Fixed... or manipulated?

[feltdizz]

I'm one of those conspiracy guys... not that the NFL is fixed but manipulated for ratings and great matchups...

Last week I watched the Bills beat up the Jets for 3 quarters and have a KR for a TD in the 4th called back on a bogus call. Bills drive down and score a TD.. Jets suck. Yet on 2nd and 5 the Bills drop back to pass when they were running all over them, Loserman fumbles and the rest is history.

This leads to a possible classic showdown with Miami and Pennington to close out the season.
Who would pass with Loserman and why?

Texans beat the Titans...
sure it was low and Titans are struggling but why wouldn't Fisher kick a FG to tie the game?
Now the NFL has a classic matchup with the Steelers and Titans...

Giants suck it up and Carolina is on a roll... classic matchup for the NFL.

Now of course I think some things just fall the way they do.. but holding calls or lack of holding calls makes every Steeler game close and great for ratings. Imagine J Harrison sacking Flacco or Peyton 10 times a game.. not exciting.. thus no holding called against our opponents...

just a few things that make me go hmmm....

the Bills game was the classic hmmm... though.

[Iron Shiek]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

It seems easy to make those kinds of assumptions after how stupidly some of the games end. The spin with the Losman fumble was that the play was some kind of safe pass checkdown to rb or something but it was covered and him being an idiot that he is doesn't just suck up the sack and protect the ball, he fumbles the game away.

And Fisher botched it from the coin flip saying he took the wind in 1st and 3rd quarter. He knew his kicker was not going to be able to make that longer field goal, that normally is in his range, but was against the wind and he was coming up well short from that distance in pregame.

Alot of stuff had to happen in each of those games for it to even come down to those two plays however. So while its easy to claim fix (or manipulation), it takes a calculated approach to even get to the opportunity to botch a game the way these teams have done. And it just doesn't seem feasible for "all" of that to happen and it come down to one play.

Now, the holding non calls against the steelers defense....

[SidSmythe]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I think it's fate and good scheduling.

Losman sucks and can't put a whole game together. it was on the road.

I felt the Texans were going to beat the Titans. Titans are slipping and that was a divisional game, again on the road.

Ditto w/ the Cowboys game

Panthers are playing good and peakin' at the right time...playing the Broncos who suck badly, especially on defense.

Doesn't always work out this way .. this year it did.

[Iron Shiek]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

Too bad for the Texans that Schaub got hurt. You have to think they could've won an extra game or two with him at the helm instead of Rosenfels. They'd be right in the playoff mix...

[feltdizz]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I think it's fate and good scheduling.

Losman sucks and can't put a whole game together. it was on the road.

I felt the Texans were going to beat the Titans. Titans are slipping and that was a divisional game, again on the road.

Ditto w/ the Cowboys game

Panthers are playing good and peakin' at the right time...playing the Broncos who suck badly, especially on defense.

Doesn't always work out this way .. this year it did.

Loserman does suck.. so why would anyone want him passing when Lynch and Jackson were breaking 5 and six tackles on every play. Seriously.. It would be like Tomlin resigning Coclough and putting him back to catch a punt inside the 5 in the Titans game with 15 seconds left up by 6....

Nothing about that play made any sense at all... I expect the Bills to get a comp pick or something.. it was that bad.

Now the Texans game.. I picked the Texans and truly believe the Titans are slipping but the decision to go long on 4th and 1 in FG range?

I just think some of these decisions and some of these calls are making for a classic season. Which makes me wonder if it is somewhat manipulated when game results and pending matchups are coming in..

[Iron Shiek]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I think it's fate and good scheduling.

Losman sucks and can't put a whole game together. it was on the road.

I felt the Texans were going to beat the Titans. Titans are slipping and that was a divisional game, again on the road.

Ditto w/ the Cowboys game

Panthers are playing good and peakin' at the right time...playing the Broncos who suck badly, especially on defense.

Doesn't always work out this way .. this year it did.

Loserman does suck.. so why would anyone want him passing when Lynch and Jackson were breaking 5 and six tackles on every play. Seriously.. It would be like Tomlin resigning Coclough and putting him back to catch a punt inside the 5 in the Titans game with 15 seconds left up by 6....

Nothing about that play made any sense at all... I expect the Bills to get a comp pick or something.. it was that bad.

Now the Texans game.. I picked the Texans and truly believe the Titans are slipping but the decision to go long on 4th and 1 in FG range?

I just think some of these decisions and some of these calls are making for a classic season. Which makes me wonder if it is somewhat manipulated when game results and pending matchups are coming in..

I don't know. The bomb on 4th and 1 worked for my Buckeyes in their National Championship season a few years back. Saved the season with it. Ha.

But I know what you are saying...of all the calls in that spot...that?

[feltdizz]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I've seen the 4th and 1 work.. Giants come to mind...

but when you have #1 seeds on the line? I don't know...

[ramblinjim]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I REALLY try not to be a conspiracy nut but in the 2005 playoffs with the Troy P interception on Payton Mannings pass that was called incomplete????? I just about came unglued screaming in my house about murdering a ref and the anti-Steelers bias.

I can't imagine that the games are fixed, there's just too many weird things that happen in football and the players are all too good.

Unless of course the players are in on it too..............

[feltdizz]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I REALLY try not to be a conspiracy nut but in the 2005 playoffs with the Troy P interception on Payton Mannings pass that was called incomplete????? I just about came unglued screaming in my house about murdering a ref and the anti-Steelers bias.

I can't imagine that the games are fixed, there's just too many weird things that happen in football and the players are all too good.

Unless of course the players are in on it too..............

Everyone always says "unless the players are in on it too"

well guess what? I really think some of them are.. not choreographing plays but being hush hush on certain weird calls...

JPeezy said the truth.. they were cheating. Look at Troy's INT.. Imagine if the team really pushed hard for that call? Look at Ward and the explanation he was given for a fine....he wasn't.

The Giants game this year.... holding on Nate's TD. Changed the whole complexion of the game. Yet how many games do we see Harrison tackled?

The Bills game was classic cause I watched a KR in the 4th by the Bills and as soon as he passed the last guy I said.. "here comes the flag" and what do you know? the flag falls a second later...

SD Colts playoff game... Cromartie gets the INT.... as soon as he got past the last guy.. "here comes the flag" and guess what? Flag...

I just feel like the flags are so obvious on game changers that it makes you wonder.
Chargers won that game but a blowout/momentum changer turns into a close game.

I think the refs job at times is to keep games close. The SD game this year did it for me...
I still enjoy the games but I definitely have put a good 10% of my feelings on the shelf cause I know the refs truly are a part of the games outcome. I get mad at holding or drive killing flags but I don't blame our players as much unless it's blatant.

I think the real rub is the lack of replay on some flags and the pass int spot fouls that are so obvious

[Steeler Shades]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

I don't think there is a conspiracy in the NFL. With the amount of money bet, I would be surprised if no officials or referees ever individually took a bribe. However, I seriously doubt whether they knew about each other or ever worked together to effect the outcome of a game.

[mshifko]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

well maybe the powers that be can fix this game tonight so the jags can pull out a win...i don't want to face indy

[DBinAL]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

So the NFL knew that when the schedule came out last spring that the Titans (without Vince Young) would be the #1 team in the AFC the 3rd week in December?

Did the NFL also know that Jake Delhomme would be completely recovered and turn a 7-9 record into a 11-3 record this year?

I think the NFL just got lucky.

[Steeler Shades]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

So the NFL knew that when the schedule came out last spring that the Titans (without Vince Young) would be the #1 team in the AFC the 3rd week in December?
Yes - they contacted all the teams on the Titans schedule to make sure that they knew about this. What did you think they talked about at the NFL owners meetings.....rule enforcement?

Did the NFL also know that Jake Delhomme would be completely recovered and turn a 7-9 record into a 11-3 record this year?
Of course they knew. They falsified the injury.

I think the NFL just got lucky.

[feltdizz]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

So the NFL knew that when the schedule came out last spring that the Titans (without Vince Young) would be the #1 team in the AFC the 3rd week in December?

Did the NFL also know that Jake Delhomme would be completely recovered and turn a 7-9 record into a 11-3 record this year?

I think the NFL just got lucky.

I'm not saying the NFL picks who will be #1 in the spring.. but I think when teams start establishing themselves and pulling away from the pack and the NFL sees a few favorable matchups down the road???

Tennessee was down by 1 when they went for the 4th and 1. That made no sense to me... if Tomlin went for it on 4th and 1 in FG range down by 1 and home field on the line people would flip.

oh and shades.. lose the UPS girl.. the clam is huge.. scary huge....

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Fixed... or manipulated?

Imagine J Harrison sacking Flacco or Peyton 10 times a game.. not exciting..

NOT EXCITING?!?!