I hear you. It is a very difficult game to officiate, especially the professional game. The players know the rules and are talented enough to know how to take a rule to its limit. (however sometimes they slide by the limits of the rule)
Also the game becomes tougher to officiate the faster the players are. The pros are the fastest! I've followed football for well over 50 years. There have always been questionable and sometimes incorrect calls. It really can become annoying when they appear to be mostly called against one team in the game. I know, I've been there a few times over the years.
Really, for instance, there are teams over the years that have been well known for their great art of offensive holding. It only is common sense that a team like that will get flagged more often for holding. The same thing applies to certain receivers who love to push off to gain advantage over the defender (Plaxico Burress comes to mind). So receivers such as this will get flagged on that more than a receiver who seldom pushes off.
Anyhow ......
Seattle did not get screwed, but I surely see how some people think so. The calls just seemed to accumulate against them (and most viewers really do not know the rules). But those fans are wrong. Most of those calls were very correct...... especially the Roethlisberger TD. There is a post on another thread that shows CLEARLY that the ball was over (above) the goal line. TD.... yet look at all the fools who still claim he did not score. Stupid!
But, just that particular call, following the others has these somewhat uninformed fans all pissed off and coming to incorrect conclusions. I say to them as directly as I can (because really... their vociferous stupidity has taken away a lot of the joy from Steeler fans from this well-earned and long-awaited victory.)........ I say to them, shut up and learn the damn rules (not you!)
;-)
>their vociferous stupidity has taken away a lot of the joy from Steeler fans from this well-earned and long-awaited victory<
They have accomplished their mission, which was their whole objective in the first place.
Your very insightful....the speed of the pro game is what makes it so hard to officiate. Also remember when the Patriots played the Rams? Billickek had his corners and safties maul the Ram recivers and they got away with it too. He knew the refs would look the other way. And your right about players knowing how to "Stretch" the rules. The Hogs of Redskin glory used to hold like they were dancing with the defensive line.