OT: Super Bowl Predictions

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:06 pm

Its hard for me to imagine someone NOT thinking that was offensive PI.

- it was a great call.

the Ben TD

- could have gone either way

no way it was blatantly NOT a touchdown.

The call against Matt was bogus but completely moot.

What about the overturned fumble that gave the ball back to Micro$oft err Seattle.

People are acting like the game was rigged and the officiating was awful, it wasn't.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:08 pm

Brando70 wrote:I really think part of the problem is that the NFL rules have gotten too damn complicated. The officials have to process so much (eg horsecollars, when you can go for the ball, etc.), that they have an almost impossible task to call games consistently. It would be in the league's best interest to just let guys play and limit flags to more obvious penalties.

And yet millions of viewers can somehow determine the correct call prior to a replay even being shown. Prior to any replays being shown I saw the horse collar, the "illegal block" on a tackle, 2 offsides, a delay of game that was given a timeout, and a non-call of a WR holding.

I would rather they didn't call a couple of things ratehr than take away big plays for stuff most people don't even see as a penalty. At least be consistent for both sides.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:14 pm

matthewk wrote:Let's please seperate plays that "could have" gone another way from bad calls. Every single play in the game could have had a different outcome. The reason so many people are outraged is that plays were changed by the officials. Take every play exactly as it happened last night, correct the calls, and you are left with Seatle having a good chance of winning that game.

The only blatantly wrong call I saw was the Hasselbeck personal foul. Maybe that had a small affect on the game as it gave Pittsburgh a little better field position. I just saw the holding call replayed on Sports Center and it was legit. The PI was a judgment call that could have gone either way. It's not like there wasn't any contact. The Hasselbeck fumble call was correctly overturned.

You guys are making it seem like the Seahawks had an interception overturned that was viewed for 5 minutes by the officials. The questionable calls that I saw were judgment calls.

It's useless to even debate anyway. For every Seahawk fan that sees a missed "horsecollar" call a Steeler fan sees a missed helmet to helmet contact call on Hines Ward. For every Seattle fan that sees a potential pylon grazing touchdown, a Steeler fan will point out that Jackson pushed off to be open to begin with.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:17 pm

pk500 wrote: losing the lead to Dallas after halftime in the Bills' fourth Super Bowl still rattle off the inside of my brain a lot more than a sense of accomplishment for the team during those glory years.

In other words, yes, losing those games still sucks.

Take care,
PK

I lost $200 on that game. Ill never forget Thurmans fumble that went for a TD to start the second half ....and him taking hiself out of the game. He really pissed me off...
Im sure he didnt make you happy either.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:39 pm

DivotMaker wrote:Am I complaining? I just made an observation. No need to get so defensive. I am glad for you that the Steelers won, but I am just stating my gut reactions and feelings about the game. nothing more, nothing less.

Defensive? I was just joking around. It's hard to convey tone in a posting. I'm on cloud 9 right now. It's fun discussing the game. I do feel bad for the non partisan fans that were expecting a perfectly officiated game with perfect judgment. I wish the officials had no impact in any Super Bowl, NBA Championship, NCAA BCS, Final 4, World Series etc. Unfortunately, just like Big Ben can make bad decisions in the Super Bowl so can the officials and they made a few calls some people didn't like. I've been on the other end of the calls plenty of times. It's just part of the game involving humans. Thank God they didn't have instant replay during the "Immaculate Reception."

I think it's fair to question the calls and wonder what might have been. I think it's perfectly reasonable to demand more from our officials. I just think some people are taking it a bit too far with the conspiracy talk. I honestly believe that the official makes the same PI call in that situation whether it is Darrell Jackson or Cedric Wilson. I have to admit though that it does make for good reading and it pretty much comes up after every game. One year there is a conspiracy to get the Patriots to win the Super Bowl after 9/11 and then a few years later the league is sick of them and conspires to make them lose at Denver.

Tell me the Steelers were lucky to get the calls. Tell me the Seahawks were the better team. That's fine. Just don't tell me that the Seahawks would have won with the calls or that the league conspired against them. It was stupid when Joey Porter said it and it's stupid when one of us does.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:47 pm

Leebo,

I wouldn't deny any Steelers fan their joy, especially you. But what makes this particularly aggravating for disinterested fans is the combination of the poor calls with the fact that Seattle moved the ball so well. If Seattle had sh*t themselves repeatedly and not gotten a passle of first downs I don't think the officiating would have been as galling.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:55 pm

RobVarak wrote:Leebo,

I wouldn't deny any Steelers fan their joy, especially you. But what makes this particularly aggravating for disinterested fans is the combination of the poor calls with the fact that Seattle moved the ball so well. If Seattle had sh*t themselves repeatedly and not gotten a passle of first downs I don't think the officiating would have been as galling.

Fair enough. I can understand that. As a disinterested fan I too would be upset at the holding call because it denied a potential fantastic finish and a lead change always adds to the drama. I think in the regular season it's an "an untimely holding call" and we move on.

It's not even that the talk is denying me any joy. I'm pretty darn happy

I'd probably would have been a little happier without Ben's pick and a more convincing win, but not much. Hopefully, they can win the next one a little easier. It's just that I don't like the questioning of the integrity of the game itself. It would kill me if it was ever proven that the game is fixed for *any* team let alone the Steelers.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:57 pm

Wrong calls, judgment calls, whatever... The fact that I am trying to make is that those ALL had a huge effect on MOMENTUM. Seattle had to overcome much more adversity after each one of those calls which takes a big toll on a team. We have to keep in mind the context of those ref calls too. I cannot stress enough on how they were all on HUGE plays. These calls were not on turnovers in mid-filed and 3rd down conversions (which are big plays in their own right), but on touchdowns or plays that would put them in easy scoring position. Talk about taking the wind out of a teams sails.

Again, put Pittsburgh in the same position and we would have seen them flounder even worse IMO.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:09 pm

Spooky wrote:Wrong calls, judgment calls, whatever... The fact that I am trying to make is that those ALL had a huge effect on MOMENTUM.

Sure it had an effect on MOMENTUM. But, would you rather have the referees make calls against their judgment just so Seattle could have kept their momentum? That makes no sense. Blame Seattle's players. If Darrell Jackson didn't need to push off then why do it? Why hold a pass rusher if you don't need to?

Pittsburgh had their share of bad calls, overwhelming odds, and unfortunate plays all throughout the playoffs and were still able to come out on top in the end. I'm not so sure they don't win regardless of any calls.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:12 pm

You know what guys...I know why there is so much "talk" about all of these conspiracies and blow calls. It's because the game was horrible. It was probably the least entertaining Super Bowl in the last 10 years and that's why people feel the need to pick apart the officiating. The game was played poorly by both teams on both sides of the ball...it just wasn't entertaining. The extra week off clearly ruined any momentum both Seattle and Pittsburgh had...that is the issue. Both teams were rusty and nervous and it turned into a boring game.

If it had been sharply played with lots of big plays and entertainment...everyone but the Seahawks fans would be talking about that, not the ticky tack fouls that happen in EVERY SINGLE GAME EVER PLAYED IN THE NFL. It certainly didn't help that all of the hyped stars didn't do crap. Polamalu, Porter, Big Ben, Alexander, Hasselback, Stevens...all of them just played blah...nothing great. Nothing to get us talking about the play on the field...hence this 8 page thread on touch fouls.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:19 pm

I agree, DB. This was a very forgettable Super Bowl. The only thing people outside of Seattle and Pittsburgh will remember in a few weeks are Parker's run and Randle El's pass. This conspiracy talk is fun, but will last a few days and then people will start thinking about the draft.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:29 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:You know what guys...I know why there is so much "talk" about all of these conspiracies and blow calls. It's because the game was horrible. It was probably the least entertaining Super Bowl in the last 10 years and that's why people feel the need to pick apart the officiating. The game was played poorly by both teams on both sides of the ball...it just wasn't entertaining. The extra week off clearly ruined any momentum both Seattle and Pittsburgh had...that is the issue. Both teams were rusty and nervous and it turned into a boring game.

If it had been sharply played with lots of big plays and entertainment...everyone but the Seahawks fans would be talking about that, not the ticky tack fouls that happen in EVERY SINGLE GAME EVER PLAYED IN THE NFL. It certainly didn't help that all of the hyped stars didn't do crap. Polamalu, Porter, Big Ben, Alexander, Hasselback, Stevens...all of them just played blah...nothing great. Nothing to get us talking about the play on the field...hence this 8 page thread on touch fouls.

EXCELLENT post. As someone who had no real rooting interest in either team, it was a fairly dull game that had a pretty mediocre standard of execution on both sides of the ball.

Then again, we've been spoiled by some pretty excellent Super Bowls the last few years. Thinking back to Niners-Broncos, Bears-Pats and some of those other stinkers in the 80s, I guess this wasn't that bad. But it wasn't championship-caliber football.

Mistakes and poor execution kept the score low, not great defense.

Take care,
PK

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:34 pm

3 weeks ago, the NFL wanted the Steelers out of the playoffs, and tried to give the game to the Colts. Now, they wanted the Steelers to win the Super Bowl?

You conspiracy theorists need to make up your minds!

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:36 pm

You want conspiracy, talk about http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Sep17.html

Denver won two super bowls while cheating and violating the salary cap, yet I don't recall ever hearing about this on sports center.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:41 pm

Yesterday was the first time I ever remember channel-surfing during the Super Bowl, it was that dull.

In fact, it was funny, I found myself channel-surfing while the game was on, and coming back to it when the ads came on. Kinda the way they must watch football games in the bizarro world.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:42 pm

bdunn13 wrote:You want conspiracy, talk about http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Sep17.html

Denver won two super bowls while cheating and violating the salary cap, yet I don't recall ever hearing about this on sports center.

Werent the Niners doing the same kind of thing earlier?

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:45 pm

It was a poorly played and poorly officiated game but I was still glued to it. Ill take a terrible Superbowl almost anything else there is to watch...almost anything else

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:57 pm

Leebo33 wrote:I agree, DB. This was a very forgettable Super Bowl. The only thing people outside of Seattle and Pittsburgh will remember in a few weeks are Parker's run and Randle El's pass. This conspiracy talk is fun, but will last a few days and then people will start thinking about the draft.

Will they though? NFL films will feature those plays but a lot of fans will remember the calls about SuperBowl 40.

Best thing for the Steeler and the NFL is for them to win one or two more in the next couple of years to make people forget about this one.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:10 pm

Leebo33 wrote:
BTW, what was up with the section of empty seats?

I think what you saw was the section of seats that they used for the overflow of media, since they can't possibly fit everybody covering the game in the pressbox.

They use two rows of seats to build a long table/countertop thing for every one row of people sitting there with their laptops or whatever. From a distance it looks like mostly empty seats, especially if the tables are the same colors as the seats.

They did that at the Jake during the World Series. Seems like a waste of seats, but I guess they have to do it.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:13 pm

OK, that makes sense. I was wondering because I read an article that there was still one luxury suite available as of 1PM for $60-70k.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:15 pm

wco81 wrote:Best thing for the Steeler and the NFL is for them to win one or two more in the next couple of years to make people forget about this one.

Sounds good to me

b_assassin · Post by **b_assassin** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:24 pm

I'm sure I'll get flamed by the "get over it, your team lost because they made mistakes" crowd, but I don't care. I sincerely believe that there was motivation for the NFL to have the Steelers win that game last night. When a number of questionable calls go against Seattle, and NOT ONE against Pittsburgh, it is hard to extinguish the thought in my mind. So, even if there wasn't a willful conspiracy to give Pittsburgh the game, gross incompetence by the officials certainly made it seem so. I'm not saying the Seattle would have won if those calls had gone the other way, but they definitely would have been in a much better position to win the game if they hadn't. No matter your stand on the issue, you have to admit that the officiating changed the complexion of the game, and NOT in Seattle's favor.

I'm admittedly biased on the issue, and to watch my team lose a game that most conventional measures (sans the final score) indicate they should have won, it leaves a real bad taste in my mouth. Had I realized sooner that I wasn't actually watching a football game but instead the final episode in the "Slobbering Bill takes the Love Bus to Detroit" mini-series, then I wouldn't care. But since they tried to pass of the event as a legitimate football contest, and instead gaves us a bunch of scripted BS masquerading as a football game, I have to call bullsh*t.

Flame away, enjoy your farce of a championship Steeler fans.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:26 pm

bdunn13 wrote:People are acting like the game was rigged and the officiating was awful, it wasn't.

I don't think the game was rigged. I really don't think anyone seriously does. We make those comments because it sure appeared that way.

Oh, and you are wrong. The officiating was awful. The only way you are right is if you meant that it was worse than awful.

TheHiddenTrack · Post by **TheHiddenTrack** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:28 pm

matthewk wrote:
bdunn13 wrote:People are acting like the game was rigged and the officiating was awful, it wasn't.
I don't think the game was rigged. I really don't think anyone seriously does. We make those comments because it sure appeared that way.

Oh, and you are wrong. The officiating was awful. The only way you are right is if you meant that it was worse than awful.

People hate to admit that the officials may have made a difference in the outcome of the game.

The NFL could admit officially admit that they fixed the game (obviously NOT what happened) and people would still say that the Seahawks just couldn't overcome adversity.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:46 pm

b_assassin wrote:Flame away, enjoy your farce of a championship Steeler fans.

Don't get pissed at Steelers fans. If you've got a beef with the NFL that is fine, but we've got nothing to do with it. BTW, I'm going to enjoy this as much as I would any other championship. I can't control the refs. I couldn't control them when they made a "touch" roughing the kicker call in 2002 to give the Titans a win, I couldn't control their calls when they screwed Polamalu out of an interception, and I certainly couldn't control their calls in the Super Bowl. Yes, I'm enjoying this championship. I reflect on the whole postseason and it's been a great ride. I wish the team played better on Sunday, but that's OK.