I’m going to pi#s on you ___ comes courtesy of the NFL
By Tophatal
I am not going to dwell on the events of Monday night in the NFL, other than to suggest that with each passing moment that the league has the replacement referees on the field of play , the legitimacy and integrity of the game suffers. The television ratings may well be high but if the idiocy on display continues , then look for a marked decline with the ratings . Fans will not , and should not continue to tolerate or be asked to tolerate the sort of ineptitude being shown , much less the contempt now being exhibited by the league hierarchy for the fans. Albeit, that the broadcast networks and the league’s own in-house network outlet have yet to show their disgust by the inconsistent officiating but moreover the clear incompetence the officials , Richard Simmons and Wayne Elliott , two of the three referees presiding over Monday night’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks at Q West Field , in Seattle , Washington .
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Slide show.
The Seahawks may well have come away with an ill-deserved victory and the team’s wide receiver Golden Tate now has another accomplishment now tied to him that surely cannot be looked upon as one of chivalry or sportsmanship. That being said , the ridicule now being showered upon the NFL and directed towards Roger Goodell , is clearly indicative of the outrage now fomenting . The public statements forthcoming from the commissioner’s office are not only bewildering , in the league’s backing of the officials on Monday but it gives clear evidence that the NFL is not in the slightest bit concerned with what the fans think or even that of an outside observer might well have felt about the events. The league continue to treat the fans with contempt, as they deem it fit and with not much more beyond that .
Week four in the NFL will bring us another slew of games with another Thursday night precursor in the lead-up to Sunday’s schedule set of match-ups. The Cleveland Browns will be the guests of the Baltimore Ravens when these two AFC teams meet in a conference and divisional match-up. Baltimore is coming off an emotionally wrought 31-30 victory over the New England Patriots, during which wide receiver Torrey Smith , may well have played the best game of his two-year career. The uncertainty as to whether or not Smith , would be joining his teammates on the field , was overshadowed by the death of his younger brother Tevin, in a motorcycle accident , 48 hours earlier . And to the great surprise of not only John Harbaugh but the Ravens’ front office , Torrey Smith suited up and showed the reason why he has to be considered one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL .
The victory for the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) over the Patriots , has the franchise leading the AFC North over Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) on points differential and conference wins. This match-up between the Browns and Ravens should give us a sense as to how good this Cam Cameron designed offense is said to be of Baltimore’s, and whether or not Joe Flacco is actually growing in stature as an NFL quarterback . It has been Flacco’s improved play and his growing confidence in his offensive unit that is now leading many to believe that this could very well be the season during which the Baltimore Ravens make a successful run, deep into the NFL postseason. We have always known that the Ravens’ defense has to be considered amongst the best in the AFC, which has been built around the defensive prowess of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Ladarius Webb , and Dannell Ellerbe .
If there is one thing that can be said about the Cleveland Browns then it would have to be that their fans continue suffer in silence , as the franchise simply meanders from one season to the next. Already off to an 0-3 start to their season , one could attest to the fact that Pat Shurmur’s task has not been made any easier with the less than adequate contributions from the rookies as well as the seasoned veterans on the roster . An inauspicious introduction the NFL for rookie quarterbacks …. Brandon Weeden and a game , which saw the player set an NFL low with a QB rating of 5.1 , has simply signified that the Browns will be in for a tough time over the course of the season. Weeden’s predecessor, Colt McCoy , has simply been cast aside like a pair of worn shoes, that in essence could still be of use to the franchise. That decision was borne out of team President Mike Holmgren’s frustrations but at the same time, it has to be said that the Browns’ mishandling of McCoy’s injury in a game played against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, indicates to me also that beyond the injury , they were simply unhappy with the quarterback’s lack of progress and his leadership abilities . . And this game against the Ravens , could prove to be something of a nightmare for the Browns’ players , both from a defensive standpoint and offensively. >. If Brandon Weeden is unable to guide the Browns to their first win of the season , then there may well be a great deal of pressure brought to bear, in seeing Colt McCoy brought back to be the signal-caller and quarterback for the team.
Are the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) getting old , or is simply complacency on the part of Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff ? It may well be a mixture both but it has become abundantly clear with the departure of Bruce Arians as the team’s offensive coordinator , thing now are not as they once were . Succeeding Arians, Todd Haley, the former head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs , has been brought in by Tomlin to provide what is said to be a more balanced offense. Three weeks into the Steelers’ season , and the team has proven equally as incompetent on defense as it is on offense . And the team’s quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is not entirely satisfied with the playbook devised by the offensive coordinator. The Steelers’ sole victory, came by way of the 27-10 dismantling of the New York Jets , but a loss in week one to the Denver Broncos and then a last-minute loss to the Oakland Raiders , 34-31 at the O Coliseum , has left the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans wondering , what the hell is going on inside of the franchise. No need to actually press the panic button as of yet , with the team having a bye-week, before facing the Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) in week 5 at their home field, Heinz Field , in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
The perceived match-up of these two vaunted franchises, should prove to be one of the major highlights in week five, amongst the games to be played . For Eagles’ head coach, Andy Reid , a much-needed win has to be of the highest priority for his team , given the unevenness in the play of Michael Vick in 2012 for the Eagles . While Vick, with his incentive laden contract has yet to truly justify its worth , albeit, that he remains one of the most gifted athletes of his generation. To my mind , if the Philadelphia Eagles are to be in with a whiff of the postseason , much less the NFC East divisional title, they are going to have to play at a much higher standard than is currently being exhibited in 2012 , never-mind the inconsistency of their play throughout their entire 2011 schedule. Needless to say, the words “ dynasty “ , “class of the division , were not applicable , as they fell , all too short of their ambitions last season.
The Arizona Cardinals are now 3-0 and lead the NFC West , but in all probability, given the uneasiness under which Ken Whisenhunt started the season with this team , not being sure who his starting quarterback would be . The head coach now find the franchise reaching giddy heights , leading the division and being one of only three unbeaten teams left in the NFL at this point of the season. John Skelton was lost to the team in week three , and so it was left to their high-priced free agent signing Kevin Kolb to assume the reins for the injured starter. I seriously doubt that at this point of the season , anyone would have assumed that the Cardinals would be one of the three remaining unbeaten teams , joining the ranks of the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans in that specific category. The results however, do not lie , as the Cardinals are off their best start in the NFL in several years.
On Sunday the Arizona Cardinals will play hosts to the Miami Dolphins (1-2) and the likelihood is, that this will be a highly contested game between two quarterbacks, in Kolb and Ryan Tannehill, who will be looking to lead their respective franchises to victory. The Cardinals trail the Miami Dolphins in this head to head series 2-8 in the ten games played between the two teams over the past four decades. In their most recent meeting in 2008, the Cardinals defeated their AFC East counterparts 31-10 , quite convincingly , with Anquan Boldin , Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner , leading the charge for the Cardinals on the day. And though I do not believe that Sunday’s match-up will be that lopsided an event, there is the believe with this new-found confidence in this Cardinals’ roster , .Joe Philbin and his players will be thoroughly tested by the Cardinals , once this gets underway.
Courtesy of Pro Football Talk.com
Daopoulos: NFL, NFLRA deal is done
By Mike Florio , ProFootballTalk.com
NBC picked the right year to hire an officiating consultant.
Jim Daopoulos , a long-time official and supervisor of officials, joined NBC this season. And he tells PFT that the NFL and NFL Referees Association have signed a new deal.
A crew is being assembled to work Thursday night’s game between the Browns and Ravens. Then, on Friday, the officials will travel to Dallas to retrieve their equipment and receive their game assignments for Sunday and Monday, with the same crews working together as last year.
Details are still not clear, but Daopoulos says that the much-debated pension issue was resolved with the current defined-benefit plan remaining in place for five years before switching to a 401(k)style defined contribution plan.
Also, it’s believed that the deal will cover five more years before this one, which means that we’ll potentially be doing this again in 2018.
UPDATE 10:56 p.m. ET: Daopoulos has provided some more facts. The officials will vote on the deal in Dallas on Friday, at which time it will become final. They’ll then participate in a clinic, and head on Saturday to the game sites. Also, the officials will receive a pay raise of four percent, with 12 guaranteed game checks this year and 19 in subsequent years (including preseason). As to the checks they’ve missed this year, the officials will divvy up $2.5 million.
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Copyrighted material @ all rights reserved .
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With the outrage and uproar caused by this egregious mistake by the officials, officiating Monday night’s game, it is now being reported that the NFL hierarchy is working aggressively and proactively to expedite an agreement with referees’ union (NFLRA). The main stumbling block still remains the league’s wish for the referees to give up their pension benefits and seemingly accept the premise of being bound by a 401K as a benefits’ package. This is something that referees’ spokesman Mark Baltz , has stated that they would be quite prepared to accept , as long as the NFL hierarchy are prepared to make other concessions as first sought in their original round of deliberations. From the outset NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has sought to make the union the “villains of the piece” , which has essentially backfired , further tarnishing the NFL’s already blemished and some might say battered and bruised image. Perhaps, it took these chain of events to truly awaken Goodell and the hierarchy as to the sheer outrage of the fans , and now the public in general. To further ridicule the league , the commissioner’s public statement emphasizing his implicit faith the replacement referees , clearly shows how out of touch with reality Roger Goodell just happens to be. With a renewed focus to expedite an agreement , it is highly unlikely that we will see a quick return of NFL certified officials until week five at the earliest or week six at the latest. One more week of this lunacy only further exacerbates this situation , which clearly could have been resolved more amicably, had Roger Goodell been more amenable to working with the referees’ union, rather than being a belligerent buffoon !
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The NFL in the past four weeks has found itself once again at the center of some unwanted attention , more so , for the incompetence shown by the replacement referees , rather than for the excitement and thrills exhibited by teams over that timeframe. Do you believe that the league will successfully address the problems they have faced? By all means do take time to leave a comment on this and anything else you believe pertinent on the subject matter in question.
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Picture and slide show details below .
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(1) Green Bay Packers corner-backs Tramon Williams (38) and Charles Woodson (21) and safety M.D. Jennings (43) fight for possession of a jump ball with Seattle Seahawks wide receivers Charly Martin (14) and Golden Tate , right, in the final seconds of the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in Seattle. Tate was ruled to have come down with the ball for a touchdown, and the Seahawks won 14-12 . AP Photo/Stephen Brashear ….
(2) Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy addresses reporters’ questions about a controversial touchdown call on Monday Night Football during a press conference in Green Bay, Wis., on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. AP Photo/The Green Bay Press-Gazette, Lukas Keapproth ….
(3) Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Packers 14-12 in an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in Seattle. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren ….
(4) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) and wide receiver Sidney Rice celebrate after their 14-12 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in Seattle. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren ……
(5) Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) looks to pass in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, in Cleveland. Weeden threw two interceptions and was sacked four times in a 24-14 loss to the Bills. AP Photo/David Richard …
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger walks off the field after a 34-31 loss to the Oakland Raiders during an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. AP Photo/Tony Avelar ……….
(7) Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, right, hugs Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb, left, following an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 27-6 . AP Photo/Paul Connors ….
(8) Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, right, is sacked by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington , left, in the second quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. AP Photo/Paul Connors …..
(9) Arizona Cardinals’ John Skelton holds his knee as he grimaces in pain after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 20-16 . AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin ……..
(10) NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shares a humorous moment with two game officials prior to a preseason game in 2012. It is being reported that a compromise has been reached between the league hierarchy and the NFLRA (referees’ union) that will see the officials return to work by no later than week 6 of the NFL regular season . However, with a vote yet to be taken by the union , there is no guarantee of a proposed deal being approved and ratified by the union . AP Photo / Brian McDonald ………..
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NFL news and news from around the league
2012 NFL regular season schedule
Thursday night’s game ….. Cleveland Browns vs Baltimore Ravens @ M&T Bank Stadium , Baltimore , Maryland ,.
All-time series head to head meetings between the two teams
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Dave Chappelle channels R Kelly …… “Piss on you ”
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Tophatal's Blog 
It is clear that Roger Goodell has become a complete embarrassment to the NFL but these lame ass owners continue to follow him along the Yellow Brick Road to nowhere , apparently for the sake that he’s been conniving enough to make the networks part with so much damn money . Meanwhile , the integrity of the game and the brand is stinking up the joint worst than a herd of elephants shitting in a nature reserve .
“Mom I’ve said I’m sorry ” ! ” How was I suppose to know that you’d bet on the Packers and that you took the points” ?
The vast majority of fans will look for something good to come out of this all , but remember Goodell still has to deal with the issues of player safety and the inane stupidity that still surround his continuing feud with the Saints’ Jonathan Vilma . Need we forget also , there’s still the matter of the 30 Federal lawsuits where the league is now a defendant . Pick your poison as to what you wish for concerning the NFL, because this shit is far from over . Remember that !
It’s true , as it could happen . These as#holes are not fully cognizant of the rules .
The Ravens should lower the boom on the Browns tonight , that’s unless the incompetency of these replacement referees play a part in this match-up !
Tophatal ………..
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The end of the lockout will at least signal a return of some respectability of the officiating in the games. At least until the regular refs make a really bad game changing call (and it will happen).
Cheers!
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aero
No it won’t ! The game has already lost its respectability , because Goodell allowed this all to happen by enforcing the lockout to begin with . He forced this issue needlessly and he hasn’t the integrity or the ethical responsibility to apologize to the fans for his this blunder and so many others that he has recently made . That’s not leadership being shown , but sheer fu#king incompetence by the NFL commissioner. No one hear within this forum is bold enough to say it in print , but I am !
“Cheddar” is the only mutha-f##king thing Goodell cares about . Understand ?
Tophatal …………………
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aero
Which of the week four match-ups do you believe will be the most intriguing ?
The Redkins’ match-up —- against the Buccaneers should prove to be interesting . Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as enough tickets will be sold to avoid another home-game blackout . What’s up with that ?
And that AFC West game between the Chargers and Chiefs looks good . Well , at least on paper it does . Who knows what could happen between those two teams ?
Things would prove to be more interesting if Rachel Aldana were to turn up for the Bucs’ game on Sunday . Yes sir , indeed ! Hello there ! Gotta love her ” big guns ” !
Tophatal ……………..
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Travis
Thanks for chiming in with a vote of approval as it is greatly appreciated !
Tophatal …………….
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I’m going to bring something up I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone bring up yet.
What ever happened to defensive backs batting down the ball to defend against the Hail Mary?
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Chris Humpherys
I’m sure you’ve seen the reruns of this incident , and clearly you can see the jostling taking place between Seahawks’ wide receiver Golden Tate and the Packers’ defensive players . So what part of Tate’s actions was it that you didn’t understand when he shoved once defensive player to the ground while tugging on the shirt of another before Jennings of the Packers caught the ball ? Never mind the actions of the bumbling oafs who officiated the game and how they came up with such an asinine decision . And where the hell was the NFL official that’s always on tap who’s usually seated in a booth observing the game ?
If this is what Goodell wants the league to become, then he’s going to be in for one hell of a backlash . I mean , it’s already taking place and no amount altruism on his part can make up for the idiocy that needlessly took place on Monday night .
Tophatal ……………
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Chris Humpherys
Batting down the ball ? Al Jennings caught the ball cleanly and took it to the ground , end of play . WTF !
Tophatal ………………..
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The Bucs – Redskins game should be a good one. Too bad about the blackout, but the fact is that the Bucs have not showed enough on the field to bring out anyone but the most diehard (and wealthy) fans. Sad but true. The Chiefs and Chargers sounds interesting. If they’re playing at Arrowhead I’ll take the Chiefs. Go Bucs!
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aero
Both of these games should be good on the face of it . In the case of the Bucs , they can ill-afford to go down 1-3 at this point of the season within the NFC South. I know there’s still a great deal to play for , concerning all of the teams , but I think for Schiano , he has got to get this team playing with a great deal more consistency on both sides of the ball. Also, Freeman has to show a great deal more confidence and skill-set. This season he’s still exhibiting the traits of 2011 , when he simply looked awful .
Tophatal
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They have just settled the lockout. No what. How long will it take before all hell breaks loose again. Maybe these clowns are like the NBA refs. The fix is in Just a thought
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Bobby Gee
It took a fomenting crisis , public outrage the NFL being ridicule before Roger Goodell would actually pull his head out of his own ass , in order to do something proactive. What was it finally about Monday — night that made the commissioner sit up and take note ?
Now with Ed Hochuli working closely with his compatriots (NFL-certified referees) we are told the league and referees’ union have reached a compromise that will lead to an eight year agreement . Current referees will see their salaries rise incrementally from $149,500 per year to $209,500 by 2018 . Furthermore , new employees will only receive a 401K in terms of their benefits , while existing employees of the NFL will continue to receive their annual pension benefits .
Tophatal …………….
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Dey gone!
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al clements
Thank god for that ! If it’s any consolation , I am glad that Goodell was embarrassed and make to look a complete ass ! Now all I want to see happen to see the S-O-B be embarrassed even further , when he may well have to appear in court to deal with the civil suits where the NFL is the main defendant ! .
Tophatal …………
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