I Did Not Know This

NFL Detroit Lions
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So I was re-watching the Lions versus Rams right now and Tirico said they were determining if it was a regular ball or a kicking ball in the game. I didn’t know that there was a difference to be honest. Here’s what I found with a quick Google search:

The footballs used by NFL kickers, sometimes called “K-balls,” are slightly modified to optimize performance . Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker showed 60 Minutes how his footballs are legally smoothed down by a brush where his foot will make impact

Anyway, I thought it was interesting and maybe not everyone knew it.

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I want to say a long time ago they had big "K"s on the side, but I might be remembering that wrong.

I know they brought them in originally cause kickers were doctoring the regular footballs to make them easier to kick. However that did not make them easier to throw/catch/hold onto and other players started to complain lol. Now they get their own set of footballs to doctor however they want.

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They also fill them full of helium.

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Deflated with helium in New England.

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They must, the way these kickers are banging in 60+ yarders like they’re PATs.

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Just so we are all on the same page…

https://www.google.com/search?q=are+NFL+football+filled+with+helium&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

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I don’t really see the results of the test they did there.

I know that one study done showed that the football traveled 7 yards further (on average) when filled with helium.

To be clear though, I was just fuckin around when I suggested footballs are currently being filled with helium.

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Yeah, this was brought up during Deflategate. I had no idea before that, but I remember it being discussed due to the controversy. Not sure what year it started.

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I figured as much, but I had heard that rumor before.

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Now that you mention it, I might have heard that before. My mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be.:joy:

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Yeah, this has been a thing for a long time.

Our high school used composite for the kickers and I believe leather for everyone else.

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Hindenballs. Guess that would be hydrogen. How the periodic tables have turned on me.

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