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

[seahawksny]

Its been proven in ALL seattle sports including college
East Coast Biased always dominates. Nobody wants to see Seattle win
this will never change

 

[Cartire]

The only time I've ever questioned if there was some sort of deliberate fix in was that 2003 game at Baltimore. Especially since the NFL quietly did away with at least that referee after the season ended.

The rest of the time I'm very likely to just see it as incompetence.

The thing is, I dont think there was a fix in. They werent trying to cover a spread or any of that. But like I quoted ET saying, I think they wanted to keep the game respectable till the end. Ratings, Ratings, Ratings. Networks hate the blowouts, especially during primetime when the big money is lost from ad revenue.

 

[burggold75]

Calls go both ways. There was so many holding calls not called it was ludicrous. For Earl Thomas to say this is delusional, seriously?! keep it close? whatever

Triplette is just triplette.

 

[Trenchbroom]

A conspiracy? Really?

Incompetence (mostly on the refs but on our players too) is the ONLY reasonable explanation for the one sided officiating last night.

 

[Sarlacc83]

Never assume conspiracy where massive incompetence fits.

 

[HawkAroundTheClock]

“The fans are watching, and everybody wants to see a good game, so they’re going to try to make it as close as possible. It’s a business.”

-Earl Thomas

During one of Doug Baldwin's Spreecast live chats from last season he was asked, "What would fans be most surprised to learn about the NFL?" Doug responded: "That it's a business." That response always stuck with me because his tone and directness said more than just "money affects personnel decisions." I'm not going all conspiracy with it, but DB was saying that money makes even more decisions than the obvious ones like player contracts, TV deals, and commercial breaks. Very interesting to hear Earl use that phrase in this context.

Regarding specific calls/non-calls, did anyone else see Sherman get dragged down twice in that game? I could have sworn one of them was by the facemask and the other by the back shoulder pads and/or dreads. I'll have to re-watch to be sure, but that's what I think I saw.

 

[HansGruber]

One of the worst officiated games I've ever seen. It's obvious the NFL wanted it close.

Then they realized in the fourth that it would be close and let a bunch of blatant fouls go uncalled. On both sides.

What was most egregious of all was watching Washington pull a number of personal fouls that went uncalled. Sherman was pulled to the ground twice, once by his hair and once by his facemask - and we don't even get a holding call? WTF?? The second one should have been a 15 yard personal foul on garcon. There were countless personal fouls and late hits that went uncalled for Washington and that put our players safety at risk. That kinda pissed me off.

 

[Cartire]

“The fans are watching, and everybody wants to see a good game, so they’re going to try to make it as close as possible. It’s a business.”

-Earl Thomas

During one of Doug Baldwin's Spreecast live chats from last season he was asked, "What would fans be most surprised to learn about the NFL?" Doug responded: "That it's a business." That response always stuck with me because his tone and directness said more than just "money affects personnel decisions." I'm not going all conspiracy with it, but DB was saying that money makes even more decisions than the obvious ones like player contracts, TV deals, and commercial breaks. Very interesting to hear Earl use that phrase in this context.

Regarding specific calls/non-calls, did anyone else see Sherman get dragged down twice in that game? I could have sworn one of them was by the facemask and the other by the back shoulder pads and/or dreads. I'll have to re-watch to be sure, but that's what I think I saw.

I cant wait for the All-22. There was a play near the end of the first half where RW gets sacked. It looked like it was just a blown up play and he held the ball to long. The truth, and I only noticed it briefly as a replay was never shown on the proper angle, but Harvin got tackled about 10 yards out. Right where RW was looking. So obviously he couldnt throw there and ended up taken the sack. But it was yet another call that should have been called against the skins that wasnt.

 

[tom sawyer]

So will these replacement Refs be around next week too?

 

[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.

 

[Cartire]

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.

 

[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.

Triplette's crew has been bad in a lot of non-prime time games, too. Were they bribed in those games as well?

 

[Sports Hernia]

Calls go both ways. There was so many holding calls not called it was ludicrous. For Earl Thomas to say this is delusional, seriously?! keep it close? whatever

Triplette is just triplette.

Easy to say when your team isn't the one getting 3 TD's called back, 2 of which were blatantly bogus.

 

[dumbrabbit]

It's all Triplett's fault.

FIRE BEVELL.

 

[Cartire]

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.

 

[SouthSoundHawk]

Jeff Triplette and his crew were terrible and out right inept...

Still walked out of that shithole with a win.

Hope DC enjoys a long...long....loooong seaon of misery.

 

[Smellyman]

Calls go both ways. There was so many holding calls not called it was ludicrous. For Earl Thomas to say this is delusional, seriously?! keep it close? whatever

Triplette is just triplette.

Easy to say when your team isn't the one getting 3 TD's called back, 2 of which were blatantly bogus.

and 13 penalties to 3

 

[seahawk12thman]

The officials were right about Okung's holding. He really cost us last night. The penalties on Unger and Carpenter were garbage.

 

[HawkAroundTheClock]

...did anyone else see Sherman get dragged down twice in that game? I could have sworn one of them was by the facemask and the other by the back shoulder pads and/or dreads. I'll have to re-watch to be sure, but that's what I think I saw.

Sherman was pulled to the ground twice, once by his hair and once by his facemask - and we don't even get a holding call? WTF?? The second one should have been a 15 yard personal foul on garcon.

We were posting the exact same thing at the exact same time. :th2thumbs:
I'm glad to know my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

 

[Hawknballs]

the head bob on unger and the call on harvin who was the motion man were complete garbage.

there were at least two helmet-to-helmet hits on Washington defenders that were not called, and the blatant face mask/hair grabbing by garcon happened more than just the one obvious time the MNF crew focused on it and it wasn't ever called.

A lot of money in vegas was on Seattle at -7.5 and I sure thought it was fishy how the refs did their part to keep the score close. I'm not saying Seattle didn't commit their fair share of obvious penalties, and I don't buy that refs would intentionally throw a game, but given the admitted disposition of the league to not want seattle hosting prime time games because they blow people out, it's obvious the messaging is that they want them to be closer games. Add in the vegas twist and it doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to speculate that just maybe the refs were giving the benefit of the doubt to Washington in most cases.