Terrible Towel in his pocket
That was one of the worst officiated games in Super Bowl history. There were at least four important plays that were incorrectly called.
- Darrell Jackson pass interference that negated a touchdown.
- Ben Roethlisberger’s TD run that never broke the plane of the goal line.
- Holding penalty that negated a Seattle pass to the 1 yard line.
- Illegal block on Matt Hasselbeck that ultimately set up the final Pittsburgh TD.
Notice a lack of calls that went against the Steelers’ way? Yeah, we do too. Sorry Seattle fans, you go hosed.
The goat of the game is Jerramy Stevens. Even though he caught the lone Seahawks TD, he dropped numerous important passes that cost Seattle the game.
9 replies on “Super Bowl XL MVP is Bill Leavy”
Very weak — Officials robbed us of what should have been a much more entertaining game. Seattle going on top 7-0 would have changed the entire complexion of the game.
I thought the rules of the passing game were supposed to be biased in favor of the OFFENSE? If that was offensive pass interference, then I am voting Republican in 08.
Not to mention the huge momentum swing — of that holding call. Is there any doubt that without that call, the Steelers punch it in from the 1?
Super Vegas Officiating goes Pitts way go figure — I have been watching these major games go south
and can i tell you i would not watch football,basketball,hockey because you can tell from the first few calls witch way the money has gone and who going to win.Because the ref has the lines and so goes the game.
Seattle wins the super bowl in the unfixed world
referee # 53 gets MVP Most Valueble protector of
the line for Pittsburg. Two great blocks and two touchdown recall saves.
It wasn’t vegas — Vegas would have preferred the steelers only win by 3. The officiating was influenced by the media love affair with bettis and Pittsburgh.
Worst superbowl ever — Are the refs going to get “co superbowl champion” rings? Those are the comments that are being tossed around from my website forum.
I wonder how much Pittsburgh paid the refs to rig this game. I live 50 mins north of Pittsburgh and even the Steeler fans here said the calls were BS.
Unbelieveable! I have no respect for the NFL officials that allowed that crap to happen.
And I dont have a “favorite team” I have no “bias”
But i know a poorly called game when i see one
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SUPER JOKE — I said the EXACT same thing. I would lay my savings on the table that when the refs took off their black and white, they had on GOLD and black. The whole game was crazy. I watched as an unbiased fan (Eagles girl!!!), but as soon as that touchdown was snatched awat, I KNEW the game was compromised, and I KNEW I wouldn’t have to watch til the end to see a Steelers win. I work in Philly and we have an office in Pittsburgh, and when one of them gloats, I just ask how they can be proud of their “win” when the refs did everything except giftwrap the Lombardi and hand it to them in a gold and black box … at the KICKOFF!!!!!!
Sorry to the folks in the Whine Capital of America —
1) The Darrell Jackson pass-interference in the end zone that negated a touchdown.
–Right in front of a referee, Jackson puts his hand on the free safety Hope and extends his arm. This allows him to move into the center of the end zone and catch the ball. This also stops Hope forward moment and causes him to move backward 1 to 2 feet. This is the very definition of a push-off, and offensive pass interference. It wasn’t like a subtle push in the back … it was fully extending his arm to push the defender away and propel himself toward the ball. If you don’t want to get called, DON’T BREAK THE RULE. Clearly a good call.
2) Locklear holding Haggans, negating the pass to Stevens to the 1 yard line.
–This is clearly holding. First, Locklear had reportedly been warned twice by the referee not to hook an arm around Haggans’ head when Haggans got around him, and Locklear did it again. Note that each of the previous two times was penalty-worthy put not called. Second, if Locklear doesn’t commit the foul, Haggans gets the sack, and the pass never happens. Even Seattle OT Walter Jones admitted this was a hold. The only reason people think this wasn’t a hold was because Madden said he didn’t see a hold.
3) Ben’s touchdown
— The tip of the ball clearly broke the plane of the goal line before he was hit in the air and driven back slightly so the ball landed inches short of the line. Michaels was articulating an incorrect rule, i.e. that the ball has to land past the goal line. Besides, even if it was called short, it would have been 4th and 1 from the one inch line. The Steelers have not missed converting a 4th and goal all season.
4) Hasselbeck “going through a blocker low to make the tackle”
–Hasselbeck throws an INT to Ike Taylor and then tackles Taylor on the runback. People do not realize it is illegal to dive at the legs of a blocker to try to make the tackle on a runner behind the blocker, but this was exactly the penalty called on Steeler center Jeff Hartings in the Indianapolis Colts game. Rule 12, Section 2, Article 13 of the NFL rules: “After a change of possession, neither team may block below the waist.” I thought it was a stupid rule when it hurt to the Steelers and I think it is a stupid rule when it helped the Steelers, as it did here. Now, some will argue that Hasselbeck, in fact, did NOT contact the legs of the blocker, and thus shouldn’t have been called for the penalty. Not true. Safety Tyrone Carter jumps over the diving Hasselbeck, thereby surrendering the tackle. By the letter of the rule, it was a correct call. The ball at the 25, the ball at the 40, it isn’t like it would have overturned the INT.
5) Darrell Jackson “was actually inbounds” on the side-line catch
–A rules clarification in 2002 suggested that the pylon is an extension of the field, and thus having one foot in bounds and one foot hit the pylon is the same as shaving two feet in bounds. Jackson did this, and thus (some argue) scored a TD. These people are wrong. The rule was later clarified to mean that the pylon represents the plan of the goal for the purpose of the ball only … not the feet.
Steelers Homer Gone Wild — This last post was the ultimate homer post by a dipstick Steeler fan who’s in denial. A little too much mercury to the brain in the “Steel City”.
at least you know the rules — The officials reviewed game tape. Show broadcast on NFL network, some of which is posted on youtube. In any case, you are precisely right about the rules, the casual observations of John Madden nothwithstanding.
3 bad calls in the game. 2 went against Pittsburgh.