Now I know I am the person who ususally states that players determine the outcome of games and not the officials but after watching the farce that was the San Diego-New England game I feel I have to revise my opinion. The manner with which the officials ate their flags and absolutely let the Patriots commit multiple offenses without drawing penalties was ludicrous. If the NFL reviews this game they should suspend this officiating crew from ever officiating in the playoffs again.
To support this statement all you have to do is look at the the Chargers last offensive possesion. On third down Samuel clearly makes contact with Antonio Gates all the way down the field and then grabs him long before the ball arrives-where was the pass interference call? On the Patriots last touchdown Caldewell clearly pushes off of the San Diego defender causing the defender to fall to the ground. A flag on this play? Of course not. On the Patriots long pass downfield if you watch the play carefully you will see the right guard pull up before the ball is snapped-99% of the time a false start. However once again the officials hankies are glued to the inside of their pockets.
Now this does not include the multiple holding violations that were never called against the Patriots. I'm not talking about your rudimentary holding calls-these were clear violations where you see a Chargers head snap back because the Patriot offensive lineman has a secure hold around his collar-ususally an instant penalty.
This is a clear cut case of where the best team definately did not win the game and the officiating severely determined the outcome of the game. The NFL needs to take immidiate action as to the consistency with which these games are called. Watching a game like this makes me not want to watch any more football this post season. The worst part of this is that I know Mary Schottenheimer has too much class to mention this-unlike his opponent on the oppostite sideline this afternoon. Which begs the next question-does the NFL have something against Marty or are the officials intimitated by Bellicheck? After watching this game I believe it has to be one or the other.
The refs didn't cost San Diego the game. I disagree the Patriots deserved it. There are calls the refs missed on the chargers also. They aren't perfect quit blaming the refs it wasn't their fault San Diego lost.
Sorry eb-But you have to admit the refs did help the Patriots win the game-and no they did not deserve it. Only teams that play according to the rules do and the Patriots did not do this.
I think you forgot to mention the multiple no calls of holding made by the Chargers O-line or did you no see that? Are your Chargers #### sunglasses keeping you biased? Four turnovers didnt have anything to do with it? A personal foul when the Pats where about to punt didnt have anything to do with the outcome?
The Gemini dreaming of what could of been. Maybe next year..they will choke again. LOL
jre67t-Yes let's talk about the personal foul-the one where the Patriot player pushed him while he was being head-butted. This should have been offsetting personal fouls if the refs weren't so intimidated by Bellicheck. Also can I have some specifics on the holding calls on San Diego-cause I did not see the Patriots shoulder pads being grabbed and their heads being snapped backwards. The only thing choking around here is the officials from sucking on Bellichecks BLEEP all game.
Last edited by Geminidream on January 14th at 8:17 PM.
No he headbutted him first. Thats a fact. 5-13 in the playoffs, with 200 wins in the regular season. That my friend is I cant handle the pressure, I like him though as a coach.
Oh wells at least Shawn can pop a bag of popcorn now, maybe th DMVP will send him back his shirt, lol.
Califorina Dreamin. Keep dreamin. Champions don't let the ref's decide a games outcome. Winners win losers lose.Tellme how the ref,s pushed that last second field goal attempt wide right? Let the chargers be happy with all their pro bowl players. The Patriots will settle for a Super Bowl Ring. As far as the coaches Bill Belicheck only speaks highly of his opponent before and after the game. LT great player,but here is a tissue for your early exit. LT wanted to defend his teamate Sean (steriod) Merriman, but if you want to talk the trash you better be able to back it up. Good luck in Hawaii, I'm going to Miami.
Sorry, as a Steeler fan that had to put with all the #### about how the refs won us the Super Bowl, and the refs didn't win the Pats the game. The Chargers didn't make plays when they needed to, including to holding onto interceptions
Last edited by thesupposedbuckles on January 14th at 8:32 PM.
His sleeveless cut hoodie scare me shitless...
I personally wanted the Chargers to win like last year I wanted the Colts to beat the Steelers.
but alas there is only so many time I can blame the refs and I used them up last year during the miracle Steeler run...
K1zman-That field goal was way out of Kiedings range-and this game if properly called never goes to overtime. I think Eric Mangini would disagree about Belicheck speaking well of his opponents. The Patriots displayed the same lack of class by dancing on the mid-field symbol that your hero Terrell Owens demonstrated when he was a Niner. The Patriots may win games but they do not have 1/100 of the class of the San Diego organization.
P.S. I was pissed off at the officiating when the Chargers were leading by 10.
Last edited by Geminidream on January 14th at 8:56 PM.
Geminidream
Sweet dreams.It' a long off season when you get your #### handed to you on your home field and start looking for someone else to blame. Stop blaming the ref's, the Pats shoud have had the ball at the 2 yard line. But the league wanted to keep you in the game. Marty ball is what kept the Chargers from winning. You have the best back in the NFL and he had less carries in the second half. 5-13 in post season you figure it out.The Patriots mocked Sterimanns knock out dance because they knocked his #### out, TKO baby. Thanks coach Shitinheimer.
Last edited by k1zman on January 14th at 10:02 PM.
k1zman-Handed to the Chargers? I'm not a Charger fan but I will say this. It took multiple mistakes by the Chargers AND the refs looking the other way for you to squeak out a narrow and very lucky victory over a superior team. Let's see what happens next year-if the Patsies even make the playoffs. I know the Chargers will be waiting.
Funny-everybody criticized Marty for being too conservative and when he opens up the passing game now you say he isn't-sounds like the ravings of a confused mind.
You didn't TKO Merriman-the Patriots just held on to him the entire second half because pretty boy Brady can't handle pressure-3 picks proves this-and that is not counting the two the Chargers dropped.
Last edited by Geminidream on January 14th at 10:28 PM.
Lets blame the refs! San Diego blew it but lets blame the refs! Great idea guys, I'm in...lets blame the ref! Lets not mention that San Diego was just out played instead, I think you're right, we should just blame the refs!
football chix-outplayed????? 50some yards rushing and three turnovers. The Patriots did not outplay anybody. The Chargers made some critical mistakes and the officials would not have recognized a pass interference call or holding if it bit them in the butt-that was the difference in the game-period.
Rev-It isn't about people agreeing or disagreeing. It's about opening peoples eyes and telling it like it is. I call em as I see em bro-and this one was ugly. The officiating was one of many planets that aligned in the Patriots favor yesterday.
some crews tend to let the teams play, while some tend to try and control the game. those officials let the teams play and called it even both ways. n.e. had 4 pen. for 45 yrds (mostly false starts) and s.d. had 6 for 64 yrds (2 killer, stupid, undisaplined, badly timed personal fouls). the pats weren't head butting players and hitting players 5 seconds after the whistle though. as far as playing to your strengths, n.e. did and s.d. didn't. brady connected on over 50% of his passes (27-51, 280 yds, 2 tds, 3 ints.)while running the ball when they needed to. s.d. coaches allowed rivers to throw the ball 32 times (14-32, 44%, 0 tds, 1 int.) and ran it 26 times for 147 yrds, 5.7 a carry and 3 tds. not going with the strength of the offense which starts with l.t. and turner...if any other coach calls the plays they run it 30+ times. saints 30+ rushes = win. EVEN the colts rushed 35 times against baltimore and won!!!...
none of the 3 fumbles s.d. had were from the running backs. two by recievers and one by the pro-bowl quarterback...
Last edited by sayerec on January 15th at 11:16 AM.
It's funny-Marty was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. After the loss to the Ravens early this year everyone screamed that he tried to run the ball too much and should have opened up the passing game more. Now after this game everyone is screaming "why didn't you run the ball more?" Makes me glad I'm not a head coach.
i'm sure they weren't running the ball at 5.7 yrds a carry against baltimore, or were they???
turnovers and dropped passes killed the bolts... not the refs...
I think it is a 50-50 on this. The turnovers were so uncharacteristic of this team but if they had a tighter officiating crew....the turnovers were the momentum shifters an w/o them the Chargers put the game in the deep freeze numerous times.
Sayerc-I'm just sayin-of course if the Chargers win then nobody says nuthin.
oh really how about on the last drive how the chargers set a pick for Gates that left him wide open and if he wasn't such an #### could've gotten 15-20 more yards but ran out of bounds instead. The penalty wasn't called, there were tons of holdings on San Diego that went uncalled, and there was one un called false start where the announcers actually said false start and thought the play was dead but wasn't called. It went both ways I disagree with your examples on the Patriots but if you want to nit pick theres a patriots fans opinion on the officiating. and to say Schottenheimer got criticized for not running against the Ravens so that's why he threw against the pats is stupid 2 different defenses need 2 different offensive gameplans that explains the 5-13. and "if the patsies make the playoffs next year San Diego will be waiting" Don't worry and don't think they won't remember the Chargers calling out their head coach and their best playing showing no class either. It's a 2 way street
Gemini , your just another non football person looking to make excuses for the pathetic thug idiots that realy blew the game for sandiego. go back to playing your skin flute
its so unfair that the big mean evil vile classless patriots beat those wonderful chargers it almost broke my heart to see that classy LT stomp off the field like a pubescent teenage girl who just found out she did'nt make the cheerleading squad AGAIN!!! if they ever get done crying maybe they can focus on playing as a team. they might have something then
First Marty approached the game nonchalantly by not wearing a HEADSET. Second, he has the refs revise the questionable fumbling but repossessed by Pats. After the booth review, Marty agreed with the final decision.Insinuating that the officials are scared of Bellicheck is a bit of a stretch...
Last edited by Papipoul on January 16th at 1:47 PM.
Okay I am going to clarify my statements for you boneheads who just don't seem to get it. If you had listened to ESPN radio and Phil Simms this morning (if any of you were out of bed before noon) he said it even better than I could have but I will summarize his comments:
Only 4 penalties on New England for the whole game.This allows New England to play as Phil Simms put it "chippy", or a very agressive, physical style of football if they know the flags are not coming (which they were not). By, as most of you have stated, "letting the players play" this negated San Diego's superior size and speed and kept the contest a whole lot closer than it should have been. Now I DARE any New Enland fan to tell me that their team does try to manhandle their oppostion at every oppurtunity-if you say otherwise I refer you again to the illegal contact rules. These rules were brought into existence after you manhandled the Colts receivers in the AFC championship game.
So my final statement is this: If the refs called the game the way they should have and made all the calls that actually occured then San Diego wins-PERIOD
Lightson-at least I need more than one finger to play my skin flute-and how do you know I am not a football person-sounds like one to many blows to the helmet for you
lotti-use your spellcheck before you post.
Last edited by Geminidream on January 16th at 5:16 PM.
first of all phil simms is a prime example of why good football players do not always make good anylists, but we'll save that debate for later. you keep bringing up the penaltys.i beleivethe pats had 4 and the chargers 6 not that big of a differance. the problem was the timing. the florence head butt was the dumbest penalty i've seen in a while. they had just sacked the pats and effectivly took them out of field goal range. STUPID! heres the trouble while the chargers were setting records and coming up with creative sack dances the pats were focused on the little things that win big games.troy browns strip on macree's pick was money, the kind play winners make. the chargers lost because they are undisiplined.not because the pats cheated or bad calls. deal with it.
Gem...as a raider fan...ok wait, I won't go there. As a fairweather Charger fan, I have to say that I was disappointed by the outcome. Here's my problem...it's twofold.
1-
As crappy as I thought the Pats played, why didn't the Chargers take advantage of it?
2-
I only blame the refs if one particular call/no call ultimately or directly determines the outcome of the gsme.
I saw neither of these in the game. Bottom line is the more seasoned team won. They found a way to win when they didn't have their game on. I'm bummed...would have liked to see the Chargers go on. Maybe next year?
There is simply no excuse for a blog like this. San Diego got exactly what they deserve. They didn not execute and that's all there is to it. I'm not a Patriot fan but this is just too much man. It REEKS of sore loser.
54-Please read my clarification-it was not the timing of the calls it was the lack of same which set a tempo and style of play that was much more conductive to the Patriots. It was not a lack of discipline that was the difference but a lack of playoff experience-which the Chargers have now acquired the hard way.
Lisa-Oh yeah I definately think next year-one year in the school of hard knocks ought to season these players. They know the mistakes they made and will have a whole off-season to consider them. Along with being very skilled they should play with a major chip on their shoulder.
88-Sometimes I wonder???
Dusty-sorry you don't agree but do you have to resort to name calling and degrading statements. I've read your blogs and you are so much smarter than this.
I am a long time sports fan and a former street ball player. My favorite teams are: Redskins, Phillies, Trailblazers and Golden State Warriors. I don't blog that often only when I feel there is an aspect to a sporting event that I feel everyone else has overlooked.
