Anyway, we are on the verge of going in circles here. I agree that there are plays here and there throughout a game that can determine if a team wins or loses. The Saints have to get as many of those plays correct as they can. But likewise you can make every play perfect and the refs. can still make/not make calls or make bad calls that cost you the game. (Did anyone see the phantom unnecessary roughness Call the lions got on The Cousins sack this past weekend?).

The GB game from earlier this year is an example. Saints lost that game. Penalty difference was 8-2 in GB favor with 4-2 GB favor in penalties for first downs. Now, Saints could and should look at plays they didn’t make in that game. But to say that the refs didn’t have an impact on the result of that game that is outside of the player’s control is wrong and to simply say the answer is to “play better” won’t win a Super Bowl If they decide to ignore obvious holds against the Saints D line again and let one set of D backs to get away with things they aren’t letting the other team’s. Just like the players on the field, the refs on the field have a duty to do their job well. When they don’t, things get screwy.

I hear what you’re saying and agree, somewhat. Problem with your line of logic is that EVERY team’s fan base is using the exact same list of “reasons” we are, here, in this forum. But for some odd reason, we think our “getting screwed by the refs” is legit, in EVERY loss, lol. Not just the Rams/Saints championship game. Yes, there are missed calls, on both sides of the football. I just don’t see it as a reason for losing, I see it as an excuse that the losing side quite frequently uses.

It’s fairly obvious that I’m not a believer of the “ref’s are out to get us” mantra..., that being said, the missed DPI call in the Rams/Saints championship game was SO obvious and blatant, along with the ref watching it like a hawk, so badly missed that it makes a fella look side-eyed every now and then, lol.

Difference of perceptions here, nothing more, nothing less.

I have visited forums for virtually every team in the league and I can assure you that the exact same "reasons" have been floated everywhere. The same can be said for callers on sports talk radio. Same thing. Just insert team name in the blank and it's the same story.

Every other team’s fans say the lost a conference championship game due to a non call from the refs? I doubt that. And I am in no way blaming every loss on the refs. But I am saying the refs can determine the outcome of a game and take it out of a team’s hands.

Yes. Every other team’s fans complain about EVERY team’s loss claiming we lost bc... “ref reasons”. Whether it was week one or the championship game fans universally state: “we lost bc:... <insert reason here>“ and again almost universally the fan base will use “ref’s” as reason #1.

The Rams/Saints DPI was a missed call, clearly, unambiguously. And imho, the crew that missed the call should never have been allowed on the field again. Instead, Vinovich was selected to ref SBLIV. Effectively he was selected for “excellence” while completely failing on the field. That bothers me more than the missed call bc that truly does call into question the integrity of the NFL. There is no way to recompense the Saints organization fir human failure, mistakes. But, imvho, mistakes of that severity should have a punitive reaction, not a promotion.

Bottom line, all team’s complain about the ref’s..., in every single game ever played, and almost always we state: “our team lost bc the ref’s don’t like us”.

Well, that surely wasn’t what I was saying and as I pointed out in my breakdown of the losses this year I don’t blame every loss on the refs.

Yes. Every other team’s fans complain about EVERY team’s loss claiming we lost bc... “ref reasons”. Whether it was week one or the championship game fans universally state: “we lost bc:... <insert reason here>“ and again almost universally the fan base will use “ref’s” as reason #1.

The Rams/Saints DPI was a missed call, clearly, unambiguously. And imho, the crew that missed the call should never have been allowed on the field again. Instead, Vinovich was selected to ref SBLIV. Effectively he was selected for “excellence” while completely failing on the field. That bothers me more than the missed call bc that truly does call into question the integrity of the NFL. There is no way to recompense the Saints organization fir human failure, mistakes. But, imvho, mistakes of that severity should have a punitive reaction, not a promotion.

Bottom line, all team’s complain about the ref’s..., in every single game ever played, and almost always we state: “our team lost bc the ref’s don’t like us”.

Maybe that's because the NFL has lousy officiating!

That’s one way to look at things, lol. But if you call penalties using a computer, then the flags would fly on just about every play. And games would last eight hours or more, and be a bore to watch. Personally, I wish there were fewer calls, allowing playmakers to be playmakers. I could easily call OH and DPI on every play. Penalties should be egregious, not “technically” meeting the def’n of a penalty. For example, TH#91 received a roughing the passer call a handful of games back. Opposing QB (I can’t recall who it was off the top of my head) was passing, Trex pushed the OL into him, TRex put his hand in the air to block the pass, and as his arm came down, it contacted the QB’s helmet. He didn’t hit him, he wasn’t punching, there was no malice involved, unambiguously. imho, it was a bad call. The idea is to protect the QB from egregious contact, not just incidental contact.

I wish there were fewer of these calls. So, it depends on how you define “lousy”. lol. You have unique insight into that field that I don’t have though. An insight I can’t have.