dirt mcgirt
01-30-2007, 01:29 PM
Total conspiracy against Seattle. The refs were bought and paid for which ultimately cost them the game. The NFL only let the "Stealers" win to appease those whiney little liberals from Pittsburgh who were threatening to break from the NFL if they didn't hand them over a championship. When is PC appeasement going to stop?
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First Quarter, 2:08 left, score tied 0-0: Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw a 16-yard pass that wide receiver Darrell Jackson caught in the end zone, but the play was called back on an offensive pass interference call against Jackson made by Back Judge Bob Waggoner for alegedly pushing off Steelers safety Chris Hope. Seattle had to settle for a Josh Brown field goal. Critics claimed both Jackson and the defensive player were jostling for position and that officials should not have flagged either player. Michael Smith of ESPN wrote that "Jackson extended his arm, yes, but both players were fighting for position, and he didn't create any separation by doing so." Others argued that the call was correct. Sean Salisbury, also of ESPN, said, "You see the receiver straighten his arm on the contact with the defensive player … that's a penalty."
Second Quarter, 2:00 left, Seahawks lead 3-0: On third down from the Seattle one-yard line, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the snap, faked a handoff, and dove toward the left side of a pile along the goal-line before being hit by Seahawks linebacker D.D. Lewis. After first raising one hand (as if to indicate that the quarterback was down), head linesman Mark Hittner raised a second arm to signal a touchdown. The play stood after review, to the considerable ire of Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who berated Leavy on the way to the locker room following the first half. [8] The play was hotly debated in the media between those who thought the play should have resulted in a fourth-down-and-inches situation [9] and those who thought the ball crossed the goal line[10]. Roethlisberger appeared on the The Late Show with David Letterman the day after the game and told the host that, immediately after the play, he had told Cowher, "I don’t think I got in," but that the team was "ready to go for it on fourth down anyway."[11] He later explained that he was referring to his initial impression only, and believes "the ball crossed the plane."
Fourth Quarter, 12:35 left, Steelers lead 14-10: Hasselbeck completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens at the Steelers 1-yard line. The play was nullified by a penalty against Seattle guard Sean Locklear for holding Pittsburgh linebacker Clark Haggans. Critics of the call dubbed it a "phantom hold," but others argued that, since NFL rules prohibit the encircling of a defender with hands or arms (i.e., "hooking") and since Locklear did appear briefly to have an arm around Haggans’ neck, the call was correct and not unusual.
Fourth Quarter, 10:54 left, Steelers lead 14-10: Three plays after the nullified pass to Stevens, Hasselbeck threw an interception to Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor, who returned the ball 24 yards. A 15-yard personal foul was whistled against Hasselbeck for a "low block," advancing the Steelers to their own 44-yard line. During the American television broadcast, commentator Al Michaels said, "We think this was a bad call," suggesting that Hasselbeck was not blocking another Pittsburgh player but was instead making a low tackle on a ball carrier, which is legal. However, NFL Network announcer Rich Eisen in a column he wrote for nfl.com claims it was the right call by the rules, even if the rule itself may be defective. Mike Pereira, the Director of Officiating for the NFL, has said that "the call was not correct" and "should not have been made."
Fourth Quarter, 4:45 left, Steelers lead 21-10: With the Steelers' hoping to convert a first down on third-and-six in order to take more time off the clock, Roethlisberger was forced to call a timeout when Pittsburgh had difficulty getting a play off as the play clock ran down. The Steelers were awarded a timeout, but some contended that the play clock hit zero seconds before Roethlisberger called for a timeout, which would have constituted a delay-of-game and resulted in a five-yard penalty against Pittsburgh.
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First Quarter, 2:08 left, score tied 0-0: Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw a 16-yard pass that wide receiver Darrell Jackson caught in the end zone, but the play was called back on an offensive pass interference call against Jackson made by Back Judge Bob Waggoner for alegedly pushing off Steelers safety Chris Hope. Seattle had to settle for a Josh Brown field goal. Critics claimed both Jackson and the defensive player were jostling for position and that officials should not have flagged either player. Michael Smith of ESPN wrote that "Jackson extended his arm, yes, but both players were fighting for position, and he didn't create any separation by doing so." Others argued that the call was correct. Sean Salisbury, also of ESPN, said, "You see the receiver straighten his arm on the contact with the defensive player … that's a penalty."
Second Quarter, 2:00 left, Seahawks lead 3-0: On third down from the Seattle one-yard line, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the snap, faked a handoff, and dove toward the left side of a pile along the goal-line before being hit by Seahawks linebacker D.D. Lewis. After first raising one hand (as if to indicate that the quarterback was down), head linesman Mark Hittner raised a second arm to signal a touchdown. The play stood after review, to the considerable ire of Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who berated Leavy on the way to the locker room following the first half. [8] The play was hotly debated in the media between those who thought the play should have resulted in a fourth-down-and-inches situation [9] and those who thought the ball crossed the goal line[10]. Roethlisberger appeared on the The Late Show with David Letterman the day after the game and told the host that, immediately after the play, he had told Cowher, "I don’t think I got in," but that the team was "ready to go for it on fourth down anyway."[11] He later explained that he was referring to his initial impression only, and believes "the ball crossed the plane."
Fourth Quarter, 12:35 left, Steelers lead 14-10: Hasselbeck completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens at the Steelers 1-yard line. The play was nullified by a penalty against Seattle guard Sean Locklear for holding Pittsburgh linebacker Clark Haggans. Critics of the call dubbed it a "phantom hold," but others argued that, since NFL rules prohibit the encircling of a defender with hands or arms (i.e., "hooking") and since Locklear did appear briefly to have an arm around Haggans’ neck, the call was correct and not unusual.
Fourth Quarter, 10:54 left, Steelers lead 14-10: Three plays after the nullified pass to Stevens, Hasselbeck threw an interception to Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor, who returned the ball 24 yards. A 15-yard personal foul was whistled against Hasselbeck for a "low block," advancing the Steelers to their own 44-yard line. During the American television broadcast, commentator Al Michaels said, "We think this was a bad call," suggesting that Hasselbeck was not blocking another Pittsburgh player but was instead making a low tackle on a ball carrier, which is legal. However, NFL Network announcer Rich Eisen in a column he wrote for nfl.com claims it was the right call by the rules, even if the rule itself may be defective. Mike Pereira, the Director of Officiating for the NFL, has said that "the call was not correct" and "should not have been made."
Fourth Quarter, 4:45 left, Steelers lead 21-10: With the Steelers' hoping to convert a first down on third-and-six in order to take more time off the clock, Roethlisberger was forced to call a timeout when Pittsburgh had difficulty getting a play off as the play clock ran down. The Steelers were awarded a timeout, but some contended that the play clock hit zero seconds before Roethlisberger called for a timeout, which would have constituted a delay-of-game and resulted in a five-yard penalty against Pittsburgh.