Do you think PI has become distorted since the Colts made a big stink about it? It seems the officiating has become worse the past three years starting with the Steelers SB run.
Agree on both points, but I think they were actually separate issues.
For a while now, the Colts have gotten far more than their fair share of phantom calls. Either they're the most disciplined team in the history of professional sports and opposing teams just can't resist setting record penalties against them, or there's bias. Whether that bias is premeditated or not, who knows, but IMHO it's pretty obvious that it exists. And whether we (NFL fans, not just Pats fans) agree that there is bias in favor of the Colts or not, we should all agree that the makeup and operation of the competition committee is a huge, HUGE conflict of interest.
Information about the CC:
Composition of the Competition Committee
Now, Colts aside, let's move on to the Steelers. Super Bowl XL featured the most egregiously biased officiating I'd ever seen. Well, until the Pats-Colts game this year. I don't see how anyone who watched that Super Bowl could come away feeling anything other than absolutely disgusted. Steelers fans, too. No one should want to win a Super Bowl because the zebras gave you a helping hand.
With all of the ridiculous subplots, the fix was in from the start. Let's see, there was:
- Jerome Bettis retires after winning Super Bowl in hometown
- "One for the Thumb"
- AFC wild card triumphing against all odds to beat the NFC top seed
- Ben Roethlisberger becoming the youngest QB to ever win a Super Bowl
- Bill Cowher finally wins a Super Bowl before retiring
And I'm sure I'm missing a few. Of course, Bill Cowher didn't retire until the year after and "Big Ben" broke the record for worst passer rating ever in a Super Bowl, but otherwise it all fell into place.
That farce of a championship still pisses me off.