NFL 2005-06

[Matt]

For anyone wondering where Joe Montana was during the whole "former SB MVP" thing before the game:

According to a source familiar with Montana's situation, the former three-time MVP asked that he be guaranteed $100,000 in appearance money during his time at the Super Bowl. The league could not accommodate that request, so Montana declined to be in attendance.

What a dick.

[Jeff]

For anyone wondering where Joe Montana was during the whole "former SB MVP" thing before the game

Huh.  I wondered where he was with practically everyone else being there.  If that whole money deal is true, that's pretty stupid...


As for the game, I watched it off and on.  I thought that D-Jack did push off, but I also thought that the ball never crossed the line on that first half TD.  Oh yeah, and I thought the Seahawks got jobbed on Hasselback's "block" - I thought it was pretty clear he was making a pathetic QB tackle attempt.   

I'll grant that there were a few bad calls that might have hurt Seattle's chances and shifted the momentum, but Seattle did plenty of things to themselves too - false starts on key drives, a ton of dropped passes in the 1st half, missed FGs, and the clock management. 

As Scott said, we saw that a lot from Holmgren during big Packer games (the only guy to manage the clock worse was Denny  )  - that "drive" at the end of the first half was just ugly.  They should have had enough time for a shot at the end zone or at least an easy 3pts, but the way they handled it was just ugly and strange.

And honestly, the Steelers were pretty much just as bad in the first half - no first downs in the 1st quarter?  3-and-out on the first 3 drives?  Ugly.  They managed to come around thanks to that 1st half TD and really got rolling and confidence up after the 75yd TD Run.

Overall, I think there were some bad calls that went the Steelers way, but even without those calls it just looked the Holmgren was just out-coached by Cowher in the end...

[Rob]

For anyone wondering where Joe Montana was during the whole "former SB MVP" thing before the game:

According to a source familiar with Montana's situation, the former three-time MVP asked that he be guaranteed $100,000 in appearance money during his time at the Super Bowl. The league could not accommodate that request, so Montana declined to be in attendance.

What a dick.

Terry Bradshaw apparently did the same thing.  With the whole Steeler conneciton I'd think he'd be willing to just come on out and wave to the crowd...

[Matt]

Bradshaw was just being his usual flakey self, for whatever reason.

Two MVP QBs to be no-shows

Former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw have decided to remain home. Bradshaw has told league officials that he wants to be with his family, even though his former team is in Super Bowl XL. Montana apparently was unwilling to come because the price wasn't right.

Why he wouldn't want to come out to the Super Bowl, in front of a largely-pro-Steelers crowd, with several of his old teammates, is beyond me. 

So, who knows why.  Hopefully it didn't have anything to do with money.  That's beyond lame.

[Rob]

Very very very lame.  Even if it didn't have to do with money you'd freaking think that Terry Bradshaw - Steelers Superbowl Legend of all people would want to take his family with him to watch the Steelers play in the freaking Superbowl.

[Nicklab]

For anyone wondering where Joe Montana was during the whole "former SB MVP" thing before the game:

According to a source familiar with Montana's situation, the former three-time MVP asked that he be guaranteed $100,000 in appearance money during his time at the Super Bowl. The league could not accommodate that request, so Montana declined to be in attendance.

What a dick.

I think anyone who's watched the NFL closely over the last 15 years or so has to be well aware of Joe Montana's absence from the game.  Whether it's some kind of involvement in an organization (either coaching or in the front office), as a commentator on TV, or events like this, Joe Montana has had a very low profile.  A lot of it has to do with money.  Joe Montana thinks he's worth a LOT of money.

Fact is, the guy has been something of a jerk throughout his career and afterward.  Sure he wanted to win, but it's always been all about him.  He's been through several marriages and some ugly divorces, all laced with a lot of rumored infedelity.  He's supposedly a very private guy, but I think there's just too much dirt and he wants to lay low and do his own thing.  In the mix he does appearances and autograph sessions that are very expensive.

Thing is, other NFL players have bowed out of high profile events like this.  When the NFL organized a reunion of the Baltimore Colts and the NY Giants palyers who were involved in the 1958 NFL Championship game (otherwise known as the greatest game ever), Colts QB Johnny Unitas bowed out.  He cited an autograph appearance that was more lucrative and it was unspoken that the NFL didn't want to match that offer.

[Darth Broem]

Oh well the NFL tried to have a nice moment.  At least the majority of them did show up.  Yeah, unfortunately some guys get a really big head on their shoulders.  They never really had a normal life like most people.  From a young age they have been told they are great and have had a lot of success.  People around them say the same thing and it just kind of snowballs into this monster ego that nobody is ever going to break them out of.  They can not do anything wrong and think they are worth every single penny that they ask for.  Everyone else is beneath them.  Sad but true.

[Rob]

Fed Ex must have ponied up big time to get Joe out for those lame commercials.  (Lame except for that kick-ass Derrick Brooks one...)

[jokabofe]

Here's a great article from an unbiased point of view.

[Darth Slothus]

My unbiased point of view:

Factors key to game-

Seahawks receivers- looked alot like 2004 seahags receivers-catch the damn ball
-lotsa dropped passes just before big hits-it's the super bowl-you gotta catch those. Also-see the receivers-don't-know-where-they-are-on-the-field sideline plays. IMO- Hassel played great the receivers didn't hold up their end of the bargain

Referees-officiating
-call for touchdown steelers on goal line--I believe it's legit-the ball only need break the plane(can be the front of the line). I see the nose of the ball break the front of the line by a couple inches when the quarterback is high before he comes to the ground.
-penalty for offensive pass interference in end zone. I think it's a legit call that should not have been made in the superbowl. I see it on both players but... the WR straightens his arm on the last push and the refs sees that-however the ref didn't see that the push had NO impact on the DB-if he did he wouldn't have thrown the flag. Too touchy to throw a flag.
- holding penalty that negated long running play....horrible-O lineman's arms were inside defensive line man-a legal block

Seahag's special teams- horrendous...and don't tell me "they were long kicks" either. Those guys practice those all the time- believe me they were long enough just hooked or WAY off mark. Biggest concern on the long attempts are distance and blocks--which there was no danger of in this game. Why is it I see so many kickers in this league missing short on long attempts or getting blocked? this was horrible for the Seahags-losing 6 points that were really important.

I felt before the game that the sehawks would lose because this game had sort of a road feel to it and the 'hawks didn't impress me on the road this year at all. Barely winning games(in san fran by 2 for example) on the road or losing on the road badly so it was a predictable outcome for me. I was impressed by Seattle's quarterback play but not much from anything else from the team.

I felt the steelers had enough gadget plays to win this which was good since it appeared they got a good chunk of their "offense" from them and that Seattle was not prepared for that(which really sucks since EVERYONE knows Pitts is a gadget team). For the defense mostly looking good in the game Seattle was badly burned on 2 gadgets. I'll say that from looking good all year Roths looked horrible and it was a sloppy pitts win. While I'm glad for Jerome and the Coach I'm sure this game will be near the bottom of favorite superbowl matchups of all time.

[Ithorian Clergy]

Here's a great article from an unbiased point of view.

I don't think there's a such thing as an "unbiased" point of view.  You either like the Steelers more, or the Seahawks more.

I don't care what this author says, Darrell Jackson planted his hand on the defender's chest and pushed off.  Pass interference, end of story.

As for Roethlisberger, yup, could have gone either way.  Very very close call there.  We may be talking about sixteenths of inches in the distance that the ball missed or crossed the goal line. 

But I do think it's really lame for Seahawks fans to start blaming the refs for not winning the Super Bowl.  The Steelers flat out beat them down.  I saw that poll on what people will remember most about the Super Bowl, and here's my list:

- Willie Parker's TD run
- Jerome Bettis finally winning
- The Gadget Play to Hines Ward!  God, I love those.
- And then, somewhere after all that, some people whining about the officiating, including the close call on Roethlisberger's touchdown which could have easily gone either way

[Morgbug]

I don't care what this author says, Darrell Jackson planted his hand on the defender's chest and pushed off.  Pass interference, end of story.

My only point of contention here is that the ref didn't call jack **** until the ball had been caught and the defender got in his face to whine.  It was a late call that responded to some player complaining and that's crap. 

The contact was there, minimal or not.  Call what you SEE not what you're told happened.

[Ithorian Clergy]

It's just that I look at that replay and see clear as day that Darrell Jackson put his hand on the defender's chest and pushed off.

I just don't know how this play can be used to fuel a Seahawks fan's argument that they got screwed by officials. 

The contact happened, it was called, and the refs were right.

[Jesse James]

And you can read an equally unbiased story here as well.  Cable posted a nice fan-footage shot of the QB Keeper TD by Roethlisberger too, and it makes it even clearer that it was in fact a Touch Down.

[jokabofe]

But I do think it's really lame for Seahawks fans to start blaming the refs for not winning the Super Bowl.

I think it's really funny that you think that. If it was Pittsburgh on the other end of those calls, the national guard would have had to invade Pittsburgh to stop the rioting and looting in the streets.

And I continue to find it amusing how many Steelers avatars have popped up over the last two weeks. More than I've seen in the last two years. And now that number has about doubled over the last two days.