Posted on 02/06/2006 6:50:28 AM PST by RedBloodedAmerican
This is the space where I get to crow about the frightening precision of my Super Bowl prediction.
Where I get to remind everyone that I guaranteed the Steelers would win the title after they beat the Colts. That they were the only championship-caliber team among the final four. That they would dismantle the Broncos in Denver and waylay whomever the NFC sent at them.
snip
I've never felt so empty being right. I feel dirty. I wish I'd been wrong. The Steelers did not deserve to win this game. They were not the better team. O'Connor was right. Seattle was the better team.
So, Paul Tagliabue, how does a team lose when it outgains an opponent by 57 yards, controls time of possession and wins the turnover battle?
snip
Every single questionable, marginal or outright bad call went against the Seahawks....
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.foxsports.com ...
Amen to that.
You're right about that. I'd like to see the bizarro rules for what comprises "possession" on a pass reception go away.
the look on the players faces during the anthem was funny. :) its seemed like they were thinking WTF?
Nope. The officiating sucked. If we just "get over it" the NFL will continue to use part time officials that are mucking up the game. FWIW, I live in Texas, never Washington or PA, couldn't care less about either team. Referees changed the game with bad calls. This needs to turn into a full-blown public relations nightmare for the NFL. They have GOT to get decent, full-time officials, and quit making the referee job something a high school teacher does on the weekends. 2.5 mil for a commercial, and they can't afford a full-time person to call the game?
Oh I agree. But in most cases, the WR and the defender are tight and a littel chuck is lonst in the mass of humanity. In this case the two players made a nice capital H. Where DJ's arm can be clearly seen pushing the defender.
Either you allow pushing off, or you don't. This one was blatently obvious, and should have been called. Those who are saying it was a bum call are saying the rules written down for the game should be ignored. I'd rather EVERY rule be called, otherwise the NFL will turn into the NBA where you can pretty much walk from one end of the court to the other without dribbling, depending on the name on the back of your jersey.
BTW... I wish the entire NFL rulebook were available on the web. The "digest" posted on NFL.com that you linked to is woefully incomplete...
his left elbow was down before the elbow with the ball hit the
ground. hes was down when the first elbow touched. if not he was down as soon as that elbow hits the ground since he was touched by the opposing team on his way down. And ground cant cause a fumble
I agree, they should have the entire rulebook posted on nfl.com in pdf form, I agree since the rules change so much they should give the fans access the complete rule book.
"The ref didn't signal touchdown until after he ran forward and saw where where Ben had scooted the ball forward after he was down."
Bull****. You actually think the ref didn't see him move the ball after he was down? Ridiculous. The replay shows the end of the ball going over the white line. Seattle fans just don't want to see it. Btw, I am a not a Steeler or Seahawks fan.
what about the 4 dropped passes by Stevens? What about the other 2 touchdowns the Hawks didn't stop? What about the Hasselback fumble that they gave him back because he was barely touched by Larry Foote? What about the 2 field goals they missed?
There are plenty of reasons the Seahawks lost that game legitimately. Fewer reason why they should have won. Including the final score.
What are you talking about? I was speaking in general terms, not about any specific play.
The use of part-time officials is one big thing the NFL has gotten right over the years. I can't say for sure, but I suspect that there has never been a "high school teacher" working as an on-field NFL official in decades. The NFL insists on using part-time officials who are typically highly-respected, well-paid executives from Monday to Friday. They do this because a guy who is a regional vice president for Exxon/Mobil or Citicorp is far less likely to throw a game for gamblers than a high school gym teacher.
Including their horrendous clock management. Does anybody in the NFL understand how to manage the clock inside two minutes anymore?
Not "clearly" - my own exhaustive TiVo review concluded that was his shirt sleeve, not the ball.
The QB's elbow is in front of his left hand. This left thumb is butted up against the goal line. This means his right elbow is on the goal line. The football is nestled in his right forearm...result TD.
You've got a good point in terms of corruption, however, the rules have gotten so Byzantine that I wonder how well the part-time refs can really keep up with it. For example, the NFL made the "horse collar" tackle illegal this year. In the first two or three weeks of the game, I must've seen that penalty called a half-dozen times. Last night, I saw three horse-collar tackles that were uncalled. The problem is the rulebook, not the refs.
They absolutely did. Watch the replay.
that was pretty bad. they should have used the stupid time out.
From what I saw about half the ball was over the plane before he was down. Some of the Seattle fans may be drinking too much fancy coffee.
I remember watching a Madden/Summerall telecast of an Eagles game. There was a bang-bang play that might have been called PI by the ref, but it was let go. Eric Allen, then an All-Pro corner from the Eagles, saw the play happen right in front of him while standing on the Eagles sideline. Madden said, "And don't you think that Eric Allen isn't taking notes on the sideline on that play." Indeed, I think Allen broke up several passes that day and had an INT to boot.
Point is the refs do send messages, intentional or not, about what they will & won't tolerate. All you can ask is for consistancy.
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