Physics department chair at BC: weather alone could easily deflate ball from 12.5 to 10.5 psi

SVN said:

I hope there is a protocol whch is required by the refs to list down all the PSI's of the balls they measure before game. Otherwise pats will be screwed if the refs say they used a gauge without supplying the readings...especially since Kraft doesnt seem to be in a combative mood to ask such a question. OTOH, the ref couldve just tested 1 and written down the same for all of them,

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Using a gauge, even recording the reading doesn't mean anything without being able to say what the initial temperature was and the temperature at the time of the second measurement. Just the act of inserting and removing the needle will deflate the ball, especially since it has such low volume to start with. Since they did it multiple times, I am not surprised at l that balls would come out below regulation.

And here is the other point that no one mentions. If the ball is easier to throw, easier to catch, easier to hold when it has less pressure, and you have a choice from 12.5-13.5 PSI, why would you not use the ball at 12.5? How could you not care? If 12.5 was soo much better, everyone and their mother would be at that pressure.

The reality is that is a preference thing and in the larger scheme of things, makes no difference.

So what did the balls measure? I heard 11 psi. That's two pounds under the average of 13 but only 1.5 under the minimum of 12.5.

Colts balls could have been 50 degrees. They wouldn't have shrunk in psi at all.

It's important because filling balls at 80 is suspicious. Filling at 72 not so much. 72 to 45 is 12.5 to 11.1.

So if it's 11 psi then there is your obvious answer.

kennyb said:

So what did the balls measure? I heard 11 psu. That's two pounds under the average of 13 but only 1.5 under the minimum of 12.5.

Colts balls could have been 50 degrees. They wouldn't have shrunk in psi at all.

It's important because filling balls at 80 is suspicious. Filling at 72 not so much. 72 to 45 is 12.5 to 11.1.

So if it's 11 psi then there is your obvious answer.

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Most gauges that are attached to pumps read out in .5 PSI increments too so 11.1 would read as 11.

To get a read out in tenths you'd be looking at a digital probe like those High School kids did in the debunk video that's been posted on here a few times today.

Physics are just another Cheatriot trick!

Big-T said:

Most gauges that are attached to pumps read out in .5 PSI increments too so 11.1 would read as 11.

To get a read out in tenths you'd be looking at a digital probe like those High School kids did in the debunk video that's been posted on here a few times today.

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So to say they were 2 psi under might mean 1.76 psi?

mosi said:

Thats the point! Basic science says that both team balls should have dropped below the minimal amount but the Colts balls did not! Their balls were probably over-inflatted.

I don't know why this is so complicated. I think we have become a stupid nation. Not only this, but you can test the hypothesis very easily. All it takes is some balls by the NFL. Pun intended!

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Or their balls were outside for awhile, then inflated. Who says they were inflated inside.

The Brandon Five said:

So to say they were 2 psi under might mean 1.51 psi?

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I'd assume that would round down to the .5 from there. Maybe 1.75-2.24 PSI is the range to read out as 2 PSI under the regulations.

Big-T said:

I'd assume that would round down to the .5 from there. Maybe 1.75-2.25 PSI is the range to read out as 2 PSI under the regulations.

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or 2.49 PSI under would read 2 as well?

This is exactly what I postulated in one of the other interminable threads. The last part of the puzzle? The Colts of course knew they were going to do this as they'd been looking for it since the earlier game. Hence while the Patriots would make sure the balls were filled to the minimum with hotter air, the Colts would fill to the maximum with colder air. This way, both teams are providing legitimate balls to the refs, but the Patriots knew their balls would drop below the minimum while the Colts' knew theirs would not. A last piece to ensure this happening would be for the Colts to protect the balls from the cold as best they could while the Patriots would not.

All legal on both sides, both deliberate by both teams - one to get the balls the way their QB prefers, the other to provide a post-game diversion from the ass-whoopin' they were about to receive.

upstater1 said:

Or their balls were outside for awhile, then inflated. Who says they were inflated inside.

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Yup, that is a possibility and this is the reason that most likely, the second half balls lost no pressure. They were filled at that temperature.

But this is a hypothesis that can be easily tested. And only people on youtube are doing it.

Big-T said:

Most gauges that are attached to pumps read out in .5 PSI increments too so 11.1 would read as 11.

To get a read out in tenths you'd be looking at a digital probe like those High School kids did in the debunk video that's been posted on here a few times today.

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But also, all gauges work by transferring air into the gauge, so you loose air into the gauge when you measure pressure. In some cases, it is small, not sure what it is on a football but it could easily be .25 psi.

anditsgood said:

or 2.49 PSI under would read 2 as well?

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I'd assume that would round up, 2.24 would be a logical cut off to read the whole number and 2.25 upwards to round up to .5.

Either way, unless the officials had a digital probe that read out more accurately and gave a specific tenth/hundredth...which I doubt, they could have been as much as a quarter of a PSI out either way, which as Mosi pointed out could have been used by an analogue gauge.

I really don't think Tom selects the footballs thinking :"these are good, but they'll be even better after the temp change kicks in or the hot air cools down in this cold weather game"

Wow, look at how quickly the PSI changes in a new official Wilson football in this video. It literally takes minutes to change:



His joke at the end notwithstanding, further support for this hypothesis.

mosi said:

Thats the point! Basic science says that both team balls should have dropped below the minimal amount but the Colts balls did not! Their balls were probably over-inflatted.

I don't know why this is so complicated. I think we have become a stupid nation. Not only this, but you can test the hypothesis very easily. All it takes is some balls by the NFL. Pun intended!

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Or the Colts balls were inflated with cold air and then were the correct PSI when exposed to the elements ie this was a sting.


Let's not forget where did Pagano coach before Indy? Well that would be the DC of the Ravens.

karguy85 said:

Wow, look at how quickly the PSI changes in a new official Wilson football in this video. It literally takes minutes to change:



His joke at the end notwithstanding, further support for this hypothesis.

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With his thermometer showing Celsius as well it means I can finally understand roughly what the temps are and that really isn't that cold at all, for the pressure to drop that much in pretty much "normal" weather should be cut & dry proof here.

Big-T said:

With his thermometer showing Celsius as well it means I can finally understand roughly what the temps are and that really isn't that cold at all, for the pressure to drop that much in pretty much "normal" weather should be cut & dry proof here.

You'd imagine going the other way they'd warm back up just as quickly too.

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This is true. I don't know if it was definitely the weather, but it needs to be considered just as much as human manipulation does. This is not a case of Patriots fans looking for an excuse as much as the media/other NFL fans want it to be.

SVN said:

"BUT BUT BUT the colts balls were fine...the colts balls were fine...." thats all you hear.

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No one has ever said whether the COlts balls lost pressure, only that they didn't go below regulation. Starting point is important, but how can you know that?

karguy85 said:

Wow, look at how quickly the PSI changes in a new official Wilson football in this video. It literally takes minutes to change:



His joke at the end notwithstanding, further support for this hypothesis.

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The league HAS to do its own test. The opportunity to perform a test like this CANNOT be ignored in their "investigation".