Games That Felt "Rigged" By Suspiciously Convenient Calls

[81usaf92]

Yes, because Bill Callahan would rather the personal satisfaction of screwing over Al Davis than having a Super Bowl ring.

This makes PERFECT sense to Flat Earthers, but it doesn't do much for logical people.

Keep in mind Tim Brown and Jerry Rice are the ones pumping this. Not exactly great at taking big losses but great at soaking in all of the glory of great wins. Rich Gannon has said nothing at all over the years about it. So I don’t think it was a fix as much as a horrible coaching decision.

My point was that the circumstances were weird. We have pretty much said all of the “rigged” games that instantly comes to mind. The Raiders have a portion of their fan base that don’t say these weird occurrences are merely coincidences. Personally I think this was one great defense exposing an overrated team and quarterback.

 

[crimsonaudio]

1) Callahan admitted that he changed absolutely nothing in terms of terminology from Gruden’s playbook the year before.
...
3) The NFL MVP throws 5 interceptions in one game after only throwing 11 all year.

I remember seeing interviews with Bucs players after the game and they were astonished that the Raiders were using the same playbook and even using the SAME PLAY CALLS Gruden had used in Oakland the year before. Said they knew the exact play the offense was running on just about every snap. And of course, that defense was pretty, pretty good...

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Keep in mind Tim Brown and Jerry Rice are the ones pumping this. Not exactly great at taking big losses but great at soaking in all of the glory of great wins. Rich Gannon has said nothing at all over the years about it. So I don’t think it was a fix as much as a horrible coaching decision.

My point was that the circumstances were weird. We have pretty much said all of the “rigged” games that instantly comes to mind. The Raiders have a portion of their fan base that don’t say these weird occurrences are merely coincidences. Personally I think this was one great defense exposing an overrated team and quarterback.

Jerry Rice doesn't want to admit he actually lost a Super Bowl.
Tim Brown doesn't want to admit he didn't deserve the Heisman he stole, either.

Not changing the playbook is......insane.

 

[81usaf92]

Jerry Rice doesn't want to admit he actually lost a Super Bowl.
Tim Brown doesn't want to admit he didn't deserve the Heisman he stole, either.

Not changing the playbook is......insane.

Brown’s contention is that Callahan changed the gameplan from running it down the Bucs throats to throwing the ball 50-60 times on the Friday before the SB. He said that lead to Robbins cocaine party south of the border.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Brown’s contention is that Callahan changed the gameplan from running it down the Bucs throats to throwing the ball 50-60 times on the Friday before the SB. He said that lead to Robbins cocaine party south of the border.

That whole episode was indeed bizarre.

But, and I know we've covered this in the discussion, I think it speaks more to Callahan's poor leadership than anything else.

I compared him to DuBose earlier, and indeed, do y'all remember the stories of DuBose completely changing up established game plans late in the week leading up to the games? Inability to lead. They panic whenever the slightest trouble shows up, and cannot see a plan through to fruition.

 

[Crimson1967]

Going on a cocaine binge right before a Super Bowl is a character flaw, not a result of changing the game plan.

 

[78Alum]

That 1983 game against Penn State that Selma included in his list still burns me up. What a great comeback and then to have it taken away on one of the worst calls in history really hurt then and it still hurts now.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Going on a cocaine binge right before a Super Bowl is a character flaw, not a result of changing the game plan.

Stanley Wilson was ahead of his time on that one, too.

(Super Bowl 23 for those who don't know).



And then there's good ole Eugene Robinson.........

 

[bamacpa]

2005 or 2006 when Earl Bennett got flagged for excessive celebration and Vandy went on to lose to Urb and Florida.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

That 1983 game against Penn State that Selma included in his list still burns me up. What a great comeback and then to have it taken away on one of the worst calls in history really hurt then and it still hurts now.

I've told this one before but.....

I was living in Germany when that game aired, and I hadn't seen the Tide play since the game where Bryant won his 315th game. The kickoff was on Armed Forces Network at 830 pm with the time difference. PSU came out and walloped us in the first half, and we were down, 34-7. Because it was really past my bedtime (and I'd spent all day recording music off the radio but that's another story) at the half, I went to bed.

The next day I got up and ran into a friend of mine I also knew was a Tide fan. He was raging and ranting and raving, and this was one of those calm dudes even for a 15-year old. He practically had tears in his eyes, and he asked me if I saw what happened. I had no idea until then we'd come back (the newspaper comes so early on Sunday that there was no way to get the story in there). He then explained we basically won the game, and the refs stole it from us. (The only detail he got wrong was he said it was Joey Jones who made the catch).

You know what really stinks? I assume Jack O'Rourke is probably dead by now that was so long ago. I doubt his bad call even made his obit. But when Preston Gothard - who did NOTHING WRONG - dies, the newspaper stories about him will say something like, "Best known for a catch that didn't count against Penn State." Unbelievable.

 

[81usaf92]

I've told this one before but.....

I was living in Germany when that game aired, and I hadn't seen the Tide play since the game where Bryant won his 315th game. The kickoff was on Armed Forces Network at 830 pm with the time difference. PSU came out and walloped us in the first half, and we were down, 34-7. Because it was really past my bedtime (and I'd spent all day recording music off the radio but that's another story) at the half, I went to bed.

The next day I got up and ran into a friend of mine I also knew was a Tide fan. He was raging and ranting and raving, and this was one of those calm dudes even for a 15-year old. He practically had tears in his eyes, and he asked me if I saw what happened. I had no idea until then we'd come back (the newspaper comes so early on Sunday that there was no way to get the story in there). He then explained we basically won the game, and the refs stole it from us. (The only detail he got wrong was he said it was Joey Jones who made the catch).

You know what really stinks? I assume Jack O'Rourke is probably dead by now that was so long ago. I doubt his bad call even made his obit. But when Preston Gothard - who did NOTHING WRONG - dies, the newspaper stories about him will say something like, "Best known for a catch that didn't count against Penn State." Unbelievable.

Ref’s response

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Ref’s response

If he thought Gothard bobbled that ball, he needed to resign based on his eyesight.

I've never heard a single fan of ANY team in 37 years since then who saw anything except what happened - Gothard caught the ball for a touchdown. And "well, it was okay because Chandler should have been called" doesn't mean diddly since you can't do that even with instant replay.

I'm not sure why officials in the state of Pennsylvania have trouble seeing an actual catch when they see it.

Mike Renfro caught the damn ball in the 1979 AFC title game. I'm not saying the Oilers win - but it wasn't close.
Preston Gothard caught the damn ball in 1983, too.

And lest anyone think that it only "helps" PA teams, Jesse James caught that damn ball, too, for the Steelers in 2017. And THAT one (of the three I'm talking about) was the closest to "Okay, I can see why they ruled that way."

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I've talked to literally dozens of Penn State fans through the years - some of them graduates - and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM says, "Yeah, y'all got screwed on that play." Every. One. Of. Them.

 

[Windsortide]

Absolutely, and I was for Notre Dame.

But a review of the game shows they were pretty awful all the way around.

The fumble which decided the game and National Championship was atrocious.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

The fumble which decided the game and National Championship was atrocious.

Except Miami turned the ball over SIX OTHER TIMES.

I'll grant the Cleveland Gary play was horrendous, but let's not pretend Miami played a great game, either.

In fact, this was almost typical of them every time they lost a big game folks thought they should win.

1986 Sugar Bowl vs Tennesse - 5 turnovers
1987 Fiesta Bowl vs Penn State - 7 turnovers
1988 vs Notre Dame - 7 turnovers
1993 Sugar Bowl vs Alabama - 4 turnovers, 3 additional fumbles - and one called back on an offsides (Teague play)

Again, I'll admit the call was terrible, and I can even see why folks would say Notre Dame got some help.
But Jimmy Johnson was right - you can't be close against Notre Dame in South Bend, or you're done.

 

[jashleyren2]

It's been a long time, and it's a forgotten about game....But the 1995 game for Alabama against Arkansas, in Bryant Denny, still burns me up. My first home loss as a Bama student. The ball was NOT caught by the receiver from Arkansas. It skipped off the turf. There was some other hijinks like that in the 2000 version of the same game, at Arkansas.

I could literally list just about any Iron Bowl of the past 25 years, that Auburn won, but I might sound biased. Haha.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

It's been a long time, and it's a forgotten about game....But the 1995 game for Alabama against Arkansas, in Bryant Denny, still burns me up. My first home loss as a Bama student. The ball was NOT caught by the receiver from Arkansas. It skipped off the turf. There was some other hijinks like that in the 2000 version of the same game, at Arkansas.

I could literally list just about any Iron Bowl of the past 25 years, that Auburn won, but I might sound biased. Haha.

I haven't forgotten, ha ha.

On a more serious note - I had the misfortune of living in Arkansas at the time, and those rambunctious puffy zit poppers never let me forget that one, either. Bear in mind I'd spent the previous two years listen to them yammer non-stop about their b-ball team (which won in 94 and lost the final to UCLA in 95). Then they went to football the moment Arky beat us.

But....to hear them tell it? Even that 43-3 rout we put on them in 1993....."the refs cost us the game."
I'm not making that up. And I heard that dozens of times, not just one. The refs cost them a 43-3 game. And the blowout SEC title game loss to Florida. Every single time they lost, it was the refs that cost them.

 

[CrimsonTheory]

US/USSR basketball still irks me, even though I was not alive for it. I was blatant and ugly. FIBA should forever be embarrassed by that game and outcome

"Under FIBA rules," said Hans Tenschert of West Germany, the game's scorekeeper, "the United States won."

----------------------

The U.S. Olympic basketball delegation filed an immediate protest, which was heard by a five-member jury of appeal from FIBA. Voting was indicative of the Cold War standoff between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. at the time, as jury members from three Soviet-bloc countries sided with the Soviet Union and the group declared the Soviets the victors in a three-to-two vote.

^This tells me the US had no chance to ever winning that game. '72 was bought and pay for by the Soviets. Which is why USA beating them in hockey 1980 (and to some degree 1960), I take extreme joy from those victories.

 

[jashleyren2]

I haven't forgotten, ha ha.

On a more serious note - I had the misfortune of living in Arkansas at the time, and those rambunctious puffy zit poppers never let me forget that one, either. Bear in mind I'd spent the previous two years listen to them yammer non-stop about their b-ball team (which won in 94 and lost the final to UCLA in 95). Then they went to football the moment Arky beat us.

But....to hear them tell it? Even that 43-3 rout we put on them in 1993....."the refs cost us the game."
I'm not making that up. And I heard that dozens of times, not just one. The refs cost them a 43-3 game. And the blowout SEC title game loss to Florida. Every single time they lost, it was the refs that cost them.

Man, I had not recalled how butt-hurt Arkansas fans can be. I once heard an Alabama fan say that Arkansas comes to road games with an extra t-shirt and a 20 dollar bill, and won't change either one.

Maybe they still have some PTSD about that Clint Stoerner fumble against Tennessee back in '98. No refs or replay needed for that screw up. 2nd tier SEC forever. The third tier is reserved for Vandy.

 

[81usaf92]

US/USSR basketball still irks me, even though I was not alive for it. I was blatant and ugly. FIBA should forever be embarrassed by that game and outcome

"Under FIBA rules," said Hans Tenschert of West Germany, the game's scorekeeper, "the United States won."

----------------------


^This tells me the US had no chance to ever winning that game. '72 was bought and pay for by the Soviets. Which is why USA beating them in hockey 1980 (and to some degree 1960), I take extreme joy from those victories.

Everyone tries to make the Giants victory over the Patriots in SB 42 the greatest upset of all time but it doesn’t come close to the US hockey team beating the Soviets. The Soviets were so good they were clowning NHL teams. But they ran into college kids and the Miracle on Ice happened.

I think however the better 30 for 30 on that event was from the Soviets side. It really humanizes that team, and makes you realize that it wasn’t all Cold War politics for those players. Some were actually happy for our guys to experience that.