Balls scuffed before Super Bowl XXXVII

[Rupert Patrick]

It's clear to me that the rules will have to be tweaked in the offseason to give the refs complete control of the balls before games, which includes inspecting the balls and weighing them, and not allowing teams or players access to the ball once the home team gives the balls to the refs when they arrive at the stadium. In Baseball, the umpires have access to the balls beforehand and rub them down, and it is astounding to me that the football referees don't control the balls before the game to prevent this kind of chicanery.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bucs/bucs ... 37/2214490

[Gary Najman]

In this article by Peter King in 2013, it shows how the officials check the air presure of the footballs prior to the game. It's in the NFL Rule Book (Rule 2, Section 2).

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/06/peter-kin ... t-three/2/


I'm amazed that the officials, with all their combined experience, didn't noticed that the balls were lighter, or worse, that no one (ex. the 3 alternate officials wo are at every playoff game) resguarded and/or checked the footballs.

[King Kong]

....

[Rupert Patrick]

I thought scuffing footballs is okay. I think you could rub cheese or mud or chalk on a ball or spit on it. I think a quick jerk and squirt in the locker room onto the football (to release tension) might even be okay. The cheating comes into play when you deflate the footballs below league specifications.

I'm wondering if a scuffed football travels differently when thrown, as a scuffed baseball travels funny when thrown.

[King Kong]

I thought scuffing footballs is okay. I think you could rub cheese or mud or chalk on a ball or spit on it. I think a quick jerk and squirt in the locker room onto the football (to release tension) might even be okay. The cheating comes into play when you deflate the footballs below league specifications.

I'm wondering if a scuffed football travels differently when thrown, as a scuffed baseball travels funny when thrown.

A baseball should be more affected by scuffing due to smaller size and the ball is wound tighter. I think a football would need to be severely scuffed to cause the same type of dancing action you might see with a scuffed up baseball. Science was not my favorite subject, though, so I might be wrong about all this. I just know from my own experience that a messed up baseball would move more crazily than an equally altered football.

[Reaser]

The rule changed over a half-decade ago to allow the away teams to mess with their own balls.

Here's my experiences with footballs:

High School: Every team got to use it's own ball, always was ridiculous to play a school and see them using some small non-name brand football. Either way, as a backup varsity QB I had no say in the matter and our starting QB picked some Baden football that was literally the worst football I've ever played with, cheaply made and was garbage. I still think that ball is directly related to him not performing better/getting a scholarship (though he did get drafted by the SF Giants as a pitcher) ...

When I became starter and our Head Coach brought me into his office to choose the next season's football, I choose the Wilson NCAA football. So that's what we played with, we had some that were for practices only and some that were for games only, I went through all of them before the season, picked out my favorite and that was the one I kept in my locker, walked around school with, took home and slept next to, was the ball I ran onto the field with, warmed up with, and that I gave to the ref for our first series every game.

Other balls in the rotation I chose also, and me and the WR coach went through the whole process of taking air out and putting more air in and so on until I essentially liked every ball (was one that always felt weird so he gave it to our Kicker) ... Before each game he would bring the bag over, toss them one-by-one to me and ask yes or no, if yes he gave it to the ball boy, if no he set it aside. I liked the ball with a little air taken out, and I also liked when it rained (which luckily in WA it rained for almost all our games) because the ball became really tacky and the grip was outstanding.

JUCO: Got to college and I was excited that our team used the same exact Wilson NCAA football. Only difference is that I was back to being a backup (3rd string actually) so I had no say and the starter for some reason loved having the balls as inflated as possible - he could throw the ball a mile but couldn't hit the side of a barn door. Felt heavier to me just holding the ball and it wasn't preferable but when actually throwing the ball (only in practice, for me) I threw it the same as HS. Never tested it but now thinking back, I do think that if I had stood and threw the ball as far as I could I would have thrown the (over)inflated ball probably 5 or so yards less then I could throw the footballs I was in charge of in HS.

The Duke: Since roughly 2004 I buy 2-3 'official' NFL footballs from Wilson every year. Actually one is my annual Christmas present from my parents so they pay for it, and by the time summer comes I buy myself a new one. Last count (Christmas this year) I have 18 of "The Duke"s in my house, at least one in every room (except the bathrooms), because I don't like being in a room where there isn't an official football to throw up to myself or to whoever else may be in the room at the moment. When I got my new one this past Christmas I showed my family it compared to my 3 other most recent balls and it was funny because they were four different colors. The 3 used balls all had a black "shield", instead of gold, and the oldest was dark brown, next two oldest were brown, and newest was bright and shiny, ha.

I've sent two back to get exchanged in the last 10 years, one because the laces - it was a left-handed football (ha) - and one because I took it out of the box and threw it up a few times and my hands weren't instantly turning red so they were clearly trying to sell me a previously used ball. Which obviously a new Wilson NFL football, your hands turn bright red throwing it around when it's new. Around 2010 or so I got a brush because I wanted to test brushing off the 'shine', didn't really do anything but make it worn-in quicker.

Out of the box (with no air taken out) - I find it more sticky than slick, it feels lighter when it's new, though it doesn't spin as well (for me), still a spiral because that's all I throw, but with a slight wobble. Harder to put touch on it also. With air taken out doesn't make much difference, at least before it's worn in.

A little worn in/scuffed/brushed/etc (with some air out) - It's actually more slick than sticky, to me, though I can grip (squeeze) it better and throw it however I want, tight spiral and so on, so I'd say it matters having it scuffed up a little with some air taken out - for me.

Really worn in - Ball starts to feel dead, deflated, gets really slick. Time for a new ball.

[Citizen]

I'm amazed that the officials, with all their combined experience, didn't noticed that the balls were lighter, or worse, that no one (ex. the 3 alternate officials wo are at every playoff game) resguarded and/or checked the footballs.

Even so, it's far more tightly regulated than it used to be. In the wake of the Patriots thing, a lot of people are recalling the 1973 Raiders-Steelers game in which the Raiders repeatedly sent doctored balls into the game. Ray Mansfield said that on one play he leaned on the football and it went totally flat. Another time, the ball was covered in Vaseline.

That said, I agree that the process should be more secure than it is. Hire one extra official to make sure the footballs are regulation. As with the replacement refs a few years ago, here's a multibillion-dollar industry being made to look silly by its own cheapness and shortsightedness.

[JuggernautJ]

I think a quick jerk and squirt in the locker room onto the football (to release tension) might even be okay.

I'm not sure exactly what this means but I LOLed when I read it.

Just whose tension are we relieving here, anyway???

[JohnH19]

The Duke: Since roughly 2004 I buy 2-3 'official' NFL footballs from Wilson every year. Actually one is my annual Christmas present from my parents so they pay for it, and by the time summer comes I buy myself a new one. Last count (Christmas this year) I have 18 of "The Duke"s in my house, at least one in every room (except the bathrooms), because I don't like being in a room where there isn't an official football to throw up to myself or to whoever else may be in the room at the moment. When I got my new one this past Christmas I showed my family it compared to my 3 other most recent balls and it was funny because they were four different colors. The 3 used balls all had a black "shield", instead of gold, and the oldest was dark brown, next two oldest were brown, and newest was bright and shiny, ha.

I've sent two back to get exchanged in the last 10 years, one because the laces - it was a left-handed football (ha) - and one because I took it out of the box and threw it up a few times and my hands weren't instantly turning red so they were clearly trying to sell me a previously used ball. Which obviously a new Wilson NFL football, your hands turn bright red throwing it around when it's new. Around 2010 or so I got a brush because I wanted to test brushing off the 'shine', didn't really do anything but make it worn-in quicker.

Matt, it's nice to see that you're gradually developing a real fondness for the game.

[oldecapecod11]

JohnH19 » Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:57 pm

Reaser wrote:
I have 18 of "The Duke"s in my house, at least one in every room (except the bathrooms), because I don't like being in a room where there isn't an official football to throw up to myself or to whoever else may be in the room at the moment.

"Matt, it's nice to see that you're gradually developing a real fondness for the game."


Matt, John is, indeed, most perceptive.
Perhaps if you had the right shower curtain...

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/73 ... aa717f.jpg