Super Bowl XLIX

[h=1]We Computer-Simulated The Deflategate Football Scandal[/h] Yes, the balls were under-inflated. But did it really make much of a difference?


By Sarah Fecht Posted January 29, 2015

Deformation In A 12.5 PSI Football

ANSYS

A comparison of deformations in a 12.5psi football versus a 10.5psi football suggest that the under-inflated footballs didn't give the quarterback a stronger grip.

Last week, after the New England Patriots destroyed the Indianapolis Colts by a whopping 38 points, "anonymous league sources" accused the team of under-inflating footballs. Thus "Deflategate" was born.
With the Patriots set to play the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday at the Super Bowl, the Deflategate controversy hangs heavy in the air. So Popular Science partnered with ANSYS, a company that specializes in computer simulations, to provide yet another perspective on the scandal.
Regulations require footballs to be inflated to a pressure of at least 12.5 pounds per square inch, whereas the Patriots' footballs at half-time measured 10.5 psi. That matters because footballs with less air inside are easier for quarterbacks to grip and control, especially during soggy weather. The implication: The Patriots might have tampered with football pressure to give themselves an advantage. Not cool.
Don't worry, we're mostly steering clear of the argument over how the balls got that way. (Patriots coach Bill Belichick blamed it on the weather and the rough handling of the footballs, whereas others have pointed out that the Colts' footballs experienced the same conditions with no major loss of pressure. Even Bill Nye weighed in on national television.) So far the NFL has made no official decision on the matter.
What we wanted to know is, how much of a difference does two pounds of pressure make, anyway? Could the deflated balls explain how the Patriots managed to wipe the floor with their opponents?
ANSYS used a multiphysics model, which incorporates things like fluid forces, thermal effects, and structural integrity. For this simulation, they plugged in data like the temperature inside and outside the football, air pressure, the behavior of the ball's leather and rubber materials, and more. Then they used the simulation to compare the performance of a 12.5 psi football to a 10.5 psi football.
[h=2]How Much Does It Affect The Grip?[/h] When a quarterback throws a football, having a better grip means the ball will have a tighter spiral. The throw will be more precise and more reliable. So how much does a difference of 2 psi change the strength of the quarterback's grip?
Barry Christenson, ANSYS’s director of product marketing and a Pittsburgh Steeler’s fan, simulated how much more the 10.5 psi ball deforms under a normal grip. He and the rest of the team started by looking at the typical places where the quarterback’s fingers grasp the ball:[more]
We Computer-Simulated The Deflategate Football Scandal | Popular Science
 
Pulling for Seattle, but I won't be upset if Brady wins one more. He has been a pretty damn good QB during his career, and 3 (maybe 4) rings proves that.

However, it's nice to see cities like Seattle which haven't had much sports luck over the decades to come big and win one (or 2).

I see it being a better game than last year. But I hope Seattle beats Brady and the Pats, which caps off killer back to back Super Bowl wins over the 2 best QB's of all-time.
 
superbowl exlax. i mean xlix. this is going to be a rigged media sideshow bunch of crap either way. but i hope the patriots start waxing the field with those punk seawacks in about an hour so she has to buy me some silver. all other bets are off the table.
 
I don't really care who wins since my Bears aren't playing.

But if the final score ends in New England 9, Seattle 4, I might be able to retire a little earlier than planned. :)
 
i hope kk has found herself a nice tiki bar with 2 for 1 shots of cuervo. marshawn lynch has such a cwute wittle purple binky.
 
Someone please get Mr. Carroll some more cocaine. He is not chewing that gum anywhere fast enough .
 
My pick: Seattle 27 - 16.

I love to watch the Patriots pick apart defenses, but they can't seem to put up the numbers against teams with solid defenses, and Seattle's is the best. They'll need a magic game plan, and I wouldn't put it past Belichick to do it. But if you put a gun to my head, I say Seattle keeps Brady in check and keeps the Pats under 20 points.

For the record, my record for picking Superbowl games is awful. So put your money on the Patriots. :D
I seriously can't remember the last Superbowl I picked correctly. It's gone beyond any standard deviation. :kabong:
Seattle never had a chance with me picking them. :rippedhand:
 
For coin I had the Patriots but I believe Bill owes Pete some free Surf N Turf after the bonehead call late in the game.
 
Darrell Bevell and Pete Carroll owe me $90. That play just furthers my assertion that the NFL should be called the WWNFL. It's rigged.
 
what were your favorite superbowl commercials?

i liked the always 'like a girl' and the nationwide 'not my mom' ones. they made me think and want to be nice to women and buy some hygiene products and insurance.
 
Great Game -- speaking as a Pats fan.

SB49.jpg

Thank God -- we Pats fans couldn't have endured another "game changing, last minute miraculous catch" Superbowl loss.
 
What a joke last night. Clearly, that game was rigged.

we can put at least three asterisks at the end of this super bowl.
 
they should have fed the beast

lynch wasn't stopped all game, and he's the best power runner in the league. with 3 downs left to go i'd have rammed it in for the TD
 
Should I hand this to you, or step back 7 yards and throw it for no reason?


B8zxi3NCcAI20m3.jpg:large
 
Pete Carroll's call to throw the ball is being blown out of proportion. The reason they lost was because their vaulted defense couldn't stop Tom Brady in the fourth quarter. They let New England score two touchdowns over a 6 minute span. That's 14 unanswered points.
 
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