Game's third team upstaged Steelers, Hawks

ESPN ^ | 2/6/06 | Michael Smith

[joyspring777]

See post number 177.

[discostu]

Not just down by contact, happens on incomplete passes with further action too. The best you can get on a challenge with something like that is to get them to call the pass complete, but nothing that happened after that (ie after the whistle blew) will be added to the play. Really it was probably Seattle that should have challenged, given when the whistle blew they actually probably would have benefited from a call of completed catch and fumble. It gets hairy on challenges, especially midfield challenges (challenging an endzone or falling out of bounds incomplete call is pretty cut and dry since with either call the play would then end the only question is what kind of end should happen, midfield catches that might or might not have continuing action are rough) but there's no way Pittsburgh would benefitted from a challenge.

[cardinal4]

Good luck to you, too..

[Hatteras]

You referred me to Post #163:

"There are specific rules about open field tackling in a situation like that. You cannot tackle below the knee on returns."

That is an incorrect statement. A defensive player can indeed tackle below the knee on returns.

[Ditto]

In the offseason, 31 teams will be back at the drawing board, evaluating what they need to do to knock off the Steelers in the fall.

You are right. Smith is a putz.

There will be only 3 teams figuring out what they need to do to "beat the Steelers" --- Cleveland, Cincinnati and Baltimore. And Bill Cowher will be figuring out what he needs to do to beat those three teams. If you look past that, you are foolish.

Every team in the NFL needs to figure out first and foremost, how to win their own division, because if you don't do that first, the chances of advancing through the playoffs are slim. The Steelers were the exception to the rule this year.

[sinkspur]

Come on. You are being small at best, and whiner at worst.

On the contrary, I cared not at all who won the game. It was one of THE most boring football games I've ever seen. But the officiating was also the worst I've seen, in an NFL season FULL of bad officiating. The Steelers got a taste of it in the championship game.

[highlander_UW]

See post number 177.

That's silly (I'm not calling you silly, just that as a definition). So a tackler is not allowed to ignore a blocker and try to tackle the ball carrier around the legs? I didn't know they were playing 2 hand touch.

[Ditto]

If there is a blocker in front of a runner, and you go down in front of the blocker...you are going to get flagged. That would happen EVEN IF you don't contact the blocker...as you block the blocker from his advantage...and you can't do that.

Are you sure that's the rule? I don't think Hasselbeck even touched the blocker. He made a clean tackle.

[beyond the sea]

I'd like to see Dungy make the change too, he's a good guy and deserves a ring. I'd rather he do it with a different team since I have an innate dislike for dome teams, but I do hope he goes the distance one of these days.

Totally agree. Tony is a top quality MAN, but ........ take off the roof.

[Ditto]

If it had been closer, and scooped up, the red flag may have come out, but the ball was left all alone by the defender...poor choice on his part.

You can't challenge a "no-fumble" call if the whistle has blown.

[beyond the sea]

And it leads to a general lack of league bought jewelry on your dresser.

LOL.

[camle]

yeah. right. sure. you forgot the /sarcasm tags;-)

but they do try and usually do pretty well in that regard.

[camle]

good call.

[beyond the sea]

But if it makes you feel better to blame someone other than Stevens and the rest of the receivers and ends, who when they werent dropping passes, were catching them out of bounds, be my guest.

LOL........ those guys had "alligator arms" and played the sidelines poorly.

[beyond the sea]

You know your stuff!

[beyond the sea]

"It looked to me like the defense on both sides of the ball were playing at a higher level than either offense unit. We have become accustomed, due to the rule changes over the last 20 years, to post season games generally being offensive shoot-outs with the occasional interception or fumble being the "big play". The game last night was kind of a throw back to the 70s where defense ruled and the occasional offensive "big play" made the difference."

"But looking at those two teams, that makes sense."

------

Man, I appreciate the wise FReepers! Great post.

[discostu]

That's the rule. The Steelers got nailed for it twice in the regular season on INT returns. While I think the way they're applying the rule stinks there would have been a large hue and cry from Steeler nation if they hadn't made the call in the SB given that the Steelers were so familiar with the penalized side of that rule already. As soon as you go low on a blocker, even if you're really trying to go low on a ball carrier and the blocker is just in the way, even if the blocker avoids being hit, it's a foul.

[beyond the sea]

That's right, the majority of Americans are wrong, but a handful of Pittsburgh fans are the "informed" ones.

You're almost right there.

Just as most American citizens are relatively ignorant of what is really happening in the political world, most viewers of the Super Bowl are relatively ignorant about what is really happening on the field. The "informed" ones (as you sarcastically write) are not just in Pittsburgh, however some of us do feel a greater need to set you and the rest of the uninformed straight.

Tough baloney, Pittsburgh won a pretty ugly Super Bowl, but the great teams win games even when they are playing below par.

[beyond the sea]

just last night in fact, both offenses seriously suffered from "OMG I'm in the SB"

Sure looked like that.

;-)

[beyond the sea]

post # 163 will answer your question