Commanders Post at The Warpath - Big List of Bad SB Calls

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Big List of Bad SB Calls

Here's a nice list for everyone to debate:

1st Quarter
2:00 Offensive pass interference against Darrell Jackson negates touchdown. Contact is incidental. Television commentator John Madden observes that “when you think of a push-off, that's not the kind you think about, really [in terms of calling a penalty].” Commentator Michael Irvin observes during the halftime review that the penalty was a “ticky-tack foul.” Commentator Steve Young observes that Darrell Jackson’s catch was “a touchdown. That was an absolute touchdown.” Steelers defensive back Chris Hope can be seen grabbing Darrell Jackson’s left arm just prior to the pass. Seahawks are forced to go for the field goal. Loss of four points for the Seahawks.

2nd Quarter
14:44 Etric Pruitt called for holding on 35 yard punt return by Peter Warrick. Change of field position from Steelers 46 yard line to Seahawks 25 yard line. This represents a difference of 29 yards. On the replay Pruitt can be seen making a clean block on Steelers player Tyrone Carter during the return.

8:34 Mack Strong reception to the 33 yard line spotted short of the 33 yard line, negating first down yardage on the 3rd down play. Video evidence clearly shows the ball coming down on the yellow television first down line at the 33 yard line. Mack Strong is shorted about two feet on the spot.

8:15 Antwaan Randel-El fumbles punt return but the play is whistled dead. The fumble was recovered by the Seahawks.

1:55 Ben Roethlisberger does not score on the 3rd down run. The official can be seen signaling 4th down and preparing to spot the ball short of the goal line until Ben Roethlisberger moves the ball across the goal line after the play was over. The official can be seen changing his mind at this point, and raising both arms to signal touchdown in response to this dead ball movement by Roethlisberger. He tells David Letterman on the February 6th CBS Late Show that he did not get in. The play is ruled a touchdown and is upheld on review.

1:47 Holding call against Seahawks linebacker Kevin Bentley on kickoff return. The replay does not show Bently holding the Steelers player. Instead of starting their drive at the 38 yard line, the Seahawks are moved back to the 27 yard line, a loss of 11 yards.

0:48 Darrell Jackson touchdown reception ruled incomplete. Video evidence shows Jackson’s left foot in bounds, while his right foot kicks over the pylon. A 2002 rule change says that this is a touchdown. Here is the rule: “A player will be ruled in bounds if he touches the pylon at the goal line before going out of bounds. For example, a pass would be considered complete if one foot touches the pylon and the other foot is in bounds.” The game clock was under two minutes to go in the half and the officials did not review the play. This represents a loss of seven points for the Seahawks.

3rd Quarter
14:45 Steelers tight end Heath Miller holds Seahawks defensive end Bryce Fisher, preventing him from getting to Steelers running back Willie Parker who scored a touchdown on the play. No holding penalty was called.

9:51 Steelers receiver Hines Ward pushes off Seahawks defensive back Kelly Herndon with a blatant stiff arm to the face mask of Herndon on a 3rd and 4 play. No penalty is called. Ward catches the pass and gains 16 yards to convert a 1st down on the play. If Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson was called in the first quarter for pushing off when he barely touched the defender, why then is Hines Ward not called for pushing off in this instance when his violation was far more flagrant?

6:51 Steelers defensive backs Deshea Townsend and Troy Polomalu both hold Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens running a post route. Commentator John Madden observes during the replay that “Stevens got held up…getting held is what happened.” Neither obvious hold was flagged.

4th Quarter
12:24 Holding called against Seahawks right tackle Sean Locklear on Clark Hagans of the Steelers negates an 18-yard catch by Jerramy Stevens to the Steelers one yard line. During the replay, commentator John Madden observes “ooh, I didn’t see holding!...Sean Locklear wasn’t really bad on that play.” Also, the replay of this play clearly shows that Hagans was offsides to begin with. He was across the line of scrimmage prior to the ball being snapped. No penalty was called on Hagans. Matt Hasselbeck is subsequently intercepted a few plays later. This chain of events likely represents a loss of a Seahawks go-ahead touchdown to make the score 17-14.

11:24 Obvious horse collar tackle on Shaun Alexander by Joey Porter not called on 2nd down run. The 15-yard penalty would have resulted in a 3rd and approximately one at the Steelers 11 yard line, instead of a 3rd and 18 at the Steelers 26 yard line. Commentator Al Michaels understatedly observes that Porter’s tackle was “close to a horse collar, but no call.”

10:46 Matt Hasselbeck inexplicably flagged for “blocking below the waist” while making a tackle on Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor during the interception run back. This adds 15 yards to the end of the run, moving the ball from the 29 yard line to the 44 yard line, which in turn perfectly set up the Steelers for their trick pass play. Instead of the score likely being 17-14 in favor of the Seahawks, it is 21-10 in favor of the Steelers – a change in fortune directly attributable to the biased officiating, beginning with the phantom holding call on Sean Locklear and lack of offsides on Clark Hagans.

4:45 Play clock runs out while Steelers offense is at the line of scrimmage. Ben Roethlisberger calls time out after the play clock runs down to zero. The officials give the time out to the Steelers and do not call a delay of game penalty. Instead of 3rd and 11, it remains 3rd and 6, and the Steelers convert the 1st down by one yard on the ensuing play.