Is this league a fraud?

[notagoodname]

wow, I can't beleive there are people trying to convince themselves the refs don't try to influence the outcome.

its like some sort of hideous denial.

[HiddenInLight]

Tin foil hats! Get your tinfoil hats here! 90% guerenteed to stop the government from reading your mind and the aliens from controlling your thoughts! Only 20 bucks each!

[D'love]

Sometimes with all the money on the line with betting, tv deals, marketability, etc. I think it could be possible. As a Bills fan we always cry about Brady and the Pats getting all the calls, but watch the tape its the truth. Ticky tac holding calls, PI calls that are oblivious, flying Wilfork elbows to our QBs knees, and on and on. The create rules for Tom Brady for Gods sakes.

Plus how easy would it be for a ref's sisters cousins uncle to throw down a few thousand bucks on Seattle to cover and that ref give out a few penalties here and there to help out a bit?

I used to be a Bills quarterback, then I took a Wilfork to the knee.

[KamargoK]

People are going to deny all your facts man, but I started watching officially last year and I'm already catching on to this feeling. I don't even know if it's the NFL doing it, it could be some unspoken code where you allow certain teams to beat you so you can have an easier go at the ranks.

It feels a little bit over-dramatic with the team rivalries and former football-star announcers, its like Wrestling Entertainment. "Uh-oh!! The Dallas Cowboys vs The New York Giants!! You know THAT will be a good one! All-American Fun!"


The whole Leftwich thing went down like this:

He goes to throw the ball, someones arms come flying up in front of him, he goes to "reload" and the wet ball slips out of his hand. His other hand comes up to stop it from leaving his grasp, and THIS alone is enough proof to say he was trying to interrupt the balls release. The official said something like "The ruling on the field is that it was a forward pass intended for a linemen who was an ineligible receiver".

The Tom Brady rule should be out of effect if a Passer Pump-Fake slips out, the Passer interrupts their own pass resulting in a down-field fumble, or the teammate of a Passer instigates the down-field fumble of a pass.

[BornBillfan]

I don't think the NFL manipulates teh game during the game.... but they certainly manipulate behind the scenes, on where certain players go and where the most money can be made

[tax man]

Been watching this crap forever. On any given Sunday, watching the Ticket, I can go from game to game and see with my own eyes calls going for the so called media darlings and against the Bills, Chiefs , Browns etc.

Not only was the Leftwich fumble a fumble I was really interested in the penalty against the Chiefs for a celebration after the touchdown that didn't happen. There is no doubt that the there was a celebration but once it was ruled incomplete the play was dead so in essence there was no celebration. This gave the Steelers 15 yards, a first down the ball and the rest is history.

Also, in the Bills-Pats game, I cant remember who right now, but there was a catch by a Bill that was iffy, it was challenged and overruled, incomplete. Later Dallas- Philly Dez catch in the end zone, really iffy, ball moving, hit ground, call was a TD. I would love to see those 2 catches side by side and have the NFL tell me the difference. Other than the Cowboys who are a glamour team (even though they are on par with the Bills when it comes to making the playoffs0 and the Bills who are , well you know.

See you all Thursday Night

[row_33]

whaaaaaaaa

my team has terrible management drafting horribly

coaches that can't make up a game plan or see a need for an adjustment if it bit them on the behind

and players who aren't talented and lose more than i think they should

must be a conspiracy against my team

[Skully]

The Tom Brady rule should be out of effect if a Passer Pump-Fake slips out, the Passer interrupts their own pass resulting in a down-field fumble, or the teammate of a Passer instigates the down-field fumble of a pass.

I think any ball that lands behind the line of scrimmage should be a fumble, period! Who cares what his arm was doing. That would make the call very easy and get rid of a lot of those stupid grounding calls as well.

__

[tax man]

whaaaaaaaa

my team has terrible management drafting horribly

coaches that can't make up a game plan or see a need for an adjustment if it bit them on the behind

and players who aren't talented and lose more than i think they should

must be a conspiracy against my team

Oh yeah, I should have added a lot of what you say. BUT when our team is not very good do other teams really need a little help from the shirts. I know the Bills do dumb stuff, off sides, a punch at the worst time, kick the ball out of bounds, holding on a good pass or run, drafting the wrong players and getting coaches on the cheap BUT

Even though they are an ugly baby they are still my ugly baby.... Go Bills

[Intercept That]

all Major Sports are adjusted , controlled, manipulated or whatever word you want to call it by the officials. The greats example of this would be the tuck rule. The NFL wanted the Pats in the championship game. Right after 9-11. The entire game there was questionable calls , then at the end when TOM Brady clearly fumbled the NFL stepped in and changed the out come of the game. After the season they adjusted the rules to fit their out come. A lot of people will argue it, and say this and that. IT is what it is.
Then lets not forget the team with a better story line. Remember in the end this league is a business. A point of a business is profit. Teams with better story lines get better calls.
Music City Miracle? The Rams for 2 years were given every single call. Lets not forget the Panthers verse Cards. When the entire game Warren was abused with late hits, how many were actually called? it has always been this way. The NFL has an interest in every game and that games out come. Do you think the JAGS gets a bunch of calls? Of course not. Not when the NFL wants the city to disown the team so when they move them to LA or LONDEN there is very little protest.

[KamargoK]

Also, if the league actually is frauding this up, the fans are the only victims, really. We are the ones who have to put faith into the sportsmanship of these athletes, and this organization. Personally, it'd be fun to really create a consistent system that can record and document these incidents, and get some worldly agreement on how these rules apply. I mean, Tom Brady Rule, Leftwich Rule, 15-yard penalty for a reversed play.

The fans just see more and I don't know if it's the Officials pride in their own judgement or if it's literally an unspoken rule, that you make a call and you stick by it. Even if it's blatantly obvious from the viewers perspective. It's like a scripted referee in entertainment wrestling, when he doesn't see or hear the guy getting nailed with a steel chair because he's too busy dealing with the antagonists sidekick.

Anyone have a problem with pass interference sometimes? I don't EVEN WANT 40 yards if it's on some poor CB who initiated contact half a second early on a pass that wasn't even in reaching distance of the WR anyway.

It'd be awesome if technology came so far advanced that FANS were calling the plays, or at least offered a "Tecmo Bowl" kind of lay-out, 8 multiple-choice selections, Pass or Runs depending on down and yard. The votes would have to be tallied and in the huddle before delay of game. If everyone votes for an Outside Toss to Spiller and Gailey goes for a deep one and it fails, Fans call the rest of the plays in the quarter.

This way, the fans would have nothing to wipe their tears with.

[RustySabre]

So then over the years Not one owner, member of the NFLPA, Officials Union, Player or coach, GM, member of the media...etc, would have leaked that by now? You know how many people that is? Each one would have quite a bit to lose if that were true anyway.

[billsdog]

agreed, this weeks pats-bills game was a joke. i'll say that even though the refs are a cancer in the NFL it does trickle down to ratings and money. bottom line is it's better to keep teams that don't bring heavy revenue out of the picture when big market teams can reel in the super cash. against all odds the bills have had the chance to win 2 games(tenn&pats) this year but couldn't follow threw and that's why until we are winners we aren't gonna get the calls.make us proud thurs and kick the phins *** by 20+ and make bills fans happy for a day!

[8_moorman_8]

all it takes is one ref and a handful of calls per game. no need to be an all-encompassing conspiracy.

[Hapless]

all it takes is one ref and a handful of calls per game. no need to be an all-encompassing conspiracy.

This. It is so simple, that is why no one would suspect it.

[The Wendigo]

Well stated. You will never see 2 small market teams in the Super Bowl unless they both had marquee quarterbacks. The league would never allow, say, a Minnesota-Tennessee Super Bowl anymore. Small markets, no marquee QB. On the other hand, they'd be just fine with Green Bay-Indianapolis. We got screwed hard against the Pats. So did the Chiefs last night. So did Jacksonville against Indianapolis because the league really, really wants Luck to be a star. Does anyone really think that San Diego will get a single call if they play Denver and pretty-boy Peyton late in the year? Ed Hochuli screwed them before the golden boy got to town; good luck to Norv and his boys getting a call this year.

In short, even if somehow 1 non-sexy team (Us?) got to the Super Bowl, they'd NEVER let it happen with 2. There might be a million-to-1 chance we run the table this year and play the Giants in the Bowl. There is a LESS THAN ZERO chance we'd play the Buccaneers.

Last unsexy Super Bowl? Oakland-Tampa Bay. Remember that crapfest? Maybe it's worth a few rigged games to avoid that ever happening again...

I'm only half kidding. That's how bad that game was.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

There is no doubt the NFL pushes for the "rating" teams, the teams that people will want to watch.

Thus Buffalo signing TO, Merriman, and Mario.

[The Wendigo]

Tin foil hats! Get your tinfoil hats here! 90% guerenteed to stop the government from reading your mind and the aliens from controlling your thoughts! Only 20 bucks each!

whaaaaaaaa

my team has terrible management drafting horribly

coaches that can't make up a game plan or see a need for an adjustment if it bit them on the behind

and players who aren't talented and lose more than i think they should

must be a conspiracy against my team

[LABILLBACKER]

I honestly think the BETTER teams get some breaks on calls, especially at home. The NFL is a business providing entertainment. If smaller markets get to the play-offs the sponsors aren't happy. Pittsburgh & Green Bay are'nt big markets but with their tradition of winning they draw viewers.

.....here's your winning answer.....the NFL will never admit to it, but they clearly favor the marquee teams.....we've followed up 4 Super Bowl loses with 13 years of losing.....we have no market value anymore (in their eyes) than teams like Cleveland, Jacksonville, Oak. etc.....we're NEVER going to get calls until we start winning & become relevant again......

[mat68]

Sometimes with all the money on the line with betting, tv deals, marketability, etc. I think it could be possible. As a Bills fan we always cry about Brady and the Pats getting all the calls, but watch the tape its the truth. Ticky tac holding calls, PI calls that are oblivious, flying Wilfork elbows to our QBs knees, and on and on. The create rules for Tom Brady for Gods sakes.

Plus how easy would it be for a ref's sisters cousins uncle to throw down a few thousand bucks on Seattle to cover and that ref give out a few penalties here and there to help out a bit?

To bad even with those terrible the bills still beat the spread. Imo its a league thing. The
League wants some teams to win more than
Others. Thats why i liked the replacement refs. They didnt favor the status qou or certain players or teams. The teams that whined where the teams that got every call.