Official Championship Games Thread 2014

[bobblehead]

TV Markets Ranked

Rank Metropolitan Market Regions / Areas
1 New York
2 Los Angeles
3 Chicago
4 Philadelphia
5 Dallas-Ft. Worth
6 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
7 Boston
8 Atlanta
9 Washington, DC
10 Houston
11 Detroit
12 Phoenix
13 Tampa-St. Petersburg
14 Seattle-Tacoma

Someone must tell me what the NFL and TV have to gain by fixing the game to put a smaller market in the Super Bowl.

Also notice, Boston (7th) somehow managed to lose to Denver (18th). Unless you have substantial evidence about how the NFL makes more money by having smaller markets for their marquee game, you must believe the NFL fixed to games to their detriment.

Source: http://www.stationindex.com/tv/tv-markets

For the record, I say its "guided" not rigged. I think that some of the calls at the end of the NE/Denv game kept it from being a blowout so the NFL could have their NBA finish...that is the norm now.

As for what to gain. You finally got 2 #1 seeds in the superbowl. You got both championship matchups that appeals to the nation. I was a bit intoxicated for the SF/Sea game, so I won't render much verdict until I rewatch it, but I did see a playoffs where Brady and Brees got effectively shut down...one by a very average defense. I also saw Carolina get the short end of a lot of officiating to set up the dream championship game (not that I think it was "rigged", but the respect aspect was NBA like).

[bobblehead]

Much easier to believe is that many fans are selective in what they see: we see the blown calls that cost the teams we root for, and we hear the things announcers say that could be construed as critical of our team or in favor of the opponent. Those announcers then acquire an anti Packer bias.

I don't buy that necessarily. I had money on Seattle over NO. I was very actively rooting for Seattle. I thought NO got hosed in that game. I saw receivers get tackled 10+ yards downfield. I won my bet (only because I bet it before the line moved though).

[pbmax]

I think the fact that the #1 seed matchup happens so rarely is evidence against this charge. If carrying favorites through brought eyeballs, then the guiding would have happened previously.

Last night the Football Outsiders guys Tweeted that only three match ups of #1 versus #2 in their Power Ranking metric (DVOA) have occurred at the Super Bowl in the time frame of their data (I think they are back to 1989 now). I think this speaks to the same kind of randomness in single elimination games.

Its such a small set of data yearly that you could find any number of "patterns" that a really just random cluster of events. When someone can predict the "guiding" I will reconsider.

And no, picking the two clear betting favorites at the start of the season is not evidence that the NFL gets the matchup it wants.

[mraynrand]

For the record, I say its "guided" not rigged. I think that some of the calls at the end of the NE/Denv game kept it from being a blowout so the NFL could have their NBA finish...that is the norm now.

As for what to gain. You finally got 2 #1 seeds in the superbowl. You got both championship matchups that appeals to the nation. I was a bit intoxicated for the SF/Sea game, so I won't render much verdict until I rewatch it, but I did see a playoffs where Brady and Brees got effectively shut down...one by a very average defense. I also saw Carolina get the short end of a lot of officiating to set up the dream championship game (not that I think it was "rigged", but the respect aspect was NBA like).

Carolina got their asses handed to them. A lot of what you cite are the norm for NFL games. Yesterday both teams came out amped up and beat the crap out of each other. a lot of times, they just can't sustain that for the entire game, and things get loose nearer the end, especially when teams get desperate - you get sacks because teams become one-dimensional. You sometimes get more scoring because teams take more risks and go for it on all fourth downs.

Here's an exercise: ask yourself how you will actually influence an NFL game as a ref, and how it will go essentially unnoticed. I watched Carolina-SF and Sea-SF. Mostly the reffing errors were minor and cancelled out. Couple of highly visible errors yesterday in Seattle's favor, but in perspective, the number of errors by SF and the number of chances they had far outweighed any ref influence.

given the history of the influence of organized crime on sports, the fact that you live in Vegas, and that the money is bet on lines and not on win-or-lose outcome, I can understand your paranoia. It seems unlikely to me that the refs are skewing the game, but it's not entirely improbable.

[mraynrand]

But on the final series of the previous superbowl, spearing directly into the ear hole of a defenseless receiver is perfectly OK.

I assume you mean a hit on an SF receiver. regardless, SF lost the SB, much like SF lost yesterday, because the play caller forgot what got them in position to win at the end. Last year, SF should have run the ball to score the winning TD instead of passing, and yesterday, Kap should have run more on the final drive and checked down, instead of lobbing into double coverage. Roman could see what was working and he kinda blew it. Perhaps he was on the take...

[pbmax]

I assume you mean a hit on an SF receiver. regardless, SF lost the SB, much like SF lost yesterday, because the play caller forgot what got them in position to win at the end. Last year, SF should have run the ball to score the winning TD instead of passing, and yesterday, Kap should have run more on the final drive and checked down, instead of lobbing into double coverage. Roman could see what was working and he kinda blew it. Perhaps he was on the take...

There you go, understandable motivation. Roman wanted to interview for the Browns job.

Wait, that's not understandable at all.

[denverYooper]

Awesomeness. I just saw the post game 'interview' by Erin Andrews. You don't want this all the time in the NFL, but a little bit of unvarnished emotion is refreshing, especially given what we know about the Niners trash talking WRs.

[Maxie the Taxi]

What led up to the Erin Andrews interview...

[Guiness]

What led up to the Erin Andrews interview...

That was a different take, and not an angle I remember seeing. He extended his hand, the tv angle made it look like a taunt. Maybe not the time and place, but still.

[woodbuck27]

That was a different take, and not an angle I remember seeing. He extended his hand, the tv angle made it look like a taunt. Maybe not the time and place, but still.

This was the NO. 1 Topic of discussion on NFL Total Access all this week and even that yesterday ...Sat. 25 Jan. 2014.

I think she got what she deserved trying to ride that stallion fresh out in the corral; after a huge win and his dominating role and struggle with the officials and 49ers WR Michael Crabtree to boot. Erin Andrews wasn't exactly demonstrating a good attitude and her needs to get a good sound bite from that stallion ... now turned BULL !

[pbmax]

This was the NO. 1 Topic of discussion on NFL Total Access all this week and even that yesterday ...Sat. 25 Jan. 2014.

I think she got what she deserved trying to ride that stallion fresh out in the corral; after a huge win and his dominating role and struggle with the officials and 49ers WR Michael Crabtree to boot. Erin Andrews wasn't exactly demonstrating a good attitude and her needs to get a good sound bite from that stallion ... now turned BULL !

It might be one of the more difficult jobs of the game broadcast but the players are contracted to participate after a game. Andrews wasn't out of line with the interview, its SOP.

However, the need to have an interview that soon after the game is going to produce things like this and its a testament to the professionalism of most players that it doesn't happen more often.

Like Rand, I thought it was a refreshing honest look at how the game is played. Not the syrupy comments you get during the week, no diva trash talk from a disgruntled WR, but raw and honest attitude about succeeding at a grueling task.

[woodbuck27]

It might be one of the more difficult jobs of the game broadcast but the players are contracted to participate after a game. Andrews wasn't out of line with the interview, its SOP.

However, the need to have an interview that soon after the game is going to produce things like this and its a testament to the professionalism of most players that it doesn't happen more often.

Like Rand, I thought it was a refreshing honest look at how the game is played. Not the syrupy comments you get during the week, no diva trash talk from a disgruntled WR, but raw and honest attitude about succeeding at a grueling task.

In my view it was about the life and emotions inside of the game. About the homan emotional side of the game.

Sometimes that get's to "a take no prisoner's attitude and reaction" .

Erin Andrews went to school and this incident as did Richard Sherman.

No real foul...no real crime.