Sharky's NFL play of the week

**Aslan** · 01-22-2015, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by Tthree

Well, Foxsports broke that the Ravens warned the Colts about the Pats using under inflated footballs in their home games. League officials planned to investigate at halftime during the game regardless of what the Colts defender said after the interception. A 3 year old comment by Brady in November of 2011, "When Gronk scores he spikes the ball and he deflates the ball.Ii love that because I like the deflated football. But I feel for the football, because he puts everything he can into those spikes."

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/d...otballs-012115

My guess is they have been doing this for years in home games and Brady's comment was a result of already doing this or caused the start of it THREE YEARS AGO. The home and away scoring certainly suggests there is more than just home field advantage going on. Other teams have large differences in performance at home and on the road but they are usually dome teams and the difference is more indoors and out tan home and away or like in mile high where the air is thin and opponents lose their wind in the second half but away they don't have winded opponents to face in the second half..

It is easy enough to see if there is evidence that Brady and the Pats benefited from doctored ball pressure by looking at the difference in home scoring and away scoring for the Pats since Brady has been QB. Brady made the comment about liking under inflated footballs in late 2011 a marked improvement in home game scoring versus road game scoring should be apparent if they have been cheating in home games lately. The difference should even tell you how long they have been doctoring balls in home game.

Season: Home, Away, Difference
2003: 22.0 ppg, 22.4 ppg, 0.4 more ppg on the road
2004: 24.8 ppg, 29.9 ppg, 5.1 more ppg on the road
2005: 23.4 ppg, 23.2 ppg, 0.2 more ppg scored at home
2006: 22.4 ppg, 27.8 ppg, 3.4 more ppg on the road
2007: 32.7 ppg, 36.4 ppg, 3.7 more ppg on the road
2008: 25.2ppg, 26.0 ppg, 0.8 ppg more on the road
2009: 29.3 ppg, 22.1 ppg, 7.2 more ppg at home
2010: 32.6 ppg, 30.8 ppg, 1.6 more ppg at home
2011: 31.4 ppg, 33.4 ppg, 2.0 more ppg on the road
2012: 33.2 ppg, 34.9 ppg, 1.7 more ppg on the road
2013: 31.8 ppg, 24.1 ppg, 7.7 more ppg at home
This season throwing out the meaningless BUF game where key players were rested and football doctoring would not be necessary in week 17 and including the post season:
2014: 36.9 ppg, 25.5 ppg, 11.4 ppg more at home.

Well the Pats' history shows a long history of scoring more ppg on the road before 2013 season (7/10 seasons more ppg on the road). Only 1 of the 10 seasons did they score a significant amount higher at home, 2009 where they scored 7.2 more ppg at home than on the road. Yet in 2013 and 2014 they scored 7.7 and 11.4 more ppg at home than on the road. That is pretty conclusive evidence they have been using doctored balls at home for the last 2 seasons. At least this season and much of last season. I mean this year 2/3rds of their home games were against playoff teams while 1/4 of their away games were against playoff teams. Assuming playoff status is indicative of a better defense there should be far more ppg in road games as has been their tendency over the years.

Like the wise man said to the fool, If it stinks like sh*t and looks like sh*t. You don't have to taste it to know its sh*t. The Pats have been able to sneak doctored balls into home games over the last 2 seasons.

So you think it is only possible to deflate a football at a home game. Why is that? the balls are in the hands of both teams for a couple of hours before the game in order to break them in, from what I've read. So why can't it be done away from home?

**Aslan** · 01-22-2015, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Tthree

Perhaps the league should DQ the Pats and have the Colts and Ravens play for who should be AFC champions.

You've already convicted the Pats? Your theory is not proof. All we know for sure is that somehow the balls became deflated. we have no evidence who or what did it. As far as I'm concerned, Belichick and Brady are innocent until proven guilty. I don't participate in lynch mobs. The NFL is investigating-- let's see what they have to say. Hey, and if the Ravens knew the Pats were deflating the balls, why didn't they say something "during" the game, not wait until after. It does sound like sour grapes, both on their part and your part. Mentioned in the middle of the game, the Ravens could have forced the referees to test the balls. If they "knew" and said nothing, why is that? So they do it themselves?

I have never heard so much certainty with so little evidence.

Even if it turns out that you were right, you are certainly jumping the gun at this time. False start, Offense!

**Three** · 01-22-2015, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Aslan

So you think it is only possible to deflate a football at a home game. Why is that? the balls are in the hands of both teams for a couple of hours before the game in order to break them in, from what I've read. So why can't it be done away from home?

Each teams provide the balls their offense will use. They are inspected by officials for proper inflation and then guarded before us in the game. I am speculating they have bribed someone at Foxboro that is involved in the process in order to get away with it. They only got caught because the Ravens figured out they were using doctored balls in the Division round. They tipped off the Colts and the league was ready to test the game balls at half time. The only way to get away with it which apparently they had been for the Ravens to know was to have inside man or men to allow access or have corrupt officials accept under inflated balls as okay despite the test that said otherwise.

**Three** · 01-22-2015, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by Aslan

You've already convicted the Pats? Your theory is not proof. All we know for sure is that somehow the balls became deflated. we have no evidence who or what did it. As far as I'm concerned, Belichick and Brady are innocent until proven guilty.

This is not a court of law. It is a business. It will act as any business will act. It wants to protect its image/product, it wants to appear fair, it wants to seem to take it very seriously., and they will find someone to punish and hold responsible. Non of what they do will necessarily be any of that but ideally it will appear to be so.

Originally Posted by Aslan

Hey, and if the Ravens knew the Pats were deflating the balls, why didn't they say something "during" the game, not wait until after. It does sound like sour grapes, both on their part and your part.

I didn't ***** and moan about the Ravens loss. I didn't say a peep until it became obvious the Pats were cheating after the AFC Championship game. I didn't even say anything about the Pats' winning TD being because they were skating the intent if not the actual rule about declaring players eligible in time that both the refs and the defense knows who is eligible and who isn't. I am all about integrity and I see the world as a reflection of that. Only one team will not end the post-season with a loss. I am just happy my team gets into the post season. But when so many fans just want a fair game to decide things and a team cheats more than one way in each playoff game after having already been convicted of a 6 year cheating scandal that resulted in 3 SB wins I am not gullible enough to just accept the statements that people who had to know didn't know. I am not an idiot and get rather insulted when people make statements that assume I am dumb enough to believe what could not have been true.

Who doctored the balls? It could have been anybody. Did Brady know? Even if he didn't know in advance he had to know during the game as he passed and handled the ball. Some QBs have weak or small hands and prefer an under inflated ball. Brady has said he is one of those. Others have large and strong hands and prefer balls inflated to the upper end of what is legal. But Brady laughed it off saying he heard everything or some nonsense like that after the game. He had to know his favorite ball inflation was being used instead of a much firmer legal limit so a comment like that just screams guilt. Why would he lie unless he had something to hide? All he had to say was he thought they felt softer and easier for him to handle than they usually do and he would look innocent because that is what someone that is innocent would say when they had to know the balls were under inflated from having played with them the entire first half.

You all can think what you want about me. I don't care. I know I am the farthest thing from sour grapes but just expect my same integrity and when I am clubbed over the head to be awakened into a reality that doesn't fit who I am it upsets me. Deep down I know few are like me. I still assume they are until they prove they aren't because I see myself in the world around me. That is all I can see until proven otherwise. I hope people that are shown not to have integrity will find it but I know they probably won't change. Few people do but there are those that continue to grow as a human being as they get older. When things like this happen you can see what each person is made of. I would have just said the balls felt soft to me and not lied about it but I also wouldn't have been involved to start with so such a statement wouldn't scare me. I am not guilty and have nothing to hide. Someone involved or hiding something on the other hand would laugh the fake laugh Brady laughed in the interview and act like he couldn't tell what had to be obvious to every player that regularly handles balls in games and handled those balls. I am guessing you never threw or caught footballs. A difference like that in inflation would be obvious to the players.

**Three** · 01-22-2015, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Aslan

I have never heard so much certainty with so little evidence.

Even if it turns out that you were right, you are certainly jumping the gun at this time. False start, Offense!

Statistically I have proven they have benefited the last 2 years from doctoring the ball. There are players coming out now that are saying that they could tell balls at Foxboro had been doctored all within the last 2 years. Someone did it and it gave the Pats a huge advantage. Better grip throwing in the wet conditions, easier to catch in the wet conditions, harder to make a player cough the ball up in the any conditions. Here is a QB that needed the tuck rule because he can't hold onto a properly inflated ball all of the sudden rarely coughing it up for a couple seasons when being tomahawked by defenders and miraculously held onto 2 balls anyone would have fumbled while under the pressure of the pass rush. During the game I even commented that it looked suspicious to me as a football player given Brady's history of not holding onto the ball held onto on those two plays. I was thinking some kind of stick'em but under inflated balls explain it as well. A few times I said I can't believe the receiver held onto that ball when taking that hit.

In a situation like this you don't need to ask if it happened that is established. You need to ask who had access and who would benefit and who had to look the other way and you have your list of suspects. Then watch how each acts in the aftermath. It isn't rocket science.

**Math Demon** · 01-22-2015, 09:55 PM

Tthree, why not let the NFL finish the investigation, and publish its findings? Let them present the "chain of events" or "chain of custody" after the balls had been inspected by the officials. Then if members of the equipment staff altered the balls, hand out the proper punishments to the staff and team.

Originally Posted by Tthree

... It isn't rocket science.

It's certainly NOT rocket science! It's just a case of simple physics, particularly the "Universal Gas Law" or sometimes referred to as "Ideal Gas Law" which incorporates "Amontons' Law", "Gay-Lussac's Law", "Boyle's Law", "Charles Law" among others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay-Lussac%27s_law#Pressure-temperature_law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_gas_law
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/kinetic/idegas.html

The laws state, in part, that the pressure of a gas in a contained vessel is proportional to its temperature. I have heard on the news that scientists have stated that a ball inflated to 12.5 psi at 72F will drop by 2 psi with a temperature drop of 20*F.

It also means that the kicking ball (ball marked with a "K") was either inflated to about 14.5 psi, or just kept thermally-insulated.

Seems to me that the Patriots are simply "Smarter than the average bear."

.

**Aslan** · 01-22-2015, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by Tthree

This is not a court of law. It is a business. It will act as any business will act. It wants to protect its image/product, it wants to appear fair, it wants to seem to take it very seriously., and they will find someone to punish and hold responsible. Non of what they do will necessarily be any of that but ideally it will appear to be so.

I didn't ***** and moan about the Ravens loss. I didn't say a peep until it became obvious the Pats were cheating after the AFC Championship game. I didn't even say anything about the Pats' winning TD being because they were skating the intent if not the actual rule about declaring players eligible in time that both the refs and the defense knows who is eligible and who isn't. I am all about integrity and I see the world as a reflection of that. Only one team will not end the post-season with a loss. I am just happy my team gets into the post season. But when so many fans just want a fair game to decide things and a team cheats more than one way in each playoff game after having already been convicted of a 6 year cheating scandal that resulted in 3 SB wins I am not gullible enough to just accept the statements that people who had to know didn't know. I am not an idiot and get rather insulted when people make statements that assume I am dumb enough to believe what could not have been true.

Who doctored the balls? It could have been anybody. Did Brady know? Even if he didn't know in advance he had to know during the game as he passed and handled the ball. Some QBs have weak or small hands and prefer an under inflated ball. Brady has said he is one of those. Others have large and strong hands and prefer balls inflated to the upper end of what is legal. But Brady laughed it off saying he heard everything or some nonsense like that after the game. He had to know his favorite ball inflation was being used instead of a much firmer legal limit so a comment like that just screams guilt. Why would he lie unless he had something to hide? All he had to say was he thought they felt softer and easier for him to handle than they usually do and he would look innocent because that is what someone that is innocent would say when they had to know the balls were under inflated from having played with them the entire first half.

You all can think what you want about me. I don't care. I know I am the farthest thing from sour grapes but just expect my same integrity and when I am clubbed over the head to be awakened into a reality that doesn't fit who I am it upsets me. Deep down I know few are like me. I still assume they are until they prove they aren't because I see myself in the world around me. That is all I can see until proven otherwise. I hope people that are shown not to have integrity will find it but I know they probably won't change. Few people do but there are those that continue to grow as a human being as they get older. When things like this happen you can see what each person is made of. I would have just said the balls felt soft to me and not lied about it but I also wouldn't have been involved to start with so such a statement wouldn't scare me. I am not guilty and have nothing to hide. Someone involved or hiding something on the other hand would laugh the fake laugh Brady laughed in the interview and act like he couldn't tell what had to be obvious to every player that regularly handles balls in games and handled those balls. I am guessing you never threw or caught footballs. A difference like that in inflation would be obvious to the players.

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

In any event, Brady played better in the second half when they had new balls properly inflated.

Also, you have not answered why both the referees and the pre-alerted Colts did not say anything during the first half. If I were a Colt and getting beat, I would say something to the referees. Also, if I were a referee and it was so easy to tell that the balls were under-inflated, I would make an issue of it right then and there.

I'm not saying they did not deflate the balls, only that it has not been proven who did what. The investigation may turn up facts. None of what you say is factual. If Brady had the ball boys deflate the balls, then Belichick is not guilty. If Belichick told the ball boys to deflate the balls, then Brady is not guilty, unless he was complicit by knowing the balls were under-inflated. Some QBs said it was easy to tell. I heard Joe Theisman say that it was not easy to tell. What the hell do I know. Wait and see.

**Exoter175** · 01-22-2015, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by Aslan

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

In any event, Brady played better in the second half when they had new balls properly inflated.

Also, you have not answered why both the referees and the pre-alerted Colts did not say anything during the first half. If I were a Colt and getting beat, I would say something to the referees. Also, if I were a referee and it was so easy to tell that the balls were under-inflated, I would make an issue of it right then and there.

1. You are absolutely wasting your breath on T3. He's a paranoid conspiracy theorist who has his mind absolutely set on what happened, and will (like his picks) come back to alter his point of view (on the forum) so that he is not "wrong", as the information develops. That "protesting" is a cover for him to circumvent the "cemented" responses he's made prior to the information coming out, so that he may now add more "depth" and layer his argument in such a way that he could neither be "right" 100% nor "wrong" 100%. Starting to suspect that he and ZK might actually be related.

2. The pre-alerted Colts "said something" in the first half, the problem was it was only ~9 minutes left in the 2nd half when someone had aroused suspicion and at that point there wasn't a Patriots "offense" ball on the field until a little less than 5 minutes to play.

Here's where the argument is going to get a little curious: What is the exact science behind a game ball inflated to the league minimum, over the course of 4 quarters of football? I've heard the arbitrary "2PSI" being called out a lot, but is that the average? Mean? Extreme? Were all 11 balls tested to be exactly 2PSI below or was that the "most" one had been reduced? If so, what kind of "game" did that specific ball see? was it spiked quite a bit? Was it being used on a bunch of longer drives? Stuff like this is the "important" question to get at, rather than dismissing the "whole" of the situation and claiming 2 PSI was the reduction from league minimum. Because if 10 of those 11 "Underinflated balls" were within 1 PSI of league minimum, and just 1 of those balls was 2 PSI below league minimum and saw "lengthy" drives consisting of a lot of runs and a spike or two, then you've got to rule this all as bullshit and toss it out the window.

Side note, tonight on Jimmy Kimmel they had Al Michaels on and he was talking about this briefly and took the same stance most people are saying, that this is a minor issue and the only reason it is an "issue" is because there is literally "nothing" to talk about right now.

Also, Colts Tight End Dwayne Allen said something along the lines that the Patriots would have beaten them regardless of the inflation situation, stating that New England still would have won had they used "soap" for balls.

**Three** · 01-23-2015, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by Aslan

Also, you have not answered why both the referees and the pre-alerted Colts did not say anything during the first half.

the first time a Colt handled the Pats' offensive ball on the interception they did say something. The refs had taken at least two of the balls out of the game in the first half because they noticed. The NFL was already there to test the balls at halftime, when they would be able to take the balls to the environment they were tested in pregame and have enough time to get to the same temperature or t least close to it. The NFL knew if the accusation was true the they didn't know how or when the balls got altered. The only way for the sting to work was to let them be used in the game and the only fair way to test them was at halftime while allowing them to warm up.

Originally Posted by Aslan

In any event, Brady played better in the second half when they had new balls properly inflated.

The Pats was so far ahead after halftime Brady threw like 10 passes in the second half. In the first half he threw around 25 passes. The 10 passes that were basically chew the clock running play short passes are not a fair comparison. We all use stats. Would you think a comparison of a sim of a million rounds to one of 200,000 would give you relevant results? Just compare the Pats' stats to the league's leading passer, Luck, who used properly inflated balls the entire game:
Luck: 12/33, 126 yds, 0 TDs ,2 INT
Brady: 23/35, 226 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Originally Posted by Aslan

If Brady had the ball boys deflate the balls, then Belichick is not guilty. If Belichick told the ball boys to deflate the balls, then Brady is not guilty, unless he was complicit by knowing the balls were under-inflated.

Whether Brady knew anything about it happening, he knew after using them. He lied and engaged in a coverup after the game. To those with integrity that is viewed as worse than the crime most of the time. For those without integrity it is what they expect people to do because that is what they would do.

**Aslan** · 01-23-2015, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by Tthree

the first time a Colt handled the Pats' offensive ball on the interception they did say something. The refs had taken at least two of the balls out of the game in the first half because they noticed. The NFL was already there to test the balls at halftime, when they would be able to take the balls to the environment they were tested in pregame and have enough time to get to the same temperature or t least close to it. The NFL knew if the accusation was true the they didn't know how or when the balls got altered. The only way for the sting to work was to let them be used in the game and the only fair way to test them was at halftime while allowing them to warm up.

The Pats was so far ahead after halftime Brady threw like 10 passes in the second half. In the first half he threw around 25 passes. The 10 passes that were basically chew the clock running play short passes are not a fair comparison. We all use stats. Would you think a comparison of a sim of a million rounds to one of 200,000 would give you relevant results? Just compare the Pats' stats to the league's leading passer, Luck, who used properly inflated balls the entire game:
Luck: 12/33, 126 yds, 0 TDs ,2 INT
Brady: 23/35, 226 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Whether Brady knew anything about it happening, he knew after using them. He lied and engaged in a coverup after the game. To those with integrity that is viewed as worse than the crime most of the time. For those without integrity it is what they expect people to do because that is what they would do.

Waiting for NFL report on its investigation.

**Exoter175** · 01-23-2015, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Tthree

The Pats was so far ahead after halftime Brady threw like 10 passes in the second half. In the first half he threw around 25 passes. The 10 passes that were basically chew the clock running play short passes are not a fair comparison. We all use stats. Would you think a comparison of a sim of a million rounds to one of 200,000 would give you relevant results? Just compare the Pats' stats to the league's leading passer, Luck, who used properly inflated balls the entire game:
Luck: 12/33, 126 yds, 0 TDs ,2 INT
Brady: 23/35, 226 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT

1. Brady threw 19 of 35 passes in the first half, leaving 16 passes to be made in the 2nd half, so you're wrong about your assumption there.
2. Luck wasn't th eleague's leading passer.
3. You can't even compare the statistics of luck to brady for ANY reason at all. Luck had a legitimately bad game where he was getting no help, no protection from his team, and facing a superior secondary. Brady had superior protection and just picked apart the colts defense all game long and made very few mistakes.

The fact that you'd even compare their statistics and use that as your "proof" is the most ignorant, absurd, and closed minded response a person could ever make.