[Mega Merged] To everyone who thinks the refs are out to get the Saints (1 Viewer)

[blackadder]

As much as I hate the frekin refs, a part of this falls on DA too. SP would have been on fire on the sidelines and the very least giving them a mouthful. DA just seems too causal and has a lack of emotion. This hurts us. We are not going to go anywhere with this kind of attitude. Same with the fumbles. SP would have been absolutely grilling those players on the sidelines.

Yeah but Payton could yell all he’d wanted and the refs still jobbed him. Meaningless.

But better optics I guess to protest the jobbing, as it happens anyway.

 

[EvilMike]

Nothing will change until the organization stands up. They rolled over on the Rams no call. Didn’t back the fans either. At this point Gayle should just sell the team. She doesn’t care.

I said this exact thing in a thread 2 weeks ago, and 2 weeks later the refs cheat the Saints out of another game.

 

[EvilMike]

Because calling them out has worked so well for us in the past.

Refs frick saints -> Saints call them out -> Refs don't like being help accountable -> Refs frick saints

It never ends and we are helpless to stop it.

Well as long as we're getting fricked, do something about it.

 

[WhoDat?DrewDat]

Well as long as we're getting fricked, do something about it.

Just causes more headaches unfortunately

 

[Big_L]

Bias was there they called pass interference for them but not for us

Truth. If you are going to call Latt for that, then you have to call the guy holding Chris’ arm.

 

[Heathen Saint]

Nope. Obviously mistakes by any team can and will effect the outcome of a game played by professional athletes. I'm pretty sure the argument is whether the refs effected said outcome. If you don't believe that happened today I can recommend some good ophthalmologists.

The premise here is and has been that the refs have some vendetta against New Orleans and are secretly conspiring and drawing horrible calls intentionally to screw the Saints.

Because one time one ref choked on one of the babies in the king cake or a saints fan peed on his leg outside a bar....or something? Either way, the best the NFL can do to get rid of the Saints is to sprinkle
in little penalties here and there. Not do something effective like find another market in a bigger city without a team...

Not simply that the 'refs effected said outcome'. Sure they did. Every call with or without penalty effects said outcome.

 

[EvilMike]

If you think the Saints are just sloppy and deserve the penalties try to explain this

'No-calls' haunt the New Orleans Saints, numbers suggest its worse than one playoff call

Since 2018, the Saints have finished in the bottom three for penalties called against their opponents.

www.espn.com

“Since 2018, the Saints have finished 30th, 31st, 32nd and tied for 31st in penalties called against their opponents (both accepted and declined).”

I think I'll keep bumping this comment.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

My take:

1. Today's game was poorly officiated. The hands-to-the-face and pass-interference penalties were questionable, and with the latter, a penalty could have been thrown on Thielen for tugging on Lattimore's facemask. Both penalties were huge penalties, especially the pass-interference call.

2. I do not believe that the officials, with or without participation of the league, have conspired to call penalties against the Saints or not call penalties against their opponents. A conspiracy means an actual agreement or two or more. You couldn't keep something like that quiet for long. And a news of a conspiracy would be devastating not only to the guilty officials, but especially to the image and the finances of the NFL. Think about it this way: What could the league and the officials possibly gain by engaging in a conspiracy? And what could they possibly lose by doing so? I see little, if any, benefits and nearly catastrophic costs were a conspiracy engaged in and exposed. As a matter of how people do business and common sense, it makes no sense.

3. I think some NFL rules are simply bad and magnify the consequences of bad officiating. The NFL pass-interference rule is absurd. The college rule should be adopted.

4. I do not know what to make of the analysis a few months ago that historically the number of penalties called against Saints opponents are inexplicably low (this was written before I reread the ESPN piece above). I do not remember the details of the study as far as the time period. I do think it is possible that at times some NFL officials have had a certain animus towards Sean Payton and subconsciously that animus has affected their officiating. If I accept, as I do, that superstars at times get preferential treatment from officials, then I have to accept that at times teams or players with a certain negative reputation at times may not get the close calls. That is not a conspiracy. That is human nature clouding subjective judgment.

 

[nolasteve]

This is my thought process. I don’t believe the games are rigged against us, but I do firmly believe that the refs are idiots that ruin games with impunity. We simply happen to be on the losing end of their bad decisions more than not.

I do, however, fully believe Tom Brady is able to influence aspects of the game that no single player should. His celebrity absolutely gives him an advantage, however big or small it may be.

My opinion only: Vegas dictates the outcomes. Not every game but enough of them to be able to determine their gains and control their losses. We have so much emotionally invested in the sport and our team. This make it difficult to fully convince ourselves that the sport is somewhat rigged.

 

[EvilMike]

https://www.espn.com/blog/new-orlea...to-haunt-saints-at-historic-rate?platform=amp

 

[StanfordsWong]

What I don’t understand is the lack of accountability. How can the same thing keep happening (ie BS auto first down flags on 3rd down) without anyone calling it out? Sure, we as fans call it out, but they just laugh at us and do it again. Somebody with some clout has to stand up and protest this.

They are instructed to do it. Why do you think they have an ear piece? The lack of accountability should tell you what you need to know. There has never been an official fired for making a bad call. Nobody with any clout will stand up to a billion dollar monster. Dont get upset about it. Its a meaningless game in the grand scheme.

 

[EvilMike]

Just causes more headaches unfortunately

Then repercussions are due. "Leak" the hotel the refs are staying at, book them at the Motel 6, serve them gas station sushi and put them in a tent in the parking lot due to mysterious problems in the locker room. Its time for the fans at the games to start chanting "Bullshirt" at the bad calls, and much worse. Lose their luggage at the airport.

 

[Heathen Saint]

My take:

1. Today's game was poorly officiated. The hands-to-the-face and pass-interference penalties were questionable, and with the latter, a penalty could have been thrown on Thielen for tugging on Lattimore's facemask. Both penalties were huge penalties, especially the pass-interference call.

2. I do not believe that the officials, with or without participation of the league, have conspired to call penalties against the Saints or not call penalties against their opponents. A conspiracy means an actual agreement or two or more. You couldn't keep something like that quiet for long. And a news of a conspiracy would be devastating not only to the guilty officials, but especially to the image and the finances of the NFL. Think about it this way: What could the league and the officials possibly gain by engaging in a conspiracy? And what could they possibly lose by doing so? I see little, if any, benefits and nearly catastrophic costs were a conspiracy engaged in and exposed. As a matter of how people do business and common sense, it makes no sense.

3. I think some NFL rules are simply bad and magnify the consequences of bad officiating. The NFL pass-interference rule is absurd. The college rule should be adopted.

4. I do not know what to make of the analysis a few months ago that historically the number of penalties called against Saints opponents are inexplicably low (this was written before I reread the ESPN piece above). I do not remember the details of the study as far as the time period. I do think it is possible that at times some NFL officials have had a certain animus towards Sean Payton and subconsciously that animus has affected their officiating. If I accept, as I do, that superstars at times get preferential treatment from officials, then I have to accept that at times teams or players with a certain negative reputation at times may not get the close calls. That is not a conspiracy. That is human nature clouding subjective judgment.

Well said. This is my take as well.

That said..the hands to the face penalty was one of the worst calls I've ever seen in football, though. Literally didn't touch his head at all...
I've seen some pretty terrible other calls in non-Saints games, but that one was hot trash.

The one thing about being a Saints fan is that I expect to be screwed and am pleasantly surprised when left unscrewed.

 

[wwepatriot]

I think I saw 3 blocks in the back vs the Vikings on one punt return, and obviously none was called.

I honestly don’t remember the last time our opponents were called for a hold/block in the back on a punt return.

Top this off, how often is opponents offense called for a hold? I need to dig into that stat.

 

[Thundercougarbird]

The premise here is and has been that the refs have some vendetta against New Orleans and are secretly conspiring and drawing horrible calls intentionally to screw the Saints.

Because one time one ref choked on one of the babies in the king cake or a saints fan peed on his leg outside a bar....or something? Either way, the best the NFL can do to get rid of the Saints is to sprinkle
in little penalties here and there. Not do something effective like find another market in a bigger city without a team...

Not simply that the 'refs effected said outcome'. Sure they did. Every call with or without penalty effects said outcome.

No one here can prove that it's intentional and you certainly can't prove it isn't. At some point though it has to become statistically improbable that one team keeps coming up on the short end. Sure it happens to every team...sometimes, but it is becoming expected for this team.