Here's my rant:
To everyone out there who is now giving the Patriots grief about the underinflated balls, I would like to introduce you to basic Chemistry. If you can remember chemistry, in it, we learned about something called the Natural Gas Law in which we learned there was a ratio between pressure and temperature.
Pressure is caused by the force of the gas molecules impacting the sides of its container. The higher the temperature, the more pressure can be created by the same volume of gas. When the temperature is lowered, pressure reduces (PV=nRT where P= Pressure, V=Volume, n=moles of gas, R=gas constant and T= Temperature). If you want to do the math yourself, here's some handy hints.
First, solve for P.
P= nRT/V.
Second, we have to decide what remains constant and eliminate it. Well, the gas constant, obviously. The internal volume of the ball does not change, either, leaving us with....
P= nT.
Third, for the sake of argument (and this is a valid point, as well), we'll assume the loss of the gas moles is negligible to the point you can write off n as well.
P=T
Fourth, we now have to set up a situation wherein we have a beginning and ending set.
Gay-Lussac's Law states:
P1/T1= P2/T2.
Once you get the numbers from the temperature inside Gillette where the balls were initially filled and the numbers outside where they were then tested, you arrive at a situation wherein you lose pressure.
Beyond the science, let's also reflect on this:
1) The Colts player who was initially identified as the one who turned the ball in denies it.
2) 11/12 balls were underinflated. The Patriots have played 18 games now in the regular season and playoffs, including cold conditions, rainy conditions, snowy conditions, etc. The refs have never worried about it. Other teams have never worried about it (Brady has been picked off more than once this year). To do it to such a large extent suggests a systematic approach that very likely would have been used in any bad weather game. Yet this has never been an issue at any point this season.
3) Other quarterbacks are pissed that this has become an issue because...they do it, too.
4) Currently, the NFL is saying there is little evidence any tampering took place. Probably because the scientific reason balls lose pressure in the cold is the real culprit.
Further, to address the whole Cheatriots, Belicheat crap (how many different ways can we work cheat into a name, hyuk), here's what is conveniently forgotten by fans, media morons and Marshall Faulk (and others who carry a grudge):
1) The Spygate thing has been thoroughly dismissed by many NFL coaches, both current and former as pretty much a non-issue. They all do it, would do it, have done similar.
2) Conveniently forgotten are the transgressions of the 49ers and Broncos during their Super Bowl runs during the 90s. Up until the Spygate incident, these were the two HEAVIEST fines in NFL history. They cheated on the salary cap to allow them to keep more quality players on their team. They were fined draft picks and cash. But nobody ever calls them the Cheaty-Niners or the Broncheats.
In conclusion, while I am not pleased about either of the Gates (and please, stop using the -gate suffix, most of you probably don't even know what the hell that's in reference to: hint: it's Watergate. And most of you STILL won't know what I'm talking about), let's not pretend the rest of the league is a bunch of choirboys except for the Patriots.
