Yup, my only disagreement is I don't necessarily think that they can script the games. Too many players playing the game for it to be like WWE.
I do think the NFL has favorites for each game, though, and puts in the most input they can without NFL players and their coaches realizing what's going on.
But their favorite stories often don't work out. Just look at the 2013 Broncos as well, or the 2011 Packers, hell even the 08 Cardinals.
To me, the one time it worked out for them in the last few years was the 2012 Ravens.
I'm still not for certain though that they were all in on Seattle last year. They had to know that deflate gate was only going to fuel the Patriots fire, and make for a juicier story if they won. To me, what they're doing is trying to make the Patriots the villain, because they knew that making a crazy headline like deflategate only fuels the Patriots fire. The NFL doesn't have some evil empire against the Patriots exactly, they are just going for the money and what makes the Patriots more compelling. They decided at some point thy they wanted the Patriots to be the villain.
I think it's possible. Not that the games are completely scripted, but they are designed to benefit certain outcomes. To achieve this outcome, they rely on coaches, refs, and certain players, players like Brady or Romo who are close with ownership and very loyal to the league.
° Bad playcalling - can make any team look worse than they actually are. People here are complaining about the lack of WRs here, but the WRs are the same guys from last year minus Edelman. The O-line has always been rather suspect, which is why I didn't react much to the injuries on it. The coaching has just been brutal lately, and done in a way to keep the scores close. Same could be said about GB.
° Refs - can determine the outcome of any game with a throw of a flag. We talk about OPI and DPI but these calls are highly subjective depending on the ref or the league's agenda. These refs are usually tolerable, until the chosen team starts losing. Fans have been fuming over refs for the past 6-7 years. The league's failure to create suspensions, or fines for ref mishaps to protect the so-called "integrity" of the game, shows that the refs are doing what is expected of them.
° Certain Players - are notified when to throw the game. A perfect example of this would be the GB/SEA playoff game last season. 4th quarter of that game was unreal and not in a good way. GB's D, clearly stopped playing, so that SEA could win in OT. Matthews on the bench during that final drive, in a playoff game, didn't make sense to me. Rodgers had a bum leg, but he was hitting his WRs in the back with the ball, none of them made no attempt to catch his passes. Media called it a meltdown by GB, or playing not to lose, I called it a fix.
What Fitzpatrick did against BUF yesterday is an example of a player being told to throw the game.
What Palmer and Brady did were examples of them helping make Newton's MVP case. The award is irrelevant to me, but it makes stars out of players. The league is creating stars, because they are losing their biggest ones to father time.
What NE did against MIA was coaches throwing the game to benefit Manning's comeback and SB push.
NO/CAR and DEN/Pats games were determined by refs.
Regarding SB49 - The 32, had gone out of their way to make Russell Wilson a star. He was everywhere last season and he was everywhere during the off season. It was suppose to be Luck and Wilson but Brady refused to lose to Luck and he ended up advancing to the SB, which is why deflategate came to fruition and Mort was fed lies. I think the Pats were supposed to make Wilson look "strong," but when the rookie [Butler] got put in the game, no-one informed him of that. So Seattle ended up losing. The NFL who always controls its narrative through the media made sure the discussion focused on how Carrol's decision cost them the game vs Brady's sensational play, when it mattered. It didn't take long for the league to attack the Pats with a Brady suspension, fines and draft picks. Why did they punish the team if their report exonerated them? They were possibly being punished for winning the SB.
The Brady vs Manning debate is a huge seller for the NFL. I don't think either of them were meant to win another ring. Brady winning his 4th crushed that debate. How can the NFL restore balance into the debate, especially if Manning can't go on for another season.
Well... They give Manning another ring for starters.
Whoa that was longer than I intended.
