The deflated ball helps every aspect of ball control. It may or may not make it easier for the QB to throw depending on who the QB is but it makes catching and not fumbling the ball much easier. Recovering your own fumble is much easier because the ball doesn't bounce near as far. It is pretty easy to dislodge a fully inflated ball from someone's grip but damn near impossible to do the same when some air is let out of the ball. The Pats are the better team which makes you wonder why they cheated. Is it just that they have been always cheating. There was some stats quoted today that since the 2007 rule change that allowed teams to supply the balls they will use on offense the Pats have an unreal difference in fumbles lost over any team in the league the entire time, 2007-present. Here is a great visual of this phenomenon since 2010:
http://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/blog/?p=2932
The really damaging part is where the Pats go from not very high in the 5 year plays/fumble stats to among the top half dozen in NFL history. The times 2007-2011, 2008-2012, 2009-2013, 2010-2014. Then you look at the disparity of dome teams (play 50+% indoor games) in the top of the list versus teams that play outside (few indoor games). Obviously fumbles happen most in outdoor games. I mean if they put NE on the mean line they would be way to right, off the graph and off the window. That is how far an outlier their offensive plays/fumble stat is since shortly after they could supply their own balls for games.
The most damning evidence look at the how the Pats stats for offensive plays/fumble lost changed for each 5 year period as a new year was added and the oldest year dropped off:
2000-2004: 96 op/fl, 179th in the last 25 years
2001-2005: 95 op/fl, 200th in the last 25 years (2000 dropped out and 2005 was added)
2002-2006: 91 op/fl, 240th in the last 25 years (2001 dropped out and 2006 was added)
2003-2007: 99 op/fl, 142nd in the last 25 years (2002 dropped out and 2007 was added)
2004-2008: 101 op/fl, 127th in the last 25 years (2003 dropped out and 2008 was added)
2005-2009: 107 op/fl, 71st in the last 25 years (2004 dropped out and 2009 was added)
2006-2010: 121 op/fl, 29th in the last 25 years (2005 dropped out and 2010 was added)
2007-2011: 149 op/fl, 5th in the last 25 years (2006 dropped out and 2011 was added)
2008-2012: 148 op/fl, 6th in the last 25 years (2007 dropped out and 2012 was added)
2009-2013: 156 op/fl, 2nd in the last 25 years (2008 dropped out and 2013 was added)
2010-2014: 187 op/fl, 1st in the last 25 years (2009 dropped out and 2014 was added)
So what we have is a sightly above average team at offensive plays/fumble lost. They keep getting worse as another year is added and one dropped off until 2007 is added. Then in each successive year they leap over other teams as a year prior to 2006 drops off and another is added on. Once only years after 2006 are in the 5 year group the Pats are number 3 and the next year are number 4 keeping their status relative two other teams ahead and behind them. Then the final 2 years they are number 1 each year for the last 25 years. What changed in 2007? The teams got to provide the balls their offense used during the game. It sure looks conclusive that after 2006 when teams provided the balls their offense would use, offensive plays without a fumble lost went through the roof to points no team has had. Once the last year's season is included they are number 1 only to be surpassed by this season. Of the top 6 spots for 5 year periods in the last 25 years the 4 periods that the Pats provided the playing balls for their offense hold 4 of the top 6 spots.
Possibly even worse is looking at the offensive plays /fumble whether lost or not. The Pats are the only non-dome team except for the Chiefs in the top 25 ranked 5 year seasons in the last 25 years. The Pats are there for all 5 five year periods beginning in 2006-2010 to 2010-2014.
It looks like they used the supply your own balls rule change to their advantage since the beginning in 2007. The last 2 years are just ridiculous advantage for the stats I listed. That was also the same two years that the last set of home and road scoring stats suggested they have been under inflating balls for. You can interview people all you want and maybe some will be honest but the stats don't lie. There is something remarkable about the ball in the last two years when the Pats are using it. The stats say it isn't just the talent. Look at this years home and road games:
Road:
MIA: 3 fumbles 2 lost
MIN: 1 fumble 0 lost
KC: 2 fumbles 1 lost
BUF: 0 fumbles 0 lost
IND: 0 fumbles 0 lost
GB: 0 fumbles 0 lost
SD: 1 fumble 1 lost
NYJ: 0 fumbles 0 lost
Total: 7 fumbles 4 lost
Home:
OAK: 0 fumbles 0 lost
CIN: 1 fumble 0 lost
NYJ: 0 fumbles 0 lost
CHI: 1 fumble 0 lost
DEN: 1 fumble 0 lost
DET: 1 fumbles 0 lost
MIA: 1 fumble 0 lost
BUF: 0 fumbles 0 lost
Total: 5 fumbles 0 lost
Playoffs:
BAL: 2 fumbles 0 lost
IND: 1 fumble 0 lost
In their 10 home games this year the Pats didn't lose a fumble while losing a fumble every other of their 8 road game on average. It seems the balls the Pats use at home just don't bounce the same as the ones they use on the road.
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