Is he the same one who overturned Hasselbeck's fumble abd the ref chose to apply the "touch" rule that applies after player is down? He did NOT apply the "Down-By-Contact" rule, which is what was applicable in that situation. Since the touch by the linebacker was incidental to Hasselbeck's fall...it did not cause him to fall nor in any way change his fall...the ball was still live when his arm hit the turf and popped out. ,B>It was, and should have remained as called on the field, a fumble.
Or how about when Jerramy caught a pass, turned and started to run and was hit and fumbled the ball, then was given the reprieve with the call that he was just too soft to make a catch under pressure rather than give the ball to Pittsburgh, as should have occurred.
If only life were as perfect as those who expect to get their way all the time think it should be. Crybabies think that everything is unfair against them all the time. The truth is, mistakes on the part of refs are seen by players themselves as part of the game, and balance out over time. Otherwise the players would have stormed off the field and refused to play again long before they ever get to the professional level. Which explains why some of the bad losers are playing the games vicariously rather than actually out there doing it.
Right!
You should check the rules since you are unfamiliar with "down by contact" merely touching a player with the pinkie on his way to the ground is down by contact. Thus, there was no fumble.
I didn't have a dog in this fight though slightly favored the Steelers because they beat my Bears but this was about as poorly referred game as I can recall and would have preferred to see the game determined by play rather than three horrible calls which handed the game to the Steelers.