Taint by numbers

 

Despite last week's reference to the Zapruder film, the Cold, Hard Football Facts do not support conspiracy theories. NFL games are won and lost by the players on the field. Outcomes are not predetermined.

 

What can't be ignored, however, is the large impact that officials have on these games. By most accounts, Sunday's showdown between Pittsburgh and Seattle was tainted by some of the most questionable calls in Super Bowl history. In the aftermath of that travesty, we do the math on the zebras (including referee Bill Leavy, pictured here).

 

With a quick glance at the game stats, a disparity in penalties for the Super Bowl combatants is noticeable, though it may not seem glaring. The Seahawks were penalized seven times for 70 yards; the Steelers were penalized just three times for 20 yards. But a close look at the circumstances surrounding when the calls were made reveals much more than a 50-yard difference.

 

Not reflected in the penalty yardage are the positive plays that were called back. By comparing the actual yards lost (or AYL), we see how truly one-sided the officiating was in Super Bowl XL.

 

Here is a rundown of the seven accepted penalties on Seattle:

 

The situation: Facing a 3rd-and-6 at the Pittsburgh 41, Matt Hasselbeck completes an 18-yard pass to Darrell Jackson. 

 

The call: Offensive holding on Chris Gray negates the play and moves the Seahawks back 10 yards. 

 

The result: Instead of having a 1st-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 23, well within field goal range, the Seahawks can't convert the 3rd-and-16 and are forced to punt. 

 

The situation: Facing a 1st-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 16, Hasselbeck hits Jackson for a touchdown.

 

The call: Offensive pass interference on Jackson negates the play and moves the Seahawks back 10 yards. Replays show that the contact was minimal and that Jackson gained no advantage in reacting back to the ball.

 

The result: Instead of having a 7-0 lead, the Seahawks have to settle for a field goal. 

 

The situation: On the first play of the second quarter, Peter Warrick returns a punt 34 yards to the Pittsburgh 46.

 

The call: Offensive holding on Etric Pruitt negates 19 yards of the return and moves the Seahawks back another 10 yards. 

 

The result: Instead of having the ball in Pittsburgh territory, the Seahawks start the possession from their own 25-yard line and eventually have to punt. 

 

The situation: After Ben Roethlisberger's controversial touchdown run gives the Steelers a 7-3 lead, Maurice Morris returns the ensuing kickoff 16 yards.

 

The call: Offensive holding on Kevin Bentley is enforced at the end of the play, moving the Seahawks back 10 yards. 

 

The result: The Seahawks must start the two-minute drill at their own 27 rather than the 37, and their drive at the end of the first half results in a missed 54-yard field goal. 

 

The situation: Having closed to within 14-10 on their previous possession, the Seahawks face a 2nd-and-10 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

 

The call: A false start on Shaun Alexander moves the Seahawks back 5 yards. 

 

The result: A third-down completion to Mack Strong comes up two yards short, and the Seahawks are forced to punt.  

 

The situation: Facing a 1st-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 19, Hasselbeck completes an 18-yard pass to Jerramy Stevens.

 

The call: Offensive holding on Sean Locklear moves the Seahawks back 10 yards. Replays show that the call was dubious at best and that the blitzing linebacker who was allegedly held, Clark Haggans, was offside.  

 

The result: Instead of a 1st-and-goal at the 1 with four cracks at the go-ahead touchdown, the Seahawks are left with a 1st-and-20 at the 29. A subsequent Hasselbeck interception prevents them from scoring any points. 

 

The situation: Following that interception, Hasselbeck makes the tackle on Ike Taylor after a 24-yard return.

 

The call: A low block on Hasselbeck adds another 15 yards to the end of the play. Although the flag should have been picked up, since Hasselbeck was making a tackle instead of blocking, the penalty is still assessed. 

The result: Taking over at their own 44 rather than the 27, the Steelers are in better position to try a gadget play. After a first down, Antwaan Randle El runs a reverse and throws a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Hard, accounting for the final points in a 21-10 victory.

 

All told, the referees cost Seattle 141 yards. It would have been even more, but a 10-yard offensive holding call was declined by Pittsburgh.

 

Four of the seven penalties enforced against Seattle wiped out major gains of at least 16 yards. In all seven instances, the Seahawks weren't able to overcome the penalty. The lost yardage always either cost the team points or a chance to continue the drive.  

 

The Steelers, on the other hand, were penalized just three times the entire game. Two of them were 5-yard false starts on their first series. Over the course of the final 55 minutes of the game, the Steelers were flagged exactly once.

 

An offensive pass interference call on Heath Miller wiped out a 5-yard completion to Jerome Bettis with just under five minutes left in the second quarter. That penalty was the only one that negated a positive play for Pittsburgh, and it proved to be just a temporary setback. Two plays later, Roethlisberger completed a 37-yard pass to Ward to set up the first touchdown.

 

Pittsburgh had only 25 actual yards lost to penalty. Between the two teams, that's a difference in AYL of 116 yards.

 

The Steelers certainly deserve credit for making some big plays, but they faced much less adversity in the form of penalties. On three occasions in the fourth quarter alone, obvious infractions were missed. One was the aforementioned offside. Two plays later, linebacker Joey Porter made a textbook horse-collar tackle on Alexander. The third blown call came with just under five minutes remaining, when the play clock had clearly expired before Roethlisberger signaled for a timeout. No delay of game was enforced.

 

Interestingly, the crew that worked Super Bowl XL was woefully light on title-game experience. Five of the seven officials were making their Super Bowl debut. Referee Leavy did previously serve in Super Bowl XXXIV, but it was as a back judge.

 

To find the last time that a Super Bowl winner had fewer penalty yards than the mere 20 that Pittsburgh was assessed on Sunday, you'd have to go back 21 years. In that game, San Francisco beat Miami, 38-16, in Super Bowl XIX. The 49ers were only penalized twice for a total of ten yards.

 

Historically, it has been the underdogs who have caught a break with the officiating. The six least-penalized teams over the previous 20 Super Bowls were all underdogs of more than a touchdown. The favorites were victorious each time, winning by an average score of 38.3-17.6. Here is a breakdown of the penalties assessed to the winners and losers in those six games:

 

Super Bowl	Winner (Points)	Penalties	Loser (Points)	Penalties
XXIV	San Francisco (55)	4/38	Denver (10)	0/0
XXVIII	Dallas (30)	6/50	Buffalo (13)	1/10
XXIX	San Francisco  (49)	6/65	San Diego (26)	3/18
XXX	Dallas (27)	4/25	Pittsburgh (17)	2/15
XXXI	Green Bay (35)	3/41	New England (21)	2/22
XXXIII	Denver (34)	4/61	Atlanta (19)	0/0

Consciously or not, officials have been less likely to flag Super Bowl teams that already have a steep uphill climb. Yet on Sunday, it was the favored Steelers who got all the calls.