In the wake of Deflategate, plenty has been made about whether or not the Patriots might have tampered with footballs or whether their pregame preparations of footballs have been on the level. But aside from the general notion that it might be easier to grip, throw, or catch a deflated football, the measurable impact of a football with lower air pressure received little attention.
And then Warren Sharp’s study went viral.
Last Thursday, Sharp — an engineer who maintains a blog focused on quantitative analysis of the NFL — published a post entitled, “The New England Patriots Prevention of Fumbles is Nearly Impossible.”
He then authored follow-up examinations of the Patriots’ startling fumble-proof performance in recent years, concluding that New England’s improved ability to avoid fumbles has become so extreme as to merit comparisons to winning the lottery.
