They're burned onto my baseball soul.
Posted on 02/07/2006 4:55:05 PM PST by bikepacker67
GOT SCREWED, USA -- Complaining about officiating is a time-honored sports tradition. It's much easier to believe your team got screwed than it got whupped because anger is more manageable than sadness.
It's sour grapes, plain and simple.
But, America, please forgive Seahawks fans if they sound a little bitter and paranoid after the rest of the country got its sweet, little fairy tale with Jerome Bettis winning Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit.
It just seems a bit too tidy, considering how things went down.
Here's the rub: No intelligent person, and that includes Pittsburgh fans, watched the Steelers 21-10 "victory" and believed it was well-officiated. Period.
And every -- EVERY -- call went against the Seahawks.
Seahawks fans promise to stop being paranoid just as soon as the NFL proves it isn't out to get them.
The Seahawks, who were tied for second-fewest penalties in the NFL this year, were flagged seven times for 70 yards. Three were critical. Two were dubious. Another flag was so stupid the official explanation didn't actually make any sense.
As for head linesman Mark Hittner's oh-what-the-hell delayed touchdown call on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 1-yard touchdown dive? Think the officials want that tape taken to the FBI crime lab?
The Steelers, who were tied for sixth-fewest penalties this year, suffered just three horrible hankies for 20 yards. Two were false starts on their first possession. The third was offensive pass interference on rookie tight end Heath Miller deep in Seattle territory in the second quarter. That call will inspire no wringing of hands, even from Miller.
Thereafter, apparently, the Steelers felt guilty and decided not to break the rules for the next 35 minutes. Jerome probably wanted it that way.
Apoplectic Seahawks fans are not alone. ESPN.com's Michael Smith pointed this out Monday in a story ripping the officials: "The Seahawks lost 161 yards to penalties when you combine the penalty yards (70) and the plays the flags wiped out (91). By halftime alone, when it trailed 7-3, Seattle had had 73 hard-earned yards and a touchdown eliminated."
Let's rewind.
Matt Hasselbeck hits Darrell Jackson for a 16-yard touchdown pass for a 7-zip lead?
Nope. The incidental contact that occurs on nearly every NFL passing play was, actually, offensive interference -- at least the officials decided so after safety Chris Hope stomped and huffed and demanded a flag, perhaps insisting that Jerome wanted it that way.
Beleaguered tight end Jerramy Stevens makes a spectacular catch inside the Steelers 2-yard line setting up what surely would have been a Shaun Alexander touchdown run and 17-14 Seahawks lead early in the fourth quarter?
Nope. Seems that offensive tackle Sean Locklear's incidental hooking (which occurs on nearly every NFL play from scrimmage) on his block of Clark Haggans (who was offside) was too dastardly to ignore.
Maybe the officials were calling the game tightly.
Nope. Only two plays later, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter used an illegal "horse collar" tackle on Alexander, and the officials decided to let it slide, even though that would have transformed a third-and-18 on the Steelers 34 to a first down on their 19.
"Penalties, as much as anything, were the story of the game," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "That's unfortunate. And that might be the first time I've said that in my life."
Here's the comic relief.
After the no-call on the horse collar, Hasselbeck tossed a critical interception to cornerback Ike Taylor. Hasselbeck then, apparently, forgot which team he plays for and tried to throw a block in order to spring Taylor. Only he threw a "low block," according to the game's official book.
So not only does he toss a pick and then try to block for an opposing player, but he also gets called for a 15-yard penalty.
Most folks would figure that Hasselbeck was trying to TACKLE Taylor. Seeing Hasselbeck is a quarterback lacking tackling skills, he went low. But the officials decided it was a block. Only Hasselbeck was credited with a tackle on the play.
(The official explanation is he went low on a guy trying to block him, which is against the rules on a change of possession. But the fact that he made the tackle erases, at least for a reasonable person, his potential motivation based on the result. It was a tackle.)
Like we said: Stupid.
Steelers fans should be angry, too. For one, they know how this feels, see their playoff game vs. Indianapolis, when they were the interlopers ruining the heartwarming tale.
Moreover, the execrable officiating cheapens their championship because it's what folks are talking about now, not the glory of Bettis.
Is all this an accusation -- J'Accuse! -- like Porter's ranting about the terrible officiating in the Indianapolis game?
Yes. No. Who knows?
It's just too bad -- for everyone -- that the officials made sure Super Bowl XL wasn't "Extra Large," as the joke went, but "Extremely Lame."
Nor is it proof that the calls were incorrect.
It is proof that the officiating "looked bad" to a lot of fairly neutral observers. Good officiating doesn't do that.
It also does not change the validity of a great Steeler victory.
I think your logic ran aground at this point.
Everyone wants to twist and exaggerate that. I understand that.
But what he really said is that he told coach right after the play that he didn't think he had gotten it.
It's not his job to make that call. If the ball barely breaks the plane, he's not in the best position to make that call.
I remember the block in Ben's back. Mostly because my husband yelled so loud, I almost fell off the couch. :) I also remember Madden saying the pass interference call was correct and if you want to get away with it, don't do it 2 feet in front of the ref.
I think all the whiners need to start adding some Bailey's to their lattes while also switching to decaf. The horse is dead. Get off it already.
Not a seahogs fan, and if I "get over it" I'll have to accept that games aren't won or lost by players, but rather marketting schemes.
Do you NOT BELIEVE that the league wished they could have gotten away with that debacle in Indianapolis?
This is what REALLLLY pisses me off about Stiller Fan... YOU WERE VICTIMS OF THE SAME BULLSHYT 3 WEEKS AGO!
I've no doubt that the Seahawks were injured by those plays, but there was a lot of sloppiness on the Seahawks part, too.
The 2 minute drills and special teams of the Seahawks were awful.
(I'm Cincy born and bred: a Bengals fan.)
nice abuse of context Mr. Franken.
Poor use of the spin, Mr. Franken.
Speaking of missed field goals....what was it....Penn State & Fla St...
That was an all-time kill-the-kicker game.
You keep posting variations on that, but even large font doesn't make it true.
I'm a NY Giants fan, and didn't bet on the Super Bowl.
But the Steelers clearly won. Just look at the score.
Many of the calls you keep crying about were fine. The football Rothlisberger was carrying crossed the plane, for example. And the Seattle receiver clearly pushed off in the end zone. The clipping call sucked, but you need to get over it.
It's a little sad.
The Steelers did not call the game. They merely won it.
My Seahawks heart wishes it weren't so, but there you have it. My team had chances, even with the calls going against them, and they blew it.
In the words of the eternal fan, "wait'll next year!" ;-)
What? You left out the larger comment and cut 'n pasted a segment in an unfair way of justification.
Yes but of the two, the Steelers were the sloppiest.
Look at the numbers... That's gotta be the lamest performance of a SB* victor.
When they start scoring stats, that'll matter. As a 'Hawks fan, it only annoys me greatly.
I merely noted the point at which your logic failed. I was not trying to separate it from the rest of your post. I could repeatedly re-post the entire content of every post to which I reply; but that would seem foolish.
Bingo! Actually the only complaints I read are in freep land. The truth is Seahawk mistakes did them in and *not* the refs.
If you blame others for your downfall - you're just a Democrat!
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