Super Bowl Sunday

And that's how Quarterback Tom Brady began his legendary rise to fame. When an Oakland Raiders strip sack fumble recovery to end a 2001 Divisional Playoff game was suspiciously reversed by league review, the Brady legend was born. It came on the heels of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was thought to be maybe a Government/NFL conspiracy to lend Patriotic sentiment and support toward aggressive American military retaliation. There was no other logical reason to explain why the league would step in to negate an obvious call on the field based on a seldom used rule in the books; the "Tuck Rule." 

It was a sign to everyone watching that powerful forces are at work behind the scenes, making sure certain teams and/or players gain favorable odds to win sporting events.

The Patriots comeback against the Oakland Raiders on January 19, 2002 should never have happened. It wasn't a missed call or bad call; the "Tuck Rule" call was a made up call to give favor to the home team Patriots. And it worked. It's one of the most blatant successful "inside jobs" caught on film; where the bank manager turns the alarm off and leaves the bank vault unlocked for conspiring burglars to gain easy access (favorable odds). Until Now!

No Pass Interference?

On January 20, 2019, the New Orleans Saints suffered a phantom no-call that helped the Rams reach today's Super Bowl game. Many Saints fans are boycotting the Super Bowl; that's how painful a blown call can be. For what it's worth Saints fans, suffering through the reversal of a good call feels just as bad as a no-call. But pain is pain, immeasurable. And I feel your pain.

If the Rams should defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII today, it would be a fitting end to the Brady/Belichik era; an era launched on the snow-covered Foxboro turf, where a Brady fumble was conspiratorially reversed by league officials.