#DFG: Canceling the Noise

[TheBenzingerGame]

Why don't they just update the rule:
 
Balls will be tested on the field in "game conditions" to the best of the officials ability, 15 minutes prior to the start of the game, to ensure that the balls are inflated propoerly in game-time conditions.
Balls are to be tested using (gauge specs here), with inflation numbers logged.  
Balls are to be tested again at half time, on the field in "game conditions", with inflation adjusted as needed at that time. (gauge specs and log info)
During play, it is the officials responsibility to judge by subjective inspection whether the ball in play is acceptable.  
Any fluctuations of pressure during play are considered normal, and are not to be corrected except at the half as previously noted.
 
 
Yeah it's too many words, and someone could pretty it up, but basically:  testing done under "game" conditions, check it at half in case the weather has chanegd significantly, anything else is just "part of the game".

 
Well, they could do that... or they could update the rule to read: "The game-worthiness of all footballs at all times will be left to the discretion of the referee."
 
If we've learned anything here, isn't it that none of this matters a goddamn bit? If a ball is actually deflated, in the meaningful, colloquial way, it's up to the ref to notice that and correct it. That's basically how the last 49 years of NFL football have played out, no?

 

[Ed Hillel]

FOX10 Phoenix has the video of the Football Operations Press Conference.

The feed died right before the good stuff.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I got a kick this morning of listening to Schlereth tell Mike & Mike about interviewing the Berkus about this and how it convinced him that this was completely overblown. Greenberg tried gto get back at it, and Schlereth was just like ... it's nothing

 

[Section15Box113]

And FOX10 lost their feed at approximately the 19 minute mark.
 
Ugh.
 
 

The feed died right before the good stuff.

 
Of course it did.
 
No words.

 

[theapportioner]

And FOX10 lost their feed at approximately the 19 minute mark.
 
Ugh.

 
Mike Kensil must have gotten to the a/v system.

 

[SumnerH]

Well if the report says something like the Pats used a conditioning process (buffing the balls for 10 minutes before giving them to the refs or using a belt sander or whatever) which they should have known would get the balls to be under regulation pressure for game time

Which is legal. They're required to have then at regulation PSI at the time they're checked, not at game time.

If they were required to have them at regulation PSI during the game, they'd have to put the balls/air tank in the fridge before a game like last week's, and in a freezer before most games at Lambeau or on colder days in Gillette. And in some games--those where the temperature on the field changes significantly during the game--it would be literally impossible to comply with the rule.

 

[SumnerH]

Is this right?  I read the link and I still don't know if the Solder TD should have been a penalty or not...

No, but I moved the discussion to the thread I'd pointed out originally since it's off topic here.

 

[Marciano490]

That's why I raised the question of whether the refs will agree to be deposed under oath by Paul Weiss. I bet their union lawyer is negotiating with Wells either immunity if they reveal they didn't check by gauge, or an unsworn statement.

I assume the ref was asked after the game, and that he told the NFL he did check. Now, under oath, lying to your employer could not be viewed as a good thing.

 
Immunity for what?  Getting fired?
 
I won't be satisfied until we get our first round pick back from 2007.

 

[soxfan121]

Here's the takeaway (at the moment):
 
1. If Anderson doesn't have a log saying what the balls were gauged to be pre-game, the NFL can still go after the Pats for "doing something" to the balls between when he checked them and when they were tested at halftime. But in that case, they'd have to have evidence of someone actually doing something to the balls.
 
2. If Anderson and crew approved them by "feel," they have a weaker case, unless they can prove someone did something.
 
3. That Blandino didn't know of a complaint about the 11/16 Colts game doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't one.
 
So, this moves the needle a bit more in the Patriots direction, but it in itself is not a smoking gun

 
Yep, just one more bullshit log on the bullshit bonfire.
 
Gotta give the NFL credit here - only took them 12 days to reveal Mortensen's leak was bullshit. At this rate, they'll clear this whole thing up by Thanksgiving.

 

[simplyeric]

 
Well, they could do that... or they could update the rule to read: "The game-worthiness of all footballs at all times will be left to the discretion of the referee."
 
If we've learned anything here, isn't it that none of this matters a goddamn bit? If a ball is actually deflated, in the meaningful, colloquial way, it's up to the ref to notice that and correct it. That's basically how the last 49 years of NFL football have played out, no?

 
I mean, obviously, yeah.  But, some better rules would allow QB's to have the balls rubbed up the right way, and then still create some consitency during play.  Not that I need consistency, but it would take the subjectivity out of it.  you know, if it was just "up to the ref", people would end up saying stuff like "oh that guy hates us, and he nkows Brady likes the balls soft so he'll inflate them high, that bastard".  If it's codified by method, timetable, and data, it just removes some of the inevitable whining.
 
 
 
Also, has it been posted yet:  Maybe Brady "like the feel" of the slightly softer ball...but I wonder if they are sitting around talking and saying "yknow, you were crushing it last week with the tighter ball...maybe you should be going high on the psi?"

 

[Shelterdog]

Which is legal. They're required to have then at regulation PSI at the time they're checked, not at game time.

If they were required to have them at regulation PSI during the game, they'd have to put the balls/air tank in the fridge before a game like last week's, and in a freezer before most games at Lambeau or on colder days in Gillette. And in some games--those where the temperature on the field changes significantly during the game--it would be literally impossible to comply with the rule.

 
Sure it is.  I'm trying to guess what kind of face saving thing the Wells report concocts and some sort of  statement that the Pats were aggressive but didn't intentionally cheat might do the trick.  At the end of the day it's pretty hard for Wells to say "no folks, this was all much ado about nothing because the NFL's idiot investigators didn't figure out cold air decreases ball pressure until after they'd interviewed 40 people and given damaging leaks to every prominent NFL reporter out there."

 

[E5 Yaz]

Florio has it now
 

In other words, although the Patriots did play with under-inflated footballs, the NFL hasn’t kept detailed records of whether those footballs were slightly under-inflated (which could be the result of a change in temperature) or significantly under-inflated (which would indicate that someone purposely let air out of the footballs).

 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/nfl-didnt-log-the-psi-of-each-patriots-football/

 

[simplyeric]

No, but I moved the discussion to the thread I'd pointed out originally since it's off topic here.

sorry...for some reason I thought the link you posted was the game thread.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Florio has it now
 
 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/nfl-didnt-log-the-psi-of-each-patriots-football/

 
Right now, Gregg Doyle's clenched fists must be tighter than his you know what.

 

[Section15Box113]

Some food for thought regarding the Colts' footballs from the comments section of that Hawk Ridge Systems simulation:

 
 

Andrew | January 29, 2015
Damon: Given your assumptions on indoor and field temperature, would the pressure curve for an unrubbed ball initially inflated at 13 psi look the same as your first SG Av Static Pressure–Gauge scenario, just starting and ending 0.5 psi higher?

 
Also, would the pressure curve as the ball warms (given the same conditions) be the same curve turned on its head, with some pressure returning quickly as it is reintroduced into the indoor environment, but taking about an hour to return to the original PSI?
 
Back of the envelope, it appears that the ball [lost] approximately 0.45 psi of the total 1.05 psi drop in the first 500 seconds (8:20) and roughly another 0.25 psi in the next 500 seconds. Would the cool ball experience a similar increase in pressure in these timeframes when brought indoors?
 
Taken together – and again, using rough numbers to approximate your curve – this might suggest that:
(1) a ball initially inflated to 13.0 psi would have dropped to approximately 11.95 psi in the first half. [Once] returned to 73 degrees, pressure might increase by 0.45 psi to 12.4 psi in the first 8:20 and then by another 0.25 psi to 12.65 psi by 16:40. Since halftime is 15 minutes, the ball would likely be around 12.5 psi after 10-12 minutes indoors – which would be registering as legal.
(2) a ball initially inflated to 13.5 psi would have dropped to approximately 12.45 psi in the first half. [Once] returned to 73 degrees, pressure might increase by 0.45 psi to 12.9 psi in the first 8:20 – back in the 12.5-13.5 range.
 
I’ve certainly made a number of assumptions here, but does this back-of-the envelope calculation hold water? Seems it could present a viable scenario re: why the Colts’ balls tested in-range at the half while the Patriots’ balls tested well below.

 

 

 
And the following response from the author of the study:
 

Damon Tordini | January 29, 2015
Andrew: interesting theory, it’s a possible explanation. As far as the pressure curve, it wouldn’t look exactly the same if starting at 13 or 13.5 psi instead of 12.5 psi (because the calculations are based on % changes in absolute temperature and pressure), but it would be similar.
 

 
Would want to see the numbers run on this with the accurate pressure curves, but seems that this could 100% explain why the Colts' balls checked out pregame and again at halftime, especially if the refs spent the first 10 minutes or so testing the Patriots' balls to determine whether there was actually a problem before thinking to test the Colts' balls as well.

 

[kartvelo]

Which is legal. They're required to have then at regulation PSI at the time they're checked, not at game time.

If they were required to have them at regulation PSI during the game, they'd have to put the balls/air tank in the fridge before a game like last week's, and in a freezer before most games at Lambeau or on colder days in Gillette. And in some games--those where the temperature on the field changes significantly during the game--it would be literally impossible to comply with the rule.

"...and now, a word from our sponsors while the refs test the inflation of 48 footballs."

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Florio has it now
 
 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/nfl-didnt-log-the-psi-of-each-patriots-football/

 
This is totally unsurprising.  Even if the footballs were gauge tested before the game, why would they log the results?
 
What I want to know (in addition to whether or not they were gauge tested at all in the pre-game) is if they actually logged the results at halftime.  It seems very possible that they didn't.  The whole thing was done pretty quickly, the officials were responding to an unusual complaint from the Colts about the footballs, and they were probably most concerned with just figuring out whether or not they needed new balls, not thinking about creating a trail of evidence for an investigation.

 

[Hoya81]

Florio has it now
 
 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/nfl-didnt-log-the-psi-of-each-patriots-football/

Florio and his writers keep circling back to the "low standard of proof" for punishment, but I doubt they could have suspended Josh Gordon if someone simply told them he was getting drunk/high instead of a failed test.

 

[jimbobim]

Florio has it now
 
 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/nfl-didnt-log-the-psi-of-each-patriots-football/

Florio didn't even have the nuts to write the article himself. He must be desperately searching for another source ..... 

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

And the following response from the author of the study:  

Damon | January 29, 2015
Andrew: how about them apples? interesting theory, it’s a possible explanation. As far as the pressure curve, it wouldn’t look exactly the same if starting at 13 or 13.5 psi instead of 12.5 psi (because the calculations are based on % changes in absolute temperature and pressure), but it would be similar.

 
FIFY

 

[Harry Hooper]

Florio didn't even have the nuts to write the article himself. He must be desperately searching for another source ..... 

 
Florio is more entrenched than the NFL on this.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

We must be really close to the "coverup" phase of hot Ballghazi sportztakez. I can feel the sizzle already.

 

[jimbobim]

Mike Reiss showing why he's actually competent 
 
 
As it relates to the Patriots' investigation, here is one follow-up thought based on this information: The fact there is no official documentation in the process is significant. 

Essentially, it sets up a situation where the NFL has to take the official at his word that all footballs were tested properly and there were no breakdowns in the process, either with the official himself or a member of the league's security team.
 
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4777441/learning-more-on-how-referees-test-and-document-football-air-pressure?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Harry Hooper]

 
Immunity for what?  Getting fired?
 
I won't be satisfied until we get our first round pick back from 2007.

 
A nice dream, but how about moving the Colts #1 to the end of the round for ownership blabbing.

 

[snowmanny]

The thing is, if the league was clued in to the Patriots having a pattern of deflating balls between ref check and the field it would be pretty easy to have set up an operation to figure that out using precise measurements and logging the data and bringing the balls back inside for measurement after a few hours (or whatever) of re-equilibration.  But they didn't do that, so I'm assuming it wasn't a league sting.
 
If it was just bad balls, yes, pull them from the game and that's it.
 
But in fact, the Patriots have been already unfairly penalized by the league.  The Brady-approved balls were apparently perfectly legal but were pulled from the game and the Pats were forced to go on offense with those creepy Andrew Luck balls.  Presumably they would have played much better with their own balls.

 

[judyb]

So, what if all the balls were really tested exactly as they were supposed to be, but then they brought all the balls inside at halftime, checked the Pats balls and refilled them first, destroying the evidence. Meanwhile the Colts balls were sitting inside warming up, then they checked them and found them to be okay.

 

[simplyeric]

"...and now, a word from our sponsors while the refs test the inflation of 48 footballs."

 
It wouldn't be that hard.  Just bring them onto the field and test them there, and leave them there.  
While one ball is in play, ball guy tests the "next ball up".  The assumption is that any given ball wouldn't fluctuate much in any 10 minute time span, or however long some individual ball remains on the field.
If you're worried about changing weather over time, test them, on the field, at half time.  Lock them in a box.    Any during-the-half or fluctuations are adjusted one at a time, and any -while-in-play fluctuations are just accepted.
 
It would be about as hard as picking a pen out of a pen drawer.  "Pen guy" pulls one out..."oh this one doesn't write, I'll check the next one,,,ah yeah it's fine...I'll hold onto this one until the ref needs it"

 

[Ed Hillel]

Florio and his writers keep circling back to the "low standard of proof" for punishment, but I doubt they could have suspended Josh Gordon if someone simply told them he was getting drunk/high instead of a failed test.

They don't even have that. It would be like having tape of Gordon walking into a Outback Steakhouse and assuming he drank.

 

[kartvelo]

 
It wouldn't be that hard.  Just bring them onto the field and test them there, and leave them there.  
While one ball is in play, ball guy tests the "next ball up".  The assumption is that any given ball wouldn't fluctuate much in any 10 minute time span, or however long some individual ball remains on the field.
If you're worried about changing weather over time, test them, on the field, at half time.  Lock them in a box.    Any during-the-half or fluctuations are adjusted one at a time, and any -while-in-play fluctuations are just accepted.
 
It would be about as hard as picking a pen out of a pen drawer.  "Pen guy" pulls one out..."oh this one doesn't write, I'll check the next one,,,ah yeah it's fine...I'll hold onto this one until the ref needs it"

You're quite right. If this matter were the least bit important, they could resolve it as you say.

 

[Shelterdog]

Mike Reiss showing why he's actually competent 
 
 
As it relates to the Patriots' investigation, here is one follow-up thought based on this information: The fact there is no official documentation in the process is significant. 

Essentially, it sets up a situation where the NFL has to take the official at his word that all footballs were tested properly and there were no breakdowns in the process, either with the official himself or a member of the league's security team.
 
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4777441/learning-more-on-how-referees-test-and-document-football-air-pressure?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 
Reiss also says that Blandino said (in a post press conference session) that Walt Anderson tested the balls himself with a pressure gauge.  It's unclear from the article whether that's referring to pre-game, half-time or both.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Mike Reiss showing why he's actually competent 
 
 
As it relates to the Patriots' investigation, here is one follow-up thought based on this information: The fact there is no official documentation in the process is significant. 

Essentially, it sets up a situation where the NFL has to take the official at his word that all footballs were tested properly and there were no breakdowns in the process, either with the official himself or a member of the league's security team.
 
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4777441/learning-more-on-how-referees-test-and-document-football-air-pressure?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 
This is new (to me at least).  Reiss says that a small group of reporters talked to Blandino after the PC and Blandino explicitly confirmed that Anderson gauge tested them himself and they were between 12.5 to 13.5.  But of course no records.
 
Too bad they didn't ask him about the halftime tests and whether there were explicit records of those tests.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

The NFL is going to owe Robert Kraft and the rest of the organization a huge fucking apology. Blandano pretty much admitted that the NFL let the Pats play with untested balls.

Not a big deal at all. The damage has already been done thanks to a rabid media circus.

 

[kartvelo]

Again, without measurements, before and after, that fall outside a confidence interval of what's been proven both by formula and experimentation to happen naturally, there's no reason to suspect that anyone did anything wrong.
So tiresome. Is it Sunday yet?

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

 
A nice dream, but how about moving the Colts #1 to the end of the round for ownership blabbing.

I'd still bet money that the smoking gun was that class organization in Baltimore.

 

[EricFeczko]

http://advancedfootballanalytics.com/index.php/home/analysis/afa-podcast/226-podcast-episode-44

Podcast from brian burke discusses the pats, deflation and spygate, as well as the game. Not sure where to put this, acutally.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

You guys do realize that even if Blandino came right out and said the refs completely fucked up nothing would change, right? To some non-trivial number of non-Patriot fans, they were caught cheating and most of those folks have moved on to Marshawn Lynch making a mockery of interviews etc. We are the only ones left who care and we ARE the choir. But the NFL and the media will never fully exonerate the Patriots because it serves nobody besides New England and their fans. This thread is the online equivalent to the most Sissyphean of tasks ever...

 

[speedracer]

You guys do realize that even if Blandino came right out and said the refs completely fucked up nothing would change, right? To some non-trivial number of non-Patriot fans, they were caught cheating and most of those folks have moved on to Marshawn Lynch making a mockery of interviews etc. We are the only ones left who care and we ARE the choir. But the NFL and the media will never fully exonerate the Patriots because it serves nobody besides New England and their fans. This thread is the online equivalent to the most Sissyphean of tasks ever...

Yes. I still want to see Kraft go thermonuclear if the NFL tries to fine the Patriots a dime.

 

[Ed Hillel]

You guys do realize that even if Blandino came right out and said the refs completely fucked up nothing would change, right? To some non-trivial number of non-Patriot fans, they were caught cheating and most of those folks have moved on to Marshawn Lynch making a mockery of interviews etc. We are the only ones left who care and we ARE the choir. But the NFL and the media will never fully exonerate the Patriots because it serves nobody besides New England and their fans. This thread is the online equivalent to the most Sissyphean of tasks ever...

I think you are wrong in assuming that the NFL report/punishment won't matter to your point, and it's certainly also worth following because of the impact of the punishment itself.

 

[leetinsley38]

You guys do realize that even if Blandino came right out and said the refs completely fucked up nothing would change, right? To some non-trivial number of non-Patriot fans, they were caught cheating and most of those folks have moved on to Marshawn Lynch making a mockery of interviews etc. We are the only ones left who care and we ARE the choir. But the NFL and the media will never fully exonerate the Patriots because it serves nobody besides New England and their fans. This thread is the online equivalent to the most Sissyphean of tasks ever...

Exactly. In the court of public opinion the Pats taped the Rams walk through before the SB and tampered with balls for years and were finally caught against the Colts. In fact there's probably lots more cheating going on but those were the two where they were caught red-handed.

 

[Saints Rest]

 
Well, they could do that... or they could update the rule to read: "The game-worthiness of all footballs at all times will be left to the discretion of the referee."
 
If we've learned anything here, isn't it that none of this matters a goddamn bit? If a ball is actually deflated, in the meaningful, colloquial way, it's up to the ref to notice that and correct it. That's basically how the last 49 years of NFL football have played out, no?

 

Why don't they just update the rule:
 
Balls will be tested on the field in "game conditions" to the best of the officials ability, 15 minutes prior to the start of the game, to ensure that the balls are inflated propoerly in game-time conditions.
Balls are to be tested using (gauge specs here), with inflation numbers logged.  
Balls are to be tested again at half time, on the field in "game conditions", with inflation adjusted as needed at that time. (gauge specs and log info)
During play, it is the officials responsibility to judge by subjective inspection whether the ball in play is acceptable.  
Any fluctuations of pressure during play are considered normal, and are not to be corrected except at the half as previously noted.
 
 
Yeah it's too many words, and someone could pretty it up, but basically:  testing done under "game" conditions, check it at half in case the weather has chanegd significantly, anything else is just "part of the game".

 
It seems to me that if they want the balls to remain at one pressure, they should make the rule thus:
Balls will be given to the refs 2 hours before game time who will then place the balls in a locked, screened, container ON THE SIDELINE.
Balls will be gauge-tested by the referees 30 minutes before game-time with pressures set by the referees to 12.5-13.5 PSI.
Balls will be re-tested by gauge at half-time again by the referees and any necessary adjustments to the pressures will be enacted by the referees to bring them back to the 12.5-13.5 range.
At all times, from 2 hours before game-time until the end of the game, the balls will remain under the control of the referees and kept ON THE FILED OR ON THE SIDELINE.

 

[kartvelo]

 
 
It seems to me that if they want the balls to remain at one pressure, they should make the rule thus:
Balls will be given to the refs 2 hours before game time who will then place the balls in a locked, screened, container ON THE FIELD.
Balls will be gauge-tested by the referees 30 minutes before game-time with pressures set by the referees to 12.5-13.5 PSI.
Balls will be re-tested by gauge at half-time again by the referees and any necessary adjustments to the pressures will be enacted by the referees to bring them back to the 12.5-13.5 range.

 
And, similar to a broken clock, the balls will thereby be ensured to be correct twice per game. Although, to be more precise, we can really only say that we would be relatively confident that each ball would be close to a correct state of inflation at some indeterminate point in time prior to the first scrimmage of each half.

 

[nighthob]

But in fact, the Patriots have been already unfairly penalized by the league.  The Brady-approved balls were apparently perfectly legal but were pulled from the game and the Pats were forced to go on offense with those creepy Andrew Luck balls.

I thought Brady liked his balls small and soft?

 

[Section15Box113]

 
FIFY

 
Nice!

 

[CoffeeNerdness]

I'd still bet money that the smoking gun was that class organization in Baltimore.

 
Blandino says he's unaware of any issues with pressure from the November Colts' game, but there was supposedly a pre-game notice to the refs about the ball pressure for the AFC Championship?  It would seem as though the rat is indeed old friend Jim Harbaugh.

 

[Steve Dillard]

I'm not thrilled to hear Anderson actually used a gauge. Actually had heard the usual practice is to have the young official on the crew do it as a rite of passage.

I was not expecting records, so the absence of them does not surprise me in any way, or advance the Pats' case.

It leaves open the nuance of how carefully the gauge is checked-- is it like inflating my tires to 34 psi (pop the pump on, see the stick go up about halfway between 30 and 40, and then quickly take it off so that more air doesn't escape).

The significance of Blandio saying there were no prior reports is perhaps important. If they were on notice, I would expect a precise gauge check. Without warning, the "close enough" practice was probably used.

From Mike Florio

In other words, although the Patriots did play with under-inflated footballs, the NFL hasn’t kept detailed records of whether those footballs were slightly under-inflated (which could be the result of a change in temperature) or significantly under-inflated (which would indicate that someone purposely let air out of the footballs).

The NFL will apply a low standard of proof to the Deflategate investigation, which means that the NFL doesn’t necessarily need an air-tight case to conclude that the Patriots broke the rules. But anyone who wants the NFL to get to the bottom of this should want the NFL to be as careful as it possibly can to preserve every piece of evidence it possibly can. And a detailed log of the inflation levels of each football is a piece of evidence the NFL should have.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/nfl-didnt-log-the-psi-of-each-patriots-football/

 

[djbayko]

 
 
It seems to me that if they want the balls to remain at one pressure, they should make the rule thus:
Balls will be given to the refs 2 hours before game time who will then place the balls in a locked, screened, container ON THE SIDELINE.
Balls will be gauge-tested by the referees 30 minutes before game-time with pressures set by the referees to 12.5-13.5 PSI.
Balls will be re-tested by gauge at half-time again by the referees and any necessary adjustments to the pressures will be enacted by the referees to bring them back to the 12.5-13.5 range.
At all times, from 2 hours before game-time until the end of the game, the balls will remain under the control of the referees and kept ON THE FILED OR ON THE SIDELINE.

 
You guys are all over-engineering the solution to this "problem".  If the NFL goes to such an extreme, it won't be any hair off my back, but it will be hilarious.  Of course, they might just do so in order to save face.

 

[RetractableRoof]

I'm not thrilled to hear Anderson actually used a gauge. Actually had heard the usual practice is to have the young official on the crew do it as a rite of passage.

I was not expecting records, so the absence of them does not surprise me in any way, or advance the Pats' case.

It leaves open the nuance of how carefully the gauge is checked-- is it like inflating my tires to 34 psi (pop the pump on, see the stick go up about halfway between 30 and 40, and then quickly take it off so that more air doesn't escape).

The significance of Blandio saying there were no prior reports is perhaps important. If they were on notice, I would expect a precise gauge check. Without warning, the "close enough" practice was probably used.

Only Reiss is claiming Anderson used a pressure guage. Every other account has him saying Anderson "guaged" them. That is simple use of a verb that does not preclude him eyeballing them. When Blandino or Anderson explicitly says a "pressure guage was used to test the balls pregame" then it will matter. Until then they are playing word games to mislead.

 

[k-factory]

 
Blandino says he's unaware of any issues with pressure from the November Colts' game, but there was supposedly a pre-game notice to the refs about the ball pressure for the AFC Championship?  It would seem as though the rat is indeed old friend Jim Harbaugh.

 
The scandal/click bait seeking media (at least parts of them) were shifting the narrative to 'a sting operation.' That narrative leads to a path of ineptitude and corruption for the NFL. Thats not a place they want to be.  
I'd say Blandino was given the go-ahead to just admit that there were no logs, no report from the first Colts game and no sting. 
 
And you have to believe the narrative shift and the pressure on Blandino to say anything at all is at least partly a result of Kraft throwing down.

 

[riboflav]

 
Reiss also says that Blandino said (in a post press conference session) that Walt Anderson tested the balls himself with a pressure gauge.  It's unclear from the article whether that's referring to pre-game, half-time or both.

 
Where do you get that? Reiss says the ref "gauged" them; it's intentionally vague. IOW, there's no mention of a pressure gauge.

 

[riboflav]

Only Reiss is claiming Anderson used a pressure guage. Every other account has him saying Anderson "guaged" them. That is simple use of a verb that does not preclude him eyeballing them. When Blandino or Anderson explicitly says a "pressure guage was used to test the balls pregame" then it will matter. Until then they are playing word games to mislead.

 
Even Reiss doesn't say it was a pressure gauge. Not sure where you're seeing this.