The report is that 11 or 12 PATRIOT game balls were under-inflated during the AFC championship game. This was checked at halftime and found to be true. Whether or not it was rectified in the 2nd half is unclear. If it was, they blew out the Colts even worse in the 2nd half with normal balls.
Underinflated balls are easier to catch and was noticed when a Colts player intercepted the ball in the first half. In bizzare manner, Patriots staff would have had to take air out of the balls after they were checked 2 hours before the game in some super sneaky way that no cameras caught anything. This is probably easier than you’d think.
Did it alter the outcome of this game? Most likely not. Is it strange? Absolutely. If you are Bill Belichick you have to be shaking your head and asking how did we get caught? The game was 50 degrees so there is no excuse that balls under inflate in the cold. Once again the Patriots test the limits of gamesmanship and will not come out unscathed. I’m still going to bet on them in the SuperBowl.
Clever title and art work (assuming it’s yours).
It obviously didn’t affect the outcome of the Colts game.
To those saying “well what if they’ve been doing this for years?!” and before I make my argument against that, “what if they’ve been doing this for years, but only on bad weather games?!” (they play in Foxborough, which means they’ve had their fair share of bad weather games).
The refs touch the balls on literally every single play. The Pats have also turned the ball over countless times in games so the other team has felt the balls they use. For someone to just notice this now either means A) the refs are doing a terrible job of managing this, B) it doesn’t matter, or C) they’re not doing it.
I agree it’s a bit suspicious, and given their history, people are hesitant to give them the benefit of the doubt. But they’ve been so good for so long. It’s not like anything they’ve done, or stopped doing, has had an effect on how much they win.
I take no credit for the title. Artwork was done by me even though I was sloppy around the white of the upper letters. I also couldn’t match the font directly which if I had more time I could have.
100% agree on the refs feeling the ball every play and not deducing any wrong doing. The biggest question is WHY? If the team is so good then play the game straight up. If you feel you need to find the edge, you have to take the heat when it comes your way.
i still like them