Web Hosting by

SUPER BOWL XL OFFICIATING – CALL BY CALL

Did the Refs Really Cost the Seahawks
the Super Bowl?

A Seahawk Boys Analysis

“The Seahawks were the better team for 60 minutes.”
Peter King – Sports Illustrated

Overview

Given the unprecedented reaction to the officiating of Super Bowl XL, there has been a great deal of discussion and speculation about several specific calls. In addition, some less-knowledgeable observers have tried to make a case that the officiating didn’t really affect the outcome of the game to a significant degree, and that the Seahawks “own mistakes,” played a greater role in the official 21-10 result. As this paper will show, not only is this line of reasoning fallacious, but the officiating was so instrumental to the outcome of the game that the integrity of the result must called into question. The simple fact is that the single biggest factor in the Stealers 21-10 “win” is the officiating. And to an overwhelming degree, the official’s calls were biased in favor of the Pittsburgh Stealers and against the Seattle Seahawks. In each case where “judgment” could be applied, the judgment was in favor of the Stealers. To appreciate the impact, it is necessary to look at each possession individually.
 

First Quarter

Seahawks First possession – The Seahawks got the ball their own 18 and quickly drove the ball to their own 47, gaining two first downs along the way. After a short run by Shaun Alexander and Hasselbeck’s first incompletion, the Seahawks stood at 3^rd and 9 at their own 47. Hasselbeck dropped back to pass, and Pittsburgh LB Clark Haggins blitzed on an inside stunt. Seahawks tackle Shawn Locklear got his hands into Hagan at the correct location, and then Hagan got a shoulder under Locklear, who released his grip to avoid a holding penalty. Referee Bill Leavy threw a penalty flag anyway, and Hagan sacked Hasselbeck.

Figure 1 - Locklear releases his grip as Haggins goes by on a stunt

Analysis – If Locklear in fact held Hagan, why was Hagan able to escape his block and sack Hasselbeck? Clearly, even if Hagan hadn’t made the sack, the refs would have made sure the 3^rd down was not made (keep this call in mind for later reference).

Conclusion – Drive would have been stopped by officials call even without the sack.

Stealers First Possession – The Stealers were called for two false starts on this drive. The calls were obvious and correct.
 

Seahawks Second possession – After the Stealers 3 and out, Seattle gets the ball back at their own 36 and drives quickly to the Stealers 41. On third and 6, Hasselbeck completed a pass to Darrell Jackson for 18 yards to the Stealers 23. The play was called back on a holding penalty on Seahawks OG Chris Gray.

Analysis – Replay shows that Gray executed a proper block. Even though he got a hand underneath the Stealer James Farrior’s chin, this is a legal block according to the NFL rule book. While it looked bad, as long as Gray’s hands stayed “within the frame” of the defenders body and he didn’t “hook” him (i.e. grab, hold and spin him around), it was a legal block. Gray did appear to ride Farrior to the ground, but Farrior was so off-balance from trying to get under Gray’s block that he fell to the ground of his own accord, tripping as he tried to get away from Gray’s legal block.

Figure 2 - Gray gets a hand under Farrior's chin. This is a legal block as long as the initial grab is made in a legal position

Analysis - Without the penalty, Seattle was in position for a fairly easy 40 yard field goal, at worst. Given how easily Seattle had moved the ball to this point, a touchdown was a distinct possibility.

Conclusion – The official’s incorrect call probably cost Seattle a field goal at the least. Instead of 1^st and 10 at the Stealers 23, they faced 3^rd and 16 at the Stealers 49.

Official score: Seattle 0 Stealers 0
Actual Score:  Seattle 3 Stealers 0

Seahawks Third possession – After another Stealers 3 and out, Seattle got the ball back at their own 49. Seattle quickly moved the ball to the Stealers 16. On first and 10, Hasselbeck hit Darrel Jackson for a 16 yard touchdown. After Stealers DB Chris Hope, who was badly beaten on the play, complained, official Bob Waggoner, a Pittsburgh native, threw a late flag for offensive pass interference. Instead of a TD and a 7-0 (or 10-0) lead, Seattle eventually settled for a 47 yard field goal.

Analysis – The contact between Jackson and Hope was mutual and incidental to the TD. Hope was already beaten by Jackson’s inside move before the alleged “push-off,” and Jackson was simply trying to extricate himself from Hope’s illegal hold. Given that Hope twice made contact with Jackson on the play, the worst case scenario is offsetting penalties. Defensive holding, illegal use of hands by the defender, or pass interference on Hope would ALL have been more accurate calls than the one that was made.

Jackson himself is adamant about the play:

"I didn't even touch him," Jackson said. "But I guess that's how it is when you're on the road. And I guess that's how it is when you're going against the world. It just seems like all our big plays like that somehow, some way, got overturned."

Replays showed there was some contact by Jackson, but it was so minor that Jackson clearly doesn’t even remember it. NFL director of officiating Mike “Baghdad Bob” Pereira has tried to justify Hope’s contact by arguing that Hasselbeck had already rolled out of the pocket when contact was made, making the defensive contact legal, but holding is never legal under any circumstances. Further, the idea that Waggoner could simultaneously have watched Hasselbeck 20 yards down the field put one foot “out of the pocket” while still focusing on the players in front of him is laughable. The simple fact is that given a choice of defensive holding, illegal use of hands by the defender, pass interference on Hope, no penalty at all, or offensive pass interference, Waggoner chose the least defensible result of the play, which just happened to take 7 points off the board for the Seahawks.

Figure 3 - Three frame sequence of Jackson’s touchdown catch. Note Hope holding Jackson as he fakes a corner move (frame 1), and then grabbing Jackson’s right arm as he makes an inside spin move (2). Note also that Hope is back on his heels, his center of gravity down and away from Jackson. At this point, Hope is already beaten to the inside. (3) Jackson extends his arm to get away from Hope’s hold. Note in this frame that Hope’s right foot is still in the air, as he falls backwards of his own accord, still trying to adjust to Jackson’s inside move. Jackson's slight "push-off" did nothing to get him open. Hope was already beaten on the play.

Conclusion – Waggoner's incorrect call unfairly cost Seattle a touchdown.

First Quarter Review – All three Seattle offensive possessions featured a major (10 yard) penalty. These penalties cost Seattle at least 7 points, possibly 14. Pittsburgh did not have a first down in the quarter.

Official score: Seattle 3 Stealers 0
Actual Score: Seattle 10 Stealers 0 

Second Quarter

Seahawks Fourth Possession – The Stealers punted on the first play of the second quarter. Seahawk Peter Warrick took the ball at his own 20. The Seahawks set up the classic “picket fence” on the right sideline, and Warrick returned the ball 34 yards to the Stealer 46. The play was called back on a holding penalty on Seahawk safety Etric Pruitt. Instead of starting first and 10 at the Stealer 46 Seattle started at their own 25. This call cost the Seahawks 29 yards. Seattle proceeded to gain 28 yards on the next few plays before Jeremy Stevens had the ball popped loose on a pass at the Stealers 25.

Figure 4 - Seahawks safety Etric Pruitt executes a perfect block on Peter Warrick’s second
quarter punt return. The official is already reaching for his flag.

Analysis - Replays showed there was no holding on the return. ESPN’s Tom Jackson, who picked the Stealers to win, stated on Monday after the game “I’m still looking for the holding on Warrick’s punt return.”

Note: A number of Stealers fans have written that Stevens' drop should have been ruled a fumble, in an effort to “prove” that the Stealers got equally bad treatment from the refs. Replays show that Stevens caught the ball, got a foot down, then began to lose the ball as he turned and put a second foot down. He never had possession, got 2 feet down, and then made the notorious “football move” that is required for a reception in the NFL. This pass was incomplete, not a fumble, and the Stealers were not hurt by this rare correct call.

Figure 5 - Three frame sequence showing Seahawks TE Jerramy Stevens second quarter drop. Stevens is already bobbling the ball before Hope even hits him. Note the exposed seam on the ball in frame one. By frame 2, the ball is more than 3\4's out, and Hope has yet to make contact. In frame 3, Hope hits Stevens and the ball pops out before Stevens' second foot is down.
 

Conclusion – The call cost Seattle a chance at a field goal, at the very least. If the drive had started at the Stealers 46 where it should have, the Seahawks 28 yards gained would have put the ball on the Stealer 18, within easy field goal range. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the Seahawks would have come away with 3 points from this possession in the absence of the official’s phantom holding call.

Official score: Seattle 3 Stealers 0
Actual Score:  Seattle 13 Stealers 0

Seahawks Fifth Possession – After a Michael Boulware interception, Seattle took the ball at their own 17. On third down, Hasselbeck completed a pass to fullback Mack Strong for a clear first down. The sideline official took the ball and moved it back almost a yard so that it was inches short of the first down. Seattle was forced to punt.

Figure 6 - The Mack Strong first down sequence. (1) Strong is tackled and clearly has the first down. (2) Two officials rush in and move the ball almost a full yard back, placing it short of the first down. (3) Note Umpire Garth DeFelice patting Stealers defender on the head, as if to say “don’t worry, we’ve got the spot.”

Analysis – The spot was incorrect. Strong made the first down.

Conclusion – The improper spot gave the Stealers the ball in excellent field position, which helped their subsequent scoring drive.

Note - Please don't email me and tell me the yellow line isn't "official." I well aware of this. However, when the measurement was taken, the first down marker was exactly on the yellow line, and Strong was ruled short by exactly the amount the officials moved the ball back. In this case, the yellow line was dead on.

Stealers Fifth Possession - After 3 straight three-and-outs followed by an interception, the Stealers finally got the ball moving on their fifth possession. The drive included an offensive pass interference call on Stealers tight end Heath Miller, probably for an illegal pick. However, there were no replays available of this play. From this point on, 4:47 to play in second quarter, the Stealers would not be penalized again.

After a fluke reception to the Seahawks 3 yard line, in which at least four obvious holding calls on the Stealers were ignored by the officials, Jerome Bettis was stuffed on two straight plays. On third and goal from the one, Roethlisberger rolled left and dove for the end zone. Stealers guard Alan Faneca “hooked” and pulled Seahawks LB Leroy Hill out of the way in a blatant hold that was not called. Roethlisberger appeared to be stopped short of the goal line, and the sideline official initially signaled fourth-down, only to change his call when Roethlisberger pushed the ball over the goal line after he was down short of it. This set up a standard of “indisputable visual evidence” to overturn the call.

Analysis – No replays showed that Roethlisberger had gotten the ball over the goal line. Roethlisberger later admitted on “The Late Show with David Letterman” that he in fact did not score on the play. Given that the replays were from virtually the same angle the sideline judge had, the question must be raised as to what he could have possibly seen to justify his touchdown call and setting up of the high standard of “indisputable visual evidence” to overturn the call. After review, Referee Bill Leavy ruled that the play stood as called, rather than citing insufficient visual evidence to overturn the call. This strongly implies that replays supported the side judge’s call. Leavy could be overheard telling Holmgren as the teams left the field for halftime that the ball had crossed the goal line. Again, this is impossible, since replays showed nothing of the kind.

Figure 11 - Stealers QB Ben Roethlisberger, not scoring a TD. Black object near the goal line is Roethlisberger’s glove, not the ball. The ball is tucked under and hidden behind Roethlisberger’s left arm, short of the goal line.

Additionally, the Stealers should never have been in this position in the first place. The four obvious holding calls on the Roethlisberger scramble play would have likely killed the drive before the Stealers got anywhere near the goal line. This is a prime example of two different standards being applied by Leavy for calling holding.

Beyond that, Roethlisberger’s way was cleared by an obvious hook and hold Stealers guard Alan Faneca. If the calls against Locklear and Gray were legitimate holds, then Faneca’s hold should be the textbook illustration.

Figure 12 - Initial hook by Faneca. Note the line judge with a clear view of the hold (green square).

Figure 13 - Faneca pulls Seahawks LB Leroy Hill aside to clear the way for Roethlisberger.

Figure 14 - Having already held, Faneca now adds to the text book hold by impeding Hill’s progress and hooking his left arm and shoulder.

Figure 15 - Another view of the holding.

Figure 16 - Faneca completes the trifecta (holding, hooking, tackling) by simply tackling Hill, again in full view of the line judge. How was the judge able to see Roethlisberger's non-touchdown, but mange to miss this blatant textbook hold?

Conclusion – Roethlisberger did not score. The sideline official could not possibly have seen him score a touchdown. The sideline official’s call of a touchdown is indefensible. Leavy’s claim to Holmgren that the replay showed a touchdown is not plausible. Faneca held Leroy Hill, which should have put the Stealers 3^rd and 10 at the Seattle 10.

That said, it is highly probable that the Stealers would have scored on the subsequent fourth and inches, since the Stealers now insist they would have gone for it. However, this is not guaranteed, since Cowher is notoriously conservative and may have chosen to kick a field goal. Further, at this point in the game, the Seattle defense was consistently winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. And if Faneca’s hold had been called as it should have, the most likely outcome would have been a field goal, not a touchdown.
 

Official score: Seattle 3 Stealers 7
Actual Score: Seattle 13 Stealers 3
Possible Score: Seattle 13 Stealers 7

Seahawks Sixth Possession - After Roethlisberger’s non-touchdown, the Stealers kicked off to the Seattle 21. Maurice Morris returned the ball to the Seahawks 37, fairly decent field position. Seahawk Kevin Bentley was called for holding on the play, forcing Seattle to start from its own 27 instead of the 37. Despite being put in a hole again by the officials, Seattle drove the ball to the Stealers 36, where Josh Brown missed a 54-yard field goal just before halftime. During the sequence, Hasselbeck completed a 40-yard pass to Darrell Jackson for an apparent touchdown. The pass was ruled incomplete by officials.

Figure 17 - Seahawk Kevin Bentley making a legal block on Morris’ kickoff return

Analysis – Replays showed Bentley making a clean block. The extra ten yards changed a makeable 44 yard field goal into a low-percentage 54 yarder. Much has been made of Seattle’s clock management during this sequence, but the incorrect 10 yard penalty hurt the Seahawks chances to score far more than the 1-2 plays that may have been lost.

Jackson’s reception is another matter. According to a 2002 rule change, Jackson’s second foot hitting the pylon constitutes a second foot down. Per Rule 3, section 20, article 1(b):  "A player or an official is out of bounds when he touches anything other than a player, an official, or a pylon on or outside a boundary line." The NFL has since attempted to claim that this does not mean that the pylon counts as a second foot in bounds. The NFL’s own web site states it this way: “A player no longer can be ruled out of bounds when he touches a pylon unless he already touched the boundary line.”

A 2002 article from ESPN.com, written by reporter John Clayton, states categorically that the pylon counts as a second foot in-bounds. Presumably, Clayton, who was at the winter meetings where the rule changes were voted on, consulted with NFL officials as to the interpretation of this rule before writing his article.

In the NFL, rules are always interpreted by the referees. The question is not what does the rule book say, but what was the intent of the rule change, and how did the officials decide to interpret them? These interpretations are regularly communicated to all NFL teams. What did these official communications from the NFL to the teams say concerning the pylon rule back in 2002? If the NFL will release its communications to the teams regarding this rule change and Clayton will retract his previous article, then the issue will be closed. At this point, trusting the word of "Baghdad Bob" Pereira is not an option.

Figure 18 - Is this a touchdown? Perhaps only John Clayton knows for sure.

Conclusion – Without the penalty, the Seahawks would likely have converted at least a field goal. Jackson’s reception could have been a touchdown.
 

Official Halftime score: Seattle 3 Stealers 7
Actual Halftime Score: Seattle 16 Stealers 3
Possible Halftime Score: Seattle 20 Stealers 7
 

Halftime Review – Seattle moved the ball at will against the Stealers defense. Even with stopping themselves with a dropped pass on one drive and poor clock management on another, the officials’ incorrect calls cost the Seahawks at least 73 yards and 13 points in the first half, possibly 17. It is entirely possible that the Stealers one scoring drive, which was aided by an incorrect spot on the previous Seattle possession, would have resulted in only 3 points instead of 7, or may not have happened at all.

Third Quarter

Stealers Seventh Possession - The Stealers opened the second half with a 75 yard TD run by Willie Parker. Third-string safety Etric Pruitt, pressed into service because of an injury to Marquand Manuel, took the wrong angle on the play and was caught out of position.
 

Official score: Seattle 3 Stealers 14
Actual Score: Seattle 16 Stealers10
Possible Score: Seattle 20 Stealers 14
 

Seahawks Seventh Possession – After the Stealers touchdown, the Seahawks drove the ball to the Stealers 32. Jeremy Stevens then had his second drop of the afternoon, and Hasselbeck threw incomplete to Darrel Jackson on 3^rd and 5. Josh Brown then missed another long field goal, this time from 50 yards. 

Analysis – This is the first drive so far in which Seattle actually “stopped themselves” without the intervention of the referees.

Stealers Eighth Possession - The Stealers then took the ball at their own 40 and drove to the Seahawks 7 in their best sustained drive of the day. On third and 6 at the Seattle 7, Roethlisberger made an abysmal pass which was intercepted by the Seahawks Kelly Herndon and returned 76 yards to the Stealers 20. The Seahawks scored two plays later on a pass from Hasselbeck to Stevens.
 

Official score: Seattle 10 Stealers 14
Actual Score: Seattle 23 Stealers 10
Possible Score: Seattle 27 Stealers 14
 

At this point in the game, the two teams exchanged punts. Alexander was called for a false start on the Seahawks possession, but he did jump and this was the correct call. After the Stealers punted again, Seattle took possession at their own 2-yard line, setting up the decisive sequence of events which would ultimately determine the outcome of the game.
 

Seahawks Tenth Possession – It was at this point that the Seahawks superiority became most clear. Starting deep in their own territory, their offensive line proceeded to dominate the line of scrimmage. They ran left. They ran right. They passed short. They passed up field and they ran up the gut in a crushing, 11-play, 97-yard drive that should have resulted in a touchdown. In fact, had the officials stayed out of the equation, this probably would have been remembered as the greatest, most devastating offensive drive in Super Bowl history. Instead, the intervention of the officials put the Seahawks in a difficult position from which Hasselbeck made one of his few bad throws of the day.

On first and 10 from the Stealers 19, Hasselbeck faded back to pass. Stealer defenders Clark Haggans and Casey Hampton both jumped the snap and were offside when the ball was snapped. Seahawk OT Sean Locklear got his hands into Haggans in the text book position “inside the frame” and proceeded to ride Haggans around the play as Hasselbeck threw a perfect strike to TE Jeremy Stevens at the one yard line. Stevens made a very tough catch in heavy traffic, with previously invisible Stealer safety Troy Polumalu draped all over him. It looked like Seattle was headed inevitably to another score, which would have given the Seahawks the lead and erased an 11 point “official” Stealer lead. Instead, referee Bill Leavy saw something no one else in the stadium or around the country seemed to see – holding on Locklear. Instead of a virtually certain touchdown, with first and goal at the one, Seattle found itself in first and 20 from the 29. The Stealers took advantage of the obvious passing situation and were able to sack Hasselbeck on the next play, aided by another missed offside.

Figure 19 - Frame grab showing both Hampton and Haggins were offside in the neutral zone at the snap of the ball.

Figure 20 - Seahawk RT Sean Locklear “holding” Clark Haggins. Why was this legal block called as holding and the dual offside penalty ignored?

 

Shaun Alexander then ran left for 7 yards, where he was pulled down in an obvious horse-collar tackle by Joey Porter. The penalty would have put Seattle back in business with first and 10 at the Stealer 19. Instead, they faced an obvious passing situation with 3^rd and 18 from the Stealer 27. Hasselbeck was forced to try and make a play downfield in heavy coverage, and his pass was intercepted by Stealer DB Ike “toast” Taylor. As if this wasn’t enough, Hasselbeck was called for and illegal block below the waist by Pittsburgh native Bob Waggoner when he tackled Taylor. This tacked on 15 yards to the Stealer return and set them up in a down-distance-field position situation from which they executed a gadget play which led to a touchdown.

Figure 21 - Two views of Joey Porter’s illegal horsecollar tackle on Shaun Alexander

Analysis – These two horrendous calls against the Seahawks basically decided the game. Not only was a virtually certain Seahawk touchdown wiped out, but that and the ludicrous call on Hasselbeck set up the Stealer interception and touchdown, neither of which would have happened without the intervention of the referees.

The holding call itself was laughable. Most observers are calling it the “phantom hold” and not even Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, one of the most ardent Stealers\Bettis fans around, could stomach it. “That call was marginal at best and should not have been called,” King said on Seattle talk radio. Locklear himself called it “garbage.” To my knowledge, no national sports reporter or observer has stated that the call was legitimate. Even John Madden, the NFL’s most reliable company man, stated “I don’t see any holding there.” Only the NFL's director of officiating Mike “Baghdad Bob” Pereira has tried to justify it as a legitimate hold. He has never commented on the obvious dual offside call that preceded the alleged "hold."

To make matters even worse, Haggins was again offside on the next play, a sack by Casey Hampton which also helped set up the subsequent interception.

Figure 22 - Haggins second offside of the series

The illegal block call against Hasselbeck is even more universally deplored. It is simply impossible for a defender making a tackle to commit an illegal block. The official in this case (Pittsburgh native Bob Waggoner) simply invented the call out of whole cloth. This is the only call that the NFL has admitted that its officials got wrong.

Conclusion – Seattle would have almost certainly scored a touchdown on this drive without the phantom holding call. In addition, the officials ignored two obvious offside calls on the Stealers and a horsecollar tackle penalty. Not only were the two penalties called against Seattle flatly wrong, the three uncalled Stealers penalties that were ignored by the officials kept Seattle from rebounding and led to the subsequent interception and ludicrous penalty against Hasselbeck, which led to the Stealer touchdown. It is highly unlikely the Stealers would have scored on the gadget play without the incorrect penalty calls, since these types of plays are only called in specific down-distance-field position scenarios.
 

Official score: Seattle 10 Stealers 21
Actual Score: Seattle 30 Stealers 10
Possible Score: Seattle 34 Stealers 14

Seahawks Eleventh Possession – With 8:40 to play and the Stealers now in a comfortable 11 point “official lead,” Hasselbeck scrambled and slid down at his own 34. The ball popped out when he hit the ground. It was ruled a fumble on the field. Under review, the call was overturned because Hasselbeck was touched by a defender as he was going down.

Analysis – This was the correct call. Hasselbeck did not fumble.
 

Figure 23 - The play clock has expired, and the ball has yet to be snapped. How did all the officials miss this?
 

Analysis – This was the final “insult to injury,” on the part of the officials, allowing the Stealers to get a first down that would have been much harder to obtain if they had simply called the obvious penalty. This let the Stealers run off a great deal more of the clock and seal the game.

Final Official score: Seattle 10 Stealers 21
Final Actual Score: Seattle 30 Stealers 10
Final Possible Score: Seattle 34 Stealers 14

Conclusions – It is inescapable that the single biggest factor in the Stealers “victory” was the officiating. The other factors cited, dropped balls, poor punt coverage, etc., had very little impact on the game. Neither does the claim that the Seahawks “still had chances to make plays” hold any merit. Of the five holding penalties, four wiped out big gains for Seattle that set up likely scoring opportunities. In addition, the penalties set up Seattle in difficult down and distance situations, dramatically impacting their game planning options and forcing them into predictable passing situations. Had it not been for penalties and missed calls, Seattle would have amassed 91 additional yards (giving them 487 yards on the day) and as much as 24 additional points. He simple fact is, the Seahawks DID make plays, all day. They were just called back the officials.

This does not even factor in the advantage gained by the Stealers on the penalties that were not called on them. Even if you buy the old adage “you can call holding on every play,” the question remains; why was it called so frequently on big plays made by Seattle, and not at all on any plays by the Stealers?

Like it or not, the NFL now has a huge credibility problem. Many fans and members of the media find this result all-too convenient, and there is now open talk among fans in every NFL city who believe this game was fixed, not just that the officials were incompetent. It was very clear that the league, the TV network and at least portions of the print media preferred a Stealers victory. That is why the NFL was handing out “Terrible Towels” in the aisles of Ford Field while providing no corresponding Seahawks merchandise. That is why Sports Illustrated pre-printed the Stealers commemorative issue, but nothing for a possible Seahawks win. That is why ABC showed numerous images of the Stealers with the Lombardi trophy, but only a few of the Seahawks during the game. It strains credulity to think this does not constitute an agenda on the part of the league, especially after Stealer Joey Porter openly alleged the officials had just such an agenda in the Stealers win over the Colts. If the league allows this notion to fester, by sweeping it under the rug and pretending it doesn’t exist, there are troubled times ahead. What will happen next year, with a clear sentiment for a black head coach to win a Super Bowl, and Chicago or Indy benefits in the playoffs from a call against a smaller market team? Does the NFL really think the fans in Seattle, Arizona, Carolina, and other small markets will keep going to games and buying merchandise for a league that has as much credibility as the WWF or NASCAR?

How the NFL regains its credibility remains to be seen. They could start by admitting the obvious; that there were many questionable calls in this game, that they disproportionately hurt the Seahawks, and that there were many other obvious calls that were not made. Finally, they could admit that this poor officiating adversely affected the outcome of the game. In 1998 when Vinnie Testaverde’s “phantom touchdown” wrongly gave the New York Jets a victory over the Seahawks, costing the Seahawks a playoff berth and coach Dennis Erickson his job, the NFL acted quickly to rectify the situation by re-instituting instant replay. What will they do this time?

Home