The Burr in the Burgh

Go Stillers! One for the thumb!

Congrats to the Steelers. Pastor Scott, what do you think about that controversial TD in the first half? It didn't look like a TD to me. Big Ben and the Ball both seemed to come down on green from the perspective of my couch.

Darrell,
I agree with you. My family had a lot of discussion over that. I was frankly surprised at the ruling after they viewed the replay. When it happened, I told my wife, Julie, that if THAT is the only margin by which the Steelers win, it will be a tainted victory. Fortunately, I think that in the second half, the Steelers truly beat and outplayed the Seahawks so that even if the ruling had gone the other way, the outcome would have been the same. I, at least, was a little bit relieved by that.

And you gotta mention that awesome reverse pass in the second half. That should have won the game no matter what.

Fortunately, I think that in the second half, the Steelers truly beat and outplayed the Seahawks

Yeah, no doubt about that. I'm sure the controversy has been largely muted because of the way they dominated in the second half. I'm surprised, though, at some of the reactions I've encountered. Everyone I've talked to who lives in the Pittsburgh area (except you) seems to have seen a different play than I did. Some of them are downright angry that I disagree with them. On the other hand, I live and work with some extremely dedicated long-term Pittsburgh fans, and they agree with me that Ben fell short. Anyway, from all perspectives, there's no doubt about which team earned the win after halftime.

Darrell,
No I still agree with your perception of the play. I respect and admire Big Ben. He's a great athlete and seems like a very decent human being. He has been known to speak openly about his Christian faith. But it sure didn't look like a touchdown to me. I didn't see David Letterman last night, but Ben was on and Dave asked him point blank about the questionable TD. I heard the clip on the radio. Dave said, do you think you made it over the line? And Ben, to his credit, said, "Honestly, no. But it would've been the fourth down right on the line and we would've gotten it over." That's not an exact quote, but pretty close. I thought it was mature for him at least NOT to try and defend the ref's call. Let me say that the Pittsburghers I've talked to generally agree that it was a bad call. I personally don't think there is any question about it. But imperfect calls are common in all sports. It's part of the game. The Steelers were on the other end of bad calls through the playoffs. Unless someone can prove that the refs intentionally tried to influence the score, then it's pointless to go on about it. But I still agree with your analysis and I wish the call had gone the other way.