Super Bowl Afterblogging
It’s really fun that the Steelers won the game. I’m not sure I can say it was really fun watching it. I was surprised how keyed up I was. And the fact that it was not exactly a performance for the ages didn’t help.
Right off: If I were a Seahawks fan I’d be convinced that bad calls cost us the game. I think I’d be wrong, but I’d have my reasons for thinking so. IMHOs coming:
* Yes that was offensive pass interference on the overturned Darrell Jackson touchdown catch in Quarter One. Guy extended his arms and pushed off. It’s amusing that ABC had Michael Irvin, who made a career from non-calls on offensive pass interference, on hand to disagree with the call, but irony is not injustice. Or something.
* Yes, Big Ben scored on that TD bootleg. The ball crossed the plane while his shoulder was in the air. The hit knocked him down and the ball back, but what counted was that it “crossed the plane” while he was in the air, and it’s the front border of the white line that defines the plane. Had the play been overturned, it was a distance that Bill “Roll the Dice” Cowher was likely to try to make on fourth down anyway.
* The personal foul call on Hasselbeck on the interception return was a bad call.
* A couple of the holding penalties on Seattle were questionable, but I thought they got away with a couple elsewhen, so, whatever.
The real reason Seattle lost was that Matt Hasselbeck didn’t have a great game throwing the ball. I know they told you he did on TV, and compared to Ben Roethlisberger’s day passing he was Johnny Unitas. But let’s look at the numbers:
26 of 49 for 273 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT
That’s a completion rate of 53% and unadjusted yards per attempt of 5.6. Those are backup QB statistics. You can run Ben’s numbers and they’ll look a lot worse, but Matt Hasselbeck just wasn’t good enough to win the game.
Why? Pittsburgh’s defense played well. The pass coverage was inconsistent and the run defense iffy, but the tackling was superb. Seattle kept trying those baby dump-off passes and the Steelers kept knocking the receivers to the ground. In any given year there are only about six teams in the NFL that can tackle. The fact that Pittsburgh was one of them this year is the other big reason that Seattleites won’t be setting fire to their hybrids or whatever they planned on doing.
Seattle’s defense gave up three big plays and that was the game. So much for the mantra that ball control equals championships.
Meanwhile, I have unearthed your genuinely surprising stat of the game: third-down conversions.
Seattle 5-17 (1-2 on fourth down)
Pittsburgh 8-15
I was genuinely surprised by that. Pittsburgh was better on 3rd down than Seattle. Seattle was a lot better on first and second down, but considering that Pittsburgh was 0-for-3 on third down to start the game that means they finished 8-for-12, which is phenomenal anytime, but especially when your QB is having a bad day.
Mark my words: we’re going to learn officially within a couple of days or weeks that Ben Roethlisberger’s injuries were worse than anyone let on. His bad throws were all underthrows, including the two picks and the great Hines Ward comeback catch at the 2 in the second quarter. None of them were bad decisions, but the throws lacked energy. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with his running.
It’s really gratifying to see Jerome Bettis have the happy ending. It’s too rare that franchise players get to end their careers with dignity, especially these days. That Steeler management and Bettis himself managed the tricky emotional and financial transition from starter to backup without somebody on either side stalking away in a huff is a minor miracle of sports business.
Man am I happy.
UPDATE: This SuperBlog dedicated to the memory of John Cole, who appears to have had the cardiac I almost had sometime in the second half. We shall not see his like again.
UPDATE UPDATE: John Cole is not dead. It was a joke. But kind of my own little Ameriquest ad. His comments on the game are worth reading.
Comment by MQ —
February 6, 2006 @ 2:35 am
Well, one of the bad holding calls (the 4th quarter one that erased the Seattle completion inside the 5 yard line) pretty much decided the game, so right there is a good argument that bad calls cost Seattle a win.
Right on your other comments though.
Trackback by Uncertain Principles —
February 6, 2006 @ 7:55 am
Super Bowl Recap
The Steelers won the super Bowl last night, in a game that didn’t hold any rooting interest for me. As a result, I spent most of it doing other things– making gourmet fried stuff (about which more later), marking a…
Comment by CR —
February 6, 2006 @ 8:07 am
You’re putting too much blame on Hasselbeck; the primary non-zebra reason Seattle lost the game was that the receivers played sloppily: lots of dropped balls, and subpar sideline work.
Comment by Kate Nepveu —
February 6, 2006 @ 8:11 am
Also, the Seahawks appear not to have learned from the Eagles last year: clock management, baby. They just fell apart late in both halves, in an absolutely inexplicable fashion.
Comment by Jim Henley —
February 6, 2006 @ 8:53 am
CR, some of those ”drops” were just good defense by Pittsburgh – like if three guys hit you at the same time the ball does I think ”drop” is a misleading term for what happens. The sideline reception problems I divide between Hasselbeck and the receivers. They didn’t get their feet down but he didn’t give them much room to work with. But if you want to make the case that Seattle’s team passing game was weak, sure. I’m with you. Net team passing yards per attempt was 5.0.
MQ: You’re putting an awful lot of weight on one play. And it’s not like Pittsburgh didn’t have to overcome some enthusiastic holding calls too. The Hines Ward catch at the 2:00 minute mark of the first half was on third and 28. Hasselbeck was in roughly the same situation after his holding call and threw a pick instead.
Kate: Yes. You’d think Holmgren had never coached a team all the way to the end of a half before. If nothing else he should have tried the field goal on 4th down at the 25 there at the end of the game. But even right before the big Jurevicius catch on that drive, Jurevicius was outright leisurely at getting back to the line of scrimmage.
Comment by ChrisS —
February 6, 2006 @ 9:06 am
Absolutely, horrible clock management and dropped passes. And the Seahawks were on the wrong side of the officials. However, the touchdown by Big Ben was a tough call, they called touchdown on the field, which meant that there had to be substantial evidence showing otherwise for the play to be overturned and that just wasn’t possible. The ball appeared to touch the plane of the goal line and then was pushed back.
It was nice to watch a close game for once. I just can’t figure out how the Seahawks only used the NFL MVP for 20 carries when he was doing fairly well.
Comment by Kevin Holtsberry —
February 6, 2006 @ 9:27 am
Nice overview. I understand the frustration on the Seattle side, but they had their chances and couldn’t convert the big play.
Interesting angle on Ben’s passes. Makes sense I guess if his thumb was messed up. It is also worth remembering that he is only 23 years old.
But hey, a SB win is a SB win. I will now slide into my off-season stupor. But I will have a wonderful feeling to sustain me during the off-season!
Pingback by Balloon Juice —
February 6, 2006 @ 11:05 am
[...] By: John Cole February 6, 2006 at 11:05 am Rumors of my demise have been greatly overstated. For whatever reason, my ability to log into the site died ri [...]
Comment by Mr. Obscura —
February 6, 2006 @ 12:55 pm
I saw a poorly played game on both sides of the field. If SEA had been firing on all cylinders they would have been up 17 or 21 to nothing before PIT got on track. PIT couldn’t get out of their own way for half the game. There were some difficult calls, but only a true partisan could think they cost SEA the game.
Comment by Camera (aka Mrs.) Obscura —
February 6, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
I hate it when he beats me to the comments. But if I’d get on the computer before lunchtime, it wouldn’t happen.
From someone who had absolutely nothing invested in the game: Seattle beat themselves.
Disclaimer: Yes, my youngest sister and her husband live in the Seattle area. To the best of my knowledge, they care naught for the team.