Hardly.

The big game wasn't where rigging took place. It was the final weeks of the season where Cincy and NE take their foot off the pedal and hand PeyPey the #1 seed.
No way in hell the Donks get to the Superbowl playing on the road.

Co-worker of mine who is a huge Donks fan called it in week 6. Said Peyton would get hurt/benched, Osweiler would hold down the fort, they would get the #1 seed, win out for Peyton and he rides into the sunset.

Said co-worker has correctly called 3 of last 4 Superbowls (teams participating and winner), and the dude makes a shit ton of money wagering on games week to week. I ask him how he does it - he laughs it off and just says, "you gotta know people in the know, that's all......"
True story. Fucker won't give up his souce/intel either.....
[Reply]

Whoa, no way! Cool story, bro.
[Reply]

The bullshit some people will believe.
[Reply]

Not surprised that you only believe in fairytale endings when they benefit your reality... :-) Didn't Brady throw like 5 passes in an entire half...when they lost to the Jets? Nothing odd about that....ha. Imagine a healthy Manning doing this with play-off seeding in the balance...oh wait, you cant..."bro".

Then the most accurate kicker in the NFL missing an extra point (first in 3 years)...and Brady "overlooking" a wide open Gronk for the 2-point conversion. It was all just magic....I mean, I dont blaming him for not looking to his go-to guy, with the game on the line, and throwing into double coverage...it's what Brady does.

Then you have Cam...just staring at a fumble in a close SB game and over-throwing receivers. Magic....welcome to the big business world of bull-shitting the unsuspecting public.
[Reply]

You are batshit crazy if you don't think the NFL does not have a hand in creating favourable scenarios for ratings/viewership by influencing outcomes. I'm not suggesting game outcomes are pre-determined, but they are influenced namely through officiating and betting lines. I don't subscribe to full out pre-determined winners, but sports in general has long had the shadow of corruption around it when big money is involved.

Olympic boxing anyone? - even the amateur levels cannot escape it....
[Reply]

Yes, that NE game was the one that comes to mind most. Keeping the Jets alive as long as possible was fantastic for the east coast biased media as well. Pittsburgh in the playoffs was still a bigger draw though, but attrition caught up to them.
[Reply]

QBs, refs and kickers in their pocket..thats all you need. The rest can battle it out...makes it appear "random".

Brady took one for the "team"...he's getting his before he retires. It's WWF theater....

Vikings kicker covered his tracks against the Seahawks....missed the same exact hard-left kick, last night, as in the play-offs. It's how it works...
[Reply]

While not 100% scripted, there is absolutely theater in this league and you better be a prime time player if you want to dance beyond the regular season.

This is why the league gives not one shit about the Chiefs and never will until they get a QB on a level beyond "dependable and steady". They're not putting that shit on TV for Super Sunday.

And no, you will not "buck the system" through sheer willpower. You will get fucked, and roughly.

Look for the usual suspects( sans Denver of course )to be helped along this year, and a reemergence of Big Rape come play off time. If I'm guessing correctly, the league is going to be doing it's best to get him back to prime time this season. Brady has had a great run but if the league gives him another shot at a ring, it becomes Captain Obvious to even the most alcohol sodden NFL fan that something is truly amiss, and they're not going to let that happen.
[Reply]

ha ha. that's funny. but we all know that pat bowlen wont be having a conversation with anyone.
[Reply]

Which is exactly like your team will play this year. Elway was quoted on ESPN that the defense and special teams and running the ball is how Denver plans to play....something like that anyway.
[Reply]

I'm in awe that some of you still watch a game that is so scripted and planned out as you describe.
[Reply]

:-)
[Reply]

you ok bro, you need a tissue?
[Reply]

Some people just can't accept that Rodger McMahon and the owners have developed a very clear strategy to keep their businesses profitable. I am 10,000% certain that Cam would have gotten a ring if it hadn't been Peyton's time to be sent out in a blaze of glory.
I'm also certain he'll be back to "achieve" that goal, so that the NFL can keep it's image nice and groovy with the times we are currently living in.

Marketing, baby!
[Reply]

Oh BS. I've said this before--if all the league wanted to do was hand Manning a trophy on his way out, why not do that the previous year when the Broncos were in the playoffs? He still sucked but he was in his own offense. Or, why did the league allow that upstart team from Seattle win the SB? I mean, who the hell is Russell Wilson?

The Panthers were favored to win the SB. Period. End of story. But the Broncos had a defense that was just too damn good and it destroyed the Panther's offense. The Broncos offense did just enough to win the game GOING AGAINST A TOP NOTCH--BETTER THAN KC--Carolina defense.

Manning sucked this last year, he got injured--again--and then came back when the Broncos were essentially in a playoff game and had to have home field advantage.
[Reply]