Patriots being investigated after Colts game (2 Viewers)

[Baloney Sandwich]

Weird how the weather deflated the Patriots' balls, but not the Colts'.

link?

Link? Seriously?

Yeah, the NFL didn't think to check the other footballs before they threw gasoline on the fire and announced the Patriots balls were deflated. Bet it never even crossed their mind.

Someone should tell them, stat.

so it should be fairly easy for you to provide a single link that mentions this was done

Believe what you need to believe, I guess.

I don't have a strong believe on any of it right now as the NFL hasn't officially made any comments on what they have found. A few pieces of information have been leaked and I've yet to read any article stating the NFL also tested Indy footballs. I agree it would be the natural thing to do but it doesn't mean it was done. You seem 100% positive it happened so I was curious if you read it somewhere or have a connection to the league office that told you it was done.

 

[pecorino]

As a Patriots fan, I want to see Belichick punished harshly if this is true, because maybe it will cure him of the seemingly uncontrollable compulsion to cut corners at every turn in order to gain even the slightest, imperceptible advantage. He's a great coach who doesn't need to do this nonsense to win football games. Suspending him might be the best therapy.

I am an unabashed hater of the Patriots, their fans, and Coach Belichick, but I must say this post is the most rational, reasonable, and spot-on comment I have ever read from a Patriots fan. Well done Workhorse, and I couldn't agree more.

 

[shader]

I honestly think that if this wasn't the Pats, it would be a non-issue. I expect that many people will come out today and over the next few days and basically show that every team doctors their balls to some extent. I read an article about how Eli Manning doctors all of his balls for months.

So yeah, I don't see this as a big issue. Unless, of course, they are submitting all the balls for approval, then taking them back under the stadium, letting air out and then bringing them back to the field. If that is happening, I would expect a fine.

But if they are bringing balls to the stadium just how "Tom likes em", and they are passing inspection and then nothing is done to the balls in the interim, it's a total non-issue. If the inspection is shoddy, or just a perfunctory thing, than it's on the NFL, not on the Pats or any other team for that matter.

 

[stronger88]

Matt Leinart weighing in:

Matt Leinart ‏@MattLeinartQB 5m5 minutes ago

Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

Do you know of any quarterbacks in the league we could ask Matt?

Aaron Rodgers.

 

[Workhorse]

I find it amusing how Patriots fans try to claim that every team does things like this and what happened during spygate, yet no other team gets accused or caught doing it. Just admit that Belichick does everything he can to gain an advantage, including cheating, and own it.

Why do these things need to be mutually exclusive? I think they are both true.

 

[rockaction]

Prepping us for punishments on ESPN.

A fine?

Got to be draft picks.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Weird how the weather deflated the Patriots' balls, but not the Colts'.

link?

Link? Seriously?

Yeah, the NFL didn't think to check the other footballs before they threw gasoline on the fire and announced the Patriots balls were deflated. Bet it never even crossed their mind.

Someone should tell them, stat.

so it should be fairly easy for you to provide a single link that mentions this was done

Believe what you need to believe, I guess.

I don't have a strong believe on any of it right now as the NFL hasn't officially made any comments on what they have found. A few pieces of information have been linked and I've yet to read any article stating the NFL also tested Indy footballs. I agree it would be the natural thing to do but it doesn't mean it was done. You seem 100% positive it happened so I was curious if you read it somewhere or have a connection to the league office that told you it was done.

Fair enough -- I guess I misread your comment.

But if all it would have taken to put this to bed was to check the Colts footballs too I'm (literally) 100% sure it was done. And that there is (literally) a 0% chance the NFL leaked that the Patriots footballs were two pounds light (blowing this whole thing to the moon during Super Bowl week) without checking the other footballs too.

 

[Tom Servo]

What if the MLB allowed this??

Oh wait the home team is responsible for rubbing all the sheen off the ball and giving them to the umpire.

I never understood why in football everyone plays with the same balls. Why home team and away team sets?

Wrong. The umpire rubs the balls down.

Besides, baseballs can't be deflated; that's why it's the better game.

 

[Niles Standish]

Pats fans rejoice:

This is the exact sort of media fuel that led to 18 straight wins in '07, and will lead to a patriots fifth Lombardi. They'll come out and beat the Seahawks with a deflated beach ball just to drive the point home.

fifth? when was the fourth?

Rule 17(a)III states that if you use a deflated beachball in a game the win or loss will count twice.

 

[shader]

Matt Leinart weighing in:

Matt Leinart ‏@MattLeinartQB 5m5 minutes ago

Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

Do you know of any quarterbacks in the league we could ask Matt?

Aaron Rodgers.

I'd say every QB in the league is a bit scared of the end results of this. If the media goes too far, the NFL could make the snap judgment to open up brand new balls and provide them to the teams right before the games. That would probably be a nightmare for most QB's, as based on what I've read, they like to get their footballs "just right".

 

[jonessed]

This story is a massive black eye for the league and it's coming from a repeat offender. As an isolated incident I don't think it's nearly as serious, but from a PR standpoint it's much more serious.

It is?

Yes. A team about to play in the U.S.' biggest sporting event was just caught cheating... again. It was a major news story on every network the day after the game and will continue that way until it's resolved. I was actually surprised to see it hit mainstream news so fast, but there's no getting around it anymore.

 

[cstu]

Matt Leinart weighing in:

Matt Leinart ‏@MattLeinartQB 5m5 minutes ago

Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

Do you know of any quarterbacks in the league we could ask Matt?

Aaron Rodgers.

I'd say every QB in the league is a bit scared of the end results of this. If the media goes too far, the NFL could make the snap judgment to open up brand new balls and provide them to the teams right before the games. That would probably be a nightmare for most QB's, as based on what I've read, they like to get their footballs "just right".

"Won't bother me."

/Geno Smith

 

[KarmaPolice]

I find it amusing how Patriots fans try to claim that every team does things like this and what happened during spygate, yet no other team gets accused or caught doing it. Just admit that Belichick does everything he can to gain an advantage, including cheating, and own it.

Why do these things need to be mutually exclusive? I think they are both true.

exactly

 

[mbuehner]

Isnt it odd that the NFL allows the teams to handle the balls at all (outside of gameplay), much less provide them? NFL cant afford a couple dozen footballs?

 

[Tom Servo]

Deflated Patriots' balls haven't been this newsworthy since Horatio Gates' after George Washington spoke at Newburgh.

:golfclap:

 

[rockaction]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

 

[ROCKET]

Man, I love Steven A Smith. This guy is a NYer, isn't biased and puts this whole thing in perspective with his objectivity.

He thinks BB should be suspended for 2015 if he is found out to be behind the ball inflation and makes a lot of great points in his interview he is doing right now on WEEI Boston radio. I'm glad to see there is still someone at ESPN without an agenda who can give an educated, unbiased opinion.

 

[Workhorse]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

Yet a seasoned crew of officials couldn't tell the difference for an entire half, when they touch the ball before every play? That's what's kind of odd about this whole thing to me.

 

[rascal]

Next two years no first round picks, billicheat and kraft fined 1/2 mil each.

 

[mbuehner]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

Yet a seasoned crew of officials couldn't tell the difference for an entire half, when they touch the ball before every play? That's what's kind of odd about this whole thing to me.

Exactly. Which suggests this happens often enough as not to be considered an issue by the refs. Or they are clueless, but these werent the same Seattle/GB refs so thats tough to buy.

 

[rockaction]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

Yet a seasoned crew of officials couldn't tell the difference for an entire half, when they touch the ball before every play? That's what's kind of odd about this whole thing to me.

I think last night I was talking about some weird stuff I caught in real-time and on the replay. The refs were constantly delaying the game and throwing balls off of the field while a no-huddle offense was trying to operate. I think they did know it.

BTW, Dwayne Allen's tweet is totally accurate. The Pats could have played with balls laden with soap and beat the Colts. Good for him to understand that.

But Baltimore…not so much.

 

[fdas2]

YOU ARE ALL INSANE.

GO DO SOME WORK, WEIRDOS.

 

[CR69]

Not the first time this happened either

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/21/report-colts-had-inflation-concerns-in-november-matchup-with-patriots/

 

[mbuehner]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

Yet a seasoned crew of officials couldn't tell the difference for an entire half, when they touch the ball before every play? That's what's kind of odd about this whole thing to me.

I think last night I was talking about some weird stuff I caught in real-time and on the replay. The refs were constantly delaying the game and throwing balls off of the field while a no-huddle offense was trying to operate. I think they did know it.

BTW, Dwayne Allen's tweet is totally accurate. The Pats could have played with balls laden with soap and beat the Colts. Good for him to understand that.

But Baltimore…not so much.

Could have something to do with the balls being soaking wet...

 

[Workhorse]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

Yet a seasoned crew of officials couldn't tell the difference for an entire half, when they touch the ball before every play? That's what's kind of odd about this whole thing to me.

I think last night I was talking about some weird stuff I caught in real-time and on the replay. The refs were constantly delaying the game and throwing balls off of the field while a no-huddle offense was trying to operate. I think they did know it.

BTW, Dwayne Allen's tweet is totally accurate. The Pats could have played with balls laden with soap and beat the Colts. Good for him to understand that.

But Baltimore…not so much.

I rewatched last night and that only happened one time that I noticed: Pre-snap before the start of the 3rd quarter.

 

[ROCKET]

This story is a massive black eye for the league and it's coming from a repeat offender. As an isolated incident I don't think it's nearly as serious, but from a PR standpoint it's much more serious.

It is?

Yes. A team about to play in the U.S.' biggest sporting event was just caught cheating... again. It was a major news story on every network the day after the game and will continue that way until it's resolved. I was actually surprised to see it hit mainstream news so fast, but there's no getting around it anymore.

True, because our news nowadays is based on the TMZ platform. Not to say this doesn't deserve to be a big story and no doubt will continue to be for months/years IMO regardless of how the NFL comes down on this. There is just too many people that won't be able to resist grabbing the low hanging fruit and once Pats are brought up their will be an instant spygate/deflategate comment thrown out. It is what it is. Depending on what side you're on will be how you interpret it.

 

[zilladog]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 — When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Manning’s exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each team’s quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. … If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the team’s equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: “Get away, those are Eli’s game balls.”

Skiba added: “No one is allowed to touch those balls. They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.” …

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

“I would know,” he said.

Let’s review, shall we?

Quarterback A, let’s call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a network’s No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasn’t that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, let’s say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as …

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and there’s talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, I’m over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you ain’t cheating by messin’ with the football, you ain’t tryin’.

When Brady does it, it’s a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, there’s nothing to see here. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

 

[rockaction]

What's weird about this is we needed jocks to comment on a 2 lb deflated ball.

Any 6'0" dip with average hands who loved playing football understands the difference. That's part of the reason why nerf balls were so awesome and we blessed the guy that didn't bring obscenely pumped-up footballs to the pickup game.

Brady laughing this off is a joke. It's sort of clown-y, this whole thing.

Yet a seasoned crew of officials couldn't tell the difference for an entire half, when they touch the ball before every play? That's what's kind of odd about this whole thing to me.

I think last night I was talking about some weird stuff I caught in real-time and on the replay. The refs were constantly delaying the game and throwing balls off of the field while a no-huddle offense was trying to operate. I think they did know it.

BTW, Dwayne Allen's tweet is totally accurate. The Pats could have played with balls laden with soap and beat the Colts. Good for him to understand that.

But Baltimore…not so much.

I rewatched last night and that only happened one time that I noticed: Pre-snap before the start of the 3rd quarter.

It happened one or two other times, too, I think. But that was the most egregious. You're right. It looked weird. I've watched a ton of football games, and never seen something so dramatic that it was worth noting.

Were they just incompetent getting a kicking ball off the field?

Who knows?

All we have is a few sources and Mort right now.

 

[rockaction]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 — When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Manning’s exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each team’s quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. … If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the team’s equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: “Get away, those are Eli’s game balls.”

Skiba added: “No one is allowed to touch those balls. They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.” …

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

“I would know,” he said.

Let’s review, shall we?

Quarterback A, let’s call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a network’s No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasn’t that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, let’s say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as …

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and there’s talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, I’m over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you ain’t cheating by messin’ with the football, you ain’t tryin’.

When Brady does it, it’s a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, there’s nothing to see here. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

Exactly as someone predicted. Pats fans will just say that "others do it" and forget about it.

 

[zilladog]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 — When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Manning’s exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each team’s quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. … If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the team’s equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: “Get away, those are Eli’s game balls.”

Skiba added: “No one is allowed to touch those balls. They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.” …

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

“I would know,” he said.

Let’s review, shall we?

Quarterback A, let’s call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a network’s No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasn’t that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, let’s say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as …

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and there’s talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, I’m over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you ain’t cheating by messin’ with the football, you ain’t tryin’.

When Brady does it, it’s a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, there’s nothing to see here. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

Exactly as someone predicted. Pats fans will just say that "others do it" and forget about it.

So it only matters if the uniform the helmet has a flying elvis on it? Oh, well...that makes total sense. I totally see where you're coming from now.

 

[shader]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Mannings exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each teams quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the teams equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: Get away, those are Elis game balls.

Skiba added: No one is allowed to touch those balls. Theyre precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

I would know, he said.

Lets review, shall we?

Quarterback A, lets call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a networks No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasnt that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, lets say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and theres talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, Im over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you aint cheating by messin with the football, you aint tryin.

When Brady does it, its a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, theres nothing to see here. And I wouldnt have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

This is the article I referenced earlier. very telling

 

[cstu]

YOU ARE ALL INSANE.

GO DO SOME WORK, WEIRDOS.

THIS IS NOT 'NAM, THERE ARE RULES!!!

 

[mbuehner]

Wet balls get replaced in inclement weather all the time, in fact the center can request it per the rules.

 

[Devine Intervention]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 — When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Manning’s exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each team’s quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. … If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the team’s equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: “Get away, those are Eli’s game balls.”

Skiba added: “No one is allowed to touch those balls. They’re precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.” …

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

“I would know,” he said.

Let’s review, shall we?

Quarterback A, let’s call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a network’s No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasn’t that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, let’s say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as …

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and there’s talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, I’m over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you ain’t cheating by messin’ with the football, you ain’t tryin’.

When Brady does it, it’s a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, there’s nothing to see here. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

Didn't read all of that, but did Eli change the ball to be outside of the PSI legal limit?

 

[shader]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Mannings exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each teams quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the teams equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: Get away, those are Elis game balls.

Skiba added: No one is allowed to touch those balls. Theyre precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

I would know, he said.

Lets review, shall we?

Quarterback A, lets call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a networks No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasnt that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, lets say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and theres talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, Im over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you aint cheating by messin with the football, you aint tryin.

When Brady does it, its a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, theres nothing to see here. And I wouldnt have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

Exactly as someone predicted. Pats fans will just say that "others do it" and forget about it.

So what if it came out that every qb in the league doctors their balls? Would you still want to roast the Pats for doing what they all do?

It's pretty obvious that the NFL is ok with qbs doing this, which is likely the only reason teams supply their own balls.

 

[rockaction]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Mannings exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each teams quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the teams equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: Get away, those are Elis game balls.

Skiba added: No one is allowed to touch those balls. Theyre precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

I would know, he said.

Lets review, shall we?

Quarterback A, lets call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a networks No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasnt that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, lets say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and theres talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, Im over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you aint cheating by messin with the football, you aint tryin.

When Brady does it, its a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, theres nothing to see here. And I wouldnt have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

Exactly as someone predicted. Pats fans will just say that "others do it" and forget about it.

So what if it came out that every qb in the league doctors their balls? Would you still want to roast the Pats for doing what they all do?

It's pretty obvious that the NFL is ok with qbs doing this, which is likely the only reason teams supply their own balls.

Pats fan. Awesome.

 

[Devine Intervention]

here's another one:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/eli-manning-likes-his-footballs-doctored/

ELI MANNING LIKES HIS FOOTBALLS DOCTORED

01.21.15 at 11:28 am ET

By Jerry Thornton

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eli Manning does a lot more to his footballs than just underinflate them. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NY Times, November 2013 When Eli Manning drops back to throw his first pass Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, the football in his hands will be as familiar as an old friend.

That is because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking-in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Mannings exact preferences. The leather will have been softened, the grip enhanced and the overall feel painstakingly assessed.

For every N.F.L. game, each team has 12 to 20 balls that it has meticulously groomed and prepared according to the needs of its starting quarterback. The balls, brushed and primed using various obvious and semisecret techniques, bear the team logo and are switched out from sideline to sideline depending on which team is on offense.

That means that from series to series, the ball in play can feel wholly different, but each teams quarterback always has a ball prepped by his equipment staff the way he likes it. If a coach looking for a ball at practice should unwittingly approach one of the bags, the teams equipment director, Joe Skiba, will pounce: Get away, those are Elis game balls.

Skiba added: No one is allowed to touch those balls. Theyre precious jewels. Too much work has gone into them.

Manning said he has never gotten the wrong ball in a game.

I would know, he said.

Lets review, shall we?

Quarterback A, lets call him Aaron, admits he likes footballs that have more air pressure in them than the NFL allows and defies the officials to do anything about it. This story is repeated by a networks No. 1 broadcast team as a funny little anecdote in the middle of a Patriots game, but no one can remember hearing it because it just wasnt that important. Aaron remains an adored media darling and his coach and team are revered throughout the land.

Quarterback B, lets say his name is Brad, confesses he shelled out $7,500 in bribes to doctor up the 100 footballs he used when he won a Super Bowl. The universe shrugs and the coach he won it with is the toast of the football broadcasting world.

Quarterback E, Eli, if you will, has equipment guys scour, scrub, soak, season, fold, spindle, mutilate and guard his footballs with their lives. He and his coach are the heroes of a nation for the two times they vanquished the evil menace known as

Quarterback T, for Tom, may or may not have started the AFC championship game with non-conforming footballs, but once they were removed from the game he went 12-for-14 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and 28 points in a half without them. For that, he and his coach are the cheatingest Cheatriots that ever cheated and theres talk they should be killed with fire, their fields salted and their families banished from the land.

Is it unfair? Is there a double, quadruple and probably even googletruple standard at work here? Absolutely. But like I said before, Im over wanting the world to like the Patriots. Embrace the hate. Brady doctors the footballs just like every other quarterback doctors the football. But he does it better. He does it winning more games, more playoff games, throwing more postseason touchdowns and God-willing winning more Super Bowls than anyone else. As a wise man once said, if you aint cheating by messin with the football, you aint tryin.

When Brady does it, its a scandal. When the rest of the world does it, theres nothing to see here. And I wouldnt have it any other way.

in case you missed the first one I posted, which imo is way more egregious than this:

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/01/21/brad-johnson-bribed-someone-to-tamper-with-super-bowl-footballs/

Exactly as someone predicted. Pats fans will just say that "others do it" and forget about it.

So what if it came out that every qb in the league doctors their balls? Would you still want to roast the Pats for doing what they all do?

It's pretty obvious that the NFL is ok with qbs doing this, which is likely the only reason teams supply their own balls.

Lets get it straight, there is a difference between doctoring the ball and changing it outside of the legal limits.

 

[HughHoney]

Brady had to know they were 2 PSI less than they should be.

He likes soft balls. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/20/brady-said-in-2011-he-likes-deflated-footballs/

 

[LuckyOne]

Those saying it is such a small advantage must not throw or catch a football very often. That softer ball is much easier to grip

 

[mbuehner]

Here's the official rules on the ball:

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf

Rule 2 The Ball
Section 1
BALL DIMENSIONS
The Ball must be a “Wilson,” hand selected, bearing the signature of the Commissioner of the League, Roger Goodell.
The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case
(natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight
shall be: long axis, 11 to 11 1/4 inches; long circumference, 28 to 28 1/2 inches; short circumference, 21 to 21 1/4 inches;
weight, 14 to 15 ounces.
The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be
furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the
ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.

Section 2
BALL SUPPLY
Each team will make 12 primary balls available for testing by the Referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of
the game to meet League requirements. The home team will also make 12 backup balls available for testing in all
stadiums. In addition, the visitors, at their discretion, may bring 12 backup balls to be tested by the Referee for games
held in outdoor stadiums. For all games, eight new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to
the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game.
These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game.
In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper
ball from the visitors and, failing that, use the best available ball. Any such circumstances must be reported to the
Commissioner.
In case of rain or a wet, muddy, or slippery field, a playable ball shall be used at the request of the offensive team’s center.
The Game Clock shall not stop for such action (unless undue delay occurs).
Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing
field.


Actually scouring, scrubbing, soaking, whatever would appear to comply with the rules. Letting teams provide their own balls is crazy... unless everybody doctors their balls like that to suite their QB and its just an accepted thing.

 

[lod01]

 

[Dr. Octopus]

“I paid some guys off to get the balls right,” Johnson told the Tampa Bay Times.

So maybe that's how the Pats did it also.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Matt Leinart weighing in:

Matt Leinart ‏@MattLeinartQB 5m5 minutes ago

Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

Do you know of any quarterbacks in the league we could ask Matt?

Aaron Rodgers.

I'd say every QB in the league is a bit scared of the end results of this. If the media goes too far, the NFL could make the snap judgment to open up brand new balls and provide them to the teams right before the games. That would probably be a nightmare for most QB's, as based on what I've read, they like to get their footballs "just right".

I wouldn't worry. The NFL never over-responds to issues simply based on the public's momentary outrage.

 

[zilladog]

So Eli admits to doctoring balls.

Rogers admits to doctoring balls.

Brad Johnson admits to BRIBING people in a superbowl to secretly doctor balls.

But....It's a Patriots issue............rrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Matt Leinart weighing in:

Matt Leinart ‏@MattLeinartQB 5m5 minutes ago

Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

Do you know of any quarterbacks in the league we could ask Matt?

Aaron Rodgers.

I'd say every QB in the league is a bit scared of the end results of this. If the media goes too far, the NFL could make the snap judgment to open up brand new balls and provide them to the teams right before the games. That would probably be a nightmare for most QB's, as based on what I've read, they like to get their footballs "just right".

"Won't bother me."

/Geno Smith

I heard he asks the defensive backs on the other team which way makes it easier for them to catch - just to be a nice guy.

 

[yellowdog]

CHEATERS!!!!

 

[The General]

Pretty much everyone agrees this isn't a big deal, right?

However, everyone would also agree that changing the balls to a condition outside the rules after they have been OK'd game ready by the refs is a bit shady, right?

That's different than Eli doing witchcraft to his ball, or Rodgers filling them up. Those are OK'd by the refs and not changed after.

Lord, the game can't get here quick enough.

 

[shader]

Here's the official rules on the ball:

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf

Rule 2 The Ball
Section 1
BALL DIMENSIONS
The Ball must be a “Wilson,” hand selected, bearing the signature of the Commissioner of the League, Roger Goodell.
The ball shall be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case
(natural tan color) without corrugations of any kind. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid and the size and weight
shall be: long axis, 11 to 11 1/4 inches; long circumference, 28 to 28 1/2 inches; short circumference, 21 to 21 1/4 inches;
weight, 14 to 15 ounces.
The Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be
furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the
ball attendant just prior to the start of the game.

Section 2
BALL SUPPLY
Each team will make 12 primary balls available for testing by the Referee two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of
the game to meet League requirements. The home team will also make 12 backup balls available for testing in all
stadiums. In addition, the visitors, at their discretion, may bring 12 backup balls to be tested by the Referee for games
held in outdoor stadiums. For all games, eight new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to
the Referee, will be opened in the officials’ locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game.
These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game.
In the event a home team ball does not conform to specifications, or its supply is exhausted, the Referee shall secure a proper
ball from the visitors and, failing that, use the best available ball. Any such circumstances must be reported to the
Commissioner.
In case of rain or a wet, muddy, or slippery field, a playable ball shall be used at the request of the offensive team’s center.
The Game Clock shall not stop for such action (unless undue delay occurs).
Note: It is the responsibility of the home team to furnish playable balls at all times by attendants from either side of the playing
field.


Actually scouring, scrubbing, soaking, whatever would appear to comply with the rules. Letting teams provide their own balls is crazy... unless everybody doctors their balls like that to suite their QB and its just an accepted thing.

bolded is the key point.

 

[rockaction]

Pretty much everyone agrees this isn't a big deal, right?

However, everyone would also agree that changing the balls to a condition outside the rules after they have been OK'd game ready by the refs is a bit shady, right?

That's different than Eli doing witchcraft to his ball, or Rodgers filling them up. Those are OK'd by the refs and not changed after.

Lord, the game can't get here quick enough.

Nope. 35-31 and a perfect throw to LaFell at the end with a doctored ball.

It's like rooting for Mike Scott in 1986. Scuff master.

 

[shader]

Pretty much everyone agrees this isn't a big deal, right?

However, everyone would also agree that changing the balls to a condition outside the rules after they have been OK'd game ready by the refs is a bit shady, right?

That's different than Eli doing witchcraft to his ball, or Rodgers filling them up. Those are OK'd by the refs and not changed after.

Lord, the game can't get here quick enough.

Until we know what happened, its tough to say.

IMO there are two likely scenarios:

1. Patriots submitted slightly deflated gameballs to a referee group whose "inspection" has become rather routine. Balls pass inspection. IMO this isn't cheating at all.

2. Patriots submitted gameballs to ref, ref accepted balls, Pats go back and deflate the balls. This is quite shady and while it doesnt' bother me, I can see why it would bother others, especially due to the Pats' history.