I corrected my math. They were 19% under on the average. I would expect professionals to notice the difference, easily. The Colts player that intercepted the ball in fact did.
I’m wondering where the gauge(s) came from when they did the original spec check. When the Colts brought it to the ref’s attention, the ref’s used a different guage and found 11 of the 12 balls provided by the Patriots were illegal.
Yes, but what I’m trying to point out to you is:
1) Most QBs prefer the balls under-inflated, so at most they would be handing in balls at 12.5—not the average that is allowed.
2) Reportedly it is not uncommon for teams to hand in under-inflated balls, hoping that the refers don’t bother to find and correct the difference.
3) In cold weather, balls deflate outside after that measurement. It wasn’t really cold in New England for the game, but it often is for games this time of year.
Put that all together and refs are probably used to handling balls that are under the technical 12.5 minimum.