Losing faith in the NFL
Make no mistake, despite the fact that the Lions have already clinched their division championship, the game this past weekend had pretty big implications for the playoffs. Just getting to the playoffs is the first trick, then you have to deal with seeding which can make or break your chances in the playoffs.
Many might have felt this game against Dallas on Saturday night was irrelevant and therefore the egregious mistake by the officiating crew was also irrelevant, but nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the officiating crew claiming the Lions are lying and the NFL doubling down on their claim, the collective eyes of the world know what really happened.
Unless you are a Dallas fan who are just taking the lucky victory that fate has handed them.
I remember back in 2007 there was an expose' about a huge betting scandal among officials in the NBA. I think that is the point the game started to go downhill. I haven't watched a full game since then and the games I have watched are so far removed from actual basketball that I don't know how they can still call it that.
I fear the same thing is going to happen with the NFL. The huge oversights in officiating have really brought into question whether or not the crews are being influenced by Vegas or some outside party.
It's hard to watch a game and see an error so blatant then hear them try to explain it away and not acknowledge that they have to be on the take.
The flags being thrown at the end of the Detroit/Dallas game are a perfect example. The player clearly reported as eligible. Anyone watching the game knows it, the world knows it. It's time to hold these officials accountable.
Especially given the fact that this isn't the first issue this official has had.
I'm still a Lions fan, I still hope they do well, but it's going to be hard to watch the rest of the season without assuming that there is some unseen agenda. We've seen it as Detroit fans for years. The only thing that makes it more clear this year is the fact that darling of the league Kansas City suddenly seems to find themselves on the outside looking in.
Welcome to the club KC.
Besides the lashing the Lions took from the officials this weekend, the other big news in the NFL is the fact that Arizona beat Philadelphia. Where did that come from?
Meanwhile, on the college side of things, there were some bowl games played this weekend too. Much to my annoyance, U of M beat Alabama and will face Washington in the championship game next week. The only good thing about this is the fact that if Harbaugh wins he will probably leave for an NFL job.
Fitting since that seems to be where all the corruption is.
Wisconsin lost to LSU, and Georgia proved that the committee might know what they are doing after all by handing Florida State their first loss of the season to the tune of 60 points. It was a blood bath. It makes you wonder what might have happened if Georgia had played U of M last night instead of Alabama.
It's pretty clear they need to change the process and hopefully next year will give us a bit more clarity on all of that.
I'm still fuming from this whole Lions debacle, so I am going to be done for the day. I really just have no words. It's ridiculous.
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That was just unreal. I didn't even watch the game or look at the score post-game because I just presumed it was going to be an absolute blowout. Them scoring in the last 30 seconds to win the game as well. In Philly no less!
I know right!? Pretty crazy! I'm not sure how much difference it will make, but there is still one week left!