Sports: Deflate-Gate

[bcla]

When I was at Indiana, one of the football student team managers lived on my dorm floor, his goal was to manage to "procure" one team game ball from every Big 10 school (back when there were really 10!) before he graduated.... he met the goal.

Here's a game ball sold for some charity auction. The claim is that it was a game used ball from last season's game between Ohio State and Indiana:

And since Aaron Rodgers was brought up, I remember his legendary game at USC where his offense way outgained USC and he broke an NCAA record with maybe 17 straight completions. They lost by a touchdown though. They kept on getting to the red zone but couldn't seal it with a score.

 

[declansdad]

Who watches the ball boys? Also, it's possible when the balls were brought onto the field they were already deflated. Who says they have to be deflated on the field? I'm pretty sure officials check the balls in their locker room.


Do you have another possibility other than what I mentioned up thread?
To me, it's highly unlikely the officials didn't notice 11/12 balls were under inflated during inspection, so I'm ruling that out in my mind.

So if they WERE correct at inspection, either the balls deflated on their own (leak, weather, other?), which is unlikely, or someone deflated them intentionally.

If someone deflated them intentionally, you don't consider that "cheating"?

The balls are kept in the referee locker until 10 to 15 minutes before the game so if they were deflated when they came to the field the NFL didn't so it's job. Once on the field they are looked after by an attendant hired by the teams. I believe on Sunday the balls were kept in some sort of bag on the sideline, so I guess it would have to be the attendant that did it.

I didn't say there wasn't cheating, I said no one has offered any proof as to how and who did it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

That said, I'm still cheering for the Patriots over the Sea Chickens. Just not a fan of Pete Carroll.

Like trying to decide between pee soup & turd stew, isn't it?

 

[declansdad]

OK, let's test this theory. Each team has 12 game balls. Where do they keep all of them during the game? Since they are in "full view" of people and cameras it should be an easy question to answer, right? Heck, I actually worked as credentialed media at my first NFL game this season assisting a team photographer, and I don't have the foggiest idea other than I know that the local official wearing the with the "K" tabard keeps a couple of them and rotates them with the officials, but I have no idea where the rest of them are or if they are rotated with the other 10 or so balls. And quite frankly, I don't think there's any rules that would prevent someone from the team from pumping air into a ball that might be found to have lost some pressure as long as it remains "in spec".

I think the rules do allow for the pressure to be monitored during the game and at the half. It is entirely possible for the person that looks after the balls to do this so it is possible for the Pats ball attendant to have adjusted the pressure. My point is that no one has said that....yet.

 

[declansdad]

I WANT TO PUMP.....YOU UP!

 

[JanaDee]

Aaron Rodgers said that he liked them on the high side since he has relatively big hands and prefers a pumped up ball because he feels it handles better. However, there's been no word that the Packers have been getting anyone to sneak in a pump to get them harder after they've been inspected.

I WANT TO PUMP.....YOU UP!

I wonder if these commercials run during national games?

 

[bcla]

Like trying to decide between pee soup & turd stew, isn't it?

Belichick is a miserable excuse for a human being. While I do find Carroll annoying, Carroll is more like a mosquito to me, but Belichick is more like fire ants.

 

[pat fan]

Digest of Rules Main
Ball
The home club shall have 36 balls for outdoor games and 24 for indoor games available for testing with a pressure gauge by the referee two hours prior to the starting time of the game to meet with League requirements. Twelve (12) new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked with the letter "k" and used exclusively for the kicking game.

So now it's 11 out of 36 balls? Or even 24 if you take out the 12 for kicking? How did we get to saying it was 11 out of 12 if they have to have 36 balls for the game?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Belichick is a miserable excuse for a human being. While I do find Carroll annoying, Carroll is more like a mosquito to me, but Belichick is more like fire ants.

I can't ever get over Carroll being able to walk away from his NCAA violations & just taking a better-paying pro job leaving his mess behind.

 

[bcla]

So now it's 11 out of 36 balls? Or even 24 if you take out the 12 for kicking? How did we get to saying it was 11 out of 12 if they have to have 36 balls for the game?

The 12 balls that each team prepares are the ones that are reserved for their own use on offense. Balls reserved for kicking are the ones prepared by the officials.

 

[bookgirl]

So now it's 11 out of 36 balls? Or even 24 if you take out the 12 for kicking? How did we get to saying it was 11 out of 12 if they have to have 36 balls for the game?

12 go to special teams
12 go to home team
12 go to visitors team

36

I understood that the of the 12 balls that NE was using 11 were under inflated.

Doubt it would have made a difference in the end, but it's still dirty play and NE doesn't have the best track record for following the rules. Basically they just put a virtual asterisk on their division championship.

 

[bcla]

I wonder if these commercials run during national games?

Yeah. The ad agency also found an English comedian (Tom Wrigglesworth) with a passing resemblance to Aaron Rodgers. The gist is that he's touring the US getting all sorts of freebies and attention because he's an English guy named Aaron Wrodgers. Kind of a departure from their NBA-themed commercials with fictional long lost twins like Cliff Paul, Sebastian Curry, and Don Stockton who turn out to be State Farm insurance agents. Then they have Reggie Miller donning a fake beard trying to convince people that he's insurance agent "Roger Miller".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y85scNreRd4

I also found a better photo for the caption. In this one he's actually holding a football:

I WANT TO PUMP.....YOU UP!

 

[okeydokey]

I think the rules do allow for the pressure to be monitored during the game and at the half. It is entirely possible for the person that looks after the balls to do this so it is possible for the Pats ball attendant to have adjusted the pressure. My point is that no one has said that....yet.

But isn't that what they are saying. The balls were deemed fine when handed to the team and were not fine when collected at the end. I mean how else could they have become not fine?

 

[JanaDee]

Yeah. The ad agency also found an English comedian (Tom Wrigglesworth) with a passing resemblance to Aaron Rodgers. The gist is that he's touring the US getting all sorts of freebies and attention because he's an English guy named Aaron Wrodgers. Kind of a departure from their NBA-themed commercials with fictional long lost twins like Cliff Paul, Sebastian Curry, and Don Stockton who turn out to be State Farm insurance agents. Then they have Reggie Miller donning a fake beard trying to convince people that he's insurance agent "Roger Miller". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y85scNreRd4 I also found a better photo for the caption. In this one he's actually holding a football: I WANT TO PUMP.....YOU UP!

I live 30 mins from Green Bay. I'm familiar with the English guy. Stupid angle for an agency to take.

 

[pat fan]

The "rules" as home team has 36 balls. How is that twelve? The kicker balls are shipped in separate, is how I read it. Ok, I see your explanation, but that's not how it reads in the "rule" book. To me anyway. Sigh, if proven, it's a stupid thing to have done.

 

[Hrhpd]

never mind. Finished the thread.

Like your new avatar Tax Guy

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The Patriots are a good team. They don't need to cheat so I don't know why they continue to do so. It doesn't matter if the Colts would have lost the game anyway. (Which sadly I believe they would have lost regardless of the deflated balls). What matters is that the Patriots cheated. Period!

 

[bcla]

The "rules" as home team has 36 balls. How is that twelve? The kicker balls are shipped in separate, is how I read it. Ok, I see your explanation, but that's not how it reads in the "rule" book. To me anyway. Sigh, if proven, it's a stupid thing to have done.

The rules are that each team brings 12 balls for inspection before the game. The visiting team can optionally provide a backup supply. If there's an issue, the officials can replace balls for either team from the visiting team's backup supply.

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf

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 o f 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.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Like trying to decide between pee soup & turd stew, isn't it?

You just summed up my feelings about the Super Bowl!

 

[TAX GUY]

EDITED...... posts and comments "altered" after inspection