What are people's thoughts on the Super Bowl officiating?

[NJmaverick]

Were the zebras a little too visible in that game? Were there too many questionable calls?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. Very patriotic.

They were always flying the flags and such.

[TZ]

2. lots of penalties I agree

But I think most of the calls were fair ones..but I'm sure the anti-Pittsburgh brigade will start in on the refs being in the Steelers pockets..:eyes:
(I had no rooting interest and think the ticky tacky calls went both ways)

[JVS]

3. Whisenhunt pretty much invited them to call whatever they saw by being loose with the red flag.

I still don't see how there was definitive evidence to overturn Roethlisberger's initial TD. And the standard to overturn such a call is supposed to be very high.

[NJmaverick]

4. I thought the first half was well officiated

I thought the second half had room for improvement. I don't think either side was given an edge, I just think there were some calls you just don't make in the Super Bowl, like the ticky tacky roughing the passer and the holding in the endzone.

[PRETZEL]

5. The hold in the endzone should have been called,

that was pretty clear.

As for the roughing the passer, we may have gotten one, but the ball was out and the ref thought the player should have held up. I'll take one for a change.

[tigereye]

31. yeah that roughing call seemed kind of borderline...

[TK421]

6. Who was the Steeler who had the guy down and started punching him?

did you frigging see that? They should have booted his ass right out of there for that

[Sheets of Easter]

8. James Harrison.

Not a proud moment for Steeler fans, but I've seen worse.

[TK421]

11. So have I, but I couldn't believe it when I saw it, sort of like out of the blue

"You're on the ground...thump,thump!" everyone else was like :wtf:

I saw a hold from Arizona on that safety, BTW..

[Sheets of Easter]

13. I'm thinking that Cardinal must have been talking some serious smack

to get him mad like that. Harrison is usually much more level-headed than that.

[JVS]

14. It might also have been related to the numerous penalties that had happened during the game.

My impression was that the Cardinals were not playing a particularly clean game. Often when that is happening, there are a number of scuffles brewing under the surface.

[TK421]

15. He must have...shit, I wouldn't want Harrison to use me as a punching bag!

:scared:

[flvegan]

22. Harrison was also the recipient of a pretty brutal facemask a play or two prior.

I'm not justifying what he did, but that was a pretty heated game and may have caused him to want some payback.

Completely uncalled for though.

[PRETZEL]

36. there was talk on some of the Steeler forums that

this guy went after Harrison's knees. All of the clips only show Harrison's retaliation.

Not making excuses for what he did.

[tigereye]

32. that's what I thought, too - he seems pretty level headed most of the time

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. I think the tribal God Warriors on the Holy Battlefield should play without referees.

Since it's a war simulation, with all its totemic rah rah unfulfilled-homoerotic-energy-unleashed-as-violence Delicious Jesus-Loving Goodness, they should go referee-less.

Real war has no refs.

And as George Carlin said, leave the wounded on the field, and let the fucking Red Cross come help 'em.

[flvegan]

9. And arm them with tridents!

[no name no slogan]

38. They do that for Rugby Union

I don't see why they can't do it for American Football.

[TK421]

12. Kurt Warner was praying to the wrong god n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. Anyone who implies that his in-laws were killed by tornado as punishment from God

for not believing....


yes, that person is indeed praying to the wrong god.

[NJmaverick]

37. Still pushing that false talking point I see

even after it was proven false:eyes:

[LanternWaste]

17. Yeah. Chess is even worse...

Yeah. Chess is even worse in its symbolic savagery and religious imagery.

Says a lot about those barbaric chess players with ratings of 1450 and above...

[NJmaverick]

18. .....

[XNASA]

10. NFL officiating in general is way too intrusive.

I can hardly bear watching NFL games. Even Bears' games, which are generally pretty exciting, win or lose.

Too many flags. Too many rules, many of which often contradict each other. Too many penalties.

You know, if the League wants to protect QB's, why don't they just allow OL's to Hold and be done with it. Problem solved.

Don't even get my started with Pass Interference penalties.

The NFL has pretty much sucked all the fun out of the game. I'd rather watch soccer.

[redqueen]

16. "I'd rather watch soccer."

:7

:woohoo:

[XNASA]

20. Glory, Glory..........

........Man United.

:applause:

[redqueen]

24. Ah poo.

:P

Hope you support your local MLS team too. :)

[tigereye]

34. honest to god, every damn touchdown seems to need a review -

there is always some arcane complication... :wtf:


:hi:

[madinmaryland]

19. I was surprised at the amount of penalties in the game. At one point Michaels

commented there have sixteen accepted penalties. That's alot and too many if you ask me. I would rather the ref's just let them play.

[NJmaverick]

21. I agree, better to let the game be decided by the players

rather than the refs

[dbackjon]

25. The refereeing was a fucking joke

The fix was in, just like in the last Steelers "win"

Horridly officiated game. Anyone that does not acknowledge that is either a Steelers homer, or doesn't know the game.

[JVS]

27. I love it when people post that bitter crap. It's so fun to laugh at them.

[dbackjon]

28. And screw you too...

1) Holding calls - called on Arizona many times, similar takedowns by Pittsburgh not called
2) Block in the back - Tim Hightower was blocked in the back on the interception return - no call
3) Roughing the passer - bullshit call on Dansby, later hits on Warner not called
4) Roughing the holder - Wilson was PUSHED into him
5) James Harrison - he should have been ejected for throwing multiple punches
6) Hines Ward - threw a punch, not flagged
7) Last fumble was NOT a fumble - his arm was in motion

[JVS]

30. LOL! Nice bitterness!

[qanda]

39. Wow! With friends like that, the Steelers certainly don't need enemies

The refs put actual points on the board for the Cardinals with one of the most bogus holding penalties I have ever seen. Now, if that's the fix then I certainly don't want in.

[JVS]

40. And took points off the board when they overturned a Steeler touchdown call based on...

what appeared to be inconclusive evidence.

[dbackjon]

41. Bogus holding? It was a taken down

And it should have been a safety on the prior play

[PRETZEL]

43. If Travis Laboy wasn't playing with a torn bicep, maybe

I don't have a problem with the safety. The official threw the flag right away even before Ben threw the ball.

Maybe alot had to do with the Cardinals unwillingness to double team Harrison and leave Mike Gandy out there on his own.

[Mojambo]

26. A few too many flags, but luckily it didn't really decide the game. n/t

[taterguy]

29. Here's what I think asshole

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=8468949&mesg_id=8468949

[NJmaverick]

42. oops! I was never good with authority

:hide:

[Tektonik]

33. At least the Steelers weren't handed the SB like the last one

[LanternWaste]

35. I wasn't emotionally invested in either team...

I wasn't emotionally invested in either team, so any bias I may have goes more towards my own ignorance than it does thinking Team A or Team B were rooked.

I thought the officiating was adequate. Not stellar, but it didn't suck either.

There were a few backfield penalties I thought I witnessed that didn't get any flags thrown on them, but the guys I was watching the game with thought I was seeing things because I had one too many beers.