Super Bowl 49

Deflated balls are the cause for concern about the New England Patriots. It seems that 11 balls out of 12 were found to be deflated during the playoff game between the Indiana Colts and the Patriots.  Supposedly, the balls were found to be perfect before the game began but during the course of the game an interception made one of the Colts report that he believed that the football was lighter than it should have been.  That complaint led to an investigation after the game which has proved that the balls that the Patriots used during the game were 2 lbs lighter than regulation play allows.

So today Tom Brady, quarterback for the Patriots, had a news conference to answer questions put to him by reporters about the problem.  Naturally, he protested his innocence in knowing anything about the problem, and his fans and friends believe him while his detractors naturally do not believe him.

Enemies of the Patriots are calling the Patriots cheaters while others are supporting them.  I personally believe that when the Colts realized that the balls were not properly inflated that they should have told the referees about it at the time.  Had they done that, they may have been able to correct it even if had delayed the game.  It would be better than this ongoing ridiculous means of painting the Patriots as cheaters.

The most interesting comment  that Tom Brady said at the news conference is that the NFL had not yet talked to him about it.  He should have been a bit more truthful about realizing that the balls were not inflated properly but he ducked it by saying he was too busy thinking the process of the game rather than worrying about the pigskin itself.  I frankly do understand why it is odd that a receiver from the opposition team would notice it right away but a quarterback would not sense it.  I think that is why people think that Tom Brady is not telling the truth, but he asserted that he had nothing to do with altering the balls, and had not noticed anything unusual at all.  

For 11 balls to be determined to be under inflated makes me wonder.  How can that many balls lose the same amount of air during a game?  Who has the ball when the team goes into a huddle?  Where is that ball at all times?  Why is it that only one team suffers that problem while the other teams balls do not?  Can a receiver carry some hidden device to puncture the ball?  Or while nobody is looking, (with all those cameras) is some keeper of the balls playing around with them?  

I wonder if this will be solved at all because all the enemies of the Patriots are talking big time punishment worse than that they have suffered before.  Some even think that they should not play in the Super Bowl.  Without proof and evidence of guilt, there is no reason to go that far.  But the time to correct the problem and penalize the Patriots was when the game was played, not after. It is done now.

And on that fact, the Colts are being humiliated by some saying that even had the ball been a beach ball or a brick, that the Patriots would have won anyway.  The Colts were that bad in that game, which for a fact is true, but did the Colts just decide to not even bother once they realized that the balls were deflated.  Maybe they called a halt to the game realizing how far the Patriots might go to win the game.  As if the size and weight of the football is the criteria that makes one win a game. In the case of a passing game, it is that important.

At any rate, it has left a black mark on the game now that it is being overly discussed, mocked, and satirized.  Some video tonight ridiculing Tom Brady and his balls is making the rounds of the internet.  

What a shame!