We’ve been flooded with e-mails from readers who have pointed out to us that NFL V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira has supported the decision of referee Walt Coleman to award via replay review a touchdown to the Steelers, even though the call on the field had not done so.
Here’s what an NFL spokesman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Walt Coleman determined via high-def video review that the receiver had possession and two feet down with the ball in the goal line, meaning it broke the plane.”
The spokesman (who is unnamed in the Post-Gazette article) also said that Pereira backed the call.
The fact that Pereira is periodically willing to take issue with his officials, however, does not mean that we should always assume that Pereira is right whenever he supports them. I know plenty of lawyers who are very adept at conceding what they must concede in order to have greater credibility on closer questions, and it’s entirely possible that Pereira uses that same style, intentionally or otherwise.
But Coleman’s job wasn’t to determine whether he thought it was a touchdown. Coleman’s job was to determine whether there was indisputable visual evidence to overturn the call. Given the extent of the dispute regarding the call, it’s indisputable that there was not indisputable visual evidence.
Moreover, by defending the call this way, the league office has invited the sixteen other referees to replace with their own decisions the real-time judgments of the members of their crews.
Finally, we’re encouraged by the fact that Tom Jackson of ESPN agrees with us.
Cue the Steelers fans who’ll write in the comments that Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the Steelers.
PEREIRA SENDS MIXED SIGNALS ABOUT REPLAY REVIEW
Posted by Mike Florio on December 15, 2008, 7:41 PM EST
102 Responses to “PEREIRA SENDS MIXED SIGNALS ABOUT REPLAY REVIEW”
I’m a longtime Denver fan, going back to the Orange Crush, which TJ was part of. I know this isn’t germane to the discussion at hand, but did something look wrong with him on the highlights show last night? He looked slow, and tired, not himself. Anyone else notice this?
Wow what a surprise that Pereira supports his referees. This guy is so clueless at what he does. I wished this guy was laidoff last week by the NFL. Just the way he explains stuff makes you feel better as a person.
ummmm can we move on please….TD..game over…..nothing to see here
Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the Steelers.
You’re getting pretty far out there now Florio.
Was too!
The plane of the goal line extends indefinitely, and remains active so long as ANY part of the BALL CARRIER remains in bounds and crosses the goal line.
A receiver is deemed to be in possession of a catch when both feet touch down in bounds while the receiver demonstrates control of the football.
“Should a receiver make a legal catch of the ball with both feet in bounds in the end zone, a touchdown shall be awarded even if no part of the ball was deemed to break the plane of the goal line while in possession of the receiving player.
Tom Jackson also says that the officials hate their VP of Officiating.
you must be a lawyer Florio, oh wait you are. Coleman’s job wasn’t to determine whether he thought it was a touchdown? really? this is your argument? so if he determines it to be a touchdown, isnt that evidence? if he sees the ball in the white and says its a touchdown thats not indisputable visual evidence. Really than what is it, please explain. maybe you did not see it that way, that doesnt really matter. he saw the ball in the white thats all that matters. and yes that is evidence.
Don’t worry, nobody will be talking about this a week from now. Heck, nobody even talks about how the refs gave the Steelers the Super Bowl a couple years ago.
Tom Jackson!!!!! Didn’t he play for the Broncos? Yeesh, he just hates the Steelers is all.
Who cares about what Pereira has to say about this? That’s like asking the Pope whether he thinks God exists.
Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the Steelers.
At first, I understood the pain many felt, because I too was wondering where the “indisputable” part of the challenge system went.
Then it hit me, we HAVE the technology to see things like this. During Football Night in America, Collinsworth showed an HD still (what Walt saw) and it clearly showed the ball breaking the plane, albeit barely.
Yeah, and for every Tom Jackson I can post 5 articles saying it was a good call. Funny how Florio isn’t calling equal attention to the blatant holding on James Harrison last night (which helped the Ravens get into position for a few of those FG’s), or the two PI non-calls against Holmes and Washington. Hell, even the announcers called out the holding on Harrison.
Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the football team that plays in Pittsburgh.
Mike,
I’m glad you are keeping this in the spotlight. Someone needs to do it. I spend thousands of dollars on season tickets every year and I want to believe that I am viewing an authentic product. What Walt Coleman did last night was essentially decide who wins the AFC North instead of letting the teams decide it on the field. He did the same 6 years ago when he gave the Patroits the game and changed history. It’s a telling statement that the NFL condones this type of officiating. It leads people to believe that the authenticity of the sport is in question. These Steeler fans do not understand the ramifications of this because they have enjoyed many calls that were in favor of their team (see Superbowl XL), but once they ever receive a call like this one that essentially takes their team out of the playoffs, they will want to take action.
Thanks for your diligence Mike and keep up the great work.
Jim
This is from the NFL Rulebook: A player with the ball in his possession scores a touchdown when the ball is on, above, or over the goal line.
Possession is the key word here. I’ve watched the replay and it’s indisputable that the ball did cross over the goal line and it’s indisputable that he had possession of the ball. When he flipped the ball back after grabbing it, the ball still was above the goal line. By the above rule, that’s a touchdown. It doesn’t need to be much of the football, just enough and that’s what they saw.
Read the rules, Florio.
“Walt Coleman determined via high-def video review that the receiver had possession and two feet down with the ball in the goal line, meaning it broke the plane,” an NFL spokesman said via e-mail.
Coleman explained after the game that Holmes “had two feet down and completed the catch with control of the ball breaking the plane of the goal line.”
By rule, his feet did not have to be down, however, when the ball crossed the goal line — he had to be in possession of the ball when it broke the plane of the goal line and then, to complete the play, his feet had to touch the ground.
“When he gained control of the ball,” Coleman said, “the ball was breaking the plane and then he fell into the field of play.”
Soooo ummmm, where’s the controversy? I think what Coleman is trying to say here is he saw indisputable evidence that it was a TD. The NFL agrees with him too, and while that may not surprise most, I can recall a good number of plays where teams were sent out apologies for getting calls wrong on the field. So why not here? Maybe, just maybe, it was the right call. Just because someone sitting at home watching their TV in their living room or watching the replay on youtube doesn’t see indisputable evidence doesn’t mean that the ref didn’t see it when he spent a couple minutes watching it frame for frame in hi-def from every angle possible.
Also, since when does an analyst from ESPN (any analyst, not just Jackson) hold any water when it comes to refereeing decisions? Aren’t they the same guys who (like internet rumor site moguls) are paid to spin controversy?
zachintosh says:
December 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
The plane of the goal line extends indefinitely, and remains active so long as ANY part of the BALL CARRIER remains in bounds and crosses the goal line.
A receiver is deemed to be in possession of a catch when both feet touch down in bounds while the receiver demonstrates control of the football.
“Should a receiver make a legal catch of the ball with both feet in bounds in the end zone, a touchdown shall be awarded even if no part of the ball was deemed to break the plane of the goal line while in possession of the receiving player.
___________________
Source, please. This has always been my understanding and I’d love to get it clarified whether I’m right or wrong.
To speak to the rest of it, if the controversy was whether they were wrong to make the right call…. you guys figure out how to make someone being right and doing the right thing controversial. You’re certainly trying hard enough.
And wait a minute….I just realized Jackson is the guy who hosted the segment “Jacked Up!”. While that is a very interesting and entertaining, THIS is the guy you look to to encourage your own opinion? LOL wow.
Section 2 Touchdown
Article 1 It is a touchdown (3-38):
(a) when a runner advances from the field of play and the ball touches the opponents’ goal line (plane); or
(b) while inbounds any player catches or recovers a loose ball (3-2-3) on or behind the opponents’ goal line.
good job florio….milk this story for all the page views you can get!
So mister Rooney how are you doing on money now that youve once again paid the refs
never forget
refs 21 seattle 10
ohh and TJ is a denver homer who simply hates the steelers
Hey, do you think Jackson is a Denver homer? I’m not sure… it would be great if 5 or 6 people could post the answer in here so I could know for certain. Thanks.
I’m sick of all this plagiarism talk.
The notion the refs are throwing games for the Steelers is laughable. If that’s the case, the Cowboys & Patriots would be in the Super Bowl every year, because they’re even more popular.
Obviously the league would rather other teams become just as popular – and the best way to build buzz around a team is Super Bowl victories. Remember that new car smell the St. Louis Rams had a few years ago?
If anything there would be a bias AGAINST the Steelers.
I’m not a Steeler fan, but (the mildly retarded) Jackson is a Denver homer (who took steriods with his buddy Mark Schereth) who simply hates the Steelers (and Patriots).
Florio can kiss my Lombardi.
It was a TD. Ben got in in over the plane in the Superbowl ( I have the still shot to prove it) and that was indeed a TD yesterday. It only takes the tip of the ball to cross the plane.
Not only can you kiss it, you can bite it.
ok, the call was controversial, it shouldn’t have been over turned just the same as if the call on the field was a TD that shouldn’t have been over turned either.
all this talk about how this game was “handed” to the steelers is off point. At worst the game goes to OT, at best a 230lb QB lines up behind a 320lb center in need of 3 inches.
Here, is something to think aboutfor those of you conspiracy theorists out there:
Walt coleman was the referee of the infamous “tuck rule” that led to the patriots winning their first superbowl.
the patriots are known cheaters
The win certainly helps the steelers, yes, but it helps the patriots even more….with the ravens now at 9-5, if they lose 1 more game and the pats win out then the pats will make the playoffs since either the jets or miami has to lose in week 17….
it’ll be interesting to see if good ol’ walt is reffing the game at big D on saturday…
Let. It. Go.
You can’t win this pissing match Florio.
Oh, Yeah…Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the Steelers.
quote: Mike,
I’m glad you are keeping this in the spotlight. Someone needs to do it. I spend thousands of dollars on season tickets every year and I want to believe that I am viewing an authentic product. What Walt Coleman did last night was essentially decide who wins the AFC North instead of letting the teams decide it on the field. He did the same 6 years ago when he gave the Patroits the game and changed history. It’s a telling statement that the NFL condones this type of officiating. It leads people to believe that the authenticity of the sport is in question. These Steeler fans do not understand the ramifications of this because they have enjoyed many calls that were in favor of their team (see Superbowl XL), but once they ever receive a call like this one that essentially takes their team out of the playoffs, they will want to take action.
Thanks for your diligence Mike and keep up the great work.
Jim” /quote
do you not remember the playoff game last year when the refs didn’t feel like throwing a flag on that hold against jax that decided that playoff game? or even years back when the steelers got knocked out of the playoffs when they called roughing the kicker against the titans when he obviously flopped? the steelers have had their fair share of calls against them in the past. it happens to every team.
Darth Ringo:
Earth to Darth Ringo, why would the league have a bias AGAINST one of its biggest markets??? Everyone knows Pitt fans disappeared when they struggled, so the league has a vested interest in Pitt’s success. I’m not saying that’s the case, just arguing your point.
It might have been a TD, but based on the replay, you CANNOT overturn the call. Even if it was called a TD you can’t overturn it…the replays were inconclusive…. Baltimore is very justified in their argument.
The down economy is clearly affecting Mike Florio. Beg for comments much?
Congratulations on Tom Jackson agreeing with your opinion by the way! Nice!
Seriously though, this article is entitled “PEREIRA SENDS MIXED SIGNALS ABOUT REPLAY REVIEW”. Oddly enough, there’s nothing in this article that explains that statement! WTF Florio? Are you just hoping most people will read the headline and move on? You just assume that because you know lawyers who concede in a certain way, that Pereira COULD be doing the same?
Wow. You and “Sean” need to work on your ability to maintain professionalism.
jeb68:
Please see Steelers vs. Jaguars wild card game last year. Thank you for your ignorance.
Tom Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the Steelers, puppy dogs, old ladies, pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. (We have no knowledge of if he likes making love at midnight nor do we want to know.)
This “controversy” is a load and seems like a lot of people who don’t know the rules spouting off. The call on the field was wrong, because the field judge was obscured by a Raven. The call was corrected with replay.
Ravens fans, yinz better quit yer whinin’ and start focusing on winning the last game in Texas Stadium or your butts will be home in January. You had a first in goal from the 7 and got 3 points, you need to stop blaming the refs and start blaming your offense… 202 total yds … the Stillers got almost half that on the last drive.. Turns out your defense is Number 2.
The title says mixed signals. What mixed signals?
This is all so hilarious. Florio who is, by his own admission, a “shyster lawyer” is goading his readers into a “high hit count” on his interative web site. He is loving life. He can take this traffic count to potential advertisers and get big advertising bucks!
Do you really think that a “shyster lawyer cares about the outcome of that game, or do you think that (like some people) he cares more about a “high hit count”?
Don’t buy into vilification of the officials. They make numerous mistakes. All of them do every season since the league was created and it will continue as long as human beings are used a officials.
In the final analysis these guys do a better job than most of us do in our jobs, and that includes “shyster lawyers”! You simply will not ever find a “perfect official”
Having said all of that, the officials in this case awarded the call to a player that made a “heroic play”…regardless of team affililiation! It was a great catch, in a very tight situation, and it was the RIGHT CALL.
If you want to continue wasting energy on this non-issue you may want to re-open Franco Harris” “Immaculate Reception” against the Oakland Raiders befrore many of you were born! Now there is a call that was never resolved, and it had much greater implications since it decided an AFL Championship contest.
Blitzburgh…Ben got in in over the plane in the Superbowl ( I have the still shot to prove it) and that was indeed a TD yesterday. It only takes the tip of the ball to cross the plane.
Even Ben said on the sideline after that play that he did get in. He even admitted it on Letterman…..
Produce the photo….Let’s see it.
If tis would have been the Ravens all of you steeler fans would have ben saying the same thing.
well as long as Tom Jackson agrees with you. It isn’t as if the media’s job is NOT to stir up controversy to boost ratings and interest. Face it Florio you are a hack and hate the Steelers. You are a fraud and even mentioning in your last sentence that Steeler’s fans won’t agree is beyond a stupid way to try and be convincing. I gather you lost some money on that game and are bitter. Stupid articles.
The ONLY people who believe there was INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE (key to the ruling, yinzers, pay attention) to justify overturning the call on the field are Stiller fans…and Walt Coleman. Simply put, in a game of major significance Coleman stepped in and set a dangerous precedent that ANYTHING can be overturned.
At least be men and admit the truth, Stiller fans. Don’t be afraid. Nobody is going to take your crooked win from you.
Have half of you “Steelers’ fans” ever even been to Pittsburgh??? I urge you to take a visit there, you wouldn’t be a Steelers’ fan anymore, i promise you.
The refs didn’t give the Steelers Super Bowl XL. Sure, it’s Ok to push off and catch the ball. It’s OK to hold. Ben didn’t get in the endzone. Everyone is just so jealous of the Steelers popularity with the rest of the country and the world. In this game, the ref who had the call wrong was blocked off on the play. He had to look around a defender. The replay call was the right one. The Steelers just went 92 yards. If they had to go for it on fourth down with a finger nail to go, does anyone think they wouldn’t have made it?
Thread No. 4 !! This is great. Tom Jackson now there’s an unbiased news source. What’s next ?? Umbrella Man ?? The Babushka Lady ?? The Grassy Knoll ?? Pereira has the final word. Case…closed. If you can’t accept it file suit.
why tell the public he had high defination tv? i never once before heard them say they looked at hdtv screen to defend their call. unless this is the only hdtv screen used by the refs?
nfl should do it like nhl does- the refs tell the officials sitting at nfl headquarters in front of screens hdtv all of them for all games , the refs tell the replay officials what they saw or the call they made and the replay officials with rulebooks in their presence should uphold or overturn the call. NOT the ref on the field! who then makes up some totally absurd and long-winded explanation.
I hear you, Bmore Styles, but trying to get Steeler tickets is never easy, even when they have bad seasons. The Pittsburgh market isn’t one the NFL worries about. If they had the will & ability to cheat games, they’d want to prop up Jacksonville or Detroit or (this year) Kansas City, etc..
To the other point, refs CAN overturn some calls when they have proof. It appears Santonio Holmes has possession & pulls the ball to the goal line before he’s slammed the ground, which makes it a TD.
what you should have written is, “cue the steelers fans who’ll write in the comments that florio is a raven homer who simply hates the
steelers.”
and oh yeah, congrats on searching the wwl high and EXTREMELY LOW to find a talking head that agrees with your asinine point of view. well done sir.
p.s. will there be a story tomorrow reguarding the status of the sell the the steelers? or maybe, pray tell, who owns what percentage of them. oh the joy.
.
Quoting stugacz “This is all so hilarious. Florio who is, by his own admission, a “shyster lawyer” is goading his readers into a “high hit count” on his interative web site. He is loving life. He can take this traffic count to potential advertisers and get big advertising bucks!”
I agree that Florio is probably trying to drive traffic to the site, but …um… isn’t that kind of the point?
Controversy sells. If he posted “NFL confirm Steelers touchdown; nothing to see here folks, move along,” I imagine his hit count would have suffered.
Slowly, as revenues dwindle Florio is faced with putting Florio Jr. to work in the West Virginia coal mines as he works a double shift at the local Sheetz store. Next thing, you know Florio is flying the PFT private jet to DC; testifying in front of Congress and we the American taxpayers are on the hook for a massive bailout to the tune of a buck oh five.
Is that what you people want? Is it???
My suggestion story suggestion Florio: Obama transition team remains silent on Breaking-the-Plane-gate. What is Obama hiding?
Or “NFL Head Official linked to Pittsburgh Steelers by the letter P; Arlen Specter vows hearings to blame Belichik.
Run with it. Florio Jr. and the American people are counting on you.
Your title is as misleading as I have seen written on here in a long time. Please for the love of God point out to me where Pereira says anything other than that he agrees with the call because and says it was correct?
After reading the title, I immediately expected to read that Pereira had backtracked from his statements, or reported something different to a another news outlet. There was nothing of the sort in the article provided and you should be ashamed of yourself for creating something so blatantly obvious in an attempt to stir up controversy that isn’t there. The only “mixed signals” in your article was your opinion versus Mike Pereira’s.
Steelers fans frequent this site as much as anyone. You know that by getting them riled up with this kind of stuff; they will keep coming back for more. Nice business tactic, but you have reached the point of blatant fact fabrication and that doesn’t sit well with anybody, let alone Steelers fans.
I love how Steeler fans bring up the holding on Harrison non-call, but don’t mention the more than generous spot to give them a first down when it was clear they were almost a full yard short. It’s not that Florio is against the Steelers and doesn’t think it was a TD. He is simply saying that there was no indisputable evidence and the play should not have been overturned, which is correct. If the play had been called a touchdown on the field initially, and then overturned resulting in a non-touchdown, we would be having the same discussion with Baltimore fans saying it was the right call… except, you know, minus all the whining.
I think the thing that bothers me the most is how Coleman handled the Ravens first challenge. The Ravens challenged the spot on a third down run by the Steelers. The Steelers running back was obviously stopped well short of the 30 yard line which was the line to gain. If Coleman could not see the undisputable visual evidence that the line to gain was not established, he should be reprimanded. This challenge, if unheld, forces the Steelers to punt.
The NFL needs to restructure their replay. They need to move to the college replay system. Let a trained person in the booth – that should be mandated to have no outside, off field, contact with officials – make the call.
Coleman should be let go at the end of the year.
Go back and look at the tie game the Steelers and Falcons had a few years ago. The OT ended with Plax Burress catching a ball with his feet in the end zone but not the ball. Obviously it ended in a tie and was not a T.D. same thing should have happened here.
Pereira has also said on numerous occasions about numerous calls that indisputable evidence is less important than getting the call right.
As to Florio and his treatment of this issue, it reminds me of a movie…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI
I only hope he decides its over soon.
kdrtoona Makes Great Point
there’s your headline
lets blame the refs for what the ravens could have prevented by not playing prevent. 92 yard drive in under 3 minutes. now thats a bad call by the defensive coordinator. theres enough visual evidence to say that was a bad call.
south-fl-steel:
Actually, Jackson and Florio are among the majority. I havn’t read ONE analyst’s opinion that said that the call should have been overturned. Whether it was a TD or not is less of a point because it was ruled not a TD on the field, and video evidence wasn’t indisputable, therefore it shouldn’t have been overturned. I’ve spent most of the work day reading sports sites, and they’re all saying the same thing… Steelers’ fans, please leave the thinking up to the professionals… or at least someone with a valid high school diploma.
Bmore Styles says:
December 15th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
“Have half of you “Steelers’ fans” ever even been to Pittsburgh??? I urge you to take a visit there, you wouldn’t be a Steelers’ fan anymore, i promise you. ”
I was born and raised in this area and love where I live. Most parts of the City are clean and safe places to live. We have our bad neighborhoods (like any other city, even Baltimore, I’ve been there, I know you have ghettos too) but all in all it’s been a great place for me to live and raise my family.
What this adds to the discussion at hand I have no clue, it just seems more like a personal slam to make you feel better about your own city than anything else. Why you would need to bash where somebody else lives to make where you live seem better is beyond me, but by all means, whatever helps you sleep at night. You do realize though that Baltimore is ranked 2rd in the most dangerous city to live in with populations of 500k or more. I hear Baltimore-Townson area is just a great place to live. I’d choose my words a little more carefully before you went around bashing where somebody else lives. If you have good reason to think Pittsburgh is a horrible city, by all means, please state why.
In previous weeks, there were some “bad” calls where many people (including posters here) said that the refs should be able to change the calls so that they are correct. That’s exactly what they did in this case — changed the call so that it was CORRECT.
Also, several posters asked for a link. The only direct link I can find online is from 2006, the NFL Rulebook in pdf format. I can’t find anything newer except in “digest” form:
http://blogmedia.thenewstribune.com/media/2006%20NFL%20RULEBOOK.pdf
p. 79
Rule 11 Scoring
Section 2 Touchdown
Article 1 It is a touchdown (3-38):
(a) when a runner advances from the field of play and the ball touches the opponents’goal line (plane); or
(b) while inbounds any player catches or recovers a loose ball (3-2-3) on or behind the opponents’ goal line.
Mike,
I’m glad you are keeping this in the spotlight. Someone needs to do it. I spend thousands of dollars on season tickets every year and I want to believe that I am viewing an authentic product. What Walt Coleman did last night was essentially decide who wins the AFC North instead of letting the teams decide it on the field. He did the same 6 years ago when he gave the Patroits the game and changed history. It’s a telling statement that the NFL condones this type of officiating. It leads people to believe that the authenticity of the sport is in question. These Steeler fans do not understand the ramifications of this because they have enjoyed many calls that were in favor of their team (see Superbowl XL), but once they ever receive a call like this one that essentially takes their team out of the playoffs, they will want to take action.
Thanks for your diligence Mike and keep up the great work.
Jim
BS common Jim dont make exuses the Raven had every chance to win twice and didnt. The ball broke the plain of the goal, its a td. The Head of the officials said it was the right call. Dont blame the refs or that call for loss. It wasnt the refs who allowed Ben to drive the ball 92yds for the winning score.
Football has become like a big video game with instant replay…its an embarrassment to the game and an insult to those who really miss old school football. All of the games look the same, all the players look the same (not a racist remark by the way) and pro football…dare I say…is becoming boring.
I’ve been disappointed in Florio’s immediate judgement on this issue. Apparently there is no room for doubt. Look at the replay again in HD and you can clearly see it’s a touchdown. Questioning Coleman’s knowledge of the game or Peirara’s support of his officials will not change the outcome. If we’re going to bring into question the officiating, there should at least be some discussion of the muggings of Steeler receivers or repeated and blatant holding against James Harrison that occurred throughout the game, not just that one call at the end. Any accurate historical review will show that the Steelers have been the victim of bad calls and recipients of apology letters from the league as a result far more often than any other team over the past five years or so.
The only ones to blame here are the Ravens. They allowed the Steelers to drive 92 yards at the end of the game. So much for that vaunted defense. Was I the only one to notice Ray-Ray missing tackle after tackle or getting shrugged off by Willie Parker? How about Ed Reed slipping and allowing Nate Washington to pick up a crucial third down on the last drive? All of Ray-Ray’s chest-thumping and juvenile, assanine chatter were meaningless. The media in general continually hypes the Ravens when they make a play, and then make no comment when they fail. The Ravens didn’t get screwed, they screwed themselves by allowing it to come down to the last play. They had numerous opportunities to put the game away and failed to do so, but I guess that’s Coleman’s fault too.
What’s needed here is a little more objectivity. The immediate headline was RAVENS GET SCREWED, not CONTROVERSIAL CALL AT END OF STEELERS-RAVENS GAME. C’mon, Mike, you run a damn good site. Don’t ruin it for Steeler fans with this kind of one-sided witch hunt. It’s over, the Ravens lost, and it’s their own fault. No one should blame the officials for that over a single call. The Ravens had two opportunities to stop Big Ben on crucial drives and beat the Steelers this year, and they failed both times. Ray Lewis shouldn’t be allowed to hide the bloody shirt on this one.
Suck it up, Ratbirds!
Ok, some of you are REAL morons…. I watch Total Access almost every night and I see almost all of the episodes when Pereira comes on and goes over some of the contreversial calls of the week.. I DONT always agree with his take or more often the Rule itself, but anyone that says he ALWAYS agrees with his refs is an Idiot… I have heard him on MULTIPLE occassions say that the ref pretty much made the wrong decision!!!! Does He BASH the Refs, NO!!!! That would be inappropriate…Do you want your Boss holding a Press conference and Bashing you in front of the owrld every time OU make a mistake… that is all handled behind closed doors and is part of how they decide who works the playoffs.. but for people to claim that he Always sides with his referee’s is just Moronic…
Stop complaining about the Call on the Holmes TD, It was a Score, When you watch the Only angle that shows it accurately you can clearly see that the minute he had control in his hands and feet down, it was a TD!!! get over it and move on.. It isnt the first close call that helps decide a game and it wont be the last!!! It is what it is!!! A better idea would be to go back and look at the way the raven Dbacks were grabbing receivers all night and NOT getting flagged!! that had more impact on the game than Holmes’ td!!
Hey Bmore Styles, I have lived in both Bmore and Pittsburgh and please tell me you arent saying Bmore is better than Pitt with its second highest murder rate in the nation. Baltimore people are about as uneducated as it gets, trust me…
Let me say this. It doesn’t matter if the ball broke the plane or not. It only matters if the receiver had both feet down inside of the goal line. No one is disputing that. Holmes had two feet inside of the goal line when he caught the ball. That’s just like having two feet tap down in the back of the endzone, or the sides when he’s catching the ball.
I’m a Redskin fan, so no real bias.
Author: Walrus
Pereira has also said on numerous occasions about numerous calls that indisputable evidence is less important than getting the call right.
===
Well anyone who would make such a bewildering statement obviously is nothing but a BS artist working for the NFL. Just how can Pereira be sure he is “getting the call right” if he is admitting that he has NO conclusive(indisputable) evidence?
I should not have to revert back to my “why we hate the SteelersL post from a few weeks back, but it should be mentioned that one of the reasons from that post was the ironic way in which games seem to always go in their favor. Too many times have I watched Pittsburgh get a win on a shady call. For icing on the cake, most steelers won’t admit the “gift” games they get and say really they are the ones getting screwed all the time. Note to Steeler fans, all of us can’t be wrong, we all see it, why can’t you??????
Why is PFT still writing blurbs about this?
“Of course, it happened in part because PFT never met a dead horse that it didn’t want to beat repeatedly with an Iraqi journalist’s right shoe. And then with the left one. “
I think what most people want are teams to win or lose the game on the field of play, not from an “iffy” overturn of the non-TD.
Honestly, I’m a Ravens fan and watched the Stoolers march down the field with the Ravens starting CB (Washington) on the sideline and Suggs sitting out several plays hurt. The Stoolers simply took advantage of what the Ravens gave them. Thats what good teams do. I and most people I know including Stooler fans, will say they’d like to have seen the ref put the ball on the 4″ or 6″ (or wherever they decide he had “control”) line and let them settle it on the field. THATS how the game should finish, whether they go for the TD or go for the FG. I’m sure most Stooler fans would WANT? To stuff it down the Ravens throats, right? To actually EARN the victory, not have it given to you…..
Stop beating this dead horse florio. And just like ESPN asking McNabb about the benching the story is done and over with at this point.
Good teams don’t let the officials decide the games against them. When there were so many bad calls against the Steelers in the Indy game the year they won the Superbowl, did the Steelers let it beat them. Hell no. they outplayed the bad calls. It is part of the game. It was a judgement call on the field and it was a judgement call under the hood. The ravens lost because of the the other 88 yards they gave up on that drive to the #26 offense just as much as they lost because of that 4 yard touchdown.
WhoPlaysWhere: “We all see it” “We all” being the teams the Steelers beat. Yeah, no bias there. The refs screw up at least once against each team in every game. When it goes our way we win, when it goes against us, we still tend to find a way to win. hmmmmm. Sounds like a good football team to me.
I agree with TheAzzMan that the headline for this story was totally misleading.
As for the decision to overturn and award the TD, I do think it’s questionable. But that’s the way officiating has gone this year.
After watching all of the replays several times, the one from the left side (the one Collinsworth froze during his analysis) is the most interesting. At the point Collinsworth froze it, the ball is breaking the plane, so I’m going to assume the argument isn’t about whether or not the ball was ever passed the plane, and that the argument is more about when possession occurred.
Would I have concluded Holmes had possession at the exact moment the ball crossed the plane? Based on what I’ve seen, no, it’s too close to call. But I don’t think it’s inconceivable that anyone else (Coleman in this case) could feel otherwise.
The problem is that, unfortunately, different people have different interpretations on what “indisputable evidence” is. And I know how stupid that sounds, based on the actual definition of those words, but in practice, it’s totally true. If it wasn’t we wouldn’t argue about replays every couple games.
Personally, I don’t like instant replay in any form. It does help correct some bad calls, but it can sometimes turn good calls into bad ones (like Polamalu’s interception of Manning in the ’05 playoffs). More problematic is the realm of things that are “not reviewable”. Ultimately, I think replay’s biggest problem is that it adds to the sense that we can “right the wrongs” and make the game completely fair. The fact is, we can’t – it’s impossible. I would rather just accept the call on the field and not disrupt the flow of the game.
And in this particular case, that would have meant either seeing the Steelers go for a 4th and inches to win, or a chip shot FG attempt and a likely overtime, either of which would have been much more exciting than what actually happened.
bmore “NO”style…. just please, for the love of god, stop you effin whinning and go suck on your mama’s teet. leave comments about winning football teams to the winning fans. you need to learn to live with second place, well except in the case of murder rate and stinch. on those two topics, you and sh!t city are no.1. you and your tema of spitters and “alleged” murderers suck.
.
Mike Pereira is a piece of garbage!! He uses the company slant because he knows his garbage refs are on the hot seat with the fans. There was a story recently that talked about how the officials this year are 97 percent correct on all called plays! The article did not factor in the missed calls (No flags) these officials get paid 6 figures for half a year with the ability to review with HD television. I do think the Steelers have something going on with the league because this is back to back games when calls were made or reversed to help the Steelers get that victory. The Steelers “got that call” against B more and they got against the Cowboys. M Pereira has the interest of his boys (REFS) and the league because he has no accountable for anyone so he gets by with garbage which in turn teams can’t play because the refs factor in every damn game.
A referee is in trouble when they misapply a rule (guess we’re dropping that allegation against Coleman now?). The NFL has admitted on many occasions when the officials misapplied rules (see Indy-Pit 2005 Polomalu recovery; see SD-PIT 2008 Scott Green “illegal forward pass so the play was over” even though the ball was live because it didn’t hit the ground). Any lawyer with a website who has never refereed can sit home and rely on his “expertise” in the law as he thinks it should apply to the game.
But this is a game, a business, but ultimately entertainment. Everything is not black and white and if one really knew the rule book one would understand there is a lot more to being a good official than getting a 100% on the exam of the rules.
If Mike Pereira supports the referee then the referee did the right thing as instructed by the NFL — not by Jackson’s or Florio’s reading of the rule book and how replay should be applied.
Interesting that many commentators, including Tony Kornheiser, believe that it was clearly a touchdown but don’t believe that Coleman should have overturned the call because of lack of irrefutable evidence. So in their view the incorrect call should stand simply because “50 drunks in a bar” would not agree with the call in replay.
Bottom line: NFL officials are instructed to get the call right. They did.
And the real bottom line in case no one mentioned this: Tom Jackson is a Denver homer from Cleveland who simply hates the Steelers.
“Cue the Steelers fans who’ll write in the comments that Jackson is a Denver homer who simply hates the Steelers.”
I bet you also know plenty of lawyer who use lame attempts at jokes to cover their asses too, Florio.
Here’s a complete recap of what the league had to say:
Coleman explained after the game that Holmes “had two feet down and completed the catch with control of the ball breaking the plane of the goal line.”
By rule, his feet did not have to be down, however, when the ball crossed the goal line — he had to be in possession of the ball when it broke the plane of the goal line and then to complete the play his feet had to touch the ground.
“When he gained control of the ball,” Coleman said, “the ball was breaking the plane and then he fell into the field of play.”
——————————————————-
What part of “the ball was breaking the plane” don’t you understand?
Doesn’t sound like any double-speak to me. It’s pretty clear and simple.
As I said, you can either be a man and apologize to the Steelers, or else confirm what we already know about you.
To jeb68:
“These Steeler fans do not understand the ramifications of this because they have enjoyed many calls that were in favor of their team (see Superbowl XL), but once they ever receive a call like this one that essentially takes their team out of the playoffs, they will want to take action”
Hate to break it to you jeb, but that’s already happened, and you didn’t hear Steeler fans whine like you are. Where ya been? Last year the NFL came out and apologized after the fact for its refs who should’ve called holding on the run by Jacksonville’s Garrard in the playoffs. The run that set up the winning field goal, that should’ve never been allowed to count. That’s right jeb, in a playoff game, which is a little bigger than Sunday’s contest. Oops — so much for the tin-foil Steeler hater crowd and its claims that the Steelers’ get preferential ref treatment.
Again jeb, it’s already happened. Maybe you don’t know about it because the Steelers and their fans didn’t WHINE about it in public.
As a Steelers fan, I do believe Coleman made the wrong call.
And by wrong call, I mean there was not enough evidence to overturn it. By the NFL’s definition that we’ve all become accustomed to, the call on the field should stick in this instance.
That said, most will agree that it looks like a touchdown. But looking like a touchdown after a non-TD call does not a touchdown make.
I knew the second the play happened that Baltimore fans would whine for years about the call. I wish that the TD didn’t count so we could have punked you with a 4th and inches sneak to shut you up and not have to hear this garbage for an entire week.
But alas, here we are.
Bmore Styles says:
December 15th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
“Have half of you “Steelers’ fans” ever even been to Pittsburgh??? I urge you to take a visit there, you wouldn’t be a Steelers’ fan anymore, i promise you. ”
———————————————
How anyone from BALTIMORE can take a shot at another town is beyond me.
There’s a reason they filmed The Wire in Baltimore, not Pittsburgh.
If you freeze frame advance the footage, you will see three sequential frames relevant to the ball crossing the line. In the first two frames, you think it MAY have crossed the plane, but then you advance the recording to the third frame, there is no doubt that at the very list the tip of the ball hit the plane.
There have been much worse reversals in situations where the outcome actually changed the game. This is a situation where most agree that if the ref called it a TD on the field, no way it would have been overturned. So there was no robbing of a victory here, just some trivial arguing over the replay rule which is a valid discussion point as long as the Ravens fans realize we are debating a technicality here. This is not like the Denver-SD game where SD actually WON the game if the ref on the field made the right call. And the call was not even a grey area. It was the WRONG call. Same with Polamalu’s INT in the INdy playoff game a few years ago being overturned. THat was the wrong call in the reversal, not a borderling maybe. Or take the SD game against Indy this year. There was a crucial fumble that got whistled too quick by the refs that SD was unable to challenge.
This was not a 4th down play. Spots are routinely butchered by on field refs during QB sneaks or runs up the middle for short gain(example: gary russell first down call in the Ravens game). And this is supposed to be a huge controversy about a TD reversal that was going to be a 4th and an inch in the worst case?
Florio, even if Jackson hates the Steelers, it’s nothing compared to your obvious hatred. Come out of the closet Florio and just admit that you hate the Steelers, love the Ravens, and can’t stand that you are wrong on this issue. But, you should be used to be wrong by now…..you have a lot of practice at it.
Billyball44 says:
December 16th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Florio, even if Jackson hates the Steelers, it’s nothing compared to your obvious hatred. Come out of the closet Florio and just admit that you hate the Steelers, love the Ravens, and can’t stand that you are wrong on this issue. But, you should be used to be wrong by now…..you have a lot of practice at it.
————————————————————————–
Actually I’m pretty sure he’s a pretty big Steelers fan himself judging by some of the obvious evidence he left prior to this site hitting the big time. However when you’re trying to make money beating the drum for one team in public doesn’t make anywhere near the money that ripping all 30 does, and ripping the best franchises leads to the most hits.
I’ve been a Steelers fan all my life, as I bet Florio has so I would wager he knows the same truths most of us do and it’s on display at the Steelers message board constantly. A large amount of Steelers fans thrive on negative things being said about the Steelers and love a “villain” in the press. One of the local radio show hosts brings the subject up from time to time in fact. I admit that if I was running a site like this in an attempt to generate hits and make money, I would rip the Steelers, Penguins, and compliment the Pirates if I had to although the last one would be the most unethical.
Biggest non-controversy ever.
Get yourself a decent replay vid, and watch it from the side view. You’ll see Holmes’s hands getting the ball in the MIDDLE of the white line. Plane broken.
Unfortunately, so is the record.
The call made was short of the line which means you need it irrefutable evidence to determine if the ball did break the line. At no point was there evidence from no one’s view point that could reverse the call. The review was horrible and it’s basically norm for these horrible officials to put there horrible judgment to determine the game.
Well, if he wasn’t in, the ravens D shouldn’t have given up the 91 yards and 11 inches on that final drive to allow it to happen.
“The Ravens challenged the spot on a third down run by the Steelers. The Steelers running back was obviously stopped well short of the 30 yard line which was the line to gain.”
They only needed to get to the 29 1/2. Simms or Nance made the mistake of saying the first down marker was the 30. If you watch the play again, the yellow line (yeah, I know it’s not “official”) was a foot or two short of the 30.
“Hey Bmore Styles, I have lived in both Bmore and Pittsburgh and please tell me you arent saying Bmore is better than Pitt with its second highest murder rate in the nation. Baltimore people are about as uneducated as it gets, trust me…”
I watch “The Wire” so I agree (I’m kidding). I don’t live in Pittsburgh but most of my family does. It’s actually a beautiful city. It’s ignorance that perpetuates the notion that it’s still a run-down steel town. In fact, it’s been voted the most livable city in America by some publications for a few years now.
Wow. It was obviously a touchdown. I live on the west coast and am a huge Seahawks fan and I hate the Steelers because of the way the NFL gifted them the Super Bowl in 2005. That being said, that was obviously a touchdown!
Replay the play on HDTV. Pause it exactly when he makes the catch. Now, go get a ruler or a level or a straight edge and PLACE IT ON YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN. The ball is CLEARLY touching the plans of the goal line.
Good grief. Some people would rather complain than look at a situation with any kind of honesty.
Everyone who thinks the call shouldn’t have been overturned bases their claim on what they consider there to be no “indisputable evidence” to change the call on the field and thinks the ref should have called it as such.
Here’s a question to throw out there: When was the last time you remember a ref actually making that call? Did anytime this season, a ref rule a play having “inconclusive evidence” to change the call? Anytime in 2007 either?
I can’t remember there being a call made like that this year or last- if anyone knows exactly when the last time this happened would be interesting to find out.
Mike my Ditka
Everyone who thinks the call shouldn’t have been overturned bases their claim on what they consider there to be no “indisputable evidence” to change the call on the field and thinks the ref should have called it as such.
Here’s a question to throw out there: When was the last time you remember a ref actually making that call? Did anytime this season, a ref rule a play having “inconclusive evidence” to change the call? Anytime in 2007 either?
–
ref the lawyer he proably is didnt say there was inconclusive evidence- he acted as if there was by saying the ball broke the plain on the goaline.
there is a movie out called leatherheads with george clooney about how pro football started. they talk of how rules will ruin the game.
what’s so funny is that everyone seems to have given up the whole “the ball never broke the plane bit” because as several posters have pointed out, it quite obviously did.
so basically we’re debating whether or not their was “indisputable” evidence…so whats more important? getting the call right, or waiting on 50 drunks in a bar to agree on something?
The evidence that the ball broke the plane is “indisputable” the only thing left to dispute is when the reciever gained full posession of the ball.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but that is one of the area’s the referee, while under the hood, is charged with making his judgement call on. So obviously Coleman saw the ball accross the plane, and determined at that point, the receiver possessed the ball.
The line judge that called the play on the field never questioned when the possession was, or made any indication that it was bobbled, probably because there is no way he had a clear view given that there was atleast 1 ravens player blocking his line of sight.
Besides, the NFL upheld the call, and they’ve proven this year that they’re willing to call out their officials when their wrong.
lets all just stop beating a dead horse and get ready for some football this weekend
Author: punk8slvr
what’s so funny is that everyone seems to have given up the whole “the ball never broke the plane bit” because as several posters have pointed out, it quite obviously did.
=====
no it did NOT break the plane! the only view that it may have appeared to have broken the plane was NOT from right above the goalline and was from an angle that could not “conclusively” show you that the ball indeed did break the plane. that is exactly why there was no conclusive evidence to oveturn that call. the outcome of several games this year have been stolen from the players by the refs. this game stolen from baltimore may cost them not only a first round bye but they now may miss the playoffs. hochuli stole san diegos season from them too. the nfl was built on gambling. and it sure looks now like those running it are continuing the tradition.
Bob S,
the nfl was built on gambling. and it sure looks now like those running it are continuing the tradition.
===================================================================
First, there was no view, nor has their ever been a view, from directly above the goal line. You’re just grasping with straws on the whole “the camera angle is deceiving” bit. And, even if the linesman had beeh holding the camera directly down the goal line where he was standing, there still would have been no view because his line of site was blocked by at least 1 ravens player, so really, his “spot” of the ball short of the goalline was only an educated guess at best. Take off your purpled colored glasses, even the NFL has stated that the ball broke the plane. Let me guess, the broke from the tradition of admitting their mistakes, and sending letters of appology to the team (see Steelers, 2005, Steelers, 2008, Bronco’s 2008) just because they hate the Ravens right?
The only point to be argued here is the spirit of the replay rule and what constitutes “indisputeable” evidence. period.
Second, the refs did not steal this game from your precious ravens. Did the ref’s let the steelers march 88 yards down the field in under 3 minutes with the game on the line? Were the refs responsible for the Ravens getting only 9 points out of 4 trips into the redzone, and having a first and goal on the 7 at one point? If anything, more calls/non-calls went in the Ravens favor that game. They called ticky-tack holding penalties (in the sense that you can find SOMEBODY holding on just about every play in every nfl game) on the steelers offensive line, but ignored holding on James Harrison by the ravens o-line the entire game, not one single holding call. They ignored your DB’s making illegal contact/holding/PI no less than twice. Even YOUR OWN PLAYERS have stated publically that altough they didn’t agree with the call that is not what lost you the game. quit whining you sound like a 10 year old.
There are going to be questionable calls/non-calls in every game, every sunday, for as long as human beings are reffing games. In fact, I doubt there’s a single ref, in any sport from pee-wee to professional that has ever called a perfect game and to expect anyone to be able to do so would be foolish.
Third, even with a win you were by no means a lock for the division, or a first round bye. The steelers still held their own destiny, and you can say with no greater certainty that the ravens would have won out then I will say that the steelers will win out. IMO the only benefit that winning this game did was give the steelers the division a week earlier, and give them a shot at the number one seed. The Ravens also still controll their own destiny, win out and your in, simple. Lose 1 and you’re probably out. If you’re looking for the team that had the most to gain, that would be the patriots. A win by the ravens and the pats would have been all but matematically eliminated, but now, if the ravens lose 1 game the pat’s are all but a lock to make it…
Finally, Dan and Art Rooney, the only two Rooneys that are involved in the Franchise, have long ago obsolved themselves of any unnapproved gambling ventures, and once the deal is approved at the owners meetings tomorrow the two brothers that own slot machines (hardly the type of “gambling” you speak of) will sell their entire interest in the team.
CT Stiller says:
December 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
“The Ravens challenged the spot on a third down run by the Steelers. The Steelers running back was obviously stopped well short of the 30 yard line which was the line to gain.”
They only needed to get to the 29 1/2. Simms or Nance made the mistake of saying the first down marker was the 30. If you watch the play again, the yellow line (yeah, I know it’s not “official”) was a foot or two short of the 30.
====================================================================
Actually it needed to get to the 30, the kick off was a touch back, so the orig. line of scrimage was the 20, not the 19 1/2. It was a horrible call and in no way should it have been upheld by review (and I’m a steelers fan!). Maybe they were making up for the obvious PI they didn’t call the last steelers drive that killed a 3rd down…who know’s….even if they over turn it, and take the 3 points off the board final score is 10-9 steelers still win…and while we’re at it…even if they don’t over turn the TD…steelers forced to go for it on 4th down…big ben gets that inch, no matter what, with or without his shoulder…..
Mike Florio is bringing this to the forefront because the game should not be tainted in this way. Referees should not be making judgement calls to decide a football game with instant replay. Instant replay was not implemented for this purpose. The two teams should have been allowed to play it at the original spot of the ball.
Here are a couple of rules that the Steeler fans don’t seem to understand:
1. When Holmes got his hands on the ball, it MAY look the ball could be touching the goalline, BUT (and here is where you are all missing the point) it does not matter that the ball touches the goalline when a catch is being made. The receiver needs to have complete posession of the ball and within the split second that Holmes’ hands were on the ball, both his feet were not down and he didn’t pull the ball in yet. It’s much different than someone who is running into the endzone and only needs to place the ball past the goalline.
2. Some of the Steeler fans think that just because the Ravens let them go 91 yards, then they deserved to lose. This is not how it works. Let me explain to you. I don’t care if you need to go 99 yards to get a TD, if you go 98 yards and 2 feet, then you still do not score. This is not horseshoes people. This is a game of inches, not a game of “If you get close enough, you can have a TD”.
One more thing for Mike – In the 1st quarter, Coleman gave the Steelers the first 8 yard 1st down in the history of the game. Why was there not enough indisputable evidence that Moore did not get to the 29 yard line when he needed to get to the 30? I saw the play from the the upper deck in Raven’s stadium and knew he didn’t make it. I was watching the line judge on the Raven’s side of the field each play and while the head line judge was spot on each time, the guy on the other side of the field would spot the ball at least a half a yard further each time. I do not know who this referee was but if it was Coleman, I think there should be an investigation. It’s a little strange that the Steelers were favored by three and because of Coleman’s gift, they won by four. Please Mike, look into this. Was Coleman the line judge on the opposite side of the field of the head line judge?
Author: punk8slvr
“First, there was no view, nor has their ever been a view, from directly above the goal line. You’re just grasping with straws on the whole “the camera angle is deceiving” bit. And, even if the linesman had beeh holding the camera directly down the goal line where he was standing, there still would have been no view because his line of site was blocked by at least 1 ravens player, so really, his “spot” of the ball short of the goalline was only an educated guess at best.”
Yes the employee of the NFL, I mean the NFL Referree spotted the ball inside the 1 yardline.
—-
“Take off your purpled colored glasses, even the NFL has stated that the ball broke the plane.”
The rule states, there MUST be CONCLUSIVE video evidence to overturn the call made on the field of play. AND there was NO CONCLUSIVE visual evidence that the ball broke the plane!
NOTE- I am NOT a Ravens fan, I am NOT a Steelers fan, I am NOT a Chargers fan and I am NOT a Broncos fan. And referree Hochuli did the same underhanded crooked thing earlier this year to award the game to Denver just like this referree on Sunday gave the win to Pittsburgh.
Did you whiners even consider the fact that the on field linesman did not even have a great view when he made the call to spot the ball on the 3 inch line or so? The only debate is the replay system here. There should be no debate about the fairness or luck of the call. In a lot of cases, the ref probably rules it a TD on the field. So we are essentially arguing a sequence of calls where the Ravens got lucky on the on field call and the Steelers got lucky on the reversal. It could have been very easily called a TD on the field and we wouldnt have this controversy. So the only debate here is about instant replay rules , not if Balt got robbed. How many times have we seen scrums up the middle where you wonder how the ref could even tell if the ball crossed the end zone?
As far as Florio, Steelers fans need to stop getting oversensitive. I have been reading this site and the impression I got in the past was that Florio is a Steelers fan. Geez, Steelers fans need to get over the whole country is against them mentality.
But then, I am sick of seeing Steelers getting tagged as beneficiaries of the refs when a few borderline calls in a couple of high profile games somehow overshadows the fact that Steelers have been ROBBED by game changing incorrect calls in past games. James Harrison routinely gets held blatantly and yet, holding calls seemed to be call mostly on the Steelers O Linemen on lesser holds. Watch tape of the SD game. Everyone whined about the SB calls against Seattle. Yet with the exception of the roughing call on Hasselback(which did not change the outcome) , the other calls were ticky tacky, but technically correct. If Steelers started cataloging ticky tacky calls that went against them in playoff games over the years(TN playoff game during the Maddox years, JAX game last year), I won’t have enough space here to type it out. You want bad spots? The Dallas game – on the final Dallas drive, they had a first down that was clearly a yard short. BUt luckily it had no effect on the game.
THe only bad call in this game in favor of the steelers was the Gary Russell one. He did not make it. The angle in which he seemed to have made it was a bad angle. This call and the final replay decision in the Pitt-SD game were just bad replay decisions. We can’t tell if the ref didn’t have access to a good freeze frame shot or not in this case. So stop whining.
Amen.
Great article.
There was not enough visual evidence to overturn the call. Just like there wasn’t enough visual evidence to overturn the 3rd and 1 on Squeerlers 29 yard line which led to 3 points for the Squeelers. Squeelers scored 10 points with the help of officials. Obviously the refs took the points in the game.
Ravensfan- actually it was harbaugh that challenged the 3rd and 1 and lost- there was no “overturn” there.
11:24) 33-G.Russell right tackle to PIT 30 for 1 yard (92-H.Ngata, 52-R.Lewis). Baltimore challenged the first down ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1.)
and again I pose the question: when was the last time a referee ruled that a play was inconclusive and therefore the ruling on the field stands?
I don’t think its happened a single time this year, or last for that matter. Anyone know?
Lets get over this already- it was a close call but ultimately would not have decided the game. It would have been 4 and an inch had it gone the other way, for which the steelers could have kicked a fg or scored- and even after the td the ravens returned the kickoff to midfield (on a rather tame roughness penalty call I might add) and had 40 seconds to score.
Flacco’s terrible interception is actually what decided this one.
The ball may have broken the plane. If that’s what Coleman decided, then I have no problem with him ruling it a touchdown.
“The receiver had two feet down in the end zone, with possession of the ball. We have a touchdown.” clearly shows he didn’t know the rule (regarless of what he claims after speaking to his boss after the game).
If he truly decided that the ball had broken the plane, it should still have been a ruled touchdown even if the feet happened to be down outside the end zone. If that were the case would ANYONE except the explanation “The receiver had two feet down outside the end zone, with possession of the ball. We have a touchdown.”? I don’t think so. He’s clearly incompetent. Pereira needs to fire him or accept the resposibility for incompentent officiating himself.