The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the NFL: Officiating Inconsistencies Continue

December 23, 2010   ·   Bill Kostkas   ·   Jump to comments

I'm befuddled. I'm baffled. I'm confused. I'm out of adjectives to describe my current state of mind after somebody showed me this article on ESPN about how the Steelers were apparently given a phantom first down on Sunday against the New York Jets.

Didn't they lose the game? Correct. So, who gives a damn about whether or not they got a free first down?

Here's what part of the article says.

"On first-and-10 from the Jets 35 early in the second quarter, Mendenhall gained 9 yards to the 26-yard line. After momentary confusion as the chain crew began moving the sticks, referee Peter Morelli's crew put the ball down at the 25 and signaled a first down."

So what? This happens in almost every game in the NFL. In fact, the late Walter Payton once said that he gained an extra 300 yards or so in his career by simply by extending the ball a few feet forward after he was tackled. Ball spotting is a very inexact science.

What this does remind...

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