Updated as of 12/1/08.
This has certainly been an interesting year in the NFL; elite teams under-performing, several major rule changes, and a rash of bad calls have changed the outcome of some games and the scheme of the NFL.
In Pittsburgh, bad calls and strange rulings have almost become common place this season. A good start would be the Hines Ward fines.
A player who is the model of what an NFL player should be, one who follows the rules and is a genuinely good person, has been fined thousands of dollars on several occasions for "dirty hits."
Even more bizarre is that, on one of these occasions, the NFL refused to explain the reason for the fine. Personally, if I were sent a bill for thousands of dollars with no explanation why, I wouldn't pay.
Fast-forward to the Steelers-Chargers game; we all know what happened and I don't really need to detail it. All I will say is that the point differential can actually come into play if the Steelers lose against the Ravens and another AFC opponent and the Ravens lose to an NFC opponent.
Now, here is the real interesting point I want to make. If you had watched some of the past few Steelers games, starting with the one against the Colts, you will see a lot of the opposing team's offensive line holding the Steelers linebackers as they rush the passer.
This is normal and I can even accept it. The odd thing is that very few of these holding calls result in penalties.
This situation is most evident in the game against the Chargers, when the Steelers became the only team this year with over ten more penalties than their opponent.
The reason is that holding was called against the Steelers line, not the Chargers. The image from this game that sticks in my mind is James Harrison behind the Chargers' line preparing to tackle Phillip Rivers, but he couldn't.
The reason that one of the top pass rushers in the league couldn't tackle a quarterback directly in front of him is because the Chargers' line was holding him, by his face mask. As a side note, that was on third down and the Chargers scored on that drive.
I am not saying bad refereeing is only occurring in Pittsburgh. However, watch the next game, look at the opposing team's line, and then see if there is a flag. There is a reason the Steelers sack totals seemed to slow down significantly, and it's not because the defense cannot rush the passer effectively.
Unfortunately after the Patriots game I have to update this article. This game once again symbolizes the poor officiating against the Steelers. To begin with, how does a defensive nose tackle get a holding penalty, in fact why is there a penalty for that, if it were a penalty it would help the offense more than the defense anyway, by taking the tackle out of the play.
Also we see the same line play by the opposing team, except worse because they are the Patriots. Watch the highlights, on both times Harrison gets to Cassel his arm is behind him in the grip of Matt Light and the Silverback still gets through and forces a fumble.
The same is true on the other side, and this is not joke, on every single play in this game Woodley was being held, his jersey is practically above his head in the grip of the opposing team's offensive lineman. If you do not believe it watch all of the offensive highlights of the Patriots, however few of them there are.
The penalty against Ryan Clark was also a poor call. I can agree that if a hit is big, and that one was big as it took Welker out of the game and probably did more to secure a win than any fumble or touchdown, (though you will never see it on a game changing performance poll) that close attention must be paid.
With that said, the hit was clean, the ball was tipped, could have gone anywhere, and rather than give up a first down Clark decked Welker and made sure that he couldn't get to it, and don't fool yourself, a receiver like Welker could have easily turned and jumped and made that reception.
The Patriots game at least proved that the NFL likes their pretty boys more than their physical down and dirty teams. It also proved that even if you call bad penalties against them, don't call ones on the other team, double team every guy, and do everything dirty you can, the defense of the Steelers is still going to wreck your day. I see a silver football in the not so distant future coming back home for the 6th time.
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about 1 month ago
I have to agree after seeing the Pats game. I mean, how does a nose tackle get called for defensive holding? And Ryan Clarks "unecessary roughness" was certainly a clean hit on a tipped ball. I mean, football is a contact sport. They've had it out for them Stillers for a while now
about 1 month ago
Yea and its most evident when playing against one of the pretty boy teams that the nfl loves so much, and you know against a team like NE, who is already very good at hiding their holding calls, that holding was going to happen, a lot. I had hoped that they would at least try to disguise their penalties, but they didnt, they practically covered Woodley's face with his jersey on every play and no flag was called. At least we proved that you cannot stop us even if you do dirty shit. Did you see how Casey got pissed after the holding call and wrecked everyone on the NE line to crush Cassel, then started yelling at the refs, "any holding on that one?" with less clean language. This Steeler team is going far. The energy and anger they have is unparalled.
about 1 month ago
Great article Leo.
I totally agree with everything you stated in this article. The part about opponents holding James Harrison is what I've been telling people for weeks! But nobody seems to believe me.
about 1 month ago
Yea that's because most people who hear it will dismiss it as a conspiracy theory. Dozens of people didn't believe me until I sat with them during games and pointed to each example of holding. Doing this naturally took less than two defensive series to convince people, because it really is every single play.
Once again our sacks per game were going down because of holding, not poor defensive play, but now our players are so angry that holding won't even stop them and that is scary.
I honestly believe that if holding were called even half of the time our defense would be allowing less than 200 yards per game.
about 1 month ago
amazing article. I've been saying this forever the refs really call such a bad game against the Steelers. And very true, football is a contact sport where you get hit, you get hit. Don't cry and whine and get penalties for your hits like a little babe. The NFL is really slipping, aren't they...
from about 1 month ago
As Troy said it is becoming a "pansy league" where they the pretty boy franchises get preferential treatment because they promote a friendlier NFL. It is obvious that the goal of the NFL is money not safety so in reality they should prefer Steeler football as we are the most popular sports franchise in the world.
But if the NFL has its way our style of play will disappears, that is sad because that is football, it was and still is how to win championships. If the NFL succeeds in transforming the game, I will stop watching.
At least Hockey's rule changes typically make the game more physical and less media controlled, as football definitely is today.
about 1 month ago
I found it a beautiful thing that somebody finally put down in writing what anyone who has been truly 'watching' the Steelers games over the last few weeks knows to be fact. Because of the complete domination by the two Steelers OLB's within the first part of the season, the officials have begun to 'look the other way' to try and allow for a more competitive contest each week.
If the Steelers can be approached by the League with fines after reveiewing a games film the following week, why can the Steelers not approach the League after several weeks of 'no-calls' that are blatantly obvious and call into question the accountability of the League's officiating. If players are to be fined even when the play in question was 'legal' under the current league rules, at what point in time will the League step up and do what is right as it pertains to accountability with regard to their officiating?
The League continues to diminish its own credibility as a whole through this and other issues at the forefront this year, and it seems, sadly, that it will only get worse before it gets better.
17 days ago
I listen to you whiners weak in and weak out. You forget to mention the fans in Dallas that lead the league in sacks and see things the same way. The refs don't call the other offensive holding calls. Please stop you pansy crying. Keep making the plays and you get the sacks. Plain and simple. Steeler nation, boo hoo! Stop making excuses in the end the calls all even out. Remember the last Super Bowl the Steelers won. Big Ben passer rating, ref called interference push off on Seattle. No Steeler first downs for 19 minutes. Hines ward dropped TD in End zone that my daughter could have caught. Not actually smash mouth football. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from 16 days ago
Okay... I'm not going to have the debate about the superbowl calls again, they were all good, don't believe me watch the footage again. And last time I checked you don't need to have a high passer rating to win a game, you don't need to make every play and catch every ball, all you need is a higher number on the score board.
And now, you are calling me a pansy whiner... why, I am making an observation, one that is true. The calls do not even out. Literally almost every play James Harrison is being held, and he still usually gets to the quarterback. If you think I am wrong, prove it to me, because you are ignorant and incorrect.
I didn't mention Dallas fans because I am not one and I don't watch their games so I cannot see the holding non-calls. They weren't present when Dallas played Pittsburgh and so I didn't know they were present.
If anyone here is crying it is you. I regularly write articles on this website and a few games really angered me as far as the holding went so I wrote the article. What did you do, you created an account for the purpose of coming to my article and complaining about my observations. You didn't even make a single true point or claim that anything I said was wrong. I made an observation and a corresponding argument. You complained to me that I like to complain.
Stop waisting time, mine and yours.
Oh and week is not spelled weak, and it's your not you.
from 16 days ago
and one more point, offenses playing the steelers defense have not been called for holding for 28 or 29 straight quarters. thats what i call bias.
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