Okay, did you guys get screwed?
If the answer is yes, congrats. I'm not going to say you did one way or another...I really don't know how the NFL is going to respond to it, though I'm eager to hear it as well as you. Maybe you'll get an apology from them. Maybe they will say that they were blocked out, a ref saw Steele with the ball, he dropped it and Ross picked it up again, and tough luck.
It's natural to want to say you got screwed. I know we'd be doing the same in that situation.
What matters is how you deal with it.
Is it going to become the chip on your shoulder, or the excuse?
If your team are the professionals, the talented players, the well-oiled machine that they were predicted to be at the beginning of the season, I would not want to be the Lions this week. They had tough going this past week and are looking like they are in free fall.
This fumble and call may be the turning point of your season. You may not lose another game, because you know you have to beat both the other team AND the refs in every game. By gum, you were doing it in the first several games.
Or, this can become your excuse, along with Moss not playing. You can play the victim, calling on Packers to admit they are beneficiaries of some slanted inside job. Just like Tice likes to say, "At least we're 5-3" after every loss, now you can say, "Well, we'd be 6-3 if it weren't for those refs".
Don't get me wrong...I know you guys need time to vent and wail and gnash your teeth on this one. I'm not criticizing your anger. It's well-earned.
The true character of a team is measured not during their wins, but during their losses. This will be the true character test. I don't know if you got screwed. Hey, the Packers were in field goal range already on that 4th and 1, and if they would have called that one right, it would have been at least a field goal, if not a TD. Then, Ferguson's fumble would have never happened, because you would have had to onside kick just to tie the game at the end. You want a mulligan on the fumble, I want a mulligan on the 4th and 1.
As usual, its not my goal to tick you guys off. There's plenty of people on this forum doing that just fine.
Just sending the message that if you are going to live up to those preseason predictions, I wouldn't get too bogged down on that one call and this one game. It's not going to change, and with a Texan win and Lion loss next week, you guys are back where you started...ahead of us in the division.
In other words, if you really want to put a hurt on the Packers, don't lose to the Lions. Mossy will be back in a couple of weeks. Frankly, we're hoping you lose as much as possible before he returns. I will be the first to admit he might be a candidate for MVP over Culpepper, because he sure has shown how valuable he is to you guys.
Very possible that Christmas Eve will be one of the most anticipated and heated games in years. I'm personally hoping we're both 8-6 or 9-5 for that game, and it WILL decide the division. (By the way, you play Washington in Week 17, we play the Bears)
Remember how we talked about the tenative trash talking before this game? No one was really taking steps to bring out that truly vintage Packer/Viking hatred. I don't think there will be a problem with that on Decmeber 24.
Just my two cents. Feel free to call me an idiot or a jerk-off or a poo-poo head. I can take it.
