Originally posted by LivingInExile:
Let's ignore for the moment the difficulty of carrying off this nefarious scheme by the evil Belichek, this is the only reason New England won and the team MUST be punished. Indianapolis was the better team on Sunday -- CHEATED out of victory.
- One or more referees handle the ball before every play. Any ball that they do not like the feel of can be rejected.
- Each team has 12 balls kept by the ball boy. The referees select which ball to take onto the field.
- During a rainy games, balls are continuously being cycled onto and off the field by the referees increasing the odds of discovering the FOUL play of a delated ball.
Given this, how is a deflated ball snuck onto the field without the referees discovering it?
We're not talking about one deflated ball here. There were 11 out of 12 balls down to 10.5 psi.
Regardless, officials don't grab the ball thinking is this the correct weight. They grab it to put it in play.
The quarterback would be or should be the one that would notice the difference.
Apparently Brady said he didn't notice the difference, which is a lie.
This really isn't about the Colts getting blown out. It's about breaking the rules. That's it.
In the Colts game it didn't matter. But what about the close games that were played in he frigid cold and rain?
That deflated ball would make a big difference in that kind of condition.
Not to mention if they would do this what else could they have done?
