When you say “the fix is in” what do you mean?

the league had to step in and have the refs call a biased game against NE. denver was the only team that could stop the patriots en route to an undefeated regular season. as soon as denver was losing in the 4th quarter, out come the yellow hankies. Goodell and the NFL, who was embarrassed by Brady in court, could not allow for 19-0.

i have no doubt that the ref crew was instructed to throw flags against NE.

Denver was 5.5 point dogs...maybe it is something to do with gambling?

ViperGTS said:

They "broke it" by being abnormally successful in an age where that can't happen, unless it's a "chosen one". There were a lot of BS calls in the postseason at critical junctures that derailed Pats teams that weren't good enough to to overcome them, but good enough to to win a championship. PI on Troy Brown. Eli's miraculous escape. Baily in Denver that should have been a touchback.

There are a lot of examples.

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I just feel like we're one play short of being 11 years removed from the last sb win yet we're considered an unstoppable dynasty. Obviously we're just a few plays short of having 3 in the last 10 too. Nobody was saying that McNabb's Eagles who kept reaching far in the playoffs were a dynasty, only the Superbowl counts.

The refs in on the 'fix'? No. These are just a bunch of dudes with a part time job I'm not sure why anyone would think that they would be 'in' on it.

But does the league prefer parity to what we've been doing? Yes. Does the league see an increase in interest whenever something involving the Patriots happens? Yes.

Could the league be handing down directions to these refs such as 'We've seen a lot of abuse by #87 so make sure you pay attention for OPI" that the league is doing for reasons beyond the spirit of competition? I think that's plausible.

But you'd have a better chance of convincing me that 9/11 was an inside job than the idea that part time refs are involved in a grand ****ing conspiracy that would fall apart the moment one of them went to the media.

Nunchucks said:

Denver was 5.5 point dogs...maybe it is something to do with gambling?

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Where? I had the Pats -3. Are you sure you're not referring to the spread if it was on a neutral field?

Here's one way it could happen. I'm not saying it does just theorizing as to possible ways,,, Goodell tells Blandino, it would be terrible if the Patriots repeated as Super Bowl Champs.."wink wink nod nod"
Blandino calls the refs on a conference call and sends out one of his "points of emphasis" memos detailing penalties that ought to be scrutinized and called more often. He notes offensive pass interference and uses video of Gronkowski as examples of OPI...Without even telling the refs to call more on him, the refs know:
1) the league is looking as him (Gronk) and we need to put him under heightened scrutiny which will result in more calls.
2) they are judged and rated every game and if they fail to call the "appropriate/requisite/unofficial quota" number of OPI on Gronk, it will negatively impact their prospects to get called to ref a post-season game.....
3) There is no downside to calling the penalty but there is a downside to NOT calling OPI on him...

That is how the fix can be done..........with no fingerprints tracking back to Goodell.....

EDIT- didn't see fnordcircle's post but essentially we said the same thing...

bobbutts said:

I just feel like we're one play short of being 11 years removed from the last sb win yet we're considered an unstoppable dynasty. Obviously we're just a few plays short of having 3 in the last 10 too. Nobody was saying that McNabb's Eagles who kept reaching far in the playoffs were a dynasty, only the Superbowl counts.

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Wrong. To be in the SB 6 times, and be one play from winning all of them, and being in the Championship game seemingly year after year is a dynasty. To have the worst season in 10 years be 11-5 in this era is a dynasty. Dynasty's in the current climate need to be viewed slightly differently IMO.

Triumph said:

OK

Do you guys recall how the NFL shafted the Seahawks in the SB vs the Steelers?

How about the Ray Lewis going away party SB? A Ravens player pushed a referee and was only not ejected, there was no penalty. Cary Williams explains shove of Super Bowl XLVII ref - NFL.com

The NFL does not want 1 team winning all the time. They want the Brock Osweiller story and the Cam Newton story.

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Yep, that was the year when Goodell embarrassed himself and joined Ray Lewis's posse

fnordcircle said:

Could the league be handing down directions to these refs such as 'We've seen a lot of abuse by #87 so make sure you pay attention for OPI" that the league is doing for reasons beyond the spirit of competition? I think that's plausible.

But you'd have a better chance of convincing me that 9/11 was an inside job than the idea that part time refs are involved in a grand ****ing conspiracy that would fall apart the moment one of them went to the media.

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That's what I've been saying all along. You are not going to find any sort of direct "Don't let NE win" order. There's no direct agreement or quid pro quo between the league office and the refs. Even Roger isn't that stupid. The refs aren't directly involved in anything. They are, however, being manipulated via various indirect and direct-sketchy-but-not-leakworthy ways.

The simplest explanation is usually the correct one and nothing is simpler than the league or that referee (who was never a ref) boss telling the refs to, "call it a little tighter for the patriots."

TommyBrady12 said:

i have no doubt that the ref crew was instructed to throw flags against NE.

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Huh. Well, OK. Anything's possible I guess.

TommyBrady12 said:

the league had to step in and have the refs call a biased game against NE. denver was the only team that could stop the patriots en route to an undefeated regular season. as soon as denver was losing in the 4th quarter, out come the yellow hankies. Goodell and the NFL, who was embarrassed by Brady in court, could not allow for 19-0.

i have no doubt that the ref crew was instructed to throw flags against NE.

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Im not sure I believe that the League is instructing refs to make Patriots lose games, but I absolutely agree that if true, this would be their motivation to do so.

Us going 19-0 after Deflategate would have utterly invalidated the perception of why they were doing what they did and be an incredible slap in the face to Goodell.

You are not going to find any sort of direct "Don't let NE win" order.


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Wouldn't it be fun to see that uncovered when Kessler asks for discovery and the NFL gang has to turn over their cell phones.

I think the fix is in. I just spent 8 months reading over a thousand pages of misdirection, mischaracterization and manipulation regarding how a guy went into a bathroom and , according to Exponent (a renowned hired gun for big industry), released 0.2 psi from some footballs. They were caught lying on record at least twice. They admitted that they did not know about the ideal gas law. etc....etc....etc...

If the NFL can create a **** storm from 0.2 psi (their number not mine) then I would not doubt that they would manipulate the schedule, officiating or whatever to achieve results they wish to see.

I don't think the Patriots are the only team in their cross hairs either.

bobbutts said:

I feel like we're getting too much credit here. Yes, it's been an amazing run, but note that there were 10 years between the Superbowl win in '04 and 14'. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying "broke football" is taking it too far when describing the Patriots' success.

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Ten years between championships yes, but only two of those years they missed the playoffs. Owners want playoff games, the more the better. Merch, concessions, free advertising, increased tickets sales the next year. Making the playoffs is huge, especially if you make it a habit.

I feel like there is a concerted effort to make it as hard for Pats to win as possible. We are in the NFL doghouse because we win too much (because of superior coaching, QB and to a lesser extent, other players, but the NFL has also done a good job in implying (or outright saying) we're "cheaters"), so the officials have either been instructed directly, or it has been implied that we are not to get any breaks. Gronk is obviously being targeted for OPI calls. Brady or our kicker do not get borderline roughing the passer/kicker calls where other QBs/kickers do, and if we do get one, it's only after a blatant late hit like the one Brady took the other day when a 2nd guy piled on. We are not given the benefit of holding calls either way, particularly when our guys are getting held, because, "hey, the Patriots have no trouble moving the ball, right?" If that is a fix, then I do believe it's "in."

The NBA called in Joey Crawford to ref specific games when the league wanted series to go longer....a universal understanding in league circles.
In the NFL, of course the league can manipulate crews by demanding specific attention to pre-judged tendencies. And because, OL holding and DB/WR(TE) contact could be called on most every play, these refs absolutely have the power to control outcomes....they're NFL employees who do very well for part time work....aka ....a sweet gig.
Verses Denver........the timing of these indefensible flags tells me everything.

I literally see this phrase being used by all fans of all teams. It usually comes after a loss. Regardless on how bad the refs were that game, people throw this phrase around constantly. Its really nothing new. I personally have never said this phrase before. Honestly ref complaining is sort of like the boy that cried wolf to me. So many fans cry about the refs every single game that even when they have legitimate gripes its hard for me to even take them seriously. That being said, I do think the NFL refs are overall terrible and come second only to NBA refs.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

I don't believe the NFL is involved in encouraging the refs to be biased. I do believe the refs themselves were biased, likely due to the pressure of the home crowd. Whatever the reason, their calls should be investigated. This was probably the most one sided game I've seen since that Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl.

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I'm surprised you would say this. I mean after everything Goodell and the other 31 owners have done?

363839 said:

I'm surprised you would say this. I mean after everything Goodell and the other 31 owners have done?

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I generally don't believe in big conspiracies because people can't keep their mouths shut. This would involve key people in the NFL front office directing the officials to essentially fix a game. Between the NFL suits and officiating crew, that's over five people. Even if it is just the lead official, that's too many people. People talk, blackmail, want to sell their stories eventually. Things almost always come up to the surface. Do you really think Goodell/owners/NFL suits would really open them up to lawsuits, major losses of revenue, and one of the largest scandals in sports history, just because they have a grudge against the Patriots? Many would lose their job and reputation immediately and would be investigated as criminals. I'm sure these people have families are big celebrities around their friends in being associated with the league...all that down the drain, for what again? And in addition to that, it's not like the Patriots have gotten jobbed in other games this season. Yes, they have been flagged for a disproportionate amount of OPIs, but nowhere near the level of screwjob they got in Denver. It's much more likely this wasn't a coordinated conspiracy but rather than emotional bias of one of several refs in that game.