Super Bowl 43: A Tribute to Replay
The star of Super Bowl 43 was not James Harrison or Santonio Holmes or Big Ben or Kurt Warner or Larry Fitzgerald.
Instant replay stole this show. Two of Pittsburgh’s three touchdowns were upheld upon review, and another Steeler TD was wiped out by technology.
It’s amazing how much we’ve come to depend on instant replay, even though it isn’t always conclusive. This game, for instance.
The standard, I think, has slipped from conclusive to “pretty sure.”
Remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer has been arrested for serial killing? Jerry and George go to the police station to visit and tell the cops, “He didn’t do it. We’re pretty sure.”
Same with replay. The wiped-out Steeler touchdown, in which at first a scrambling Ben Roethlisberger was given a touchdown? The evidence seemed to show Big Ben didn’t get in, but there were no replays that were absolute.
James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, which has to be the greatest play to ever a first half in any ballgame anywhere? The refs called it a TD, and replays seemed to go either way, so review let it stand.
Even Holmes’ epic game-winning catch with 35 seconds left was not totally in the clear. It looks like both his feet were down. I think they were. But you can’t really tell, which is why the touchdown should have stood and did.
The problem with replay review is that it becomes a crutch. We want every play reviewed. Officials tend to relax and not make a good, strong affirmative call, waiting instead for the camera to decide things.
That’s why I’ve always been against replay review. It costs too much. But there’s no going back now. Not after Super Bowl 43.
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Comments
I thought the most obvious play was the last play of the game when Warner through a perfect spiral into the ground and it was ruled a fumble.
If they are going to use it, the last play of the Super Bowl might be a worthy candidate.
Great game, better than expected, also. Steeler QB took
charge of the game when it counted, and made the plays,
kind of like that QB for Florida in the BCS Title Game.
both teams were bad. The Super Bowl was a good game with 2 evenly sided teams that were not the class of the NFL. I know they were the teams that won on the field–buuuuutttttt,
In my mind it would have been a better Super Bowl with New York Giants vs Indy or even Baltimore, NE, Pitt
Get a little dislike for each other and a little trash talking back into the way the game used to be played.