Okay, sports fans, here’s the latest and greatest on the Soft Ball Saga (an inherent problem for the Patriots, by the way). It seems that it was brought to the attention of game officials when Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a pass thrown by Pats quarterback Tom Brady in the second quarter and noticed the ball felt soft. He mentioned his suspicion to Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who informed Colts GM Ryan Grigson, who subsequently phoned the league. League officials then made a call to the game refs during halftime which led to the now infamous changing of the balls. Why all the fuss, you ask? An improperly inflated ball having less pressure would give the owning team an illegal advantage in wet conditions since it would be easier to pass, hand off, catch, and maintain during tackles. Now, before we lose our collective minds, changing out game balls isn’t unheard of and ball pressure can be affected by several factors including air temperature and pressure so let’s wait until the verdict is in before thrashing the Pats too harshly. The league will likely dismiss the allegations since it would be difficult to prove even under the best of circumstances but no doubt officials will take a long, hard look at game video first. In case you’re wondering how the game ball process works the simple answer is: Each team provides 12 primary game balls (all must be “Wilson” bearing the signature of Commisioner of the League, Roger Goodell) for testing by the Referee 2 hours and 15 minutes before starting time (the home team must also make available an additional 12 backup balls for testing). Each ball must be inflated to 12.5 to 13.5 PSI and weigh 14 to 15 ounces. Kicking balls (keep a civil thought, people) are provided in a sealed box by the manufacturer and tested to the same standards in the official’s locker room and subsequently marked with a “K.” If - and that’s still a big “if” - the balls were intentionally deflated Tom Brady and anyone who handled them on the Pats’s O-line would have known (and taking a big chance since at some point a Colts player was bound to intercept a pass from Brady or force a turnover - after all, even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then). The fact that Jackson reported it and the officials changed out several game balls lends credence to the report, though whether or not it was intentional remains to be seen. At any rate, regardless of the outcome of the investigation the Patriots are once again embroiled in a scandal and that can be laid squarely at the feet of Bill Belichick thanks to the 2007 “Spygate” scandal where Coach Belichick admitted to videotaping New York Jets’ defensive coaches signals from a sideline location during a game in violation of League rules. Belichick was personally fined $500,000.00, the Patriots organization was fined $250,000.00, and the club lost their first round draft selection (which would have been the 31st overall) for 2008. The ghosts of scandals past always come back to haunt, especially when it involves cheating, arguably the most heinous crime that can be levied against a team, player, or coach and Belichick will likely bear that particular scarlet letter as an indelible part of his legacy. Fittingly enough, a win will never be simply a win for the Pats as long as he is at the helm, and a loss will always be karma.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:39:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015