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."
I've been a Steelers fan since the early eighties, once the call is made and the next play is started it is history.
A professional team accepts it and plays on to the best of their abilities.
The squawks did not have the ability or professionalism to play on.
The calls were legit except for the low block, once I realized that, it became apparent that the coach and the rest of the whiners and crybabies were just trying to tarnish the win by the best football team of the 2005 season. In the process they show the world exactly what they are, classless crybabies.
Get over it, squawks played a crap game and had a coach that could not control the game, in that case you will lose every time.
Did the ref signal immediately? No he didn't. He ran for a few seconds until he realized it was a third down play and he had big bucks on Pitt. 4th down would have been too risky. So you can stop posting to me now. You are obviously a Pitt fan, and feel like you accomplished something because 50 grown men who don't know you or give a shit about you won a sporting contest that was rigged by the officials. Congratualtions.
By having part time refs the league has the excuse it wants for certain teams being helped to a win.
I did watch.
Bad Calls happen.
Always have, always will.
It's just that generally there isn't a need for so many tissues because the fans of the other teams that didn't necessarily include Seattle or Pittsburgh GET OVER IT!!
True Champions over come the odds. The Seahawks were not up to the challenge. The last half of the game looked like the Seahawks were afraid of the Steelers.
Champions do not throw away field goal attempts. Nor do they mis-manage the time. Hasselback looked horribly shaken to me. They played like they wanted to lose. Don't blame the refs or the Steelers for the lack within the Seahawks themselves.
oh believe me I won't take anything away from him.
I'm just saying that Seattle either needs to put this behind them, shut up and get on with it, or let their best player go.
Maybe he was the Grand Marshal of the Pittsburgh parade today!
Plus, his chip implant was signalling that The Big Boss wanted a TD, and he could do nothing but oblige his Vegas Masters.
Not necessarily. If you play in the weakest division of the weaker conference you still might manage to win a majority of your games.
yeah...
none of that secondary stuff mattered.
It's just a case of people bitching who don't know the rules or understand the context of the game.
That's mainly what I have gotten from these threads.
And, of course, the tin foil nutjobs who think the games are fixed.
They aren't. If they were TRULY fixed, they would have franchises in Vegas by now. hehe but don't bring that up, because to the tinfoil morons, IT'S PART OF THE PLAN!!!
Exactly.
who said the ref had to signal immediately?
You still don't know what you are talking about.
The play was reviewed.
and I'm not a Pittsburgh fan. Far from it. I'm a Browns fan.
Again you show you don't know what you are talking about. Have you EVER WATCHED a football game before this one?
LOLOL...Rush is still crying over the 'tuck rule'.
This is the modern NFL, you know -- in which a 13-3 team has as good a chance of having a 4-12 record the following season as a 10-6 record.
Yup, I heard the sound clip of Rothlesberger saying he didn't think he got in for the touchdown and that he told Cower that too.
Hmmm, lesee, Madden a ex-Raider coach who admits he still holds a grudge over the Immaculate Reception which he believes was a botched call, Irvin a ex-Cowboy crack/pothead, and Young a ex-49er Steeler hater. Nope, no bias there.
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