Worst Officiated SuperBowl EVER!

[aloofman]

Much as you might want to talk about the officiating, the game was decided on the field. You can't blame the officials for the longest run in Superbowl history, or for the pass off the reverse. And even if Ben had been stopped on the goal line (which he wasn't), they would've gone for it on the next play and Bettis would be in for the touchdown. And the officials didn't cause the woefully inept management of the clock by the Seahawks, or the two touchdown passes out of bounds.

Bingo. If Seahawks fans want someone to blame, it should be the Seahawks. So many bad mistakes. And I've never seen worse clock management in any game I've ever seen, pro or college. It was as if they didn't know there was a clock. Even if you allow for ref mistakes (and there were some minor ones - the Roethlisberger tackle, dumb holding call), it's hard to argue that Seattle deserved to win the game. They just got outplayed.

 

[xsedrinam]

Another article about the terrible officiating....this time from ESPN Senior Writer Michael Smith: <snip>

I'd like to see Michael Smith write an article about how ESPN has degenerated to a superlative-abusing ("best, most, ever, all time") sports studio of mediocrity, and infected its parroting fans with the same. That's why I don't watch them anymore. It probably wasn't the "worst ever" anything, last night. Congratulations, Steelers.

 

[Josh]

I have to agree - the officiating was terrible.

I think you could even tell in Ben Roethlisberger's eyes that he knew himself that they were being handed the game.

I was actually for Steelers winning the game - but I wanted them to earn it. They didn't, and I think deep down, each of them knows that.

Losing the game is not the worst that can happen in the Superbowl; Wearing a ring for the rest of your life, knowing deep inside that your team didn't deserve, would be much worse.

What happened to integrity? Honesty?

How could a ref watch his fellow refs control the direction of the game like that and be able to stay on the field?
A man with more stomach than I...

 

[Timepass]

yeah the offical where bad. But at the same time the Seahawks made some huge mistakes on the field.
Lets see 2 missed field goals.
They though several huge interceptions.

The steelers got sevearl big plays when it counted. the trick play that turn into a touch down was nice.

That so call touchdown that they say the steelers didnt get. I saw the ball cross the plan. (that being the line. the tip of the ball was on the line when it hit the ground. Simple trig props tell me that if it was touching when the arm was at an angle then when it was out strech it would of been over it.
The seahawks just played a bad game.

People want to blame the officals, But what about the interceptions that the seahawk throw, or the 2 miss field goals.

 

[wordmunger]

I have no problem with the Roethlisberger touchdown. I don't think it should have been called a touchdown, but it was. And since it was I think the official had to uphold it after the review.
But the Seahawks should have had a touchdown at the end of the half. The analysts were calling it the "Michael Vick Rule" where kicking the pilon should have counted as his 2nd foot being in when he caught the pass. Why the officials missed that and the replay booth didn't have them review it on such a close play is beyond me.

I agree with you on the "Michael Vick Rule" -- but I didn't see any analysts talk about that one at all. Madden and Michaels both seemed to think that was a good call. It made no sense to me.

I actually think they got the Roethlisberger call right. The ball crossed the plane. But two touchdowns were taken away from the Seahawks, and arguably a third was with the call on the 1 yard line. This should have been a Seahawks massacre of the Steelers.

Edit: timepass, the two missed FGs were from over 50 yards -- one was like a 58-yarder. 1 of 3 from 50 plus isn't great, but it's nothing to hang your head about.

 

[kwajo.com]

Let's hope the NFL isn't going the way of the NBA (which is about as rigged as wrestling).

what are you talking about? no it isn't. you honestly think the NBA wanted Pistons/Spurs in the Finals? I loved it , but to an average fan it would have been boring and the ratings showed that. NBA is not rigged, trust me if it was the Knicks and Lakers would be tops in the league, followed by Chicago, Houston and Toronto. but hey guess what, all those teams have terrible records



anyway, Rugby >>>> CFL >>>>> NFL

 

[eva01]

what are you talking about? no it isn't. you honestly think the NBA wanted Pistons/Spurs in the Finals? I loved it , but to an average fan it would have been boring and the ratings showed that. NBA is not rigged, trust me if it was the Knicks and Lakers would be tops in the league, followed by Chicago, Houston and Toronto. but hey guess what, all those teams have terrible records



anyway, Rugby >>>> CFL >>>>> NFL

NBA officiating is about as constructive as the officiating in wrestling.

Worst officials ever.

 

[JW8725]

Why don't you guys take up cricket instead? Far more fun! You can spend days watching one match, howzat?

 

[eva01]

Why don't you guys take up cricket instead? Far more fun! You can spend days watching one match, howzat?

I prefer my baseball and Hockey thank-you very much

 

[pseudobrit]

Yeah but if you agree that the offensive pass interference wasn't really a good call, then it is 14-14, not 14-10.

I can't understand the reasoning behind this mentality where people start adding and subtracting points from the game like scoring is an isolated and static event.

Okay, take away the Roethlisberger TD. Does that mean it goes into the half 3-0 Seahawks? It was 3rd down. How can you say that a QB sneak or a Bettis run on 4th wouldn't have gotten them the 6 anyway? Or they kick a FG?

Give the Seahawks their TD. Who's to say Randle El wouldn't have returned the kickoff after?

And you've got to think that Cowher would have played a different game with the clock had the game been closer at the end.

So there are some crappy calls; that's part of the game. The Steelers had a critical playoff call go wrongly against them and still managed to hold off Indianapolis. That game wasn't decided by Vanderjagt's missed FG, it was decided by the Steelers generally dominating the game. The only reason Indy even had a shot at the tie was because of a few sloppy but key turnovers.

Same thing here: Seattle could have won if they played better football. The Steelers didn't play their best but played as well as they had to. That's Cowher's style and I doubt he feels like he didn't "earn" this win just because he didn't win by 5 touchdowns.

 

[Studawg7]

I can't understand the reasoning behind this mentality where people start adding and subtracting points from the game like scoring is an isolated and static event.

Okay, take away the Roethlisberger TD. Does that mean it goes into the half 3-0 Seahawks? It was 3rd down. How can you say that a QB sneak or a Bettis run on 4th wouldn't have gotten them the 6 anyway? Or they kick a FG?

Give the Seahawks their TD. Who's to say Randle El wouldn't have returned the kickoff after?

And you've got to think that Cowher would have played a different game with the clock had the game been closer at the end.

So there are some crappy calls; that's part of the game. The Steelers had a critical playoff call go wrongly against them and still managed to hold off Indianapolis. That game wasn't decided by Vanderjagt's missed FG, it was decided by the Steelers generally dominating the game. The only reason Indy even had a shot at the tie was because of a few sloppy but key turnovers.

Same thing here: Seattle could have won if they played better football. The Steelers didn't play their best but played as well as they had to. That's Cowher's style and I doubt he feels like he didn't "earn" this win just because he didn't win by 5 touchdowns.

i second this post though I think the officiating was not as bad as people here are saying it was. also, for the one who said there were no MVPs in the game. the true MVP was the WHOLE Steeler team, everyone did something special to win the big game. Still, congrats to Ward, b/c he did have a good game.

oh one last thing, ESPN analysts are paid to generate ratings/more viewers, so take their "commentary" with a huge grain of salt. if they were as good as they want you to think they are on the subject of football they would either be playing, coaching, or managing a team. ESPN is like an awful soap opera, they have to come up with SOMETHING to talk about and keep you watching. hence, they are always creating some controversy.

 

[wordmunger]

i second this post. also, for the one who said there were no MVPs in the game. the true MVP was the WHOLE Steeler team, everyone did something special to win the big game. Still, congrats to Ward, b/c he did have a good game.

Oh, please... The whole team played awfully, except for three plays. Then they got gift penalties against the Hawks to seal the deal. Other than Roethlisberger's third-and 29 play, he did nothing the whole game.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

They ruined what could have been a great game, they get a F for blowing the game, screwing up calls and made up calls. They really showed how refs can turn around a game if paid enough.

 

[QCassidy352]

Much as you might want to talk about the officiating, the game was decided on the field. You can't blame the officials for the longest run in Superbowl history, or for the pass off the reverse. And even if Ben had been stopped on the goal line (which he wasn't), they would've gone for it on the next play and Bettis would be in for the touchdown. And the officials didn't cause the woefully inept management of the clock by the Seahawks, or the two touchdown passes out of bounds.

The Steelers had some pretty bad calls go against them in the playoffs - but the difference was, they still managed to win.

Gosh, a guy from pittsburgh thought the officiating was fair. I'm stunned.

I didn't even touch on the phantom pass interference call or the kicking-the-pylon play. Add to that the rushing touchdown that wasn't and the bs holding on the pass to the 1 and we're talking about a point swing so large that Pittsburgh could have lost by double digits (doubtful, but it would have been a totally different game).

You're right about breaking the plane, but wrong about where that is. You have to get in to the endzone, which starts at the blue, or to put it another way, the far side of the white line. So Ben was not in. And that brings up 4th down, so they probably kick a field goal. Or they can try Bettis, but it's not exactly like he's a sure thing. The 'hawks took him down in the backfield quite a few times.

You're right in that the officiating had nothing to do with the trick pass TD, that great run, or the Seahawk's bad clock management. The Steelers (big ben aside) played fairly well, but so did the Seahawks. The difference is the the steelers didn't have all of their big plays taken away from them on bs calls. Yes, the steelers were blatently robbed in the Colts game and won anyway, so kudos to them for that. But I was appalled by that officiating, and just glad that the right team managed to win in spite of the officiating. I don't know whether the Seahawks would have won a fairly officiated game, but they shouldn't have to play uphill (nor should the Steelers or anyone else).

Again, I'm not a fan of either team. But I am a football fan, and from the objective standpoint of a guy who wanted to see a good game, this was highway robbery.

 

[vniow]

There was a Superbowl this weekend?

*clueless*

 

[pseudobrit]

Add to that the rushing touchdown that wasn't and the bs holding on the pass to the 1 and we're talking about a point swing so large that Pittsburgh could have lost by double digits (doubtful, but it would have been a totally different game).

And as I've pointed out above, you cannot do this. So what if there's a *possible* points swing? It's also possible that Carson Palmer's ACL wouldn't have torn and the Steelers would have lost that game. Hasselbeck could have torn his.

You can't ever for a football game say that "because x, then y". It's a game of mistakes and dealing in hypotheticals is a waste of time.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. What happens, happens. A team can adjust to anything thrown at it and the Seahawks had plenty of time and opportunity to win. Seattle lost on the field.

 

[jeremy.king]

You're right about breaking the plane, but wrong about where that is. You have to get in to the endzone, which starts at the blue, or to put it another way, the far side of the white line. So Ben was not in. And that brings up 4th down, so they probably kick a field goal. Or they can try Bettis, but it's not exactly like he's a sure thing. The 'hawks took him down in the backfield quite a few times.

WRONG - see #1

" 1. Sidelines and end lines are out of bounds. The goal line is actually in the end zone. A player with the ball in his possession scores a touchdown when the ball is on, above, or over the goal line."

So the fact that the ball crossed it while he was in the air, is indeed a TD. Doesn't matter where the ball was when he landed after it "touched" the goal line.

 

[cycocelica]

I agree with this being a terrible officiated SuperBowl. It was all East Coast Biased (just watch the commericals) and that played a factor obviously in the game. Hell even Skip Bayless of all people (the guy who said the Seahawks dont even deserve to play Carolina) said the refs were frauds. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/060205

 

[Studawg7]

Oh, please... The whole team played awfully, except for three plays. Then they got gift penalties against the Hawks to seal the deal. Other than Roethlisberger's third-and 29 play, he did nothing the whole game.

oh please, no team could win a superbowl on only three plays.

Gift penalties?? I'll let you believe that and stew about that as long as you want. The seahawks had PLENTY of chances to take the game away but could never do it (with or without so called "gift penalties"). its not like they were unfairly penalized on every drive.

Roethlisberger? He didnt do much but he did enough (remember it is a team effort) to help win the game.

 

[cycocelica]

more people sports writers saying we got screwed. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/columns/story?columnist=smith_michael&id=2320683

 

[yojitani]

the bs holding on the pass to the 1

I'm not sure if people are picking this call because they are sore losers or if they don't understand that an o-linesman can't wrap the d linesman around the neck and hold his jersey to prevent him sacking the quarterback. Holding appears to be an escapable offense in most cases, but when you've got something as egregious as that, it's got to be called. Not sure what the beef is here.

Like I said at the beginning of the thread, the offensive interference was a bad call, but the other so-called 'bad calls' are being pulled out of a hat... Even the Roethlisberger TD - the amount of debate on it should indicate that the refs made the right call.

The Steelers didn't play their best game yesterday - obviously, neither did the Seahawks. Personally, I think the 2 week break till the SB needs to be shortened to 1. Neither team was especially fired up and all in all it was pretty dull viewing (minus a few brief moments).

Yoji

 

[pseudobrit]

Personally, I think the 2 week break till the SB needs to be shortened to 1. Neither team was especially fired up and all in all it was pretty dull viewing (minus a few brief moments).

They tried it before and it turned into disaster. It leaves only a few days to make travel arrangements, distribute tickets, manufacture merchandise, get time off work, etc. It ended up really screwing over the host city because most people just flew in Saturday or Sunday and flew out Monday rather than spending tourist dollars for a whole week or so.

 

[pseudobrit]

Skip Bayless

This guy is a blowhard who stirs up ****. A troll in the sporting columnist world. This is the guy who said Lance Armstrong was no big deal and that any baseball or football player could be just as good if you trained them up on a bike for a year.

 

[cycocelica]

Yes Skip Bayless is a idiot and should not be a sports writer. Thats not why I posted it, he was the one to call Seattle SeaFrauds and such. He then defends them which i was surprised by. It is just proving more that the officiating was terrible and the NFL has to do something about it.

 

[Studawg7]

Yes Skip Bayless is a idiot and should not be a sports writer. Thats not why I posted it, he was the one to call Seattle SeaFrauds and such. He then defends them which i was surprised by. It is just proving more that the officiating was terrible and the NFL has to do something about it.

wait, so you think hes an idiot and disagree with him on the most part but for this one article you're in total agreement???