Pats Rodney Harrison still crying about the refs

[PromoTheRobot]

Rodney Harrison was on the WEEI midday show today. He went on and on for at least 10 minutes about the "shoddy" officiating in the Broncos/Pats game. (He started every sentence with "...I'm not blaming the refs, BUT..." which means he WAS blaming the refs!) He also went on to say how the NFL ought to be sure their best refs worked the playoff games because "...you want the BEST team in the Super Bowl."

 

Hmmmm...the "best" team? Which team is that, Rodney??

 

This interview revealed a lot about the Patriots charecter in 2006, and a glimpse into why they lost that game. The Patriots used to be a team that worked harder than anyone else to win. It looks like they have become a team that expects to win by just showing up.

 

Not once did Harrison give any credit to the Broncos D for f***ing up Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. In years past, the Pats D would get credit for forcing bad throws and turnovers. But when another team does it to them, they "gave the game away."

 

I hope this is a sign that the Pats "dynasty" is starting to crumble. When you start believeing your own hype, it's the beginning of the end.

 

PTR

[KD in CA]

It's easy to be a 'high character' team when you are winning every week.

[AKC]

Pats "dynasty"

572747[/snapback]

 

That's kinda' like calling Kraft Mac and Cheese an "entree".

 

Since the Yankees have won 5 Championships in a row, and also 4 Championships in a row, and also 3 Championships in a row, should we also count their multiple 2 consecutive Championships as "Dynastys"?

 

If accuracy is the standard, it's more accurate to say that Tom Thumb was a full grown man than to describe the 3 point squeakers the Pats won in just two consecutive years a "dynasty".

[MadBuffaloDisease]

It's easy to be a 'high character' team when you are winning every week.

Thanks to the refs. Again I find it laughably hypocritical for ANY Pats player or fan to be talking about bad officiating, when there were loads of bad calls in 2001 and 2003 that helped propel the Pats to their SB wins. Where was the hue and cry THEN? What you heard instead was Raiders' and Colts' players and fans being called babies. And that is the reason the Pats have never gotten the respect they feel they deserve. It's funny that the media loves them, but the players and fans don't think they're all that.

[2003Contenders]

Isn't funny how no one wants to talk about all the MISTAKES that the Pats made in the game that were far more important to its outcome than the "shoddy officiating"?

 

-- 2 very bad INTs by Brady, one of which was at least a 10 point swing in the game.

 

-- Unforced fumbles by such reliables as Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown.

 

If the Pats want to talk about the game they lost to the Broncos this is where they need to start. Oh, and their record this year was 10-6. Had they not been the division winners of our crappy division, they wouldn't have even MADE it to the playoffs, as I'm sure any Chiefs fan will tell you.

 

The Pats and their fans have come to expect hand-outs so much that it is almost shocking when a call doesn't go their way for a change. Give them a year of mediocrity -- and let's see if the Pats and their fans are so arrogant.

[BuffOrange]

Thanks to the refs.  Again I find it laughably hypocritical for ANY Pats player or fan to be talking about bad officiating, when there were loads of bad calls in 2001 and 2003 that helped propel the Pats to their SB wins.  Where was the hue and cry THEN?  What you heard instead was Raiders' and Colts' players and fans being called babies. 

572786[/snapback]

 

Yep, even in 98/99 when the Bills were getting hosed, it was "scoreboard - end of discussion".

Who decided it was PC to blame the refs all of the sudden? Guys on ESPN wouldn't dare dwell on bad calls 5 years ago. Now that's all they can talk about.

What's with this notion that bad officiating is something new?

[bartshan-83]

What I never understood is why players/teams/fans think that it is a credible defense to say that their team "gave it away" as opposed to the other team taking the victory. What is so admirable about screwing up so bad that your mistakes are the main reason you lost the game? I understand the mentality that saying you screwed up implies that at full strength, you are the superior party, but I never quite understood why people feel good about that knowledge.

 

In my experience in sports, I always felt better about giving my best effort and losing than screwing up and "giving away" a victory to a lesser opponent.

[Johnny]

i dont get the patriots case.....on the pass interference call the defender cut off the receivers route and hooked his arm......that normally draws a flag

 

on baileys attempt to duplicate leon lett, a judgement call was made and could not be overturned due to lack of indisputable evidence

[BillsGuyInMalta]

Hold on one second Patriot fans, let me break out the world's smallest violin for you...

[Johnny]

the two biggest referee blunders are hardly mentioned

 

the first was the no call in the steelers game when the play was stopped due to one of 3 things.....false start, offsides, or encroachment......the flag was picked up and the play called a do over

 

in the bears game, the play clock had already reached zero when the ball was snapped on the bears final offensive play resulting in an interception

 

all the other calls can be argued as judgement, or unclear interpretation of the rule

[MadBuffaloDisease]

i dont get the patriots case.....on the pass interference call the defender cut off the receivers route and hooked his arm......that normally draws a flag

Samuel also took his eyes off the ball whereas Lelie was watching the ball the whole time. That's also why he got flagged.

on baileys attempt to duplicate leon lett, a judgement call was made and could not be overturned due to lack of  indisputable evidence

There was NO evidence ANYWHERE that the ball went over the goalline. To argue that this SHOULD have been called a touchback, much less overturned and called a touchback, is assinine.

[Johnny]

Samuel also took his eyes off the ball whereas Lelie was watching the ball the whole time.  That's also why he got flagged.

 

There was NO evidence ANYWHERE that the ball went over the goalline.  To argue that this SHOULD have been called a touchback, much less overturned and called a touchback, is assinine.

572867[/snapback]

i think we are in agreement

[MadBuffaloDisease]

the two biggest referee blunders are hardly mentioned

 

the first was the no call in the steelers game when the play was stopped due to one of 3 things.....false start, offsides, or encroachment......the flag was picked up and the play called a do over

The Steelers' OL rocked back in his stance. It should have been a false start, 5 yards, and the Steelers would have been forced to punt, saving valuable time (for the Colts) on the clock.

 

in the bears game, the play clock had already reached zero when the ball was snapped on the bears final offensive play resulting in an interception

This didn't lose the game for the Bears. They didn't suffer a disadvantage by letting the playclock run out, if not getting an advantage because Grossman was able to call out the signals, get everyone set, and then run the play. The execution was bad. Now had the Bears WON it thanks to that call, it would be a different story. Oh and there is a 1-2 second delay between the game clock and the time on the field.

[gantrules]

Someone tell Rodney the best team did win.

[Hollywood Donahoe]

....Don't forget that when N.E. sucked as bad as we do now,the per game attendance at Foxboro was something like 20,000.

Pats fans are the ultimate bandwagoners....

That Pats have had a sellout streak dating back to 1994, I believe. That includes the 2000 season, when the Pats were easily as bad as the Bills are now.

 

But don't let facts get in the way of a nice slam.

[gantrules]

But don't let facts get in the way of a nice slam.  

572935[/snapback]

 

Didn't seem to bother Rodney.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

The fact patriot players and fans are crying about officials is laughable. Bill Genius got thoroughly outcoached by Shannahan and the pats got taken to the woodshed by the donkeys. Stop crying and deal with it. Woe is the patriots ::plays worlds smallest violin::

[Hollywood Donahoe]

Isn't funny how no one wants to talk about all the MISTAKES that the Pats made in the game that were far more important to its outcome than the "shoddy officiating"?

I've talked at length about the mistakes on my Pats board, and have even touched on them here. No doubt, bad calls were a factor, but the turnovers and mistakes were a far larger factor.

 

Anyone who puts the loss squarely on the shoulders of the officials wasn't watching the same game I was.

 

-- 2 very bad INTs by Brady, one of which was at least a 10 point swing in the game.

The first one was bad, certainly (one of the worst in Brady's career, given the situation), but the last was just a last ditch, heave-it-up-for-grabs type of thing, and even then, the receiver was dragged to the ground before the ball arrived. I'd call that a product of the circumstances more than a "very bad INT."

 

-- Unforced fumbles by such reliables as Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown.

Those were mistakes in that all fumbles are mistakes, but to call them "unforced" is to deny the Broncos due credit, I think. On all three fumbles, there was a Bronco there to jar it loose (even on Brown's fumble, despite the fact that he had called for a FC...hmmm. ), so they weren't unforced.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

That Pats have had a sellout streak dating back to 1994, I believe.  That includes the 2000 season, when the Pats were easily as bad as the Bills are now.

Actually they've had a sellout streak since 1993, when Parcells was hired. And they'll always have a sellout streak and a waiting list for season tix now. It's a function of the size of the stadium to the market. But I can assure you that the waiting list for season tix dropped a lot after Parcells left and Carroll ran the team into the ground.

[Hollywood Donahoe]

Actually they've had a sellout streak since 1993, when Parcells was hired.  It's a function of the size of the stadium to the market.

Be that as it may, I was simply refuting the false claim that the Patriots' attendance "was something like 20,000" when the team was bad. Last time the team was bad (second half '99, '00, early '01), they managed to maintain their sellout streak, certainly staying above 20,000 attendees.