Clete Blakeman Assigned to Referee Super Bowl 50

[PatsDeb]

If this isn't proof positive that the NFL is totally corrupt, I don't know what is. You bypass the few competent refs out there and go with this joker (no insult to our own beloved Joker). What a farce.

 

[PatsDeb]

Seriously! Whenever a ref for a game is announced, all people do is complain. I'm being serious: can someone name a ref that they believe is actually decent and would rather have out there?

Vinovich, Walt Coleman, Walt Anderson to name a few...

 

[letekro]

The best spin I can put on this is that he's better than Corrente or Boger. But not by much, this is nearly worst case scenario. Of the four remaining teams, I think Denver and Carolina are feeling better about their prospects after hearing this news, and Arizona and the Pats are probably feeling a bit worse.

Can you elaborate on this? Do you think that Blakeman is biased toward the Panthers and Broncos, or do you think the penalties his crew under/overcalls would disproportionately impact certain teams? Also, keep in mind that SB crews are all star crews, so the latter factor would be hard to qualify.

 

[patfanken]

I would rather have Vinovich, but Bleakman did a game of our this year already, and if IIRC, we were pretty happy with the results (relatively speaking). I can't remember the exact game, so if anyone can help on that.

However the point was made earlier in the thread. but is worth repeating. I'ts the OTHER guys who will be making most of the calls in that game. Who they are and what their histories are will determine the outcome more. The head ref stands behind the QB and calls ruffing and holding mostly.

Bottom line, they are human and will make mistakes. All I ever ask is for consistency. If it's a call against the Pats, I want the same call to go against the opponent.

 

[Kdo5]

Not concerned IF we make the Super Bowl. Usually the refs tend to keep the flags in their pockets. I don't think there is any need to fear getting jobbed by refs in the big game. But an AFCCG? Well I wouldn't be shocked to see some egregious calls against us again.

To be honest I don't think refs have bias toward or against specific teams but are probably influenced at times by whether a team is home or away.

 

[Wheelman]

You can tell this guy works for the NYJFL*. Everytime he announces a penalty he knows exactly where the camera is and looks directly at the TV audience.

 

[letekro]

When Vinovich was announced last year, the response here was positive across the board. Which makes sense, since he has not been involved in a memorable bad call against the Patriots in a game that the Patriots lost.

Fixed. Let's not kid ourselves that we are evaluating the refs at a level deeper than a very cursory review of our (Patriot-biased) memory banks. ALL referees (including The Great Vinovich) have bad calls on their resumes (even if against the Patriots, you may just not remember them because they didn't decide the game). They are all capable of making others both for and against the Patriots. Now, there are some that are just consistently awful and almost universally criticized by all fan bases (Jeff Triplette comes to mind), although I would hope that these are not selected for the Super Bowl (AFAIK, Triplette never was).

 

[DShero]

Outside of an obvious screw job (which I really don't think the NFL wants in the SUPER BOWL - something broadcast across the globe) the refs won't matter as long as the players do their jobs.

Obvious being the key word, of course.

 

[Jlaff]

What is there to discuss? No one suggests he incorrectly measured the balls do they? So, what he made one bad call/no-call against the Pats? Couldn't that be said about every single referee???

I think the argument could be made, that he is capable of being influenced to pick up flags on blatant penalties he's witnessed. And now Blandino is in his ear.

At the same time, none of this matters to the Patriots at this point.

 

[Zeus]

Outside of an obvious screw job (which I really don't think the NFL wants in the SUPER BOWL - something broadcast across the globe) the refs won't matter as long as the players do their jobs.

Obvious being the key word, of course.

Bill Leavy: obvious screw job (Steelers vs Seahawks)

It's not like it hasn't happened before.

 

[varjao]

Seriously! Whenever a ref for a game is announced, all people do is complain. I'm being serious: can someone name a ref that they believe is actually decent and would rather have out there?

Trump!

 

[BradyFTW!]

Can you elaborate on this? Do you think that Blakeman is biased toward the Panthers and Broncos, or do you think the penalties his crew under/overcalls would disproportionately impact certain teams? Also, keep in mind that SB crews are all star crews, so the latter factor would be hard to qualify.

I don't think it's a team-specific bias, more than he tends to let secondaries get away with murder re: contact, which hurts teams with spread passing attacks (Pats and Cardinals) more than teams that win primarily with their defense and ground game.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Fixed. Let's not kid ourselves that we are evaluating the refs at a level deeper than a very cursory review of our (Patriot-biased) memory banks. ALL referees (including The Great Vinovich) have bad calls on their resumes (even if against the Patriots, you may just not remember them because they didn't decide the game). They are all capable of making others both for and against the Patriots. Now, there are some that are just consistently awful and almost universally criticized by all fan bases (Jeff Triplette comes to mind), although I would hope that these are not selected for the Super Bowl (AFAIK, Triplette never was).

Every ref makes bad calls, sure, but some are much worse than others. As a fanbase, we're far from alone in disliking Blakeman, and he hasn't made calls that memorably screw over every fan base.

 

[PatriotReign]

I hate every ref in the league except Gene Steratore, Bill Vinovich, Walt Andeson, and Walt Coleman.

 

[Joker]

What is there to discuss? No one suggests he incorrectly measured the balls do they? So, what he made one bad call/no-call against the Pats? Couldn't that be said about every single referee???

SO WHAT?

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

The refs were never the issue with defamegate. As a matter of fact (don't think it was blakeman but not sure) I'd bet the psi measuring ref was pressured to say "I am sure/pretty sure I used X gauge for all footballs for all measurements". Instead the ref's statement of 'pretty sure I used the other gauge' left those in favor of truth a good avenue for helping to expose the lie.

On the refereeing? It is what it is. There very well could be one or two bogus OPI or DPI that stings. Or even worse, IMHO, is of they begin their selective refereeing scam for holding or illegal contact (what was ok all game suddenly is a penalty at the worst time). But the Patriots cannot control that. There is not one damn thing they can do about it with the very minor exception of (and they have been doing this mostly) showing respect and deference to the refs (human nature is human nature -- if the refs are getting yelled at criticized from many directions, if it is conspicuously not from the Patriots side it can have an effect).
Patriots have to overcome whatever is thrown at them. Third down brought back? Re-convert. Drive killed by a penalty? Make the next two drives a TD.
Obviously it is easier said than done but it is what it is....

 

[pheenix11]

Does this guy have naked pictures of Goodell's wife?

 

[SVN]

Report: Clete Blakeman to call Super Bowl 50

Discuss. In my opinion, this is better than Tony Corrente, one of the other possibilities. But of course, Blakeman is well known for his role as the alternate ref who took some of the PSI measurements when we won the AFC Championship Game last year. He is also the referee who picked up the flag that nullified Luke Kuechley's hold/PI on Gronk in the game in Carolina a couple of years ago.

Dont care . Its just important to make the SB first .

 

[pheenix11]

Outside of an obvious screw job (which I really don't think the NFL wants in the SUPER BOWL - something broadcast across the globe) the refs won't matter as long as the players do their jobs.

Obvious being the key word, of course.

2005 Seahawks say Hi.

 

[TBR]

I would rather have Vinovich, but Bleakman did a game of our this year already, and if IIRC, we were pretty happy with the results (relatively speaking). I can't remember the exact game, so if anyone can help on that.
.

Blakeman did the Pats games vs the Cowboys and Jets (week 16)