# The Abyssmal Super Bowl Officiating **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 6, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191 "2006-02-06T05:02:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/1 "2006-02-06T05:02:41Z")
Heart-broken Seahawk fan here, so I’m may not be too impartial, **but come on!** The Hawks made lots of mistakes, but there were at \*\*least four horrible calls \*\* that went against the Seahawks. Two of them were reversed because they were so absolutely beyond horrible that the \*\*Steeler-loving referees \*\* couldn’t pass the red-face test on (Hasselbeck getting called for an illegal block when he was trying to tackle to ball carrier, and the Hasslebeck “fumble” that anybody sitting on there couch could see was not a fumble. But two horrible calls cost the Seahawks 10 pts. The Darrel Jackson TD “interference” call, and the phantom holding call on Jeremy Stephens huge 3rd-down catch at the 1 yard line with the Score 14-10. The Seahawks gave this game away to the Steelers, but the officials helped out as much as they could. I would have been much happier if the Steelers had outplayed the Hawks and won it fair and square. The Super Bowl MVP should have been number 127, the Ref. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/2 "2006-02-06T05:11:48Z")
The call on Hasselback’s tackle was shady, and the fumble was reversed. Everybody knows it, so what’s the big deal? The refs didn’t cost you the game. You know what cost you the game? It was Hasselbeck throwing the pick to Ike Taylor when they were driving for the lead after Big Ben almost gave the game away a few minutes earlier. Or maybe it was the fact that Alexander didn’t show up, as he is wont to do in big games. Or maybe it was the fact that your defense bit harder than a JV team’s defense on what was obviously a trick play. Or maybe it was the poor clock management. Or maybe it was the two missed field goals. Or maybe it was the sacks that Hasselback took that pushed them out of scoring range on at least two occasions. It wasn’t the refs, dude. No call they made was anywhere near as crucial as the Polamalu interception/fumble/incomplete pass call that the Colts got three weeks ago. The Seahawks killed themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/3 "2006-02-06T05:19:08Z")
Not a seahawks fan, but **Airman** you are wrong, IMO. The calls were terrible. The PI on jackson in the 1st Q was awful. A TD is way different then a FG. That was as crucial as the Polamalu call that the Colts got. The Hasselbeck illegal block below the knees call gave the Steelers an extra 15 yds, always useful. The pick Hasselbeck threw was only thrown because of a BS holding call the play before. It was a crap game, ruined by the refs. I have no idea who would have won, but would have liked to have it decided by the players rather the Zebras. The refing all playoffs was horrible, abysmal, it looked like the had CDN highschool refs out there. The NFL needs to get this in order. FTR I am Eagles fan. For another thread on this see here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=357453](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=357453) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/4 "2006-02-06T05:19:30Z")
The refs may not have cost the Seahawks the game (and me $525), but how can you have a game called so horribly one sided in THE SUPER BOWL for God’s sake?! Even if you discount the rumored Roethlisberger touchdown, what happens when the league office says tomorrow, “Oooops we screwed up on those two plays. :smack: Sorry.” The horrible officiating has progressed from the regular games to the playoffs to now the Championship game. The integrity of the game is sinking faster than the Titanic. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/5 "2006-02-06T05:20:20Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > The PI on jackson in the 1st Q was awful. I have nothing novel to say here, but when you push off right in front of the official, you leave him no choice. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/6 "2006-02-06T05:21:16Z")
Sure, anyone on the couch could see that Hasselbeck was done by contact–after the play on instant replay. And it still took them three angles to show that he had been touched by Foote on the way to the ground. While live, I assumed that Hasselbeck had somehow managed to fumble because all the action was on the reverse angle. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/7 "2006-02-06T05:25:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I have nothing novel to say here, but when you push off right in front of the official, you leave him no choice. Touching a DB, while he is touching you, is NOT pushing off. Plus the ref didn’t move a damn muscle until the DB whined (I think he noticed which uniform he had on) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/8 "2006-02-06T05:32:22Z")
The offensive PI call was perfectly valid. He pushed off in front of the ref. End of story. The call on Hassleback for the low tackle was a bad call. That’s one. The holding call was sketchy but I can see why it looked like a hold live at game speed. That’s it. One bad call and one borderline. If you go back over ever single Seahawk game for the whole year, I think you might be able to find a few instances where Seattle got the benefit of a bad call and I doubt you’d want to give them back. And like everyone else keeps saying, those calls are not why Seattle lost the game. You guys might want to work on your two minute drills a little bit next season. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/9 "2006-02-06T05:35:24Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Touching a DB, while he is touching you, is NOT pushing off. Can you show me where it says that in the rulebook? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/10 "2006-02-06T05:35:45Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Touching a DB, while he is touching you, is NOT pushing off. Plus the ref didn’t move a damn muscle until the DB whined (I think he noticed which uniform he had on) I saw the replay at least a dozen times. He didn’t just touch the DB, he pushed off. Not egregiously but he pushed. Michael Irvin said he pushed off and Irvin should know because he made a career of pushing off. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/11 "2006-02-06T05:38:30Z")
Just to get the offical ruling here: > [@NFL Rulebook](#): > > Actions that constitute offensive pass interference include but are not limited to: > > (a) Blocking downfield by an offensive player prior to the ball being touched. > > **(b) Initiating contact with a defender by shoving or pushing off thus creating a separation in an attempt to catch a pass.** > > © Driving through a defender who has established a position on the field. > > Actions that do not constitute offensive pass interference include but are not limited to: > > (a) Incidental contact by a receiver’s hands, arms, or body when both players are competing for the ball or neither player is looking for the ball. > > (b) Inadvertent touching of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither player is playing the ball. > > © Contact that would normally be considered pass interference, but the ball is clearly uncatchable by involved players. My highlight, obviously. Jackson pushed, you can’t call that incidental contact. It was definitely light, but it created the separation that allowed him to get the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/12 "2006-02-06T06:04:09Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Just to get the offical ruling here: > > My highlight, obviously. Jackson pushed, you can’t call that incidental contact. It was definitely light, but it created the separation that allowed him to get the ball. It WAS definately light. It’s football man.Where were the big bad tough Steelers. Bottom line, there were alot of sketchy calls, and all of them went against the Hawks except for the two overturned ones. Oh well, everybody outside of Seattle wanted the Steelers to win, and they got what they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/13 "2006-02-06T06:05:49Z")
> [@Soylent Gene](#): > > It WAS definately light. It’s football man.Where were the big bad tough Steelers. That wouldn’t make it any less of a penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/14 "2006-02-06T06:16:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That wouldn’t make it any less of a penalty. We’ll just have to disagree. It was **very incidental** and I’ve seen it NOT a thousand times. I thought it was total garbage. The holding call on the critical Stephens catch was also garbage. Even John Madden, who was making excuses for the refs all game, agreed there was no holding. Can you think of any questionable calls that went against the Steelers? ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/15 "2006-02-06T06:17:27Z")
oops, I meant not “called” a thousand times. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/16 "2006-02-06T06:21:47Z")
> [@Soylent Gene](#): > > We’ll just have to disagree. It was **very incidental** and I’ve seen it NOT a thousand times. If this makes any difference, my understanding is that incidental in this context doesn’t mean “light,” it means something more like “accidental or occuring in the normal course of a play.” > [@](#): > > Can you think of any questionable calls that went against the Steelers? No. I know how much it hurts to lose one of these, but there was no fix here. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/17 "2006-02-06T06:30:12Z")
The pass interference call was clearly correct, and I’m baffled that so many people have a problem with it. The receiver clearly pushed off, extending his right arm (from the defenders chest) as he broke to his left while the pass was in the air, thus preventing the defender from being able to make a play on the ball. That’s text-book interference, and he did it two feet from the ref. That he didn’t push off with a lot of force is irrelevant, as is the fact that the defender probably couldn’t have made a play regardless. That the play occurred in the Super Bowl is even more irrelevant, if that’s possible. A penalty is a penalty. I did disagree with the big holding call, but it was borderline – that is, that draws a flag quite frequently over the course of the season. The low block on Hasselbeck is really dependnet on how the rule is phrased (little help?) The way they seem to _call_ it, in any event, is that if you go low on a fumble or INT return and hit anyone other than the ball-carrier, it’s a penalty, regardless of who you were aiming for. It rarely comes up, but the call tonight was consistent with the common enforcement of the rule. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/18 "2006-02-06T06:30:33Z")
I had a room full of die-hard football fans that couldn’t have given a shit about which team actually won, and all of them were screaming about the piss-poor officiating. The “push-off” (whatever,) the dumb-assed illegal block call on Hasselbeck, and the complete bullshit Roethlisberger touchdown all had all of us red-faced and screaming at the TV. The officials may not have handed the game to the Steelers on a silver platter, but they sure as hell were trying. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/19 "2006-02-06T06:33:45Z")
> [@Soylent Gene](#): > > Oh well, everybody outside of Seattle wanted the Steelers to win, and they got what they wanted. That’s not true. I personally didn’t care either way. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191/20 "2006-02-06T06:46:47Z")
**Ogre:** > [@](#): > > and the complete bullshit Roethlisberger touchdown I was gonna say; I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about this one. From the replay, it looked damn clear like the ball didn’t break the plane of the endzone. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-abyssmal-super-bowl-officiating/343191.md?page=2)