Week 12 Thoughts & Observations

[JohnP]

Time to admit the NFL fixes outcomes of games....Anyone who says not possible has their heads up their wazoos

Im no Patriot fan either, but last night it was apparent the NFL wanted the Broncos to win too

I'm not sure the "fix" is in but I am sure that the incompetency being displayed is at an all time high. Certainly everything is magnified with the quality and scope of instant replay but man....so many horrible calls. How about all of the "pick" plays being flagged? What ever happened to the "free play" on an off-side incident? I counted at least 3 times where I thought the qb should have had a free play and instead they stopped the play. I understand the whole "unabated" but when it isn't that - let the play go on. Today's players are bigger, faster, stronger. Ed Hoculi might have stronger covered but I think in general, the condition and aptitude of the referees is not improving.

One more thing.....the official experts that are now part of the broadcast. Is it just me or do you find that Mike Pereira tells it like it is and Mike Carey is forever defending the referees. Drives me crazy.

[Tom Kessenich]

One more thing.....the official experts that are now part of the broadcast. Is it just me or do you find that Mike Pereira tells it like it is and Mike Carey is forever defending the referees. Drives me crazy.

Nope, that's exactly how it is. And whoever the guy is on ESPN's broadcasts never is used. I love when Gruden will say "(So and so) is nodding." Thanks. That's what he's there for. Carey was a real good official but he isn't cut out for the broadcasting game. Then again he's in the same booth with Phil Simms, whose best work was clearly in the past.

[Money]

The games are not fixed. Tony Corrente is one of the best in the business. He was not obligated to inform anyone when the clock was due to start. Every team has someone who does nothing but watches the clock, that ones on the Patriots themselves.

The bottom line is the guy got it right as he does with all rule interpretations. Now the actions of his crew down field, that's another story sometimes.

Mike Tomlin was the one guy that had one of the worst coached games that I can recall yesterday.

[Old School]

Time to admit the NFL fixes outcomes of games....Anyone who says not possible has their heads up their wazoos

Im no Patriot fan either, but last night it was apparent the NFL wanted the Broncos to win too

I'm not sure the "fix" is in but I am sure that the incompetency being displayed is at an all time high. Certainly everything is magnified with the quality and scope of instant replay but man....so many horrible calls. How about all of the "pick" plays being flagged? What ever happened to the "free play" on an off-side incident? I counted at least 3 times where I thought the qb should have had a free play and instead they stopped the play. I understand the whole "unabated" but when it isn't that - let the play go on. Today's players are bigger, faster, stronger. Ed Hoculi might have stronger covered but I think in general, the condition and aptitude of the referees is not improving.

One more thing.....the official experts that are now part of the broadcast. Is it just me or do you find that Mike Pereira tells it like it is and Mike Carey is forever defending the referees. Drives me crazy.

I guess Im the only conspiracy theory guy then.....

[Tom Kessenich]

I love a good conspiracy and am 100% convinced the NBA rigged games and the draft lottery when Stern was the commissioner.

I just don't believe the NFL is rigged. I think this is just a case of incompetence.

[JETS SB]

I love a good conspiracy and am 100% convinced the NBA rigged games and the draft lottery when Stern was the commissioner.

I just don't believe the NFL is rigged. I think this is just a case of incompetence.

I hate the Patriots, more than any team in any sport... but the end of last night's game seemed like it was fixed for the Broncos to win. Not just the clock running, but several other calls leading up to it. The roughing the passer calls are so inconsistent that I can only chalk that up to each ref having his/her own opinion. Its when the same ref calls a similar hit differently, from play to play. Seems strange.

But, on the other side of it, Brady has had luck going his way for many, many years. It was kind of good to see him not get every call.

[Old School]

I love a good conspiracy and am 100% convinced the NBA rigged games and the draft lottery when Stern was the commissioner.

I just don't believe the NFL is rigged. I think this is just a case of incompetence.

aha!...thats what the NFL wants you to think...incompetence!''

...Then why is the "incompetence" all one sided in many games?

[Greg Ambrosius]

I lost track of all the truly awful officiating calls this week but the roughing the passer call on San Francisco’s Quinton Dial late in the fourth quarter was truly horrendous. That call likely prevented the 49ers from pulling off what would’ve been an inspired upset. I’m all for protecting players but this is football. Guys are gonna get hit. Penalizing someone for hitting another player without malicious intent should not be a penalty.

Tom.....

The refs gave the game to Arizona. That was as bogus a call as was the hit on Brees last year. Perfect legal hit.
Time after time in this game when the niners stopped Palmer they kept giving Arizona phantom calls long enough so Palmer can run it in. ...which by the way took Palmer 10 minutes to run 10 yards

I know the Niners suck but the NFL has targeted them since the super bowl with the ravens

Time to admit the NFL fixes outcomes of games....Anyone who says not possible has their heads up their wazoos

Im no Patriot fan either, but last night it was apparent the NFL wanted the Broncos to win too

Joe, you are right. The NFL is looking more and more like WWE than the old NFL. It's as if they can change the outcome of any game if they want. The refs decided at least 4 games this weekend and maybe more. It's tough to watch.

And from a fan's perspective at the game, these constant replays and stoppages of play to huddle up and discuss calls is dragging this out longer than needed. I sat in a driving rainstorm on Thursday night for almost 4 hours as Ed Hochuli's crew bungled one call after another. They weren't just bad for one team over the other, they were bad all night. The Jones pick call was anticipated and was not a pick play. But they called two questionable pass interference calls on the Bears as well that looked made up. It was as if the calls could be made at any one time to keep the game close, like a WWE match.

When die-hard football fans are questioning the motives of the NFL the league has a problem. And it's one Roger Goodell better fix in a hurry or get a new commissioner in to get it done. The NFL product is getting worse, not better.

[ulbkumn]

NFL this year

[TR]

That DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown DFS WR stack sure looked pretty damn sweet when I woke up on Sunday morning.

I disagree about Antonio Brown and to smaller extent Julio Jones. Was known beforehand that Sherman would probably be shadowing Brown..and Sherm has done a great job on other receivers he's shadowed this season...so that was definitely a risk and Martavis Bryant had the much better matchup with cheaper price point. Julio Jones was going against another top corner Vontae Davis who was recovered from injury...and matt ryan has been awful lately. Anytime u have a top receiver going facing an elite corner's shadow coverage there is always cause for trepidation that it could be boom or bust..as opposed to looking like a sweet stack imo,