Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Gets Candid on NFL Admitting Officiating Mistake vs. Jets

Getty Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin opened up on the NFL telling him that officials made an incorrect call in their Week 7 matchup versus the New York Jets.

Coaches and players in the NFL aren’t perfect. Neither are officials. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stressed that point in his weekly Tuesday press conference on October 22.

In Week 7 versus the New York Jets, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked an extra point after the Jets scored their second touchdown of the first half. But the officials called Fitzpatrick for leverage, nullifying the block.

The Jets took extra advantage of the additional opportunity, moving the ball to the 1-yard line for a 2-point conversion after the penalty. New York converted the attempt, giving it a 9-point lead.

Tomlin told reporters on October 22 that the league office told him no penalty should have been called on Fitzpatrick when he blocked the Jets’ extra point. As he continued to talk about the scenario, though, the Steelers head coach used it as a teaching moment rather than an opportunity to take a shot at NFL officials.

“None of us our perfect. There’s going to be mistakes made in game,” Mike Tomlin told the media. “There’s strategic mistakes made by guys like me, there’s playing mistakes made by players and there’s officiating mistakes. The bottom line is, if you’re capable, and you’re on your job for 60 minutes, mistakes by others often don’t define the outcome of games.”

Tomlin added that the penalty wiping out Fitzpatrick’s great block was a shame.  But his team didn’t allow that to define the game. A strong Steelers second half allowed the missed call to be a non-factor.

Steelers Block Second Kicking Attempt vs. Jets

Part of why the Steelers were able to overcome the wrong call on Fitzpatrick’s block was the fact they blocked another try in the second half.

The Steelers offense scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to take an 8-point lead. At that point, Fitzpatrick’s penalty still loomed large because without the Jets 2-point try, the Steelers would have led by a touchdown and a field goal.

New York then had its best drive of the second half, moving to the Steelers 17-yard line. But after three straight incomplete passes, the Jets lined up for a field goal to pull within 5 points.

No Steelers player leaped over the line of scrimmage, but defensive lineman Dean Lowry got his hand high enough to block the attempt. That preserved Pittsburgh’s 8-point lead.

The Steelers scored a touchdown on their next drive. From that point on, they led by at least two scores the rest of the night.

Mike Tomlin Addresses Replay Review on Penalties

A few drives before Fitzpatrick’s block that didn’t count, Jets receiver Allen Lazard caught a pass on a third-down attempt in Pittsburgh territory. The officials ruled Lazard down just short of the line to gain. However, replay assist stepped in and awarded the Jets a first down.

Based on the replay, Lazard appeared to gain the first down. The officials made the correction swiftly thanks to the league officiating office stepping in.

The same, however, cannot currently be done with penalties such as Fitzpatrick.

A lot of penalty calls in the NFL are subjective, which makes them very difficult subjects for review. But every NBC broadcaster involved with calling the Steelers-Jets game argued that replay cleared showed Fitzpatrick’s block was not a leveraging foul.

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So, could leverage penalties be something replay assist helps with in the future? Tomlin received the question on October 22.

“As a collective, we’re proceeding with caution in terms of the infuse of technology into the game,” Tomlin said. “I just think that’s the posture, as a collective, that we’ve always had.

“We’re not resistance to technology and advancements in technology, but we’re methodical and intentional about the infusion of it in terms of the game. And how much we do.”

Essentially, Tomlin didn’t rule it out. But he also didn’t argue that the league needs to make sweeping changes immediately.

For now, it will remain up to the players and coaches to make incorrect calls, like the one on Fitzpatrick, not be the deciding factor in the outcome of games.