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Message: [QUOTE="Orangeman, post: 1221756, member: 972"] You do realize that all this is doing is cementing the notion that the NFL is fixed (not quite WWF, but close). There are teams with outsized influence, outsized benefits, outsized everything. It's brilliant actually...naysayers will throw out the salary cap, which in theory should even out the playing field. But there are ways around the salary cap (don't tell me there aren't) and the subtle benefits the league can provide top-down can certainly nudge the preferred team to victory in a "game of inches". So, 10 years ago the preferred team was Indy but they were aging and the NFL leadership (read: Television network executives and an elite cabal of NFL execs) decided to pass the torch onto Kraft's Patriots? Only providing support for the theory. While it's fair to say the Broncos tucked their tail a bit in the 4Q, that was still a 7 point game in the end in which there was usual identifiable pattern of NFL strategy: outrageously bad judgement calls against the Bills in favor of the opponent (Pats, Broncs, etc) followed by curious late-game "penalties" against the opponent when the game is seemingly in hand and, uh-oh, the penalty stats look really out of whack both # and yards we better smooth this out. I don't believe there was a defensive penalty on the Broncos (#2 defense in AFC) but there were 10 against the Bills (#1 defense in the AFC)...come again? The "make-up" situation turned most hilarious late when, I think the score was 24-3 or so, the Bills completed a pass for about 20 yards and a first down. After not finding any flaws with the Broncos D ALL DAY, the zebras erupt and throw TWO late illegal contact fouls ON THE SAME PLAY that they knew, by the time they threw them, would be negated by the fact the Bills had a first and much more yardage (only offset would have been a fumble or something). To be fair, the zebras did manage to call a Personal Foul on the Broncos after the "Interception that bounced" that was so obvious as to be embarrassing...that's a condensed part of the field and the officials missed a ball bouncing a full yard in front of the defender, who had committed PI himself. (It was a terrible throw but whatever). What's fascinating, is that flag FURTHER supports the strategy of only flagging the Bills' opponent when it doesn't matter. As far as that official new, the Broncs had just taken the ball and were up 14 and would win the game, so it's OK to throw that flag. As fate would have it, his compadres had missed the INT by a full yard and his penalty resulted in an offset because the Bills had been called for holding. Anyway, all fun and games, which is what sports are supposed to be, but the NFL risks alienating parts of its fanbase with this nonsense. [/QUOTE]

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