Reprinted from
www.profootballtalk.com
'HAWKS HAVE RIGHT TO CRY FOUL
We'll need to preface these remarks by saying that we're glad the Steelers won the Super Bowl. The Steelers are a first-class organization in a first-rate town. Yours truly grew up an hour from the 'Burgh, went to college there, and started out in the practice of law there.
And the Steelers earned this one, the hard way. Sixth seed, winning three games against quality teams on the road to get to the championship game.
With all that said, the Seattle Seahawks have every right to believe that they got screwed by the zebras. We're into our fifth year now, and this game provoked the biggest flood of e-mails we've ever received.
So as we raise a lukewarm plastic cup of Iron City to the Stillers, we have to agree that the game was poorly officiated, in various ways. Although we're reluctant to proclaim that the fix was in, Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter's pissing-and-moaning from three weeks ago is ironic, to say the least, following a Super Bowl in which any of the 53 men in the Seattle locker room would be able to make the same claim about the refs wanting Jerome Bettis and the Steelers to win that Porter made regarding his belief that the officials hoped to deliver Peyton Manning and the Colts to Detroit.
Here's a sampling of the e-mails that flooded our box:
1. "I am not a Steelers or Seahawks fan, but I have to say that this was one of the worst officiated Super Bowls I've seen in a long time. Sad to see the refs have an impact on what would have been a great game."
2. "Okay, I'm on the bandwagon now. That appeared to be one of the worst
officiated Super Bowls I've seen. The call that were made were ticky
tack (on both teams), and plenty of apparent calls were missed. Professional officials. What a novel concept."
3. "This Super Bowl sucks. As fans, we want to see a real game. The refs are CLEARLY handing this game to the Steelers. Your scoop on Sports Illustrated already having the Steelers retrospective printed up just seals it for me. I don't know if SI is part of a conspiracy, or if they just know how the NFL operates. A Steelers win equals more revenue for the NFL, in terms of merchandise. Holmgren should've taken that into consideration when he was offered the Seattle job."
4. "The NFL should be embarrassed. And I am an impartial fan. I didn't care who won but I sure didn't want to see it happen that way."
5. "Please for the love of GOD write something about the horrible officiating in the game today. Granted I'm a little biased and wanted the 'Hawks to win but if they lost I'd been fine if the Steelers were the better team. THEY WEREN'T and we played against the officials all night. Please say something about this injustice!"
Here's one we found to be particularly compelling:
---------------------------------------------
I don't know who else I can vent on, so you're getting it. I apologize, but I don't know who else. I seriously don't. So here goes:
This Super Bowl was it. I'm done now. I'm through watching football. I've had it.
This was the worst officiated professional game I have ever watched -- the most one-sided, I mean. And it happened on the biggest game of the year. The two teams did not determine the winner of that game today; the referees did.
So I'm through. I quit on the NFL. Screw them. If that's the best they can do, I quit.
I've got other hobbies I can pursue.
Look, I am not a Seahawks fan. I was not a fan of either team.
But sonuvabitch-------Roethlisberger's PHANTOM TOUCHDOWN???? That was the hugest phantom touchdown I have seen since Vinny Testaverde pulled one of those off.
And when Hasselbeck connected with TE Jerramy Stevens to the one yard line late in the third quarter, those asshole zebras throw a holding flag -- and it was one of those borderline holding calls that could literally BE CALLED ON ALMOST EVERY DAMN PASSING PLAY.
Look, I came to watch a game, a game between football players. I didn't come to watch a crew of striped-shirted old men determine the outcome of a game.
F those guys. I'm out. The hell with football. I no longer trust it.
There was no 2005 champion. If the Steelers had won it, I'd say so. But the zebras won it, for 60 consecutive minutes. Again, I am not a Seahawks fan. I just care about the integrity of the game. I feel sick. I'm out. Maybe for good. The hell with it.
---------------------------------------------
Damn. Here's some more.
6. "I'm a long time reader and supporter of your site and I would love to
voice my disgust of the dubious refereeing decisions of tonight's game: (1) Darrell Jackson's push-off -- "The Playmaker" would have had half of his career TD's called back if they had called them like that in his day; (2) I still don't know how Ben broke the plane of the goal line with his TD; The holding call that would have made it first and goal from the one -- very dubious!"
7. "Where's that big time wrestling channel. Joey Porter better shut his yap about the officials cheating the Steelers. They cheated their way to a World Title tonight."
8. "How about that officiating in the Super Bowl? Worst Super Bowl I've ever seen. Why did the NFL decide Pittsburgh would get this one? The third and six delay of game. Those holding calls (especially the one nullifying Stevens' catch to the one). The personal foul for illegal chop block on Hasselbeck MAKING A TACKLE. The offensive PI against Jackson. I am sick to my stomach right now, and I didn't even care who won. (Not a fan of either team, no money riding)."
9. "No one could have beaten the Steelers tonight, and it's not because they are playing especially well. Seattle is playing against 11 Steelers and however many officials are on the field. This is embarrassing to watch, and Pittsburgh should be embarrassed to win like this. Every pivotal play was negated against Seattle with some bullsh-t call, which would then be followed by a breakdown by Seattle players who obviously were shaken up by such a bullsh-t call. That touchdown that Roethlisberger had makes me wonder why we have replays as much or more so than the Polamalu call that you called the worst call ever. If the NFL is going to run its officiating with such bias like the NBA or MLB, then they might as well drop the salary cap too. Why do people go to games in cities like Seattle or Sacramento when they only get repeatedly f--ked in the ass by their respective leagues?"
10. "The REAL MVP was the referee crew. They took the game from Seattle and gave it to the Steelers. Don't get me wrong, I was pulling for Pittsburgh but I didn't want to see them win like that. The Seahawks were the more dominant team (although, not by much). Kinda seems weird to me that
just recently everyone was griping about the NFL trying to give a game to
Colts. Is it just me or is this the new trend in the NFL? Bitch and moan
to get it your way."
11. "You were one of the few national writers to pick the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, and they were obviously the better team tonight. You mentioned 'raw will of players' and 'coaching adjustments,' but you forgot one major factor in the NFL . . . the zebras."
12. "Want to break a huge story? Why don't you use your connections and see who organized the Steelers Super Bowl fix? That would be the biggest story ever."
13. "Can you please, please acknowledge the horsesh-t calls in this game? This is the worst SB I have ever seen when it comes to officiating. Where are the calls on the Steelers?? This deserves to be mentioned and I am a Dolphins fan."
Here's another long one that caught our eye:
---------------------------------------------
I don't give a flying f--k about the Steelers or the Seahawks. Furthermore, I
didn't have any money on this game, so I really had no investment in the outcome.
THAT said, the way the zebras railroaded the Seahawks was unforgivable. The pass interference on the end zone? The holding call that turned first and goal on the two to second and 20 from the 40? The BS cutblock call on Hasselbeck? The fact that the Steelers never, EVER got called for holding when the holding calls (at key points in the game) that went against the Hawks were marginal at best?
As a FOOTBALL fan, all I could think about was two weeks of "feel good" Jerome Bettis and Bill Cowher stories, an old boys network owner, and all those photos of players holding the Lomardi, which it seemed like they were only showing Steelers in the first half and showed Steelers 65% of the time in the second half.
The whole thing stunk. 'Cause at this point, although September is a good seven months away, it's going to be hard to get excited about a league that has developed the best product on earth, only to piss away their integrity when everyone is watching.
---------------------------------------------
Again, we don't think the fix was in. But there were more than a few times when the Steelers fans with whom yours truly watched the game looked around and said, "We got away with one there."
More to come in our Super Bowl XL Ten-Pack, which we'll post later on Monday.
Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
