So you went to both a Steelers and a 49rs home game on the same day? So cool!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/san-francisco-49ers/0ap3000001065472/49ers-fans-FLOOD-L-A-Coliseum-with-sea-of-red

That's one of the more ridiculous claims I've heard.

So the NFL is fixing games? How many people would need to be in on that? Why are you even watching then? Why would they fix some games for a team, and some games against the same team? How did the illuminati make that ball bounce off the upright AND the crossbar?

I saw both those penalties at the end of the game and thought the Lions got screwed.

Then I started wondering isn't it a penalty to grab onto a players shoulder anyway? Isn't that some kind of holding?

If it's past 5 yards then yes.

I wasn't paying much attention if it was past 5 yards or not but if it wasn't it is OK to grab onto the guy?

very very few need to be in control of it at all.

minor changes to these games are enough to move outcomes for almost every one of them.

You really are kind of silly IMHO if you dont see it (granted as a fan of a favored team I can see why your bias as a fan would be high and hard for you to recognize; although lots of GB fans at work today were all talking about how it was so obvious that they even lots respect for the game a little more last night)

The whole thing is big money and produced for maximizing profits. The game eroded long ago.
I watch for entertainment value in the same way that some watch WWE, granted I watch far less as spend more time watching other (non-orchestrated) sports as the years go on. NFL is just not as much fun once you become more aware of how it all works and see through it.

It can still be entertaining, but just for the production more than the sport (like it used to be)

I'm pretty sure Buffalo Wild Wings is behind all of this. They've been quite open about the lengths they'll go to sell more shitty chicken wings to drunks:

Its ridiculous to think the NFL is fixing games....replays on penalties is a complete joke (as were seeing with PI)....theres probably 10 penalties on each team every play so unless u want 6 hours games its not gonna happen .... Refs are part of the game...always will be...just look at the Steelers immaculate reception...if that was today it would have never counted, but people think its the greatest play ever....crazy

Actually it would stand as called because there is no camera angle to see if the ball touched the ground, thus the call on the field would be upheld.

It's legal but agianst the rules They allow grabbing people on Offense & Defense line, they usually don;t call it unless it involves twisting and throwing or the person moves form in front of the holding player.
Like, watch all the plays on the final GB drive...OL grasping & holding players on every single play.

Given that the entire league is rigged in GB's favor, it's funny that they've made it to the Super Bowl only once in the past 20 years. One more thing Roger Goodell is too incompetent to pull off, I guess.

That's my point, they have shitty owners

Lol.

Not many people need to be involved? Just every ref for the last few decades (I'll just assume you think the downturn of the NFL happened after 85)?

It's still early, you have probably the best defense in the league, and you're already moving to the "the whole thing is rigged!" defense, and starting your narrative to discredit a hypothetical GB superbowl. Your bitterness is next level, I'll give you that. Are these pictures of GB being favored?

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Excellent observation. Just imagine how many of Rogers' seasons might have ended happily if Bob Kraft's guiding hand had been on the job.

Where do I need to direct my HJs?

god no.

league

conference

division
chicago

They certainly don't have the best defense in the league....

gotta love when the fanbois go to flat earth, lol.

The NFL has been on a steady decline for years. The rules have slowly eroded it sports soul in favor of the $$$ and if you think anything beyond a handful of refs are needed to influence a whole season for production value then you are just being ignorant on purpose. You are a smart guy, so I am assuming you are blinded by your fanboi status rather than unable to see the reality on your own merits.

Think of it like "reality tv" There is a general outline and script which is massaged into the overall desired storyline by the producers. Sometimes things change but the general plotline is set ot maximize profits and it works pretty well.

Quite the opposite, actually. The NFL has seen year over year growth by leaps and bounds. I think the problem is the hard core fans like the more violent old-school rules and are getting sick of the flags.

Every sport has an element of error. That's just the way it is. They need to find a better solution. Maybe a third red flag to use for penalty calls?

So in your estimation, how many people are in on the fix? Must run into the thousands when you count up all the players, coaches, refs, cameramen, etc. It certainly dwarfs any of your pinball conspiracy theories (like that time you were convinced that Levi works for Stern) in terms of scope.

So what sports are real? Are they the ones where chicago has won a championship in this century? I don't know what a "fanboi" is, but I think I'm starting to get an idea the more you post.

If u can't convert in the red zone you'll never win....the problem is everyone focuses on the end of the game....if u look at the game as a whole the "calls" / "no calls" probably balanced out; however I totally agree those calls towards the end were terrible....

No he's just convinced that I'm TRYING to get a job at Stern - cause, you know, a pay cut, losing about 7 weeks of paid time off a year, saying goodbye to one of the world's best retirement plans, and moving to Chicago are ALL top priorities in my life right now.

Exactly what you'd say if you were a secret Stern employee ...

Right. And let's not forget that the Lions still had plenty of opportunity left to blow it all on their own.

I think the point is they do not in fact cancel each other out; which is why all the news outlets today are calling out the officiating.

Sometimes they do sometimes they don't.

It's hard to say if officiating is worse than ever. It certainly SEEMS that way but a lot of that has to do with every bad call being seen by millions more people than in the past.

Wow.

Its all BS....They can call a penalty on almost every play if they want to....

Not almost, there's holding on every single snap of the ball, just a matter of rather it gets called.

Whysnow Presents: Unorchestrated Sports Network!

8pm: Fishing (you can't bribe a fish)
9pm: Lawn Darts (old school version - parental discretion advised)
10pm: Uno
11pm: Canasta LIVE! From Buena Vista Retirement Community

Thats my point....sometimes they see it sometimes they don't....its an impossible job....shit happens in sports....just look at balls and strikes in baseball....their all over the map....

And they should call them, or change the rules to reflect it.
Are we already passed the point of the season where they stopped calling the offensive holding everyone was bitching aboot to start the season?

Anyway, I think a lot of the complaining this year is the fact that most things are reviewable now, but they still get the call wrong on replay.
I heard someone, probably M. Parrarah, say the whole overturning of PI has to meet the standard of the famous Rams/Saints blown PI...anything "below" that won't get overturned.

Wait...wtf? Makes no sense.

On a side note, I was watching the NFL countdown 100 best games ever and if you have a chance you should really check it out.
Close to what Levi mentioned earlier, at least half the games highlights are plays the game hinged on that are all illegal now
Hands to the QBs helmet was a big one.

I hear ya, but its a slippery slope...u gotta have rules or its pure chaos....yea the refs screw up, but for the most part their pretty darn good at their job (which is impossible by the way)...in my opinion they should get rid of all review plays (except touchdowns)....PI is total joke and all it does is waste time...

You guys are worried about a few bad calls and I get that.

But on a more local scale, LA now has two losing teams that have more fans for the visiting teams than they do for themselves. Should be a big production when the new stadium opens.

Tends to happen when teams move around.

I honestly think there are still more Raiders fans in So Cal than for either of the other two.

Yes but everyone knew that would happen; LA didn't want to damn teams to begin with. Shit no one was going to the games when they were 2 winning teams.

That's the one team that made sense to me in LA. I'm obviously not local, but it seemed to me the Raiders were the most "LA" team there's ever been. They move that one to Vegas, and TWO teams to LA that no one really seems to care about. Why did they think that was going to work?

I also hate the idea of teams splitting a stadium. It messes with the schedule if nothing else.

I'm with Whysnow. I've never been a conspiracy theorist. But I think the fix is in against the Lions. There are WAY too many pieces of evidence for me to deny this any longer.

Yep, before the Raiders and Rams split, it was obvious the market wasn't big enough to support two teams.

And no one in their right mind would want to drive up from San Diego, or take a train or jet from St Louis to support their teams there now. Plus So Cal is such a melting pot that people from all over the country bring their fandom for their old teams along when they move here.

Winning helps, but nobody here cares about last year in that regards. At least Taylor Swift will probably be able to fill up that new stadium when it opens.

It's going to end up a fk story, however it turns out. The Rams are more married to the new stadium, so the Chargers would have to move south or perhaps all the way back to San Diego. They certainly don't have the wants or ways to build a new stadium for themselves.

The only story is that despite being co-located and pulling fans from the same basic geographic areas, Jets fans are notorious assholes (sexual harassment and assaults, horrible behavior in front of kids) compared to Giants fans, such that people report a very different vibe at the stadium depending on who is playing. Strange stuff.

Even when the Rams and Raiders were here, they played at way different locations.

The LA Coliseum is in a neighborhood you wouldn't want to be in after dark. The new place isn't much better.

Anaheim Stadium is a much safer, family oriented venue. However it is no longer built or suited for an NFL team, and I think the Angels like it like that. They had talked about building a new football stadium in the parking lot, but that never happened.

I have no real answer as property is super expensive anywhere, but south orange county where the old El Toro airbase was would be a perfect spot. It is a newer, more upscale area, seriously lacking in entertainment venues. And far enough from LA, that a team could establish it's own identity and fanbase there.

sounds like Jet and Raider fans are in the same boat....I brought my kids to a Raiders/Niner game and dozens of drunk ass holes were wearing "Fuck the Niners" shirts....stay classy Oakland...I'm happy their leaving

Have been a Lions fan forever and at the end of last nights game it was the first time I felt disgusted with the NFL due to the officiating. Yes the Lions had 5 field goals but those 2 calls costs them the game.

Now the NFL is saying that the second call against Flowers was an error. Neither should have been called.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27852650/nfl-second-flag-lions-de-trey-flowers-was-error

Was Matt Millen a government plant?

Perhaps it has something to do with the auto bailout. They have the goods on the Ford family for sure.

This is an accurate description.

It was a little weirder when it was called “giants stadium” and the entire bowl was red and blue.

Now it’s more neutral and the stadium lighting changes color depending on who’s at home.

Both teams sell out and have plenty of support.

Damn Russians hacking our nfl....