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article on how golden tate catch changed nothing
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BlueTalon
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Me likee. I approve of the cynicism in the article.
I remember that Pats-Ravens game. The Ravens' defense played harder and with more emotion than anything I've ever seen in sports. Gained a ton of respect for them that day. No one drive sticks out in my mind clearer than the one cited in that article.
chawx
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Awesome article and is exactly how I see this league...
Best part, "The replacement refs walked into the NFL completely ignorant of how things really worked. They actually thought it was about getting calls correct and calling what you see. Like an overzealous rookie cop finding the hidden drugs only to have it put back by A dirty police chief, the poor subs didn’t realize that it’s a little more complicated than that. The real referees know there are certain players you don’t call flags on, there are certain points in a game where you let players play, there are certain things you don’t let players do between plays in order to keep emotions in check for the game."
100% truth.
Best part, "The replacement refs walked into the NFL completely ignorant of how things really worked. They actually thought it was about getting calls correct and calling what you see. Like an overzealous rookie cop finding the hidden drugs only to have it put back by A dirty police chief, the poor subs didn’t realize that it’s a little more complicated than that. The real referees know there are certain players you don’t call flags on, there are certain points in a game where you let players play, there are certain things you don’t let players do between plays in order to keep emotions in check for the game."
100% truth.
HawkAroundTheClock
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That did a decent job of explaining the paranoid feeling caused by officiating without going all cuckoo tin-foil hat. It's gambling. Like the old adage, 'follow the money...'
Fantastic article. Moneyball, NFL style.
SharkHawk
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Who is this guy? Does he write here? I loved that article. He put what I've been thinking into words that made sense. I know that everybody sees the line each week from refs to GM's to the guy holding the stick on the sideline that marks first down. There isn't a lot of confusion about what is going on and who is supposed to win games. The refs have to hold back, but it's so obvious in the NBA. Look at baseball and how the strikezone moves for different teams. I can remember Bobby Ayala pitching for the M's against the Yankees and his strikezone was about the size of a penny and it ruined the guy's career. He couldn't seem to figure out how to throw a strike. The problem being that he was right in the zone all the time, but the M's weren't supposed to be winning these games, so a closer on a team that is an underdog is battling against 2 forces. 1- The other team. 2- The umpire's preconceived notion of who is supposed to be better.
The NBA really sealed the deal for me in the championship series that took place between Utah and Chicago. They were awful. That league has image problems now, but it is amazing how long they've squeaked by without a congressional investigation. The finals in the mid-90's with the Jazz and Bulls were classic examples of either the ref assuming something different was happening than what he was seeing, or a flat out crooked ref calling a game in a way that benefited somebody specifically. That is why when the Seahawks made the Superbowl I wasn't surprised for a minute. Disappointed? Beyond words. But not surprised. I had seen that movie before.
The NBA really sealed the deal for me in the championship series that took place between Utah and Chicago. They were awful. That league has image problems now, but it is amazing how long they've squeaked by without a congressional investigation. The finals in the mid-90's with the Jazz and Bulls were classic examples of either the ref assuming something different was happening than what he was seeing, or a flat out crooked ref calling a game in a way that benefited somebody specifically. That is why when the Seahawks made the Superbowl I wasn't surprised for a minute. Disappointed? Beyond words. But not surprised. I had seen that movie before.
Twisted
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it changed nothing?
thats a hoot, it brought back the regulars and their bias show.
would have rather seen the league and the union work out a performance based assignment rule, the officiating was better with the replacements IMO, the 3 immediate flags thrown on Sherman for a text book hit was the back breaker, you could tell they were just waiting to penalize him cuz his performance is too spectacular and spoiling their efforts..
why can't we just have as fair officiating as possible all the way around and just pay the refs a lot more money for the job they do?
I know the league tried to deal with the issue and the media thwarted those efforts but the league should not give up, design something they can't refuse or impose better rules they can't "screw up", something anything, at least try.. to watch a team get hustled by the refs just leaves a bad taste no matter what team it is, every team deserves a fair shot and the constant excuses like "oh it was just a mistake" "or you just have to live with it" "well from that angle" is bad for the sport..
then after the media destroys any chance of getting fair officiating they then have the nerve to complain when their team draws a bad flag.. lol
I'm not saying the job is easy and humans doesn't make mistakes but the league can implement devices to minimize unjust penalties that hurt teams..
I have been seeing many offside that are going the other way, lets get some electronic tracking devices on the ball and players wrists to eliminate any guessing, especially when it comes to first down, this is the information age and the new era of technology, at last lets use this technology for some good so the sport can evolve and grow
take the Sherman hit for example, that could have easily been overturned had it been reviewed with common sense, obviously the way it looked and the fierceness of the impact it looked illegal but with slo-mo instant replay it was clearly a good hit, easy cheesy, grab your mic and say "after further review there was no foul on the play" and move on..
what are you teaching our youth and our society as a whole when you tell them the injustice in our favorite pastimes are acceptable?
/rant
thats a hoot, it brought back the regulars and their bias show.
would have rather seen the league and the union work out a performance based assignment rule, the officiating was better with the replacements IMO, the 3 immediate flags thrown on Sherman for a text book hit was the back breaker, you could tell they were just waiting to penalize him cuz his performance is too spectacular and spoiling their efforts..
why can't we just have as fair officiating as possible all the way around and just pay the refs a lot more money for the job they do?
I know the league tried to deal with the issue and the media thwarted those efforts but the league should not give up, design something they can't refuse or impose better rules they can't "screw up", something anything, at least try.. to watch a team get hustled by the refs just leaves a bad taste no matter what team it is, every team deserves a fair shot and the constant excuses like "oh it was just a mistake" "or you just have to live with it" "well from that angle" is bad for the sport..
then after the media destroys any chance of getting fair officiating they then have the nerve to complain when their team draws a bad flag.. lol
I'm not saying the job is easy and humans doesn't make mistakes but the league can implement devices to minimize unjust penalties that hurt teams..
I have been seeing many offside that are going the other way, lets get some electronic tracking devices on the ball and players wrists to eliminate any guessing, especially when it comes to first down, this is the information age and the new era of technology, at last lets use this technology for some good so the sport can evolve and grow
take the Sherman hit for example, that could have easily been overturned had it been reviewed with common sense, obviously the way it looked and the fierceness of the impact it looked illegal but with slo-mo instant replay it was clearly a good hit, easy cheesy, grab your mic and say "after further review there was no foul on the play" and move on..
what are you teaching our youth and our society as a whole when you tell them the injustice in our favorite pastimes are acceptable?
/rant
SharkHawk
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I think in his case he's saying it changed nothing because it just brought us right back to the awful status quo, which in his writing is the problem at the core of the system. It didn't bring in good refs who would make good calls and call it like they see it. It brought us right back where we were, which was a bad place. So in that regard... nothing changed. Same old crap.
I actually enjoyed watching the replacements and thought if you give them a season and avoid tainting them with NFL ref evil like Pereira getting a hold of them, then the league would be better off. They threw a lot of flags, but they were calling it like they see it, and calling it according to the rule book. They weren't making shiz up like Mike Carey did in that game last week. He made up a new rule. For real. Nothing has happened. I'm sure he'll work his allotment of playoff games and be talked about as "a real pro", but it's horsedung. He's awful and he made up a rule that went entirely contrary to how it was called on Jim Schwartz and that the NFL said would NOT CHANGE THIS YEAR. He changed it anyway and got away with it. There was no national media outcry. In fact the only one who mentioned it was Florio and he was quickly buried by his bosses at NBC and didn't bring it up again. The old Florio would have harped on it for weeks and for good reason. I don't always like the guy, but I like the fact that as a lawyer he can get very analytical and right down to the p's and q's and he would have lambasted the NFL for a month on what Carey did. His old self couldn't stop it and he did report on it, and I give him credit. He put it out there and let fans discuss it. But even he knows now that he's controlled by the mothership and only has very limited opportunity to squeeze in his digs at the NFL.
I say this guy has a clear understanding of everything that is totally wrong with pro sports and he's right. Nothing has changed. Week 3 made no difference, because the Pack got "their refs" back and all of a sudden they're putting on a show. Really watch them though... they are maybe 3 plays better than other teams they are up against. Hmmm... 3-5 calls go your way in a game and you win. Remember XL. Just remember it. The right calls at the right time can make such a monstrous difference, and we of all people should be aware of that. Back to business as usual.
I actually enjoyed watching the replacements and thought if you give them a season and avoid tainting them with NFL ref evil like Pereira getting a hold of them, then the league would be better off. They threw a lot of flags, but they were calling it like they see it, and calling it according to the rule book. They weren't making shiz up like Mike Carey did in that game last week. He made up a new rule. For real. Nothing has happened. I'm sure he'll work his allotment of playoff games and be talked about as "a real pro", but it's horsedung. He's awful and he made up a rule that went entirely contrary to how it was called on Jim Schwartz and that the NFL said would NOT CHANGE THIS YEAR. He changed it anyway and got away with it. There was no national media outcry. In fact the only one who mentioned it was Florio and he was quickly buried by his bosses at NBC and didn't bring it up again. The old Florio would have harped on it for weeks and for good reason. I don't always like the guy, but I like the fact that as a lawyer he can get very analytical and right down to the p's and q's and he would have lambasted the NFL for a month on what Carey did. His old self couldn't stop it and he did report on it, and I give him credit. He put it out there and let fans discuss it. But even he knows now that he's controlled by the mothership and only has very limited opportunity to squeeze in his digs at the NFL.
I say this guy has a clear understanding of everything that is totally wrong with pro sports and he's right. Nothing has changed. Week 3 made no difference, because the Pack got "their refs" back and all of a sudden they're putting on a show. Really watch them though... they are maybe 3 plays better than other teams they are up against. Hmmm... 3-5 calls go your way in a game and you win. Remember XL. Just remember it. The right calls at the right time can make such a monstrous difference, and we of all people should be aware of that. Back to business as usual.
SharkHawk":3kpqs6gr said:
The NFL will move indomitably upon anything shining the light of truth contained within that article no doubt. I too, wasn't surprised about the outcome of XL*. Giving Bettis the Key to the City a week before the game was played told anyone paying even half attention that the NFL script had already been written. The unwitting actors simply had to take the stage and the ending was predetermined. How they got to that predetermined ending was the only part that was ad-libbed. I just assumed it was because the NFL didn't like the Seahawks. I wasn't smart enough to chase the money trail which gained true access to the truth.
HawkAroundTheClock
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I posted something similar, but less insightful, when the old refs came back. I wish I could find it, but I think I made the comparison of taking your car to the shop for a busted radiator (original refs), getting it back with a broken windshield, bent frame, and unfixed radiator (replacement refs), then being so glad to have the windshield and frame repaired that you don't mind the still-broken radiator (return of original refs). It's not a perfect analogy, and I never tied in the gambling aspect, but the weird Borg-like collective voice of every ESPN pundit around that time had a lot of us smelling something fishy.
SharkHawk
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Aros":g9zfxoze said:
Bingo. That's the best way I've heard that put Aros. Thank you for boiling it down to the keys (no pun intended, but that key to the city speaks volumes). Let's not forget on a pretty funny note, Saddam Hussein was also awarded a key to the city of Detroit. I'm totally serious. So at least that helps ease the pain a little. Bettis is right up there with Hussein in awards.
You are 100% right. The script was written, the actors took the stage, and Seattle hadn't been told what they were supposed to do, but they were let in on the secret very early on with the "TD*" by Roethlisberger. It was all downhill from then. A simple little offensive pass interference here, a little missed hold on a huge run on a sweep right by Pitt that was ignored (along with several others), a mysterious miss of 4 straight offsides penalties by Pittsburgh's LDE on Locklear on a drive where we moved the ball (those were sickeningly obvious), but then a ticky tack hold on Locklear when we complete it and you know Shaun will run it in on the next play. And then an illegal block call on our QB? Amazing. The story played out and it was as plain as day to everybody who wasn't wearing black and yellow, and I mean EVERYBODY. I have a friend who hates the Seahawks so bad it hurts him. He came to me after that Superbowl and apologized for what he'd seen and questioned his commitment to the league and whether he'd renew his season tickets he'd had for 20 years in Oakland/LA. He was furious that a game could go that way in the league he loved. He went in rooting for Pittsburgh and came out of the experience "literally sick to the point that I vomited" in his words. It was true organic pain for him. So don't take my word for it. Take the world's word for it.
Blitzfan
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Awesome! Too bad those still flapping their gums about that game will never give this angle a second thought.
olyfan63
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That article makes total sense! Follow the money!!
The NFL does walk a tightrope on catering to the gambling interests and balancing that with the integrity of the game. It's just that an underdog who is "not supposed to win" needs to be WAY better to overcome the little benefit-of-the-doubt breaks here and there that the favorite can get.
In Super Bowl XL, the Hawks were the better team except for the 3rd string man-off-the-street safety that got legitimately burned on two of the three Steeler TD's. (His initials are E.P. and it was the Willie Parker 75-yard TD run and the TD pass from Antawn Randle-El) There's a fair argument that the Seahawks front office (in Ruskell we "trust") cost us the Super Bowl by not having passable depth at that key position. So Pete and John have done their part by having the depth of talent and "next man up".
The NFL does walk a tightrope on catering to the gambling interests and balancing that with the integrity of the game. It's just that an underdog who is "not supposed to win" needs to be WAY better to overcome the little benefit-of-the-doubt breaks here and there that the favorite can get.
In Super Bowl XL, the Hawks were the better team except for the 3rd string man-off-the-street safety that got legitimately burned on two of the three Steeler TD's. (His initials are E.P. and it was the Willie Parker 75-yard TD run and the TD pass from Antawn Randle-El) There's a fair argument that the Seahawks front office (in Ruskell we "trust") cost us the Super Bowl by not having passable depth at that key position. So Pete and John have done their part by having the depth of talent and "next man up".
SharkHawk
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Etric Pruitt didn't help matters, but the Ben TD an the long run by Willie Parker around the right side, and then the call on D-Jack for an offensive PI all happened well before Marquand went out and Etric was forced into duty. Even then... all of the really egregious calls were made. The last one being the call on Matt. We were driving to take the lead. The wind was taken out of our sails. Matt got a little spazzy and threw an INT, but it is clear he was fighting against something he wouldn't ever overcome. All things were just stacked in their favor and it happened at so many specific moments. Even the referee he has said he flat out booted the game. He's the only man I ended up respecting in this situation, because at least he admitted he blew it. I will be very interested to hear his whole take on it once he retires and can speak up. My thoughts are that he trusted his crew too much, and his crew were telling him about penalties (we were seeing one flag calls, not multiple flag penalties), and when he'd ask for specifics they'd claim they saw whatever for sure and he didn't say, "I didn't see it... pick up the flag." I think if anything, Leavy was really guilty of not asserting himself, and then for that awful Locklear call which was his I believe, and then the horrendous allowance of Ben's TD after replay. Leavy has a lot of the blame, but the crew seemed sketchy.
CityHawk
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So if the Seahawks win today, we better hope that San Fran wins next week. Can you imagine if the Seahawks beat Atlanta and have to play GB again? There is no way in hell they will let GB lose that game. It will be don't worry, we'll make up for the "blown" call in week 3.
RiggoReincarnated
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Yeah..in the end you'd still be 10-6 with the 5th seed and GB would have won their division with a 10-6 record as they beat Chicago twice.
SeaWolv
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Wow, NFL illuminati at work, hopefully they don't hate the Seahawks again this year. Happy to see another unbiased source correctly documenting the unjust plight of our team.
