League admits to using incorrect rules during SB

supafly said:

I had no problem with the old rule, as well. The issue is that they didn’t apply it correctly at times, and now like you said, that’s just going to continue in a different manner. You hit the nail on the head by stating that it solved nothing.

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The real issue -- that the league doesn't want to talk about -- really is how they handle replay. Since they went away from needing "irrefutable evidence" to projecting what might have happened all of the vagueness in the rulebook just got amplified.

If there is a clear shot of a player losing control of the ball (i.e. Jesse James) then it should be overturned. However, if you need five different angles where none of them is clear and you need to stitch something together using multiple cameras then just maybe you should just let things go.

But instead they double down on this **** instead of expanding replay to situations that absolutely make sense like the illegal formation on the Eagles trick play. How the **** is stuff like this not reviewable ?

a fix...just like 2007. Rationalize it any way you want...the grimy scummy fingers of Goodell were all over this fiasco.

maust1013 said:

And what's the first thing we say when other team's fans whine about calls?
"Get a damn stop" sound familiar?
The Eagles won because as a team they made fewer mistakes, on the field and the sideline. That's football.

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The clement play was a stop if called correctly

Joker said:

a fix...just like 2007. Rationalize it any way you want...the grimy scummy fingers of Goodell were all over this fiasco.

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Yeah, I thought things looked odd watching some of those borderline TD conversations between the ref and the replay official during the “Sound FX” clips.
It seemed like they were definitely using a lower, more relaxed standard of establishing control, like the ref was practically talking the replay official into it—or at least helping to shape his opinion.

This is a new low. I already felt like they rigged the game.

Oh look, I was right of course. All fixed and rigged. Literally gave them 3 touchdowns. Jeffery, Clements, and the 4th down play. They had to hand that garbage city and team a championship since they knew they couldn’t win legit

TB12TheGoat said:

Oh look, I was right of course. All fixed and rigged. Literally gave them 3 touchdowns. Jeffery, Clements, and the 4th down play. They had to hand that garbage city and team a championship since they knew they couldn’t win legit

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Makes a frustrating way to lose. They make one of those calls right, who knows? A rigged game sucks

These 'woe is me' / pity party threads are getting old.

Joker said:

a fix...just like 2007. Rationalize it any way you want...the grimy scummy fingers of Goodell were all over this fiasco.

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Once upon a time I thought you were a stereotypically delusional, paranoid, crazy Patriots fan.

Then, time and time again, I realized you are simply ... right.

I'm all for the school of thought of "bad calls happen, get over it." But to change the rules in the biggest game of the year is simply scandalous.

Tangents: Looking forward to 2018 be an absolute crap show with these new vague catch rules. Also ... does diving for the end zone constitute leading with the crown of the head? Hmmm. What a mess this league is becoming. The league is killing the game to save itself. Might as well just make it rugby and call it a day.

Growing up I was totally fine with imperfect officiating . They did their best and 99.5% of the time they got the call right. Sure when a call went the wrong way I was pissed but at least I knew it was an honest mistake.

Now Goodell and his agenda driven, incompetent muckos are either manipulating the system or trying to be perfect when they are incapable of it.

They should just give up and let Skynet run the whole thing.

The catch rule should have never been tinkered with years ago in the first place. The real gripe about officiating that the Pats and we should have is the non-call on the trick play which was an illegal formation. The Clement touchdown is one thing. The Eagles likely go for it after that and who knows if the defense, as bad as they were, would have stopped them from at least picking up 6? Too much what if in there to know whether or not that ruling would have made a difference. Same thing with the Ertz play that was also on third down. But the trick play came on a 4th down. That should have absolutely, 100% been called. Oh well. It is what it is I guess. Between this and the new tackling rule, we have the latest evidence that the sport is slowly eroding.

TB12TheGoat said:

Oh look, I was right of course. All fixed and rigged. Literally gave them 3 touchdowns. Jeffery, Clements, and the 4th down play. They had to hand that garbage city and team a championship since they knew they couldn’t win legit

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grow a sack

That's why we call it the WWFL

I find it interesting that the league is admitting all of this. It's not like we can go back and play the game again. Although I wish we could.

There is plenty of blame to be thrown at the Pats defense and coaches for their failures during the SB, but it does not excuse the NFL from changing the rules or flying by the seat of their pants, if that is what happened. I say "if" due to the fact that this report is coming from ESPN. Can't bash ESPN 99.9% of the time but then praise them as being truthful when a report comes out in favor of the Pats. All I can do is judge for myself. And the catches in question seemed to have been called incomplete during the season.

All I know is lets say I overslept one morning and I am rushing to get to a meeting that starts in 15 minutes, how fair is it if I get a call from my boss saying: "Where are you, I moved the meeting up, it started 15 minutes ago"


I've accepted the SB loss, but if this report has any validity to it, Pats fans have every right to be po'd.

AndyJohnson said:

The clement play was a stop if called correctly

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The Clement play happened on 3rd and 6 from the 22. Any honest fan has to admit in that game bringing up 4th & 6 was not getting a stop. Get over it. Lose with grace, fight another day. Sure it pissed us all off when it happened but by now we should all be on to 2018 instead of wallowing in this pity party bs.

If the league is willing to do this, it is crooked. After SB49 - I at least thought officiating the game was not something Goodell would screw with. I have never posted that I thought 345 Park Ave was trying to affect how the officials did a particular game. But something like this should never happen again. I could care less about SB52. But the NFL is going to be a dishonest enterprise until Goodell is gone.

Goodell needs to be given a Chinese vacation