Comments on: Mike Pereira: Bill Leavy didn't hand the Steelers the Super Bowl

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:28:25 +0000

@Beer Cheese …
Have been gone a couple of days. If you’re still around, didn’t realize you’d taken XLIII out of the mix. Glad to hear that.
As for XL, there’s a difference between calls people don’t like (offensive pass interference) and blown calls (Polamalu in the Colts game). Don’t think you’ll find that many blown calls in the game, and at least one big non-call went against the Steelers. I wouldn’t argue that there were blown calls because I believe that happens every game and has gotten more frequent in recent years. That’s why I want to see a replay official in the booth. My argument is that the game was thrown. Don’t believe that and haven’t seen any credible evidence to support it.
Yeah, there have been some Seahawks fans around this offseason. They’ve been trolling our thread, trying to hide their fan allegiance while posting bile. You’re right–trying to hide your allegiance is not admirable behavior.
Good luck to you this season, too. Hope it’s a safe, healthy one for all.
@grant44 …
You called that dead on the money. I believe he’s said he is exactly 27 And he obviously missed all those boring blowouts. Anything is better than a championship game that’s over by the end of the first quarter.

By: grant44

grant44 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:31:34 +0000

Dear TheRealShuxion – worst SB ever huh? I bet you’re 27 yrs old & you’ve actually witnessed about 17 of the 44 SB’s.

By: Beer Cheese Soup

Beer Cheese Soup — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:25:01 +0000

FrankoBollo says: August 12, 2010 2:20 PM
Beer Cheese — just because Leavy says something doesn’t mean the calls were bad.
It’s LAUGHABLE to suggest Locklear didn’t hold Haggans on that play. If they’d let me post links I’d show you pics — you’ll see Locklear is beaten and almost perpendicular to Haggans when he’s busted. He had no choice but to hook Haggans, which he did.
____________________________
Yeah, actually, it does. If Leavy, who made those calls, says they were wrong, how can anyone, let alone a simple fan who’s likely never even officiated a game of ping-pong, say he’s mistaken?

By: FrankoBollo

FrankoBollo — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:20:28 +0000

Beer Cheese — just because Leavy says something doesn’t mean the calls were bad.
It’s LAUGHABLE to suggest Locklear didn’t hold Haggans on that play. If they’d let me post links I’d show you pics — you’ll see Locklear is beaten and almost perpendicular to Haggans when he’s busted. He had no choice but to hook Haggans, which he did.
Pereira saying the call was legit isn’t new btw… right after XL he was on the NFL Network breaking down the calls. He showed Locklear held back then.
It’s hater-fueled hysteria, stoked by some of the media, that have created the “fact” that there were all these bad calls that only went against Seattle. Get yourself a tape of the game, watch the interception return by Seattle in the second half. Watch how Ben gets blocked in the back — no call. Seattle’s lone TD in fact wasn’t legit — instead of having the ball inside the 20 they should’ve been marched back to midfield. But nobody wants to talk about little things like that.

By: Beer Cheese Soup

Beer Cheese Soup — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:30:55 +0000

Deb says:
@Beer Cheese …
You’ve said you waited five years for someone outside Pittsburgh to say we won the game. But Seahawks fans on PFT have said we won the game, and so have independent commentators. You claim the NFL also rigged SBXLIII. Why? The nation was rooting for the underdog and a Cards win would have increased ratings the following year.
_______________________________
Upon further review, I’ll concede I was wrong about XL3. I even admitted that elsewhere on here once before.
I did see those postings. You aren’t going to convince me those were real Seahawk fans though. They had to be trolls for some other team. All the Seahawk fans are on hiatus, or so it appears around here. No way do they poke their heads out of a hole to admit you won that game.
They will probably reappear after the next playoff appearance, and pick fights with me and the local “other-teams” faithful once again, all the while telling us what hardcore, loyal fans they are.
That was a joke, of course, but it isn’t far from the truth either. I hate fairweather fans, and Seattle seems to have a lot of them.
Deb says:
@Beer Cheese …
Yes and no on the unbiased issue. Have met many evil and dimwitted people on PFT, and many irrational Steeler haters. That’s not you. But people can become unintentionally biased w/out being haters.
I watched the nonstop coverage of the SBXL controversies. It was persuasive, and once those ideas are planted, it’s difficult to uproot them. After it all died down, I watched the game again, went through each call, read commentaries from sports journalists, studied still photos. I’m confident in the win. Corruption is possible in any enterprise, but if anything pointed to a fixed game, someone would have looked into it.
__________________________________
Thank you for not labeling me an irrational hater as so many of your fellow Steeler fans have. Let me also reiterate that I did want you guys to win that game. I have been to Pittsburgh twice, I found it to be a very nice and inviting city. I even attended a game at old Three Rivers in ’98, and I was impressed with the level of fan involvement. It isn’t quite Lambeau, of course but it was close. Definitely put the experience at the Kingdome, Metrodome and Qwest to shame.
Back to XL. I may well have been one of these “media-persuaded” types you refer to, but I have watched the replay numerous times, including taking notes as you say, and I will continue to stand where I do on the issue.
I had thought that maybe Leavy’s recent partial confession would persuade some of you that perhaps there was “some” truth behind the hype, but now I see your minds simply can’t allow you to think that way. Hey, at least no one can call you disloyal fans. Delusional maybe, but never disloyal.
Therefore, I am done kicking bricks for the time being. Since our respective teams don’t meet in the regular season, and I don’t see either making the Super Bowl, I wish you nothing but the best for the coming year. See you around.

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:40:02 +0000

@Beer Cheese …
Yes and no on the unbiased issue. Have met many evil and dimwitted people on PFT, and many irrational Steeler haters. That’s not you. But people can become unintentionally biased w/out being haters.
Shortly after getting my journalism degree, was caught up in a major news event, then saw the coverage. Left me jaded and committed to my own fact-checking. In the frenzy to feed the 24/7 news & blog cycle, truth is the first casualty.
I watched the nonstop coverage of the SBXL controversies. It was persuasive, and once those ideas are planted, it’s difficult to uproot them. After it all died down, I watched the game again, went through each call, read commentaries from sports journalists, studied still photos. I’m confident in the win. Corruption is possible in any enterprise, but if anything pointed to a fixed game, someone would have looked into it. Paul Allen certainly has resources to investigate. Al Davis has long-standing enmity with Rooney. All these people wouldn’t just let it go.
I’d guess you were heavily influenced by early media coverage and think a wrong needs to be righted. But you should watch the game again, freezing on every questionable play and making notes. If you’re serious about being unbiased, I suspect that would relieve your concerns.

By: Beer Cheese Soup

Beer Cheese Soup — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:59:08 +0000

FrankoBollo says:
Uh, I don’t think you’re exactly unbiased yourself, Beer Cheese Soup guy — I’ve read your anti-Steeler remarks before. But go on acting like you’re all objective ‘n stuff.
_______________________________
I am unbiased. My only “anti-Steeler remarks” directly relate to Super Bowl XL. I don’t respect most Seattle fans, and I seem to be having issues with Steeler fans as well, at least recently, but I don’t actually hate either team.

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:54:25 +0000

@Beer Cheese …
On another thread you claimed the Rooneys have a history of “moral indiscretions” but didn’t answer when we asked for specifics and sources. You reference Rooney gambling interests. They’ve invested in horsetracks, but Dan, who’s run the Steelers 40+ years, isn’t active in track operations. When his brothers installed slot machines at the tracks, the NFL required the Steelers to restructure and they did. Horsetracks aren’t casinos. And considering Enron, Goldman Sachs, etc., I’d have greater ethical concerns about traditional enterprises. Research the history of Microsoft’s cutthroat competitive and employment practices. As for paying off people, again, the Rooneys have less liquidity than Paul Allen, Dan Snyder, Jerry Jones. They lost Chad Brown to Seattle because they couldn’t afford to match Allen’s signing bonus.
You’ve said you waited five years for someone outside Pittsburgh to say we won the game. But Seahawks fans on PFT have said we won the game, and so have independent commentators. You claim the NFL also rigged SBXLIII. Why? The nation was rooting for the underdog and a Cards win would have increased ratings the following year.
It’s reported that, despite everything, our QBs are having a good camp, and we’ve filled holes on the o-line … then here comes Leavy five years later with another distraction. Hmmm … wonder who payed him to bring this up now? It’s easy to look around and see imaginary dots everywhere and start connecting them. But no one has come up with an ounce of verifiable proof that SBXL was anything but a sloppily played and officiated game in which the team that best responded to adversity prevailed. Two people can keep a secret only if one is dead. In an actual conspiracy to throw an NFL championship, substantive proof would have leaked by now. You’re a bright person. If you didn’t have your own reasons for fanning these flames, you could admt that.

By: VaSteel

VaSteel — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:01:49 +0000

Face it, Seattle. You lost because you’re soft. You can’t play a team straight up, so you have to hold. When you get called for holding, you whine. Come to think of it, you never stop whining. You’re old coach whined. Your players whined. And every Seattle fan has been whining for years.
You better get a lot better at blocking, tackling, game planning, etc. before you can get back to a super bowl. You embarrassed the NFC in super bowl XL. If you played in the AFC North, you’d finish fifth, and we only have 4 teams.
You don’t have a fan base in Seattle to support a winner. The fans are not knowledgeable. If I owned the team, I’d move.
In fact, you heard it here first. This franchise will relocate within 5 years. There wouldn’t be a franchise there but for the fact that the NFL want geographical diversity.
I always thought that whining sound coming out of that part of the country had something to do with the airline industry. Now, I know it originates from the football franchise and their fanbase, or maybe moronbase.

By: FrankoBollo

FrankoBollo — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:43:11 +0000

Uh, I don’t think you’re exactly unbiased yourself, Beer Cheese Soup guy — I’ve read your anti-Steeler remarks before. But go on acting like you’re all objective ‘n stuff.
The difference in that game was how each team reacted to adversity. The Steelers — and listen closely — also had a questionable offensive pass interference call pulled on them. They responded by converting a third and very long. Seattle responded to their holding penalty by throwing a pick.
FYI Pereira went on the NFL Network after that Super Bowl with the tape and showed why yes Locklear DID hold, despite what anyone else thinks.
Bill Leavy did nothing more than ingratiate himself in Seattle — what a butt kisser. Like I said, he has the credibility of a used car salesman.

By: Beer Cheese Soup

Beer Cheese Soup — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:47:08 +0000

TIMEsteelersfan says:
Somehow the Steeler haters seem to think it’s fact the Seahawks would’ve won this game. That’s just laughable at best. Nobody knows what would’ve happened if certain calls were reversed.
_____________________________
I agree, and I find it refreshing to hear someone else say that. Now, don’t you wish the same calls WERE reversed, so you didn’t have to be here defending a trophy?
You’re right, Seattle played like crap too, you may very well still have pulled off the win. Too bad we will never know.

By: BoHicaInPIT

BoHicaInPIT — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:29:03 +0000

It is common for fans of losing teams in any sport and in any game to place blame on anyone or anything because their team lost a game. After all, their team is so great it should be able to beat any team on a ‘level playing field’.
But that field does not exist. Bad calls and missed calls are a part of the game. Maybe Earl Hickey’s karma will even things out over the long run, but during any one game they probably will not.
So bad calls are a part of the game just like all the other bad things that can happen to a team. Those are all conditions that a team has to overcome to be a winner.
In the Super Bowl XL it was the Steelers. They proved that they were the better team that day overcoming enough obstacles to win.
In Super Bowl XXX the Cowboys were the better team that day and found a way to beat the Steelers.
If either game were played a week or 2 later the results may have been different, or not. Bottom line – The better team will find a way to win no matter what the situation.
So all you Steeler haters need to get over it . The only thing you need to be concerned about is if the Cowboys or 49ers will win their 6th before the Steelers win their 7th.

By: TIMEsteelersfan

TIMEsteelersfan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:18:23 +0000

One more thing… anytime the Steelers win it’s because of the refs, and anytime they lose it’s because the other team was better. That’s how pathetic this whole thing is. Some of you guys are just flat out homers.
What about the worst blown call of the past several decades? The overturned Troy Polamalu interception against the Colts in the divisional round 2005? Pitt still won the game, did they pack it in and give up like the seahawks only to cry about it later? No.

By: TIMEsteelersfan

TIMEsteelersfan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:14:50 +0000

Somehow the Steeler haters seem to think it’s fact the Seahawks would’ve won this game. That’s just laughable at best. Nobody knows what would’ve happened if certain calls were reversed. Suppose they marked Ben short of the goal line on third down… who’s to say they would’nt have scored a TD on the next play? Suppose the Seahawks weren’t called for the blatant hold and they were set up at the one yard line… they could’ve fumbled the very next play. The point is, Steelers haters are assuming the Seahawks, who couldn’t do jack squat all day, would’ve somehow found their groove and been able to convert these opportunities.
The Wilie Parker run, Randle El’s completion for a TD to Ward and Big Ben’s 3rd and 27 conversion to Ward are perfect examples of just how much Seattle deserved this game. Get over it.

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:44:50 +0000

My 7-year-old niece lost something through her own carelessness then declared life’s not fair and she was cheated. I told her she sounded like some football fans.
The game speaks for itself. Just watch it. Bad calls went against both teams. Neither team played well. Ben sucked. But the Steelers came up w/two big plays: Willie Parker’s longest TD run from scrimmage in SB history and Randle El’s TD from a trick play. The Seahawks’ defense gave up those plays while the offense missed field goals and dropped balls.
Then check out SBXXX–a game with a closer score. Dallas scored a TD when officials failed to flag an illegal pick by TE Jay Novacek. Remember Steelers fans whining about Jerry Jones fixing that game? No. Adults know bad calls happen and their losses with dignity.
Beer Cheese Soup says.
“I am still waiting for any non-Steelers fan to tell me they legitimately won that game. I have been waiting nearly five years now though. Maybe I should just accept that it will never happen.”
Apparently you didn’t read PFT’s first Leavy thread where a couple of stand-up Seahawks fans said the Steelers legitimately won the game. Sports analysts have reviewed the game in the years since SBXL and said the same. But you can’t or won’t hear anything that doesn’t fit your agenda. Strange and sad.

By: Beer Cheese Soup

Beer Cheese Soup — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:35:31 +0000

steelers rule says:
People only remember what the media wants them to remember….
Seahag fans, you have never been the same since!
____________________________________
Your username and failure to acknowledge the Seahawks’ actual moniker make it very hard to accept what you say as being unbiased. Therefore, your opinions mean absolutely nothing.
I am still waiting for any non-Steelers fan to tell me they legitimately won that game. I have been waiting nearly five years now though. Maybe I should just accept that it will never happen. Just as YOU should accept the truth: without the officials, you would only have five rings. Perhaps even four, but that’s another story.

By: steelers rule

steelers rule — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:32:51 +0000

People only remember what the media wants them to remember!
1. Talk abotu Seahags 2 missed fgs!
2. Talk about Holgrems bad clock managemeny before the half!
3. Talk about the 4 dropped passes by Jeremy Stevens!
4. Talk about the Willie Parker 75 yd td run!
5. Talk abotu Ward being wide open on the Randel -El pass!
6. Talk about it was ONLY 3RD down on the Ben TD run, not 4th!
7. Talk abotu Alexander being shut down during the game!
See Seahag fans, you have never been the same since!

By: Beer Cheese Soup

Beer Cheese Soup — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:05:14 +0000

Why all this damage control, in the offseason, by a man who is no longer an employee of the NFL?
Oh yeah, that’s right, Leavy confessed to impacting the outcome of the game the other day. The league can’t have that, it may spark a deeper investigation that should have come years ago. We all have a pretty good idea what that investigation would reveal, and no one wants that
As evidenced by these boards, polls and surveys taken all around the country immediately after the game, and the comments by Pittsburgh’s own players and announcers, no one on earth, except for a select number of Steeler fans, considers this an actual win.
Goodell should call off Pereira and find a way to fix this himself. The prospect of a federal investigation into illegal sports gambling and a rigged championship, combined with a looming lockout, would cause irreparable damage to the league as a whole, and none of us wants that.

By: FrankoBollo

FrankoBollo — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:51:02 +0000

Funny how Bill Leavy chose to bare his soul in Seattle where he was busy working — like walking into the boss’s office to brown-nose.
Butt-kissing Bill has the credibility of a used-car salesman. Only the lamest Steeler hater takes his words seriously. Why don’t you own up to the blown call on the clip on Roethlisberger, you know, the one that allowed Seattle’s lone TD? Huh Bill?
I guess he’ll wait til he’s in Pittsburgh to announce that one.

By: FrankoBollo

FrankoBollo — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:03:25 +0000

It’s funny how the Steeler haters always miss the most blatant blown call… the push in Ben Roethlisberger’s back on the interception return.
The world saw it. Somehow the refs didn’t.
Somehow the haters didn’t either.

By: ReebobKwakuBaah

ReebobKwakuBaah — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:39:22 +0000

As if Mike Pereira is ever going to admit that one of his crews turned a game? This guy’s job, for half a decade, was to spin terrible calls into something palatable. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes, nobody, absolutely nobody was fooled.
One classic example is Walt Coleman. He’s the genius who invented the “tuck rule,” for which Tom Brady will forever be grateful. Pereira defended that one. A few years later, Coleman decided, on the spot, to change instant replay from “irrefutable evidence” to “Santonio Holmes might have crossed the line, and if we had the right camera angle, I could see it. Maybe.” And steal the AFC N from the Ravens and give it to, surprise, the Steelers. Pereira outdid himself on that one, commissioning some computer graphics company to DRAW a frame of the ball crossing the plane… because no camera angle actually showed it.
Coleman is just the most flagrant example of a series of useless refs over the past few years — who reported to Pereira. Thank God he was forced to “retire” this year, and he can’t do any more damage, just blow more hot air from the Fox Sports studios.

By: Nard100

Nard100 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:26:57 +0000

Mike P is right about one thing. That was HORRIBLE game from a play standpoint. I have to believe most of us were happy when it was over.

By: hineswardcriesafterfumbling

hineswardcriesafterfumbling — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:16:11 +0000

@Bdrunk
I don’t need someone else to agree to form an opinion. My opinion is that TO is Canton bound, while Ward isn’t a lock. It seems to me that the person stating Ward is HOF bound is probably screaming his head off somewhere that TO doesn’t care if he gets in because he knows he won’t- and shouldn’t.
If crying about “Belicheat” and the Pats is breaking balls, then I stand corrected. I don’t see fans from other teams saying we should be OUTRAGED. Just whenever the legitimacy of a Steelers SB is questioned, then I see Steeler fans and the “Belicheat” laments.

By: 6lombardisandcounting

6lombardisandcounting — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:06:49 +0000

Maybe this explains why a QB with the worst numbers in SuperBowl history’s Team won that SuperBowl. Could it be the NFL has a little NBA problem??? Did the umpire have a little wager on that game? Interesting?
——————————————–
Quit reading comments after the first sentence. Roethlisberger had the lowest PR of any WINNING QB but not even close to the worst numbers in SB history.

By: smgeorge

smgeorge — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:05:26 +0000

“SB – 2007 David Tyree’s catch is actually an incomplete pass because the tip of the ball super-glued to the top of his helmet HITS the ground”
Sorry, but you’re incorrect on that one. The new rule (implemented after Tampa Bay lost to St. Louis in the NFC Championship game a few years back) is that the ball can hit the ground as long as the WR has possession of it; as long as the ground doesn’t assist the WR in catching the ball.
That was a legitimate catch.

By: thebigdawg

thebigdawg — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:49:02 +0000

Mike Pereira is such a tool. The guy was a loser piece of crap when he worked for the NFL, still is now. That game had the worse officiating ever for any NFL game. Pereira should be beaten like a red-headed step-child. The guy is clearly a joke.

By: TT+3

TT+3 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:22:55 +0000

Hey, Wonka, Douche, Wonka…All 32 teams “steal” the other teams signals. This has been going on since your great-grandfather was dropping the soap on purpose in the Civil War showers. Oh, no, it’s just the Patriots that do it! How come before the defensive squad was allowed to have a speaker helmet in the huddle, there were THREE defensive assistants sending in signals for the next play? Huh? And guess what…this attempt at deception was going on in all the other 15 games every week that the Patriots weren’t playing in. Hater. You got your head so far up your arss that you have a glass belly-button so you can see out.
You want to talk about bad officiating?
Pats-Broncos Playoffs 2005 – On his Int. return, Champ Bailey gets crushed at the 1 yard line by Watson and fumbles the ball out of bounds through the end-zone…Pats ball at the 20 yard line, right…NO…Touchdown Broncos
Same game – Asante Samuel gets tackled in the end-zone by the Bronco receiver attempting to break up a sure interception and AS gets flagged for PI. First & goal at the one.
SB – 2007 David Tyree’s catch is actually an incomplete pass because the tip of the ball super-glued to the top of his helmet HITS the ground (Three different camera angles show this, but within two minutes, no challenge available), and don’t even talk to me about the TWO non-holding calls and Little Dufus in the grasp on the same play. That’s OK though, The Jints played good enough to win. My therapist made me type that.
Love the Tuck Rule…you know why? Cause it’s a RULE, dumbass.

By: Bdrunk

Bdrunk — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:03:19 +0000

hineswardcriesafterfumbling says:
August 10, 2010 10:47 AM
“”Hall OF Fame bound Ward”- You would agree then that T.O. is also Hall of Fame bound?”
————————-
Why do you need someone else to agree with you to form an opinion?
“I will never understand the “OUTRAGE” Steelers’ fans have about Belichick and the Patriots. ”
———————–
Psst. There’s really no “OUTRAGE” against the P*ts. It’s done for the same reason you post “By the way, DTF on a name tag doesn’t equal consent.” To bust balls.
But then you go on to explain why it’s not cheating, etc etc when everybody has already heard the explanation, so at this point you’re really just trying to convince yourself.

By: Bdrunk

Bdrunk — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:44:25 +0000

XL is popularly regarded as one of the worst SB’s in history, while XLIII was regarded as one of the best (at least until the next year). The difference? Seattle wasn’t in the good one.
I see a lot of folks posting through the tears in here today. Bad show all around. Sorry Hawks, you’ll just have to get back there and try again. Or not. Whatever.

By: Johnny Chico

Johnny Chico — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:15:35 +0000

I wish Pereira would shut up. There were calls against the Steelers but nothing approaching the gravity of what undeservedly went against the Seahawks. I’m a Raiders fan and don’t care about either team but that game was so bad that I started questioning other influences on the refs for the first time. It took me a long time to put that game out of my mind.