2008 NFL Season

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:31 am

Danimal wrote:
Brando70 wrote: I agree on the review, but at the same time, that play wouldn't have gotten overturned. Warner lost the football before his arm went forward.
Not saying I disagree but the point is I don't understand how you don't review it, especially when the crew made a similar incorrect call earlier forcing the Cards to use a challenge.

The officials played a big part because both teams made a lot of penalties. I agree with PK, the only really bad call was the roughing the passer against Arizona. The others were reasonable.
Running into the holder was a joke call guy had lost his moment and bumped him. Harrison not being ejected for basically throwing 4 punches at a guy who was down is another bad call. Holding in the end zone, questionable IMO but 90% of holding calls are questionable. The roughing the passer on Ben, a joke.

Again I really don't care who won, but in a season of some of the worst officiating I can recall in my lifetime, it was show cased today in Tampa.

You're not wrong - that INT return could be used as a clinic for trainee officials as to show 'now HERE's an illegal block in the back', and Harrison's classy fisticuffs just put the icing on the cake.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:33 am

Danimal wrote:Running into the holder was a joke call guy had lost his moment and bumped him. Harrison not being ejected for basically throwing 4 punches at a guy who was down is another bad call. Holding in the end zone, questionable IMO but 90% of holding calls are questionable. The roughing the passer on Ben, a joke.

Short of grabbing the D-lineman's shirt and doing the do-sey-do, that holding call in the end zone was about as obvious as you'll see. The Steelers O-lineman tackled the Arizona player when he was overwhelmed by the bull rush.

Harrison? Yeah, you have a point. But I'm a boxing fanatic. It's always important to work the body before finishing a guy.

Take care,
PK

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:16 am

davet010 wrote: You're not wrong - that INT return could be used as a clinic for trainee officials as to show 'now HERE's an illegal block in the back', and Harrison's classy fisticuffs just put the icing on the cake.

You guys are right but I didnt notice it until the 3rd time I saw it so I can see how the dopes missed it.

Even though I wanted the Cards to win cause of Warner I still think the Steelers would have found a way to win. Imo they are the better team.
The Cardinals had the game. They just needed to make one defensive stop and they couldnt do it.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:22 am

XXXIV wrote:
davet010 wrote: You're not wrong - that INT return could be used as a clinic for trainee officials as to show 'now HERE's an illegal block in the back', and Harrison's classy fisticuffs just put the icing on the cake.
You guys are right but I didnt notice it until the 3rd time I saw it so I can see how the dopes missed it.

Even though I wanted the Cards to win cause of Warner I still think the Steelers would have found a way to win. Imo they are the better team.
The Cardinals had the game. They just needed to make one defensive stop and they couldnt do it.

Or made one of the 27 chances they had to tackle Harrison before letting him run the ball all the way back.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:28 am

bdoughty wrote:Anyone else think the TGIF Commercial guy had replaced Jeff Reed with that dyed hair he was sporting?

That's what I was thinking when I saw him out there for the coin flip

JOZ · Post by **JOZ** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 11:09 am

The NFL to me is almost becoming unwatchable. There are SO many dumb rules.

A guy is able to throw the football 30 yards into the stands after he is a foot outside of the tackle????

A guys who is busting his ass to sack a guy is supposed to stop on a dime a split second after the quarterback throws the ball.

If you swipe to knock a ball loose from the quarterback and miss and touch his helmet, personal fould and first down. Ridiculous.

How about an offensive guy is able to damn near push a guys helmet off by the face mask with a stiff arm, but if the defensive guy touches a face mask, 15 yards.

A guy busting his ass to block a kick and barely misses it, but is somehow supposed to turn his body in mid air before he runs into a kicker/holder.

If someone runs into a punter then the team gets an automatic first down, but not if a blocker holds a guy on the ground and punches him in the back. Huh?

You could list several more, but most of these I was reminded of last night. Last night's game could have been a classic, but was hampered heavily by ridiculous calls/rules.

You have to give the Steelers some credit though. They came up with a huge drive.

Big Ben amazes me how he is able to get away from everybody at his size and make a play. He also made some great throws at the end where only his receiver could get to it.

Santonio Holmes made himself some big money as I believe he is a free agent.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:13 pm

Was Super Bowl X the one where Jackie Smith TE dropped an easy (please you better not drop this ridiculously sure) pass from Staubach in the endzone?

No that was XIII.

X is the one where Swann makes the impossible catch on the sideline.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:14 pm

Brando70 wrote:
XXXIV wrote:
davet010 wrote: You're not wrong - that INT return could be used as a clinic for trainee officials as to show 'now HERE's an illegal block in the back', and Harrison's classy fisticuffs just put the icing on the cake.
You guys are right but I didnt notice it until the 3rd time I saw it so I can see how the dopes missed it.

Even though I wanted the Cards to win cause of Warner I still think the Steelers would have found a way to win. Imo they are the better team.
The Cardinals had the game. They just needed to make one defensive stop and they couldnt do it.
Or made one of the 27 chances they had to tackle Harrison before letting him run the ball all the way back.

Harrison was the lil engine that could...

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:28 pm

XXXIV wrote:Harrison was the lil engine that could...

That was clearly the Madden cheat logic at work

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 1:52 pm

XXXIV wrote:
davet010 wrote: You're not wrong - that INT return could be used as a clinic for trainee officials as to show 'now HERE's an illegal block in the back', and Harrison's classy fisticuffs just put the icing on the cake.
You guys are right but I didnt notice it until the 3rd time I saw it so I can see how the dopes missed it.

Yeah, it's amazing what you see when you watch it multiple times. I remember bitching about the Seahawks blocking Ben in the back in Super Bowl XL after his interception that would have changed field position 60 yards. It happens. That play was utter chaos. I imagine the first responsibility for the officials running full speed with a mass of humanity blocking their view was to make sure Harrison didn't step out.

What you will see on the replay if you catch the angle from opposite end zone is Larry Fitzgerald jogging for the first 10-15 yards before he turns on the jets to try and catch Harrison. I love Fitz, but I'm glad he didn't hustle all out on that play and just assumed Harrison would be taken down earlier.

I thought it was ironic that the Steelers benefited from a questionable roughing the passer given the fact that those calls went against them for much of the season (remember Troy Polamalu's comments earlier this year) and the fact that Ben got drilled late in the back in the AFC Championship game with no flag. I was happy to see the holding calls called since Harrison is virtually unblockable and routinely horse collared. I thought all the holding calls against the Steelers...all costly (one stopping a long gain, one putting them at 1-20 on the final drive, and another resulting in a safety) were appropriate.

Great game. I'd probably rank it as my 2nd favorite Steelers SB win just because I was too young for the first 2.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 2:53 pm

Nice bonus for us Steelers fan...I saw that the Super Bowl video (with season highlights) will be coming out on Blu Ray this year. Release date is shown as March 3.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:21 pm

Leebo33 wrote:What you will see on the replay if you catch the angle from opposite end zone is Larry Fitzgerald jogging for the first 10-15 yards before he turns on the jets to try and catch Harrison. I love Fitz, but I'm glad he didn't hustle all out on that play and just assumed Harrison would be taken down earlier.

Yeah, I noticed that too. It's amazing how easily he caught him too, especially since he was run out of bounds by his own guy about halfway down the field and then still caught him in the end. Too bad he couldn't have taken another step, and then pushed him out of bounds since the time had expired, but oh well.

btmmayor · Post by **btmmayor** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:46 pm

Leebo33 wrote:Yeah, it's amazing what you see when you watch it multiple times. I remember bitching about the Seahawks blocking Ben in the back in Super Bowl XL after his interception that would have changed field position 60 yards. It happens.

It does happen. Just ask any Steeler's fan that watched David Garrard scramble on 4th and 2 last year to knock Pittsburgh out of the playoffs. It was even more fun 3 months after the game when Mike Pereira, the NFL's head of officiating, admitted during the NFL Spring meetings that the officials blew it by not calling the hold.

You can point to almost any NFL game and find multiple officiating goofs. The game is just too fast with 22 players on the field. It's just more magnified during the playoffs, and especially during the Super Bowl.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:07 pm

GTHobbes wrote:Nice bonus for us Steelers fan...I saw that the Super Bowl video (with season highlights) will be coming out on Blu Ray this year. Release date is shown as March 3.

Sweet!

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:20 pm

I thought Tim Hightower got blocked in the back on Harrison's INT return, but now I'm not so sure. I watched a replay and it looked like he might have been hit in the side of his shoulder.

I also have no idea WTF Matt Millen is doing as a football analyst. I know he played for SB teams yadda yadda yadda, but every time he offers his opinion, they should run montage footage of the Lions draft picks he made.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:29 pm

Did you guys hear about the porn that (ahem) popped up after Fitzgerald's touchdown run? The link below is okay but has the NSFW video if you pervs want to see it.

http://valleywag.gawker.com/5144428/com ... e=true&s=x

Nothing ruins a Super Bowl party like a screen full of dong, apparently.

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:27 pm

I'm still sky high two days after the win. I actually took a vacation day yesterday just to sit home and watch all of the sports talk shows all day and bask in the glory of the win. This is what I always imagined winning the Super Bowl would be like. When Pittsburgh won 3 years ago, it was really a letdown as the game was boring, Ben was awful, and all anyone has talked about ever since was that the refs gave the game to Pittsburgh. This year was the opposite, with an exciting game full of huge plays that every football fan could enjoy.

As hard as it was watching the Steelers blow that 13 point lead, it was worth it to get that finish. Like most people posting in this thread during the game, I thought it was over early. After that td right before halftime, and the score by Pittsburgh right before the end of the third quarter, I figured the Cards would throw in the towel. All the credit to them for fighting back though and dominating the 4th quarter, at least up until that final drive by the Steelers. And what a drive it was. Although I was down after Arizona took the lead, I was actually very confident the Steelers would at least tie the game as Ben has led so many winning drives at the end of games this year. I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the replays of the winning td. I literally ran around my living room yelling, I have never been more excited as a sports fan.

The only downside to this is that I will probably never have a better moment as a fan, I have peaked early. This was one of the best Super Bowls ever, and my team not only participated in it, but won it in the most exciting fashion possible. How can this be topped? Not that I am complaining.

I honestly hope all of you can experience this feeling with whichever team is your favorite, as the sweetness of a victory like this makes up for all of the pain of all of the losses.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:31 pm

HipE wrote: as the sweetness of a victory like this makes up for all of the pain of all of the losses.

Exactly...All those tough heart breaking losses make that ultimate victory all that much sweeter.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:37 pm

Great post, Hip...almost exactly how I feel 2 days later.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:40 pm

Pittsburgh has been as consistent as any team all year.

But in the game, even with the last-minute comeback, Arizona outplayed them.

Their defense just couldn't finish though and the Steelers just got out with the skin of their teeth.

There's talk about Rothlisberger being an elite QB now. But he seems too dependent on extending the play by moving around (often out of the pocket and then back in, to be able to throw to any receiver, rather than rolling out to one side where he could only throw to one half of the field).

He won't be able to produce consistent numbers until he gets in the habit of hitting the timing patterns, instead of trying to make plays with his feet and his pump fakes.

It's a good thing he's played with dominant defenses.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:46 pm

I strongly disagree, WCO. There's no QB in the league I'd rather have on my team. The big fella's probably the most exciting QB I've ever watched, and he flat out wins.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:57 pm

XXXIV wrote:
HipE wrote: as the sweetness of a victory like this makes up for all of the pain of all of the losses.
Exactly...All those tough heart breaking losses make that ultimate victory all that much sweeter.

I'm a lifelong Bills' fan: I hate all of you.

Take care,
PK

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:05 pm

wco81 wrote:Pittsburgh has been as consistent as any team all year.

But in the game, even with the last-minute comeback, Arizona outplayed them.

Their defense just couldn't finish though and the Steelers just got out with the skin of their teeth.

There's talk about Rothlisberger being an elite QB now. But he seems too dependent on extending the play by moving around (often out of the pocket and then back in, to be able to throw to any receiver, rather than rolling out to one side where he could only throw to one half of the field).

He won't be able to produce consistent numbers until he gets in the habit of hitting the timing patterns, instead of trying to make plays with his feet and his pump fakes.

It's a good thing he's played with dominant defenses.

I disagree that Arizona outplayed Pittsburgh. They led the game for all of 2 minutes, and put up all of their numbers in the 4th quarter when the Steelers were sitting on a two score lead. I think if Pittsburgh had stayed aggressive the entire time, they would have won a lot more easily.

If you look at just the total yards, yes Arizona dominated those stats. The same way you don't think Roethlisberger is an elite quarterback because of his stats. But you can't judge everything just by stats. Do you think Warner played a better game at quarterback than Ben because he put up 100 more yards passing, and more touchdowns? Ben played behind an inferior line, and when he had time he threw the ball accurately downfield, like on the first two drives and the last drive. He also bought time to make plays where he had no protection. His only mistake basically was a fluke tipped pass for an interception, where Warner threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

I realize Ben will never get any credit from some people, and that is fine. You say he relies on extending plays too much, but who is to say there is anything wrong with that? He has two titles in five years, so it obviously works. If he was asked to throw more, I have no doubt that he could put up big numbers. Don't forget that he played this season with a below average line, an average group of receivers, and no running game. And in the Super Bowl, Ward was playing on one leg. On the final drive, Ben stayed in the pocket nearly every play since he finally had time to throw, and he picked the Cardinals apart in the most pressure packed situation there is. Is that not elite qb play?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:08 pm

wco81 wrote:There's talk about Rothlisberger being an elite QB now. But he seems too dependent on extending the play by moving around (often out of the pocket and then back in, to be able to throw to any receiver, rather than rolling out to one side where he could only throw to one half of the field).

He won't be able to produce consistent numbers until he gets in the habit of hitting the timing patterns, instead of trying to make plays with his feet and his pump fakes.

It's a good thing he's played with dominant defenses.

Funny how Roethlisberger is considered a lucky bum but Brady is a legend. Let's look at their respective stats over the first five seasons of their careers:

YARDS
Brady: 18,029
Ben: 14,974

AVG. COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
Brady: 62.0%
Ben: 62.8%

AVG. QB RATING
Brady 88.6%
Ben: 91.2%

SUPER BOWL RINGS
Brady: 3
Ben: 2

The only area in which "First Ballot to Canton" Brady has a clear edge is passing yards, yet "Bumbling Ben" Roethlisberger has operated in a much more run-oriented offense. Otherwise, their numbers are comparable, or Ben is even superior.

You're smoking Michael Phelps' bong if you think Roethlisberger isn't one of the elite QB's in the NFL today.

Take care,
PK

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:51 pm

pk500 wrote:
XXXIV wrote:
HipE wrote: as the sweetness of a victory like this makes up for all of the pain of all of the losses.
Exactly...All those tough heart breaking losses make that ultimate victory all that much sweeter.
I'm a lifelong Bills' fan: I hate all of you.

Take care,
PK

...EDIT:You cant hate me for 1 f***in win

As for Ben the man....

Roethlisberger is a bad ass who is destined for the HoF..The rest is just player hating.