Juicy but irrelevant: Broncos 5-0 in games with Super Bowl referee Clete Blakeman
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/p...mes-with-super-bowl-50-referee-clete-blakeman
Let's dispense with the juicy stuff before we get to the meat of this report.
Clete Blakeman is the NFL's designated referee for Super Bowl 50, a game between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. It is an undeniable fact that
Blakeman has been the referee for five Broncos games since he became a referee in 2010, and that the Broncos are 5-0 in those games -- including one in the 2013 divisional playoffs.
It's also impossible to dispute that Super Bowl 50 will be the second consecutive game the Broncos have played with a referee under whom they have an extended glistening record. (They are now 7-0 in games with Ed Hochuli since 2001 after their victory in the AFC Championship Game.)
Of course, the Broncos won lots of games with any number of referees during that period. Their 62-34 regular-season record since 2010 is the NFL's third best. And in reality, you can find dramatic evidence of an advantage for either team if you try hard enough.
In the case of
the Panthers, who
are 2-2 in Blakeman's games, you can go back to Nov. 18, 2013.
You might remember that night. The Panthers held a 24-20 lead against the New England Patriots when -- as time expired -- quarterback Tom Brady threw a pass toward tight end Rob Gronkowski in the end zone. Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly bear-hugged Gronkowski as safety Robert Lester intercepted the pass. Flags flew from the Blakeman crew. The call: pass interference on Kuechly.
The Patriots were set to have one play from the 1-yard line to win the game before Blakeman called an officials' huddle. Moments later, he picked up the flag and announced the game was over without further explanation. Brady famously chased him off the field, shouting, "Clete! Clete!" to no avail.
Speaking later to a pool reporter, Blakeman said the ball was uncatchable and the contact was legal. The NFL supported the judgment call but ultimately asked officials to provide fuller explanations in their penalty announcements when possible.
You might remember Blakeman for that sequence. Or perhaps you were first introduced to him last month when he decided on a "do-over" after the first coin toss prior to overtime in the divisional playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers.
