conspiracy thread dedicated to ridiculousness

I could see it going either way. Honestly I'm OK with the refs not micromanaging anyways. Rules need to be simplified and many just removed completely IMHO. We have so many rules increasingly anything can be inconsistently called any way for any reason and we all just nod at the selective enforcement and go "OK" thank you sir may I have another.

Like that Bryant catch yesterday. Sometimes that's ruled a catch, sometimes not. And it was a catch. He caught it and got two feet in bounds and even performed the football move of putting the ball across the plain of the goal line for what should have been a score.....oh but he didn't roll on ground with the ball for a while to complete the catch (which is a requirement sometimes but not all the time?). Give me a break! What's next, its not a catch in some instances unless he maintains possession into the locker room and during his post-game shower?

RULE SIMPLIFICATION
CLARITY
HONESTY

Nah, NFL would rather make things so ambiguous that we can all debate it ad infinitum and believe and trust that somehow they are right from on high even when contradicting themselves.

You can't make this shit up.

Truth is increasingly stranger than fiction.

 

Tech, wasn't it your belief, something you went on and on about recently, that the NFL would make Brady vs Manning happen in the championship round? Any revision?

Also, why are you a fan if you truly believe it's all fixed (as you say after every Steelers [del]win[/del] loss) and why do you cheer when they win as it shouldn't be cause for celebration, right?

 

since we're quoting, let's not stop there...

now, some readers might possibly think there was sarcasm involved.

 

1) no, I briefly supposed such a thing was possible ... Very diff from what you said above ... It appears Luck vs. Brady and my guess is calls if necessary go NE way.... I could see Seattle or Green Bay making super bowl but my gut tells me NFL wants spygate issue finally put to rest and NE super bowl win will help with that ....

2) not saying it is "all" fixed ... But supposing it was, would you still watch your favorite TV show and enjoy when the villain goes down?

3) thanks for tuning in .... Your thoughts are always welcome here ....

 

Is Tim a diehard NE fan, just stirring the pot, rabidly anti-conspiracy talk or all three.

 

I'm suspicious of everything like I said. Again though things have gotten worse not better. I think some of you have your egos a little too wrapped up in the success or failure of your teams.....you'd think I was telling you Santa Claus wasn't real and you guys were 9 year olds.... I know you still want to believe that nothing ever on the downlow happens but come on guys this isn't fantasy land

 

says the guy who has decided that his own favorite team's failures can be blamed on an evil third party, and someone else's favorite team's successes are the result of favoritism.

you know what's ironic? since u decided it's fixed, you've made a point of saying "hey, u gotta remember it's just entertainment". that's ironic because that's all it ever was to begin with.

was that a general "you", or me specifically?

in general, i am a very cynical person, but i expect more than what you've presented and called "proof" to sell me.

your blanket condescension doesn't enhance your argument. you're not the first person to play the "u just don't get it" card.

 

After awhile this conversation becomes pointless.

But I will not have this mess spill over into every thread on this board so I ask that you keep it here.

 

So you thought it was possible until it didn't happen? And you just predicted that 3 of the 4 remaining teams can win the superbowl. So you'll think it's fixed so long as the Colts don't win?

Is it just Steelers losses that are fixed? And who's the NFL villain?

I don't think the NFL is fixed. One conspiracy just leads to more by people who won't to believe it.

"The Steelers lost because the NFL hates the team with arguably the largest fanbase and possibly greatest franchise history. The team with the owner who's even an international ambassador. It's not that they lost because their #2 offense crumbled without it's RB or that the defense couldn't stop college teams".

"The Ravens will lose because the NFL wants Brady vs Manning, not because the Ravens joke of a secondary finally got exposed by an elite QB"

"Forget the one above, they NFL didn't want Brady vs Manning since Manning lost. They obviously wanted Brady vs Luck even if it's less marketable even though it's already determined that Brady will win"

"The Cowboys beat Detroit due to conspiracy, then the powers that be had them lose anyway, thus putting a lot of risk into fixing a game for no real reason".

These are the conspiracies I've read here lately for the post season.

 

Okay?there are no conspiracies. Here is my evidence:

If there were ANY way to "make things happen" with money and influence, wouldn't you think that the Dallas Cowboys, aka "America's Team" would have won more than 3 playoff games in the past 18 years? Jerry Jones is one of the richest owners in the NFL and, as we see with his free agency dealings, isn't afraid to spend what it takes to try and create a winning franchise. But he hasn't.

On Super Bowls - The current system is awarding "warmer climates" with Super Bowls because the NFL wants to give the fans and VIP's the best experience. It also minimizes weather impact on the games, which give both teams a fairly equal edge. They are also helping cities that build new stadiums re-coup some of the costs of the stadium by holding a Super Bowl there, because the economic impact of a Super Bowl is BILLIONS of dollars. Indianapolis is STILL feeling the effects of the 2011 Super Bowl because it set the groundwork for numerous capital projects.

Also, games are not fixed. There are PLENTY of times that referees make a bad call, and that is justified in statement. However, they are human beings. The REASONS you pointed out are the reason that replay has become such a prominent aspect of the NFL. They are even looking to vote this next season on allowing coaches to challenge EVERYTHING at any time, including penalties.

Now, I will say that the NFL has made many rules and pushed for referees to uphold many currently standing rules (see: emphasis on hands-to-the-face and defensive holding this season) that give the offense an advantage in almost every scenario. They claim it is for safety purposes, but I think we all know that higher scoring games are more interesting to casual fans. And, regardless of what they do, they already have the money and attention of die-hard fans, so the concept of expanding viewership is their goal because more viewers = more revenue.

That being said, no teams that are successful year in and year out are doing things outside the rules. The Patriots got caught cheating (which, yes, is something that MANY other teams did) and the NFL made an example of them, but definitely used kid gloves as Goodell has a really good relationship with Robert Kraft. However, the Patriots still have an incredible regular season record and have been to two Super Bowls since then, so it's not like their cheating was a huge difference maker for success.

What I will say is that there are teams in the NFL that seem to be terrible year after year and it has nothing to do with the NFL being out to get them. It is because they do a piss-poor job of managing and evaluating talent from GM's to coaches to players. They blow things up and start all over again every couple of years and, if you want to point to a logical "fix" it would be other owners intentionally pushing THOSE owners to suck year after year. However, that goes against the whole concept of why the draft is set up the way that it is, why there is a salary cap, the Rooney rule, etc, so I am going to go with that's not happening.

I think it's fun to speculate about what is on behind the scenes because of straw-man arguments, but realistically the NFL is just a big business looking to make more and more money. They make questionable decisions sometimes and don't always do the right thing, but I highly doubt that there are INCREDIBLY underhanded tactics that actually influence games.

 

If you assign numbers to the acronym NFL, you get the following:

N=14
F=6
L=12

14+6+12 = 32

Multiply those numbers together and you get 6 which is precisely how many Super Bowl trophies the steelers have won proving without a shadow of a doubt that their trophies are rigged and tainted!

More proof needed?

Spell out Pittsburgh the same way:

P=16
I=9
T=20
T=20
S=19
B=2
U=21
R=18
G=7
H=8

The total equals 140, but if you look closer and remove the H (which Pittsburgh did for a short period in its history to comply with the government AKA Big Brother), and your total is 132.

Again, multiply those figures 1*3*2, and you get 6 yet again!!!!

NFL IS RIGGED for the steelers!!!!!!!!

 

Thank you RR for pointing out the ridiculousness of this. Conspiracies aren't a thing here. It would be questionable if the #1 seed in the AFC always played the #1 seed in the NFC for the Super Bowl, but that almost NEVER happens. That is what makes the playoffs exciting. Manning vs. Brady has SO many story lines, so if there was a "fix," the Colts would have gotten handled by calls. Instead, the Broncos played terribly and the Colts took advantage.

Even further, last year the Seahawks were FAR from the sexy pick to even make the playoffs and they ended up DEMOLISHING the Broncos in the Super Bowl. Why would anyone that was "fixing" the game allow the Seahawks to run away with it to the point that many people ended up turning the game OFF? That seems like the complete opposite of what "string-pulling puppet masters" would be trying to achieve.

Could it be that SOMETIMES teams just have a bad day? And that, SOMETIMES, that bad day is a playoff game? Or a game against a subpar opponent? Or a game that makes or breaks playoff hopes? I mean?that seems a lot more likely to me than a behind-the-scenes script writer.

The NFL, as a sport, is lucky in that they DO get some really awesome story lines just by the nature of what happens. The fans are frothing at the mouth for any and all NFL-related news because it IS the #1 sport in the US right now, and by a WIDE margin. Seriously, is there another sport where the fans actually CARE about the draft process? Where workouts are televised and analysts spend MONTHS breaking down who they think will go where? I mean, the NFL put the 1st round of the draft on a Thursday night, competing with ALL TYPES of primetime programming, and they consistently destroy everyone's ratings. Even two TERRIBLE teams playing on a Thursday or Sunday night brings in better ratings than some of the best shows on television just by nature of what it is.

Seriously, the NFL has been VERY smart with how they have crafted the league to make things exciting. The salary cap gives every team the same amount of money to work with, which is something that has made baseball a sport of the past. And while franchise QB's are a dime a dozen, it truly takes a team effort to win in the NFL, where one or two players make all the difference in the NBA. Because of those things, as well as many of the points I have made above and in previous entries, the NFL has set itself up for long and short-term success.

 

Guys, I come in peace, jeesh, lol.

 

Goodell is slime.

1.destroys spy-gate tapes
2. Never saw Ray Rice's Elevator Cage Match ( rolls eyes)

 

Lmao! Best post I've seen in a long time!

 

R1 dont you know its only fixed when the Steelers loose

 

The only NFL villian would be Goodell, as Bites pointed out. Tech, I think Goodell has you really screwed up and you should get your head back on straight. I can understand this considering the decisions being made, since Goodell became commish.....

 

[in my best Dolph Lundgren]

"And you go in pieces." *THIS*

 

Well Tech, this thread is compelling and I enjoy reading it, but I just can't buy into a fixed NFL at this point.

Now, I agree that sporting events have been fixed in the past so I'll use that in my counterpoint. In 1919 the White Sox threw the WS for cash considerations. At that time, despite the relevance of the games, only a relative handful of media covered the event, and yet the fix was exposed while the games were still going on.

If the NFL is fixed, as some contend, then the media, which often numbers the population of a small country, would be all over it. There are some very aggressive reporters with tremendous resources available to them. Look at Woodward and Berstein(sp). Those guys smelled a story and it was blood in the water. Imagine what it would be if there was even a sniff of proof about the NFL. W and B also had "deep throat" as an inside source. I can't believe that a player, ref, or owner wouldn't express frustration, at least off the record, about a victory being taken from his team. How would you ever shut up TO, Randy Moss, Ochi Cinco, etc. Kill them?! That's gonna make it worse. In short, it's too many players in the game, so to speak.

There's also too many variables in a game to have it hinge on one call. How do we know that Aaron Rodgers doesn't fumble the snap after the Dez Bryant drop. Do they cover that up. That would arouse more suspicions.

Money trails are another factor but I have expressed my point.

As far as comments by Bart Scott, Ryan Clark and the rumor of Rosenbloom. I just need more.

 

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfiplzrgiTw[/video]


No avatar, ajm. While I was happy with the season, its not like they were better than the Pats, which was the original bet. Heck, they couldn't even get past the Ravens, so you are off the hook!