Ever Wonder Who Reads Your Thoughts?

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae.

So I checked in this morning with a few initial thoughts on yesterday's game. God help me as I type this...I'm listening to Mike Adams on WEEI and he is echoing some of my morning thoughts - at 9:14 pm Adams is on a rant about:

• how poor the officiating was - absoutely
  
  
• how bad Roethlisberger was - he of the 20+ passer rating
  
  

I won't go so far as to suggest the fix was in, as Mike is doing...but damn.

The game was an absolute embarrassment to the NFL, on so many levels - from awful officiating to abysmal play calling, to terrible decision making, to just pi** poor play.

THE OFFICIALS
The NFL fines players and coaches for criticizing officiating - if there was a game where officials should be lambasted and held accountable for their poor performance, Super XL was it. The calls made by those officials, from the referee to the back judge, were questionable at best - the officials had a hand in changing the momentum of the game - THROUGHOUT the damn game:

• I'm still trying to figure out how the Darrell Jackson was called for offensive interference when Pittsburgh's CB Taylor barely moved when Jackson put his hand out - he wasn't playing the ball, he was watching Jackson and his step back was in anticipation of Jackson moving towards him - his eye wasn't on the ball. In the regular season, that is NOT a flag. Weak
  
  
• The Roethlisberger touchdown - the official ran in and started to point at the 1/2 yard line...somewhere in those last few steps, he decided to dance around with the Steelers and called a TD. Those clowns couldn't even get it right with instant reply - no conclusive evidence? There is no way that ball crossed the line - there was NO evidence it did, no picture showed it crossing the line.
  
  
• Fourth quarter - Seattle driving to tie or take the lead, Pittsburgh demoralized - Hasselbeck completes a pass to Jerramy Stevens (yes he actually caught a couple of passes) down at the one - Shane Locklear gets called for holding. It was a stretch to call that holding - but what was even worse was that the Steelers NT looked like he lined up in the neutral zone - and the outside linebacker looked like he was offside. Instead of first and goal at the 1/2 yard line - its 1st and 20 at the 30 yard line...Hasselbeck throws an INT. Oh and to add insult to injury, the call Hasselbeck for a penalty on a tackle.
  
  
• There were other calls - the "non-catch" on Stevens (one of the only catches he made and they took it away from him), phantom holding calls on Seattle, non-calls on Pittsburgh (I swear they were offside at least three times). Referees...meh

THE PLAYERS
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger...what can you say about him? He made one play...one stinking play that had more to do with Seattle's backfield falling asleep than it did with him scrambling out of trouble and making a throw to Ward at the 3. That was a lame duck - awful.

Jerome Bettis...a bit player in yesterday's game. He didn't do much of anything yesterday...except talk about how he wanted all the attention he had coming to him. I won't be a hater...go in peace Jerome, but for God's sakes go.

Joey Porter...dracula. Joey announced he had a taste for blood - boy he really showed up and imposed his will on the game huh?

Seattle Seahawks
Jerramy Stevens...if Jimmy Johnson was his coach, he would have been cut today. To say that he was bad would be a compliment - the biggest game of his career and he drops 2 very catchable balls and drops another one he could have had. The only reason he scored a TD was that Pittsburgh didn't take him seriously...they didn't view him as a threat and therefore didn't cover him.

Can someone tell me what in the hell happened to Darrell Jackson after the 1st quarter?

THE COACHES
Bill Cowher who won in spite of himself - I never thought this guy would win the big game...I never thought he'd coach a team to victory. To see the smug smile on his face disappear when Herndon picked Roethlisberger was priceless - you could tell he was about to lose it. Cowher knew the wheels were about to come off. Cowher got a lot of help in winning yesterday - it certainly wasn't anything he did.

Mike Holmgren, a man who is supposed to be an offensive genius who did a very bad job of managing the clock. From the brain cramp at the end of the first half - to not getting his team in the hurry up with 7 mins left to go in the game. Holmgren messed up - he deserves a great deal of the blame too.

It was a poor game all around - just the kind of game you would expect a couple of doofs like Cowher and Roethlisberger to win. It was painful to see Tom Brady in street clothes...he should have been in uniform.

Given that it was Super Sunday (yeah right) this week's awards come primarily from yesterday's game. I hope Hazel would agree with this week's winners


THE HAZIES
Hines Ward, the only Steeler to show up with his A-game. He had a big run and a couple of big catches - he was the steadying influence for the Steelers. Ward elevated Ben's performance from abysmal to just plain terrible. Ward gets the nod this week - albeit grudgingly.

Honourable mention goes to Antwaan Randle-El. He made the game's biggest play - he was more of a QB than Roethlisberger.

Portuguese National Cristiano Ronaldo gets mention here tonight - he scored two this past weekend for Manchester United. Ronaldo has been dominant over the past month - this bodes well for Portugal this summer. Ronaldo is THEEEE BEST young player in the world - Freddy who? Freddy Adu? not now...not ever.


THE NOT SO HEROIC
Ben Roethlisberger - he of the 20+ QB rating. The biggest game of his career and he makes one throw. The Steelers won, but he didn't lead them - he didn't even "manage" them.

Jerome Bettis - for turning the post game interviews into his retirement party and making it all about him. He was a bit player yesterday...for him to talk about that game like he deserved it, or it was owed to him...disrespectful doesn't even begin to describe it. Go in peace Jerome...but for God's sakes go.

Pittsburgh Steeler Fans - I can't stand them. They showed themselves to be a bunch of jackasses - booing Tom Brady during the pre game. They booed the best player in the NFL, maybe the best player of his generation. No class from a bunch of half-wits. Steelers suck.

Jerramy Stevens - his failure to make even one play probably cost his team the game.

I came across something funny today - Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald wrote an article today about what MLB teams have improved over the off season - check out what he says about the Los Angeles Dodgers...ooops "Red Sox West". If you have read this page for a while - you'll know I have been referring to my beloved Dodgers as Red Sox West, going back to December...I wonder if he's checking in. Stranger things have happened...I wonder how many Boston media types have checked in - - - Hazel?

Have a great one peeps - thanks for checking in.

Hazel, I hope things are groovy in your world.

Song of the Night on Hazelspeeps - to the Seattle Seahawks who, in the eyes of most fans, should have won...they are the critics choices - but it doesn't mean much...

Bittersweet Symphony - Moby's 12 inch remix of The Verve's anthem. (you gotta hear it)

Peesth Out!