SUPER BOWL XL - SEAHAWKS vs STEELERS:  Let me start by say I'm glad the Steelers won.  For financial reasons (insert wink and nod here), I was definitely cheering for Pittsburgh.  That said, the Seahawks were robbed.  Super Bowl XL showcased a classic example of NFL officials who got too involved in a game and directly affected the outcome.  It is an ongoing problem in the NFL and will not change unless enough fans, writers, and sportscasters point out the problem and demand change.  The Steelers had a great year and deserve to be champions.  But who know how the game would have turned out had the officials backed off and let the players determine the outcome.

First, with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's 16 yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson was nullified on a bogus offensive pass interference call.  Yeah, Jackson touched Steeler safety Chris Hope.  And Hope touched Jackson.  Neither contact had any impact on the touchdown catch, but that didn't stop the officials from jumping in and making the first big call of the game.  During the halftime show, Michael Irvin described the call as "ticky-tack".  Steve Young simply said "That is an absolute touchdown".  Both are correct.  It was a bad penalty that had no business being called...not in a game of such magnitude.  It is very interesting to note that way back in the Week 2 match up of Chiefs at Raiders, Raider receiver Randy Moss was flagged on a nearly identical offensive pass interference call that wiped out a Raiders touchdown.  Guess which officiating crew blew the call back in week 2?  C'mon...I know you can say it...Bill Leavy's crew!  The NFL later apologized to the Raiders and admitted the interference on Moss was a bad call.  I wonder if they'll issue a similar apology to the Seahawks?

As bad as the offensive pass interference call was, the holding call against Seattle's Sean Locklear was perhaps even more devastating.  Trailing 14-10 early in the 4th quarter, Hasselbeck hit tight end Jeremy Stevens on an 18 yard completion to the Steelers one yard line.  Unfortunately, a holding call negated the catch.  Replay showed no hold, at least not any hold that doesn't occur on virtually every single pass play in an NFL game.  Said commentator John Madden "I didn't see holding".  Wrote Skip Bayless for ESPN "On the replay, I couldn't see Locklear do anything different from what most linemen do on every play. These days, you have to tackle to hold, and Locklear didn't tackle...Phantom, killer penalty." Again, on a marginal or "ticky-tack" situation, an NFL official throws a flag and negates a huge play, directly impacting the outcome of the game.  It's the Super Bowl!  Why are you throwing a flag on a play where no holding is visible?  It's almost like cops on the freeway.  Everyone speeds, but they occasionally pull someone over just to let us all know they're watching.  It sure seems like NFL officials get into the same routine...occasionally calling a random, marginal, or imaginary holding just to remind the offensive line they're being watched.  

And, of course there's the absolutely horrible low block call on Hasselbeck following his interception.  Shortly after the huge holding call, Hasselbeck was picked off near the goal line by Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor who brought it back to the 29 yard line.  For some preposterous reason, Hasselbeck was penalized for a low block call on the play where he made the tackle.  "We think that is a bad call" said announcer Al Michaels following the replay and commercial break.  Yeah, you think?  It's perfectly legal to tackle someone at the knees; you just can't block someone at or below the knees.  But since Hasselbeck was clearly the guy who tackled Taylor, how could the officials possibly believe he was blocking and not tackling?  It was a horrible call that moved Pittsburgh near midfield where they soon after put the game away on a trick play.  "The officials thought they saw something they didn't see" said commentator John Madden. 

One final play worth mentioning...the Roethlisberger touchdown run.  If you saw the play, you know what I'm referring to.  Simply, Roethlisberger scored on a 1 yard touchdown run where it didn't appear the ball ever broke the plane of the goal line.  While I never saw any replay showing the ball break the plane, there is a moment on the replay where you just can't tell.  The replay rule clearly states that there must be "incontrovertible visual evidence" to overturn a call.  Given that the original call on the field was a touchdown, the call had to stand.

Overall, I cannot recall a Super Bowl with more officiating controversy.  It's truly a shame the officials played such an integral part with numerous bogus calls against the Seahawks. Nobody pays to see the officials.  I want to see the PLAYERS determine the outcome. Perhaps one day, the NFL will take note and the Super Bowl champions will actually be decided by the teams on the field and not the guys wearing stripes.

Other Opinions...

"Here's what referee Bill Leavy's crew did, point blank: It robbed Seattle. The Seahawks could have played better, sure. They could have done more to overcome the poor officiating. We understand that those things happen and all, but even with all the points Seattle left on the field, there's a good chance the Seahawks would have scored more than the Steelers if the officials had let the players play." - Michael Smith, ESPN.com

"The first-quarter offensive pass interference called on Darrell Jackson that turned a touchdown into a field goal was robbery enough. But the fourth-quarter holding call on Sean Locklear made you wonder whether the refs had even less of Aretha's r-e-s-p-E-c-t for your Seahawks than I do...on this night, the Steelers had their own version of your 12th Man. He wore a striped shirt and a whistle. He threw a flag."- Skip Bayless, ESPN.com

"Like a crazed CIA analyst running through the halls of Langley screaming into open offices about some impending calamity, I've been shrieking hysterically about the terrible officiating in the NFL and warning that some day the brutal calls were going to affect the outcome of the Super Bowl. That some day was Sunday. Every single questionable, marginal or outright bad call went against the Seahawks." - Kevin Hench, FOXSports.com

"this will always be remembered as the Super Bowl that the referees screwed up." - Aaron Schatz, FOXSports.com

"the Seahawks outplayed the Steelers on the vast majority of plays and still lost, thanks largely to two dubious penalty calls that cost Seattle a TD and a first-and-goal at the 1...Seattle fans have a right to feel sick. Their team just suffered the most unjust loss in Super Bowl history." - Kevin Hench, FOXSports.com

Video Examples...

Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson is flagged for offensive pass interference, wiping out a Seahawk touchdown

Phantom holding call on Seattle's Sean Locklear cost the Seahawks 1st and goal at the 1 yard line

Roethlisberger is awarded the timeout even though the play clock had expired.

Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck flagged for a "low block" even though he CLEARLY is making a tackle

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF - STEELERS @ COLTS: Incompetence, ignorance, and absurdity only begin to describe the officiating in Sunday's Steelers-Colts matchup. Never mind the interference that wasn't called on a 2nd quarter deep pass to Steeler receiver Randle El with Pittsburgh up 14-0 and going for the jugular. The real fun started in 4th quarter with two of the worse examples of NFL officiating I've ever seen.

First, with the Steelers leading 21-10 midway thru the 4th quarter and trying to run out the clock, Pittsburgh lined up for a critical 4th and 1 near mid-field. Prior to the snap, Steeler lineman Alan Faneca moved, causing 4 Colts players to jump into the Steeler line. Whistles blew, the officials stepped in, and huddled. The result? The NFL's first ever "do-over". I've never seen a "do-over" in the NFL. Is that a new rule? Hell, the last time I saw a "do-over" was about 20 years ago playing football in the park with a bunch of friends and my buddy Alex caught a pass near the sideline, represented by an imaginary line between two trees. We really couldn't tell if he was in or out, so we called a "do-over". Seems like the NFL would be a bit more structured. One would expect the officials to enforce the rules... it's either a false start on the offense of offsides on the defense. It's never, ever a "do-over". "Faneca did twitch" said announcer Dan Dierdorf.

"Do-over's" aside, the most outrageous call came later in the 4th. The Colts still down 21-10 with under 6 minutes remaining, Pittsburgh Safety Troy Polamalu intercepted Peyton Manning near mid-field. Replay clearly shows Polamalu intercepting the pass, taking two steps, falling to the ground untouched, rolling over, and losing the ball as he tried to stand back up. Polamalu fell on the loose ball. The call on the field was interception, fumble, Steelers football. Desperate, the Colts challenged and along came referee Peter Morelli..."Before he got up he hit it with his leg with his other leg still on the ground," Morelli told a pool reporter after the game. "Therefore, he did not complete the catch. And then he lost the ball. It came out and so we made the play an incomplete pass." With new life, Indy scored just over a minute later to make it a 21-18 game.

The NFL later admitted the call was wrong, but how in the world is an NFL referee capable of overturning such a play? It was blatantly obvious to anyone that Polamalu intercepted the pass, yet the call gets overturned despite the requirement that replay must show "incontrovertible visual evidence" to reverse a decision.

This game was a classic example of why I created refsuck.com and why the NFL has an officiating problem. Incompetent officials who are ignorant of the rules have no business being on the field effecting the outcome of games.