In every game, there are penalties. Some teams have more than others (I'm looking your way Oakland Raiders). It is a fact that penalties will occur, but a team's reaction to said penalties has much more of an affect on the game than the actual penalty itself.
Take for instance, during the second quarter of Pittsburgh's Thursday Night match-up with Miami, Cedrick Wilson was blatantly smacked across the arms, hindering his ability to catch the ball. To those in attendance, it was an obvious interference penalty. Yet, there was no flag thrown. Everyone hissed, booed and hollered, including the tens of millions of viewers watching at home...everyone, except for me. In my opinion, penalties almost always even out (which I will show later).
But, even if the penalties are not equal, a team has to deal with adversity. If a penalty was not called, your response is simple: Move on!!! Alas, too many times, the team who feels slighted pouts and obsesses about the way in which they were slighted...and the problem gets worse.
Back to Thursday's game. When Cedrick Wilson was man-handled and no foul is called, the Steelers were forced to punt. Alas, instead of dealing with it, the Steelers allowed Wes Welker to run back the kick for a huge gain. Then, a few plays later, Ronnie Brown scored a touchdown. In other words, Pittsburgh's reaction was to pout...and allow Miami to score. In turn, Pittsburgh's angst was exacerbated by giving Miami seven points. Simply, championship caliber teams do not dwell on bad plays; they overcome them.
Besides, these things even out. For example, later in the game, during an incomplete third down pass play, a Dolphin defensive-back was flagged for illegal contact. Instead of having to punt, the Steelers got a second chance. In other words, while the earlier drive had been stalled by a non-penalty, this drive was kept alive by a penalty. In short, the two penalties (or lack thereof) negated each other.
Some might argue that the penalty on the Dolphins was indeed an infraction, and thus required a penalty. Deservedly so or not, my point is that eventually something will occur in a game to give a team back the momentum...and the illegal contact penalty indeed created a huge shift in momentum. Regardless, even if the illegal contact penalty on Miami did not off-set the non-call on Cedrick Wilson's pass interference, the referees not seeing Miller's foot step out of bounds certainly did. Yes, the ball should have been placed at the one yard line. But, considering the game in its entirety, everything pretty much evened out.
Still, one could argue that had the ball been placed on the one yard line, the Steelers might not have scored a touchdown. That is true; nothing is guaranteed. That said, I would hope that the Steelers would have learned from their first unsuccessful first-and-goal situation, when Charlie Batch fumbled on the goal line.
Speaking of which, after that botched play, the Steelers could have gone into the "woulda, shoulda, coulda" mode, but instead, Pittsburgh forced an interception. One play later, Heath Miller galloped 87 yards for the aforementioned disputed touchdown. Now, that is what champions do.
My point is that bad things happen in games (e.g. penalties, bonehead plays, long returns), but winning teams find ways to suppress their disdain. A smarter person than me once said something about spilling milk and crying over it. Losers cry; winners get a sponge, clean up the mess, and pour a new glass of milk.
Speaking of winners, did anyone see that amazing Chris Chambers catch in the first half? No!?! Exactly my point. Once again, Ike Taylor took a wide receiver out of the game. I know that Chambers ended up with several catches, but all of those came late in the second half when Ike was playing 15 yards back (i.e. in the prevent defense). I have said it before, but it is a mantra that needs to be reiterated over and over again: Ike for defensive player of the year.
Speaking of Ike, I am not 100% certain about this, but I heard that he carries a sponge with him. Hopefully, the rest of the Steelers follow suit.
