OT: 4 Officials with Southern CA ties in NFC Title game
For those that missed the game (did anybody miss that game?) - the Saint lost in no small part due to a glaring missed PI call that sent the game to OT where the Rams won.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25863631/concern-nfl-4-officials-nfc-championship-game-live-southern-california
For what it's worth: "The Saints and other officials not involved in the game do not believe that these officials' geographical ties influenced their non-call, according to sources. Officiating assignments are communicated to clubs on Monday, and there were no complaints from either the Rams or Saints in advance, according to a league source."
Still - with a roster full of buckeyes
- Tedd Ginn Jr.
- Michael Thomas
- Marshon Lattimore
- Eli Apple
- Vonn Bell
- Kurt Coleman
:)
January 27th, 2019 at 5:03 PM ^
So their plan was to let the Saints go up by two scores, and then pull the rug out from under them 58 minutes into the game. Brilliantly devious!
January 27th, 2019 at 6:58 PM ^
So glad that your glaring brilliant mind can fathom the possibility!
January 27th, 2019 at 8:19 PM ^
- The Saint's roster is full of buckeyes
- There was a huge non-call that cost them a Superbowl run with multiple refs with geographic ties to the opposing team.
Sound familiar? :) I found it hilarious, even if the refs didn't personally care about the Rams.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:04 PM ^
Rams are only in their 3rd season in LA. I highly doubt it had any influence. They just blew the call, simple as that.
January 27th, 2019 at 7:39 PM ^
Rams played in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994.
January 27th, 2019 at 7:52 PM ^
I heard Kieth Jackson has passed.
January 27th, 2019 at 7:57 PM ^
You must be devastated.
January 28th, 2019 at 3:32 AM ^
And the spelling of his first name was changed per the instructions in his will....
January 28th, 2019 at 11:16 AM ^
My Dad just put a car phone in his Cadillac Allante... After we watch ALF and finish our Tang we should check it out...
January 28th, 2019 at 1:29 AM ^
Rams played in the City of Anaheim (located in Orange County) from 1980 - 1992, not Los Angeles.
January 29th, 2019 at 12:08 AM ^
FYI, Anaheim (home of the Rams for much of that time) ain't LA!
January 28th, 2019 at 7:47 AM ^
Just one of these conspiracy theories is false. Which one is it?
A. Oswald had accomplices on the grassy knoll.
B. Trump colluded with Russia.
C. The refs fixed the NFC championship game.
January 28th, 2019 at 9:54 AM ^
If everything ran on a conspiracy, things would run better. When doubt, sheer plain dumb incompetency is by far the most common reason.
In a game where 1-0 is not uncommon, a clear goal was missed - not at some weekend kick around but the World Cup. Imagine if this was in the Super Bowl ...
https://www.npr.org/blogs/showmeyourcleats/2010/06/27/128151515/england-got-as-far-as-it-deserved-but-where-is-germany-headed
January 27th, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
This might be concerning ... if you actually believed that anyone in SoCal cared about the Rams.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^
“This might be concerning ... if you actually believed that anyone in SoCal knows about the Rams.”
FIFY.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:56 PM ^
LA is #2 or #3 TV market compared to saints in the 50’s....I’m sure the NFL cares who was in the SB.
They have the dream match up of New England states + NYC (#1 tv market) and LA vs possible having two teams in the 50’s for tv markets.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:42 PM ^
Green Bay vs Pittsburg was once the most watched televised event in history.
The NFL is the only sport that does not rely on large markets.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:59 PM ^
What year was that? The NFL's revenues come from television ad revenue more than anything else. Having their #1 event include teams from the top 5 tv markets absolutely allows them to roll up to ESPN (and anyone else) with an empty brinks truck and say "fill it!!".
January 27th, 2019 at 8:02 PM ^
Packers and Steelers are national brands though. Old teams, huge fan bases all over the Country.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
In fairness, if they're all from the LA area, they're barely aware that LA has a professional football team.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:14 PM ^
Say what now? We got a team? TWO teams? Now you’re just talking crazy.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:14 PM ^
Those bastards made Brees throw that pick in overtime. Can't believe this.
January 27th, 2019 at 7:11 PM ^
In all my years of playing, coaching, and watching sports I can count on one hand the games where I feel the refs actually cost one team the game. It rarely comes down to the refs.
However, I would include the Saints v Rams game in there, as it was such a terrible non-call on a play that would have locked up the game. They didn’t make Brees throw that INT, but they messed up big time when the game was on the verge of being locked up.
I include the Kings v Lakers, and the M v OSU game from a couple years back in that total of games.
January 28th, 2019 at 7:13 AM ^
You have not been watching enough Detroit Lions games.
January 28th, 2019 at 7:44 AM ^
Calvin Johnson says "hello."
January 27th, 2019 at 9:21 PM ^
And they made the Saints defense give up all those yards and points in the second half... especially after the Saints kicked the FG that still should have won the game.
January 28th, 2019 at 3:14 AM ^
No question the Saints could & should have done more to win. But in fairness, they were driving to win the game and run out the clock, and then the missed call occurred. Tell that me wasn't the worst call you've ever seen?
January 27th, 2019 at 5:15 PM ^
Guys that make really good money and only work for half the year choose to live in Southern California? Shocking.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:19 PM ^
I missed that game along with every other NFL game not played on Thanksgiving.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:23 PM ^
most of LA isn't aware that the Rams are an LA team let alone in the Super Bowl.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:28 PM ^
What does that have to do with a team from Boston playing a team from St. Louis?
January 27th, 2019 at 5:31 PM ^
Boston has a massive influence on the cost of tea in China for some reason.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:43 PM ^
heh, St Louis doesn't even have an elevated train
January 27th, 2019 at 11:23 PM ^
The MetroLink is in fact elevated near Lambert and down by Union Station.
January 28th, 2019 at 11:19 AM ^
But they do have TVs where your head lay...
January 27th, 2019 at 5:41 PM ^
I thought this sucked at first but now that you mention all the former Buckeyes on that team I just find it hilarious
January 27th, 2019 at 5:54 PM ^
As a Falcons fan, I appreciate the Saints for drafing sonmany Buckeyes. Makes it easier to concentrate my hate
January 27th, 2019 at 5:43 PM ^
All this talk about the missed DPI but no mention of the missed facemask call which would've given the Rams 1st and goal from the 1 on the Rams' penultimate drive?
January 27th, 2019 at 9:21 PM ^
When I was watching in real time on TV --- (1) I thought there was a clear face mask missed on Goff (as there was), and (2) the infamous pass play didn't look like pass interference to me
Now, obviously in retrospect I was wrong on #2. But these things happen quick. And as you said, that missed face mask was huge in terms of game flow.
January 27th, 2019 at 5:48 PM ^
The Rams haven’t been in LA long enough for people to truly care. If it doesn’t concern the Lakers or maybe the Dodgers, they don’t give a shit.
Honestly, this conspiracy theory shit is just as bad as the Michigan-OSU stuff from two years ago. The refs didn’t cause the Saints to blow a two TD lead, nor did they cause Brees to throw a pick in OT that effectively lost them the game. Just like the refs didn’t cause us to blow a ten point lead, commit a blatant PI on OSU’s last drive that would’ve given us the ball back, and they also didn’t cause us to fail to tackle Curtis Samuel when he ran 10 yards backwards that would’ve put OSU in 4th and forever and would’ve effectively won us the game with OSU’s shitty kicking game that day.
Was a bad call. Simple as that. Came at a really bad time and shouldn’t have happened, granted. But it’s the Saint’s fault that they put themselves in a position where that call affected the outcome of the game. Just like it was Michigan’s fault that they were in the position they were in.
January 27th, 2019 at 7:04 PM ^
Fuck me running. Another genius on the board. LMFAO!! How many millions of people watched that game in cbus and came to the same conclusion that Michigan got the shaft that game? Yet here you sit little Miss Muffet, perched on your tuffet over two years later. Go take some pain killers and pass out. Basically saying, shut your face.
January 27th, 2019 at 7:04 PM ^
Or the 4th down where Michigan stopped Barrett, and the refs gave him the first down anyway.
I don’t think the SoCal connection has anything to do with the Saints v Rams game, but the officiating in that M v OSU game was very suspect.
January 27th, 2019 at 8:48 PM ^
Call could’ve gone either way, but Michigan had every right to lose that game. They deserved to lose. They had their foot on OSU’s throat but let them off the hook and put them right back in the game. As they do at least every other year these days.
But I’m with you in that the SoCal connection, in my mind, had nothing to do with the game or the outcome for the Rams. What would the NFL have had to gain by putting the Rams in over the Saints? It’s not like they’re going to lack any more viewership than they would’ve otherwise had.
January 27th, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
Yeah, as if OSU actually deserved to win that game. Michigan did plenty of dumb things, but faking a punt from your own 27? Complete garbage offense that generated zero points in the first half? Urban Meyer running around the sidelines like Shao Kahn was currently taking over earthrealm for almost the entire game? OSU was a joke that year, as we saw in their playoff game. Their offense in that game made ours in this year's game look like Oklahoma. That was a joke of a game that was decided by shady officiating.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:10 PM ^
So, of those four guys:
One is a Cowboys fan;
One is a Steelers fan;
One is a Packers fan;
One was rooting for the Chiefs but now is a big Patriots fan for the Super Bowl.
Regards,
Someone who lives in LA.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:14 PM ^
The recent Patriots convert just ordered Patriots car flags. Same-day delivery from Amazon.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:14 PM ^
Gotta live somewhere, I reckon.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:30 PM ^
OK, I get that everyone is skeptical that the game was rigged.
But... how in hell do you explain the non-call? It's not like it was even questionable, the DB flat-out blasted the guy without even bothering to look back at the ball, and a ref was there to see it happen. I don't get it.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:33 PM ^
incompetence.
January 27th, 2019 at 6:51 PM ^
I mean, we like in a world where the refs botched a coin flip. Is it really beyond the realm of possibility that they'd miss a PI?