My Open Letter to Bengals Fans

This is what I'm blogging to these delusional Bengals fans all around me in Ohio. Let me know what you think or if I'm missing something.

________________________________________

I know this will probably not convince any Bengals fans, because most people only like to be told what they already know or want to hear. I'm going to try to explain some of things that I've learned over the years about the NFL and about the subject of fixed games. Then, I'm going to give my opinions about the game, since some of you won't let it go and in return keep dogging on my team and playing the blame game filled with excuses. I'm not trying to come across like an ass or a know it all, because everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't of posted a thing about it, like I've done all season long, but the Bengal fans have been borderline delusional. I don't write very much but when I do it's usually pretty long, so beware.




First off, for the record, I don't really gamble, I play in free contests. You pick against the spread and you can win money if you finish Top 5. But, I can tell you almost without a doubt, every single sport where there is money involved, has fixed games. Not every game is fixed, they have to keep the business flowing. But football is by far the most crooked, because it draws the most money in betting.
That's why the rule book is now as confusing as the IRS tax codes, with even more rules being added every year. It gives the officials control of the outcomes with so called judgement calls.
This doesn't just apply to the standard spread betting, it also happens in Over/Under, 1st Half/2nd Half, Quarters betting, Teasers, Parlays, etc.. The Refs can control the total points scored just as much as they can control who wins. Isn't it funny how often a Touchdown gets called back or there is a big pass interference call late in the game that is questionable. They don't get their wish every time, but they do more often than not. That's why the books make big money every single year.
There are often fouls on every play that could be called, it just depends on the officials agenda and who the money is on. 99% of the time, shady calls go against the team that has the public money on them, so the books win money. There's even a thing called the 80/20 rule, meaning if one team has 80% of the money on them, bet the other team. Prime Time games usually have the most money on them, therefore a lot of shady things happen.

It also makes sense that they would prefer (but is not a necessity), that the Home team to be the ones benefiting from their shady calls. The Home fans will cheer regardless if the call was bad one on the Away team. It's funny how we see things the way we want to see them, instead of the reality of it, but everyone is guilty of it at times. There are professional gamblers out there that could care less who the two teams are or the match ups, they bet on line movement and opposite of public money.
They are smart enough to know that the books always win in the long run, so they try to win with them.

There are ways to be able to spot some these trap games beforehand that are fixed.
If the spread looks to good to be true, it usually is. If one team has a good majority of the volume of bets, but yet the spread is going in the opposite direction, it is called Reverse Line Movement.
Besides the occasional stray college player or official, the bookies are the regular offenders. The mafia is alive and well in sports betting. I mean come on, most of the NFL refs look like thier straight from the cast of Good Fellas. I've seen this stuff happen a lot over the years and this year has been the worst, in NCAA and the NFL. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I saw this year. But if you read below you will see that the public money was on the Steelers, so why would they help them win?
In the end the Bengals covered the spread and the books won money.


The NFL is a billion dollar business that is tax exempt. It is awful close to being a monopoly and they've been sued for it. It goes against pretty much everything I believe in, so why do I still watch it? Because, I'm able to take it for what it is, and I don't let it affect me in a negative way, because it's out of my control. I've cried over games and I've let if affect my whole week at times.
I still get disappointed over a loss, but I don't let it get to me like that anymore.
One of my favorite Philosophers, Epicurus, teaches Pleasure vs Pain. I take pleasure when they win and try to remove the pain of losing, it's not easy though.


END PART ONE

 

PART TWO

Now I want to talk about some of the specifics that happened in the Steelers/Bengals game.

The Steelers out gained the Bengals in passing and rushing. They had more 1st downs. They had a better avg. gain per play. They won the turnover battle by 2. They forced 5 fumbles and recovered 3 of them. They had more penalties called against them. They had 142 in penalty yards compared to 79 for Cincy, and 30 of their 79 came with 18 seconds left. They had 63% of the betting action.

But the refs were the reason the Steelers won? Or was it Joey Porter, LOL? Did an assistant coach really win a 60 minute football game?

There is a myth about the Steelers always getting calls, but yet they are top 10 in penalty yardage.
Not to mention the fact they are usually a betting favorite and it goes against logic as too why games are fixed. The fact is, all of division rivals say the other team always get all the calls.
When we have double digit penalties and a lot more in penalty yardage, it doesn't really look like the refs were helping the Steelers, a Road team who had the public money on them, in a Prime Time game. There are bad calls and non calls every single game that affects the outcome, you can't change it. You either accept it for what football has become or stop watching.


Game changer - The Steelers were up 15-0 with the ball and Burflict sacked Ben and knocked him out the game. They only showed one angle during the replays that showed it to be legit. But, as other angles have now showed, Burflict arranged himself around while on top of Ben, and cocked his knee back drove it into Ben's shoulder. I can't say the knee caused the injury, but I'm sure it didn't help and at the very least should of been a penalty and a 1st down. Keep in mind he was already fined once this season for taking a dive at Ben's legs. That changed the game entirely. You see it works both ways, and it's easy to argue that this no call was more important than the call on the Wheaton hit.

Hit on Brown - This is funny to me, there is no question that was a flag. It was the definition of defenseless receiver. He was in the air and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he got hit high.
To all you Pac Man supporters out there saying Brown was faking. You do realize he doesn't have to be knocked out for it to be a flag? He could of got up and played the next play if he was able too, it's still a flag. He didn't need to fake a injury, it was still an illegal hit. Why would he fake an injury and not be able to play the last few plays in a crucial time of the game? Brown, supposedly dancing in the locker room, doesn't mean anything because like I mentioned, it doesn't matter if he was hurt or not.
He had a concussion, he wasn't dead, FFS. And, I'm not neurologist, but I've seen enough people get concussed and a few minutes later they seem just fine. How many times have UFC fighters got knocked out for a second, but are able to recover in a quick time and even continue fighting.
I've seen them comeback and win fights after having their lights go out and not able to stand and then go get interviewed by Joe Rogan.

Another thing the Bengals are clamoring too is they say James Harrison even said it wasn't a penalty.
But, again it's just more selective reading, what he said is that by the letter of the rule book that is a flag, but personally he thinks it wasn't. Are you kidding me? Do you even know James Harrison? He was made the poster boy for illegal hits and he has always said that he don't think none of them are penalties. The only thing that makes sense here is that Bengals fans really wanted this badly and are looking for anything that they think will make them feel better. This one and the one about how it always rained harder when they had the ball are my favorites.

Hit on Bernard - Bernard caught the ball and was able to take multiple steps and turn around. That makes him a runner.Bengal fans keep quoting the rule book on helmet to helmet, but yet they aren't reading the whole rule.The play was reviewed and he was deemed to have fumbled, which means that he had became a runner. There are different sections of helmet to helmet rules.
The one that applies to a runner, not a defenseless WR, was established in 2013.
I'm not sure where these people got the idea that all hits with the helmet are illegal, selective reading I guess.

Here is a quote from Mike Pereira (Former Head of Officiating), and he has a reputation of not being afraid to go against the League.

" This is the crown of the helmet rule that was brought in 2013 and I was against the rule when it was brought in because it was really designed for when players are lined up and against each other like two rams with their heads down. It was for that type of direct contact. It wasn't for when a player went sideways and in this case he turned around, spun around after making the catch and was clearly a runner.
The issue was that this rule is going to be so hard to officiate and that's why when they brought in the rule there was 2 called in 2013 and none in 2014 or 2015. And I just don't see it as the classic lineup, two guys facing up on each other and one guy lowering the head and making contact with the crown of the helmet."
END OF QUOTE

Like I said earlier, the rule book is made confusing on purpose and there are too many judgement calls that give too much control to the officials. You can get used to it or quit watching because it is what it is and it's not going to change anytime soon.


Bengals fans compare it to the flag on them for the hit on Wheaton, early in the game.
I try not to be bias, but to me it more questionable that the Wheaton hit wasn't a flag, then the Bernard hit being one. I would even say it was indeed a bad call on the Bengals, but not an important one. The Steelers were already in scoring position and Wheaton made the catch anyway, so even if a flag wasn't thrown, it most likely wouldn't of changed the end result. If anything, it was an error against the Steelers, because they picked up the fumble and ran into the end zone, and the refs wrongly blew it dead. That would of made it 22-0 and the Ben injury prolly never happens.
You guys ended up getting the ball right back anyway, only to fumble again. During the season, if the officials missed a helmet to helmet and it has been reviewed and deemed illegal, they will still issue fines. So we will see if he get fined or not, but I don't expect he will.


END PART TWO

 

PART THREE

Pac Man penalty - First off, the main thing here from the Bengals fans is that Porter was on the field.
Do you guys realize how many times this happens every single week in the NFL?
And you do know that during Bernards injury, there is pictures of about 10 Bengals coaches out on the field, including bench players. At one point Jeremy Hill came off the bench to try to pick a fight with 3 Steelers. By Rule, they aren't supposed to be out there, unless given permission during an injury.
Did Joey have permission? I don't know, but the refs saw him and they saw all the Bengals coaches too. The Head of officiating also said that the refs are to just ask the coaches to get off the field if they don't want them there, before throwing a flag. It's kind of like spitting in public or jaywalking, by law it's illegal, but how often does it get enforced. Regardless, Jones doesn't have an excuse for trying to hit him and in the process, contacting an official. Would you teach your kids to react like that when someone says something they don't like? I hope not.

If you look at the sequence in a YouTube video called Pacmans Bengals you will see this.
Porter was standing over Brown while he was on the ground, not saying anything. When Brown was being helped off the field, Burflict cut in between Brown and the trainer helping him and grabbed Brown by the shoulder and said something to him. The trainer grabbed his arm off Brown and yelled at him. Porter stepped in between the two and that was the only time Porter even said anything.
Then Gilberry came and starting shoving Porter back into 3 other Bengals and Burflict grabbed him by his jacket. At that point Porter was just smiling and trying to back away, when Pac Man comes flying in and tried to hit him. And besides the fact that even if there was no 2nd flag, the Steelers still had time for 1 or two more plays and a spike. And the worse case scenario is that they would have to attempt a 50 yarder, and I don't know if you are familiar with Bosswell, but he has been money all season. I'm not sure how the Bengal fans expected to get any favors from the refs after the way they acted.




Every game has woulda, coulda, shouldas'. Let me put on my Steeler goggles for a moment. What about Hill coming off the bench and trying to fight 3 Steelers during the Bernard hit? Why did Bryant get a excessive celebration for dancing with a teammate after his TD, but yet Burflict and multiple teammates ran all the way through the tunnel after his INT. Why didn't Burflict get flagged for the kneeing of Ben? Why did the refs blow the play dead on the Bernard fumble that would of been a Steelers TD? If that happens, Ben prolly never gets hurt. Why did Munchak get a flag for grabbing Nelson when he was trying to stop from him from going after Toddman? He can't help his hair got in the way. Remember in the NFL, long dreads are considered part of the uniform. Why did Burflict spit on a player? Why did the Bengals fans throw trash at an injured player and one of them yell out during Brown's injury that he hopes he dead? Why did one Bengals fan piss all over a Steeler fan out in the open and then attack him? There were Steeler fans that deservedly got arrested too, but I can't imagine being there as a Steelers fan with a bunch of drunk crazy pissed off Bengal fans after the game. There were many more flags that could of been called on both teams, it was by no means one sided. This is the way the NFL is now, if it's going to cause you this much pain, then why watch?

I'm not sure if I ever seen a team and fan base who wanted to win a game so badly. Their desire to win and refusal to accept defeat has trumped all common sense, even for some really smart people.
It started with that stupid radio station trying to be funny. I wonder if they know Jeremy Hill has been convicted for sexual assault by making a 14 year old give him and a friend oral. Or Pac Man who has been arrested how many times? Or the fact the Burflict went undrafted when he was a 1st round talent because everyone knew he was trouble. What did you guys expect to happen? You took a risk on talented players and got them at a good value, because nobody else wanted them and now you had to pay the high deductible.

The fans passion was off the charts and the Bengals played with all the heart a fan could ask for, unfortunately for them, they had no discipline. Count me in as saying Lewis should be fired, but I've been saying this about him. Complacency can be a bad thing for a NFL coach. The Steelers didn't beat the Bengals, nor did the refs, they beat themselves. That seems to hard of a pill for some to swallow.
In the end, none of it would of happened if you didn't fumble with a 1:30 left when you had the game won. You have to control what you can, because even if this happened or that happened, it's all woulda, coulda, shoulda, and there is too many variables to say what the end result would be.
This is what the NFL has become, take it or leave it.

 

Do you actually think any Bengirl fan is going to read all of that? You could've summed it up in one sentence. "Bengirls and their fans are #$%&*%$#!"

 

Kevin, I know your heart is the right place, but damn... TLDR

 

Blasphemy!

 

I intended to read all of that, but you lost me in the first paragraph when you said the NFL was rigged. Not worth reading

 

Bengal fans will just do selective reading. STELERS CJEATED!

 

huge snack, is kevin james your pen name?

 

Just like I said in the first sentence, "most people only like to be told what they already know or want to hear".
It's easier to ignore the opposition than to try to understand it. It's not even a question in my mind, every sport involving betting has rigged games. I'm aware of the betting percentages and watch a lot of games and always check the scores, it's not something I'm just throwing out there. You can choose to deny it all you want, but it's true.

 

Feel free to remain clueless, it's your choice, I could care less if you choose to believe it or not. Research is your friend., there is plenty of proof. Do you still believe in Santa too?

Why would I want to believe the NFL is rigged? It's not a matter of wanting.

 

I started to read this at lunch but only had a half hour.

 

You left out the the non calls on the Bengals last TD. AJ Green false started and then Hill Taunted Gay after the TD. The false start alone would have nullified the TD and made it 3rd and 12. The blatant taunting would have added another 15.

I guess Karma took care of Hill later.

 

Just like to point out there have a been a few posters here and guys/gals that should know better talking about fixed games lol

 

Or using french fries as a garnish

 

LOL, how is what I said any more attacking that your reply? Get real, I could care less if you think your cool because your a mod. If that deserves a ban, then go for it, I would not want to here anyway, if that's the case.

I have tried to show you some of why I believe it, what have you done besides say, "No, it's not".

While your banning me cuz you like to dish it but not take it, look at this. And it doesn't even include nowhere near of all the cases. Like the College Basketball one on the ESPN 30 for 30 special. If you don't think it happens in the most popular sport, I don't know what to tell you.

http://www.therichest.com/sports/top-10-alleged-match-fixingbribery-scandals-in-sports-history/

 

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/...rs-billions-via-sports-bets-match-fixing.html

 

Why does it have to involve a lot of people with all the control the officials now have?

The NHL had Operation Slapstick. There have been studies on game fixing and everyone that I have seen, come to the same conclusion.

 

Debate.org has some nice stuff also, 91% there said yes, the NFL is rigged.