King: Deflategate: The Pressure is Building

[Blue and Gold]

Another theory for deflating footballs
Posted by Mike Florio on January 23, 2015, 11:46 PM EST

If, as reported this week by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, the NFL had become aware of concerns regarding deflated Patriots footballs and had planned to inspect the footballs at halftime of the AFC title game regardless of anything noticed during the first half and if, as the NFL announced on Friday, it has hired an “investigatory firm with sophisticated forensic expertise to assist in reviewing electronic and video information,” it’s reasonable to assume that hidden cameras were monitoring the team’s ball attendants during the first two quarters of the contest against the Colts.

But there’s a chance the cameras won’t detect anything that would suggest the affirmative insertion of a needle or paperclip or anything else into the valve of 11 of 12 footballs. It’s possible, as explained by Dr. Allen Sanderson, a research scientist at the University of Utah.

Sanderson told Tom Pelissero of USA Today that accelerated deflation will occur naturally if the balls are inflated while at a higher temperature.

“What everyone’s looking for is somebody to have physically altered the ball by letting air out,” Sanderson said. “We think this is naturally occurring. . . .

“The NFL rules are very much ambiguous really because they’re not specifying a temperature. They’re just specifying a pressure, and temperature makes all the difference in the world about how you make that measurement. Us science geeks picked up on it.”

It would be far more difficult to blame deflation on a rogue employee if it’s determined that the footballs routinely were pumped up in a warm room at the team’s facility. The question then becomes whether the Patriots have internal surveillance cameras that would show whether someone took a bag of balls and a hand pump into the sauna on Sunday afternoon.

Regardless, it’s a theory that the NFL should be exploring if it ultimately finds no evidence that the ball attendants were physically letting air out of the balls on the sidelines during the game.

Permalink 203 Comments

 

[Blue and Gold]

But there’s a chance the cameras won’t detect anything that would suggest the affirmative insertion of a needle or paperclip or anything else into the valve of 11 of 12 footballs. It’s possible, as explained by Dr. Allen Sanderson, a research scientist at the University of Utah.

Sanderson told Tom Pelissero of USA Today that accelerated deflation will occur naturally if the balls are inflated while at a higher temperature.

“What everyone’s looking for is somebody to have physically altered the ball by letting air out,” Sanderson said. “We think this is naturally occurring. . .

Problem is, did they check the Colts' balls? Or is it assumed that they were okay? If the Cotls balls were checked and they held their pressure then there is big evidence the weather had nothing to do with it. But, if they didn't check the balls on both sidelines then there is a possible 'out' for the Pats . . . "Hey, it was the weather".

Doesn't anyone watch CSI?

 

[Boffo97]

"As Brady is saying, you can not tell the difference between a 13.5 PSI ball and a 10.5 PSI ball. We did that on my show. I couldn't tell.

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 22, 2015"
I'm thinking idiot because that's not what Brady is saying. 12.5 PSI compared to 10.5 PSI. How come everyone else is able to tell the difference?

Although he's probably putting out the NFL line too.

Considering in that video in the other thread, you can SEE the difference (able to push in on the football as opposed to not being able to), I wonder who he thinks he's fooling.

 

[Ken]

Problem is, did they check the Colts' balls? Or is it assumed that they were okay? If the Cotls balls were checked and they held their pressure then there is big evidence the weather had nothing to do with it. But, if they didn't check the balls on both sidelines then there is a possible 'out' for the Pats . . . "Hey, it was the weather".

Doesn't anyone watch CSI?
View attachment 5085

What they're speculating is that the Pats inflated their balls in a very hot room just before giving them to the refs for the pressure check. Since it takes time for the air in the balls to reach the environment ambient temperature, the refs pressure check could pass and the balls would gradually lose pressure during the game in the colder outside air without having to do anything else. Since the rule book apparently does not specify the temperature for inflating or checking the balls, the Pats may not have technically violated any rules. The question is how hot would the temperature have to be to cause a loss of 2 psi over ~ 3 hour period at game temperature. I don't know, but if its within the temp of a sauna, they may have actually inflated the balls in a sauna.

 

[Boffo97]

What they're speculating is that the Pats inflated their balls in a very hot room just before giving them to the refs for the pressure check. Since it takes time for the air in the balls to reach the environment ambient temperature, the refs pressure check could pass and the balls would gradually lose pressure during the game in the colder outside air without having to do anything else. Since the rule book apparently does not specify the temperature for inflating or checking the balls, the Pats may not have technically violated any rules. The question is how hot would the temperature have to be to cause a loss of 2 psi over ~ 3 hour period at game temperature. I don't know, but if its within the temp of a sauna, they may have actually inflated the balls in a sauna.

Wouldn't the balls then feel noticeably warm to the touch though?

And I can't believe I just typed that sentence.

 

[yrba1]

Man if Belichick has responsibility with the tampered footballs, I hope he gets punishment worse than the Asshole Face bountygate one.

 

[Boffo97]

Man if Belichick has responsibility with the tampered footballs, I hope he gets punishment worse than the Asshole Face bountygate one.

I'd say lifetime ban from the NFL would satisfy me, but unfortunately, the NFL has a way of not being able to enforce long bans lately.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Problem is, did they check the Colts' balls? Or is it assumed that they were okay? If the Cotls balls were checked and they held their pressure then there is big evidence the weather had nothing to do with it. But, if they didn't check the balls on both sidelines then there is a possible 'out' for the Pats . . . "Hey, it was the weather".

Doesn't anyone watch CSI?
View attachment 5085

If the Patriots filled the balls with hot air in a heated room and had them tested right away by the refs, as the balls cooled they could have deflated due to the cold. It could also be that they filled the balls with helium or nitrogen that might react to the cold even moreso.

 

[Pancake]

Rich Eisen needs to see a doctor about those dead hands of his. I just went in my garage and pumped up my old nfl football to 12.5. Nice and firm. Let the air out to 10.5 and it's practically a nerf.

 

[Blue and Gold]

If the Patriots filled the balls with hot air in a heated room and had them tested right away by the refs, as the balls cooled they could have deflated due to the cold. It could also be that they filled the balls with helium or nitrogen that might react to the cold even moreso.

Reminds me when Bum Phillips said Ray Guy was using helium because he had such hang time.

 

[Ken]

Wouldn't the balls then feel noticeably warm to the touch though?

And I can't believe I just typed that sentence.

Probably would feel a little warmer, but it's the air in the ball that needs to be hot, not the outside of the ball. It takes some time for the air to reach ambient since the pigskin is pretty thick. You keep the balls at room temp until just prior to pressure check, pump hot air in (don't know how hot, but it would be easy to calculate) and give them to the refs. They might feel a little warm, but not hot, to the touch. Since the rules apparently don't include checking the temperature of the ball or the air inside it, the refs would pass the balls. If this is what happened I'm sure the NFL will have to include a temperature and pressure check, or just make the refs inflate the balls.

 

[blue4]

No one complained about the Colts footballs.
The league was already aware of a problem with the Cheats footballs before the game even started. Previous teams noticed.

So I think the natural weather theory is BS.

 

[Stranger]

If the Patriots filled the balls with hot air in a heated room and had them tested right away by the refs, as the balls cooled they could have deflated due to the cold. It could also be that they filled the balls with helium or nitrogen that might react to the cold even moreso.

Now you're thinking like a sociopath, which is the way u have to think to figure out Belicheat, Brady and Adams.

 

[Alan]

They did check the balls being used by the Colts and found zero irregularities @Blue and Gold .

 

[Boffo97]

Probably would feel a little warmer, but it's the air in the ball that needs to be hot, not the outside of the ball. It takes some time for the air to reach ambient since the pigskin is pretty thick. You keep the balls at room temp until just prior to pressure check, pump hot air in (don't know how hot, but it would be easy to calculate) and give them to the refs. They might feel a little warm, but not hot, to the touch. Since the rules apparently don't include checking the temperature of the ball or the air inside it, the refs would pass the balls. If this is what happened I'm sure the NFL will have to include a temperature and pressure check, or just make the refs inflate the balls.

If that is how it was done, that proves that:

A. It was a directive from up top. No way a ball boy just decides to go to all this illegal trouble.

B. It was done far more often than just this one game... making the "They would have won anyway!" arguments more irrelevant than they already were.

The NFL might be in a real pickle, since they can't cancel or move the Super Bowl... but if they let New England play, it's a disgrace.

 

[Blue and Gold]

Matthew Slater: NFLPA has “instructed” Patriots players to “reserve comment” on deflation investigation
Posted by Mike Wilkening on January 24, 2015, 2:28 PM EST

AP
The NFL’s football-deflation investigation figures to be much discussed at the Super Bowl.

However, the discussion might go on without Patriots players contributing much.

At a Saturday morning press conference, Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater said the NFL Players Association had recommended New England players not publicly address the issue.

“I’d love to get into that with you, but we have been instructed by our union as players to reserve comment on this situation,” Slater said. “It’s an ongoing investigation, so in order to protect our players, we’re going to go ahead and not talk about that.”

Slater’s response was to a question about “Deflategate” and how the NFL might prevent such a controversy from occurring again.

Slater, 29, is the Patriots’ player representative. He is regarded as one of the NFL’s top special teams coverage players.

No matter the NFLPA’s recommendations, the “Deflategate” questions will come at the Super Bowl. Moreover, it’s likely Patriots players would politely parry them away all the same.

 

[Stranger]

NFLPA has “instructed” Patriots players to “reserve comment” on deflation investigation

It's not just the NFL who is in on the act, it's NFLPA management. No one is going to do anything to disrupt this cash cow. Everyone is showing their true colors now, and it's all there for the public to see. Getting harder and harder to live in denial.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Matthew Slater: NFLPA has “instructed” Patriots players to “reserve comment” on deflation investigation
Posted by Mike Wilkening on January 24, 2015, 2:28 PM EST

AP
The NFL’s football-deflation investigation figures to be much discussed at the Super Bowl.

However, the discussion might go on without Patriots players contributing much.

At a Saturday morning press conference, Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater said the NFL Players Association had recommended New England players not publicly address the issue.

“I’d love to get into that with you, but we have been instructed by our union as players to reserve comment on this situation,” Slater said. “It’s an ongoing investigation, so in order to protect our players, we’re going to go ahead and not talk about that.”

Slater’s response was to a question about “Deflategate” and how the NFL might prevent such a controversy from occurring again.

Slater, 29, is the Patriots’ player representative. He is regarded as one of the NFL’s top special teams coverage players.

No matter the NFLPA’s recommendations, the “Deflategate” questions will come at the Super Bowl. Moreover, it’s likely Patriots players would politely parry them away all the same.

*

Is there anyway to rescue Jackie Slater's kid from that cult up there in New England?
It's sad to see him drinking the Kool Aid (or the Duncan Donuts coffee in this case)

 

[rams2050]

this is going to haunt the Cheats in ways yet to be determined for a long, long time. I can only hope that it brings an end to their 'dynasty of cheating.'

 

[Blue and Gold]

Bill Belichick quotes science, My Cousin Vinny in bizarre presser
Posted by Darin Gantt on January 24, 2015, 3:26 PM EST

AP
The Patriots raised the bar on the normal Friday afternoon news dump, calling a 2:30 p.m. ET press conference on the Saturday before the Super Bowl.

And after making reporters wait 35 minutes, it was coach Bill Belichick taking the podium, to tell reporters, “I believe 100 percent we have followed every rule to the letter.”

Belichick detailed their process for preparing balls for game day, and he said their process of getting balls ready raised the air pressure by one pound per square inch. He then talked about putting his quarterbacks through a series of tests to see if they could tell the difference in balls at different air pressure.

He insisted the balls weren’t prepared in a heated room, or treated in any unique way.

There was a lot of scientific bluster from Belichick, none of which explained why 11 of his 12 balls weren’t in compliance but all 12 of the Colts’ were.

He even quoted the movie My Cousin Vinny, saying he was “no Mona Lisa Vito,” in terms of ball knowledge compared to Marisa Tomei’s character’s mechanical knowledge.

“I’m embarrassed to talk about the amount of time I’ve put into this, relative to the challenge in front of us,” Belichick said.

In many ways, we all are.

But it’s hard to tell after this press conference that we’re any closer to knowing what happened.