Do you trust the NFL to keep our games fair this year?

patsinthesnow said:

2013. Never Forget.

First time ever calling a FG block penalty on Chris Jones. Jets re-kick. Patriots Lose.

Gronk mugged in the endzone. Ref throws flag. Flag picked up. Patriots lose.

14-2 and homefield advantage was stolen from us then. Why would I trust them now?

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Only a damn fool would believe that the NFL is on the up and up with Goody and the Jests in charge. If all of your examples weren't enough, how about the fact that they released a phony story about ball deflation a week before the last SB?

And the Pats just keep on rolling.

There's no way, with that many game officials, that any conspiracy to fix games via the refs would remain secret.

nothing to worry about. BB and Brady will not allow games to be close where a few bad calls will affect the outcome of the game. i expect the team to run up the score

Haley said:

After everything that has happened, do you trust the NFL to keep games fair this year? Because after seeing all this go on, I'm not sure I do. What kind of foul play do you expect and how confident are you that the refereeing will be relatively unbiased?

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The word trust and the word NFL should never be in the same sentence ever again.

The Boston Patriot said:

The word trust and the word NFL should never be in the same sentence ever again.

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But...... I don't trust the NFL.

Not one bit, but I absolutely trust the Patriots ability to overcome it.

RayClay said:

The games are on TV, just play the games. Being paranoid won't help.Who's to say officiating has ever been fair?

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This.

The games are broadcast live with millions watching, there is nothing on field they could do that wouldn't get caught and come under scrutiny. Officials sometimes make bad calls, and all 32 teams are subject to them.

Now, outside of the games, with the NFL leaking rumours and lies to affect the outcome of future games ... well I think its reasonably possible they'd do it again.

I don't trust them.

But I'm not expecting some extra "fix-is-in" that we haven't already seen the last few years.

The supervisor of officials will downgrade refs for close correct calls for NE and give them good grades on close incorrect calls against NE (and vice versa).

The refs will get the message soon enough.

If they lose in court, I have a feeling they might try something.

dude...you can say anything after "do you trust the nfl to" and the answer will be a very understanding and logical NO

You don't really have to trust them. Fixing games is criminal - the refs know this. Any word of that getting out from anyone would ruin Goodell. Even Goodell knows better then that.. This is why they went after then with the phony deflate gate story...

If you are just fixing games..why bother?

I trust them to keep the games fair to about the same extent that I think the investigation was fair.

This is why I believe the league office should have had a discussion on best case-worst case scenarios on the deflation allegations before proceeding. It doesn't seem like they ever considered how it would look if their initial impressions were wrong and the Patriots were innocent. Instead, they ran a smear campaign on a team that did nothing wrong and leaked false information that distracted them from their SB preparation.

I also think this plays a part in why most in the media has been reluctant to point out the ramifications of the league sending out damaging, false information or any of the other lies and misinformation the league has distributed on a regular basis over the last 7 months. If more fans begin to question the motives and decisions made by the league, it damages the product.

As someone noted earlier, it doesn't have to be a preponderance of one-side calls, just when they occur. Look at the two Cowboys playoff games from last season:

- Late in the game against the Lions, a Cowboy linebacker committed what appeared to be straight-forward PI. The officials picked up the flag and Detroit had to punt. The officials also ignored Dez Bryant coming onto the field to argue the initial PI call. Dallas goes on to win.

- Late in the game against Green Bay, Bryant appeared to catch a pass that would have put Dallas on the GB 1 or 2 yard line. After review, the pass was ruled incomplete. Dallas ends up losing.

Both of those calls could have gone either way. Were they just cases of the officials making bad or tough call? That depends on what team you root for. If people begin to suspect the league might be manipulating things, then people will wonder if the NFL wanted Detroit to lose because Dallas-GB would be a much more marketable and competitive game. And maybe they wanted GB to advance because the Cowboys had already beaten Seattle in Seattle and they needed an easier road for the Seahawks to return to the SB.

These scenarios sound far-fetched, but if the perception exists that the league is capable of manipulating games like this, it's bad for the NFL's business.

First I will preface my comment with no I do not believe (yet) that games are fixed and refs are anything besides humans with certain biases who make mistakes and questionable calls. That said do I trust the NFL? Hmm allow me to make a small list of people and corporations I trust more then the NFL, Benedict Arnold, Judus, Walmart, Brutus, Alen Specter, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and......oh you get the idea.

RayClay said:

Unfortunately for the evil NFL, they have created a Frankenstein monster that cannot be distracted or confused.

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Goodlell's instructions to the 31:

Listen and understand. That Belichick/Brady thing is out there. It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear and it absolutely will not stop, ever. Until your team is demolished.

The NFL can manipulate games by suspending players and coaches, and removing draft picks for no reason.

Those things almost certainly have a larger effect on competitive fairness than manipulating a few refs (which I don't think happens). The NFL front office compromises the integrity of the game more than anyone else.

I'm waiting for excuses from the Haters like...
Because Brady and the Pats were put through the ringer the NFL Refs are giving them all the calls.

I firmly believe that the NFL will actively look to create another gate incident against the Patriots. If Goodell wins in court against Brady, I firmly believe that he will use the integrity of the game punishment every chance he can.

If Brady loses, it gives Goodell free rein to punish the Patriots as often and as hard as he wishes. We know he doesn't need proof. Bugging the visitors locker room, no proof needed, fines and suspensions for the team and Belichick. What evidence you say? Well it's Peyton and the Colts so it must be true. Well we say that was years ago. Goodell says that the Colts have to sweep the room for bugs, if they have to do that, it affects the integrity of the game and the Patriots are responsibility. I hate to think what happens now if head sets malfunction or clocks don't work at crucial parts of any home game.

There is also injury spotters now looking to pull players out of the game. It's almost a sure bet that a Patriots player will be pulled off the field at a crucial time if he receives a hard hit.

I don't think as a whole, the referees fix games for the NFL. They are also part of a union and have had their own issues against the NFL. That being said, I think there will be the usual incompetance and normal bias that we always have had. There might be some lash back against the Patriots because of the increased work load with the new ball procedures. The NFL might assign certain teams that have been known to be more harsh on the Patriots to referee certain key games.

Goodell shows all the signs of being a dictator. He has his own media arm to spread his lies and propaganda. He uses his power to punish those he dislikes or questions his authority. He is accuser, prosecuter, judge and arbitrator all rolled into one. He is using "integrity of the game" to try and obtain absolute powers to do what he wants, when he wants. He uses the game to obtain wealth and power and he rewards those who have like views. He has an inner circle of trusted men to do his bidding. We call him commissioner but there is a german word that descrbes him better and that word is Fueher which means "Leader" A word mostly used in reference to a certain german dictator.

Brady has led us to victory before and although he has lost some battles he usually wins the war. Here is hoping that he wins this battle and shines a light on Goodell so all can see what we see.

If this was a couple of years ago I would not be worried about the referees being abnormally biased, however...ever since this announcement was made last year I have concerns about the upcoming season:

"The league announced owners voted to pass Rule Proposal 9 at the NFL Annual Meeting, which says that referees can consult with the officiating department in New York during replay reviews."