I’ll admit up front that I was rooting for the Steelers to win, so it should come as no surprise that I didn’t really think bad officiating helped the Steelers win Superbowl XL. However, here’s my take on the various controversies:
- The call for offensive pass interference was probably good but should have been reviewed. I think many people who are outraged are not regularly viewing football fans. It does not take much of a push to gain an unfair advantage in that situation. The fact that the offensive player was caught with his arm fully extended led to the call.
- The Roethlisberger touchdown call was correct. I watched the replay on my Tivo several times last night. What is deceptive is that when he makes the dive, he is holding the football high – up near his shoulder – but when he ends up on the ground, the football is near his waist. If you watch the replay carefully, you can see the two white stripes of the football, still held near his shoulder, when his head breaks the plane of the end zone. It’s clear to see that the tip of the football breaks the plane, also.
- Many are claiming that these two calls were a 14-point swing for the Steelers. That’s deceptive at best. The offensive pass interference call resulted in the Seahawks having to settle for a field goal, so that’s only 4 points. The controversial touchdown call occurred on 3rd down. If it had not been ruled a touchdown, the Steelers would have either gone for it with an inch to go, or more likely kicked a field goal. Again, only 4 points. The so-called 14-point swing was really only an 8-point swing.
- The Stones got bleeped during halftime and I missed it. I gave started fast-forwarding 1 minute into “Start Me Up” and only stopped occasionally to see if they sucked any less. They did not.
- Was nobody at the network paying attention to the setlist? Doesn’t everybody know that “Start Me Up” ends with “You make a dead man cum”?
- Finally, I feel sorry for Jerome Bettis. He was capable of a much better game, but the running game was just not there. They even gave him two chances to score a touchdown from the 3 yard line prior to Roethlisberger’s controversial dive. Hate to see him go out with a wimper.