Deflate-Gate: Here We Go Again

tombonneau said:

Man, you guys clinging to the weather excuse have to let it go.

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2nd half balls were legal who cares.

FrodoBagginz said:

I have to re-watch the game as my memory isn't that good. But I believe Blount had his best stats in the second half. Also, Brady passed less in the second half.

Brady was like 11 of 27 or something like that in the first half. So they were passing more in the first half. I need to re-watch the game to refresh my memory but it doesn't look like running a lot in the first half were the Pats main goal.

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You have it right. They passed more in the first half, then ran more in the second once they reached a lead.

I have heard that the league has the Colts balls and the Colts balls were properly inflated. If weather had an effect on the balls, then why were the Colts balls just fine (if this report is true)?

I just can't wait for the report to be released.

So if the second half balls were legal, did the Pats not violate a rule? That's what it sounds like some are saying. I haven't heard anyone say they won because of the ball.

FirstAndGoal said:

I disagree that this is an non-story because of the balls being legit in second half.

The issue is whether the Pats violated the rules by modifying the balls after the refs measured them and that's how this seems to be trending but again, nothing official... I disagree that this is a non-issue even if the legal balls were used for the entire game ...it's about the rule violation if true.

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I don't think it's trending that way at all. You'd need one of two things to prove the Pats deflated/altered balls:

1) An official log by refs that they actually pressure tested balls and their psis. Hell, even a ref saying "Yes I checked them pre-game they were all around 13" would be enough to indict the Pats. This is so simple to prove, that if it existed it surely would have been leaked with Mort's first report and we'd know about it.

2) Footage of ball boy deflating them on the sideline. Again, I'd think hundreds of conspiracy wonks (along with the NFL) have already parsed through every second of footage of the game along with the all 22 in hopes of finding this smoking gun. None have surfaced.

3) Confession from Pats employee they deflated balls in game. This ain't happening.

FirstAndGoal said:

they used 2 pressure gauges according to reports (at least at half time). I think that's grasping.

If they were smart enough to store the balls (Pats and Colts), I'm sure they were smart enough to check the gauges.

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I'm not claiming to have solved the mystery, just throwing it out there. But I doubt they use two gauges before the game. At halftime when a problem had arisen, sure. Again, I am just uncertain HOW the Patriots could have done this even if they wanted to.

tombonneau said:

Man, you guys clinging to the weather excuse have to let it go.

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What are you clinging to? The idea that someone let air out without being noticed in a stadium full of people and on national TV despite a lack of evidence of such an act?

Double TE said:

2nd half balls were legal who cares.

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We don't care here, but obviously a lot of people do outside of Patriot nation. It sucks, but it's true.

tombonneau said:

I don't think it's trending that way at all. You'd need one of two things to prove the Pats deflated/altered balls:

1) An official log by refs that they actually pressure tested balls and their psis. Hell, even a ref saying "Yes I checked them pre-game they were all around 13" would be enough to indict the Pats. This is so simple to prove, that if it existed it surely would have been leaked with Mort's first report and we'd know about it.

2) Footage of ball boy deflating them on the sideline. Again, I'd think hundreds of conspiracy wonks (along with the NFL) have already parsed through every second of footage of the game along with the all 22 in hopes of finding this smoking gun. None have surfaced.

3) Confession from Pats employee they deflated balls in game. This ain't happening.

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This isn't a court of law. This is a private enterprise. There's no burden of proof above what they claim.

The Brandon Five said:

What are you clinging to? The idea that someone let air out without being noticed in a stadium full of people and on national TV despite a lack of evidence of such an act?

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And did it 11 times.

FirstAndGoal said:

So if the second half balls were legal, did the Pats not violate a rule? That's what it sounds like some are saying. I haven't heard anyone say they won because of the ball.

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IDK but once informed they were out of compliance they rectified it immediately

Ivan said:

It may be far fetched but it explains all of the balls being of by the same amount if that is the case.

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And as someone else pointed out #12 wound up in the stands, which explains why only 11 out of 12 were found to be under-inflated.

FirstAndGoal said:

This isn't a court of law. This is a private enterprise. There's no burden of proof above what they claim.

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So what is the point of an investigation? Would do you want to hear? Patriots are guilty without a burden of proof? Seems fair.

BelichickFan said:

I'm not claiming to have solved the mystery, just throwing it out there. But I doubt they use two gauges before the game. At halftime when a problem had arisen, sure. Again, I am just uncertain HOW the Patriots could have done this even if they wanted to.

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I'm sure they verified the gauge used before the game too. They didn't just lose it.

It's more likely, if reports are true, that the Pats did something wrong.

supafly said:

We don't care here, but obviously a lot of people do outside of Patriot nation. It sucks, but it's true.

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Cared before the news that 2nd half balls were definitely legal. Now I would guess the heat will subside.

You know, since the balls were only deflated in the first half, why don't they take away our 17 points from that half as punishment?

Patriots 28. Colts 7. We still win.

http://www.richeisenshow.com/videos/?tubepress_page=1

peter king here says this was a competitive advantage if true...what garbage.

Onedaful said:

So what is the point of an investigation? Would do you want to hear? Patriots are guilty without a burden of proof? Seems fair.

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Okay, take them to court if you feel that strongly. The fact remains, they don't have a legal bar to clear. What you want and what they are required to do are not the same.

tombonneau said:

I don't think it's trending that way at all. You'd need one of two things to prove the Pats deflated/altered balls:

1) An official log by refs that they actually pressure tested balls and their psis. Hell, even a ref saying "Yes I checked them pre-game they were all around 13" would be enough to indict the Pats. This is so simple to prove, that if it existed it surely would have been leaked with Mort's first report and we'd know about it.

2) Footage of ball boy deflating them on the sideline. Again, I'd think hundreds of conspiracy wonks (along with the NFL) have already parsed through every second of footage of the game along with the all 22 in hopes of finding this smoking gun. None have surfaced.

3) Confession from Pats employee they deflated balls in game. This ain't happening.

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Do you really think the refs would go off in a room by themselves with the balls to test the PSIs of the balls? I'm sure others were present.

supafly said:

I can't comment that much due to not having much of a scientific brain, but I certainly believe that the weather may have played a part.

I'm not sure that it may have been quite as much as some may suggest, and it also doesn't really help to explain why Indy's were fine, but yes--I do believe that it may have helped to reduce the pressure.

Unfortunately, we don't get a say in this though, so it's all going to be what Goodell thinks, and that is worrisome.

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We don't know what the psi of the Colts football originally were.

We don't know what the psi of the Colt's footballs tested out to be at half-time other than they were "within specs".

Did the Colts footballs lose any psi from the initial inspection to half-time? If so how much?

The Colts have admitted that coming into that game that they would be looking out for the Patriots using under inflated footballs. Knowing there could be a fuss over this, where on the 12.5 psi to 13.5 psi spectrum do you think the Colts submitted their footballs at?

If they submitted 13.5 psi footballs and the Patriots submitted 12.5 psi footballs.. and after both sets of footballs have a chance to cool and lose psi due to the laws of physics, that 1 psi difference in starting psi is going to make all the difference in the world. One set will be fine, the other will be branded under-inflated.

And its extremely easy to manipulate these figures even more.

If the Colts used outside air to inflate their footballs and the Patriots used inside air, there is going to be a big difference in what the comparative psi of their respective footballs measure out to be at half time.

Add in both easily imaginable possibilities.. the Colts submitted 13.5 psi footballs inflated with outdoor air and the Patriots submitted 12.5 psi footballs inflated with much warmer indoor air.. and the differences by half-time will be huge.