First, let me say that I am a Seattle Seahawk fan but, more importantly, I am a fan of the game. I want to share some of my insight about Super Bowl 40. We need to give credit to the Pittsburgh Steelers for their incredible run through the playoffs, winning on the road against the #1, #2 and #3 seeds from the tough AFC.
Their win against the Indianapolis Colts on the road was a testament to the greatness of their football team and their franchise. They won despite two very poor calls by the referee's that seemed to turn the momentum to the Colts. These two calls wreaked
of favoritism towards the home team and if it wasn't for a great shoe string tackle by Mr. Roethlisberger we could have been a part of one of the most unfair outcomes of a big game in NFL history.
Now to the Super Bowl. Let's be clear about one thing the Seahawks did not have 1, 2 or 3 bad calls go against them, they had as I counted them, 8 bad calls go against them. While not all these calls determined the outcome of the game, almost all of them changed the momentum and at times took points off the board as well as gave points or added yards to Pittsburgh.
#1- The D-Jax PI. This call should not have been made and was made only because the referee was influenced by Chris Hope's reaction to what he thought was a push off. While the replayed showed that D-Jax extended his arm towards Mr. Hopes chest he did not gain leverage or seperation because of the extension of his arm. For there to be interference the receiver has to gain seperation due to his actions. Clearly, that didn't happen. Mr. Hope reacted towards the official because he got beat, clear and simple. The official took at least 1.5-2.0 seconds before he reached for the flag.
#2- The Roethlisberger TD. While this was a close play I never saw the nose of the ball touch or get to the goal line. This was 3rd down so we don't know if Pittsburgh would have scored on 4th down? To be honest I'm not as upset at this call as most are around the country.
#3- Sean Locklear holding penalty on the pass to Jerramy Stevens to the Pittsburgh 1- yard line. This holding call was questionable, at best. All the analysts agreed that it was a poor call.
Seattle would have had the ball at the 1-yard line with the #1 touchdown back in the backfield and the Seattle offensive line dominating Pittsburghs line all day. TD Seahawks.
#4- Nobody's talking about the Joey Porter horse collar tackle on Shaun Alexanders 15 yard run in the 3rd quarter. This was an obvious penalty and one that the officials were suppose to be looking for because of the recent injuries caused by this type of tackle. Porter clearly pulled SA down by grabbing on to the back of Alexanders shoulder pads. 15 additional yards and added momentum, lost.
#5- Hasselbecks penalty for "blocking"? below the waist as he made the tackle on Ike Taylor after his interception. How do you get a penalty for blocking when your opponent has the ball? Watch the play .... Hasselbeck makes a great tackle and that's all. I still can't figure out why the referee
made the call that he did? Horrible call. Added yards for Pittsburgh and added momentum.
#6- On the next series when Randle El throws the beautiful pass to Hines Ward for the TD Roethlisberger, behind the line of scrimmage, blocks a Seahawk clearly below the waist to assist Randle El in having more time to throw the TD pass. Watch the replay .... this was clearly, by definition, a block below the waist and should have been called to negate the TD. For this to happen 3 plays after the Hasselbeck call and to not call it on Roethlisberger?
#7- I believe it was on the play that Hasselbeck through the PI, the Pittsburgh linebacker on the left side was offsides by at least 1 yard before the snap was made. You could see it clear as day live and especially on the replay. This offsides would have taken away the PI and gave Seattle the ball back in scoring position.
#8- In the 4th Quarter when Pittsburgh had the ball I was watching the time clock run down as Roethlisberger was ready to take the snap from center the clock reached ZERO then Roethlisberger looked back to the referee behind him and called timeout. The time clock was at 0 at least 1 second before the time out was asked for by Big Ben and the ref gave it to him? The analysts on ABC only explanation was that the referee can't watch the clock and the QB at the same time? WTF? If that's the case then go to the replay and get the call right.
These were all BAD calls. Did they change the outcome of the game? Maybe, maybe not. Did these calls change the momentum away from Seattle? Definately.
I believe these calls changed not only the momentum and possibly the outcome of the game but more importantly it ruined the game for the sports fan. The Pittsburgh fans want to call us Seahawk fans whiny little babies but if these calls would have been called on their team do we really think they would have been quiet on these message boards and proclaimed the Seahawks as the better team? I think not. The stats don't lie. From the opening series the Seahawks dictated the tempo and moved the ball pretty much the entire ball game against what was suppose to be a great defense. The Seattle defense, in my opinion was the better defense on the field also. They gave up two big plays. A gadget play that they should have been prepared for and a 75 yard run that was caused by a 3rd string Safety taking an improper angle on Willie Parker (And yes, he is fast!). Other than those two plays and letting Ben run for a couple of clock-moving runs on 3rd down the Seahawk defense asserted themselves as the better defense. Matt Hasselbeck, in my opinion was the best player on the field and deserved more credit than he got for the game that he played and how he moved the ball on the Pittsburgh defense. What would his stats had looked like had Stevens not dropped the 3 balls he did and D-Jax TD would have been allowed? Wow!
Did Seattle deserve to win? Tough question .... probably not. Their clock management was terrible at the end of each half. I still don't understand why Holmgren didn't attempt a field goal with 53 seconds left and take a chance with a onside kick for a possible game tying TD? D-Jax should have done a better job of catching the ball off his correct shoulder which would have allowed him to keep both feet in bounds at the end zone. And Jerremy Stevens? Talk with your performance. Your performance was terrible. With that said, I thought "the mouth" Joey Porter was a non-factor also and only made one play all day and that was the illegal tackle on SA.
I think every NFL fan should be outraged at the way this game and the Indy-Ptt game was officiated. It smells of boxing and someone needs to be held accountable. I feel sorry for Seahawk fans, players and coaches who have waited 30 years to get this opportunity, only to have it compromised by one horrible call after another. I feel sorry for the Steeler players, fans and coaches. The Steelers had an incredible post-season run to the Title, probably the best in the history of the NFL and they have to listen to all this crap about the officiating. Wake up Mr. Tagliabue ...... there is a foul smell in the air. You manage the greatest team sport in the world and if you don't bring some change, fast, to the way it's officiated you are not going to like the end result.
Congratulations to The Pittsburgh Steelers. I hope that one day our Seahawk Franchise can match your tradition and your consistency.
'The Professor"
out there with a bit more class than you!
and No, Mr. Clayton did not write my post for me.
BAM! 
