Did the refs purposefully keep the game close? Your opinion.

[Uncle Si]

This is a silly thread

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

I don't actually believe it, but if you we're looking for a game to question, this was a prime example. I was curious if it was going to be like that when I saw the line. 7 points under the circumstances was extremely low. Should have been closer to 13. But whatever. .

 

[Sarlacc83]

I suppose it's feeding the fire a little, but if you want to claim there's a need by the networks for a close game - to the point they want the game manipulated - it wouldn't be monetary, but either postseason refereeing jobs or, most likely, an intentional assignment of the worst refs to a high profile game because they are bound to make game changing bad calls. The latter is subtle and effective, but not technically cheating.

Again, I think it's just incompetence, but it's interesting to think about how it could be accomplished.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

As much as I questioned the refs competence last night, I can't put on the tin foil hat, sorry.

Let's also remember that there were a few times during our final drive to put the game away that the refs ate their flags. Okung could have been called for a hold on Russell's awesome scramble and dump to Lynch.............AND on the same play Britt came running down and hammered a defender right after the whistle blew.

Those were both borderline penalties.

 

[Ozzy]

I think we suffered at the hands of a terrible crew. The Carpenter call was possibly one of the worst calls I've ever seen. It played no role in the play and he finished his block. The look on Harvin's face was priceless.

Why the NFL allowed that crew to officiate on a Monday night with everyone watching is beyond me. Hopefully something good comes out of it though and they fix it because they basically ruined the product for everyone. It's not just Hawks fans complaining either. SI, thebiglead, espn etc. all mentioned the absurdity of the officiating last night.

 

[hawknation2014]

Nope. As Carroll said, "We are not going to go that route." Guys fought hard, no excuses and definitely no whining about officiating, ala the Santa Clara Forty-Whiners. The team showed heart today amidst adversity.

 

[ivotuk]

The head bob TD call back, and the movement call back on Percy looked bogus to me.

All the talk this weekend has been about how the TNF blow outs are effecting the NFL's bottom line financially. They sold the TNF rights for several hundred million but their goal is to get over 1 billion for the next contract. No way that happens if all people see is is blow out after blow out in "Primetime Games."

Just look at how much everyone was screaming when "Peyton" didn't get his chance in OT. Howie Long was upset and said "Every fan in America wanted to see Peyton get his chance in overtime!"

Look at how the HGH rule changed after years of wrangling when Peyton needed Wes Welker for the "SuperB Owl rematch."

When it effects the game in some broad way, the NFL, and the NFLPA are willing to make changes.

And it's not "Penalize Seattle more." It's "Seattle has been getting away with a lot on the offensive line, we need to "make that a point of emphasis."

Just like last year, "Seattle has been getting away with a lot of grabbing in the defensive backfield, let's make that a point of emphasis."

 

[Barthawk]

Last night was the first time I have ever thought that a game was officiated in order to keep a game close. Almost all Prime time games this year have been blowouts and with MNF up against two baseball games they needed this game to remain somewhat close to keep people from changing the channel.

I can understand calling a tight game, that is fine, but the calls were too one sided to support that idea IMO.

 

[Kixkahn]

Non calls are the most irritating. The two helmet to helmet hits by #56 were ridiculous. Garcon pretty much attacking Sherman and not getting called was crap. Many of the calls were iffy or so so. Let them play call the dang games evenly. I don't think wanting evenly called games is an unreasonable request.

 

[TXHawk]

Jeff Triplette is the worst lead official in the league so it shouldn't come as a shock the game was poorly officiated. He must have some incriminating photos of Goodell or something to keep his job year after year.

Let's not start sounding like the conspiracy kooks at the Whiners nutzone please. The league is not instructing referees to keep our games close. It was a crap officiating job by a crap officiating crew.

Like anything in life, follow the money.

I dont think the league is instructing anything at all. They got their deals paid. But, no one is questioning the networks that are losing the revenue in these blowouts. Money talks. And when there is a lot involved, it talks alot.

So you're saying ESPN bribed the officials? Give me a break. I'll "follow the money" when you provide some evidence that it flowed into the pockets of the officials last night.

If it was so easy to track then of course it wouldnt be done. I dont know how you think its so easy for us to find this stuff out though. Its not a Law & Order show where we will eventually discover the link. Lobbyist have been doing it for years with politicians. Everyone knows it, but it doesnt stop it from happening. Hell, look at how long it took to punish Ray Rice and it took video evidence to do it. You think there is a video of money exchanging hands?

As well, most of these kinda deals never take place in the now. Money doesnt exchange hands after an event. ITs over time and done in different ways. Lets see what cushy job Tripplette gets after his reffing career. Thats where you discover the links. And by that time, no one is looking for them.

Sorry but this is exactly the type of tin foil crap you see from 9/11 Truthers and other conspiracy theorists. Never any direct evidence, you always have to read between the lines and infer things going on behind the scenes. Also lots of cliches like "follow the money" without really providing any evidence of where the money goes. The mere fact that there is large sums involved is evidence enough for them that their MUST be something nefarious going on.

The Whiners Nutzone is notorious for this conspiracy crap. A lot of them are convinced the fix was in on the NFCCG game because of a couple of marginal calls. Lets not be like them.

 

[scutterhawk]

Blatantly bad calls.
I saw the flag come out on the obvious Off Sides, only to be insulted with a crap call against the O-Line for false start.
But hey, their fans were happy with seeing their team putting up a good fight with the stupid World Champions Seahawks.
I find it hard to believe that their fans truly believed that this game wasn't a shitty, joke laden Officiated game though.

 

[Cartire]

Sorry but this is exactly the type of tin foil crap you see from 9/11 Truthers and other conspiracy theorists. Never any direct evidence, you always have to read between the lines and infer things going on behind the scenes. Also lots of cliches like "follow the money" without really providing any evidence of where the money goes. The mere fact that there is large sums involved is evidence enough for them that their MUST be something nefarious going on.

The Whiners Nutzone is notorious for this conspiracy crap. A lot of them are convinced the fix was in on the NFCCG game because of a couple of marginal calls. Lets not be like them.

I understand your stance to take the high ground here. But its naive to think this sort of stuff doesnt happen. The first thing you mention is that we need tin-foil hats. You've already dismissed the claims because there isnt concrete evidence. I still think OJ committed the crimes, but the evidences wasnt "clear enough". You're not going to get a signed affidavit from someone doing something wrong. So no matter if its happening or not, you will never know.

So I get why its easy to take the high ground approach. But its hard to watch last nights games and hear all the talk about networks losing money to blowouts, and not start to put 2 and 2 together. Money does talk. Whether you want to believe that or not.

 

[Wagon12]

It did kind of feel that way. Enough to joke about it.

But given Triplette's long history of incredible officiating incompetence, I think it's just more likely that Seattle suffered at the hands of a terrible officiating crew.

I would agree with this... Actually, I have seen some HORRIBLE officiating across the board this season... Feels like the replacements all over again...

 

[RolandDeschain]

The night after ESPN's Monday Night Football game where the refs were horribly biased and keeping a poor team in the game, ESPN is airing a special about how Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway rigged college basketball.

http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=playingforthemob

Coincidence? I leave it for you, the viewer, to decide.

 

[loafoftatupu]

I do believe that the refs did their best to keep the game close without altering the course of the two teams. The league didn't not want another prime time blowout and they were getting one.

They called stuff that is hardly ever called and showed no consistency. Some of it was legit, but they only called some types of penalties on the big plays.

 

[hoxrox]

It did kind of feel that way. Enough to joke about it.

But given Triplette's long history of incredible officiating incompetence, I think it's just more likely that Seattle suffered at the hands of a terrible officiating crew.

Yep. With Mike Carey no longer on the field, Jeff Triplette has zero competition for worst referee in the league, and if he's been carrying the same crew with him for years they're awful as well.

No I don't think there was any deliberate fix in.

Agreed. Triplette has officially overtaken Carey and Winters as the worst crew in the league.

 

[Missing_Clink]

I do not believe the NFL is so crooked that they would instruct officials to fix games to make them closer or favor another team. I find that idea to be extremely aluminum foil hatty. Especially considering all of the other drama that has hurt the league this season, would they risk something that would top it all and fix games? Hell no. The Hawks got screwed on some really bad calls. That happens to every team once or twice a season. It doesn't mean there is some sort of game-fixing conspiracy at work.

 

[Cartire]

I do not believe the NFL is so crooked that they would instruct officials to fix games to make them closer or favor another team. I find that idea to be extremely aluminum foil hatty. Especially considering all of the other drama that has hurt the league this season, would they risk something that would top it all and fix games? Hell no. The Hawks got screwed on some really bad calls. That happens to every team once or twice a season. It doesn't mean there is some sort of game-fixing conspiracy at work.

Its not coming from the league. The league stands to lose nothing in blowouts. Its the networks.

 

[Sprfunk]

I'm going to watch the game again tonight. Just a few things I'll be looking for.
1) A false start stops the play. Why did the play continue with Harvin getting all the way into the endzone if that was a false start?
2) The flag was thrown on Carp after Harvin caught the touchdown. Obama gives bailouts, not the refs.
3) WTF was up with the motion call on Harvin?

I'm not saying it was setup, or Refs were paid off. All I am saying is that the penalties were not called evenly, and penalties were called at critical times.
Usually when refs consistently blow calls they tend to blow them both ways. This was not the case.
It seemed to me that the refs had an agenda to keep it close.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Its not coming from the league. The league stands to lose nothing in blowouts. Its the networks.

Why would the refs care about what the networks want? They're paid by the league, not the networks. Unless you're implying there's bribery going on, and that my friend is even further fetched than a league/ref collusion.