So... conspiracy theorists...

I see now! The Harbowl was a diversion so we wouldn't see the Patriots Giants rematch! How could we have missed this?!?!

 

another conspiracy theory . . .

. . . or just more blatant new england cheating: http://deadspin.com/5878655/

 

This would be an in-house Patriots conspiracy, and it's not impossible. Was it an honest mistake or a stab in the dark that worked? It was very convenient each way.

Regardless, I can't believe that an employee of either team is in charge of this stuff. Remember a few years ago when the clock stopped on a dime for the Pats, to make sure they got to kick a field goal at the end of the first half? I'd never, ever, ever seen that before. Clock guy hit the button to stop it just before or maybe as the ball hit the ground. Normally 1-3 extra seconds tick of easy.

As for Cundiff, he should have called timeout himself. He's the only one that matters. He should know that. Harbaugh also should have. I bet he was thinking, "Well I don't want to ice my own kicker!" But you think rushing him is better?? It's a hundred times worse!

 

hindsight on the whole icing your own kicker thing. it's a double-edged sword. don't call timeout and let your kicker kick and he misses, you're an idiot for not calling timeout. call timeout and your kicker misses, you're jason garrett.

kicker makes the kick, problem solved.

 

I don't know if it's hindsight. It is for me, because I didn't know the details of the situation or that it was even happening. But he must have seen it. "Icing" is not only something kickers prepare for, it's something that probably doesn't work. I don't know if there are any stats, but it seems to me most times that it makes no difference. And I've seen more occasions where they "ice" the guy and he misses, and then makes it on his second chance than I have cases where he makes it on the "ice" attempt and misses on the second. To me, icing is either nothing or next to nothing. In the Dallas situation, that was like a 54 yarder or something. And what made Garrett so stupid is that he called the timeout for no real reason, on top of the clock mess ups that he just had on the play before. Harbaugh would be extremely justified by calling a timeout when his kicker just got there and is probably out of breath, not to mention a mental nutcase, as all kickers are, since it's so much more a mental challenge than anything else. Kicking field goals is easy. Making your brain think it's easy is the hard part. I was a kicker in high school, and I definitely did not have any kind of routine like Cundiff apparently has. I didn't even know something that detailed, down to the down and location where he stands existed, but I guess it does. He likes to have everything just a certain way, and it works for him -- he's a great kicker. But even I could tell you, all kickers have some kind of routine, physical and mental, that they use to keep themselves "normal." A timeout would have gotten him back to "normal," even if that's normal under icing circumstances. Way better than rolling the dice with your nutcase routine-oriented kicker who didn't get any kind of routine in.

 

Wait aren't the packers and texans coaches coaching t he game?

 

yeah, there are people on this board that aren't up to speed on the way the pro bowl coaches are chosen these days. they aren't aware that it's no longer the losers of the conference championship games.

 

Yes, it was changed because the losing championship game coaches don't have enough time now that the Pro Bowl is happening before the Super Bowl instead of after.