Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

[Ingtar33]

1) yes i was rooting hard for Pittsburg

2) Seattle was killed by the refs tonight.
details
-PI call was ticky tack, and while it was right (within the definition of the penalty) i don't think it needed to be called
-Big Ben's TD could have gone either way, if i was calling it on the field i'd probably call it a TD, if i was under the hood, i'd have ruled that Ben FUMBLED the football, and did not have control when the ball crossed the goal-line (yes the football crossed the goal-line), he regained control and was down by contact when the ball was behind the goal-line, no touchdown. But then I'm not an NFL ref, and i have the luxury of making such a call with no repercussions. The safe play for the ref was to say there was no incontrovertible evidence either way.
-The MH 15 yard personal foul on the INT return was a terrible call
-the holding on the big Warrick punt return was weak

3) Pit brought it's 'C-' game and still won, a result of luck, good coaching, bad officiating, and an extremely mediocre opponent.

4) what can we learn from this game? The 6th best team in the AFC is marginally better then the best team in the NFC. Seahawks were the product of the leagues easiest schedule (statistical fact, Seahawk opponents combined record = .430 winning percentage), weak conference, one of the strongest O-lines in the league and an above average defense.

5) be prepped for at least two more AFC wins in the super bowl before the NFC has a team ready to challenge for a championship... and yes, the Steelers have to be the weakest SB champ since the 2000 Patriots, who, truth be told, were even luckier to win their bowl then the Steelers tonight (due in large part to the fact they were playing a VERY good football team, where as the Steelers were not).

6) this was a terrible game to watch, as both teams played bad enough to lose

[Novacane]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

What about the "hold" that wiped out a Seattle first and goal at the 2

[Ingtar33]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

it was a hold from the one shot i saw of it... the right side of the seattle line was holding all game... if seattle needs a goat that's where they should look as their right guard and tackle cost them plenty.

[Novacane]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

And Stephens. His drops killed them

[Ingtar33]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

yep... though it was not just Stephens... the seattle droppsies came back today in force.

[BSXIII]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

Seattle won in the trenches tonight, but don't blame the refs. Yes maybe the Steelers did get the benefit of the doubt, but they won fair and square. Calling Hasslebeck even a mediocre QB is a major stretch. From what he did at BC and at a professional level, he couldn’t even hold Flutie’s jock. Had Seattle ditched Hasslesuck and signed their hometown hero last off season, they easily win tonights game.

[Mr. Cynical]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

Seattle's D actually impressed me tonight. In fact, I think you could argue that overal the Hawks played better than the Steelers, except for the big plays which the Steelers made when they had to.

However, that said, the Hawks got jobbed by the refs. The backlash should be interesting to watch unfold over the next day or so.

[Crisis]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

What about the horse collar Porter had on Alexander??

The refs blew.

[YardRat]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

I'd take Hasselback over anybody the Bills have on their roster at the moment.

[AndreReed83]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

Right on Crisis. I noted that too when it happened. Even though I have yet to see that penalty called this season (I don't even know why they made it a rule, since they WON'T enforce it) that was a perfect time to call it. The collar was the only reason Porter brought Alexander down.

I think the offensive PI was actually a good, gutsy call at the time. Looking back on it now, it's way bad because I thought they would even the calls out throughout the game. The reason Jackson extended his arm is because Ike Taylor went to grab his arm, but missed. Common wideout move to push off a little when you are grabbed like that, but since Taylor did miss grabbing his arm, it just looked like an offensive PI. Bad call considering the way the rest of the game went reffing wise.

[Ingtar33]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

i've not seen the horse collar call in a game yet this year, so i don't know what needs to be 'seen' by the ref's to make it a penalty.

Unless i forget how the rule is written, I think the reason why it wasn't called was due to the fact Porter had two hands on Alexander, one on his neck, the other on his side. And in theory he wasn't dragging him down by the collar alone (though he was in reality, clearly dragging him down by the collar).

I figure if you're never going to call the penalty (which im reasonably sure it's never been called this year), then why start in the superbowl?

Weak i know, but then as i clearly stated, i thought Seattle got the shaft for most of the game from the refs...

[AndreReed83]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

What I find funny is that in being Super Bowl 40, in what was supposed to be the NFL's crowning achievement to date, and a culmination of it's history coupled with 'super' storylines like the Bus, Big Ben's promise to the Bus, Cowher and Holmgren, the Steelers possibly tying for the title of most Super Bowl wins, Seattle's first Super Bowl appearance, Alexander being the MVP, the QB play, Stevens/Porter, I could keep going on, instead this will probably go down amongst fans and others as the NFL's most embarrassing moment. The NFL pissed off 75% of it's fans tonight, if not more. *thumbs up* Paul Tagliabue. Pete Rozelle is spinning in his grave.

[Ingtar33]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

It was a terrible game to watch (not the ref's fault)
With terrible officiating
two not so great football teams
and boring commercials

heh... as i said, “Nightmare Super bowl is over.”

[The Spaz]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

Yeah I mean who doesn't know that tackling the ball carrier really is a block below the waist!?

[Bill Brasky]

Re: Nightmare SB is over: some brief thoughts

seattle won everything but the final score. i feel bad for their fans. if this had happened to us, we'd be ready for a mass suicide.

the nfl needs to overhaul a lot of things... mainly the officiating.

i think in the SUPER BOWL, their so called "game of the year", questionable calls should be able to be reviewed. it's their biggest game, their biggest moment, the one day where the entire league is on showcase, and they put out one of the worst products (games) of the season. the officiating was a joke, the game was boring, and the "entertainment" sucked. this game defines what the league is about, and to us hardcore fans who watch week in and week out this was a major dissapointment. i would have rather watched the Bills-Chargers game over this.

secondly, i think a big part of the problem is this 2 week layoff between the championships and the game. it's ridiculous. we had to hear about jerome bettis for 2 weeks, meanwhile the guy doesn't even get 30 yards rushing. who cares? joey porter and jeramy stevens, big deal! why hear this crap for 2 weeks when they can just keep the schedule, have a week off, and have a more competitive game.

i don't understand the NFL's marketing plan... "hey, let's bombard our hardcore fans with 2 weeks of BS and entertainment so we can get that 34 year old soccer mom who doesn't know a first down from a field goal to tune in!". great idea. those soccer moms aren't buying season tickets and merchandise. you can't tell me there wasn't a big difference between the Steelers of 2 weeks ago verses the team we saw tonight. they flat out sucked and had no business being in, let alone winning, this game. if the nfl continues this fiasco of trying to entertain instead of putting on a football game, nobody will go to games and put $$ in those owners' pockets. but the soccer moms might still watch.

dear paul, stop turning the game into a corporate festival and keep it what it is for 20 weeks throughout the year, otherwise it will turn into the NBA.