The New England Patriots' Deflated Footballs Scandal, Explained

[aragorn]

An NFL investigation has found that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the New England Patriots during the AFC Championship were under-inflated, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Why might the Patriots want under-inflated footballs? In theory, it would have made the balls easier for quarterback Tom Brady to hold and for the team's receivers to catch during the game's rainy conditions. Because teams always use their own sets of footballs when they're on offense, this wouldn't have helped their opponents, the Indianapolis Colts. For better or worse, this scandal seems to have been unofficially named Deflate-gate.

On Thursday, both Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Brady denied any involvement, and the league hasn't made any official comment yet. But if the allegations are true, it could mean serious penalties for the Patriots — possibly including fines and lost draft picks. And given previous instances of cheating by the team, it could further tarnish their legacy, even if they win Super Bowl XLIX, giving Brady and Belichick a fourth ring together.

Here's what we know so far about the situation.

What did the Patriots do?

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, on the sideline of the AFC Championship. (Elsa/Getty Images)

In their game on Sunday, January 18 against the Indianapolis Colts — a game in which the winner would advance to the Super Bowl — the Patriots allegedly let a bit of air out of the footballs they were using on offense.

It's unclear who tipped the Colts off to the Patriots' under-inflated balls. Initially, it was reported that after catching an interception in the second quarter, Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson noticed the ball was less inflated than usual, but he's since denied noticing anything.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer has reported, meanwhile, that the Patriots' previous opponent (the Baltimore Ravens) told the Colts that the Patriots' balls might be under-inflated before the game, and the NFL was already planning to inspect them.

In any event, officials checked the balls at halftime, and reportedly found that 11 of the 12 balls the Patriots were using were indeed under-inflated — with about two pounds per square inch less pressure than the minimum 12.5 psi mandated by the league. At that point, they were reportedly re-inflated to the proper pressure, and stayed that way for the second half.

However, all this is secondhand. We still don't know the official results of the investigation.

Why would the Patriots want to under-inflate footballs?

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passes during the first quarter against the Colts. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

The basic idea is that softer, less fully-inflated footballs are easier to hold and catch.

Given that the game was played in slick, rainy conditions — and that different footballs are used by each team (more on that below) — this could provide a slight advantage to the Patriots offense, especially for quarterback Tom Brady. Teams use their own sets of balls whenever they're on offense, so it wouldn't have benefitted the Colts.

It might not make a huge difference, but materials scientists and players confirm that letting a bit of air out could make the balls somewhat easier to hold, especially for the quarterback.

How could the Patriots have done this?

Game balls rest in a sideline bag during a December game. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Here's how the NFL's system for game balls works: for each game, each team prepares a set of 12 balls for it to use on offense. Team equipment staff are allowed to scuff up brand-new balls, removing the factory shine, and allowing them to be gripped more easily by their quarterbacks.

Before the game, these balls are delivered to the officials, who test to see if they're inflated to somewhere between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. If they're under-inflated, the officials add some air themselves.

Then, the balls are kept in a zipped bag on the sidelines. During the game, ball boys occasionally hand fresh balls to the officials, who put them in play.

It's unclear how or when Patriots staff might have let some of the air out of their set of balls. It'd be extremely risky to do so on the sideline, in full view of the whole stadium, but in theory, they should have been properly inflated just before the game. Sometime between then and halftime, some air must have been let out. During press conferences on Thursday, both Belichick and Brady denied any involvement or knowledge of deflating the balls.

An even bigger mystery is how the officials — who handle the balls before every single play — didn't notice they were under-inflated.

Umpire Carl Paganelli handles a ball during the game. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Could under-inflating the balls have let the Patriots win?

Almost certainly not. The Patriots beat the Colts 45 to 7 — an especially dominant win, even for the Patriots.

Further, they scored mostly by running the ball, an area where under-inflated balls wouldn't make much of a difference. And the balls were reportedly re-inflated to the proper pressure for the second half, when the Patriots still beat the Colts by a score of 28 to 0.

People aren't upset because the Patriots may have won this game by under-inflating their balls. They're upset because the Patriots have been remarkably dominant for 15 years — but during that time, have consistently pushed the envelope in terms of rules, and on at least one other occasion, have been caught cheating.

If the team habitually under-inflates its game balls, it could provide a very real advantage — something that may have, in some cases, been the difference between a loss and a win.

Is this the first time the Patriots have been accused of cheating?

Bill Belichick. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Nope.

In 2007, the team was caught illegally filming the New York Jets coaching staff. Having tape of the coaches' hand signals — and being able to match them up with the actual plays run on the field — could provide a big advantage, essentially allowing Belichick and the Patriots' staff to decode opponents' signaling systems. Belichick later admitted that he'd been taping opposing coaching staffs ever since becoming a head coach in 2000, and thought it was permitted by league rules.

It wasn't, and in response, the NFL fined Belichick $500,000, fined the team $250,000, and stripped the team of its first round draft pick. Around the same time, allegations surfaced that Belichick had also filmed a St. Louis Rams practice right before beating them in Super Bowl XXXVI, but he denied it.

There have also been all other sorts of unproven allegations of cheating by the Patriots. Most recently, two weeks ago, some Baltimore Ravens felt that the kicking balls they used in their playoff loss to the Patriots (a separate set of game balls used solely for kicking and punting) were under-inflated, which would have made it more difficult to kick long field goals. And during a regular season game this past November, Colts players were reportedly suspicious that the Patriots were using under-inflated balls.

Even when he's playing within the rules, Belichick — smartly — likes to push the envelope in ways that aren't part of conventional football practice. In the same game against the Ravens, he used unusual formations on several plays, for instance, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh complained that his team didn't have enough time to match up, as mandated by league rules.

For many fans, all this raises a question: what else have Belichick and the Patriots gotten away with?

Is there a name for this new scandal?

Alas. Yes. Most people seem to be calling it Deflate-gate, the latest in a string of hundreds of scandals with the "gate" suffix tacked on, in an allusion to Watergate.

It'd be great if we could figure out a more creative way to name our scandals, though, and some people have come up with the more imaginative "Ballghazi." It remains to be seen if it will catch on.

What's going to happen next?

The NFL has said it's hoping to wrap up the investigation quickly, within a few days. That means the official results will likely be public soon — and the story will be a huge one in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIX.

However, this scandal won't impact the Super Bowl directly. Instead, if the Patriots are found guilty, the team or Belichick might have to pay fines, and perhaps give up a draft pick in the upcoming draft, which is in April. The punishments will likely be meted out after the Super Bowl.

 

owl.

Bill Belichick holds the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XXXVIII. (JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)

The biggest consequence of all this is that, if found guilty, Deflate-gate could tarnish the Patriots' long-term legacy.

If they win the Super Bowl, it could cement Belichick and Brady's legacy as one of the best coach-quarterback pairings of all time — they'd become one of only two duos to ever win four Super Bowls. But having a second instance of confirmed cheating during that remarkable run might change perceptions of it in the future.

 

Source: http://www.vox.com/2015/1/21/7866121/deflated-football-patriots-cheating

[Piscop]

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[mtkr]

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[mtkr]

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[Hyderabad_Nawab]

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[Piscop]

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[mtkr]

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[aragorn]

but refree chk chesthaademo gaa balls nii

how did tht missed tht...

 

 

Papam Puncher ayithe susukoledhemo Man.. Dhaanike y dis Kolaveri di...

article chadivandi clear cheperu, how it works, epudu refree check chesedu but now they hvae to see how they it got deflate during the play. as nani said puncher ayee vuntadhi

[Silver_mani]

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[Piscop]

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[mtkr]

article chadivandi clear cheperu, how it works, epudu refree check chesedu but now they hvae to see how they it got deflate during the play. as nani said puncher ayee vuntadhi

anni balls puncture ainaya??

[Silver_mani]

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[Piscop]

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mayya K

[mtkr]

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