Posted on 12/13/2016 4:12:49 PM PST by big'ol_freeper
It’s Tom. Still want extra proof...lol!
The Pats balls started at 12.5 indoors, and then wet.
The Steelers balls were presumedly around 13.0 indoors, and dry.
All things are not equal. These are only a couple of the differences.
Regardless, it dispels two arguments - that being outside of specifications is itself evidence of malfeasance; and that QBs notice the difference when playing.
No. NE fans (and many of us others) are generally under the impression that substantial pressure variability is natural, and that the NFL is keeping up the illusion that what they found during the AFCCG was remotely unusual or meaningful. The Pats fans are mocking the NFL for the gross difference in behavior here, and the pretense that the 12.5-13.5 rule is meaningful. Roethlisberger is an illustration, not a target.
The natural variability of regulation footballs in outdoor NFL games approaches 6 PSI, and no one cared, or largely even noticed. It is rare after the beginning of November for footballs to be ‘legal’ both in the refs locker room and outdoors during the games.
The league also disappeared the Colts and the Patriots gauges. There are however, multiple lines of evidence within the Wells report as to which of the refs gauges was used on the Patriots balls pregame.
Exponent made detailed measurements of a football’s bladder when both wet and dry. The difference is so small, it is within the uncertainty of the measurements.
You might notice that the result actually varies according to which page. 0, .1, .2, .3, and .5 PSI are all differences you can find in their graphs. Even their fudged graphs (which you might note don’t remotely match their experimental results).
You might also note that their ‘0’ laser measurement has a resolution incapable of reliably discriminating between volume differences which could be as great as just over 1 PSI. ...but boy was it fancy!
You might also note that their method of wetting the ball was grossly inadequate to duplicate the conditions. If I recall correctly, also done only with one ball.
You might also note that volume change plus evaporative cooling has been repeatedly shown experimentally to top out at about a 0.95 PSI drop at the pressure and temperature ranges. Use a wet-bulb calculator to get the gist. According to the Wells report, the indoor humidity was about 20%. You can use that figure in your calculations.
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