01-10-2023, 03:31 PM
I don't think trivial stuff that doesn't resonate outside a local market has any impact on officiating. And I certainly don't think Goodell calls up the refs and says, "I don't like it so these guys are going down, see?"
What happens is that the refs are human. They hear the media buzz around every NFL team and that naturally affects what they're looking for and how they perceive what they see. The Steelers are an awesome, uber-talented team that plays tough, clean, hard-nosed football while the Bengals are a bunch of losers who play dirty was the media narrative for a long, long time.
These narratives absolutely affect what gets called and what doesn't.
Now the media would love to rebuild that narrative about the Bengals. They know that Burrow has absolutely everything to be the next top star in the NFL. They could build him up with the Bengals ala Mahomes with the Chiefs but it would be sooo much better if they could just keep the Bengals frustrated and get him to move to one of the existing large fan bases. That was their obvious goal even before Burrow was drafted. That's what they'd like to see now.
The Bengals are going to have to earn respect from the media and the NFL every step of the way. Any stupid behavior is not going to be excused or overlooked until they've won a SB or at least multiple AFCCs.
What happens is that the refs are human. They hear the media buzz around every NFL team and that naturally affects what they're looking for and how they perceive what they see. The Steelers are an awesome, uber-talented team that plays tough, clean, hard-nosed football while the Bengals are a bunch of losers who play dirty was the media narrative for a long, long time.
These narratives absolutely affect what gets called and what doesn't.
Now the media would love to rebuild that narrative about the Bengals. They know that Burrow has absolutely everything to be the next top star in the NFL. They could build him up with the Bengals ala Mahomes with the Chiefs but it would be sooo much better if they could just keep the Bengals frustrated and get him to move to one of the existing large fan bases. That was their obvious goal even before Burrow was drafted. That's what they'd like to see now.
The Bengals are going to have to earn respect from the media and the NFL every step of the way. Any stupid behavior is not going to be excused or overlooked until they've won a SB or at least multiple AFCCs.
