i totally agree. i just don't think many people look at that guy as someone who didn't "control" the catch. just as someone who controlled the catch then fumbled trying to do something else and ultimately got the ball right back. even with deflate-gate, i have a hard time believing the league office actually doesn't like the patriots succeeding, especially considering the league seems to be struggling (relative to itself) with ratings and seems to have a shortage of name-brand stars on successful teams. i feel like deflate-gate was just a pissing contest with the patriots and the league had to prove to everyone they would win all such contests. and if nothing else, they had to do something because when they found the patriots spying on everybody, they barely slapped them on the wrist. i'm sure the pats are good for business. and, even if all the leagues like money, the nfl just somehow feels more "bottom line" than everybody else. like i said, the pats wouldn't be the first popular team to get a call in sports, even if just because i think refs are humans who feel the pressure of making certain calls against certain teams/players based on what they mean to a given league.
Don't the Steelers and Cowboys have the NFL's two biggest fan bases? I believe those two teams also consistently get the highest TV ratings. Big Ben / Antonio Brown / Le'veon Bell is a pretty marquee combination of players too.
Carr with the tiny hands. What does Gemaria math have to say about that, @RocketsTruth? looks fishy. Does Carr have some African in him? did Dak's Jewish Grandmother have something to do with this outcome?
Stupid NFL rules. Ball should be spotted where it was fumbled. If the same play happens anywhere else on the field, ball gets spotted where it was fumbled.
That must be one of the most amazing wins ever. I thought game over for sure before that. Unbelievable. Cowboys did everything to lose it at the end and win it on one fluke play with sheer hustle by Jeff Heath. I guess their QB wanted to be the hero but probably just did the instinctual thing everyone does...which is to stretch out for the TD. But, all he had to do was go out at the 3 yard line and still had 31 seconds on the clock. But, that's how it goes. I guess Lynch was pissed at the end cause they didn't let him run it in...again.
I always believed the offensive player could not advance the ball on a fumble (otherwise offensive players could "fumble" forward to gain yards). I guess that's how it works unless it's the endzone then it's a turnover.
i didn't even see the game but did the raiders lose because of a fumble through the end zone? i just don't understand that rule. maybe there's a good explanation, but i don't get it. if the defense can't recover a fumble before it goes out of bounds and it goes out at the 1, the offense gets the ball with a great chance to score. but if the defense does a worse job and let's the offense get further down the field and then can't recover a fumble in the endzone, the defense gets the ball. it's just such a discontinuity. is there an analogy to anything else in sports where there's such an opposite difference in outcomes for such a small difference in the play? maybe there is?
yes, because Steelers doesnt a huge fanbase, they arent a popular team, and you mention the league doesnt have name brand stars, well Pittsburgh, have 3 very well known players, its not like the league would lose TV ratings and money if the steelers won the game, and get more playoffs game at home, and yeah the league doesnt want the team with more super bowls succeed,
i suppose so. i won't profess to know the details of nfl ratings. as a non-hardcore fan of the nfl, the patriots seem like the more known team. certainly brady would seem to be known by more casual fans. but the cowboys are the most valuable franchise and steelers road games definitely have lots of steelers fans.