(OT) Impeach the New England Deflatetriots!

[footballer]

I'm speaking for myself and the majority of football fans.

The Superbowl has a tradition of hard working honest, American football players. Not cheaters! We dont want to watch cheaters, such as the New England Patriots play in the Superbowl. A team who has already been charged for cheating in the past. Now we have the deflated footballs adding to their record of cheating. Not only do they defame the whole foundation of the Superbowl, but they set a bad example for our young people.

The time has come to Impeach the New England Deflatetriots!

Unless they have the BALLS to resign from playing the 49th Superbowl, and concede the game to the Colts, they should be IMPEACHED, thus retiring their team from professional football forever. The Colts were the REAL winners. Even though their score was less, they played an HONEST game. That alone makes them the true winners.

What's it going to be New England Deflatetriots?..... Are you going to resign from playing the Superbowl, or must we unite and Impeach your team permanently from pro-football?

If you do play the 49th Superbowl, there will be many people boycotting the game, and boycotting the advertisers of this Superbowl. In the end, many people will be harmed due to your cheating nature. To put it bluntly, WE DONT WANT YOU PLAYING SUPERBOWL 49. YOU DIDN'T HONESTLY WIN THE RIGHT TO PLAY THAT MOST IMPORTANT GAME, AND HAVE NO RIGHT PLAYING IN THIS GAME. RESIGN NOW, OR THINGS WILL GET MUCH WORSE FOR YOUR CHEATING TEAM!

[bob haller]

the NFL really needs to take a stand and vacate the win...

since the patriots have now cheated twice ....

[Gordon Shumway]

Show me the evidence!

I'm not a fan of either team, I hardly ever watch a game and I don't have any money bet on the game. Either knock off the bullshit or show me the evidence.

[Ed Pawlowski]

They should take a stand, but first, they have to prove it was done intentionally and who did it

don't both teams use the same ball? If one team had an advantage, would not the other team have the same advantage?

[micky]

Apparently not, except when there is an interception or a fumble recoverd by the other side.

I was amazed to hear that this week.

[micky]

And I guess when the opposing team receives a punt.

I wonder what ball is used on kick-off.

There seem to be 12 balls for each team. I know golf balls get damaged, and baseballs get scuffed, but how do footballs get damaged and can one side possibly use 12 balls in a game? More than one or two?

[Kurt Ullman]

Nope. At the beginning of the game, the refs look over the 24 game balls. Then 12 are given to each time with the ball handlers the responsibility of the home team (at least for another couple weeks). The game balls are then taken from each team's stash as they need them. FWIW, there is another group of balls that are blown to a slightly higher level that are used exclusively for kicking.

[Kurt Ullman]

There is a third group for kicking that are blown up a little higher than the game balls so they travel further.

The players keep balls as mementos after TDs, interceptions, fumble recoveries and such.

[micky]

Wow.

That makes sense. And I knew it too, come to think about it, but I guess I thought it was much more rare. (Of course they don't use 12 in every game. That must be a max.)

[micky]

And that's how this escapade got started. Someone from another team intercepted a pass and thought the ball was softer than it should be and reported it. And I think I heard that that had happened wrt the Patriots a couple weeks earlier too.

OTOH, the suggestion today that cold weather made the pressure go down certainly makes sense.

OT3H, how come the same guy(s) who intercepted passes and thought the pressure was low didn't feel that way when they handled their own team balls the same day or in weather just as cold. OT4H were these interceptions by guys who never hold the ball on offense, and if that were the case, how can they judge how firm they are?

OT3H2, if the cold weather makes the pressure go down enough to matter, surely they noticed this the first year they had a standard pressure for football games -- 50 years ago -- and either did the inflation checking outside, or inflated to a higher pressure to give it room to go down. And by now there would be loads written about what pressure at what temp, every team would have rules, and it woudn't have taken the Patriots several days to think of this as a reason.

[Kurt Ullman]

Until you notice that 11 of 12 Patriot balls were below pressure while NONE of the Colt's balls were. Same environment but different pressures?

Because the Colts' balls weren't low, only the Patriots.

[Ed Pawlowski]

After an inventory of my balls, I guess I've only had two touchdowns.

[micky]

They must keep the Colts' balls heated!!! It must have taken 3 days to learn that.

I googled football heater and got About 2,880,000 results (0.34 seconds). The Patriots must be too cheap to buy one.

[micky]

The previous post was a joke of course, but the 15th hit was this

which was written almost 2 months ago and talks about heating footballs at the game, with heaters, or by kicking them, etc. And you may not do it. So I apologize to any members of the Colts staff who were encouraged by my post to heat the balls. I hope they get my retraction before this Sunday's game, if there is one, and before next season.

[Jerry.Tan]

I bet you were using a ball warmer. Right before and during those touchdowns too!!!

I just hope you checked your balls for proper inflation before the games! Otherwise you may be called a Cheater too.....

[Kurt Ullman]

Well other team's guys get the fumbles.... and I am supposing you don't want to talk at all about the interceptions. (grin)'