Fixed/Rigged NFL game?

[Gary Marangi]

 

[quinnearlysghost88]

9 hours ago, JoPoy88 said:

Hard evidence would convince me. Do you have any of that? The NFL is an enormous operation. If anyone (refs, league officials, the Rog himself) were on the take there would be word of it by now. 
 

Until then I chalk it up to plain old incompetence.

You should watch Tim Donaghy on Netflix bc a small group of people affected the outcome of a ton of games. It only got out after years. For one crew or even one ref to make a critical holding call in a Super Bowl is extremely easy. 

[TheFunPolice]

I don't believe there is any league-wide conspiracy. If there was, the Bills would have been scripted to win a Super Bowl at some point, probably #4 vs Dallas. 

 

That said, NFL refs, more so than any other sport,  have incredible power to swing a game and have it at least be debatable if they were so inclined. 

 

A team might score 24-30 points, split between 4-5 scoring drives. the rest of their possessions are punts or turnovers. All it takes is a timely holding call on offense (which can at least be debated as to whether it's ticky tack but there's always enough there to say "well, he did hold"). It doesn't even need to be on a scoring play. An 8 yard gain early in a drive on 2nd down becomes 2nd and 18 instead of 3rd and 2. That can wipe out a drive. 

 

Suddenly those 24 points a team would have earned become 17. Maybe the penalty happens in the first quarter and nobody even remembers it. But it could be enough to swing a game, especially between 2 great teams where the games are so close. 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by TheFunPolice

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Super bowl ending last year was pretty bad - that holding call at the end just abruptly ended the game when they swallowed their whistles all game long.  Pretty weak call, and then factoring in that it was 3rd and 8 with 1:54 left, and philly having a timeout and moving the ball mostly at will... just felt fishy to me.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Bleeding Bills Blue

[Not at the table Karlos]

36 minutes ago, Bob Jones said:

The link here is to the Bills vs Redskins SB, showing a bunch of obvious defensive pass interference fouls by the Skins, and none of them were called. I remember watching that game and yelling at the TV in disbelief that the refs were not calling those fouls. At halftime, running into the locker room, Marv Levy seeks out a ref and repeatedly tells him "You've been bought." I agree.

Don't have the rules from back then in front of me but those weren't as bad as you're making them out to be. Some were a touch early but it's 50/50 if it gets called. The Reed one where he threw his helmet wasn't at all. The defender can go for the ball which they did on all but one. I wouldn't have called them either. 

[TheFunPolice]

Sadly, the Bills got dominated in the Washington and first Dallas Super Bowls. Refs weren't really a factor. 

 

Those teams were like going up against a Pro Bowl squad that cared about the game. 

[Ya Digg?]

Oh they’re definitely rigged, I can just picture it now:

Goodell and his henchmen meet with the refs in a dark alley. Goodell throws down his cigarette and tells the refs to make sure certain calls are made. The refs say “that’s sounds like a really good plan boss” take their briefcase of money and walk away. For the really egregious calls, they put the new guy on those because they know there will be death threats. Then after the game Goodell and his cronies go into the losing team’s locker room, rough up a couple of the players, and tell them they “ain’t see nuthin” then walk out 

 

it’s almost too easy 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Ya Digg?

[Steptide]

There's one game that comes to mind that I think the refs definitely helped the Patriots win, and no it's not the tuck rule game, although you could make an argument for that one too. It was a 2007 game, pats vs Ravens. Pats were undefeated on their way to a 16 win season. Ravens, who were terrible that year, somehow had this game won, when on a 4th down incomplete pass from Brady, the refs threw a pi flag. It was the most bs thjng I've ever seen. Of course the Pats get a 1st and goal at the one yard line, score and win the game 🙄. First time I watched a game and really thought the refs intentionally helped a team win a game 

[frostbitmic]

2 hours ago, JerseyBills said:

Wow. I never saw this, that was brutal.   

Looks like a typical Brady era game. If those were patriot receivers there would've been a lot of flags.

 

Good for Marv telling them they were bought.

[frostbitmic]

I recall a number of years ago when Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons made a comment that he wished the Falcons had been picked to be in the Super Bowl.

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

I have wondered about some missed meaningless field goals and extra points at the end of games that correlate to betting lines.  The frequency of garbage time scoring when the loser hadn't moved the ball all game seems pretty high as well. For people that don't gamble on games, it is almost invisible but it happens more than seems coincidental.  Point shaving that doesn't effect the outcome of the game is the easiest form of cheating.  It requires only one conspirator and can be written off as someone just screwed up.  With the amount of money wagered on every NFL game, I find it hard to believe that it doesn't occur.  I think the NFL works very hard to keep this out of the league.

[Your Brown Eye]

9 hours ago, Tuco said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-uKBIsXzA4

 

 

It would have said something if the Bills had walked off the field and never came back on. I am one who does not always cry foul, but this is one game that makes my blood boil, this one drives me nuts.

[Don Otreply]

I would describe it as heavily massaged officiating from time to time, rather than fixed…, 😁👍

[Charles Romes]

1 hour ago, Bob Jones said:

The link here is to the Bills vs Redskins SB, showing a bunch of obvious defensive pass interference fouls by the Skins, and none of them were called. I remember watching that game and yelling at the TV in disbelief that the refs were not calling those fouls. At halftime, running into the locker room, Marv Levy seeks out a ref and repeatedly tells him "You've been bought." I agree.

In fairness the Washington defender was turned around looking at the QB and arguably making a play on the ball in those SB 26 calls.  I’m okay with the whistle being swallowed where it’s arguable the defender was making a play on the ball and/or is turned around looking at the QB. 

[JoPoy88]

1 hour ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

You should watch Tim Donaghy on Netflix bc a small group of people affected the outcome of a ton of games. It only got out after years. For one crew or even one ref to make a critical holding call in a Super Bowl is extremely easy. 

Yeah, and Donaghy got caught. How did Donaghy get caught? Because people talked to the FBI. Which was my point. You claim how “easy” it would be for a ref to throw a game, but these nefarious things are never a secret for long. Parties in the know will eventually talk, for a whole variety of reasons. So until that happens in the NFL, I’m not assuming it’s going on.

[BaaadThingsMan]

The "tuck rule" fumble game never sat well with me. 

 

At the time, I was watching with a large group of Raiders fans and I celebrated a bit too hardily in hind sight. 

 

The Raiders got screwed and it's easy to see why imo.

 

It was just a few months after 9/11 and the country was still reeling, recovering from the events from that day.

 

They simply could not have the "Raiders" beating the "Patriots", who also happened to wear Red White and Blue, the colors of our countries flag. 🤔 

 

Not so coincidental imo but conspiracies be damned I think it was a set up looking back now.

 

 

[Rocky Landing]

I've always considered the conspiracy theories that the NFL, and/or referees are fixing games to be silly. Football games represent an enormous amount of business revenue, not just for the NFL teams, and television networks, but for the countless ancillary businesses as well. The NFL does have some anti-trust exemption, but it is not a blanket exemption. For the NFL to rig even a single, regular season game would constitute significant felonies, anti-trust violations, and interstate commerce laws, as well as civil litigations. But a playoff game, or a Super Bowl game? Just the legal gambling ramifications alone would be mind-boggling. Why would the NFL even consider such an enormous risk, just for the sake of a narrative? 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

10 hours ago, major said:

Have you ever watched an NFL game that left you convinced that it might have been  fixed/or rigged? If so, which one/ones?

 

It could be sabotage, missed calls or blown calls- officiating, stolen playbooks, spying, etc…

 

My list: 

-Super bowl 37: Raiders and Tampa Bay

-Super Bowl XL: Steelers and Seahawks

-Super Bowl 36: Patriots and Rams

-Super Bowl 50: Broncos and Panthers

-2001 AFC divisional game: Patriots and Oakland 

 

 

 

I think a lot of people are in denial and don’t want to see something so beloved to them become tainted, but I think it’s delusional to think that a pro football game has never had the outcome altered in some way by an outside source. I’ve seen some very ticky tacky **** called in big games at the most crucial times. It really makes you wonder. The Seattle/Pittsburgh SB comes to mind. 

[Freddie's Dead]

3 hours ago, KCNC said:

That Saints playoff game where Robey-Coleman did not get called for DPI.  That was crazy.

 

That was makeup call for the phantom DPI that lost us the Jags game in TO.  

[Buffalo ill]

Yes.