Roethlisberger admits: 'I don't think I got in'

[Alicnwondrln]

Seattle fans will love this.

I like big ben, but i would have never admitted this. It only adds fuel to the fire about the officials not doing there job and im sure the NFL doesnt appreciate it.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5313884
ARTICLE BELOW

Before David Letterman got to shave Ben Roethlisberger's beard Monday night, he got the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning quarterback to admit a little something that might rankle Seahawks fans even more.

Roethlisberger told Letterman that he didn't think he scored on a controversial play in the second quarter that put the Steelers ahead for good 7-3. Roethlisberger dove toward the end zone but didn't appear to get the ball to touch the goal line. But officials on the field signaled touchdown.
"I told Coach, 'I don't think I got in,'" Roethlisberger told Letterman. "But we were getting ready to go for it on fourth down anyway, and I would have run it again. So we would have found a way to get in."

The play infuriated Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren and has provided Seattle fans plenty of fodder for their fury over the game's questionable calls.

Referee Bill Leavy upheld the call after a replay review, and Holmgren then upbraided Leavy on his way off the field at halftime.

Holmgren walked over to Leavy, a fifth-year referee calling his first Super Bowl, and could be seen angrily telling him, "It wasn't even close."


Host David Letterman (left) shaves Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger on the set of The Late Show with David Letterman. (AP Photo/CBS, J.P. Filo / Associated Press)

Later on his Late Show appearance, the Pittsburgh quarterback got a shave from Letterman, finally ridding himself of the scraggly light brown facial hair he's been growing since the Steelers lost to Cincinnati in October.

"I was so mad that we lost the game," Roethlisberger told Letterman. "I kind of went into a depression and didn't shave and we ended up winning the next game. And I am kind of superstitious — just a little bit to people who know me — but we won that game and I said I am just going to keep it going until we lose and we kept it going.

"I don't really like the beard you know. But we were winning so I had to keep it going."

Letterman's deadpan reply, "Really? Honestly, I think it looks like a million bucks."

Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, when the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 on Sunday night. He passed for 123 yards and ran for a touchdown.

"The worst part about winning the AFC championship game was that I had to keep (the beard) for two more weeks," he said. "I didn't want to do that."

After the interview, Letterman asked a woman from Pittsburgh who was in the audience to help him shave Roethlisberger.

"You want to take a little off?" Letterman asked the Steelers' fans.

 

[darrose]

Like I tell my kids during their soccer games. Its the ref. job to make the call, not yours. Eventually, they learned to take the bad calls and the good calls as part of a GAME (BTW, every soccer game they had seemed to have a bad call)
and became such good sports about the game they enjoyed.

 

[Hillbeans]

Holmgren is just sour grapes.

The Seahawks lost the game all on their own (missed FG, interceptions and penalties). The Steelers didn't play their "A" game, but even if you took away that touchdown, they still would have won. The Steelers would have converted a touchdown on 4th and goal anyways just as they did on every 4th and Goal they tried all regular season long.

 

[Microcell]

He may not have thought so, but I saw the replay like the refs did, and it broke the plane.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

He may not have thought so, but I saw the replay like the refs did, and it broke the plane.

I concur--it took a few times..but I didn't know that it only has to cross the very edge of white border lining the end zone.

We had it on a projector screen--and after they showed it a gazillion times--it definitely was over--just barely though.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

the point o f the post is that he doesnt think it did and is announcing it. It has nothing to do with the Holmgren. He is basically saying he doesnt think so and announcing it on david lettermen.
I hardly think the nfl wants more discussion on the issue.
Also since he was the one carrying the actual ball and said it didtn go in, I might tend to listen.

 

[KingsFanInRI]

he did NOT get in.

The Line Judge first ruled he was short and then decided he had gotten in and when the replay failed to show the ball (NOT where we all thought it was, but the ball itself was invisible) they had no choice but to uphold the call on the field.

The way the replay works is that you have to have irrefutable evidence of the call being wrong in order to overturn a call; a perfect example being when Hasslebeck fell and fumbled. Nobody saw him get touched, but replay dhowed definitively that he had been touched, so the call was corrected. At the goal line, you cannot see the ball so any evidence of where the ball is (like the position of the arm in which you know he is carrying the ball) is circumstantial and therefore not admissable.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I understand that--but his had was down and his arms were extended forward. While he was the one carrying the ball---he wasn't looking at the ball.

If only the tip needs to be in--then only the tip needs to be in. It was a split second--but it got over--then got pushed back and after he was on the ground he did the honorary-get it up front push so that it would be in the end zone. That may have been the only reason it was called a TD. I don't really know.

But just has much as he didn't think he got in--there are the athletes who catch a TD--but then go out of bounds so it doens't count and they insist they were in.

Just b/c they are holding the ball--doesn't make them omnipotent on it's precise location every second they are holding it. KWIM?


I don't agree with him saying it on Letterman. What was the point of that? Just b/c they always score on the 4th down. There is no way to prove they could have done so on Sunday. And he is disservicing his teammates and fellow Superbowl Champs by saying that type of thing.



Granted--not too up on my rules of football. I'll never understand the millisecond of plane crossing as counting and a catch (But not in control) ruled as not a touch down--when they held the ball longer than a millisecond. But that is just me.

 

[darrose]

Looked like the ball on the forward motion broke the plane to me.

 

[FreshTressa]

I live in Seattle and am a total Hawks fan...

And I saw it break the plane. It was good.

BUT...I bet if that same play had been done by the seahawks, it would not have been called good.

I think there was definite bias in the calls.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

Holmgren is just sour grapes.

The Seahawks lost the game all on their own (missed FG, interceptions and penalties). The Steelers didn't play their "A" game, but even if you took away that touchdown, they still would have won. The Steelers would have converted a touchdown on 4th and goal anyways just as they did on every 4th and Goal they tried all regular season long.

I have to respectfully disagree. The Seahawks didn't play their best game - but if all of the calls had been fair - and the calls made that should have been made on the Steelers - but weren't - the outcome would have been different. Look at the statistics from the first half - the Steelers were out played. Seattle lost momentum in the second half and I have to believe that the bad officiating had a lot to do with that.

But the game is history - hopefully there will be some changes made by the NFL to improve the quality of the officiating in the future.

 

[poohandwendy]

the point o f the post is that he doesnt think it did and is announcing it. It has nothing to do with the Holmgren. He is basically saying he doesnt think so and announcing it on david lettermen.
I hardly think the nfl wants more discussion on the issue.
Also since he was the one carrying the actual ball and said it didtn go in, I might tend to listen.

LOL, I would rather he tell the truth...sounds like he did. He didn't think it was in...he is not a ref and being in the play, he really couldn't see to tell if it was in.

Then again, like he said..."But we were getting ready to go for it on fourth down anyway, and I would have run it again. So we would have found a way to get in."

He is a great QB and they won the game, nuff said.

 

[poohandwendy]

I have to respectfully disagree. The Seahawks didn't play their best game - but if all of the calls had been fair - and the calls made that should have been made on the Steelers - but weren't - the outcome would have been different. Look at the statistics from the first half - the Steelers were out played. Seattle lost momentum in the second half and I have to believe that the bad officiating had a lot to do with that.

The first half does not determine the game. Actually, I take that back...the first half should have determined the game in this case because the Steelers gave so many opportunites to the Seahawks. If anything, the Seahawks went into the 2nd hallf in trouble because they should have monopolized on the situation and been WAY ahead. The better team clearly won, IMHO.

 

[FreshTressa]

When a game is being officiated badly, it can be very disheartening and make it hard to concentrate...It really affects the morale.

I think the evidence is in the fact that the seahawks are tied for the fewest number of penalties. It is not their style.

They should have let it make them angry, and played harder to overcome. Alas, that did not happen and they allowed themselves to be beaten.

 

[Planogirl]

Why in the world is this guy saying this? Like many have said, he couldn't really see where he was so why offer an opinion? This might just stir up those who keep saying that the game was rigged.

 

[PlutoPony]

Have heard several refs today laugh about his comments last night - bottom line is, players often DON'T have the best angle on a play they're in. How many times have you seen players vehemently protest a ref call for something like a dropped pass or fumble... so their coach believes them, throws a challenge flag and upon review it's obvious they really didn't catch the pass, stay in bounds or whatever. It's too bad there were so many controversial calls that went against the Seahawks but since Holmgren is a member of the Competition Committee he's got a chance to "fix" this problem in the future .

 

[FreshTressa]

Maybe he felt it was good sportsmanship...

Or he truly believed it felt the need to be honest.

Or maybe he has a big mouth.

 

[poohandwendy]

Maybe he felt it was good sportsmanship...

Or he truly believed it felt the need to be honest.

Or maybe he has a big mouth.

I would have to say, I think it is the second. My BIL plays cards with him and says he is a very genuine person and not cocky in the least, I know that is second hand perspective...but knowing my BIL, I don't doubt he was just being honest. (For whatever little that is worth)

 

[poohandwendy]

Also, I think it's important to point out that he did not make a statement that he 'knew' it wasn't in or that he was sure that it wasn't in. That would be different. I think he was just saying 'whew, I was worried.. I was glad to see that it turned out being called as good."

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

The first half does not determine the game. Actually, I take that back...the first half should have determined the game in this case because the Steelers gave so many opportunites to the Seahawks. If anything, the Seahawks went into the 2nd hallf in trouble because they should have monopolized on the situation and been WAY ahead. The better team clearly won, IMHO.

Well I'm not going to rehash this whole issue all over again. My opinion, in summary is this:

Seahawks dominated the first half in spite of a clearly biased group of refs. Had they not have to play against the Steelers 12th man - in this case the refs - they probably would have won. All of the hype, the commercials only showing 3 Seattle players with the trophy versus how many Steeler players just confirms that Seattle was destined to lose no matter how good of a game they played.