I am tired of the NFL apologizing to the Steelers. It happens way too often………get it right in the first place.

I think since it has no effect on the game and since there was a clear conclusion to the play they should give him the TD back for his stats and such. That would really screw up Vegas………
I know it won’t happen but I see no reason as to why it shouldn’t.

What if the NFL just had a “best interest of the game” rule where a referee has the right to sort of circumvent the rules if it’s obvious that the wrong call is made and it’s a game changing play? Would that really be so bad? I don’t care if they even had to go under the hood and call a “head official” or Goodell himself to get authorization or whatever. Just get the damn call right!

SD’s been screwed on this “oh we can’t review that play b/c the whistle blew” crap. Who cares if the rule is flexible if the end result is the right call. Isn’t that why the rules are in place anyways?

I’m somewhat surprised no one has mentioned (unless I missed it somewhere) Anthony Smith’s bonehead tackle on punt coverage. I understand that his head was knocked down and his sight of the punt catcher might have been affected, but he has two jobs on punt coverage: tackle the returner if he runs, DON’T tackle the returner if he fair catches. As a player who has made his fair share of on-field mistakes, I’d imagine that his leash is pretty short for the Steelers organization. A player like Hines Ward can get called for a couple (questionable) holding calls because he has earned his keep within the organization. As Anthony Smith trotted off the field following that penalty, his facial expression looked like he just realized that his career with the Steelers was over. Is his time with the Steelers over? Should we keep him? He is in this 3rd year with the team which means (I think), he might be in his contract year. Personally, I think he signed his fate to be released from the greatest team in pro sports. Now he’ll get to go play mediocre football for the Lions or Bengals for the rest of his career. In fact, I would argue that he is pretty much a complete waste of a 3rd round pick. Shame we didn’t pass on him for a strong, young, mean offensive lineman…

All by itself given the outcome doesn’t really bother me. Would prefer Troy get some more press because he deserves it, but my main problem is that call along with how the entire game was called.

13-2 disparity for penaltys? And those 2 they had to call as they were False Starts. You telling me there wasn’t one hold on any of our stud LB’s? There should be a minimum of 2 holds called on the opposing team per game.

All the calls against the Steelers and then the last one to end the game make me very suspicious of the refs for that game. Remember the 5 pt spread – I’m sorry, I would like to think the NFL would not have a problem like this but hard not to think that after that debacle.

I want to know which ref talked with the head ref after he did his review and called it a TD, and changed his mind. I want to know every call he made (and didn’t make) on Sunday. Then review his bank accounts and the bank accounts of his family and friends and see if he made a boat load of cash. Cause this has stink all over it.

think there could be an element of ..“so you want to complain about the officiating?” in the way our games seem to be being called this year?

I know that I’m biased and liable to turn a blind eye on our own missed calls, but jeez – the door should swing both ways. Usually a team of refs that calls so many penalties will call them on both teams – I mean you get games that are ticky-tacky and games where the teams are allowed to play – but when it’s so one-sided it does seem that the refs are either paying extra attention to our guys or are turning a blind eye on other team’s miscues.

On the A. Smith penalty – I think he was lured into it, but what do you do? Does anyone know the rule on fair catch in the NFL in terms of the signal? I remember a college game last year where the return guy waived once, but not twice – and ran with the ball – a sort of fake fair catch. The defending team thought he had signalled fair catch and didn’t try to stop him. Just wondering what the exact rule is in the pro’s.

They are messing up (which is excusable), but they are rules… black and white, written in a book that all refs read (or should read). Thats what I find most disturbing. When a ref doesn’t know the rules of the game he’s officiating, then we’re all in trouble.