Ref Says 'Close Enough,' Gives Steelers First Down vs. Browns

This call should be looked into in more depth. There was no way that was a first down. This call gave the Steelers a lead in the final seconds of the first half. The Browns should have had the ball and had a chance to score themselves.

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LET'S SEE IF THE NFL HAS ANY BALLS. IF ANDERSON ISN'T SUSPENDED OR FIRED THE NFL HAS NO TEETH. THEY GOT GUYS LIKE VICK, RAY LEWIS, DANTE WESLEY AND NOW AND OFFICALS WHO SHOULD BE GONE. CLOSE ENOUGH?, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

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No way that was a first down, I don't care what angle you look at it. I'd be checking into that ref gambling habits if I were the NFL.

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That's a toughie, because if the camera angle isn't exactly perpendicular to the chain, then you're going to get some distortion of the true position of the ball relative to the marker. I think there's enough doubt there to give the referee the benefit of it. And it's not like the spot could have been inherently any more accurate!

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Well, obviously your all Browns fans!!!!!!!!!!! There were several calls that were suspect in that game, not just that one, and not just ones to benefit the Steelers. For instance, Hines Ward in the end zone rolling over with the ball, that was a TD as far as I'm concerned, he had it in the endzone and it didn't come loose till he was out of bounds!!! But I'm betting your gonna disagree with me. In the end, it was a hell of a game, just the way I like them to be, and the best team came out on top.

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ITS THE CAMERA ANGLE THAT MAKES IT LOOK AS THOUGH ITS NOT A 1ST DOWN. IF THE CAMERA WAS IN LINE WITH THE YARD STICK YOU WOULD OF SEEN THAT IT WAS ENOUGH FOR A 1ST DOWN.

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I am one of millions of fans that feel we have been robbed of our pride and of our baseball and football, and we all are damn frustrated by this illusion that WE THE PEOPLE OF CLEVELAND do not deserve the same rights to have competent people owning our sports franchises. Our tax dollars paid for state of the art facilities to house respectable, competive teams that bring a sense of community spirit to our city borders... We have received absolutely no returns on our investments with the Dolan family and the Lerner family, infact both families have swindled our community out of more dollars than all the gigh profile scam artists put together. Call me crazy or what you will, but I think a community after investing billions of tax dollars outta have some returns on their investments in the way of championships for this generation of fans that flipped the bill out right. The power of the pen should never be mistaken. Millions of us turn on our televisions and hear the jokes told around the country of how our city is a city of losers. Opposing teams laugh that we give our talent away for nothing and we are living on past dreams of teams who actually fielded players that took pride in wearing a Cleveland Indian or Cleveland Brown uniform, but now a day, we are at the mercy of two men armed with the excuses of the rich, that building winners take time.... championships are hard to grab hold of.... in the case of the Indians it has been since 1948 that we won a championship, the Browns last won a championship in 1964, that is respectfully 61 years and 45 years, combination of 106 years of losing, over a century of losing teams, wiping out generations of fans who never experienced a winner, but paid their hard earned tax dollars to have home teams. Randy Lerner and Larry Dolan have one thing in common as far as a true fans eyes can see, there's no hope that either of these rich little white men care about the games they are so privledged to be part of.... so what can Clevelanders do besides deny themselves the full life of having a local sports team to root for? We have hope with Dan Gilbert cause he gets it. He at least tries to win at all cost. And we reward him with sellouts. It's called ownership pride and having a sense that the owner gives something back to the community he resides in. So though we the fans think we are powerless because we have seen the traitors Art Model and Al Lerner rip our hearts and souls out when they moved our beloved storied franchise to Baltimore, we have become fearful that if we speak up too much, these men will take their balls to another city and leave us without the game we all so treasure. Two greedy rich men have that much power in Cleveland Ohio... they are Larry Dolan and Randy Lerner. It's only two men people. We have powerful numbers because their are millions of us, who simply want a fair, competive ball game, and we have put our money up on the table, and it has been taken year after year by both of these greedy souls. We have been branded losers by two men and the owners they came before them. We should not fear them leaving but in reality these two men staying, for we no in our hearts they are solely responsible for the image of both sports franchises. We the fans packed both the Jake and The Browns Stadium with support, we did our jobs, we built them state of the art facilities, and we entrusted them that they would make good decisions for our hard earned tax dollars, yet we all no they each delivered zero returns for a combination of 106 years of straight losing. Bottom line is there is not one trophy anywhere on display. Both of these men have no honor in their decisions to give back. So my plan is to use the power of words to reach the millions of people who want the same things I want, a competive sportstown with competent gms coaches and players, and a press that uses the power of their voices and pens collectively two pressure these two little rich kids that take us for granted. It is a privledge not a right to own a sports franchise when there are so few... and they do not have the right to just collect money without returns.... so now lets take about bringing it strong, like a radio talk show host claims daily from the wknr radio show at 850am... Tony Rizzo and Goldhammer claim that we are served crap, Michael R. says bring it strong, Kenny Rhoda screams that are teams are pathetic, Tony Grossi, Mary Kay Cabot, Bill Livinston, Terry Pluto, Jeff Schudel, you all cash checks and make a living off these pathetic teams.... Mark Munch Bishop and Bruce Drennan, all of you claim you love Cleveland.... guess what show us get our backs for a change and take your damn voices and pens collectively and start standing up two these lazy athletes and two rich white guys that destroyed baseball and football, bring it strong Michael.... call for them to sell now on your shows and in your papers... bring the heat you can to turn the city you all love around sportswise.... I am calling on you to bring it strong like I did....do it it its your job. How many more damn decades are you all gonna watch safely from your perches, quietly cash your checks and be part of the scam of these two owners... we need you. we do not have the forum you all enjoy... plaster these two faces alongside of their records.... you might think I'm calling you out, but you all say you love Cleveland.... show us the money buddies cause its time to fire up the troops and get our city back from this pitiful trend.... bring it strong.... bring it hard.... and don't stop until they give our teams back.... Our two Cy Young winners are gonna determine the World Series this year because Larry Dolan won't pay them, yet it took billions from the fans.... Pittsburgh hoisrted a trophy, yet Lerner dumps crap on us.... stop telling us fans we need to rebuild for 3/4 years, or wait til next year, or handing them excuses that cupboards are bare..... show us that you can bring it strong with your voices and pens... if my blog don't fire you up, you do not love sports and/or Cleveland.... Im frustrated and you outta be frustrated too. This city deserves winners. Be a winner and get it done. You may not agree with everything I say or do, but I do love my home town, and kids in Cleveland deserve to feel the Browns win and Indians win.

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It was a cheap shot, it didn't cost the Browns the game, but it sure was a momentum stopper! It was a good game, but the refs should really be reprimanded for this one. They did NOT get the first down.

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funn2day2, what game did you watch? Obviously not steelers-browns! you said "this call gave the steelers a lead in the final seconds of the first half" . Really? It was 14-7 at the time, the steelers ALREADY had the lead.

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Bad call? It looked like it to me and every other person watching. Why didnt the Browns challenge the spot of the ball? I dont remember the time left maybe they couldnt but then it should have went upstairs. Regardless it didnt change the game. They had no momentum there the browns. Whats that like the 19th game in a row they have lost to the Champs?

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That's funny. A bad call and people comparing it to judgement calls. Measuring a ball isnt a judgement call. It's either short of the chain or past it end of story. That camera angle bs is crap too. The entire defense and offense were right on top of the play with all 22 players on the field reacting as if it was short. Must have been their angle too right? Beyond all that, it wasn't even close enough to the sticks to be claiming the angle was that large of a factor. They weren't just short a link or two. They refs should have went ahead and gave them 5 downs to get the td too while they were at it. Garbage.

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Russ it wasn't the spot of the ball that needed to be challenged, it was the guys measuring it. I'm not even sure if you can toss a flag out on that. Secondly, what are you talking about they had no momentum? Cribs had just returned a kick off for a td and the Browns held on 4th down. That sounds like a little mo building up to me.

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Benny boy says they got lucky, you got that right dumbo, by way of the REF!!!!

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"I have no idea how they gave us a first down, but we'll take it," Hartwig said. "I'd say (it was short) by two chain links. It was obvious to everybody playing on the field. I don't know how they called it the way they did, but ... we're not going to complain about it."

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The former great Bernie Kosar just lied through his teeth on the radio inbetween drinks no doubt, that the secondary of the Browns, are dealing with a complicated scheme, instead of flat out saying Brandon McDonald plays like a girl. Another yes man in the Lerner organization.... Michael R. the host brought it real strong LMAO... Have another drink Bernie.....you need one to watch the Browns. By the way fans, the Ryan twins are up to feeding our talent to the Jets again for more scrubs.... Shaun Rogers is gonna be moved tomorrow. Fie Lerner and fire Mangini til then we will never have a real NFL team. And if the measurement isn't prove the NFL fixes games, fans must be stupid.

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