Am I the only non-Pats fan who still doesn't think this is a big deal? When the Manning/Brady petition changed the rules, it pretty much gave every QB the freedom to doctor the balls to their liking. Now it's just an accepted part of the culture. It seems many QBs are not happy that this is being brought to the limelight as it wil, if nothing else, lead to much more stringent rules concerning ball control and handling. I don't really care how the balls lost the 2 PSI, but I think the hot air theory is the most likely scenario. I just don't care; I say leave well enough alone.
Nope... i'm not a Pats fan and I think this is ridiculous too.
It's a big difference. Even if most QBs are doing it, that's like saying that steroids were no big deal because most guys were taking them. Either way, the guys who aren't doing it are at a big disadvantage.
And yes, having a deflated football is a big advantage. Aside from personal experience, every player that they've asked about it has said yes, it is a major advantage.
Well other than Aaron Rodgers the best QB in the league. I know he wasn't asked in response to the controversy. But unless you're arguing that Phil Simms lied on air and Rodgers never corrected him he thinks a deflated ball is a disadvantage.
Rodgers said that HE doesn't like them, but also said that most QBs would consider it a big advantage.
"The majority of quarterbacks are maybe on the other end of the spectrum and like it on the flatter side," Rodgers said. "My belief is that there should be a minimum air-pressure requirement but not a maximum. There's no advantage, in my opinion -- we're not kicking the football -- there's no advantage in having a pumped-up football."
odgers said he has a "major problem" with how often officials deflate footballs. The New England
Patriots were accused of deflating their footballs for the AFC championship game Sunday, something the NFL is investigating.
Rodgers would like to see stricter standards enforced, especially against flatter footballs.
"They have a set range they like them at," Rodgers said Tuesday on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show. "I always like to be on the high range because of my grip pressure. I just have a hard time throwing a flat football. The majority of the quarterbacks – I would say more than half – are on the other side of the spectrum and like it on the flatter side.
"My belief is that there should be a minimum air pressure requirement, but not a maximum."
NFL rules stipulate footballs used during games must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch and weigh between 14 and 15 ounces. Rodgers said quarterbacks have "no advantage" throwing a heavily inflated football.
In fact, he said, it's more challenging for quarterbacks with smaller hands or a weaker grip. For them, a flatter football is beneficial.
Rodgers doesn't want to penalize quarterbacks with smaller hands or weaker grips, he said. But when officials deflate footballs before "every game," Rodgers believes it puts him at a disadvantage.
"My biggest problem," Rodgers said, "is I don't think you should be allowed to take air out of the footballs, because it's not an advantage when you have a football that's inflated more than the average, whatever air pressure they want. It's a preference."
You missed a bit of the quote
The parts you omitted show you are not trying to be fair on the topic.
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at all of this. I can't wait for all of the behavioral experts to start chiming in. 
