Even the Steelers’ quarterback doesn’t think that was a touchdown.

For all you Steelers fans who have emailed me to insist that your quarterback did score that touchdown, guess who agrees with me?

Your quarterback.

I stand by my statement. The Seahawks lost because the refs decided they would lose, not because the Steelers won.

Elsewhere:

Miami Herald:

But make no mistake about Super Bowl XL, the performance of referee Bill Leavy and his crew overshadowed Pittsburgh’s heroics and Seattle’s blunders.

The Seahawks justifiably can complain that Sunday’s one-sided officiating disrupted their offensive rhythm and undermined their focus. The officiating had to creep inside their head.
And NFL fans need to acknowledge that there’s something terribly wrong with professional football. This year’s playoffs were horrible. Sunday’s Super Bowl stands as an appropriate symbol of the 2006 playoffs_boring and poorly officiated.

We are too technologically advanced, and the NFL is overrun with too much money to put up with the kind of officiating errors that are ruining the pro game.

Oregon Daily Emerald

As I sat in front of the television Sunday to watch the Super Bowl, I had difficulty deciding what was more disappointing by game’s end: the commercials or the officiating.
Unlike most Northwesterners, I tuned in Sunday with a neutral eye. Steelers or Seahawks, I could care less. But, whether you were pulling for the Northwest or the Northeast, the one-sided officiating was obvious.

Now, I’m not usually one to point blame at officials. I know blown calls happen during games, usually in favor of and against both teams.

Such was not the case in Super Bowl XL. Seattle has every right to claim conspiracy.

Obviously, the Seahawks flat-out did not make enough plays to win. It has been said many times that winners win, players make plays and losers usually do what Seattle did Sunday: cry foul.

But, I think they’re on to something here.

Take nothing away from the Steelers. They are a great team and deserve the trophy as much as anyone. But it must have been difficult for Seattle to overcome a fourth-quarter holding penalty that negated an 18-yard pass to the Pittsburgh one-yard line with Seattle down only four points. Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted later on the drive after the penalty and, to add insult to injury, was called for an illegal low block, which added 15 yards for Pittsburgh’s offense.

The “low block” was actually a legal tackle. Three plays later the Steelers scored on their third big play of the night to take a 21-10 lead.

This blown call came after a late flag in the endzone on Seattle’s Darrell Jackson after Jackson caught a touchdown in the first quarter. The call — offensive pass interference — wiped the touchdown off the board and the Seahawks were forced to settle for three points.