thom24ad said:
Glenn,
Your right in the aspect that the refs were a huge influence in game momentum...but I hate this aspect of the lack of personal accountability...I mean come on...well about the play where it was 3rd and 36 and Pitt converts the first down...where Parker breaks a 79 yard TD on that great run defense...or my God the fact that they allowed Randell El throw a TD pass to a wide open Hines Ward...when this team is known for trick plays...how could you let that happen...And well about all the dropped passes which in previous years Seattle has been known for...And there were calls on Pitt I mean they were penalized their first two drives of the game with three and outs...where was Seattle's capitalzation with that good field position.
As for the push off after watching the play how could you say he didn't extend his arm and make contact with Pitts DB on his chest...that did happen which is a pass interference...now was it pitty-pat, once again yes but when you do it right in front of the ref four yards away its going to get called...Well about DJ taking the personal blame of doing that when it wasn't even needed to make the play...Pitts DB's body was out of position turned the opposite way of DJ when DJ made the contact...once DJ made the cut back toward the middle of the field...he already had him beat and the DB was defenseless to make any kind of play on that ball...so the question I have to ask is DJ why even extend that arm and make contact with the DB?...Especially when that kind of play has been an issue that the refs addressed before the season and even announced they were going to focus on making those calls this season...I'm sure DJ wasn't the first player called with that foul this season...it was a lack of focus by DJ if you ask me
Yes the refs should be held accountable for bad calls and in this case they are with all the heat they have been taking by the media and Seattle fans...but overall I bet on Pitt and as a Browns fan I'm no where near a Pitt fan or Seattle fan but honestly Seattle's defense gave up big plays where they shouldn't have and they should hold themselves accountable not just the refs...hey every team has those games where things just don't go their way and that was one of those games for Seattle
Thom,
I completely agree with you that Seattle didn't capitalize on opportunities and they MUST share in the blame for the loss. Absolutely. And I've never said they would have won had the officiating been better or anything like that. I just don't believe for a second that the game wouldn't have been different if the officiating hadn't sucked so bad. Maybe Pitt still wins, but if they do and the game is called fairly I can live with that. It's hard to swallow when EVERY questionable call goes against Seattle. And they weren't little 5 yard offsides penalties, they were penalties that completely changed the momentum of the game. I don't care how good a team is, they can only overcome so much adversity. I think everyone knows that football isn't just physical, it has a lot to do with momentum and emotion as well. Those big calls took a toll on Seattle.
And this is my problem... let's just say they were warranted in making all of those ticky-tack calls. That shouldn't happen in a SB because the refs shouldn't be very visible, but let's just say that was their plan. Ok, so where were all the calls on Pitt? They weren't called for holding ONCE?! I saw a few blatant holds on Pitt that weren't called, so why weren't they called if the refs were going to call such a tight game? They certainly didn't have a problem blowing the whistle on Seattle on close plays. Yet Pitt didn't get a single flag thrown on them in the last 3 1/2 quarters??? Wow.
As for D-Jack, I've seen that play a thousand times and still think it's a no-call. I never said he didn't make contact. He clearly put his hand on the guy's chest. But I don't see much of a push-off or separation gained on the play. I completely agree with you that he had the guy beat and didn't need to put his hand out, but it's not like he pushed the guy hard to gain separation. The guy wasn't going to make the play. It was going to be a TD. It didn't need to be called in my opinion. To me it's kind of the equivalent of a DB placing his hand on WR's back. As long as he doesn't push, that shouldn't be called. It's a very ticky-tack call and I don't think it needed to be made. And it's even worse that the call wasn't made until after the Pitt player threw a hissy fit. Obviously just my opinon though.
And I've only mentioned the obvious calls that everyone is talking about. What about Big Ben being able to call that timeout after the play clock had wound down? Or the D-Jack catch towards the end of the half that was close to being a TD? Yeah, it looked like he went out before getting his 2nd foot in, but he was also very close to hitting the pylon. That doesn't even get reviewed in the Super Bowl?!
Again, I DO hold the Seahawks responsible for not making plays. I just don't understand why so many people use the "you can't blame the refs because the Seahawks made mistakes" excuse. The Seahawks deserve blame and so do the refs in my opinion. To have that many huge, questionable calls go against one team in a SB is embarrassing to the league. I was VERY disgusted with the Polamalu "incompletion" ruling in the Indy game and it's only gotten worse.
All in all I don't think I'm really disagreeing with you on much. I do blame the Seahawks. I do give Pitt credit for making HUGE plays. I just can't stomach how one-sided the officiating was. Could Seattle have won the game despite all the bad calls against them? Sure. But why should the deck be stacked against them in the first place?
