^ Yup. that’s where I got my number from. Didn’t think anyone would be interested in the actual calculations, though.
It isn’t the weight that’s the big deal it’s that a slightly more pliable ball is easier to grip on a cold, wet night. It’s pounds per square inch pressure not weight that they are concerned with.
Yup, saintfan. Since the weight is proportional to the pressure (amount of air inside the ball), it can be used to determine whether the balls were underinflated. The alternative is to stick a pressure gauge into the ball, but some air can potentially escape during that process, so it could result in “tampering with evidence” 
nre, you should have said, “I did the calculations, and here is what I came up with…” 
That it’s been reported as “weight” shows the slimness of a story that has blown up to huge proportions. My guess is a ball failed during the game, that the gasket started to let go and air came out and the officials noticed and pulled it. They wouldn’t weigh it: they’d test the pressure. Note that we don’t even know who was on offense when this supposedly happened or when it happened during the game. What if it was a Patriots ball but it happened in the 4thQ when the game was out of hand? None of this is known but the slim reed becomes a way to get a story that generates a lot of clicks while repeating the same lack of information.
An example of silliness. Belichick laughed at the idea and said he couldn’t even imagine on the radio just now.
Another is that the Patriots were making the other team’s radios not work. This was an actual claim by another sore loser. Problem is the NFL runs the radios. And radio problems have happened a bunch of times around the league. And the NFL requires that if one team’s radio doesn’t work, the other team can’t use the radio either, but that radio story got reported and repeated. Lousy reporters doing lousy work trying to get attention.
This is only true if temperature is constant. A 30 degree drop in temperature from when it was filled inside to being outside would lead to around a 6% drop in pressure with zero change in weight. I did that calculation myself. 
The only way they could use weight is if every ball is uniquely identified and weighed to a fraction of a gram before the game. I’ve never heard of this being done.
10 grams of air inside the ball at 13 psi means means about 5 grams at zero psi (assuming it holds its shape). So a loss of 1 gram of air would cause a 20% pressure drop. There’s no way they can be using weight.
^^^ which is why you need to check your tire pressure often, especially with changes in weather.
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It isn’t the weight that’s the big deal it’s that a slightly more pliable ball is easier to grip on a cold, wet night. It’s pounds per square inch pressure not weight that they are concerned with.
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I understand.
My dog prefers deflated balls as well.
Did Seattle win or did Green Bay lose? Yes.
GB was too conservative early in the game (one or both of those field goals very likely would have been TDs). And then, 55+ minutes into the game, they believed their lead was insurmountable, especially given Seattle’s dismal performance to that point. I don’t blame them – i thought so too. But they forgot that the game was 60 minutes long, and when the Hawks suddenly started playing their explosive brand of 4th quarter football, the Packers were caught flat-footed. And at that point, they were playing not to lose.
As for Seattle, I know some think this is sappy, but that business about believing in each other? It’s really true. What else explains Wilson to Kearse for the game-winner, after that connection had previously yielded zero completions and FOUR interceptions? Wilson believed in Kearse. And they all really, truly believed that even with less than 5 minutes, they could still get it done. They didn’t panic. Green Bay handed them the opportunity for sure, but it was Seattle who stayed steady enough to execute and win.
Looking ahead, I don’t think the Patriots will fold like a cheap suit the way Denver did. But I heard this analysis today: “New England, like Denver, is built around a great but aging quarterback with mobility problems.”
Maybe but.
The GB based sites made it sound like they were very aware that they had to make points upfront, because the Hawks often do put on the after burners in the last qtr.
(We excel at procrastination in Seattle.)
But obviously it wasn’t enough.
Perhaps they thought they had it in the bag despite the home field advantage and prior experience.
There’s always next year.
A mistake is just a learning opportunity.
GB changed up their defense, stacking the line in order to slow down/stop Lynch, basically daring Wilson to beat them through the air. The (lack of) defense enabled Kearse to get behind the secondary. GB had all 11 defenders (!) within 6 yards (!!!) of the line of scrimmage - no one deep, no safeties, a classic cover 0. Seems pretty reckless in that situation. Those picks were off of tipped balls with more than one defender around, or into double coverage.
Wilson threw a nice ball, but geez. Cover 0?
Brady has actually been working on that, he is actually quite a bit more mobile this year than he has been in the past. Although, compared to Wilson he is still a statue. Everyone knows the way to beat Brady is to get in his face, knock him down, get him off balance. If the Seapigeons can do that it will be a long day for the Patriots.
Last time these teams played, the Patriots lost by one point in Seattle, and the Pats’ defense is much improved since then. So I am hoping for a competitive game, although I think Seattle will win.
Sappy? Nope. How about mawkish to the extreme! That is the stuff that anyone can hear in about every sports’ movie or at the sidelines of toddlers playing at the local Y!
All that sentimental stuff would have been tossed out if those “hope against hope” plays did not work out. How much brotherly support would there have been in Seattle if the Packers had finished the game as they started? Not much the second the lockers were cleaned out!
I give credit to the Seahawks to play really hard when the ball did not bounce for them all day. Lynch finished the game as he was possessed but what else could be expected from the SB winners at the brink of defeat. Those people are professionals and most of the high school/college camaraderie is a bunch of sliced baloney. It works well when a team does win and especially when extremely lucky to have their opponents messing up with bad calls and stone hands.
Maybe you should stick to SAT prep or some other topic that you actually know about - the Seahawks team chemistry and state of mind is obviously not it.
Injury report:
Sherman - sprained elbow, should be able to play in two weeks
Earl Thomas III - dislocated shoulder, went back in the game and played and should be OK in 2 weeks
Saintfan, do you think of Washington as a football state? We’re enjoying the rush last year and this year, but I don’t think of Washington when I think of states where people are super vested in football outcomes. However, I’m not originally from here or someone who has paid much attention over the years, so I’m asking to see if I’m on target. When I think of football states, I guess I think of maybe Texas, some other southern states, though I’m not really sure which ones, maybe some states in the Northeast? Somebody educate me.
The pats aren’t particularly loved even in New England. They certainly don’t have the following that the red sox, celtics or bruins have.
I would think the Pats have a bigger fan base nationally than do the Seahawks, taking the Pac NW out of the discussion.
I consider states that where Pop Warner football and the NJFL have a strong presence, to be " football" states.
We just got an NFL team the same year I met my H, so it hasn’t really been that long historically compared to some other teams. Football fans in our area had allegiances to either WSU or UW for their fix, if they were going local.
But I know parents who won’t let their kids play soccer because of injury risk, let alone football.
And of course there are some communities where winning at football seems to overshadow not just daily life but ethical behavior.
I can not help but think of the community of Pete Carrollville, while he was at USC just before he left town in a very timely fashion (before the sanctions involving Reggie Bush and family).
Or not
http://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2014-new-england-patriots-1629216508
What do the New England Patriots and Billy Graham have in common?
They can both make 70,000 people stand up & say " Jesus Christ".
http://www.jokes4us.com/sportsjokes/nfljokes/newenglandpatriotsjokes.html
hmm, it’s getting a little warm in here…