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A friend of mine has always stated that it's not just the bad calls. It's when they happen and what they affect. Take for instance that "holding" call that wiped out a first and goal for the Seahawks. There was holding all game long by both teams. Why did the the refs choose to call it then? To take away the momentum Seattle was gaining and wiping out a potential scoring oppurtunity? Had Seattle scored, they may have had mo on their side and held off Pittsburgh. We'll never know. In any game one team could have four or five penalties, but some of those could have wiped out big gains or scores. While in the same game, the other team could pick up eight, ten, twelve calls, but they are of the five yard variety and made late in the game just to "balance" out the tally sheet. And those eight to twelve penalties wouldn't be the back-breaking, game-changing types. I hope that NFL takes a long hard look at this travesty this offseason. Officiating has gotten progressively worse for the last ten years. Sometimes, you can't help but feel the fix was in on some games. And yes, the refs should be held accountable for their actions.

Why did the the refs choose to call it then? To take away the momentum Seattle was gaining and wiping out a potential scoring oppurtunity?

That doesn't fly unless the refs threw the flag after the pass was complete.

"A friend of mine has always stated that it's not just the bad calls. It's when they happen and what they affect. "

I don't mean to sound conspiratorial about the NFL, because my feeling is that superbowl XL was simply unfortunate, not rigged.
However, I do actually beleive that games are changes somewhat intentionally in other sports with the timing of calls. Basketball is particularly prone to this, because the calls can seem so much more subtle to the fan than in football. I'm not even a big fan of basketball, but I have seen many times over how a couple of calls in the paint at the right times (on both ends of the court) can totally change the way teams play. Again, it seems so subtle, because it really only means a 2 to 4 point swing. But the affect is much deeper. One or two charge, block, over-the-back, or a few similar calls under the basket basically tell one team that they can no longer be agressive in scoring and rebounding. The opponent (the ones who receive benefit from the calls) know it too, and become free to be even more agressive. It happens nearly every game I watch, and usually in the last 5mins of a half.