Golden Taint — The worst NO-CALL IN NFL History costs New Orleans a Super Bowl berth, as a blatant helmet-to-helmet/Pass Interference penalty committed by Nikell Robey-Coleman gets ignored by refs
Never before has such a blatant DOUBLE-PENALTY been missed in such a crucial moment. On Sunday afternoon, with the Saints one first down away from sealing the NFC Conference Championship, the referees totally blew the most obvious infraction anyone has ever seen.
With 1:49 left in the game, with the score tied at 20 and the Saints in the Red Zone, New Orleans Receiver Tommylee Lewis totally lost his Ram defender — ex-trojan Nikell Robey-Coleman — toward the sidelines. Robey, who openly admits that he was badly beat on the play, did what any trojan would do — He intentionally broke the rules, never looked back for the ball, and collided head first into the Receiver before the ball arrived, with a thug-like helmet-to-helmet hit. That helmet-to-helmet hit should have drawn a flag, AND the textbook Pass Interference should have ALSO drawn a flag.
Robey also admits that he clearly committed the penalty, should have been flagged, and was stunned when the flag was not thrown. At first one of the refs didn’t throw his flag because he thought that the pass was TIPPED. That would have indeed negated the D.P.I. But the ball was NOT tipped, and even if it were, it would NOT have negated the brutal helmet-to-helmet personal foul. The Refs got together in a huddle to discuss the play, and broke the huddle with the worst and most costly officiating decision EVER.
Instead of getting the first down and being able to take three knees, and kick a chip shot game-winning field goal as time expired, they had to kick with 95 seconds left, which allowed the Rams time to drive for an Overtime-forcing Field Goal. and win the game in OT on another FG, 26-23.
After the play, and again after the game, the Referees openly admitted that they completely blew the call. How can this happen? Don’t they have replay, and executives overseeing things in a studio? Why didn’t someone stop play, and correct the blunder before it ruined the season for New Orleans and its fans?
This whole debacle forces trojan-haters to root for Brady and Shady in the Super Bowl. During the Bill Belichick Era, we have seen Deflategate and Spygate, surrounded by way too much success and adulation. On Sunday against Kansas City, Tom Brady almost went from G.O.A.T. to just regular old goat, after throwing a critical 4th Quarter Interception. Kansas City capitalized and took their first lead of the game. The teams then traded TD’s, so KC was up by 4 with 2 minutes left, but the Patriots came back again, and thanks to a stupid KC penalty for lining up in the neutral zone, got the lead back. The Chiefs forced Overtime in the final seconds, but NE ended up pulling out the W in OT, 37-31.
At least the Pats have a Bruin on their roster, as the living legend Matthew Slater continues to excel on Special Teams, in his ELEVENTH season with New England. With any luck, and no ridiculous, pathetic calls and no-calls, the 2-point Favorite Patriots will send Los Angeles (with ex-trojans Robey and Robert Woods) home in two weeks with a loss.