The Ravens just beat the Steelers in Heinz Field! On to see the Patriots in the Divisional round.
It was bound to happen. How about Suggs interception where he caught the ball with his knees.
The Ravens just beat the Steelers in Heinz Field! On to see the Patriots in the Divisional round.
It was bound to happen. How about Suggs interception where he caught the ball with his knees.
Have to say I’m a little bummed out about “Deflategate.” I’m a fan of Belichick and Brady and will be rooting for the Pats next week. But this controversy sort of taints their legitimacy going into the big game. I get the sense that Belichick and Brady share Lebron James-like status - lots of people love to hate them. This only adds fuel to the fire. Not the kind of press coverage you’d like to see if you’re a Patriots player or fan.
That said, the investigation hasn’t been completed yet, so it’s still too early to state whether this really is a scandal. And even if it was purposeful, I highly doubt the lower pressure footballs had any consequential effect on the game last week. The Colts were walloped both in the passing and running game. And I believe I read somewhere that the balls were back to regulation air pressure in the second half, when the Pats did most of their damage.
Who fucking cares, the air in the ball doesn’t make you score 38 more points than your opponents. Also if it is an actual advantage then both teams had the same advantage because they don’t mark balls or only play with their game balls.
It’s stupid they all fucking take performance enhancing drugs, they all lie and cover shit up, no one is innocent so who cares.
It doesn’t matter since Defense wins Championships. Go Seattle!
I think it will be a great matchup. Very excited.
If you’re suggesting that the teams share balls, then that is incorrect. Each team DOES have their own specific game balls. Each team brings 12 balls to the game that they can prep to the QB’s specifications (scuffing/buffing, roll it in the dirt, whatever) because brand new balls have a waxy coating on them and can be hard to grip. They are inspected 2 hours prior to the game for weight and air pressure only.
Kicking balls ARE brand new balls still in the package that are opened up before the game, are marked with a “K” and are NOT allowed to be prepped at all, which is why you see kickers push on the ends before they kick because it plumps up the middle slightly and allows the ball to go farther.
Here is the page in the rule book: http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf
Also, here is an interesting article of how Eli Manning preps his game balls: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/sports/football/eli-mannings-footballs-are-months-in-making.html?_r=0
Also…GO SEAHAWKS!!
^ Quad - good post. Very informative.
Up until today, I’ve held judgment on this because there has been basically zero evidence provided by the NFL since the story broke. As a true masshole, Patriot fan and New Englander this story has turned into the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever seen in professional sports. The only reason why this story got so big is because the NFL wanted it to. Controversy and scandal stirs interest, makes people choose a side, and glue themselves to the TV for more. Everyone loves a good vs. evil story line. If the Patriots and Belichick weren’t already seen as the bad guys, they are now and that’s exactly what the NFL wants. Ratings go up every year but I guarantee there will be a huge spike this year due to this story. Well played NFL.
Regarding the actual footballs in that were “significantly underinflated”…
Originally it was reported that D’Qwell (great first name…) Jackson, who had the interception for the Colts in the first half reported that the ball felt soft. When he was interviewed yesterday he completely denied that it was him that raised the concern: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12213533/dqwell-jackson-indianapolis-colts-says-one-noticed-ball-was-inflated
Some buddies that play in a flag football league brought up a great point. Their refs get paid $40 a game, smoke weed at half time and really don’t give too many fucks. On more than a few occasions in the cold they have thrown balls to the sidelines for being underinflated. You’re telling me that refs that get paid over 100k a year and touch the ball EVERY snap shouldn’t have noticed something was off with the balls? C’mon man…
In Belichick’s press conference we learned that the team inflates the balls to the minimum 12.5 psi. Anyone with a brain can figure out that if the balls were inflated indoors at room temperature or greater they’re going to lose pressure when brought out into the cold. Its the same principal as your tires losing pressure when it gets cold. Here’s an interesting article on what it would take for the balls lose a couple psi from the weather conditions. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/2015/01/21/how-the-patriots-could-have-cheated-without-letting-air-out-the-ball/Eocm5m29nIlh0HRBjFWsYO/story.html
The bottom line is instead of talking about two great football teams and what a great matchup this is and all the other great sub plots we are talking about nonsense and something the NFL most likely fabricated or purposely let grow into the media shitshow that it is to gain attention and money. / rant
^^ Good post, Jim. I tend to agree with your analysis.
Now how about that Tom Brady press conference yesterday? I thought he handled it well (stocking hat and all), and it was also pretty fucking hilarious. “This isn’t ISIS” lol!
#GoPats
Have to say I’m a little bummed out about “Deflategate.” I’m a fan of Belichick and Brady and will be rooting for the Pats next week. But this controversy sort of taints their legitimacy going into the big game. I get the sense that Belichick and Brady share Lebron James-like status - lots of people love to hate them. This only adds fuel to the fire. Not the kind of press coverage you’d like to see if you’re a Patriots player or fan.
That said, the investigation hasn’t been completed yet, so it’s still too early to state whether this really is a scandal. And even if it was purposeful, I highly doubt the lower pressure footballs had any consequential effect on the game last week. The Colts were walloped both in the passing and running game. And I believe I read somewhere that the balls were back to regulation air pressure in the second half, when the Pats did most of their damage.
Who fucking cares, the air in the ball doesn’t make you score 38 more points than your opponents. Also if it is an actual advantage then both teams had the same advantage because they don’t mark balls or only play with their game balls.
It’s stupid they all fucking take performance enhancing drugs, they all lie and cover shit up, no one is innocent so who cares.
I think that this fumbling statistic is the most interesting fact to come out of all of this.
What is interesting about it is that their seemingly impossible fumble rate coincides exactly when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady lobbied to get the rules changed to allow road team offenses to bring their own balls.
[quote]The Patriots have held the best plays per fumble rate since 2007. Sharp also points out this is the first year the Patriots started outperforming in wet weather games. After going 0-2 in 2006, New England has gone an unprecedented 14-1 in Tom Brady wet weather home games (compared to 51-9 in dry weather home games). According to ProFootballReference.com, from 2001 to 2006, Brady averaged 9.8 fumbles per season. From 2007 to 2014, his fumbles per season decreased to 5.3.
Interestingly, one other thing changed the season prior to 2007: the rules. In 2006, Brady and Peyton Manning successfully lobbied the league to allow road team offenses to bring their own balls, breaking from the rule in which the home team provided all 24 balls. You may have heard of this rule change recently in the news again.
[/quote]
It doesn’t matter since Defense wins Championships. Go Seattle!
I think it will be a great matchup. Very excited.
If you’re suggesting that the teams share balls, then that is incorrect. Each team DOES have their own specific game balls. Each team brings 12 balls to the game that they can prep to the QB’s specifications (scuffing/buffing, roll it in the dirt, whatever) because brand new balls have a waxy coating on them and can be hard to grip. They are inspected 2 hours prior to the game for weight and air pressure only.
Kicking balls ARE brand new balls still in the package that are opened up before the game, are marked with a “K” and are NOT allowed to be prepped at all, which is why you see kickers push on the ends before they kick because it plumps up the middle slightly and allows the ball to go farther.
Here is the page in the rule book: http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/5_2013_Ball.pdf
Also, here is an interesting article of how Eli Manning preps his game balls: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/sports/football/eli-mannings-footballs-are-months-in-making.html?_r=0
Also…GO SEAHAWKS!!
^ Quad - good post. Very informative.
Up until today, I’ve held judgment on this because there has been basically zero evidence provided by the NFL since the story broke. As a true masshole, Patriot fan and New Englander this story has turned into the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever seen in professional sports. The only reason why this story got so big is because the NFL wanted it to. Controversy and scandal stirs interest, makes people choose a side, and glue themselves to the TV for more. Everyone loves a good vs. evil story line. If the Patriots and Belichick weren’t already seen as the bad guys, they are now and that’s exactly what the NFL wants. Ratings go up every year but I guarantee there will be a huge spike this year due to this story. Well played NFL.
Regarding the actual footballs in that were “significantly underinflated”…
Originally it was reported that D’Qwell (great first name…) Jackson, who had the interception for the Colts in the first half reported that the ball felt soft. When he was interviewed yesterday he completely denied that it was him that raised the concern: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12213533/dqwell-jackson-indianapolis-colts-says-one-noticed-ball-was-inflated
Some buddies that play in a flag football league brought up a great point. Their refs get paid $40 a game, smoke weed at half time and really don’t give too many fucks. On more than a few occasions in the cold they have thrown balls to the sidelines for being underinflated. You’re telling me that refs that get paid over 100k a year and touch the ball EVERY snap shouldn’t have noticed something was off with the balls? C’mon man…
In Belichick’s press conference we learned that the team inflates the balls to the minimum 12.5 psi. Anyone with a brain can figure out that if the balls were inflated indoors at room temperature or greater they’re going to lose pressure when brought out into the cold. Its the same principal as your tires losing pressure when it gets cold. Here’s an interesting article on what it would take for the balls lose a couple psi from the weather conditions. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/2015/01/21/how-the-patriots-could-have-cheated-without-letting-air-out-the-ball/Eocm5m29nIlh0HRBjFWsYO/story.html
The bottom line is instead of talking about two great football teams and what a great matchup this is and all the other great sub plots we are talking about nonsense and something the NFL most likely fabricated or purposely let grow into the media shitshow that it is to gain attention and money. / rant