NFL Has Added Security To Protect Game Balls

Looks like anyone who wants to get a hold of these before game time better call Danny Ocean and his Ocean's Eleven posse.

Dean Blandino, the league's vice-president of officiating, laid out some of the protocol regarding the game balls for the big game.

During the regular season, each team turns in 12 balls to be inspected and used for the game. For the Super Bowl, each team has 54 game balls to use.

The teams have all week to practice with these balls, and get them ready the way they like them for game time. Then on Friday (today), the league takes custody of both team's footballs, 108 in all, and keep them under heavy security until  2 hours before kickoff.

I can imagine the scene...armed guards with mirror shades, toothpicks clenched in their jaws, just rounding up the footballs to be placed in whatever Arizona has that is the equivalent of Fort Knox.

I can just as easily picture Coach Bill having a Danny Ocean moment. Looking for a new game plan for this week (having finished Seattle's last week) he'll find out where they are, get the floor plans, and away we go.

It really is a shame that in this Super Bowl, we really do have the two best teams in the league playing for the championship, and yet it's all been about de-flategate and who's not talking to the media.

6:30 pm Sunday can't come quick enough.

Remember, all the play by play, including the Super Bowl pre-game show can be heard Sunday beginning at 2 pm right here on The Shark!