Boycott the SB

khiladi said:

This is a league of professionals, where margins of error are slim. Saying play better is absurd in this scenario.

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There is some truth to this. Don’t let one play dictate the difference.

The Saints had poorly managed the time clock initially when they got inside the Redzone on that possession which allowed or created the situation which unfolded.

And the Saints got away with a face mask on previous possession against Goff which could have led to a TD instead of settling for a FG.

Part of the problem is we’ve become so dependent on these penalties , especially pass interference , to bail out. On one hand we want to let them play and on the other we want every ticky tack play called.

These are judgment calls and will always be heavily criticized.

Afigueroa22 said:

No they agreed it was a catch at that time and re-phrased the rule so it wouldn't be as ambiguous as it was before. Dez did everything correct and disagree with you 100%.

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Yes and no. I’d agree he did every correct after the fact.

But if he’d just came down securing the ball without attempting to extend the ball the results and or call might have been different.

CouchCoach said:

No, we don't. Need some stuff to be pissed about and this is really convenient. I can't discuss the real **** I am pissed about here so this will have to suffice for now.

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I think it's hilarious this happened to the Saints. Karma for 2009 where they put a cash bounty on Favre. They are some of the most bandwagon, obnoxious fans in the NFL. You couldn't find a Saints fan for decades, now they are out like cockroaches. Saints got the 1 seed solely because of the terrible calls in their favor against the Steelers in week 16 that pretty much knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs.

Any misery to that fanbase is hilarious. As well as overrated Brees/Payton.

charron said:

yes. but that play by itself wouldn't have won the game. In fact he wasn't even guaranteed to make the catch. It's a blown call and very unfortunate but they had plenty of chances to make a play before then. Not sure if you know this or not but they play for 60 minutes it's not a 1 play game.

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Yea i i guess there is probably a 1% chance that the guy drops the ball at this level.

Are you saying a football game is actually 60 minutes?
How have I not been able to figure that out after watching this game for 30+ years.
But why are my Madden quarters only 5 minutes each? Crap.

DeathMonkey said:

I think for some people, football is a passion, but when you see time and again that passion being tainted over and over again by questionable officiating calls, not just bad ones but suspicious ones, it calls into question the sanctity of the results. There is still plenty of football to watch other than the NFL if people decide to boycott it. That doesn't make them any less passionate than you. It just means they're more fedup with what's been going on (whether it's just epic bad officiating or something more sinister)

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Couple of things.

I never said anyone was less passionate than me, I said it's a passion for me.
I also said I respect those people's decision not to watch.

I understand the gut reaction to all this. It's not the first time and won't be the last, although I think there will be rule changes.

As far as "something sinister" you could never convince me a multi-billion dollar enterprise that owns the American sports machine affecting tens of thousands of people's lives with careers on the line would jeopardize their entire existence with a concerted effort to make sure certain teams win or lose.

If you want to talk about rogue officials, I can swallow that. One of the worst calls in Super Bowl history was the pass interference call on Benny Barnes defending Lynn Swann. I think that back judge had it out for us.

So FOR ME, what am I left with. To wallow in the sketchy assumptions that the integrity of the league is in question to the point of not watching in regards to officials...

...or watch the sport I am so passionate about.

I chose to watch despite. It's as simple as that.

khiladi said:

This is a league of professionals, where margins of error are slim. Saying play better is absurd in this scenario.

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Your opinion. But playing better eliminates 1 bad call or 1 bad play from potentially costing you a game.

Diehardblues said:

There is some truth to this. Don’t let one play dictate the difference.

The Saints had poorly managed the time clock initially when they got inside the Redzone on that possession which allowed or created the situation which unfolded.

And the Saints got away with a face mask on previous possession against Goff which could have led to a TD instead of settling for a FG.

Part of the problem is we’ve become so dependent on these penalties , especially pass interference , to bail out. On one hand we want to let them play and on the other we want every ticky tack play called.

These are judgment calls and will always be heavily criticized.

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I agree with the sentiment, but this was no ticky tack foul. And it was a) in space and b) at the focal point of the play. By a strict definition, every call is "judgment." Even if a player is 2 yards offside, a judgment is made. But I can't see that as a judgment play in the way we normally mean. It wasn't bang-bang. It was egregious. I think that explains the public outcry. The non-call was so abysmally bad even those who can't buy conspiracies and rigged plays simply can't process the reason it was missed.

Diehardblues said:

Yes and no. I’d agree he did every correct after the fact.

But if he’d just came down securing the ball without attempting to extend the ball the results and or call might have been different.

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I will never condemn a player for going all out to score. If he didn't score and we settled for 3 and still lost, we would all go back to that play.

superonyx said:

Yea i i guess there is probably a 1% chance that the guy drops the ball at this level.

Are you saying a football game is actually 60 minutes?
How have I not been able to figure that out after watching this game for 30+ years.
But why are my Madden quarters only 5 minutes each? Crap.

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atleast in madden there's no doubt you won by a large margin.

charron said:

Your opinion. But playing better eliminates 1 bad call or 1 bad play from potentially costing you a game.

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That is certainly true, at least much of the time. I suppose there are games in which both teams play exceedingly well and there is little opportunity for one or the other to create adequate separation to assure that a single play or call doesn't decide the outcome. The problem is this -- the NFL is cushioned to an extent from being forced to take steps to improve its officiating and to hold officials more accountable.

The truth is, in most instances, fans of 31 teams simply don't care that much that one team was deprived of a proper call. So the bulk of fans are never sufficiently angry to truly force the NFL to take action. Beyond that, many fans take the position "Play better. Don't let a bad call decide the game." It's an understandable position as most of us who played were conditioned to think that way." But it is a flawed viewpoint because it eases pressure on the league to do everything in its power to get these calls right. And that should always be their goal and responsibility.

charron said:

Your opinion. But playing better eliminates 1 bad call or 1 bad play from potentially costing you a game.

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And one bad call that there is no excuse for, that the whole world saw, cost them the game. That is equivalent to a crucial INT or fumble.

Afigueroa22 said:

I will never condemn a player for going all out to score. If he didn't score and we settled for 3 and still lost, we would all go back to that play.

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Players are wired to make every attempt possible to get the most out of a play. It would be nearly impossible to coach a player in that position to simply catch and cradle the ball -- not when the opportunity was that wide open. And do we want that outcome? A great player catches the ball and doesn't use his full athletic ability to get into the end zone? Probably not.

Shake_Tiller said:

That is certainly true, at least much of the time. I suppose there are games in which both teams play exceedingly well and there is little opportunity for one or the other to create adequate separation to assure that a single play or call doesn't decide the outcome. The problem is this -- the NFL is cushioned to an extent from being forced to take steps to improve its officiating and to hold officials more accountable.

The truth is, in most instances, fans of 31 teams simply don't care that much that one team was deprived of a proper call. So the bulk of fans are never sufficiently angry to truly force the NFL to take action. Beyond that, many fans take the position "Play better. Don't let a bad call decide the game." It's an understandable position as most of us who played were conditioned to think that way." But it is a flawed viewpoint because it eases pressure on the league to do everything in its power to get these calls right. And that should always be their goal and responsibility.

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You will always have bad calls when refs are human. Was it a bad non call, yes but that is not why they lost the game. It could have helped but it wasn't a scoring play by itself and would still require atleast 1 more play to score for the win. Never said I was happy with the non call or that the NFL shouldn't fix these blatant issues but ppl getting their feathers all ruffled for 1 play in a 60 minute game that wouldn't even guarantee a victory had they called a penalty. Just like the ghost roughing the passer called on ford didnt lose the KC game, it takes more than 1 thing/play.

charron said:

You will always have bad calls when refs are human. Was it a bad non call, yes but that is not why they lost the game. It could have helped but it wasn't a scoring play by itself and would still require atleast 1 more play to score for the win. Never said I was happy with the non call or that the NFL shouldn't fix these blatant issues but ppl getting their feathers all ruffled for 1 play in a 60 minute game that wouldn't even guarantee a victory had they called a penalty. Just like the ghost roughing the passer called on ford didnt lose the KC game, it takes more than 1 thing/play.

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It was as close as it is possible to get to being a decisive play. The Saints could have taken a knee three times and kicked a chip shot field goal. Of course it could have been missed, but the odds were longer than long. The Rams would not have had time to counter.

I do agree with you, overall. But I think the comparisons I've seen to other penalties -- not just here -- are flawed. The game was basically decided.

Yes the Saints could have recovered to win, but that doesn't change the fact that a non-call deprived them of what would have been almost certain victory.

Yeah, I won't be watching, I do hope the Patriots absolutely obliterate the Lambs though.

I ain't boycotting anything, I hope that LA gets the absolute crap beat out of them.
And I cannot stand Tom Brady. That's how much I want LA to get thrown a beating.

Bobhaze said:

It’s an interesting proposal Coach. The NFL certainly deserves the wrath of fans for more reasons than the ridiculously atrocious call in the NFC championship game. Let us count the ways why us fans would be justified in boycotting the Super Bowl:

1. Despite what fans perceive, NFL players who make the game what it is, they get paid a much smaller piece of the profits because NFL owners continue to treat the players like hourly workers at a fast food joint rather than the wealth generators they really are. Compared to players in MLB, NBA and NHL, NFL players get paid peanuts of what the league generates.

2. NFL owners have proven for decades they don’t give a rat’s behind about real player safety because they do not pay enough attention to critical safety research on things like too many games being played within 10 days. Thursday night football is an example of this. Or the owners constantly calling for 18 regular season games.

3. Look at how the owners treat players that played pre-1993- those players get the most pitiful pensions compared to the other major sports. These are the guys that made the NFL what it is today. The owners also refuse to pay those guys adequate health insurance costs even though they sacrificed their their bodies for the glory and profit of the NFL.

4. Ticket prices. Look at the percentage of increase for ticket prices the last 25 years vs the increases in other sports. The NFL owners have increased prices for everything at a much higher percentage than other pro sports. And it’s not even close.

Bottom line...the NFL owners care about ONE THING AND ONE THING ONLY: LINING THEIR POCKETS.
The owners don’t care about their players, their fans, or the fairness of their game. As long as they get paid, they literally don’t care.

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Good post Hazey! I agree with almost everything, but I must add...the common man is exploited by heartless, greedy aholes for FAR less, so if’s hard for me to drum up sympathy for tattooed, entitled divas.

If anything I’m closer to stop watching the NFL altogether. The games are almist unbearable to watch between the commercials, penalties, non calls, inconsistencies, etc. My wife keeps rolling her eyes and saying “whatever” but I’ve had really less and less enjoyment watching it over the past few years, Cowboys being worthless for over 20 years doesn’t help, but I’m talking about the quality of the game and from an entertainment standpoint.

I honestly was more po’d than entertained watching both games on Sun. Sure, they both went to OT but with all the stoppage in play and game altering bs penalties (roughing the passer vs Brady and Mahomes comes to mind), the illegal pick olay that got KC a TD, obviously the Saints non call and the PI on one play where a guy is hardly touched then a non PI on a guy being mugged two pays later...it’s just frustrating and not fun anymore.

I’ve said this before, even though we beat the Saints, I didn’t enjoy that game at all. IMOF it was probably the worst game I’ve seen all season. I don’t believe in the “both teams got bad calls, so it’s even” theory. Every bad call or non call sets off an entire chain reaction of mentality for players, coaching strategy, time of possession, possible points, field position...everything, it alter the entire game even if it happens in the 1st quarter. I understand no game will be perfect but these are the exact opposite.

It doesn’t help that I’m yet “mature” enough to not let these games bother me. I’m po’d for the week after the Cowboys lose and on the other hand I don’t enjoy “cheap” wins that we won due to bad calls. It’s just hard to find a well played game without officials taking over the game, no matter what teams are playing. I’v been getting back into hockey a lot... I need to find something else to do on Sundays.

Streetwise said:

I ain't boycotting anything, I hope that LA gets the absolute crap beat out of them.
And I cannot stand Tom Brady. That's how much I want LA to get thrown a beating.

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What’s your problem with LA? Is it just because they beat us or something else? Just curious.

Why?
Blown calls have a long history.
Phantom pass interference penalty against Benny Barnes in Super Bowl 13.
The Houston Oilers receivers non-catch touchdown that replay showed was actually a catch.
The Burt Emmanuel non catch in the NFC Championship Game.
The Dez no catch.
The Tuck Rule.
Bad calls happen. Move on. Enjoy the Super Bowl.