Do the refs really favor Packers/Steelers & scrutinize Cowboys?

[5Stars]

There might really be some truth to the Packers being favored by the refs and/or the Cowboys being more scrutinized by the refs.

In another thread I speculated that McCarthy/Philbin are teaching the infamous holding technique associated with the Packers.

My question was "Are the refs calling holding on Cowboys players for using the same technique that was not penalized when Packers players used it?"

The fact that multiple NFL rules are directly attributed to specific Cowboys players supports this concept:

Mike Irvin:
The Rule: Pushing-off by receivers by allowed until Irvin became know for it.

Mike Irvin:
The Rule: Taunting. Irvin’s trash-talking spurred the NFL to ban taunting during a game.

Emmitt Smith:
The Rule: In 1997, the NFL passed a rule that prohibits a player from removing their helmet while on the field.

Deion Sanders
The Rule: A prorated portion of a player’s signing bonus would be used to count against the team’s salary cap.

Roy Williams
The Rule: In 2005, the NFL owners passed a ban on the horse-collar tackle 27-5.
Repeat offenders, like Williams, would suffer disciplinary action from the league.

Erik Williams:
The Rule: Hands to the Face (Neck): Erik Williams.

Mel Renfro:
The Rule: Tipped pass by offensive player.
Prior to this rule in 1978, a pass tipped by an offensive player could only be incomplete or intercepted.
If a ball was knocked in the air, only a defender was allowed to legally catch it.

Links:
https://whodatdish.com/2014/04/09/considerable-rule-changes-players/4/

https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports...ges-inspired-by-cowboys-players/287-426219509

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/20...-romo-deion-sanders-marion-barber-mel-renfro/

Love me some Dallas Cowboys. Those rules were enforced because in the old days, the Cowboys would do some TX whip on you.

This team might play right...no time outs.

 

[Diehardblues]

I don't care if you believe, not believe, agree or not agree. Just don't lie about what videos actually show. That's all.

Everyone can interpret a video differently. Much like we can view a penalty , fumble, catch or interference, etc call differently.

We can all see a car accident and come away with different opinions. Shoot we all watched our Capital invaded and some thought they were tourist. Lol

 

[Diehardblues]

Ha! Forgot about that. Yes, he was the leader of the unjust Romo-bashing. Now he's Dak's purdy little booster boy.

He may sincerely believe in Dak but there was a segment who were Romo bashers who hopped on Daks wagon cause he could be evidence it was more about our QB .

There’s also a segment who were Romo Homers who bash Dak. Agendas always rise to the top.

Some think if you defend one in some circumstances that you’re on one side or the other. But I’ve been a critic of both in some circles and a big supporter in other circles. Depends on the subject matter.

I was more impressed with Romo in his latter years . Much like I am with Dak now. But this notion we can’t critique our own players is hogwash. And why I responded to his thrashing of you.

 

[Bobhaze]

Even Troy Aikman called out Romo on his team costing off-the-field antics, but you go ahead and keep thinking otherwise even now. That's your right. Just remember, I told you so. A few of us told you Romo with his antics and way of thinking would never lead the Cowboys to a conference championship, much less a Super Bowl, and time proved that to be true. You just can't handle that truth.

Once you’ve made your point, and someone disagrees and says why….it’s usually time to move on to a different point, otherwise it devolves into insults and other things that get people in trouble. Let’s keep it cool.

 

[ESisback]

Hope we win Sunday night!

 

[5Stars]

Hope we win Sunday night!

Oh, the Cowboys will win one way or the other. It be some Spookie stuff coming around.

 

[Jake]

The people constantly crying about "the refs" and "the league is fixed" will be dancing in the streets if the Cowboys win a Super Bowl.

Suddenly, everything will be legit.

It's comical.

 

[ESisback]

The people constantly crying about "the refs" and "the league is fixed" will be dancing in the streets if the Cowboys win a Super Bowl.

Suddenly, everything will be legit.

It's comical.

Who crying?

 

[Jfconrow]

Its true alot of people don’t like the Cowboys, alrighty then nothing else to see move on.

 

[Bobhaze]

The people constantly crying about "the refs" and "the league is fixed" will be dancing in the streets if the Cowboys win a Super Bowl.

Suddenly, everything will be legit.

It's comical.

Literally every rabid NFL fan believes their team gets screwed by the refs. Many fans are blinded by their fanaticism. Conspiracy theories are for people who make excuses for losing.

 

[ESisback]

Literally every rabid NFL fan believes their team gets screwed by the refs. Many fans are blinded by their fanaticism. Conspiracy theories are for people who make excuses for losing.

Once again, and probably not for the last time, I feel like I have to explain my position. I’m NOT making excuses for losing, I merely saying there are a lot of strange coincidences. I’ve said many times that the vast majority of this team’s failures are of it’s own doing, and the small fraction that isn’t is mostly human error, injury and plain old bad luck. But I’m also of the belief that some subjective penalties hit us at the worst times a little too many times to be a simple coincidence. A lot of influential people resent Dallas, but because it can’t be proven, those that need to believe in good/evil/black/white continue to scoff at the suggestion. They won’t “connect the dots”, because they’re uncomfortable with the concept of a grey world—at least not the sports world.

 

[MarcusRock]

Literally every rabid NFL fan believes their team gets screwed by the refs. Many fans are blinded by their fanaticism. Conspiracy theories are for people who make excuses for losing.

And when you see "refs cheating us" threads before a game, you know it's a big game that fans are afraid the team will lose and want to ratchet up the excuses early. Then they can say "told you so" if there's a single questionable call in the 1st Quarter that turned the tide of the entire game and made us lose. Lol.

 

[Bobhaze]

Once again, and probably not for the last time, I feel like I have to explain my position. I’m NOT making excuses for losing, I merely saying there are a lot of strange coincidences. I’ve said many times that the vast majority of this team’s failures are of it’s own doing, and the small fraction that isn’t is mostly human error, injury and plain old bad luck. But I’m also of the belief that some subjective penalties hit us at the worst times a little too many times to be a simple coincidence. A lot of influential people resent Dallas, but because it can’t be proven, those that need to believe in good/evil/black/white continue to scoff at the suggestion. They won’t “connect the dots”, because they’re uncomfortable with the concept of a grey world—at least not the sports world.

ES, I appreciate your well written explanation.

My view is there are a lot of things that aren’t easy to comprehend or easily explained, and that’s when conspiracy theories arise. It’s low hanging fruit because we don’t want to believe that bad things happen to our favorite team because of a multitude of reasons. Including we actually did break the rules, a ref made a bad call, a ref crew is really bad overall and make bad calls against both teams, or sometimes a crew is just plain incompetent.

But it’s easier to believe in a conspiracy. It just one simple explanation. Most people can believe in one without any compelling evidence or proof. IMO, it’s just human nature. It’s the easiest thing to believe.

 

[MarcusRock]

ES, I appreciate your well written explanation.

My view is there are a lot of things that aren’t easy to comprehend or easily explained, and that’s when conspiracy theories arise. It’s low hanging fruit because we don’t want to believe that bad things happen to our favorite team because of a multitude of reasons. Including we actually did break the rules, a ref made a bad call, a ref crew is really bad overall and make bad calls against both teams, or sometimes a crew is just plain incompetent.

But it’s easier to believe in a conspiracy. It just one simple explanation. Most people can believe in one without any compelling evidence or proof. IMO, it’s just human nature. It’s the easiest thing to believe.

Absolutely. It takes next to zero work to believe in them when you don't have to prove anything. The creative part is imagining the structure that funnels down to refs screwing us, like Goodell, Mara, Snyder, or Lurie clinking glasses on a yacht in the off-season to hatch this year's plot against the Cowboys. Almost as easy as a high schooler claiming a teacher is hating on him/her when the teacher just asked them to follow the rules like everyone else (I know you taught so maybe you'd appreciate that one).

Relatedly, I think the "don't want to believe" part serves as a defense for the team serving as an extension of the person when they overidentify with the team. So if the team loses, then by extension, you are a loser as well, especially when rival fans/media are ready to poke at you for that loss to push your ego even lower. So when people can't stomach having a loss on their own record, they need to create a boogeyman that shows the team didn't really lose to save face and have a defense against others and keep it going perpetually so it's always accessible when needed for a loss or to make a win greater than an ordinary win because we overcame a system rigged against us. In a word, it's fear that creates these "theories." It's also why some need the media to validate that the team they support is superior and label them haters if they don't feed that narrative. It's a psyche protector for those that refuse to accept a negative evaluation/occurrence.

 

[ESisback]

And then there’s the know-it-all fan that needs to feel he’s more enlightened. He thinks he’s got everything figured out and he’s winning some kind of debate. He’s not really gaining anything, except maybe a brief respite from his fear of inadequacy and lack of control. He needs the last word to help his self esteem, so he’ll keep arguing until he thinks he “won”. It’s sad, but also funny.

 

[FloridaRob]

The Refs really showed their bias for Green Bay last night when they overturned Aaron Jones TD that was called a TD on the field with no definitive evidence in the replays that it wasnt. Maybe the refs were biased for Arizona last night. Or maybe again, they were just incompetent.

 

[Doomsday101]

Last night the ref did not favor GB, called a TD then took it away on the goal line play. lol

 

[eternaljester81]

Last night the ref did not favor GB, called a TD then took it away on the goal line play. lol

GB was also given a TD in the first half when replay appeared to show the ball didn’t break the plain.

 

[Doomsday101]

GB was also given a TD in the first half when replay appeared to show the ball didn’t break the plain.

As we know those goal line plays tend not to be over turned because it so hard to see even in replay. So having a TD ruled in your favor down on the goal line to then have it taken off the board tends to be rare. Main point, no the refs are not favoring GB and frankly I don't think refs favor any team. Blaming refs is league wide with fans and every fan feels the refs are favoring the opponent.

 

[FloridaRob]

GB was also given a TD in the first half when replay appeared to show the ball didn’t break the plain.

that was an easier call to get right or wrong and they verified it. It appeared to me they got it right that the tip of teh ball did cross. The other one had no video that he did not cross. Stupid reversal that almost cost the Packers. Anybody watching the replay knew there was no evidence to overturn.