Belichick and Brady's legacy forever tarnished?

[gohusk]

That's not correct. While Wilson's QB rating for the NFC title game was only 44.3 during SB XL Roethlisberger's QB rating was 22.6.

I meant on the same day.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Originally Posted by {+}Mother-Marge{+}
......I thought each team brings their own balls when "their own offense" takes the field

I posted this earlier...yesterday on local sports talk the afternoon drive show hosts on 92.9 the game interviewed a former NFL ref regarding the ball situation.

Paraphasing

There are 12 "game balls", and 6 "k" or kicker balls...equally divided by each team...the home team is responsible for providing all of the footballs...all are made available to the officials prior to the game to be inspected and marked for each team...Colts OFC would play with their marked balls and vice versa for the Pats.

There is a report out there stating that 11 of the 12 balls were under inflated...if true, then some of the Colts balls would obviously have to be deflated also.

The point here is the balls were all inspected prior to play and allowed for the game. I don't think this was a case of NE playing with deflated balls and IND was not.

 

[BoBlake]

There is a report out there stating that 11 of the 12 balls were under inflated...if true, then some of the Colts balls would obviously have to be deflated also.
.

Not quite.

Per the NFL rulebook, each team provides game officials with 12 footballs before the game, and the balls are required to be inflated between 12½ and 13½ pounds per square inch. The referee inspects the game balls 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, places a special marking on each ball that passes inspection, and hands the approved balls to attendants on each team, who are supposed to maintain custody of the balls on each sideline.


So there are 24 balls on the field and each team provides their own balls for their offensive play.

There are, I think, 6 kicker balls for each team too.



Here's a link to the rulebook at NFL.com
http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Not quite.

Per the NFL rulebook, each team provides game officials with 12 footballs before the game, and the balls are required to be inflated between 12½ and 13½ pounds per square inch. The referee inspects the game balls 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, places a special marking on each ball that passes inspection, and hands the approved balls to attendants on each team, who are supposed to maintain custody of the balls on each sideline.


So there are 24 balls on the field and each team provides their own balls for their offensive play.

There are, I think, 6 kicker balls for each team too.

I'm sure I heard 12, but maybe he said 12 each.

I can't find the interview posted on their radio station's website so I will so with the rule book.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

...and might I add that you have the fucking stupidest login name ever created.

ujelly?

Cripes

NEHomer glass houses lol

Luck may be on to something. I think I read something like this posted by a very intelligentt and stunning poster recently

 

[wood20ks]

Originally Posted by {+}Mother-Marge{+}
......I thought each team brings their own balls when "their own offense" takes the field

I posted this earlier...yesterday on local sports talk the afternoon drive show hosts on 92.9 the game interviewed a former NFL ref regarding the ball situation.

Paraphasing

There are 12 "game balls", and 6 "k" or kicker balls...equally divided by each team...the home team is responsible for providing all of the footballs...all are made available to the officials prior to the game to be inspected and marked for each team...Colts OFC would play with their marked balls and vice versa for the Pats.

There is a report out there stating that 11 of the 12 balls were under inflated...if true, then some of the Colts balls would obviously have to be deflated also.

The point here is the balls were all inspected prior to play and allowed for the game. I don't think this was a case of NE playing with deflated balls and IND was not.

Under my understanding........Is that each team has their own logo on there?

Not sure if this is true....
But if it is,then they need to get the Indy balls to be examined.9which btw has probably been put away and gone by now.Or eve tampered with.

also once th balls have been examined by the refs,they give each team their balls back.And who knows who does what with them once the team gets them back.........js

 

[flyerhawk]

My only real issue here is if the team actively and surreptitiously stole the footballs and deflated them.

If the refs didn't properly check them then that is on them.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

My only real issue here is if the team actively and surreptitiously stole the footballs and deflated them.

If the refs didn't properly check them then that is on them.

That bothers me but their track record and past practices under bellicheck really leaves a lot of questions

 

[trojanfan12]

They also allow them to "treat" each balls surface. Some teams soften the balls, some put scratches on them. Why not just have the balls be in a common place?

That is done prior to the referee's inspecting the footballs. Each team has 12 brand new footballs. A new football (just like a new basketball) is pretty slippery, so teams do things to give them more of the feel of a "used" football. This is done, sometimes starting a couple of days in advance of the game, for the benefit of a better grip on the ball for the qb. All teams do that and it's perfectly legal. It is also, in part, why those balls are presented to the referees prior to the start of the game.

The problem is that the referee's check the balls a little more than 2 hours before the start of the game. That's a lot of time for a team to further "doctor" the ball.

Personally, I think it's a stupid rule that should go away. Each team provides their own footballs and they should be able to prepare them according to what the qb prefers, including the amount of inflation. However, until that happens, it's a violation of rules and needs to be addressed.

 

[The Moose]

They do and that's how this whole mess started. The Indy TE noticed the very first time he touched a Pats ball that it was fishy and gave it to the equipment manager who then reported it to the refs. If Indy doesn't get that pick maybe this doesn't even get caught.

Point being you got two teams playing but using different standards. Maybe if Luck and the Colts were allowed to use 2lbs less per ball they make more throws and catches too. Probably not, who fricken knows? But that is the problem now, people can ask those questions because the game was not played evenly it appears. Really, if Brady and the Pats claim there is no advantage then why do it at all?

Indy isn't winning that game no matter what. The amount of air in the ball made no difference to Blount. Indy flat out couldn't stop him. Their defense just wasn't good enough. That being said, the Pats do need to pay a price if this was indeed planned by the team. Strip them of draft picks?

 

[TP76]

My only real issue here is if the team actively and surreptitiously stole the footballs and deflated them.

If the refs didn't properly check them then that is on them.

Likeliest scenario - the Pats doctor the valves to release air slowly as part of their ball prep. Refs have the footballs for two hours before the game then give the balls to the team's ball attendant right before kick-off. It's extremely doubtful he's sticking a needle in the ball during the game.

Would explain why they were 2 psi low when the league got the balls much later.

 

[Mondo Jay]

Indy isn't winning that game no matter what. The amount of air in the ball made no difference to Blount. Indy flat out couldn't stop him. Their defense just wasn't good enough. That being said, the Pats do need to pay a price if this was indeed planned by the team. Strip them of draft picks?

Blount may have fumbled 4 times with properly inflated balls.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

That is done prior to the referee's inspecting the footballs. Each team has 12 brand new footballs. A new football (just like a new basketball) is pretty slippery, so teams do things to give them more of the feel of a "used" football. This is done, sometimes starting a couple of days in advance of the game, for the benefit of a better grip on the ball for the qb. All teams do that and it's perfectly legal. It is also, in part, why those balls are presented to the referees prior to the start of the game.

The problem is that the referee's check the balls a little more than 2 hours before the start of the game. That's a lot of time for a team to further "doctor" the ball.

Personally, I think it's a stupid rule that should go away. Each team provides their own footballs and they should be able to prepare them according to what the qb prefers, including the amount of inflation. However, until that happens, it's a violation of rules and needs to be addressed.

I kind of agree with you but there still needs to be limits. As it is a QB who likes a firmer ball can go up to 13.5lbs if he likes a little softer ball he can go down to the minimum 12.5lbs. What the Pats did (allegedly) was drop as much as 2Lbs below the minimum or 16%. That is clearly too much. Other teams have a chance to intercept the ball too, so there needs to be some consistency throughout the league. If a ball was super hard or super squishy it could affect how an opposing DB catches it and may cause a drop that a normally inflated ball wouldn't cause.

 

[GNG]

Indy isn't winning that game no matter what. The amount of air in the ball made no difference to Blount. Indy flat out couldn't stop him. Their defense just wasn't good enough. That being said, the Pats do need to pay a price if this was indeed planned by the team. Strip them of draft picks?

Agreed... This nonsense about an under inflated ball is just an excuse for the Colts defeat.

 

[trojanfan12]

I kind of agree with you but there still needs to be limits. As it is a QB who likes a firmer ball can go up to 13.5lbs if he likes a little softer ball he can go down to the minimum 12.5lbs. What the Pats did (allegedly) was drop as much as 2Lbs below the minimum or 16%. That is clearly too much. Other teams have a chance to intercept the ball too, so there needs to be some consistency throughout the league. If a ball was super hard or super squishy it could affect how an opposing DB catches it and may cause a drop that a normally inflated ball wouldn't cause.

That's why I say get rid of the rule. If each qb can have the ball inflated according to how he likes it, then it's an even playing field.

For example, Aaron Rogers says that he prefers an over inflated football. If Rogers prefers the football inflated 14.5 psi and the opposing qb prefers 11.5 psi, then both qb's have the football set up the way they like it, so there's no unfair advantage.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

That's why I say get rid of the rule. If each qb can have the ball inflated according to how he likes it, then it's an even playing field.

For example, Aaron Rogers says that he prefers an over inflated football. If Rogers prefers the football inflated 14.5 psi and the opposing qb prefers 11.5 psi, then both qb's have the football set up the way they like it, so there's no unfair advantage.

That's great for QB's but how are defensive players supposed to practise each week? Do they need to call ahead and ask next weeks team how hard or soft the ball is going to be in case they get a shot at an interception? That is why I think the league feels there needs to be a rule which keeps the ball more or less consistent throughout the year. They allow a variance of 13lbs + or - half pound of pressure. A half pound of pressure in a football is actually quite a bit.

 

[NEhomer]

NEHomer glass houses lol

Luck may be on to something. I think I read something like this posted by a very intelligentt and stunning poster recently

Y rujelly?

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Under my understanding........Is that each team has their own logo on there?

Not sure if this is true....
But if it is,then they need to get the Indy balls to be examined.9which btw has probably been put away and gone by now.Or eve tampered with.

also once th balls have been examined by the refs,they give each team their balls back.And who knows who does what with them once the team gets them back.........js

Not sure either...another poster corrected me on the count...I thought I heard the guy in the interview say 12, but apparently it's 12 game balls for each team and the officials do put some type of marking on them for each team...once they are inspected and hit the equipment guys...something could happen then I guess, but I would think a camera would pick up on an equipment guy with ball needle.

 

[R.J. MacReady]

Not sure either...another poster corrected me on the count...I thought I heard the guy in the interview say 12, but apparently it's 12 game balls for each team and the officials do put some type of marking on them for each team...once they are inspected and hit the equipment guys...something could happen then I guess, but I would think a camera would pick up on an equipment guy with ball needle.

In the Eli Manning article ..they put the Giants logo on theirs

 

[Uhsplit]

I still stand by that. No other QB in NFL history has won a postseason game where their first 10 balls hit the ground and threw 4 INTs.

Just like we have been saying. He is a historical QB.