Many football fans expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to not only win Super Bowl XLIII but to dominate it. However, the Arizona Cardinals gave them a run for their money, as the game was not over until the very end. An end that I must say, was not a terrible call by the game officials. As the the ball was knocked out of the hands of Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner with 9 seconds on the clock, the officials ruled it a fumble and awarded the ball to the Steelers. When the replay was showed, however, it was clear to me that the arm of Kurt Warner was moving forward as the ball was knocked out (not to mention the ball went five yards down field). By rule, the arm moving forward with the ball would deem the play an incomplete pass and the Cardinals would have the ball on the Steeler 29 yard-line (do to the unsportsman-like conduct on the Steelers after the play) with 8 seconds to play. This would allow for plenty of time to run at least one or maybe even two plays. It is not the poor call that upsets me most, however. Instead, it is the negligent amount of time taken to review the play. The referees should have stopped the game, given the replay booth as much time as needed to get the call right, and then decide whose ball it is. I mean this is the Super Bowl after all! But no, the refs and the guys upstairs decided that it was already past their bedtimes and they wanted to make it home because they were having Dominoes pizza. In no time flat the Steelers were up at the line, taking a knee, and ending the game. Now I'm not saying that the Cardinals would have won anyway, but now we're not even going to find out are we? It just doesn't seem right than the guys in stripes decided the Super Bowl.
2 comments:
I definatly think that in a game as huge as the Superbowl, they should have taken as much time as possible to make sure their call was right. I bet some people had a lot of money riding on that call that the referees made. But hey, what can you do. Like you said, its not like the Cardinals would have definately won, but it never hurts to put a little more effort into your job.
It was a very, very close call but I also think it should've been ruled an incomplete pass. Even if it was a fumble, how could the ball be knocked that far down the field? And Warner's hand was clearly going forward. Even if it was the right call, it was such a huge play that the officials should definately have taken more time to review it.
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