PatSunday
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2007
- Messages
- 601
- Reaction score
- 195
Update: The NFL waited on purpose, declaring the investigation into the Patriots more important than fixing the rule. Reiss reports the Patriots got the half-time measurements in March but were not allowed to share or defend themselves by the NFL.
Back in January, the NFL screwed up by allowing referees to bring broken gauges and not writing down the starting values (and corresponding gauges) for the game questions about air pressure were raised ahead of time.
The head referee believes they were set to 12.5 with a broken gauge, meaning the Patriots balls were never set right to begin with. Even the non-broken one was still +/- 1% accuracy, which means it could read 12.5 but actually be 12.25 or 12.3.
Finally, even if they used a $1,000 gauge required to be within 0.01% accuracy, all of the footballs, even many of the Colts 13 psi ones were under 12.5 by the time the game started. They were brought outside!
Whether the referees wrote down the starting values or not, whether they used broken gauges or not, whether they used expensive super-accurate gauges or not, the balls were guaranteed below the minimum before the start of the game.
When did the NFL realize the rule should be updated?
Upon measuring the footballs at half-time, the NFL knew right away that both team footballs "deflate" regardless of which gauge is used. Yet, they never supplied this information to the Patriots to help them defend themselves to the media. Belichick had to do his own study and press conferences during the week before the Super Bowl. Seriously?
The NFL should have started addressing the rule immediately in January, not starting in May, doing a separate investigation on the rule and it's effects.
The NFL should have started a separate committee and investigation into updating the rule in January to present to the owners. And Goodell should have explained the reasons the rule needs to change and why in January. The Patriots would never be roasted by the media.
Instead, the Patriots were doing their own investigations, a "neutral" party was looking into the Patriots game-day activities, and what were the NFL doing? Nothing? That's it? You learned the footballs of both teams were deflated but you didn't correct the media or start a task force to fix the rule? For four months?
The rule had nothing to do with the Patriots, you had the measurements at half-time that gauges are not consistent, the referees do not write down the starting air pressure even if it makes sense to do so, and both team footballs respond to weather conditions the same way. A rule-change should have been proposed back in January.
Back in January, the NFL screwed up by allowing referees to bring broken gauges and not writing down the starting values (and corresponding gauges) for the game questions about air pressure were raised ahead of time.
The head referee believes they were set to 12.5 with a broken gauge, meaning the Patriots balls were never set right to begin with. Even the non-broken one was still +/- 1% accuracy, which means it could read 12.5 but actually be 12.25 or 12.3.
Finally, even if they used a $1,000 gauge required to be within 0.01% accuracy, all of the footballs, even many of the Colts 13 psi ones were under 12.5 by the time the game started. They were brought outside!
Whether the referees wrote down the starting values or not, whether they used broken gauges or not, whether they used expensive super-accurate gauges or not, the balls were guaranteed below the minimum before the start of the game.
When did the NFL realize the rule should be updated?
Upon measuring the footballs at half-time, the NFL knew right away that both team footballs "deflate" regardless of which gauge is used. Yet, they never supplied this information to the Patriots to help them defend themselves to the media. Belichick had to do his own study and press conferences during the week before the Super Bowl. Seriously?
The NFL should have started addressing the rule immediately in January, not starting in May, doing a separate investigation on the rule and it's effects.
The NFL should have started a separate committee and investigation into updating the rule in January to present to the owners. And Goodell should have explained the reasons the rule needs to change and why in January. The Patriots would never be roasted by the media.
Instead, the Patriots were doing their own investigations, a "neutral" party was looking into the Patriots game-day activities, and what were the NFL doing? Nothing? That's it? You learned the footballs of both teams were deflated but you didn't correct the media or start a task force to fix the rule? For four months?
The rule had nothing to do with the Patriots, you had the measurements at half-time that gauges are not consistent, the referees do not write down the starting air pressure even if it makes sense to do so, and both team footballs respond to weather conditions the same way. A rule-change should have been proposed back in January.
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