shows just how broken the NFL is. Instead of a player being able to say "hey ref, this ball isn't right". You have to jump through 15 hoops and wait a week for a finding. The reality is the ball should have been immediately tested and if it was out of compliance, the game should have been stopped and all balls checked. That would take less time than an instant replay. At that time the refs could have take appropriate action. Which IMHO, should have been the Patriots forfeiting the game.

Now that so much time is going to pass, nothing will really happen. Maybe some draft picks but the Pats will still go to the Superbowl even though they got caught cheating. Again.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
No, he gets a bonus for that, one ball has to be kept inflated properly for kicking and punting.

I'm going to slam my head through my desk.


SEPARATE BALLS ARE USED FOR SPECIAL TEAMS

EACH TEAM USES THEIR OWN PREPPED BALLS
 

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
24
76
iunno....if it were any other team, maybe. But the Pats have a history of disregarding rules. They lost their "gee I didn't know" pass a while ago.

Exactly. And with their culture firmly established now, it makes one wonder what they do get away with. While they have been caught and aren't batting 1.000, you know they aren't batting 0.000 either.

Can't wait to see the Seahawk's defense hopefully destroy NE and watch Russell Wilson "game manage" a second Superbowl victory in his first three seasons.
 

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
24
76
I'm going to slam my head through my desk.


SEPARATE BALLS ARE USED FOR SPECIAL TEAMS

EACH TEAM USES THEIR OWN PREPPED BALLS

Yep, and each teams 12 balls for offense are checked for PSI about 1 hour and 45 minutes before game time and that is it. Pretty sure that is plenty of time for ball deflating shenanigans.

Blount alone rushed for enough TD's to beat Indy that day, not saying they were jobbed that day, just tired of NE's need for doing these kind of things. You would think Belicheck and Brady wouldn't need those kind of unbalanced competitive advantages.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Don't care.
I'm sure all teams know about that "edge".
All teams could take advantage of it if they wanted (and probably do).

Baseball pitchers and tennis players fondle the balls to get a better outcome.