Phil Simms: Aaron Rodgers Prefers Over-Inflated Footballs For Better Grip

From the category of “too much information” comes word that Aaron Rodgers likes his balls “tight.”

The airwaves are overrun this week with talk of football inflation, both of the over- and under-inflated variety. With the New England Patriots facing allegations of playing with partially deflated balls in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, Rodgers unwittingly has become part of the controversy.

In an on-air exchange during a Nov. 30 game between the Patriots and Packers, CBS broadcasters Jim Nantz and Phil Simms discussed how the Green Bay quarterback apparently told Simms he likes a football with a little more air than is allowable under NFL rules.

“I like to push the limit to how much air we can put in the football, even go over what they allow you to do and see if the officials take the air out of it,” Rodgers told Simms prior to the broadcast, according to Simms.

Simms continued: “Because he thinks it’s easier for him to grip. He likes them tight.”

Simms noted this was unusual for NFL quarterbacks, who usually prefer a softer ball they can sink their fingers into. There was no word on whether the Patriots, who were facing the Packers that day, filed any sort of complaint with the NFL about “Over-Inflate-Gate.”

Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images