Pittsburgh 28-Green Bay 35, but...

[von Baur 54]

...Green Bay's first touchdown was aided by the refs' failure to call two holding penalties even though both took place right in front of them. The interception that was run in for a touchdown included a Green Bay block from behind which should have nullified the td and possibly even resulted in a field goal. And finally, on the second interception the Pittsburh receiver was held back just before the pick. If the call had been made the Steelers retain possession and Green Bay loses that seven. I doubt the catch would have been made had he not been interferred with but probably neither would the interception, and even an incomplete pass prevents that touchdown and the tone of the game is significantly different. Yes, the phantom face-mask against Green Bay was bogus and I hated it because all the Steeler-detractors will point to it and say the refs are biassed towards Pittsburgh, but balanced against the above along with sundry other obvious shirt-pulls and holds and the case could be made for Green Bay awarding the officiating crew the MVP.

 

Call it sour grapes, if you like, but that's the way I saw the game.

 

Either way, Pittsburgh Super Bowls are anything but boring.

[+whiteknight06604 932]

I have been playing organized football for about 30 years and those kinds of non calls happen every play and most of those were questionable at best.If they played the game again next week it could go either way but when it counted it was Greenbays day.I'm not a fan of either team but I wanted to see the Packers win for two reasons and both are QB related.Rodgers win kinda takes some of the wind out of Farves sails and the only thing that would give me more pleasure than thinking of Farve sitting at home watching his old team win without him would have been if just as they were anouncing Rodgers as MVP his wife served him divorce papers.The other reason is while I have loads of respect for many Steelers playes and the franchises storied history I just can't cheer for a team lead by such a loathsome person as Ben Roethlesberger.He's someone that if it wasn't for NFL calibur tallent would prob be living in a trailer park on a sexual predator watch list or in jail.

[von Baur 54]

I saw (and referred to) the bogus face-mask call, uncleal, but thanx for proving my point in my original post that that would be the remembered bad call. And I know, whiteknight, that holding happens on nearly every play as does some degree of interference or illegal contact. But it's one thing to happen lost in the muddle of 300+ pound bodies between the tackles and it's something else again to happen two yards from the QB, between him and the official, with the pass rusher beyond the blocker and the blocker's inside arm around the chest of the rusher. Twice on the opening drive. The interference I cited was as the ball was approaching the receiver and the defender clearly held him back (his right arm, I think), slowing him down just slightly but enough to allow his teammate to get to the ball cleanly and intecept. All these things happened in the open and at the focal point of the play, and yet were not called.

 

Furthermore, in the second Pittsburgh-Baltimore game, just a few plays in a pass rusher swings his forearm between Rothliesberger's facemask and helmet opening breaking his nose and no flag is thrown. Later Miller is taken out with a concussion following a helmet-to-helmet hit in what for any other team's receiver would be called an unprotected position and again no flag. Along with several blatant holds, including a couple of tackles of the pass rusher.

 

Let them play, yes. And I personally agree with those against over-protecting football players all the way back to Jack Lambert's comment when asked what could be done to prevent quarterbacks being injured ("Put them in dresses."). But either give both teams the same leeway or hold an equally tight rein on both. Let them play on equal terms.

 

 

And Rodgers as MVP ? The defense won that game, end of story. Three take-aways resulting in 21 points with one touchdown scored by the defense. Take any one of those scores away and the Lombardi Trophy would be in the House of Rooney. I guess when there's no single stand-out player they just default it to the winning quarterback.

[+elephant 36]

That's all Greek to me...

[Dej 17]

I still say human body can withstand only so much force, then something has to give. So if it's a Quarterback getting a concussion or a linebacker shredding his knee, the overall weight of the players MUST be limited. In the 70's and 80's a big man went 275, a road-grader like Russ Grimm went 310. That Green Bay Short yardage offense, had nobody on that line under 325, the tackles must've went over 350. Woolfolk for the Patriots advertised weight is 374, he's probably playing at 400. That's like arguing with a Buick, 35 times a game. Where's it going to end ?

 

Cyberball. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility...

 

Although if you read the dates on the back of the Atari ST box things have a way to go yet.