Super Bowl XLVIII: Why Seahawks Fans Don't Trust the NFL

Want to know why so many Seahawks fans feel their team got robbed in Super Bowl XL and how that makes them paranoid for the team's appearance in Super Bowl XLVIII? Want to know why "the Manning Narrative" for the upcoming game has Seahawks fans concerned?

I'll re-cap it for you. Below is the evidence, but in short it goes like this: following intense media coverage of Steeler player Jerome Bettis "coming home to Detroit with his last chance to win a Super Bowl," the referees in that game proceeded to make a series of unbelievably wrong or unprecedented calls - all hurting the Seahawks, all benefitting Pittsburgh and all on critical plays that could have made the difference in the game. Naturally, Steeler supporters poo-poo it all as "sour grapes." But let me assure you that if the shoe was on the other foot, they'd feel differently.

And let me also assure you that based on this previous experience and the "Manning Narrative" now, Seattle fans will be just as worried about the officials as they are the Broncos on Super Bowl Sunday.

In support for the Seattle side of the controversy, several years later, the head referee for Super Bowl XL admitted he and his crew made the wrong call in several instances and apologized. Fat lot of good that did the Seahawks and their fans.

Here are the plays in question from Super Bowl XL that has me worried even now, going into this new Super Bowl:

• Phantom Holding Calls. There were a number of them against Seattle in the game, all on critical plays. The most egregious one was in the fourth quarter - and it was bad for two reasons. You can see the play at the 7:19 mark on the video here. With Seattle on offense and making a drive down to score and take the lead, a Steelers player jumps offsides (but is not called for it) and the Seattle tackle scrambles to block him. While not a straight up block, it was not an unusual block that happens on every play of every game. Naturally, on the play, the Seahawks completed a pass to the one yard line...and it came back because of the "holding" call. Announcer John Madden even says right there upon seeing the replay, "I didn't see holding."

• Phantom Offensive Pass Interference. Video here. Early in the game, Seattle QB Matt Hasselback slings a long range ball into the end zone to one of his receivers. He catches it and it's called a TD. But wait! There's a flag. Just before the catch the receiver and the defender are right next to each other...each touching the  other with hands. Both of them doing the same thing, and really with no impediment to each other. But for some reason, the ref has his hand on his flag before the ball arrives and once it does, he throws it and calls OFFENSIVE pass interference. No TD. Seattle has to settle for a field goal. Wow. I remember thinking, "Oh boy...so this is how its going to be today?"

• Phantom Pittsburgh Touchdown. Video here. In the second quarter, on a third and goal from the Seattle two yard line, Pittsburgh QB Ben Rothlesberger runs toward the end zone, is tackled before it and comes down with the ball before the end line. After hitting the ground, he reaches the ball out over the line. The referees call it a TD. It's not. I will say on this one, however, that the Steelers had another play to get it in the end zone even if the call had been made correctly. So, it's very possible - even likely - they would have come away with seven points anyway. But something else could have happened too. We'll never know. 

• "Low Block" Against Seattle QB Following His Throwing an Interception. Video at the 8:26 mark on the video here. At one point in the game, the Seattle QB throws an interception to a Pittsburgh player. All of a sudden, all players just seconds ago on offense are now on defense and are attempting to tackle the guy who picked off the pass. During that action, the Seattle QB hits a Steelers player below the waist...more by sheer accident than anything. But remember, he's now on DEFENSE. The referee sees this and calls a penalty. And what does he call? BLOCKING below the waist. What? Blocking? How can he be blocking if he's on defense? And how can it be a penalty for a defensive player to hit an opposing player high or low? Pittsburgh gets 15 yards tacked onto their interception return, moving them up to mid-field.

• Non-Call on Horse Collar Tackle by Pittsburgh. Video at the 8:05 mark of the video here. In the fourth quarter with Pittsburgh only ahead by four points, Seattle RB Alexander is streaking down the field on a run and getting close to the Pittsburgh "Red Zone." A Steelers player drags him down from behind by his collar...right in front of a referee. Clearly a penalty and if called it would have put Seattle in a great position to score. But, no call. 

It wasn't any one of these calls that was the problem. It was all of them together that made the impact. And for any of you out there saying, "yeah, well I'm sure that the refs screwed Pittsburgh a few times too." Um...no, no they didn't. Flags were safely stuck in their pockets through most of the game, and for sure on any big play benefiting the Steelers. 

And all of THAT is why this Seahawks fan is very, very nervous about Super Bowl XLVIII. The NFL will benefit greatly if the Broncos and Payton Manning win the game...just like they did with a Pittsburgh in 2006. 

Super Bowl Media Narratives

So the Seattle Seahawks are in the Super Bowl. And they are playing the Denver Broncos. And in the intervening two weeks, all we the fans will have is what we see or hear about in the media.

Here are three media narratives I think we will see a LOT of over the next two weeks - and already  have:

First, "The Manning Narrative." Payton Manning, Payton Manning, Payton Manning. Outside of Seattle, football fans watching media coverage of the upcoming game will not know anyone other than Payton Manning is playing in this game. OK, now some will know Richard Sherman of Seattle...but that's it. No, the media narrative will be all about Manning and his "destiny" to win another title. This has nothing to do with the Xs and Os of football, mind you. I'm talking about the sentimental story and the overall narrative of the pre-game coverage. And you see it right away in who is favored.

As a Seahawks fan this is annoying, sure. But what concerns me is that the last time the Hawks were in the Super Bowl there was an overwhelming media narrative about Jerome Bettis "returning home to Detroit" for his "last opportunity" to get a Super Bowl win. And what happened? An unreal game in which the Seahawks were victims of a number bizarre, unprecedented and unexplainable plays and calls by the referees...costing them the game. And ta-da! Bettis gets his big win and goes out a champ - much to the delight of entire football viewing world outside Seattle. A nice storybook ending to please 95% of the NFL viewing public.

I fear the same will happen with the "Manning Narrative" driving this Super Bowl. The NFL benefits greatly in terms of the masses feeling good about the league if Manning wins the game, so I'm nervous that we may see a repeat of the "thought the looking glass" experience we got in Super Bowl XL. You say I'm crazy and that there could be no "conspiracy" to deliver a game based on what would be best for the league? I say, go re-watch at Super Bowl XL. Unreal. I can't claim to have evidence, just that it happened. Just like gas prices "surprisingly" go down every four years right around the time of presidential elections and then go back up right after...it just happens and its a correlation you cannot ignore. Same with Super Bowl XL. With the new Super Bowl also occurring on Ground Hog's Day, lets hope we don't get a repeat.

Second, Broncos "good guys" vs the Seattle "bad guys." This is how the media will portray it. This is primarily due only to the after-game rant by Richard Sherman when the Seahawks beat San Francisco in the NFC title. Most people think his comments were over the top and calling out the opposing receiver he defeated in the last and pivotal play was just poor. Whatever you think, that's the consensus. Meanwhile, you've got Manning as the "do-gooder." So, is it better to be the good guy or the bad guy? I think it doesn't matter too much and the media have a compulsive need to narrow things down to easily digestible ideas - and good vs bad is about as basic as it gets. Anyway, the perceived "thugs" have won the Super Bowl before.

But, what's odd is that it is ONLY because of the few seconds by Sherman that the Seahawks will be perceived as the bad guys. Actually, the team is chuck full of good guys - starting with QB Russell Wilson and, ahem, also including one Richard Sherman.

Third, the Denver Offense (code for Manning of course) will be the difference in this game. The Broncos offense did have a record breaking year. They are extremely good - mostly their passing game with Manning. But, predicting that Denver wins because of this reverses decades and decades of conventional wisdom - which is virtually always backed up by reality - that it is defense that wins championships. Indeed, regardless of what offenses are fielded, most teams who win the Super Bowl have superior defense compared to their opponent. Their ability to limit even great offenses makes the difference.

And who clearly has the better defense? Seattle...by a lot. However, I think you'll see little attention paid to that and more to the Denver offense as the dominant force in this game. This ties directly into my point #1 above - "the Manning Narrative."

All of this is a bit frustrating from a Seattle fans' perspective, but I think Seattle will field the overall better team - particularly their defense. I think THAT will be the difference. I also think that Seattle QB Russell Wilson is uncanny in his ability to deliver in the clutch, and RB Marshawn Lynch is a hard-as-nails runner who could be a difference maker too.

I'll post a prediction before the game. In the meantime, see if the three media narratives develop as I think they will.

Refpocolypse: A Seattle Perspective

Well, it's been nearly 24 hours since the entire western world came to an end.

Yep, in case you've been living off the planet over the last day, you know that the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers played a Monday Night Football game last night that was marred repeatedly by bad calls by replacement officials working the game instead of the league locked out regular officials. The game culminated in a highly controversial call on the last play of the game in which a Seattle receiver was awarded a touchdown catch when it looked like a Green Bay defender had intercepted. The result, even after review, was to uphold the call. Seattle won and Green Bay lost.

And oh how the media and, well, the general populous has reacted. Middle East troubles? Presidential election? Unemployment? Nothing compared to this today.

The overwhelming sentiment can be summarized as: a bad call at the end of the game "cost" the Packers the game...and how big a shame that is. Horrible! Detestable! Unacceptable!

That's right. Pretty much anywhere outside of Seattle, the conventional wisdom and outcry is how badly the Packers were wronged...on the last play. But that's not what most people in Seattle think. Far from it. Sure, most of us realize the final play of the game was controversial and probably was not called correctly by the officials. But here are four perspectives from the Seattle side of things that you will not be hearing anything about in the national or sports media, but explain our side of things...

First, the Packers owe their lone TD to poor officiating too. What? How could that be? After all, the media is just talking about the last play. Well, if you watched the entire game, you'd know that the officials made many, many bad calls during the four quarters....benefiting and hurting both teams. This includes two calls on the one drive the Packers could put together - the drive resulting in their lone touchdown. Yes. There was an absolute abortion of a pass interference call against Seattle mid-way through that drive that bailed the Packers out of facing a fourth down and moved the ball substantially down field. Then, later in the drive when it appeared very obviously that Seattle had stopped Green Bay on the one yard line and forced them into a field goal attempt, the officials bungled the review of the placement and clearly made a mistake in giving the Packers a first down...which they then capitalized on for their lone TD.

Got that? To re-cap...THE PACKERS BENEFITED from horrible ref calls too - and in particular two calls that resulted in their go-ahead TD. Take away those calls, and it's an entirely different game. Who wins? Who knows. But, it's a different game...one in which the Packers are either still behind in the fourth quarter or only up by two points late.

Two, the Seattle defense had just as much to do with the outcome as the officials. That's right Green Bay fans. You think you team got robbed? How about your offense play better and score more than 12 points? Oh, that's right...they couldn't. They were dominated all game long. Or even, hey, forget all that...just make a first down late in the fourth quarter in your own end. Game over. You couldn't and had to punt it back to the Seahawks and, well, you know what happened next.

That was a serious butt whipping administered by the Seattle D and this should not be forgotten or overlooked.

Three, the Seahawks fan base is probably the most unsympathetic to the "the Packers were robbed" cries than any group of human beings in the sporting world. That's right. The Seattle Seahawks have been on the losing end of two of the most egregious officiating fiascoes in modern NFL history. Packers fans, you will get no sympathy or shame from them. Here's why...

• First, in the 1998 season, the Seahawks played an important late season game. It was against the NY Jets. It was a close. Near the end, the Jets drove the ball down near the Seahawk end zone. Their QB ran the ball and was tackled at about the three yard line...where his knees were down. He fell forward and perhaps the crown of his helmet touched the goal line after he bounced forward after hitting the ground. The ball was literally nowhere near the goal line. But the officials signaled TD. It was reviewed and upheld. Seahawks lost the game on that and it played a big role in them missing the playoffs that year.

• Next and more significantly, the Seahawks were consistently on the wrong end of several MIND BOGGLING calls by the officials in Super Bowl XL in Jan. 2006. There was the phantom pass interference on a Seahawk receiver on a TD reception, a phantom holding call that negated a big play that could easily have ended up setting up a score, there was a baffling "blocking below the knees" call on the Seattle QB as he tried to tackle a defender who had intercepted his pass, and then their was the super eerie repeat of the Jets situation from 1998 when Steelers QB was tackled and down short of the goal line on a fourth down, but then bounced forward after hitting the ground near the end line. Refs called TD, it was upheld. These calls really did cost the Seahawks the Super Bowl win. It was so bad that the referee of that game eventually apologized publicly.

Keep in mind, these horrific calls in 1998 and 2006 were made by REAL DEAL NFL officials. Not scabs. Oh, and you know what the hew and cry was - if any - following BOTH these incidences from the media and other fans? Get over it. That's football. Move on.

And finally, four, you would not be hearing much about what happened last night if were the Seahawks who were "robbed" on the last play OR if the Seahawks had been playing, say, the Kansas City Chiefs. Indeed, one of the NFL's "darling" teams was the "victim" in this. And that. Can. Not. Be. Right. Nope, if roles were reversed or if there was a different visiting team, today's news would have been more along the lines of, "Well, there you go...just one more proof point that darn it, we gotta get the real officials back." But instead, with the Packers on the "wrong" end of things, it's "The world is ending, get the real guys back NOW!" That's why this is as big a story as it is.

So to summarize...as much as Seattle fans also want the real NFL officials back just like everybody else, no America, you are NOT going to get any sympathy or shame from Seattle fans for winning that game last night. In fact, I think most Seattle fans would give you the same advice oh so many of you and the media gave us when this sort of thing happened to our team...get over it. That's football. Move on.

Kelly Staying

....And once again "that didn't take long."

Less than 24 hours ago, it looked like Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly was gone to the NFL to take charge of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But no.

As of this morning, the situation has been clarified and resolved (see HERE)...so Kelly will be staying at Oregon. I think Duck fans can put 1-2 more wins back on their projections for the 2012 season now.

The Ducks will still have some challenges repeating as league champs with their starting QB and RB going pro, but with the head coach now staying I think their chances of making another run are very good.

Wildcat Offense Explained

OK all you football fans out there...

Ever wonder just what football teams are doing when they run "The Wildcat" offense you hear so much about these days?

Well, click here for an an excellent article from the NY Times that breaks it down in easy terms.

Good pre-NFL Sunday reading.

Football Weekend Re-Cap

The Ducks smashed the #6 Cal Bears 42-3 on Saturday and moved up to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-10. For me, of course, this is OUTSTANDING. My football weekend was made right there. Next up for the Quackers is WSU. Good news: the Ducks are still improving and have the opportunity to go to 4-1 next week. No guarantee, I know. But, the opportunity is there for the taking. Bad news: despite improvement, I'm not too happy with the number of fumbles.

Meanwhile, my second favorite college football team - the Iowa Hawkeyes - took down #5 Penn State at Penn State. Both my parents attended Iowa and my father graduated undergrad and medical school there. Oh, and I was born at the university hospital. So, I literally got my start in life at the University of Iowa...and I root for the Hawkeyes each year. Right now, they are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.

Back on the west coast, the Huskies couldn't stop the run vs. Stanford and despite all the hype, UW QB Locker threw two interceptions and fumbled once to help the Dawgs plummet back to earth this week with a loss to the Trees. I'm sure Locker will have a career day vs. the Ducks later this season (I am serious by the way), but this week he did not look that good.

I was impressed with South Carolina beating #4 Ole Miss this week. I was equally impressed with #11 VA Tech beating #9 Miami, #17 Houston beating Texas Tech and South Florida beating FSU.

I was unimpressed with #2 Texas pounding mighty UTEP, #8 Boise State beating up on Bowling Green, #16 Oklahoma State dominating Grambling State and #25 Nebraska trouncing Louisiana-Lafayette. You feel me? Unimpressed again this week with supposedly "good" team beating vastly inferior opponents.

And oh what a long season it is going to be in NFL land. The depleted but very neon green Seahawks dropped their game vs. Chicago. The Bears are not that good, and the Hawks are apparently worse. That anticipated NFC West champion season is looking more and more like a 7-9 or 6-10 type of year.

Of Football, Fans, the Flag and a Guy Named Tits

On Sunday, several buddies and I went to the Seattle Seahawks NFL football game in downtown Seattle. The team is horrible, played pathetically and predictably lost - moving their record to a depressing 2 wins, 8 losses.

However, there was much more going on than just a football game - both around me in the stands and in my own toughts. The game experience really turned into an interesting venue to observe and reflect. Here are a few things that really struck me:

The Flag and the National Anthem

For the first time in a long, long time...participating in the national anthem and all of the patriotic ceremony that goes with that felt really good. With our recent selection for President and the attendant move for change that the majority of Americans voted for, I felt more proud of being a U.S. citizen than I have in quite a while.

I realize that the flag is just a piece of cloth, but it is a symbol...a symbol upon which others around the world and especially U.S. citizens project their notions of what America is. While there are some basics that never change, certainly different eras and circumstances can bring different and sometimes negative feelings to be bound up in the image of the flag. On Sunday, surrounded by the roaring masses of 68,000 fellow citizens, for the first time in a long time my own notions of what the flag stands for...and therefore what our country stands for...were positive.

As it unfurled on the field and flew above the stadium, and as the anthem was sung, I felt that instead of standing for war, deficits, incompetence, big business, oil, pop culture trash, cronyism, ignorance, lobbyists, etc., the flag in my mind stood for hope, change, strength to overcome, a new chance, rebuilding and the unifying power of new possibilities.

The Fans

All I can say is...this ain't baseball. In fact, it isn't college football, the NBA, golf or soccer. No, this is the NFL and fans of NFL teams are a different breed. An NFL game seems to be a place where people can let it all hang out. Every football Sunday is both Halloween and a keg party in which the participants basically freak out for 3-4 hours.

The majority of fans (say, 70%) were, by my estimation, working class, in the 30-50 range in age, white, male, sporting a nicely rounded gut and wearing some form of a Seahawks jersey. These fans are rough around the edges, don't care and will tell you so if you don't like it. And that's here in friendly Seattle. Imagine what fans must be like in Philly or New York. The thing that struck me most was that these people not only were passionate about the Seahawks and the NFL, they seemed to need it, crave it, desire it as an outlet. Amongst that demographic, perhaps in these trying times it all means that much more.

Below (picture taken by Sean Haugen) is one guy who sat right in front of us. He was great...really into the game, boisterous and dressed for the occasion.

Another nearby fan we called "Angry Man." He was white-hot pissed off at all times and screaming...just SCREAMING...his displeasure at what was happening on the field. Funny thing is, unlike most of the other people around us, he looked like a normal middle aged guy.

There was another guy dressed up in pimp gear Yep, a long Seahawk coat and pants, fedora with a big feather plume, flashy tie and shoes and he was carrying a similarly dressed mini-pimp doll. And he was popular. You really can't do anything other than look at that and appreciate. Imagine a stadium filled with people who mostly were like these guys.

Sometimes you are just lucky

Earlier in the game we stopped off at a concession stand to get some beer, and upon returning to our row we set our beverages in the convenient cup holders in front of each of our respective seats.

At one point, the Seahawks actually did make a good play...a really good play. Fans all around us were jumping up and down, screaming and high-fiving. I was too. As the cheering mayhem proceeded, I noticed that all of a sudden my beer "exploded" - foaming over and spilling onto the pavement in front of me. I had no idea what had happened. My first thought was that someone threw something and it had miraculously (and unluckily) landed right in my beer. So, I was kinda mad. I felt around in the beer expecting to extract a golf ball or something, but instead pulled out...MY WEDDING RING!

Somehow, some way...for the first time in 11 years of marriage, my ring came off my finger. More amazing, it landed directly IN MY BEER. Imagine if it had pinged off to one side of the cup or simply flew into a different row. I would never have found it - ever. What are the odds that my ring would rocket off my finger in a moment of flailing around while cheering and would score a DIRECT HIT into my beer cup? Pretty amazing. Suffice it to say, I kept my fist mostly clinched the rest of the game so it didn't happen again. The Seahawks made things easier too by proceeding to stink the rest of the game so there was nothing more to cheer about. But in the end, the two big takeaways on this one are...never underestimate the usefulness of a glass of beer and sometimes you're just lucky.

Some nicknames are good, some are not

Nicknames can be great. I've known guys with monikers such like "Slimer," "Frog Legs" and even "Bean Pod." All were good guys, all fitting nicknames that they embraced. However, some nicknames are clearly NOT good. We became aware of one of them at the game.

A woman in front of us all of a sudden turned around, looked up into the stands and yelled, "Hey tits!!!" Then she waved. When a couple of us laughed, she just said, "Oh, that's my friend up there. His nickname is Tits." Really? A guy? With that nickname? She assured us it was true and that her friend liked it. No more explanation as to how this poor soul got the name or anything. She yelled at him a few more times during the game. "Hey Tits!!!" I felt sorry for the guy...and wondered just what he had to have done - or look like - to get that unfortunate nickname.

So there you go

Renewed patriotism, social observations, bizare nicknames, blind luck and the unlimited value of a full cup of beer - all things I learned during one NFL football game.