There's another reason for the Patriots to win them all, one that will loom larger with each passing Sunday. That one has conspiracy types beginning to look under every rock to see if the fix could possibly be in.

Some members of the Baltimore Ravens think so. Hard to fault them after a bizarre series of plays turned what looked like certain victory into defeat and left them fuming at both the calls and the attitude of the referees.

''It's hard to go out there and play the Patriots and the refs at the same time,'' cornerback Chris McAlister said. ''They put the crown on top of them. They want them to win. They won.''

Laughable as that might seem in a league which prides itself on an image that everything is always on the up-and-up, it may not be too far-fetched. Almost to a man, the Ravens seemed to think it was not just fate lined up against them in Monday night's 27-24 loss.

Just the week before the Patriots seemed to get another break when a questionable touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the first half against the Eagles wasn't even reviewed in the booth, a decision that left Philadelphia fans steaming.

Silly? Maybe. But the NFL has only itself to blame for the perception even existing.

That's because there is money to be made if the Patriots go undefeated, big money, and not just the kind handed over the counter at the sports books.

No, the league isn't raiding its rainy-day fund to take the Patriots to run the table, a bet that is increasingly popular in Vegas. But a lot is riding on whether the Patriots are unbeaten going into the Dec. 29 game against the New York Giants.

The NFL wants it to be must-see TV, but to see it you must watch the league's own NFL Network. It's one of eight games the league kept for itself this year, and one which some 70 million households won't be able to see because of a bitter dispute the NFL is having with cable companies.

The more valuable the game, the more leverage the NFL figures it will have to force cable operators to carry the network on the lucrative basic cable tier. By far the most valuable game left this year will almost surely be Pats/Giants.

Take away the historic angle and it becomes a meaningless game between two teams most likely resting their stars for the playoffs. Make it mean something big and the NFL has a golden opportunity to force the hands of the cable companies.

The stakes are huge. If the NFL signs up all the major cable companies, it could be looking at revenues perhaps as high as $1 billion a year just for the network itself.

So do the referees have instructions to make sure the Patriots get the benefit of the doubt on crucial calls so they remain unbeaten? Hardly.
NFL officials have historically been unimpeachable, and not even the craziest of the conspiracy crazies have any evidence that there is a Tim Donaghy out there.

Then again, might they be subtly influenced by the rich intersection of history and money to bend just a little at just the right time?

Sure seemed that way Monday night to a lot of casual viewers when the Patriots survived three apparent fourth-down stops by Baltimore on their final drive to score the game winner on a pass that could have been called either way.

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:football:

Then again, might they be subtly influenced by the rich intersection of history and money to bend just a little at just the right time?

Sure seemed that way Monday night to a lot of casual viewers when the Patriots survived three apparent fourth-down stops by Baltimore on their final drive to score the game winner on a pass that could have been called either way.

You'd have be an awfully "casual" viewer not to notice that of those three apparent fourth-down stops, one of them was reversed by the Ravens themselves having called time out, and the other was waved off because the Patriots had committed an obvious false start. How are the officials supposed to take the fall for either of those?

I was definitely rooting for the Ravens, but I gotta say that those calls all appeared correct to me. I was actually thinking after the game that the refs did a great job with a series of tough calls in a row.

The timeout was correctly called.
The pass interference (defensive holding) was almost purposeful.

The most borderline was the catch, but to me it appeared as though the receiver was in control of the ball and was simply transferring to his other hand.

And the throwing of the penalty flag into the stands was a very easy call to make.

They were just frustrated, and that is understandable.

I was definitely rooting for the Ravens, but I gotta say that those calls all appeared correct to me. I was actually thinking after the game that the refs did a great job with a series of tough calls in a row.

The timeout was correctly called.
The pass interference (defensive holding) was almost purposeful.

The most borderline was the catch, but to me it appeared as though the receiver was in control of the ball and was simply transferring to his other hand.

And the throwing of the penalty flag into the stands was a very easy call to make.

They were just frustrated, and that is understandable.

Agreed. It sounds like a big case of sour grapes to me, coming from fans and players throughout the league. If you can't beat them, get better or deal with it. Stop with the crying.

Maybe someone could answer the obvious.

The NFL wants the Patriots to go undefeated because it is worth at least $1 billion to them.

Sour grapes. I think not.

Big business. We all know that big business is crooked.

:hoops:

I completely agree with d4e, tay and cj. Those calls were all obvious.

If anything, the refs made a non-call on the hail mary pass. The WR mugged the DB a few separate occasions in order to gain position to make the catch, but nothing was called. In any other circumstance, that would have been offensive pass interference.

They let the players decide the outcome, the Ravens just folded under the pressure.

BALTIMORE -- The NFL is looking into an accusation made by Baltimore Ravens (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=bal) cornerback Samari Rolle (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4305) that an official called him a "boy" during Monday night's 27-24 loss to New England.


"The refs called me a boy. No. 110 called me a boy," Rolle said in the locker room after the game. "I will be calling my agent in the morning and sending my complaint. I have a wife and three kids. Don't call me a boy. Don't call me a boy on the field during a game because I said, 'You've never played football before.' "

The Ravens were demonstrative after the game about the officiating, especially on the final drive that led to Tom Brady (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5228)'s pass to Jabar Gaffney (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5919) for the winning touchdown with 44 seconds left. After the touchdown, set up by a fourth-down defensive holding call on Jamaine Winborne, linebacker Bart Scott (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6165) was penalized 15 yards for complaining and another 15 yards for throwing the official's flag.


"In a game of this magnitude, you don't make that kind of call," Rolle said. "Let the players decide the outcome of the game. You can crown them champions now. I'm not taking anything away from them. They are a great team. They're not asking the refs to help them, but it's just an empty feeling."


The list of facts are piling up

1. Pats caught cheating with video camera
2. Pats caught cheating by turning off opponents press box to field communications during the game
3. Pats pile up two questionable wins based on referees calls so that the Pats can go undefeated an add $1 billion to the leagues coffers.

Sour grapes. I think not. Too much evidence to the contrary. On top of that, that is the only stuff that has come to surface.


:hoops:

The list of facts are piling up

1. Pats caught cheating with video camera
2. Pats caught cheating by turning off opponents press box to field communications during the game
3. Pats pile up two questionable wins based on referees calls so that the Pats can go undefeated an add $1 billion to the leagues coffers.

Sour grapes. I think not. Too much evidence to the contrary. On top of that, that is the only stuff that has come to surface.

What do #1 and #2 have to do with the league or officials? The Pats cheated, they were caught, and they were punished - and not exactly a slap on the wrist either.

As mentioned in my previous post, I don't think there was anything "questionable" about the calls in Monday's game. That's hardly evidence, I'd call that opinion.

I'm starting to get the impression that you don't really like the Patriots. Perhaps you have a vendetta. The evidence is starting to mount. You've been starting some questionable Anti-Pats threads of late.

:hoops:

Major league sports is for profit via entertainment.

The die hards are not where the money is. It's the casual fans who get sucked into a championship run, or a historical moment. The ones who tune in to see a must see TV game and become die hard fans (the base).

The only major league that seems to have any integrity is the NHL, mostly because the player's union up until recently held so much clout, there are foreign leagues for the elites to play in that pay nearly as well, and the leadership of the league is far too incompetent to actually scheme something profitable on their own. :)

Maybe someone could answer the obvious.

The NFL wants the Patriots to go undefeated because it is worth at least $1 billion to them.

Sour grapes. I think not.

Big business. We all know that big business is crooked.

:hoops:

where does the 1 billion come from? you are telling me the nfl coffers will have a 1 billion difference in amount if the patriots go 16-0 instead of 15-1?

Maybe someone could answer the obvious.

The NFL wants the Patriots to go undefeated because it is worth at least $1 billion to them.

Sour grapes. I think not.

Big business. We all know that big business is crooked.



Dumars4Ever just pointed out the most obvious answer to your conspiracy crock. If the Ravens didn't call that timeout, the game would have been over and the Patriots would have lost. It's that simple.

I think this winning streak looks a little fishy. If the referees want to maintain their integrity, they better do whatever it takes to insure victory for the Steelers. Otherwise, it looks fixed.

What's crooked is making fans buy 255 game packages when all many need is a 16 game homer job.

What's crooked is making fans buy 255 game packages when all many need is a 16 game homer job.

What's a homer job? :stirthepot:

I knew I needed to bomide that.