Then why does the NFL set a specific psi range at all? And do all teams really deliberately alter the psi after they've been officially measured by the league before each game? Do you have any evidence at all of that being a "known fact"?
You're making a false equivalence -- that just because QB's rub dirt on or do some other things that the league permits to the football, anything they do to the ball must be okay. That is very clearly not the case.
I'm guessing they'll lose a draft pick or two. Have them forfeit their first round pick in 2015. That's the easiest thing for the NFL to do, because they don't have to finger a specific individual. It's enough to know that the organization as a whole provided their QB an advantage in accordance with his own expressed preferences, and in clear violation of express NFL rules.
Nothing of the sort has been "proven". Just because some quarterbacks say it doesn't matter to them doesn't mean that's true for every QB.
In fact, Tom Brady himself stated in 2011 that he prefers deflated footballs. So are you saying that you know better than Tom Brady himself whether he'd rather throw a ball that's been a bit deflated?
I think you're missing the point, it's about preference, and grip. Majority of the QB's opinions fluctuate when it comes to this, but this isn't like corking a bat. There's not an advantage to deflating the football, within the small amount that they were accused of. Seriously, the only advantage is grip, and like I said, if that's the case, then every QB in the league would be guilty. Because they ALL alter the football, to get the best grip possible.
Just because its against the rule, doesn't mean someone deliberately broke it. The rule itself is so tacky, and kinda absurd.
I don't know what all the QB's do, I never said they do or don't break the rules. Do some of them do? Probably, it's naive to think most don't bend them a little, and some might even break the rules themselves.
The rules to begin with is a very grey area. I think that's the entire point, and its hypocritical for the NFL to allow QB's so much control over what to do with the football, then become the judge and jury when one might have broken the rules.
Do I think QB's deliberately try to break these rules? NO! They just doctor the football to their liking, there's been a long assumption NFL is fine with this. It's a rule, but it's not one they seriously ever enforced or taken seriously.
I don't know who made the rules on the regulation size of the footballs, and probably for the most part, no one ever really cared that much. But since it's the Patriots, and they are playing in the Super Bowl, this all gets blown out of proportion.
But most, if not all the footballs are doctored. Do they alter the rules? Again, you don't know. Fine, I don't have any facts they do, but then again, we don't have any facts the Patriots did this on purpose. So you're just making as many assumptions as I am.
Well, Aaron Rodgers was quoted saying he tries to over-inflate the footballs, above regulation, and tries to see if the refs notice or not. So yeah, there is one QB admitting he does intentionally try to break the rules.
You notice how that never made headlines? Because it was never a big deal. Because anyone with common sense, knows there's no advantage at all, it's just about grip.
So yeah, the rule is so freaking dumb, and the NFL just looks really pathetic right now.
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