Jeff George Memorial Least of the Week: Aaron Francisco
There weren’t any spectacularly awful performances in the Super Bowl, so the Least is a little difficult to determine in this, its final installment of the year. Mike Gandy did get called for three holding calls, but then he was blocking DPOY James Harrison. Clancy Pendergast gets a big fail for the Cards lack of pressure and coverage schemes on the Steelers’ final drive. It could go to the three Cardinals blanketing Santonio Holmes in the end zone, but then Roethlisberger did make an amazing throw.
Then Maj suggested it go to Aaron Francisco for getting roughed up by James Harrison in the 4th quarter, which puts me in a fun position to write about it while pretending not to boast about an obvious foul by one of my favorite players. Lots of people think Harrison should have been ejected and point to him only receiving a personal foul as proof that the refs favored the newly renamed (guh) Sixburgh Steelers.
Then again, on the first play of the second quarter Cardinals defensive end Bryan Robinson punches Chris Kemoeatu after he goes to the ground, then gets up and throws a right hook at Hines Ward, for which he receives no flag. But NBC didn’t grant it a replay and Madden didn’t get all huffy about it so no one seized on the incident as part of some kooky officiating conspiracy (Quoth Punter: “The Steelers will never lose a Super Bowl as long as Goodell and Rooney are both in power”). So, in the end, these things kind of even out.
In conclusion: The Dansby roughing the passer call was the only truly horrible one in the game. Everything else was at worst borderline and bad calls swung both ways. Don’t be gay like Jason Whitlock, Bill Simmons or Punter and blame the refs. The game is over. Let’s get back to the dick jokes.
/dick joke
Tags: jeff george memorial least of the week, Silverback SMASH!, xmas ape
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Remember that scene in “Men at Work” where Charlie Sheen handcuffs those two asshole bike cops to the merry-go-round in a compromising position? Yeah, I’m just gonna close my eyes and picture them as Whitlock and Simmons…
\phrenologist joke
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
The least of the week should be Antrel Rolle. If that ass isn’t standing too close to the field, Fitz catches Harrison at the 5 on that interception return instead of plowing into Rolle and then almost catching Harrison anyway. That was huge, and only Marcellus Wiley of all people has called it out, unless I missed someone else.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Also an acceptable reason for his nomination: making absolutely no effort to get up and avoid being pummeled. But I guess he just went limp from that brutal open palmed punch to the shoulder pad.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Harrison must have thought it was his girlfriend.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Dick jokes, eh? Ummm… I’m blanking. Something about Santonio Holmes… Hines Ward is Asian… I got nothing.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Of course, if Fitzy hadn’t been running down the field out of bounds, which is a penalty, Rolle wouldn’t have been in the way.
DRC should get a Least award. He’ll spend the next six months trying to wash the taste of Holmes’ balls from his mouth.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Stuck in the land of inbred monarchs, I was stuck watching the BBC coverage. Rod Woodson wanted to kill a bitch for the “Roughing the Holder” call. Then, he regaled us with stories of times that he too roughed holders.
Then I ate a crumpet.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Tracer -
DRC played pretty damn well for a rookie in the Super Bowl. He made a great play, tipping the ball away from Nate Washington on a Roethlisberger bomb and preventing a TD.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
theres a dick joke in your pants. burn!
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
@Tracer, isn’t it only a penalty if he’s the first person to touch the ball after coming back in bounds? It’s called illegal touching, and I’m sure there’s someone on here who has expertise in this area.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
What a pansy league. How is that a penalty on Harrison? A running back does that, and it’s a great stiff arm. F that noise.
Oh, and roughing the holder? Huh?
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Bill Simmons’ dick is a joke.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
this guy should be the least of the week just as much for falling on his ass during santonio’s catch and run on the final drive than taking a cheap shot from harrison.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Can someone explain what he actually did to get a flag. To me it looks like he blocks a guy to the ground while the ball is still in the air.
Granted it looks like he’s blocking my grandmother to the ground but that does not mean its against the rules.
It doesn’t look like the flag was thrown for the palm strike so what gives?
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I haven’t seen enough Seahawks games to fully appreciate how pathetic Brian Russell is, but I can’t imagine him being any worse than what I have seen from Aaron Francisco in the playoffs.
- Miss countless tackles due to lack of athleticism/being a gaping pussy…check
- Get stripped from behind on gift INT in Eagles game…check
- Cower like a bitch while Harrison roughs him up on special teams…check
- Whiff when going for the ball on Holmes’ GW TD…check
He is a very deserving least.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Francisco was also the one who fell down, leading to the long RAC for Holmes just before the TD, correct?
That dude sucks.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Also, how awesome is it that the defensive player of the year still plays on punt coverage? Can you imagine Ray-Ray or Urlacher doing that?
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Hey Ape: go fuck yourself. you already won. you don’t get to clear your team’s dirty name in the process. they were dirty, they’ve always been dirty, and harrison has taken more HGH than sly stallone. deal with it and quit looking for an out. dick.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
People who have two first names always suck in life.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Someone want to send me an email when Ape stops masturbating all over the website?
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Who taught Ape morals? Or has my mother been lying to me all these years when she said two wrongs don’t make a right? I don’t know, but Robinson not getting called for his idiocy shouldn’t excuse the refs fucking up and not ejecting Harrison, it just means they fucked up twice.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Aaron Francisco does not have a name for football
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
With a last name like Francisco he should be playing baseball
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Give em hell Ape!!!!
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
said with a lisp and ‘Jazz Hands’.
FRANTHISSCOOOOO!!!
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
@Sven:
You may want to clear the beach from your vag before you hit the streets again tonight, sweetie. I heard sand-on-tranny smarts a bit.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
When I saw the link to Simmons, my initial thought was “Oh, come on. You’re just ragging on him because of his reputation. He couldn’t have been that bad.” Then I saw this line:
Al Michaels breaks the 2009 record for “Most times using the word ‘amazing’ in a prime-time telecast,” narrowly edging Jason on last week’s episode of “The Bachelor.”
I am duly chastened.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
At least Robinson took a shot at somebody who wasn’t on all fours.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
@Broseph Stalin: Horseshit. DRC was beaten by five yards. Rothelisberger didn’t throw it far enough. That’s a TD if Washington doesn’t have to wait on the pass.
@ fallex: Looking at the rule book, you’re right. There is a penalty called “Kicking team player voluntarily out of bounds during a punt,” but, obviously, it only applies during a punt.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Here’s a thought to ponder… if Hines Ward is Asian but Black, does it all average out?
/can get away with thinking this because I’m a girl
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I think he should play for the Niners and change his 1st name to San. Now that’s a name for football.
/I was actually just showing myself out now that you mentioned it
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:05 pm
That’s some quality ‘roid rage, right there.
/I’m sure there’s an innocent explanation as to why a guy goes from four-time cuttee to DPOY.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
NN’s van … Flaxseed oil…what?
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Least of the week is whoever made the decision (be it Warner or be it the offensive coordinator) to throw a shitty little rope to the front of the endzone right at the end of the second quarter, leading to the TAINT-100 by Harrison.
Really? Trying to slice it into the endzone, rather than tossing it into the corner 3 times, knowing that LARRY FUCKING FITZGERALD can jump higher than any goddamn organism on the planet?
That same Least was probably also responsible for not actually THROWING to LARRY FUCKING FITZGERALD until 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jesus Christ, HE’S THE BEST RECEIVER IN THE FUCKING NFL. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD THROW HIM THE BALL EVERY NOW AND THEN.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Oh come on! For all of you talking shit about how much of a wuss Francisco is for getting bitched by Harrison, tell me you wouldn’t be shitting your pants if you had to block a roid-raged, girlfriend-beating thug.
Francisco’s overall performance was awful, but on that play he had to do a job that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. I won’t crucify him for that.
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Whhaaa whaa, whaaaaaaaaaa wha whaaa. Roid-Rage! Whaaaa, wha-whaaa whaaa. Whaa whaa “Woman-Beater”!! Whaaaaa wwwwwhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa whaaaa. Pittsburgh Steelers kicked my asss. Whaaaaa whaaa
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaawhaawhawwwwwwwwwwwhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
/being all growned-up
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
We could power the Internet with the energy expended by bitter haters in this thread.
/loves it
At least Robinson took a shot at somebody who wasn’t on all fours.
Actually Robinson did, then he got up and punched someone else.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:57 am
The worst call in the game was, by far, not throwing a flag for Santonio Holmes touchdown celebration. His celebration was the definition of using the ball as a prop. I think the rule is lame as shit but it exists and the refs should call it. If that was Randy Moss/Owens/Chad Johnson the refs would have thrown that flag instantly, since it was a Steeler the refs didn’t do shit. Those 15 yards on the kickoff would have been huge, allowing for a much better return and way way better field position on the last drive.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
@Matt: +1
February 5th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Homerism galore.