Getty Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin responded publicly to the tirade from rookie wide receiver George Pickens in Week 13.
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ire is something that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin brings out of his troops. The referees tried their best to quench that flame in their Week 7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Tomlin recognized where Pittsburgh was overzealous and in retrospect, knows how the Steelers can avoid racking up penalties as the schedule wears on.
In his latest press conference, Tomlin addressed the 8 infractions that cost the Steelers 76 yards on the day. He also detailed how he has to be better at recognizing the sensitivity of the officials’ right hands in letting their flags go:
“Oftentimes, it’s our job to feel the tenor of a[n officiating] crew and adjust our behavior accordingly. We got into that game, and that crew had a certain tenor, and we didn’t adjust to it. As professionals, that’s our job.
“Am I worried about those issues being an issue moving forward? No, I’m not, but it is a great opportunity to talk about learning the tenor of a crew. Sometimes, certain crews are more tolerant regarding certain things than others, and that’s just the realities of the National Football League,” Tomlin remarked.
Steelers Offense Collected the Majority of Their Infractions
Pittsburgh’s 8 penalties were a season-high for the franchise. The offense coughed up 56 of their 76 total penalty yards.
Wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson were having their way with the Rams’ secondary from whistle to whistle. In classic retaliatory fashion, L.A.’s defensive backs found ways to irritate them.
Pickens getting shoved after the whistle and having his jersey pulled once free of a tackle caused the dynamic pass-catcher to let Rams DB Russ Yeast know just how much he couldn’t hold him in coverage. It also caused the referees to nab him for taunting. Pickens went for 106 receiving yards on the game and his numbers backed up his trash talk.
While Pickens was vocal, Johnson played the silent-but-deadly game. Johnson came alive with 50 of his 76 receiving yards coming in the 4th quarter. A big 39-yard gain set the tone at the top of the quarter. CB Ahkello Witherspoon got called for pass interference down the stretch with 3:03 to go, prompting Johnson put his finger to his mouth and silence his former teammate. That earned him a taunting penalty as well.
Pittsburgh’s costly lost yardage could have cost them the game. However, there are positives to be extracted from last Sunday’s win.
New Life in Steelers’ Offense
If taunting and rough-nosed attitudes were what it took to jolt the Steelers’ offense, then that’s something Tomlin can live with for one week.
Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada turned the tide amidst heavy scrutiny from every angle imaginable. The ‘Fire Canada’ chants that reverberated in the city of Pittsburgh for weeks put fire in Canada. He was seen passionately calling plays and reacting to his offense’s successful execution of their game plan on the field from the coaches box.
The entire Steelers roster fed off of the energy that quickly metastasized on the field and the sidelines. Moving forward, Tomlin and his coaching staff will be more mindful of letting their passion go too far. But in all respects, that same passion led to a needed win. It is exactly what will be required to win a competitive AFC North if harnessed properly.