Quote:
Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy
The sauna theory is 'solid logic'?
If the balls were in the sauna only for a short amount of time (just the time it would have taken to inflate them), then that's not long enough for the hot temperature to really effect the PSI. If they were in the sauna for an extended amount of time, they would be wet from the steam and the refs would have questioned a wet football (a wet football doesn't dry out quickly).
You Cheatriots fans are really grasping for straws at this point. I don't blame you though. I'm sure it's a hard fact to swallow that the team you grew up loving to root for has to cheat to get a competitive advantage.
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I'm not a Pats fan and definitely didn't grow up loving and rooting for them, when I had a multiple SB championship team in my own backyard. I also do not think the "sauna" example was to be taken literally. However let's say for example you could fill a ball with heated air. Seems this could increase/inflate air pressure until the air cooled and would guess it's not be specifically against the rules. In today's presser, Bellichek said the players do something during the prep process which increases pressure by about 1 psi, which is at 12.5 when given to the refs. Whether this is due to heat generated through rubbing, scraping... I've even heard rumor hitting it with a hammer will increase pressure, I guess assuming the flexing bladder will generate heat... if true, could possibly explain why the ball's air pressure was lower by half time on a cold day. I doubt any of this is specifically against the rules.
If the refs did their job, they checked the balls out at 12.5 psi, and the Pats didn't get the balls back until reaching the field. If they let air out after that point, though easy to do, I'd expect a camera to have caught it. We'll see, but my guess is there will be no conclusive video evidence. My first reaction was to assume the Pats did something. I just didn't care because I think the league/refs don't truly care, as they allow teams to work their game balls (refs just topped the balls off at half, didn't do anything otherwise!). After digging into it a little deeper, I am now in the camp that thinks maybe the Pats really didn't do anything specifically to take air out. I hope that is the case and I hope this story just dies out. It's overblown, overplayed, tired, and reeks of a witch hunt. Though it seems it would disappoint a lot of people if the Pats don't get theirs. That said, if they do get busted, I won't lose any sleep over it... and I still consider Tom Brady one of the greatest (maybe top) QBs ever.