Football Air Pressure Controversy

[Nconroe]

Apparently 11 of 12 footballs from Patriots tested low air pressure after the game. Not sure how low, or what proper range should be.

Did they test Colts balls also?

Are balls always tested after games? Sounds like for sure two hours before games they are tested.

I was thinking one solution is don't let teams keep their balls during a game, have refs or league official keep balls for everyone if used in game.

From my own experience there is some happy medium football pressure best for a given temperature and rain effect for any given game. So slightly lower air pressure if cold and wet might make it easier to throw the ball and catch the ball on pass plays, but less distance and accuracy. If running the ball, maybe less likely to fumble? On kicks and punts, might give more distance if short/poch kicks/ and better direction control .

It wasn't really that cold, 45 degrees or so. Was raining some of the time.

If this was cheating intentionally, what should penalty be?

Right now all speculation as NFL hasn't released any official findings yet.

[barrett]

I'm a Patriots fan 2nd since I'm from there originally, but it is beyond defense. It is probably not that uncommon, but the Patriots are just so brazen about how they go about their cheating under Bellichik. It is hugely disappointing and takes the shine off a super bowl appearance for sure.

[HPF Bob]

The NFL has ruled that since the Patriots technically violated the rules, they will take a draft choice away from the Bills next April.

[Arky]

I just don't think it's that big a deal. Much ado about nothing. Does it make the ball easier to run with or pass/catch passes in inclement weather? Possibly. Maybe 1 instance out of 100 - just a guess. I haven't done thorough research on the subject but I would speculate that punts and kickoffs would travel less far with an under-inflated ball... Maybe their "ball checker" had a bad day....

Just really don't see a competitive advantage, here.....

[Nconroe]

Apparently Tom Brady likes a slightly underinflated football and he is having a press conference right about now.

difference between 11.5 and 12.5 psi, 1 psi low, not sure what that changes.

[Nconroe]

Just to update a few of rumors and stories going around

1. story out of Boston CBS affiliate this morning is that balls were given to referees before inspection a little low and they didn't inflate them so perhaps everything ok other than a check didn't really make a correction? this is normal for balls to be hi or lo and then officials are to put in the right range of 12.5 to 13.5, maybe didn't happen.

2. another story is Patriots turned over a film of ball boy taking two sacks of balls into a restroom( room?) for 90 seconds. but seems Pats have talked to him and ok, but NFL says person of interest, although some say NFL already has 40 people interviewed by NFL.

3. Apparently official NFL rules say fine for tampering with football is $25,000. ie. not a major offense.

4. Bob Kraft, Pats owners came out pretty strong saying if this is a bunch of bad NFL publicity he wants some big apologies.

5. Some testing shows if you take a football at 70 degrees to a another area at say 45 degrees, after an hour it likelyl looses 1 psi just naturally.

6. Some testing shows very difficult to tell feel of football changes much for 1 psi or that this impacts play positively or negatively and that each QB and person will hold football differently.

so, hopefully we should not prejudge in this case what really happened and it may be unprovable what happened, but maybe can be made more transparent in future.

just play the game

Another thought - is if nfl officials, refs, umpires handle the ball on every play, including in first half, why didn't they notice a ball was low pressure at that time and get a good ball in play. And, the Seattle players says he never said the ball was underinflated, he gave the ball to his ball boy to keep since he made interception on the play. This leads some to say there was a conspiracy by someone who was trying to trap Pats into this low deflated ball situation.

Of course, if only nfl employees, such as perhaps reserve ump and not the teams handled ball once inspected this couldn't happen either.