In the wake of Monday night’s football game between the Ravens and Patriots there has been a lot of talk about the Officials in the game handing the game to the Patriots. Whenever a high emotion game is close you hear the conspiracy theorists come out spewing their “facts”, trying to prove that the NFL is as fixed as the WWE. While it would be hard to argue that not a single NFL official is on the take after all, we have seen this happen with Basketball and Baseball, it is equally unlikely that the whole officiating staff of the NFL is crooked.

So with all the complaints about the officiating during the Pats-Ravens game, I have yet to hear a convincing argument that any of the calls were really all that bad. First things first, let’s look at the 2007. The Ravens are the 4th most penalized team so far this year. Arizona leads with 108/875, then Green Bay – 95/852, Cleveland - 95/716 with the Ravens following close behind with 92/698. New England by comparison is 62/562. So the Ravens draw a lot of penalties, no arguing that. They incurred 13 in that game, which is high for them in a single game, but not out of question given the intensity and emotion of that game.

Looking at the penalties:
1. Rolle gets called for a facemask. No subjectivity there. Good Call.
2. Next play, 12 men on field. New England was in a no huddle, caught them with 12, count them up. No argument, Good Call.
3. Next play, Suggs, offsides. You can always argue offsides/false start. Looking at the play a few times, I could not find any movement on the Pats line. If they had the network would have been all over it. Good Call.
4. Sypniewski – False Start. This ends up being a partial drive killer. It was on a first down though so you are 1-15. He moved, no question though. Good Call.
5. Martin - Unnecessary Roughness. Another call that is more subjective, however it seemed warranted. That drive led to a Ravens TD so it ends up having zero effect. Good Call.
6. Ivy – Defensive Holding. Of all the penalty calls I think this is the most questionable. I am not an official but it seems consistant with how it has been called all year. This keeps the drive alive. Patriots still get 3 if the call never gets made.
7. McAlister – Pass Interference. I think this one was clear, Moss should have had it. Good call.
8. Wilcox – False Start. He moved. It was 3 and 9 on that play making it 3 and 14. Legit penalty that likely has no effect on the game. Good Call.
9. Rolle – Illegal Contact. Judgement call. I agree with the call but it is a moot point, Brady ran for the 1st down regardless so has no effect on outcome.
10. Winborne – Pass Interference. Winborne was wrapped around Watson that play, the right arm hooked around the waist. No question That is Pass Interference, without it Watson catches that ball for a TD. Good Call.
11. Scott – Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Good Call.
12. Scott – Unsportsmanlike Conduct. The subsequent pentalty for throwing the flag. Good Call.
13. Reed – Offsides. In some sort of statement, he walked across the line. Good Call.

There are 2 things not covered that Ravens fans and Pats Haters alike will argue. The Time Out that was called when the Patriots got stuffed on 4 and 1. Now, there is zero question that the Defensive coordinator called for a time out well before the start of the play. So the question is that can the defensive coordinator call a timeout. According to the rules no. However the official that granted the time out had no idea who was calling for the time out as he was focused on the players were set.

I know Ravens fans will not like this, but while the time out should not have been granted, nor should Rex Ryan have asked for it. As a Defensive Coordinator in week 13 of the 2007 season he should know better. He’s got a pipeline to the coach, so no excuse. That was poor judgment on BOTH sides. So no conspiracy there.

The other arguable call is the Gaffney touchdown. Did he have control or not. From the viewpoint of an official in another sport: The official was in the right place, looking where he should have been with an excellent view of the catch. Unfortunately his view of the ball was obscured by Gaffney. As an official you just can not predict exactly how a play will go down and there is no way to get into 100% the correct position. He has no other official to get help from, he’s got the best angle available and he has to make the call. Given those conditions and his set of eyes, I think 99.9% of anyone makes the same call. There was nothing he did wrong and from his vantage point it was the correct call. The play was even reviewed and upheld.

If it were me looking at the replay, assuming that I have the same angles and quality we have at home… I overturn the call. That being said, I am not sure that it changes anything. An incomplete pass would just mean 2nd and goal from the 4 assuming that the Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty on Scott does not happen. 3 more attempts for the Patriots and more often than not it is going to result in a TD. Add to that the Patriots burning some more time off the clock. Gotskowski was kicking with the wind and he can boot the ball so I would not expect a huge runback. So the Ravens get the ball with only 20-25 seconds, possibly less and the Hail Mary to the 2 never happens.

So now, I ask the question. What are you complaining about?

One questionable penalty that isn’t even blatantly bad? An arguable TD reception that probably gets made in the next play or two? A time out that the Ravens Defensive Coordinator should have known better than to call in the first place? The Ravens played a great game, but they let emotion get the better of them and they paid the price. Don’t blame the officials for the Ravens’ own undoing.

So please, someone educate me.

Sick of the Patriots?

I’m not, in fact I am just loving every second of it and so should you. The 2007 Patriots are the greatest NFL team ever assembled. Their #1 rated Offense is going to shatter a lot of NFL records. Tom Brady is #1 for total yards, #1 in TDs, #1 in completion percentage and #1 in yards/attempt and has only thrown 4 picks.  He has the #1 QB rating at 134. No one else is close. Randy Moss is #1 in total receiving yards and #1 in TDs

The Defense is not all that shabby either at #3. Vrabel leads the league in defense with 9.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. The defense would be a lot more impressive if the offense was not so dominant. Keep in mind that a lot of points that the Patriots have given up have come late in the game after many of the starters have been pulled. Belichick has been known to keep a few hidden rabbits in that magic hoodie of his, you can bet that a very understated defense (still at #3) is one of them

So this is where people start coming up with every excuse in the book as to WHY the patriots are so dominating this year, and why they really are not all that great

Spygate: Spygate was a non-issue that was blown into a media tsunami. The Patriots violated a rule (intentionally), one that offers no competitive advantage, one that whistle-blower Mangini himself had been guilty of just last year. Commissioner Goodell even stated that the violation offered no competitive advantage, the confiscated media did not offer one either and Goodell had no reason to call into question the validity of any of the past Patriot wins, including the 3 Superbowl wins in 2001, 2003 and 2004. Yet the media felt the need to crucify Belichick and the Patriots anyway. A bigger story should have been Soundgate, Audiogate or whatever you want to call it during week 9, Indy vs Pats. If anyone still has a doubt about Indy piping in crowd noise, please watch every Indy home game this season up to week 9… and then watch the Indy-Chiefs game from week 11. Sorry, they have been doing it for years and THAT offers an immediate competitive advantage

Soft Schedule: Early on it looked as if the Patriots would indeed have an easy schedule. The AFC East is a weak division, even with Buffalo gaining some steam mid way through the season. Still, the Patriots have faced some tough match-ups. During the season. The Colts @ Indianapolis, The Cowboys @ Dallas, and the Steelers @ NE to name a few. In fact, if the status Quo is maintained, then the Patriots will have faced 10 teams with .500 records or better with 5 of those teams with winning records. The Cowboys… ready for this: 10 teams with .500 or better, 5 with winning records. Indy, even though in arguably the toughest division will face 9 teams with .500 with 5 of those teams with a winning record. Can anyone say schedule parity. Jacksonville has the toughest schedule, playing 7 teams with a winning record. No wonder why they are not 9-1 right now. Green bay has the softest schedule of all the league leaders. Only 7 games agains .500 teams and only 3 games against winning records. Favre is a fan favorite inside of Green Bay and out. The Packers are not the same caliber as the Cowboys… however Favre offers 2 things right now, experience and heart that won’t show up in any schedule. Soft schedule or not, the Packers are a legit playoff contender.

Indy’s Injured: Who cares and what does that have to do with the Patriots. Throughout the 2006 season the Patriots had severl key players go down with injuries. No one whined back then about it especially the Patriots. You never heard Brady ever complain about injured players or not having receivers to throw to.Part of the game. Another part of the game is team depth, Indy has none, Steelers have little, Patriots have a lot. You want to tell me that Dungy is all that and a bag of chips with popcorn on the side? He was handed a prow bowl caliber team. My autistic 5 year old son could have won a Superbowl with that team

Patriots are not a complete team, they don’t have a run game: No kidding. The Patriots had an effective run game early in the season, then it got injured and the Patriots adjusted. Maroney is back but Maroney is only a GOOD running back, not a GREAT one. The Maroney/Morris pairing had some chemistry to it, and losing Morris was a definite hit on the running game. Faulk managed to step up and is anyone else keeping a watch on Eckel? Give him 2 more years and he will be one of those clutch backs that always manages to convert on 3rd down. He is the next Jerome Bettis. You heard it here first. So the Pats are working with a patched up run game, but they really do not need it. If you are a defensive coordinator and you are trying to develop a game plan, let me clue you in. The Pats are going to pass, and pass a lot. And there is not much you can do to stop it. You want to talk “team”, a team is one that covers for it’s weak areas and fills in gaps when necessary. Faulk, Evans and Eckel have all managed to offer a competitive ground option. They may not be turning heads but they are getting the job done.  The Pats have the most complete and deep team in the league, on both sides of the ball.

They’re Running up the Score, No Class: Every week each team tries to win by scoring as many points as possible, and stop the opposing team from scoring. Period. Patriots tickets, if you can by them are about $125 each… I am not shelling out that kind of money to watch a team score a few points and then go play tiddlywinks while the practice squad goes out there. I was at the Patriots-Dolphins game in 2002 when the Patriots came back from a 17 point deficit in the 4th quarter to tie the game, and then win it in OT. Glad neither team stopped playing that game, especially the Patriots. The Patriots blew the lead in the AFC championship in the 4th quarter in 2006 (with the admitted help of the referees). It should have never come down to that call though. The Patriots, tired and battered stopped playing and the results, well we all know the results. In the Week 11 game against Buffalo, Late in the 4th, buffalo threw in the towel and the Patriots punted. They laid up that game. They could have easily scored another touchdown or more even with the backups in. Who punts on the 30-something yard line? That is 4th down territory, it was short yardage and you could try for 3 if you had to. Nice try, but the Pats play, and play to win until the opposing team cries uncle. No more 2006s.

I do not begrudge the media and fans resorting to name calling and some wholesome good old-fashioned defamation. It’s part of what being a fan of the game is about. Often, the teams that I have hated most over the years are the teams that were the best and ultimately the ones I respect the most. I hated seeing Elway stick it to the Patriots year after year. I used to cringe at the mention of Favre and Greenbay, Aikman and Dallas not to mention the Greatest show on Turf. Looking back those were all fantasic teams. It’s time for New England and I am going to bask in the enjoyment all I can as this moment is truly a remarkable one and one that will remain in the record books for decades to come. One day the Patriots will fall from the brightness of the spotlight and it will be time for the moment to belong to some other team and some other fan. I hope that when that time comes, that you enjoy it as much as I am.

Happy Thanksgiving. - I will be enjoying mine with my wife, our 4 kids, my parents and 2 sisters along with my close cousin, his wife and his 2 boys. My cousin will be the chef, which is appropriate since he is actually... a chef. In fact the former Executive Chef for the New England Patriots and Gilette Stadium.