More Monday Night Football Shenanigans

Did anyone catch the ending of the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers game two weeks ago? I had no action other than my confidence pool but I was watching this game with a friend who did take the Patriots on the spread and think he got screwed along with everyone else who took the Patriots.

With just 3 seconds left in the game from the 18 yard line, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady fired one last shot to tight end Rob Gronkowski. The pass was intercepted but the official at the back of the end zone threw a flag for pass interference on Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly who clearly was impeding Gronkowski from turning to make the catch. After officials gathered for a moment they waived off the penalty and called the game over.

The part that makes it even more interesting is that the Panthers were 3 point favorites with more action on the Patriots. Final result, Panthers 24 - Patriots 20. Once again right down to the last play and the side with more action loses. Doesn't anyone notice this happen over and over and over again? Obviously they can't have every game come that close for suspicion but the high number of games that do is completely impossible unless manipulated.

Once again the NFL, ESPN and Vegas clean house.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

Anyone else see that crazy new penalty called on the New England Patriots in overtime last Sunday against the New York Jets? Being a contrarian type bettor I went against the public and took the home dog Jets so this outcome was in my favor but still find it odd how the referee's control game after game.

According to one site the Patriots had the most lopsided betting action on them for the whole NFL week with over 70% of the action coming in on them at -3.5 and the percentage even higher for moneyline bettors. Anytime I see these high percentages I usually go opposite or stay away from that game altogether. Seeing this crazy line and percentage I had a feeling I might see a strange outcome. I honestly believe this was a game that was predetermined for the Jets to cover.

Late in the fourth quarter, down three, the Patriots charged down the field and tied up the game with a field goal. Down to the Jets 26 yard line and then Brady throws three straight incomplete passes. I understand his receivers are new but I believe they easily could have scored a touchdown instead of this field goal especially the way they drove down field so efficiently. I think the manipulation was started here. If the Patriots scored a touchdown they would have gone up by 4 which would covered the spread and not given the Jets much time to drive back down field. I was kind of expecting a missed field goal but they didn't and the game went to overtime. The Patriots did nothing with their first drive but the Jets certainly did with the call of a new penalty, an overtime victory and more importantly they won outright and covered the all important spread. After Nick Folk of the Jets missed a 56 yard field goal a strange new penalty was called which gave the Jets a new set of downs and a shorter field goal made on the next attempt by Folk to win the game 30-27. Unsportsmanlike conduct was called on New England defensive tackle Chris Jones but this was actually part of a new rule. Rule 9-1-3 says, "Team B players cannot push teammates on the line of scrimmage into the offensive formation." Coach Belichick of the Patriots went ballistic and sports new sources around the country were looking for explanations as well. Click here for the best explanation but in my opinion this was just another manipulated game that should have ended earlier. Thanks to the referees the team that is supposed to win will eventually get there even if they have to try, try again. Controversial as sports sources call it or was it just plain fixed?