Hatchet Job: Part II

[groundgame]

You can bet Park Avenue is burning the midnight oil trying to come up with a special refereeing encore in mind for the Patriots this coming Sunday in Denver. This is the second act, which follows the league-ordered Officiating treachery, dutifully handled by Tony Corrente and crew, to hand Denver a crucial 11/30/2015 win at Mile High. I don't have a clue you will be selected, but to borrow a phrase from the John Madden, there will be an ...."an inordinate amount of time"... taken, to make sure the Patriots' chances are minimized.

In the annals of American professional sports, there are only a handful of examples of outright petty, hatred by any League, against any one team, that rivals the Goodell vendetta against the recent era New England Patriots.

 

[Todd Bradley]

Jeeze, take the tin foil hat off.

Corrente isn't even reffing these Championship Games. It's either Vinovich or Hochuli and each crew will be an All-Star crew so to speak, mixed together.

 

[upstater1]

Jeeze, take the tin foil hat off.

Corrente isn't even reffing these Championship Games. It's either Vinovich or Hochuli and each crew will be an All-Star crew so to speak, mixed together.

Blandino in the review booth is the one to worry about.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

You can bet Park Avenue is burning the midnight oil trying to come up with a special refereeing encore in mind for the Patriots this coming Sunday in Denver. This is the second act, which follows the league-ordered Officiating treachery, dutifully handled by Tony Corrente and crew, to hand Denver a crucial 11/30/2015 win at Mile High. I don't have a clue you will be selected, but to borrow a phrase from the John Madden, there will be an ...."an inordinate amount of time"... taken, to make sure the Patriots' chances are minimized.

In the annals of American professional sports, there are only a handful of examples of outright petty, hatred by any League, against any one team, that rivals the Goodell vendetta against the recent era New England Patriots.

The League especially under Goodell believes there are two types of teams: First kind - teams that do as they're told. Second kind - teams that will be shown why they should be the first kind.
The Patriots are the second kind of team. No doubt the league will want to gain its favored outcome under that and other guises. But I think from the grave Al Davis would argue the League's disposition regarding the Patriots is far from new.

I know the Denver game was an appalling refereeing performance that, given everything that has transpired, can be suggested as sketchy. And I will cringe if the game comes down to a play that is "under review". But it is what it is, any bad call against the Patriots' (if they happen) will have to be overcome. A third down conversion that is killed will need to be reconverted on the next play, and a possession lost to a potential bad call will have to made up for on the next possession. And most important of all to note in this discussion is your need to switch to decaf.

 

[Joey007]

Did you watch the game yesterday? Did you see how many times they made calls against Denver?

Sure didn't feel fixed to me.

 

[DaBruinz]

Did you watch the game yesterday? Did you see how many times they made calls against Denver?

Sure didn't feel fixed to me.

It's not a matter of how many calls are made against Denver.. It was a matter of WHEN calls were made against Pittsburgh and when calls weren't made against Denver. Joker put up a perfect example in the Post game thread. It showed the Denver CB mauling the Pittsburgh WR preventing him from getting an arm up to make the reception.. Was a blatant pass interference in the end zone.. And not called.

 

[XLIX]

If you think it is fixed, then why are you watching?

 

[jboston19]

If you think it is fixed, then why are you watching?

To quote Canada Bill Jones, "I know it's crooked but it's the only game in town."

 

[Wordsmyth]

Did you watch the game yesterday? Did you see how many times they made calls against Denver?

Sure didn't feel fixed to me.

Denver had their first penalty near the end of the third quarter.

The fix is in.

 

[Galeb]

It's not a matter of how many calls are made against Denver.. It was a matter of WHEN calls were made against Pittsburgh and when calls weren't made against Denver. Joker put up a perfect example in the Post game thread. It showed the Denver CB mauling the Pittsburgh WR preventing him from getting an arm up to make the reception.. Was a blatant pass interference in the end zone.. And not called.

There were multiple calls against Denver at critical times.

 

[XLIX]

Denver had their first penalty near the end of the third quarter.

The fix is in.

Then answer the question that not of the tin foil hatters ever do: If the fix is in, then why do you watch?

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

I am fairly concerned about the officiating in this game. Manning is their golden goose. The last meeting was as bad an example of officiating I've seen. And if people believe there is no fixing in the NFL, I've got some nice swamp land for sale for you.

 

[XLIX]

I am fairly concerned about the officiating in this game. Manning is their golden goose.

Yeah. If Brady wins, no one will watch the Super Bowl. Probably won't even sell out.

The last meeting was as bad an example of officiating I've seen. And if people believe there is no fixing in the NFL, I've got some nice swamp land for sale for you.

The officiating in the last Denver game was terrible, but if that was as bad as you've ever seen, then you must watch very, very little football.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

You know, I'm glad it's either gonna be Hochuli or Vinovich. Two guys that, when I finish watching a game they officiated, I don't feel like there was a slant either way. What's funny to me, and I know this sounds very tin-foil-hat-ish but sue me...is that I went to ESPN and it had a poll with "What matchup would you prefer to see in the Super Bowl?" and I immediately thought "Gee, wouldn't it be nice for the NFL to know what the fans want to see and maybe just maybe make some 'points of emphasis' for the referees this weekend?" Fortunately, if my conspiracy theory is right, most people want to see NE in the Super Bowl. Which is weird as ****, but it is what it is. I almost want the Patriots to win with a clear lopsided advantage in penalties, so the Broncos and their fans can know what it felt like week 12

 

[Kontradiction]

Well, I sincerely hope all of you quit watching football if that happens.

 

[Kontradiction]

If you think it is fixed, then why are you watching?

I've asked that a few times. The most common answer is "Belichick and Brady". I still don't understand the point. If the fix is in, the NFL is going to make sure they don't win another one. The conclusion I've come to is that people don't actually believe it's fixed despite what they say.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

I've asked that a few times. The most common answer is "Belichick and Brady". I still don't understand the point. If the fix is in, the NFL is going to make sure they don't win another one. The conclusion I've come to is that people don't actually believe it's fixed despite what they say.

My answer is, because they only "think" it's fixed, nobody really "knows." So you watch with a sliver of hope that maybe you're wrong.

Edit: And btw I don't think it's fixed but I do think the referees get points of emphasis from the league prior to the game. Maybe some points of emphasis show one team "getting away with" things they shouldn't be more than the other team.

 

[Kontradiction]

My answer is, because they only "think" it's fixed, nobody really "knows." So you watch with a sliver of hope that maybe you're wrong

Yeah, I don't think it's fixed. I've said this maybe 100 times now: when I get visual confirmation that it is, I'm done. I don't give a damn if the Pats overcome it and move on to the Super Bowl. That will be the last second of my life that I waste on professional football. The one exception I will make is if Goodell steps down after that but, since I doubt that will happen, my Sunday afternoons will probably be freed up.

 

[XLIX]

I've asked that a few times. The most common answer is "Belichick and Brady". I still don't understand the point. If the fix is in, the NFL is going to make sure they don't win another one. The conclusion I've come to is that people don't actually believe it's fixed despite what they say.

Agreed.

The most absurd part of the notion is that their conspiracy theory requires far, far more than just one official to run. It would take several officials per crew multiplied by several crews multiplied by several years to do any long term rigging in favor of one team over another. And yet not a single one of them has blown the whistle on the whole thing (ou intended) and broken the sports story of the century.

 

[Sicilian]

I've asked that a few times. The most common answer is "Belichick and Brady". I still don't understand the point. If the fix is in, the NFL is going to make sure they don't win another one. The conclusion I've come to is that people don't actually believe it's fixed despite what they say.

I think some people use the termed "fixed" when they really mean "influenced". If the league puts an emphasis on a play they know is a bread and butter of the Patriots offense (like the rub plays, for example), that's them trying to influence who has the upper hand, but isn't flat out telling refs, "Hey, make sure so-and-so wins this weekend." The latter would be grounds for never watching again. The former is annoying, but is also kind of a badge of honor, because we keep winning despite all the efforts (which have gone back as far as Polian and the illegal contact rules in the early 2000's).

As for the possibility of a true fix? I don't buy it, especially when it comes to the refs. In case people forgot the recent strike, the refs are friends with the league about as much as the players are. No reason they would sully their rep in order to help the league out. I think most of the conspiracies regarding the bad reffing just comes down to Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be easily explained by stupidity.