We joke about how the NFL has a script for the season. But maybe it's not a joke?

[MHS831]

If it ever got out that the outcomes of games were rigged, the NFL would lose fans by the millions. I do not see the risk being worth the reward.  If it were rigged, a lot of people would know and someone would come forward with the proof.  Just a conspiracy theory...However, that is not to say the refs don't have biases.  If you felt robbed in Super Bowl 50, watch Remmers again.  I could have sacked Cam against him with my spinning aerial swim move (copyrighted).  

Edited Sunday at 03:34 PM by MHS831

[HaricotVert]

3 hours ago, PantherChris said:

Eeehhhh Im not so sure about that Rodgers isn't anywhere close to being as well liked/beloved by the league or fans as Peyton 

Rodgers is too polarizing to get the grand send off that Manning got.  

 

And there is that thing that seems to be a part of being a GB quarterback that no one knows when youre really done.  Jets, Pitt, ??Bears??, ...

 

[LxDunn]

On 6/24/2025 at 12:23 PM, Proudiddy said:

Witnessing and FEELING the NFL bend us over and make us grab our ankles in Super Bowl 50 in real-time…  that was the turning point for me.  I have not viewed the NFL, or pro sports for that matter, the same, ever since.  Look at the NBA.  You’re talking about astronomical odds for the #1 pick on the teams in the back-end of the lottery.  The Mavericks mysteriously and inexplicably out of nowhere trade their franchise player - one of the biggest stars in the league, and an international superstar…  and of all places, to the LA Lakers, with LeBron.  They get back an oft-injured Anthony Davis.  Their team, including Davis, end up getting injured to the point they barely have enough healthy players to play games as the year goes on.  Their GM takes a ton of heat and never really offers a reasonable, nor plausible explanation as to why they did the trade in the first place.  He also states that they never took any calls from any other teams, they never fielded any other offers for Luka, and they didn’t even take the offer elsewhere to see what other teams would offer.  Absolutely no due diligence.  Now ask yourself, why would a team do that?  Not just in sports, why would any business do such a thing?  Not maximizing your return?  Not doing due diligence?  Fast forward a couple months…  the GM has been lambasted, ridiculed, and belittled the entire time since.  The lottery comes around, and the Mavs, who were just in the NBA Finals the year before, barely miss the playoffs due to all of their injuries.  Davis, Kyrie Irving, etc., all their best players were injured.  They had the smallest mathematical chance at getting the #1 pick.  Guess who got the #1 pick?

The Mavericks.  So this plays out like the NBA asked the Mavs to do them a solid.  One of their blue-blood, prestigious, big market franchises needed a bump with LeBron getting older.  LA throws together a garbage package, sending them an aging, injured star and some garbage picks for one of the biggest stars and historically one of the most incredible offensive players in NBA history, and the NBA ensures the Mavs will beat powerball odds and get the #1 pick, when it just so happens that Cooper Flagg, projected to be a generational talent, is coming out in the draft.  You scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours.

Also, who got the #2 pick?  The Spurs.  A year after obtaining the #1 pick in the lottery to acquire another touted generational talent in Wembanyama, after a 20+ year run as one of the most successful NBA dynasties in history.  They suddenly have their first bad year, get the #1 pick ahead of us, the Hornets (after wallowing in mediocrity for decades), and get Wemby, and now get the #2 pick the following year.  
 

There was talk here earlier in the offseason about things lining up for us to go to the Super Bowl this year, and at the time, I half jokingly said I could see it, as the patsy for Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson’s redemption arc.  Again, after all of the poo that happened in Super Bowl 50, then watching the refs stand by idly over the next two years while week after week our opponents took cheap shot after illegal cheap shot on our once-in-a-lifetime talent in Cam Newton…  that poo took a lot of the heart out of it for me.  I’ve said for years, if big money is involved, corruption is inherent.  There’s no way around it.  I’ve accepted that every professional sport is influenced by the money.  And storylines bring big money.  It has become purely entertainment with a small pinch of competition.  At least the WWE tells you exactly what they are, and thus, you can enjoy it for what it is.  The NFL and NBA specifically, specialize in crushing the hearts of fans who believe it’s still real and untainted.  fug Goodell and Silver.

I agree with every single word!

[MechaZain]

Fixing games outright would be extremely risky as it requires too many parties to be in the know and any of them could blow the whole thing up. I definitely believe the NBA draft is rigged to a degree, and the refs can certainly push an agenda to influence whatever outcome they want, but not on some Black Sox type shi with teams knowingly throwing games. 

Like I'm sorry, but we just choked SB50. Officials letting defenses tee off on Cam was just business as usual.  We lost primarily because the team because decided to play conservative for the first time all year. If we had our stuff together it would have never come down to the refs discretion. 

[Basbear]

On 6/29/2025 at 11:33 AM, MHS831 said:

If it ever got out that the outcomes of games were rigged, the NFL would lose fans by the millions. I do not see the risk being worth the reward.  If it were rigged, a lot of people would know and someone would come forward with the proof.  Just a conspiracy theory...However, that is not to say the refs don't have biases.  If you felt robbed in Super Bowl 50, watch Remmers again.  I could have sacked Cam against him with my spinning aerial swim move (copyrighted).  

Part of the conspiracy about remmers was they did give help in play calls, according to Darin Gantt. Just for whatever reason the players missed the play call numerous times. I mean until that point, they never had to shift protection that whole season. They hadn't practiced it either.

 

My biggest beef with the whole Cam era was Ron Rivera never blew a fuse by cussing out the refs or go on a epic rant that cost him 100,000 calling out the hypocrisy with player safety when defenders are head hunting my QB. I know he sent in plays and had contact with league officials, it didn't stop the blatant behavior of scrambling Cams brain when the league had great focus on protecting QBs. The nice guy routine didn't wrong RON and you just didn't want to upset the NFL by going off during and after games. 

 

I do know this as well, after Cam told the reporters " Youre not old enough for that call ". The refs had each others back worse than the cops or married folks, from that point on it was open season. Such petty BS should never happen in a professional league. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Basbear

[MHS831]

1 hour ago, Basbear said:

 

My biggest beef with the whole Cam era was Ron Rivera never blew a fuse by cussing out the refs or go on a epic rant that cost him 100,000 calling out the hypocrisy with player safety when defenders are head hunting my QB. I know he sent in plays and had contact with league officials, it didn't stop the blatant behavior of scrambling Cams brain when the league had great focus on protecting QBs. The nice guy routine didn't wrong RON and you just didn't want to upset the NFL by going off during and after games. 

 

I do know this as well, after Cam told the reporters " Youre not old enough for that call ". The refs had each others back worse than the cops or married folks, from that point on it was open season. Such petty BS should never happen in a professional league. 

I think that Cam rubbed some refs the wrong way, but I had forgotten this stuff. Should not matter.  I remember being furious with Rivera. I personally think Rivera was the most overrated coach in Panther history--he had Cam, weapons, a great defense--and never had back-to-back winning seasons.  As a Coordinator in San Diego with Norv Turner (I believe) I recall a season when they were #1 on D and #1 on Offense and still struggled to make the playoffs.