Hose job for Steelers

[jspchief]

Just heard on Fox radio that the refs inadvertantly added 52 seconds to the end of the Steelers/Pats game.

Considering the Pats made a last minute drive to kick the winning FG with 1 second left, I'd say that's a significant mistake.

If I was a Steeler fan, I would be pissed. That could have home field implications in the play-offs, not to mention just being a screw job.

Amzing that no one on the Steelers team caught that on gameday.

[HolmeZz]

It was 52 seconds at the beginning of the quarter. If it was at the end, I could see their argument, but the game was played out evenly and the Patriots won.

[Eleazar]

They need less of a moron running the clock.

And anytime the Steelers get hosed is ok with me.

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by HolmeZz

It was 52 seconds at the beginning of the quarter. If it was at the end, I could see their argument, but the game was played out evenly and the Patriots won.

Exactly. If the extra seconds hadn't have been put on, then the timeouts still would have been used at the appropriate times. You can't say for a fact that NE still wouldn't have had enough time to drive for the winning FG.

[Simplex3]

Come on guys, if the teams were the Chiefs and the Broncos and the everything else was equaly you'd be screaming right now. That's a a major-league f**k up and whoever did it should be banished to work baseball games.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

Come on guys, if the teams were the Chiefs and the Broncos and the everything else was equaly you'd be screaming right now. That's a a major-league f**k up and whoever did it should be banished to work baseball games.

I agree. If it happened to our team it would be a meltdown.

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

Exactly. If the extra seconds hadn't have been put on, then the timeouts still would have been used at the appropriate times. You can't say for a fact that NE still wouldn't have had enough time to drive for the winning FG.

Brady didn't even have to spike the ball on that drive.

He completely, 100% owned the Steelers. They folded up like a cheap lawn chair when the pressure was on, on their home field, just like in the playoffs last year, and Brady did his Montana impersonation as usual, going 12/12 in the 4th quarter.

Just another excuse for a team and a fanbase dying to make excuses as to why their team always steps on their cranks when they need to make a play.

[DanT]

The mistake got made at the Steelers' own stadium. Also, I don't accept that the game would have been played the same way if the mistake hadn't have been made. You can't simply pretend that the exact same calls would have been made and the only difference between the game that was played and the game that would have been played is that the gameclock would have been 52 seconds further along.

Given that the Patriots were behind when the mistake was made, I do believe the mistake helped the Patriots, since it gave them more time to catch up. However, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't have won in the absence of the mistake. The Steelers weren't prohibited from looking after their own interest. They should have caught the mistake at the time. If the Steelers were hosed, then some of their own hands were holding the nozzle.

[Mr. Kotter]

Holy crap. Incompetence knows no bounds....

Unbelievable.

[alpha_omega]

Originally Posted by Cochise

And anytime the Steelers get hosed is ok with me.

My thoughts exactly!

[Amnorix]

Let's not get too carried away here. Here are the facts -- you may draw your own conclusions:

1. The mistake, which the NFL has admitted, occurred very early in the fourth quarter. It added precisely 52 seconds back onto the clock.

2. We played the game at the Steelers stadium in Pittsburgh. The clock management is the responsibility, of course, of the officiating crew.

3. The Steelers, "officially and unofficially" have stated that this did not change the results of the game. (I quote this from a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette I read this morning).

4. At the time the mistake happened, the Steelers were winning 13-10. Less than 3 minutes later, the Patriots scored to go up 17-13.

5. The Patriots got the ball back at the very end of the game with 1:21 remaining. It took three plays and 24 seconds off the clock to move into field goal range. The Patriots still would have had over five seconds to spike the ball and kick the winning figgie, even if everything else had remained the same.

(this, also, from the Post-Gazette).


Ultimately, although regrettable, even the Steelers agree this mistake occurred so early in the game it didn't really affect too much.

[Amnorix]

Here's the article I reference.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05270/578451.stm

A few key quotes:

"Steelers officials, publicly and privately, say it did not affect the eventual outcome."

"Could [the Patriots] have moved into position to win it had they been given 22 seconds instead of 74? They practically did. Tom Brady completed two passes to put the Patriots on the Steelers' 31 with 57 seconds left. Even removing the extra 52 seconds, that still would have left Vinatieri five seconds to kick a 49-yard field goal to win it."

[BigMeatballDave]

It's Pittsburgh, **** 'em! So, the Steelers got an extra :52 in the 4th qt., on their home turf, and still choked?

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

It took three plays and 24 seconds off the clock to move into field goal range.

You know, I watched that game and still forgot it happened that fast. That's amazing.

[Fish]

I'd still be pissed if I was a Steelers fan. These things often get overlooked, and the refs often treat the game differently in the speed of spotting the ball, starting/stopping the clock, etc. when time is a factor in a game.