http://sports.yahoo.com/news/-bill-beli ... 04102.html
Excerpt ...
The short of it is this: the Patriots spent the week running all sorts of tests on footballs, simulating how it worked last Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
What they found was that the way the Patriots prepare the outside surface of their footballs – scrubbing, rubbing, etc. – actually raises the pound per inch levels inside the ball. Once that process ends and the ball reaches an equilibrium, the ball that was once legally measured to be 12.5 psi naturally drops to the illegal level of 11.5. Throw in the climatic differences between a room temperature locker room and a cold playing surface, and it's 1.5 psi or enough to cause this whole kerfuffle.
And that's before Belichick noted variances in measuring gauges and footballs themselves, which because they are made of animal skin, probably should never even be measured to such precise levels.
That's how it happened, Belichick said. That's it.
Why didn't the Colts' footballs also lose pressure? Perhaps they don't prepare the outside of the football the same way and thus don't cause the same internal reaction, he suggested, although he noted he has no idea how Indy does things. He made Indy's measurements irrelevant.
Possible? I think so.
Belichick is a magnet for distrust. He earned that. And he is successful. Lots of haters for that, and for the way he presents himself.
Something that the NFL has not looked at, it seems clear: football prep after the pressure test and the official approval. Scrubbing. Treating. Whatever.
I personally do not believe Belichick had anything to do with the air pressure of the footballs.
Aside from an innocent explanation, which Belichick tried on for the press, is it possible that an equipment guy might have, might have, after the approval by the official, lowered the pressure to the minimum, prior to any scuffing, scrubbing, et cetera? Dunno if that happened. Could an equipment guy who is loyal to Brady, and knows Brady likes the footballs to be at the minimum level of air pressure, bring himself to do that? Of course Brady would have to be unhinged to ask for that. And the equipment guy would have to be unhinged also. Is it possible there might be an unspoken understanding? Is an equipment guy allowed to lower the pressure to the minimum after the official OKs them? Not possible, whether or not that is explicit in the protocol.
Do the officials demand that each ball be at precisely the same air pressure? They would have to. Maximum? Middle? ... Do they allow some to be at the max, and some to be at the minimum? I doubt it.
Tired of this discussion? Well, the issue is not going away. And I do not think anyone can say it is much to do about nothing. Not anymore, when it is front line news in print and on television.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.