NY Times · Jan 11, 2016
Seahawks 10, Vikings 9: With Ball’s Lace Facing Wrong Way, Seahawks Win by a Thread
Photo Seattle safety Kam Chancellor, left, ripping the ball from Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson during the fourth quarter. The Seahawks recovered. Credit Bruce Kluckhohn/USA Today Sports, via Reuters MINNEAPOLIS — There is only one lace, threaded through 16 holes, on an official N.F.L. game ball. When a holder sets the ball for a kicker, the rule of thumb is “laces out” — meaning the holder should rotate the ball to put the lace on the side facing the goal posts. Something about the way that white strip meets the kicker’s foot can make the ball fly in unpredictable directions.
