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Daily Madden: The 'Conservative' Officiating In The Super Bowl

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - There were only seven penalties called in the Super Bowl Sunday, despite other obvious infractions. "Did someone see (a penalty) and not call it, or did the official not see it," Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. "I don't know if I'd say the officiating was bad or not. I would say it was very, very, very conservative. And I think that they would rather err on the side of not calling something, and I think that was the way that Super Bowl was officiated."

Just before the final play of the game, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was overheard telling a teammate to come off the sideline and tackle a 49ers punt returner Ted Ginn Jr.  if he was running for a touchdown. "Someone probably would have done it," Madden said, though it's likely officials would have called it a touchdown. "If you were a coach and you heard players talk like that you would worry that someone would do it prematurely."

Madden said he was chili-dipping again Thursday at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but not with a golf club. "Down there at the maintenance yard, you know where all the maintenance guys hang out, they cook there. And they make this chili that's great. And so if we did damage on anything, it was on the chili at the maintenance yard. And I can't wait to go back today."

Daily Madden

Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.

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