OT: Super Bowl Predictions

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:07 am

CincyKid wrote:another blue collar title

With all the gadget plays, I don't know about the blue collar any more.

Plus doesn't it seem more Steeler fans travel than any other team's fans? They got the money to travel.

But I heard someone out here from the West Coast spent big money to see the game at Denver.

So these aren't the fans from the steel mills.

CincyKid · Post by **CincyKid** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:11 am

lol yeah i guess you could draw that conclusion but i meant it more towards the whole rooney ownership,ticket prices,sticking with chuck noll,bill cower,not signing big contract free agent types,the bus being the face of the franchise....well till now i guess troy and / or big ben will be now

and if you wanted to get technical mean joe was pushing coca cola in major ad campaigns,while terry was making movies with the biggest movie star of the time burt reynolds (isnt he in another now who lets this happen) and recording country records , while lynn swann practiced being a balerina,and more than a few others in the locker room participated in early steroid experimentation or so i heard

so maybe they never were blue collar at all

either way congrats on finally getting some bling for the thumb

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:30 am

There were definitely some bad calls by the refs in this game but the refs didn't hand this game to the Steelers, the Seahawks did.

Jerramy "Big Mouth" Stevens dropped 3 balls, 2 of which would have placed them inside the Steelers 10-yard-line.

Hasselbeck's interception that led to his phantom penalty should have never been an issue since the Seahawks should have kicked the damn field goal instead of going for it on 4th and 18.

The Seahawks displayed the worst time management both times they had the ball inside of 2 minutes.

They were outcoached.

They let Willie Parker run for a 75-yard touchdown. How does he get a hole that big.

How can I, a 33-year-old fan of football, know that Randle El is going to pass the ball off the reverse yet a proffesional football team lets Hines Ward run down the field uncovered?

Seahawk fans can b*tch and moan about the refs all they want but the fact of the matter is the Seahawks lost this game because of themselves.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:42 am

3rd and 18.

b_assassin · Post by **b_assassin** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:07 am

I won't disagree with the fact that the Seahawks killed themselves at crucial points in the game. Their clock management was poor, and they dropped passes that hurt them as well. What makes the loss so difficult for me to swallow is that the complexion of the game was changed completely by the officiating, and it all went the Steelers' way. We can debate eternally over one call or the other, but there is no question in my mind that the NFL and the media wanted this to be the happy Steeler ending, and the officials followed the script accordingly. Call it whiny, sour grapes all you like, but that is honestly how I feel about it.

To the Steelers' credit, they made some big plays and won the game, but had the officiating been more even, I think that Seahawks wouldn't have been in the position to make the mistakes they did make, and the outcome of the game would have been different. I realize that's not the story the NFL wanted to tell, so happy homecoming for the Bus and vindication for Underbite Bill it is.

Maybe the Seahawks will be a better story next year, as Holmgren and the team will have a fabulous story of redemption to play out, after being sodomized by the NFL in SB XL.

nyisles16 · Post by **nyisles16** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:25 am

congrats to Bettis & the Steelers... Seattle lost some wind on the drive where they got the ball close to the goalline (catch by the TE) but it was called back by the penalty....

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:59 am

Thank goodness there are still some in the media not controlled by the uber-espn hype machine :

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sp ... 801313.htm

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:09 am

Inuyasha wrote:Thank goodness there are still some in the media not controlled by the uber-espn hype machine :

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sp ... 801313.htm

PS Jason Whitlock is a regular contributor to ESPN especially The Sports Reporters show...He is the big fat black man on that show!!!

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:15 am

The Steelers are the Super Bowl champs! It was an ugly game, and I'm sure most non Steelers fans didn't get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but I'll take it. I've got quite a few thoughts about the game, I'll just throw them out here.

Two weeks is too long to wait between the conference title games and the super bowl. It is no fun to wait that long as a fan, and neither team played nearly as well as they did two weeks ago.

As a Steelers homer, all I can say about the officiating is that I know the Steelers had pretty much every call go their way, and I'm sure it had to be very frustrating as a Seatttle fan or neutral observer. I did however think only one call was a blown call (the Hassleback personal foul), and the rest were judgement calls that could have gone either way, but happened to go the Steelers way. After all the calls that went against Pittsburgh in the Indianapolis game though, I'm happy to get the calls for once.

I thought Hassleback was the best player on the field tonight. He did great when he was pressured, I never knew he had the mobility and pocket presence he showed tonight. Ben obviously did not play very well, that interception he threw in the red zone nearly cost Pittsburgh the game. I felt sick to my stomach watching that play unfold, I had visions of Rodney Harrison from last year and Larry Brown from ten years ago going through my head during that return.

The two most hyped defenders for Pittsburgh coming into this game, Joey Porter and Troy Polamalu, pretty much did nothing. I thought Casey Hampton, Clark Haggans and Ike Taylor all did pretty well tonight, but nobody else really stood out. I thought the defense did a great job not giving up big plays though and making quick tackles after every completion, and you can't really complain too much when you give up 10 points.

Jerramy Stevens was awful tonight. I know everyone is complaining about the officials, but if Stevens holds onto a few more balls that were thrown right to him, the Seahawks woudl have had quite a few more points tonight. He really stood out in a negative light for Seattle.

I thought even though Seattle had the better of the play for the most part, the Steelers definitely made more plays to win the game. Seattle obviously had a huge interception that got them back into the game, but that was really the only big play they made all night. Pittsburgh had three huge plays tonight, the third and 28 conversion, the 75 yard TD by Parker, and the beautiful TD pass by Randle El. Even though the Steelers may not have had the better statistics for the game, I think the fact that they made more big plays legitimizes their win tonight.

I thought the Steelers offensive playcalling really clicked after Taylor's interception. The Randle El pass was a great call, and the Steelers did a great job moving the ball on their last drive, running 5 minutes off the clock and making Seattle use all three timeouts, effectively clinching the game. Those third down conversions by Pittsburgh on that last drive were key, both the Roethlisberger run and the shovel pass to Randle El. Great job moving the ball and keeping the clock running even though Seattle knew a run was coming every down.

I thought Seattle's clock management and play calling was extremely suspect at times. It seems like they left quite a few points on the field as a result of that, regardless of the officiating.

I thought Pittsburgh's special teams really outplayed Seattle and were the reason the Steelers were winning at halftime. Time after time, Pittsburgh was backed up and had great punts and coverage to keep Seattle from getting easy scores, and Seattle's punter had many opportunities to pin the Steelers deep, only to kick the ball into the endzone. Winning the war of the punters kept the Steelers in the game early on. Also, Seattle's missed field goals really came back to haunt them at the end, even though those were pretty tough kicks (although they didn't have to be).

Overall, I'm just happy the Steelers got the job done tonight. They really didn't play well, not nearly as well as they did their previous two games, but they did enough to win. I was very impressed with Seattle, they were obviously very close on so many plays that could have changed the outcome. I thought it was pretty cool the way Bettis announced his retirement during the trophy presentation, that definitely had me tearing up, as did the shot of Cowher with his arms raised in victory on the sidelines. Congratulations to the rest of the members of the "Steeler Nation" here on the forums, I'm sure enjoying the end of this season much more than that loss to the Pats last year.

b_assassin · Post by **b_assassin** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:40 am

Of course, consider the source of these, but it is still nice to get a little sympathy.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5310192
http://www.patsfans.com/bob/display_sto ... ry_id=2933

kevinpars · Post by **kevinpars** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:27 am

Bad officiating, hell yes. But Seattle also didn't take advantage of field position in the first half. How many times did their punter boom punts into the end zone? Did he never practice coffin corner kicks? And clock management was questionable as well. I think Holmgren was distracted by too much by the refs.

As a whole, the playoffs were not particularly well played, well officiated or exciting.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:37 am

The way many NFL punters boot punts into and thru the end zone without even trying to kick it out of bounds at the 10 yard line drives me crazy. Have these punters and their coaches never watched a game of rugby, played the punting mini-games on Madden or just used basic common sense?

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:45 am

Inuyasha wrote:Thank goodness there are still some in the media not controlled by the uber-espn hype machine :

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sp ... 801313.htm

I'm watching ESPN right now and Sean "I hate John Clayton" Sailsbury just said the MVP could have been the officials and heavily criticized them for the phantom holding call and the ridiculous personal foul penalty on Hasselbeck.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:48 am

Feanor wrote:Oh, and someone was claiming that it was a certain touchdown when the Seattle receiver only had one foot in but his knee brushed the pylon. I would like to see that play again cause at the time it seemed obvious it was out of bounds and Seattle never challenged the play (or did it happen in the last two minutes of the first half?).

That was me. It wasn't challenged because it was within 2 minutes. Maybe they still don't get the call, but I can't believe they didn't even attempt to review it. One foot was in, and something hit the pylon. The ball was inside the pylon and across the goalline. maybe that's a TD, maybe not. Too bad it only saw 1 replay of it, so I can't say much more other than they should have at least given it another look.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:57 am

Blech. I still feel sick to my stomach.

Congrats to the Steelers for winning. I'll get that out now while I can. They won, they are the champs. Had they not been playing Seattle, chance are I would have been rooting for them because of Cowher.

The Seahawks didn't do thmeselves any favors by dropping balls, missing FGs, punting in the end zone, and not managing th clock. Still, the refs made it clear who's side they were on. It tougher to win when you're outnumbered. Like I broke it down earlier, questionable calls cost Seattle at least 7 points and up to 18. Even with Seattle's mistakes, the game suddenly has a whole new face if a couple of those calls are not made.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:14 am

Did anyone hear Madden last night, "I wonder what they were looking at that they had to take his pants off for?"

Freaking hilarious.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:19 am

Strange game, not exactly compelling football. But the Steelers are deserving champs. All this whining about the refs from Seahawks' fans is ridiculous.

Let's see: Pittsburgh doesn't have a first down in the first quarter. Roethlisberger has an off day. Pittsburgh's defense looks VERY vulnerable and soft on the Seahawks' early drives.

And yet Seattle still loses by 11? Let's face it: The Seahawks didn't deserve to win. Crummy time management, butter-fingered receivers, especially the one who could ill afford it after opening his pie hole during the week, poor pass protection at key times, inopportune penalties, horrid defense against the Steelers' gadget plays, which everyone knows are coming at some point.

I could care less about either team, but Pittsburgh is a most deserving champion.

Take care,
PK

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:21 am

I really respect the Seattle players for not taking the easy way out and blaming the loss on the officials. I think they realize why they lost:

"We're not going to blame this game on anyone but us," said defensive end Grant Wistrom. "They came up with the big plays, and we didn't. They didn't make the penalties, and we did. We had our opportunities and didn't take advantage of them."

"We just didn't execute to the best of our abilities," said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. "That's why (Pittsburgh) is the Super Bowl champion, and we're not." ......"The bottom line is we just didn't play well enough to win."

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:34 am

It pains me to say it, but nice job Steelers.

Who would have thought Holmgren would get out-coached by Cowher? I thought for sure the Seahawks would be better prepared than the Steelers. Shows what I know. Who knows, maybe they were, they just didn't execute.

BTW, How pathetic is Joe Montana? I can't believe he didn't show up to that awesome pregame ceremony because the NFL wouldn't give him a $100,000 appearance fee. That's sad.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:42 am

Feanor wrote:The way many NFL punters boot punts into and thru the end zone without even trying to kick it out of bounds at the 10 yard line drives me crazy. Have these punters and their coaches never watched a game of rugby, played the punting mini-games on Madden or just used basic common sense?

Glad I was not the only one wondering this. Unbelievably poor execution...what shocked me is how the Seattle punter never even tried to aim for the corners....

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:46 am

DivotMaker wrote: Glad I was not the only one wondering this. Unbelievably poor execution...what shocked me is how the Seattle punter never even tried to aim for the corners....

I mentioned it to my GF last night while watching the game.. it cost them nearly 100 yards of field position.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:47 am

pk500 wrote:Strange game, not exactly compelling football. But the Steelers are deserving champs. All this whining about the refs from Seahawks' fans is ridiculous.

Let's see: Pittsburgh doesn't have a first down in the first quarter. Roethlisberger has an off day. Pittsburgh's defense looks VERY vulnerable and soft on the Seahawks' early drives.

And yet Seattle still loses by 11? Let's face it: The Seahawks didn't deserve to win. Crummy time management, butter-fingered receivers, especially the one who could ill afford it after opening his pie hole during the week, poor pass protection at key times, inopportune penalties, horrid defense against the Steelers' gadget plays, which everyone knows are coming at some point.

I could care less about either team, but Pittsburgh is a most deserving champion.

Take care,
PK

I agree that Seattle ultimately did not execute well enough to win, HOWEVER I do NOT agree that whining about the officiating is "ridiculous".

If you look at the key penalties that were called, Seattle WAS executing at the time in question. Penalties can take the wind out of your sails, especially when they negate a score or a key first down. There were 2-3 CRITICAL blown calls that I saw go against Seattle that changed the entire complexion of the game.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:49 am

More from ESPN saying the refs sucked plus Little Mike on Mike & Mike just said the officiating in the NFL is the worst it has ever been. So much for the hype machine.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs0 ... d=tab1pos2

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:49 am

lexbur wrote:BTW, How pathetic is Joe Montana? I can't believe he didn't show up to that awesome pregame ceremony because the NFL wouldn't give him a $100,000 appearance fee. That's sad.

That explains it. During that presentation we were asking each other why Montana wasn't there.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:53 am

Feanor wrote:
tjung0831 wrote:
XXXIV wrote: I agree...Oh how I agree!
There should have been a federal investigation into that game without a doubt. There is a website somewhere that breaks it down play by play and there are no other conclusions you can come to other than the game was fixed

Tim
I particularly hated in the 2nd half when they made Seattle's QB overthow his receiver terribly and gift the Steelers an interception. Such cheating.

Uh...i'm talking about a different game here...not the Steelers and Seahawk, so not sure what your point is here.
Were there some questionable calls with the majority of them going against the Seahawks...you bet. I don't care for either team nor did I care who won, but as an NFL fan I just hate when officiating can play a huge part in the outcome of what is supposed to be the the biggest football game of the year.