Replies

I can't get into a lot of replies for mental health reasons if nothing else but let me address a few things yall have brought up:

1) Rams vs Refs

I promise you that while Saints fans very much want to beat the Rams, they are 1000x more pissed off at the refs/NFL than they are the Rams. What you also need to understand is that it wasn't *just* the No Call, it was the way the league basically rubbed our noses in it for weeks on end, stonewalling and refusing to make any real public acknowledgement of the call. After this last MNF game Al Riveron (how he remains employed is a mystery, but that's another topic) put out a detailed statement acknowledging that the refs screwed up the clock at the end of the first half, costing the Saints 15 seconds. We ended up missing a 56 yarder as the half ended. The NFL has made similar statements before when they made very public errors (like the Fail Mary in Seattle with replacement refs).

Had the NFL issued a similar statement after the NFCCG, it would have gone a long way to calming the waters. Instead the league went into hiding. Pathetic. Personally all I wanted was a statement that said, 'It should have been 1st and goal.' We couldn't even get that.

This brings us back around to how much we hate Goodell, stemming from BountyGate and the resulting foolishness. The dude is a straight up liar and the No Call was just another reminder of how bad he is at his job.

So, anyway, don't worry, we don't blame the Rams for the No Call. We blame the NFL and are pissed about how they handled it. The Rams benefited from it so nobody is about to make the Rams their 2nd team, but its a different thing entirely.

2) Other Calls!

OK, sure. Of course. I've never gone back to watch the game so I can't say one way or the other but of course there are always bad calls. But its not very often that a blown call enters the national conversation to the point that its on every late night show, every daytime talk show, everywhere. I saw the Stones in the Dome last month and friggin Mick Jagger made a No Call joke from the stage. This was something bigger than your average missed holding call on a 2 yard rush. It just was.

3) Whining, wallowing

We all deal with stuff differently but most of the Saints fans I talk with are past whining about what happened and have adopted a purely nihilist, burn it all down mentality. We'd all like nothing more than for every team to get completely boned by the new PI rule. For every talking head that complains "the Saints ruined football!" or "Get over it!" we want 3 more blown calls. We actually enjoy being called names at this point. What's the worst that can happen? We've already been through Beastquake, SF/Alex Smith last second loss, the Minny Miracle, and now the No Call. Short of a suitcase nuke going off during a game, we've been through just about everything.

Saints fans are probably the most passionate fans in the NFL - we routinely have higher ratings for FALCONS games in New Orleans than they do in ATLANTA because everyone is hatewatching them. So we are all wrestling with how to deal with the fact that we LOVE the Saints but we HATE the NFL. It's tough to square that circle. In my case, it's meant taking a much more hands-off approach. I'll watch Saints games, but probably not any other games. I'm conscious about not clicking through to any NFL content, especially for league-owned media. It's a fruitless gesture but I feel better.

So, with all that said, I again offer you a sincere good luck and enjoy the game. I will probably go play golf if it starts to go badly, so don't worry about me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2019 05:30AM by saints_alive.