Well, No Vikings in playoffs, so who you think now? Who advances to Super Bowl?

[PurpleMustReign]

He would have to address the Rams fans for missed calls too right?

No, because the Rams won. I’m just saying this no call, in one of the most watched games of the year, which cost a team being in the Super Bowl, deserved some comment from the league commissioner. There are a lot of blown calls, as many on here have clearly articulated. But this one was egregious. His comments could have gone a long ways in defusing the rage and conspiracy theories which have surfaced since that game. The no call was bad enough, but the silence from the leagues top man is deafening.

IMO, that would set a bad precident, especially since he's never done it before. It's bad enough the league office called Payton immediately after the game to apologize. Like thdt crap couldn't have waited. It makes it look like the league wanted the saints to win (which they probably did) and it looks bad.

[The negotiator]

No, because the Rams won. I’m just saying this no call, in one of the most watched games of the year, which cost a team being in the Super Bowl, deserved some comment from the league commissioner. There are a lot of blown calls, as many on here have clearly articulated. But this one was egregious. His comments could have gone a long ways in defusing the rage and conspiracy theories which have surfaced since that game. The no call was bad enough, but the silence from the leagues top man is deafening.

IMO, that would set a bad precident, especially since he's never done it before. It's bad enough the league office called Payton immediately after the game to apologize. Like thdt crap couldn't have waited. It makes it look like the league wanted the saints to win (which they probably did) and it looks bad.

Fair point.

[J. Kapp 11]

Nobody seemed to care when we got hosed 9 years ago in the same building. And when people talk about Bountygate now, they speak of it as though the penalties handed down to Payton, Williams, Vilma, et. al. were a joke. So I take plenty of satisfaction.

I would take even more satisfaction if the Saints never won another game. Seeing as how that's pretty much unrealistic, I'd settle for them returning to their former status as the Aints, the laughing stock of the NFL, as they were for the first 40 years of their history.

Curious question? Where is Roger Goodell on this flagrant no call. For the mega millions he makes every year, it seems to me he could have weighed in with something. Is he breathing or passed on and I missed it. As much as I agree with your feeling on the Saints, he could have stepped up and said “hey Saints fans, sorry about the no call PI. The refs are human and they make mistakes. We are constantly trying to make our calls consistent and fair.” Not a word, crickets! A real missed opportunity to step up and make an apology statement on behalf of the NFL. That’s what great leaders do and he’s not one of them. smh

I don't really care about Goodell. Talk, don't talk. Not a worry for me.

What I DO care about is the NFL calling Sean Payton within minutes of the game ending. That's just bad optics. It feeds the narrative that Payton and the Saints get special consideration. Every other team in the NFL has to submit a list of plays they think were called poorly, and then the NFL responds privately to them. This immediate, public mea culpa reeks of favoritism.

[Bowhunting Viking]

I don't really care about Goodell. Talk, don't talk. Not a worry for me.

What I DO care about is the NFL calling Sean Payton within minutes of the game ending. That's just bad optics. It feeds the narrative that Payton and the Saints get special consideration. Every other team in the NFL has to submit a list of plays they think were called poorly, and then the NFL responds privately to them. This immediate, public mea culpa reeks of favoritism.

Once again we are in total agreement on this. I work with many fanatical NFL fans of all different teams, sadly only 1 other Viking fan, and we have talked ALOT at work about this.
I'm not just saying this because of my disdain for Sean Peyton and the Saints due to the history, but I swear to you , I can honeslty say that 100% of us all agreed that it was a horrible no call. But, I can honestly say that at least 90% said that they, A. Absolutely loved the fact that it happened to that team or B. Were not overjoyed, but truly could have cared less. In both cases, they to a man said that they feel there truly are certain teams that do get the benefit of lopsided calls, and the Saints are definitely one of those teams.
Most telling is the amount of guys , who aren't even Vikings fans, who did in fact bring up the Bountygate game before I even mentioned it. Several guys basically said, well it served them right or Karma caught up with them.. I cleaned that up btw.
I am sure that the Commish just wants to get this SB over and try and shift the focus to something else.
I'm guessing the thermostats on the NFL offices are turned way down this week.

[Bowhunting Viking]

Oops I don't know how I did that but I posted that as a quote. Oh well I said what I meant. Been one of those days.

[PurpleMustReign]

Curious question? Where is Roger Goodell on this flagrant no call. For the mega millions he makes every year, it seems to me he could have weighed in with something. Is he breathing or passed on and I missed it. As much as I agree with your feeling on the Saints, he could have stepped up and said “hey Saints fans, sorry about the no call PI. The refs are human and they make mistakes. We are constantly trying to make our calls consistent and fair.” Not a word, crickets! A real missed opportunity to step up and make an apology statement on behalf of the NFL. That’s what great leaders do and he’s not one of them. smh

I don't really care about Goodell. Talk, don't talk. Not a worry for me.

What I DO care about is the NFL calling Sean Payton within minutes of the game ending. That's just bad optics. It feeds the narrative that Payton and the Saints get special consideration. Every other team in the NFL has to submit a list of plays they think were called poorly, and then the NFL responds privately to them. This immediate, public mea culpa reeks of favoritism.

I guarantee if this had happened to the Vikings, no phone call would have been made

[Ohjay]

I see a lot of people saying the league called Payton, but it was the Saints that called first (twice as I understand it) and then the league (Al Riveron actually) returned the call.

Even though that is bad enough, it's not like the league was on the phone as soon as the game ended, as some make it sound like.

[J. Kapp 11]

I see a lot of people saying the league called Payton, but it was the Saints that called first (twice as I understand it) and then the league (Al Riveron actually) returned the call.

Even though that is bad enough, it's not like the league was on the phone as soon as the game ended, as some make it sound like.

I'm not sure where you've gotten this information, but even if what you say is true, it still reeks of favoritism.

Again, there is a formal process for lodging complaints, and it doesn't involve the league calling back within minutes. Their actions made it possible for Sean Payton and Drew Brees to do something no one else can do, and that's go into a postgame press conference and rip the officials without penalty. The fact that the league was on the phone with Payton within MINUTES -- no matter who called whom -- and DIDN'T tell him, "Submit your film ... use the process" tells me they gave the Saints special consideration. That's just plan wrong.

[PurpleMustReign]

I see a lot of people saying the league called Payton, but it was the Saints that called first (twice as I understand it) and then the league (Al Riveron actually) returned the call.

Even though that is bad enough, it's not like the league was on the phone as soon as the game ended, as some make it sound like.

I thought Payton said in his press conference that the league called first, and he returned the call?
I agree with Kapp. Use the process... It was at least a week before the Vikings got the good ol' league apology.

[Ohjay]

I read it from a few news outlets after the game and also saw some tweets from beat reporters that stated that Saints reached out to the league first.
There's an article on the NFL website that states this too:

In the locker room afterward, the Saints immediately phoned Al Riveron, the league's senior VP of officiating. When Riveron returned a follow-up call from Saints coach Sean Payton, he acknowledged a mistake had been made, according to Payton.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... layoff-run

But I agree it's really bad that the league did not follow the established process.
Just wanted to point out it does not seem as bad as some make it out to be (although still really bad)

[PurpleMustReign]

I read it from a few news outlets after the game and also saw some tweets from beat reporters that stated that Saints reached out to the league first.
There's an article on the NFL website that states this too:

In the locker room afterward, the Saints immediately phoned Al Riveron, the league's senior VP of officiating. When Riveron returned a follow-up call from Saints coach Sean Payton, he acknowledged a mistake had been made, according to Payton.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... layoff-run

But I agree it's really bad that the league did not follow the established process.
Just wanted to point out it does not seem as bad as some make it out to be (although still really bad)

At least when the Vikings got screwed, they took it like men, not crybabies.

[jackal]

I was pulling for the Chargers and then Kansas City just because I am sick
of New England every year. I want both teams to lose at the big game, but
the lesser of two evils, is the rams. Plus it will cause them free agent problems
and cap issues moving forward.

[vikeinmontana]

I read it from a few news outlets after the game and also saw some tweets from beat reporters that stated that Saints reached out to the league first.
There's an article on the NFL website that states this too:


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... layoff-run

But I agree it's really bad that the league did not follow the established process.
Just wanted to point out it does not seem as bad as some make it out to be (although still really bad)

At least when the Vikings got screwed, they took it like men, not crybabies.

I've been thinking this same thing all week.

The Saints were on the bad side of a terrible no-call. There is no doubt about that. But come on. They act like this is the first time the refs have ever missed a call in a big game. I thought it was painfully obvious the Saints were being blatantly cheap and trying to hurt Favre in our NFC championship game. I ended up being proven correctly. I was pissed and still am. But Jesus. Let it go. You got screwed by a call. It happens. Move on.

My other point is while that was a huge missed call....who's to say it would have won them the game? I saw the Saints have first and goal from the 4 just a few weeks prior to this game and Payton elected to go for it on 4th. They didn't score. Not to mention their defense still had an opportunity to stop the Rams. They didn't.

The fact is that while this missed call is getting all of the attention because it was blatant and late in the game....missed calls are missed calls. Refs miss things all the time that end up being crucial within the game. Who's to say that if the Rams wouldn't have been on the wrong side of bad calls during the game they wouldn't have been up a few scores and this call wouldn't have mattered?

I understand the frustration of Saints fans. But the whining is unlike anything I've seen in sports. These guys wouldn't even have made the Superbowl if the officiating wasn't so egregious during the Vikings game. But that is all well and fine. But now that it was them getting screwed....let's replay the last 5 minutes of the game 6 days before the Super Bowl... Ya, that's gonna happen.

[Dmizzle0]

At least when the Vikings got screwed, they took it like men, not crybabies.

I've been thinking this same thing all week.

The Saints were on the bad side of a terrible no-call. There is no doubt about that. But come on. They act like this is the first time the refs have ever missed a call in a big game. I thought it was painfully obvious the Saints were being blatantly cheap and trying to hurt Favre in our NFC championship game. I ended up being proven correctly. I was pissed and still am. But Jesus. Let it go. You got screwed by a call. It happens. Move on.

My other point is while that was a huge missed call....who's to say it would have won them the game? I saw the Saints have first and goal from the 4 just a few weeks prior to this game and Payton elected to go for it on 4th. They didn't score. Not to mention their defense still had an opportunity to stop the Rams. They didn't.

The fact is that while this missed call is getting all of the attention because it was blatant and late in the game....missed calls are missed calls. Refs miss things all the time that end up being crucial within the game. Who's to say that if the Rams wouldn't have been on the wrong side of bad calls during the game they wouldn't have been up a few scores and this call wouldn't have mattered?

I understand the frustration of Saints fans. But the whining is unlike anything I've seen in sports. These guys wouldn't even have made the Superbowl if the officiating wasn't so egregious during the Vikings game. But that is all well and fine. But now that it was them getting screwed....let's replay the last 5 minutes of the game 6 days before the Super Bowl... Ya, that's gonna happen.

Thank you! It's sad that it's impossible to explain it to Saint's fans.

[GermanViking29]

Lol it makes no difference how you take it when you've been screwed..you're still screwed.