While the NFL investigates whether the New England Patriots played with under-inflated footballs during a championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, a local quarterback is weighing in on the issue.
A guy like John Kaleo makes throwing a football look easy. After all, he used to be a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Storm.
But he said, there is something that could make getting a grip on the football even easier: It’s the old trick of deflating.
"I can pressure the leather -- kind of create an imprint in the leather," Kaleo demonstrated. “I can get a better grip to throw the football and for receivers when they catch it, it's not like a rock."
In the NFL, footballs must be inflated to at least 12.5 pounds per square inch. We gave Kaleo a ball that was about 11 psi and he noticed immediately.
The fully inflated ball, he said, had little give.
“As I press it, I can’t move the surface like I could the other one,” Kaleo said.
It makes a world of difference, especially when there is inclement weather.
The AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts was played in cold and rainy conditions.