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We now know why the Patriots fumble much less than the rest of the league

LambeauLegs

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Here is information that shows the details on fumbling within the NFL and shows that the Patriots are average at fumbling in the year 2006 and earlier. Then in 2006 Brady and Manning push for the rule that teams be able to provide their own balls. Since the year 2007 the Patriots as a team are much better than any team in the fumbling statistic.

The thought here is that a ball that is less inflated would be easier to grab and hold onto when playing the game so there would be less fumbling if it would be possible to have lower inflated balls.

If you take time to read through this article full of fumbling details for the NFL before the 2006 rules change about suppllying your own footballs and then look at the stats for the Patriots after the rule change you will see a significant advantage for the Patriots. This information will suggest that since the rule change the Patriots have kept their footballs softer and easier to hold onto giving them significantly better fumbling statistics compared to the rest of the NFL comparing it to how much the Patriots fumbled before the rule change.

It is a longer article so did not post it all here so click the link to read it all:

Deflate-gate triggers stat spat as analysts attempt to solve why Patriots don't fumble - Yahoo Sports

PHOENIX – Maybe the smoking gun isn’t in a bathroom at Gillette Stadium. Maybe it’s in the laptop of a civil engineer in Washington, D.C.

One of the strangest twists in the already strange saga of deflate-gate is the sudden star turn of a man who runs a gambling website when he’s not doing his day job. Warren Sharp is a 36-year-old dad who loves numbers and algorithms, and decided to apply some statistics to the Patriots when he heard about the football deflation investigation. What he found sent ripples through the sports world and got a few other statisticians pretty upset.

It also may have implications beyond Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Sharp’s idea was to look at fumbles. That led him to a more refined topic: how well the Patriots held onto the ball both before and after the 2006 season, which happened to be the year Brady and Peyton Manning pushed for a rule change which allowed each team to provide their own footballs for games.

“Something significant changed from 2006 to 2007 that allowed them to retain the football,” Sharp said by phone Tuesday, “and that continues today.”

According to Sharp’s calculations, the Patriots’ fumble rate was 42 touches per fumble from 2000 through 2006. That was about the league average. Since 2007, however, that rate has dropped dramatically, to 74 touches per fumble. Over that time, the Pats are the best team in the NFL at holding onto the ball, even including dome teams.

“Based upon the data we’ve collected and the probabilities, it definitely is extremely unlikely that their ability to hold onto the football would change so much and be as far away from the rest of the NFL,” Sharp said. “It’s extremely unlikely.”

We all know correlation does not mean causation, but this is one whopper of a correlation. The Patriots were basically an average team in terms of fumbling the football, and then Brady pushed for a rule change, and then the Patriots suddenly become wizards at football control. And all this would be cool or quirky if we weren’t embroiled in a nationwide debate over whether the Patriots altered the footballs they bring to games.

This finding trickles down to individual players, in some cases. Kevin Faulk was drafted by the Patriots in 1999 and played in New England through 2011. Up until the 2007 season, Faulk had 23 fumbles. After that point, he had two. Danny Amendola had 10 fumbles in four seasons with the Rams, then came to New England and lost the ball only once in two years.

As for Brady himself, he had 59 fumbles in his first six seasons, and only 37 in his most recent seven seasons.

We all know correlation does not mean causation, but this is one whopper of a correlation. The Patriots were basically an average team in terms of fumbling the football, and then Brady pushed for a rule change, and then the Patriots suddenly become wizards at football control. And all this would be cool or quirky if we weren’t embroiled in a nationwide debate over whether the Patriots altered the footballs they bring to games.

This finding trickles down to individual players, in some cases. Kevin Faulk was drafted by the Patriots in 1999 and played in New England through 2011. Up until the 2007 season, Faulk had 23 fumbles. After that point, he had two. Danny Amendola had 10 fumbles in four seasons with the Rams, then came to New England and lost the ball only once in two years.

As for Brady himself, he had 59 fumbles in his first six seasons, and only 37 in his most recent seven seasons.
 

broncosmitty

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Thanks for posting that Legs.

(Was gonna say "Wonder how long before Robotic tries to another this." But I fumbled getting out the holster.)
 

WizardHawk

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Certainly possible, but before anyone spends too much energy on trying to figure out why they may have been doing this on purpose for some time, it would help to first prove they have been doing this on purpose for some time.

i think everyone (well most everyone, always a few asshats that just like to argue) agrees the advantages of playing with under inflated balls are: Easier grip on the ball for QB, particularly in wet weather, Easier to catch the ball, and less likely to fumble.

All of that is desirable, but no one can say how much real world impact it would have on any given game. Certainly above zero, but how much?

Not going to worry about it until after we know what the league found on this.
 

BusSport

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You messed up the link. Here's the fixed link:

Why Those Statistics About The Patriots' Fumbles Are Mostly Junk

This completely debunks the original HORRIBLE statistical analysis that there was anything fishy about the Patriots fumbles. The original article was an author totally misusing and distorting statistics, twisting numbers to fit the story he wanted to tell.
 

TxHeat

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THIS is the dumbest thing to come out of deflategate. You can teach guys how to hold the ball correctly and therefore fumble less. The Pats do a better job of that, except for Steven Ridley. Tikki Barber is a perfect example. Demarco Murray still needs to learn how to hold the ball better.
 

RoboticDreams

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I read that under inflating footballs is part of an ancient ritual, performed by the Priory of Sion. Which is what Goodell and a great number of the owners are secretly a part of. Including one Robert Kraft. This is story is becoming soooo scary.
 

TxHeat

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Since I haven't verified the fumble stats Lambeau, and because it's now known Rodgers prefers an overinflated ball do the Packers fumble more than all the other teams?
 

Lance Armstrong

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of course this helps with fumbles, you get a better grip on the ball. Do they also have the least amount of drops in the league?
 

tedman2012

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pats fans are funny . fact is we will yet have another rule change due to the pats cheating .
 

tedman2012

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Since I haven't verified the fumble stats Lambeau, and because it's now known Rodgers prefers an overinflated ball do the Packers fumble more than all the other teams?


:lame:
 

ArlingtonCowboys100

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Arrogant Tommie and belicheat will do whatever it takes to win. I would like to see some karma and see Tommie take a low blow on sunday and get carted off the field
 

RoboticDreams

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Arrogant Tommie and belicheat will do whatever it takes to win. I would like to see some karma and see Tommie take a low blow on sunday and get carted off the field

200.gif
 

Rex Racer

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Arrogant Tommie and belicheat will do whatever it takes to win. I would like to see some karma and see Tommie take a low blow on sunday and get carted off the field

Does being a piece of shit come naturally to you or does it require just a bit of effort?
 

dkmightyhammer

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An underinflated ball would be more spongy and easier to hang on to I think. The fumbling stats are quite interesting, and while they don't prove anything they certainly imply something was going on in New England that other wasn't occurring everywhere else.


It may seem like the tiniest detail and it may seem like it wouldn't affect a game outcome, but think about a play like the David Tyree catch in the SB that he barely held against his helmet. That play pretty much won the SB for the Giants. Now imagine if it was discovered that the ball used on that play was 2 psi underinflated. You telling me that wouldn't have made a difference? How many plays were there where the Pats receivers barely caught the ball, or the Pats RB's almost had a ball knocked loose but were barely able to hang on?


The more I think about it the more I can see how the league would consider this a very big deal if the accusations are proven.
 

Money

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You messed up the link. Here's the fixed link:

Why Those Statistics About The Patriots' Fumbles Are Mostly Junk

This completely debunks the original HORRIBLE statistical analysis that there was anything fishy about the Patriots fumbles. The original article was an author totally misusing and distorting statistics, twisting numbers to fit the story he wanted to tell.

Ummm no. Everything is fishy about the lack of Patriots fumbles.

A. Look at the difference between them and the next closest team since 2007 (when their fumbles nosedived).

B. Look at where they play their games for christ sake. They certainly aren't the Atlanta Falcons playing the vast majority of their games indoors or in warm locales. Use some common sense.
 

PatsFan2003

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THIS is the dumbest thing to come out of deflategate. You can teach guys how to hold the ball correctly and therefore fumble less. The Pats do a better job of that, except for Steven Ridley. Tikki Barber is a perfect example. Demarco Murray still needs to learn how to hold the ball better.

Like reducing his playing time. Ridley might be the Patriots best overall RB but if he fumbles he doesn't play.

This study is right up there with the pile of scientific studies that either prove or disprove the effect the weather has on football pressure. There are a lot of different conclusions being put forward.

The same for this. And most importantly if one has a point to make it's pretty easy to find and/or manipulate the data to prove your point.
 

cdumler7

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You messed up the link. Here's the fixed link:

Why Those Statistics About The Patriots' Fumbles Are Mostly Junk

This completely debunks the original HORRIBLE statistical analysis that there was anything fishy about the Patriots fumbles. The original article was an author totally misusing and distorting statistics, twisting numbers to fit the story he wanted to tell.

Read through the article and while yes they point towards it not being as big of a difference between them and the next team they still show that the odds of the Pats not fumbling like they do still is suspicious and impressive. Now there can be a wide range of reasons why there is this difference but it still does leave some to wonder what is going on.
 

Money

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Read through the article and while yes they point towards it not being as big of a difference between them and the next team they still show that the odds of the Pats not fumbling like they do still is suspicious and impressive. Now there can be a wide range of reasons why there is this difference but it still does leave some to wonder what is going on.

Yep...they tried to manipulate things to lower the gap, but it's obviously still extremely suspicious.

People insinuating that the Patriots are the only team to not tolerate fumbles is hilarious.
 

Bunkamania

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Since I haven't verified the fumble stats Lambeau, and because it's now known Rodgers prefers an overinflated ball do the Packers fumble more than all the other teams?

The fact that Rodgers prefers a ball that has more PSI doesn't mean that he gets to play with them that way.

And, I do agree that the fumble analysis is silly. There is always a way to lie with statistics which is why I do not base greatness off of player stats.
 
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