Titans Accuse Saints of Using a Whistle on the Sideline
by Jimmy on Dec 11, 2011 9:19 PM CST
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PrintSeveral Tennessee Titans' players said after the game that the New Orleans Saints were using a whistle on the sideline towards the end of the game according to Paul Kuharsky. If this is true, and the Titans seem to have evidence that it is, the league should fine the Saints organization and suspend Sean Payton. There is no excuse for using cheap tactics like that, and it is sad that a team as good as the Saints would sink to that level.
Michael Roos was apparently mic'd up for the game for Titans All Access, and the producer of that show says you can clearly hear it on the tape.
Here is what Nate Washington had to say about it after the game (from Kuharsky):
"You assume no one would be trying to do something like that to affect the game in some way."
The Saints apparently had no immediate comment about it after the game. There is no reason for them not to deny it if it wasn't true.
(h/t ronburgundy for the link)
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Saints fan here
Just because they can hear it doesn’t necessarily mean it is coming from the Saints sideline. Audible evidence shouldn’t be considered evidence at at all in a NFL stadium. Now if there is video involved…yes, by all means, go forth with punishment but I doubt anything will come from being able to hear a whistle on a mic’d up linemen.
Make sure I'm all the way dead because I'll come back and make you my b****-Captain Spaulding
doesn’t necessarily mean it is coming from the Saints sideline
I am pretty damn positive if that had been coming from anywhere close to the first 10 rows of the stadium A) Security would have gotten involved and/or B) A fight would have broken out… in which Security would have gotten involved regardless.
If Roos is mic’d up and you hear it coming from the Saints sideline, it was coming from the Sideline.
You have been banned from Stampede Blue.
Calling a site admin a ‘fuhrer’ gets you banned without warning.
The Saint of MCM
by StPrattrick on Dec 11, 2011 10:30 PM CST up reply actions
Jumping to conclusions
Without video evidence, it is all speculation. I will point out that one of ours fans holds the world record for the loudest whistle. I don’t know if he was at the game or not….but it’s possible. He goes by the name “Whistle Monsta” if you want to look it up.
Make sure I'm all the way dead because I'll come back and make you my b****-Captain Spaulding
by AcquiredPanic on Dec 11, 2011 11:33 PM CST up reply actions
I was at the game & know exactly where that whistle was coming from...seriously.
First of all, I’m sick that we lost, but that was an amazing game to watch. As far as whistlegate goes, I can explain. I’m a hardcore Titans fan, & I’d love it if we had some proof of the saints cheating that we could use as an excuse for not pulling off that comeback. I was sitting 6 rows from the saints’ sideline on the 20 yard line. I know exactly what it was that they thought was a referee whistle coming from the saints’ bench area. It was actually a saints fan sitting 3 rows directly behind me.
I kept hearing it towards the end of the game. It sounded almost exactly like a game whistle, so I looked around to see what it was. You know those people who are such freakish whistlers that it scares the shit out of you when they bust it out at concerts and it’s so deafeningly loud that it hurts your ears (some use 2 fingers, some just do it hands-free by pursing their lips in that playing-a-trumpet-while-chewing-tobacco sort of way)? I’m talking about that whistle that seems like it must have been honed while herding cattle or sexually harassing women from 2 construction sites away. It’s like 10x the volume of a normal whistle…some people are just born with it. Well, this saints fan was doing one of those whistles (hands-free technique). He was doing it in a way that it was intended to sound like a game whistle…kind of stuttering it. He was definitely doing it with the intention of simulating a ref’s whistle at key moments…mainly near the end of the game.
He was a big thick-necked meathead, decked out in saints gear (bloated frat guy meets jersey shore)…a real douchebag. He had a really drunk saints-clad dude with a mustache and 2 hefty women in saints jerseys with him. He was obviously "likes-to-fight" guy. Every time I’d look back to see if he was using an actual ref whistle, he’d look back at me with that "U WANT SOME OF THIS?!!!" look, and every time the saints would make a play he’d yell "whaya gonna say now?!! Cheer for your team now!!! Yeah…who dat! Whaya gonna do, huh?!! Who dat!!!" to whoever would listen around him (I think this guy really thought he was the one playing the game).
He may have actually been affecting the game with his whistling, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t using anything but his herpe-infected lips. I can totally see where the titans would think it was really a ref’s whistle. I would’ve thought it was, if I hadn’t seen the guy doing it. It was plenty loud enough and close enough for the players on the field to hear very clearly. It was basically right behind the net where the saints punter warmed up on the their sideline (like 15 feet or so behind it, I guess), so I can see where it probably seemed like it was coming from the saints bench area. I hate to defuse a perfectly good conspiracy theory, but that’s what it was.
Damn, I can’t believe what a great game to watch that was…but what a kick in the nuts it was to come up short. Anyway…I think we’ve got a lot to look forward to with this young Titans team. Locker is the real deal & it looks like we really hit on a few of our defensive draft picks this year. Considering how many saints fans there were at the game, the home crowd was as loud as it’s been in a long time. It was an electric atmosphere in there…for a change. It reminded me of the good old McNair/Wycheck/Eddie days when everyone at Adelphia Coliseum believed every week that we’d gut out a win by the end of the game. Good things to come!
by luvyatits on Dec 12, 2011 3:03 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs
Thanks for clearing all of this up
I really wasnt looking forward to going back to the DVR today and watching the entire sideline in slow-motion to figure out where it was coming from.
Make sure I'm all the way dead because I'll come back and make you my b****-Captain Spaulding
by AcquiredPanic on Dec 12, 2011 7:47 AM CST up reply actions
If you knew who it was you should've texted that number and got his fat ass outta there
"you kiddin me? PRACTICE? I just hope we can win a game!"
I've actually thought about that since then...
He actually wasn’t doing anything worthy of an ejection to my knowledge. His annoying-ass whistling was done without the aid of any contraband. I’ve often thought about how nice it would be to text that unruly fan # just to have all the obnoxious opponent fans kicked out. I never seem to have cell phone reception in the stadium, though.
was this the culprit?
"As a Saint fan I watch ‘Gone with the Wind’ just to watch Atlanta burn" -Ralph Malbrough
by DrewBreesManCrush on Dec 12, 2011 1:55 PM CST up reply actions
nope
That’s the whistle monsta. Someone sent me a youtube link about that guy today, actually…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o-i0HEmWkg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
The guy behind me was pastey white with no face paint. He whistled every bit as loud as the whistle monsta.
Seriously!? Meathead, big boy... I get it.. you couldn't take him alone...
But are you not surrounded by plenty of Titans Fans? Be a leader and stop that kind of shit man!!! You knew what he was doing and by your own words knew it was actually affecting the game, but yet you did nothing except be intimidated by a punk ass Saints fan with his fat bitches in tow…Like someone else said, you could have texted security… you could have thrown a beer at one of the fat chicks and just ran away while big boy tried to chase you…(effectively stopping his “whistle”) you could have stepped up and rallied the Titans fans around you and BEAT that fuckers ass!!! Enough of this Southern Hospitality in OUR house! When outsiders come in here, we need to treat them like the enemy they are!!!
From Now On… No Love For The Enemy!!! Jaguars fans BEWARE!!!!
Ha!
I might have been able to take him alone, but the 2 heavyweight broads with him probably could have taken on our whole section. They looked like scrappers.
Seriously, though…I had no desire to do anything that would get me kicked out of the game. He didn’t start doing it until near the end, during the most exciting part of the game…no way was I getting ejected for fighting at that point. It was a little distracting, but I just tuned him out.
To be honest, at the point in the game that he started whistling, the whole stadium was rowdy as hell. It was just loud overall in there, which is great. We need more of that at every game. The only problem yesterday was that once the home crowd got worked up, people didn’t know to be quiet when our offense was on the field. They just kept yelling (not just the saints fans, either).
Ideally, we could get our fans to all stand and yell while the defense is on the field and be quiet while our offense is on the field…and do it every down, the whole game, like it was the first few years the Titans were in Nashville.
As annoying as that whistling guy was (and he was annoying everyone around him), he wasn’t actually doing anything that was against the rules. Although he was definitely trying to affect the game, I doubt he really affected it.
I do agree with your point, though. Titans fans are too nice. Opposing team fans that come into LP should be treated with respect…as long as they’re respectful and just watch the game. These assbags that come into our house, taunting Titan fans, running their mouths, and acting like they own the place, should be dealt with. There have been too many of them recently. I like the idea of texting the unruly fan number to have them removed, but I never have reception in the stadium. I’m definitely on board with your “call to action” to flush these turds out of our stadium!
Nothing will probably come of this.
Too many whistles already.
I am still pissed off about this game, I think I'll wake up in the morning and still be pissed off.
MCM's Favorite Hawkeye
I LOOK RIDICULOUS!!!!1 - fanoftheunderdogs
by rsikes on Dec 11, 2011 9:47 PM CST reply actions 5 recs
OK, just got home from work... game was over @ 320 had work @ 330 so I didn't get a chance to post my final thoughts.
Overall, I am nothing but proud of this entire team. The way they showed heart today, the way they fought today, the way they battled through adversity today… I could go on and on… Sure, some of them made some bone headed plays ( Looking at you Leroy/Eugene/ATV )… but overall, especially on defense, they stood toe-to-toe with one of, if not the best team in the entire NFL. Everyone, for weeks, marked this one down as an automatic loss, and frankly, I kept my mouth shut. I just nodded my head in disbelief. I believe in these Titans. I believe because I choose to believe. I am a diehard Titan fan, always have been, and always will be.
Chin up guys, this team has nothing BUT upside. We are freakin’ rebuilding, we freakin’ have a beast of a DT tandem that are ROOKIES, a beast OLB that is a rookie, formiddable OTs, I could go on and on… we have an extremely bright future, and actually, we aren’t even out of the playoff hunt just yet. I see us going 3-0, kind of like in 07’ when we snuck into the 6th seed.
God Bless all of you Titan fans, and don’t take this game too hard. I am nothing but proud.
P.S. ~ Can we PLEASE start banning all you dang lunatic fans that call the game in the middle of the 3rd quarter. Looking at you “Change”, and “Dynamic Dreadlock”. I want nothing but fans that are realists, not some dumb child that doesn’t know how a football game works.
Thanks!
GO TITANS!!!
by RhiNo6705 on Dec 11, 2011 10:20 PM CST reply actions 2 recs
sure thing
let’s also ban those that want to kick out other titans fans. that’d be awesomeness.
2010 MCM Pick'em League Champion
Hmm, not really being serious about the banning... but I wouldn't be mad if it was enforced...
but nice comeback only talking about my PS… you must be one of the fairweather fans…
GO TITANS!!!
Very well said Rhino
I agree with you 100% and honestly I am not even that mad. I didn’t expect us to win today. And we very nearly did. This team has me excited going into Week 15 of a rebuilding year. I can’t complain.
by AntiguanTitan on Dec 11, 2011 11:06 PM CST up reply actions
If you thought Change's BS during the gamethread was bad..
check the Giants-Cowboys gamethread.
He was arguing that Hakeem Nicks is better than Kenny Britt.
[disclaimer: this poster has no idea what the hell he's talking about.]
The future is bright for this Titans squad.
by fanoftheunderdogs on Dec 11, 2011 11:13 PM CST up reply actions
Yes lets ban our own fans
For voicing an opinon. Cause you know, no other blog in the AFC South does that sarcasm
Oh hai MCM
by Dagger22 on Dec 11, 2011 11:16 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
You are defending the children that call the game 2 quarters in, it's in fact, because you are, in fact, one of them.
It’s pure stupidity…
GO TITANS!!!
If there is enough evidence on this
and the Saints are guilty, we should get their 1st rounder as compensation.
2010 MCM Pick'em League Champion
Cant they traded it to New England so they could draft Ingram.
MCM's Favorite Public Servant
by Titans_Firefighter on Dec 11, 2011 11:01 PM CST up reply actions
Hmm
doubt much will come of it. but maybe a 2nd and 3rd then? just wishful thinking.
2010 MCM Pick'em League Champion
This reminds me of
the Patriots ball-warming bullshit from the playoffs a few years back. Clear video evidence on that, but no one did shit about it. It kind of makes me sick that some of the more successful teams in the league become such pussies as to cheat when their backs are against the ropes. Yes, I’m talking to you, Saints, Ravens, and Patriots.
I'm still pissed about that BS
If I remember correctly, that was the first year or second of the “K” ball and the Pats were CLEARLY next to the ready-heater warming that damn thing up!!!! Patriots and Billicheck are nothing but cheaters in the long run…
Lets take all of our anger
And beat down the colts
"With all due respect, and I do mean....
with all due respect.....
That idea ain't worth a velvet painting of
a whale and a dolphin gettn it on"
by zero defects on Dec 11, 2011 11:34 PM CST up reply actions
This is one of those things that is going to get swept under the rug.
And it ticks me off. This is where being a small market team hurts, because if we were the Jets right now this would be breaking news all around the States. At the very least this requires a deep investigation, and frankly the fact they didn’t deny it is condemning. The Saints should be fined.
Unfortunately, I feel this story will go the way of the Goodell-steers-Vick-to-Eagles story. Quietly ignored by the NFL until the casual fan forgets about it.
2012: The year we clip the Hawk.
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Dec 12, 2011 12:35 AM CST reply actions
maybe that's part of where we come in??
I’m pretty sure this is the biggest Titans blog on the internet, and SB nation in general is pretty huge? Maybe if we rec this enough, reiterate this point, and continuously point out how shitty of a move the Saints pulled today, it will begin to gain some attention.
Everyone rec this now.
This is going to just go away unless it gets thrust into a bigger spotlight, and these blogs can have significant pull in things like that.
Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989
The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 is a United States federal law that protects whistleblowers. Whistleblowers may file complaints that they believe reasonably evidences a substantial and specific danger to third down conversions.
The Office of Special Counsel, which investigates whistle-blower complaints, has had no leader since October 2008. That’s when then-special counsel Scott Bloch resigned amid an FBI investigation into whether he obstructed justice by illegally deleting computer files following complaints that he himself was selling whistles to prospective whistle blowers to pad his own job security. Then-Senator Obama made a campaign vow at the time to appoint a special counsel committed to whistle-blower rights. It was not until April 2011 that Obama administration appointee Carolyn Lerner was confirmed by the Senate.
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, only court empowered to hear appeals of whistle-blower cases decided by the merit board, has been criticized by Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) and others in Congress for misinterpreting whistle-blower laws and setting precedent that is hostile to claimants. Since Congress last revised the Whistle-blower Protection Act in 1994, the court has ruled for whistle-blowers in only three of 203 cases decided on their merits, GAP’s analysis found.
This is getting ugly, guys. I suggest we leave it alone.
Friends don't let friends Tweet.
by Just 'Nother Day on Dec 12, 2011 1:41 AM CST reply actions
lol
And shepherds we shall be, for thee my Lord for thee, Power hath descended forth from thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command, we shall flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti.
Also...
Check out the blatant trip of Damian Williams on the last play of the game…
At about 3:26 into the video, the saints player clearly sticks his leg out to trip DWill. This Saints team is full of a bunch of pussies who would rather win without dignity than lose.
Dont you think this is grasping at straws
It is better to lose and keep your dignity then to lose and whine about it
I think 1 thing we can all agree on is that it was a tough game and the refs suck
We got just as many bad calls as ya’ll ,and it seems the officiating gets worse every week
Good game and good luck
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 12, 2011 6:01 AM CST reply actions
The last thing we need is a fan of the team that employs Roman Harper lecturing us about "dignity"
Good day sir
Official MCM Hater!
Hasselbeck Fanboy
Says a fan of the team that employs Courtland Finnegan....
…and used to employ Albert “Stomp” Haynesworth? ;)
Get over it. There were bad calls in both directions, we could argue all day long and get nothing but a sore throat and a headache.
The “whistle gate” issue is a NON issue, never happened.
As for the rest, we should all gang up on the real enemy: Mike Carey and his crew of “officials” that can’t see straight. ;)
Irony: an atheist Saints fan
by GSO Saints Fan on Dec 12, 2011 1:49 PM CST up reply actions
Who is Courtland Finnegan?
And Roman Harper being a piece of shit has nothing to do with a whistle or the officials.
Official MCM Hater!
Nate Washington Fanboy
As a Titans fan who has lived in New Orleans for a really long time--
Can we stop just spouting hate at the Saints? I’m pretty sure it was a good game and, like everyone said, we’re proud of our team for being competitve down the stretch.
I haven’t seen one Saints fan be anything but cordial on this forum and all I see is Titans fans looking like a bunch of children.
Didn’t you post something about us being “better than” saying “f*ck Barrett Ruud”?
I also think we can agree that there are asshole players on every team, and the Titans are no exception, both now and historically.
Nope. I will not stop calling Roman Harper the piece of shit that he is
I like the Saints. This isn’t about the Saints. This is about Roman Harper. And unlike Barrett Ruud, Roman Harper has proven himself to be a piece of shit. Barrett Ruud is a player who has shown nothing but class and tried his best for this team, he just happens to not be very good. Roman Harper tries to rip a man’s head off and then kick him and stand over him like he is a big stud. Big bad Roman Harper.
Turd.
Official MCM Hater!
Nate Washington Fanboy
And this is not my definition of "cordial:"
It is better to lose and keep your dignity then to lose and whine about it
Official MCM Hater!
Nate Washington Fanboy
I was refering to the whole whistle-gate
Not what you thought about Harper
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 13, 2011 9:05 AM CST up reply actions
Then why didn't the Saints deny it?
The "whistle gate" issue is a NON issue, never happened.
And why wouldn’t the league at least investigate? Are claims like these not serious?
2012: The year we clip the Hawk.
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Dec 12, 2011 2:14 PM CST up reply actions
Did you read the post above by someone at the game?
I mean, maybe he made that whole thing up to try and throw a few hundred odd fans off of the lynching trail.
Maybe I’m just not being enough of a fan—but it seems like this whole thing about a team “whistling” is really trivial.
I mean, we lost after a long drive down the field ended with no TD—we didn’t lose because someone was whistling.
You are not answering my questions.
Claims like these need to be treated seriously, no matter what team they’re coming from, win or lose. It probably would not have impacted the outcome, but it may have. No one can predict what would have happened.
2012: The year we clip the Hawk.
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Dec 12, 2011 2:49 PM CST up reply actions
What?
Who says the Saints didn’t deny it? What questions were asked? Who specifically was asked? How do you know the league is not investigating?
Based on the evidence, do you honestly think that:
a) the Saints had someone on the sidelines with a whistle trying to throw off the Titans game
and
b) that there is a league-wide cover up to hide this fact
Re:
Who says the Saints didn’t deny it?
Me. They issued a “no comment.” That’s a far cry from a “We did not blow whistles on the sideline.”
a) the Saints had someone on the sidelines with a whistle trying to throw off the Titans game
I do not know. That is why its worth investigating.
2012: The year we clip the Hawk.
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Dec 12, 2011 4:08 PM CST up reply actions
They "issued a no comment"? What does that mean?
How does that work? Did a press release come out on a blank sheet of paper? Did Sean Payton run away from a reporter?
What is the source of this mysterious “no comment”? Was it some Saints press lackey who had no idea what was going on, and therefore didn’t say anything?
So anything you do not know is worth investigating?
If I claim I saw a tiny lasso roped to Jimmy Graham’s foot and pulled by Eddie George on the sidelines so that the tip of his cleat touched out of bounds, does that warrant an investigation?
You are a terrible troll.
A New Orleans spokesman said the Saints would have no immediate comment.
2012: The year we clip the Hawk.
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Dec 12, 2011 11:05 PM CST up reply actions
Just trying to point out that this is a relatively wild accusation
And I don’t think there is nearly enough evidence (pretty much the only evidence is someone says they heard a whistle) to really warrant an investigation.
This is what a google search for each player brought up.
We see who has their priorities off the field straight.
by sm00thBlue on Dec 12, 2011 2:19 PM CST up reply actions 5 recs
If only some players
Had as much passion for everything else in life as they have on the field…
"You play to win the game!"
by TitanNDCClothing on Dec 12, 2011 2:30 PM CST up reply actions
C.Finn is a bad ass
You have been banned from Stampede Blue.
Calling a site admin a ‘fuhrer’ gets you banned without warning.
The Saint of MCM
Wasn't whining about it
Just posting what an article said, and saying that if it was true there should be repercussions. There is no where in the post where I said that it was the reason the Titans lost.
Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles even though gramsey hates it.
I may have oversteted the whinning part my apologies
But it seems like we here the same thing every week from opposing fans
Most like to say the refs gave us the game even when we get more penalties against us then the other team
I make no excuses for our lose to the Rams Bucs or the packers we were just outplayed and out coached
But it seems alot of fans refuse to believe there team could lose just by not being as good that day
I honestly thought we would blow ya’ll this game and the Titans played much better then alot of people give them credit
We just happened to be better that day
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 13, 2011 9:12 AM CST up reply actions
As far as penalties...
your offensive line holds a SHIT TON. So does every line in the league, but it’s usually interior. There were several blatant holds that did not get called, I feel, just to not ruin the pace of the game, as the refs probably felt they were calling it too much to begin with. Now, to the point… That’s the type of football you play, running the risk of lots of penalties. But when you play like that, a lot will also not get called. Can’t discredit a team for feeling out what the refs will and will not call and using that to their advantage.
As far as the whistle accusations. Yes, as it turns out, it probably was a fan. Now we and our players look silly for getting upset about that. But, you must admit that if you were in our situation, you would have been pretty pissed about whistle-blowing on the opponent’s sideline.
Concerning “dirty” plays. The facemask was dirty. Hands down. He could have been ejected for how blatant that was, will probably be fined (if he has not already been), but he was punished, no one (it appears) got seriously hurt by it, and it is handled. Also, the trip on the last play of the game was about as dirty as it gets. I can’t believe that’s not the play we’ve been talking about all along. No one has mentioned anything about it.
The face mask was a play of desperation not dirty
He was getting beat for a TD and that was a last grasp effort to save it any player would have done the same he grebbed the shoulder pad and it slid to the face mask he was not fined
I havent got a clue what your talking about as far as a trip on the last play if you mean our DB’s pushing your backs around it was legal your QB was scrambling out of the pocket
And holding goes on every play by both teams
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 13, 2011 3:07 PM CST reply actions
Yes, they were pushing them around,
and that was alright. But watch at 3:26 in this video:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/tennessee-titans/09000d5d824f8a6d/GameDay-Saints-vs-Titans-highlights?continuous=true
The Saints DB clearly sticks his leg out to trip Damian Williams. You can’t do that. A clear motion is made forward with his leg and no other part of his body as he sees Williams running and about to be open. That likely saved the Saints the game, and I can’t believe nothing has been said about it.
I just watched it 3 times what makes you think that is a penalty
He hit him with his shoulder
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 13, 2011 6:04 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, you are right...
but he also stuck his foot out. Someone doesn’t just faceplant from being hit by a shoulder. Physics do not work that way. The leg visibly goes out, and that’s what he trips on. Whether it was intentional is debatable, but the leg clearly goes out, and DWill trips on it.
(btw, I appreciate the degree of civility from you and the vast majority of the other saints fans who have come over here… you all could have easily looked at our post-loss frustration and been dicks about it, but y’all, for the most part, have contributed positively to the discussions.)
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