American Football

[Head Snake]

I found this article humorous. Enjoy - only for humor.

Taken from:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page...ge=gallo/060109

Please Kneel before Tom Brady

This column will start and end with the New England Patriots because it's the only respectful thing to do.

As you might have heard, Tom Brady claims the Patriots don't get enough respect. And I wholeheartedly agree. I mean, come on -- all the magazine covers, TV commercials, awards and constant media love the team has received over the past four years have been woefully inadequate.

That's why I want to share with you 12 simple steps I take each and every day to make sure I adequately show respect to Tom Brady and the Patriots. I hope you will incorporate them into your own daily schedule. (And it's 12 steps, of course, out of respect for Mr. Brady's uniform number.)

Twelve Ways You Can Better Respect Tom Brady and the Patriots

1. Genuflect whenever you say, read or hear the number 12. (That's four genuflections already this column. So do it. Do it! You don't want to disrespect Tom Brady, do you?! That's better.)

Tom Brady

All hail our hero, Tom Brady.

2. Refer to the current year as "Year 47," not 2006, as history did not truly begin until the Patriots organization was founded in 1960.

3. Take a life-size cardboard cutout of a New England Patriots player with you wherever you go. And be sure to include it in all of your conversations so it doesn't feel left out. It will speak back to you when you are worthy.

4. Shave clean every day. It is disrespectful of you to think you can pull off the sexy stubble look as well as Tom Brady.

5. After lovemaking, apologize to your partner for not being Tom Brady.

6. Boycott network television until every commercial features at least one member of the Patriots.

7. Petition the NFL to have all of Tom Brady's fumbles over his career stricken from the official league record book because of the tuck rule.

8. Never call it a "butt chin." It's a cleft chin. And know that gazing deep into Tom Brady's reveals the secrets of life.

9. Refuse to attend religious services until your local church/synagogue/mosque acknowledges the Patriots' playbook as a holy book on par with any other.

10. Have all of Bridget Moynahan's movies playing on a continuous loop on every television in your home. But never ever gawk or leer at her in a lustful manner. Tom Brady knows and sees all, and you will pay for such a transgression.

11. Every time you come across a baby goat, give it a long and passionate hug. Tom Brady would expect nothing less.

12. (Genuflect.) And finally, just to be safe, begin every sentence -- no matter what it's about -- with: "No disrespect to the Patriots intended, but …"

Headlines That Are Probably in Newspapers This Morning …

Pittsburgh: "Steel Curtain defense holds Carson Palmer to just one completion"

New York: "Distraught Tagliabue promises Giants 16 home games next season"

Tampa: "Laissez-faire upbringing likely to blame for Chris Simms' loss-clinching interception"

Seattle: "Seahawks shocked, overjoyed to escape first round"

Indianapolis: "Manning's miscues prove deadly in playoff loss … but it's not our Manning this time!"

Ten Things I Thought I Thought While Bathing in a Tub of Hot Coffee …

1. What an absolutely terrible break for Carson Palmer to go down like that. And I mean for me personally, because just last week I had retained him for next season in my fantasy football keeper league. Yes, yes -- it was also kind of bad for the Bengals, too. But at least they have a backup quarterback. I have nothing. And that's simply not fair.

2. After Bengals rookie receiver Chris Henry was told by the team's training staff Sunday that his injury would keep him out of the game, I wonder how long it took for him to ask someone: "So if we win and I end up being out for the rest of the season … uh, how do I ask this … does the league still test, you know, for drugs and stuff … like, for instance … marijuana, if you're on injured reserve? Not that it matters or anything. I'm just curious."

3. I am intrigued by all of the Eli Manning apologists saying: "Hey, don't forget, his brother Peyton lost his first playoff game, too." As though that's somehow supposed to make the guy feel better. It would make him feel better, perhaps, if Peyton's disappointing playoff debut had been followed by years of postseason dominance. But, if I remember correctly, that hasn't exactly happened. In fact -- and again, I might not be recalling this correctly -- but I believe Peyton has developed a bit of a reputation for the exact opposite of postseason dominance.

4. How many Giants players do you think were trying to persuade Lawrence Taylor to run from the sideline onto the field during the second half Sunday and take Eli out Theismann-style? I'll set the over-under at 12. (Genuflect.) And how much do you want to bet that Taylor came to the game only because he thought the Panthers' cheerleaders traveled with the team?

5. Regardless, if you're a Giants fan and a Madden Football gamer, you might want to look into purchasing a 60-inch HD plasma screen if you have any hope of seeing Eli's passing cone when Madden '07 comes out.

Jerome Bettis

Look at the big guy go!

6. Speaking of HD, that technology was made for moments such as the up-close, slow-motion replay of Jerome Bettis' 25-yard run down the right sideline in the fourth quarter yesterday. With regular TV, you could see his stomach fat jiggling. But in HD, you could actually see each fiber of his jersey screaming out and begging for mercy. It was stunning.

7. You have to wonder whether Pittsburgh's game plan prep for the Colts will be hurt by assistants Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt interviewing this week for some open head coaching jobs. And you also have to wonder why any teams are even considering the clean-shaven Whisenhunt when Grimm already has the requisite head coach porn 'stache.

8. Fantastic new commercial for the NFL Network, the one about "getting your story straight" for the playoffs in which a fan in the preseason says: "Man, that Drew Rosenhaus … that guy knows how to manage his athletes." I can only hope that commercial aired while Terrell Owens and Rosenhaus were watching a game together this weekend. It would have been the greatest awkward silence of all time -- broken finally after a few minutes by Rosenhaus' screams from Owens beating him to death with his cell phone.

9. In all seriousness, I don't actually think Tom Brady believes the Patriots aren't respected. He's not stupid. But he uses the "no respect" line all the time because it still -- somehow -- fires up his teammates. Which makes me wonder -- if the Patriots actually believe they aren't respected by the media, they might be the dumbest collection of human beings known to man. Good football players, yes. But quite lacking in the intelligence and awareness department. That said, I might even root for them to win another ring because I know how important shiny, sparkly things are to those with lower IQs.

10. Just because I feel as though it has been a bit too long since I paid my respects: 12. (Genuflect.)

Divisional Round Previews …

Last week in this space, I not only predicted the winners of all four wild-card games correctly but nailed each of them against the spread. So, I thought I might as well try to luck out again.

Washington at Seattle

The Seahawks go up early, 17-3, and can extend their lead with a fourth-and-1 on the final play of the first half, but Shaun Alexander is stopped short of the goal line by a huge Sean Taylor loogie. Joe Gibbs' halftime decision to turn play-calling duties over to Coach Janky Spanky gets Washington's offense rolling again in the second half, but it's too little, too late: Seattle 24, Washington 20.

New England at Denver

Before kickoff, Tom Brady accuses God of disrespecting the Patriots by not adequately oxygenating the thin Denver air to the level New England has grown accustomed to. When the final gun sounds, the poor Patriots are disrespected yet again. By the scoreboard. Broncos 30, Patriots 20. (That's right, I'm sticking with the Patriots/disrespect stuff. Hey, it's no more lame than Tom Brady doing it.)

Pittsburgh at Indianapolis

On the Colts' second play from scrimmage, Steelers defensive lineman Kimo von Oelhoffen hits Peyton Manning flush across his left knee with a metal chair. The move backfires for Pittsburgh, however, as knocking Peyton Manning out of a playoff game is about the last thing an opponent should want to do. Bill Cowher's decision to go for an onside kick after every touchdown doesn't help Pittsburgh's cause either. Colts 30, Steelers 23.

Carolina at Chicago

In a contest between two evenly matched teams, the Bears have the advantage because their style is better suited to cold conditions. But more so because they can nestle deep within Kyle Orton's neck beard for warmth between series. Bears 17, Panthers 16.

And finally, God bless the New England Patriots.

DJ Gallo is a regular contributor to ESPN The Magazine, as well as the founder and sole writer of the award-winning sports satire site SportsPickle.com. He also contributes headlines to "The Onion."

[TokyoT]

Been away from Thaivisa for too long.

I am a Skins fan, and while the win against the Bucs was anything but pretty it is still a playoff win (something the Skins have been without for far too long – welcome back Mr. Gibbs).

Also something of note the Skins have aready beat Da’ Bears, and the Seahawks in regular season so there is certainly hope for the Skins - granted the regular season is not the playoffs, and both of those games were in DC and the playoff games all on the road for the Skins.

While I would prefer to play Da’ Bears (over the Seahawks) - Da’ Bears can wait until next week. Skins have given up far too many big rushing TD’s and Mr. Alexander is my main concern going into this weekend. Here’s hope’n for another big stand by the Skins defense and a trip to Chicago next weekend (I can still remember Darrell Greens TD punt return in the last Bears/Skins playoff game back in ’88).

In the AFC – It is hard to see anyone but Indy coming out alive - stranger things have happened. The AFC is a pretty good blend of teams winning on talent (Indy), on grit (Steelers) and on system (Denver, Pats). So for this weekend I have to go with Indy as they have more talent than the Steelers have grit (would like to see the Bus go out in different fashion), and the Pats over the Broncos as the Pats system is a proven winner and the team is about as healthy as they have been all year.

Hail to the Redskins.

[dekestone]

Also something of note the Skins have aready beat Da’ Bears, and the Seahawks in regular season so there is certainly hope for the Skins - granted the regular season is not the playoffs, and both of those games were in DC and the playoff games all on the road for the Skins.

Tokyo, my friend that was the first game of the season and the Bears were forced to start a QB who was just a few months out of college. And if I remember correctly the Bears were driving for a winning TD at the end of the game when he was intercepted. The Bears have come along way since then but of course so have the Skins. And yes I used basically the same argument to say the Bears would beat Carolina. (Although their reg season match up was much later in the season. ) Anyway Gibbs is certainly a coach to be reckoned with.

(I can still remember Darrell Greens TD punt return in the last Bears/Skins playoff game back in ’88).

Unfortunately so do I.

But you don't really want to get into a discussion of Bears-Skins history, do you? You don't want to go there!

[danbkk1]

TokyoT, You should be really concern with Alexandar. (He is an MVP afterall ) While the Seahawks don't have the best defense in the world, we will get several of our secondary back as well as a healthy WRs in Jackson and Engram (spelling?). and a 12th man or homefiled advantage. Plus this is probably the most important game for this franchise since 1984. For the Seahawks nation it does not get better than this.

[patsfangr]

And, TT, don't make the mistake of believing that the Colts are going to walk over the Patriots because they beat them earlier in the season. See my earlier comments in this thread about that.

The Threepeat for my Patriots is very much alive!

[Head Snake]

[TokyoT]

I knew I was opening the box by mentioning the regular season games – and as the spread shows the earlier win by the Skins (in Washington) has little to do with the outcome of the playoff game.

Believe me I was glad to have’em back in the playoff’s, and I am ecstatic about the win. But anyone (fan or player) who says they are satisfied at just making the playoffs or just making it as far as they did is either lying or kidding themselves. Things change to fast in the NFL these days and it is too hard to tell what will happen next year. This season, this weekends games are what matter now, and in the NFL there is really only one winning team, and that is the Superbowl winner.

dekestone – I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves in discussing a Bears / Skins match-up. As both teams need to take care of business this weekend first. With Grossman as QB the Bears are certainly a better team.

danbbk1 – Mr. Alexander is my main concern going into this week-end. The Skins were able to hold him under 100 yds (just barely – 98 yds), in the last meeting. But this game is in Seattle not DC so the task will prove to be more difficult this time around. For any of that to matter the Skins offense needs to show up this weekend – they should be well rested after the lack of work they put in last weekend.

patsfangr – Pats / Colts - each of these guys have to take care of business this weekend first. I do think the Pats have a good chance of beating Denver this weekend. I think both of these teams are strong “system” teams.

Year in and year out the Bronco’s have 1000 yrd rushers – not so much because of the talented backs, but because of the running scheme they utilize. Look at the strength of the defensive line this year (bunch of Browns rejects), why are they better this year in Denver than they were last year in Cleveland – the system (which allows for a significant rotation of players keeping them fresher throughout the game).

Year in and year out the Pats have won with different guys in key positions – proving it is more the system (and coaching) than the individual players. Should be a good game.

Hail to the Redskins

Hail Victory

Braves on the Warpath

Fight for ol’ DC

[dekestone]

dekestone – I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves in discussing a Bears / Skins match-up. As both teams need to take care of business this weekend first.

Agreed TT, good luck to both of our teams. Despite Seattle's strong run I really feel the NFC is up for grabs and any of the four remaining teams could pull it off with a little luck, a turnover or two, and the right play at the right time.

Now I'm worried about the weather. They're predicting it will be mild -- 47deg. F on Sunday in Chicago. No Good!! We want it frigid and snowing when those southern teams come to town!

[patsfangr]

Great post on all issues, TT! I expect this to be an outstanding weekend of NFL football! None of the 4 games is a walkover. As we all know, any game could turn into a blowout. But, on paper, all 8 teams have a shot at winning this weekend. Let's hope it turns out to be great competition, with no serious injuries!

[patsfangr]

Now I'm worried about the weather. They're predicting it will be mild -- 47deg. F on Sunday in Chicago. No Good!! We want it frigid and snowing when those southern teams come to town!

I hear that, Deke!! My Pats haven't done too badly in the cold and snow!

[lomatopo]

UBC updates their schedules, now all four playoff games show:

15 Jan UBC SuperSport (Ch. 35)

04:30 National Football League 2005 037: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF : WASHINGTON @ SEATTLE (15-JAN-2006)

15 Jan ESPN (Ch. 39)

08:00 Nfl Playoffs Afc Divisional Playoff 06003 : DENVER BRONCOS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

16 Jan Star Sport (Ch. 40)

01:00 Indianapolis Colts Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 06004 : PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

16 Jan UBC SuperSport (Ch. 35)

04:30 National Football League 2005 038: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF : CAROLINA @ CHICAGO (16-JAN-2006)

I don't think Denver has lost at home this season? And the altitude has got be a bit of a benefit for the Broncos? As a Pats fan I'm a little concerned.

[patsfangr]

I don't think Denver has lost at home this season? And the altitude has got be a bit of a benefit for the Broncos? As a Pats fan I'm a little concerned.

Any fan of any team playing this weekend who isn't "concerned" about the game is either foolish, stupid, or both. These 8 remaining teams are all very good. It's impossible to predict with certainty which 4 will survive the weekend, and move on to the Conference Championships.

However, Patriots fans can be confident that our team will be well prepared, and well coached during the game. We can be confident that the players believe in themeselves, and in their coach. We can be confident that they recognize the talent of their opponent, and will be focussed for this game. We can be confident that weather conditions, should they be poor, will not have any more of a negative affect on them than on their opponent. Most importantly, we can be confident that they will give maximum effort throughout the game.

That's all we can ask. Let the best team win, without being helped by bad officiating, injuries, or a lucky bounce of the ball.

[fotog]

Hi, I was searching the web and I found this message board. I hope you can help a fellow football fan.

I’m looking for a sports bar in Bangkok that shows the September 19th Monday Night Football game (September 20th in Thailand). I know it’s at 8 am in the morning, but maybe some dedicated sports bar will show it? Do any of you know about such a place?

Thanks!

Did you ever receive any information as per your question? I would also like to know what sports bars show the NFL playoff games this weekend and what times they are broadcast.

I have satellite TV and it is just about next to worthless as far as I am concerned.

[email protected]

[fotog]

UBC updates their schedules, now all four playoff games show:

15 Jan UBC SuperSport (Ch. 35)

04:30 National Football League 2005 037: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF : WASHINGTON @ SEATTLE (15-JAN-2006)

15 Jan ESPN (Ch. 39)

08:00 Nfl Playoffs Afc Divisional Playoff 06003 : DENVER BRONCOS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

16 Jan Star Sport (Ch. 40)

01:00 Indianapolis Colts Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 06004 : PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

16 Jan UBC SuperSport (Ch. 35)

04:30 National Football League 2005 038: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF : CAROLINA @ CHICAGO (16-JAN-2006)

I don't think Denver has lost at home this season? And the altitude has got be a bit of a benefit for the Broncos? As a Pats fan I'm a little concerned.

Thanks for posting this schedule.

Do you know of any sports bars that will show the NFL playoff games and what times they are broadcast? I doubt any are open at 0430.

[Head Snake]

The Football playoffs always get me worked up. Its good and its bad. I want the game to be on now but I don't want it to end. I don't want my team to lose. Here's to all the fans

And, I hope my team can do this tomorrow.

[dekestone]

The Football playoffs always get me worked up. Its good and its bad. I want the game to be on now but I don't want it to end. I don't want my team to lose. Here's to all the fans

And, I hope my team can do this tomorrow.

I hear ya Head. This week and next week are the best games of the year. Always, always better than the Super Bowl.

[danbkk1]

6 hours away from the seahawks and Redskins game, I'm all cited up already.

[doninusa]

as for the question of getting american football games in thailand. have a relative hookup a slingbox. that is a device that can be purchased for 250 dollars in the us. they can hook it up to a computer and their extra cable or dvr. then you can access it from thailand on your computer. if you have high speed that is. you can control the cable/dvr from thailand and watch the games that way. I have a friend that cant miss college football and usually sets his up when he visits the inlaws. as long as the speed is 512 or above, picture is okay. 1 meg or higher and it looks great.

good luck

ps here is the website http://www.slingmedia.com/

[TokyoT]

Congratulations Seahawks!

The Skins tried to make it a little interesting with the quick score, and fumble recovery on the ensuing kick-off. Another poor showing by the Skins offense was too much this week-end.

Good showing by the Seahawks on both sides of the ball, even with Alexander missing most of the game. Here’s hoping he is good to go next week.

[Head Snake]

I met a professional golfer in Jakarta yeasterday. After discussing the game, he bet me $100 the Pats would win. i asked 3 times" Are you sure you want to do this?" He said yes.

Its like I knew I was taking candy from a baby. If I am wrong, I will be shocked. $100 will be the least of my worries if my team loses.

Anyways, he is married to a beautiful woman. He introduced me to her sister. WOW!!!!

Saya Jatuh cinta!!!

GO Broncos!!!

[danbkk1]

Thank you,TokyoT The Seahawks special team sucks big time today. We were very lucky to get W today. I doubt that we will go very far even with homefield if a special team plays like this today On the other a Win is a Win is a Win, I'll take it anyway it comes. Good bye the 20 odd years curses THE SEAHAWKS WON A PLAYOFF GAME!!!!

[patsfangr]

I can recall many years since the Patriots were created in 1960 when I've seen them lose in the post season. Going into this pre-season I thought that it would hurt less than it had in previous situations, but, as with all emotional situations, I wasn't sure.

Well, the fact is that it does hurt less. Our team has won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls. They are already proven to be a great team. Added to that is the fact that I am confident that this was not one of those "this is our only shot" situations. We still have a great coach, a great QB, and many other great players on this team. Next year, if the injury bug doesn't feast on us quite so heartily, we have every chance to be right back in the Super Bowl hunt.

So, yes, it hurts to see our season end. But it is a much more tolerable pain than it has been in similar situations in previous years.

The Broncos played nearly error free football tonight. That wins football games. Congratulations to them. Had the game been decided by 4 points or less, yes, I would have bitched forever about that horrible PI call on Samuel. As it turned out, that call was definitely not the reason why it ended as it did. Denver won it. They deserved to win it. We lost it because, for the first time in the Belichick era, we played poorly in a post season game.

I'm still here. I'll be here to see what BB and Pioli does in the off-season. I'll be here to watch us pursue our 4th Super Bowl win in 6 years next season.

[Padkapow Guy]

Steelers beat the colts like a rented mule!

It's time to hop on the Bus!

next stop Denver

Edited January 16, 2006 by Padkapow Guy

[Padkapow Guy]

The Ref's tried to give the game to the Colts.This one could have cost the Steelers the playoffs. I hope that they review these bad calls and get different ref's for the rest of the games. It wasn't just the Steeler game either,. There seems to be a rash of bad calls lately. Here is an article on the bad call.

WHAT'S THE CATCH?: On first-and-10 from the Indianapolis 44 with 5:33 left, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw to tight end Bryan Fletcher near midfield. Troy Polamalu stepped in front, caught the ball, tumbled with it in his hands and lost it when got up to run. The Colts challenged the play, which was reversed by referee Pete Morelli even though it appeared Polamalu had possession.

Manning then drove the Colts for a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to make it 21-18.

Morelli said: "I had the defender catching the ball. Before he got up, he hit it with his leg with his other leg still on the ground. Therefore, he did not complete the catch. And then he lost the ball. It came out, and so we made the play an incomplete pass."

Morelli needs to go back to referee school.

[patsfangr]

The Ref's tried to give the game to the Colts.This one could have cost the Steelers the playoffs. I hope that they review these bad calls and get different ref's for the rest of the games. It wasn't just the Steeler game either,. There seems to be a rash of bad calls lately. Here is an article on the bad call.

WHAT'S THE CATCH?: On first-and-10 from the Indianapolis 44 with 5:33 left, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw to tight end Bryan Fletcher near midfield. Troy Polamalu stepped in front, caught the ball, tumbled with it in his hands and lost it when got up to run. The Colts challenged the play, which was reversed by referee Pete Morelli even though it appeared Polamalu had possession.

Manning then drove the Colts for a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to make it 21-18.

Morelli said: "I had the defender catching the ball. Before he got up, he hit it with his leg with his other leg still on the ground. Therefore, he did not complete the catch. And then he lost the ball. It came out, and so we made the play an incomplete pass."

Morelli needs to go back to referee school.

You are so right, PKG. That was a terrible call, as was the Pass Interference call against my Patriots that gave the Broncos their first TD. That one should have been OFFENSIVE Pass Interference! And, as you said, there were several other bad calls throughout the weekend. This was the worst officiating I've seen in playoff games in years.

[Padkapow Guy]

Here is a better article that I got off of Fox Sports

Let's see, two home teams won and two road teams won. Two favorites prevailed; two underdogs won outright. After a week in which all four quarterbacks making their first playoffs start lost, three of four victorious QBs had less playoff experience than the losing QB. Still, Jake Delhomme — who improved to 5-1 in the postseason — kept it from being the theme of the weekend.

But there was one overarching theme: the officiating was almost uniformly atrocious.

It started out okay in the Seahawks-Redskins game, but it was all downhill from there. The series of awful calls reached its pinnacle in the Steelers-Colts game and almost cost the Black and Gold a much-deserved win.

With 5:26 remaining and Pittsburgh leading 21-10, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu made a diving interception of an ill-advised Peyton Manning pass. Polamalu clearly snared the ball, kept his arm under it as he landed on the ground and rolled over one full revolution before attempting to get to his feet. As he stood up, Polamalu dislodged the ball from his arm with his own knee, but he quickly fell on it and covered up, setting off a celebration on the Steelers sideline.

For the second week in a row, it appeared Polamalu had delivered the knockout blow. CBS analyst Dan Dierdorf insisted the Colts had to challenge the play, which the 12 guys I was watching with — upon seeing repeated replays — all agreed would be a waste of a precious timeout.

When referee Pete Morelli emerged from under the hood and explained that Polamalu still had one knee on the ground when he lost the ball and, therefore, hadn't completed the catch, we were more puzzled than ever. Huh? By this explanation, it would have been an incomplete pass even if Polamalu had rolled over 30 times before losing the ball. And, by this logic, the pass would have been incomplete even if Polamalu stayed on his back untouched for 30 seconds and then lost the ball upon trying to get up.

While this was certainly the most bizarre call and explanation of the playoffs — redefining what we've spent our whole lives thinking of as a catch — it wasn't the only terrible officiating in the game. Not by a long shot.

Minutes earlier, the stripes had one of their more embarrassing moments of the weekend. On a critical 4th-and-1 play, they all managed to miss Steelers guard Alan Faneca's flinch that drew the Colts into the neutral zone. (This is ironic given that earlier in the game they had whistled Colt tackle Tarik Glenn for a false start for what looked like an exhale.)

Whistles blew, arms waved as fans everywhere waited to see if the Colts had jumped or been drawn off. The officials huddled. And, after a short discussion, they simply declared a do-over. What? Yep, they called nothing. This, of course, was not one of their options. They just made it up. In that instance, you can call the offense for a false start, call the defense for encroachment or swallow your whistle, throw the flag for offsides and allow the offense a free play. You can not run in waving your arms and call nothing. That option does not appear in the NFL rulebook.

As Mike Vanderjagt was lining up for his game-tying field goal in the final seconds, most Steelers fans were probably still steaming about the indefensible reversal on Polamalu's interception. Between their rage at that call and their horror at Jerome Bettis' goal-line fumble, they may have forgotten an earlier officiating gaffe that had no doubt cost the Steelers points.

In the second quarter, with the Steelers already leading 14-0, Ben Roethlisberger underthrew a deep ball to Cedrick Wilson. Wilson turned back for the ball and slowed up. The Colts defender didn't turn back for the ball and didn't slow up, steamrolling Wilson before the ball got there. It's one of the easiest pass interference calls in football. First-and-10 inside the 20, right? Nope. No flag. Fourth down.

This was particularly galling for Patriots fans, who just one night earlier had seen their team's fortunes turn on the worst pass interference call in the NFL playoffs since Benny Barnes was flagged in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XIII.

The Pats led 3-0 when Jake Plummer threw deep from the New England 40 for Ashley Lelie. Asante Samuel, who had already picked off Plummer, was running stride for stride with Lelie. He turned his head back as he ran and maintained perfect position. As the ball came down, Lelie put his right hand on Samuel's shoulder pad and tugged, pulling the smaller defender into him. Still, Samuel kept his feet as the ball landed harmlessly in the end zone seven yards beyond the players. The official right on top of the play correctly called nothing.

A thousand one.

A thousand two.

A thousand three.

Asante Samuel was on the wrong end of one of the worst calls in playoff history. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

And then from out of nowhere a flag flies into the frame. The officials confer and one seems to be trying to talk the other out of making a terrible mistake. But, alas, he can't. The yellow has been thrown — obviously in error — and instead of rectifying the mistake, the officials basically award the Broncos the game's first touchdown by giving them first-and-goal at the one.

From where the flag came from, I assumed it was thrown by the back judge, a suspicion confirmed by CBS analyst Phil Simms. So I would like to ask Greg Sneed what he saw or thought he saw that would make him so confident in his call that he would be willing to give a team seven points in a 3-0 game. Why, Greg Sneed, why?

And if you were so confident in your call, Greg Sneed, what took you so long to throw the flag?

Now Greg Sneed was allowed to wriggle off the hook by the unprecedented implosion of Patriot ol' reliables Kevin Faulk, Troy Brown, Adam Vinatieri and, yes, Tom Brady. But Greg Sneed still has some explaining to do. (If for some reason, it was not back judge Greg Sneed who made that awful call, please e-mail me so I can vilify the proper incompetent official.)

Greg Sneed, referee Jeff Triplette — the man who nearly blinded Orlando Brown — and all five members of their crew then missed a false start by George Foster on Jason Elam's 50-yard field goal that barely cleared the crossbar. So, yes, the Broncos' first 10 points all game gift-wrapped by a dreadful officiating crew.

Later, Champ Bailey would be popped by Benjamin Watson on an interception return and fumble inside the one-yard line. The officials — no doubt winded by the length of the field sprint — ruled that Bailey's fumble had gone straight sideways and awarded the Broncos the ball at the spot of the fumble. But that's not what happened. The ball appeared to go forward, ending up out of bounds several yards beyond the goal line. Up in the booth, Simms had it right. Triplette, Simms said, needed to trace a line from where the ball landed out of bounds back to where the ball had left Bailey's hands. Had he done this, he would have discovered that it simply had to cross the goal-line either inside the pylon or directly over the pylon. Both would have resulted in a touchback and New England's ball at the 20. But I guess Triplette had his own magic bullet theory where the ball followed an L-shaped path — around the outside of the pylon — before landing. The non-reversal made it 17 points wrongly awarded to the Broncos by poor officiating.

The bad calls picked right up in the first game Sunday, but didn't stop once the Steelers had beaten the Colts.

On the second play of the Bears-Panthers game, Steve Smith caught a 58-touchdown pass. But not before the stripes had blown their first call. Chicago corner Charles Tillman had stumbled as Smith began to roar by him and Smith momentarily ran up his back. The contact was clearly incidental, but in came the illegal contact flag, which the Panthers obviously declined.

In the third quarter, the officials awarded the Bears a touchdown even though the ball had clearly been fumbled by Thomas Jones around the 1-yard-line, sailed through the air and conked the pylon all on its own. It was an obvious touchback. Ruling on the field? TD!

The Panthers challenged and the call was easily overturned (though a facemask penalty on the play allowed the Bears to keep the ball).

But there was one last officiating gaffe to come on this dark weekend.

The Bears were facing a critical third down as they drove for a potential tying score with less than three minutes to play. Rex Grossman shouted the cadence as the play clock wound down. Three ... two ... one ... zero.

Thousand one.

Thousand two.

The Bears clearly had failed to get the play off, but in a couple of seconds the officiating oversight that would have seemed to have helped the Bears, sank them. Grossman threw an interception on the play. (Had he thrown a TD and Chicago converted the two-pointer, this officiating mistake may have overshadowed the Polamalu debacle.)

And thus concluded one of the more embarrassing chapters in NFL history. As television replay technology has improved, it has exposed the sad truth that the game just moves too fast for those seven overmatched officials on the field.

PKG

[danbkk1]

C'mon people more action on this thread please Any update on Superbowl party yet! As for the Seahawks special team, there may be hope yet as Jimmy the fumble Williams is not the punt reternner anymore.

[dekestone]

Had to travel to Hat Yai last Sunday and stayed in a hotel that didn't get Supersport (or for that matter ESPN or Star Sports) so I mercifully missed the Bears loss. The Chicago newspapers were irate, but I figured they just lost to a better team and could not find a way to stop Smith.

For what it's worth ... I think Carolina will beat Seattle and Denver will top Pittsburgh... Unfortunately I won't be able to see the games cause I'm still up country. Hopefully I will get to see the Superbowl...

[lingyai]

I am assuming the Seahawks game will be on ESPN right?

Can the Seahawks actually make it to the superbowl...one almost dares not entertain the possibility as they are a Seattle team...

Any prediction out there on this game or on the Steelers vs Broncos?

[Wes Turner]

There's ESPN to cover all your needs, basketball, NFL, hockey, you name it.

I forget how much it is to install but I always go to a bar.