As I sit here in a state of disbelief and depression at how the refs were such an integral part of this game, I realize that foundation of this problem is instant replay.
Instant replay has not only created a much larger "role" for officials in a game, it puts them at center stage, lone spotlight, in an intimate convesation with 65,000 in the stands, and millions around the world.
I got to thinking aobut this when NFL Network ran one of their "6 Days to Sunday" specials on Ed Hochuli, the referee with the enormous biceps. There's really no reason why the average fan should know the referee's name, let alone have a football special done about them.
These guys have hand signals, and we all know them. There's no need for them to have microphones and talk to the fans. All that does is make them pseudo-stars of the game, and there's no room for a third team on the field.
Just look at the way this ref was calling holding, so emphatically, you could hear the slap of his hand hitting his forearm. Why does he need to do that? Because he's on TV with over a billion poeple watching him worldwide.
These guys are becoming too big of a part of the telecast, and it's only a matter of time before they have their own agents, and are striking to get more "face time" during each game.
The refs should be as innocuous as the goal posts and pilons, but instead, they're becoming a big part of the game, and in some cases, another opponent on the field.
So get rid of instant replay. Get rid of the microphones. And stick these guys back into obscurity.
Maybe then, they'll concentrate a little bit more about getting the calls right the FIRST time.
NOTE FROM ADP: Hope you don't mind alba, but I dont want the flooble to knock off such a great thing to read, if you're in pain about our screwjob...
NON Seahawk Fans Going OFF On The Referees (highly recommend you guys read some of the Non Seahawks fans going off)
Petition Thingy Against The NFL For Allowing Such An Obvious Screwjob
Thats all...sad day in Seattle, and for the NFL...I refuse to congratulate the STEALers
The team played hard, two bad things, equals too bad,
ReplyDeleteIT REALLY SUCKS,, This team played great, And I for one can, more than ever, proudly say: Yea, I'm a Hawks Fan, What abour it!
Posted by boydb
I don't think it was the Instant Replay, it was the poor officiating. They were totally discriminating against the Hawks. Obvious Steelers fans! 1st half, Steelers, clearly NOT a touchdown. "Pushing off" MY ASS!! What kind of call is that?? The Hawks had an equal and fighting chance to win this game, but it was all blown by the SUCKY OFFICIATING!!!
ReplyDeletewelcome around, boydb...
ReplyDeleteif you're still annoyed about the bad officiating, I have a touching link i added to this topic that SOMEWHAT helps...the petition im not too sure about, but 641 people signed it, so we clearly aren't the only ones upset...but the NON Seahawk fans one...dont gotta read it all, because its got a TON of people defending us...but its great to read as much as you can
apparently, the Sporting News, and Fox Sports RADIO are the only two talking about the 'Worst Called Football Game Of All Time' so far...
Alba - hope you don't mind me adding this, just didnt want the flooble to knock those off
Posted by adp
Check out this petition as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.petitiononline.com/SBXLref/petition.html
NFL sucks.
Posted by Eagles fan
The worst call wasn't the pushoff, or even the Ben T.D. that wasn't It was the DJack T.D. where he got one foot down and the other hit the pylon before it went out of bounds. According to the rules, that's a T.D., but because it was under 2 minutes, the refs never reviewed it. DJack got hosed out of two T.D.s. The phantom holding was also horrible.
ReplyDelete1 Hass's tackle. (block?)
ReplyDelete2 Holding call against Locklear on Stevens catch.
3 Push off by Jackson wiping out a touchdown. (Especially in light of Hines Ward pushing off on several 2nd half plays.)
4 TD by Rothlisburger
5 "No call" on the Bryce Fisher hold by Heath Miller during Willie Parker TD run.
6 DJ's TD. (In an Atlanta game earlier this year, we learned that if the pylon was broken by a reciever in the air, the goal line extends beyond it. Vick used that rule twice in that game. Jackson should have had a (2nd) TD.)
7. No call on Rothlisberger calling for a time out 2 seconds after the play clock expired, on a 3rd and six play.
8 No call on the hold against Bryce Fisher during the Randle El touchdown throw.
9. "No call" on the horse collar tackle against Alexander
10. Etric Pruitt was called for holding on the Warrick punt return. Replays coulnd't find the penalty.
Posted by Anonymous
The calls were bad. The officiating sucked. But we cannot blame the loss on the officials. If Stevens catches the ball more, if DJack gets his second foot down (I hate to disagree monkey, but I believe that it was not a catch. He didn't get the second foot down), If the defense isn't out of position on the Parker TD and the gadget play TD, the Hawks still win. The calls were bad, but the Hawks have overcome bad calls in the past. They should have done the same on Sunday.
ReplyDeletePosted by PaulieP
There were a lot of "questionable" calls, and they all seemed to go against the Seahawks.
ReplyDeleteAgain, not to argue, but the pilon only comes into play after you have established yourself in the field of play. DJACK never got his second foot down in bounds to complete the catch. That was the right call.
All the others on your list however, were ticky tack at best, and phantom at worst.
But the point of this piece is on a grander scale. The refs are supposed to be anonymous regulators of the game, but instant replay has made them into pop stars, with their emphatic holding gestures or their "signature" first down calls.
If you take away this focus on the refs, and take away their microphones, they become muted and innocuous, and hopefully will blend back into the fabric of the game, rather than being that gaudy 4 pound broach on the lapel of a $3,0000 suit.
Posted by alba
alba, not to be argumentative, but the pylon non call was by far the WORST call of the night. I t was the only one that was absolutely indisputeable, which is why they didn't even look at it.
ReplyDeleteThe NFL rules state VERY CLEARLY that if a player gets a foot inbounds and hits the pylon...T.D.
Sorry alba, but reread the rules on that one, to me that was by far the most aggregious, because it is so clearly spelled out in the rules book.
I have to stick with my guns from last week: the refs' hatchet job only overshadows the 'Hawks own missed opportunities. Jerramy Stevens had two or three crucial drops. Hass threw that terrible pick while they were only down four. If Brown hits one of the fifty-yarders they would have been down only one score at the end of the game (not to mention he should have been kicking a lot closer than 54 yards at the end of the first half -- we can blame that one on terrible clock management by Holmes).
ReplyDeleteDid the Steelers play better than the 'Hawks? No. But did the 'Hawks have anything comparable to a 3rd and 28 conversion? The Steelers had three big plays, while the Seahawks managed only one (I love you, Kelly Herndon).
I just think it will be easier for us as fans if we accept this loss as the 'Hawks coming up short... no need to keep the wound open by crowing about the refs (who I hate).
Posted by Uff
NO TEAM PLAYS PERFECT...there will always be missed opportunities...but several times Seattle went downfield only to have the refs SCREW THE HELL OUTTA THEM...and of course...couple plays later, helps Pittsburgh
ReplyDeleteIf we put up 21-28 point on the board, noone would say we had missed opportunities...but the bottom line is, the refs took away our points, and handed the Steelers points...and that combination, no matter who you are, will prevent you from winning...
We coulda made every opportunity work, but we STILL couldn't of possibly won that sorry excuse for a game...
I dont know how any Seahawk fan could possibly try to help defend the refs...the whole freakin world saw it...and not one said we lost because of missed opportunities
Posted by adp
monkey, you know I don't doubt you, but I can't find that passage int he book. Would you help me?
ReplyDeletePosted by PaulieP
Nevermind. I found the relevant rule on the football outsiders page.
ReplyDeleteA player no longer can be ruled out of bounds when he touches a pylon unless he already touched the boundary line.
Sounds pretty cut and dry.
Posted by PaulieP
Pavillion, can you provide a link to that rule?
ReplyDeleteHere's a creative idea for choosing NFL Officials for the Superbowl, what do you think?
I always say, "if you're gonna whine about something, at least offer up a proactive solution, and if you can't come up with a proactive solution, then stop whining about it"
The NFL chooses its Super Bowl officials like a Pro Bowl team, selecting the best official at each position, which makes for 5 guys who are not used to working with each other in the biggest game of the year. BAD PLAN.
Here are two suggestions for fixing it. One is a no-brainer and the other is a bit more creative:
1. Choose the officiating CREW that grades out the highest during the year ON AVERAGE. At least the guys will be used to working with each other, and there will be some consistency of calls from each official on the field.
2. This is the more creative process, and it borrows frmo the American jury system. Give each coach 1 or 2 preemptive challenges, like they do for the defense and the prosecutor when picking a jury pool, and then let the two Coaches choose the officiating team.
If Cowher picks Phil Luckett, for instance, Holms could use one of his preemptive challenges to eliminate Mr. Phantom TD from the process. The head ref would obviously be chosen last, so coaches would have to use their challenges wisely.
At the very least, this would eliminate any belly aching regarding the bad calls after the game, since the Coaches would have chosen the officials.
Posted by alba
There we go...trying to find a way to prevent this stuff...
ReplyDeleteThing is, do the Seahawks really have any refs they know would call it fair?
Who were the refs in the Jaguars-Seahawks game? They were great...
Still no excuse...im still pissed...im not sad at all, im just VERY VERY AGGRAVATED
Posted by adp
alba, the link is actually already in the flooble. Uff provided it.
ReplyDeleteI just get more and more angry.
Posted by PaulieP
I'm glad oyu looked it up Paulie, because in my mind that was the worst call of the night. The thing is, with the Ben T.D. that is getting all the talk, it wasn't so much the replay officials, (who would never have been able to say that there was indisputeable evidence to overturn) as it was the ref who called it in from over 15 yards away. There is no way he could have seen that he was in, NO WAY! Plus he first pointed at the ground saying it was down THEN raised his arms. Total B.S. but forgiveable, by the fact that refs are human and make mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThe pushoff...well it was ticky tack, but DJack put his arm on the defender...so I can't fault the officials too much for that one.
The phantom holding calls, ticked me off a lot, if you don't see it, don't call it! But again, human error, so fine.
But that catch where DJack got one foot down then the other hit the pylon BEFORE going out of bounds....that was a T.D. according to NFL rules, and what made it worse, they never even looked at it.
That is just GROSS negligence. I have no problem with the fact that he originally ruled him out, (though that was botched) but the fact that they never reviewed it....OHHHH that steams me badly.
I'm with Paulie. I agree that the ball crossed the pylon, that was true. But is has to be a completion FIRST. The pylon rule only applies if the receiver has posession FIRST. Since he did not have posession, the moment that he had the ball across the plane, it could not be a touchdown.
ReplyDeleteIt's only a TD if the receiver has posession, period.
If he took the ball in his hands five yards deeper (in the end zone), it still would not have been a touchdown because he only landed one foot in bounds. It's not any different just because the player is in the act of crossing the goal line. He still has to meet the requirements of a 'catch'.
I pretty much agree with the sentiments of the rest of points 1-10, however.
Posted by Bluefoot
But Bluefoot, wathc the replay, he clearly caught the ball, ie. had possesion with one foot inbounds, then before the other foot went out of bounds, it hit the pylon.
ReplyDeleteAgain, according to NFL rules, that's a T.D.
Again, my problem isn't that the call was wrong, but that they NEVER REVIEWED it. Seems odd to me that they refused to even look at it. And since it was under two minutes, Holmgren could do nithing about it.
Again, I'll reiterate what I said on another thread here.
ReplyDeleteSeattle lost this game because of dropped passes, and failure to punch the ball into the end zone when they got near the red zone.
They killed themselves with stupid penalties.
Having said that, the refs CERTAINLY didn't do us ANY favors. That really was a horribly called game, absolutely terrible.
Although I don't think the refs "cost" us the game, they certainly didn't help.
But niether did a holding penalty that brought the ball back from the three, or several very close passes to Darrel Jackson that were JSUT out of bounds.
Seattle missed on the opportunities they had, including two field goals that would have made a huge difference. All those dropped passes were brutal, if Stevens holds onto half of them the Seahawks win the game.
Holmgren's clock mismanagement was brutal as well, at the end of the first half, and again at the end of the game, the playcalling was brutal, and the clock management was worse.
The one thing I will say however, is that the refs made it worse. A LOT WORSE! It would have taken an almost perfect game for the Seahawks to overcome all the bad calls, all the drive killing calls and the non calls that should have gone against Pitt. That's how I see it.
There were at least 21 pts. that were directly affected by the refs, there is no other way of looking at it than that.
Steelers had 3 penalties and two of them came in the first quarter, for false starts that were blatantly obvious.
Seahawks had 7 penaties for 70 yards, and except for two of them, (Tobeck did hold badly on that one call, I forget the other one I agreed with) the others were questionable at best, atrocious at worst. And they ALL seemed to come at the WORST possible time, like JUST when it looked like Seattle was going to score, or did score.
No matter how you slice it, the refs didn't "cost" us the game...but there has NEVER been a superbowl before, where the officiating INFLUENCED the outcome so heavily...NEVER!
One last thing, this is the first superbowl ever, where a team won the turnover battle, won time of possesion, had the BY FAR better QB stats, was the more physical team and still lost. It has never happened before. Seattle won every aspect of the game, that you're supposed to win to get the victory, and still lost...BY ELEVEN POINTS!!! That is simply unheard of. Especially when you factor in the HORRIBLE day Ben had, and hte fact that nearly ALL of the Pittsburgh offense came on trick plays, and one big run.
ReplyDeleteSeattle dominated both sides of the ball, and still lost by 11. Honestly...I cannot say the refs cost us the game...but man...they sure INFLUENCED it HEAVILY! More heavily than any Superbowl ever played...EVER!
Clayton article talking about the pylon rule
ReplyDeleteHere's the official rule: A player will be ruled in bounds if he touches the pylon at the goal line before going out of bounds. For example, a pass would be considered complete if one foot touches the pylon and the other foot is in bounds.
Any way you slice it, that is a T.D. that was never even reviewed. DJack HAD possesion, GOT one foot inbounds, AND touched the pylon with his other leg BEFORE it touched out of bounds. That my friends is BY RULES, a T.D. plain and simple. But since it was under two minutes, Holmgren couldn't throw the challenge, and the refs never looked at it.
That really is amazing that no one reviewed that. Shameful really. The more I think about it, the more I agree with you monkey. All the other plays, even while they were calling them, I said "I disagree, strongly, but I can see why they called what they did." That one doesn't make any sense. I'm really confused now. I guess it's time for another apology from Tags. I think we're leading the league this year in apologies.
ReplyDeletePosted by PaulieP
And just to illustrate what I learned today, here's a picture , which we all know is worth a thousand words, but unfortunately, not worth 6 points!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
sorry, let's try that again.
ReplyDeleteHere's the picture!
Yes the holding and offensive PI calls were phantom, and yes they are judsgment calls. But why did they all go against us? Everyone of them! The Steelers had two obvious false starts and ONE other penalty the entire game! No penalties in the second half.
ReplyDeleteHere's one I haven't heard you guys bring up. On Locklear's phantom holding call, the Steeler DE was clearly offsides. Then, he was offsides on the very next play! That guys KNEW he wasn't going to get flagged! Even if Locklear heald him, at worse it should have been off setting.
As for the pylon, I am just to sick to talk about it. I guess the new pylons they use in Super Bowl's site sideways! To not even review it!? HOW!?
Posted by Mike K.
The official word is out and the NFL is standing by its officiating.
ReplyDeleteThey state, "Two days after the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10 in the NFL title game, the league said Tuesday that the game was "properly officiated.""
They defend it because they have no choice but to admit they screwed up and they are not going to do that. That would be the same as saying that there should be a "do-over".
Posted by Rob
Let me add this, I'm tired about hearing that the Seahawks didn't perform. They did perform. But everytime they gave us something to cheer about out came a bogus call or no call. I think the refs are purposely making poor judgement calls because they figure it will go to review anyway.
ReplyDeletePosted by Rob
exactly Rob...short and sweet
ReplyDeletewe had 10 possessions...we could of scored on 4 or 5 of them, and of course, those happened to be the possessions where the refs destroyed us...
very few teams can score touchdowns on 4 or 5 drives as it is...Seattle played very well, the only flaw being the clock management...but there is no denying the score would of been high for us if therefs didnt screw us.
Pittsburgh only scored a legit 10 points (shoulda had a FG instead of Big Ben call...and 7 points from Parker)
The gadget play was from the pick...that interception wouldnt of happened if we were at the 1 yard line, where we shoulda been...and even with that, the horse collar tackle would of given us 15 yards...and plus Pittsburgh got great field position from the Hass call...im still stunned...
...they LITERALLY took our points, and gave them to Pittsburgh
Posted by adp