A slight rule change is coming to the NFL in 2016.
The good news is that fans won't notice any difference, and players and teams won't be forced to drastically alter their pregame routine. The bad news is that the rule change relates to everyone's least favorite topic: Deflategate.
As Pro Football Talk first pointed out on Sunday, the NFL tweaked the pre-game ball procedure for the 2016 season. Here's the new rule, via the official rulebook, with the bolded parts marking the changes:
SECTION 2 SUPPLY Each team will make 12 primary and 12 backup balls available for testing by the Referee no later than two hours and 30 minutes prior to the starting time of the game to meet League requirements. For all games, six new footballs, sealed in a special box and shipped by the manufacturer to the Referee, will be opened in the officials' locker room two hours and 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are to be specially marked by the Referee and used exclusively for the kicking game.
And here's PFT explaining the change:
Previously, each team was required to make 12 balls available for pregame testing two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff. The home team also was required to make 12 backup balls available for testing in all stadiums, and the visiting teams was permitted to bring 12 balls for pregame testing at game played in outdoor stadiums only.
So, each team is now required to always provide 24 total footballs 15 minutes earlier than usual.
As PFT went on to write, there's really no way to know the exact reason the NFL made the change. But, as we all know, it's probably related to Deflategate, the scandal that's plagued the NFL for well over a year now. As it stands, Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season for his alleged role.
Of course, Brady is hardly the only quarterback who likes his footballs a specific way. Aaron Rodgers prefers his to be as overinflated as possible while Eli Manning's footballs require months of prep work. So, not only did Manning's work load increase, his due date also moved up.
