Rollen » quarter. The three-minute drought was fo

The NFL is very precise about its game and equipment — including the number of footballs prepared for games, how much each must weigh, and who monitors them until kickoff.One rule is very clear: Dont tamper with a football once it has been inspected for use in a game.The NFL is investigating a report that the New England Patriots used underinflated footballs in the AFC championship game while beating the Indianapolis Colts 45-7. ESPN cited anonymous sources Tuesday night in reporting the league found that 11 of 12 balls were underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch of air.Here are some things to know about the issue:CHAIN OF CUSTODY: Footballs are delivered to the officials dressing room 2 hours, 15 minutes before kickoff. The referee inspects each one, with a pump provided by the home team to adjust air pressure as needed. Footballs are required to have at least 12.5 psi and no more than 13.5 psi. Releasing air can make the football easier to grip, especially when wet. Some quarterbacks prefer a softer ball to control the spin more, while others like more air. A drop in temperature — from the officials dressing room to an outdoor field — also can cause a football to lose pressure.THE REF RULES: The referee is the sole judge of whether a ball is fit for play and marks each one approved for the game. The rule says the footballs shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game. The referee for the game was Walt Anderson. A key question in the investigation is whether the balls improperly passed inspection or were either switched or tampered with after Andersons inspection. As the home team, the Patriots were responsible for having someone handle the footballs on each sideline.BALL CONTROL: Footballs are sent directly to teams. Equipment managers can brush them and even use a damp towel to rub off the oil used to preserve the leather to the preferences of each quarterback. The quarterbacks can even practice with the footballs during a game week as long as the footballs remain in good enough condition to pass the referees inspection as a new ball. Each team brings at least 12 balls each, so Tom Brady threw footballs provided by the Patriots while Andrew Luck handled footballs brought by the Colts.POTENTIAL PUNISHMENT: If the NFL finds anyone with the Patriots underinflated the footballs, Commissioner Roger Goodell has wide latitude for punishment. This includes a fine that can be as low as $25,000 for anyone deemed responsible for tampering with a football, even if its the head coach. Goodell could strip the team of draft picks, suspend people for unfair acts, and reverse a games result or reschedule a game.PREVIOUS OFFENSE: Goodell fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000 along with stripping the team of a first-round draft pick in 2007 for having an assistant spy on the New York Jets defensive signals by using a sideline camera.FURTHER REVIEW: Steelers president Art Rooney II said Wednesday he expects the competition committee to study whether the rule should change, but he thinks everyone should use the same balls. It would seem to be simpler to have one set of balls, which was the case for many years, Rooney said. The officials brought the balls out and everybody used the same ball, and it seems like that would be an easy answer to this.ODDS FOR PUNISHMENT: One bookmaker — Bovada.lv — posted odds of 3-2 that Belichick could be suspended at least one game, and 15-2 that he could be suspended for the Super Bowl.___AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max 1 Online Shop . And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions. Air Max 1 Uk Sale . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then. http://www.airmax1uk.com/. -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. Air Max 1 Clearance Uk . -- Orleans Darkwa ran in from 1 yard with 1:45 left, and the Miami Dolphins rallied from two scores down in the final minutes to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-20 on Saturday night. Air Max 1 Wholesale Uk . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted he is getting antsy for a loss. Hell have to wait. Marco Belinelli scored 18 points and San Antonio never trailed after its opening possession, extending its winning streak to 17 games with a 96-80 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. The Spurs once again used fluid passing and tireless player movement to overwhelm an opponent. San Antonio finished with 24 assists while going 37 for 78 from the field in snapping New Orleans five-game winning streak. "They move around a lot, and run their sets hard," Pelicans guard Brian Roberts said. "Whatever theyre running, they are moving constantly. It puts pressure on a defence to play 24 seconds worth." Roberts scored 18 points, Austin Rivers added 16 points, Tyreke Evans had 11 points and Al-Farouq Aminu had eight points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans (32-41). Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili scored 15 points each, Patty Mills added 13 and Tim Duncan had 12 points and eight rebounds. San Antonio (57-16) extended its lead to 3 1/2 games over Oklahoma City (53-19) for the leagues best record. In addition to winning its last 17, the Spurs have won 20 of 21 and have not lost since falling 106-85 to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 21. "It is sweet to be a part of that," Ginobili said. "It is not something that happens very often because it is a long spread of game, a month or two. Here or there you have a bad game or the opponent has a bad one, but a lot of things have combined for us to have this type of streak. We played really well and we are healthy." New Orleans was without Anthony Davis, its leading scorer and rebounder. Davis injured his left ankle 4 minutes into the Pelicans victory over Utah on Friday night. "Its a joint/soft tissue injury right now," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "He did it in his normal routine. Hes listed as day to day. Well see how he feels tomorrow." Williams said the Pelicans would have had a tough task even with Davis and the Spurs showed why early. "They jumped oon us," Evans said.dddddddddddd "They just moved the ball hit shots and we couldnt make a shot." San Antonio opened the game on a 23-6 run, with Belinelli picked up where he left off Friday night. He was 4 for 5 on 3-pointers against New Orleans after going 6 for 9 on 3-pointers Friday while scoring a game-high 27 points in a 133-102 victory in Denver. "Hes been really steady for us and he plays a great all-around game," Popovich said. Belinelli made his first two 3-pointers against the Pelicans after opening with a 15-foot jumper off an assist from Duncan. Belinellis first 3-pointer with 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter gave San Antonio a 16-4 lead. The Spurs would never lead by less than 10 points the rest of the way. After Alexis Ajinca hit a 17-foot jumper on the games opening possession, New Orleans did not score again until Greg Stiemsmas dunk with 8:21 remaining in the first quarter. The three-minute drought was followed by another three-minute drought. "We couldnt finish in the paint tonight," Williams said. "We were 18 for 48 in the paint. Thats a bad number for us. Were a team that usually is high when it comes to points in the paint." Rivers layup with 30.9 seconds pulled New Orleans within 69-59 with 30.9 seconds left in the third quarter, but Belinelli hit back-to-back 3s to fuel a 12-3 run and San Antonio reasserted its control. San Antonio travels to Indiana to play the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers on Monday. NOTES: Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson sat courtside during the game cheering the Spurs. Mickelson withdrew Saturday from the third round of the Valero Texas Open after injuring an oblique muscle. "I pulled a muscle on my downswing trying to hit the ball hard on the second hole (his 11th)," Mickelson said in a statement. "It just killed and it wouldnt subside for 10 or 12 seconds." ... Spurs W Danny Green (right foot inflammation) and Matt Bonner (right calf strain) both sat out the game. ... Roberts played 29 minutes after being listed as day to day with a left knee bone bruise. ' ' '