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One of the most exciting plays of this year’s playoffs should have been called back because of a holding penalty.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the NFL now acknowledges that Jaguars quarterback David Garrard’s 32-yard run on fourth-and-2 late in Jacksonville’s playoff win over the Steelers was aided by a block that should have been flagged for holding.
Per Bouchette, VP of Officiating Mike Pereira admitted that the crew working the game erred in not calling a holding penalty against Jacksonville on the play, which set the Jaguars up for the winning field goal.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin declined to comment yesterday.
Although the missed call was disappointing to Steelers fans, there are plenty of more flagrant holds that don’t get called, and that non-call was far from the only reason the Steelers lost.
In fact, part of the reason Tomlin declined to comment may be that he realizes his own odd decision to call for Ben Roethlisberger to run up the middle on third-and-6 with 2:56 left in the game hurt the Steelers as much as the missed holding penalty. That quarterback sneak netted the Steelers one yard, and the punt on the next play put the Jaguars in position for the game-winning drive.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
How about the 4 holding calls they missed on the one play in the Super Bowl? Tell me ANY QB(Esp. Eli Manning) can run around behind the line of scrimmage for as long as he did and no holding? Come on…
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April 2nd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Hey Good Newz Kennelz, I was wondering if anyone got the joke. Things are way too serious around here!
I lived in Seattle for 10 years. I watched the Sonics break everyone’s hearts by getting so close but just not all the way, I watched the Mariners shock the world and then break everyone’s hearts by getting so close but just not all the way, and was always my boss’ Sunday Cheap Date(TM) to the Kingdome since nobody wanted to go to the games back then (”Go Rick Mirer! he’s so much better than Krieg!”)… I decided that for whatever reason, Seattle was a city that had been cursed by the professional sports gods.
The superbowl that Seattle cannot ever forget seems to be just another chapter in a very long book of Seattle professional sports heartbreakers.
Blame whomever you want, but it sure as heck isn’t the Steelers’ fault. Kudos to Tomlin for being a class act and opting for the “no comment” route.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Jags and Giants are cheaters, too? What is happening to the sport I love so much. I have never seen so many cheaters in life.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
If the same crew had correctly called Ward for offensive pass interference on 4th and goal for trying to rip Brian Williams face mask off instead of calling Williams for interference for being pulled nearly to the gound face first, this play never happens. Did anyone ask Bouchette about that call? As many have pointed out bad calls and missed calls happen. So I must ask, what’s the point of anyone even bringing this up? I would assume a member of the Pittsburg media asked the question.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
If this crew had correctly called offensive pass interference on Hies Ward for trying to rip Brian Williams face mask off on 4th and goal intead of calling interference on Williams for getting pulled nearly to the ground face first this play would never have happened. Did anyone ask Bouchette about that call? Actually why was this even brought up? Like others have said bad calls and missed calls happen. Why bring this up now? I would assume a memeber of the Pittsburg media asked about it. What’s the point?
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April 2nd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
There was more than one hold on that play…seahalks lost…
get over it.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Ok people calm down . There have been many bad calls in NFL history . How about the tuck rule that screwed the Raiders in NE ? That was bad . But it happens . The playoff game with the Jags wasnt that bad . Missed holds happen almost every play . Just ask a defensive player lol …..
As a Steeler fan the only call that had me so pissed i wanted to kill lol yeah i can get bad .. Was in 2002 in the Divisional playoffs we got screwed in Tennesee with fag boy floppin with ruffing the kicker . And god revenged that with blowing his knee out .
So they admit it was a missed call its not like they can go back and change it right ? So i wonder why they admit it anyway ?
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April 2nd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Well, Masked Marvel Smith, if I am wrong … at least I am passionate, as always! (And really smart, by the way.) Haha.
Nah, but nothing you can say will change the fact that the Seahawks were robbed that Super Bowl. You can find a hold on every play, but the PHANTOM one had to be called? There were lots of things that screwed the ‘Hawks for XL. It’s not in context to this current entry, but I will always maintain that the refs screwed them that game — rightfully. If the refs were remotely fair, the outcome of that game would have been different.
And no, I’m not a Seahawks fan.
Bears ‘08 Champs? (I am delusional.)
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April 2nd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I could’ve told you in January that the refs blew that no-call. No sense crying about it now. No sense crying about it right after the game either. You’ve got to beat the refs too sometimes. Good for Mike Tomlin, not commenting on it.
I guess that’s the difference between Mike Tomlin and Mike Holmgren, right? One of them knows after one year as HC what the other hasn’t figured out during his entire “Hall of Fame career”.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Stiller fans are awful. ok, all teams probably have a lot of awful fans, but living in stiller land and not being a stiller fan they’re the ones i see a lot. There are stiller fans who STILL think the Steelers got a bum deal on that coin flip in detroit, even after bettis has admitted he said hea-tails
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April 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
That Vinny Testaverde comment had me confused. Is spacemonkey being sarcastic? Yeah, whining about SB XL now is pathetic, but people tend to forget that Hawks fans had been given good reason to be suspicious of refs’ judgement (VINNY HELMET TD) over the last 7 years. (98-05). These teams were never good enough to overcome adversity, but c’mon…..it sure didn’t do them any favors.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Good Newz Kennels wrote: “Uh, Dude. That was against the Seahawks. Cost them a playoff berth and cost Dennis Erickson his job.”
I’m really glad at least one of you got the joke. My responses aren’t getting allowed somehow, but I’d love to point out at least that this was my intent (the joke, that is).
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April 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
The seachicken fans need to get over XL.
And like others said, the head of officiating went through the “bad” calls in XL and they were all correct. Haggans got collared on that holding play. And Jackson needs to be smarter than to push off in front of the ref.
Anyways, it was obvious that Hampton, Harrison and Haggans(I think it was him) were held during Gerrards gallup. But the Steelers should have never been that close to begin with, and then lost the game way back on the 3rd and 6 QB draw.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
The real reason for all the talk of controversy after SBXL was the constant anti-Steeler commentary coming from John Madden (and Al Michaels). Madden-a virulent Steeler hater-still hasn’t gotten over the Immaculate Reception against the Raiders and never misses an opportunity to get in an anti-Steelers slant. Most casual football fans who don’t know much about football find themselves easily swayed by the in-game comments from supposedly un-biased sources.
In fact, in the Jags-Steelers playoff game in question, Madden and Michaels attempted several times during the game to raise the spectre of SBXL by inferring a pattern of calls favoring the Steelers (e.g. missed penalties, favorable instant replay challenge calls, etc.).
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April 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
As far as Super Bowl XL goes and the most controversial or crucial call which was the early offensive pass interference against Darrell Jackson, the sad truth is that is simply the way offensive pass interference is officiated in the end zone. The zebras are basically mandated to not even try to use their own common sense or discretion to judge whether or not what appears to be a push-off actually gives the offensive player any actual advantage or was simply incidental and instead flag anything and everything that remotely resembles the offensive player pushing off in the end zone. It’s a goofy rule that is as poorly officiated as the equally goofy tuck rule.
My bigger problem with zebras is these geezers are too blind or lazy or just plain incompetent to even get offsides calls correctly. Offsides is not left up to the refs to interpret like pass interference or holding. It either occurs or doesn’t. Witness the Giants in the Play-offs. On their first series against Dallas, they actually go 3-and-out but because the ref is legally blind he makes a bogus offsides call against DeMarcus Ware and they get a do-over and it leads to a 7-0 lead. Fast forward a week later against the Packers, where KGB is a good 2 yards offsides and clobbers Eli yet guess what? No call. I don’t think the officials are necessarily corrupt, just badly incompetent. Get rid of the old gimp lawyers moonlighting as refs and hire full-time officials who are actually under 40.
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April 3rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
tobiasjodter, I agree with you about Madden’s comments during the game. I also think Holmgren is an overgrown infant and his comments just gave every idiot Steeler hater carte blanche to cry foul.
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April 3rd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
First off, I’m a Niner fan and could care less about the other teams. The NFL games aren’t always fair and competitive.
The SB with the Steelers and the Seahawks was a joke. There were many bad calls and both teams played poorly.
I’ve seen or heard comments from fans of other teams that thought the same thing.
That was a holding on the QB run in the Steelers Jags game. Most of the time, that less severe holding doesn’t get called. The Ward call was bad also.
There was a holding call against the Balt DB at the end of the NE game. It was a hold and it was called to save NE undefeated mark. Most of the time, that doesn’t get called.
The refs were terrible in the regular season Indy vs NE game. Indy got some ridiculous calls then and again in the Indy vs SD in the playoffs.
Every week “Bagdad Bob” Pierra comes on TV and makes excuses and executes PR for the league. Rarely do we get these admissions of guilt. Refs are human too. They can make mistakes. Let’s hear about them. Replay should help correct mistakes. Lately, they call it right, but replay incorrectly over turns it. The rules aren’t published for the fans to see. They are vague and left open to judgment and interpretation. Games are not consistently called week to week or the same by all refs. There is a definite slant toward the home team or the elite teams in the league.
I’m happy to see Gerry “he barely got the second foot down” Austin go. He was terrible. I also read the league wants to better enforce holding this year.
I’m hoping too see improvement in the quality of officiating or I’m going to start to tune out just like I did for the NBA.
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