The NFL says its investigation into whether the New England Patriots used underinflated footballs in the AFC championship game i

The NFL says its investigation into whether the New England Patriots used underinflated footballs in the AFC championship game is ongoing after a report Tuesday night claimed the league found 11 balls were not properly inflated. Michael Gallup Womens Jersey .Troy Vincent, the NFLs executive vice-president for football operations, told The Associated Press that the investigation is currently underway and were still awaiting findings.Vincent was responding to an ESPN report that cited anonymous league sources saying 11 of the Patriots 12 allotted game footballs were underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch of air. ESPN did not say how that occurred.Vincent said earlier Tuesday he expected the probe to be concluded by the end of the week. The last thing the NFL wants after a difficult season off the field is a potential cheating scandal that disrupts Super Bowl week. New England faces Seattle on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona.The Patriots, who beat Indianapolis 45-7 for the AFC title, said they were co-operating with the league, and a Seahawks spokesman said the team would defer to the league on the matter.The NFL began looking into the issue not only because doctoring the footballs could provide a competitive advantage, but because it would compromise the integrity of the game.Deflating a football can change the way its gripped by a player or the way it travels through the air. Some quarterbacks and receivers prefer balls with less air or more air than the standard.Under NFL rules, each team provides balls each game for use when its offence is on the field. The balls are inspected before the game by the officiating crew, then handled during the game by personnel provided by the home team.Social media responses were quick late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.11 of 12 balls under-inflated can anyone spell cheating!!! #Just Saying was the tweet from Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice.So we get to play the game again or nah? ?? tweeted Colts cornerback Darius Butler.Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on ESPN radio in Milwaukee that he didnt like how referees handle the balls. If balls come in over-inflated, the referees take some air out.I have a major problem with the way it goes down, to be honest with you, Rodgers said. The majority of the time, they take air out of the football. I think that, for me, is a disadvantage.Rodgers said referees have a set range in which they like to set game balls, and that he always liked the higher end of the range because of his grip.I just have a hard time throwing a flat football, Rodgers said. He thought a slight majority of quarterbacks like footballs on the flatter side.My belief is that there should be a minimum air-pressure requirement but not a maximum, Rodgers said. Theres no advantage, in my opinion. Were not kicking the football. Theres no advantage in having a pumped-up football.Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said the investigation is the least of his worries. And tight end Rob Gronkowski tweeted a photo of himself spiking the ball with the words: WARNING GRONKING MAY CAUSE DEFLATION.Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Tuesday deferred questions about the investigation, saying reporters should ask league officials. Belichick earlier said he wasnt aware there was an issue until Monday morning and promised to co-operate fully with whatever the league wants us to, whatever questions they ask.Belichick, of course, was fined $500,000 in 2007 for having an assistant spy on the New York Jets defensive signals.Special teams captain Matthew Slater said the Patriots try to do things the right way. We work hard at our jobs, our professions, to be successful and its unfortunate that things like this come up, but thats life, thats the world we live in.Colts coach Chuck Pagano said he did not notice issues with the football and didnt specify when asked whether the Colts had reported the issue to officials.We talk just like they talk to officials (before the game), he said. We have an opportunity to talk to the officials about a lot of things.Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman said the balls didnt feel different than usual.And defensive tackle Vince Wilfork seemed amused by the matter and didnt shed any light on it.I dont know anything about that, he said. I dont touch footballs. I tackle people.___AP Sports Writers Howard Ulman, Tim Booth and Genaro C. Armas contributed to this report.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP_NFL DeMarcus Ware Womens Jersey . Canada Day is here and with it comes Free Agent Frenzy as the NHLs 30 teams storm out of the gate for signing season. Bob Lilly Youth Jersey .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Tony-Romo-Cowboys-Jersey/ . Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old.LOS ANGELES -- Big, fast and physical, the Los Angeles Kings play a punishing brand of hockey. But its also a smart game. Theres more to the Kings than banging bodies. They take a toll mentally on their opponents. "Very opportunistic, first and foremost," Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh said of the Kings game. "They make something out of nothing a few times in the game and thats whats dangerous. "You feel like youve got them. You feel like youve got a simple battle in the corner, youve got numbers back. It doesnt matter, they find a way to get a puck towards the net and get a bounce, get the right body position. Youve got to maintain your discipline and your focus all the way through until your shift is done." Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who faced 20 shots in the third period of the Rangers 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1, says the Kings can threaten from anywhere. "They like to throw pucks from the outside, go for rebounds," said the stylish Swede. "A lot of times you might not think theres a big chance, but a lot of times they create something from second and third chances, not necessarily from the first shot. "Its important that you dont relax even though you feel like you have everything under control maybe in the first sequence. Thats when they can surprise you a little bit." "They throw a lot of bodies, throw a lot of pucks on net," Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi summed up. The Kings certainly have the Rangers attention. New York coach Alain Vigneault has spent the last two days urging his team to dig deep for Game 2 Saturday. "If youre in the final, and your expectations are to win, you have to bring your best game to the table. Our guys are aware of that," he said. "Our guys are talking to themselves, between themselves about it. Were all looking for a better response (Saturday)." Both teams practised Friday -- the Rangers at Staples Center and the Kings at their practice facility in suburban El Segundo. There will likely be lineup changes on both sides. Rangers defenceman John Moore, eligible to return from a two-game suspension, resumed his normal spot in practice. And Kings coach Darryl Sutter said veteran defenceman Robyn Regehr, who has been out injured since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, will "probably" play. Vigneault says backup goalie Cam Talbot remains day-do-day with an undisclosed injury. Despite losing last time out, thee Rangers were as cool as ice Friday. Robert Newhouse Cowboys Jersey. The message has been to turn the page on Game 1, while turning it up a notch for Game 2. For the Kings, its stay the course. That means playing with discipline and putting their bodies on the line for the 105th time since the start of the regular season. It is to their credit that they can continue to play their game. "Our style is not easy to play for 82 games every night," acknowledged captain Dustin Brown when asked about the teams scoring lapses during the regular season. "Sometimes we get into a funk and everyone focuses on our goal-scoring. "There was a stretch of games (during the regular season) where we couldnt score but we were finding ways to win games because we played the right way on the other side of the puck. I think thats where a lot of our success comes from, is really the defensive side of the puck." Los Angeles ranked 26th in the league during the regular season with 2.42 goals a game. It helped that the Kings were first in goals-against average at 2.05. In the playoffs, they lead with 3.46 goals a game. They are in the middle of the playoff pack with 2.82 goals against. Asked how they have managed to add a gear in the post-season, Brown said champions find a way. "This time of year, good teams find that extra," he said. The Kings clearly take pride in the toll that their game takes on opponents. "When teams play against us and say that Man, these guys compete, they play hard. They battle for every puck. And yeah, to win four out of seven against these guys is going to take a lot," said defenceman Willie Mitchell. "If other teams are saying that, or people from the outside are kind of giving us that label, it means that were doing a lot of things here and well continue to do that." On Saturday, its the Rangers time to dig deep. "We have to expect theyre going to be a lot better," said New York forward Brad Richards. "We have to be better or youre going to be down 2-0 ... Its this time of year. You get one crack at it. You got to raise it. Theres no other option." Added Girardi: "We know in the room here that we have what it takes to get the job done." "Were going to be ready (Saturday)," said Vigneault. A good performance and the Rangers go home happy. "It would be really nice to have (the series) 1-1 leaving L.A.," said forward Carl Hagelin. ' ' '