Deflate Gate

11 of the 12 footballs that the refs ACCEPTED for game use Sunday, from the New England Patriots, were found to be under-inflated. IF officials are the ones tasked to check such things, THEY should be held accountable. That is IF the league feels it needs to.

MOST refs who examine balls before games DEFLATE them before use because they feel they are "too hard" for game use.

But instead, the focus is now, once again on the Patriots, for perhaps trying to get away with something.

Aaron Rodgers commented yesterday that he prefers the hard, over-inflated balls, and says that the league should have a minimum inflation, but not a maximum inflation, and that everyone knows that, depending on the temperature, the inflation of each ball changes throughout the game. He says he's in the minority on that view. He knows the majority of NFL quarterbacks prefer it slightly deflated, especially in cold weather situations, to be a tad soft. It's really a matter of how big a quarterbacks hands are. There is no one ball inflation that will fit all.

Either way, sportswriters and fans are once again having a field day with the discussion.

I figure if the league wants to ensure uniformity on their balls, they should do it GOING FORWARD, but to punish New England now for something they MAY or MAY NOT have done on purpose, and up to now has been allowed by the officials, is a bit much. This type of thing has been going on for years by several teams and its hard to make a point of it now, especially since the majority of quarterbacks prefer a little extra give.

It's kind of like the "vicinity play" at second base in baseball, where a second baseman doesn't have to really touch the bag at second during a double play. According to the actual rules he must, but for reasons of safety and common sense, no ump really enforces it.

It's the officials who okay the balls for game use. Punish those who have the final call if you must.

Me, I usually take the less inflated ball from the variety available at church picnics. I get a better grip that way. I see why the majority of quarterbacks have that preference.