Here's a good description from the CBS feed given over at the Planet by a poster named "AllworldTE":
http://www.patriotsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=69304&page=10
"The whole thing was weird. It was just after half-time. There was a delay for some reason which Simms and Nantz felt was due to the kicking ball still being in the game which they stated after the initial delay was over.
Anderson looks perturbed during the initial delay. Anderson gives the signal to start play, The ump (official number 124 Carl Paganelli) wipes and sets the ball, the Pats move to the line and then and only then does Anderson stop play to remove the ball.
If I were investigating this I'd take a few steps.
1. What was the reason for the initial delay? There was no commercial break after the half so they should have set the ball and been ready to go.
2. Paganelli held the offending football throughout the initial delay under a towel. Then he sets the ball after Anderson stated "let's go" several times while indicating the start of play. Then Anderson says something to Brady.
3. Paganelli sets the ball and backs off. Vereen goes in motion at which point Paganelli stops play. At the time play is stopped, the ball boy is already rushing another ball onto the field and Anderson is moving towards him to get it. The ball boy throw it to Anderson who does a quick squeeze and tosses it to Paganelli who exchanges the balls. He throws the offending ball to the side-judge.
4. This is when the idea that it was a kicking ball comes into play.
5. I'd interview Anderson, Paganelli, the side-judge, the ball boy handling the balls on the side-line and the ball boy handing the storage bag which holds the balls that are out of the rotation.
6. If this ball was deflated, the person who should have known was Paganelli as he was holding it for an extended period of time prior to setting it just after Anderson started play. He obviously didn't notice it. Wendell had barely touched it and hadn't indicated an issue so he wasn't the cause of the stoppage. Anderson started play so he apparently wasn't aware.
7. Yet play was stopped and the ball was exchanged. The ball boy was rushing another ball into play after Anderson signaled to start play and prior to his stopping play.
8. Did the ball boy call out to get Anderson's attention that there was a problem?
9. Did Anderson know there was an issue with the ball but there's some procedure about setting it prior to the play to show intent if the offense lines up with the bad ball in play? (Seems far fetched considering it's the official's job to insure proper balls are in play)
10. Was this really a kicking ball issue and the deflated ball thing happened at a different point in the game?
11. Why did the ball boy have to go get another ball and run it over to the officials if they were aware there was a problem prior to setting the bad ball? Shouldn't he be holding multiple balls or did he get screwed up with the kicking ball/regular ball exchange after the kick-off?
12. The entire sequence is weird. Why set the ball then stop play while the ball boy is running over with another ball?
13. Unfortunately CBS cut away a few times at points which may have shed some light on the subject such as:
14. Did Anderson check the offending ball at any time?
15. Where did the bad ball go? We see the linesman throw it to someone off camera? Who? What was done with it?
16. We don't see what happened to it. We see the ball boy reach into the storage bag for a replacement but we don't see his hand come out and we don;t see what happens to the offending ball.
17. Hopefully the game film shows us more clearly what took place during this sequence of events.
