The Official NFC Wildcard Games Thread

EdRomero · Post by **EdRomero** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:57 pm

Taking the head of officiating onto your party bus and a strip club pays off.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:59 pm

I don't have anything to add. You guys saw the game. Maybe the Lions don't win if they get that call right but what the fuck?

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:01 pm

More Stroh's. Just as good as it was when it was brewed in 1985.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:09 pm

That will go down in history as one of the worst losses in playoff history. What possible explanation could there be for "picking up the flag?"

Sincere condolences to all Lions fans.

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:15 pm

cerrano wrote:jerry jones and chris christie. perfect together.

Really didn't think today's game could annoy me anywhere near as much as last night's. Oops!

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:30 pm

Though I missed the hugging. That's fucking gold.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:34 pm

That is just...wow.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:37 pm

i guess on the bright side Chris Christie just lost Michigan in a theoretical presidential race.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:38 pm

Cowboy's linebacker holds Pettigrew's jersey as he runs downfield. Then he interferes with him with the ball in the air. Then an easily identifiable offensive player (helmetless Dez Bryant) runs well onto the field to shout at the refs.

No calls.

There have probably been more officiating errors in the course of 5 seconds in one area of the field. But I wonder how many sequences like this have been timed so as to significantly impact the outcome of play-off game?

The NFL has great players. They make the college game look like high school. But, other than the players, so many things about this league -- from the odd rules, the worse officiating, the bizarre handling of suspensions

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:41 pm

DC47 wrote:Cowboy's linebacker holds Pettigrew's jersey as he runs downfield. Then he interferes with him with the ball in the air. Then an easily identifiable offensive player (helmetless Dez Bryant) runs well onto the field to shout at the refs.

No calls.

There have probably been more officiating errors in the course of 5 seconds in one area of the field. But I wonder how many sequences like this have been timed so as to significantly impact the outcome of play-off game?

The NFL has great players. They make the college game look like high school. But, other than the players, so many things about this league -- from the odd rules, the worse officiating, the bizarre handling of suspensions

It's run by a corrupt demagogue who also happens to be a complete fucking idiot. What can you expect?

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:54 pm

Yeah, poor Cardinals. It was a conspiracy when there was a bad call on a pass interference penalty yesterday, too.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:59 pm

Sorry, had to pop another Stroh's. Great brew. A craft beer before there were even hipsters.

Let me try that again:

Cowboy's linebacker holds Pettigrew's jersey as he runs downfield. Then he interferes with him with the ball in the air. Then an easily identifiable offensive player (helmetless Dez Bryant) runs well onto the field to shout at the refs.

No calls. They even pick up the pass interference flag, which is a new one to me. Short of an acid flashback, what can cause an official to change their mind on this call?

There have probably been more officiating errors in the course of 5 seconds in one area of the field. But I wonder how many sequences like this have been timed so as to significantly impact the outcome of play-off game?

The NFL has great players. They make the college game look like high school. But, other than the players, so many things about this league run from abysmal to horrifying. Consider the oddly inexplicable rules, the shoddy officiating, the commissioner's gigantic paycheck, the bizarre handling of suspensions, criminal neglect re: brain injuries, and the cruel treatment of players who retired before the 90s.

More and more, the NFL owners and execs seem to be doing their best to turn this into professional boxing circa 1980. Great athletes, great sport, but an enterprise that is being piloted at full throttle in a nosedive towards the ground.

And of course, the US Congress is doing their best to allow this to happen. They've got the ultimate power as they provide the NFL with the absurd monopoly position that guarantees that some of wealthiest Americans get a lot more wealthy.

Having been addicted in childhood over 50 years ago, I can't give up professional football completely. Not while they have a Detroit franchise. But I will redouble my efforts to ignore the NFL so I don't indirectly help them maintain the legitimacy that is undeserved by the sad, pathetic, criminal conspiracy this league has become. Even after the Lions win the Superbowl next year.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:19 pm

Brontoburglar wrote:Yeah, poor Cardinals. It was a conspiracy when there was a bad call on a pass interference penalty yesterday, too.

Well, it was either a conspiracy or sheer incompetence on the part of today's officials. Take your pick. Either way, that was the most inexplicable officiating decision I can ever remember seeing in an NFL game. There are bad calls/no-calls in every game, but I can't ever remember seeing a flag picked up that late, with no explanation. Especially on a play that involved a textbook example of pass interference. When you add in the facts that (1) the NFL has a huge financial interest in seeing Packers-Cowboys (about as marquee of a matchup as you can get for the divisional round); (2) the league's head of officiating was partying with Stephen Jones last offseason; and (3) for whatever reason, the league assigned a crew that had never worked together to this game, then it's not hard to see why there are conspiracy theorists.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:23 pm

Joe K wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:Yeah, poor Cardinals. It was a conspiracy when there was a bad call on a pass interference penalty yesterday, too.
Well, it was either a conspiracy or sheer incompetence on the part of today's officials. Take your pick. Either way, that was the most inexplicable officiating decision I can ever remember seeing in an NFL game. There are bad calls/no-calls in every game, but I can't ever remember seeing a flag picked up that late, with no explanation. Especially on a play that involved a textbook example of pass interference. When you add in the facts that (1) the NFL has a huge financial interest in seeing Packers-Cowboys (about as marquee of a matchup as you can get for the divisional round); (2) the league's head of officiating was partying with Stephen Jones last offseason; and (3) for whatever reason, the league assigned a crew that had never worked together to this game, then it's not hard to see why there are conspiracy theorists.

It's still a leap. As long as everyone willing to accept that there's a leap, I'm good with it. But there's a leap. Especially for everyone who's claiming that the NFL is incompetent. If the NFL is so incompetent, it would be competent enough to pull off a conspiracy to that level that would purposely make it look incompetent?

Come on, y'all. Humans officiate football games. Humans can make bad decisions. Bad decisions sometimes happen. Do we always have to look for a greater scheme? This is kind of like the religion thing. We feel there must be some sort of explanation other than a random confluence of events so there's a greater meaning!

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:25 pm

It's so fixed, everyone can't stop spending money on it.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:28 pm

Examples from other NFL playoff games of flags in similar situations being picked up. What y'all got?

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:31 pm

I literally don't think the NFL is fixed but everything about that play was hinky. If nothing else Dez Bryant should have gotten an unsportsmanlike conduct for for running on the field after the call and addressing the referees. And then they pick up the flag without an explanation? Unless you're a Cowboys/Romo fan like Bronto how can you justify it?

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:33 pm

brian wrote:I literally don't think the NFL is fixed but everything about that play was hinky. If nothing else Dez Bryant should have gotten an unsportsmanlike conduct for for running on the field after the call and addressing the referees. And then they pick up the flag without an explanation? Unless you're a Cowboys/Romo fan like Bronto how can you justify it?

What have I justified?

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:42 pm

So then your explanation has to be that NFL refs (or at least these refs) are incompetent. Because that's about one of the worst calls I've ever seen in a playoff game. And according to the NFL that's one of the BEST crews in their league. God forbid one of the bottom 75 percent crews they got were working it. It might have been worse!

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:49 pm

brian wrote:So then your explanation has to be that NFL refs (or at least these refs) are incompetent. Because that's about one of the worst calls I've ever seen in a playoff game. And according to the NFL that's one of the BEST crews in their league. God forbid one of the bottom 75 percent crews they got were working it. It might have been worse!

Or that I need more than a bunch of dots randomly connected to believe that it was a giant conspiracy. And here's the conspiratorial cover up explanation for y'all.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:51 pm

Keep fuckin' that chicken, Bronto.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:56 pm

brian wrote:Keep fuckin' that chicken, Bronto.

AKA keep erring to the side of common sense.

For as rational and common sense as this board is at times, it can really flip the opposite way when it gets reactionary about the NFL.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:56 pm

So the incompetent refs who made an incompetent call said it wasn't an incompetent call? Well, I'm convinced. Thanks for setting me straight on that one Nick.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:58 pm

brian wrote:So the incompetent refs who made an incompetent call said it wasn't an incompetent call? Well, I'm convinced. Thanks for setting me straight on that one Nick.

I never said it wasn't incompetent. I just don't buy into the theory that the call was part of a greater plan.

I'm really not sure how that's so hard to grasp. But welcome to the eight-straight losses club! It's really great here.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:59 pm

Brontoburglar wrote:
brian wrote:So the incompetent refs who made an incompetent call said it wasn't an incompetent call? Well, I'm convinced. Thanks for setting me straight on that one Nick.
I never said it wasn't incompetent. I just don't buy into the theory that the call was part of a greater plan.

So what was the point of posting the pool report?

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:00 pm

brian wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
brian wrote:So the incompetent refs who made an incompetent call said it wasn't an incompetent call? Well, I'm convinced. Thanks for setting me straight on that one Nick.
I never said it wasn't incompetent. I just don't buy into the theory that the call was part of a greater plan.
So what was the point of posting the pool report?

Because it's pertinent to the discussion.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:01 pm

You're a fucking idiot. I don't even know what else to say. You're fucking stupid.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:02 pm

"Yes, we intentionally made a bad call. You got us."

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:03 pm

brian wrote:You're a fucking idiot. I don't even know what else to say. You're fucking stupid.

So why isn't the official explanation pertinent? Or are you at a loss of words for that?

If people are going to get riled up about the call on the field, the explanation for it has a place in the discussion if nothing more than for people to see what it was.

But hey, resorting to namecalling is cool too.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:05 pm

What exactly did you expect the refs to say? Answer that.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:05 pm

And you are fucking stupid. For whatever that's worth.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:10 pm

brian wrote:What exactly did you expect the refs to say? Answer that.

"We picked up the flag to make brian from the sportsfrog mad."

In reality, I wanted to see what the justification was. That's all. And so there it is. And I found the admittance of the relative unprecedented nature of the circumstance interesting as well in addition to the fact that it could have been "smoother."

It still doesn't change my opinion that it was a cluster of a situation (it probably reinforces it).

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:11 pm

brian wrote:And you are fucking stupid. For whatever that's worth.

It's worth as much a picked up flag for pass interference.

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:12 pm

Not the first Morelli and Pereira have disagreed on a call in the playoffs.

That one had a happier ending, at least.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:13 pm

rass wrote:Not the first Morelli and Pereira have disagreed on a call in the playoffs.

That one had a happier ending, at least.

I wish this game was on CBS. Or at the very least, we could get Mike Carey's ruling on it.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:19 pm

I think the odds favor simple referee incompetence here. Though whiffing on 3 calls in one location at a critical time in a play-off game is pretty far out there. In their defense (and to the NFL management's blame), the baseline level of refereeing in NFL games is poor. It's a complex, fast-moving game, with rules that aren't completely straightforward. And the refs aren't all full-time professionals.

I also don't think that this particular event simply 'cost the Lions the game.' Not quite. I'd say it lowered the odds that they'd win from roughly 85% to 60%. That's very significant, but not the same as clearly determining the outcome of the game. For the Cowboys to win, the Lions still had to shank a punt, fail to stop the Cowboys last drive, and then fail to score on their own final possession. And did I see Calvin drop a catchable ball and commit a false start?

I'd say the Cowboys outplayed the Lions at the end. Yes, they had some help. But there are degrees of 'refs determined the outcome.' This one was pretty high on that scale; I don't recall worse in a play-off game. But there are higher degrees. It's just that we typically don't see those in professional sports in America.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:20 pm

Rass's point is something that is also the general takeaway from the NFL season so far. Now that CBS has Carey and he disagrees with the calls on the field a lot, it's apparent via both him and Pereira that there is a ton of variance of how rules in the NFL are interpreted.

We can call the lack of consensus incompetence or differing interpretations, but it's pretty clear that success in the NFL can hinge on the tendencies of officials -- almost like strike zones in baseball.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:56 pm

Sorry to Brian and DC47....you guys got fucked on that call.

But, as a Seahawks fan, all I can say is "Whew....". There's no way I wanted any piece of that Lions team coming in here next Saturday. That d-Line is scary, and Golden Tate is a big enough freak/headcase to win a revenge game on his own.

Post by **brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:58 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote:Sorry to Brian and DC47....you guys got fucked on that call.

No I think you missed it. Bronto explained it for us. The officials had it right all along.

The officials themselves said they got the call right. QED. What else do you need?

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 11:21 pm

brian wrote:
DaveInSeattle wrote:Sorry to Brian and DC47....you guys got fucked on that call.
No I think you missed it. Bronto explained it for us. The officials had it right all along.

Come on Dave! Didn't you see where I said that?