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Game's third team upstaged Steelers, Hawks
ESPN ^ | 2/6/06 | Michael Smith

Posted on 02/06/2006 8:53:10 AM PST by highlander_UW

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To: kevkrom
What really matters is that Pittsburgh got three chances to score TDs, and made the most of all three. Seattle walked away with FG attempts after making stupid mistakes (penalties and/or bad clock management).

This entire game looked like something out of the pre-season. Pittsburgh didn't get a stinking first down for 19 minutes in a Super Bowl, then ends up winning by 11 points.

That game last night proved to me that the NFL is becoming like the NHL and the NBA: the regular season doesn't matter. The Steelers are 7-5 in November, sneak in as the sixth seed, then win the Super Bowl?

I still think that if Tony Dungee's son doesn't commit suicide, the Colts are the Super Bowl champs today.

101 posted on 02/06/2006 10:22:59 AM PST by sinkspur (Trust, but vilify.)
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To: kevkrom; Supernatural; in hoc signo vinces
"One on the "incomplete" pass that was really a catch and fumble (the fumble only went out of bounds because players pulled up after the whistle). Another on Hasslebeck's fumble that was incorrectly ruled "down by contact" -- that rule requires that the runner is either touched while down, or down as the result of contact with a defender. Hasslebeck was already going down on his own before the contact occurred, and no contact occurred when he was on the ground. The ball should have stayed with Pittsburgh."

"The whiners only remember the calls that went against them. In addition to those above, there was also a missed -- and blatant -- block in the back on the INT return."

****

Well said. Thank you. I know how some of these Seattle fans and others feel. Some calls seem very arbitrary. I've seen it for 50+ years. But, Seattle simply was not that good last night. They had "alligator arms" all night long, and their receivers never "created space" for themselves on the sidelines. In short, they lost to a Steeler team that looked flat for about an entire half.

Seattle will be back again if they're good. They certainly play almost no one in the regular season.

102 posted on 02/06/2006 10:23:24 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cal Thomas: If only Robert Bork had cried ...................)
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To: sinkspur
The Steelers are 7-5 in November, sneak in as the sixth seed, then win the Super Bowl?

Well, a great number of those losses can be attributed to Ben's injury. With a healthy QB, their only losses were to NE and Cincy (I don't count the Indy game, as Ben was quite rusty and really shouldn't have played that one).

103 posted on 02/06/2006 10:25:56 AM PST by kevkrom ("...no one has ever successfully waged a war against stupidity" - Orson Scott Card)
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To: sinkspur

P.S. It also proves that the #6 team in the AFC is still better than the #1 team in the NFC. ;)


104 posted on 02/06/2006 10:26:49 AM PST by kevkrom ("...no one has ever successfully waged a war against stupidity" - Orson Scott Card)
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To: beyond the sea
Seattle simply was not that good last night.

5-of-17 on third downs doesn't even begin to approach "good."

105 posted on 02/06/2006 10:27:17 AM PST by newgeezer (Just my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary.)
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To: beyond the sea


IMHO it was a lousy game, which had too many bad calls, but the Steelers won. So, they get the kudos.

It just seems to me the Steelers played much better ball in all the play-off games up to the Superbowl.


106 posted on 02/06/2006 10:29:16 AM PST by in hoc signo vinces ("Houston, TX...a waiting quagmire for jihadis. American gals are worth fighting for!")
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To: newgeezer



When exactly did the Steelers get their first, first down?


107 posted on 02/06/2006 10:29:52 AM PST by in hoc signo vinces ("Houston, TX...a waiting quagmire for jihadis. American gals are worth fighting for!")
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To: beyond the sea

Gee, you must have been watching the same game I was watching. Yes, Seahawks QB was not knocked down by contact, he slipped and was touched WHILE HE WAS UP, NOT AFTER HE WAS DOWN! That was a fumble recovery that was denied the Steelers by the officials.

On the fumbled pass by the Seahawks receiver that was ruled not a fumble, IT WAS A FUMBLE! The Steelers would have recovered if the OFFICIALS hadn't blown the whistle to stop the play.

But all the whiners say all the officiating went against the poor, unfortunate Seahawks, who would have won the game without the bad calls. Huh?


108 posted on 02/06/2006 10:32:10 AM PST by Supernatural (All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie! bob dylan)
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To: highlander_UW

I think that the Superbowl committee of the football league has to approve that sort of thing. It was just so blatant and offensive. They made a joke of the Superbowl. What a shame. They robbed the fans of the enjoyment of the game and all respect for the winning team. It was like watching WWF.


109 posted on 02/06/2006 10:32:30 AM PST by Eva
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To: Senator Goldwater

not stopping the other 2 touchdowns. TE not catching 4 balls. WR not getting feet in bounds at goal line. not making 2 field goals......... blah blah, blah


110 posted on 02/06/2006 10:33:42 AM PST by jw777
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To: newgeezer

how many of those where 3rd and ridiculously longs because the refs threw their terrible towels on the field like it was going out of style the play before.

Yes, really shocking the seahawks couldn't covert all those 3rd and 24 to go downs after bogus after bogus holding calls against them.

The holding penalty against Jerramy Stevens that called back a play that got the Seahawks down to the 1 yard line has to go down as one of the worst calls in the superbowl of all time. The ref is either blind, retarded, or wearing Steeler print underwear. Take your pick.


111 posted on 02/06/2006 10:37:32 AM PST by Proud_USA_Republican (We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good. - Hillary Clinton)
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To: Hegemony Cricket; frogjerk; mainepatsfan; Supernatural; Petronski
Unless I am totally blind, the ball broke the plane of the end-zone when it was approximately 2-3 feet off the ground, then Roethlisberger was hit and pushed back

THAT is a FACT!

The ball looked like it was above the goal line (a TD) when Roethlisberger was a couple of feet above the surface. Then, as you say, he was pushed back before he landed. Even at the point that he landed, the ball was still possibly at the goal line. THAT is the truth of that play!

Officiating can drive you nuts, I know that. I'm still pissed off about:

************

http://sportsforum.ws/showthread.html?t=11949

Troy Brown forward lateral?

I have to say, I thought it was legal, but then, I didn't watch it in frame-by-frame ... maybe the Patriots are just a team of destiny...

(snip)

From the Washington Post:

By Thomas Boswell Tuesday, January 29, 2002; Page D01

If you think the New England Patriots got the replay-reversal gift from heaven in their victory over the Raiders 10 days ago, then you only know the half of it.

On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Patriots got an equally important replay-related break -- one few have noticed until this column.

The Patriots' game-winning touchdown came on an illegal forward lateral by Troy Brown. The blocked-field goal return for a touchdown should have been called back but it stayed on the scoreboard. And the Pats, the Replay Team of Destiny, are in the Super Bowl. One week, they win on a Snow Job, 16-13. Now, they steal one from the Steelers, 24-17.

As an added twist of perverse fate, the Steelers had already used both of their allotted "challenges" successfully and could not have disputed the ruling on the field if they desired.

If you want one more piece of evidence that the NFL's replay system -- and perhaps use of replay itself -- is a disaster, there you have it. A team can only keep the zebras from giving them the shaft twice in one game. Beyond that, you're just out of luck. And, like the Steelers, perhaps out of the Super Bowl.

112 posted on 02/06/2006 10:39:00 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cal Thomas: If only Robert Bork had cried ...................)
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To: frogjerk
"What about the calls against the Steelers? Do you ignore them as well?"

Of course not. I noticed a few bad calls. The first being early on when a long pass to Jerramy Stevens was caught and then subsequently fumbled after he was hit. They whistled it incomplete but that was an obviously ridiculous call and both Al Michaels and John Madden didn't say a word. The majority of the questionable calls though, worked in the Steelers' favor.

One of the things I have learned through years of watching sports though is that if you have fans of one team who are the only ones not complaining, it may not be just whining on behalf of the opposing team. You have fans of 32 teams watching the Super Bowl. If fans of 31 teams are complaining of bad officiating in a game between just two teams, odds are that the officating was bad and the majority of those calls favored one of those two teams.

I also found it interesting that the refs picked up the flag on the apparent helmet to helmet contact on a pass play against the Seahawks defense (Bouleware, I think, but it was over-ruled by another official) but they didn't pick up the flag on the "low block" call against Hasselbeck for making the tackle on the interception.

Bottom line is that the Steelers won this year's Super Bowl because they made more plays then the Seahawks. But I think both teams used up their 'A' game just getting to the Super Bowl. Glaring mistakes on the offiating crew just compounded the frustration of football fans who wanted to see a good game between the two best teams in their respective conferences.

113 posted on 02/06/2006 10:39:19 AM PST by Hatteras
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To: Proud_USA_Republican; beyond the sea

Read post 108 and then tell me how all the bad calls went against the Seahawks. Taking two fumble recoveries from a team is major damage.

But you still won't get it, no doubt of that. You just can't stand that the Steelers won, can you?


114 posted on 02/06/2006 10:40:22 AM PST by Supernatural (All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie! bob dylan)
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To: beyond the sea
If Jeremy Stevens catches all the balls that Hasselbeck throws him does the officiating even matter?
115 posted on 02/06/2006 10:42:05 AM PST by mainepatsfan
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To: mainepatsfan

LOL. Maybe not!


116 posted on 02/06/2006 10:43:26 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cal Thomas: If only Robert Bork had cried ...................)
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To: mainepatsfan
By the way do you remember that lateral?

That is a great article by Boswell.

117 posted on 02/06/2006 10:44:19 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cal Thomas: If only Robert Bork had cried ...................)
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To: highlander_UW
I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I was rooting for the Seahawks. I agree, the officials made some questionable calls.

But, that's part of the game. Human eyes make human mistakes. Ya gotta play better than the officiating in hopes to win. And the Seahawks didn't capitalize on the Pittsburgh mistakes early.

To you Seahawk fans -- the Seahawks didn't play that great of a game. A game that comes down to deciding if the officiating was spot on, means you didn't overcome all the obstacles in order to win the championship game. It happens. No big deal. It's the first time in 30 years the team's been to the Super Bowl. Now we know the Seahawks can do it!

To you Steeler fans -- Congrats. But I wouldn't be patting myself on the back too much. The Steelers out and out sucked the first half. There wasn't too much to root for in the second half either. There were a few good plays, and that was good enough to beat a team that wasn't given a snowball's chance in hell to pull through. A win is a win, and I believe in the old adage it's better to be lucky than good. But it sure didn't look like any of the players were busting tail out there on the field yesterday.
118 posted on 02/06/2006 10:44:26 AM PST by birbear (You know what? This is crap. We're going to stop this.)
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To: Proud_USA_Republican
the refs threw their terrible towels

LOL!!!!!

How sad. Boo-hoo.

119 posted on 02/06/2006 10:44:47 AM PST by newgeezer (Just my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary.)
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To: beyond the sea

I remember the play but I doubt it would have been overturned. It was too damn close.


120 posted on 02/06/2006 10:45:21 AM PST by mainepatsfan
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