Stillers 21, Seahawks 10� ���. Feb 5th, 2006 ����The Super Bowl�
�������������������� WE'RE THE CHAMPS !!
Stillers-Seahawks Super
Bowl Postgame Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers stunk and sputtered in the 1st half, and then upped their thin lead
thanks to a Sup bowl record jaunt by Willie Parker early in the 3Q.� But Seattle scored to make it a 4-point game
midway thru the 3Q, and it remained that way, until a trick play from El to
Ward produced a 43-yard score with 6 minutes remaining to seal the deal.� (Please note:� Not only was I one of the very few entirely sober people in the
country watching this game, but I am one of about 10 people in the entire
country that actually went back and re-watched the entire game.)�
Grades:
QB:�
Benji had a lousy game.�� In
fact, pound for pound, he played, oh, about 3 times worse than Neil O'Dummel
did in Super Bowl 30.� He was victimized
by several drops, but he threw an inordinate number of pitiful passes during
the game.� On the 1st drive of the game,
he threw a piss-poor, low pass to an open Ward on 3rd & 5 that was a
weakassed short-arm of a pass.� On the
final play of the 1Q, Ben, after a slight flush, chucked a deep ball to
Washington that was a wounded quail, fluttering and quacking the entire journey
and falling way off target.� This quail
wasn't an aberration, as, in the 2Q, he chucked a wounded quail on a deep ball
to El that was woefully underthrown and was picked off by Boulware.� To his credit, he shook off the INT and
regrouped on the next drive, throwing a good strike on a flag in the EZ that
Ward dropped.� He shook that off, too,
and had superb presence, under some pressure, to flick a shovel pass to Ward on
3d & 6, gaining 12 yards.� Ben also
showed brilliant presence on the 3d & 28 in the 2Q, having incredible sense
to go up to, but not across, the LOS, and then chucking the long lob that Hines
corralled for the 37-yard gain.� In the
3Q, with the Stillers poised to pound a large nail into the coffin, facing a
3rd & 6 at the Sea 7, Roth had Wilson open on a little out pattern, but
inexplicably did this asinine little "jump hop" instead of simply
stepping into the pass.� The pass had no
loft, no arc, and no zip whatsoever; instead, it was a weakassed lollipop that
backup CB Kelly Herndon gladly accepted and picked off, and then returned it to
the Stiller 20.� This was as shit-laden
a pass as I've ever seen Roth throw.�
Late in the 3Q, on a 3d & 2, Roth was skittish under some light
pressure and badly overthrew Ward on a little out.� Overall, Ben went 9 for 21 for 123 yards, no TDs, and 2 INTs,
which is a passer rating of just under 23.�
Very rarely does a team in the modern NFL win the Super Bowl game with
such subpar quarterbacking; the Stillers won this game in spite of BenRoth, not
because of him.� D+.��
RB:�
Leading the way was Fast Willie Parker, who ran a basic dive play early
in the 2H and took it to the house for a 75-yard TD run.� Some RBs would have been content with a 5-yard
gain on this exact play, and then gotten up dancing and woofing and
high-stepping, but not Parker.� As he
saw daylight past the first level, Parker had one thing in mind -- paydirt, in
the end zone.�� TOUCHDOWN.�
���� Big Jerome Bettis was his usual playoff
self, averaging a whopping 3.1 yards/carry on 14 carries.� Twice, he was given the ball within an arm's
reach of the Seattle goal line, and twice he was rebuffed as easy as pie.� He helped Ben's TD by plowing ahead, which
may have been his most meaningful contribution in the game.� After all the fawning and blather about Big
Jerome -- did you know he hailed from Detroit, by the way? -- the man had no
more of an impact on this game than, say, Seattle FB Mack Strong.� At least he didn't cough up the football,
which he's done on a regular basis in the past 2 years of playoff
football.������ Parker:� A.�
Bettis:� B-.�
FB: Kreider played ok, although he was
hardly dominating.� He didn't play all
that much, because the Stillers went with a lot of 2 TE and 3 WR sets.� He was somewhat repelled on a Bettis
goal-line plunge that came up short of the goal line.�� B.�
WR:�
Hines Ward led the way with 5 grabs for 123 yards and 1 TD, and the MVP
to boot, but he was far from flawless.�
He dropped a sure TD on a flag in the EZ in the 2Q, allowing the ball to
simply clang off his hands.� He also
dropped a pass on the first play of the 3Q on a stop pass that was low, but
entirely catchable.� He redeemed himself
a short while later, making a nice fingertip grab on a low out pass, good for
15 yards.� Ward also dashed 18 yards on
an end around.� El chipped in with 3
grabs for 22 yards, plus the clutch, superb pass -- the very best pass of the
evening by a Pittsburgh passer -- for the 4Q TD that sealed the win.� El also hustled his ass off, from the other
side of the field, and chased down Herndon on the long INT return.� This was as impressive a hustle-play as
you'll see all season long.� Wilson had
just 1 grab, and dropped a simple curl on the first play of the 3rd series of
the 1Q, looking terrified at the prospect of being drilled by Lofa Tatupu.�� Nate Wash played sparingly and was thrown a
deep ball that was far off target.�� The
drops hamper what was otherwise a decent evening.� B.�
TE:�
Miller helped bog down the offense on the first series, committing a
false start on the very first offensive play from scrimmage.� Later, in the 2Q, Miller was flagged for
offensive PI on a screen pass.� Because
of Cowher's and Whisenhunt's brilliant offensive gameplanning, Miller was never
thrown a pass -- not even one -- the entire game.� Jerame Tuman, of course, was thrown a pass, a short
curl that clanged off his hands for an incomplete pass late in the 3Q.�� The blocking was ok.� B-.
OL: The line played okay.� Faneca and Starks threw the key blocks on the
Parker TD jaunt; Starks being the huge surprise by getting to the 2nd level and
having the wherewithal to seal off Tatupu.�
Otherwise, the run blocking was marginal; with the Stillers gaining
about 3.3 yards per crack (factoring out the TD jaunt), which includes some
productive scrambles by Roth.� The pass
pro was decent; Benji generally had sufficient time to look for a receiver, or,
when he was harried, he at least had plenty of room to slide or scoot
and then re-set for a pass.� Marvel
Smith got thoroughly whipped by Wistrom on a 2Q sack.� Al Faneca had a very rocky day.�
Yes, he had the big lead block on the Parker jaunt.� But he struggled badly on the goal-line
plunges in the 2Q.� He was totally
collapsed on the Bettis 2d & goal plunge, and then was knocked on his ass
on Ben Roth's TD keeper.� In the 1Q, it
was Faneca that poorly allowed pressure on Ben, which forced Ben to be flushed
and throw a hurried deep lob to Washington that fell incomplete.� Simmons had a good pull and seal on Ward's
en around, which gained 18 yards.� This
was particularly impressive, as Simmons sold the play as going to the right
by stepping off to his right, and then doing a nice 180-dgree pirouette and
heading back towards the left end, where he sealed that end for Hines to freely
race around end for the big gainer.�
Starks had his ups and down.� He
was flagged on the first series for a false start.� Then, in the 2Q, it was Starks that allowed the leakage on Ben's
flush and shovel to Ward, as Fisher tooled Starks and got the harassment of the
QB.� Starks allowed Bernard to slash
right by him and create pressure on Ben on a boot to the right in the 3Q, which
resulted in an incomplete pass.� Starks impressed
the hell out of me on the Herndon INT return, however.� Starks set off and ran full steam after
Herndon, and was right there when Randle El made the stop.� For a huge OT to lumber 70 yards downfield
after a cornerback and nearly make the stop is an incredible, stupendous effort
and well worthy of recognition.�
Overall, the line play was hardly dominant by any stretch, but just good
enough to help carry the day.� B.�
DL:�
The D-line was a bit quiet for much of the game.� Kimo had a good stop of Strong on a toss
sweep in the 1Q, holding him to no gain.�
He also had good penetration on an Alexander run wide to the right late
in the 1Q, which forced a 4-yard loss.�
Hampton simply mauled center Slobbie Tobeck in the 3Q, knocking him on
his ass and nailing Hasseljack for the sack.�
Hampton also did a nice job of sliding down the line and getting an
ankle-nab of Alex on an off-tackle run to the right in the 2Q.� Conversely, Hampton got totally stood up on
an Alexander 5-yard plunge on the first play of the 2Q.� Chris Hoke made a fine play, similar to the
aforementioned one by Hampton, sliding down the line and hauling down Alex on a
sweep, which stopped the play for a meager 2-yard gain.� Aaron Smith toiled quietly but chipped in
some.�� Keisel saw a fair amount of
work, and Kirschke got in some work as well.��
B.
LB:�
A so-so day for the LB crew.�
Leading the way was Clark Haggans, who had an unspectacular but very
steady game.� Hagg beat Locklear to the
inside on the first series and then dropped Hasseljack.� Hagg had a good string-out of an Alex sweep
late in the 2Q, and then hustled to polish off Alex after the skimpy 1-yard
gain.� On the 1st Seattle play of the
3Q, Hagg had a good hit and jar on Alex after a short dumpoff.� Hagg drew the big penalty flag on Locklear
in the 4Q with a fast, aggressive pass rush.�
A short while later, he forced a hasty deep pass to Jurevicius by
beating FB Mack Strong.� Hagg hurt his
groin the 3Q, but fought it off and returned.�
Farrior played ok, helping to limit Alexander here and there.� Alex averaged 4.5 yards a crack, of course,
so there wasn't a whole lot of limiting going on.� The Winged God of Coverage was cleanly beaten by Stevens down the
seam at 12:44 of the 3Q, but the brittle-fingered Stevens simply dropped the
ball.� This would have given Seattle a
1st &� goal at the Stiller 7.�� Larry Foote did little.� On the first series of the game, Foote was
timid, slow, and took a poor angle on Alex's 8-yard run.� Big Joey Porter woofed and talked all week,
and then went out and did nothing the entire game.� Yes, he was back in coverage for a preponderance of the time; in
fact, he dropped into coverage on 39 plays and rushed on 17, which counts
passes, sacks, scrambles, plays with penalties, and so on.� For being such a big he-man, he was a big
zero.� On the nullified TD pass to
Jackson in the 1Q, Porter was easily bullied wide by Jones, which allowed
Hasselbeck to flush and scoot into that open acreage by the LT spot and set up
and hit Jackson for the TD.� On Alex's
sweep that was stuffed for a 4-yard loss, Big Joey was getting bullied and
buffeted; fortunately Kimo and� Foote
stopped the play.� On a 3rd & 5
early in the 2Q, Porter dropped into middle coverage, and was slowfooted in
reacting, allowing the easy curl to Jurevicius for 15 yards.� On a 3rd & 4 in the 3Q, Porter was
literally mauled off the LOS by -- who else -- Jerramy Stevens, which allowed
FB Mack Strong to easily cruise up LT for the easy 7 yards.� On the very next play, Porter took a huge
over-run and was ridden waaaay upfield by Jones, which allowed a mammoth hole
for Alex to run wide left and gain 21 yards.�
In the 4Q, Porter, after a relentless mauling by Jones, had a weak,
1-armed flail at Alex, who gained 4 yards.��
On the play prior� to the Taylor
INT, Alex easily turned the corner against the flat-footed Porter and gained 7
yards before Big Joey horsecollared him from behind on what should have, unquestionably,
been flagged under the new horsecollar rule.�
Overall, a lousy game by Joey the Mouth and a marginal one by the
crew.� Porter:� C-.�� All others:� B.
DB:�
A so-so game in which the secondary survived, in large part, due to the
miscues and blundering of the Seattle offense.�
Ike started the game as soft as cream pie, giving Jackson loads of
softee cushion.� He also dropped an INT
on the 2d series, although the Hawks punted and the Stillers got the ball at
about the same FP.� Taylor was beaten on
a slant to Jackson late in the 1Q, and then whiffed, which resulted in a
20-yard gainer.� Ike had a clumsy,
stumbling flail on the deep sideline pass to Jackson late in the 2Q, which
should have been reviewed for a TD.�� In
the 4Q, he graciously accepted Hasseljacks' charity and made the Larry
Brown-style interception.� Like Brown,
this wasn't any kind of a good defensive play; rather, simply a gawdawful
pass.� Hope, hopelessly on a island
against Jackson in the EZ, was flatfooted and simply beaten for the TD, but
lucked out when the tickytack PI flag was thrown.� Hope was trucked in hilarious fashion in the 4Q by Jurevicius,
who just bulldozed Hopeless after a reception.�
Hope looked like a complete asshump on this play.� Hope did jar the ball loose from Stevens on
a deep flag, which negated a long gainer in the 2Q, although, of course, one
should wonder why Hope allowed Stevens to be so wide open in the first
place.� McFadden was beaten by Hackett
in the EZ, in which McFadd clumsily stumbled as the pass arrived.� This should have been an easy, routine TD
catch, but luckily Hackett couldn't hack it and he allowed the ball to clang
off his hands.� Troy Pola showed the
effects of his injured ankle, as he was a complete non-factor for much of the
game.� He was slow and meek on the
Stevens TD reception (no, there was NOT any sort of a pick whatsoever on this
play, contrary to the imbecilic blabbering by Fat John Madden), and you'd have
to think that a 100% Pola would have jumped on this obvious route with much
more alacrity than he showed there.�
DeShea Townsend made perhaps the best play of the game for the
secondary, crisply stopping Mack Strong 6 inches shy of the sticks after a 3d
& 3 dumpoff in the 2Q, which forced a Seattle punt.� Carter chipped in some late in the 4Q.��� B-.�
Spec
teams:� A decent bright spot.�� Kriewaldt made a good stick on the opening
KO.� Harrison had 2 good stops on punt
coverage.� Keisel had a good stop in KO coverage
after Parker's TD.� El had a good
20-yard PR late in the 3Q.� Gardocki hit
some decent punts, although he had a couple shallow ones, including a 37-yarder
in the 1Q.� Fortunately, the Stillers
were the kind recipient of a spec teams fiasco by Seattle.�� Tom Rouen helped ruin the Seahawks evening
by booming 4 punts into the EZ for touchbacks, and Josh Brown missed 2
FGs inside the dry, wind-free dome of Ford Field.� Seattle was also called for a phantom hold during a PR on the
first play of the 2Q, which Warrick had returned 34 yards to the Stiller
46.� Fat Madden tried to claim the flag
was on Pruitt while he was "blocking" the gunner before the punt, but
on the replay, you can clearly see the sidejudge throw the flag as Warrick is
15 yards into his punt return.����
A-.�
OC:�
A sketchy, mediocre job by WiseHunt. The 1st half game plan was as
vanilla as the inside of the original Klondike Bar.� WiseHunt had 2 full weeks, and the best plan he could come up
with was this plodding, mindless, feeble-assed gameplan ??� How sorry was it?� The 1st 3 series were THREE 3-and-outs.� It wasn't until Ward ran an end around for 18 yards in the 2Q
that the offense showed the slightest bit of creativity, imagination, and
cleverness.� My problem with the ground
game in the 1H, was that EVERYTHING was a slow-as-whaleshit play that took
about 9 seconds to develop, and the quick Seattle defense continually blew up
these whaleshit plays before they ever remotely developed.� Fortunately, WiseHunt managed to extract his
head from his ass while the Rolling Stones were performing, and on the very 1st
run of the 3Q, Parker took a QUICK dive play and bolted to daylight for the
75-yard TD run.� Where the sam hell was
that kind of quick-hitting dive play in the 1H?� Answer: nowhere to be found, except perhaps at the desk of Al
Davis' secretary.� The other problem
with the 1H, was that WiseHunt totally got away from what had made this offense
churn at full turbo power in this playoff stretch.� We'd had enormous success passing off play-action on
supposed-running downs, so Whisenhunt (and his boss) got ultra conservative and
ran vanilla, whaleshit counters instead.�
The solid drive in 3Q, which ended in the hideous INT, was a nice drive
that started with a PASS, to Ward, for 15 yards.� Passing on 1st downs isn't a panacea, but this Stiller team had
show ALL season and all post-season that they'd struggled to run the ball in
the 1H, and conversely they'd had good success throwing the ball on early
downs.� The Gay Drive o' the Game award
was an easy selection.� In the 3Q, at
6:45, the Stillers took over at their own 20.�
Two Parker runs netted 6 yards.�
On 3d & 4, they ran the illustrious ShitGun Draw to Haynes, which
the entire stadium was waiting on.� The
draw netted 2 yards and the Stillers punted.�
Very, very gay.� I thought it was
clever how Cheezenhunt used Heath Miller -- the incredibly dangerous, big,
reliable pass catcher that he is -- as a decoy the entire game and didn't throw
a single pass in the direction of Miller.�
Bravo, Ken !!�� The trick play
that scored the big TD -- the same play they burned Cleveland with earlier this
season -- probably saved WiseHunt from some tough, scorching post-game
questions.� Good luck with Oakland Al,
Kenny !!��� C+.�
DC:�
Dick's defense did ok, although they were aided enormously by the
plethora of bizarro blunders, time management gaffes, phantom penalties, and
unforced drops by the Hawks.� My
nightmares of Stevens running scott free and wide open were well founded, as
the man wasn't covered the entire evening.�
Fortunately, Stevens is now getting endorsement offers from Johnson's Baby Oil,
which he presumably smeared all over his hands before each series.�� Townsend had the big sack off the corner
blitz at 6:36 of the 4Q.� Nice, but what
the hell took so long to attack Hasseljack with a corner blitz prior to
that?�� The grade could, in theory, be
higher, but there was very, very little that the Stillers did to slow down
Seattle; this was a case of Seattle,a nd the officiating crew, taking a shotgun
and masochistically shooting themselves in the foot time and time and time
again.� C+.
HC:� I'd stated
over and over about my concerns about Cowhard's conservatism being the main
factor that could cause defeat.� Sure
enough, Cowhard's ass was so tight as the game began, that you couldn't have
inserted a drill bit from the very best Dewalt
drill on the market.� The bit would have
snapped off without penetrating even a sixteenth of an inch.�� The team got to the SB by throwing on
"obvious" running downs; keeping defenses off-balance, and playing a
tenacious defense.� So, of course, they
played nearly all of the 1st three quarters by running on most 1st & 2nd
downs, keeping no one off balance, and doing nothing remotely approaching
tenacity on defense.� This was your
typical Cowher egg-lay; the team came out and laid an egg, and only the lowly
play by Seattle, combined with a plethora of horrendous officiating calls,
allowed this team to overcome and win.�
Mind you, they still may very well have won the game without all of the
hideous mis-calls.� To come out on the
very first play -- a play that is rehearsed at least 37 times prior to the game
-- and commit a false start gives you a pretty good idea about the quality of
preparation.� (Nearly the same thing
happened in the Jan. 1997 "fog Bowl" playoff loss in Boston, when the
Stillers committed an illegal formation penalty to open the game.)� Cowher, ever the bonehead, actually called a
TO on 3d & 10, late in the 2Q, as the playclock was running down and as
Seattle was looking at a DOG penalty.�
Then, at halftime, Cowhard was interviewed, and all he could say -- he
said it TWICE -- was that "Ben's gotta settle down."� Settle down, my ass!�� The 1H wasn't Ben; it was an
ultra-conservative gameplan that was predictable, stale, lethargic, and
Neanderthal.� The game plan was a
wretched piece of shit that could have just as well been slapped together by a
couple of drunkards sitting around a South Side tavern.� The overt conservatism forced Roethlisberger
to play in predictable (for the DEFENSE) circumstances -- passing on obvious
3rd downs -- as opposed to the prior 3 playoff games where defenses were
constantly off-guard and off-balance as to what the Stillers would be doing,
which greatly aided Ben's effectiveness.�
As always, I don't, nor will I ever, fawn over abject mediocrity.� C-.
Officiating:��
7 huge calls were botched, and I cannot, in good conscience, ignore
them:�
���������� 1.�� Offensive PI on Jackson on the TD reception
in the 1Q.� 999 times out of 1,000 in
the NFL, this is NEVER called.�
It was a ticky-tack, 1-finger nudge.�
Fact is, Hopeless was, as usual, flatfooted and slow-to-react on this
play.� Fact is, BOTH players were
hand-checking one another before Jackson cut back toward the middle of the
field.� This wasn't remotely close to a
Michael Irvin SHOVE, at all.� A totally
absurd flag; one of the worst calls I've seen in all of this year's
playoffs.�
���������� 2.� On the first play of the 2Q, Warrick returned a punt 34
yards to the Stiller 46.� Pruitt was
flagged for a phantom hold on Ty Carter.�
Fat Madden tried to claim the flag was on Pruitt while he was "blocking"
the gunner before the punt, but on the replay, you can clearly see the
sidejudge throw the flag as Warrick is some 15 yards into his punt return.� Regrettably, the replay angle was poor and
late, and we don't have conclusive evidence of exactly what happened prior to
Carter/Pruitt coming into the picture, but for the 3-4 seconds of action that
visibly occurred prior to the ref throwing the flag, there was ZERO holding,
clipping, or illegal blocking.�� Instead
of having the ball at the Pit 46, the Hawks started that drive at their own
25.�
���������� 3.� On Ben's keeper that was ruled a TD, go back
and re-watch the LINE JUDGE, who was the man that signaled the TD.�� When Ben was hit and stopped, this official
very forcefully raised his right hand and came running in to the scrum to MARK
THE SPOT OF THE BALL.� With his right
arm extended high, and even waving his right hand, he takes SIX FULL STEPS as
he runs toward the pile, and then, after his sixth step of running toward the
pile, suddenly, he signals touchdown.��
That's my problem on this play.�
If the ref was so ultra-confident that the ballcarrier was DOWN, he
should have stuck with his spot, and the play could have been reviewed by the
booth.� There's a severe problem when a
referee marks the play as DOWN, and then, after Benji picks up the ball
and places it over the GL, the same ref rules it a TD.� I suspect this ref will be reprimanded by
Tuesday afternoon.� Had the play been
ruled down short of the GL, it's likely the Stillers may have pounded it in on
4th & inches, although, give the propensity of Billy Cowher, he might just
as well kicked the FG as he did in last year's AFCC.�
���������� 4.� Late in the 2Q, Hasslejack threw a deep lob
down the sideline to Jackson, who clearly caught the ball with 1 foot (his left
foot) in bounds.� The other foot landed
on the turf just outside the orange pylon and was ruled incomplete.�� However, the right foot very clearly
hits the orange pylon before it comes down.� What's particularly bizarre, and disturbing, is that even though
this play occurred within the finally 2:00 of the half, there was no official
"booth review", which is inexplicable.� This was a huge play -- potentially a TD, or at the very least, a
long gainer to the 1-foot line, and why no one in the booth upstairs did the
mandatory review of such a close play is absolutely bizarre.���
���������� 5.� Holding on Clark Hagg by the RT, Sean
Locklear, on a reception by Stevens that would have given Seattle 1st & goal
at the Stiller 1 in the 4Q.� An
absolutely horrendous ghost of a call.�
There was absolutely no holding on this play whatsoever.� This exact type of block is performed at
least 29 times in every NFL game and is never flagged, as the arm of Locklear
was not impeding Haggans in any way.� 3
plays later, Hasslejack tried to make something happen on a 3rd & 18, and
Ike got the pick of a horrendous pass.�
���������� 6.� On the play just before the Taylor INT, Alex
ran wide left and turned the corner.�
Joey Porter, caught flatfooted, pursued from behind and clearly HORSECOLLARED
Alexander to make the stop after a 7-yard gain.� This rule was placed into the rulebook for the 2005 season, and
it's bizarre how a ref crew can call a tickytack finger-nudge for PI but doesn't
call a blatant horsecollar that was as obvious as a cockroach on a billiard
table.� Instead of being the recipient
of a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down, Seattle faced a 3d & 18, and
on that play Hasslejack forced the errant pass that Taylor intercepted.�
���������� 7.� Three plays after the phantom holding call
and one play after the non-call on the Porter horsecollar, Hasselbeck threw the
INT and actually MADE the tackle of Ike Taylor on the INT return, yet
was flagged 15 yards for the bullshit "low block".� This was the same horseshit flag that
Hartings was flagged on 3 weeks ago versus Indy after an INT by Doss.� Hasselbeck never had any contact with ANY
Steeler except for the ballcarrier, Ike Taylor.� He completely missed Townsend, who was nearby Taylor.� This was as horrendous a phantom call as
I've every seen.�� Only in this kind of
horrendously officiated game could a man be credited for the solo tackle, yet
also flagged for a "low block".�
����������
Some will point out 2 possible
fumbles by Seattle, both of which are entirely non-applicable, as follows:
���������� a.� Stevens had the ball jarred by Hope on the
3d & 2 play in the 2Q.� The hit
happened at the Pit 27, and the ball squirted out and briskly rolled OOB at the
Stiller 8-yard line.� Farrior was the
closest Stiller to this football, and he peeled off after giving a brief
chase.� In reviewing this play, it's highly
unlikely Farrior, far away from the initial hit by Hope, would have
been able to cleanly scoop up the ball before it went OOB.� Because the Seattle player (Stevens) didn't
do anything to move the "fumbled" ball forward, this "incomplete
pass" call by the ref actually BENEFITED the Stillers, because the Hawks
would have had the ball, 1st & goal at the 8, rather than punting on the
next play.� Even if Farrior had dove on
the ball just before it went OOB, because Rouen boomed the punt into the EZ for
a touchback, the Stillers actually got better FP from the punt than they would
have from the fumble.� Ergo, this "fumble"
was as meaningless as the kneeldown that Roth executed on the game's final
play.�
����������
���������� b.� Hasslejack scrambled in the 4Q, and after
Foote got a hand on him, he fell forward and coughed up the ball after he hit
the ground.� The play was reviewed and
ruled "down by contact".� This was
the exact same ruling as Parker's "fumble" in the Denver game 2 weeks
ago, which was also reviewed and over-turned.�
Ergo, no fumble, and the refs did, for once in this game,
make the correct call.�
���������� There was
also the mention by Fat Madden about a "helmet to helmet" hit by
Manuel at the end of the Ward end around, which was preposterous.� Helmet to helmet applies on pass RECEPTIONS,
not on ballcarriers who are simply getting tackled.� If that were the case, Lofa Tatupu would have been flagged 15
yards when he and Nick Goings met head on head in the NFCC and Goings suffered
the concussion.�
���������� There was
also ridiculous mention from Fat Madden about a "pick play" on the
Stevens TD.� Absolutely nothing was
illegal on that play.� There was ZERO
contact by a Seattle WR on Pola, and as such, no pick occurred and no penalty
was warranted.��
Officiating Grade:� F-����
An outright shame that the biggest game of the season -- and the
biggest sporting event in the entire world -- was botched so badly by the
officiating crew.�� Their gross
incompetence stains what could have been an epic football game.�
Synopsis:�
We'll take the "W" and gloat as best we can about being World
Champs.� Fact is, it was a sloppy,
slovenly win.� This win was a bit of a
shallow victory.� I was hoping to
ransack and plunder our way to the title, not slop and slather our way into it,
with the aid of a plethora of horrible officiating calls.� It was a travesty of justice, plain and
simple, and to me and many others, it sours what would have otherwise
been sheer joy. We might very well have won the game had
the refs NOT screwed up so many calls; and at the very least, I would, as an
ardent fan of the game, have liked to have seen THAT play out rather than the
unbelievable one-sided rash of botched calls on immensely critical
plays. To
me, it's a matter of perspective, and I've never been one to have freebie
handouts or "favors" done for me. What happened last night
by that officiating crew was a sheer travesty of justice and a disgrace to the
game, the league, the players, and the fans.�
We can only hope that this entire ref crew is publicly
reprimanded for a job poorly done. I won my 2 bets and I'll be able to
talk plenty of smack with co-workers, neighbors, and fans of other teams, so
I'm as happy as hell about that.� But
it's a far less boisterous smack talk, given the circumstances of the win.�� Soon enough, we'll start to compile our
player grades, as well as work on the offseason analysis and then the pre-draft
analysis.� Offseason analysis doesn't
get any better than here at Stillers.com.�
Stillers.com -- "When it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close"