Flawed Logic - or BS Logic?

KmH · Oct 20, 2017

Eagles fan Will Philbrick said about referee Pete Morelli,

Over the last four games that he has officiated that the Eagles were playing in, the Eagles were flagged a total of 40 times for 396 yards, while the Eagles opponent in those games were flagged a mere 8 times for 74 yards.

Uh!
What if the Eagles broke the rules 32 times more often than those 4 other teams, and were rightly flagged for the infractions by the referees?

NFL referees fight back against accusations of biased officiating

jcdeboever · Oct 20, 2017

I don't know now but he screwed the Lions a couple years ago in the playoffs. I'd investigate that guy.

Destin · Oct 20, 2017

I suppose that without an in depth study of the matter it would be hard to actually prove that there was a bias, however even an in depth study of it would remain subjective due to the nature of rules being open to interpretation.

That being said, I can’t speak for bias. But I can speak for accuracy, and refs in the NFL are by far the least accurate and most inconsistent of any professional sport I’ve ever watched. It’s pretty pathetic actually, considering that it’s now a full time job.

Honestly though; there probably is bias. Because there is a high likelihood that the NFL predecides who will win games, or at least tries to push them in a certain direction. There is simply too much money on the line for them to let things happen by chance.. anytime there is a lot of money on the line in something you can guarantee someone is pulling the strings trying to maximize return on investment. And the greatest return on investment for the NFL is for teams with the largest fan base to win championships, period.

Designer · Oct 20, 2017

Remember when the Raiders could be relied upon to lose nearly every game due to penalties? Some teams simply lack the discipline and skills to win games, partly by not incurring stupid penalties.

Meanwhile, it sure does seem like the refs "pick on" one team or the other at times. I think if a team has a reputation of playing dirty, the refs begin to watch that team for infractions possibly more so than their opponent.

If it was my team, I would be all up in arms against the refs who are obviously blind and biased. Fortunately, I am no longer distracted by professional football and their on/off field antics. The game has been going downhill for years, with the poor officiating and the constant rule changes. They can keep it. I'll watch golf.