that was me gang, saturday afternoon.....if i had balls id be money....or is it the other way around?

Agreed. Those were both horrible calls. There was some terrible offiiciating this weekend. Fuckin' terrible.

i tell you what....the nfl is almost like a video game....if one team gets a fumble recovery, eventually the other gets one.....ever since the tom brady "tuck rule" against oakland in the snow, shit seems sorta trivial....and i cant stomach this "football move" that a receiver needs to make to complete a reception....or even if a guy catches a ball diving out of the endzone and has complete control of the ball tucks it and lands on it.....THERES JUST TOO MUCH GREY AREA, AND RULES BEING INTERPRETED......its too much to put on a refs shoulders, i like the idea behind challenges, but i think they need to scrap instant replay altogether.....it seems like the difference between a win and a loss in these playoff games can be decided by a big turnover...or a big play....its like a wins not a win unless you convincingly kick another teams ass.....see pit vs indy, friggin asswhooping that almost went to overtime(where im sure indy woulda won)and a horrible call led to that possibility.

The tuck rule is in the rule book, a ref can't just make up any call he wants. The reason officials get tighter and you may here some rules or see some calls you haven't heard or seen made around playoff time is because it's the fucking playoffs to decide who's going to play in the Super Bowl to become the champions. When something goes down they look at it very carefully, and examine the rules to make sure they make the right call which is what they do about 98% of the time, nobody's perfect so naturally they're going to miss a couple. Same goes for the football move, it's a rule which has to be enforced.

Catches don't have that much grey area....both feet down,ball isn't moving and/or if the reciever is forced out of the endzone then it's a touchdown. Don't have both feet down,balls moving, ball is knocked loose before possession is established and held for 2 seconds and/or 2 steps(which is now know as a football move) then there's no catch.


Of course games can be decided by a big turnover or big play, that's part of the game. This is the playoffs every team in them is good if not great, the games are expected to be good/close and sometimes watching NFL live,Sportscenter or pre-game shows ect. You even here alot that a game may come down do turnovers and who takes care of the ball more. It doesn't mean that you didn't win convincingly or you didn't prove yourself(or however you want to say it), it just means that one particular team played hard and cause the turnover or big play, that's what you do on defense...try and shut the offense down and if possible create a turnover and on offense....try your best to put points on the board. Big turnovers are the result of a hard working defense and big plays are the results of a hard working offense/special tems unit, it's a part of the game.

Another comment about this statement "its like a wins not a win unless you convincingly kick another teams ass"....

Games not over until it's over.... over doesn't mean when one team has played better, over doesn't mean a team has a 2,3 or however many touchdown lead, over means the clock reads 0:00. If a team can't close than it's their problem, why do you think the Chargers aren't in the playoffs? cause they couldn't close out games early and midway through the season. If a team dominates the entire game and loses it in the last minutes then they deserved to lose because it mean they either layed back and got content and/or just didn't want it enough to close it out.


"friggin asswhooping that almost went to overtime(where im sure indy woulda won)and a horrible call led to that possibility"

Like I said if a team can't close that's their problem, so had it gone into overtime and resulted in a Colts victory after Steeler dominance through 3 and a half quarters then the Steelers would've deserved to lose. As for the call I've said it twice already but here's goes one more time...The series before that Faneca moved on 4th and inches and wasn't called for it, that play would've made it 4th and 5 or 6. Bill Cowher IS NOT going for it on 4th and 5, they would've punted back to the Colts who's offense was up and running(which is why Cowher decided to go on 4th and inches in the first place) with an additional 3 minutes or so left on the clock. That was a much bigger play than the ''interception''.

The refs were on Indy's side and it was fuckin' obvious. I'm glad Porter called them out on it because they were trying their damnedest to hand the game over to Indy in the 4th quarter there.

After seeing the refs try to hand the game to Indy, I was thrilled when Pittsburgh hung on to win.

Austin - The NFL ackowledged the terrible call on the Palamaulo (sp?) interception, but they didn't say anything else about any other missed calls. To me, that tells me this one stood out as far and away the worst, most blatant one.

Notice I said, the NFL 'acknowledged' and not 'apologized', like they should of.

P.S. - Pete Morelli is either on the Colts payroll or he's incompetent. Either way, he should get fired.

the faneca non call was huge.....however in live real time it wasnt blatant that the guard moved, we did however see more than 1 colt cross the line of scrimmage and make contact with the offense....and everything you say is pretty accurate,(austin) however...lets forget about the bettis fumble in the end....subtract those 8 pts the colts scored on that drive and give palmolive the pick....it's so deflating for the colts whose offense was on the bench for so long....footballs a very emotional game, we as fans get crazy in our homes or our local bars, but imagine whats goin through the heads and hearts of these players....the rules are the rules....and i can bet a flag could be thrown on every play if they wanted to.....in real speed watching an entire offensive line for holding and hands to the face,etc...may be down right impossible.... but momentum is everything, and when you're on your hometurf.....things will go your way. and sometimes, but not usually in the 4th quarter with 3/4 mins left against you.....that being said, as a fan, and my team didn't make the playoffs, and im not an indy hater by any stretch....although my franchise was relieved to see them not go undefeated......i wouldve put an asterisk in my own memory bank next to a win for the colts if they had prevailed in overtime.....the game sorta reminded me of the rams/pats superbowl a few years ago....pats stymied those guys for 3 quarters then they woke....i remember feelin' the same then...if that super bowl went to ot the rams wouldve been victorious having had MOMENTUM the last 15 mins of regulation, only that game if i remember didn't necessitate a ridiculous call to get stlouis going.

i guess im a meathead, and like al bundy i had a successful high school football career but opted for a party school when it came to college so i could watch b horror movies and eat mushrooms, but todays nfl and im sure this bodes trues for yesteryear as well, human error exists and the refs do there best to call a fair contest, but after being under the hood for 10 minutes in this stupid fuckin' dome not to get a call right, that a fuckin widower with glaucoma in his rocking chair watching the game on his 13 inch tv acknowledges even before he gets a replay is utter dogshit.....and another thing....totally unrelated what ever happened to the ground cant cause a fumble?

You've mentioned the Bettis fumble and the interception again but the Faneca no call is still the biggest play because unlike all the other incidents that's the only one that took time off the clock.

Personally I see it has even, refs messed up ran valuable time off the clock when the Colts were supposed to get the ball back with. On the other hand the refs messed up a call for the Steelers that was potentially game ending. Steelers caught a huge break,Colts caught a huge break.

And you're right, when you're at home things will go your way more that's why everybody want's homefield in the playoffs and that's why during the season 9 out of 10 times the home team is the favorite. Early timeouts,false starts,a call here and there,momentum from the crowd...all of those things are completely expected to happen only in this case,some in the past and undoubtly still to come in the future a couple big calls were screwed up.

I know how important momentum is and like I said before, game's over when the clock reads 0:00. You don't just play well for 15,30,45 or 59 minutes, you have to play well the entire game. I don't care who's home and away, how good or bad the teams are, if you're winning with an even minute left and you somehow end up on the losing end unless the refs are making bad call after bad call(see that I'm saying bad calls and not just calls because if a team is moved down the field for the most part due to sloppy play by the other team than that's their fault.) you deserve to lose because you didn't want it more.

I'm well aware that football is emotional, well aware of the importance of momentum and well aware of what goes through their heart and mind. The only way something can deflate you is if you let it.

Of course they did it's the on that stood out the most, doesn't make it the more important just makes it the one everybody remembers.

Who's going to the Super Bowl?


Seahawks - Panthers

'Hawks- Better offense, 9-0 at home(counting a playoff W).

Panthers- Better defense, 4-0 on the road in the playoffs under Fox and Delhomme.



Broncos - Steelers

Very close matchup, speed vs. power.

Both are top 5 in rushing(Den. #2,Pitt. #5), both are top 5 against the rush(Den. #2,Pitt. #3).

Broncos have homefield, Steelers have won 2 on the road.

They both just knocked off the 2 teams nobody wanted to face in the playoffs.

Broncos have the best corner in the league, Steelers have the best safety in the league.(you can make a case for Ed Reed who creates turnovers and is great in coverage or Bob Sanders who's the faster of the three, is great in run support and hits like a truck. But Polamaulu is the total package...great in both coverage and run support, makes his share of big plays and also has the bonus of being a pretty good pass rusher as well.)

The Broncos have Al Wilson and DJ Williams, 2/3 of the fastest linebacking corp in the league...Steelers have Joey Porter and James Farrior, 2/3(sometimes 2/4) of the best blitzing linebacking corp in the league.

I could go on but you get the point, it's an even match with two different styles.


My picks- Broncos/Panthers.

24-3 STEELERS lead the GAME!!!

To answer your questions it looks like my steelers are going to win the superbowl !

As long as the Panthers don't get cocky, they'll be okay. Everytime those fuckers get cocky they loose.

As a North Carolinian, I hope the Panthers win, but I doubt they will.

heheheh..Aww haunted i hope they make it i need a really good laugh

God damn Steelers....

Well, at least when Big Ben played Iowa back in the U of Miami OH days we beat the pants off of him.

STEELERS ARE GOING HOME......DETROIT HERE WE COME.....
man me and my mum were almost in tears

FUCKIN RIGHT!!!

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like I was right. The Panthers are getting their butts kicked.

Since the pastriots where out, i picked Steelers & Panthers, but now since seahawks flying all over the panthers. I guess i was half wrong. :D maybe if the panthers had there top runner and other top reciver, this game maybe more close than it is now. Just think Ben Roethlisberger 23yrs could be the youngest QB ever to win a SuperBowl. Supasing Tom Brady 25yrs old. well steelers it's about time. lol

"HERE WE GO STEELERS"

Wow, big Steelers bandwagon goin' on around here.

I'm NFC all the way, go Seahawks. Hasselback is matured a hell of a lot since the beginning of the program there, Alexander is actually RUNNING (gasp) in the POSTSEASON, great all-around game against the Panthers (handled Steve Smith perfectly)...

Go Seahawks.

Well,that's the last time I go with the logical choices.

I really don't care who wins, screw the Steelers and Seahawks. My team and all ways will be the New England Patriots. but give the steelers credet for being a #6seed and fist time advanse to SB. now let's see they do better than the patriots (Eason). That game sucked when i seen it. Rember the pats where the first team to win on the road and goto the superbowl until the steelers did it.

The Steelers Kick Ass, the Patriots time in the sun is over, it is the dawning of a new era.:D

Stop trying to hold on with 20 year old stats, it's over,the Pats are done. You can hop off the jock until August.

Holding what 20 year old stat, im just saying what the steelers did when they are the secound team in nfl history to goto a superbowl on the road. the patriots are not over (next season). moron

well - i'm listening to arsenal sputtering against wigan in the semis of the league cup - but i'm not sure who tehse 'steelers' are


:D

Obviously you're the moron because anyone else would've realized that I meant over for this season.

cant we all just get along....

Sportscenter is saying Bettis won't be able to focus on the game because he's going back to Detroit, like that's gonna make him play badly. He's going to play badly because he's OLD AND HIS LEGS DON'T WORK ANYMORE! Look at the guy in practice or after games, he looks like he wants to commit suicide.

Win or lose, I call this the last gasp for Jerome Bettis.

oh my god - my beloved arsenal has LOST to woeful wigan wanderers - i'm giving up all sports

His feet are still quick and he still bounces off tackles. He was hurt about a quarter of a season and the season after the same injury was still hanging around so he split time early in the year until ultimately sitting the rest out. So he was injured in one specific place but it allowed the rest of his body to get a break from the 10+ straight seasons.

When he fully came back from that injury he got 900 yards splitting time with two other backs which is pretty damn good, just like when Jamal Lewis went out in training camp with the leg then came back the next season and racked up 2000. Of course Jerome even with the time off was still aged so you wouldn't expect him to get 2000.

At that point in his career I'd say splitting with 1 guy helped him but take away the third(which imo wasn't really needed,but still a good game plan)and he's coming away with about 1300 yards.

Yada yada yada...point is I think he's still a good player and an important part of the offense,although I do agree that he's gone after the Super Bowl win or lose because while he might have some value left it's rapidly declining.

The pic says it all.


http://www.maniacs-horror.com/maniac02.jpg

SEAHAWKS FOREVER!!! :D

My folks just bought a plasma screen tv. We're having a major party here. I don't know if I'm excited about that or not.

Don't know about anybody else but I can't stand the neccesary evil of having 2 weeks before the Super Bowl.

Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens both need to just shut the fuck up.

I couldn't agree more. They're sounding like a couple of whiney biatches. I'm very disappointed in Donovan. Up til now he took the high road and kept his mouth shut. Shame he didn't stick with that policy.

I don't really have a problem with Donovan speaking up. I just don't understand why he waited 'til now, Owens screwed that lockeroom up during the season and that's when Donovan should've stepped up and confronted him.

Don't wait until it doesn't mean a damn thing, he's the leader of the team and should've tried to patch things up. I'm not saying he shoulda got into a fight with him or something of that nature but pull him aside and talk man to man. Him saying something now is just adding fuel to a useless fire.

I'll chock that up to frustration over a terrible season and surgery.

...or he's just been too busy making Chunky soup commercials to speak up.

LSU- Kicked Arizona's ass.

Iowa- goalline stand for the win.

Good Saturday.