[Super Bowl] Live by the sword ...

[Neroon]

- I hear some talk about the officiating this morning, but it's just not anywhere near the levels of what I'm hearing in here. The roughing call, yeah that's being mentioned. But again they're also mentioning the two overturned calls as well as the safety all in the Cards' favor. That just doesn't add up to "let's win it fair and square."

Warner's being too hard on himself, too. He made his mistakes, and he's one of the most stand-up guys in the league. However, his humility may be blinding him to how well he's played when his team needed him. Fitzgerald's TF catch and run was a thing of beauty ... but Warner made a laser-like throw to get it there, while being pressured. I just hope for the Cards' sake that he decides to come back for one more year. I'm reading that the Cards do want him back at "two years for $18 million". Money you can't sneeze at. The Cards' coaches and office must not think Leinart is ready to take over. Then again, it's really about more than just money with Warner.

But please come back, Kurt. You helped transform this team into more than just winners. They're believers, now. They have their heads on and they are tough. If the D keeps improving like it did in the playoffs and if Boldin comes back, there's every reason to expect you'll be back in the playoffs and maybe even the SB next season.

 

[Captain Craig]

You guys are blind. His arm was not coming forward with the ball, it was a fumble. Good luck next year. The Cardinals earned my respect even more. They have alot of good players and I hope they will continue to compete.

No your bias is just deep.

It was an imcomplete pass.
Call was botched by the booth and refs on the field and I've no doubt the scrutiny will bear that out in the coming days.

 

[Spider]

You guys are blind. His arm was not coming forward with the ball, it was a fumble. Good luck next year. The Cardinals earned my respect even more. They have alot of good players and I hope they will continue to compete.

No your bias is just deep.

It was an imcomplete pass.
Call was botched by the booth and refs on the field and I've no doubt the scrutiny will bear that out in the coming days.

I agree, it was an incomplete pass. I couldn't believe they called it a fumble, then reviewed it, and still called it a fumble. That was a bad call.

 

[scottydog]

The refs had some very tough borderline calls to make throughout the game. Even the replay reviews in ultra-slow motion were not definitive -- was his arm going forward when he threw the ball? Did the ball cross the goal line before the knee hit the ground? Etc. I would have hated to ref that game -- you piss people off no matter what you call.

That being said, I have to admit -- despite being a Steelers fan -- that the calls did tend to go the Steelers way. I can also recall plenty of games where that wasn't the case & the Steelers got the shaft. These things tend to even out over time. But in one game, refs' calls can clearly make a difference, and there's nothing we can do about it because you can never remove the human element from the game.

Suffice to say, the Cards and the Steelers were a pretty darn even match-up and either team could have easily won. Congrats to both teams for having stellar seasons.

 

[Adm. Bonz]

The ball was loose before Warner's hand moved forward. He did not have control. It was a fumble.

 

[Scout101]

that's true. On the other side, though, the 'loose' ball fell into/onto his hand, which pushed the ball through its forward motion, so it's not so clear cut. Had the ball fallen down, backwards, or to the side, no one would have questioned. Since it went forward, it was kinda jarring that they didn't spend 2 seconds looking at the tape first, since it decided a Championship.

Not that the Cardinals didn't have other chances. Stopping the Steelers just once in that last drive, and forcing the long field goal on 4th down rather than allowing a big pass play to keep it going, that could have been the ballgame right there...

 

[JM1776]

The ball was loose before Warner's hand moved forward. He did not have control. It was a fumble.

That's complete and total horseshit.

 

[Adm. Bonz]

I didn't care who won. But the refs made the right call. Sorry you can't see that. Don't become too bitter.

 

[JM1776]

Sorry you can't see that. Don't become too bitter.

Sorry you don't see as clearly as I do. Don't become preachy.

 

[DaleC76]

Arizona will be an interesting team to watch next year. Super Bowl losers have failed to make the playoffs the following year every season this decade except for the 06 Seahawks. In fact, that team and this year's Pats are the only Super Bowl losers to even have a winning season.

 

[Daedalus12]

Credit to LeBeau. His scheme down by the goalline at the end of the first half won Pittsburgh a championship.

I didn't think the scheme was anything special though. It was a classic zone blitz that you and I have probably seen many times. What I don't get is why didn't the Cardinals just run a jump ball play to Fitzgerald near the back of the end zone?

 

[1001001]

Well, I thought it was a very entertaining game. One of the best. I really enjoyed it. I was sorry to see the Cardinals lose.

Yes, I think a few calls went the Steelers' way, but I don't think it cost Arizona the game. I also agree the interception thrown by Warner at the end of the first half was a real blow to the team, but I don't think that cost them the game either. I didn't think Warner fumbled at the end. I thought it was an incomplete pass. But again, that did not cost them the game.

Two things stay with me, in terms of Arizona losing.

First of all, where the hell were the receivers and backs on that interception return? How in the hell does a 300 pound man run 100 yards without being tackled or pushed out of bounds? Fitzgerald didn't catch him until the 5 yard line. Dismal team effort there, IMHO. With time expired, anything other than a TD would have kept the game at 10-7.

Second, I think Warner and the Cardinals were ultimately undone by the same thing that did Warner in in 2002: no running game whatsoever. He's a gunslinger for sure (now owning the top 3 passing efforts in Super Bowl history). He kept it close, and gave it everything he had. But when you can't run the ball at all, there's little hope of victory. 33 yards rushing will not get it done. Warner was throwing deep in the red zone because the Cardinals could not advance the ball on the ground.

Arizona really did a great job on defense for most of the game. Those penalties were really unfortunate. They just couldn't hold at the end, and Holmes made a great catch to win the game.

The Cardinals get high marks for effort, and they certainly proved to everyone they belonged there, so hats off for that. I'm sorry to see Warner come up short, as I really like him.

I wonder if he'll be back or not?

 

[gh4chiefs]

I think the worst officiating gaffe was the non-call of offsides on the play at the end of the first half. As you recall, that was the play where the Steeler defender ran a interception back for a TD and basically was the difference in this game. It looked like at least 2 Steelers were ahead of the snap. When my SB party group saw the flag on the play, we all assumed it was an offsides call. We were stupified when it wasn't called and it kind of tainted the rest of the game for us.

 

[Neroon]

The ball was loose before Warner's hand moved forward. He did not have control. It was a fumble.

That's complete and total horseshit.

I've seen that play time and again today. A group of us had lunch at a sports bar, where we had a large (40"+) High-def TV right by our table. To a man, they agreed that when you see the play from one angle and slowed down, you see the Steelers defensive player (I forget which one) reach in with his left hand and hit the ball to loosen it... before or just as Warner's arm begins to move forward. Consequently, Warner didn't seem to have control of the ball and it seemed as a fumble and not an incomplete pass.

I freely admit it was a tough, tough call, and had I been a Cardinals fan I might be reacting differently. But the officials did review it. And at least on ESPN radio today they didn't pan that call the way they did the questionable roughing call

 

[INACTIVESamusAranX]

You can't also help but mention the failure of refs to call Santonio Holmes for using the football as a prop to celebrate. This would have forced the Steelers to lsoe 15 yards on their kickoff, i.e. they would have had to kickoff from the 15 instead of the 30.

 

[Neroon]

Word out now seems to be that the call at the end of the game was reviewed after all and upheld. That doesn't make it any less borderline or tough to swallow, but it does clear up things a little bit.

 

[Mallory]

I saw SI reporting that today. I'm still waiting on the official word (and there will be one) from the NFL on the play.

 

[Neroon]

The official word is that the league upheld the call. Then again the cynic would say the league won't screw with a dream game that is so critical to their profitability.

 

[Scout101]

it was just too quick. Another 30 second delay while they looked, and then announced it like any other booth replay, would have killed this thing before it even got started. When they lined up and ended the game so quickly, it leaves the door open to bitch.

Other, fairly obvious calls, took longer to review, and the announcers could show what happened one way or the other. This one, which ended the game, just didn't get any discussion or explanation...

 

[pookha]

You might have a point ........ if the same or similar were mentioned anywhere else on the web or the radio or TV. So far I have not yet heard anyone complain about the officiating. .

you must not have listened to dan patrick or espn radio..

there has been a lot mentioned about the non call on holmes for show boating with the ball after the td(the nfl just came out and admitted that mistake)if that had been called the cards would have had a chance at far better field position on the final drive.

plus,
the roughing the passer penalty that shouldnt have been and why wasnt harrison ejected from the game after his roughing another player.

all of which benifited the steelers.