Deflate-Gate: Here We Go Again

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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The concern from the NFL is how the balls became deflated during the 3 hr window from when they were initially weighed before the game, to when the supposed violation occurred in the first half.

Obviously they are suspected of violating something, since their balls weren't right, yet somehow Indy's were (supposedly).

Joey007 said:

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.

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They would have to take away Brady's interception too to be fair. I'm fine with that.

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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No. I'm clinging to fact Pats very likely submitted balls around 11-11.5 psi. I think this is how Brady prefers them and think they have been doing this for a long time. Refs inspected balls and allowed them because it's a pedantic rule and they are lackadaisical and they also know it really doesn't matter.

FirstAndGoal said:

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.

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So please tell us all how it should go. Patriots are accused of deflating balls, now what is the next step?

Double TE said:

2nd half balls were legal who cares.

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What are you talking about? It matters because all of the conduct in question (deflating the balls) occurred, if they actually did occur, BEFORE the second half. People seem to care that the balls were deflated for the first half.

The second half is irrelevant in this context.

Joey007 said:

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.

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Because we could have been doing it in the past as well. Yeah I'm sure there are teams that do it but we will be the ones who are made an example of. It's the way it is and if all is true...the team cheated and there is no one else to blame.

FrodoBagginz said:

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.

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For the umpteenth time: because there could have been both a difference in the temperature at which the balls were filled as well as the amount of PSI the Colts ball were originally filled to. In other words:

Pats fill balls in a 75 degree room to 12.5 psi.
Colts fill balls on a 50 degree sideline to 13.5 psi.

There are too many unknowns to draw any conclusions about the difference.

I actually like this... You know the pats are gonna be pumped up even more now

FrodoBagginz said:

They would have to take away Brady's interception too to be fair. I'm fine with that.

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Or better yet, if they want to be harsh: Let's give them our 17 points!!
28-24.
We still win!

I've been a lurker here for a long time but never had any need to comment because you all cover it far more adequately than I do. This brouhaha has me wanting to weigh in and I apologize for being insufficiently erudite compared to the football minds that populate this forum.

I assume the Rulebook on NFL.com is complete and this feedback is based on that.

The rules say that a football has to be 'inflated'. No mention is made as to what it has to be inflated with or what the temperature of the gas used to inflate the ball has to be. I am no chemist or physicist but it seems to me that various gases at various temperatures could be used to inflate the ball in order to allow the ball to pass inspection 135 minutes prior to game time but to slowly lose pressure as the gas cooled and/or the outside temperature dropped. The addition of water vapor to a heated gas could also allow for a ball to pass inspection but over the intervening 135 minutes the water vapor would condense as the gas cooled, thus lowering the PSI. Similarly, I do not know what the permeability of urethane (the bladder material) is but might it not be possible that some of the smaller gases like hydrogen or helium would slowly seep through the urethane lining, especially if heated gas is used which would expand the urethane and presumably the porosity of the bladder as a result of expansion due to heating? Again, no scientist here, just using what I recall from basic sciences.

If the Patriots (or TB acting on his own) had a roll in Deflate-Gate or Ballghazi or whatever nonsense name one wishes to assign to this story, I would fully expect them to have a reference matrix of temperatures, barometers and weather conditions in order to get the ball to their desired PSI by game time. It's on the refs to detect any problems with the pressure of the ball after they pass initial inspection because the balls are out of the team's hands by then. Any suggestion that the Pats would leave this in the hands of a ball attendant on the sideline is preposterous.

Like the exchange from De Niro to Pacino in the movie Heat: "I do what I do best, I take scores. You do what you do best, try to stop guys like me."

karguy85 said:

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.

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I'm not sure what point that is directed at? Are you talking about half time testing or pre-game? Pre-game I'm sure they test them on the field. Again, the question is how thorough is the test? Do they actually measure PSI or just feel the balls and if they think they are off test? The latter is much more efficient and likely what is done.

MossWelkowski said:

I actually like this... You know the pats are gonna be pumped up even more now

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Wow and you have been known to be pessimistic if I remember right..

Balls in the 2nd half were legal and once notified the Pats corrected the mistake made by officials not them.

Where is the proof the Pats tampered and performance indicates legal balls were great. What is the motive here?

Bunch of BS this is.

MossWelkowski said:

I actually like this... You know the pats are gonna be pumped up even more now

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Maybe, maybe not. Who knows if the team is motivated or demoralized.

Double TE said:

Balls in the 2nd half were legal and once notified the Pats corrected the mistake made by officials not them.

Where is the proof the Pats tampered and performance indicates legal balls were great. What is the motive here?

Bunch of BS this is.

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There is no proof just ******** speculation. Some people around here want a witch hunt with absolutely zero facts. Wait for the report then people can talk their ****. Until then people can't wait to jump on something and call for stupid stuff like "FIRE BB SCUM OF THE EARTH RAH RAH RAH PATS KNEWWW"

tombonneau said:

No. I'm clinging to fact Pats very likely submitted balls around 11-11.5 psi. I think this is how Brady prefers them and think they have been doing this for a long time. Refs inspected balls and allowed them because it's a pedantic rule and they are lackadaisical and they also know it really doesn't matter.

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Problem is we've already had leaks today saying that the refs tested the footballs pre-game and that the NE footballs were within the legal 12.5-13.5 PSI range when they were tested.

God, I'm a Pats fan but

supafly said:

The concern from the NFL is how the balls became deflated during the 3 hr window from when they were initially weighed before the game, to when the supposed violation occurred in the first half.

Obviously they are suspected of violating something, since their balls weren't right, yet somehow Indy's were (supposedly).

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I agree

Onedaful said:

So please tell us all how it should go. Patriots are accused of deflating balls, now what is the next step?

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lol, dude, you want to argue on what they should do ? lol

You're funny. So how do you suppose this goes? We argue and then you declare yourself the winner and the NFL follows what you want? Get real. I'm stating a fact. The NFL has no legal obligation. It only needs to answer to its owners.

Bunch of whiny *****es and sore losers.

skri65 said:

What are you talking about? It matters because all of the conduct in question (deflating the balls) occurred, if they actually did occur, BEFORE the second half. People seem to care that the balls were deflated for the first half.

The second half is irrelevant in this context.

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Huh? Once NE discovered the officials mistake they rectified the problem. Obviously they did better with legal balls. Do you understand me?

ctpatsfan77 said:

Because the only thing that matters is the actual temperature inside the football. The wind chill is the apparent temperature as a result of wind speed (if X°F at Y mph has a wind chill of Z°F, that means that Z°F at 0 mph would feel the same as X°F at Y mph).

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100% correct