To say the reffing in the game was bad is one thing. To suggest that the game was "fixed" is ludicrous. Anyone who seriously believes the game was "fixed" does not have a firm grip on reality. I mean, do people really think the NFL got together with the refs before the game and told them to make sure Pittsburgh won? And for what purpose? Because the league could sell more Steeler jerseys than Seahawk jerseys? Riiiiiiiiight.
I lived in Seattle for a number of years and love the area, but the continued whining is making them look like pathetic sore losers. They had PLENTY of chances and couldn't come through. If Pittsburgh had brought their "A" game, they would have blown Seattle off the field. "Big Ben" probably had the worst SB game ever for a winning QB. As badly as Pitt played, Seattle was worse. Yet, the Seahawks seem to want to remain in denial. Holmgren was yelling at refs "It wasn't even close!" in reference to the Steelers first TD. The ball was either barely across the line or barely short. As I said, it could have gone either way, but to say it wasn't close is to be living in a false reality. Then Hasselbeck admitted that the team didn't play up to its potential but that Pittsburgh did. Laughable. Again, if the same Steeler team showed up as the one who played in their 3 previous games, they win by 3 TDs.
Normally I'd agree.
But that Polamalu call in Indy - when the NFL honchos were pimping Manning like a $1000 whore - set the stage.
I figure they reverted to the next cash cows - Bettis and Ben.
I predicted a big Pittsburgh win. Encouraged betters. I will not bet on the game. I can't stand Seattle. I have always been an AFC fan over the NFC.
My wife is a Browns/Steelers fan and from the area. She grew up with posters of Pittsburgh Steelers on her wall.
I am a fantasy football fanatic to the point that I have lost all interest in the games themselves, the teams and their records. It's all individual statistics to me, week-to-week. You can say I am a Raiders fan, because that was my team as a kid. However, I always know the calibar of every team before the season starts.
When the play-offs started I told all my co-workers that every team from the AFC has a chance to go to the SB, but only Seattle and Carolina in the NFC.
I have the NFL Direct TV package with super fan upgrade and watched football every single weekend this season and for as many years as I can remember.
I won my fantasy league this season.
I watched the game. I saw one wrong call go against Pittsburgh the whole game and it had no impact what-so-ever. I doubt you or any of the others who believe Pittsburgh won that game by out playing Seattle can name it. It's not the catch-and-fumble out-of-bounds that would have been recovered by Pitt ruled an incomplete pass either.
I thought the refs favored Pittsburgh for the entire game to the point of abject rediculuousness. They called a penalty on Hassleback that cannot even be called in the context for which it was made. I.e. the penalty aplies to hits against the non-ball handler.
I would by no means rule out fixing on the part of one or a few of the refs on that field. I've never seen it so one-sided calling as this past Superbowl. Remember, I am a Raider fan.
What angers me most about the NFL is their shielding of the referees from all media contact. Because I want to know what the line judge was thinking on Rothlesbergers TD. I watched him running in SIGNALING that the runner was down by contact and then when gets up to big Ben, his raises his arms for a TD. No other ref signalled TD. No conference, just TD. Why can't ESPN stick a mic in this ref's face and ask him what he was thinking?
Don't get me wrong. I know Cower's going for it on 4th and 1 inch because he and I both know they gained one yard on each rush for the first 3 downs. Pittsburgh is pounding it in. Getting 3 yards in 4 downs is their thing.
But by this point it had just got bizarre. You ref signasl the runner down MULTIPLE times, he ran to his side, it's his call. And then he says oh what the heck let me change my call to TD.