What I want to see is the low-angle shot of that same play, the one aligned with the plane of the end-zone. I know it exists, at least in video, but I have not been able to find it on the net anywhere. 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 by the defender. The low-angle shot (I believe) will be the hard proof of the TD.
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:
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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.