2015 NFL Playoff thread

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by browna

It matters nothing to me, but for argument's sake....

The same ball attendants, who are employees of each home team?
The balls each offense uses are kept on each team's own sidelines for the rest of the game.

Said ball attendant, on the Pats sideline, and a 5 second poke with a inflation needle drops the pressure an easy two pounds.

Im not so sure you have that correct- the balls are mixed together and distributed randomly. The ball attendants do not hand out specific footballs depending on which O is up. The balls are all placed together near the replay booth. At least, Im pretty sure this is how it is done. Either way, if the method I am describing is accurate, it is even worse for the Pats, as it eliminates the possibility that something accidentally happened to all the balls after the inspection. Sounds like they were deflated going into the game and the refs didn't accurately assess them?

[browna]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Im not so sure you have that correct- the balls are mixed together and distributed randomly. The ball attendants do not hand out specific footballs depending on which O is up. The balls are all placed together near the replay booth. At least, Im pretty sure this is how it is done. Either way, if the method I am describing is accurate, it is even worse for the Pats, as it eliminates the possibility that something accidentally happened to all the balls after the inspection. Sounds like they were deflated going into the game and the refs didn't accurately assess them?

Read this in a couple spots over the past day, though not from the rule book.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/footba...-win-1.9821346

NFL rules require each team to provide 12 in-game footballs that the officiating crew inspects two hours before kickoff. Each team provides its own footballs when its offense is on the field. League rules require that footballs be inflated to between 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI) at all times.

They are inspected before the game, are ok. They go to the Pats sideline, used, and then after the game 11 of the 12 Pats balls are found to be under inflated.

[Flabbibulin]

Strange if that is the case- if there are strict guidelines on the condition of the ball, who cares where they come from. Possibly rubbed down are prepped differently, which is allowed?

I also read somewhere that Peyton Manning was instrumental in the rule allowing each team to provide their own footballs?

For what it is worth, the majority reaction on Patriots forums, after this newest development about 11 footballs being off, seems to be a lot of disgust and disappointment and not so much coming up with ridiculous explanations.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

QBs each prefer a slightly different feel for the ball. The teams are given a set of footballs each week to use in practice and prep for the games. There are regulations they have to follow to keep them legal but each team's balls will be worn down slightly differently. MMQB did a series last season on a referee team and they discussed how the balls are prepped and handled during the week.

Somewhere there was a breakdown in the system and someone was deflating those balls

[Flabbibulin]

Phil Simms has apparently stated that Aaron Rodgers once told him that refs often don't do the inspection or do a weak inspection. I think the notion of someone deflating the balls after the inspection is a little silly. My guess is someone was aware the refs don't take the inspection seriously and tried to sneak it by... or, this is a common practice and most teams are aware that the refs don't really enforce this.

[tvp2003]

So the Patriots won because Tom Brady was throwing with deflated balls, while the Packers lost because McCarthy was coaching with deflated balls?

[Senator Clay Davis]

I imagine we'll probably now see this become independent of teams (as it should) and the NFL alone will provide the balls and keep them during the game. NFL will probably have to strip the Pats of a draft pick, but we'll see.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

The question then is how did the balls get approved by the refs? They mark all approved balls and give to ball attendant, which are not handled by anyone else after. The entire process involving the officials is likely come under fire as well for letting the balls into the game.

The refs approve the balls two and a quarter hours before the game then give them back to the team to do whatever they want with them. There was also the instance of the Pats getting ready to play a snap and the ref taking the ball out and giving it back to the sideline. Mike Carey said it could be because it was a kicking ball, but when has he ever been right?

[Flabbibulin]

Complete guess, but I think this is possibly a semi-regular thing (in bad weather anyway). The refs are aware that teams (the Pats anyway) do this and just let it pass. When the Colts called them on it though, they were forced to remove the deflated balls. Possibly an unspoken agreement between teams/coaches that you don't call out other teams on this.

I also would't be surprised if the ref inspection is just a basic once look over and not technical or by the book at all. Just grab a few to determine if they seem good enough.

All just a guess.

[You Need a Thneed]

The Patriots should forfeit the AFC Championship game as punishment.

maybe the best coaching mind in the game today, but Belicheck can't avoid trying to cheat here and there, and that tarnishes his legacy, imo.

[rubecube]

Is it just me or has the NFL already spent more time investigating deflategate than they did on Ray Rice?

[Dan02]

Uhhhh both teams played with the same balls right?? Where's the advantage in doing this. Am I really to believe that one team "sabotaged" the balls for literally no reason?

The bitterness towards the Patriots is amazing, guess that's the price for being the top team in the NFL for the last what 15 seasons?

[CofR]

Originally Posted by rubecube

deflategate

I saw Deadspin referring to it as Ballghazi earlier, which I find hilarious.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Dan02

Uhhhh both teams played with the same balls right?? Where's the advantage in doing this. Am I really to believe that one team "sabotaged" the balls for literally no reason?

The bitterness towards the Patriots is amazing, guess that's the price for being the top team in the NFL for the last what 15 seasons?

Nope. Each team has their own set of balls as pointed out above.

[sureLoss]

Brad Johnson admits he paid people to tamper with balls in the 2003 Superbowl. Looks like the NFL ball officials cannot be trusted.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...he-super-bowl/

Former Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson has admitted to paying a bribe to have the footballs tampered with before the 2003 Super Bowl.

Johnson, whose Buccaneers beat the Raiders at Super Bowl XXXVII, said he paid $7,500 to some people he did not identify so that they would scuff the balls set to be used in the Super Bowl, making them easier to grip. According to Johnson, there were 100 footballs set aside for the game, and the people he bribed tampered with all 100, to Johnson’s specifications.

“I paid some guys off to get the balls right,” Johnson told the Tampa Bay Times. “I went and got all 100 footballs, and they took care of all of them.”

That’s a shocking admission — Johnson is confessing that he cheated to help his team win the Super Bowl, and that people who work for the NFL accepted a bribe to help one team cheat in the Super Bowl.

Jon Gruden, who coached the Buccaneers in that Super Bowl, said today on ESPN Radio that he was aware that Johnson was concerned about being able to grip the balls in that game, but Gruden did not say whether he was aware of Johnson breaking the rules to get an advantage.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Ravens getting in on the action, thought the kicking balls were off in the Divisional Round.

Some of the Baltimore Ravens believe kicking balls used in their playoff game at New England were slightly under-inflated, according to league sources.

With the Patriots under investigation for possibly under-inflating balls in their playoff win against the Colts, sources said some on Baltimore's sideline believed there may have been irregularities with the kicking balls used in their AFC divisional playoff game at Foxborough, Mass., on Jan. 10.

Baltimore's kicking and punting units were not getting their normal depth and distance, and some believed the balls they were using may have been deflated.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/...ed-vs-patriots

[Jason14h]

Now that's what I call home field advantage! Similar to baseball teams letting the grass grow longer or watering down the infield to their style of play!

I'm sure they will just give the good old commish another raise after this. If they couldn't find a video tape, they would have no chance at inspecting footballs properly!

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Ravens getting in on the action, thought the kicking balls were off in the Divisional Round.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/...ed-vs-patriots

Well, nice attempt by the Ravens to try and add to the scandal, but this aspect of the story ain't gonna fly.

Kicking balls are not provided by the teams, and both teams use the same set of kicking balls.

Unless of course the Ravens are simply claiming that deflated balls are common- although I doubt they would say anything that might be a defense of the Pats.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/1/2...s-ravens-colts

[Erick Estrada]

What's up with the Patriots? They have been on a historic run of success over the past decade but at the same time it's always going to be clouded due to their penchant for cheating. Why even risk it considering no teams trust them in the first place? As smart as Belichick is it seems like he's never had enough faith in his players to be able to win themselves. While the balls didn't make a difference in a blowout win what if the game was won by a field goal? You can make a case that the deflated balls would have made a difference on say a key Gronkoswki grab that could have been aided by the easier to grab balls. Even though it didn't matter on this day it could have and that's what the Patriots were trying to ensure by deflating them. Such a dishonorable team.

[troutman]

Oh please. Fines and losing draft picks more than compensates for any small advantage the Pats may have gained.

Bill: Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our opponent's footballs - we did.

[winks at Roger Goodell]

Bill: But you can't hold a whole franchise responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole football system? And if the whole football system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our sporting institutions in general? I put it to you, Roger - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen!

[Leads the Patriots out of the hearing, all humming the Star-Spangled Banner]