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Foxboro, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he was completely and totally unaware of the situation involving his teams reported use of underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis. Speaking at a regularly scheduled press conference on Thursday before the Patriots begin preparations for the Super Bowl, Belichick made a lengthy statement about the controversy, then deflected the few questions from the assembled media. When I came in Monday morning, I was shocked to learn of the news reports about the footballs, Belichick stated. I had no knowledge whatsoever about this situation until Monday morning. I learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew or had talked about in the last 40 years that I coached in this league. The Patriots rolled to a 45-7 win over the Colts last Sunday in a rain-soaked game at Gillette Stadium and reports began to surface in the hours after the contest that balls were not correctly inflated, which would apparently allow for a better grip in inclement weather. Citing league sources, ESPN.com reported Tuesday night that 11 of the 12 balls used by the Patriots during the game were underinflated by two pounds of air pressure per square inch (PSI). NFL rules mandate game balls, which are inspected by the referee, be inflated to 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 PSI. Belichick said he had no knowledge of the process of how footballs were prepared and what the officials did with them, although he knew that each team had the opportunity to shape them as they saw fit before officials took a look at them. In my entire coaching career, I have never talked to any player, staff member about football air pressure, he added. That is not a subject that I have ever brought up. To me, the footballs are approved by the league and game officials pregame and we play with whats out there. The only time Belichick said he considers how footballs are prepared is during practice. My personal coaching philosophy and my mentality has always been to make things as difficult as possible for players in practice, said Belichick. Any current or past player of mine would tell you the balls we practice with are as bad as they can be -- wet, sticky, cold, slippery. However bad we can make them, I make them. Any time that players complain about the quality of the balls, I make them worse and that stops the complaining. Belichick said the Patriots will take steps in attempt to make sure the inflation range does not become an issue in the future by overinflating the balls so there will be no margin of error. As an example, if a ball deflated from 13.2 to 12.9 (PSI) it wouldnt matter, he noted. If it deflated from 12.5 to 12.3 it would. As far as personal preference for quarterbacks, kickers and specialists, Belichick said that was something his MVP signal-caller Tom Brady could talk more about. Brady was expected to meet later with the media to discuss the issue. Belichick said it was unfortunate that this issue has clouded the teams two playoff wins and added that the Patriots will continue to cooperate with the leagues investigation. After the nearly 8 1/2-minute statement, Belichick wouldnt comment further when pressed by reporters. I told you everything I know, theres nothing else I can add to it. I have no explanation for what happened, were his answers several times to questions. If the NFL finds the Patriots deflated footballs intentionally, they could be subject to penalties similar to ones levied after the team was found to have videotaped defensive signals used by the New York Jets during a game in September 2007. Those penalties included a $500,000 fine for Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a draft pick. Adidas NMD Human Race Cheap . -- C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall. Adidas NMD Clearance Sale . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/ . A receiver doesnt make the catch on a passing play and instantly motions to the ref – and everybody else – for a pass interference flag. Adidas NMD R1 Clearance . -- The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Cuban shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena to a $25 million, five-year contract Saturday. Cheap NMD Online .C. -- Authorities say the brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub.ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Higher-seeded teams with the lead in a best-of-seven series over the history of the NHL playoffs have had plenty of trouble putting the opponent away. Sometimes the brink of elimination has been what truly gets a team going. Consider the Chicago Blackhawks, though, when their foe is down. An ability to swoop down and delivering the finishing victory has become a clear trait of this team since coach Joel Quenneville took over and stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews arrived. "The bigger the setting, the bigger the stage, they seem to rise to that challenge," Quenneville said. Since 2009, the first post-season appearance for Kane and Toews, the Blackhawks have not lost in any of the seven playoff series theyve been in that were tied after four games. Thats a 13-0 record in Games 5 and 6 of such matchups that were even at two each, including the Stanley Cup finals in 2010 against Philadelphia and 2013 against Boston. Theyll test that perfect mark once more on Tuesday in Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild, who fell behind 3-2 in this Western Conference semifinal series after losing 2-1 in Chicago on Sunday. "To do exactly whatever it takes ... is one of the hardest things in any series, to clinch it," said Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell, whos tied for the NHL lead with six goals this year in the playoffs. "But I feel we have the confidence and the poise and the relaxation that we dont get ahead of ourselves and just play shift by shift." During the Kane-Toews era -- which includes left wing Patrick Sharp and core defencemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson -- the Blackhawks are 11-2 in games played with a chance to win a series. Theyre 5-1 on the road, with the only losses in those clinching situations against Vancouver, in 2011 in Game 7 of the first round and in 2010 in Game 5 of the second round. They rebounded in 2010 to win Game 6 and advance. The Wild are bound to be one of the toughest outs these Blackhawks have encountered. Theyre 5-0 at Xcel Energy Center since the playoffs began, ouutscoring their opponents 16-5 and allowing an average of 19.dddddddddddd2 shots on goal per game. The Blackhawks were stifled in Games 3 and 4, unable to amount any kind of offensive rhythm. "The building has been electric. The fans have been unbelievable. Im sure theyre having a good time with the late starts," Wild defenceman Ryan Suter said, smiling. "Everything, its been a lot of fun for us. Were driving to the rink and you see the excitement outside the rink, and we just build off that." The Wild won two elimination games in the last round against Colorado and, to factor in franchise history, are 9-5 all time in those situations. Theyre trying to become the first NHL team to force consecutive Game 7s in the same post-season without holding a series lead since the New York Islanders in 1987. "Just get ready for Game 6 here. Thats our Game 7 right now," captain Mikko Koivu said. Quenneville declared injured centre Andrew Shaw out again for Game 6. Wild coach Mike Yeo said left wing Matt Moulson and defenceman Keith Ballard were skating on Monday but declined to speculate on their status. Suter took a hard spill in Game 3 in a tangle with Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa, leaving the game briefly with an apparent injury to his right arm, but he and Yeo have said repeatedly hes fine. Really, at this point in the playoffs, any pain is mostly an afterthought. So, too, is the elimination scenario for the Wild. "I think we like the challenge. We always seem to make things harder than it needs to be. I dont know if thats a good thing to do, but it seems throughout the year thats kind of been the way weve gone about it," Suter said. So the teams will take the ice on Tuesday, with the pressure on each side higher than its been all season. "I think we know what theyre doing. I think they know pretty much what were doing, too," Blackhawks defenceman Johnny Oduya said. "From this point I think its just a matter of will and who wants to win the most and whos fresher and who plays better." ' ' '