FoxSports: Seattle was the better team... - Page 9

Taco John · 02-06-2006, 01:14 AM

Refs were far from super in this one

Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com

This is the space where I get to crow about the frightening precision of my Super Bowl prediction.

Where I get to remind everyone that I guaranteed the Steelers would win the title after they beat the Colts. That they were the only championship-caliber team among the final four. That they would dismantle the Broncos in Denver and waylay whomever the NFC sent at them. This is the space where I get to wag a finger at my colleague Ian O'Connor, with whom I'd waged a dueling columns battle of opposing prognostication. He picked the Seahawks and made a very strong case for them.

This is the space where I get to say, I told ya so. But I won't. I can't.

I've never felt so empty being right. I feel dirty. I wish I'd been wrong. The Steelers did not deserve to win this game. They were not the better team. O'Connor was right. Seattle was the better team.

So, Paul Tagliabue, how does a team lose when it outgains an opponent by 57 yards, controls time of possession and wins the turnover battle?

Like a crazed CIA analyst running through the halls of Langley screaming into open offices about some impending calamity, I've been shrieking hysterically about the terrible officiating in the NFL and warning that some day the brutal calls were going to affect the outcome of the Super Bowl.

That some day was Sunday.

Every single questionable, marginal or outright bad call went against the Seahawks.

Their first three big plays were all wiped out by penalty calls. On their second drive, Darrell Jackson caught an 18-yard pass on 3rd-and-6 that would have given Seattle a first down at the 23. But Chris Gray was called for holding James Farrior. When Farrior pushed upfield, Gray did hook him with his right arm, and Farrior went down. When referee Bill Levy flagged Gray, it was a bad omen for the Seahawks. Instead of being on the edge of the red zone, they came away without any points.

On their third drive, the Seahawks looked to take a 7-0 lead when Jackson separated from Chris Hope in the end zone and Matt Hasselbeck delivered a perfect strike to his outside shoulder. The back judge looked uncertain —sound familiar, Patriots fans? — then finally jerked his flag out and called offensive pass interference to wipe out the touchdown. The replay showed receiver and defender hand-fighting with Jackson getting the slightest push into Hope's chest before turning to catch the ball. ABC's John Madden thought the call was dubious. FOX analyst and all-time great offensive lineman Brian Baldinger had no doubts, calling it "absolutely horrendous" on his FOXSports.com Super Bowl Instant Analysis. ESPN's Steve Young and Michael Irvin also had no uncertainty, dismissing the call as ticky-tack and insisting the Seahawks got robbed of a TD.

Then came a huge call on the first play of the second quarter. Peter Warrick ripped off a 33-yard punt return to give Seattle the ball at the Steelers 46. But Etric Pruitt was called for holding. How clear was it? Well, Madden thought the call was for Pruitt holding the gunner at the beginning of the play. It wasn't. The flag came in during the runback and it looked pretty minor. Another example of an official searching to make a call.

So despite totally dominating the first 20 minutes of the game, the Seahawks led only 3-0.

Then came Pittsbugh's first touchdown. Whether you think Roethlisberger broke the plane of the goal line seems to depend on which team you were rooting for. The odd part was the line judge seemed to have determined that Big Ben had come up short as he ran in from the sideline. Since Roethlisberger had been pushed back well short of the goal line I don't know what he could have seen as he got closer to the pile that would have made him change his mind. But up went the arms. Had Roethlisberger been ruled short of the plane, that call would no doubt have stood too. But you figure the Black and Gold would have pounded it in from the two-inch line on fourth down so there's not that much here for Seattle fans to complain about except for the continuing storyline that every single call was going the Steelers' way. And the worst was yet to come.

The Seahawks were on the verge of taking a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter when officiating disaster struck. Hasselbeck had drilled a pass down the seam to Jerramy Stevens to set up first-and-goal at the one when suddenly Levy appeared in the middle of the screen to call the play back on account of holding on Sean Locklear. No less a source than newly-minted Hall of Famer John Madden came right out and said it was a bad call. This penalty was beyond ticky-tack. Baldinger called it "another terrible call" and added that the Steelers were offsides on the play. It was yet another official searching for a call, desperate to throw his flag, yearning to impact the action. Why, why, oh, why? That's 14 points the officials simply took away from the Seahawks. Incredible.

After a sack, Hasselbeck threw a pick and then was penalized 15 yards for making the tackle. I'm not kidding. The same thing happened in the Indy-Pittsburgh game in the regular season. It's like the officials become so discombobulated during the change of possession that they just randomly start throwing flags. The call was that Hasselbeck had thrown an illegal block below the waist on the return. Never mind that Hasselbeck wasn't trying to block anybody and did, in fact, make the tackle. Just another terrible call that cannot be reviewed in Paul Tagliabue's NFL.

The Steelers took quick advantage of their enhanced field position and just like that it was 21-10 Pittsburgh when it should have been 17-14 Seattle.
But the stripes weren't done.

First, they blew a fumble call on the field — of course against Seattle — before overturning it after replay. Then, with the Steelers trying to run out the clock, Levy granted Roethlisberger a timeout, even though the play clock clearly read zero before the quarterback signaled for time. It ended up being the final bad call in Seattle's coffin. As Madden and Al Michaels watched the replay they shared a laugh about a similar bad non-call in an earlier playoff game between the Bears and Panthers. This is what it has come to:

Announcers comparing the bad calls happening before them to the bad calls from earlier rounds of the playoffs. Is this really what the NFL wants?

Did the refs get this Ben Roethlisberger touchdown call right? It's certainly up for debate. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

With Cris Collinsworth lobbying for pass interference to be eligible for review on Inside the NFL after New England got jobbed in Denver; Joey Porter inveighing against the league after the game in Indy; Young and Irvin railing at halftime of the Super Bowl; Baldinger being spot-on with his Instant Analysis critique of the officials; and Madden and Michaels wondering aloud about the officiating during the game ... is anybody in the league office listening?

Or can we pretty much count on next year's playoffs being dominated by the officials too?

Was that Mike Holmgren or Mike Martz?

The one area where most people agreed Seattle might have an edge was on the sidelines. Mike Holmgren was supposed to be a better game coach than Bill Cowher. But a funny thing happened to Holmgren at the end of the first half (and again at the end of the game): he became Mike Martz. Not once, but twice, Holmgren basically ran the clock out on himself.

One other decision Holmgren made should haunt him. After Mack Strong did a shameful job of not stretching out for a first down — on a tackle by a cornerback no less — the Seahawks faced 4th-and-inches at their own 26 with a 3-0 lead in the second quarter. The situation reminded me of when Bill Belichick went for it in a similar situation against the Colts in the playoffs three years ago, made it and sent a statement. Despite having an MVP tailback who was 16-for-16 on 3rd-and-1 this season, Holmgren went the safe route and punted. The Steelers scored and Seattle never led again.

Darrell Jackson, what might have been

After tying a Super Bowl record with five catches in the first quarter, Darrell Jackson was shut out. But, oh, what might have been. If not for a holding call, a marginal offensive pass interference penalty and a momentary lapse of knowing where he was on the field, Darrell Jackson could have had eight catches in the first half for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

As it turned out, his five catches for 50 yards will be easily forgotten.

Joey Porter vs. Jerramy Stevens

Joey Porter was pretty invisible. Jerramy Stevens wished he was. Despite scoring a touchdown, he had three huge drops, two of which were drive killers when the Seahawks were marching deep in Steelers territory. Porter may have had only three tackles and no sacks, but the "soft" label he hung on Stevens sure seemed to fit as the 6-foot-7 tight end short-armed several passes and seemed to be hearing footsteps all night.

Kevin Hench is supervising producer of The Sports List on Fox Sports Net.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5310192

Taco John · 02-06-2006, 08:10 PM

Who are you again?

jspchief · 02-06-2006, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Offsetting fouls STILL result in no touchdown.

Seattle just doesn't lose 10 yards.

Unless you're looking for a no-call, which would be convenient for the Seahawks.

The mistake was made by not calling illegal contact on Hope, followed by PI against Jackson.

This may come as a newsflash, but some of us that are "bitching and moaning" are simply upset about incompetent refs.

I don't give a shit about who won. I also don't think the refs lost the game for Seattle (Holmgren's play-calling did that).

But I do think it's bullshit that any team ever has to overcome poor officiating as part of the path to a win. I also think a better officiated game would have given Seattle a better chance to win the game.

The fact that you've written off poor officiating as just part of NFL football is pathetic IMO. The fact that you think everyone else should approach it with the same apathy as you is just plain reeruned.

And before you tell me to stop watching football if I don't like it, I suggest you stop opening threads full of bitching and moaning if you don't like it.

Just what this place needed, another clueless asshole who's opinion is more important than anyone else's.

**morphius** · 02-06-2006, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taco John

Who are you again?

of course I'm sure that Taco was all over the way the refs tainted Denver's first playoff win since Elway left, because you are not a homer or anything.

Morphius
just saying...

**OnTheWarpath15** · 02-06-2006, 10:45 PM

Quote:

This may come as a newsflash, but some of us that are "bitching and moaning" are simply upset about incompetent refs.

I don't give a shit about who won. I also don't think the refs lost the game for Seattle (Holmgren's play-calling did that).

Then we agree. My views are/were directed at the whiners who couldn't see past the poor officiating and see that Seattle had plenty of opportunities to win the game anyway, but would rather make excuses.

Quote:

But I do think it's bullshit that any team ever has to overcome poor officiating as part of the path to a win. I also think a better officiated game would have given Seattle a better chance to win the game.

Don't disagree there either. Poor officiating didn't just rear it's ugly head last night, it's been a problem all year long. The Chiefs were "victims" on countless occcasions. They couldn't overcome it. Pittsburgh did against Indy on the road. Championship caliber teams find a way to win in the face of adversity.

Quote:

The fact that you've written off poor officiating as just part of NFL football is pathetic IMO. The fact that you think everyone else should approach it with the same apathy as you is just plain reeruned.

Way off the mark. I was simply suggesting that instead of crying about it, to be proactive and try to do something about it. I don't like it either, but as a fan, there's not a whole lot we can do about it. The NFL isn't going to cancel the parade in Pittsburgh tomorrow and ship the Lombardi trophy to Seattle. What's done is done. It's easy to just complain...ask someone to offer a solution, and the room goes silent.

Quote:

And before you tell me to stop watching football if I don't like it, I suggest you stop opening threads full of bitching and moaning if you don't like it.

I don't believe I ever said "jspchief, stop watching football if you don't like it." That debate was between htismaqe and myself.

Quote:

Just what this place needed, another clueless asshole who's opinion is more important than anyone else's.

Whatever you say, boss.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 02-06-2006, 11:18 PM

Oh, and thanks for the neg rep......

Funny how htismaqe can give me rep after calling me a dumbass and a douchebag, yet you neg rep me and weren't even part of the goddamn debate.

If you had read the whole thread, you may have seen where I was coming from, and where I admitted I should have replaced "sore loser" with "sour grapes." Not that it should have mattered. I would hope we're all smart enough to know when something applies to us and when it doesn't.

If you weren't blaming the loss on the refs, it doesn't apply to you.

KCWolfman · 02-06-2006, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspchief

This may come as a newsflash, but some of us that are "bitching and moaning" are simply upset about incompetent refs.

I don't give a shit about who won. I also don't think the refs lost the game for Seattle (Holmgren's play-calling did that).

But I do think it's bullshit that any team ever has to overcome poor officiating as part of the path to a win. I also think a better officiated game would have given Seattle a better chance to win the game.

The fact that you've written off poor officiating as just part of NFL football is pathetic IMO. The fact that you think everyone else should approach it with the same apathy as you is just plain reeruned.

And before you tell me to stop watching football if I don't like it, I suggest you stop opening threads full of bitching and moaning if you don't like it.

Just what this place needed, another clueless asshole who's opinion is more important than anyone else's.

Not a bad take, unfortunately, the conspiracy theorists will detract from your well thought opinion above and it won't mean squat.

IMO, we need to double the salary of the refs and make them full time employees of the NFL. I don't think they threw the game as some people will say, but I do think they make bad calls every game. Give them a better salary, more days in training, and make their salaries contingent upon their ability to call a good game - fine them for bad calls.

I also believe a great deal of the game today doesn't even need officials. We have too much technology not to employ it. Boundaries and planes can easily be defined by electronic markers in the field and in the footballs. I am sure people can come up with dozens of other processes that can eliminate human judgement altogether.

jspchief · 02-06-2006, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Oh, and thanks for the neg rep......

Funny how htismaqe can give me rep after calling me a dumbass and a douchebag, yet you neg rep me and weren't even part of the goddamn debate.

If you had read the whole thread, you may have seen where I was coming from, and where I admitted I should have replaced "sore loser" with "sour grapes." Not that it should have mattered. I would hope we're all smart enough to know when something applies to us and when it doesn't.

If you weren't blaming the loss on the refs, it doesn't apply to you.

Keep crying about your rep. That usually helps.

I negged you because of the way you came on this thread acting like a dick, and then admitted that you hadn't even read the thread.

Maybe if you want to direct your comments as someone specific, you should quote them. When you throw out blanket statements like "you're all a bunch of sore losers", you're going to piss some people off.

Mecca · 02-06-2006, 11:27 PM

I think it's sad the NFL has to debate on whether it uses replay, and how it uses it. Why don't they just review anything that should be reviewed, you don't need challenges for that.

How hard is it to have a guy sit in a booth look at replays and tell them when they got something wrong? I remember when they first took replay away and said "well it's making the games last longer." I personally could careless if the game lasts 30 minutes longer, aslong as the calls are right.

KCWolfman · 02-06-2006, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

I think it's sad the NFL has to debate on whether it uses replay, and how it uses it. Why don't they just review anything that should be reviewed, you don't need challenges for that.

How hard is it to have a guy sit in a booth look at replays and tell them when they got something wrong? I remember when they first took replay away and said "well it's making the games last longer." I personally could careless if the game lasts 30 minutes longer, aslong as the calls are right.

I disagree.

Momentum is crucial in football. I have seen games where one team has something going right and the other team is on their heels, then BAM - an overly long review has killed the momentum and changed the outlook of the game.

IMO, we are better off without the parsed review we have today than with it.

Mecca · 02-06-2006, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCWolfman

I disagree.

Momentum is crucial in football. I have seen games where one team has something going right and the other team is on their heels, then BAM - an overly long review has killed the momentum and changed the outlook of the game.

IMO, we are better off without the parsed review we have today than with it.

If the officials were good it would be one thing.........But the officials are bad, horribly bad. I'm tired of seeing so many blown calls, something has to be done to fix this issue.

**Nzoner** · 02-06-2006, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCWolfman

Not a bad take, unfortunately, the conspiracy theorists will detract from your well thought opinion above and it won't mean squat.

As a conspiracy theorist(only on some games)I really had no problem with last nights game and think Jeff's take is right on.Missing 2 field goals and dropping numerous passes has a way of biting a team in the ass.

I will add my 2 cents though on not believing Seattle had any business in the Superbowl.Their play-off run imo was weak,but then again so was most of the NFC.Yes,I realize injuries are a part of the game but I'd still like to have seen what might have been had the Panthers stayed healthy and gotten to face the Steelers.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 02-06-2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Keep crying about your rep. That usually helps.

I negged you because of the way you came on this thread acting like a dick, and then admitted that you hadn't even read the thread.

I don't give a damn about rep, neg rep me all you want. I just think it's kinda weak to neg rep me without reading the rest of the thread. Or joining the debate and then when it's all said and done, if you feel I've "disrespected" you, neg me.

If you had read the two page debate between htismaqeand I, you might have understood where I was coming from.

He and I still don't see eye to eye on the matter, but at least he respects my opinion and the fact that I'm not backing down from it.

My opinion isn't going to change, but I do apologize if you feel disrespected. Nothing personal.

KCWolfman · 02-06-2006, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nzoner 338

As a conspiracy theorist(only on some games)I really had no problem with last nights game and think Jeff's take is right on.Missing 2 field goals and dropping numerous passes has a way of biting a team in the ass.

I will add my 2 cents though on not believing Seattle had any business in the Superbowl.Their play-off run imo was weak,but then again so was most of the NFC.Yes,I realize injuries are a part of the game but I'd still like to have seen what might have been had the Panthers stayed healthy and gotten to face the Steelers.

Joe - I hope you don't think I was picking on you. Your thoughts on the subject are well documented and thought out. Even when I disagree with your take, I still think on your comments a great deal.

I honestly think the entire NFC just stunk and has for some time now. The NFC North and West are a perfect example of how bad they have gotten. In fact, I can't remember the last time the NFC had more wins than the AFC. I am sure that someone will prove me wrong, but it seems like it has almost been a decade.

jspchief · 02-06-2006, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I don't give a damn about rep...

Of course you don't. That's why you posted about someone negging you twice on this thread already.

As for reading the whole thread, I have read (and participated in) the whole thread. Something you didn't do before you came in swinging your labia around like Queen Shit.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 02-06-2006, 11:43 PM

Quote:

If the officials were good it would be one thing.........But the officials are bad, horribly bad. I'm tired of seeing so many blown calls, something has to be done to fix this issue.

Even with review, they can't seem to get the calls right.

Polamalu's interception for example. Or Bailey fumbling the INT return out of the endzone against the Pats.

Some would use Roethlisberger's TD last night as another example.

Why have replay if you STILL can't get it right?

02-06-2006, 01:14 AM
Taco John Sapere Aude Join Date: Jun 2001 Casino cash: $567937	FoxSports: Seattle was the better team... Refs were far from super in this one Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com This is the space where I get to crow about the frightening precision of my Super Bowl prediction. Where I get to remind everyone that I guaranteed the Steelers would win the title after they beat the Colts. That they were the only championship-caliber team among the final four. That they would dismantle the Broncos in Denver and waylay whomever the NFC sent at them. This is the space where I get to wag a finger at my colleague Ian O'Connor, with whom I'd waged a dueling columns battle of opposing prognostication. He picked the Seahawks and made a very strong case for them. This is the space where I get to say, I told ya so. But I won't. I can't. I've never felt so empty being right. I feel dirty. I wish I'd been wrong. The Steelers did not deserve to win this game. They were not the better team. O'Connor was right. Seattle was the better team. So, Paul Tagliabue, how does a team lose when it outgains an opponent by 57 yards, controls time of possession and wins the turnover battle? Like a crazed CIA analyst running through the halls of Langley screaming into open offices about some impending calamity, I've been shrieking hysterically about the terrible officiating in the NFL and warning that some day the brutal calls were going to affect the outcome of the Super Bowl. That some day was Sunday. Every single questionable, marginal or outright bad call went against the Seahawks. Their first three big plays were all wiped out by penalty calls. On their second drive, Darrell Jackson caught an 18-yard pass on 3rd-and-6 that would have given Seattle a first down at the 23. But Chris Gray was called for holding James Farrior. When Farrior pushed upfield, Gray did hook him with his right arm, and Farrior went down. When referee Bill Levy flagged Gray, it was a bad omen for the Seahawks. Instead of being on the edge of the red zone, they came away without any points. On their third drive, the Seahawks looked to take a 7-0 lead when Jackson separated from Chris Hope in the end zone and Matt Hasselbeck delivered a perfect strike to his outside shoulder. The back judge looked uncertain —sound familiar, Patriots fans? — then finally jerked his flag out and called offensive pass interference to wipe out the touchdown. The replay showed receiver and defender hand-fighting with Jackson getting the slightest push into Hope's chest before turning to catch the ball. ABC's John Madden thought the call was dubious. FOX analyst and all-time great offensive lineman Brian Baldinger had no doubts, calling it "absolutely horrendous" on his FOXSports.com Super Bowl Instant Analysis. ESPN's Steve Young and Michael Irvin also had no uncertainty, dismissing the call as ticky-tack and insisting the Seahawks got robbed of a TD. Then came a huge call on the first play of the second quarter. Peter Warrick ripped off a 33-yard punt return to give Seattle the ball at the Steelers 46. But Etric Pruitt was called for holding. How clear was it? Well, Madden thought the call was for Pruitt holding the gunner at the beginning of the play. It wasn't. The flag came in during the runback and it looked pretty minor. Another example of an official searching to make a call. So despite totally dominating the first 20 minutes of the game, the Seahawks led only 3-0. Then came Pittsbugh's first touchdown. Whether you think Roethlisberger broke the plane of the goal line seems to depend on which team you were rooting for. The odd part was the line judge seemed to have determined that Big Ben had come up short as he ran in from the sideline. Since Roethlisberger had been pushed back well short of the goal line I don't know what he could have seen as he got closer to the pile that would have made him change his mind. But up went the arms. Had Roethlisberger been ruled short of the plane, that call would no doubt have stood too. But you figure the Black and Gold would have pounded it in from the two-inch line on fourth down so there's not that much here for Seattle fans to complain about except for the continuing storyline that every single call was going the Steelers' way. And the worst was yet to come. The Seahawks were on the verge of taking a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter when officiating disaster struck. Hasselbeck had drilled a pass down the seam to Jerramy Stevens to set up first-and-goal at the one when suddenly Levy appeared in the middle of the screen to call the play back on account of holding on Sean Locklear. No less a source than newly-minted Hall of Famer John Madden came right out and said it was a bad call. This penalty was beyond ticky-tack. Baldinger called it "another terrible call" and added that the Steelers were offsides on the play. It was yet another official searching for a call, desperate to throw his flag, yearning to impact the action. Why, why, oh, why? That's 14 points the officials simply took away from the Seahawks. Incredible. After a sack, Hasselbeck threw a pick and then was penalized 15 yards for making the tackle. I'm not kidding. The same thing happened in the Indy-Pittsburgh game in the regular season. It's like the officials become so discombobulated during the change of possession that they just randomly start throwing flags. The call was that Hasselbeck had thrown an illegal block below the waist on the return. Never mind that Hasselbeck wasn't trying to block anybody and did, in fact, make the tackle. Just another terrible call that cannot be reviewed in Paul Tagliabue's NFL. The Steelers took quick advantage of their enhanced field position and just like that it was 21-10 Pittsburgh when it should have been 17-14 Seattle. But the stripes weren't done. First, they blew a fumble call on the field — of course against Seattle — before overturning it after replay. Then, with the Steelers trying to run out the clock, Levy granted Roethlisberger a timeout, even though the play clock clearly read zero before the quarterback signaled for time. It ended up being the final bad call in Seattle's coffin. As Madden and Al Michaels watched the replay they shared a laugh about a similar bad non-call in an earlier playoff game between the Bears and Panthers. This is what it has come to: Announcers comparing the bad calls happening before them to the bad calls from earlier rounds of the playoffs. Is this really what the NFL wants? Did the refs get this Ben Roethlisberger touchdown call right? It's certainly up for debate. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press) With Cris Collinsworth lobbying for pass interference to be eligible for review on Inside the NFL after New England got jobbed in Denver; Joey Porter inveighing against the league after the game in Indy; Young and Irvin railing at halftime of the Super Bowl; Baldinger being spot-on with his Instant Analysis critique of the officials; and Madden and Michaels wondering aloud about the officiating during the game ... is anybody in the league office listening? Or can we pretty much count on next year's playoffs being dominated by the officials too? Was that Mike Holmgren or Mike Martz? The one area where most people agreed Seattle might have an edge was on the sidelines. Mike Holmgren was supposed to be a better game coach than Bill Cowher. But a funny thing happened to Holmgren at the end of the first half (and again at the end of the game): he became Mike Martz. Not once, but twice, Holmgren basically ran the clock out on himself. One other decision Holmgren made should haunt him. After Mack Strong did a shameful job of not stretching out for a first down — on a tackle by a cornerback no less — the Seahawks faced 4th-and-inches at their own 26 with a 3-0 lead in the second quarter. The situation reminded me of when Bill Belichick went for it in a similar situation against the Colts in the playoffs three years ago, made it and sent a statement. Despite having an MVP tailback who was 16-for-16 on 3rd-and-1 this season, Holmgren went the safe route and punted. The Steelers scored and Seattle never led again. Darrell Jackson, what might have been After tying a Super Bowl record with five catches in the first quarter, Darrell Jackson was shut out. But, oh, what might have been. If not for a holding call, a marginal offensive pass interference penalty and a momentary lapse of knowing where he was on the field, Darrell Jackson could have had eight catches in the first half for 124 yards and two touchdowns. As it turned out, his five catches for 50 yards will be easily forgotten. Joey Porter vs. Jerramy Stevens Joey Porter was pretty invisible. Jerramy Stevens wished he was. Despite scoring a touchdown, he had three huge drops, two of which were drive killers when the Seahawks were marching deep in Steelers territory. Porter may have had only three tackles and no sacks, but the "soft" label he hung on Stevens sure seemed to fit as the 6-foot-7 tight end short-armed several passes and seemed to be hearing footsteps all night. Kevin Hench is supervising producer of The Sports List on Fox Sports Net. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5310192
Posts: 79,736

02-06-2006, 08:10 PM	#121
Taco John Sapere Aude Join Date: Jun 2001 Casino cash: $567937	Who are you again? __________________ Ehyeh asher ehyeh. Donger's Razor: "The most establishment-friendly explanation that gives leftist and neocon politicians the most amount of cover is the only possible explanation, even when gaping holes and leaps of logic are required to get there."
Posts: 79,736

02-06-2006, 11:18 PM	#125
OnTheWarpath15 MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2161115	Oh, and thanks for the neg rep...... Funny how htismaqe can give me rep after calling me a dumbass and a douchebag, yet you neg rep me and weren't even part of the goddamn debate. If you had read the whole thread, you may have seen where I was coming from, and where I admitted I should have replaced "sore loser" with "sour grapes." Not that it should have mattered. I would hope we're all smart enough to know when something applies to us and when it doesn't. If you weren't blaming the loss on the refs, it doesn't apply to you.
Posts: 60,749

02-06-2006, 11:27 PM	#128
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-562950	I think it's sad the NFL has to debate on whether it uses replay, and how it uses it. Why don't they just review anything that should be reviewed, you don't need challenges for that. How hard is it to have a guy sit in a booth look at replays and tell them when they got something wrong? I remember when they first took replay away and said "well it's making the games last longer." I personally could careless if the game lasts 30 minutes longer, aslong as the calls are right.
Posts: 115,292