Finally a great comment from a Steelers fan. It takes a woman to make you all look like non Neanderthals. BTW, my brother is a Steelers fan and has been for years. And he sat in a room with 12 people going for the Cards and he wasnt a dick about the ribbing he was getting. He did throw some back but at least he had class. There are a couple of you out there. Julie-415147, thanks for not being like El Diablo, fisherman144, or Craymorr2003.

Running into the place kicker was a penalty. Again who is questioning it? Are you believing that every call against the cardinals are being questioned? I am not questioning any call against the Steelers. Answer some of the calls that you heard me bring up. The non-call clip, the late hit on Ben, the face mask (it did happen but the Steeler also was face masking the cardinal at the same time, same players). The Steelers won and they deserve it. The Steelers had more breaks and luck on their side. The Cardinals had no breaks and luck and still was tasting the victory. The Cardinals defense looked better then the #1 Steeler defense in the second half and the Cardinals by far are more offensively superior. The Steelers carried all their breaks and did it when they had to. After this game you cannot say if they played this game again that the Steelers would win. The biggest break the Steelers got was when they scored with only 35 seconds left. We know what would of happened if there were 2 minutes left don't we? Yes, I am sour grapes but I was not this upset except when I watched the overtime game of the Chargers and Colts. The officials gave that game to the Chargers with all its bogus calls. You can almost always find a penalty on someone every play. It is up to the referees to not make the outcome determined by calls. If the penalty had an effect on the play, you call it.

You get your facts straight. The ball was downed on the 1 yard line on the punt. The penalty moved it back a half yard. What game were you watching.

Nobody cares about the fumble at the end of the game. The game was over at that time. What kind of remark was that "3 defensive backs couldn't stop the winning TD to Holmes". You want to go there. I believe I seen 3 steeler defensive backs running behind Fitzgerald fro 64 yards. Which won got burned more? Holmes catch was more costly but that was a great pass and catch. Nothing you can do about that. He caught that at his highest leap and barely got his feet in. Great catch. He should of made the identical catch the play before when it went through his hands.

2cocl2duel - JonPeter didn't say a word about the punt/Harrison penalty. He's talking about the safety and the holding call at the beginning of the Steelers' last drive.

I know you're upset, but try to keep up. 95% of what you're saying is total BS and you're telling someone else to get their facts straight? I know the Cardinals haven't had much success, therefore you haven't had much practice losing emotionally charged games, but just FYI - wildly blaming everyone under the sun besides your own team's players isn't the way to lose gracefully.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for Warner, Fitzgerald, Wiz, and the other members of the Cardinals organization that played with class and grace, and took the loss the same way. The mayor of Phoenix, the Cardinals that couldn't play a clean game, and some of their fans are really taking away from the fact that they had a hell of a season and gave the Steelers, the most successful franchise in NFL history and a perennial playoff team, a hell of a nailbiter.

Your team gave you a great season. Be grateful for that instead of cheapening it.

Jimmy brown, you are absolutely correct.

quite contrary. Both teams played great. Neither team lost it. Pittsburg won it. The referees should of played less of a role in the outcome. If you are calling it sloppy because of the calls, then call it a sloppy refereeing job. Because both teams performed well. All the key players played great.

Of course it wasn't impossible, when you got the zebras on your side, anything goes, like Harrison's smack down on the Arizona punter, that's great, pummel someone half your size when they're down, then let em get up, just so you can floor em again. Yeah Steelers, thats great. Harrison you're a pig!

Actually I knew the Steelers had plenty of time. Too bad for the cardinals that they didn't get the ball back with more time or if they would of taken a little more time off the clock on their last drive. The Cardinals did the same thing when they played Philadelpia. They had the big lead and then they lost it in the fourth quarter and Warner brought them down for a crucial game winning TD. Good teams do that. That is what makes a great game when both teams can taste the victory. Both teams could of won this game. That is how close it was. Kind of like a basketball game with 5 seconds left and your up by 2. The other team shoots the 3 pointer, does it go in or does it bounce off the rim. Steelers, it was a swish. During that last play both teams could taste the victory.

it was such an awesome touchdown by fitzgerald but we scored too fast, which is ironic

Steelers won the game. I watched a lot of the Playoff games, not just the ones the Cardinals were in and I thought it was done fairly. Only time you will question calls is when they determine an outcome of a game. Besides this game, the Colts and Chargers overtime game I thought was very bad. Chargers were stopped 3 times in the scoring drive but a penalty kept it alive. How often do you see a defense with that many penalties. I don't want to take anything a way from the Steelers but when the calls are going your way, you don't think of them much. When the cardinals were called for 3 big penalties in one drive (40 yards) and that they were questionable. That means the referees are taking the outcome from the teams and putting it into theirs. If you noticed in my posts, I am not complaining about non-calls on the 100 INT return but you know and I know they could of called anything they wanted because you cannot have a 100 yard run with offensive players playing defense and defensive players on offense. I guarantee there were infractions. That is how you referee a game. You don't make a call if it has no effect on the play unless it is viscious. The late hit on Ben was not late. too crucial of a drive to call that. Ben did not get hurt, the hit was not hard and the hit was too close to call and it did not effect the play.

Why the name calling? We can bring up our opinions on certain calls and you can remark about it. I have made comments on the calls, why don't you talk on each one and give you case. Again, your Steeler and the announcers all said that they called the roughing penalty on the correct person. The replay also showed that. Answer me on the late hit to Ben call. Answer me on the face mask penalty. I agree that it happened but the Steeler had his hand on the Cardinals face mask also. You call it on both or don't call it. 3 big penalty calls on the drive. Just answer what you disagree on them.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the late hit out of bounds call.  Regarding the hit on Ben, I agree that that should not be a penalty, but, and this is important... that call has been made all year.  Every time a quarterback releases the ball, and the defender hits the QB after taking an additional step, it is called (The irony of this is that it often ISN"T called when it is Ben being hit.  Possibly due to his size and the perception that he can take such a hit, but that is just speculation.)  The reason the call was made in this case, if you go back and look again, was that after the defender hit Ben, he then extended his arms and finished it off with a shove.  That shove at the end was probably what brought out the flag.  I agree that that type of hit should not be called, but given that that is a call that is almost always made, then it deserved to have been made there.

The facemask?  That's simple.  A stiffarm to the face / faskmask IS allowed.  Grasping the mask isn't.

I agree with you. It was a great drive and it ended with a perfect pass, catch and getting the feet down. That last drive the Cardinals had many chances to end this game. Ben breaking away, running 3 different directions and then just heaving the ball for a reception I believe was the biggest play of the game. If Ben would of went down during that play, game over. This game went down to any one play. The 100 yard return by a big man was almost a miracle. That was a 14 to 10 point turnaround.

Do you have anything concrete to say to back up your outrageous assertations?

If the league really wanted the Steelers to win, then why did they begin the game winning drive by calling a penalty? Were the refs instructed to "Let them win, but make it interesting"?

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I agree. I know when your team loses you are biased but when all the questionable calls go against one team. You have to question it. 3 big yardage penalties called against the Steelers did not hurt them at all. One was on a Cardinals play that went for about 20 yards, so it was declined, another call was called on the Steelers when the Cardinals downed the punt on the 1 yard line. Resulting in a Half yard penalty. Another happened after the fumble. Game was over already. All the holding calls stopped the Cardinals in the first half. Pittsburg didn't stop the cardinals, it was the holding calls and the refs. I like it when I hear people say that they hold all the time. They do on both sides but they don't always call it if it does not effect the play. The Steelers were leading and the Refs were trying to put a nail in the coffin on that drive. There was nothing wrong with the Steelers winning drive. BUT what would they of said if there was a holding call on any of those critical plays at the end. Because there is always some holding going on. They easily could of found someone to call it on it they needed to call a penalty.

Diablo you should be thankful the refs picked the g.oddam steelers to win

Nobody CARES about the last play of the game. Why the names? You say " If you play well enough the refs won't matter". So you are saying that a holding penalty on Pittsburgs winning drive wouldn't of mattered? How about on the winning play? Ben had a lot of time back there, you don't think some holding was occurring then? Your statement only makes sense in a basketball game when one call shouldn't change an outcome because one basket can be made up. A touchdown is a little harder to make up in a close game.

Yeah the Steelers really kicked the Cards A@# didn't they? Wow what an Impressive defense. I have never seen a quarterback in a game like this one where Big Ben had about 15-20 seconds to run around all over the field and never get close to even being touched? Wow impressive offensive line never being called for holding? Kind of strange all season and post season the Cards had an avg of 40 something yards in penalties yet they were at a what 90 or 100 yards by the 4th quarter.

It's not whining b#tch it's the facts.

When you got the zebras covering your A$$ then yeah, way to not have any penalties at all Steelers. Hey KW your team is scum, just like the record ya'll have on your last two "titles" betcha any prize money you get you'll just put it towards the "lets buy off the Superbowl win again" fund. Harrison is a pig, Big Ben is over rated, and the refs were undeniably biased.

Hey Holding Expert read the comment above.

Amazing how Ben could run all over the field all night but the Cardinals were holding? Kurt Warner has been in the league for longer than most players and as a Quaterback and won a Superbowl. Really now "down and out in stretcher"

There is holding on both sides. That is what I am trying to say. When the cardinals were stopped on offensive, it was not Pittsburg that stopped them. It was a holding call. How many holding calls did Pittsburg get. When Ben is back there running around, I guarantee you they are holding. But I am not really talking about the mismatch in holding calls. When you team is on defense and you get personal fouls and 3 major ones in one drive, then you question it. Defense normally doesn't get called on much, except for maybe pass interference. Tell me, you think the late hit on Ben was late and do you think it should bo been called? Watch the film, you will see Kurt being hit with the same delay with no flags. It is like a basketball game. A game can be called very touchy or anything goes. But the fair thing to do is call it the same way for both teams. If you are going to call the Cardinals on those plays, then if the Steelers are doing the same thing, then call it. The problem is, we can see the same thing on both sides but only one side is being called. A referee can never be blamed for anything because it is a foul but how do you call on a referee why he didn't make the same call on the other team when they do it.

Was commenting on post by craymorr2003.

Craymorr2003:

You also cannot tell someone who's team has won that it didn't look fair. You are one of those that believe all games are refereed good. Your team beat the ravens during the season on a bad call at the end of the game. That call easily on replay showed what happened. Pittsburg benefitted from that bad call and the Ravens almost didn't make the playoffs because of a bad call. If the Ravens didn't make the playoffs, then they shouldn't complain about a call that determined the outcome. By the way, they did very well in the playoffs. It would of been a shame they didn't get in due to a bad call. In today's age, we have technology to prevent a lot of the bad calls but judgement calls are not replayable.

Ben could run all over the field because that's what he DOES. He's done it his whole career, and it has nothing to do with phantom holding calls. Jeeze Louise. Have any of you Cardinal fans watched football other than this past year?

2cocl2duel, you just proved you don't know what you're talking about/the rules of the game bringing up the TD against the Ravens. His feet were in bounds. No question. Now you're just grasping at straws and looking for conspiracy theories.

And you mean to say it "would have" not "would of". Grammar is your friend.

2cocl2duel

Great comments.

You forgot the big one on Harrison he should have been ejected. Even Al and John said so.

That was a pretty dirty play. Did you see him just keep pounding him. Every time he got up, he was punched. The Cardinal wasn't even antagonizing him. It was the biggest foul in the game and guess what penalty he got for it. A half yard penalty. Cardinals downed the ball on the 1 and the penalty moved it to the half yard line. Big deal. That is what I am trying to say. If that was on a third down play, they would of somehow missed it. The only reason they called it is because it doesn't hurt the Steelers. I never seen a team get so many breaks, calls and luck in one game. It was all one sided and still the cardinals almost won the game.

Well said.

Good comments. I do feel like many of the people complaining about the calls are getting out of hand.

It was clear watching the game that the Cardinals were not playing as smart as they could have been. They failed to stop the Steelers at many crucial moments, and made some unwise play calls.

The Steelers played a strong and focused game, and to put them down when they've worked hard all season, and in the Superbowl, is just wrong. Why diminish the accomplishment of these amazing players with petty accusations.

The winning team played a better game; it may not have been pretty or entirely organized, but it was a better game nonetheless.

The reason they converted was because of the penalty. If your O-Line hadn't been holding the D-Line back, then "Big Ben" woulda been lookin for his teeth.

Yeah, Luminator....because the Cardinals put so much pressure on Ben all night. lol

You're not doing the Cardials organization any favors by behaving like a petulant child because your team got outplayed and outclassed by a premier organization.

If the Cardinals are lucky enough to be able to continue winning, I hope you fans learn the rules of the game better than you've been exemplifying on this thread or you're in for a long "woe is us/every other team is cheating!" season next year.

Outclassed? You have GOT to be kidding.

No, I'm not kidding. The Cards couldn't keep their heads together, and got stupid personal foul/holding penalties as a result. With the exception of James Harrison, the Steelers did. The Cards had 78 yards to stop the winning drive and they couldn't. Outplayed, outclassed.