Letters to the Editor
Rob H.
Published Letters: 122 Editor's Choice: 30
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What about Holmgren?
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There's been a lot of back and forth on the officiating here, but not much discussion of what in God's name Holmgren was doing right before the half and at the end of the game. His time management was atrocious, and that's putting it mildly.
Putting aside all the time the Seahawks wasted at the end of the first half, at the end of the game they looked like a bunch of guys playing pickup. It was stunning to watch the incompetence on display at that moment.
The most rock-solid rule of football in that particular scenario is to give yourself a chance. Doesn't matter how far-fetched, just give yourself even the remotest of opportunity for the miracle. Especially at the Super Bowl. Homlgren stepped all over it. Kicked it away.
As Madden was pointing out even before time was clearly ticking away, get yourself the field goal first if the situation warrants (which it did) and then do the onside kick. Holmgren clearly should have done that but his team looked utterly, totally, and completely discombobulated on that last play. It was if it suddenly dawned on them and Holmgren that they had no time outs left. It was embarrassing.
A 42 yarder, indoors, should not have been difficult. The onside is certainly a long shot, but at least it's a shot. Holmgren gave them zero chance at the end. While the odds weren't great, at least there were odds. The way he played it, there were none at all.
And I've read two stories about how the night before the game, Holmgren wheeled in a huge stack of bills (the take for each winning player) to motivate his guys. Screw the pride. Screw the long-suffering fans. Screw the Gipper. Show them the money! Mind you, I know this business is about as crass as it gets, but that's just beyond the pale. If you've got to cart in a huge wad of cash to motivate your guys, you're doing something wrong, period, end of story.
Certainly Holmgren's work at the end of the half and end of the game were not defining moments, but they say a lot about his coaching. It was truly -- pun intended -- Bush-league.
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And Saddam and Bin Laden Were Buddies, Too!
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ya know... all these Seahawk fans can go on and on and on about bad officiating, but when they -- and even Holmgren and some of his players -- cross the line by saying that the game was essentially thrown to the Steelers, that's not only just plain wrong, it's the sign of some weak fans, some weak players and a weak coach.
I'm sorry, but any team that looks like the Seahawks did at the end of the half and then at the end of the game has absolutely zero right to start criticizing the refs. And not for nothing, but the refs weren't the ones who threw Hasselbeck's INT. The refs weren't the ones playing defense on Willie Parker's TD run. The refs weren't the ones giving up a first down on 3rd and 275. The refs weren't the ones who, knowing Cowher's penchant for calling trick plays, were totally duped by Randle-El's TD pass. The refs weren't the ones who missed two field goals. The refs weren't the ones punting the ball into the end zone four times. The refs weren't the league's supposed MVP who rushed for a meaningless 95 yards. The refs weren't the ones dropping key passes.
Another thing that really irritates me about many of these whiny complaints is the notion that somehow, the better team lost. I'll ask everyone here: which team has the best record in the NFL over the past two seasons? It's not the Seahawks, it's not the Patriots and it's not the Colts -- it's the Steelers. The Seahawks were 24-12. The Colts were 27-8. The Patriots were 28-9. The Steelers were... ahem... 31-7.
I'll be the first to admit that the Super Bowl win was not exactly pretty for the Steelers. They were definitely off their game and Ben looked awful at times. But at key moments, they were on their game. And it was enough. And it wasn't like they cakewalked into the Super Bowl. They beat the top three AFC seeds on the road. In fact, of their seven game winning streak before the Super Bowl, five of those seven were on the road. The Steelers deserve this title because they played amazing football to get there.
It seems everyone needs some kind of myth these days to sustain or justify their version of events. The one being built up around this game is a perfect example. "The refs stole the game," is just the latest version of "Saddam and Bin Laden were connected." Not that I would ever equate those two myths as equal in world importance, but I think it's interesting how vociferous the complaints are in this instance, and how people need to find any reason rather than just say, "we lost," or "we were wrong."
And I hate to mix my sports and politics for a second letter in a row, as this is a sports column, but really, if all you Seahawk fans in Blue Seattle truly want to get crazed about bad officiating, watch Alberto Gonzales dissemble in the Senate hearings in defense of Bush's domestic spying program. That's a real example of horrendous officiating -- one that counts a lot more than any football game.