Did the officials also test THE COLTS balls after the game?

[pumpkinhead33793]

They had a scientist on from the University of Illinois who said that in colder weather, even weather that is not super cold, air pressure is lost over a period of time.

The point is, when have the balls EVER been tested AFTER a game to see how much they have changed. If they only tested the Patriots balls, it is conceivable that they could have lost 1-2 PSI over the course of 2 hours.

 

[DutchBird]

They had a scientist on from the University of Illinois who said that in colder weather, even weather that is not super cold, air pressure is lost over a period of time.

The point is, when have the balls EVER been tested AFTER a game to see how much they have changed. If they only tested the Patriots balls, it is conceivable that they could have lost 1-2 PSI over the course of 2 hours.

Yet there was a Boston College physics professor who stated that to lose the amount of pressure that AT A MINIMUM was lost, some 2 PSI - assuming the balls were tested and OK 2 hours before the game - is completely impossible.

Of course balls lose pressure over a period of time, so do tires. But unless there is an actual leak or faulty valve, I have never ever seen it happen that quickly (well over 10% in 5 hours).

 

[Dude]

I think it is one more red light that interrupts with the flow of otherwise smooth flowing seasons. It seems the media always is looking for the little nuggets of bullshit that ignite passions, to keep the heads talking. Am on record in here saying that it sucks and am somewhat ashamed of my team, so I'm not defending the Pats. Just believe that for the media to draw this thing out two weeks before the big game, when two colossal teams are about to face each other in an epic game, is downright irresponsible. So fuck the media, bring the game.

 

[Fencer]

Actually, there's a possibility that the whole thing is a deliberate frame-up:

Jackson does, however, recall one interesting moment during the first half that has something to do with the latest controversy. He recalls, during a television timeout, there was an especially long delay that prompted him to approach an official.

The game official mentioned something about their efforts to locate a usable football. Shortly after, Jackson noticed that the Patriots were using the Colts' footballs late in the first half. Jackson said it was odd to him that New England couldn't find a football to use, especially in the AFC Championship Game.

Colts' D'Qwell Jackson: I didn't know football had less pressure - NFL.com

In other words, somebody may have absconded with the Patriot footballs at a time when it was clearly not to the Patriots' advantage for them to be missing.

Also -- and this contradicts press reports that made false statements about Jackson -- NO player on the field reports having noticed deflated balls. This is all Colts officials after a ball was in their possession, plus (if those parts of the news reports are actually accurate) the refs.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I think it is one more red light that interrupts with the flow of otherwise smooth flowing seasons. It seems the media always is looking for the little nuggets of bullshit that ignite passions, to keep the heads talking. Am on record in here saying that it sucks and am somewhat ashamed of my team, so I'm not defending the Pats. Just believe that for the media to draw this thing out two weeks before the big game, when two colossal teams are about to face each other in an epic game, is downright irresponsible. So fuck the media, bring the game.

This is true. But I have a hard time blaming the media. If the Patriots never did it, there would be nothing for the media to report. It does suck that focusing on the game has been put on the back burner. This is a matchup I have been looking forward to.

 

[R.J. MacReady]

I posted these questions before. if were are going to point fingers, lets point them everywhere and get all the answers.


What ref did the testing?
Did the ref use a gauge?
Did he record the readings?
When was the last time the gauge was tested?
Who witness the testing?
Was it the same ref and gauge that tested the balls before the game and halftime?
Does the ref mark the ball to denote it was one of the tested balls?

 

[smilesid]

I too want to see if the Colt balls were tested. If they also lost pressure, then that would give plausibility to cold weather being the culprit. If they were ok, then someone in the Patriots org. did something. I serious doubt that this person or persons did it on their own.

The irony is that none of this was necessary.

 

[cdumler7]

I posted these questions before. if were are going to point fingers, lets point them everywhere and get all the answers.


What ref did the testing?
Did the ref use a gauge?
Did he record the readings?
When was the last time the gauge was tested?
Who witness the testing?
Was it the same ref and gauge that tested the balls before the game and halftime?
Does the ref mark the ball to denote it was one of the tested balls?

Well I can answer some of this. They brought in at least 2 gauges to test the balls and both showed the same thing so gauge malfunction was not the issue. Yes the mark on the ball is to show that it has been properly tested and approved. The NFL has investigated whether the officials stuck to protocol when checking the balls before the game and have found that they were. My guess is they have cameras everywhere so that is not hard to check. So then that answers your witness thing if the cameras are watching the whole thing. Not sure how else they could have already figured out that the whole testing process was done correctly.

Also the readings my guess is they were all at 12.5 PSI. Brady has already said that is where he prefers the footballs to be at so if that is the case then most likely that is what they tested at.

 

[ducky]

The irony is that none of this was necessary.

<In my best Al Pacino voice>
Football is a game of inches.


Cheat a little here, cheat a little there and all those cheated inches add up to a NFL dynasty with a HUGE asterisk for now and forever next to it.

 

[cdumler7]

Also it was 52 degrees at game time so how in the world would the balls deflate that quickly? I'm sorry but they have done plenty of tests over this past week to prove it is impossible for those balls to have lost that much pressure in that short of time.